I'm only _mostly_ dead. The car, on the other hand, is _completely_
dead. I'm sure the quality of this is lacking, so any C&C is appreciated.
Process of Elimination -- Chapter Twelve -- Part A
Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz
(Ranma 1/2), Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi
(Sailor Moon).
Additional tinting provided by: Takada Yuuzou, and Kodansha (3x3
Eyes), Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume
Nuku-Nuku), and of course, Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine.
That's all.
Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2
in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs,
not TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but it's
something of an alt anyway. 3x3 Eyes diverges before OAV2. This fic uses
the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.
-----------------------------
"I have heard it said that 'pride goeth before a fall', and have
found this to be true. For that, I would consider humility to be one of
the greatest wisdoms that we can learn. I find solace in the face that I
was not the only one who had difficulty learning this lesson."
'Prince' Herb, former dignitary of Old Terra -- Old Terran Year
2005, July 27th.
Power crackling in the air between them, the two combatants stared
one another down. "This is all about your pride, isn't it?" Ranma
accused, throwing the first punch towards Herb's face.
The prince deflected the blow casually, countering with a footsweep.
"Of course," he commented, backpedaling as Ranma leapt upwards,
launching a simultaneous punch to Herb's shoulder and a kick to the
prince's thigh. Both were deflected, as Herb lifted himself off of the
ground to float level with Ranma. "I am royalty, Ranma. What is this
about for you? Last, it was a cure for the lock on your curse."
Ranma smirked, shifting, and trading strength for speed. The air
whipped about her as her female form launched a short salvo of blows
towards Herb's shoulder, spinning behind the prince to follow up with a
back-kick to the prince's leg.
Herb deflected the blows -- barely -- and the kick more easily,
countering with a fierce elbow-jab that Ranma was unable to block,
slamming the girl in the sternum hard enough to throw her backwards.
Ranma caught herself, tumbling in an airborne somersault and
springing back from a stone that sat higher above the ridge to streak
towards Herb like an angry meteor. "This time," Ranma spat out, narrowly
avoiding a kick from Herb. "I'm fighting to protect!" She glided along
Herb's outstretched leg and spun sharply, extending her own leg to slam
into Herb's thigh and throw him to the ground violently.
The startled Musk prince smashed into the ridge hard enough to leave
a shallow crater, but bounced out of the depression only a moment later.
"Then we share a goal," he retorted, hands aglow with ki-flame. "I will
protect my pride, Ranma."
Ranma slid through the air towards Herb, maintaining her offensive
and streaking through his defenses before he could prepare himself
again. "I don't plan on losing!" she cried, shifting back to male form
as she reached him. Balancing the exchange between strength and speed
again, Ranma launched a kick at Herb with enough force to shatter rock
-- or crack the hide of a reaver.
Herb grunted, bearing the strike on crossed arms, and coming to rest
on the ground again. "Neither do I," Herb retorted. Gesturing towards
Ranma quickly, he exclaimed, "Hitou ryuu-zan-ha!" From the flames of ki
about his hands, blades of energy sharp enough to shred stone shot
towards Ranma.
The boy dodged backwards, extending one hand towards the blade and
stopping atop the boulder that he had rebounded from only moments prior.
The blades of energy met with an intangible wall, giving Herb momentary
pause, as his attack was unsuccessful.
He dismissed the exception after a moment, and charged towards Ranma
on foot, not wanting to waste the energy to float above the ground
anymore. Ranma met his charge, surging forward -- again becoming female.
"You've learned quite a bit," Herb commented, landing a savage kick to
the inside of Ranma's thigh. "Your control of the curse impresses me."
Indeed, no sooner had Ranma been launched backwards by Herb's kick,
had he changed forms again, the male body taking the impact and cracking
the stone behind him. He coughed weakly, pulling himself from the rock
fragments about him. "Yeah, I did," he said, grinning cockily. "I
haven't seen you do anything new yet," he taunted.
Herb grinned in return, stepping back, and bracing himself --
tapping into the energy of the Earth beneath him. "I'll show you," he
said menacingly, drawing more power.
Ranma braced himself, as Herb unleashed a torrent of raw fire from
his outstretched hands. A coruscating flood of crimson and white heat,
washing out from his fingertips to spread like a wedge, screaming
through the air and eating into the Earth forcefully. Fire, and
ki-flame, nearly pure destructive forces borne of life-energy.
Releasing the tide of power, and recovering his strength, Herb
blinked worriedly, seeing that no trace of Ranma remained among the
glowing and softened stone.
"Not bad," a voice taunted from behind Herb. "But I know you've got
more than that, don't you?"
Herb turned slowly, smiling as he saw Ranma behind him, unscathed.
"I'm impressed," the prince allowed. "I had thought for a moment
that...." he let the comment trail off, shaking his head. "No matter. We
fight."
Ranma nodded curtly, uncrossing his arms, and dropping into an
offensive stance. "Yes, we do."
And with that, the two flew at one another again.
***
The battle had shifted from the initial testing blows where they
felt out one-another's defenses and offenses, and then the brief bout of
showy power to attempt to cow the other. Ranma was impressed by Herb's
attack. Perhaps fire wouldn't damage a reaver, but Yosho's blade could
cleave into them -- there was no reason that Herb's couldn't, as well.
From that, the two had flowed together, and the battle had changed
from careful, cautious strikes and attacks to blindingly fast and
recklessly powerful blows. Kicks that could break a normal human, and
punches that made the very air about them scream in protest flew between
the two liberally.
Strength that most humans envied even while fearing it was spent
carelessly.
The two came apart, and Herb shifted subtly from one stance to
another. Ranma led in with Vapors off the Lake, gently grazing past the
prince's defenses until he countered with Fall of Leaves.
Fall of Leaves led into Hail of Stone, which Ranma countered with
Drifting Winds, and then Drifting Winds gave way to Roaring Gale.
Herb countered by not being there for the finishing kick, instead
soaring upwards in a maneuver that Ranma didn't recognize, and lashing
out with his foot to tag Ranma's head before he could react. Ranma flew
backwards, righting himself before he struck the ground, and flying back
into the battle once more. Herb was waiting for him with Stone Fan, but
Ranma darted past the defense with Dewdrops on Armor.
Staggered from the four punishing blows that penetrated his defense,
Herb waved an errant hand, slashing a tide of flame across Ranma. He
teleported behind Herb and launched and elbow slam towards the other
boy's back, but Herb somehow expected it, and smashed a devastating
Buddha's Palm Strike into Ranma's sternum, eliciting a sharp crack as
Ranma was thrown to the rocks below.
Herb sneered, leaping upwards and descending towards Ranma with both
arms in a double-arm hammer-strike. Ranma rolled out of the way, as
Herb's attack left a crater where his chest had been. While rolling, he
lashed out with one arm, pushing himself completely off the ground, and
from there teleported to Herb's side as the prince was recovering. Not
giving Herb enough time to prepare, he launched a swift uppercut into
the boy, throwing him a good four meters up the ridge, to land closer to
the peak.
"Give up?" Ranma asked, panting.
Painfully struggling to his feet, Herb spat blood, and shook his
head angrily. "Not hardly."
***
Steeling himself once more, Herb glided down the slope, even as
Ranma surged upward like an angry tide. Ranma's charge was met with a
wave of fire and anger, and even though Herb didn't understand how he
had done it, Ranma vanished again.
He spun, ducking low and extending one foot behind him as he did so.
His impromptu footsweep was successful, and Ranma collapsed to the
ground, surprised, behind Herb. The prince wasted no further time, and
fell on his opponent, blade of ki extended, and digging into the stone
next to Ranma's neck. "What about you?" he asked, using the moment to
catch his breath. "Do you give up?"
