Walk into this world, with your head up high. -Deftones --------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have declared myself exempt from any disclaiming obligations. Tenchi Muyo: Culture Shock Chapter 8: A Guilty Bliss Starring: Jana Freeman as Jani Terry McMahon as Ter'ay Raymond Ryckman as Raiman-Doa Katharine Horrocks as Katherine (Kate) Scott Craven as Scotah by Gitaro the Metalhead anonymous contributors include: Kevin Sigmund Firebird Raymond Ryckman (Note: This chapter may or may not be in chronoloigal order.) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -TENCHI'S JOURNAL ENTRY 'DAY 4'- It's sortof funny, I guess. I never could've thought of it that way before. It's so obvious now. All I need to do is close my eyes, and pinch myself... I just have to lean back, and... DAMNIT! Why do I have to be here? What's the point? I haven't even done anything! Isn't this supposed to be a Jurai ship in the first place? Can't they tell who I'm supposed to be? I could just imagine what Ayeka would do if she found out I was here. Or her parents, for that matter. What about Grandfather? I really don't know why I've been here for this long. This is stupid. This is just so stupid! How did I ever get here in the first place? Why can't I just close my eyes and sleep?! She's sleeping. Why can't I? Why?! ...Why does she have to be so frightening. I didn't even get a decent cellmate. Am I even supposed to be in the same room with a girl? She keeps attacking me. I think she's crazy. It's like she thinks I'm a hallucination... she keeps trying to get me to dissapear... I mean, I'm afraid to fall asleep with her in the same room. I wish I could dissapear. Maybe I *am* just a dream in her head. Leaving was the dumbest mistake I ever made. I should have never left. How many times have I even written that down? Why do I have to wonder, sitting here? I just want to find out what's happening with everyone. I should have known I wasn't going to accomplish anything. I never do. I don't want to be here. What's that noise?? -END TRANSMISSION- *** The second time she opened the door to the Masaki residence, Ryoko felt much more at peace. She wasn't an intruder anymore. How could she be? She looked at her left wrist. She delighted in the fact that there was no gem anywhere on it. In her other hand, she was carrying a bottle of sake. Things were more or less returning to normal for Ryoko. At least, more normal than before. At least she wasn't on the verge of suicide. She walked inside. Glancing toward the kitchen, she saw Washu doing some- thing. Washu was still existing as an adult for the moment, for one reason or another. She looked maybe a year or so older than did Ryoko; far to young to be considered 'motherly'. Ryoko phased up to the support beam on the roof. It was just like it used to be. Hard, but welcoming. It was a rigid comfort that Ryoko kind of liked. She sipped back a little bit. < Tenchi... > She thought to herself. < We could share this when you get back... > She remembered how a lot of this hell of a situation was caused by Tenchi being drunk in the first place. < ...or not. > She gulped the rest of the dish down. She layed back a little more, and closed her eyes. Sitting there, for a few moments, just in silence. It was a pristine kind of silence. Any intrusion would have been annoying as hell. "Hey," A voice chimed. "What are ya thinkin' about?" Ryoko grumbled. "Nothing, Washu." She tried to space her out. She wanted the silence again. "Oh, come on, Ryoko... You're thinking about *something*. I can tell." Ryoko peered over her right shoulder. Washu was sitting on the beam right next to hers. < Does she bother me on purpose? > Washu snickered. < You know that better than anyone. > Ryoko started to pour some more of the sake into the dish. "What difference does it make if I tell you out loud. You already know what I'm thinking, anyway!" She gulped it down. "Hmph. You know it doesn't work like that." Washu started. "I only read your thoughts when I'm concentrating, and I don't listen to all of your thoughts...that'd be rude." < Of course, if you want me to read your thoughts... > "Hmph." Ryoko drank another dish down. "So did you buy that Sake all for yourself?" Washu asked. At first Ryoko thought she meant Washu had wanted some, but Ryoko figured out what she was talking about. < Ohh, it's for someone special isn't it? ...For Tenchi? > Washu's mind echoed. Ryoko's face grew somewhat sour. < For your information, yes... sortof. > She poured another dish, and drank it quickly. This was getting annoying. < You must be pretty happy. > Washu had a knack for telling Ryoko what was already painfully obvious to her. < I'm really happy, yes. > Ryoko paused for a moment. She rolled her eyes. "Can't we talk about this later?" "I suppose." Washu said. "But you haven't even asked me about who *this* is for!" Washu held up her own bottle of Sake. "I have a feeling I'll be needing the whole bottle. Even *you* know how much he can put away!" < Yeah, right. > Ryoko thought to herself. Washu snickered as she went back down into the kitchen. Finally Ryoko could enjoy a little something to drink. Slowly the golden silence returned. < Wait a minute... What did she say? > Ryoko looked down at the living room. < I know how much *who* can put away? Who the hell is she talking about? > She phased over to the TV room, and examined the family photo. < Yosho doesn't...> She looked down at Tenchi's dad. < Tenchi's father ...even Washu wouldn't be *that* desperate...> She glanced at Tenchi. < ...and Tenchi wouldn't be able to handle more than an ounce of alcohol... > Ryoko quickly glanced at the recent photo of Bryan, air guitaring, in a pose that seemed to scream, "You're kidding, right?" *** Tenchi slammed his fist at the dark, ruddy wall. It looked rusted over, as if never used. In Tenchi's situation, it just made it all the more uncomfortable to lean against. It rubbed against his back whenever he moved. "Drghh.." He growled to himself in slight frustration. "What now...?" Analyzing his surroundings he tried to find a way out of his situation. He was locked up in some sort of round escape pod, floating mindlessly. To his left he noticed a small control pad. < Bingo. > He thought. He could hardly keep from grinning derangedly as he experimented with the buttons on it. One of them *had* to be used to control the thing. Not that he was sure where to *go*, but control would at least make him feel more at ease. He tapped at one of the buttons, nearly exploding with pleasure as he heard the ship respond...and shut off all power. The dim light of the room was soon replaced with a small red blinking light. Tenchi tried the button again. Nothing happened. Frantically, he tried another button. He heard something move to his right. Turning his head, he saw a tiny speaker make it's way out from a hole in the wall. It stood there, looking like it was trying to stare at him. "Uh..." Tenchi muttered. Suddenly a loud annoyingly tinny voice came blasting out of the speaker. Somone had turned the volume all the way up before Tenchi had get there. The voice practically yelled in his ear. "Klablaach shopoutnichrff liltaun ilalmumteagh! Shurptimalekeia, fa-suprican jamila! Forghxx noplchhhh foto..." Tenchi's face fell. It seemed he had stumbled on some sort of alien advertisement. To top it off, it sounded worse than a bad car stereo, blasting at full volume, crackling speakers and all. After a few minutes, the voice finally died, and Tenchi could relax. He leaned back, and closed his eyes. "Thank you customer, for opting to go with the Forghxx budget line of escape pods!" Tenchi's eyes opened slightly in frustration. "To ease your mind, let us assure you that this pod is well equipped to keep you comfy, warm, and safe from the ravages of space for at *least* 42 hours...or so." Tenchi's eyes opened a little more. "In addition, the oxygen recylers are of top quality, and will never, ever, ever, *EVER* fail prematurely! Simply follow the international maintainaince guidlines while onboard our pod, and we guarantee a fresh atmosphere during your emergency situation!" Tenchi glanced around his surroundings once more. The air did *seem* to be getting stuffier. < Oxygen filters? > "Of course," The voice continued, "while we have your attention, we might suggest that in your next purchase you consider going with the Forghxx Deluxe line of escape pods, which are not only equipped with heat shields that allow for planet fall on habitable planets..." Tenchi eyed the stars in the distance. "...but are also equipped with over a week's worth of rations and the absolute latest in communications devices!" By now, Tenchi's stomach was growling. His eyes were starting to narrow again. "This is not to suggest that your pod is a barely habitable deathtrap or anything, but such comparisons are sadly unavoidable!" By now he was trying his hardest not to listen. "We thank you once again for buying the cheapest in our line of escape pods!" Tenchi's eye began twitching as the message ended with a song that seemed like it would carry on until the end of time itself. *** The black of space, contrasted by endless stars, and bright moving objects, lay quietly, as if waiting for something to happen. Cold, and uninviting, there wasn't much it could wait for. Who could ever *want* to go anywhere where there are no promises except cold, loneliness, and death? The only things in the sky were the multitudes of bright glowing objects looming in the endless distance. One such bright object made it's way along the distant horizon. Swooping lazily, it's red arc faded, the Delorian was merely a shadow of it's former glory. Cracked windows and faded lights, it was actually quite pathetic. But nomatter how unmajestically it moved, it moved nonetheless. There wasn't anything that could *stop* it from moving. Not even it's pilot... Or it's passenger for that matter. "Come on! You gotta let me go!" Scotah wormed in the cords that were restraining him. "There's no way you can expect me to just *take* this!" Mihoshi tried to ignore him. "I'm sorry, Scotah... if that *is* your *real* name... but you've been arrested, and read your rights!" Scotah paused. "No I haven't!" He flailed again. "Well." Mihoshi stated. "If you're going to be difficult, I don't