Season 1: Return of the Akuneko
Episode 6: No Need for a Family
The Cave
No one had been down here since they, or Ryoko
rather, had released Washu from the stasis crystal.
Now there was a simple cot laid out atop the
intricately grooved stones. The entire cavern was
bathed with a soft bluish white light, it was
something similar to Jurai energy but peculiar to
Earth. Outside it was already late in the day, but
Ryoko appeared to be still sleeping soundly.
Flashback
The world encompasses a small alleyway all the
color muted to gray, a defiant Ryoko lay on the ground
clutching a bleeding slash in her side. Over her stood
a smiling woman, in battle armor that would soon be of
no use to her. She was laughing and twirling the
energy sword in her hand like an Earth fizzle stick.
The woman was saying something, but no words seemed to
escape. The same was true for Ryoko's vulgar response.
It was as if some silent wind had carried away all the
sound from the scene.
The woman stopped smiling as her body shuddered and
the energy sword vanished in her hand. She fell over,
a burned out hole in the back of her head. Ryoko
looked up to see another of the assassins that
resembled her. She blacked out as the man reached down
to help her up.
A little more than an hour later
Ryoko hoped that Ryo-Ohki could make it to safety
on her own, and then laughed at herself for the
thought. They were after her, not Ryo-Ohki, and they
knew she was with Renshi. No Kuroi assassins this
time, just a pair of lucky bounty hunters, almost
literally smelling Ryoko's blood. She glanced at the
man operating the small fighter ship, not quite
trusting him yet. She laid back down on the stretcher,
still weak from the most recent assassin's attack.
That woman had used powers just like her own, the
energy blade was a trick she'd have to work out
though. Whatever the case she had no capability to
resist right now.
He claimed to be a retainer of her clan, a rebel
now, but he still had not explained what any of this
was about. She didn't know it yet, but he never would.
Five months pass
It had been a night of released tension and unused
adrenaline, just before Renshi had left her on this
little dust ball to report her dead. She had had
hundreds of such trysts over her eighteen hundred
years. This one seemed to have born fruit.
She thought it was funny, those bastards' first
appearance had forced her into piracy. She had always
been a delinquent, but never anything violent before
that first assassin when she was still not much more
than a kid. Now she was looking to live a reasonably
normal life because of the last of them, things had
come full circle.
Five years later
This Japan was exceptionally primitive. A place
where someone with Ryoko's talents and experience
could make a fair living, woman or no. In addition she
had sold most of the equipment she had left from her
parents' spacecraft. They served no purpose to her and
these hayseeds thought they were some sort of
wonderous piece of art. She could live a long time on
this world. Maybe Renshi would even return, and they
might possibly make something out of that one night of
pent up emotions.
Ryoko glanced over at her son with the priests
while she practiced summoning her energy blade. Things
were almost perfect. She had been planning on visiting
a mystic warrior she had heard about in another part
of the country. A samurai with strange powers, she
suspected it was someone like her. A resident of the
galaxy living in self-imposed exile.
That was when Ryoko heard the voice in her mind.
Ryo-Ohki's voice approaching through the void warning
her about a bounty hunter ship. It wasn't Nagi, not
yet, she would come later, but this would ruin her
normal life. It took her all of five seconds to decide
that it would only ruin hers.
She left the temple and never came back.
The Cave
Ryoko sat up slowly as the dream came to an end,
she rose a hand to her cheek and it came back wet. For
the second time in the last few days she was crying.
The space pirate took a long breath, trying to soak in
the power of Earth that seemed to flow through the
cave. Now would have to be the time, she was as
prepared now as she ever would be. With the Kuroi and
their retainers back in her life, later might be too
late. Things needed to be cleared up. She floated off
the sacred ground and teleported out.
Masaki Residence
Rikyu seemed to be the only one who was yet awake.
He paced about the silent living room trying to come
to grips with what he should think. Obviously his
mother hadn't been killed by bandits as he had been
thought had happened over two centuries ago. That left
the question of why she had left. The monks Ryoko had
left him with had described her as uncouth and a
little barbaric, but they also said that she had
always treated him like any other mother would treat
her son. They had told him that one day she just
suddenly became very sad and left to never return.
He was still pacing when Ryoko appeared in the
middle of the room.
"Nobody else is awake I guess," she noted.
"Yeah, we have a little space alone it seems,"
Rikyu agreed. Ryoko nodded and breathed a large slow
breeze of air.
"I didn't want to leave," Ryoko said first. "I had
found something of a normal life."
"Then why did you?"
"I was a space pirate," Ryoko said. "Most would say
I still am. The bounty hunters found me. If Ryo-Ohki
hadn't reached me first, then they would have found
you as well."
"So you left to draw them off," Rikyu said. "To
protect me?"