"Not on your life," Ranma said, sinking beneath the stone and out of
Herb's pin.
The prince leapt upward, startled, and cast about him, staring in
consternation. Ranma had learned far more than he had let on -- did the
boy carry the blood of demons in his veins? How had he managed to become
something so much more than what he had been? Disappearing and
reappearing elsewhere, seemingly at will, sinking through stone without
pause or trace -- it defied sense. "Where are you?" Herb asked, spinning
to ensure that the boy hadn't appeared behind him again. Though Ranma
had shifted between his forms with such alacrity and ease that Herb was
confused on that issue, as well.
As if on cue, Ranma rose from another stone, ascending to Herb's
level with ease and smirking. "Right here," he said. "Rethinking your
surrender?"
"No," Herb said dryly. "I've one last card to play." And with that,
Herb tapped into that dangerous, heady power that was his right by
birth, training, and the hardships he had endured in the name of
becoming better at the Art. Coruscating sheets of flame sheathed his
body, a living aura of raw fire, hot enough to melt iron and angry
enough to boil away flesh in an instant. He raised his voice, unable to
know if he could be heard over the roar of the hungry flames, "I do not
think that you can counter this, Ranma."
Ranma stared at him, jaw slack, but shook his head firmly, righting
himself and declaring firmly, "I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to
try." With those words, the unnatural blue aura about Ranma intensified,
sucking what little heat there was about him from the air, leaving the
moisture to fall about him in frozen droplets.
The two studied one another carefully, neither entirely willing to
make the first move. The fight had indeed escalated beyond Herb's
expectations, becoming more than a simple -- if showy -- sparring match
and rapidly entering an easily lethal level. "Wait," Herb said, sinking
to the ground, and allowing the fire about him to dissipate.
Ranma lowered to the ground a small distance away, uneasily. "What?"
he asked warily.
***
"What are those two _doing_?" Washuu snapped irritably. "Ranma can't
tap that much power without severely injuring himself! If he keeps this
up, he might die!"
"Die?" Yosho asked guardedly. "From pushing himself too hard? I
thought he was stronger than that."
Washuu waved a hand, grumbling, "The gem he has allows him to draw
more power than his body has the maturity to process. If those two...."
She fell silent, as Herb erupted into flame, glowing like a small
sun in the distance -- outshining the true sun, as it set, not far from
view. Ranma paused a moment, and about his small, faraway form, the aura
of deepest blue expanded, much dimmer, but matching Herb's for menace
easily.
Washuu leapt up, Yosho only barely managing to restrain her as she
shouted, "No! That's too much-- Far too much! Yosho, you idiot, I have
to stop him!"
***
The two martial artists faced off, and the prince was the first to
look away. "No more," he announced. "This is foolish and petty -- your
cause must indeed be great, and as much as it wounds my pride, Ranma, I
would call you friend. We cannot fight like this and both emerge
unscathed. For all of that you appear to bear the blood of demons... I
yield."
Ranma merely blinked, dropping his aura, and smiling victoriously.
"I knew you were a good guy," he declared, only a half-second before he
pitched forward, crashing to the ground and lying prone after shifting
to female form.
The prince of the Musk stared at his fallen opponent, and began to
laugh, slowly at first, and then more deeply. He continued laughing
until the somewhat older warrior who had accompanied Ranma arrived. Then
the prince of the Musk, loser of the duel, collapsed to sit next to one
who he would have called a friend, struggling for breath, and exhausted
from his use of a trick he had not yet truly mastered.
***
From the depths of an inky darkness, voices spun in and out of her
perception.
".... okay?"
"I think so, we just need to make him rest until he can recover."
"I will see that he is carried, then. He has won our favor, after all."
"Later. Just leave him here for a bit, please."
"As you wish. Ask my servants if you need anything."
There was a resounding silence, then, until it was broken by the
sound of cloth rubbing gently across stone, faint enough to nearly be
unnoticeable. Her perception was entirely dulled by a faint, but present
pain that echoed through every part of her being, rough and abraded.
Her tongue was thick and uncooperative, refusing to allow her
speech; her eyes resisted opening, too heavy to move. A muffled,
sorrowful whimper sounded, and twin points of warm heat struck her
cheek. Too weak to flinch, she could only wonder at the source, until a
gentle, soothing warmth enveloped her, and she passed from her
semi-wakeful state, to dream.
***
Following the lead of the trio of women who Cologne had told to show
them to the Joketsuzoku village, Norris tramped along through the
forest, his men trailing him. They arrived shortly after sunset, greeted
by curious and doubtful stares from the women of the village, and dull,
unimpressed stares from the men.
His men fell into ranks in the courtyard, Ranma's cohorts and the
girls that followed him to one side. Norris shifted uncomfortably,
looking around, and asked, "Where's Miss Hakubi?"
Cologne reappeared, emerging from one of the larger houses bordering
the main square. Norris allowed himself to relax slightly, regarding the
woman with frank curiosity.
She answered him in English, explaining, "Washuu is with Ranma,
fetching more allies. In the meantime, we've set aside a lodge for your
men to set up."
Norris frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, let's get the
men settled in, and see about seeing what kind of intelligence we can
get on the enemy," Norris suggested.
Cologne nodded her agreement, gesturing to Yakumo. "Please join us,"
she said, switching back to Japanese. Turning back to Norris, she
explained, "This could be awkward because of the language barriers, but
I think we've got the best chance of getting your men to work with our
warriors by planning out activities in advance."
"What about us?" Usagi asked suddenly, stepping forward from the
group of girls. "We can still help, too, you know."
The old woman nodded. "Very well then, come into the meeting hall,
and let us speak." Cologne waited until Norris was near the door before
stopping him, tapping his knee with her staff, and explained quietly in
English, "Men are seldom, if ever, allowed to attend our meetings, Mr.
Norris. Please be respectful, and understand that some women are not
quite as tolerant as I."
Norris nodded, frowning thoughtfully. "Understood. Ray, set up a
communications center with the radio set we brought with us, Eric, see
if you can find that lodge where our troops can bunk down. Pavel, I want
you to set up a shift rotation so that we have a good spread of
battle-ready Marines at all times." The three Marines nodded, saluting
before dashing off to do as instructed. "The rest of you, at ease until
Miss Hakubi or Ranma return, and be sure to respect the local customs
here. We have to work with these women, and pissing them off isn't a
good way to do that. Am I clear?"
In unison, all of the other Marines replied, in unison, "Sir, yes,
Sir!" The precision garnered a few raised eyebrows from the watching women.
Norris grinned, managing to reduce to expression to merely a pleased
smile as he nodded again at the old woman. She snorted, motioning him to
enter the meeting lodge.
***
Across the palace of Jurai, servants scurried about madly -- there
was much to be done before Tenchi and the Home Fleet jumped again to
Earth. For his part, the emperor lay, across the foot of the massive bed
in his chamber, a day of seemingly endless meetings finally finished and
over with.
Seiryo had been dealt with, the arrogant prince apparently too
confused by Tenchi's apology to press the issue, and content to leave
once the boy had explained that he was sorry about the last time. The
rest of the meetings had been completed with either mind-numbing
attention paid to details that Tenchi wasn't sure were important, or
fawning devotion to concepts that he regarded as outdated.
Then too, the council attempted to ignore Karau and his views on
every issue, much to Tenchi's annoyance. He had finally pointed out that
unless a majority could be achieved -- and without Karau, it could not
-- that the Emperor would have the final say in every vote brought to
the Council. Mollified, somewhat, the councilmen then resorted to trying
to coerce the young Laruma.
