Disclaimer: Well here we go again. This is the third chapter of this story and 
just as I stated in the first and second chapters, I do not claim ownership of 
any of the characters created for the Tenchi shows and movies.

No Need for Royalty
Part III

The room was small, plain, and contained a minimum amount of furniture. 
Namely, a bed and couch, both of which had seen better days. There were no 
windows, no wallpaper, no paint. The bathroom could hardly be called a 
separate room, it was more of an offshoot. A single glow panel in the center 
of the ceiling struggled to provide adequate illumination, and failed utterly. 
Shadows huddled in the corners of the room and beneath the bed and couch. The 
darkness made the room all the more depressing to look at, and it was plenty 
depressing to begin with. The idea of spending several hours, maybe even 
spending the night, in this pit caused Ryoko to let out a weary sigh. 
" What a shit hole," she muttered. Behind her, Nagi scoffed.
" What did you expect?"
" Not much, but I was hoping for a little better," Ryoko made a trip to 
check out the restroom, and quickly decided she could wait. It wasn't pretty 
in there. She came back out to find Nagi looking in disgust at a large stain 
in one corner of the room. " Flip you for the bed," Ryoko offered. The bed 
didn't look any more comfortable than the couch, but it was bigger, if barely. 
" You can have it, I'm going back out."
" What!?"
" I'm going to take a look around. Hushira and his boys should be 
looking around by now, and I'm going to see if I can find them."
" Are you insane!? The whole point of coming here was to stay away from 
them, and now your going to go look for them!" Ryoko was half a second from 
walking across the room and slapping some sense into Nagi.
" I've got nothing to worry about. Their looking for you and Ken-ohki, 
not me." 
" I still don't like it," Ryoko muttered. 
" Your just complaining because if you have to suffer this place, you 
want me to as well."
" That's not true," Ryoko said. She knew it was, but she wouldn't admit 
it. The idea of being stuck in what was little more than a hole in a wall 
while Nagi walked around freely was annoying. However, there was another 
reason she didn't want Nagi walking around. Letting her lose on Pirate's 
Heaven was like releasing a pirana in a goldfish tank. While there were 
several true ass holes that Ryoko would be happy to hand over to Nagi, there 
were also plenty of people she cared about, Pol being at the top of that list. 
Unfortunately she had to admit that having Nagi do some scouting could be 
useful. They needed to know what Hushira's group was doing, and the only way 
to do that was to find and follow them. 
The argument was moot anyway. Nagi was going out, and there was little 
Ryoko could do, short of knocking the hunter out, to stop her. So she just 
laid back on the bed, which was as uncomfortable as she expected it to be, and 
tried to get some sleep. She heard the door open and shut. 


" Well, at least I've got a few hours to myself," Ryoko thought, trying 
to be positive. 
" Choa!" Ryoko looked over at where Ken-ohki sat on the edge of the bed. 
Ryoko shoved him off with her foot.
" Oh go away." 

Ydal watched Nagi as she walked down the street, wishing he could go 
after her. He had followed her and Ryoko to The Nova Hotel. That was no 
surprise. Ydal had gathered that they were looking for a place to hide, and he 
couldn't think of a better place. The hotel was a maze of twisting corridors, 
and Ydal knew there were dozens of hidden rooms whose existence was largely 
unknown. Only a few individuals, like Pol, knew of them. Obviously Pol had set 
Ryoko and Nagi up in one of those hiding holes. 
Nagi however hadn't stayed there long. She was back outside in less than 
ten minutes. Ydal was tempted to follow her, but he had other obligations. 
" Oh well, I know were she's staying. I'll find her again." With one 
last glance at Nagi's departing form, a very nice sight, he turned and headed 
in the opposite direction.
Five minutes later, Ydal stepped inside one of the many bars of Pirate 
City. He never came here for drinks though. Pol's bar was the only place on 
Pirate's Heaven he visited for that purpose. This visit was business, not 
pleasure. He walked up to the bar and tapped on the worn surface to get the 
bartender's attention, who was busy restocking the shelves behind the bar.
" What can I...oh it's you Ydal," the man said as he turned around. " 
The customer's already here. I'll unlock the door." Ydal nodded to the barkeep 
and made his way to the restroom. Once inside he made his way to the last 
stall just in time to hear the faint buzz of the electronic lock opening. He 
pressed on the back wall and it slid back. Ydal stepped through quickly and 
the door shut. There was a faint jerk as the elevator started down. A few 
seconds later it jerked to a halt and the doors opened into the basement. The 
room was fairly large, not huge, but big enough to hold about fifty people 
comfortably. The size was exaggerated by the near lack of furnishing. The room 
was empty save for a small table in the middle with a pair of chairs on 
opposite sides. In the chair facing him, sat the man Ydal had come to see. The 
man was thin, too thin. His hair sat perfectly flat on his head, as if painted 
on. His beak-like nose and jutting chin nicely followed the too thin pattern. 
He seemed even thinner compared to the four massive guards that stood just 
behind and to either side of him. 
Ydal walked up to the table, but stayed standing. Something about the 
guards made him nervous. They seemed, anxious. 
" You have it?" the thin man asked. Ydal slowly reached into his coat 
and pulled out the item. The data crystal sparkled slightly as the light hit 
it. 
" You got my payment?" Ydal asked. The man smiled. And not a good smile.
" Oh course." He turned to the man on his left. " Onurb, pay the man." 
The beefy guard smiled as well, though this was more of a grin. Ydal 
suppressed a sigh as the guard pulled a thunderprod and aimed it at him. 
" The crystal," the guard grunted. Ydal ignored him and spoke to the 
thin man.


