No Need For Vengence, Part Two Tenchi Muyo! Fan Fiction by Elwin "Blaine" Coldiron DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo! and characters were created by Hiroki Hayaski and Masaki Kajishima and are the property of AIC/Pioneer. I do not own the series, nor the characters. I just write the fiction. Baron Kazamone is my creation This story is based on the OVA continuity, and is a continuation of 'No Need For Vengence, Part One.' Any event or situation similar to the events and situations of the upcoming third OVA is purely coincidental. *** For the first time in over fifteen hundred years, Nagi had felt fear. The sudden revelation that Tenchi Masaki was a crown prince of the planet Jurai had unsettled her greatly. Baron Kazamone had apparently ommited key information about the whereabouts of Ryoko. It was also apparent that the Juraian woman that had purple hair, the one who had told her that Tenchi was a prince, was the long-missing princess Ayeka. She now regretted taking the boy hostage, but the opportunity to finally kill Ryoko was at hand. She quickly put her fears aside and concentrated her efforts in preparing for that final battle. It was while she was preparing that the crystal bearing Ken-Ohki's face floated over to her. "Ciou, ciou-wou." it mewed. "It seems our guest is awake now." she said. "Better make him feel welcome." She walk over to a 2.5 meter metal board, with arms extending one meter from each side. Tenchi was held to this board with energy manacles. He was still wearing his school uniform, although it was quite dirty now. He opened his eyes slowly and groaned his discomfort from the stun burst from her whip. From looking around, Tenchi saw that he was in some form of control room. From the looks of it, it was similar to the interior of Ryo-Ohki's control room. He looked to a table on one side and saw the Tenchi-ken lying on it. He couldn't find his bookbag anywhere. As he saw this, he heard footsteps heading towards him. Looking up, he saw that it was the woman that he saw along the road. Now that the light was better, he was able to see what she looked like. Her hair was a dark gray-blue, shorter than what any the girls back in the house wore. She was wearing a close-fitting bodysuit, with black tights covering the arms and leg, the torso in a blue swimsuit-like armor. The suit showed off the attractive curves of her body, especially the bust and legs. She also wore a black cloak with a hood to cover the head. Tenchi got a look at her face. It was rather plain, hardened and grim, the color of her eyes resembling spilled blood. She wasn't smiling, but she regarded him kindly as she spoke: "My apologies for taking you prisoner, but it was nessesary to bring Ryoko to me." "Bring Ryoko to you?" he gasped. "What are you talking about? Who are you?" "My name is Nagi," the bounty hunter began, "I came here to kill Ryoko." "KILL RYOKO?" Tenchi cried out. "WHY?" "Because fifteen hundred years ago, she attacked my home planet, during which my parents were killed. I was only eight of your years of age at the time." 'Fifteen hundred years?' Tenchi thought, 'Wait a minute. That must have happened while Ryoko was enslaved by Kagato.' "I'm sorry to hear that your parents were killed," he began, "but Ryoko wasn't responsible for." "WASN'T RESPONSIBLE!?" Nagi interupted. "Don't you dare say she wasn't responsible for what she did." Her red eyes flashed angrily at Tenchi. "Ryoko will die for what she did for me. And I WILL take her head as a trophy." Tenchi cringed inwardly as he heard those words from the bounty hunter. "But you have to listen to me, Ryoko was." "Enough of this." Nagi cut her off as she reach for a piece of cloth. She pulled Tenchi's head down, rather hard, and tied the cloth over his mouth. "I won't listen to this nonsense. I promised that purple-haired princess that wouldn't harm you, and this is to make sure that I keep my promise." she finished as she knotted the gag. Finishing this, Nagi reached over to a small device and pressed a button. A small portal opened and she got out a crate containing small metalic spheres. "I'd better get ready for the battle. You just sit quietly over there and we'll get you back home after I finish." Tenchi screamed thru his gag. *** Chaos reigned at the Masaki house as everyone was trying to sort out the events of the evening. Ryoko was screaming and pacing, demanding that they get out and pursue Nagi. Ayeka was screaming at Ryoko, demanding to know what she knew about Nagi. All the while, Kiyone and Mihoshi was trying to calm both of them and trying to keep them separate. Sasami, Ryo-Ohki and Nobuyuki were seated on the couch, both of them looking depressed, while Katsuhito tried to reassure them. Washu sat silently on one of the chairs, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes closed in concentration. Finally, she opened her eyes and placed two finger in her mouth. She then blew a loud whistle which got everyones attention. "ALRIGHT PEOPLE," she yelled, "THIS RUNNING AROUND LIKE CHICKENS WITH THEIR HEADS CUT OFF IS NOT GETTING US ANYWHERE!!!" She then calmed down and continued. "Now, would someone please fill me in? Who the hell is this Nagi character, and why does she want my little Ryoko dead?" There was a moment of quiet. Then Kiyone began. "I read about Nagi. She is a bounty hunter who has lived for over fifteen hundred years. And she is very good at what she does. In fact. she has almost never failed to bring in her quarry." Mihoshi continued. "Yes. In fact, other bounty hunters had tried to kill her, because she was that good." The blonde detective's voice then lowered to almost that of a whisper. "They never survived." "Kiyone," Washu asked, "you said that she ALMOST never failed to bring in her quarry. Was there anyone she didn't capture?" "Well yes," the teal-haired detective said, "there was one criminal that she failed to bring in." She turned to look at Ryoko. The pirate seemed to shrink inwardly as everyone looked at her. "What exactly did you do to that would cause that haridan to capture Lord Tenchi in the first place?" Ayeka growled, her stare figurtivly burning a hole into Ryoko's soul. When no answer came forthcoming from her, the princess grabbed at Ryoko's blouse and screamed, "ANSWER ME!!! WHAT DID YOU DO --" "Ayeka?" Katsuhito's hand had gently rested on his half-sister's shoulder. "Recriminations won't secure Tenchi's safe return. Ryoko has paid for her crimes. Please, leave her be. Can't you see that she is very upset by these events as well?" "But Yosho, he's your grandson." Ayeka countered. "Yes he is. And I'm certain he will return to us safely." The priest then turned to Washu, "You had told me earlier that my mother knew something about Nagi's cabbit. What is it that you know about Ken Ohki?" The childlike scientist turned to everyone and said, "Well that's easy. I created him." "WHAT!?" Ryoko snapped out of her funk when she heard this. "YOU CREATED THAT DAMN FURBALL!?" "Calm down, Ryoko," Washu countered, "this was long before Nagi -- about over three thousand years before." She then sat down on the couch before she continued. "Around the time I was creating Ryoko, I got to thinking about Ryo- Ohki," she pointed at the cabbit girl, "and I realized that I didn't want her to go through her existance thinking that she was the only one of her kind. I took it upon myself to use the remaining masu that I had when I created both Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki, along with the mineral life form that I used to create Ryo-Ohki to create another cabbit. I created it in the same way that I created her, only this time, I chose the form of a male. I even gave Ken-Ohki his name. But before I could complete him, Kagato had captured me and stolen away Ryoko." "That's awful." Sasami said, hugging her friend. "Meow." Ryo-Ohki added sadly. "That's true," Ayeka added, "but that doesn't explain what Lady Funaho had mentioned." "I'm