Before I begin, I must say that Tenchi & company are property of Pioneer & AIC, so I don't pretend that these are my own ideas, other than the plot and villans (kind of, anyway). So, should either of these corporations get ahold of this material, I am asking them not to sue me. Read on, and have fun! Bushido Muyo! now continues! ******************************************************************************** Bushido Muyo! Episode 3: "The Kagato Contingency" Ayeka, despite recent events, was leaving Ryoko alone. The space pirate had not moved from the spot where she had come ashore from being shot into the lake. The sun had long scince risen, and Ryoko was apparently staring at the ripples the light breeze formed on the lake. She was hugging her knees and rocking almost imperceptibly. The Jurai Princess could tell that Ryoko was in no need of any reviling from anyone: she was doing well enough at that on her own. Now that her favorite test subject had been kidnapped and her daughter was in such dire straights emotionally, Washu was, of course, in her lab, shadowed by everyone but Ryoko, was working as if possesed, barely acknowleging even the incessant questioning of Ayeka. "Miss Washu, do you have any idea where Tenchi might be?" Washu glanced momentarily at Ayeka, still typing away at her transparent console. "No more than half a minute ago when you asked me last." She then turned to Ayeka, actually taking her hands off of the keyboard, fixing the princess with a serious look. "Tenchi was kidnapped without warning by a robed figure, and carried off to an unidentified ship, which promptly left before I was even awake. Until I can get something more definite, I'm afraid I have absolutely nothing to go on." She smiled. "So just sit tight, okay?" A now pensive Ayeka turned and walked through the crowd gathered around Washu and left the laboratory altogether. Washu turned back to the console. Although SHE might not have been awake at the time, one of her creations might. She began calling up the memory banks of her various robots. Tenchi was just waking from a dream that was, to say the least, interesting. He had dreamt that Ryoko had tied him up and dragged him off to the cave up by the shrine, in which, oddly enough, Washu had been somehow imprisoned. But that in itself wasn't what got to Tenchi. The odd thing is that when he awoke, he discovered that he was really tied up. He was bound by what looked like thick metal rope, which was somehow affixed to the wall behind him. Struggling seemed to be no use, but with a lack of anything better to do, he had become absorbed in this. A quiet chuckling sound brought Tenchi's focus elsewhere. He began to search the dark area around him. The movement of a small shape to his right drew the boy's attention. It stepped from darkness into half-light, limned by a moonlight like glow. The chuckling ceased and the robes of the figure settled into a deathly stillness. A rasping whisper issued from the still robes. "I still fail to see what makes you of so much value to Ryoko. Can you tell me?" "I'm afraid not," Tenchi said grimly. Beneath the facade of surrender, his mind worked at a frenetic pace, trying to adress all the questions this encounter and his current surroundings brought forth. "I doubt either of us will ever know, though in your case for a different reason than in mine." The robes of the figure once again began a rythmic shifting as the creature laughed once more. "What, do you think you can defeat me in battle? What makes you think you will even get yourself out of that?" cloth flew as a gloved hand gestured in a sweeping motion towards Tenchi, indicating the metal wires that bound him. The hand fell, and the creature turned away. "I have more important things to do. I'll see you later, boy." The creature strode confidently into the darkness. "Great. I've had the misfortune of being kidnapped by a malicious midget." said Tenchi dejectedly. He once again struggled with his bindings. Ayeka found Ryoko where she had last seen the space pirate, hugging herself on the lakeshore. She came to stand next to her lifelong rival, and looked down, not surprised to see that Ryoko had not even acknowleged her arrival. "Why don't you come inside? You're not doing anyone any good out here." "Why should I? I've been a great help to Tenchi so far, haven't I?" she shot back. "I couldn't even get close enough to look in Tenchi's eyes, much less grab him back." "Even though you didn't rescue Tenchi, you did help us a lot in identifying our new enemy." Ayeka retorted calmly. "You got our adversary to reveal some of his identifying charachteristics. We now know that whoever he is has powers very similar to yours, a trait that is, in this galaxy, rare, to say the very least. We know he didn't want you too close, or he wouldn't have revealed his ability to shoot energy. This means that he knows much about you, so he is probably one of your personal enemies." "I have many enemies, the least of which being you." "How many are so similar to you in respects to power?" "Only Kagato, who was twice the height of the person we faced, not to mention the fact that he's dead. That