Blood Red Moon Eternity
     Chapter 8: Warrior�s Path

    Disclaimers: All characters belong to their various
Copyrights; Reinhart, Rosa, Cain, and Elayne belong to me.
Alucard, Carrie, Sheann'a, Drathar, and Dracula belong to Konami.
Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Tsunami, Sasami, Yosho, Nobuyuki,
Washu, Mayuka, Ryo-Ohki, and Nobuyuki all belong to Pioneer/AIC.
Beyond my characters, I claim no rights to any of the characters,
beyond their use in this story. Comments, quips, insults, and death
threats will only be accepted at Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com
     Blood Red Moon: Eternity is set one year after the events
in Blood Red Moon: Resurrection.  Reinhart and Carrie have been
married, and their daughter Elayne has been born.  Alucard and his
familiars have built a small cabin near the rest of the clan.
Blood Red Moon: Eternity is the last in a three series story arc.

    "Here we belong, fighting to survive in the war with the darkest
power!" - Queen, Princes of the Universe

*****

     Tenchi settled down on the bed in his quarters, fighting to
force away the nausea that had his stomach rolling.  It was done;
the fleet was on its way.  That was an understatement - the Shukuen
was leading almost ten thousand ships, and Mihoshi had just
signaled that she would be meeting him with another two thousand
Galaxy Police ships.  He shook his head.  It was done, indeed.
     His mind kept flashing back to the Dartack.  The surprise in
his eyes, as he had felt at the wound.  The sudden flickering, and
then disappearance of the life, just before he had fallen to the
ground.  Dead, just because he had refused to accept Tenchi as
Emperor.
     He glanced up as Ryoko teleported into the room, frowning.
She walked over to the bed, and sat down beside him.  Raising her
hand, she gave him Tenchi-ken, which he had left in the council
chamber in his hurry to get away, and then caught hold of his wrist
lightly as he took it from her.
     �Let it go, Tenchi.  It was you or him; sorry if it sounds
selfish, but I�m damn glad it was you.�  He looked away.
     �I killed him just for not liking me.  That�s what it amounts
to.�  She shook her head.
     �He tried to kill you - twice!  I wouldn�t have given him the
second chance, but you did.  He tried again, and he paid for it.
It was self defense.�
     �He didn�t have to die.�  He shook his head.  �I know what
you�re trying to say, Ryoko.  This shouldn�t be any different then
Kagato, or Yuzuha, or Dracula... but it is.  I keep... seeing his
face.  It shouldn�t have happened like it did.�  There was an
uncomfortable silence, and then Ryoko made him turn to look at her.
     �It shouldn�t have happened, but it did.  Now what is left is
to go on, and put it behind you.  It... won�t ever really go away.
But it isn�t something that you can let defeat you.  He tried to
kill you...  His death could have been for a worse reason,� she
said quietly.  He looked at her, frowning.
     �How?  How could it have been worse?  He�s dead, Ryoko.  Dead
because I killed him.  Dead because I didn�t have a choice; but one
way or another, he is dead.  The blood is on my hands.�  Ryoko
scowled suddenly, and then reached up and slapped him, hard.  His
head rang for a moment; he stared at her in shock.
     �Do you think that you�re the only person to have ever been
forced to do something that they didn�t want to do?  I�ve got news
for you - you aren�t the first, and you aren�t going to be the
last.�  Her eyes softened, and she lightly touched his cheek where
she had slapped him.  �Listen, I know what I�m talking about, in
this, at least.  Maybe you didn�t have a choice, maybe you did.
It�s happened, and it can�t be changed.  Now you have to move on,
and deal with it however you can.  Damn it Tenchi, I�ve seen you
take worse than this, and walk away smiling...  Why are you letting
this hurt you so much?�  He looked away, frowning.
     �What... did you do, Ryoko?� he asked finally.
     �I watched as my body kept destroying; there was nothing that
I could do to stop it while under his control.  I engraved every
face that died at my hands into my mind.  Maybe some of them
deserved it; I don�t know.  I spent seven hundred years apologizing
to each and every one of them.  Maybe someday I�ll be able to make
it up to them; maybe I never can.  It�s a thing I have to live
with; the point is that I do.�  He sighed, and looked at her.
     �Does it get easier to deal with?�  She shook her head sadly.
     �No.  But after awhile, you learn how to put it aside until
you have the time to deal with it again.�  He stared at her, and
finally nodded.
     �They should just be arriving, if they didn�t run into
trouble.  That is what�s important now.  Even if they slip onto
Jurai quietly, they�ll have no such luck getting off.  We have to
be there.�  She nodded, but said nothing.  They sat in silence,
contemplating what was going to happen.  There was no turning back
for them now.  Ryoko put a hand on his shoulder suddenly.
     �What do you think she�ll say when she finds out you stole
her throne?� she asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously.  Tenchi
blinked.
     �Knowing Ayeka?  We�ll all probably be on the run for the
rest of our lives.�  She grinned.
     �You will, at least.�  He nodded, and then sighed.
     �I can still feel it... the coming change.  Every minute, it
just gets stronger, and stronger.  I thought it would stop, once
the fleet got moving, but it didn�t.  I wish I knew what was
coming... because it�s more than just the face off with Tokimi...
I�m tired.  I want it to hurry up and happen, to get over with, so
that I don�t have to worry about it any more.�  Ryoko nodded, and
pulled him to her, making him lay his head on her bosom.
     �Then sleep.  Let me worry about the fight for a little
while, Tenchi.  Just go to sleep for a little bit.  I�ll carry the
burden until you wake.�  He struggled for a moment to pull back, to
say that he couldn�t, but she held him there tightly.  After a
moment, he began to hear her heart beating; slowly, steadily, and
stopped struggling, as waves of weariness washed over him.  His
head pillowed against her breasts, he finally just let himself go,
and fell to sleep.
     �You�ve comforted me when I was afraid, or tired, or
lonely...  Now it�s my turn to comfort you, my Tenchi.  My turn to
take away some of your pain.�

