Bastard of Jurai - part 2 By Laurette James (j_laurette@hotmail.com) Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo characters belong to AIC and Pioneer, elements from the book “The Woman Who Loved Reindeer” belong to Meredith Ann Pierce and Tor books, and I’m not in this to make money. Part 2 “Meow,” Ryo-Ohki ventured, long after they had lost the trail of Souja. “I don’t care. Keep going.” Ryoko’s jaw was set. She couldn’t let Sayuri go. She loved her. “Me-Meow. Meow.” “She is? Where?” “Meow,” Ryo-Ohki said, confirming the presence of Aeka’s ship behind her on the left. “Meow,” Ryo-Ohki mentioned. “Put her on the screen.” Aeka wanted to talk. The screen jumped and snowed a little...Ryo-Ohki was exhausted. Aeka’s face came up, tear-streaked as it had been when she had dropped Sayuri off on Ryoko’s doorstep. “That was the child’s father,” Aeka said. “No one I know, huh?” “I feared you wouldn’t take the child if you knew who...” “Stop frigging calling her ‘the child’. She has a name.” Ryoko’s voice was cold, but it trembled with emotion. Tears joined the dried, cracked blood on her face for the first time. “I-I know you still hate me, Ryoko.” “Who gives a shit about that right now? My baby is lost!” “I told Tenchi everything,” Aeka said. “He forgave me, like you said he would. When you came to the festival, we were going to offer to take back the...Sayuri, so she would no longer be a burden on you. But then her father came back.” “Aeka, is there any way you can get ahold of Mihoshi and Yukinojo?” “I can...” “Tell her to alert Galaxy police and tell them to look for the ship Souja, and that Sayuri has been kidnapped.” “I will. Ryoko...” “And if you think, Aeka, for ONE SECOND, that you’re going to take away my baby if I ever get her back, you’ve got another thing coming.” “But Ryoko...” “Ryo-Ohki, end transmission.” The screen fizzled out. “Meow,” Ryo-Ohki said, a few minutes later. “Tenchi? I don’t want to talk to Tenchi.” “Meow?” “No, I haven’t blown a gasket. Tenchi wants to take away Sayuri, too, and I’m not going to let him try to convince me, because I know he can. Refuse transmission.” It was a full hour later that Mihoshi popped up on the screen; she was using Yukinojo’s police override of the refuse transmission command. “Hi, Ryoko!” she bubbled. “What is it?” “I just wanted to let you know that we found Souja and we’re tracking its location.” “That’s great! Where is the bastard?” “It’s...” the screen jumped. “Ryo-Ohki! Focus!” Ryoko said. Mihoshi, could you please repeat what you last said?” “I said Souja is in your quadrant. In fact, it’s...” and the screen fizzled out again, because there was a terrible banging sound from outside the ship. Souja had collided with Ryo-Ohki. “Ryo-Ohki!” “Meow?” Ryo-Ohki’s sleepy voice rang out. “Wake up, dammit! Get this guy off our ass!” “Meow...” and Ryo-Ohki fired on the other ship. “No!” Ryoko screamed. “Ryo-Ohki, Sayuri is on that ship!” “Mew, Meowww...” “Motherf—” Ryoko let out all her breath and slipped through the floor and out into space. Flying over to Souja, she searched for a weak point on the other ship’s hull, dug her fingers in and ripped away a chunk of metal from the side. It was reinforced. She tore at the reinforcing, the insulation, the wiring. She got inside and phased through the airlock, and paused for a moment to breathe. “Sayuri, I’m coming,” she said, moving through the corridors. Sudden pain stabbed her lower right belly, just above her hip, but she ignored it. “Ryoko!” Tenchi said behind her. Ryoko whirled. “How the hell did you get here?” “Same as you did. We’re the reason Ryo-Ohki got rammed. Aeka and I just boarded and I can’t find Kagato or the baby.” “Get Aeka and get out of here, Tenchi. You killed Kagato once already and he came back; you wouldn’t believe how dangerous he is. Just go back to Ryu-Oh, I’ll find Sayuri and join you