Eternity War, Chapter 3
No need for another Battle...
K, we saw Ryoko get pounded, who's next...
Same legal disclaimer applies. Mail all C&C to starstrike@geocities.com
Ayeka glanced around forlornly. For all of the fights and battles that she had had with Ryoko, she truly did not want to see her
hurt. And that devastation...
Ayeka shook he head, her long purple bangs whipping around. That was too terrible to recall. The devastation, the ruin, and
the blood... A shudder passed up her spine. She took these walks along the shore of the lake when she had something that
she needed to think about, or someone for that matter. For the past year that person was usually Tenchi, but also on her mind
was her sister. Sasami had awoken screaming several nights in a row, sobbing about death, and a group of dark men who
were not men. And then Ryoko...
Ayeka walked down the lake shore path, letting the wind caress her face. Ryoko had been right in saying that they, in the
most basic sense, WERE the same. They both loved Tenchi, and would both do anything to gain his heart. Ayeka sighed as
she usually did. If Tenchi married her, then all would not be lost to Ryoko. But, after what had happened yesterday, she didn't
know what to think.
She finally sat near the lake shore, on her favorite spot that gave her a spectacular view of the sun as it set over the mountains.
So beautiful. She would have to bring Tenchi here one day, for a picnic if nothing else. Ayeka slipped her headband off, and
ran her fingers over it. How long had it been since that first day when Ryu-oh had picked up that distress signal from Yosho...
Perhaps it was time to return to planet Jurai. If she could bring Tenchi along, she could show him the people who were
counting on him as well as those thankful to him. She hoped that it would cure him of the streak of shying away from
responsibility if she could show him the rewards, and joy, that helping to maintain the Jurian Empire could bring. Her mother
would greatly miss her, as well as Sasami. And her father...
Her father had been acting strangely about Tenchi. And she had no idea why. Ryo-oh would be fully regrown soon, and then
her father would demand she come home. And then...
"Reminiscing about the past Princess Ayeka?" a cold, methodical voice whispered to her.
"What!!! Who said that???" Ayeka turned around and gazed into a face she though she would never see again.
"So nice to see you again Princess." Kagato said. "Im SO glad that you decided to come out here all alone..."
"EEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!" Ayeka yelled, leaping back at the same time. She landed on the soft grass several feet away,
reaching for a bead on her shoulder.
Kagato wasted no time. As Ayeka transformed into her Jurian combat uniform, he drove forward, cape fluttering behind him.
Calling on is powers, he sent energy bolts flying at her. He doubted that they would be able to harm her, but he was taking no
chances.
Ayeka threw her shield in front of her, just in time to deflect the energy bolts. She gasped at the power behind them, but her
shield held. When had Kagato gotten so much power? He train of though was interrupted as Kagato's energy sword whistled
past her head. She delivered a strong punch to his gut, but he simply shrugged off the hit that would have snapped a decent
size tree in half.
"My, our power has increased, hasn't it little Ayeka? No matter, you shall be but a small challenge." Kagato reached inside
his jacket, and pulled out the ruby change crystal. "Now I will destroy you!!! TEKNO POWER!!!"
Light surged, and Kagato's tekno-form hurled its self at Ayeka. With a series of slashing blows, he drove he towards the lake.
"What in the..." Ayeka shouted, and winced as another blow cracked against her failing shield. Kagato was moving so fast he
was a blur! Suddenly a sword glanced off her shield. She looked in horror at the rent that it had torn in her defenses. He
hadn't been able to do that before! She had to get to Tenchi. She couldn't face him alone.
She turned and sprinted down the path, hoping that he had no other tricks up his sleeve. Kagato watched her run, toying with
the notion of letting her bring Tenchi to him, or just destroying her now. He could hunt down Tenchi later, he decided as he
reached for his sword.
Ayeka barley had time to get out of the way of the sword that sped towards her. She dropped into the grass and rolled,
hearing the whistle as the green-black blade shot over her head. She rolled to a stop, and then jumped to her feet. Then she
was stopped by the fact that the sword had dropped a tree right in front of her! Damn. But where was Kagato??
The forest was completely silent. No animals were present, and even the wind seemed to hold its breath. A creak, in that tree
to the right! Ayeka spun and unleashed a blast of energy, blasting the tree to splinters. However, there was no Kagato. She
spun around, becoming increasingly alarmed. It was as if he had vanished!
She leapt over to fallen tree, only to scream in alarm a moment later as a cold, metal had fastened with an iron grip on her
shoulder. Kagato lifted her into the air, and with an insane laugh drove her into the fallen tree. The tree snapped in half with the
force of the blow, and Ayeka sunk several feet into the ground. She let out a muffled scream as Kagato's heavy metal heel
slammed into her chest, grinding her deeper into the dirt.
