Blood Red Moon Resurrection Chapter 8:
     Heart's Blood

     Disclaimers: All characters belong to their various
copyrights, with the exception of Reinhart Masaki and Rosa Masaki.
Those two are mine.  Beyond their usage in this story, I claim no
ownership, no rights of creation, no nothing.  Please don't sue me.
Comments, quips, insults, and death threats will only be accepted
at Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com
     The Tenchi Muyo Characters in this series are based on the OVA
versions, but don't be surprised if there aren't one or two TV
references.  The characters Carrie Fernandez, Alucard, Death,
Dracula, Maria Renard and Lisa all belong to the Konami Castlevania
series. This cross-over series is placed roughly 17 years in
Tenchi's world, 120 years in Alucard's world after the events in
Blood Red Moon.  Reinhart and Rosa Masaki, the children of Tenchi
and Ryoko, are now young teens.

     "To what profit is it to a man, if he gains the world and
loses his own soul?  Mathew 16:26 I believe." - Dracula, as he dies
at the end of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

*****

     Ayeka walked slowly through the corridors of the royal palace.
They were empty now, though just a few hours before they had been
full of bustling people, hurrying to gather what they could before
they were evacuated.  The servants had been the last to leave,
finishing up on last minute cleanings and such.  The entire people
of Jurai had been moved to the Naboonian Nebula; there, in the
middle of the seething gasses and new born stars, they had long ago
moved a planet to use as a safe haven in times of need.  Save for
the military forces, who were already on the ships, everything
was gone.  Even the Great Chamber, where all of the Juraian trees
rested, including Tsunami, had been launched to that hidden
location.
     Arriman Valadas had been found that morning in his home,
hanging from the rafters by a length of rope.  Nobody was quite
certain if it had been a suicide or not, because there had been
evidence of an entry into the house, but nothing in the area where
he was found.  The council, shocked, had wanted to pause for the
time needed to give him a proper funeral; after all, he was a
council member, even if he had nearly committed treason.  Time had
not permitted it.  In some ways, she was relieved that she would
not have to argue with him any longer, guilty as she felt that she
could even think that.  It was cold, unforgiving... and, she
realized, part of being Empress.
     She laughed roughly.  It almost seemed a dream, now, the
twelve years spent on earth with Tenchi and the others.  The
simpleness of it all, the reality.  It had been a slap in the face
to return to all of the political intrigue, and another when she
realized just how aloof she had always been before going there,
as she looked at the gulf between herself and her peoples.  She had
instituted reforms, trying to close the gap between the classes,
and they did seem to be helping, somewhat.  Now, though, it all
seemed to not matter.  She reached the transport, and found Yosho,
Misaki, and Funaho waiting there.
     "You have done as you needed to do.  Arriman was a variable
out of your control," said Funaho, guessing at her somber mood.
Ayeka nodded.
     "Come.  We must hurry and join the fleet.  This will either
be Jurai's greatest hour, or the shortest offensive of all time."
They nodded, and followed her onto the transport.  Just before
leaving the atmosphere, Ayeka took another look at the planet.
It was dark.  No lights shone on the surface.
     "Please.  Remain safe until we return."

     Tokimi turned, as the final ship in her armada acknowledged
her orders.  D3 appeared before her, at a summoning thought.
     "Lady Tokimi.  The Juraian battle fleet has been readied.
The agent I had there to slow them has been... prematurely
removed."  Tokimi frowned at him.
     "I do not like surprises, D3, especially now."  He nodded,
in apology.
     "There should be no trouble, even so.  The Juraians are too
proud to ask for help, and though they do have a massive fleet,
if nothing else we have the sheer numbers to overwhelm them.
Tsunami seems to have disappeared."  Tokimi nodded.
     "No doubt my sister has tucked herself away to care for her
avatar, in hopes of using him to try and stop us.  Very well, then.
The attack is to begin now."  D3 nodded, and turned.  Before them,
a huge portal appeared, a mass of swirling colors and forms.  The
armada slowly began to slide through it.  Tokimi smiled faintly.
     "End game, sisters."

     "Look at that!"
     "My god, it's so huge!"
     The bridge of Ryou-oh exploded into activity suddenly,
as before her, a gigantic space anomaly formed.  Klaxons began to
go off, as the ship's scanners began to pull in data from the form.
In the center of the room, a huge tactile display was active,
showing the positions of all their forces.  The entire Juraian
fleet, which had conquered thousands of planets, and defended
thousands more.  The most feared fleet in this universe.  Ayeka
signaled for the alarms to be shut off.
