Disclaimer : Most characters in this story are property of AIC and Pioneer. They are in such a situation solely because of my imagination. This story was written purely for fun. This FF is based on the TV Series, with some powers drawn over from the OAV, but with no Light Hawk Wings. This story contains no sex, so please do not expect it. Before I wrote this Fanfic, I have only read 2 Fanfics, Aikan Muyo and To Love & To Hate. Since then I have read some others, and have noted some writers have a tendency to portray some characters inaccurately. I hope I have not fallen into that trap. That's about it, I'm a simple soul at heart... DARKNESS & LIGHT By Zyraen Chapter XI : No Need to Pull the Trigger "Aaah, Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried as the Yagami quaked under an invisible bombardment that split through its semi-erected shield, ripped the booster engines and sent a huge tremor running through it that flung Mihoshi out of her seat. The lights in the ship flickered as the screen that was inundated with red dots went dead, though the glass viewer to space still sent pink light streaming in. "Mihoshi, I'm…!" Kiyone was sent flying as another explosion tore through the ship’s rear and sent shockwaves down along its length to the bridge. "Ouch!" She exclaimed as Mihoshi rolled into her, kicking her on the shoulder and bumping her into the side of the wildly shuddering ship. "Critical hit! Critical hit!" The back-up systems wailed. "All personnel evacuate!" Kiyone managed to get an arm out of the tangle of bodies, reaching for a button labelled ‘Open Escape Capsule.’ "Uuungh.." The button was tantalisingly out of reach. Almost there… "DAMN!" The ship lurched again, tossing the bundle that was her and Mihoshi away from the controls, as they heard another explosion, this time near the midsection of the Yagami. "Time required for safe evacuation - twelve seconds." The computer blared. "Kiyone, do something!!" Mihoshi screamed in fear. "Get off me first!" She shouted in frustration. Gritting her teeth, she tossed her yo-yo towards the green button. "Escape capsule opened." As a tug on the string flicked the yo-yo back into her hands, "Come on!" Kiyone dragged Mihoshi up. "We’ve got to… wwoaaahh!" As Kiyone staggered and nearly fell, Mihoshi got bowled upright by the tremor and pulled Kiyone erect. "Whew, I…" "Countdown to safe evacuation - ten seconds." "Ooops!" Mihoshi pulled too hard and at the same time Yagami spun in that direction. "Nine." "Aaaaaaah!" The two detectives screamed as they tumbled in a heap, fortunately through the door and down the corridor. Kiyone had just enough sense to grab a corner just as they were about to roll past the right turn to the escape capsule. "Eight." "Nnngh!" Kiyone gritted her teeth as her own weight and Mihoshi’s put the strain on her right arm and fingers. "Mihoshi, it’s this way!!" The ceiling and floors of the ship were the walls now. "Seven." "I can’t help it, Kiyone!" Mihoshi replied, trying to extricate her legs from the mess of their tangled bodies. "Six." "It’s just there!!" Kiyone shouted, looking at the door to the capsule just two metres down the corridor, on the right. That it seemed to be directly above their heads was quite another problem. The ship spun and Kiyone let go, letting them roll down towards the exit. "Five." "I think we just passed it," Mihoshi pointed at the open door, flashing ‘ESCAPE’ in red. Kiyone, too flustered to reply, tossed her yo-yo out in a curve towards the inside of the capsule "There!" She exclaimed as the two of them dangled on the end as the yo-yo hooked onto the inside, with the door directly above their heads but turning down as the ship spun. "Four." "Kick out, Mihoshi!" Kiyone ordered. I hope this works. "Ow!" she cried as one of Mihoshi’s feet struck her in the thigh. "On the wall!" "Oops, sorry." But they were swinging towards the door all right, just nice. "Three." The ship lurched again, altering their trajectory. "Aaah!" Mihoshi cried as she saw herself hurtling into the wall just next to the door, then struck, and Kiyone slammed into her from behind. "Ouch… that really hurts.." She managed weakly. "Two." Aargh! Kiyone thought in frustration. The open door was just out of reach diagonally above their heads to the right, the yo-yo dangling them from within. Mihoshi, ironed against the wall, didn’t think very much, but her hands were flailing about wildly, as she tried vainly to push Kiyone out from in front of her. She felt something, like a blaster handle on Kiyone’s belt, with the weapon pointing down past her partner’s thigh into the wall of the corridor that was less than half a metre diagonally below their feet, like an inclined floor. "One." "Whoops!" Her finger reflexively tightened, pulling the trigger as the ship lurched slightly so the door was now diagonally on their left. Kiyone’s eyes widened in fear as her blaster went off. More specifically, Kova’s blaster. With the explosive enhancer. "…!!!!" They both managed as the thing’s recoil pushed them both up by at least five centimetres, before the golden beam struck on the floor diagonally below. And exploded. "Ah…!" Kiyone screamed as the impact hurled her upwards into the capsule. "What the… OW!!" Mihoshi rammed into her, and the capsule door slid shut. "Zero." =============================================== "NO!!" A heart rending howl of anguish split the insides of the Shuriken as Kova beheld a white explosion erupt through the rose pulses of electric charges near where the Yagami should have been. "KIYONE!!" The Shuriken hurtled through space towards the spot, as the pulses battered his craft’s shield. =============================================== "Mission accomplished." The cyborg announced grimly. "Splendid! Return to Comet, Solar." The Overlord stared at the screen. ‘Estimated time of Archbeam Energy Depletion - 00:01:25.’ No matter. Solar was, and had always been, expendible while Terminus and Satellite were already within a minute’s travel of the Comet. =============================================== "MIYA!" Ryo-oh-ki screamed, spinning and twisting insanely through the barrage of rose pulses even as scarlet beams of energy tore from the Comet through their bursts at the pinkish red cabbit ship. Dazzles of white inundated the ship’s shield under the continuous assault, but fortunately the Archbeam, scattered over a wide radius, could do only minimal damage to that, while the most of standard and major combat cannons of the ship fell short of their target due to the speed enhanced cabbit that was half-crazed with pain. "MIYA!!" Ryoko, with her ability to fly, Washu, with her shield and levitation, and Tenchi, whom Ryoko was holding, were the only people on board unaffected by the continuous loops and turns. Sasami and Aeka were holding on to the seats at the transmission screens, and Anako and Koneko, awakened from their sedative induced sleep, were mewing pitifully as the table to which they were manacled onto swung about the bridge chaotically. "Watch out, Sasami!" Aeka shouted as the table hurtled towards her sister. Sasami quickly let go as the table rammed into the control screen, bumping into the seat along the way and narrowly missing her, although letting go meant she slid a little and bumped lightly into the wall. "What the hell is going on!?" Ryoko shouted in frustration, staring out at the continual, apparently random flashes of pink energy in space. Tenchi, too concerned with the fates of Aeka and Sasami, watched, biting his teeth nervously. "Electrical pulse charge cannons. Fires spheres of pure electrical power that implodes at a point in space, releasing huge amounts of energy and light that confounds conventional ship tracking systems and radar." Washu replied as she steadied the table. She quickly rescued Anako and Koneko, stroking their fur gently. "There now, don’t fret, you two." She held the two kittens and the two metal plates they were attached to in her arms. "Are Kiyone and Mihoshi all right?" Tenchi murmured, his eyes still anxiously regarding Aeka and Sasami, while Washu drew out a pair of X-Ray glasses from a dimensional hole. "I don’t know, nothing’s happened to us yet, and I didn’t see anything." Ryoko answered, the spinning world outside still blazing rose and crimson. "Ryo-oh-ki’s twirling so fast I have no idea where the Yagami’s supposed to be." "Ah, no wonder!" Washu announced, as she adjusted the X-Ray glasses to the right gamma penetration depth. Embedded deep near the base of the spinal cords of both kittens, a chip made of organic synapses was implanted, in direct connection with the nervous system. "Shouldn’t be too difficult to extract them out…" She removed the glasses, her face thoughtful. "Washu, are Kiyone and Mihoshi all right?" Tenchi asked. His chest still hurt, and he was breathing in rather gently in compensation. Somehow that and floating in mid air held by Ryoko seemed to calm him and separate him from the chaos outside and around him. "Oh. Give me a sec," Washu typed her spectral computer, heedless of the way Ryo-oh-ki’s ceiling was becoming the walls and floor and back again. "Let’s see… hey, I can’t get a lock on the Yagami!" "Huh!?" Tenchi exclaimed, his eyes growing wide. "I hope…" Washu looked up, anxiety clouding her expression. Her lips moved a little. "…this doesn’t mean the Yagami’s gone." "GONE?" Ryoko cried. "What do you mean, GONE?" "What happened?" Aeka and Sasami asked as they heard Ryoko. "What’s going on?" The table smashed into little bits of wood as it collided against Aeka’s force field, and Anako and Koneko mewed softly, sounding both scared and yet relieved. Washu typed furiously at her terminal, using higher order searches for Yagami. "I can’t get a trace of the craft… oh no." The search for GP craft specifications turned up something on her computer. "Ulp…" She fell silent, staring. "What is it, Washu?" Ryoko asked, as she and Tenchi peered at her screen. The words were mere gibberish to them, of course, but anyone who had been on spacecraft could hazard the lighted dots were supposed to denote ships. Problem was, there were at least twenty different small lighted dots of the same colour scattered in the lower left portion of the screen. Tenchi felt her heart skip a beat. "Kiyone, Mihoshi…?" "What’s going on?" Aeka asked, her brow furrowed in irritation. "I… I’m afraid," Washu said softly, "…the Yagami’s been destroyed." =============================================== The capsule was lighted, and Mihoshi was clinging on to her. Both their bodies still smarting from the explosion’s impact, and Kiyone’s right leg had a long burn from where the blaster was placed down to her calf’s side due to the laser’s passage. But her thoughts were not with herself, not with her pain and her hurts, nor with her partner who was silent after the long bout of screaming when they were hurled haphazardly from the Yagami. Where is Kova? Does he know I am alive? Her imagination conjured up a series of possible situations. He might have attacked the Comet all by himself in an attempt to avenge her, and either got caught or destroyed the ship with the Tachyon Ray and leave this system forever. Will I ever see him again? "Kiyone, I’m scared," Mihoshi murmured. "It will be fine, Mihoshi." She smiled faintly, as Mihoshi’s presence drove the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind, and she put a comforting arm around her partner. "Will they find us?" "I’m sure they will." A soft beeping sound was heard. "See, the distress signal is being sent out already. They’ll find us." Mihoshi sighed faintly, thought whether in fear or gratitude, Kiyone couldn’t tell. "I’m glad you’re with me, Kiyone." =============================================== "Shuttle link-up completed." Terminus and Satellite stepped out of the shuttle, and looked up at the screen where Overlord smiled almost benevolently down on them. "Well done, my prototypes." Terminus took the Blaster seemingly out of its chest, as Satellite pressed several keys on the wall nearby. A small slot opened up to reveal blackness, and Terminus almost carelessly tossed the weapon in. The Blaster was suspended in the black column for a moment, then accelerated upwards and vanished. Overlord grinned as he felt the weapon fly upwards into his waiting hands. He regarded it for a moment, taking the time to marvel at its compactness and its sheer destructive power, as he strolled over to the dais on the High Command Bridge, where the computer that ran the ship was located. Gently, almost reverently, he placed the weapon down over on a rounded stand up to his waist, with equally rounded funnel above. As he withdrew his hand, the top descended on the stand, sealing the Blaster up. ‘Analysing construction.’ He settled down to watch the screen, his face blissfully content. ‘Estimated Time to Completion: Infinity.’ He frowned in irritation, as he ran his fingers over some buttons. ‘Analysis halted.’ Overlord sat back, his face pensive. Then he entered a few more buttons. ‘Copying construction detail, measured to nearest femtometer.’ ‘Estimated Time to Completion : 02:15:39." Glancing elsewhere, he saw the Archbeam bombardment would wear off in about twenty seconds. Fun times always seemed to go by so quickly, he mused. "Attention personnel, prepare to leave Solar System and employ interspace travel." =============================================== Kiyone! One word, one name, resonating through his being and consciousness. Kiyone! His tears splashed onto the glass, as he turned frantically about in his search. Kiyone! His eyes felt no pain as they tried to pierce the shadow light cast over the darkness. The Shuriken circled blindly about the site of the Yagami’s grave, seemingly oblivious to the minor concussions as the electric pulses struck it, almost as though it could see through the energy surges in the area. Gradually, the rose light bursts lessened. Kova was dimly aware of scarlet beams that surged out of the comet after a somewhat pinkish Ryo-oh-ki, but they didn’t matter now. The universe slowly turned back into its normal shade of black, and he blinked, trying to force his tears out of his eyes so he could see clearly, but it didn’t help, they just kept on coming, flowing down his cheeks… Kiyone. He could feel himself growing cold as the darkness returned, save the stinging warmth of the hot tears on his face. Already the light had claimed her, and had faded, leaving him to the shadows again. It doesn’t matter, Kiyone. Washu, the Syndicate, nothing matters now, other than you. You are out here, somewhere, and I will find you. If I ever leave this place, it will be with you, in life or in death. His blurred vision made out the scattered debris of the Yagami, floating forlornly in space. At about the same time he caught sight of the speck of silver blue, the Shuriken started beeping in response to a distress signal. His heart skipped several beats. "Kiyone…" His lips murmured, in spite himself, and the Shuriken’s boosters revved up and rocketed off towards the object. Barely one seconds later, he could make out the escape capsule, alongside his ship, floating amidst the debris. Could she really be inside? He felt the warm glow in him, bringing him back to life, but despondency returned as he considered what if it were empty. I think I’d die. Nevertheless, he quickly shoved his silver rod into a tube before him, and it appeared before the tip of the Shuriken. Manuevering the Shuriken so as to create a portal before the capsule, he watched, his heart beating rapidly with anxiety and hope, as the capsule vanished into the darkness. =============================================== "How *dare* they!" Aeka’s face was firm and contorted with anger. "Mihoshi, Kiyone, I swear we will not rest till they are brought to pay for their crimes!" She stared out at the Comet, past the scarlet beams to the hulking ship, which drew near as Ryo-oh-ki evaded the attacks. "You will be avenged!" Ryoko echoed, her fist clenched tightly beside Tenchi’s face, and her yellow eyes blazed in the darkness over him. "No one gets away with hurting my friends. Never." She seemed not to notice as the ship shuddered before another line of attack. "Washu?" Tenchi and Sasami asked, tears of sadness glittering slightly in their eyes. "Is there any hope…?" "They might be alive, if they had got to their Escape Capsule." Washu sighed slightly. "I haven’t been able to pick up any distress signal, though…" Sasami hung her head sadly as she absorbed Washu’s message. "Poor Mihoshi. Poor Kiyone." She sobbed. "I wonder how will Kiyone’s friend will react… huh?" She looked up in surprise as a portal opened within the Ryo-oh-ki, and a cylinder about four metres long, of radius near one and a half metres and with pointed ends, slid gently out of it and onto the floor of Ryo-oh-ki. Before the bewildered eyes of Washu, Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka and Sasami, Kova stepped out, still in his battlesuit. His mouth was frozen into an expression of hopeful mourning, and tears flowed gently out of his blank eyes down his pale face, while his black clad feet seemed to glide soundlessly over the floor, so gentle and solemn his steps were. They watched, like onlookers watching an act being played out, an act separate and distant from them, the sole province of this person who walked like he was a dead man searching for his life, not seeming to notice anybody else. As he stood before the capsule, his eyes closed and he took a deep breath, then his hand reached for the capsule door. Kiyone and Mihoshi blinked as the door slid open, then they saw who it was who had opened it. Kova stood over them, the still slightly pinkish insides of Ryo-oh-ki showing past his face. "Kiyone…" His voice was soft, almost broken. His hollow expression remained frigid for an instant, then he seemed to melt before their eyes. The icy sheen over his eyes thawed into the warm lakes, and the two detectives watched as the teardrops formed in his eyes, while his trembling lips hesitantly, almost delicately, formed up into a tortured, ghost of a wan smile, which was nevertheless beauteous. "Is that… really you?" His voice was almost inaudible as his hands, seeming to work independently of his mind, took Mihoshi’s hand and pulled her out of the capsule, out from between him and Kiyone. Kiyone pressed her lips together, touched by his sorrow, fear and concern for her. "Yes, Kova-chan." She tried to smile sweetly, but the sight of his pain strained it greatly. "I am here." She extended a hand to him. "Kiyone…" he murmured, like a drowning man savouring a gulp of fresh air. Ever so gently, he took her hand and helped her up, as his smile brightened and his shimmering eyes loosed some tears of joy at the corner. Then she was standing upright before him, her feet still in the capsule, both hands in his, her eyes also moistening gradually as she felt her emotions overtake her. "Kova. Kova-chan." She breathed. "Kiyone-chan." He embraced her, enfolding her in his arms, as his fingers gently ran through her long, green hair, and his face felt the warmth of her breath on its side. "It really is you." Kiyone could hear his voice quaver. "I thought I had lost you, and now you’ve come back…" "I never left. And I never will." She whispered and gently kissed his neck. "Don’t be sad now, I’m with you again." The onlookers saw the dark blue hair waver a little, then they moved away from each other, sliding their fingers down their arms so their hands met together again. Kova absorbed her state, then he suddenly swept her off her feet. "Kova-chan?" "Hush now, you’re hurt." He replied, taking care not to brush the long burn that was oozing red along the side of your leg. "It was my blaster, wasn’t it?" He sounded almost sad. Kiyone didn’t reply. "I’ll get rid of it for you." His tone turned cold. "Forever." Stepping past Mihoshi, while Sasami moved away before them, he gently placed her down before the levitating Washu. He made to pull the blaster out, but her fingers closed around his wrist. "Kiyone-chan?" "Don’t, Kova-chan." She told him. "It hurt you," he snarled. "I trusted it with your life and it hurt you." "Actually, it… saved my life." Kiyone stared past him to Mihoshi, who was watching them, her countenance an odd mix of ecstasy and despondency. "Along with Mihoshi’s." She waved at her partner who snapped out of her daze. "Kiyone?" Mihoshi looked confused at her partner who waved happily to her. "I owe you one, Mihoshi!" "My blaster didn’t hurt you?" Kova’s face was astonished. "Taking into account the fact that it saved me and Mihoshi, I think you should forgive it." She grinned. "I know I have." She released his hand from her grip. Kova’s gaze went from her face to the blaster, the long scorch along her leg then to Mihoshi. "Washu, could you…?" "Yeah, sure, no problem," Washu half sighed, and started attending to Kiyone. "Ryoko, what’s going on?" Ryoko looked at her, lost for a moment, then suddenly realised Ryo-oh-ki had stopped spinning around since Kova appeared. She turned around, and both she and Tenchi just saw Solar’s shuttle returning to the Comet, which was already dimishing in size as it moved off. "Ryo-oh-ki, what are you doing!?" She shouted. "Open fire and give chase!!" "Miya." Ryo-oh-ki answered obstinately. "Miya miya." As though she would have the last word. "You stupid hairy furball, you think I really wanted to hurt you for fun!?" Ryoko cried in annoyance. "I am not a sadist! I had to do it, couldn’t you see?" "Come on, Ryo-oh-ki." Sasami begged gently. "Please. For me?" Ryo-oh-ki seeme to think about it for a moment, then they felt the engines roar to life, as golden beams surged from the cabbits obsidian sides and streaked to the enemy craft. "That’s the way, Ryo-oh-ki!" Sasami cheered. "Let’s go get them!" Especially for what they did to me, some inner part of her soul added angrily. "Thank you, Mihoshi." Kova finished, and gently straightened himself from the very low bow. "Oh, it was nothing…" Mihoshi waved her hand, her face blushing with pleasure, but already Kova was making his way back to Kiyone’s side. =============================================== Damned, they were pursuing him. "Shuttle link-up completed." Why? Oh well, he could let them have it from here, but he was worried about that ship, the one he could not see. "Sir? Solar has returned, and we are under fire." A face announced. "Strengthen the shields, and I want full speed out of this miserable system." =============================================== "It’s not returning fire." Ryoko commented, her voice sounding odd. Tenchi was standing between her and Aeka, resting on their shoulders. "I wonder why." Some distance behind her, "Feeling better?" Kova asked, kneeling by Kiyone’s side. "It’s nothing compared to your hurts." Kiyone replied. "And now that you’re here, it’s nothing." "There, got it out!" Washu announced, her hands holding a white piece of cells which had been in Koneko. On the floor beside her feet there were the remnants of what might once have been a similar device, up till the point it was fried to a crisp and stepped on. Beside it Anako sat, watching as Washu carried out operations on the sedated black kitten. Almost contemptuously, the scientist held the fleshy portion, which flared pink for a moment before charring to black, then dropped it, where Anako happily shredded it to bits with her claws. Washu smiled a little. Saved me the fun of squishing that bit. She injected another syringe into Koneko, then loosened the restraints and gently placed it on the floor. "So Kiyone, how’d you like it?" Washu carelessly dunked the syringe into a small sized portal. "Works like a charm, doesn’t it?" "As good as it was last time, Washu." Kiyone replied, flexing her leg, and running her hand along what looked like a mere tear in her GP trousers with a slight tinge of red. "You’re the greatest genius in the whole universe." "I always knew that." Washu stared a little disapprovingly at her, for Kiyone was giving Kova with the look that said ‘but you’re the best’ look. Anako gently licked Koneko back into reality. "You know, it’s not healthy, the two of you." (It’s a bit obvious who she said that to) "Yeah right, Professor." Kova replied archly. "Come on," Kiyone smiled, standing up with Kova beside her. "I ought to introduce you to the rest." She gently took him by the hand and led him in the general direction of Tenchi and the girls. "I… don’t think I made a very good impression," he said nervously, as he recalled his two meetings with Tenchi. "Especially not on master Masaki, I think." "Then you’ll just have to hope, won’t you? Oh, and I believe Sasami has something to say to you." As they walked over, Kiyone noted the SSS ship on screen. "Pursuit?" Ryoko nodded. Kiyone’s eyes narrowed. "I have a bone to pick with that thing which took down my Yagami." "Don’t worry so much, Kiyone," Mihoshi commented. "It’s not good for you." "Yeah," Kova added. Raising his voice significantly, "After all, we’ve got the greatest professor from the Science Academy with us, you know." Washu pricked her ears. Kiyone grinned. "Huh, a mere professor can bring my Yagami back? You’ve got to be joking." "Hey! I’m not just any run-of-the-mill professor you all can push around!" Washu retorted. "In case you forgot, I’m the greatest genius scientist in the universe, I’ll have you know!" "Oh he meant you?" Kiyone let herself act a little ‘Mihoshi’. "Well, then my Yagami?" "I can get it fixed, no problem." Washu caught the look of disbelief in Kova’s eyes, but ignored it, mainly because it was likely feigned. "But only after we get my Tachyon Blaster back." Kiyone turned her attention to the Comet. "Ryo-oh-ki, how long to reach within eight hundred metres of that ship?" "Miyaaa mya miya." Kiyone looked expectantly at Ryoko. "Twenty-five minutes." She answered. "I can slow it down, if you like." Kova offered. Kiyone shook her head. "We’ll catch up." She flexed her fingers, as though warming them up for a blaster session. "Besides, I need to do your intros." She turned to the little princess leaning half on Aeka, half on Tenchi. "Sasami, come over here." "Kiyone," Sasami