getting to that." Washu then continued, "Lady Funaho and I had talked during the royal family's visit here last year. She was concerned about an ememy of Jurai getting ahold of the technology to construct cabbit ships like Ryo-Ohki. I told her about the cabbits living in the lake and I reassured her that they were unlikely to become ships themselves. They do not have sufficient mass to do that, and are most likely to remain as small crystals, although they are very cute at that. It was then she told me about a small mystery that occurred at the Science Acadamy a week after I disapeared. It seems that my lab there was destroyed by a huge explosion. The mystery was that when the wreckage was examined, there was no evidence of any gas leaks or spilled chemicals that would have caused the explosion. It was then I remembered about Ken-Ohki and told her about him, along with my motivations about creating him. Well, naturally she was worried that some other empire might get their hand on him and -- well, you know. I told her that I would keep my eyes open and would let her know what I find." Washu's facial expression then turned thoughtful. "The poor creature must have been wandering around the galaxy all this time, feeling so lost, wondering who he really was and why he was born. Finding Nagi must have brought some purpose in his life." While the scientist was relating this, Ayeka cast a cold look towards Ryoko. "Nagi said that you destroyed her home and murdered her parents." Her voice then became bitter. "Well, I hope that you are satisfied! Your actions had not only brought this bounty hunter in existence, but now Tenchi's life is at stake here!" Ryoko could only look downcast at the princess' recriminations. For the first time that night, tears seem to be showing from her golden eyes. "Ayeka, I --" "Don't say anything, Ryoko." Washu interupted. "When you feel up to it, you can explain what happened." The pirate looked at the scientist as Washu continued telepathicly. <> Washu gave Ryoko a reassuring pat on her arm, then spoke aloud, "Let's just concentrate on getting Tenchi back." "Right. Let's do that." Ryoko replied. "First, we've got find out where Nagi took Tenchi." Kiyone then looked at the bookbag that the others had brought in and laid on the coffeetable. "Didn't she say that we would find out the location in Tenchi's bookbag?" "Yes, she did." Ayeka said as she grasped the bookbag, undid the clasp, and upended the contents of the bag on the coffeetable. All at once, five pairs of hands began rumaging thru the collection of books, papers, and writing instraments, looking for something that might give them a clue on the whereabouts of the bounty hunter and Tenchi. Washu picked up a few of the papers and began studying the writings on them, looking very intensely at what was on them. "You find anything?" Ryoko asked. "Boy I sure did." Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked at her. "Tenchi's having a little trouble with his algebra." "WASHU!!!" everybody yelled. "Okay, okay. Gee, I thought that I might be helpful." Washu grumbled. Mihoshi then saw an unusual envelope lying on the table. "Hey! Look over here, I think this might be it." She picked up the envelope, which had writing on the side. "It addressed to Ryoko." she said. Ryoko then grabbed the envelope and ripped it open. Inside, there was a map of the Earth. She followed her eyes towards a small red arrow pointing to a small area in the North American continent. "You've got to be kidding me?" she finally commented. "This must be Nagi's idea of irony. Well, if that's the place she wants for her funeral, then so be it." "Wait, Ryoko," Kiyone said, "you're not thinking about going alone, are you?" "I've got to save Tenchi. It's my fault that Nagi's got him, so I better go there." She then looked towards the teal-haired detective and said, "But I'd be a fool if I go there alone. If any of you want to come, let me know now because we're wasting time just talking." "I for one am coming." Ayeka said. "You don't think that I'm going to leave you and Tenchi alone together?" "I didn't think you would." Ryoko replied, a playful smirk showing on her face. "I'll go with you, too." Washu spoke up. "You might need some help from your mom, particuarlly about the battleground." "Fine with me, mom." Ryoko said, for once acnowledging Washu as her mother without any sarcasim. "I'm coming too." Mihoshi added. "So am I." Kiyone spoke up. "Since this is a kidnaping of Jurai royalty, it's natural that the Galaxy Police should get involved. Just make an effort not to kill her if you can, Ryoko." "Okay." the pirate sighed. "You know, you really take the fun out of grudges." "Just doing my duty, Ryoko." Kiyone added. "You can count on me, too." Sasami spoke up, looking at the others for the first time. Everyone looked at her shocked. "I'm afraid not, sister." Ayeka said as she knelt to her sister. "This is very dangerous. And besides, you're still sick." "But I want to help." the little princess pleaded. "I know you do." the purple haired Ayeka replied, resting her hand on her sister's head. "And the best way that you can help is that you stay safe here." She held Sasami close to her, "Don't worry. We'll bring back Tenchi, safe and sound." She then looked up to Katsuhito, "Yosho, could you and Mr. Masaki keep an eye on Sasami while we're gone?" "You need not worry, Ayeka," the priest said, "we'll make sure she's allright." "Yes," Nobuyuki said, "and please bring back Tenchi." Ayeka looked towards Nobuyuki and said, "We will." "I just realized something," Kiyone said, "how are we going to get there?" She shot an angry glance at Mihoshi and continued, "We wrecked the shuttle three days ago, thanks to your piloting." "The auto-landing was supposed to handle it." Mihoshi whined. "How was I to know that it would malfunction?" "Uh, bubblehead," Washu piped up, "the auto-landing function is usually tied to a ground-based landing becon," then she raised her voice, "WHICH WE DON'T HAVE HERE!!!" "Oh. So -- what do we use?" the ditzy blonde asked. It was at this juncture that Ryo-Ohki stood up, then transformed into her animal form, and looked towards everyone. "Meow! Meow-meow! Meow!" she told everyone and scampered outside. "What's going on?" Kiyone asked. Everyone followed the cabbit to the dock outside the house. Once there, Ryo- Ohki hopped into Ryoko's arms. "Okay, I know what you want," the pirate said, "You ready?" The little animal meowed in the affirmative, afterwhich Ryoko threw her into the air. Yowling as she flew, Ryo-Ohki's small form exploded greatly as she assumed her spaceship mode. Kiyone had never seen Ryo-Ohki transform into her ship form, so she was startled when the tiny critter changed. "We'er using...THAT?" she said, wide-eyed. "Oh don't worry, Kiyone," Mihoshi replied, smiling, "she's really good. Ryo- Ohki'll get us there in no time." Soon, Ryoko, Ayeka, Washu, Kiyone and Mihoshi were teleported aboard the cabbit- ship and was soon streaking off in the direction indicated in the map. Sasami watched out on the dock until they vanished from sight. Katsuhito walked up to his young half-sister and patted her shoulder. "Come, Sasami. I think it's time we've gotten you to bed." "Okay, Yosho." Sasami said, somewhat dejected at the thought of no coming along. She turned and followed the priest into the house. Nobuyuki remained on the dock, watching the night sky. *** Onboard Ken-Ohki, Nagi stood as she watched a holographic monitor. Tenchi was still restrained and gagged, also watching. Soon, a blip showed up on the screen, indicating another cabbit ship lifting off and proceeding towards the course given. "About time Ryoko's taken off. She might not be coming alone." She patted a metal container that was stored in a subspace storage unit. "Luckily, I thought about this ahead of time." Nagi then turned as Tenchi tried to speak thru the gag. He seemed to be trying to talk to her. "I don't care