     "What is it?" she asked calmly.  Misaki, Funaho, and Yosho
were in their quarters.  Yosho had asked to be with her, but she
had told him to wait with her mother and Funaho for the time being.
     "Empress, the readings are entirely off the scale.  I can't
even figure out how it appeared, much less what it is."
     "Nothing at all?"
     "Nothing...  Wait, something is changing...  I..." The officer
stopped, and looked up in stunned disbelief.  "It can't be!"  Ayeka
looked at the distortion, and gasped in amazement.
     A huge ship, bigger even then the Soja was slowly coming
though the anomaly.  It was oddly shaped, the corners subtly
twisted so that it was difficult to look at for any length of time.
It just kept coming, growing larger and large.  The metal was
white, but there didn't appear to be any markings to name it by.
There didn't appear to be any real form to the ship, no definable
shape.  Then, dozens of much smaller ships began to pour out of the
portal.  For a moment, everything seemed to hang on a thread,
as they waited for something to happen.
     The lead Juraian battleship exploded in a dazzling burst of
light, as the huge ship fired a lance of light thicker than a tree
trunk.  The detonation shocked her into action.
     "Deploy the Wings, and attack!" ordered Ayeka, as the swarms
of smaller ships began to open fire on the Juraian fleet.  Ryou-oh
was rocked as a small battle cruiser near her exploded, no less
than five strike craft attacking it.  "Fighter squadrons, take out
those strike craft.  Battleship and treeship groups, concentrate
on the mother ship.  All other craft, attack or defend as you can!"
     From the Juraian lines, lances of weapons fire began to blast
out.  Dozens of the strike craft exploded as the tear-shaped
Juraian star fighters began to attack, only to be replaced by
dozens more that poured though the portal.  Behind them, now,
larger capital ships began to come through, extended wedge shapes
that looked to be bristling with firepower.
     One of the nearer battleships began to open fire on the mother
ship.  Ayeka watched, as the laser burst splashed into it, tearing
open huge holes in the superstructure.  For a moment, her hopes
soared, for if the monstrous ship took damage so easily, they would
have little trouble destroying it.  Then, before her astonished
eyes, the holes simply melted away, the hull resealing itself as
water resettled after having a stone tossed in.  The main laser
fired again, and she was nearly knocked off her feet as the battle
cruiser exploded.
     "Empress Ayeka, two destroyer class ships on an intercept
course!"  A new view screen appeared, on which a pair of the
wedge-shaped destroyers, which were nearly as big as Ryou-oh,
appeared.
     "Come about, and prepare to attack.  Charge the forward
batteries, and place top repair priority on the shields!"  The
treeship swung toward the oncoming ships, as outside rows of high
powered cannons extended from their standby positions.  They were
tossed about a bit as the nearer of the two destroyers opened fire.
     "Damage!"
     "None, the shields barely even registered a hit!"  Ayeka
frowned.  Even Ryou-oh should have taken a little damage being
attacked by a capital ship.  "Empress, three new signals, flanking
us!"  She cursed mentally at the obvious reason for not attacking
them at full strength.
     "Plot an escape route, and execute it!  They're trying to
capture us!"
     "No good, they have us surrounded!"
     "Then blast a way out!"  The forward batteries fired, catching
the nearest ship broadside.  It peeled off, explosions racking
its side.  She pointed.  "There!  Go!"  Ryou-oh blasted forward,
slipping through the hole created just before it was plugged by the
other destroyers.  She looked at the tactile display, and her mouth
tightened.  Twenty of the fleet's battleships had already been
lost, nearly a fifth of their star fighters, and though they had
taken down many of the enemy, more ships simply swarmed in to take
their place.
     She was about to order a strike on one of the heavy cruisers
that was pummeling a tree-ship, when the mother ship's main weapon
fired again, this time targeting a treeship.  The Light Hawk Wings
automatically angled to catch it.  The laser smashed into them.
For a moment, nothing happened, and the laser died away.  Then,
suddenly, the wing that had hit seemed to shatter, pockets of the
energy peppering the treeship's hull.  The ship was somewhat
scorched by the destruction of the wing, but it still seemed to be
functional.  It took Ayeka a moment to find her voice.
     "Order the fleet to fall back."  The crew looked at her in
stunned disbelief.
     "But Empress, Jurai will-" She cut him off.
     "I am well aware of what will happen.  But we are overmatched
here, and I will not throw away Juraian lives needlessly.