stood up to face them. "Have you told him?" She shook her head. "I’m saving that for you." She watched as Sasami step over to Kova, and gave Aeka the ‘stand back’ hand sign as the older princess made to move over. "Hi, I’m Sasami, how are you?" Sasami greeted. "Thank you for saving me, Mr Kova." Kova’s face brightened at the sight of the princess’ cheery kawaii face. "It was worth it, little Sasami." He put his arm around Kiyone beside him, as though she was the one who made it all right. Who’d have thought I’d be addressing Juraian Royalty by their first names? "You know what?" Sasami laughed. "You two sure look good together! Are you both, erm…" She twiddled her index fingers together and giggled. "Well, you really shouldn’t be thinking such things…" Kiyone replied. Kova just smiled. "What do you think, Sasami?" "I think…" A bright reflection, from one of the gold lasers Ryo-oh-ki was shooting, off the glass suddenly lighted up Kova and Kiyone’s silhouettes. Sasami’s brows knitted together as she tried to recall. Kova looked in surprise as Sasami froze, her mouth hanging open. "Sasami?" "You were in Kiyone’s room that night, weren’t you?" Sasami shrank back, as she recalled the cold shadow that had seized Tenchi by the throat, about the throttle the life out of him. Kova bowed his head, nodding. This couldn’t be right! Sasami thought. Why would he want to hurt Tenchi? What was he doing there? Why… did he save me? "Kiyone was very upset that night." Sasami murmured. "Was it because of you?" Kiyone and Kova gave her that grave look that told her she’d hit the nail spot on. "But why…?" She remembered the way Kova had kept vigil over Kiyone, not moving, not speaking, not resting. She recalled how they had spoken to each other after she had been rescued, and most of all, the way they had hugged each other after Kiyone had emerged from the capsule. "You like each other, don’t you?" She read the answer off their faces. "Then why was Kiyone so…" Kiyone gave a soft sigh. "It’s not really something we’d like to say, Sasami." "I see." Sasami stepped back towards Aeka, then stopped and turned to look hard at them. "But do you want to know what I really see?" "Pray tell." Kova asked softly, but Sasami had already started. "I see two people who like each other very, very, very much." She looked stern, almost regal, as though she was issuing a verdict. "And you should never stop liking each other just because of other things that people say or do." Kiyone choked with emotions, as Kova, his expression kindly yet sorrowful, stooped down so his head was level with Sasami’s. "You’ll be the wisest and most beautiful princess there has ever been, Sasami." Eyes glittering, he held out his arms for her. Sasami hesitated a moment, but she caught the look on his face, the simple expression of kindness tinged with melancholy. Then she had ran into his arms, and she felt her hands go around his neck, as he lifted her up and twirled her around in the air, sending her blue ponytails dancing. "Oh, Sasami, Sasami!" she heard him murmur, his voice lost, saddened but somehow comforted, like a benighted soul saying a prayer. "If only all who lived were as you." Aeka, her eyes bulging in amazement, made to move over, but Tenchi laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Gently, Kova set Sasami down. Though she felt a little light-headed and was breathing somewhat faster than normal, she could see his eyes were filling with glistening drops, as he regarded her. "You have spoken well and true." His hand brushed some blue locks off over her eyes. "These thanks of yours are more than enough for the services I have rendered." In Kiyone mind’s eye, she could see him in the distance, playing in the sun kissed fields, the sounds and forms of children running and sitting around him in the grass, as he was hugging them, tossing them high in the air, giving them rides on his shoulders, his laughter ringing in delight with their tinkling ones. But as she drew near, the clouds gathered and the sunlight dimmed, while the fields darkened as the forms of the little ones melted away, before the vision dissipated like the morning mist. Sasami stepped back, her head still reeling, not merely due to the whirl, but also with surprise. Kova stood up slowly and turned to Kiyone, who seemed to emerge from her reverie. "Kiyone-chan?" His eyes seemed to read her mind, though his smile was full of mirth. "We will obey her Highness, right?" She nodded, as his infectious beam spread. "Always." And gave Sasami a wink. Sasami blinked in surprise, then managed. "Gee. That was fun." Pouting her mouth, she turned back to Aeka. "Aeka! How come you never treat me like that?" "Well, er…" Aeka tried. "It’s not very right, after all you’re quite old enough now…" "Well, it’s not very right for someone I know to run away from the palace, huh?" She affixed Aeka with a meaningful stare. The older princess grinned sheepishly, at a loss for words. "Well," Ryoko turned over, looking mischievously at Sasami. "I could take you to lots of fun places, you know…" Tenchi gulped as he imagined Ryoko taking Sasami to soar up in the sky before doing the loop the loop. "Erm, Ryoko…" "Oh, Ryoko, that would be great!" Sasami clapped her hands together. "When can we go?" "Sometime soon, after we settle that ship. And as for you, Tenchi," Ryoko gently twiddled her finger into Tenchi’s unhurt left chest, "I have something *very* special lined up." Tenchi’s face turned beetroot red and Ryoko laughed. Aeka seethed with annoyance. *Both* space pirates had scored on her sister against her, and now Ryoko was flirting with Tenchi just beside her. "Ryoko! How dare you…" Kiyone quickly pushed Kova over in front of the three of them, almost into Tenchi. "Oh, hello!" He managed nervously, as four pairs of eyes affixed on him. Quickly turning to Kiyone, as if asking for some kind of support, he just saw her shake her head at him, and take two steps back, a smile playing along her lips. "Hi, Kova," Tenchi responded, holding out his hand, partly out of genuine goodwill, and partly also to defuse the potentially explosive situation. "I believe you’ve met most of us, haven’t you?" Seeing Tenchi greet him thus, Kiyone had looked away, searching for her partner. Mihoshi seemed to have been uncharacteristically unobtrusive since the time they got on Ryo-oh-ki. She finally saw her sitting a distance beside Washu, watching the white and black ball of fur, mainly Anako and Koneko, barrel to and fro before her. That’s strange. Mihoshi usually laughs happily and picks the kittens up if they make her glad. "Mihoshi?" Kiyone asked, moving over beside her. "Oh, it’s you, Kiyone." Mihoshi mumbled. She didn’t sound very happy, despite the fact that her partner had returned to her side, and that Koneko was bouncing around as Anako tried to hide behind Mihoshi’s back. Kiyone sat down by her seemingly despondent partner. Mihoshi’s eyes were fixed on Koneko as it gambolled behind her, then they switched to the white kitten as it bounced from behind onto her lap. "Mihoshi? Are you all right?" "I’m fine." Mihoshi managed to turn and give a weak smile. "All the best to you and Kova, Kiyone." She whispered. "Mihoshi, I…" She sighed. "You’re my partner, Mihoshi." Just a few days ago, Kiyone could never have imagined any situation that would make her say anything of the kind to Mihoshi. "About Kova?" "Just because I love him doesn’t mean I don’t want you as a partner, Mihoshi." Mihoshi remained silent, her hand gently stroking Koneko, who was staring at Anako as the white kitten hid behind Kiyone’s side. Well, that was an improvement of sorts. Taking a deep breath, Kiyone prepared to give her best. =============================================== Meanwhile, nearer the front of Ryo-oh-ki… "I would like to apologise for the way I’ve treated you, master Masaki." "Let’s not talk about apologies. I know why you did things that way." Tenchi smiled warmly. "I can understand." He swivelled his pupils from side to side, at Aeka and Ryoko. Kova caught his drift. "Your understanding is profound, master Masaki." His blue eyes twinkled with pleasure as he mentally imagined all sorts of trouble Aeka and Ryoko might have gotten Tenchi into. "Might you be this little queen’s sensei?" Sasami smiled sweetly as Kova casually tousled her blue hair, to the slight displeasure of Aeka. "Nah," Tenchi shook his head. "I’m not qualified. Sasami’s teacher is no one save herself." He smiled kindly at the little princess, who inclined her face bashfully at his praise. "And you can call me Tenchi." He glanced at Aeka’s somewhat annoyed face. "Aeka, wish to add anything?" "I…" The Juraian princess bit back her emotions, realising Tenchi’s intention, not to mention Sasami and Kova, both faces sunny side up at her. "…would like to thank you for saving my sister." "Sasami has given me more than enough reward for that, right?" "That’s right, Aeka!" Sasami shrilled. "The two of us are friends now!" Kova nodded. "I think I…" Almost faster than thought, his hands reached out… "Catch!" "Wheee!!" Sasami cheered as she sailed through the air towards Aeka, cerulean locks bouncing. The older princess’ eyes opened wide as she stepped back, away from supporting Tenchi, and caught Sasami with both arms. "Kova! Sasami! What do you think you’re doing?" She growled. "I’m having fun!" Sasami replied, chuckling, looking up at her sister’s expression. Kova shook his head, more than a little bemused. "And I was giving your sister a little pleasure." His eyes seemed to burn into Aeka’s, almost like a challenge. "Mayhap that is not too much too ask for, Your Highness?" Aeka placed Sasami down, her mask sliding smoothly down over her face and concealing her emotions. This man plays like a Juraian Council Member, only he does so in deeds as well as words. "Indeed it is not." She replied stiffly. "But I do request you not lay your hands so casually on my sister." Sasami frowned, giving her sister an accusing look. Kova watched Aeka slyly. "Drop the Royal Highness act, Aeka. I might once have been your subject, but no longer." His eyes flashed. "Here, we are all equals, in every way. If you give yourself airs and a mask of ice, be prepared to lose your friends." Aeka felt doubt surge up from within her, as she caught Sasami’s eye. Turning to Tenchi for support, she saw he was standing on his own again, rather than resting on the two girls, although he still seemed a little unsteady on his feet. But when their eyes met, there could be no doubt. "Tenchi…?" "I… tried hard to tell you that, Aeka. I tried, I really did." Aeka bit her lip, hard, as incredulity overtook her. Tenchi’s siding with them rather than me!? That can’t be… Tenchi felt his heart constrict painfully, as he saw Aeka’s mask crack apart, ad she was no longer a princess, regal, proud or overbearing, but merely a girl, forlorn, weak and in need of support, while her violet eyes bridled and shrank from his apparent betrayal. "Aeka, I didn’t mean to blame you, just that, I do so wish that you could…" Tenchi wet his lips, as Ryoko looked on over his shoulder, her amber eyes a little disappointed. "…just try to be a bit more like yourself. With us, there’s no need to be princess all the time." Aeka still looked uncertain. "Do you still…" "Or course I love you," Tenchi replied, and Kova mentally shook his head as he saw Ryoko wince behind. "It has always been this way, for you and Ryoko alike." Sasami nodded, but she too could see that some damage had already been done. "And I would prefer it if you could…" He grasped for a phrase, then he remembered when he had first met Aeka. "…treat it like a *real* vacation, this time." Aeka’s expression blossomed back as she recalled the day she had met Tenchi for the first time, about when they had gone into the forest. "Thank you, Lord Tenchi. I’ll try." "And how are you, Ryoko?" Kova moved in, before the space pirate could start to hammer on Tenchi. "So, you’ve heard of me." Her eyes narrowed. "Where’re you from?" She could not help being a little curt, Tenchi’s words still stung, and besides, her heart still cried out when recollecting how he had split ‘Tenchi’ apart. "If you’re as good as you are, I probably would have heard of you too." "I make it a point to be discreet about my comings and goings," he replied. "Anyway, I don’t warrant special attention. They consider me just an ordinary pirate, unlike your own gifted self." That remark would have caused Ryoko of old to smirk with pride, but somehow, she didn’t quite feel that now. Also, there was something suspicious about the way he was so deprecating while she was so aware of his combat capabilities. Kova sighed as her face hardened. Another intro down the drain. "Look, Ryoko. I don’t mean any of you any harm, and you know that’s the truth of it." As if to enforce his point, Sasami stood beside him, facing Ryoko. "If I did, there wouldn’t be an Earth to speak of now. Not to mention minus two Galaxy Police Officers. Why can’t you all be like this princess Sasami here, and trust me? Even Tenchi has, after I nearly throttled him twice