*****

     Ayeka kept her face carefully schooled to calmness;
certainly, it didn�t mirror the fury that she felt within.  The
final stage of chi�partain, shai�natoth.  After several humiliating
hours as her emotions had run wild in her, she was almost glad to
be able to control herself, but she knew that this was merely the
calm before the storm.
     Putting that thought to the side, Ayeka studied the man who
stood beside the throne - HER throne! - in curiosity.  He had the
appearance of youth.  Black hair, and a thick beard that covered
his face.  What was visible of his skin held the smoothness of
youth.  His eyes glowed a dark green.  The man had a fair amount of
height to him, and wore loose black robes.
     �Cain why is she not bound in a prison bubble?  And what is
that you carry?  A child?  You were told to retrieve only Ayeka.�
Even as he said it, a bubble reformed about her, and she mentally
cursed.  They had reached where Cain wanted them to go; she had
intended to try bolting when they were distracted.
     �My apologies, D3.  I had no choice but to bring Elayne.  The
Empress was holding her when I captured her, and I had not the time
to separate them.  As for the prison bubble, she gave me her word
that she would not try to escape, and she did not.�  D3 frowned,
but let it pass.
     �Lady Tokimi will have to decide of the child�s fate.  Since
Empress Ayeka is cooperating, I do not think she will worry about
you allowing her freedom for the bubble, however ill advised it
was.�  Ayeka frowned, but watched carefully.  D3 did not like Cain,
she was sure of it.  There was something in his manner that spoke
of it.
     Before any more could be said, a sphere of greenish light
appeared before the throne.  Both Cain and D3 automatically
straightened, as the sphere split in half, the two parts moving
away from the center.  Where they passed, the hazy form of a woman
in flowing robes appeared.  As they disappeared, she grew distinct,
and solid.  Ayeka frowned again.  Everything about her screamed
control, right down to the too perfect lines of the billowing
robes.  Fully formed, Lady Tokimi sat down on the throne.  Ayeka
felt her fury quiver, and clamped down her control on it before it
could start to escape.
     �Welcome to Jurai, your highness.  I trust the trip was not
too uncomfortable?�
     �I�ll be sure to arrange a similar one for you some time, and
you can find out for yourself,� answered Ayeka evenly, giving her
an ingrating smile.  Rage flashed in Tokimi�s eyes for just a
moment, and then disappeared as quickly as it had come.  Out of the
corner of her eye, she noticed Cain flinch slightly, and remembered
his comment about not angering her.  Tokimi smiled.
     �I would have simply sent an invitation, but I did not think
you would come alone, and I see that although I gave explicit
orders to bring only you back, a second guest has come along.�
Cain stepped forward.
     �I apologize, my queen.  There was no time to separate them.�
Tokimi waved her hand dismissively.
     �It is of no matter.  She is of no use.  Dispose of her after
we are done here.�  Ayeka�s eyes widened.
     �No!� she shouted.  Tokimi scowled at her.
     �I have no use for the child; therefore, she is not needed.�
Ayeka looked at Cain; he was frowning, looking at Elayne.  Slowly,
he turned his gaze to Tokimi.
     �I... I would ask to be allowed to keep a watch on her, my
Queen.  She was brought along only by mistake.  It does not seem