There will be another chance."  Again, silence permeated the bridge
at her statement.  The communications officer moved slowly.
     "Juraian fleet.  This is a priority order.  Break off of the
attack, and rendezvous at..." She looked at Ayeka for a moment.
     "The Sol system, near Jupiter."  She nodded, and relayed
the information.  About them, Juraian ships began to disengage,
and leap away as their jump engines engaged.  She gave the order
to follow them out, but as they moved to comply, the deck shook
fiercely.
     "Empress, they we've been surrounded again!"
     "Find a way out!"  The tactical display flashed, and showed
a three dimensional of the area around them.  Ayeka's hopes fell
as she saw that nearly a dozen battleships and several groups of
smaller fighters were closing in, leaving no escape.  "Can any of
the fleet help us?"
     "They are already out of range, Empress."
     "We won't be caught easily.  Reconfigure the Wings to attack
formation!"  But just as they were readied, the three nearest
battleships opened fire.  The deck leapt underneath them, and the
lights flickered momentarily.
     "Weapons system off line!" shouted the tactile officer.
Taking a deep breath, Ayeka composed herself.
     "Ramming speed, helm.  We cannot allow ourselves to be
captured."  Ryou-oh's engines whined as they were cycled up to
maximum possible output.  The treeship leapt forward, arrowed
to the widest, nearest possible escape route.  Three battleships
moved to intercept, and Ayeka knew that they would not escape.
The distance closed rapidly, the deck shaking as another burst of
fire slammed into her.
     Just as they were about to collide, the destroyer exploded
in a brilliant blast of light.  A familiar starship flashed by, as
the crew cheered and Ryou-oh made it through the new hole.
     "Yukinojo to Ryou-oh, we'll clear a path, get away from here
now!" came Mihoshi's voice over the intercom.
     "Mihoshi, when this is over I swear I'll never call you a
nuisance again!  Helm, plot a course and go!" exclaimed Ayeka.
The enemy attack group, caught completely by surprise by Mihoshi
and the Galaxy Police force, lost all semblance of cohesion.
Ryou-oh, moving at breakneck speed, flashed away from the battle
zone.  The GP force finished a last few of the enemy ships, and
then flanked her, leaping into quasi-space at the same time as
them.
     "Set a direct course for earth, and send a signal to these
coordinates that we are coming," directed Ayeka, tapping in the
code that Washu had given her to contact her extra-dimensional
lab.  "I will be in my quarters.  Have Misaki, Funaho and Yosho
join me there."

*****

     Carrie signaled them to a stop as they reached the entrance
to the Forest of Silence.  She looked around, as memories of the
past came back to her.  Not far ahead was where she had been
attacked by skeletons, and had first met Tenchi and Ryoko, as they
came racing down the hill to her rescue.  She still vividly
remembered her shock upon seeing his sword, and he distrust of
Ryoko because of her appearance.  The light weight of the Belmont
whip hung at her side.
     "This place...  Feels different.  The Forest of Silence has
never been a welcoming place, yet today it seems to be... waiting."
Alucard, not very far away from her, nodded.
     "It knows that we are here.  Always has it stood as a trap for
unwary travelers, but today...?  I honestly can not say if it
intends to bar us, or let us pass with no trouble.
     "I thought that Washu's training forest simulation was
creepy," said Rosa, tugging her cape closer about her.  This place
makes that look like a picnic ground."  Reinhart nodded in
agreement, looking around.  The trees were twisted, knarled things,
nearly as old as the castle.  No wind moved there, yet the entire
forest held a sense of being alive, of watching.  Creepy, to say
the least, Carrie thought to herself.
     That morning had been a study in awkwardness.  She had been
surprised when she had woken with Reinhart spooned in with her, an
arm draped over her waist.  There had been a moment of confusion,
as she tried to push through a sleepy haze over the previous
night's events.  Then, as the memory of the night prior had become
clearer, a strangely warm feeling had come to her.  Reinhart
had woken then, and had pushed through the same haze as her.
Kissing her, they had lain there for a little longer before getting
up.  Smiling at her, Reinhart had teleported into Tenchi and
Ryoko's room to get dressed before Rosa woke up.
     Alucard had rejoined them just as they had started breakfast.