Kagato gazed at her, his red eyes glowing hungrily. "I thought that you would be more of a challenge, Princess Ayeka. I can
see now that I was wrong." A glowing red beam shot from the back of Kagato's wrist, and wrapped its self around the strange
sword several feet away. With a jerk of his wrist, Kagato pulled the sword back to his hand. Spinning it around, he held the
point inches above Ayeka's throat. "I cant say that I am sorry for you. That was a pathetic performance at best. Even Ryoko
gave me a more diverting time than you did."
Ayeka glared at him. "You were the one that attacked Ryoko! You were the one who killed her!" She struggled to get free,
but winced as the metal foot pushed her a few inches deeper.
"Guilty on a counts." Kagato seemed to be enjoying himself. "I can't say if she is dead or not, but she was close to it when I
left her." He waved his sword over her, seeming to think about something. "Perhaps I'll give that interesting hair of your's to
Tenchi when I give Ryoko's arm to him. I just can't decide whether or not your head should be attached to it or not..."
"Your insane, Kagato!"
"Perhaps I am. But unfortunately for you, your time is UP!!!" With that Kagato raised his sword into the air, calling on all of
his power to bring it strait down into her neck to take Ayeka's head off.
Fate was on Ayeka's side that day. A bolt of blue energy whipped across the clearing and struck Kagato's descending sword,
enough to turn it aside. Enough to save Ayeka's life. But Kagato had put too much force into the blow for it to be stopped. A
scream shattered the clearing as Ayeka felt the sword slam into her left shoulder. Pain washed through her, and seconds later
she was unconscious.
Kagato's armored head whipped around to see Tenchi standing there with a blaster pointed at him, Tenchi-ken at the ready.
"I don't know who you are, but I do know that you wont hurt anyone else!" he yelled. He tossed the blaster away, guessing
that it would do him little good. With a yell, he activated Tench-ken. The armored figure standing there seemed amused by
this.
"Im glad you decided to show up, Tenchi. Your just in time to die along with Ayeka."
"Your KAGATO!!! YOU BASTARD!!!"
"Why does everyone call me that?" Kagato mused. "It really doesn't matter." Kagato reached down and pulled his blade from
Ayeka's limp form. "So, you wish to battle me Tenchi? Then lets begin."
Kagato leaped into the air, engaging his boosters in hope that his speed would allow him to kill Tenchi with the first hit. Tenchi
sprang back as Kagato's sword chewed up the turf in front of him. With a yell, Tenchi thrust Tenchi-ken at Kagato, only to see
him dodge aside. Tenchi followed up with a slash the struck his enemies ready blade. It became a contest of strength, as both
opponents push against each other with their blades. Tenchi realized that Kagato held the upper hand in this battle, and broke
off, panting.
"You seem to be tired boy." Kagato mocked him. "And Im just warming up!"
Tenchi dove to the side as energy bolts flew at him. Surpassingly, a shield appeared whenever a bolt came close to hitting him,
blocking the bolt. Not pausing to consider the significance of his grandfathers training, he dove towards Kagato.
"Not a smart move." Kagato yelled, driving his fist into Tenchi's chin. "Not smart at all." Tenchi fell to the ground, stars
spinning in his eyes. Kagato measured his length along the ground, and decided that he didn't feel like playing fair. Tenchi
grunted as Kagato slammed his foot into his side. "You gave me a good fight Tenchi. Perhaps Ill kill you quickly and put you
out of your MISERY!" Kagato punctuated his last work by hitting Tenchi so hard that Tenchi was carried through the air thirty
feet.
Tenchi staggered to his feet. Kagato had broken several of his ribs, and his jaw ached like crazy. He saw that Tenchi-ken
had rolled to a stop near the unconscious Ayeka. He watched in amazement as the pelorons on Kagato's armored shoulders
rose into the air. The eight glass orbs seemed to glow with power as Kagato shouted "TEKNO BOLT!!!"
Energy surged from Kagato, lashing through the air like a living thing. The earth beneath that powerful stream of energy
cracked and was sucked into the vortex of air collapsing into the vacuum left behind by the energy blast. The air cracked as
the blast roared towards Tenchi, ready to consume him.
Suddenly the ground all around Tenchi exploded as the blast was diverted away from him. His Jurian fighting uniform
disintegrated as the white robes of the Light Hawk enveloped him. The three light hawk wing diverted all the energy away form
him and Ayeka with no effort. Kagato was impressed.
Tenchi reached out and clasped one of the wings, and it transformed into the sword that Tenchi had used to defeat Kagato in
their last battle. Tenchi pointed the blade at his nemesis and shouted "Now it is your turn to die, Kagato."