" You should have just paid me." Suddenly, the thunderprod jerked in the 
guard's hand, pulling forward as if someone was tugging on it. The guard lost 
his balance and started to fall forward, only to be knocked straight as the 
gun jerked up and slammed into the man's face, shattering his nose and 
cracking his forehead. The gun slammed him in the face again and the barrel 
bent under the force of the blow. The guard fell back so fast his feet left 
the floor and he landed on his head, cracking the back of his skull. 
By now the other guards were starting to draw their weapons. Ydal 
targeted one of the guards. The man's gun had just cleared it's holster when 
he was lifted off the floor as if a giant invisible hand had grabbed him. He 
shot upward like a rocket, building up incredible speed and momentum, at least 
until he hit the ceiling. The metal surface didn't give an inch. The guard's 
skull on the other hand, flattened like wet clay. Ydal let him fall. The final 
two guards had their guns out and pointed at him. Both were holding particle 
dischargers. They fired and twin beams of electromagnetic ions streamed toward 
Ydal. However, the beams didn't travel the straight line to their targets. 
Instead they bent, curving around Ydal and circling around behind him and 
heading back toward the astonished henchmen. The rays struck both men in the 
chest, pushing aside the atoms of their skin, then blood, then organs as they 
passed through the men. Both victims were left with a golf ball sized hole in 
their chest that blood gushed from. They collapsed without a sound. 
The thin man was still siting, though now his long fingers were wrapped 
tightly around the chair arms and his face was turning a ghostly white. Ydal 
slowly turned his gaze upon the man. 
" Wait!" the man cried. " Please! Please don't kill me! I'll pay you, 
I'll pay you three times what you were promised, no four! Please, I'll pay!"
" Yes, you will," Ydal spoke softly. He let go of the crystal and it 
floated up out of his hand. It spun slowly, orienting the point toward the 
thin man. Ydal gave it a push, and it rocketed forward. The crystal shot 
through the man's skull, blowing his brain matter out in a bloody fountain. It 
shattered on the far wall, leaving behind a red stain. The man's head let off 
a almost musical thonk as it bounced off the table, the sound resonating 
inside his now hollow head. Blood began to pool on the table and Ydal turned 
away. While he wasn't the squeamish type, carnage wasn't something he enjoyed 
seeing. 
He got back on the elevator and headed up. Back on the surface he 
quickly strode out of the bar and onto the street. He paused to think. He had 
plans to carry out, but without the money he had been expecting he would have 
to put them on hold. He would need to find another job first. He considered 
his options, trying to decide what would get him the most money in the 
shortest time. 
"Fuck it, I'll worry about it later," he finally decided. Right now he 
needed something to cheer him up, and he knew just what would make him feel 
better. He headed off down the street, eyes opened for signs of a certain 
bounty hunter. 

Washu stifled a yawn as she worked at her computer. Not that what she 
was doing was boring, but she had been up for nearly eighty-two hours. While 
this was hardly her limit, she had once been up for three-hundred and seventy-
two straight hours, it was nearing the point were she had to keep focused or 
her mind could drift. Washu took a moment to stretch, working the stiffness 
out of her muscles. She went over the details of her plan to rescue Ryoko in 
her head, making sure for the nine-hundredth and thirty-fourth time that 
everything was accounted for. As far as she could tell, everything was ready. 
The only thing that could mess up the plan would be for Hushira not to make it 
to Juri. An unlikely event, but Washu knew that the universe was full of 
unlikely things. She had a few plans in mind incase for some reason they 
didn't show up, but she hadn't worked out any of the details for them. Washu 
felt confident in her present plan.


 The Jurian military was under orders to allow Hushira's group to 'slip 
by unnoticed'. Once they reached the Juri system the plan would begin. Washu 
had set up a 'modest' sensor unit in orbit above Juri. The device made a 
complete scan of the entire system ever fifth of a second and would warn them 
of Hushira arrival. Once Juri was within his sensor range, Ryo-ohki would 
launch into orbit and circle to the far side of the planet, causing Hushira's 
group to head into orbit to follow her. Once in orbit the ships would be close 
enough for Washu to determine what ship has Ryoko. After she found Ryoko, 
Washu would use her G.E.T. T.H.E.R.E. device to transport her onto Juri. The 
final part of the plan would be to disable the four cabbit ships and capture 
their pilots. That would be accomplished using another of Washu's brilliant 
devices, her null energy containment field generator and projector. The 
machine created a null energy field that absorbed any energy within it. There 
were now several of these machines stationed around Juri. Once Ryoko was 
rescued, the ships would be stopped by using the devices to render them 
powerless. The field would also prevent Hushira and his men from being able to 
use any of their powers, making them considerably easier to deal with. All 
that remained was to wait for them to arrive, which by Washu's calculations, 
wouldn't be for another three to five days. 
A small alarm went off on her computer. Washu checked it and found that 
it was from one of her null devices. Apparently someone had tried to open the 
machine. Washu smiled in amusement. She activated the two way holo-cam mounted 
on the unit. The cam projected an image of three men into her room. One the 
men was laying on the ground unconscious, obviously the one who had tried to 
open the machine. The null device's defenses had knocked him out. He appeared 
to be a Jurian military scientist. A doctor was hunched over him, holding a 
bio-scanner over him. The third man's uniform identified him as a general. He 
was standing over the doctor, waiting to hear the results.
" I warned you guys not to mess with my equipment," Washu scolded. The 
two men jumped in shock. Just as their image was projected in front of her, so 
was Washu's in front of them. Her sudden appearance startled them. " Now I'm 
going to tell you the same thing I told Ayeka, if you want to know how my 
machines work, your going to have to pay me." The general took a step forward.
" With what!? Juri doesn't have enough liquid currency to pay what your 
asking. What could you possibly need that much money for anyway? A person 
could buy a mid-sized planet with that much cash." Washu suppressed the urge 
to smile. She had purposely set the asking price on her machines insanely 
high. She knew that they would never be able to pay it, which was the point. 
The technology was way beyond anything Juri had at the moment and Washu didn't 
think they were ready for it. 
Two other men suddenly appeared as they stepped into the holo-cam's 
sensor range. They carried a stretcher that they used to carry the unconscious 
man away. The doctor when with them, leaving just the general.