She wasn't certain, but she thought that he knew, or at least
suspected.  He had a keen mind, but was honorable not to say
anything straight out as some might.  She had caught Sheann'a
looking at them out of the corner of her eye once or twice, a
considering expression on her tiny face.  If Rosa knew or
suspected, she wasn't displaying any knowledge of it, for which
Carrie was glad.  After eating, she had taken her spellbook,
and activated the dweomer that made it shrink down to a more
portable size, added it to her pack, and then they had left.
     The previous night burned in her mind.  The feelings that she
had experienced; of his gentle touch, careful manner, of an amazing
completeness.  In some ways, the pleasure of it had reminded
her of spell casting, the flow of raw energy that burst through
her veins when she summoned up the power for a spell, the feeling
of pure life that accompanied it, yet in so many other ways it was
so very much different.  It was... indescribable.  She really
didn't have anything save spell casting to compare it to.
     "Hello, earth to Carrie?  You still with us there?"  She was
startled away from her thoughts by Rosa, and realized that they had
been trying to get her attention.  She and Reinhart both wore what
they called Juraian armor.  Carrie didn't really understand
how the strange clothing could be armor, but she remembered
well Tenchi's and that suit had seemed to be all but impenetrable.
She herself wore a light mail, enchanted to hold strong against
even the most powerful of attacks.
     "I'm sorry, I was thinking of the first time that I went
through here."  Rosa nodded, and they entered the forest slowly.
An eerie quiet filled it, from which the forest took its name.
Legend held that the only sound that would ever fill it was the
unheard wailing of souls that had wandered in and become trapped
there.  As they rounded a bend, they saw a glimmer of light.  It
stretched into a line, and then opened into a square of swirling
darkness.  Three forms fell through it, their bodies misty seeming,
but recognizable.
     "It's mom and dad and Ryo-Ohki!" said Rosa.  They watched
as Ryoko pushed herself off of the ground, and dusted herself
off, then woke up Tenchi.  The figures faded away, then.  Carrie
looked at Alucard, and he shook his head.
     "Who were they?"  Reinhart looked at him.
     "Our parents...  Hey, Carrie, where did you get attacked
by those skeletons?"  She led them a little farther up the path.
Sure enough, as they arrived the ghostly forms of Tenchi and Ryoko
attacked a group of skeletons that were after a young, cyan haired
girl.  Carrie nodded, beginning to understand as she saw herself
picking off a couple of the skeletons with magic blasts.
     "Pictures of the past.  But why?  Is it trying to tell us
something?"  The ghost Tenchi grabbed the tail off of Ryoko's
dress as the ghosts of herself and Reinhart Schnieder prepared
to attack who they had thought to be an enemy.  She had been so
quick to judge, back then, at a mere appearance.  Suddenly she
blinked, as the five ghostly figures walked deeper into the forest.
A figure moved out from behind one of the trees, and stared after
them, frowning.  He almost looked familiar...  She gasped in
recognition.
     "Cain!  He was here even then?"  Alucard frowned, and walked
around the figure, studying him.
     "Is this my son, Sheann'a?" he asked.  The fairy nodded.
"He takes after Maria quite a bit."  With the two next to each
other, Carrie could see the resemblance.  Cain shared his father's
facial structure, and his stature.  There was much the same air of
reserve about them as well.  The ghost frowned again, and then
disappeared.
     "Why were we shown this?" asked Rosa.  Alucard looked up at
the castle, which rose above the forest, thoughtfully.
     "I do not know.  But I do not think it was the forest's
doing, at least not entirely."  Carrie led them still deeper into
the forest, following the twisting, winding trail until finally
the great castle loomed before them.  She had a queasy feeling
of d�j� vu, as she looked up at it, with the crimson moon hanging
huge in the sky.  But when she had come as a child, and only a week
before, the drawbridge had not stood open, as it did now.
     "I think that we're expected."  They looked at Sheann'a
flatly, and she shrugged, grinning weakly.  Slowly, they crossed
the bridge, into the castle.  The main gates stood open.  Carrie
looked around.  When she had come a week before, she had not taken
the time to really look at what she found there, only hurried
to reach Dracula's chambers.  It was just as she remembered.
To their left, the door that led to the East Tower lay splintered
and shredded, destroyed by Ryoko more than a century before.  To
their right, the tower that Ryoko had been kidnapped from.
     They walked in, unchallenged by anything at all.  Nothing
moved, save the trees which were stirred by a gentle breeze.
Alucard walked with his hand on his sword pommel, and a fireball
glowed in each of Rosa's hands.  Light poured down from the moon,
bathing the courtyard with a crimson glow.  Reinhart looked around,
at the rubble strewn about the place.