Kagato replied, "I always wanted to finish you off in an old fashion sword fight, Tenchi." With that, Kagato grasped his own
blade and advanced towards the white robed figure. "Let this be our final battle, Masaki!"
The two rushed each other, all other emotions forgotten except blind hatred. There was no finesse, not feints or fancy tricks.
The two battled with a savagery that astonished the figure that hovered several hundred feet away, watching the battle.
Blows that were blocked cracked the earth around the two combatants. A miss would tear a long crack in the earth. When
the ground became to savaged for the two gladiators to fight on, they took to the air to continue their battle. They swooped
and dove, each trying to gain an advantage over the other.
Kagato hovered twenty feet away from Tenchi. He was growing tired, and his internal power was being depleted. Tenchi
hovered also, trying to catch his breath. He had never sustained a light hawk wing for this length of time, and knew he would
not be able to hold on much longer. Both of the opponents knew that the next few minutes would decide the battle.
Kagato spun around, hoping that he had depleted Tenchi's power enough for this to work. The pelorons on his shoulders shot
up, and he unleashed another Tekno-Bolt at Tenchi. Tenchi raised his light hawk wing to protect himself, and the energy was
deflected into the air around him. Tenchi sank several feet in altitude as the energy barrage sapped his strength.
Behind the mask of his helmet, Kagato smiled. The Tekno-Bolt had taken less out of him than he thought. And the Masaki
boy was now struggling to stay aloft. A daring plan came to mind, and his shot strait up into the air.
Pelerons extended, Kagato began gathering most of his remaining energy. Panels rose all along his arms and legs, and power
began to swirl around them. Feeling his energy reach its peak, he lined up Tenchi is the targeting sight in his helmet and yelled
"ANTIMATTER DISRUPTERS!"
Bolts of Red energy streaked from him, shattering the air as they passed through it. Thousands of streams of light smashed into
Tenchi's raised light hawk wing, and the results were even better than he had expected. The beams shattered the wing, and
smashed into Tenchi. The boy was swatted out of the air as if by a giant hand, and he crashed into the ground, digging a long
trench into the forest. Kagato's barrage continued into the forest itself, vaporizing everything in its path. He laughed maniacally
inside his helmet, reveling in the destruction. He gazed at Tenchi's broken and battered body lying on the forest floor. How
easy it would be to fly down and destroy him...
Kagato clutched at his chest. He had used too much power in that final blast, and was not using his body's resources to
sustain his form. He cursed, and shot off into the sky, intent on returning to finish Tenchi another time.
...
Every part of his body hurt. Tenchi was laying on a bed in Washu's lab, where he had been brought as soon as Washu had
been able to locate him. Ayeka lay on a nearby by, her shoulder wrapped in a heavy cast.
"So your telling me that KAGATO did this to you?" Washu asked.
"Yeah, he did. He seemed to have gained alot of power when he put that armor on." Tenchi replied. Washu walked over to
a monitor nearby and brought up a picture of the armored suit that Kagato had been wearing.
"I've never seen anything like this. Its existence defies everything we know about bionics and robotics. It seemed to responds
as if it were part of his body, and not a suit." Washu scratched her head. "Its too advanced for Kagato to have designed it, so
where did it come from?"
Tenchi shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is that it seems to boost his power beyond what is normally is. He seems
to have become a smarter fighter, too. Waiting for me to exhaust my power like that was brilliant."
"That's also strange, because Kagato has always been the one would seek a direct fight, and then try to finish it quickly."
"Im going to make him him pay for what he did to Ryoko." Tenchi vowed.
"Tenchi," Ayeka murmured, "We don't know if he killed her or took her away. We never found her body, remember."
...
Kagato stood on a ridge overlooking the Masaki household. "Tomorrow, you will die Tenchi... Tomorrow..."
...
On another ridge across the lake, a pair of glowing blue eyes regarded the Masaki residence.
"I couldn't reach them in time..."
A second pair of blue eyes ignited from behind the first.
"You must not blame your self. We watched Washu take them to the house, and their going to live. We'll settle our score with
Blade next time he sticks his neck out."
"I know, its just so hard..."
"I understand. No one deserved the treatment that Blade has given those people. They still don't know what happened to
Ryoko."
"I haven't thanked you for what you've done for me..."
"Don't mention it. The boss says that more of Darkon's goons will be here soon, so we have to be ready. He says that he is
considering coming here himself. We cant allow this planet to suffer the same fate our earth almost did. Im going to get some
sleep. I suggest that you get some too."
The second pair of eyes vanished, and the first began to fade and move away from the ledge. But then they turned towards
the house one final time...
"Tenchi..."
End of Part 3