" Look," Washu began. " I'm offering you technology five centuries more 
advanced than your own. If you consider the amount of time, the number of 
hours of work, the cost of equipment for designs and testing, plus the 
salaries of the scientists necessary to invent and build your own versions of 
my null devices, you would find that you would save nearly forty percent by 
buying my machine now for what I want than if you waited until your technology 
reached the point where you could create them yourselves. So in reality, 
buying from me will save you time and money." The general's face was starting 
to turn red and he clinched his jaws together tightly. Washu found herself 
struggling to keep from laughing. The man muttered something that she couldn't 
hear clearly and walked away. Washu turned off her computer. She was in a 
playful mood and didn't feel like working. "It's time to have some fun."

Kamidake ran through his warm up exercises, working the stiffness out of 
his muscles from his fight with Ryoa. She had really surprised him. Her power 
and skill far exceeded that of her sister. If he had faced her alone, Kamidake 
wasn't sure if he could have beat her. Not that it mattered. Lord Tenchi had 
ended that fight quickly enough. Kamidake was still amazed by his power. He 
had come so far since his fight with Kagato. Kamidake knew he would never 
reach the level Tenchi had. But Tenchi was of royal blood and had full access 
to Juri's power, so that was to be expected. He was also the student of the 
great Yosho. 
Kamidake finished his warm up and started his real training.
" Start training session one-one-six," he spoke. 
" Training session one-one-six confirmed," the computer's baritone voice 
answered. Several panels on each wall slid back to reveal the energy blasters 
behind them. The guns slid forward and locked into place. Then the training 
began. Kamidake stepped back and ducked, dodging the first two shots. He then 
sprung sideways with a single handed cartwheel, taking himself out of the path 
of four more shots. A trio of blasts zeroed in on him and he rolled forward. 
He barely got to his feet before having to jump sideways.
The blasts kept coming, the shots faster and more accurate as time 
passed. After a few minutes the computer began to coordinate the efforts of 
it's guns, trying to box him in or cause him to dodge into the path of a shot. 
Kamidake tried to move as fast and as gracefully as possible. He had to move 
fast to get out of the way, but he also had to recover quickly to be ready to 
move again. One slip and it would be over. The beams weren't strong enough to 
kill, at least not a Jurian knight, but they would hurt. Kamidake knew this 
first hand and he didn't feel like experiencing that again. He let his 
training take over, his body flowing smoothly, moving among the plasma blasts 
as if dancing with them. Kamidake's body was reacting on it's own, his mind 
seemingly detached, watching with objectivity. 
" Your shoe's untied!" A strong, female voice brought his mind crashing 
back into place. He looked over to see Washu standing on the edge of the 
training room, watching him. It took half a second for his brain to reorient 
itself. That turned out to be more time than he had. The shot struck Kamidake 
high on the left shoulder, spinning him around as his feet left the floor. He 
ended up on his face. From across the room he could hear Washu laughing. 
Kamidake felt his face flush hot in embarrassment and he turned his head away 
so she could see. 
"I can't believe I just did that! Stupid! I got so caught up in my 
training I became oblivious to my surroundings." He heard footsteps coming 
toward him and Kamidake wished he could just melt into the floor. Not being a 
member of Ryoko's race however, he didn't have that option. Instead he pushed 
himself up and carefully stood. His left shoulder burned and his arm was 
partly numb. The muscle under the wound quivered and sent new pain through 
him. 
" Are you okay?" Washu's voice still held a great deal of amusement, but 
it was toned down to allow some concern in. 
" It's nothing, I'll be FINE!" Kamidake's arm curled up in protest as 
another wave of pain erupted from his shoulder. 
" 'Fine' nothing, your hurt. Let me see it." Washu's tone was totally 
serious now. Kamidake knelt down so she could examine the wound. He heard her 
hiss through her teeth. 
" Good lord! How high do you have those guns turned up?"