and tried to cut his head open." Ryoko bowed her head a little. "Actually, after you saved Sasami, we all have trusted you, at least enough to let you on our ship." There was silence for a moment. "Well, I guess I should be satisfied with that, I suppose." Kova replied, his tone resentful. "I’ll be with Kiyone if you all are looking for me." "No!" Said a voice. Kova, who was about to walk away, and Ryoko, blinked and stared down at the princess by Kova’s side, her face stern and her bearing queenly. "That is *not* enough!" Ryoko and Kova suddenly felt like they were two little kids receiving a lecture. "What you all need to be is friends. That’s what Kiyone wanted." Sasami folded her hands before her chest. "And I’m not settling for any less either." Aeka watched Sasami with astonishment as she eyed her pugnaciously too. "And that goes for you too, sis!" "Sasami’s right." Tenchi nodded. "He hasn’t let us down since he met us, and we’ll be working together against whatever’s waiting for us." "Oh, all right." Aeka walked over. "But you must understand, mister Kova, I can’t say I am used to befriending people who stretch the law." "Oh, trust me, Aeka, he can tell that." Ryoko retorted. Kova’s eyes twinkled a little, but he refrained from commenting. "Thank you, your Highness," his lips curled into a smile. Aeka blinked. Suddenly he did not look at all like a criminal. "You do me much honour." He bowed in a manner and bearing akin to a Juraian minister. Aeka stared strangely at Kova. "Hey, where did you learn to do that?" "Jurai, of course." "I don’t remember you." Aeka commented. "What were you doing on Jurai?" "Oh, nothing much, just serving as a Secretary some whereabouts your government. Besides, I was a spy, so I should be good at behaving appropriately as and when the situation calls for it," he grinned. "I take it I can trust all of you with my life?" "Anything for a friend of Tenchi’s," Ryoko replied. "Not to mention a fellow space pirate." "I’d be less than a person to not repay the debt of honour I owe you for saving Sasami," Aeka responded. "And after all, you seemed to be liked by both Kiyone and Lord Tenchi." "And me!" Sasami reminded. "And I shall give you my best," Kova smiled. "So, how long to the Comet?" "Miyaa, miya." Went the cabbit. "Ten minutes." Ryoko answered. Aeka glanced at Tenchi. "Are you sure you’ll be fine, Tenchi?" He nodded. "After all, I’m standing on my own now." He felt around his battlesuit for a moment. "Say, where’s my sword?" "Washu, I believe." Kova thought back to what had happened, and how his calf and shoulder still hurt, but it was much better now thanks to the growth injections. Almost casually, he glanced at the viewscreen. "I see we’re going to pass the last planet soon." The Comet was in the distance, but the gap was closing.Turning around, he saw Mihoshi and Kiyone lost in conversation, while Tenchi flexed his arm, and the cerulean blade blazed out of the handle. "How is it, Tenchi?" "Fine, except my chest still hurts a little," he glanced at the red-headed scientist, who was regarding him and Kova rather intensely. "Coming, Washu?" "Of course I’ll have to, Tenchi," she sounded a little tart. "It’s my invention, after all." She walked by his side back to Kova. "Professor?" His eyes regarded her uncertainly. "You’re doing me a favour, Kashiro. I’ll have to trust you," Washu seemed to relent. "Although, the rest of our account will have to be settled some other time." Kova beamed. "Yes, Professor. And don’t forget to get the formulas for the cyborgs." "Don’t worry, I’ll settle it." =============================================== "We are clear of the Solar System, entering deep space. Ryo-oh-ki is still in pursuit, drawing close to us. Estimated time of interception, six minutes." Overlord nodded. Now was the time, when they least expected it. They probably thought his ship was fleeing after getting what he wanted, but… =============================================== "Look!" Sasami exclaimed, a sliver of fear running through her voice. Turning, the occupants of Ryo-oh-ki, excepting Kiyone and Mihoshi who were a good distance from the front, saw the ring around the Comet facing them pulse a deep scarlet shade. But there didn’t seem to be any cannons on the section, while Ryo-oh-ki’s lasers ploughed ineffectually into the shield over it. "Ono." Washu whispered as she realised what she was looking at. The pulsing red section, almost half the size of Ryo-oh-ki, was being slowly split off from the rest of the ring. "RYO-OH-KI!!" Faster than thought, the crimson partition broke off and streaked towards their ship, as it turned over to unveil an entire fusillade of ion batteries, all the while drawing closer at an unbelievable rate. After all, Ryo-oh-ki was going full steam ahead. "Take cover!" Tenchi yelled as he threw himself over to shelter Aeka and Ryoko. Kova gripped Sasami before his chest as he leaped over to Kiyone, who upon discerning danger had crouched down and pulled Mihoshi down before her, as Washu closed her eyes expectantly. Ryo-oh-ki shrieked in agony as the barrage tore into her obsidian form, and just managed to swerve away and avoid the brunt of the assault, but the red lights of the lasers blazed through into the bridge, blinding everyone as the whole ship quivered. A heartbeat later, the rapidly firing section of the ring curved into Ryo-oh-ki like a boomerang. Fortunately for them, the effect of the peppers Ryoko had fed her had not worn off completely. The battery bombardment shattered the part of Ryo-oh-ki’s shield facing it, before the cabbit slid to the side again. There the blood red metal arc of deadly cannons collided obliquely with her, its extreme edge just scraping along the surface of the shield, and reacted according to its design. =============================================== Overlord grinned at the viewscreen to the rear of the ship, as almost half of the cabbit was engulfed by the blast radius that the projectile’s explosion unleashed. "Execute interspace console." =============================================== "Damned!" Washu shrieked as a shard of crimson tore through the screen of red, blue and yellow flashes from Ryo-oh-ki’s shield from the explosion, smashing a two by one metre hole in the transparent screen before slamming into her pink shield and hurling her to the back of the bridge. "Help me!" Tenchi felt himself slide back and brought his sword down, digging into the floor of the spaceship, to prevent himself from being sucked back towards the opening. "Tenchi!" Aeka seized his wrists, fighting against the vacuum forces that sought to drag him into the infinite depths of deep space. "Ryoko, do something!" "I’m trying!" Ryoko retorted, her voice acid, as she clung on to her sword with one hand and the other to Aeka’s waist. "Can’t concentrate!" Behind them, Kova felt himself being tugged backwards, and dug his scythe into the floor with his right hand. "Aaaaaaa…" Sasami cried as she slid towards him, and he clenched his teeth as he felt her bowl into his chest. By bringing his body tight on her and his knees down to the floor, he managed to arrest her movement. "Kiyone-chan!" Kova gripped Kiyone’s shoulder with his left hand as she slid back, but it was unnecessary as her yo-yo was already on its way to its destination. "No problem," Kiyone didn’t even look at him or see her yo-yo latch neatly around a handle on the distant wall of Ryo-oh-ki. "Mihoshi!" She managed to grab her partner’s calf as she was sucked headfirst and backwards past her. "Oh, thanks, Kiyone!" Mihoshi clung on to Kiyone's feet, next to Kova’s shoulder and Sasami. "Meeeww!!" Something white and furry bounced onto Mihoshi’s legs, and she reflexively caught Anako out of the air. "Ooh, it’s you." Mihoshi smiled at the distraught kitten, and cuddled it close to her chest, even though she was technically upside down as compared to the rest of the people. Kiyone shook her head. Meanwhile Sasami’s hand shot out from under Kova’s left shoulder and rescued Koneko from a rapid transit to outer space. "You’re lucky," she mumured, her fingers clinging tenaciously on the nape of the black kitten’s neck. Koneko could only mew timidly, feline eyes staring worriedly at the crack in the glass. "Here goes…" Ryoko murmured, teleporting the herself, Aeka and Tenchi to the corridor leading to the bridge, before the drag forced them back down to the bridge. Tenchi and Ryoko dug their blades perpendicularly into the side of the wall and hung on, as Aeka clung to the sides of the floor and to the other two. Meantime, Washu was surveying the scene with her typical efficacy and detachedness, probably because she had the most secure holding - her left hand, which was gripping a handle on the wall, was encased in a goldish, transparent stasis block of dimensions about half a metre, so it was utterly effortless for her to remain where she was. On the far wall behind her, the chunk of debris from the Comet had embedded itself deep in. "Let’s see now." She looked at the dimensions of the gap, then stared at the slightly larger door and doorframe flat on the ground, noting that the door was of almost negligible weight compared to the weight the glass could withstand, broken though it was… "Come on…" Her short legs reached out, trying to kick the table off the surface so its friction would reduce and it would get sucked down to the screen. After a few futile seconds, she raised a hand, as her mind unconsciously ran through elementary calculations in a fraction of a second. Trajectory straight, angle requirement 36.4 degrees, lift 5 newtons, door interior face out, torque 10 newtons per metre… The pink energy blast left her hands and knocked the side of the door, causing it to spin around and flip open, facing the screen, before the suction brought it down, just missing Kiyone, Mihoshi and Anako, before just filling out the hole in glass. The vacuum pull stopped. "Nice work, professor," Kova gave her a thumbs up as he got up, helping Sasami up as he did so. "Ryo-oh-ki," Ryoko cried as she, Tenchi and Aeka entered the room. "Where’s the Comet?" "Miya." The cabbit’s voice was almost inaudible and in pain. "Washu?" Aeka asked. The scientist got up as the stasis block around her left hand vanished, and the computer appeared. "Let’s see…hmm, that’s quite a good turn of speed. Smart chap, the guy in charge." "Washu…" Kiyone growled. "Where is it?" "Dunno, let’s just say out of our reach." Her red eyes seemed to lose their vibrant colour. "Current speed four hundred points per second, over four times Ryo-oh-ki’s maximum speed, coordinates about twenty light weeks from us now." (1400 pts = 1 light week) "We’ll see about that…" they heard Kova murmur, but when they turned around, he had gone… Twenty points from the battered form of Ryo-oh-ki, there was a brief glimpse of silver as the Shuriken flashed for an instant, and was gone. =============================================== "Well, I think this calls for a celebration of sorts." Overlord smiled, as he waved his glass of sake around to no one in particular. Most of his crew were elsewhere working at the controls, while Satellite, Terminus and Solar sat opposite him, impassive and inanimate. ‘Estimated Time to Completion : 01:37:03.’ Something struck, and even deep within the hulking Comet, Overlord could feel the ship tremble. "What the…?" A face of a pilot appeared. "Sir, the boosters have ceased firing, the cannons are uncharged. Our craft appears immobile." He sweated nervously. "What?" "EMP pulse, sir. Estimated time to full system recovery is infinity, sir." "WHY!?" "There seems to be a continuous field being exerted in the area around us, sir. Only the back up generators and the limited shielding you requested we strengthen earlier have prevented our computer systems and internal transmissions from breaking down." He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the ‘Estimated Time to Completion’ drop by another few seconds. He entered some commands, ordering the ship’s computer to alter all its memory settings, short of security controls, into copying the construct of the Tachyon Blaster. ‘Estimated Time to Completion : 00:43:29’ He smiled at the latest change on the screen, and inquired his crew again."Interior defenses?" "Automated turrets are down. We only have the guardsmen and surveillance cameras." Oh yes, his reserves. "Release the men in the animation suspension bunks, tell their commander I want every section of the ship covered." He was a careful man, and he had specially requested an entire battalion of four hundred elite Synerean Marines to come on this mission. "Oh, and that there will be two cyborgs joining them. That will be all." "Yes sir." The operator signed out. Overlord looked over at Solar and Terminus. "You two, stick together." Terminus stood up, his gleaming surface rippling and settling into the form of a marine armed with two laser blasters. Solar moved over, and melted into Terminus’ form, and the marine was covered with a greyish body armour, that ran down to the floor. The marine saluted smartly, and as he left the control room, Overlord smiled at the slight rippling metal over the floor, an extension of Solar. "Now, Satellite, I would like you to pay close attention to what I say…" =============================================== "Come on, can’t you go any faster?" Ryoko grumbled. "Ryoko!" Sasami half shouted at her. "Ryo-oh-ki’s hurt, can’t you go easy on her?" "Are we drawing closer, Washu?" Tenchi asked, peering over Washu’s shoulder, with Aeka behind him. Mihoshi was watching the screen on the other side. "Yes, so it seems." Washu replied. "We are now only fifteen light weeks from the ship, and are travelling at a speed of twenty points per second. The Comet is not moving at all. Estimated time to interception, 17.5 minutes." She turned to Kiyone, staring through the glass into space with Sasami by her side, sitting some distance from the door and the sealed hole. "Are you sure about this?" "He means well, Washu." Kiyone didn’t bother to turn around. "I know that, Kiyone, but are you sure he means to do this?" "He means to help us. And doing this is what I would do in his place. He wouldn’t leave us now, and surely you didn’t think the Comet would go stop by itself, did you?" "’Course not," Washu managed to stop herself from adding, ‘I’m the greatest genius scientist in the universe!’ Somehow that phrase didn’t seem so right at this moment, especially with regards to the person she was ostensibly hunting but who was apparently doing the best he could to help her. Tenchi and Mihoshi stepped away as the tracer screen cleared when Washu continued typing away at more buttons. After three or four minutes of parameter and command inputs, the door portal fell back flat on the floor, to reveal a repaired panel. "Miya." Ryo-oh-ki commented, seemingly a little grateful, but the voice was still weak and strained. "Poor Ryo-oh-ki," Sasami sounded mournful, as beside her, Kiyone fingered Kova’s blaster restlessly. =============================================== Quite an interval later… "There!" Ryoko’s plasma beam smashed the camera into twisted bits of molten metal. "No, you idiot!!" Washu screamed angrily as she emerged from the door portal. "Huh, why?" Ryoko asked, while Tenchi and Aeka peered curiously at Washu. "What’s that?" Sasami asked as she appeared, followed by Mihoshi and Kiyone, as their ears pricked up to the sounds of a distant ringing bell. "That’s why!" Washu growled. "It’s no big deal, Washu, probably nothing me and Tenchi can’t handle." "In case you forgot," Aeka retorted. "I’m with Lord Tenchi too. And he needs some rest from his wound." "Erm, that’s not really the case, I feel fine." Tenchi replied nervously. "Although I would much rather if that alarm hadn’t gone off, and we didn’t meet anybody." "Let’s move on!" Kiyone answered, already several metres down the corridor. "Best to get away from here before the guards arrive." "Give us a moment, Kiyone!" Mihoshi called as Anako and Koneko bounced through the door. "Ooh, you two cuties…" Anako leaped into Mihoshi’s open hands as Koneko cuddled against Sasami. However, the princess’ attention was directed to the door. "There you are," Sasami told the grey furred ball that limped slowly through the portal. "Are you all right?" "Miya." Ryo-oh-ki answered pitifully. Her grey fur was scorched a dark black, her ears rent in a few places, some plasters (cartoon style, don’t ask me how she got them ^_^) on her body where fur was missing in places, while her all four of her legs were limping badly, and some of her whiskers had been scorched off. Sasami picked her up carefully. Kiyone finally got her voice back. "What are you two doing!? This is a mission, not a field trip for you to bring your pets out!!" "Poor Ryo-oh-ki needs a break. After all, she did her best for us, didn’t she?" "Miya." "I think," Washu tugged at the stunned Kiyone and Tenchi. "We had better get going." =============================================== "Sector 5, sector 5! Move in, marines, move it!" bawled the officer to his men, echoing the electronic announcements. His commander’s voice came through his headphones. "Officer, company 16? Intruder alert in sector 22, sector 22!" "What?" The officer murmured. "Company halt!" His men stopped as his fingers flicked through the ship blueprints. They showed sector 22 was exactly at the opposite end from sector 5. "Which to move in, sir?" "Sector 22, officer! I mean now!" "Yes sir! Executing, sir!" "Sector 5 intruder alert!" The ship’s intercom blared out again. The officer paused, confused. "What are you waiting for, man?" The officer flinched as his eardrums trembled through the commander screamed at him. "I want your people in 22 now, you hear me!" "Yessir!" The group of twenty marines hurried back down the way they came. Somewhere near the bunks at the base of the ship, the commander shook his head at the incompetence of his men, before putting himself through to another man. "Officer, company 17, I want your men in sector 22 now!" "But…" "I mean now, 22 now!" He screamed. "Are you deaf, man?" "Sector 5, then?" "Are you looking for court martial, officer? I said, 22! Move it, marines!" "Yeessir!" Nowadays the cadets that got through the course thought they were all so good, so smart, think they’re always right. Insubordinate buggers. Sector 5 continued to pulse red on the screen before the commander who was seated down at the desk. The intercom screamed again, "Intruder alert, in sector 5, sector 5." Of course, in this case they were right… His brown eyes looked around at the two marines standing in the room, then his fingers tweaked the control dial again. "Officer, company 18! Get to sector 22 right now!" =============================================== "Take up positions, men!" The men of company 3 melted into the darkness of the passage at their officer’s command. "4?" The officer whispered into his earphones. "Reading you, covering elevator to sector 6." "Good, we’re in the passage." "2 calling 3, positions around side corridor, moving in on request. Who’s covering the other side of the sector 5 leading to 4?" "6, 7, 8." "5 here… Enemy just passed us by, passing by 2’s side, straight towards 3." Everything fell silent. The light at from around the passage’s corner was cut of by the silhouette of a tall lady. "Watch out." Kiyone signalled to those behind her. "Dark passage ahead." Tenchi nodded, his sword held tightly, though as yet without the blade. The kittens treaded soundlessly, apparently noting the tense atmosphere. Mihoshi held her blaster at the ready, while Aeka and Ryoko, still in their battlesuits, prepared to use their powers, with Aeka keeping an especial sharp eye out for Sasami’s safety. "Now." Officer, company 4, murmured. Washu, who was took up her position beside Kiyone, watched as the glass pod at the far end of the dark passage lowered and opened to reveal the lighted, empty insides of the elevator. "Hmm, this looks a little too tempting to be true." "Go, Washu." Kiyone smiled. The men of company 3 watched tensely as the little figure plodded nearer them. "Oooh, I’m scaaared of the dark… Where is the light switch?" Kiyone nodded and the silhouettes of Ryoko and Aeka, standing in front of Tenchi, filled the corridor’s entrance, while Sasami hid behind her older sister and Mihoshi stood behind Kiyone. "Remember to cover the back too, Mihoshi and Tenchi," Kiyone reminded. In the middle of the dark passage, Washu put on a pair of nightvision goggles. Oh no. She saw at a glance at least thirty armed marines lining the sides of the corridor, weapons at the ready. Those she could make out were heavy duty assault laser batteries, which could puncture her own energy shield in about twenty shots. "Fire!" Officer 3 ordered as he just saw her form bolt. "2 move in, 5 back up 2!" Red laser beams cut through the darkness at the fleeing Washu, Tenchi and the rest at the end of the corridor. Kiyone dived back around the corner, knocking Mihoshi over, while Ryoko and Aeka backed down a little, covering Tenchi. Though her short legs pumped hard, Washu was still only halfway back, as her shield rapidly turned from red to white under the barrage. "WASHU!!" Aeka cried out as the scientist’s defence crumbled into motes of pink. A red beam took her in the arm, another in her left chest, and a last one split the scientist’s head open. "Washu?" The lasers halted as the men watched in pure astonishment at the white down stuffing they could just make out slowly floating down to the ground amidst the darkness. "Haha! My turn!" Ryoko grinned viciously, as two plasma beams shot out from her hands into the sides of the corridors. The ensuing explosion hurled the marines of company 3 into the air, but those who were conscious nevertheless continued firing as they were hurled into the centre corridor, while the lucky, unscathed ones opened fire at Ryoko from where they were. "Let’s go!" Ryoko grabbed Tenchi and Aeka, whose force field had been fading too, and the three of them teleported around the corner. None of the marines noted Washu, who had been lying down as her doll had ran from her place. The scientist, still wearing her night vision goggles, unleashed her blasts of pink taking down the last men of the ill-fated company 3 who had survived Ryoko’s assault, then rolled into the side as more marines stepped out further down the corridor. "There she is!" One of the men of company 4 had the sense to put on his night vision goggles, but Kiyone side lunged from around the corner and two beams of gold streaked out. "Take cover, fellas!" He manage to cry out, before one shot went through his chest. The other one struck the wall to the side of him, which promptly exploded, with devastating effect. Quickly seizing the opportunity, Washu got to her feet and sped towards Kiyone and Mihoshi, who had come from around the corner and was also firing into the smoke. There was another eruption of smoke as Kova’s blaster did its deadly work. "Get down, dimwit!" Kiyone, who was almost lying on the floor, pulled Mihoshi’s foot back. "Woah!" She fell back, and as she did two red beams just streaked by where her head and chest were, leaving two holes in the wall behind her. "Kiyone, there’s more people here too!" Sasami shrieked out, with Anako and Koneko shying close to her out of fear. Ryo-oh-ki cowered on her head, mewing softly. "I can’t… Washu, watch out!" Kiyone shouted as she saw a rocket burst out from the smoke in the corridor towards the fleeing redhead. Washu quickly spun around, a pink energy blast leaving her hand as she threw herself towards Kiyone. The rocket detonated in a burst of orange and red energies, hurling Washu down the remainder of the corridor, over Kiyone and Mihoshi’s heads. "Ow." The scientist managed, through her pink shield that was only a just slightly faint red now, then slid down the wall beside her broken goggles. =============================================== "This won’t do!" Tenchi cursed, watching Aeka and Ryoko protect him, unable to retaliate, as their defences weakened. "Aeka, Ryoko, let’s go!" Without waiting for them, he charged ahead, blue sword lashing out. The marines watched in half shock as Tenchi, face contorted in anger, leaped over two shots and his blade reflected three scarlet lasers back to their ranks, taking down two men. Aeka hurried after him even as his blade cut down two more, as the marines drew back and fired as one. Tenchi felt a flicker of fear as death loomed high on his list of things to do, staring at the fusillade of over ten beams directed at him, filling the corridor almost evenly so he would have no place to dodge and have too many to deflect. Then Aeka was beside him, and the barrage fizzed out against her Juraian force field, which weakened to light blue in response. "Thanks." He quickly said, about to leap forward again. "Take that, and that!" Ryoko chuckled as she materialised behind the beleauguered men of company 2, her plasma bolts tearing through their unguarded backs with deadly effect. Taking advantage of the attack, Aeka and Tenchi ran into the smoke, the princess bringing down two men, and while Tenchi cut down another soldier, he saw something up ahead. "Ryoko, watch out!" "Huh?" Ryoko, right hand holding her laser sword, standing over the two marines she had slain, spun around, her eyes opening wide as she made out the men of company 5 emerge behind her, and the space pirate flew up in a vain attempt to avoid the volley of gunfire. "Tenchi, I… aaargh!" Ryoko screamed in agony as a laser struck her body. "RYOKO!" Tears blurred his vision as he was forcef to deflect a beam from the last man of company 2. Pain filling her consciousness as she fell from the air, Ryoko could only dimly make out another series of beams streaking to her. Farewell, Tenchi my love… She watched the beams coruscate to pale green as they struck something before her face, and someone seized her just before she struck the ground. Tenchi… "Lord Tenchi, get back!" Ryoko heard Aeka order from over her and for a moment Ryoko’s eyes popped open in shock, before her consciousness faded in a tsunami of agony. =============================================== Behind