have to regard you at all!" She continued driving. Scotah lulled in his seat. This was embarrassing. If he could help it, he would make sure never to fall for any woman ever again! It was easy. He just had to ignore the way they walked, the sexy way they talked... the way they kissed his lips, the way they moved their hips... < Damnit! > Scotah yelled. < This *isn't* working! > "You have to let me go!" He yelled. "You don't even know what will happen if you don't!." Mihoshi continued to drive. "And *what* is that, exactly?" The car continued at it's breathtaking pace of 25 miles an hour. Scotah nervously eyed the readouts on one of the only remaining screens left in the ship. "Well, according to this here, if we don't do something soon, the converter for the..." Suddenly there was an audible pop noise, followed by a whooshing, and a loud squeel, as if the car itself was cursing it's damn luck, as well as it's damn driver. Scotah's face began to tear in frustration, a stupid grin of disbelief on his face. He couldn't believe it. He was going to die here. He was going to be stuck in this ship for the rest of eternity with this GP officer, tied up until they both died of starvation. And even after that, their bodies would freeze and float together for centuries. At 25 miles an hour. He burst into tears. "This is pointless!" He yelled. "All I wanted was a cool ship, and a hot babe by my side!" Scotah pondered his wish. "But not like this! Good lord, not like this!" Slowly the ship came to a stop. Of course, it was ignoring all the laws of physics that applied to inertia, but for the sake of Scotah's string of bad luck the ship felt it should take it's chance. After all, what harm could ever come of ignoring physics? Scotah breathed in, deeply, and tried to muster enough bravery to think of just how long he would have to float in the dead of space like this. Maybe he could just sleep his way to death. That way he wouldn't have to face the hunger. He closed his eyes, miserably. He didn't know what he was going to do. Obviously he was never meant to get anything he wanted. Well, he did, but it was just so wrong. How could the universe just make fun of him like this? He lulled in silence. "..." He could hear Mihoshi's breathing in front of him. "Um... Scotah?" Without raising his head, Scotah replied. "Yes?" "Um... if I untied you, do you think you could fix the ship enough to get it moving again?" There was a large hint of hesitation in Mihoshi's voice. Scotah opened his eyes, and looked up. Mihoshi was staring in front of her, out beyond the cockpit. What was this? Some strange twist of fate again? < Man, this is just like the time I was stranded with that girl from Xaes... > He thought. < And she turned out to have tentacles! > "..." Scotah thought about the risks. Tentacles of doom, or death by starvation? < Oh GOD! > He thought. < What if she's another one of those space-aenenemy girls in disguise!? > "Well? Is that ok?" Mihoshi asked. "I won't tie you back up if you promise not to try anything... OK?" "..." He could end up in a crap joint like 'The Spot' again. This wasn't an easy decision. < Or even worse, go through something like this all over again... > "I'm giving you one last chance..." Mihoshi said, almost impatiently. "..." What alternative did he have? There was certain death, less certain death, or death by tentacles and spines. Either way, he wasn't going to like it. "...fine I'll do it!" "Allright. I'm untying you now..." As Mihoshi turned to untie him, Scotah closed his eyes, and turned his head to the right, in anticipation of either spines or tentacles, one or the other. To his surprise, he heard an audible click, and suddenly felt his chords loosen. He opened his eyes, slowly, and surveyed his surroundings. No tentacles. Definately no spines, just cracked windows, and blood-spattered upholstry, same as before. His eyes brightened. "You.. you untied me!" Mihoshi's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Yeah?" "Never mind. I've got to see if I can fix this thing." Scotah moved over to the passenger seat, analyzing some way of rigging the ship to work the way he wanted it to. *** "You know blinky... you're not so bad afterr alll..." The advertisement song had long since ended. Slowing over a time of about three hours, it was on the brink of making Tenchi go crazy. Fortunately, Tenchi was a man of reason. A small red light blinked on the opposite wall of the pod. It seemed to be alerting him of some sort of danger; Tenchi couldn't tell at all. He was too busy talking to it. "...and I'm glad you made that song go awwayy... that was a favor and a halff.." Tenchi looked out the window. "Look, Blinky... more stars! More stars! Heh..He-heh.." [ I'm going crazy... ] Tenchi thought to himself. He stared up at the little blinking light. "You can hear me... right?" The light blinked. "That's good..." Tenchi leaned back. "But, how come I can't hear you at all?" The light blinked again. "Oh, you don't have a voice..." He smiled to himself meekly. The oxygen filters, having not been changed out were starting to make the air somewhat...funny. In fact the blinking light was the warning indicator *for* the oxygen filters. "You could always use the speaker over there..." Tenchi pointed. The light blinked again. Tenchi waited. It blinked. "I guess as long as you usse that light, it would work.." Tenchi looked out the window again. Staring, something occured to him. "I got it! you could blink once for yes, and twice for no! We could talk that way!" The light blinked once. "Heh-heh...yeahh.. like thhat." Tenchi looked out the window and sighed. "I'm here to look for Ryoko, you know." He looked back at the light. "Do you know Ryoko?" The light blinked once. "Oh, yeah! She's great ain't she? Heh.." The light blinked once again. "I don't know where she is though.. do you?" The light blinked once, then a second time. Tenchi sighed. "I didn't think so..." They both sat in silence for a little while, the light blinking on. "She's really pretty, you know." Tenchi said. The light blinked once in agreement. Then a second time in disagreement. "What, you don't think so?" The light blinked three times. "Three!? What the hell does three mean?!" The light blinked once. "Three means yes?" The light blinked twice. "No?" The light blinked three times again. Tenchi's eyes narrowed. "Let's see you blink again." The light complied. Tenchi tightened his fists. "I DARE you to blink again! Just try it!" The light blinked three times. "Take it back!" Suddenly the light started blinking very fast. "Auuughhh!" Tenchi began running toward the light, and it stopped altogether. "...that's better." Tenchi turned and walked away, dusting his hands off. Suddenly the light blinked again. "That does it!" Tenchi began punching the light. "You want to make fun of *me*!? Huh? Huh, *Blinky*?!" That's when Tenchi punched through it, shattering the bulb. "OOooowww!" Tenchi clutched his hand, which was mildly bleeding. It was enough of a shock to send him back into the real world. "Stupid lightbulb." Tenchi quickly found some gauze and tape from a first aid kit. He bandaged his hand at the knuckles, which helped a lot. "That's better." said Tenchi. He sat down again, leaning against the wall. The silence was deafening. The heat was chilling. The air smelled bad. This was a lousy trip. At least Tenchi was in relatively good shape. He hadn't been too badly injured. He was really tired, though. Suddenly, he heard a loud buzzing noise, like an alarm clock, accompanied by another blinking light. Frustrated again, Tenchi looked out the window. Two ships were approaching him. They looked like Jurai ships. Tenchi could hardly believe it. [ Am I saved? Did they hear about me from Washu or Ayeka? How did they know I was out here? ] Tenchi ran for the control panel. He tried to find some way of using communications. Unfortunately, everything was written in a weird script. Tenchi pushed button after button. Nothing worked. Nothing responded. He kept trying, but nothing happened. Suddenly, he felt a huge crash hit the pod. His body jolted forward against the wall. Orientating himself, the ship rocked again. Tenchi looked out the window. The ships were firing at him. Words couldn't describe the desperation Tenchi felt. They must have mistaken him for his captors. What was he supposed to do? Tenchi felt his face. Traces of blood ran down the side of his head, from when he was hit against the wall. Looking out the window once more, he noticed that the ships were moving closer to him. He felt his ship begin to change direction. He was being pulled toward the ship on the right. *** Slowly, the world came back into focus. The thin white line that meant light slowly crept into Ayeka's eyelids. She was about to open them all the way, but decided not to. Her headache was too big. Whatever she drank the night before was certainly proving it's potency now. < Must.. sleep.. > Ayeka sighed. She wasn't particularly comfortable, but she didn't want to get up. At least the backround noise was comfort- able. It soothed her. She could hear the birds chirping, the backyard pond bubbling. Even the pool noises were calming. That's when she felt the sun hit her face. She felt it over her whole body, in fact. Quite odd for an inn, she wondered. She rolled over. Maybe if she layed on her stomach, she would feel better. Her head roared with her pulse, but it subsided slowly. Headaches suck. She relaxed her head in her arms. < That's better. > She could feel the cool breeze across her back, the damp grass against her chest, the bugs under her arms. < Wait a minute... > Ayeka thought. < Bugs under my arms? What's going on here? > Ayeka's eyes shot open. This wasn't the inn. Where was she? She looked to her right. She saw a small white house. This wasn't making any sense. Ayeka gasped. < Oh, no... the party... > She looked at some of the other people strewn around the area, passed out, like she had been. < I can't believe I didn't go back to the inn... > Slowly, she got up. < What will I tell Yosho... or Tenchi? > Ayeka didn't feel so good. She looked at the pool in the distance. The water looked sick. Ayeka almost dry heaved, but sucked it back down. She remembered vomiting at some point the night before, although she didn't know when, or why she didn't feel it on any her clothes. She looked down at herself, trying to find a reason for not feeling as dirty as she should have. < These aren't my clothes...