right to kill her for something that she had no control over.�
Ayeka blinked in surprise, and looked back at Tokimi.  That the
goddess was angry, there was no doubt.  Fury danced openly on her
face; plainly, she did not like her commands being questioned.
Ayeka realized suddenly that could be something to use to their
advantage.  But there was also consideration there.
     �For what reason would you dare to question my wishes?� she
asked softly, dangerously.  Cain blinked, but then looked back at
Elayne for a moment.  He opened his mouth to speak, but before he
could, D3 suddenly cleared his throat.
     �My queen.  The Juraian fleet has just left the battle base,
followed by the rest of the Alliance.�  She looked at him in
surprise.
     �What?  They should not have moved so soon after losing
Ayeka, and their alliance could not have survived without her to
hold it together.�  D3 frowned, and cocked his head to the side,
almost birdlike.
     �Tsunami�s avatar has taken the throne, and they have
accepted him as leader.  The Dartack assassin has failed.�  Tokimi
frowned, as Ayeka�s heart leapt.  Tenchi!  It had to be him - he
was the only one with a blood line direct enough to gain the
council�s acceptance, now that Yosho had abdicated, and Sasami had
become Tsunami.  Tokimi shook her head.
     �Well planned, Sister.  I did not expect the boy to move so
quickly from his past actions.  He certainly showed no interest in
the throne prior to this.  No matter, my plans will still be
useable, they merely need to be stepped up.�  D3 frowned.
     �I believe that we may have another problem.  Ryo-Ohki has
just entered the atmosphere.  The defenses are having no effect.
They will be landing in moments.�  Tokimi scowled.
     �I see.  Very well... perhaps the child has a use after all.
Cain, the sword, please.�  Cain blinked, but took it from behind
his belt, and extended the pommel towards her. She made a catching
motion, and he released it.  As Ayeka watched, it floated toward
her, and then disappeared in a flash of light.  �They will come
soon.  I leave things to you and D3; see to it that they do not
leave here alive.  D3, you are to be certain of the Empress�s...
safety.�  He bowed.
     �Yes, my queen.�  She looked at Cain.
     �The child is your concern.  After you have taken care of
them, you may do with her as you please.  Empress, Ayeka, my
apologies, but I must see to defending against the avatar�s attack.
If you are in need of something, ask D3 - he will provide what is
within his power.  I will return to talk once I have finished with
the matter at hand.�  Then she disappeared as she had come.
     �The Empress and I shall be in the royal quarters, Cain.  I
trust you will suitably prepare?�
     �Yes, D3.�  He turned, and walked out of the throne room.
Ayeka looked back at D3, as he came toward her, and frowned.
     �You were instructed to give me what I wanted?�  He nodded
curtly.  �Tell me who Ryo-Ohki has brought to Jurai.�  D3 blinked,
but nodded again.
     �I believe that it is the avatar�s two children, the child�s
mother, and the dhampeal.�  She nodded absently; she had suspected
as much as soon as he had said that Ryo-Ohki was there.  Perhaps
she could find a way to warn them...  The fury inside quivered
suddenly, stronger than it had before, and she frowned.  She knew
that it would not be long now...  she hoped that she could hold on
until they reached a place where she could safely release the Rage.