them, Kiyone was firing continuously with both hands on Kova’s blaster. Her right hand was aching badly from absorbing the recoil, and she was using both hands to handle it now. "Aeka!" Sasami announced as she saw the princess and Tenchi pull back, her sister holding an unconscoius Ryoko. "What happened to Ryoko?" "She got hurt." Aeka replied tersely. "Where’s Washu?" "She’s here." Mihoshi murmured, then her heart skipped several beats as a beam just skimmed by her hand that was pointing backwards. "This way!" Kiyone called as she rolled into the passage to the lift, now more or less empty except for the corpses of the fallen marines, and a few others, whom she could not see due to the dark and was just shooting randomly at. "There’s less fire!" She ducked under another beam as Mihoshi’s shot finished the person who was the origin of that blast. "Quick, Tenchi!" Aeka turned to pass Ryoko over to Tenchi as Anako and Koneko followed after Kiyone. Tenchi felt the tears form again as he took in the deep, bloodied crater in her clothes near her side just under her right breast, and tried not to feel her lifeblood flow through his fingers. "Aiiee!" Aeka shrieked, and he looked up as the older princess stumbled back from the impact of another barrage. Sasami saw her force field was already beginning to fade as company 5 unleashed another salvo at them. "SASAMI!" Tenchi cried out as he held Ryoko, for the little princess, (kawaii) face set into grim determination, had seized Kiyone’s GP blaster off the floor and interposed herself between the lasers and her older sister. The merciless scarlet beams continued relentlessly, and… …faded into nothing just centimetres from Sasami’s face. The little princess, seemingly unperturbed, raised the blaster with both hands and returned fire, almost randomly of course, as she was no professional in its use. "Sasami…!" Aeka murmured, awe in her voice. Even as she watched the air before the princess shimmered with a Juraian field similar to her own, only it was a much lighter blue than hers. "Hurry up!" Kiyone cried. "Coming!" Mihoshi picked Washu up. Her life was charmed, of course, with the luck that follows her everywhere, for in the fifteen seconds she took to pick Washu up and turn around two beams flickered past her calves, followed by one each between her legs, over her shoulder and just by her elbow which had straightened at just that very moment. Another had popped through her GP cap and out the other side, leaving a small hole in it where the sign of the GP should be, and a last one through her hair band, causing her tied up hair to drop and flow down neatly over her shoulders. Aeka pulled Sasami around the corner as Tenchi carried Ryoko behind Kiyone. "Ryo-oh-ki?" Sasami asked as she saw the cabbit tumble off her head and caught her. Apparently she had fainted dead away from fright. Quickly she tucked the GP blaster into her dress. "Die, damn you!" Kiyone raged, recklessly somersaulting forward. "Why don’t you just…ungh!" She stifled a cry as a beam grazed the side of her left thigh. But the explosive shot from the blaster finished the last man in company 4. "Coast clear, let’s move and take this lift!" "Sasami, how did you do that?" Aeka and Tenchi asked with awe in their voices. "Well, I’m not sure…" Sasami’s voice seemed a little lost and far away. "It just…" her voice faded, then suddenly she fell backwards into Aeka’s arms and into a deep faint. =============================================== The twelve companies of men looked around Sector 22 with surprise. It was a large storage section of the Comet, where there were countless packs and boxes of material, but strangest thing is that there were no intruders to be seen. "Officers." The earphones ordered. "I wished you to come here to protect these cargo from the intruders. They are precious beyond anything else in the Comet. Should the intruders overcome companies 2 through 8, you must stop them here. There is a larger area here, and you should find it easy to hide and snipe at them. Tell your men to set up your defences, and remain here." "What about sector 5, sir?" "You are to remain here unless I give further orders. Do you understand, soldiers?" "Yes sir!" barked all twelve officers at once. =============================================== "Officer, company 5 reporting." "What happened, officer?" "2, 3 and 4 were all wiped out by the intruders. I have lost two men myself, and the intruders have just taken a lift heading to Sector 6. Order to pursue?" "Negative. If they can take out so many companies, you don’t stand a chance. I don’t want to lose more good men." "But sir?" The officer tried hard to disguise his disappointment. The corridor was strewn with bodies, with good men who had once been alive. "If I turn back now I will have let down my fellow marines from 2, 3 and 4, not to mention my own casualties." "Your orders are to proceed to Sector 22 and set up defences there with companies 9 to 20." The commander sighed. "Look, I know it’s hard on you, but I can’t afford to lose you and your men too." He paused, and his voiced turned authoritarian again. "You are not to leave sector 22 until given orders. Relay these orders to companies 6, 7 and 8 as you move out from here to Sector 4." The officer sighed, defeated. "Very well, sir. Over." The commander took off the ear phones, breathed out either in relief or sorrow, and stood up, watching his two bodyguards in the room, tentatively. "Sir?" They asked. "Come over here, soldiers." The two stepped over, heads tilted forward attentively. "Yes, sir?" "Sorry." There were two slight sounds, then the two soldiers slumped down, unconscious. The commander walked over to the only door that covered the only passage of entry into the room, locked it from the inside, and left the room, leaving behind a pair of contact lenses with brown pupils behind. =============================================== Slowly, gradually, the commander of the Synerean Marines regained consciousness. Everything was dark, and he realised he was blindfolded as well as bound and gagged. His mind rove for something to hold on to… A person from the ship’s control room had met him after he and his men were released from animation suspension bunks. He had entered the room, the fellow had entered from the opposite side. They had greeted each other, and as they shook hands, he had felt a touch of cold metal in the hand, before a surge of electrical energy went through him and he was knocked out cold. Beside him, the member of staff from the control room was equally puzzled. =============================================== "Where… am I?" Washu murmured from Mihoshi’s arms. "You’re here, Washu." Mihoshi answered for lack of something better to say. "Sheesh, my whole body’s aching." She pushed Mihoshi’s hair out of her eyes and looked at her. "Let me down, you." Mihoshi tried to oblige but the capsule was very crowded. Tenchi was cradling Ryoko in a corner, taking care not to jostle her, while Aeka watched Sasami, who had Ryo-oh-ki hopping a little on her chest, and tried to fight down the painful ache in her heart about Tenchi paying so much attention to Ryoko and not even a word of thanks to her. Washu had to settle for being half out of her grip. "Washu, will Ryoko make it?" Tenchi queried, concern in his voice. "I’m not sure," the redhead, fighting the soreness in her limbs and muscles, arched her neck to see past the crowd. "She’ll manage, I think. It’s a wound to the bottom and side of her chest, she’s lucky in that it just missed puncturing her lungs, maybe minimal damage to her kidneys, nothing she can't take." There was a sudden shudder, then a jerk. "What the…?" Kiyone exclaimed as the lift stopped moving. "Get away!!" They heard someone cry out above, sounding dimly like Kova. "Get out of the lift!" The voice was urgent, and there was a dim explosion from somewhere above. Kova cursed as explosion cleared, showing that the entrance to the lift’s shaft was blocked by the collapse of the corridor. Oh god, please let them be safe… "Tenchi, quick!" Kiyone cried. Seizing Mihoshi’s blaster from her she aimed up at the lift, she aligned it before Kova’s blaster and fired at the ceiling of the lift just less than half a metre above their heads. As she almost casually deposited the blaster back in Mihoshi’s holster, she just managed to make out through the small hole a dash of blue hair and dark battlesuit above the lift, as the figure landed on top of the lift with a slight jolt. Kova! "Get away!" His voice sounded a lot more distant than the figure directly above them. Tenchi, who was furthest from Kiyone, carved a hole in the side of the lift with his blade. "There’s a room here, I’ll have to make the hole bigger!" "Hurry!" Kiyone ordered. To shoot or not to shoot? Kiyone’s mind was tossed into tumult. Kova’s blaster trembled in her hand… I trust you will not strike your master, she prayed. And please don’t miss the hole… As Tenchi, carrying Ryoko, followed by Anako and Koneko, hurried out of the lift, her finger pulled the trigger back. The yellow laser streaked out, going exactly through the hole left by Mihoshi’s blaster. There was an explosion as the beam struck the figure on top of the lift in the chest, and he was lifted off in the blinding golden explosion, that shook the lift, followed by another flicker of crimson as something burst out and struck the side of the elevator shaft in a scarlet burst of light. The cyborg… "Waah!" Mihoshi and Washu were just getting out after Aeka, when Kiyone rammed into them from behind. "Get out of my way!" She screamed as the three of them tumbled to the floor. Behind them, the lift detonated in a blaze of scarlet light, the impact flattening the three of them to the ground. Aeka, who was holding the unconscious Sasami and hurrying out of the room, felt the pain sear her back as her force field dissipated under the blaze, then she and Sasami were thrown into the wall opposite. Terminus, hanging to the wall of the shaft with his one remaining hand, watched as the blackened remnants of the elevator plunged down into the darkness, then looked up as he heard the thick wall of metal debris in the corridor above crack and fall forward, having succumbed to the sweeps of glowing blue scythe. "YOU!" Kova cried at the image of himself hanging on the insides of the shaft, while his heart prayed that Kiyone had not been in the elevator that had vanished below him. Terminus gave a shrug and somersaulted down into the opening below him him Tenchi had carved, as his missing arm and leg formed back. "Aeka?" Sasami asked softly as she regained consciousness. "I’m fine, Sasami." Aeka mumbled weakly from under her, as Tenchi hurried over by them, leaving Ryoko slumped on the ground, attended to only by the two kittens. "Kova?" Tenchi asked as his gaze followed Sasami’s eyes and helped Aeka up,and saw the spy land in the opening in the wall of the room. "Kill him!" Kiyone’s voice was echoed by another cry from outside that sounded like Kova’s. Outside, Kova leaped down aiming for behind Terminus, scythe at the ready, not noticing that where Terminus had clung from a tube like extension similar to a cannon was forming… The blaze of green that registered in the corner of his eye gave him just enough time to raise his forearms to defend himself. He grit his teeth as the beam shot out of Solar and slammed him on the far side of the wall, before he slid down. Kiyone’s hand brought the blaster up, and dived back into Washu who was getting up. "Washu, help me!" Terminus made his move just an instant before she could pull the trigger."Too slow, detective." The cold voice murmured. Tenchi quickly leaped to the right, pulling Aeka and Sasami away, as Kiyone and Washu were hurled back towards them and into the wall again by the scarlet explosion, while Mihoshi, half sitting at the moment of impact, was blown aside by the blast and knocked against the right wall of the room. It was thanks to Washu’s temporary shield that the three of them were alive at all. Outside Kova leaped from side to side trying to avoid the green blasts from Solar, who was humanoid again and standing perpendicular to the shaft of the elevator, filling the shaft with dazzling bolts of energy. "Curse you!" Kova hurled the scythe out as he clung on to the sides. Solar melted away into the sides as the scythe flew over and detonated on the wall behind him, before returning to Kova as the cyborg formed back elsewhere and opened fire again. "Are you there, Kiyone!?" He’s here! Kiyone forced her eyes open. Beside her Washu lay half conscious as Tenchi and Sasami hurried over to them, with Kova’s blaster lying between them on the ground. "Now, you die." Terminus raised a hand at them. "But first, the lucky one." Kiyone’s eyes opened wide as she saw him take an aim to the right, presumably at the unconscious Mihoshi nearby. "No, Mihoshi!" Kiyone cried out. Terminus watched in surprise as the wall behind Mihoshi crumbled almost instantaneously under the azure sweep of the laser sword and the boy stepped out just