Tenchi and Karau had exchanged mutually unimpressed gazes, and the
meetings bore on with Karau eventually earning a begrudging measure of
respect, and Misaki assigning a small contingent of the Royal Bodyguard
to escort him home once the day was through.
So, once it was all done and behind him, Tenchi realized that he was
given about an hour to himself -- nominally to eat, wash up, and then
spend his time as he saw fit with his apparent fiancees. For his part,
he enjoyed some quality time with the comforter on top of the Emperor's
bed (his now, since the old one had been destroyed) and stared at the
ceiling.
Ayeka and Ryouko, equally exhausted, had flopped to the bed on
either side of him, joining his contemplation of the upper reaches of
the room. Supposedly, they were to be discussing matters of government
with one another. The reality was far different.
Finally breaking the tired silence, Ayeka murmured, "That pattern of
leaves there looks rather like Yosho, don't you think?"
"Just what I needed," Tenchi groaned. "Jiji watching over me in bed,
since Dad's not around."
Ryouko snickered softly, and consoled Tenchi, "I think it looks more
like Mihoshi."
"Oddly enough, that doesn't help much," Tenchi groaned, shutting his
eyes.
A silence fell over the three of them, oddly comfortable, then.
Tenchi stifled a yawn, and murmured, "This isn't so bad."
Ryouko nodded her agreement, though Ayeka had already drifted off
after rolling over and trapping one of Tenchi's arms in her own.
"Maybe not," Ryouko agreed, snuggling herself close to Tenchi, and
phasing the blanket to be atop the three of them. Planting a gentle kiss
on his forehead, she murmured, "Maybe we just need to do this more
often. Goodnight, my sweet Tenchi."
The boy shook his head ruefully, before exhaustion finally claimed him.
***
A firm knock at the door roused Tenchi the next morning, and he sat
up blearily to regard the source of the noise. Already fully alert,
Ryouko sprang from his side, blades in hand as she flew towards the
door. Ayeka yelped faintly, falling out of the bed, and summoning her
guardians to her side as she landed, hands extended towards the door
menacingly.
The servant that had entered the room stared with wide eyes, the tip
of Ryouko's blade only centimeters from his nose. "Maybe the emperor
isn't hungry yet?" he offered, his voice cracking as he nervously backed
away, the tray in his hands rattling with his frightened trembles.
Ryouko dropped her hands to her sides, allowing her blades to
vanish, and mumbled, "Come back later."
Bobbing his head eagerly, the servant turned and fled, dashing down
the stairs just outside the door, and quickly disappearing from sight.
"Oops," Ayeka managed, climbing to her feet and brushing a mussed lock
of hair from her eyes. "That probably didn't look very good."
"Oh, I'm sure it looked _very_ good," Ryouko countered, grinning.
"Just imagine the rumors that will start spreading."
Ayeka sighed, shaking her head. "My reputation is ruined," she
intoned theatrically. "The stories of me being found in the emperor's
bed will never end. Oh, horrors, how will I live with myself?"
Tenchi blinked, scratching his head. "Anything I can do?" he asked
hopefully.
"Marry me," Ayeka offered, jumping on the bed to kneel at his side.
"But I already promised to do that!" Tenchi protested.
Ayeka pouted dramatically, before her expression gave way to a grin,
and she shook her head. "Silly," she told him. "I was merely teasing
you. This isn't a problem, honestly; I'd been living with you for months
before we returned here. The rumor already persists that.... Well." She
seemed content to leave it at that.
"The image of unity won't harm you in the least, Tenchi," Misaki
stated dryly, stepping through the still-unlatched doorway, and masking
a faint smirk.
Ayeka froze instantly, eyes going wide. "This isn't what it looks
like, Mother!" she protested, backing away from Tenchi and waving her
hands nervously. "I just, uh, well, you see--"
"Oh, you're so _cute_!" Misaki exclaimed, clasping her hands
together adoringly as she gazed at her daughter.
Scratching the top of his head, Tenchi hesitantly asked, "Is every
morning here going to be like this?"
"Probably," Ryouko answered, drifting to his side, and wrapping one
arm around him affectionately.
Sighing, Tenchi rose from the bed, and stretched. "I need to go take
a bath and change before we leave," he explained.
All of the women stared at him expectantly.
Blinking, Tenchi motioned towards the bathing room, managing, "Um, I
don't want to be rude, but I, ah, would like some privacy...."
"That's nice," Ryouko said, clinging to him more tightly.
Sweating nervously, Tenchi looked around, unsure of how to deal with
the situation, until Ayeka managed to regain some of her confidence, and
pried Ryouko away, explaining, "Now, now. We'll have plenty of time
for... that... later, Ryouko. For now, we should get ready, too."
Misaki giggled at Tenchi again, shaking her head as she left the room.
***
For her part, Tsunami had nothing to pack aside from some clothing
of Sasami's that might fit her current shape, and was thusly waiting
aboard the Throne, eager to be away from Jurai. And with Ranma, though
she quelled that thought for the moment -- likely he had his hands full
fighting.
Unbidden, the memory of what felt like so long ago rose again to her
mind, Ranma grabbing her then-smaller form protectively, and carrying
her to safety in Washuu's lab. She spent a moment remembering the
comforting warmth of the embrace before banishing it, knowing that as
all else had changed, Ranma might have, too.
A quiet footstep sounded, and she turned, watching a lone figure
approach. Jakugo, dressed as was appropriate for a Councilor, both hands
clasped behind his back. He nodded, still some distance away across the
deck, and called out, "Greetings, Tsunami-sama."
She nodded back, saying nothing until he was only a meter away, and
halted, regarding her curiously. "And greetings to you too, Jakugo-san,"
she offered. "What brings you here so early?"
"Oh, I thought I'd find you here," he said offhandedly. Looking up
at the branches of the Throne, he commented, "Though, I do wonder what
it says for Jurai that its goddess chooses to abandon it."
Tsunami suppressed a grimace of irritation. "I would never abandon
those I love, Jakugo. It is my prerogative to give my blessing as I see
fit, and I think that there are valiant warriors and noble souls in
battle on that green Earth that deserve my attention more than
comfortable people seated about a table who bicker about things that
mean nothing to me," she chastised him.
Jakugo's eyes flicked briefly to Tsunami, studying her with a cold,
calculating light, before he ducked his head, nodding. "It as is you say
it, Tsunami-sama -- I forget my place. I would not question your choice,
merely worry that if you are needed near, and are away, the empire may
suffer," he explained.
Her own eyes becoming distant, Tsunami clasped her eyes behind her
back, and looked upwards. She remembered well enough how the empire was
founded, all those centuries ago. Perhaps a small history lesson for
Jakugo's benefit would not be amiss. She nodded in confirmation of that
thought, and gestured to the Throne, which obligingly emitted pale beams
of light to play about the goddess.
"In times long forgotten to you," she explained, "the people of what
is now Jurai were not at all the noble figures you see." Jakugo stepped
back, eyes wide, and Tsunami was distantly aware of more people stepping
onto the deck -- likely Tenchi and his entourage. Raising her voice for
the newcomers' benefit, as the Throne wove an illusion above her, she
continued, "In the days when I was new to this realm, and unsure, I was
discovered by a lone traveler of the stars."
The light above her wove into a field of inky blackness, a single
point of glimmering blue light floating in the massive void, slowly
intercepted by a small craft of clunky design -- the ship appeared to be
nothing more than a patchwork, truly. Tsunami's narrative began again,
as the light vanished into the ship, "I'll not say his name, for if
you've forgotten it, then shame on you, but the man was little more than
a scoundrel, a thief, and on top of that, a pirate."