     "The ambiance definitely fits the place," he said.  Alucard
picked up a small stone, what appeared to be a piece of a nearby
statue.
     "When a castle falls back into the lake whenever its master
is put to sleep, then it becomes somewhat pointless to keep the
castle in one piece."  He tossed the stone away; when it landed,
it broke into three smaller pieces.
     "Good point."  Still unchallenged, they approached the villa,
and entered.  The same gaudy golden scroll work met them, with the
brightly burning chandelier above them and gilt torch stands
providing ample light to see by.  On the walls, golden candle
holders held long, tapered candles, all of which burned.  A red
carpet stretched out before them, and up to the stairs.
     At the top of the stairs, they saw Cain.
     "Ah, welcome at last my friends, to my humble abode," he said,
opening his arms wide, and smiling cheerily.  As one, they readied
their weapons, and dropped into battle stances.  He only smiled
wider, and slowly came down the steps.  "So good to see you again,
Sheann'a, Drathar.  It has been a long time, hasn't it?  Nearly
two hundred years, I believe.  And I assume by the way that you are
floating so close to him that this is the fabled Alucard!"  He
closed his eyes a moment, and took in a deep breath.
     "Yes, grandfather's blood is impossible to miss.  So strange
and yet still human in a way, and of course Lisa's blood is strong
in you, such a sweetly beautiful scent.  Pity I never got to meet
either of them, but oh well.  Perhaps you and I shall have time for
a father-son chat before this is over."  Before Alucard had the
chance to reply, Cain turned to Reinhart and Rosa.
     "And you must be the children of Tenchi and Ryoko that I've
heard so much about.  I can't really say what an honor it is to
finally meet you.  My apologies for your father, I do hope you
won't hold it against me.  After all, I had to get your attention.
Perhaps we shall have a chance to become friends, no?"  His gaze
swung to Carrie, and he smiled his widest yet.
     "Carrie my dear.  Now, I must admit that you have surprised
me.  Had I known you were such a lovely young lady, I wouldn't
have played so roughly when you came to visit me before.  Pity,
and I had so hoped to be friends."  She stared at him, confused.
"Unfortunately, I'm afraid that you won't have the time."  He raised
his hand suddenly, where a sphere of dark power formed.
     It suddenly came to her what the dream had meant, as the
sphere was launched at her.  Eyes widening, she swung her staff
down and to the right, and cast a shield spell, just as Reinhart
crouched to leap between her and the sphere with a shouted NO!  He
bounced off of it, as the sphere crashed into her side, shattering
the light mail she had worn.  Pain like she had never before known
raced through her, but upon looking down she found that her skin
was unblemished.  Cain was suddenly beside her; she tried to move
her hand to stop him, but it hung at her side, lifeless.  He took
the whip.
     "Thank you for retrieving my property, dear, and as a reward
you will not suffer as long as these others will.  No hard feelings
now!  You understand, it's just business!  Ta-ta!"  With that, he
disappeared, and she slowly sank to the floor, her shield faltering
as her strength faded.  Reinhart, freed of the obstruction,
slid into place beside her on his knees, cushioning her fall.
     "Why did you stop me!" he asked, as Sheann'a flashed over his
shoulder.  She felt a tingle of magic run though her.
     "The... dream...  I figured it out...  The reason that...
you weren't there was... because you were dead...  We all faded...
away without... you there."  He stared at her uncomprehendingly.
     "There's nothing I can do to counter the effects of Cain's
spell.  It's too strong," said Sheann'a softly, just as Carrie
had known that she would.
     "Carrie...  I promised you that we wouldn't leave you, now
damn it, don't leave us... me."  She smiled at him weakly.
     "I... don't think I have... a choice.  Don't...  mourn me.
I've had my... fair share, and then... some."  His eyes grew hurt.
Struggling with what little energy she had left, she managed to
raise a hand to his face, and touched him lightly on the cheek.
"Thank you... for being with me... when I needed you to be."  She
smiled again, and breathed her last, as she felt a hot tear splash
onto her cheek from his eyes.
     Her hand dropped to the ground, lifeless.
     "CARRIE!!!"
---
The Platinum Dragon
"The rising sun will eventually set,
  a newborn's life will fade.
  From sun to moon, moon to sun,
  Give peaceful rest to the living dead." - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time
http://dragonsanime.dreamhost.com - Dragon's Masaki Shrine of Tenchi Muyo
Proud Member of the Ryoko Forever Fan Club