" How bad is it?"
" Well, any deeper and it would have melted the bone. As it is you just 
lost some skin and muscle."
" It's not that bad then," Kamidake said. " Guess I'll be making another 
stop to the infirmary today." He stood up and headed for the door, but was 
stopped when Washu seized his good arm. 
" Nonsense, this is my fault, I'll take care of it." Kamidake managed to 
smile.
" Don't worry yourself, it's really my fault. I shouldn't have let 
myself be distracted." Washu however, didn't let him go.
" Don't argue with me. I said I'm going to take care of you, and that's 
all there is to it." Kamidake started to protest but Washu began to pull him 
with her. He was startled by her strength, for such a little person she was 
incredibly powerful. Exhausted from his workout and his injury, Kamidake could 
do nothing but let her pull him along. Washu dragged him to her lab and 
ordered him to sit down on a table that suddenly appeared out of thin air. 
While he did so, Washu gathered up several pieces of equipment and placed them 
on a tray she carried over to him. " Here, drink this," she told him, pouring 
a purple liquid into a glass. The liquid had a pleasant, fruity taste. A few 
seconds later, the pain had completely vanished. 
" Thank you, I feel much better."
" Good, now take your shirt off and lay down on the table." Washu picked 
up a tube shaped device with a broad, flat tip. She turned it on and the tip 
lit up. " Well come on, get the shirt off and lay down." 
" Oh, uh sorry," Kamidake stuttered. His face was turning red again and 
his hands felt clumsy as he pulled his shirt over his head. He laid down on 
the table and Washu reexamined his wound. She then began to run the device 
across it.
Kamidake felt a pulling sensation as Washu worked, as if his skin was 
being stretched to cover the injury. 
" Done," Washu announced.
" Already!?" Kamidake was amazed. The whole procedure had barely taken 
two minutes. He sat up and felt his shoulder with his right hand. The skin was 
perfectly smooth.
 " Unbelievable. People travel from all over the galaxy to see Jurian doctors, 
but even our best physician couldn't come close to doing what you just did." 
" Thank you," Washu replied with a smile. She reached out and grabbed 
his chin in her hand. " You know, I could get rid of that for you," she said, 
talking about the scar he had picked up from his fight with Ryoa. Kamidake 
grasped her hand and slowly pulled it down.
" No thanks ," he said. " I think I'll keep it." He suddenly became 
aware of the fact that he was holding Washu hand. He quickly let go. " Well, I 
guess I should be going," he said softly. He tried to pick up his shirt, but 
his hands once again didn't seem to want to work right, and he dropped it on 
the floor. Cursing to himself he hopped off the table and picked it up. He 
noticed Washu watching him out of the corner of his eye. 
" Do you have to?" she asked. Kamidake froze. There was something in her 
tone that suggested more than the words did. He quickly stood up and turned 
away so she wouldn't see his embarrassment. 
" Yes, I uh...I should be, that is..." Kamidake froze again as he felt 
Washu's hands slid around his waist. She laid her head on his shoulder and 
whispered in his ear.


" Don't go. I think you would enjoy it if you stayed." Kamidake nearly 
choked. His heart was about to punch a hole in his chest and he was having 
some trouble breathing. With all this going on, it took his brain a minute to 
recognize an inconstancy. Washu barely came up to his chest, so how in the 
name Juri could she have her head on his shoulder? He suddenly stepped 
forward, breaking her grasp. He turned around and nearly fell over at what he 
saw.  
" Great Tsunami, she's incredible!" Washu had changed from being a cute 
little scientist, into the most attractive women Kamidake had ever seen. He 
found himself staring helplessly at her. He couldn't help it, it was 
physically impossible not to look at her. Her figure was perfect, there was no 
other description that could do it justice. Her body was in perfect 
proportion, thin but well muscled. She had slender shoulders and hips, and a 
taunt waist. Kamidake found his eyes constantly returning to her chest. Her 
face was equally perfect, the skin seemed so smooth and white, especially in 
contrast with her fiery red hair. Her lips were full and dainty. Washu gave 
him a small smile and Kamidake thought his chest might explode. His heart beat 
was thundering in his ears. Washu walked over to him and traced her finger 
across his chest.
" You know, it's a shame your always wearing those bulky robes. You've 
got such a nice body." Kamidake tried to speak but failed miserably. Washu 
seemed pleased with the effect her words had. Her other hand slid up the side 
of his face and then pulled his head down. Their lips met and Kamidake nearly 
fainted. Washu pressed her body into him, gently rubbing against his physique. 
Kamidake's arms were suddenly around her, holding her tightly, though he 
couldn't remember moving them. Washu suddenly fell back, dragging him with 
her. They landed on a bed that hadn't been there a second ago, but Kamidake 
was far to preoccupied to think about it. Washu kissed him again, her soft 
lips latched to his as her tongue darted out, playing across the inside of his 
mouth. Kamidake could only respond in kind, his brain having left him on his 
own for the moment. 
Somehow his hands found their way to the front of her vest and managed 
to start undoing the buttons that they encountered. Kamidake felt a tugging at 
his waist, and the sash that held his pants up went flying past his peripheral 
vision. His hands finally succeeded in unbuttoning the vest and pulled it off, 
only to encounter more buttons on the front of the white shirt Washu wore. 
Obviously sick of dealing with the annoying plastic disks, his hands grabbed 
hold of the shirt and pulled in either direction, sending the buttons flying. 
The shirt came off and trouble struck. Kamidake's mind came back. He froze. He 
tried to move, struggled really. He could see his goal, the little metal latch 
of Washu's bra snuggled oh so nicely between the smooth, round flesh of her 
breasts. But his hand was back in his control now, and his mind seemed unable 
to tell it what to do. Washu noticed his hesitation and giggled. The sound 
brought Kamidake's gaze up to her face. She pulled his head down and kissed 
him lightly on the lips, then the chin. She worked across his jaw and to his 
ear. Very faintly, she whispered in his ear.