She allowed herself a small smile at the memory. "For all of his
failings, however, the man bore a noble spirit, and believed that there
were rights, and there were wrongs. He believed that his piracy was
acceptable, because in his own words, 'I only attack people who've got
something to spare'." The small craft on the Throne's hologram
approached a much larger, sleeker craft of what looked like spun sugar
and crystal. "He treated me well, unsure of what I was, and afraid of
knowing more. But as men often do, one day, he made a mistake."
The craft of spun-sugar and crystal, looking as fragile as though a
vagrant wind would topple it, pivoted suddenly, panes of crystal folding
away to reveal weapons ports that rapidly aimed and unleashed blazing
bolts of energy towards the smaller ship. "It was not entirely his
fault, I would say," Tsunami added, as the small ship detonated in a
blinding display of pyrotechnics. "But in that moment, I chose to
respect the man's morals, and his beliefs, and more than that, I had
faith and trust in him that he would do the right thing."
From the heart of the fiery explosion, emerging unscathed and
attended by the ten Wings of the Light Hawk, the ship Tsunami emerged,
returning fire and quickly disabling the opposing force. "But the man,
whose name you should know by now, was wounded in the battle." The image
shifted, the ships disappearing as the bridge of Tsunami appeared, the
man as she remembered him, slumped over the control yoke, one arm
dangling limply, the other pressed against a slowly expanding patch of
red. "He was not strong enough to wield my power, but I felt he was worthy."
In the hologram, the goddess -- as she had been, not as she was --
knelt at the man's side, and brushed a thick shock of black hair away
from his eyes. Her hand pressed against the wound on his side, a faint
blue glow building, and when it vanished, he was unscathed. From the
image, and given voice by the Throne, her memory-self said, "I give you
my trust, my faith, and the key to my power. Use it well, and use it
justly."
The memory-man nodded, eyes wide with awe. "I'll do just that, lil'
girl," the memory-man said, managing a roguish grin.
Tsunami smiled fondly at the memory once more. The images vanished,
showing instead a barren planet of dusty brown, and murky, acidic
waters. Tsunami said, "From there, he founded a city based on the
principles of justice as he perceived them, proud and upstanding, and
his fame as a pirate slowly faded with his new reputation as a builder
of a new future." Green slowly began to creep across the globe, acidic
and reddened waters paling, turning blue before the green hid them from
sight.
Turning her attention to Jakugo, Tsunami lectured, "The man had many
sons, as you should well remember. Can you name them, Jakugo?"
"Of course," the man said, shaking his head as though to clear it.
"Jurai had five noble sons who served the law in his new city as it
grew. Masaki, Amaki, Tatsuki, Kamaki, and...." Jakugo grimaced
distastefully, and mumbled, "And Amatera."
Tsunami sighed, shaking her head. "There were more brothers,
Jakugo," she said sadly. "You mustn't forget that he had sons who built
and labored long and hard for the bright future that their father looked
towards. Jotai, the carpenter, Manamasu, the ship builder before the
Ouke-no-ki were matured, Gareki, the farmer, and brave Laruma, who
labored for years and months to turn the vermin that ate at the roots of
the trees docile and harmless."
Jakugo nodded, his expression placid. "You are ever wise, noble
goddess of Jurai," he offered, bowing. "I will remember those names."
The display of light vanished, allowing the deck before the Throne
to assume its normal brightness. Tsunami sighed thoughtfully, looking
upward and thanking the tree.
"But what does this say for you choosing to leave Jurai now?" the
man asked suddenly. "If you've given us your love, your guidance, and
your approval before, why do you take it away now?"
Tenchi cleared his throat noisily from behind the Councilman, and
offered, "Because she can. I don't know about you, Jakugo, but it seems
to me a lot like the moral of the story is that she trusted them to do
the right thing without interfering. She didn't do anything until Jurai
was in danger, right?" He turned to look at Tsunami questioningly.
"Exactly right," she confirmed.
"So I guess it's like she's there when we need us, but she's not
here to hold our hands through every problem that we ever have to go
through," Tenchi concluded, grinning.
"Ah, of course," Jakugo said, managing a weak smile. "The emperor,
much like the goddess of Jurai, is ever wise."
"Oh, I'm not that smart," Tenchi said, shaking his head quickly.
"Just lucky. But I do have a question, Tsunami."
She inclined her head to him, raising her eyebrows curiously.
Taking the cue, Tenchi asked, "Did Jurai have any daughters?"
"Of course, Tenchi-san," she said, holding her hand over her mouth
to hide a quiet laugh. "Who else planted the trees that Laruma protected?"
Jakugo shrugged indifferently, mumbling, "By your leave."
"As you will it," Tsunami dismissed the man.
"Huh," Tenchi mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Nobody
told me that part."
Ayeka frowned thoughtfully. "That is most strange," she admitted.
"When I was young, I was told that Laruma was a foundling, adopted by
Jurai out of pity."
Karau snorted, shaking his head, but otherwise remaining silent.
Tsunami sighed, taking a moment to observe everyone who had
approached while she was wrapped up in her story telling. Tenchi, of
course, still attended by Ryouko and Ayeka, then Karau, and Misaki and
Funaho. For her part, Funaho seemed impressed, and even Misaki looked
somewhat mollified.
"Well," Funaho announced brusquely, "we have a copy of that
wonderful story recorded just now -- I'll see to adding it to our
educational system. I don't suppose many would remember it as clearly as
you, would they, Tsunami?"
"Oh, the First and the Throne remember most of the story," Tsunami
offered. "Anyone with a master key can see the stories as they remember it."
"I'll have to try that some time," Tenchi mused. "Regardless,
there's a large force of Galaxy Police transports that should be
reaching Earth soon. If they're delayed, then we can stop before them,
and cut their journey short a bit." He nodded as if to confirm something
to himself, adding, "Funaho says that we need to take the Throne to the
Masagiri sector again -- there's a stellar observation platform there
that was going to be used to watch a sun that had gone nouveau or
something."
"That's 'nova' Tenchi," Ayeka corrected mildly.
The boy frowned, mulling that over, before shaking his head to
dismiss an errant thought. "Er.... Right. But the platform's got a tree
on it, so we can have faster communications between Earth and here, and
it's pretty good as an observatory for Earth."
"You must take care not to strain yourself when you open a Gate with
the Throne, Tenchi-san," Tsunami advised. "Once your own tree has grown
strong, you can afford to use your power without the threat of burning
your own life out."
Tenchi blinked, then scowled. "I've got to do this, Tsunami, even if
it means that I'll be hurting myself," he warned.
Ayeka and Ryouko's expression clearly indicated that they thought
otherwise. Tsunami raised a hand to forestall their complaints, and
offered, "I will lend you my strength this time, Tenchi. What you've
done already, helping the Laruma move their monopoles, that was coming
close to costing you, and this may exceed that."
Relaxing slightly, Ayeka suggested, "After this time, I really think
you should wait until your own tree matures, Tenchi-sama."
Ryouko nodded emphatically, and Tenchi reluctantly bowed his head.
"Fine," he mumbled. "We'll just need to do our best to make sure that we
do as much good as we can while we're there today, won't we?"
***
Long hours in what Norris thought to be cramped chairs in the poorly
lit hall generated a lot of arguments, and too few solid answers. The
language barrier wasn't helping in the slightest, and it was already
near dawn.