puts us back at the beginning. Square one all over again." Ayeka offered her hand to Ryoko. "Not quite," She said, "come to the house, Ryoko, we need to talk to Washu." "What?" Washu asked, "What do you want to know about Kagato for?" Ayeka, aware that Ryoko was in no mood to explain, told the instantly attentive scientist of the similarities between ryoko and Tenchi's kidnapper, and alerted Washu to the possibility that Kagato might be somehow connected. She again asked for all the information Washu could find from the time Tenchi defeated Kagato. "Tenchi defeated Kagato?" A surprised Kiyone asked. She then turned and grabbed her hapless partner. "Why didn't you tell me Mihoshi!" "Uh, didn't you get my report?" Mihoshi countered nervously. "NO! I was too busy LOOKING for you to watch the happenings at headquarters!" "Nevermind!" Washu yelled. "Mihoshi, can I access your ship's memory?" "Uh, yeah, I guess..." Mihoshi began fumbling with her control cube. Washu grabbed the cube and in two turns managed to access Mihoshi's ship system. Half an hour later, she cried "Aha!" Ryoko looked over from where she was floating, Sasami, Ayeka and Kiyone walked over, Mihoshi woke up, and Nobiyuki poked his head in the door, and then entered. "It seems that Mihoshi's ship managed to intercept a transmission from Soja after Tenchi cut it in half. Let's see what it was..." She pushed a few buttons on her transparent console, and some text appeared on the screen. Washu ran her computer protocol scanner on the stream of broken code. Ayeka studied the readout. "Washu, what does all this mean?" "It means that Ryoko's probably got some of my brains. This transmission was obviously a fail safe, a signal to start some specific programs in the event of Soja's destruction. Apparently Kagato planned for this kind of thing." "So does this tell you anything about where Tenchi was taken." Ayeka said exitedly. A glimmer appeared in Ryoko's watching eye, a spark of life suddenly returned. "Welllllll," Washu said, "No." Ayeka fell flat on her face. The glimmer in Ryoko's eye dulled. Apparently having lost all intrest in the proceedings in the lab, she floated quietly out the door, followed by Sasami. "We will get something eventually, Ryoko." She said, trotting beside the glum space pirate. "Don't just give up, not when we've learned so much!" "Sasami," Ryoko began, but was interrupted by the sound of the Television coming on at full volume. An unnaturally amplified rasping voice roared through the Masaki household. "Ryoko." Ryoko was instantly before the screen, peering into the dark hood of the figure whose image was cast across the television. "Turn down the volume, you have my attention." She said, her voice pervaded by a strange, but shallow, calm. Within Ryoko, a mess of emotions, notably fear and anger, battled each other for dominance of the cyan haired girl's behavior. Sasami ran into the lab, yelling for everyone to come to the TV, and quick. As the others entered the living room, the now less augmented rasp came from the television. "Ryoko, I beleive I have something of yours." A small pip apeared, on which a bound and struggling Tenchi was displayed in, to Ryoko, painful clarity. "Ryoko, I came here to begin a conflict, and to the winner will go... the spoils. Your little love-interest Tenchi will be the stakes of this fight. Ryoko, I hereby challenge you to a Due-" "I accept" Ryoko said. "Where are you? I am coming to face you right now." "Meet me in orbit above the planet. We will decide this matter there." The figure dissapeared from the screen. Ryoko turned to face the group gathered around her. The hard set expression on her face seemed out of place when one took into account the tears in her eyes. "Ryo-oki." She called, and then teleported outside. Ryo-oki, understanding that they were off to Rescue Tenchi, was outside almost before Ryoko. She transformed, and hovered above the Masaki household. Ryoko, along with the rest of the group, was transported to Ryo-oki's bridge. They didn't wait in orbit long, before a familiar black ship, framed by the orbital sunrise, appeared on the horizon. It was quickly alongside Ryo-oki, docking clamps deployed. Ryoko, the mix of emotions still battling in her head for control, entered the ship, alone. The tunnel from the docking clamps eventually opened into what seemed to be a large open space, though because of the pervasive darkness it was impossible for Ryoko to tell. She strode into the center of the brightest area, one not much brighter than the rest of the room. A strange smell reached her nostrils. Ryoko activated her beam sword and sidestepped, letting the cloaked figure follow through with it's overhead strike. She tried to follow but it retreated too quickly into the darkness. The battle had begun. Tenchi could hear the sounds of battle from somewhere to his right. They were, it seemed, not fully formed, undeveloped, or perhaps degraded. They were echoes, bringing back memories of Tenchi's battle with Kagato, an echo of a memory in itself. Tenchi struggled ever harder to escape. Ryoko was tiring too quickly. She was relying heavily on her hearning and