half a second before the scarlet ball left his hand. Tenchi stood over Mihoshi, sword gleaming bright as the deadly projectile whizzed towards them. "Hai!" Tenchi hurled his sword and the blade connected with the crimson pulse of energy some one metre ahead. Aeka dimly heard him cry out as light enveloped his form, then he and Mihoshi were tossed back through the hole in the wall by the impact, just landing beside Aeka. Tenchi was conscious but he looked rather badly bruised, while Mihoshi seemed in a similar state, except that she was unconscious. His weapon, blade extinguished now, flew back in and knocked hollowly against Mihoshi’s forehead. "Uhhh…" Mihoshi mumbled as the pain from the bruise brought her senses back. =============================================== Some three metres above the area behind Terminus, Solar aimed his lasers so Kova could not get any handhold. "Gaah!" He exclaimed in frustration and threw his weapon up futilely again, as a laser streaked towards his shin, forcing him to leap further down the shaft. Catching on to a handhold, he forced himself upwards with hands and legs, leaping up a little just before the place he had landed was struck by two more beams. As the scythe came back he jumped on it and bounced away down and to the left, gaining another two metres in height before another well aimed salvo caused him to slide further down or be perforated. Terminus watched Tenchi and the stirring Mihoshi, with Aeka standing unsteadily over them. The older princess had exhausted her power, and was practically defenceless as he prepared to blast them into oblivion, when he heard a word. "Stop." Terminus turned to Sasami, standing in the ruined doorway with Ryo-oh-ki cowering behind her, her face pale with the weakness induced by invoking her power earlier as she aimed the GP blaster at him with one hand. "Go ahead and shoot, princess," he chuckled metallically, raising a hand that pulsed scarlet and aiming for the girl and Washu behind her. "Let’s play draw and see who gets to fire first." Not that the pathetic golden beam could hurt him, of course. Someone was missing… Something struck his hand and deflected it as it struck the ceiling diagonally to his left, causing the metal to buckle and cave in. Before he could react, Kiyone leaped on him, as her yo-yo returned to her hand, her sore body acting on instinct and lashing out, uselessly, at his throat, solar plexus and in between the legs. "Now, Sasa..hrrk!" Kiyone choked as he gripped her by the throat and lifted her off the floor. Sasami hesitated, and the GP blaster lowered a little, unsure of the aim. What if it struck Kiyone? =============================================== Having figured out how to get towards his nemesis, Kova once again dug his scythe into the wall and leaped up using the momentum and the force of his legs on the sides of the shaft, swinging at Solar with the scythe in his right as his left arm deflected the shots. Solar’s body bent back an impossible ninety degrees as the scythe sliced through thin air, and Kova felt his temple burst open bleeding as a shot skimmed by over his right ear. "Come on, shoot me." The fake Kova grinned at the young princess, as his blue stony eyes stared at Kiyone, writhing in his grip. "Talk about dying in the hands of the one you love…" "It … th… arms…" she gasped, fighting to breath. "Only… lov… Kov…" Somehow, Kova heard or sensed her situation as he weaved between the green beams. "NO! Uuurgh…" he faltered in the air as a beam struck his right calf, ripping through the bandage she had placed over, tearing the mending tissue, and then he toppled and plunged down. "Kiyone…" =============================================== Through her hazy vision, she made out something holding her partner. Kiyone! The pain around her evaporated into the background as, without thinking, she drew her blaster in one fluid motion and fired. "Damn!" Terminus cried as the hand holding Kiyone severed exactly at the wrist, the only place a blaster beam could hope to break off any part of his body with one shot. Kiyone fell to the ground breathing deeply as the hand loosened and dropped before her, darkening to the silver of Teranium. He turned to Mihoshi, disregarding Sasami, of course. "Now!" Kiyone forced the air in her burning lungs out for a cry as she rugby tackled his legs. Terminus’ bolt went awry, bursting into the ceiling again, as Sasami acted. Kiyone’s GP blaster dropped to the ground as Sasami pulled back the trigger on the blaster she was holding in the other hand behind it. Kiyone swung herself behind Terminus as the golden beam streaked over to the cyborg. Kova, I trust you… As the detective hurled herself into the shaft away from Terminus, the laser blast struck him squarely in the chest and the cyborg erupted into a blaze of gold. "KIYONE!" Mihoshi and Sasami screamed together. =============================================== Swearing to himself, Kova just managed to arrest his descent with his laser shields, scythe and hands, before Terminus exploded. Through the yellow blast just above him, Kova glimpsed the blur of blue and green descending. "Kiyone-chan!" He cried out as he fought to keep from falling, his reactions slowed by the fact that he was injured and that he was fighting against the artificial gravity employed by the Comet amidst a barrage of lasers. "Damned you, fall!" He swore as the scythe left his hands, then trusting to his skill, leaped diagonally up at the falling detective above him, in the process collapsing his calf muscle and sending agony streaking up, but he felt them not, only conscious of one thought amidst the blaze of green. Oh please don't let the beams hit Kiyone… he prayed. Concentrating on Kova, Solar did not expect an attack, and could not react on time, as the weapon unexpectedly flew up to it. The scythe severed the cyborg at the knees, and it plunged forward into free fall. =============================================== The blonde limped over, as Sasami felt someone pulling her back a little. "Take this…" Washu murmured weakly as she passed Sasami a chemical spray. "Quickly!" As she fell, her dark green hair trailing in her wake, Kiyone dimly made out a dark shape rising up to meet her, and an arm wrapped around her waist. "Kova," she smiled weakly. He didn’t reply, for though Solar had been cut off his perch, the robot continued bombarding them, and his left hand was hard pressed in defend. The scythe descended into Kova’s left hand, reverting to a silver rod, as his right leg pressed on a foothold in the shaft, causing another shock of agony up his tortured member. Hurling the rod to their left, he opened a portal. "Aa..!" He gasped in pain as another green beam cut into his left side, breaking two of his ribs, the penalty for diverting his attention into creating a portal. Biting his lip, he launched himself and Kiyone into the portal, ignoring the spasms of pain from his calf, while his left hand caught hold of the silver rod. Solar watched passively as they disappeared before him, before continuing on his descent. =============================================== "Kiyone, Kashiro," Washu smiled weakly as they materialised before her, unintentionally blessing their relationship. Tenchi nodded slightly in knowing Kiyone was fine, as he took Aeka’s hand, then his eyes went back to Ryoko by the side. "Kiyone, you’re alive!" Mihoshi cried out as she turned around, a little too fast for her battered body, and promptly fell forward. Sasami shrilled in joy as she turned around, revealing a small bruise forming on her forehead where Kova’s blaster had struck her as it flew out of her hands from the recoil. Kova, clutching Kiyone tightly, fell to his knees, and Kiyone’s eyes widened as she felt his blood seep through her uniform. "Kova-chan?" She cradled his head gently as she eased away to support him, taking care not to brush his injured areas. Her fingers brushed against his temple, and she pulled away. Her whole body was hurting, but somehow it didn’t seem to bother her in the least. "I’m fine," he managed, his voice low and in pain. "Are you all right?" "There you go again." Kiyone smiled tearfully. Carefully she turned him over to see the injury in his chest. "Washu, is…?" "Okay," was all Washu could muster herself to say. If she were her normal self she would have said. ‘He’s fine, Ryoko’s hurt worse, and besides, why doesn’t someone ask about how I feel, huh?’, but she did not have the breath to say it now. Maybe I should not have chosen this form, she thought. It limits my constitution. Aeka helped Tenchi up, as Kova reached into a portal and pulled out his medikit. "Are we safe here?" Tenchi murmured. "Will more of them come?" "We are." Kova managed, his gasps of pain subsiding as Kiyone injected anaesthetic under his arm and into his calf. "The marines won’t be coming, and we will be fine unless the cyborgs return." He looked meaningfully at the patches of inanimate Teranium splattered over the room. "Your credit, right?" Washu said wryly. Kova nodded, as he felt his body cease sending messages of agony at him, while Kiyone leaned him on her. "I knocked out and disguised myself as their commander, then ordered them away from where you were." He looked around at the expressions of pain about him. "Thought you could deal with 4 or 3 companies, guess I didn’t divert enough men." He winced. "Ouch…" "Quit moving and it won’t hurt so much." Kiyone exclaimed in irritation, in the act of bandaging his side, running the cloth over his old shoulder wound, while her eyes made contact with Mihoshi’s, who was moving over to her. "I’ve still got my partner to attend to, you know." Her blistered back hurt and her throat still smarted, but she ignored them. "You’re not so fine yourself." He muttered, a little disgruntled. "Say, Tenchi, where’s Ryoko?" Tenchi’s expression dimmed as he recalled the space pirate. "She got hit, Kova…" He gestured to the box, nodding, and Sasami stooped to pick up the things he pointed out, before hurrying over to Tenchi. "Thanks, Sasami," he murmured, then turned to Ryoko. Gesturing at Anako and Koneko to make way, he carefully peeled away her torn battlesuit to reveal her bloodied flesh underneath. His heart skipped a beat as he saw her white, soft… Tenchi slew his thought, and picking what looked like a good spot, injected the only syringe he had been given into Ryoko. Aeka felt her heart constrict as she watched him. He had saved Mihoshi, thanked Sasami, attended to Ryoko, and after all that, not even a word to her… Aeka watched, trying very hard not to, but she could not help it… "What’s wrong, Aeka?" Sasami asked. "It’s nothing, just…" Aeka leaned back and let herself slide down against the wall, tears running freely down her face as she gave in to her sorrow and sobbed, burying her face in her forearms. Done wrapping up Ryoko’s wound, Tenchi happened to look up. Oh no, what’s wrong with Aeka now? A voice screamed from within his mind. Tenchi, you *BAKA*! Aeka’s tearful eyes opened to see Tenchi’s face before her. "Aeka." He tried to put his arms around her but… "Go away!" She howled at him, her eyes burning with anger now. "I am a princess, I don’t want or need your pity! Go back to that Ryoko woman of yours, and leave me alone!" Tenchi drew back in surprise before the anguished princess, who promptly returned to crying again. For a moment, he considered if he should just hug her anyway… "Sorry, Aeka." "Tenchi!" Sasami cried out. "Stop that, Tenchi!" "Sorry, Aeka." Aeka finally made out, through her own sobs, the sounds of something hard knocking against the floor, and she raised her head. Tenchi was prostrated before her, kowtowing continuously to her, his head knocking on the floor. Aeka watched, stunned and speechless, as Tenchi raised his expressionless face, his forehead red, sore, and on the verge of bleeding, while his earnest brown eyes stared straight at her. "Sorry, Aeka." He bowed again, striking his head on the floor. "Tenchi…" "Sorry, Aeka." Knock. "Tenchi, please…" Sasami and Aeka pleaded together. Tenchi looked up again, his forehead burst and bleeding. "I love you, Aeka…" There was a sharp intake of breath from the older princess, as Tenchi bowed again. "Thank you for everything, Ae…" "Oh, Tenchi!" Then she had thrown herself on him, her tears flowing again. Tenchi held her close, his lips trembling at the anguish on her face and in her voice. "Aeka, thank you." He buried his face into her shoulder. "Thank you so much…" "I’m beginning to understand the thing about that boy," Kova, sitting beside Washu, commented. "I always wondered how a someone like Ryoko or Aeka could fall for him, but I think I am finally beginning to understand now." "He has always been this way." Washu whispered. "Unlike some…" "I have had to learn," Kova replied, as he sprayed Washu with the healing enhancing enzymes, for her hurts were all over her body from the various detonating impacts. "Yoda Shiro’s life was not so interesting I would like to relive it again." He thought back to the way he sneaked into Yagami, how he got himself to become a