what you are trying to say. I'm telling you this, Ryoko will die today. And your little contribution will help a great deal." She then picked up a pair of gray gloves off the container and a gray pouch and looped both over her belt. Tenchi's eyes went wide. He then continued to try to scream and yell but the gag muffled his efforts. *** Ryo-Ohki flew eastward over the surface of the Pacific Ocean, her speed far exceeding Mach 2. Her outward configuration didn't appear to be very aerodynamic, but the cabbit-ship had as part of her construction a series of shields which allowed for efficent passage to supersonic speeds, as well as protection from air friction. Her stealth mode was not active, so she traveled very close over the ocean, kicking up a huge wake of water from the sonic shockwave. For the most part, they were unseen, except for that Russian whaling craft that got overturned when they passed them, the crew looking out of the water in a confused way. Inside her cabin. the five women prepared for whatever Nagi had in mind. Both Ryoko and Ayeka wore their respective battlesuits. Mihoshi wore her battlesuit, while Kiyone wore her Galaxy Police uniform, both of them checking their weapons. Washu wore her old Science Acadamy labcoat and, strangely, had assumed her adult form, hoping to confuse the bounty hunter. At the same time, Washu was using her holographic laptop to find out possible strategies. Ryoko was strangely quiet, watching the almost endless horizon as it gradually lightened into day. Ayeka noticed this and walked over to the pirate and studied her face. She saw a face that was a mixure of fear and worry. The princess began to wonder if Ryoko was contenplating her own death. Ayeka was about to walk away when Ryoko spoke up. "Ayeka?" Ayeka turned. "Is there something you want?" she replied. There was a long pause. "Look, in case I don't make it through this, if you want to know what happened, ask Washu. She'll tell you." "You sound as if you don't expect to win this." Ayeka said. "Is there something about Nagi that concerns you?" "No, nothing." Ryoko answered. Then she turned to the princess and said, "Make no mistake about this, Princess. I intend to win this battle. AND I intend to free Tenchi and ultimately win his heart. And you can take that to the bank." But then, the tone of her voice softened, "But, if I don't make it out of this, please take care of Tenchi for me?" Now Ayeka was feeling scared. Ryoko had certainly, in the year since they met again, had annoyed her to no end. However, she had in her heart respected the space pirate, and privatly regarded her as a true friend. To think that she might lose this friend terrified her. As for their rivalry for Tenchi's affection, Ayeka had somehow felt that she was at the losing end of the battle. She couldn't compeate with Ryoko's freespirited demenour and unconditional love for Tenchi. But all the same, she wasn't willing to give up on this sweet, caring boy who had given her and Sasami shelter when she was stranded after Ryu- Oh's crash. So she continued to fight for his attention despite Ryoko's extreamly affectionate attempts. To suddenly gain Tenchi's heart after the pirate's death would be like cheating to her. She had to say something that would inspire her rival to triumph over Nagi. "Do not worry, I am certain that we could find a way to memorialize your name. Perhaps a toy poodle or a shiz- tzu, although I am partial to a Yorkshire terrier. Don't you think so?" As she hoped, Ryoko's eyes went wide with rage. "WHAT!?! IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF A JOKE, AYEKA? OKAY, JUST FOR THAT, I MIGHT AS WELL WIN THIS BATTLE. THEN MAYBE WE CAN GET A PET MORE LIKE YOU: A JACKASS!!!" Ayeka walked away from the seething pirate, lightly chuckling as she went. 'Now maybe she can concentrate on winning, instead of dying.' she thought. As she strolled across the deck, a hand gently on her shoulder. Ayeka turned in the direction of the hand and saw Washu, a look of graditute in her emerald eyes. "Thank you." the scientist whispered. Ayeka simply smiled and nodded. All this activity was not lost upon Kiyone, who was still checking her weapons with Mihoshi. She still couldn't get used to the fact that a small animal was capable of becoming a warship, as well as a woman who can almost instantly change from a twelve year-old child to an adult. 'This is a very odd family, indeed.' she thought to herself. 'And I still haven't found out what's so special about Tenchi. He seems to get into his share of trouble and then have a group of women come and rescue him.' "That was nice of Ayeka." Mihoshi piped up, startling her partner from her thoughts. "What's so nice about it?" Kiyone countered. "All she did was insult Ryoko and then get insulted herself." "Well. yes. But Ryoko was feeling a bit down, and Ayeka did what she did and now Ryoko's feeling better. Haven't you noticed that? I certainly did." Mihoshi turned and looked at the pirate. "I think she scared about this Nagi person." "Yeah." Kiyone answered. "I'd be scared, too. How do you think Ryoko handled her in the past?" "I don't know." Soon, everyone attention was centered by Ryo-Ohki's yowling, Ryoko in particual. The cyan-haired pirate looked up at a drop-down display which showed their course and position. "Okay, Ryo-Ohki, go to subsonic and climb to five kilometers. Better engage stealth mode, too." "MRRROWWWW!" Ryo-Ohki yowled in compliance. Almost abruptly, the ship climbed upward, and everyone noticed the ship slowing down. The sun shone brightly in the spacous cabin as the women gathered around Washu, who gathered information about the site that Nagi had chosen. "So what can you tell us about this place, Miss Washu?" asked Ayeka. The scientist ignored Ayeka's use of the word 'Miss' and punched a few 'keys' on her holographic laptop, and soon a map of the area in question came up on the display dome. "Nothing much, except that it's a place of extreams." Washu answered. "It's the lowest point in the continet -- about eighty-two meters below sea-level. It's also the second hottest place on this planet. The highest recorded tempurture is fifty-seven degrees Celsius. The average annual rainfall is about four-point-five centimeters. It rich in mineral resources, some gold and silver, but mostly borax. Now it's a national monument, which means we have to watch out for park rangers in the area, not to mention we've got to keep any damage to a minimum." She looked up at Ryoko. "The locals call this place, 'Death Valley.'" "Like I said," Ryoko replied, "Nagi's got a wonderful sense of irony. So, where do we wait?" "Right here." Washu indicated to a flashing point on the map. "A formation known as Titus Canyon. It's pretty narrow, so you won't have much room to manuver if the fight gets real hairy. Also, you'll have to watch out for any falling rocks that might happen by." Washu then went to her personal display and viewed several figures. "The current temperture is right now about thirty- one degrees Celsius, so we better bring plenty of water along." With that said, everyone went back to their preparations as Ryo-Ohki glided over the California coast, on course to the state's interior. *** Even thought it was late September, and it was 10 AM local time, the temperture had already crossed the thirty-three degree mark at Nagi's hiding place, the ruins of the Harmony Borax Works. Forturnately for her, there were no tourists to this place, where she waited for Ryoko to arrive. She looked outside the crumbling buildings and sighed. How could a locations so desolate can also be so beautiful? She unscrewed the cap off her canteen and took a short sip of water from. It was then that she looked towards her captive, still bound and gagged within the structure. Still wearing a grim look on her face, Nagi strolled over towards Tenchi. "You might as well have a good, long drink." she said. "No use having you die from thirst from this place." The bounty hunter then pulled the gag off Tenchi's mouth. With his mouth finally free, Tenchi looked at Nagi and said, "Look, you have to listen to what I say." but before he could say any more, the bounty hunter put the neck of the canteen to his mouth. "Just shut up and drink." she griped. Tenchi found that he had no other choice, but to except the water. "Go slow. Don't take too much too fast." Nagi cautioned. For a minute, Tenchi drank the water she offered. Afterwards, Nagi stepped down and walked towards a small pack. There, she picked up a small cloth and began to soak it with more water. "You gotta listen to me!" Tenchi pleaded. "Ryoko's changed, you don't have fight her. You can walk away from this, I'm certain." but was interupted when Nagi shoved the wet cloth in his mouth. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I've gone too far just to walk away from this." Nagi said, almost sypatheticly. "This nightmare I've lived is going to end today. Afterwards, I'm going to find out why Kazamone left out some important facts," she said as she retied the gag, "like how could you be a Juraian prince." Soon, her attention was diverted to a beeping signal she got from a small device in her pack. Stepping off, she rushed towards the pack and picked up the device. "Looks like they arived." Nagi then looked to Ken-Ohki, who was perched on a rock. "It's time, Ken-Ohki. Let's go." The white cabbit looked to Nagi with an almost mornful look, then lept into the air, yowling as he changed into his spaceship form. Tenchi looked at this sight and wonder if Washu might have anything to do with this creature. Then he thought about what Nagi was about to do. 'How can stop Nagi from killing Ryoko, with what she's got?' Tenchi thought as he and the bounty hunter were teleported aboard Ken-Ohki. 'I gotta do something! Wait. This gag isn't tied as tight as before. Maybe if I can work this gag off, I might be able to warn Ryoko. I have to try.' Tenchi then began to descreatly move his head around as Ken-Ohki began to move towards the direction of Titus Canyon.and a battle with Ryoko and Nagi. *** "Where are they?" Ryoko growled as she paced on the canyon's uneven floor. The group had landed no more than five minutes ago and already the pirate was getting impatient. Everyone else merely gathered in one spot, away from Ryoko. "Will you calm down?" Washu said, almost annoyed. "We've just got here and already you want to fight." "Yes, Ryoko, will you please calm down." Ayeka added. "You won't do Tenchi any good in your current state." "WILL YOU SHUT UP, AYEKA!!" Ryoko snapped. She was about to say more when everyone heard Ken-Ohki come over the rise. "About time." the pirate grumbled. Then she yelled at the ship, "C'MON, NAGI!! LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH!!" Almost instantly, as if obeying Ryoko's command, the bounty hunter, with the bound-up Tenchi, teleported opposite of the group. After they were down, Ken- Ohki resumed his cabbit form and bounded next to his mistress. Nagi looked in Ryoko's direction, a smirk gracing her face. "Looks like you want to get this started, Ryoko. Are you in THAT much of a hurry to die?" "It depends. You want to get this over with, Nagi?" "In a few minutes. I've got something to do first." Nagi then touched a button on a small control unit that hung from her belt. Almost instantly, several small, silver globes appeared out of subspace and surrounded Tenchi and the group of rescuers. After holding in place, the air between them shimmered and crackled. The only ones not surrounded were Nagi and Ryoko. "What the." Ayeka gasped. "It's some kind of force field!" Kiyone added. "We're trapped!" "Don't worry," Mihoshi said, drawing her blaster, "I'll get us out of here!" "I wouldn't try it." Nagi warned. Mihoshi refused to listen and fired her blaster at one of the silver field emmiters. Almost instantly, the beam struck the emmiter and shot back at the blonde detective at twice the force. Mihoshi screamed in pain as the energy of the shot coursed thru her body, then she collaped as the energy diminished. "MIHOSHI!!!" Kiyone screamed as the other raced towards the fallen detective. "ARE YOU ALLRIGHT? MIHOSHI!?!" For a few moments, the teal-haired detective shook her partner as Washu used her holographic laptop to guage her life readings. Finally, after what seemed to be a long time, a small sound was heard from Mihoshi: "Ouch." The captive rescuers all sweatdroped, but were otherwise relieved. Kiyone then turned to Nagi and yelled, "THAT COULD'VE KILLED HER, YOU KNOW!!" "Highly unlikely." Nagi sneered. "The force of the blast only stuns, but aside from that discourages any more attempts to escape. She's lucky she didn't use a stronger blaster or else she would need hospitalazion." She then turned towards Ryoko and added, "I wouldn't try to get your boyfriend out. That same shield also prevents you from getting to him, as well as the others. And don't try to teleport, either -- if you know what's good for you." "Well, there goes half our plan." Kiyone griped. "Not yet." Washu whispered. "I'll try to get this shield down." She then turns to Ryoko and yells, "Don't worry about us! You go and kick her butt, Ryoko!" Ryoko nods and then stares at Nagi. "Anytime you're ready." Nagi answers, "I've been ready for fifteen hundred years." Ryoko then notices that Nagi was wearing gray gloves. "Never thought you were a glove wearer. I thought that you liked getting your hands dirty. "There's always a first time for everything." was the bounty hunter's only reply. For a few moments, the two advesaries stand facing each other, staring. Ryoko is soon distracted by what sounded like muffeled yelling from Tenchi. Ryoko glances towards him and whispers, "Don't worry, Tenchi. I'll get you out of this mess." Ryoko then notices that Tenchi seems to be trying to tell her something, but the gag in his mouth was preventing him from voicing them. "What?" Ryoko asks, but is soon distracted by Nagi charging towards her, sword drawn. Ryoko then charges her energy sword and charges in turn. The two then clash, swords crossing noisily as their last battle begins. Tenchi then resumes trying to work the gag out of his mouth *** Half a world away . Katsuhito left the house thru the front door, after having seen Sasami to bed. He was about to return to the shrine when he notices Nobuyuki standing on the dock by the lake, staring out to the unseen shore, being it was still dark. Walking up to his son-in-law, the priest says, "You know, you really should go to sleep. You do have to go to work in the morning." "That's allright," Nobuyuki answers, "I can call in sick in the morning. I've got time built up." His voice seemed flat and tired. "You're worried about Tenchi, are you?" Katsuhito asks after a long pause. "Yeah." the architect sighed. "I'm scared, Dad," Nobuyuki always refered to Katsuhito as Dad, although he was in truth his father-in-law, "I don't want to end up burying another family member, especially my son." Nobuyuki had never gotten over the loss of his wife, Achika. He had loved her so much that he had never considered remarrying. "I wouldn't worry too much." Katsuhito said. "I trust the girls. And I trust Tenchi. He is more powerful than you give him credit for. He'll come back to us. I know that." "I wish I had your faith, Dad." Nobuyuki then turned to Katsuhito and said, "As long as I don't have to go to work tomorrow, maybe we might shoot the breeze for a while, have a little sake, and just. well. make sure Sasami's comforable." Katsuhito smiled and said, "Not too much sake, I hope. You tend to sing very badly when you had a little too much, and I don't think my ears can handle it." "Oh pooh." Nobuyuki laughed. *** Sasami was asleep while this activity downstairs was going on. However, it was not a sound sleep. She tossed and turned, as if experiencing a really bad nightmare. Also, the emblem of power on her forehead was