> She tried to think of what to do. She went inside. Things started to make more sense once she got there. She remembered what she did, now. Nothing bad... She must have borrowed some of Katherines clothes when hers got dirty. Walking toward the doorway, quietly. She was already starting to feel a little better. She didn't even have much of a hangover. She saw Katherine on the couch near the door. < Well... > Ayeka thought. < I suppose last night wasn't a total loss... ...and she did *try* to help me with Tenchi... > Ayaka gasped. "Tenchi!" Realizing she may have left him in the forest, all alone, she decided to leave without hesitation. She left a small note on Katherine's table, and opened the front door. Stepping outside, she closed the door quietly. *** Tenchi could feel his feet ever dragging against the ground beneath him. His arms were suspended from the shoulders of two large guards. He felt so miserable, so controlled. So full of questions. So betrayed. He was tired, miserable, and covered in sweat and blood. He couldn't remember if he had been hit or not, but it felt as though he had just been through some sort of ordeal. Maybe his escape pod was rocked a little too hard? A sudden pain came over his shoulder. It felt like a pinched nerve. The pain subsided a little, and the guards that were carrying him moved him onward down the hall. He tried to open his eyes, they were badly bruised. < It must have been from in the pod... > Tenchi thought. < I must have zoned it out. > He could remember the turbulence from when his pod was hit. He resembled a miser at this point. He wasn't badly hurt, only a little bruised, and bleeding just a bit. Why was he covered in sweat? It wasn't hot at all. It was actually freezing through the hallway. He couldn't help but shiver a little. The guards noticed it, but didn't take any concern. Tenchi could also feel something digging at his side. His sword was still at his side. They hadn't gotten rid of it. Was it because they couldn't touch it? Did they even know it was there? He thought about it. It jabbed painfully. He wanted to reach to it, adjust it, but what if the guards saw him? He tried to move his arm, but the guard simply squeezed his grip tighter around Tenchi's arm. The grip made him want to yell, but his throat was stopped by a scratchy feeling in the back of his mouth. He was sick and dehydrated, as well. He tried to look to his right. The guard looked very obviously Juraian, with the black marks across his face. The uniform looked simpler, but Tenchi paid it no mind. He really had no knowledge of the Jurai uniforms anyway. The sword continued jabbing at him at the end of it's hilt. Tenchi pictured it in his mind, with the gems. The gems. Ryoko's gems. He was here because he went searching for Ryoko. He was here because she left him, he was here because... < I'm here... > Tenchi thought. < I'm here for a reason... > He didn't even have a reason. There was nothing to care about anymore. There was no home, no father, no grandfather, no girls, no friends, no nothing. He was there for nothing. < I'm here because... > He searched for a reason, he couldn't find one. Anger fueled in his mind. He slowly reached for his sword, and grabbed it tightly. [ I'm here to get the hell outta here. ] He exposed it, the guards didn't seem to notice. Feet dragging, Tenchi tensed his body. He put all of his weight on his feet, creating more friction than the guards were anticipating, throwing them off guard. Tenchi suddenly broke free, and faced them. "Screw it!" He activated his sword. *** Out to his left, there was an odd forest. The trees were so tall and blue, it just looked strange. In the distance there was some sort of orange sunset. There were about one and a half suns in the sky. Bryan took another bite of his food. < I wonder where Tenchi is right now? > He wondered. The food was very weird, too. It was some sort of meat that, strangely enough, tasted like chicken. It wasn't all that bad. A little chewy though. It *wasn't* chicken, that was for sure. "Is it all right?" The man to his right asked. He was wearing some sort of ornate robe, the same as he had been wearing the day before, only now with his hood around his neck, and his veil pulled completely away. He seemed like a normal person, if not maybe a little dark. He had long black hair, and a beard. His voice kindof reminded Bryan of Patrick Stewart. "Um.. yeah, it's fine." Bryan responded. "Anything like where you're from?" He asked. Bryan paused. "Kindof. It's not that different." The man seemed rather intrigued by the answer. "It's pretty similar. I don't know what kind of spices or anything these are, though. I'm not much of a cook." The man seemed somewhat taken back. "So... they cook where you're from..." "Yeah." Bryan said, as he took another bite. The man looked around, trying to think about something. "What about..." The man's accent sounded vaguely british, only not. It was different, but an accent nonetheless. "What about the house we're in? Is *it* anything like where you're from?" Bryan looked at his surroundings. "No.. not really. Ours are more..." Bryan examined the non-linear shape of the house. "...square." "More.." the man's face twisted in puzzlement. "...square?" Bryan looked at him. "Yeah." He took another bite. The man looked like he was about to snap. "Listen here, bloke. You're a Clevian, that speaks only Juraian, but eats food like ours and lives in..." He struggled. "..square... houses?" Bryan looked at him, and nodded, slowly. "Um... yeah." He took another bite. < I guess that would make sense. > He thought. "Give me that." The man snatched his food away. "For crying out loud, the Lady's not going to believe that!" Bryan was still chewing on the food he had managed to keep. "What do you mean, the *Lady*? You mean Washu?" The man turned around sharply. "Hshhhhhhh!" He whispered. "Stop calling her that!" Bryan just looked at him dumbly. "Do you have any idea what you've caused yesterday?" The man's eyes were seriuos. "Nobody, save a few people, including me, even knew she *was* Washu! No one is supposed to know!" Bryan continued chewing his food. "Sorry man. I didn't know." "You see? *That's* what I'm talking about." The man walked around the room. "You didn't know, and now I'm in charge of keeping track of you." He paused. "Do you even *know* what the lady's going to do to you when she speaks to you?" Bryan swallowed his food. "Not really, no." He pushed his seat back, to stand. "Do you?" The man stared into the suns-set. "Not really, no." They both looked at the suns for a while. The smaller, half-sun fell under the horizon, leaving the sky purple with the other sun. The silence was uneasy. "Where the hell are we?" Bryan chimed in. There was another silence. "This is my place." The man replied. "This is where I'm supposed to keep track of you." Bryan rested his fists on his hips. "Wow. This is one hell of a jail cell, then." The man grumbled a little. "It's not a *jail-cell*, this is my *home*." There was another silence. "So... what would stop me from just... leaving?" Bryan argued. "There's nothing holding me back." The man smiled. "Well, there is, actually." He glanced back over at Bryan. "There's a poison in your blood that should keep you from... trying anything." Bryan's eyed him questionably. "...poison?" "Even if you did escape, you wouldn't be able to lead a very normal life." The man smiled to himself. "You're going to be here for a while, but don't worry. Once we're done with you, you'll be free... without the poison." Bryan didn't like it. "Well, if I'm going to be here for a while, I should at least know your name." The man smirked. "Call me Ter'ay." Bryan looked back up at the purple sun, as it was making it's way back down. < Ter'ay... why does that sound so familiar...? > *** A moment passed as everyone remained still. The guard on Tenchi's right hesitated to move, trying to analize the situation in front of him. The guard to the left seemed to be holding back, as if every part of him wanted to attack. Tenchi's blade made searing noises into the air surrounding the area. Compared to the simple weapons of the guards, Tenchi's was an instrument of god. Why hadn't the hilt been removed from him? Tenchi jumped, suddenly, putting the guards at ill ease. Tenchi quickly slashed to his right, his sword being barely blocked by a metal rod that the guard was carrying. It was somehow unaffected by his sword. Unfortunately for the guard it was also very heavy. Tenchi moved his sword around nearly lopping the guard's head off. He was inturrupted by the other guard, who managed to tackle him from behind. By now, Tenchi was beginning to go mad with anger. He couldn't think of any thing more he wanted to do than to escape. It was all their fault. They were the reason he was seperated from his friends. Not that they were even real friends. Bryan and Scotah were only certain kind of acquaintances. Being that as it may, Tenchi couldn't take that these men, to him, were responsible for all of it. Tenchi was almost drooling on himself, deranged, tired, and all around stressed out. There was nothing he could do for himself to make this feeling go away. He was too hungry, too tired, in too much mental and physical pain. He could picture the guard behind his back laughing at him. Quickly Tenchi turned and struck into thin air. He had moved to the left of him. This could have been so much easier if they would have just accepted Tenchi's escape. Tenchi's sword started sputtering. It's blade was now dark and distorted. It was as if the mental condition of Tenchi was being represented by the blade itself. Tenchi brought it up, and swung right through the guards' weapons. He poised to follow through with a strike. His sword hissing and cracking, he sliced right through the guard... Only to realize that the guard was still intact. Tenchi looked down, realizing his sword stopped working. Frantically, Tenchi tried to get it to work again. He felt several arms grabbing him, holding him down. Several fists rammed into his body as Tenchi realized just how little pain he had been in before. Trying