Season 1: Return of the Akuneko
Episode 12: No Need for Talk

Second moon surrender talks

   "Oh God, she knows," Ayeka thought to herself.
Ryoko was white as a sheet, and looking at her as if
she might fall down at any given moment. Soon after
Ryoko had froze Kiyone's eyes had narrowed, and Ayeka
knew she was processing the information.
   The princess didn't think the situation was too
serious. Achika had burned herself out much quicker
and thoroughly, and she had lived another fifteen
perfectly happy years, a short time compared to the
lifespan of most Jurai, but still a lot of time. The
purple-haired princess hoped that meant that she
hadn't cut her life too short.
   "Is there something I should know," Kiyone asked.
Ayeka smiled at her, and glanced her eyes towards
Ryoko.
   "Nothing that we can't discuss after talking to the
Akuneko," she answered.
   "No. Now. Not…" Ryoko started.
   "After the talks, Lady Shinku," Ayeka reiterated,
also remembering to refer to Ryoko by her proper
title. "Unless you would care to debate the issue more
forcefully." Ryoko debated the issue with herself, and
decided that she didn't have a choice.
   "Immediately after the talks," Ryoko stipulated.
Ayeka was surprised at how concerned Ryoko seemed to
be over her condition. She would have expected the
pirate to take advantage of the situation to get into
Tenchi's heart.
   "Come on, you two," Tenchi told them. He had tuned
them out as soon as it had begun to sound like their
normal bickering. "We need to get this done with."
   "I'm coming, Tenchi," Ryoko said angrily.
   "Coming, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka added. Kiyone had sent
down the table from the Yagami's storage, a lot of the
Masaki's older furniture ended up in there somewhere.
Tenchi and the girls sat down across from Lord Ryoi
and a pair of green haired Akuneko carrier captains.
   Kiyone sat next to Ayeka, eyeing the princess
carefully. She was going to ask Rikyu to sit next to
Ryoko, but he was already on his way. Ranged down from
Kiyone was Koretsu, the captain of the Gyanburu and
the five reinforcing captains. Captain Karya had been
offered a seat, but she denied it, giving Koretsu a
hard glare as she did. The commandless Jurai and the
Kuroi traitor stood behind Kiyone eyeing the Akuneko
carefully. Azaka took a similar position behind
Tenchi. Nagi, claiming to be protecting her vengeance,
stood at Ryoko's back.
   "Kiyone, can I sit down now?" Mihoshi asked
desperately. Kiyone turned around and regarded Mihoshi
wearily, but that was normal for Kiyone dealing with
Mihoshi.
   "Yes, Mihoshi," she answered. "You can sit down
now, but please be a good girl and be quiet."
   "Um okay, Kiyone," Mihoshi sat down against a rock,
and began searching through her cube for something to
do. Kiyone hoped she got lucky and found something
before they all drowned in Mihoshi's possessions.
   "Let's get this started, Captain Makibi," Lord Ryoi
spat. "You can play with your little friend later."
Kiyone turned around and glared at the man.
   "Excuse me," Tenchi interrupted. Yosho's tutelage
had prepared Tenchi to be very authoritative when he
wanted to be, and dealing with Ryoko and Ayeka had
taught him a thing or two about diplomacy. "I believe
that I am the one you should be talking to."
   Tenchi was always uncomfortable with his heritage,
but in order for this to work it needed to be him.
Ayeka was trained to do this kind of stuff, but her
temper and pride would trip her up. As for Kiyone, now
that the battle was over the Jurai would undercut her
at any given opportunity.
   "And you are?" The Akuneko noble was looking at the
warrior standing behind Kiyone.
   "He is the Crown Prince Tenchi Masaki," Ayeka
answered.
   "You’re a mere boy," Lord Ryoi noted,
disbelievingly.
   "Your commanders are going to take this fleet back
to their homes," Tenchi told him ignoring the comment.
The Jurai were not surprised at Tenchi's manner, but
those closest to him were. Tenchi had only ever acted