" Go ahead." That was all it took. One quick motion and the bra fell 
away, freeing Washu's heavy breasts and revealing their ruby tips. Kamidake 
ran his palm over the nipple gently, feeling it tense and harden to the touch. 
Washu moaned her approval. She grabbed Kamidake behind the head and pulled him 
into her chest. His tongue caressed her tit as he gently sucked on her breast. 
Washu's head began to roll from side to side as more moans pushed passed her 
lips. Her hands slid down Kamidake's body, tracing the outlines of his 
muscles. She slid her fingers under the fabric of his pants. He gasped as 
Washu found her goal. Her hands were so soft, with skin like silk. Kamidake 
looked up and saw her face fill with desire. She grabbed the waist of his 
pants and pulled out, shredding the thick cloth like wet tissue. Kamidake 
popped the button on her skirt and pulled it off, chucking it behind him. Her 
panties were just a quickly discarded. Washu sat up and grabbed Kamidake's 
head in her hands as she kissed him. He pushed her back down as he climbed 
over her. Pressing in, Kamidake felt a moist warmth engulf him. There was a 
sharp pain in his shoulders as Washu's fingers dug into the skin, but it faded 
so quickly that he barely noticed. The sensational feelings coming from his 
lower regions were clamoring for his total attention and winning without a 
fight. Waves of pleasure rode up and down his body. There was an urgent 
pressure building up, and when it seemed as if he could take no more, it 
burst. Pleasure rode a fireball through his body and the world dropped away, 
leaving nothing but himself and Washu to fill the void. 
Then the world came slamming back and Kamidake collapsed, gasping for 
breath. Beneath him Washu also drew in heavy lungfuls of air. It took almost 
two minutes before Kamidake felt strong enough to move. He ungracefully rolled 
off of Washu. Laying on his back, Kamidake stared at the ceiling while he 
waited for the strength to return to his limbs. There was a brief flash and 
Kamidake looked over to see Washu's holo-top hovering above her, tilted so 
that she could type without sitting up. He watched in amazement as she blazed 
through screens with incredible speed. Kamidake only managed to catch brief 
flashes of text. However those glimpses proved to be most interesting. There 
was repeated use of the words sex, pulse, energy chemical advancement, and, 
most intriguing, stimulation augmentation. Suddenly the screen faded and was 
replaced by a single, red, flashing button. Washu noticed Kamidake watching 
her and she flashed him a smile.
" Care to do the honors?" she asked him. 
" What does it do?"
" Press it and find out." Kamidake hesitated for a second, then slowly 
reached out and tapped the button. The holo-top vanished and a heavy humming 
sound started coming from beneath the bed. The sound scaled upward until it 
became too high pitched to hear. Suddenly Kamidake felt an unbelievable energy 
flow through him. His weariness fled like darkness before a bright light. The 
energy seemed to seep out through his skin. Kamidake was still trying to get 
use to the feeling when Washu reached over and ran her hand down his chest. 
The Juri knight jerked as all his muscles tensed in response. The feeling was 
indescribable, like nothing he could ever have imagined. It felt better than 
the entire act of passion he had just performed. Obviously pleased with his 
reaction, Washu leaned forward to kiss him. Kamidake tried to prepare himself 
for the effects, but he never had a chance against it. The pleasure that shot 
through him was overpowering. Kamidake felt as if he was going to pass out 
from the intensity, and he would have, along with Washu, if her machine had 
allowed it. However, the device had full rein over their nervous systems. When 
their brains tried to shut down the machine overrode it. As a result, they 
were able to experience feelings at a level their bodies was never meant to 
take. This would have been a problem if not for the safety programs installed 
in the device. Using it's control over their bodies, the machine prevented 
their hearts and lungs from accelerating to dangerous levels. It also raised 
endurance levels. To compensate for the tremendous energy their bodies were 
using, specialized oxygen was pumped into the room, ten times more potent than 
normal. Still, there was only so much that could be done. The machine kept a 
close watch on them, checking their overall health millions of times a second. 


Kamidake however, couldn't have cared less about his physical well 
being. The sensation of Washu's tongue pressing against his left his brain 
numb with pleasure. They broke the kiss and Washu straddled him. Kamidake 
grabbed her breasts with both hands, rubbing them. Washu nearly bent double 
backwards as she screamed in bliss. Had her machine not stopped her muscles, 
they would have broken her vertebrae. Her nails dug into Kamidake's shoulder, 
and the device had to stop her, or else she would have punctured his skin. 
Kamidake ran his hands off her breasts and down her sides, over her hips 
and across her ass. The whole time Washu screamed and thrashed, her mind 
unable to properly handle the sensation. Her fist came shooting down and the 
machine made her move slightly so her blow didn't land on Kamidake. A good 
thing that it didn't, as Washu punched straight through the mattress and broke 
one of the bed beams. Not even aware of what she'd done, Washu pulled her hand 
out to run it across Kamidake's chest. Placing her hand over his heart, Washu 
used it to steady herself as she felt him press into her. Washu's body was 
overwhelmed, her mind whirling from the feeling. Her hands grabbed hold of the 
headrest and she pulled herself forward, driving Kamidake deeper into her. She 
tried to cling to the heavy wood for support, but it shattered in her grasp. 
Pleasure no longer came in waves but as a constant stream of bliss. The 
pleasure she had felt before was nothing compared to what she was 
experiencing, like a candle compared to a supernova. Even as she climaxed, her 
body shaking and jolting, it didn't stop. Instantly she was ready again, as 
was Kamidake when he reached the time of release. The cycle continued for 
almost half an hour before the machine decided that it was no longer safe to 
keep going. The failsafes tripped, and the device shut off. No longer 
supported by the machine, exhaustion slammed into Washu and Kamidake. Washu 
fell on top of Kamidake, asleep before she landed. Kamidake was out just as 
quickly.
Across the lab a door opened and twin robots rolled out. They made their 
way to the bed. Reaching out with rubber covered pinchers, the mechanical duo 
separated Washu and Kamidake. They injected the sleeping biologicals with a 
special concoction to prevent their abused muscles from cramping. Washu's 
hands was treated for the damaged caused by punching the beam and the 
splinters she got when the headboard broke off. Both were rehydrated to 
replace the water they had spent. Finally the robots lifted them up and the 
bed vanished to be replaced by another, less abused one. Setting them down 
next to each other, the robots pulled the covers over them before heading back 
to their resting places to wait for the next time they were needed.