Rubbing his eyes, Norris groaned, and said, "Look, this is what's
going on. My men will fight with anyone if they have to, but my men
alone aren't as effective as I'd like them to be. The truth of the
matter is that your plan leaves my men as cannon fodder. We need to work
together, and you're asking us to serve as human shields. I don't like it."
Cologne translated dutifully to Chinese, and the assembled women
mumbled unhappily. Finally, Cologne returned, "They ask what you would
suggest."
"Oh, great," he groaned, shooting Yakumo a glance. The other man
looked completely indifferent at the moment. "Okay, how about this. We
divide the women here up into whatever you think is a capable squadron
size, and then we have my men join those groups as support. It's not
much, but that's about what we can offer at the moment. Ranma's friends,
and the girls over there--" He broke off to gesture to Usagi. "They can
then be further divided to supplement those groups. You've seen them in
action, so we know that they're all capable, but the whole idea of 'men
go this way, women go that way'... well, it's not going to cut it."
Smirking, Cologne nodded. "I agree wholeheartedly," she encouraged
him. "Now let's see if I can convince them of the same." She frowned, a
flicker of doubt crossing her face, and turned to regard Yakumo. "What
would you suggest?" she asked.
He answered in Japanese, offering, "I think Norris-san's got the
idea -- this stuff is mostly over my head. I'm probably best at telling
you where they are, 'cause I can still feel them in my head."
"And you?" Cologne asked, turning her attention to Usagi.
"I can heal people," she offered after a moment. "Hotaru-chan can
help, but some of the other girls are really good fighters, even if they
can't heal, and Mamo-chan's very good with his sword, too!"
The old woman snorted, nodding. "Of course," she muttered. Turning
her attention back to the other women, she rattled off a long
explanation in Chinese, leaving Norris to sit idle.
After some short exchanges, the elder women at the table nodded, and
Cologne sagged with visible relief. "They agreed," she said in English
once more. "Jian-Di will divide our warriors into teams. Will you manage
the division of your own forces yourself?"
"Eh... no," Norris grumbled. "I'm tired. Pavel's already cut them
into shift rotation for sleeping, so we'll have men ready around the
clock. Have her talk to him and sort it out. I haven't slept since we
arrived in Shanghai."
Cologne snorted again, nodding. "Very well," she allowed. "Your men
should already have bunked down in one of the older lodges by now."
Rising from her seat, she shook her head, groaning. "I'm tired, too.
Let's get some rest while we can, hmm?"
"Yeah," Norris mumbled, standing, and knuckling back a yawn. "Once I
tell Pavel to work out the troop divisions. Everything's finally falling
into place."
***
Sixty four of the Galaxy Police's largest transports arrived
simultaneously with a non-standard issue craft, dropping out of
hyperspace in a near-lunar orbit, just in time to witness, some two
hundred thousand kilometers away, the arrival of the Home Fleet's second
wave. Twenty large cruisers emerged from a portal situated on Lagrange
point two, behind the moon. Following them were a large orbital
platform, easily fourteen kilometers across, and the secondary pride of
the Juraian fleet, the Throne.
The leader of the second wave of Galaxy Police transports raised an
eyebrow at the coincidence, and flipped on the communications panel.
"Come in, task force one operational leader," she called out. Her ship
was hers alone, and had been willingly lent to the task. Because of
that, she was given the honor of being the leader for the second wave of
Galaxy Police craft.
Coming to life suddenly, the viewscreen allowed her to see a rather
masculine figure from the waist down, clad in non-standard issue blue
trousers, floating in apparently null-gravity and tinkering with
something outside of the frame. One eyebrow rose, wondering at the
meaning of the sight, and she asked, "Um, hello? Anyone there?"
The figure spun sharply, drifting upside down so that she was able
to see a rather handsome yet unassuming man, who blinked at her in
surprise. "Huh?" he asked intelligently.
"This is Makibi Kiyone, leader of the secondary wave of GP
transports, and detective first class." She regarded the figure, who
stared at her blankly. "And you are?" she prompted him.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, righting himself and sinking into the cockpit
before activating the gravity again. Saluting her neatly, his expression
became stern, and he called out, "Cadet Oe, Ma'am, aide to Detective
First Class Mihoshi." He fidgeted for a moment, then dropped his salute,
offering, "Nice to meet you!"
Kiyone sighed. "I didn't know that Mihoshi had an aide," she
grumbled. "Or that cadets were allowed on this mission. I need to talk
to Detective Kuramitsu about the operation, Cadet."
He nodded, quickly vaulting out of his seat and dashing from view. A
few moments later another Galaxy Police officer was seated in the chair,
smiling winsomely. "Hi! I'm Mihoshi! What did you need to talk about?"
"Uh...." Kiyone shook her head, pushing away the questions that had
formed in the back of her mind. "Detective Mihoshi, do you have
instructions on where we need to begin retrieval?"
The blonde cocked her head to one side for a moment, her eyes
distant as she considered. After a long moment of thought, she nodded,
and said, "Washuu-chan asked that we pick up people in a spiral pattern
starting from point, um...." She trailed off, squinting, then rattled
off a long stream of numbers, which Kiyone dutifully typed into her
navigational computer. "There are some people there that are supposed to
be distracting the reavers, until we can evacuate everyone else, so
start one hundred kilometers away and work your way out."
"Understood," Kiyone returned, relaxing slightly. While Mihoshi and
her cadet had seemed unprofessional at first, they both seemed to know
how to do their job. The question of who, or better, _what_ could serve
as a distraction to a reaver worried her -- not even highly trained
Galaxy Police shock troops would be willing to take on a duty like that.
"Relaying those coordinates and beginning evacuation sweep in about...
an hour and a half. It'll take us a while to move into position," she
explained, nodding.
Another connection buzzed into the conference, and Kiyone patched it
in curiously. One of the officers from the Home Fleet, obviously. "This
is Tatsuki Yohito, captain of Saryu-oh. We request permission to join
ranks with the current sweep pattern," he stated simply.
"Understood," Kiyone answered again, consulting her computer
briefly. "The Yagami will relay an optimal formation to avoid any
unnecessary delay, and we'll place the Jurian dreadnoughts at the
periphery of the convoy. Is this acceptable?"
"Easily," Yohito answered, bowing to the screen. "Thank you,
Detective Kiyone. I'll relay the directions to the rest of the Home
Fleet. Yohito out." His presence vanished, while Mihoshi stared curiously.
"What are your current plans?" Kiyone asked Mihoshi, already
punching in the commands to bring the fleet -- still in formation --
about, and towards the planet.
"Just moving people to the big continent in the south. Oh, and
Kintaro-kun was repairing a damaged shield circuit," Mihoshi offered.
"He's a quick learner!"
"I see," Kiyone remarked absently, her fingers expertly flying
across her control panel. "How did you manage to get a cadet on a
mission this dangerous?"
"I found him here," Mihoshi stated simply. "But he's really good at
piloting -- Yukinojo said that he managed a difficulty rank two maneuver
without any prior training!"
Breaking away from her control panel, Kiyone spared a moment to
laugh aloud. "Without any training? That's a good one, Officer
Kuramitsu. Seriously, though, I thought that I was the second highest
rated officer to graduate from the Galaxy Police Academy in three years,
and I know for a fact they wouldn't let me on this mission if I hadn't
made Detective First Class."
"But it's true!" Mihoshi protested. "Yukinojo, tell her!"
Kiyone blinked, as a dossier was transmitted between the ships,
explaining in detail how Kintaro had been accidentally grabbed, and then
proven himself in an emergency situation. She turned her attention back
to Mihoshi's face on the screen, impressed. "I was wrong," she admitted.