to ignore it somehow, he remembered hearing that the human body could only feel seven points of pain at the same time. It must have been the worst seven points in Tenchi's case. The arms dragged him, and threw him into the closest cell. It wasn't the scheduled cell, but in Tenchi's case they made an exception in procedure. Tenchi fell into a heap as his body hit the floor. He heard the door behind him close, and some muttering by the guards in the distance. His Tenchi-ken was gone, also. Slowly, he stood up. The room was completely dark, save for a computer moniter, and some overhead light fixtures, which had been broken. He leaned his body to the right, feeling for anything to sit on. There was some sort of bed. It would have to do for the time being. Tenchi looked into the computer screen. A few words were seen. { Residents of block B are to report daily logbook entries, or loss of priveleges and increased penalties will result. } Tenchi got the feeling he wasn't going to like this place. He looked to his left, and saw a faint glimmer of light. [ What the hell is that? ] As his eyes became accustomed to the dark, he noticed the faint outline of a woman. Was this his cellmate? *** Ayeka continued down the path through the forest. She was a little dis- oriented. The woods seemed different during the day. The more she thought about it, the more frustrating it became. Tenchi should have been around here if he was still asleep from having fainted. What if he woke up, and wandered around? What if he got lost in the forest, starving to death? What if he was attacked by some sort of animal? Ayeka stumbled on a root. Frustrated, she groaned and kicked it. She let out a frustrated groan. She stopped herself, suddenly. This wasn't right. Pausing for a moment, she thought to herself. < It's just a stupid tree. It isn't trying to *trip* you... > She turned, and continued walking, and stumbled again, nearly sending her to the ground. This time, she kicked the tree two or three times. Pausing again, she tried to relax. Breathing, she looked at the ground again. She saw something familiar. It was that black condom wrapper. The one object that had started this whole mess. < This is it! > Ayeka yelled to herself. < But where on earth is Tenchi? > She pushed down on the condom with the toe of her shoe. All of her weight, resting on it, was sure to destroy it. She pushed it into the dirt, hiding it forever. Ayeka looked at the tree. She couldn't tell it any different from the other trees at all. This could only mean that it was dying. Ayeka's window of oppertunity was wearing thin. She walked up to the tree, and held her hand against it. It was time for one more shot. Instantly, she was brought back into the void that was the tree's mind. It was more hollow than it had been the night before. Surely the tree was in it's last few hours. Ayeka couldn't have been sure how much energy it took to show her it's last few memories, obviously, it had taken too much. Far too much. She had to risk asking it again. Maybe if she could just find out which tree it had been, she could let it rest in peace. Searching, she couldn't find a clue. Could she ask it? Would it be able to understand her? She could try. Ayeka tried to see through the black in front of her. < What is your name? > She asked. It was simple enough. She should have asked it yesterday. If only she hadn't been in such a hurry, or so distraught. Not that she wasn't distraught now. She was wooried. That may have been all the difference. < Please tell me your name... > Ayeka pleaded. Suddenly the void becan to brighten a little. Faint light began to concentrate in front of her, as if she could actually see the tree trying to form a thought. She heard the reply loud and clear. "Si-ouh." The voice sounded like that of a woman. After that came the same silence. Ayeka was in the void again. She didn't know if that was all she could get from the tree or not. "Your name is Si-ouh (Note: Pronounced 'Sue', alternate spellings might render a word similar to 'Sioux')?" Ayeka replied. "How did you get here? What brought this about?" Ayeka spoke in a normal voice, but in the empti- ness of the tree's mind it sounded like she was shouting. Ayeka observed as a second concentration of light appeared before her. It started as a small dot, until it became a verical beam. The beam started to expand, revealing a scene of a large ship. It was the memory of the ship. It's last one. The ship Ayeka saw was huge and red. Almost a rust color. It was firing a large canon-beam at Si-ouh. It penetrated her shield, and damaged the entirety of the hull. Si-ouh was doomed, for sure. This was how it had been destroyed. Then she saw three figures. They were inside Si-ouh. One was a shorter man, with short hair and a thin ponytail, and moustache. His hair was dark. There was a taller man, with short brown hair, and a goatee. The third person was a woman. She had short hair, and her eyes seemed to be glowing. < What is this? > Ayeka wondered. They each were running, trying to get to some sort of escape, no doubt. < Were these the people that plotted your destruction? > The scene continued, with the people reaching some sort of strange ship. They stopped, as they noticed an injured man approaching them. They seemed to be afraid of the third man. The black haired man tried to attack, but was stopped by the woman. Even- tually, she forced him inside the ship. The brown haired man, the pilot, got in the ship as well. The black haired man seemed to be protesting something. Apparently, he didn't want to leave the woman behind. She walked over to him and said something, but Ayeka couldn't understand it. It was too distorted. The woman kissed the dark-haired man, and signaled for the driver to take off. He did, and took the ship away from the view of Ayeka. All that was left was the woman, who had proceeded to fight the injured man. It had appeared she was losing. Things didn't look good for her, in either case. She became injured as well. < Are these your destroyers? > Ayeka asked again. The vision faded. In the distance, a small image of a tree began making itself visible. It was sort of eerie. The tree looked unhealthy. It was some sort of representation of the tree's mind, obviously. Ayeka wondered what it could mean. Suddenly she heard it speak. "Those men quite possibly secured Jurai's future." Si-ouh said. "They should not be investigated as enemies..." Ayeka watched as the vision of the tree began to wither and fade. It turned gray and died before her eyes. Slowly, the world around her faded, and became brighter, until Ayeka could see her hand against the bark of the tree, in the real world. She was breathing heavily. It had been an exausting ordeal. She moved her hand away from the tree, slowly. It was dead. Now it was just a harmless producer of oxygen, like the others around it. It's mind was gone forever. She examined the exterior of the tree. It had dozens of hearts with initials in them. She looked at them all. They seemed so hollow, so meaningless to her. The oldest one was somewhat close to the ground. At first she didn't notice it. It seemed like the tree had been trying to keep it. It caught her eye, though. The initials read plain as day. "T.M. + A.J." She stared at them for some time. < It can't be...Tenchi Masaki and Ayeka Jurai? > Ayeka wondered. < It's a coincidence. It must be. > She noticed that it had been crossed out shortly after it had been made. It made her think. She turned and left. She needed to speak with Tenchi, if she could muster the courage. Things were becoming too bizzare. *** The house, though not very large, was surrounded by a huge forest. It was built in a meadow, similar to the way Tenchi's was, only there was no lake. Bryan liked it, but really did prefer the lake at Tenchi's house. The blue trees in the darkness were somewhat frightening. It was too surreal. The fire Bryan was sitting near glowed somewhat pink in whatever atmosphere he was residing in. It looked cool, to say the least. "So.. " Bryan asked. "You said that Wa.. um, 'you-know', wanted to see me tomorrow." He looked at his feet, bored. "Do you know what it's about?" Ter'ay sat on a rock, opposite from Bryan, on the other side of the fire. He was eating some sort of meat, that appeared quite delicious. Bryan's appetite was non-existant, however. He didn't feel like anything. "No." Ter'ay replied. It was just as well. "I do know, however, that it will be very important for you to take her seriously. Most likely you will be under the influence of some sort of drug when she speaks with you." Bryan raised an eyebrow. "Really?" < I guess that would make sense. > Bryan thought. < But then again, why would Washu need to drug me? > Ter'ay swallowed another piece of the meat. "Most likely." He put the food back down on a bowl. "Her 'interrogations' usually go based on how well she believes she can trust the character in question." Bryan pictured himself being tied down, half naked. He got the feeling Washu wanted to run more *tests*, if she was anything like he knew her to be. "Sometimes they can be quite painful, if you don't cooperate." Ter'ay mentioned. "She may want to conduct a few tests, but I believe most of them were done when we found you." Bryan swallowed in a dry throat. "More than likely it will be psychological." Ter'ay paused, to sip from a cup. He breathed, and surveyed the forest in front of him. "You'll barely know you're telling her anything... and whether you get what *you* want or not, you can be assured she'll get what *she* wants." Bryan kicked at the dirt in front of him. He felt really miserable. This wasn't like anything he really wanted to deal with. Washu wasn't herself, obviously. There wasn't even any explaination as to why. He looked to his left. There was an odd deer-like creature in the distance. It's eyes glowed against the light of the fire. As it saw Bryan, it turned and ran off. < Stupid deer. > Bryan thought to himself. He looked back at the ground in front of him again. < I'm getting real sick of all of this. > Bryan breathed deep. The silence was killing him. He didn't know what he wanted to do. He wanted to listen to something. He needed noise. This was so hopeless, so quiet. What was he supposed to do? "Oh, I forgot to mention..." Ter'ay