smell to locate her enemy, and the concentration this required was draining her. But what happened next would affect her more than this trivial difficulty. Her own voice, in a mocking tone, came from somehwere in the darkness. "Ryoko, Ryoookooo." Ryoko stiffened, and was as a result nearly hit by the attack from behind. It was near exactly like her nightmare, in chilling detail replicated, with the principle differency being that she could not as clearly tell where each attack would come from. "Ryoko." Now it was Sasami's voice. Ryoko barely parried the following attack. "Ryoko." "Stop." "Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko." Now Ayeka. "Stop it." Ryoko commanded pleadingly. "Ryoko, Ryoko, Ryoko." Now Kiyone. "Stop it NOW!!!" Ryoko's tortured screaming and the now more furious sounds of battle reached Tenchi, stabbing into the core of his being. He struggled like an animal, but to no avail. Ryoko's screams grew in pitch and the tone of despair in them grew stronger. Somehow, it seemed to Ryoko that she had earned a short repreve. Scanning the darkness, she tried to trace the sound of her opponent's footsteps. Her mind was in chaos, trying to convince herself that she could win, that Tenchi was tied up in another room, and could not intervene. But now was no time for logic. In the darkness, she saw the sillouete of a finger, backlit by the red button it had depressed. A small beep came from it. Then the combat resumed. Tenchi struggled to free himself, and, suddenly and to his surprise, he succeded. Falling to the floor, he quickly stood and ran toward the sounds of battle. He had to help, in whatever way he could. When he found the end of the tunnel and saw Ryoko, he could barely stifle the sharp intake of breath that the sight of her induced in him. She was standing in a relative pool of light, her clothing ripped and burnt in various places where she had nearly been hit. Her entire frame heaved with every breath. And she didn't notice, as Tenchi did, the small figure with the red lined ball of energy in the darkness behind her, preparing to shoot this killing strike at the unaware space pirate. "Ryoko!" He called, as he began to run toward the girl. Ryoko froze, shivering with fear. She didn't turn around. "Ryoko, sheild yourself NOW!" Tenchi screamed at her. Ryoko gasped, and the dark figure, now just barely in front of Tenchi, fired the blast she had been preparing. Everything seemed to slow down for Tenchi. He watched in mental agony as the beam streaked across the space between the two combatants. Tenchi quickly wondered if this would be his final memory of Ryoko, the space pirate whose love for a simple boy on a backwater planet would be her undoing. As the blast exploded off of Ryoko's partially formed sheild, everything came back to normal speed. The concussion of the blast knocked Ryoko across the room, where she came to rest against an unseen wall. The heat had singed her clothes and hair, and Tenchi could see the burns forming on her skin. He seemingly shot across the room, skidding to a halt on his knees at Ryoko's side. He gathered her to him, holding her head in what dim light was available. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly open. "Ryoko! Ryoko, can you hear me?" Her eyes opened, and Tenchi felt a surge of releif. "Oh...Hello Tenchi...how about...a kiss?" She chuckled softly, then coughed. "Tenchi," she said, pressing something into his hand, "...brought...you...this." She coughed again. The lights came on, revealing a great, high ceilinged, arena like room. As Tenchi's eyes adjusted to the bright light, he saw that Tenchi-ken lay in his hand. "You brought Tenchi-ken?" He asked. "I'm...not so...stupid as not...to admit...that...I would need...some help." she said, apparently in great pain. "Don't talk, save your strength." Tenchi said. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and laid her carefully back down on the floor. Then he stood to face the robed figure, standing in the center, punching buttons on a raised podium. The sound of footsteps came from the docking corridor. "You have made a great mistake." Said Tenchi to the person at the console. "You have placed yourself on a collision course with the royalty of planet Jurai, and you will regret it." "I doubt it." The voice of the robed antagonist was now clearer. "Princess Ayeka is weak. She would be no challenge to me." Tenchi let out a stream of manaiacal laughter, causing the figure to turn and look directly at Tenchi. He ceased laughing and looked hard into the dark hood. "I wasn't talking about Ayeka." "What?" Tenchi activated his namesake sword and took a ready stance. "YOU, a member of jurai royalty? How?" Tenchi ignored her query. "You will face me, now" "All right." The black energy sword appeared once more. It was much easier to see now that it was in brighter surroundings. Tenchi closed the space between them nearly instantly. Sparks flew as Tenchi- ken's blade made contact with the energy sword. He followed this up with a furious stream of attacks. Tenchi finally succeeded in securing an opening. He brought Tenchi-ken down, a killing blow that would cut his