like this before facing Kagato and then Caine.
   "My commanders," Ryoi asked, taken aback by the
"boy's" tone. "What about me?"
   "I am going to remand custody of you to the Galaxy
Police," Tenchi told him.
   "I am a noble of the Kuroi clan!" he snapped. "I
will not be treated like a common criminal."
   "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it," Ryoko had to speak
at this. "They actually have some rather decent
prisons. If you don't mind seven hundred years inside
a mailbox."
   "Ryoko," Tenchi addressed her without taking his
eyes off Ryoi. "Now is not the time."
   "This is the remains of the Shinku clan," Ryoi
spoke to his colleagues laughingly. "An ex-convict and
her bastard son." Ryoko half-rose from her chair, but
stopped, worried about what would happen if a fight
started. Next to her, Rikyu was angry, but under
control. After all, the Kuroi had caused Ryoko much
more in the way of direct pain. Only a few of the
other Akuneko were as amused as their leader.
   "Now, as I said, you will remain here under Galaxy
Police custody," Tenchi repeated. Now he would find
out whether or not Rakkan was telling the truth. "And
I will ask the Shiroi, Midori, Orenji, Murasaki, and
Kiiroi clans to report to me if anything should happen
to any of their family." About ten of the Akuneko
exhibited looks ranging from surprise to hope, the
remaining Akuneko seemed insulted. The effect was more
than what Tenchi had hoped for.
   "How could…?" Ryoi whirled to face Rakkan. "You!
You have betrayed your clan!" It was a stupid action,
perhaps two-thirds of the remaining Akuneko commanders
looked at him in horrified shock.
   "So it is true," one of the green-haired Akuneko
snapped.
   "I am the Thane," Ryoi declared. "I determine what
is law for the clan!"
   "You are not Thane," Rakkan countered. "Not until
the council accepts you."
   "And you will no longer be put forward," the
speaker from before declared. "What further terms do
you have Lord Tenchi?"
   "I will not be caged like a peasant!" Ryoi shouted
before he teleported away. Five of the commanders
vanished with him. All the remaining participants rose
and prepared for an attack that did not come. Kiyone
noted Ryoko apparently shielding an irate Ayeka,
though it might have looked to other people as if she
were interposing herself between the princess and
Tenchi. Kiyone pulled up a communication screen, the
first officers of all the six remaining battleships
appeared.
   "Lord Ryoi and five of the Akuneko commanders have
teleported away from the talk," Kiyone explained.
"Keep your eyes open for any craft breaking away from
the main fleet." The Akuneko were performing similar
ground to ship communications.
   "No!! Don't do anything!!" Tenchi ordered,
surprising everyone this time. He was truly enraged at
Lord Ryoi and he most definitely didn't want the
further death that would be caused by the Akuneko
trying to help the Jurai. "Or we won't know who we're
shooting at."
   "Yes, Lord Tenchi," the Akuneko backed down from
him.
   "Nagi!! Ryoko!!" Tenchi turned to the cabbit
pilots, and they both knew what he wanted.
   "On my way, Lord Tenchi" Ryoko answered and sure
enough Ryo-Ohki was soon overhead. She turned to Ayeka
and virtually ordered her, "Don't you do anything
either!" Then Ryoko was gone into space as well. Nagi
joined her a little more sedately, Ken-Ohki arriving
at a calmer pace as well.
   "Kiyone?" he turned to the policewoman, but
Miho-Kiyo were already gone, with the Yagami passing
overhead.
   "Do not worry, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka told him, she
sat down again wearily. "There is no possible way that
he can escape." The princess yawned, leaned against
the table, yawned, and started sleeping. Rikyu glanced
at her and shrugged.
   "Lord Tenchi," he whirled to face the Akuneko
commander. "We will accept whatever commands you will
give. We wish to be finished with this madman's war."
   "Then it looks like we'll all soon be able to go
home."