stood up. "...I do know of *one* thing the Lady will want to know about..." Bryan lifted his head. "What's that?" He asked. "Some sorts of data disks were found on your body, when we took you from that escape pod." Ter'ay crouched beside the fire, leaning against the rock that he had just been sitting on. "In the report, it said you held up quite a fight trying to keep our guards from taking them from you..." Ter'ay smiled. "Pretty classified, eh?" Bryan thought about it. < Data disks? Could he mean my CD's? > Bryan's eyebrows furrowed. < Wait a minute! That means those bastards have my CD's! > Ter'ay poked at the fire with a stick. He could tell Bryan was angry about it. "You could make this easier for yourself if you could tell us the encryption you have on the disks. We've accessed a few of the unprotected files, but..." Ter'ay sighed. "To tell you the truth, they don't make any sense." He looked up, at Bryan. "The Lady's stumped by them, quite honestly." Bryan couldn't help but laugh to himself. Data files? What kind of sense would music make if it was interpreted as data? He pictured the mess the people were making over trying to de-'crypt' the information. He tried to keep his face from showing any hint of a smile. How could he put it? "It's just music." Bryan's face showed signs of smirking. "It's not like, tactical data or anything..." Ter'ay's face suddenly became very still. He sat there in silence, for a little bit, as if trying to figure out what to think about the new news. "....Oh." He mustered. He stood up. "Perhaps... we were... overanalizing it a bit." Bryan waited for him to say anything more. "I'll be... right back." With that, Ter'ay took off. Obviously, this was some pretty important information. Bryan leaned back, against his own rock, and looked into the sky. The stars were there, as well as some five moons. Each looked a different color, but glowed with the same dim reflection. Bryan knew the light was from the two suns he had seen before. But where the hell was he? < I still want to know how I can be here, and on their "ship" at the same time. > Bryan wondered to himself. He stared into the stars. Tenchi was out there somewhere. For that matter, so was Ryoko. *** Tenchi was busy trying to figure out how to write in the electric journal when he heard his cellmate stir. (Note: For those interested, this scene follows the journal entry in the beginning of the last chapter. I told you the fic might not be chronological.) As she opened her eyes, Tenchi noticed that they glowed with a slight greenish tint. "Is somebody there?" Her voice was quiet. Tenchi turned off the moniter. "Is it... one of *you* again?!" The woman started looking around frantically. "You're dead! Go away!" Tenchi's heart stopped. He couldn't say anything. He leaned into the wall behind him. He watched as her eyes moved from right to left, looking around the room. He could even see her pupils begin to dialate from the darkness. Slowly, they turned to him. She stared directly into his eyes. Something seemed very wrong. Tenchi was on guard. He was still sweaty from his ordeal with the guards, and his adrenaline glands were starting to complain. "Why can I smell you?" The woman said. She pulled something out from underneath the bed. "I'll be rid of all of you soon enough. You'll stop coming here, I know you will. Even if I have to kill every one of you all over again." She stood up. In the darkness it was hard to tell, but she appeared to be naked, or only semi-clothed. She held the pipe above her head. "Now, can I help ram this metal pipe through your head, sweetie?" Tenchi's eyes popped. Swiftly, he dodged to the right, hiding in the corner of the darkness. The woman banged the pipe against the wall hard several times. Then she hit the bed mattress with it, several times again. Feathers flew every where. Tenchi now noticed that there was bed stuffing all over the room, and that her bed was similarly dismembered. The woman stopped. "Why can I smell you? You're gone! Gone!" The woman climbed on the bed, and wrapped her arms around her legs. "Oh, god... I don't even remember that one..." She rocked slowly. "Must remember... gotta remember... who was it? Who was that one...?" Tenchi simply sat in the corner of the room. He hoped she didn't see him. He heard her sniff, like she was crying. Tenchi was terrified. "Why can I still smell you...?" *** Ayeka snuck into the inn, hoping no one would notice. There really wasn't a purpose to it. It's not like she could have dissapeared for a whole night without anyone noticing. Maybe if she could sneak into her room, she could convince Sasami not to say anything about the whole ordeal. She could pretend she had been sleeping the whole time. Who was she kidding. Slowly, she trudged inside. At least she wouldn't have to see them until she actually went to the room. She stopped by the front desk. She didn't even have to ask anything. "Are you miss Ayeka?" The employee asked. Ayeka paused. "Um... yes, actually." The attendant smiled. "Your room is upstairs, number 28." She handed Ayeka the keys. "Have a nice day." She said. Ayeka looked at the keys for a moment. Someone told the attendant she would be coming. She continued down the hall. Walking through the lobby, she almost thought things would sort out ok. Maybe the rooms fit only one person each. "Good morning, Ayeka." Came a cheerful voice. Ayeka looked to her left, seeing Sasami sitting at a table. "I'm sorry to hear you didn't get much sleep last night. It must have taken you a long time to be coming home this late... or should I say this early." Staring funnily, Ayeka quirked one eyebrow up. "Um.. yes.. it.. did." Ayeka continued walking. She saw Yosho further down the hall, walking toward her. She tried to avoid eye contact. "Oh, Ayeka... I heard you had a rather busy night last night.." He paused, as if to make his sentence more imposing. Ayeka simply hung her head in shame. "Good work." Yosho said. Ayeka stopped. < What? > "What do you mean, good work?" Ayeka nearly scoffed. Yosho simply streched, and replied. "Oh, Tenchi told us all about why you were gone..." Ayeka held her hand up to her face, surprised, half ashamed. "He...did?" Yosho opened one of his eyes lazily, and looked at her. "Oh yes... But really, you should should have gotten some rest in between or something." He scratched his stomach a little bit. "You didn't have to spend the whole night attempting to search for the lost tree around here." Ayeka's eyes widened. "Oh yes, the tree..." She couldn't believe it. < Did Tenchi... 'cover' for me? > "You'd better get some rest, though..." Yosho said. "You can tell us about it when you feel more alert." Ayeka thought for a moment. "Yes... I will..." Yosho stopped for a moment. "And where did you get those clothes? They almost make you look like a neighborhood kid." Ayeka stuttered. "I..guh..you see.. I..." "Well, it doesn't matter for the moment. I'll see you this afternoon." Ayeka's heart was beating at the speed of meth-anphedimenes. As Yosho went to sit where Sasami was eating, Ayeka ran upstairs. She did get to go to sleep the previous night, now she just wanted to see Tenchi. She left him in the woods, with no means of knowing where she went, and he covered for her. Was he the kind of person that would even do that? She stopped by her room first. Inside, her suitcase lay on her bed, untouched. She thought about changing, but didn't want to deal with it. She heard a silent knock on her door. "Yes..?" She answered. "Ayeka, it's me." Tenchi's voice silently meeked through the door. "Can I come in?" *** Bryan leaned back in the pool of water. It was so warm, very inviting. He looked at the drink he was holding, the "charsnip". It was a pink liquid, meant to have some sort of truth serum-like effects. He looked ahead of him. Washu sat there, drinking a glass of her own, wearing a bright pinkish-red swimsuit of sorts. It was really something the likes of which Bryan had never seen before. It seemed... wrong, for some reason. He could almost feel that he was really the only person enjoying his stay after having been seperated from his friends. He could picture thousands upon thousands of the various deaths available to their cruel captors. All of which Bryan wanted to avoid at all costs. < I really wish I could help them somehow. > Bryan though to himself. He casually glanced back at Washu. She smiled at him, eyeing him with some sort of glazy, evil look. It must have been the drink. It really didn't *seem* to have any effect. It tasted sweet, though. Almost like some sort of liquid candy. And it was somewhat alcoholic. It had a particularly euphoric feeling when it went down his throat. Bryan tried to remember why they were drinking it in the first place. He recalled seeing Washu holding a tray with the bottle, and two glasses. "This is the way it's going to work." She had said, rather coldly. She reminded him of the type of woman that wanted nothing to do with him. Most women, actually. "You'll drink some of this. It's much like a nerve relaxer." Bryan looked at the bottle with slight dismay. There was something about a clear pink syrupy liquid that Bryan didn't particularly want to try. "I'd anticipated that you'd be hesitant to drink it, so I thought I would drink it as well." She held one of the glasses up. "Let's get started shall we?" And so, Bryan was in some sort of two piece swimming garment, drinking from a pink bottle, with a strange, scantily clad woman, in a warm pool. He smiled. < This is the only way to be interrogated! > He thought. He looked at his drink. He only looked at it though. "To start," Washu spoke slowly. "You came here on a Cleavi escape pod, is that not correct?" She sipped back a little of the drink she was holding. Bryan could remember his time in the pod. He had always condidered it some sort of dream. Considering he never remembered *leaving* the pod. He also remembered what it was he did *before* entering the pod. He almost felt as if his hands still had blood on them. He checked, they simply were wet with warm water. "You were found covered completely in blood." Washu noted. She leaned back in the pool, and tossed aside some of the wet hair that was dangling in front of her face. Bryan was found covered in blood. < It wasn't a dream. > He