"If they honor the field recruitment, you might have yourself a very
impressive partner."
"Hmm," Mihoshi noised thoughtfully. "Partner. I didn't think about
that! I'll go ask him what he thinks about that now!"
"Hey, you forgot... to turn off the communications link," Kiyone
mumbled, as Mihoshi vanished. She shook her head, and broke the link
from her end. "I guess I should just be happy that I'm not her partner,"
she mused.
***
Frowning, Tenchi quietly asked Misaki, "Why is the Home Fleet asking
the Galaxy Police for permission to help?"
The woman glanced at Tenchi for a moment, then explained, "The
Galaxy Police works within Jurai to enforce certain interstellar laws,
and certain Juraian laws. The Jurian police force is completely
inadequate for dealing with this kind of problem, even though the Home
Fleet is truly very powerful. But if we allow the Home Fleet to work
independently of the Galaxy Police while they're here, it becomes a
military operation, and the Galaxy Police treaty states that they will
aid in civil issues, but not military issues."
Tenchi nodded slowly. "I guess that that makes sense. Um, if it's
not too much trouble... could you help me look over the treaty I'm
supposed to revise with the Galaxy Police? I'm not familiar with all of
the laws, you see...."
Misaki smiled, embracing Tenchi and giving him a powerful hug. "Of
course! For my cute great-grandson!"
"Urk," Tenchi noised.
Clearing her throat, Ayeka interrupted the moment. "Tenchi-sama,
something's happening," she warned, gesturing towards the main viewscreen.
Tenchi blinked, as Misaki released him to regard the screen.
"Oh, dear," she breathed. "That's not good."
"What's happening?" Tenchi asked, squinting at a faint glow as it
built up about the edges of one of the cruisers.
"Overload, of some sort," Misaki murmured. "Tenchi-sama, are the
Throne's defenses active?"
***
Awake early due to her nature, Ami had crept a short distance away
from her sleeping allies, and turned her attention to her terminal.
Various warning and reading were lit, reminding her of when Washuu's
friends from the land of the stars had fallen to offer what support they
were able to gather.
She rubbed at her eyes, blinking as the screen before her resolved
into a targeting reticule, clearly labeled, 'Jurian forces.' The default
fire action was 'off', and Ami made no move to change that, merely
wondering how badly the relations between the Amatera and the other
Juraians must have been strained.
A few experimental taps permanently shut down the system that
targeted Juraian ships, taking all of the remaining power from one of
the non-functioning Ethos array cannons and transferring it to targeting
and observation, instead. The zoom and panning speeds were great,
allowing her to examine the Earth below in detail, but she didn't let
that distract her. Instead, she focused the gear on one of the Juraian
ships, admiring the odd, almost flimsy looking architecture.
Fine, thin vanes surrounded a thick, rigid hull, while planes of
force pulsated rhythmically, shedding soft blue light about the ships in
some kind of defensive formation. Twenty of them glided along in
majestic detail, one of them flagging slightly.
Ami adjusted the focus on the lagging starship, pursing her lips
thoughtfully. "This is strange," she mumbled. "Why is it lagging?"
A flickering icon warned her that something was amiss, and she
investigated momentarily, establishing a connection with the source of
the intrusion. To her surprise, she found the image of a young man in
loose fitting robes regarding her curiously. "This is Tatsuki Kohito,
captain of the Fehdo-oh." He leant forward into the frame, squinting
slightly. "Is there a reason you're monitoring us?"
Blushing in embarrassment, as though she had been caught spying, she
stuttered, "I was just curious about, um, er, you see, I wanted, that is--"
He cut her off, waving a hand, and chuckling softly. "No harm
intended, then. Good enough." He straightened up, and asked, "Is there
anything I can help you with, then?"
"Um, yes, Kohito-san. I was wondering if you could tell me why your
ship is slower," she said softly, ducking her head slightly.
"I can answer that," he responded, grimacing. "But can I have your
name, first?"
"Um, Yosho-san said that we were Amatera, but my name is Mizuno
Ami," she replied, offering a shy smile.
Kohito stared blankly, then shook himself, coughing. "Amatera, you
say? We'd heard rumors about that, but-- Er.... Sorry about that,
Ami-san. Our ship is lagging because there's an imbalance between the
fusion grafter and the power distribution, resulting in a somewhat
unreliable energy flow."
"Is that dangerous?" she asked quietly.
"Not usually. It could be, if we were in a combat situation, but
we've got drones working on repairing the issue right now."
"Interesting. What--"
Ami's next question died in her throat, as Kohito's window vanished
in a flash of reddish white, and the ship on her screen exploded
violently, a massive gout of starfire venting from the rear of the
damaged mass into space. Her eyes widened, watching sparks -- escape
pods, likely -- explode from the still-flaming wreckage in sequence,
shooting Earthward from the tumbling wreckage.
More lights and warnings began lighting up in sequence, telling Ami
the likeliest path of descent for the wreckage. Unsurprisingly, the
computer illustrated a target area several hundred kilometers across,
with the village near the center. "Oh, no," she groaned, biting her lip.
"What now?"
The communication screen sparked to life, though the background of
the image was blackened, and Kohito's image was obscured by static. She
could readily discern the telltale red across his face when it flickered
briefly into focus, however. "Hey," he wheezed, static echoing across
his voice with pops and squeals. "This is Kohito, requesting the Home
Fleet to destroy the Fehdo-oh--" The static flared up, obscuring the
message, as another pair of faces joined the conference. A woman in a
sharply pressed uniform, and a slightly older version of the same man,
both of them scowling.
"Kohito -- get to an escape pod. I'm bringing Saryu-oh around to
rescue you. You can use your tree to teleport yourself aboard once we're
in range."
The woman nodded quickly. "There's no reason to make this more
costly than we have to," she advised. "Now, if you can, bring your ship
into alignment with--"
"Frayed fusion pathing," Kohito managed, his face coming into view,
creased with concentration. "Me and Fehdo-oh are working together." A
message popped onto the screen, informing Ami that the link between the
four was secured, even as bright meteorites -- escape pods, actually --
began to descend through the sky to the south. "Can't hold it off for
long. Weapons locked into over-charge cycle. This was sabotage. I got
everyone else off, but if I leave, the discharge takes out me and
whoever comes close."
"Kohito," the man said, subdued. "Who... who could do such a thing?"
"Dunno," the man said, shaking his head. "We gotta destroy my ship,
and soon. I got my Light Haw Wings constraining the plasma storm, but I
can't hold them up for long."
"If you're using those as defensive shields," the woman muttered
slowly, "then none of my weapons will do enough damage. Yohito?"
"The Home Fleet can't destroy him and get out of range in time,"
Yohito said quietly. "The sabotage is too deliberate. I want to find out
who--"
"Shut up, Oniisan," Kohito snarled. "You're going to have to take
care of it later. We need to destroy my ship before it explodes in
Terra's atmosphere, and kills everyone underneath it!"
"But--"
Eyes squeezing shut, Ami allowed a pair of tears to trickle down her
face, and interrupted, "I have the Ethos array, Kohito-san."
Dead silence rang out, Kohito nodding his terse approval, while the
other two blinked in confusion.
"Washuu-sensei said that it was a phase dispersion cannon."
"That'll do it," Kohito said quietly. "I trust you to make the right
choice, Amatera."
Trembling, Ami reached for the controls again. "Ethos four is
online," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm sorry, Kohito-san! I wish--"
"You have to do it," he said, glancing over his shoulder at
something, and scowling. "Not much... time left," he choked out,
groaning. "Hard to concentrate."