Yagami bridge

   "Damn it," Kiyone shouted. There were fifteen
all-black fighters scattering to separate directions.
"Use what magna missiles we have." She wanted this
bastard alive, Nagi, Ryoko and the Jurai had different
ideas. In moments all the fleeing fighters were
destroyed, including those that the Yagami had
incapacitated.
   "I'm sorry Kiyone," Mihoshi apologized, noting that
Kiyone was mad. If Kiyone was mad it probably meant
that she had done something stupid.
   "This one isn't your fault, Mihoshi." Kiyone had
the feeling that the entire scene was a ruse, but she
couldn't prove that now.

Second moon, surrender talks.

   "Tenchi," Kiyone's face appeared on a holograph
before him. "Fifteen fighters fled, and all were
destroyed. We're coming back." Ryoko arrived first,
the ship-form cabbits being faster than any of the
other large craft out there. Nagi had sent a message
informing them that she was going to remain in space,
since she didn't intend on hanging around much longer.
   "We got him, Ten…Oh no!" Ryoko began making a
beeline for Ayeka. Ryo-Ohki meowed in surprise as
Ryoko's motion caused her to fall to the ground, the
cabbit was missing Sasami.
   "Let her sleep, Ryoko," Tenchi told her, catching
her arm. His voice had returned from that air of
command he sometimes achieved. He was just using his
normal patient, lecturing tone now. Ryoko turned to
him with an angry look.
   "Tenchi," she said annoyed. "Do you think Ayeka is
capable of safely wielding enough power to keep up
with you and the knights?" Nobody else heard her, they
were too far away, and Ryoko/Ayeka battles were too
common for Azaka to take much note of Ryoko's actions.
   "Ryoko, she's just tired." Ryoko threw off Tenchi's
grip, walked over and gently picked up Ayeka.
   "I'm going to take her to Washu," Ryoko told him
before rising off the ground, and flying in the
direction of Tenchi's clinic. Kiyone and Mihoshi
arrived a little bit behind the excitement. Kiyone
noted Ryo-Ohki and then Ayeka's absence.
   "Where's Ayeka?"
   "Ryoko took her to Washu's," Tenchi said. "I don't
understand those two, they could pester each other no
matter what's going on around them."
   "Tenchi didn't you notice that Ryoko has been on
eggshells around her this entire time? She's worried
about Ayeka, very worried."
   "What's wrong with Ayeka?" Mihoshi asked.
   "Ryoko asked me if I thought Ayeka could safely
wield enough energy to keep up with me and the
knights," Tenchi told her, Azaka heard this time.
   "Lord Tenchi, are you saying that Princess Ayeka
burned herself out?" the knight asked. "Do you know
what that means." Of course he knew what that meant,
his mother died young because she had burned herself
out fighting Caine.
   "She couldn't have."

Washu's station

   "Shouldn't she have woken up while I was bringing
her here?" Ryoko asked. Ayeka had maintained a heavy,
half-feverish sleep while Ryoko was carrying her. Now
she was lying on a bed still sleeping with Washu
fidgeting over her.
   "I only know of five cases of Jurai burn out,"
Washu said. "And the records are sketchy, but I doubt
the danger is immediate, or even soon in coming."
   "Then why hasn't she woken up?" Ryoko sounded
angry, but she was pacing a hole in the ground.
Stalking like a tiger in a cage.
   "Well, um let's see," Washu started. "Other than
the sedative I gave her she's also de…"Washu stopped
herself from completing that phrase. "Completely
exhausted, that might have something to do with it.
Other than that, I just don't know." Ryoko sat down on
midair, floating cross legged about three feet off the
ground.
   "Washu," Ryoko heard Tenchi call as he worked his
way through the now sparse numbers of wounded. "What's
wrong with Ayeka?" He looked to Ryoko, but the pirate
refused to return the look.
   "She burned out about a quarter of her energy
reserves," Washu answered. "At least she hasn't
recovered beyond that yet. As I was telling Ryoko, I
don't know enough about this to say whether that is
serious or not. When we get back home I should be able
to say more."
   "That won't be long," Tenchi told her. "The Akuneko
are already preparing too leave, all we need to do is
hang around and watch them leave."
   "Why didn't you stop her?" Ryoko demanded. She
landed and pushed her face into Tenchi's.
   "I didn't know," Tenchi was surprised by the
ferocity of the question, backing off.
   "Didn't know? Didn't know!" Ryoko yelled. "Did you
think a few days of training would bring her up to
mine or Nagi's level?"
   "I seem to remember you almost killing yourself in
battle once," Washu noted to Ryoko.
   "That was Kagato, this was avoidable," Ryoko
snapped, then started jabbing her finger at Tenchi.
"My sister cut her life short because he wasn't paying
attention!" Ryoko rose off the ground and teleported
away.
   "She's looking for somebody to blame," Washu told
Tenchi. "She'll calm down."  Tenchi left his doubts
unspoken.