swallowed. "Some of the blood was yours." She noted, taking another sip. "Most of it, wasn't." Bryan found it difficult to look at Washu. Her being in such a bathing suit made him want to look at her only when she wasn't looking back. "Why aren't you drinking any of the Charsnip? You remember our deal." Washu said. Bryan quickly gulped his glass, nervously. This wasn't very cool. Changing the subject, Washu sighed. "I've also been informed that the data that was found on you..." she paused. "...really wasn't data at all." Bryan looked at her. "I supposed it was foolish of me to rule out the possibility that it could have been music." She motioned her hand toward the wall, and the room became filled with some of Bryan's music. "Quite interesting." Bryan's eyes lifted as his ears were filled with some of the sounds he thought he would never really hear again. He sighed a breath of relief for a moment. "Most of it's just noise." She said aloud. Bryan's eyes glared into hers. "Although some of it is quite pleasant." There was a small silence, as both of them listened to the backround music a little bit. "You're some sort of pirate, aren't you?" Washu asked. "I know that Jurai has a pirate backround... are you some sort of exile? Was there some sort of racial tension with you?" There was another small silence. "I'm... not anything like that." Bryan said. His head hung sortof low. "I'm not a pirate at all." Washu's face became somewhat flat. "Just what are you, then? You must know that we're not exactly on *your* terms here." Bryan looked into her eyes again. This wasn't Washu. How could it be? Not with as cold as she was acting. By now, she would've given him *some* kind of clue. "I'm just a normal guy." Bryan said. "I'm simply trying to find all of my friends. We got seperated when we were caught by that ship..." His eyebrows were furrowed. Washu simply smiled. "I see. So you're saying you don't have any dealings in our affairs at *all*?" She took another sip of the drink she was holding. Bryan filled his glass more. "What kind of ship were you flying?" Bryan bit his lip, a little. "Um.. a Delorian." He shrugged. "...Delorian?" Washu's eyes became lost. "Is that your ship's name?" Bryan nodded. "Yeah." Washu looked to her right, in thought. She unconsciously drank a little more of her glass. Bryan simply looked at his. "Are you some sort of Bounty Hunter?" Washu asked. Bryan thought about it. He was searching for Ryoko, after all. It wasn't really for a *bounty*. Bryan scrached his head. "...yeah, I guess you could say that." He shrugged. Why not? He wouldn't be lying in saying he was a after a space pirate. "...and you designed your ship yourself?" There was another pause. "Well, no..." Bryan though about what to say. "You designed it. It's your ship." Washu made a mental note about that one. If the ship was a ship of hers, she would have to investigate the matter further. It couldn't have been one of her recent ideas. "And it's large enough for you, *and* your friends?" She asked. "Barely." Bryan swallowed his glass. He was starting to feel it's effects now. It was sort of like drunkenness, only he felt very strongly like telling the truth, as well. He smiled a little. Washu smiled, as well. "You're starting to feel the effects, aren't you?" Bryan nodded, slowly, and somewhat goofily. < It's about damn time. > Washu thought. "How many comrades *do* you have?" Bryan drank some more of his drink. "Well, I'm looking for two more people. There's a third, but I don't care for him too much." "What was your business?" "We were looking for a fourth comrade." "Other than the one you don't like?" "He wasn't really one of us, originally." "I could help you find them." Washu said. She leaned back in her seat. "If I could get the four of you out of our way, things should go smoother for our end, as well." She paused. "Of course, you would have to pay me back." Bryan choked on his drink slightly. "I'll help you if you can help me find them." "What are they called?" < What difference does it make? > Bryan wondered. He pondered the consequences his answers could bring. "I'm looking for people named Tenchi, and Mihoshi. Together we're looking for somone named Ryoko." At the least Bryan thought that the mention of Ryoko's name would trigger something in Washu. Instead, she didn't change her mannerisms at all. "How did you become seperated?" Bryan couldn't believe it. She didn't even register the name in the slightest. "I just woke up, and they were gone. I'm not sure where I was, but it looked like I was in some sort of lab." He thought about the hopelessness of ever finding any of them again. "...but I do know that they escaped." Washu eyed him. "How?" "I saw the Delorian take off. I'm sure it was them. Only Scotah could've figured out how to get that thing working again." "Scotah?" "He's the guy... that I don't... really... care to find." "I'll assume that you have a name, as well." Bryan shrugged. "Yes." "Does that tattoo have anything to do with the organization your in?" Bryan looked at his tattoo. < Organization? > He wondered. < Of course not. > "It's just an astrological sign." He brushed at it, as if it would come off. "Where I'm from it stands for a sign called Cancer." Suddenly Bryan's eyes went wide. < Cancer... > "How interesting." Bryan suddenly looked at Washu in a new curiosity. "What is it?" "That's almost like a name we have here. It's not really used often." Washu scratched at her chin, playfully. "It means 'time and space'." This was starting to sound a little familiar to Bryan. "It's Can-Ceri." Bryan's face fell flat. < Just who is this Can-ceri guy? > Bryan gulped his drink. < Wait...does this mean that...Washu is... attracted to me? > He looked at her in her swimsuit. From head to toe, she seemed to radiate everything a man Bryan's age could want. He tried to look away, but found he couldn't. He was really feeling the effects of the Charsnip now. Bryan tensed up. He could feel butterflies in his stomach. What on earth was she thinking about now? What was this interrogation *really* about? He looked her up, and down again. His intelligence lowered just a bit. < Good god! > His heart was beating like a japanese drummer. He felt insane. Did she *mean* to look at him like that? Bryan gulped. The song that was playing in the backround changed, suddenly. It became one of his more favorite slow songs. Bryan couldn't take it. That was his 'makeout' song (or at least it would have been, had Bryan had someone to make out *with*). This had to be the result of some devine sort of twisted intervention. Something was behind all of this. Some twisted author must have been stewing this situation up simply to spite Bryan. Suddenly, Washu stood up, leaving the water halfway up her thighs. She walked toward him, slowly. Bryan didn't know what to think of it. He was thoroughly shook. The lyrics made him jump. He would have enjoyed this in any other situation but now. { You move, Like I want to... } Looking in her eyes, Bryan didn't know what to expect. His eyes were like saucers, wide with an anticiping fear. She was looking at him as if she had planned the whole thing. { To see... Like your eyes do... She walked right in front of him, and lowered her face to meet his. { We are... Downstairs, Where no one can see... New life breakaway... } "Just what can you do for me, Can-Ceri?" Washu asked him. "I'll scratch your back, if you can scratch mine." { 'Cuz tonight... } Bryan didn't know what to do. He panicked. Her eyes. What was behind them? What was she doing this close to him? What choice did he have? < Oh crap. > He thought. < She said something. What did she say? Why is she looking at me? > He grabbed her by the head, and pressed her lips against his. He kissed her. The lyrics might have fit, they certainly sounded right. { I feel like... more... Tonight... } There was a brief moment when everything was perfect for Bryan. He opened his eyes, slowly, and saw hers staring back at his. It *seemed* like she was kissing him back. Suddenly Washu started thrashing about. Bryan let go. Washu pushed him away. Her hair was slightly tangled, and her eyes wide with anger. "What the hell was *that* for?!" Bryan scrambled as he tried to find an answer. He looked to his right, and left, suddenly. "I...DUrgh..Uh.. I mean... " < Durrgh... Damned stupid author! > Suddenly Washu's face changed. She scowled and looked toward him. "What *you* doing here?!" Bryan's eyes looked at her in bewilderment. < What? > He analized her face. It was looking right at him. He saw as her eyes started to become more and more focused. Her lips pouted angrily, as she formed a light- sword, and prepared to jump at him. Bryan shielded his body, and crouched. "AUGH! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything!" Slowly, Bryan realized that Washu had jumped over him, rather than at him. He glanced behind him, seeing a large, cloaked man. He was somewhat unnerving to see. He looked straight toward Bryan, and then at Washu. The man muttered something that Bryan couldn't understand at all. Washu replied in the same language. Bryan peeked over the edge of the pool, watching as the man pulled out his sword, and activated it. Bryan couldn't believe his eyes. He'd never seen this kindof thing before, although he should have expected it. You can hardly have space expeditions with blasters and enemy ships without *some* form of lightsword fighting. The man's sword glared sick yellow. It was like poisoned water. Washu's blade by contrast was a light red, almost like the color of blood from a small cut. Both colors flashed vibrantly as they clashed with another. Washu jumped, and stretched majestically, extending her blade toward the dark man in front of her. In turn, he blocked, attempting to catch her off balance. Instead, she just dissapeared altogether, ending up behind him. Bryan blinked. < Can she do that? > The man cursed something aloud. Perhaps Washu was using some sort of shadow? Bryan didn't really understand the way these kind of fights were even supposed to work. It was too confusing for him. The man swept his sword around, quickly attempting to disembowel her. He stopped short, however, and somehow ended up with her in some sort of hold. < That bastard. > Bryan thought. < Is he grabbing her in the...uh...? > Washu