"Citizen," the woman warned, "this isn't an easy situation,
especially for a child, but what has to be done, has to be done. For
what it's worth, you have the authorization of myself as a Galaxy Police
officer to do it." Her eyes were solemn, offering what support they
could to Ami.
She nodded as bravely as she could, and typed, with trembling
fingers, the commands to bring Ethos four about, and target the ship.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, banishing the other windows momentarily to
offer her last words to Kohito alone.
He grinned rakishly, brushing some of the stray blood from his face,
and hid the pain as best as he could. "Mercy from an angel," he stated.
"It's okay, Amatera. I thank you for it."
And then Ami pressed the final command in, and the mutual
destruction of two infinite spheres of non-space echoed, a
twenty-kilometer sphere of reality simply ceasing to exist.
Yakumo wasn't entirely certain what had happened. He was also tired,
annoyed, and feeling largely unenthusiastic about the meeting with
Cologne's tribe. In that state, searching for the lodge that the Marines
had been put up in, he intended to grab what sleep he could, and prepare
for whatever was to happen next. He was not prepared to stumble across
Ami, and have the girl literally fling herself at him, slamming him to
the ground as she babbled something hysterically, and sobbed into his shirt.
Soothing her reflexively, he brushed her hair out of her face, and
made calming noises. "Hey," he whispered, the fingers of his other hand
stroking across her back. "What's wrong?"
So she told him.
***
Trudging away from the escape pod, Jakugo held one hand to the
stream of blood that trickled down his face from a cut hidden in his
hair. He glanced around, grimacing distastefully at the surroundings.
"Lovely," he muttered.
The small communicator on his wrist would alert the fleet to his
location, and he would be retrieved shortly. It was simply a matter of
setting things into motion before that happened. "Too much
interference," he declared, scowling. "This hackneyed plan has failed in
nearly every possible way _yet_."
As if to underscore his statement, a large, black shape rose from
the ground some distant away -- looking much like a giant black tick,
with large, sharp mandibles. The mandibles trailed off a stream of faint
yellow ichor, eight narrow and tapered limbs clacking across the rough
stone that lay strewn about the territory.
Fighting down the surge of fear that rose from the presence of the
beast, Jakugo snorted, reaching into his robe. "But what's one planet,
when the good of the empire is concerned?" he asked, pulling a
fist-sized globe of green crystal out and holding it aloft.
Slowly, hesitantly, the reaver approached, black glittering eyes
fixed firmly on Jakugo. He nodded again, and crouched to the ground,
setting the crystal in a small hollow of rock. "A gift from your
mistress, beast," he said, backing away. "Now get the hell out of here
before someone shows up to rescue me."
The creature ignored him, trundling forward to snap up the crystal
in its mandibles as it lay on the ground, and then drew closer.
Extending one hand before him, as though he could push the creature
away, the man scowled. "Promises are promises, and harming me know would
make your mistress... angry."
Seemingly mollified, the reaver backed off a pace, and vanished
instantly into the stone beneath him, just as the communicator on
Jakugo's wrist crackled to life. "Hello?" he asked, none of the fear in
his voice feigned. "Can someone help me, please?"
***
He was surrounded on all sides by a warm, encompassing darkness.
Occasionally the inky blackness would give way to a face, a pair of
eyes, and a snatch of some word would pass through his perception, then
vanish.
As time wore on, the eyes remained longer. First, the curious,
hesitant eyes of a girl he couldn't _quite_ remember. Then the trusting
eyes of another, one that was close to the first, he thought, though he
wasn't certain why. Finally another pair of eyes, fierce determination
and devotion radiating from them.
And yet, there was no color, no definitive shape, only emotion. The
eyes vanished, leaving him in a heady swirl of light throughout the
darkness, until three vaguely familiar faces returned from the darkness,
all of them staring in shock towards him, separated from him by a thick
pane of glass. He watched, as though from miles away, as his hand came
forward, smashing through some emergency panel or another to strike a
button on a wall, and then the three faces, crying with worry, vanished
in a flare of white light.
Another set of eyes, these vibrant with color and some unknowable
power peered at him from the darkness as he watched, still feeling
detached, unable to control anything. A pair of pink eyes that rapidly
shifted from an innocent rose to a worried and caring red. A pair of
green eyes that shifted in size and depth, staring at him with a full
range of emotions. And two pair of purple eyes, one pair inhuman, one
completely so.
The eyes vanished, and the darkness about him shattered, giving way
to a darkness that was more complete, this time with words echoing
through it.
The first voice, feminine and worried. "... fine. Just be gentle
with him."
"Of course, but...." A second, more masculine and haughty. Who did
those voices belong to?
Another voice emerged from the darkness, resonant and angry, the
timber tickling some memory that was locked away yet. "Amatera, you
displease me."
" I was a fool, and wrong to follow you ever." That voice was
fainter, again a woman, sounding as though she were in intense pain, but
bravely fighting it.
"And for that, you think you can shun what I have given you? What I
have bestowed upon you?"
"No... no utopia that you promised," the other voice countered,
anger overriding pain. "You offer nothing but slavish devotion and the
destruction of will. I was wrong to not see it before, but I can see it
now."
"How else...."
The darkness was again complete and silent; this time only the
sensation of gentle touches about his face to notify him that he was not
alone. Still, his tongue refused to cooperate, though his struggles
lessened as soft singing, too low for him to make out the words, reached
his ears, relaxing him. Drifting off into slumber again, he wondered
what was happening.
***
Tenchi stared at the screen for a long moment. The fire that had
consumed Kohito's ship echoed a fear of flame through him from the
Throne, but the chilling blackness that had eaten the flame, and
everything else near it was even more frightening, before it vanished.
"Where's Ryouko?" he asked suddenly, rousing himself, and looking
around. Sure enough, the woman was gone, nowhere in sight.
Flustered, but regaining her composure, Ayeka apologized, "I'm
sorry, Tenchi-sama! I was too distracted to say anything -- she left in
order to...." She broke off, swallowing nervously, and moved her eyes
from the nearest viewscreen to meet Tenchi's. "She left to help Kohito,
Tenchi-sama."
"Where is she now?"
The viewscreen zoomed in on a plummeting craft as it tumbled through
the atmosphere, Ryo-oh-ki's spines cracked and worn, not able to take
the force of reentry well. "Well," Tenchi muttered, "at least she made
it. Can we get someone there to help her out?"
Ayeka shook her head slowly. "Not in time, Tenchi-sama, but
Ryo-oh-ki appears to be recovering. I'd guess the blast that destroyed
Kohito's ship upset her. She's homing in on another navigation point --
I can't quite get a lock on it--"
Washuu chose that moment to contact them, appearing on the main
viewscreen, obviously concerned. "Tenchi-dono?" she queried. "What's
going on?"
"We're not entirely sure," Tenchi admitted. "But I'd sure like to
find out. Ryouko's coming in for a landing, but I don't know what she's
zeroing in on."
Washuu glanced up, allowing Tenchi to see something of the room
behind her. Stark stone walls, with torches providing illumination,
while a bed was visible at one corner of the screen, apparently
occupied, though Tenchi couldn't tell by who. "Ran-oh-ki," Washuu
explained, turning her attention back to the screen. "He seems to try
and tell everything that falls into orbit where he is, now."
"Who is Ran-oh-ki?" Tenchi asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Ranma's partner," Washuu offered, a secretive smile forming upon
her lips.
"I've been meaning to ask who that was," Tenchi muttered. "I think
you mentioned him before. Who is he, exactly?"