soon.” Ryoko’s side hurt abominably. She breathed deeply. “Reow?” Ryo-Ohki appeared beside her, looking infinitely tired, but determined. “Come on, you. Sniff out her scent, and lead me to her.” “Mew.” Ryo-Ohki sniffed and started moving. Ryoko tried to float above the deck, but the screaming pain in her side drove her to the floor. She staggered after the cabbit. Tenchi didn’t follow...she hoped he had gone back to Ryu-Oh. Ryo-Ohki led her to a room, where Sayuri lay on a thin mattress pad in a white metal crib. “Roko!” Sayuri greeted her, smiling. “Sayuri!” Ryoko said, in the higher-pitched voice she used with Sayuri when she was pleased with her. “I’m so happy to see you!” She lifted Sayuri out of the crib and held her tight. “Where Ka-to?” Sayuri inquired. “Kagato’s an evil bad man and you never have to see him again,” Ryoko said firmly, hugging Sayuri tight as she prepared to teleport back out into space...but the pain deep in her side howled in protest when she gave the mental command, and she couldn’t do it. She would have to find Tenchi and Aeka and ask them for help. Limping now, nauseated and dizzy from the pain, Ryoko started off in the direction she hoped the bridge was in. The room spun, and Ryoko barely kept her balance, and with significant effort kept a scream of pain in check so she wouldn’t scare Sayuri. Ryo-Ohki mewed in concern. “Just take me to Tenchi!” Ryoko ordered. Ryo-Ohki sniffed for Tenchi’s scent. They found him...and Aeka. Tenchi and his wife were facing off against Kagato again, though it was clear they had no chance. He was stronger than he had been the time before, and there was no defeating him this time. Ryoko murmured, “No! Tenchi...” but even as she started forward, she knew she was in no condition to fight, and her first responsibility was to Sayuri, who sat in her arms, alarmingly content. Kagato looked at her out the corner of his eye, a smile on his lips. “You can hide, Ryoko, but you still won’t have long to live.” Tenchi looked in Ryoko’s direction, and Kagato stabbed toward Tenchi’s gut with his laser sword. Aeka leapt in front of him and shielded him, but the shield gave under the touch of the laser sword, which appeared to pass inches from Aeka’s body. “You rely solely on the Jurai Power, princess, but it didn’t protect you the night I planted my seed inside you, did it? Aeka blanched and her hands went to her belly. A broad slash opened up and blood began to seep out. Tenchi shouted and grabbed for Aeka’s body as it began to dissolve into nothing, destroyed by the power of Kagato’s blade. She melted to nothing in his arms, her lips silently forming his name as she was consumed. Tenchi fell to his knees, arms crossed over his chest, head down. Kagato raised his sword... Ryoko snapped out of her shock and teleported herself and Sayuri...the pain was incredible...she grabbed Tenchi in her free arm...oh how it hurt...faded from view again as the sword slashed down...and called out a sharp command to Ryo-Ohki, who transformed into her ship form and tore Souja apart in the process...they boarded her and sped off toward Ryu-oh. Ryoko distinctly caught a view of Kagato being sucked out into space, and saw his body come apart. He was dead again. THIS version of him, anyway. Ryoko set Sayuri and Tenchi down gently and then collapsed on the deck with a moan of pain. Washuu and Sasami came running. Tenchi knelt on the deck, silent tears trailing down his face. “Where’s Aeka? Where’s my sister?” Sasami demanded desperately. Ryo-Ohki mewed with concern while Washuu did a quick scan of Ryoko’s body. “Her appendix has burst,” Washuu said mostly to herself. “I have to get her into surgery.” Looking back regretfully at the unmistakable shock and grief on Tenchi’s face, Mihoshi lifted Ryoko’s shoulders while Washuu got her legs, and they carried her off to the dimensional tunnel and Washuu’s lab.