suddenly became enveloped in some sort of gel. She was being slowly surrounded; captured. Eventually her whole body became entrapped, save for her head. "What are you doing here, Raiman?" She said. Her face showed no hints of fatigue, but Raiman was a much better fighter than she was. "I've come to trace the murderer of my right hand man." He said. His voice was sinister and cool, quite intimidating for somone who wasn't used to such voices. "I scarcely thought that I would find him in your arms." Washu winced, embarrassed. "It's not what you thought it was. I was merely interrogating him." The man obviously didn't pay much respect to her words. They weren't very believable from his position anyway. He boredly jutted his jaw, playing with his tongue. "Maybe you should interrogate me sometime." "Shut up. You're violating our treaty by being here." Washu spat. "Tokimi will hear of this one way or another, and you'll be left to deal with the consequences." She didn't try to move from within her temporary cage. Still, she maintained an arrogant dignity. Washu glanced back at Bryan. Her stare was somewhat menacing at first, but then he saw her wink. Bryan blinked in surprise. < Is the charsnip affecting her, too? > Washu closed her eyes. < Damn drink. I really need to make a better solution. > She looked at Bryan. < I suppose for a hunter he's pretty cute... > "Irrelevant." Raiman spoke. "I'm here to kill him, and you, if you get in my way." Washu frowned. He was here on a personal vendetta. This couldn't be good. This meant he couldn't be controlled. *** "Yes, one moment." Ayeka moved in and opened the door. Tenchi cumbersomely walked in. It was familiarly awkward. It reminded both of them of the time Tenchi took Ayeka up the side of the woods when her ankle was sprained. It was similar to their time in the wood shed. Of course, it was a little different, too. "Tenchi, about the..uh.. present I meant to give you..." Ayeka tried to keep from looking nervous. Tenchi kept his eyes on the floor. "It wasn't what I meant to do..." Ayeka hunched in her back. "I had no idea what a... 'Condom' was.." She sighed. "I mean, we have similar things on Jurai, but we call them.." She paused. "The point is... things... I didn't.." Ayeka shrugged. < I don't even know what to say. > She thought in desperation. Tenchi lifted his head. "It's ok, Ayeka." He tried to smile, meekly. They sat in silence for a moment. "I mean, it's not unnatural..." Tenchi started. "I.. it's not like I wouldn't... with you, I mean.. er... not that I *would*... but... What I'm trying to say is I want to.. I mean, I wouldn't *not*, without.." Tenchi shrugged. "I don't know." Ayeka sat facing Tenchi, on her bed. He was sitting on a chair. They're eyes met for a few moments. Both of them looked away to their right. "I think... I understand." Ayeka shrugged. "I mean... I wouldn't really... unless, you know...and um.. the thing..." There was another pause. Tenchi smiled. "I think we both know." Ayeka smiled, too. "Good." Tenchi stood up slowly, and began to walk toward the door. He seemed hesitant, but there wasn't much more he could think of saying. Not without making things worse. "Um.. Tenchi.." Ayeka said. Tenchi stopped, and turned around. "..yes?" "I'd like to thank you, for... telling Sasami and Yosho where I was last night." Tenchi looked to his left. "Oh.. yeah..." He looked back at her. "When I woke up, I saw the tree in the distance... with you standing in front of it..." He shrugged. "I didn't want them to be worried." Ayeka sighed. < So he didn't cover for me. > She looked down at the bed she was sitting on. < He just told them what he saw. > Tenchi looked back at her, semi-smiling. "How was the party?" Ayeka's heart skipped. "You saw where I went?" Tenchi sighed. "I didn't ask you about your clothes, did I?" She looked at herself again. She almost forgot. Loose jeans and a short- sleeve flanel over a long-sleeve T-shirt. Tennis shoes; a beanie cap. "It's...different." Ayeka noted. "Thank you for helping me." Tenchi turned back toward the door. His shoulders seemed slumped, as if weary from having just released a huge burden. Things weren't going so bad, it seemed. He opened the door. "Umm.. Tenchi?" Tenchi heard Ayeka's voice a little louder this time. "Yes?" He turned around to see Ayeka, standing directly in front of him. She kissed him. *** The man looked at Bryan with mean eyes. They were cold, and seemed grey as stone. This man was a Cleavi, also, from what Bryan could tell. He stood tall, wirey, and very strong. "So..." He swayed. He had some sort of accent. Juraian wasn't his native language, obviously. "...you're the one who killed him." Bryan's eyes widened. < The one who killed *who*? Could he mean... ...*him*? > Bryan thought, thinking about the man he left at the ship. He stood, his clothes still wet from the pool. They were made of some odd sort of fiber, much like nylon. They were rapidly drying, dripping onto the odd ground beneath him. "So, Washu has made some sort of artificial Cleavi nobleman." Raiman paced cruelly toward Bryan. "I really have no problem with that." The man stopped. "I should have seen it coming." His blade energized slowly. "I do have a problem with *you* existing, however." He said. "You're a disgrace to everything The Lady represents." Bryan thought hard. < The "Lady"? > He squinted. < He doesn't mean Washu. Who's he talking about? > Bryan shifted his crouch to be more aggressive. "What *lady*?" Bryan asked. The man scowled. He didn't say anything. He looked toward Washu, with a look of anger. Washu would've protested, but she wasn't really able to be heard at the moment. Washu looked toward Bryan. She could see it in his eyes. It was fear, backed by a stubborn, stupid braveness only a semi-ignorant American could bare. His eyes narrowed. Bryan could see it in her eyes, too. He saw it in the way her lips were pouted, angrily. He couldn't let this bastard win. Washu glanced over behind her, to a hilt, lying on the side of a drawer. Bryan followed her glance, and got the hint. "I'm no good with that." Bryan mouthed quietly. "So what." Washu mouthed back, shrugging. She raised her hand, and made a throwing motion towards Bryan. The hilt lept to the air and struck Bryan in the hand. He gripped it tightly. It was on. It was on like Donkey Kong. He looked the hilt over quickly. There was a small switch on it. He flicked the dark-green blade to life. It hissed somewhat reminiscient of a Star Wars lightsaber. Bryan smirked at Raiman. Raiman smirked back. < I'm so screwed. > Bryan thought. He awaited his doom. There was nothing he could do to escape it. He gripped his sword tightly. Almost immediately, the man in front of him jumped. It was so fast, Bryan barely saw him. It was frightening. Bryan paused, and looked behind him, quickly. The man was behind him now. "Really, are you trying to toy with me?" The man jested. "Even if you are some sort of fabrication, you should still pose some sort of threat to me." He withdrew his lightsword. "Come' on. Attack me." Bryan bit his lip. He knew better then to run and attack him. He looked around him. This wasn't going to go good, either way. He ran up, and jumped, swinging his blade around at an angle. He hoped to somehow cut the man in half. Raiman managed to switch his blade to life, and knock Bryan away, all in the time it took to blink. Bryan's back was to him now, his body having been completely knocked around. He turned to face him again. Raiman's face seemed dissapointed, and angry. Ironically the CD player in the backround was still playing, and switched tracks. Muddled guitar chords could be heard in the distance as another song played. { My knife, it's sharp and chrome... } Bryan focused on Raiman. He could take him, right? { Come see, inside my bones... } < Yeah, right. > Bryan thought. He jumped at him attempting to slice something, anything off. Raiman simply blocked, and blocked easily. { All the fiends are on the block, Bryan's blood was getting hot. { I'm the new King. I taste the Queen. } This bastard was going to see him dead. Bryan couldn't have that. { Cuz in here, we're all anemic... } Bryan watched as Raiman sped toward him, slicing faster than he could comprehend. His rustic, muddy, dark yellow blade swinging ever near him. { In here, anemic and sweet, so... } Bryan did his best to block Raiman. Fortunately his clothing hung looser than it appeared. There were two slits in the shirt along the front of Bryan. { Go get your knife, go get your knife, And come in, } Bryan ran, as Raiman tried to catch him with his blade. { Go get your knife, go get your knife, And lay down, } Bryan stopped, and turned around facing Raiman. He saw him slicing downward, at his head. He was moving so slowly, as if surrounded by some force. Bryan knocked his sword clear away. { Go get your knife, go get your knife, } Raiman came back, slightly faster this time. As he swung to strike, he slowed down again, as Bryan's world became more and more blue. { Now kiss me... } Bryan couldn't help but glance back at Washu. If he were to die, she would surely follow. He was fighting for two people. He couldn't die. He swung at Raiman, only to be blocked very slowly. As their blades touched, time seemed to speed up again. There was a pause in the song, as Raiman scowled into Bryan's eyes. Bryan scowled back. Bryan was starting to realize all of what Washu said to him back before; Before he had even left in the first place. It had something to do with how he flew the Delorian. The music started again. { Ooh, I could float here forever... } Bryan was now swinging ferouciously at Raiman, being only barely blocked every time. Raiman was getting slower. { In this room, we can't touch the floor... } Washu watched as slowly, the men before her became less and less the shapes of people, and more and more the flashes of their sabers. She couldn't imagine it. It was 4-dimensional. { In here, we're all anemic... } Bryan couldn't believe he was holding his own against this guy. He understood now how he could have ever beaten the man on the ship before. Bryan was beginning to wonder what being a Cleavi really even meant. { In here, anemic and sweet, so... } The man in front of him was getting frustrated to no end. He didn't want to be beaten by