"More importantly," Tsunami added, her hands clasped together
hopefully, "how is he?"
Washuu didn't reply immediately, instead staring at Tsunami with one
eyebrow raised. When she did respond, she thoughtfully regarded Tenchi,
and explained, "Ranma is the defender of Earth, for all intents and
purposes. I saved his life after he killed a reaver, and gave him what
he needed to keep fighting. In exchange, he protects me, and does
everything in his power to kill every reaver he can." Turning to
Tsunami, and smiling slightly, Washuu completed, "And he's not woken up
yet, but the damage he's done to himself is regressing. He should be
well and awake within a day or so."
Tsunami pursed her lips, frowning, and nodded judiciously. "The
orbital observation platform is moving into position, Washuu-chan. Once
it's placed above China, perhaps you can have Ranma-dono or any other
injured warriors sent up to recuperate?" she offered.
The redhead looked evasive for a moment, then nodded grudgingly. "If
you think that would be good," she mumbled. "Ryouko should be here any
minute, anyway. Once we make sure that Ryo-oh-ki's okay, we'll see about
moving Ranma. Until then, he should just rest."
"Very well, Washuu-chan," Tsunami answered happily, clapping her
hands together. There was a flash of blue light between her and the
Throne, and then she was gone.
"She's become a very excitable girl," Washuu mumbled.
"I don't think I've seen her to be that lively in some time," Funaho
returned. "Washuu-chan, do you mind if I discuss something with you on a
private channel later?"
Eyeing Funaho dubiously for a moment, Washuu permitted a small nod.
"I need to take care of things here. I'll contact you later," she
answered, terminating the connection.
"This sure are getting complicated," Tenchi mumbled. "What about
Ryouko? Or Kohito? Was she able to save him?"
"Time will tell," Funaho mused. "I must speak with Yohito." With
that, the woman marched away, purposeful and swift.
***
Washuu shook her head, banishing the terminal, and sitting on the
side of Herb's bed, where Ranma was still asleep. Due in no small part
to her interference, and the necklace she had placed about him while
sleeping. It would regulate his energy flows, and see that even though
he had hurt himself, that damage needn't be permanent.
Sighing, she reached a hand to his face, fingers gently stroking his
cheek, and running through his hair. He stirred, almost as though he
wanted to wake, but was kept from doing so. "Not yet," Washuu whispered
to him. His sword sat on a chair at the side of the bed, atop his robes,
which had been neatly folded. Everything else he had owned, he had given
away, save the robe that Herb had had him dressed in when Ranma's
battle-suit had faded. Thankfully that wasn't until after Ranma had been
stowed safely in the Prince's bed.
Ranma stilled at her words, as she sang softly from memory; a song
she couldn't remember learning, only knowing. It brought her to mind of
a time and place faraway, a field of green grasses and a loving man with
blond hair.... She broke off the song, closing her eyes, and shook her
head sadly. "It didn't hurt this much last time," she whispered.
Still asleep, one of Ranma's hands fumbled its way into hers. Washuu
opened her eyes to stare, but found her vision obscured by forming
tears. "And it didn't feel this good last time either. It's just not fair."
The boy remained asleep, his fingertips resting against hers.
"It's not scientific," she protested, closing her eyes and allowing
her tears to trickle across her face, hot points splashing Ranma's.
He didn't react, other than for his fingers to curl slightly,
tightening their gentle grip on her hand.
"And I still don't know if you even care about me," she sobbed
quietly, bending down to place a kiss against his forehead, while he
slumbered. "I wish you would give me some sort of sign, some answer...
oh, Ranma. This is why I stopped being grown up!"
She shook her head sadly, another pair of tears trickling their way
across her face. But hiding as a little girl.... The time for playing
around was long past. She could hide from Kagato like that, Kagato being
the ultimate product of her adulthood. But she couldn't run from Ranma
the same way. Ranma had needed her to be an adult, and she could no more
deny him that than she could deny Ranma a choice in whether he fought or
fled.
A knock sounded at the door distracting her from her ruminations,
and she quickly straightened herself up, wiping away the signs of tears,
and concealing them behind a more guardedly neutral expression. "Yes?"
the scientist called out, rising from the bed, and businesslike, as
Ranma's fingers slipped from hers to fall to the bed.
The door opened, and Herb strode in, frowning. "He is still not
awake?" the prince asked, obviously upset.
"No," Washuu said coolly. "He needs to rest for a while, yet."
"Fine," Herb muttered. "A star has fallen in the valley. Yosho said
you would want to investigate it."
"Of course," Washuu mumbled. "My wayward daughter."
That got Herb's attention, and his haughty anger gave way to
curiosity. "Your daughter?" he asked, surprised. "She lives in a star?"
"Actually," Washuu answered thoughtfully, "she used to destroy stars."
The comment was calculated to unnerve the prince, but it only served
to make him smile. "From beyond the stars?" he mused. "This could be
interesting."
"Don't make her angry," Washuu warned. "We don't have a lot of time."
Herb merely grunted, pacing out across the vast hall of his palace,
and stopping atop the massive stone staircase. He gestured into the
valley below, where Ryo-oh-ki had stopped, not quite touching the
ground. "There is the star," he stated. Indeed, unable to properly
control herself until the last moment, she still retained most of her
heat from reentry, glowing a dull red.
Washuu frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly, as a beam of light
swept out, teleporting Ryouko and someone else to the space just before
the stairs. Ryouko drifted there, bearing the newcomer in her arms,
though he was unconscious at the moment. A Juraian starship captain,
from the looks of things. A wounded one, at that.
"What happened here?" Washuu asked, surprised.
"Not sure," Ryouko answered tersely, ignoring Herb. "His ship blew
up, so I thought I'd rescue him for Tenchi."
"Interesting," Washuu mused, frowning. Behind Ryouko, the ship
hissed suddenly, shunting its remaining heat outward before collapsing
into a small point that fell to the ground below, and vanished in the
tall grass. "Let's see about getting him some medical attention then,
hmm? Tsunami suggested that there was an orbital platform that would be
safe from the reavers that we could use as a medical facility. Until
that's operational...." She left the rest unsaid, instead shrugging and
turning to Herb. "Do you have a place where we can put him to rest, Herb?"
The man shrugged indifferently, and gestured to a side-passage, his
eyes fixed firmly on Ryouko. She ignored him, bearing the man in the
indicated direction, while Washuu strode ahead to test the door. The
room was clean, if it looked unused, and had a single window, though all
of the lights were extinguished. Setting the man on the bed, Ryouko
shifted uncomfortably, stooping as Ryo-oh-ki tiredly hopped into the
room, and gathered her partner in her cupped hands.
Washuu ignored the pair for the moment, focusing her attention of
the man's wounds. "I'd guess he tried to use too much Jurai power," she
offered, doing what she could with her limited medical supplies to
staunch the internal bleeding. "He's lucky, I think. Some internal
burning from the emergence points, blunt force trauma, minor, and
multiple lacerations about his hands -- what was he holding?"
"His key blew up," Ryouko offered. "I had Ryo-oh-ki turn into a
starship again inside the bridge of his ship, and just ran for Earth,
but whatever took his ship out disrupted Ryo-oh-ki so badly some of her
slave crystals shattered."
"That would be a broken phase valance," Washuu murmured, completing
her ministrations of the man. "Well, let's have a look at little
Ryo-oh-ki then, shall we? Where did you put the slave crystals?"
"They're outside," Ryouko answered. "She left them hidden under the
grass, I think."
"Okay. Let's make sure you didn't lose too many, hmm?"
[End, Process of Elimination, chapter 12 part A]