glowing. "No. no. watch out, Ryoko." she moaned, her thrashing becoming more frantic. Suddenly, she sat up bolt-upright, screaming, "NOOOOOO!" The glow of her emblem faded. Sasami looked around in the darkness of the room she shared with Ayeka. "Yosho? Mr. Masaki?" she sobbed, but no answer came. Feeling absolutly alone, Sasami's head sank into her lap as hot and uncomfortable tears came from her eyes. "I've got to help them." she cried. "I've just got to help Ryoko and Tenchi." <> a voice came from Sasami's head, <> Sasami's eyes went wide, for she recognized the voice in her head. "T-Tsunami? Is that you?" <> Tsunami answered, <> "OUR help?" <> "Well, yeah," Sasami answered, "but I don't feel too good right now." Tsunami lightly chuckled inside her head and answered, <> "You bet, Tsunami!" Sasami eagarly answered as she bolted out of her futon. *** After standing at the dock for about twenty minutes, both Katsuhito and Nobuyuki returned to the house for a bit of drinking and small talk. As soon as they entered, though, Katsuhito suddenly looked as if he heard a sound. He then turned to his son-in-law, who was pouring warmed-up sake into ceramic bottles. "Could you please check and see how Sasami is doing. I'll take care of the sake while you do." "Sure thing, Dad." Nobuyuki answered and soon proceeded upstairs. He walked up to the door to Ayeka and Sasami's bedroom and tapped on it lightly. "Sasami," Nobuyuki asked quietly, "is there anything you need?" When no answer came, he quietly slid the door back and poked his head in. "Sasami?" When he still heard no answer, he reached in and turned on the light. No one was there. *** Katsuhito was outside the house when he heard Nobuyuki screaming. He barely paid attention when his son-in-law came barreling out the door in a blind panic. "DAD," he yelled, "SASAMI'S GONE!!! WE GOTTA FIND HER!!! OH, I KNOW AYEKA'S GOING TO KILL ME NOW!" "Calm down, Nobuyuki." the priest said. "She'll be alright. Look over there." Katsuhito pointed to the general direction of his tree, Funaho, who was named in honor of his mother. There, in the distance, a brilliant, blue-white glow had pierced the darkness and soon faded. "I-is that where she is?" Nobuyuki stammered. "She WAS there." Katsuhito answered. "She's gone to join Ayeka and the others." "Are you sure that's a good idea? Ayeka asked us." "Sasami did not go alone." Katsuhito interuped. "Tsunami will take good care of her, don't you worry. Now let's get to that sake before it gets cold." With that, Katsuhito turned back into the house, while Nobuyuki stood there looking in the direction of the glow, scratching his head. "I'll never get used to this." he muttered as he turned back into the house. *** Back in Death Valley. The battle had been going on for about fifteen minutes, and so far Ryoko and Nagi had yet to gain any noticeable advantage. Despite the heat of the day, both combatants seem to be able to continue their attack on each other. As far it seemed, this was a 'feeling out' process, each of them trying to guage the others strenghts. The others in the meanwhile were helpless spectators to the conflict. Tenchi was having some success in trying to work his gag off, but he redoubled his efforts neverthless. Mihoshi had recovered from her misfortune with the forcefield and joined the others as part of the captive audience in the drama unfolding at the moment. Washu continued to tap away on her laptop, trying to free themselves from said forcefield, but she was having difficulties. Occasionally, she would utter curses in some of the many obscure languages that she knew under her breath as she pondered some random calculation. Ayeka observed this activity with just a little impatience. Finally, when that overtook her, she yelled at the pink- haired scientist, "WHAT'S TAKING YOU SO LONG? HAVEN'T YOU GOTTEN THAT FIELD DOWN YET?" "This is not as easy as I thought!" Washu snapped back. "This field is using a rotating frequency modulator. This Nagi must be smarter that I thought she was. But don't worry. I almost got it. It'll only take a few minutes." "A field with a frequency rotator certainly cannot generated with these small emitters." Kiyone observed. "The main generator must be somewhere." "I know." Washu said. "The generator is on the board that Tenchi's bound to. And I also found out that the energy manacles that's holding him is using the same field. So when I drop the field holding us in --" "Then Tenchi will be free also." Ayeka finished. "Exactly." Washu punctuated. "I've just about got it. Just one more figure, and --" She then hit a key with a satisfied punch. The field fluctuated briefly, but then resolidified to its original strength. "WHAT?" Washu just stared dumbly at the display. "But I got the frequency rotation locked! How could it." She looked at the display and her eyes went wide. "OH GREAT!!" "What is it?" the others choiroused. "She got a rotating AMPLITUDE modulator as well! Now both rotation rates have changed and I got to start all over again!" Washu seemed on the verge of panic at this discovery. Mihoshi meanwhile had watched the battle and saw something that nobody else had before. "Hey guys," she said, "did any of you noticed that Nagi is wearing shielded gloves?" "She is?" both Kiyone and Washu said. "Pardon me, but what are shielded gloves anyway?" Ayeka asked. "Oh those are special protective gloves that have their own forcefields." Mihoshi said. "Strange thing, though, there only used by engineers on starships and space freighters. I don't think she would need them if she had to repair Ken-Ohki." "I don't think she would." Washu added. "Ken-Ohki wouldn't need repairs in the conventional sense, because all he has to do to." A horrified look came over Washu's face. She then turned to Ayeka said, "Did you happen to see Tenchi's sword when we emptied his bookbag?" "No, why?" Then Ayeka's eyes went wide. "You don't think that she'd. but even if she did, she wouldn't be able to activate the blade because she is not Juraian royalty." "She may not have to." Washu then went back to trying to disable the field, but nothing could be able to undo the knoting in her insides as she thought of what Nagi had planned. And as for Nagi, she was having an easy time dodging Ryoko attacks. The intensity of their battle had increased greatly and Ryoko was having more trouble combating her than before, possiblly because before she had all three of her gems. Now she had the one on her left wrist. "What's the matter, Ryoko? Having a little trouble?" Nagi taunted. "Maybe you should call one of your monsters, like you always did in the past." "Maybe I just don't feel like it." Ryoko sneered back. She could summon up a monster. It had always worked before against Nagi. The only problem is that with only one gem she wouldn't be able to control it. It would go beserk, like the one she created to attack Ayeka back at the inn owned by Tenchi's great aunt. So she settled for firing energy bolts at the bounty hunter. Nagi's shield device activated just in time to deflect the bolts away. "WILL YOU STOP WITH THAT SHIELD?" Ryoko screamed, "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO HIT YOU WHEN YOU DO THAT?" "If that's what you want," Nagi said, "why don't you come down here and we'll go at it, hand-to-hand." While she said this, her left hand, which was conceled by her cloak, had crept to the pouch that had hung from her belt. Tenchi had heard this, and had by now worked off the gag. However, now he had to spit out the wet cloth that Nagi had stuffed into his mouth. His eyes had darted back and forth between the two women as he struggled to get rid of the cloth. "FINE BY ME!" Ryoko yelled as she energized her sword and charged the bounty hunter. As they did, their swords crossed once again, their eyes locked on each other. Finally, Tenchi was able to get rid of the cloth in his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "RYOKO, NAGI'S GOT MY SWORD! GET