*****

     Alucard dropped into a defensive stance as Ryo-Ohki
teleported him to the ground.  After six hours of sleep, his
magical reserves had been fully restored.  Beside him, Carrie
seemed similarly refreshed.  Reinhart had already gone ahead to
check their pathway in.  Rosa was the last to appear, before
Ryo-Ohki returned to he normal form.  Rosa dropped into a crouch,
and began to carefully check the cabbit over.  The small animal was
bleeding badly from a cut in her hip, and was covered in scratches.
Rosa explained that it was from when she had been hit by the laser
fire.  Bandaging the wound, Rosa reached into her pack, and pulled
out several carrots, which the small creature immediately began to
devour.
     �You�re feeding her now?� asked Sheann�a.  Rosa glanced at
her.
     �She took a beating, and she�ll probably take a worse one on
the way out.  They�ll be turned completely to energy, and go toward
healing her.  Besides, she hasn�t eaten in three days, and flown
100 trillion miles!  Ryo-Ohki is all but starving right now.�  Even
as she said it, the scratches began to slowly fade and disappear.
     �Miya!�  Reinhart came back, frowning.
     �No guards.  The place is like a ghost town.�  He glanced at
Alucard, and grinned.  �You�ll feel right at home.�  Alucard
smirked.
     �Indeed.�  He had once told Ayeka that someday he would come
to Jurai - though these weren�t quite the circumstances that he had
intended to arrive under.  Now as he looked around, he saw that she
hadn�t exaggerated when she had described the beauty of her world.
Trees and buildings had been woven together; sometimes it was
difficult to tell where tree ended and structure began.  Sometimes
a building actually was a tree, the home or business sculpted out
of the living wood itself.
     The Royal Palace itself was a magnificent, gleaming silver
and white spires reaching up toward the sky.  The core of the
castle looked like the trunk of a tree, stone branches splitting
away to lead to other towers and parapets.
     �I think I shall never again see, a poem so lovely as a
tree,� he quoted softly, drawing a surprised glance from his
companions.
     �Nice time to wax poetic, Alucard.  I don�t suppose you have
any other little gems for us before we head in?� asked Sheann�a.
     �How about, �Hell hath no fury such as a woman scorned,�
which is what Ayeka will be thinking if we don�t get moving,� said
Reinhart.  Carrie, Rosa, and Sheann�a all chuckled at that; Alucard
nodded.
     �Entirely too true.�  They quickly moved into the palace,
Reinhart on point, and Alucard brining up the rear, with Sheann�a
riding on his shoulder.  Drathar scouted ahead, flying back now and
again to report.  Reinhart�s original estimate had been truer than
they had thought; the palace appeared to be totally devoid of life.
Not even an fly moved through those halls.
     �Where do you think they are?� asked Carrie.  Rosa looked at
her.
     �Probably in the throne room.  It�s the most heavily defended
position beside the Holy Chamber, where the Juraian trees are kept.
But that was launched to the Juraian secret base when the rest of
the planet was evacuated, so the throne room is the most likely
place.  Reinhart and I have only been here a couple of times.�
Carrie nodded.  They reached a fork, and paused.  Reinhart frowned,
scratching his chin.
     �Was it left or right, Rosa?  I know one of these leads to
the throne room, and the other to the royal chambers, but I�m not
sure which.�  Rosa frowned.
     �Umm...  Well, I�m pretty sure that it was left; at the core
of the palace.  Ayeka told us once, remember? �Jurai is like an
ancient tree, strong at the outside, but strongest in its core.��
He nodded.
     �Yeah, that�s right.  They began to move again, but suddenly
Alucard blinked, and stopped.
     �What is it, Alucard?�  He frowned, and looked down the right
hallway.
     �For a moment...  no, it is gone now.�  Carrie looked at him.
     �What?�  He looked at them.
     �For a moment, I thought that I could smell Ayeka�s blood
scent from down this hall, but it disappeared even as I recognized
it.  Likely it was left from when she passed through earlier.�  She
nodded, and he turned to follow them again.
     Before he could, a strange, wooden gate crashed down between
them.  Rosa immediately tried to phase through it, and was thrown
back by some sort of power blast.  Reinhart moved to her side as
she groaned and rubbed the back of her head where she had hit the
wall.  He felt a tiny bit of magic being used, and looked at
Carrie.
     �It�s suffused by some sort of barrier.  I don�t think that
we could break through it if we tried.�  Alucard nodded.
     �I will find a way around.�  He looked at Drathar, who had
been trapped with them on the other side.  �Stay with them.�  The
demon nodded, and Alucard looked down the right fork.  The royal
chambers, Rosa had said.  He looked at Sheann�a.  �If this is
anything like Castlevania, then they should connect to the throne
room, don�t you agree?�  She nodded, and he began to walk.
 His footsteps echoed loudly through the hallway; frowning, he
paused, and spoke the activation dweomer for an enchantment on them