The system

   All the ships had finally left, and the system was
again unpopulated. It remained quiet and serene for
another hour. The remains of the battle were floating
off, slowly being spun into the void. Then one of the
dead fighters flared into life, and altered course
deeper into the Jurai galaxy.

Yagami sick bay

   When Ayeka woke up slowly, and let her eyes adjust
to the lack of light. There was a dull ache in her
limbs that, since she had started actually training
with Yosho, she had begun to associate with the day
after intense physical activity. It didn't take her
long to notice that someone else was in the room, the
snoring was a clue. She stretched out and walked to
the wall, searching for the light switch. Somebody
else found it first.
   The lights flared on and Ayeka recognized Yagami's
sick bay from when Yosho had been here. She wasn't
looking the right direction to see who had turned on
the lights. Instead she saw Ryoko, asleep against the
bulkhead. Ayeka looked at the pirate and realized that
she had been crying.
   "She's actually worried about me? You'd think she'd
be jumping with joy."
   "She called you her sister," Washu said from the
door. Ayeka turned around to look at her confused.
   "Her sister? That's ludicrous, we're always
fighting," Ayeka was quiet, trying to avoid waking up
Ryoko. The princess, still a little stiff, sat back
down on the sick bay bed and leaned against the wall,
maintaining a proper posture, of course. "She hates
me."
   "If Ryoko hated you, one of you would be dead,"
Washu told her. "You’re her oldest friend, Rikyu is
her only natural family. Why is it so ludicrous to
believe that she thinks of you as family? You even
visited her in prison."
   "It was too good an opportunity to laugh at her."
   "Twice a year?"
   "So if she thinks I'm family," Ayeka asked. "How
long did it take her to use this against me with
Tenchi. How he shouldn't waste himself on someone
who'll die centuries ahead of time."
   "Ah, Tenchi. You've brought up an interesting
subject."
   "Did something happen to Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka asked
concerned, she glanced at Ryoko hoping the noise
didn't wake her. She didn't want to deal with Ryoko
gloating on that subject right now.
   "Ryoko has stopped talking to Tenchi," Ayeka stared
at her for a moment.
   "You must be joking."
   "Unfortunately, I'm not," Washu said. "She blames
Tenchi."
   "She once tried to convince him not to rescue me,"
Ayeka protested.
   "Because she thought it was hopeless, she thought
you'd both die, and I think she believed that she was
dying already."
   "I don't believe she'd get mad at Tenchi because of
me. Unless he chose me over her, of course."
   "What would you do if you thought Tenchi was
responsible for something happening to Sasami?" Ayeka
looked at her stunned, but couldn't answer. "Get some
more rest, we'll be home soon. And I mean that, get
some rest, or I might have to sedate you again." Washu
stood up and left the room, shutting the lights off
behind her. Ayeka looked to where she could hear Ryoko
snoring, stunned. Ryoko had stopped talking to Tenchi,
the way was open for Ayeka. So why did that feel wrong?