AWAY!" "Huh?" Ryoko quearried as she was back into the canyon wall by Nagi. Suddenly, she felt something jab into her stomach. Almost immedietly, a powerful electric jolt coursed painfully through her body, almost reminecent of the time Ayeka had tortured her onboard Ryu-Oh. There, in Nagi's left hand, the pommel end of Tenchi-ken was pushed deeply into her stomach. The bounty hunter had held the sword into her gut for a full thirty seconds, all the while Washu had winced almost painfully along with her daughter. The other girls looked at her and held her up after Nagi had released Ryoko. The pirate collaped on the canyon floor and strained her head up as Nagi stood before her, holding Tenchi-ken in her left hand. "What do you think, Ryoko?" the bounty hunter said with a satisfied smirk. "It's too bad that I couldn't get the blade to work, but I think the self-defense mechanisms should be enough to get you softened up." "STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Tenchi yelled. "RYOKO, GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ryoko struggled to get to her feet, her insides feeling like quivering jelly. Somehow, dispite Tenchi's plea, she had summoned the strength to energize her sword again and charged, somwhat unstedily, towards Nagi. The bounty hunter simply parried the attack and again jabbed Tenchi-ken into her gut. Again, a blast of electrical energy crackled through Ryoko, and for the first time, she screamed in intense agony. "NO!!! RYOKO!!!" Washu cried out, tears flooding out of her eyes. She had long since abandoned trying to drop the shield, her attention fully on the battle. "No." Ayeka whispered, her eyes showing tears also. "This can't be happening, Kiyone." Mihoshi cried. Her partner was too overwhelmed to even speak. Still in her 'animal form', Ryo-Ohki looked pleadingly towards Ken-Ohki. His only response was to look down sadly. "DAMN YOU, STOP IT!!!!" Tenchi screamed at the bounty hunter. His brown eyes were showing more anger that sorrow. Nagi once again released Ryoko, who again fell to the ground. "How does it feel, Ryoko?" she growled in a low voice. "Do you feel like dying? Does it hurt? Does it hurt as much as I do everytime I think about what you did to me?" She ephasised that last part with a vicious kick in Ryoko's jaw, causing a trail of spit and blood to spray out of her mouth. Gathering what was left of her strengh, Ryoko finally decided to retreat and try to battle again later. Summoning up every iota of will she had, she levitated and flew upward. But when she was thirty meters in the air, Nagi's sword-whip ensnared her feet. The bounty hunter then lept up into the air, and then jammed Tenchi-ken into the small of her back. This time, she held the sword to her back for a full minute and a half, Ryoko screaming until she had finally lost conscienceness. Nagi released her from her whip and the pirate plummeted to the ground, landing with a sickening thud. "NOOOOOO!!!! RYOKO, GET UP!!!" Tenchi cried. His gaze then turned to Nagi, who was slowly lowering herself onto the ground. "Youuuu..." he growled, his breath quickening as she strolled over to Ryoko, who thankfully was still alive, but was barely moving. "THAT'S IT, YOU'VE ALREADY HURT HER ENOUGH, NAGI!!! LEAVE HER ALONE!!!" Nagi ignored Tenchi as she reached down and grabbed a handful of Ryoko's cyan hair and pulled her head upward. "Well, I don't need this anymore." she said as she tossed Tenchi-ken aside, landing a good twenty meters away from her. Then she brought her sword aganst Ryoko's neck, looked down at her and asked with a smile, "Well, Ryoko? Any last words you want to say?" Somehow, Ryoko had managed to open her eyes, and in a low voice, said, "Go.to.hell.Nagi." "Already been there." Nagi answered. She then slowly brought her sword up, savoring the moment before she would decapitate her enemy's head. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" Washu and the others yelled, too horrified at what was about to happen. "NO! THIS CAN'T HAPPEN!!!" Tenchi yelled, straining against his bonds. "YOU WON'T.I CAN'T.RYOKO.NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" At that moment, the three thin green triangles that made up Tenchi's emblem of power became visible on his brow and blazed a brilliant blue-white, glowing brighter than the sun itself. At the same time, the silver shield emiters that surrounded Tenchi and the other girls began arcing and sparking uncontrolably. Then in a deafening "BBBBOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!", the emiters and the shields exploded, knocking Nagi over just as she was about to bring her sword down on Ryoko's neck. The bounty hunter tumbled a good fifteen meters before righting herself. She then prepared to once again battle Ryoko, only to stare dumbly at what was before her. The girls, having recovered quickly thanks to the log shield that Ayeka had quickly summoned, immedietly stopped short as well, staring at the awesome sight as well. Ryoko, having survived the blast unprotected, managed to look up. Her eyes went wide as she said one word: "Tenchi." Tenchi stood between Nagi and Ryoko, staring intently at the bounty hunter. Nagi was also staring, only not at Tenchi, but at the three brilliant blue-white petals that were between them. Kiyone was dumbfounded. She knew of the phenomenon that was before her, but she didn't believe that any person, not to mention an Earthling, was capable of this. "Lighthawk wings?" she whispered. "But I thought only Jurai treeships could generate them." "Lord Tenchi can." Ayeka answered. "It was like this when he defeated Kagato a year ago." As this discussion was going on, Tenchi held out his hands. The upper two wings passed through, replacing his dirty school uniform with his Lighthawk battle armor. The lower wind then lifted to head level, which Tenchi grasped and formed the Lighthawk sword. He then assumed his stance and prepared for combat. <> a voice in his head called. 'Huh? Tsunami?' Tenchi thought. <> Tsunami answered 'Don't kill her? But why.' <> 'Okay. I'll trust you.' Tenchi thought. Nagi looked at Tenchi, feeling very nervous but not showing it. "Look, kid. My quarrel's not with you." she began "Wrong, Nagi!" he finally said. "You came here, fully intending to kill a member of my family! And when you mess with my family, then you become MY problem!" And with that, he charged at the bounty hunter, yelling his battle cry. Nagi parried the attack, but the force of the blow had caught her off-guard. She tried to mount an attack, but Tenchi was charging again, striking at her with slashes and cuts that were more powerful than she imagined. One of those attacks finally had knocked her sword out of her hand. Then Tenchi, mentally changing the nature of the sword so that it would act as a club, struck Nagi with such force that she was propelled twenty-two meters to the canyon wall, nearly imbeding her in the rock. Ken-Ohki immedietly bounded over, concerned about his mistress. Tenchi then watched with relief as he saw that the bounty hunter was still alive. Satisfied, he willed the power of the Lighthawk wings away, his battle armor disapearing and his school uniform returning. "Oh Tenchi!" Ryoko cried out, happy tears streaming from her eyes. She had found the strength to stand up and face the one person she loved above all others. She was about to run over and give Tenchi a big hug. when she was trampled to the ground by the others as they rushed over to him. Ryoko just laid there on the ground, footprints and pawprints covering her back, then she raised her head up, looking extreamlly pissed. The other girls were giving Tenchi hugs and expressing their relief that he was alright. Kiyone was the first to say something somewhat inteligent, "That was amazing, Tenchi. I've never expected anything like this." "Well, I for one am not surprised." Ayeka added. "I was certain Tenchi would triumph over that haridan." "Wow, Tenchi. I can't