A persistent, high pitched beeping roused Ryoko from sleep. She turned 
her head toward the sound and noticed the flashing light on the room's 
communication unit. Not feeling like getting up, she fired a low intensity 
blast that managed to turn the unit on without destroying it. The screen 
flashed and static rolled across the surface, but Ryoko could still see the 
worried look on Pol's face as the picture came on. Behind him she could see 
that part of the bar had been blown away and thick smoke hung in the air. 
Ryoko immediately sat up.
" Ryoko, they know where you are." Pol coughed on the smoke as he spoke. 
" Their coming for you even as we speak. You better get moving."
" Pol are you alright?"
" No time for questions, just get going." With that said, Pol 
disconnected the line and the screen went black. 
" Shit!" Ryoko jumped up. Ken-ohki was curled up on the couch, still 
asleep. She grabbed him by the back of the neck. He woke up hissing and tried 
to squirm free, but Ryoko held on tightly. " Shut up! We got to get out of 
here."
" Choa?"


" No Nagi's not back yet, we're going to have to go find her." holding 
onto the cabbit, Nagi flew upward, phasing through several floors until she 
came out on the roof of the Nova Hotel. Suddenly an explosion came from down 
on the street. Ryoko crept to the edge of the roof and looked over in time to 
see Hushira's group walking through the destroyed remains of the front door. " 
What the hell was the point of blowing up the door, it's not like it was 
locked." Ryoko took off, flying near ground level to stay hidden. She rounded 
a corner and found herself on a collision course with an armored troop 
transport. Ryoko went out of phase just before she would have been smashed 
like a bug on a windshield. She passed through the front of the transport, 
phasing straight through the astonished pilot. In the back, twin rows of armed 
security guards pressed up against the sides of the transport as she rocketed 
by.
" What the fu..." One of the men yelled, his curse cut off as Ryoko 
passed through the back of the transport. Ryoko turned around in time to see 
the transport make an impossibly steep turn to head toward the Nova Hotel. 
" This is bad," Ryoko muttered. If security was being dispatched, that 
meant the fighting was getting out of hand. It wouldn't take much for a minor 
firefight to escalate into a city wide war, not with the people in this city. 
She had to find Nagi and get out quickly before all hell broke loose.

Unfortunately, hell had already broken loose. All around the city the 
battle spread. Several people joined in simple because it was a fight and they 
felt like fighting. Others took up arms when a stray shot flew too close and 
they felt the need to shoot back. Still others decided it was a good time to 
take care of any grudges they might have. Whatever the reason, it didn't take 
five minutes for the battle to spread throughout the city. All over the place 
there was fighting between security, mob groups, gunmen, mercenaries, pirates, 
and anyone else who felt the need to kill or fight to keep from being killed. 


Nagi was pinned down behind a flight of stairs by three men who 
apparently found some sick thrill in murder. Nagi could hear them laughing 
hysterically in-between shots. She gripped her energy whip tightly and waited 
for the right moment. Nagi wished she had her blaster sword, but she hadn't 
had time to repair it after Ryoko destroyed the blade. Her mind flashed back 
to her fight with Shadowalker. She had made a few modifications to her whip 
since then. She flinched as a plasma bolt exploded over her head, raining 
sparks across her body. There was a moment of silence as all three men 
hesitated. Nagi was instantly to her feet. Her arm swung out as she thumbed 
the control stick. The whip flashed into existence and shot across the dozen 
or so feet between her and the target. It wrapped around the man's neck, the 
sickening hiss of burning flesh just audible over his screams. Nagi jerked 
back on the control stick and the whip tightened. There was a crunching noise 
and the man's screams ended abruptly. Nagi released the controls and the whip 
went slack and fell off from around the corpse's throat. She cracked it toward 
the next man even as he swung his gun around to track her movement. The tip 
passed straight through his wrist. He fell back, clutching the bloody stump 
and staring in disbelief. The last man was already firing. Nagi toggled the 
whip off and switched on the secondary mode. A small energy field appeared out 
of the weapon and Nagi used it to parry the shot, sending it back toward the 
shooter. While the shot didn't come close to hitting the man, having his own 
shot come back at him was surprising enough that he dove to the ground. Nagi 
quickly switched back to her whip and struck the gun's energy pack, causing 
the weapon to explode in the man's face. She didn't bother to see if the blast 
had killed him. Nagi took off running down the street, staying close to the 
buildings. A city wide riot was forming, and in a city where everyone was 
armed, it meant trouble, big trouble. 
She hadn't gone half a block when she ran into more trouble. Passing an 
alley, Nagi was jumped from behind by a large man with a knife. As soon as his 
hands touched her, Nagi reacted. Her elbow drove deep into his gut, knocking 
the man back. Spinning, her heel caught him in the temple and he fell like a 
ten ton weight. Nagi was off again before he hit. Five more blocks and three 
fights later, Nagi could just see the Nova hotel down the street. Checking the 
cross roads, she was just about to sprint across the intersection went the 
whole dome was lit by a massive explosion. Nagi was knocked over by the 
shockwave as it tore down the street, shattering windows and throwing debris 
everywhere. She stood up in time to see the Nova hotel collapse. A wall of 
dust shot down the street, blinding her and filling her lungs with soot. Nagi 
coughed violently as she struggled to breath. She turned and stumbled back the 
way she'd came, away from the dust. A few blocks later she could see and 
breath easier, but her throat and eyes were sore and swollen. Half blind she 
rounded a corner and collided with a very large, very angry alien. 
The creature was over twelve feet tall and dense a lead.  Nagi bounced 
off as if she'd run into a wall. She managed to stay on her feet, barely. The 
offended alien roared in her face, blasting her with a wall of putrid air that 
reminded her of bodies baking under the sun. Nagi found herself staring down a 
mouth lined with more teeth than it seemed possible for any one creature to 
have. A gigantic hand grabbed her around the chest, the fingers circling 
completely around her body, pinning her arms to her side. Nagi swore as she 
was lifted off the ground and toward the creature's waiting throat. Nagi 
thrashed about, but the alien's hand had more muscle in it then her whole 
body. It was a hopeless struggle. Nagi was just about to activate her whip, 
even though she had no idea which way the emitter was pointing, when the 
creature suddenly stumbled back, it's mouth snapping shut as if receiving a 
powerful blow. The alien staggered again and it's grip went slack. Nagi pushed 
and the monstrous fingers opened. She fell to the ground and turned her 
downward momentum into a back roll that took her out of the creature's reach. 
Again the alien was struck, this time Nagi saw a huge dent just appear in the 
creature's stomach, as if an invisible fist was pummeling it. The alien 
coughed up a spray of black, oily blood. It collapsed to it's knees, 
struggling to breath. Suddenly it's head twisted sideways with a hollow 
snapping sound, and the alien fell over, dead. 
" Are you all right?" a voice asked from behind her. Still in shock and 
caught off guard, Nagi spun and lashed out with her whip before she recognized 
the voice. When she did, she tried to halt her attack, but it was too late. 
The deadly energy struck out, only to be stopped dead by a powerful 
telekinetic shield. Ydal flinched slightly, but was unharmed. " Your welcome," 
he replied sarcastically. Nagi stared in amazement, her mind temporally out of 
sync with her body. Ydal carefully crossed the distance between them. He 
stopped just out of reach and stared back at her. " Are you alright Nagi?" The 
sound of her name snapped Nagi's mind back into place.
" What did you say!?" she demanded.
" I asked if you were..."
" No not that," Nagi interrupted. " How the hell did you know who I 
was?"
" Nagi, your famous, everyone knows who you are," Ydal joked. Like 
lighting, Nagi's hand shot out and grabbed him by the shirt. She lifted Ydal 
straight off the ground and slammed him into the side of the building, pinning 
him against the wall. " Whoa! Okay sorry, sorry, bad joke." Nagi spoke in a 
harsh, hissing voice. 
" Now, how did you recognize me?" she asked.