that would make them silent, even on marble.  Continuing on his
way, Alucard frowned again.  Something in the air teased his mind
from just out of reach.  The hall was tapering down from cavernous
to barely wide enough for two men side by side.
     �You know, we�re probably walking into a trap, Alucard.�  He
nodded absently. That made sense; if it lead to the Empress�s
quarters, a smaller space would be easier to defend against attack.
That thought put the hairs on the back on his neck on end.  It was
also easier to defend against one than it was against four.  The
gate coming down between them abruptly made sense; it wasn�t being
used as a defense, it was somebody trying to single them out.
     Alucard froze in place.  Trying to single them out.  He took
in a deep breath, and strained to identify a that something.
Finally, he was able to identify two separate scents.  One cold,
inhuman seeming; it reminded him slightly of how a full vampire
smelled.  The second was unmistakably Ayeka; the unusual high but
togetherness he had first noticed a year ago clear, but there was a
strange addition to it.  A... fire...  It made him think of intense
heat; a roaring blaze that raged just beneath the surface of her
usual scent.
     Sheann�a, noticing his sudden tensing, hopped off his
shoulder, and began to look around.  This was something that they
had done before; Alucard reached out with his magical senses and
probed for a shimmer that might signify a trap.  His precaution
paid off, this time; as he brushed over a slight outcropping in the
wall, a blast of flame and smoke shook the hall.  When it cleared,
the hall was blackened for a good five feet from the center of the
blast.   Lightly, he touched the spot again; nothing happened.  He
looked at Sheann�a
     �I think it�s safe to say they came through here,� she said
quietly.  He nodded.  Up ahead, they saw the doorway to the
chambers.  He looked at her again; drawing his sword, he charged
forward, and dropped his armor protected shoulder into place at the
last moment.  The door shattered under the blow; automatically, he
dropped and rolled as a blast of raw power flashed through where
his head had just been.  Springing up, he threw a fireball of his
own toward the source of the blast.
     Behind him, Sheann�a flew in, and stayed close to the wall.
He job was to find Ayeka while he fought; he noted her entrance,
and then returned his mind to the battle at hand.  Alucard got his
first look at his foe; to his disappointment, it wasn�t Cain.  The
man appeared young; Alucard knew instinctively that he was ancient,
older even than his father.  Power glowed in his eyes, and a dark
aura sucked in the light about him, making him appear to be in a
shadow, though the room was well lit from several windows.
     �Welcome.  I assume you are one of those come for Ayeka?  I
apologize, I am not allowed to let you have her just yet.�
     �Where is she?� asked Alucard simply.  The man chuckled.
     �Fair enough.  She is in her bedchamber, in a rather foul
mood, and there she shall remain until Lady Tokimi returns.�
Alucard frowned; this man gave away information far too easily...
A movement to his left caught his eye, and he suddenly picked up
that inhuman scent from there.  He dropped to the side, and threw a
fireball there before charging in with his sword.  The man
staggered and disappeared; before Alucard, the true foe scowled and
brought up a crackling blue energy staff in just enough time to
block his attack.
     �Who are you?� asked Alucard, pulling back to defend as the
man spun and whipped his staff across.  He smiled grimly.
     �I am called D3; I believe you are called Alucard, are you
not?  When we scanned Cain�s memory, you stood out as an excellent
fighter and tactician.  Lady Tokimi said that she would have liked
to play a game of chess with you some time, had the circumstances
been different.�  Alucard slashed at him, and he parried the blow;
he caught the counterstrike on his shield.
     �I highly doubt she would have enjoyed the game.  Not even
Death could defeat me in that.�  D3 blinked at that; Alucard kicked
out, and drove his foot into the man�s stomach.  He exhaled
explosively, and doubled over; Alucard spun, and smashed him in the
head with a roundhouse kick.  He grunted in pain, as his body was
flipped into the air and crashed down to the ground.
     �Check.�  D3 looked up, blood streaming down his face from
the side of his head, and laughed.
     �Checkmate.�  He raised his hand in a fluid motion, and
launched a power blast; it flew by well away from Alucard.  He
twisted to follow its path.  It slammed into a wall; abruptly,
Alucard saw his true target just below the impact point.  Sheann�a
looked up in shock just as the wall collapsed down on her with a
crash.
     D3 laughed again, and Alucard howled, as he felt the long
forgotten Vampire�s Rage well up from deep within where he had
locked it away.  He turned back toward D3, and caught the energy
staff in his bare hand as he swung it at Alucard.  D3�s eyes
widened in shock, and Alucard laughed.
     He let go of his control, and let the Rage wash over him, for
the first time in his life welcoming its burning embrace.