"To protect us both," Ryoko admitted. "I had, and
still have, many enemies, and not all bounty hunters
are the most noble of people."
"Then why did you come back?" Rikyu asked holding
her stare with his own.
"I never intended to. I've been terrified about
this for the last two centuries. I crash landed here
about two years ago, Galaxy Police this time. Then I
met�someone�everyone�and I had a family again."
"You were going to live here and never come look
for me?"
"Do you think I felt happy about it? Everyday I've
been here I've asked myself why would you want to see
me," Ryoko asked. "Why would you even believe me?"
"The teleporting and energy tricks would have been
a clue."
"Yeah, you've learned everything much quicker than
I did. The monks told you what I could do didn't they.
Thinking of things always seems to be the biggest
problem for me."
"Yes and I accidentally flew one day, after that
every came quickly. You left me these bracers right?"
He revealed the items around his wrists.
"Yeah, I did. I would have left behind more, but I
had sold most of them already."
"I know, I think I've found most of them." Ryoko
glanced at him, confused. "The monks told me about
that, I've spent most of my life hunting down relics."
"Be interesting to see them again," Ryoko laughed.
"I took them out of my orphanage's storage, came from
your grandparents' ship. The Akuneko�the Kuroi I
guess, nearly destroyed it, I was the only survivor."
"What were they like?" Ryoko shrugged.
"I was two."
"My father?"
"His name was Renshi, he claimed to be a retainer
of our clan playing one of the Kuroi thugs. Whoever he
was, he saved my life."
"A one night stand," considering her lifestyle he
wasn't surprised.
"I didn't get a chance to know him any better, he
left to report me dead. And that was last I heard of
him, until that bastard showed up."
"He's dead then." Ryoko nodded solemnly.
"The only good thing that's come out of them
hunting me is you. At least I was right about that, I
don't want to know what you'd be now if I'd taken you
with me." Ryoko sat down on the couch. "Probably a
worthless vagabond, just like me. Ayeka's right I can
blow things up and that's about it. Well, that'll be
useful pretty soon at least."
"You don't think this is the last of the Kuroi,"
Rikyu nodded an agreement with her.
"They're coming, and it's not just me anymore.
There'll be no running."
"And where do we go from here?"
"I don't know," Ryoko admitted. Mother and son sat
across from each other in an uncomfortable silence.
>From the shadows of Ayeka and Sasami's room an
unnoticed figure sat quietly watching through a
slightly open door.
"Rei Kuroi isn't the only one who's misjudged you,"
Ayeka whispered.
The Yagami, extreme Earth orbit, the Washu-Brig
"Detective," Rei spat weakly in greeting. The
assassin looked a mess, his battle armor was in
shreds, and his flesh was burned and in some places
swollen. His arm was still limp and now it seemed that
he had a shattered leg as well. Kiyone glanced at
Washu, who was smirking viciously, sometimes the
detective wondered where the scientist drew the line.
Not that she enjoyed hurting people, it was just that
Washu never stopped to wonder if something should be
done.
"I see it works," Washu said proudly. Rei glared at
her with fear and only a little less hate than he held
for Kiyone.
"This was not my intention, Kuroi-San," Kiyone
said. "But I'd be lying if I said I was sorry."
"Of course not," Rei laughed. "A barbarian like you
would never feel shame at hiding behind machines."
"Do you know what the difference between a
barbarian and a civilized person is?" Kiyone asked.
"The barbarian is inferior of course," Rei
answered. "An ignorant savage with no honor."
"No," Kiyone said. "The difference is that the
civilized man is at home, and the barbarian is not.
That would make you the barbarian here." Rei snarled
and lurched across the brig. He stopped short of the
doorway though.
"This will be our home before too long, woman," the
assassin hissed. Behind him his tail weaved angrily.
That was unusual, when Ryoko was in her armor the tail
didn't appear. He smiled at her haughtily "You are
harboring fugitives from my government, that is call
for war." The effect was ruined by the fact that his
one leg couldn't hold him long and he fell to the
ground.
"Neither of those 'fugitives' even knew about your
government until you came along." Kiyone responded,
unfazed by the threats. She knew, from dealing with
Ryoko, that the Akuneko would heal fast, but he was
hurting now.
"It doesn't matter, what they know," he snapped.
"They are Shinku, as long as they live we're the
rebels!" He pulled himself up onto his cot again.
Kiyone looked to Washu for an explanation.
"The Kuroi claimed that they were fighting the
Shinku tyranny when the Akuneko first invaded the
border systems." Washu had understood that this was
her role in the interrogation the entire time,
historian and a little bit of intimidation. She didn't
mind, she even relished the chance to study Kiyone's
methods.