doctor. "Kiyone taught me a lot. She taught me how to live again like a human, like the man Kova Kashiro should always have been." His eyes became distant and abstracted. "She gave me more than she will ever know." Washu watched him, with his expression far away and radiant, and she recalled how Tenchi had shouted her down when she suggested they get Kiyone to capture Kova. I think I’m beginning to see your point, Tenchi. "Thank you, Kashiro." She said as Kova stood up, grunting a little in pain from his calf injury. "No problem, professor." He called to Kiyone. "Is Mihoshi all right?" "She will be fine, I think." Kiyone, back faced to Kova, gently tended to her partner, half sitting before her. "So what was it like, Kiyone, were you scared?" Mihoshi piped liltingly, her enthusiasm seemingly overflowing now that her partner was alive for sure. "Keep quiet, can’t you see, I’m trying to concentrate!" "It must have been scary, if I were you, I would be very frightened." She looked at Kiyone with some kind of awe. "You’re very brave, Kiyone!" "Mihoshi, pipe down!" "Oh, I forgot you had Kova with you…" Mihoshi giggled. Kiyone sighed in resignation, feeling Kova standing over her from behind. "At least as fine as she can ever be, Kova-chan." "How’s your back now? Did I do okay?" "It feels much better now, after you put that whatever it was…" Kiyone tried to stop herself imagining the way he had carefully slid his hands under the worn back of her uniform and around her waist to apply the medicine. If only… Mihoshi watched, eyes wide, as Kova bent down, his hand snatching a vial from the medikit as his lips planted a kiss on the side of Kiyone’s neck. Kiyone’s hands froze for a moment, then resumed their work seemingly unaffected, but her eyes became a little glazed, her cheeks blossomed rose, and her lips seemed to reach out and curl slightly up at the edges. Sasami turned away from Tenchi and Aeka as the two slowly moved apart. "Oooh!" She giggled. "You too!" Ryo-oh-ki, perched on her head, seemed to laugh. Kova turned to face Sasami, eyes wide at being caught in the act, while Kiyone, who was studiously not looking back, turned redder. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, trying not to sound too unnatural, while his face tinged a little red. "Are you all right, Sasami?" "I’m okay, Kova." She replied. "Why don’t you continue doing with what you were doing?" She giggled again. Kova pointedly ignored her and went over to Tenchi and Aeka, who were looking over at Ryoko with concern. She was still unconscious, her face was drained of colour, though her breathing was more regular and less strained now. "Could you help?" Tenchi asked, his eyes pleading with the spy. "Maybe wake her somehow?" Aeka swallowed her bitterness, remembering how Tenchi had kissed her cheeks, and thanked her for all the joy she had brought to him, for saving him and Ryoko, for always being there for him. Yet here he was begging someone else to help Ryoko. That’s what makes him so lovable, doesn’t it? She told herself. If he ceased loving either me or Ryoko for one moment, he would no longer be Tenchi in my eyes. He’d only be a monster, one that coldly disregards people in the face of desire. She wondered if Ryoko could ever see things that way, but at this moment, the revelation stared her full in the face. And she suddenly knew, she could never have him all to herself. Yet for all that he loved Ryoko, he loved her no less. He would never choose one over the other, unless one of them did something utterly horrible. And for all the tenacity with which he loved Ryoko too, for all the means he tried to help her, he would do no less for Aeka. And that was why he was so dear to her. Kova unstoppered the vial of black material he had got from the medikit, and Tenchi and Aeka both gagged at the horribly pungent smell. Holding his nose, Kova waved it under Ryoko’s face. Tenchi watched as Ryoko’s nose twitched, her facial muscles contorting slightly, then her eyes half opened. "Yech…" She exclaimed weakly, and Kova promptly stoppered the vial and carelessly tossed it over his shoulder. As Kiyone finished with Mihoshi and turned, her eyes widened as the vial hurtled over Sasami’s head, through the hole in the wall, seemingly aiming straight for Kiyone’s face, before landing with a plonk in the medicine box. "Kova-chan!" Kiyone exclaimed angrily. "Oops, sorry…" He quickly left them as Tenchi and Aeka stood over the awakening Ryoko, while Anako and Koneko licked gently at her arms. "Tenchi…?" Ryoko managed, as Tenchi gently supported her towards him. "It’s me, Ryoko," he managed a smile. "Is your hurt still bad, can you stand?" Ryoko was not listening, but staring at Aeka over Tenchi’s shoulder, whose glimmering eyes seemed to shine like amethysts. "Aeka?" The princess remained silent. "I… would like to…" Ryoko lowered her head, feeling weak at having to confess so openly before her rival. But she saved you! If not for her you wouldn’t be with Tenchi now! "…thank you. I owe you my life." There was a silence. "Why…?" "Lord Tenchi loves you," Aeka replied simply, as Tenchi stared at her, his eyes registering disbelief. Could this Aeka be the same one who had battled with Ryoko over him? "So I had to protect you." Ryoko nodded, carefully so as not to strain her body. She could just feel Tenchi’s arms and presence around her, with his comforting warmth and the anxiety he showed for her. Yet she could feel the sorrow and the peace within the princess’ simple ten words, within the purple eyes that watched her, almost with sisterly concern. "Aeka," she murmured, her gratitude expressed in her voice, then her amber eyes made contact with Tenchi’s. "Tenchi, do you love me?" She asked. His mind reeled at the question. Someday, I promise you, you will know exactly how much I do. And for the first time, he realised Ryoko was not asking only about herself. In that moment, with that question, she was thanking Aeka. And he let his heart guide his words. "I love Aeka as much as I love you." He breathed. "Neither of you are any less to me than the other, and I would brave all the dangers in all of existence for either of you." Ryoko nodded, her heart flooding with pain, even as Aeka felt a warm glow suffuse through her. Thus I thank thee, brave daughter of Jurai, by calling forth the words that spill mine blood and add to thine. I can never have him all to myself. Ryoko smiled bitterly at Aeka. "Someday, princess, we will have to sort this out." Aeka nodded. Tenchi gently tugged Aeka’s sleeve, and the Juraian princess stooped low beside him. Kiyone and Kova, along with Mihoshi, Sasami and Washu, watched as the boy held the two jewels of his life close to him once more. Kova felt Kiyone’s fingers close around his, and they linked hands, intertwining their fingers. "Do you think we could ever…" Kiyone whispered in his ear. "Someday, maybe." His voice was soft and hopeful. "Someday soon." =============================================== Overlord watched with glee as the screen flashed with words. ‘Construction Copy completed.’ As the stand containing the Tachyon Blaster unsealed itself, he snatched up his direct speaker devices. "Terminus, Solar, do you read me?" "Solar here. Terminus has been terminated, with over 50% of his mass disabled." Overlord cursed. "Never mind, meet me at the rendezvous." "Yes, sir." =============================================== "This way," Kova, Kiyone, Mihoshi and Tenchi led the way, as the group hurried past eight unconscious guards. They were quite frankly, pathetic, their basic phaser gun poor and their cohesion lousy, not to mention their few numbers. Tenchi was employing his unarmed combat skills taught by Katsuhito, Kiyone and Mihoshi had their guns set to stun, while Kova’s silver rod covered the rest. Aeka hurried along, carrying Ryoko, who was half flying, so she really didn’t weigh that much, while Sasami had Ryo-oh-ki on her head while Washu was tailed by Anako and Koneko. "How you know where we’re going?" Tenchi asked. "I saw the entire map of the ship when I was serving as the Syneran Marines’ Commander." Before long they came to another door, slightly bigger and thicker than the regular ones. "All right, it's behind this one." He signalled for them to stand aside, then the cerulean scythe detonated the door in a blaze of blue. Sure enough, red beams blasted out from beyond the door. Kiyone dived under them, using the explosive blaster, and the unseen attacker paused for a moment as the interior exploded. Kova leaped up, using his scythe as a swing on the side of the door. The room beyond was rather large, filled with computer screens, like a second bridge of the ship, big enough for an entire crew. However, there was only one person in it. The man was standing all the way across the room, over forty metres away, beside the broken remnants of his desk, his hand holding two blasters. One seemed ordinary, but the other one looked like it had a satellite mounted on it. He was dressed in neat white robes, like some kind of monastic garb, with flowing white hair that came down to his chest. Although he looked over fifty years old, he had no beard, but rather a snowy moustache that ran from above his thin, almost invisible lips to hang near the base of his neck. His brows beneath his slightly wrinkled forehead were thick snow white curves, not curled particularly maliciously, in fact with a slight tilt to it that would have made him look cheerful if not for the grim line that was his mouth. His eyes sparkled a bright grey, almost silver, sinister sheen, concealing a wellspring of wrath awaiting release upon the person before him. Kova’s eyes lit up with fearful recognition. "Seida!" "Kashiro." His voice snarled, before the blasts of scarlet streamed after Kova, forcing him to jump away. "So you thought you could outlive me, did you?" He leaped catlike, away from his position as Kiyone blast obliterated the remnants of the things on the dais. "Sakanoi, what are you doing here?" "The cyborgs, the spies, they were all my plans, to obtain this!" He flourished the Tachyon Blaster triumphantly, as the rest of them, seizing his moment of distraction, quickly filed into the room. Not taking his eyes off Kova, Seida vaulted onto the screen and seized a handhold as his original position exploded in a burst of metal. Kova hurled his scythe, but Seida dived off his perch and did a roll, his blaster never ceasing firing for a moment at Kova. "Die, traitor!" Mihoshi’s and Kiyone’s GP blasters dashed ineffectually off his form. "An anti-beam shield!" Washu called out as Tenchi, brandishing his blade, charged forth too. "I’ll avenge my son yet, spy!" Seida seemed solely intent with trying to shoot Kova down as he rolled under another sweep of the scythe, when a scarlet beam suddenly burst out somewhere around him, certainly not from his blaster, and hurtled towards Kiyone. "Kiyone, watch out!" Mihoshi yelled as her partner dived away. The shot whizzed towards Aeka and fizzled out on the weak azure force-field, that was gaining in strength as Aeka rested herself. Tenchi’ ducked under another blast, and Sakanoi suddenly stood up as the threat of assault abated, before the Tachyon Blaster was rapidly levelled towards all of them. "What the…?" Kiyone’s eyes opened wide. "You’ll blow up the ship!" Kova screamed as the scythe arced back into his hand. "Who cares?" For the first time, Seida smiled, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "So long, people." His finger pulled the trigger back. === End of Chapter === NOTES: Kova is in a way, an SIed character. Pls include him in your comments, whether I have portrayed him as a person, as a friend or foe, as one of the gang, and most importantly, as a human being. I have some pictures of him, not too good pencil drawings, if you wish to take a look pls mail me. Chapter 11 was problematic, as I realised I far exceeded my regular chapter size, by 2.5 to 3.5 times. Some may be happy with its length, while not so for others. I welcome any suggestions where to segment off this chapter into 2 parts, either maintaining its original title, with part A & B, or with a new title each. The end of this chapter is a little anti-climactic, action wise. Firstly, this is far from the end of Darkness and Light. Secondly, Seida is after all a human being, and even if very well trained, does not have Kova's enhancements. The distance between him and the door is a main reason why he has not been killed already. There is another reason, revealed in the next chapter (unnamed yet), ^_^. A chapter 12 or 13 may emerge, but that is the furthest I will go (eg, unfinished story) unless I receive some requests to finish it, for I have to prepare for my A levels. No matter what, I will try to finish it once my A's are over, which is in late Nov/early Dec. I hope you have enjoyed this Fanfic as much as I have typing it. If there are any more grammar errors, I beg your forgiveness, as my sole proofreader is myself. This is my first FF, so go ahead and mail me at zyraen@yahoo.com with comments, especially on character portrayal, realism.