*****

     Reinhart stopped, and looked around, shivering as an inhuman
howl suddenly echoed off the walls.  At the same time, Drathar, who
was flying just ahead of them suddenly clutched at his head and
plummeted to the ground.  Carrie instantly moved to the demon�s
side and knelt down.  The familiar slowly struggled to his knees,
staring at something beyond them.
     �No... Sheann�a...� he whispered hoarsely.  Carrie looked up
at Reinhart, confusion in her golden eyes.
     �It�s some sort of trance.  I think it has something to do
with the bond.�  He nodded, and crouched down next to her.
     �What happened?  What was that sound?�  The demon struggled
to form the words.
     �Wall... magic blast... fell...  Sheann�a... no...�  Carrie
gasped; Reinhart looked at her, still just as confused as before.
     �What is he trying to say, Carrie?�  She looked at him sadly.
     �Alucard must have run into trouble...  I think that he means
a magical blast hit a wall and it... fell... on Sheann�a.�  He
blinked, suddenly understanding.
     �Then that... sound... was Alucard,� said Rosa.  They all
looked at each other, and then back the way they had come.

---
The Platinum Dragon
Dragon's Masaki Shrine of Tenchi Muyo - http://dragonsanime.com
"The rising sun will eventually set,
  A newborn's life will fade.
  From sun to moon, moon to sun,
  give peacefull rest to the living dead." - Zelda64
Proud Member of the Ryoko Forever Fan Club