opponent neatly in half. But it did not. Looking down at Tenchi-ken, the boy was startled to see that the blade was no longer there. Looking up, he saw that this event had secured an oppening for his opponent, who was in the execution of a similar deathblow. Tenchi brought his dormant sword up, weilding it Iron Fan-style, to jam it into his adversary's wrist. The cloaked figure fell back, it's energy sword dissipated, clutching at it's injured right wrist. Tenchi followed up by jamming Tenchi-ken under his opponent's ribs, then bringing the sword up under the masked chin of his former captor, knocking it over backward and rewarding Tenchi's efforts with a loud cracking sound. The shattered mask clattered to the floor as the rest of the group arrived in the doorway. The figure, on it's hands and knees, was breathing heavily. A familiar voice came from it. "Tenchi, how...could you do this to me...after all we've been through. The figure climbed to it's feet, and threw of it's hood. Tenchi was totally taken aback. The smug smile and childish countenance of Washu glared back at him, a cut on her chin dripping blood on the floor. A chorus of gasps sounded from the doorway. "Wow, I've been cloned!" Said an exited Washu. The Washu clone looked momentarily at her double, then back to Tenchi. "What's the matter, Tenchi? Don't wanna fight anymore?" Washu's chibi voice echoed painfully in Tenchi's ears. "I guess Master Kagato's research was somewhat imperfect." the clone continued. "Oh well. Now that everyone is here, I can still complete my mission." She stepped over to the console, and pressed a few keys. A deep rumbling shook the floor. The whole gang sprang into action. Tenchi shoved Tenchi-ken into his pocket and ran to pick up Ryoko. Holding her in both arms, he followed the rest of the gang down the docking corridor. The Washu clone stood next to the console, laughing. Kiyone, at the head of the pack, yelled, "Ryo-oki, let us in!" A loud meow came from the cabbit ship, the dock just ahead. The group jumped through the permeable opening in Ryo-oki's hull at the dock. Tenchi was the last, Ryoko in his arms. "Ryo-oki, let's get out of here fast!" "Meeeoooooow!!!" The group was jolted as Ryo-oki left the dock and flew away at top speed. As Tenchi reached the bridge, the Washu clone's ship detonated. The rapidly expanding fireball would easily catch Ryo-oki. The concussion caused the ship to tilt crazily, throwing people everywhere. Ryo-oki began to scream in pain. Before it got too bright to see, Tenchi's mind fixed on one goal: to protect the others, no matter what the cause. When the brighness receeded, Ayeka stood. "What happened?" Kiyone, still lying on the floor, pointed, "Hey look!" Surrounding Ryo-oki were the fully deployed wings of the Light Hawk. Tenchi sat against the far side of the bridge, his left arm extended, splay fingered, Ryoko cradled in his right. Washu looked at a damage report window. "We still took quite a bit of damage. We can't stay in orbit any more." "I'm not perfect." Tenchi said. "Washu, can you get us back to the house?" "I'll try." "Good enough. I'll try to protect us." Washu began to guide Ryo-oki into the atmoshphere, protected by the Light Hawk Wings. It was late, but Ryoko had finally awoken, and Tenchi was going to see her. He passed by Azaka and Kamidake, who were guarding the door. He entered to find Ryoko sitting up in bed, remarkable after the beating she had taken. "Hello there. Feeling any better" "I am now." Ryoko said, with a soft smile. "Wahsu says you're making a great recovery. You'll probably be up and trying to kill Ayeka by tommorow. Ryoko smiled a little wider. "I'm so happy to see you're all right, Tenchi." her smile faded. "What was all that about?" "What? Oh, you mean the Washu clone." Tenchi began. "Well it seems that Kagato cloned Washu with to use as a backup, a contingency plan. If Soja were ever destroyed, it would send the signals needed to wake the clone up. It's objective would be to destroy her origional. She was after you because you were in the way. Because she was so like Washu, she could use the psychic link between you to-" "-Invade my dreams, destroy my self-confidence, and while I was in this weakened condition, kill me." Ryoko finished. "Yeah, something like that." Tenchi then noticed that Ryoko's eyes were half closed. "Um, it looks like you could use some rest." "Yes, I guess so." She said. She then suddenly lunged forward and hugged Tenchi. "Thank you, Tenchi. Now I can dream again. And you can bet I'll be dreaming...of you..." Tenchi had to catch her to keep her from falling on the floor at his feet. As Tenchi laid the still semiconscious space pirate back on the pillow. As her eyes closed, she had one final thought: Yes, I will dream of my Tenchi. THE END ******************************************************************************** Well, did you like it? Send me any feedback at either ZeroKraken@aol.com or Azhrei701@hotmail.com. This is also by no means the end of Bushido Muyo! I will write more episodes as soon as I get either some suggestions or I get the next storyline I have in mind scripted, whichever comes first.