"So the war you mentioned is only to kill Ryoko and
Rikyu?" Kiyone asked, raising one eyebrow.
"That'll be the excuse," Rei admitted. "It adds to
my belief that this was a pointless assignment." Rei
lay on his cot and tried to ignore Kiyone, she wasn't
going to give him that chance.
"And what excuse would they have had if you had
succeeded?" she asked, with a hard look in her eyes
that even made Washu nervous.
"What do you mean?" Rei had a sense of something he
wasn't going to like coming.
"You came across as a tourist correct?"
"Another idiotic command decision," he agreed.
"What would your government do if one of their
people were killed over here while sight seeing." Rei
glared at her as he realized that he was never
intended to survive this mission, successful or not.
"Very clever, detective," he hissed. "I hadn't
thought of that. Now perhaps you can leave? I need to
get some sleep, after all there's a war coming to your
home." It was a hint of revenge against his superiors,
only a slice of what he would bring later. Kiyone
smiled triumphantly, and it twisted the Akuneko's gut
to see the woman win over him once more.
"Thank you, Kuroi-San," Kiyone's gaze eased. "I've
got what I need Washu."
"If you'll let me, I wish to examine his wreck,"
Washu asked.
"Fine by me, excuse me, I have to check on
Mihoshi," Kiyone walked up the corridor and around the
corner. Washu turned to face Rei with a neutral
expression on her face.
"Don't think I've missed your intentions," Washu
told him.
"What do you care about whether I wish to kill that
barbarian or not," Rei grumbled.
"That barbarian has one of the keenest minds I've
ever met," Washu hummed pleasantly. "Her genius might
not be in the same direction as mine, but she is the
closest thing I've ever had to daughter." Washu leaned
close to the invisible wall and smiled at a frowning
Rei. "And do you really want me personally against
you?"
"We'll see if it is still a problem when the Kuroi
have you in your own cell." Washu laughed and walked
on to the cargo bay.
Yagami bridge
"Kiyone!! Kiyone!" Mihoshi was yelling with eyes
closed. "KIIYOOONEEE!!!"
"What is it?" Kiyone asked trying to rub out her
ears.
"I can't find the report forms!"
"That's because I hid them," Kiyone thought to
herself, calling up which directory they were in.
"How can I fill out the report if I don't have the
forms?"
"I'll handle it, Mihoshi," Kiyone sat down and
called up a communication screen to the new Galaxy
Police headquarters. "1st class detective Kiyone
Makibi reporting in, sir."
"Oh, Makibi," the sergeant answered. "I was just
going to contact you. Has the Akuneko arrived there
yet?"
"He is in my custody," Kiyone admitted. "It turns
out that Ryoko and one other are the last remnants of
the Shinku Akuneko clan."
"Oh, did you notice that Ryoko looks like the same
kind of species as Rei?" Mihoshi asked, Kiyone rolled
her eyes.
"That explains their interest in her," her superior
noted. "Who is this 'other' you're talking about?"
Kiyone weighed the issue and decided that the truth
here would be better for all.
"Ryoko's son, Rikyu," Kiyone told him. "He is
mentioned in the demon war." The sergeant looked at
her strangely. "I mean case 348502. There's something
else sir."
"Rikyu-san is Ryoko's son?" Mihoshi asked and then
tried to figure it out.
"What is it?"
"I believe the Akuneko intend to invade," Kiyone
told him. "Our captive has indicated that Ryoko and
Rikyu's presence here will be construed as us housing
fugitives from their justice. I also think that if he
had succeeded then Rei Kuroi would have been killed
and that would have been the excuse for the invasion."
"Invade? That means there'll be a lot of them?"
Mihoshi began to process this disturbing information.
"Is there any clue as to where they will strike
first?"
"I think they'll head for Earth first, he said that
war was coming to my home."
"Earth! Who's attacking Earth?"
"It makes sense," the sergeant agreed. "If they
have spies of any quality they'll know about who lives
there. They'd want to be rid of heros such as you
first. Speaking of which you have company coming, they
should be there any moment."
"Hey, Kiyone," Mihoshi pointed out the window.
"Isn't that a Jurai battleship?"
"Who sir?" Another communication screen opened up.
On the other side of it was a bandaged Nagi and
battered Ken-Ohki, who was still cheerful as only a
cabbit could be under such a situation. They were
flanked by the knights Azaka and Kamidake.
"Kiyone," Nagi said. "We're coming aboard."
Note: In the TV series (or at least the movie) Kiyone
seems to be the one that tries out most of Washu's
stuff. At any rate Washu picks on Kiyone in the same
way she picks on Ryoko in the OAV series. Also since
Kiyone's Yagami seems to be a custom job, I think she
shares some of Washu's love of tinkering, even if she
doesn't have the skill or lack of restraint.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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