" By your mental aura" 
" My what?!"
" Your mental aura, the energy of your mind. I can recognize a person by 
the unique pattern of energy their mind generates." 
" You're a telepath?"
" More of an empath. I do have some telepathic ability, but only at 
extremely short range. Emotions however, I can pick up from almost a mile 
away." 
" You son-of-a-bitch. That's how the hell you kept getting away from me. 
I could never get close to you because you knew where I was any time I got 
within a mile of you." Ydal shrugged his shoulders as best he could pressed up 
against a wall.
" Yeah"
" Damn it, I don't believe this." Nagi suddenly dropped Ydal and spun 
around, fuming. 
" All this time I thought you were some sort of genius, or specially trained 
in espionage, or something. But no, your just some guy who happened to get 
exceptionably lucky and be born with special powers that let you get through 
life with less than half the effort of everyone else." Nagi turned back and 
pointed an accusing finger at him. " Your just like Ryoko. You take your 
powers for granted while everyone else in the galaxy has to work and train for 
years to compete at a level your just happened to be born ready to handle." 
She grabbed him again, both hands this time, pushing him back against the 
wall. " Your nothing but a slacker, if it wasn't for your powers you never 
would have made it in this galaxy. You'd be dead or in jail." 
" Yeah, most likely," Ydal agreed. Nagi growled in frustration and 
looked away from him. Ydal gently pushed her hands down. There was a brief 
silence before Nagi spoke again.
" Thanks," she said, almost too silent to hear.
" For what?"
" For saving my life." 
" Oh right. Your welcome." 
" Why did you?"
" Well, I uh, that is...I... like you." Nagi's head snapped back around.
" What!?"
" Well I do."
" But, that's ridiculous. Eight years ago I was trying to kill you. Even 
if you could sense me coming a mile a way, you had to always be on guard, to 
be ready to leave at a moments notice. How could you possible like me?"
" To be honest, trying to stay ahead of you was fun."
" Fun?"
" Yeah, I thought so." Nagi massaged her temples with her fingers in a 
vain attempt to fight down the headache that was forming.
" So the whole time I was chasing you, the whole time, you where having 
fun?" 
" Sure, it's not often I have a beautiful woman so persistently follow 
me." 
" You really like to live dangerously, don't you?"
" Life's more fun that way."
" Life can be a lot shorter that way."
" Maybe, but when's the last time you killed someone for paying you a 
compliment?"
" Never, but keep it up and you might be the first."


" Oh come on, lighten up. You know, you need to relax a little. Being so 
tense all the time can't be healthy. Hey, how about we go get a drink?"
" You can't be serious."
" Why not?"
" In case you haven't noticed, the whole city is at war. We're more 
likely to be shot than served. Besides I don't have time, in fact I've wasted 
more than enough time standing here talking to you. I've got to find Ryoko and 
get the hell off this junk heap." Nagi turned and walked off, leaving Ydal 
standing alone. 
" Well," he said to himself. He was about to head off when a thought 
struck him. He ran after Nagi and fell in step beside her.
" What do you want now?" she asked
" You know, I couldn't help noticing that when you declined my offer, 
you did so because of purely circumstantial reasons."
" What in the hell are you talking about?"
" You said you wouldn't have a drink with me because the city was at war 
and you needed to find Ryoko. You never said you wouldn't have a drink with me 
because you didn't like me."
" Yeah, well then how's this? I don't like you, now go away."
" I don't know, you didn't sound very convincing. Maybe if you'd said 'I 
hate you' I might have believed it, but I don't think you do."
" Your pushing your luck you know. The only reason I haven't cracked 
your skull open by now is because I owe you my life, but if you don't leave 
right now I might do so anyway."
" Fine, if you really, truly, honestly, totally, absolutely, completely, 
throughly, utterly, entirely mean it, I'll leave." 
" Yes, I do! Now go!"
" All right, I'm going. Oh, and one more thing, your going in the wrong 
direction."
" What?"
" Yeah, Ryoko's that way," Ydal pointed back the way they had come.
" Don't tell me you've known where Ryoko was the whole time we've been 
walking and you didn't say anything!?"
" Okay, I won't tell you." Nagi took a step toward him, fists clenched 
so tight her knuckles were turning white. Ydal took a step back. He was about 
to put up his shield, when all the anger and tension seemed to flow out of 
Nagi. Her arms fell to her side and she hung her head.
" Okay, fine. If you lead me to Ryoko I'll have a drink with you," she 
mumbled.
" Really?! All right, come on, she's this way." 