this... contraption, whatever he was. He couldn't lose, not if it meant he had to everything in his power not to. { Go get your knife, go get your knife... } Raiman tried to attack, but was blocked off at every attempt. Bryan was literally dissapearing before his very eyes. He could see him only at the most of his concentration. { And come in. } He tried to watch the way Bryan fought. It was completely untrained. He was all speed. Raiman could use this to his advantage. { Go get your knife, go get your knife... } Raiman felt at the blade hidden in his sleeve. It would do the trick. Bryan tried to keep his concentration. He could actually feel the world around him fluctuate with how he focused. He tried all he could to kill Raiman. { And lay down. } Washu could barely see a thing. There was too much going on at the same time. It was hard to tell what was even going on. < What *is* Can-Ceri? > She thought. { Go get your knife! Go get your knife! } Bryan lifted his arms to strike. He saw his opening. Raiman was right there, trying to fumble with something. { Now kiss... me... } Pain. Bryan's world stopped, suddenly. Something foreign just happened. Bryan looked ahead of him, seeing Raiman completely frozen. He looked toward Washu, who had a look of horror on her face. Bryan found he couldn't move. He looked down at himself, and saw a dagger in his stomach. Suddenly the world flashed back to color, at the speed of life. He felt another burst, as Raiman thrust his light sword through his stomach as well. He let it rest in Bryan's stomach long enough for Bryan to realize he was going to die, then pulled it out, slowly. He yanked the dagger out quickly, leaving Bryan to collapse onto his face. Blood pooled onto the ground. Bryan pushed his body up long enough to see his own sword land lifeless in front of him. He looked toward Washu, who seemed to let out a scream. All Bryan could hear was the sound of the music swirling around him. "I'm not a fabrication." Bryan said. He held his hands stiff, trying to hold his body up. "I'm... real..." He simply observed as Raiman walked away. He walked into a hole in the wall, which seemed to have been made when he arrived. It closed behind him, leaving the wall that had been there in the first place. Bryan heard a voice in the distance, to his right. He couldn't make out who it was. "Can-Ceri!" It sounded like Washu. He pushed up, with what little strength he had left, and cringed once more. His stomach felt like it was burning off. His right hand slipped in the pool that was his own blood. Bryan's face fell to the ground again, splashing against the warm puddle. The last thing he felt was Washu's arms, attempting to lift his torso from the blood. *** Ending Song: 'Only One' by Slipknot Pain - Made to order (X4) I'm not the second coming, I'm the first wave Better get an army 'cuz the fire left me unscathed You betcha bottom dollar I'm the top of the shit pile So stick around 'cuz I'll get to you in just a few Step off the achtung, get back or get stung idiotic sense of yourself, are you that dumb? Entire legion of me, totalitarian The one and only mutha-fucka, top of the world, man 'Cus I can't stand it, planned it gonna crash land it, In other words, consider me branded Another version of me, another version of you Both barrels - what you gonna do? All I hear is human noise You made your own fuckin' choice I belong to only me Silence for my revelry I can over die over time Filthy hands, stay away from mine Every reason is a right to hate Painful clutch - Death is fine, gimme mine Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away Somebody explain this I don't care 'cuz you don't exist What the fuck is this another joke? Reckoning! Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away Only one of us walks away (repeat) *** (This is a special ending scene, written by Raymond Ryckman (Stahlfaust), and edited by myself, Gitaro the Metalhead. This scene has been extremely edited, and cut short because of it's original sheer length. The uncut version will be posted seperately.) He was alone. Realizing that, Raiman pondered as one of his best warriors lay dead. His friend, or the closest thing he had to one, slain by a nameless fighter. The Cleavi general Raiman-doa raised his head from his knees and carefully surveyed his surroundings. He knew every inch of his sanctuary by heart, but the ignoration his opportunity to practice would be his invitation to disaster. And Raiman had placed a notice out for disaster's head (he would learn it's name; Canceri). His eyes were able to pick out details even in the total darkness that spotted his surroundings. Trees spread out in all directions like silent monoliths. They covered a hundred feet in all directions, and the ground was blanketed in a coat of green moss. A sudden snarl formed on Raiman's lips. He was a general of the Cleavi, a warrior of unparalleled ruthlessness and efficiency. He was allowing his emotions run free, influence his actions. Friendship was a thing that he shouldn't have risked. He knew that, but ignored it. It was the price that he paid, for having somone to trust. The risk of loss. Emotions made him weak, made him make mistakes. They made him fail. Raiman couldn't afford failures in service of Tokimi. With coldness of heart, Raiman tossed his loss aside. His warrior was just that; a warrior, born to live and die in the name of their Lady. He had fulfilled his life's purpose. And although his loss wouldn't be payed for, Raiman's reputation certainly would. A part of Raiman's humanity lingered still, dying with each breath he took. Fury left his face, returning to his of a fathomless, empty expression. There was no point in mourning the dead. There was work to be done. Raiman shifted from his sitting position atop a fallen tree to a crouch, his eyes glittering as he stared into the darkness. The death of his warrior would certainly have unpleasant repercussions in his Lady's court. Ashito (his chief rival) would not hesitate to take advantage of the situation. Raiman would look like a fool in front of the other generals and warriors. He was a runt, the weakest of them physically. Any one of them could've killed him unarmed. Tokimi tolerated him for a different reason; for his sheer ability to destroy without fair play remorse. The concept of honorable battle permeated the Cleavi clan, one of the few things that they had in common with the Jurai. Raiman had no such restraints. His lack of honor, combined with his ruthlessness and grasp of tactics left him undefeated. Quite a feat for lower Cleavi nobility. Of course, he was target of the many factions in the court. They wouldn't touch him without Lady Tokimi's permission, but they didn't stop trying to discredit him. They would try to laugh at him, for his recent mistake. Anger filled him. Frustration tore through him like lightning. He had promised himself he wouldn't be a laughing stock. There were times in his childhood similar to this one. But they feared him. They laughed like Hyenas, for fear that he might become something more than they were. With one smooth motion, Raiman drew his Akusui-ken and activated it. Its long, dark yellow blade spread an eerie glow throughout the grove. He lunged forward from his crouch toward a cluster of trees. He covered the ground to the trees in the time it would take to blink, his sword flashing from side to side, flicking from tree to tree. His motions carried him through the grove, all the while his sword still in motion; precisely and accurately. Stopping, Raiman calmed himself. This energy was to be used on something else. His Akusui-ken's dark, sickly yellow light faded away, but Raiman's eyes seemed to glow just as sick. His stature loomed melancholily. Everything had a price, and Raiman's had been his soul. He had nothing of himself to save, or to lose. His frigid smirk, accompanied by empty eyes, proclaimed his disdain for all life to the total darkness around him. He would succeed. "General Raiman-doa, sir." He paused. It was almost time. "Yes?" He breathed deeply. Part of his head-scarf blocked his face. "We will be arriving at your requested location soon, sir." Raiman stood still, silent. "Sir?" The servant questioned. Raiman smirked. "Yes?" "Should I inform the Lady Washu of your arrival?" The man asked, already knowing the answer. "No." Came Raiman's reply. "Her treachery shall be repayed *now*." He was of the Cleavi; skill, and death. *** END OF CHAPTER 8 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Comments w/ Author: if any of that seemed kinda short...sorry..i was really drunk when I wrote it last night... i guess it kinda sucks but i... Huh? Gitaro: GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY COMPUTER YOU LITTLE TROLL! Stupid Person on Computer: Ahh! < Runs away. > What's up everyone... after a brief break, and several bouts of depression, during which I learned how to start smoking again, I am back into writing. And I'm pretty sure I won't be taking any more breaks like that for a while. I'm *pretty* sure. Actually, there is a two month period of time I will most definitely be gone, but it's a ways away. I'll see if I can get a lot of stuff for you guys to read while I'm. As for the 'kick-ass' list, it's gotten bigger: Nick Scott Zyraen Jana Freeman Terry McMahon Kevin Sigmund Scott Craven James Padilla Kyp Duron Aldrich Bautista Raymond Ryckman Kenny Stiffler Matt Sweat Greg Pushkin Ilona Kotik Amanda Knauer Allyn Howey Matthew A. Bruce Macneal Cat Winky Alan Sara James Zale UnholyDragoon Kate Horrocks Brandon Hawley Incantrix Cavis Darktower Davner* Dark Jetzer Firebird Evil Asian Genius Fish Hospitaller The Lesbian There are more, but my memory does kinda suck. If it is your desire to be on the kickass list, you should know what to do. Email me, at Gitaro@msn.com, and kick ass. Or know, me, and kick ass. And if you *are* on the list, and used to contact me regularly, but don't anymore, EMAIL ME! ...Heh...not to sound too imposing or anything... Stay tuned for more wackiness, and maybe more seriousness. Then next chapter will be entitled 'Chapter 9: Ever Crossing Paths' Or maybe 'Mutiny'. Sound exciting? Great. -Gitaro the Metalhead *Hey, even the Godfather said to keep your enemies close. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------