Halfway across the city, Ryoko was really starting to get sick of being 
shot at. Even flying low between buildings, it seemed like someone took a shot 
at her every block. While only a few of the blasts were accurate enough to 
cause her to have to dodge, it was still becoming really annoying. Turning 
down an alley, Ryoko suddenly found herself confronted by a small army of 
mercenaries. For what ever reason, they decided she needed to be killed. 
Lasers flashed and lit up the alley as they fired. Ryoko flung herself 
sideways, phasing through the wall of the building. Inside she was confronted 
by a man who was quick to draw a weapon. Ryoko phased through the next wall, 
into a room full of more people with guns. Ryoko groaned and quickly phased 
through the floor. In the room below she stumbled across two people having 
sex. 


" What the hell!?" the woman yelled upon seeing Ryoko.
" Whoops, wrong room, sorry." Ryoko phased through the wall, appearing 
in the alley on the other side of the building. She leaned up against the wall 
for a quick break. Suddenly, something shot through the wall near her head and 
bored a neat hole in the building across from her. Ryoko teleported up a dozen 
feet as several more shots were fired through the wall. She took off again, 
flying as fast as she could. " This is insane." Suddenly there was a blinding 
flash, followed a second later by a thunderous explosion. Ryoko looked over 
her shoulder in time to see another building collapse. She stopped to watch it 
fall, amazed with how quickly it crumbled. Unfortunately, her hesitation made 
her an easy target. Ryoko never saw the shot, but she sure felt it. The ion 
beam slammed into her, washing her skin with electric fire. She have time for 
one scream before her nerves shut down. She was faintly aware of Ken-ohki's 
cry as the electricity rolled off her and over him. Ryoko blacked out for a 
second, only to be awakened when she slammed into the street. 
Ryoko tried to get up, but her body wouldn't respond. She could hear 
Ken-ohki moaning nearby. She opened her eyes but could see nothing but a dark 
blur. She could hear voices yelling and weapons firing. There were some 
screams and something else exploded. Ryoko thought it sounded like the voices 
were moving away but it could have been her imagination. Then she felt someone 
grab her, lift her up. A stern female voice called out.
" I've got Ryoko, you get Ryo-ohki."
" Okay, I got her," another woman called back, this one higher pitched 
than the first. Ryoko felt herself being dragged across the pavement and up a 
sort flight of stairs. There was a cracking of a door being kicked in and then 
everything darkened as she was pulled inside. She was propped against a wall.
" Hey Ryoko, Ryoko can you hear me?", the second voice asked. Ryoko 
groaned and shook her head. Her healing powers were kicking into full and her 
vision cleared rapidly. Her head was still throbbing but Ryoko thought she 
recognized the voice. She looked up and was surprised to see a total stranger 
standing over her. The woman had very pale skin and brown hair and eyes. She 
was wearing a black space-leather jumpsuit. Her partner was black with long 
hair braided all the way up across her head. She wore an identical suit. She 
was covering the door with a heavy blaster pistol. She looked back at Ryoko. 
" Is she alright?" the woman asked. Ryoko shook her head again. She knew 
that voice, but she just couldn't remember who. 
" I think so," the other answered. " Hey Ryoko, your fine right?"
" Who are you?" Ryoko asked. The woman recoiled as if she'd been bitten, 
her face wearing a look of shock.
" Ryoko, don't you remember me?" The woman looked like she was about to 
cry. The woman by the door groaned in disgust.
" She just doesn't recognize you, you've still got your holo-disguise 
on."
" What, oh yeah. I forgot all about that." She reached down and pressed 
a button on the wrist band she wore. Instantly, her skin seemed the waver. Her 
skin darkened and her facial features altered. Her hair turned blond and her 
eyes sifted to blue.
" Mihoshi!" Ryoko yelled in surprise. The detective's face lit up in a 
bright smile. 
" Ryoko, I knew you hadn't forgotten me." Ryoko looked over toward the 
door in time to see Kiyone's hair fade from black to teal as she turned her 
disguise off.
" Kiyone, what are you two doing here?" Ryoko asked.


" Funny, I was about to ask you that." Ryoko stood up, her body aching 
all over, but she was otherwise fine.
" It's a long story, I'll tell you after we get the hell out of here." 
Suddenly a small, dark object came flying in the door, it bounced off the wall 
and landed right in the middle of the three women. Ryoko looked down to see a 
grenade laying at her feet.
" Oh shit!" Kiyone yelled.
To be continued...

Whoa, now that is a cruel place to end a chapter. But hopefully you can 
wait to see what happens. You know this whole chapter has surprised me, I have 
no idea where all this came from. It's so bizarre. I mean, Washu and Kamidake, 
where the hell did that come from? And Ydal, how did he suddenly become a main 
character? What the hell is going on here!? Alright, calm down, breath. That's 
it, nice slow breaths, okay. I'm fine now. I hope I can still end this like I 
planned, if not I'm going to have to come up with a whole new ending. Well I 
hope you liked it. What am I saying, of course you like it, why else would you 
be reading the third chapter if you didn't like the first two. You know, I 
think I'm going to stop now while I'm still ahead, or maybe while I still have 
a head, or...