believe it." Mihoshi gushed. "I believe it." Washu said, "and I wished that I had monitored the whole thing. I'm still trying to find you why you can generate Lighthawk wings." "Look, girls," Tenchi finally was able to get you, "I'm glad to see all of you, but I gotta find out if Ryoko's okay." "Oh she fine, Lord Tenchi," Ayeka said offhandedly, "what I want to know is if you're okay." "Look, I'm fine," Tenchi sputtered, "but really." "HEY HEY HEY!!!" Ryoko yelled, finally getting up and rushing over to the others, "GET AWAY FROM HIM, ALL OF YOU! AYEKA, HANDS OFF!! THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, 'MOM'!!!" she said, trying to shoo Washu away. "I'm just trying to examine Tenchi for." "I DON'T CARE!! MIHOSHI, STOP TRYING TO HUG TENCHI!! AND GET OFF HIS HEAD, RYO-OHKI!!" "MEOWWWW!!!!" With all this activity going on, nobody was paying attention to Nagi, who was struggling to get to her feet. "Chou?" Ken-Ohki asked, but she ignored him as she bent over to retrieve her sword. "It's not over yet." the bounty hunter muttered, her red eyes narrowed into angry slits as she watched the other gather around Tenchi. Quietly, she stepped towards the others, her eyes glued squarly on Ryoko. "Not by a long shot." She raised her sword as she came closer. Oblivious to Nagi's presence, Ryoko's voice began to ring out clearly. "C'mon, Tenchi! Let's go and finish off Nagi." "No, Ryoko, we can't!" Tenchi objected. "No?" the pirate almost screamed. "Are you crazy? Why not?" Tenchi was about to answer, but soon everyone heard a shout come from behind them. "DIE, RYOKO!!!!!" Nagi yelled, charging rapidly towards the group. The others turned, each one surprised but ready to fight. >THUD!< Nagi bounced backwards for a distance of three meters. Getting up, the bounty hunter's. and everybody elses. jaw dropped. Between the group, a Lighthawk wing hovered. But this wing was huge: it was two meters wide and almost twenty meters in leangh, impeding Nagi from her target. Ryoko was the first to speak. "Tenchi?" "It's not me, Ryoko." The next logical question would have been, 'Then where did this came from.' What they saw and heard next rendered that question academic. A dull roar, growing in volume, was heard. Soon, a huge ship appeared over the canyon wall. It was over two hundred meters long, twenty-five meters, blue- green in color, and appeared to be made of -- wood. "Tsunami." Ayeka whispered. "The ship of Jurai? -- here?" Kiyone gasped. For her, this was all happening too fast. She felt her head spin. She would have fainted if Mihoshi didn't hold her up. "Oh sister," Washu muttered, no one else hearing, "If the park rangers didn't hear the battle, they'll certainly see this." Earlier in the day, Nagi had felt fear. Now looking at possiblly the most powerful of Jurai's treeships, she now knew terror. Her first instinct would have been to call Ken-Ohki to form into a ship and escape, but the treeship had blocked the canyon, making that impossible. Grimly, she settled down in a defensive crouch, prepared for whatever may come. It wasn't long in coming. The Lighthawk wing that had blocked her from Ryoko began to shrink. Slowly at first, the wing contracted inwardly until it had shrunk to the size and form of an adult female. Then the blue-white glow began to diminish. When it did, it revealed a most captivating sight. An extreamly beautiful woman, wearing traditional Juraian robes, stood. She had very long, electric-blue hair, which flowed to her ankles and was tied in two ponytails. She had pink eyes and a serene look on her face. The look in her eyes seemed to envoke wisdom, as well as a bit of mischief. Kiyone was captivated, seeing this beauty. "Who's that?" she whispered to Mihoshi. "That's Tsunami." she answered. "Tsunami?" Kiyone whispered. She looked closely at her and thought, 'She looks very familiar' Tsunami then turned towards Nagi. The bounty hunter braced for an attack, although the stranger facing her did not seem to be armed. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Hello Nagi. I am Tsunami." She smiled at Nagi. "You have nothing to fear. I am not here to battle you. I am here to help you." "Help me?" Nagi eyed her suspiciously. "Help me with what?" "To help you realize the error of pursuing Ryoko." the goddess answered. "There is no error!" Nagi snapped back. "She destroyed my home, killed my parents." "Yes," Tsunami interuped, "she did do all those, but it was not her fault." This only made Nagi even angrier. "NOT HER FAULT!?! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, OF COURSE IT WAS HER FAULT!! I'VE SEEN IT ALL." "What you saw was only a minor portion of the true picture." Nagi paused in her tirade, suddenly curious about what Tsunami was saying. "What I am offering you is a chance to see the true culprit in the tragedy which had befallen you." "But how." Nagi sputtered, now unsure of herself. "Please," Tsunami asked, "open your mind to what I have to show you. There is no deception involved. All that I can show you is the truth." She then drifted towards the bounty hunter, extending a hand to her. "Tsunami?" Ryoko asked suddenly. "Yes?" "If you're going to show Nagi what happened," Ryoko paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "then you might as well show the rest of us what happened." "Are you certain, Ryoko?" Tsunami asked. "Yes. At least I owe the people who care about me the reason why all this came about. Besides, you can do it better than I can." Ryoko then looked at Tenchi, a heartfelt look in her eyes. She also looked at Ayeka with the same look. Tsunami nodded and smiled, then she closed her eyes and the twin dots of the emblem of power on her forehead glowed brightly, but not as brightly as Tenchi's was earlier. Soon, the surroundings of the group shimmered and shifted. When it was over, all had saw the scene unfolding. The setting was Kagato's chapel onboard the Soja. The fiend was standing in the great hall, studying the giant holographic map on the floor. It was of a planet that the ship was now orbiting. Soon, Ryoko had appeared and knelt in front of her master. "I'm here," she said, her voice showing a hint of boredom, "what is it that you want?" "You certainly took your time getting here." Kagato said. Then he indicated the map that was on the floor. "Anyway my dear, take a look at this world that I have projected over here." Ryoko stood up and looked. "Yeah, it's a world. So?" "There is a certain artifact that I desire from the people of that world. Unforturatly, those same people refuse to surrender that artifact to me." Ryoko studied Kagato for a brief time and then answered, "So what do you want me to do? Sneak in there and snatch it? Shouldn't be hard." "Oh nothing of the sort, Ryoko." Kagato replied. "I want you to go down there and destroy those ingrates for me." "What?" Ryoko gasped, her golden eyes going wide with disbelief. "Do I really need to repeat myself." Kagato annoyingly said. "I want you to go down and level their cities, towns, farms, in short, render that dust mote of a world utterly useless." The others watching this tableau unfolding in their minds then saw the look of horror on Ryoko's face as Kagato spoke this. They saw her look at the tactical assesment on the planet. It had adequete defenses, but they were no match for Ryoko. at least this one, who obviously had all three of her gems with her. She then looked at Kagato and said, "I won't do it." Kagato then gave the past Ryoko a look of distain, red pupils surounded by jaundiced whites and said, "Really, do we have to go through this every time I ask you to do a simple task." "A simple task!?!" the past Ryoko cried, "You're telling me to kill these people!!! I won't do it, no matter how bad you punish me!!" "Ryoko," the fiend said, his voice showing his impatience, "either you go down there and destroy that planet or you will force me to do something that we will both regret." "NO!" Ryoko said defiently, "I WON'T DO IT!!" Kagato sighed as he cleaned his spectcles. "You are really the obstanate one, are you Ryoko?" Suddenly, the ruby colored gems on Ryoko's wrists and her throat glowed a bright green. She closed her eyes and cried out in agony as she collaped to her knees and clutched her head in pain. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, the whites of her eyes now glowed the same green color. The expression on her face was devoid of emotion, a look Tenchi remembered when Kagato attacked their home a year ago. Nagi felt her breath getting caught in her throat as she watched this. 'Is this possible?' she thought to herself. 'Was Ryoko not acting on her own volition when she attacked my home?' She looked at the green glow of the gems and her eyes and remembered that same glow from when she attacked her home. Nagi then looked at the holographic image on the floor and realized that the planet that Kagato wanted Ryoko to attack WAS her home. "Now that we got that little bit of unpleasentness taken care of," Kagato said, replacing his spectcles, "go down there and destroy that world, would you, my dear?" "Yes. Kagato." the past Ryoko said, her voice flat and emotionless. She then disappeared from the chapel. It was after she left that Kagato then started laughing. At first starting as a small chuckle, it grew in a loud, maniacal laugh. Then suddenly, the scene changed to the planet's surface, where Ryoko was laying waste to the inhabitants below. Ryoko was laughing too, but her facial expression had never changed from its blank stare. Then all of a sudden, Kagato's laughter had intruded itself onto the scene. His laughter was in perfect synchronization with Ryoko's. As Nagi and the others watched this in their minds, it became apparent that Ryoko's laughter was not her own, but Kagato's. Nagi herself then looked upon the township that Ryoko was destroying. Suddenly, she had recognized several buildings below and realized that the township was her old home. Below, she saw the image of herself as a young girl, screaming at the scene while huddled close the the bodies of her parents. 'It can't be,' Nagi thought to herself, 'and yet, it is. Kagato was destroying my home, using Ryoko as his tool. She had only been a pawn in its destruction. But.' Nagi found herself trying to rationalize her own role in this drama, wondering if there was any way Ryoko could have avoided this situation. Finally, it was all over. The planet's surface laid devastated underneath Ryoko. It was at that point that the green glow in Ryoko's gems and eyes faded. A look of horror came over Ryoko's face. Slowly, she had raised her trembling hands and stared at them with tear-flooded eyes. Shutting her eyes quickly, Ryoko disappeared. The scene shifted back to Kagato's chapel. Ryoko had appeared there, then immedietly collaped to her knees crying. Kagato looked over with a disgusted look on his face and growled, "Oh why must you be so emotional about all of this. It wasn't that bad, was it?" Ryoko wept for a few minutes before answering, "Well, what are you waiting for? Why don't you go down there and get your damned precious trinket?" "That's okay, I've already got it, thank you." Kagato sighed, in which he produced a small, silvered object in his hand. "Unfortunetly, it held no clue to what I was looking for." He then crushed the artifact in a swift move and dropped it on the floor in front of Ryoko. "What!?!" the past Ryoko said, staring at the crushed artifact before her, "you already had that. that thing. even before you sent me down?" Her voice was fairly quavering with rage. "YOU TOOK OVER MY BODY AND DESTROYED THAT PLANET. FOR NOTHING!?!" "Oh I wouldn't say that it was entirely for nothing." Kagato said matter-of- factlike. "It served mainly as an example to others that might be foolish to question my power. And as for you, a little punishment for your willfullness. Maybe now you might do as I say without questioning me. You are excused." And with a wave of a hand, Kagato transported Ryoko to her holding cell. Once there, Ryoko fell to her knees and screamed in anguish over the destruction of the planet. The images faded. Once again, the group found themselves on the floor of Titus Canyon. It was very apparent that everyone was moved in someway to the visions Tsunami had presented. Mihoshi was bawling uncontrolably, and even Kiyone couldn't hold back tears. Ayeka looked haunted, and in a surprising turn, supportily embraced Ryoko, along with Tenchi and Washu. As for Ryoko, there were bright tears on her face as even Ryo-Ohki came and nuzzled her gently. She looked over to Tsunami, who was still standing between her and Nagi and silently mouthed, "thank you." The goddess nodded in acnowledgement. Nagi stood alone, her mind a mass of confusion as he tried to sort out the visions that she had saw. Ryoko had destroyed her home, no doubt about it, but it was Kagato who was 'pulling the strings' so to speak. Ken-Ohki came over and yowled at her, trying to get his mistress' attention. "What?" the bounty hunter said, not really paying attention. "Now you see," Tsunami began, "that Ryoko was as much a victim as you were. She was nothing more that a helpless marrionette, manipulated by a heartless fiend. What you do next is up to you." Tsunami then glided towards Ryoko and the others. "Is there something that you want to say to Nagi, Ryoko?" she asked. Ryoko then looked over to Nagi. She saw that the bounty hunter was debating in her mind about what to do next. This fight might just start anew, or she might just walk away. Ryoko knew in her own mind that this vendetta had gone too long without some sort of resolution. It was time to offer one. "Excuse me, everyone." the pirate finally said. "Where are you going, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked. "I'm going to end this feud, Tenchi." "You're not going to fight her again?" Ayeka said. "After what she's seen." "No, I'm not going to fight her. Listen Tenchi, Ayeka, I want you to promise me that whatever happens next, you both don't interfere. Got it?" "Okay, Ryoko." Tenchi said, suddenly uneasy. "Yes. I will do likewise." Ayeka answered, also equally uneasy. With that, Ryoko walked away from the group and approached Nagi. The bounty hunter saw this and got into a defensive stance. However, the pirate stopped short and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen, Nagi," she began, "everything Tsunami showed us was the truth. I didn't want to destroy your world. They wouldn've stood a chance. But Kagato always had a way of 'convincing' me to do otherwise. Look, it's not like I've never killed anyone of my own free will while I was his slave, but if I did, it was in self-defense. What happened on your world happened on other worlds as well." She glanced over towards Ayeka, "That includes Jurai as well. If it was at all possible, I'd gladly give my life to bring back your parents, Nagi." Tears once again appeared in Ryoko's eyes. "Unforturnatlly, I can't. But if my death is the only way I can give you comfort," she held out her hands, palms open, "then I'll let you kill me, right here, right now." "RYOKO, NO!" Tenchi cried out. He tried to lunge out to her, but was stopped by a gentle but firm look from Tsunami, who slowly shook her head, but said nothing. "STAY BACK, TENCHI!" Ryoko said, not turning her gaze away from Nagi. She then bowed her head and closed her eyes. "My fate is in your hands, Nagi. What will you do?" It seemed that time had stood still. Hardly anyone moved during that time. Nagi simply looked at Ryoko, who was laying herself open for her to kill, and towards the sword in her hand. This was a golden opportunity, to end herself of the nightmare that had plagued her for fiftteen hundred years. But was it really right? Ryoko was sweating profusely, not a result of heat or fatigue, but of worry. She was hoping with this gesture, it might force Nagi to make a decision one way or the other. But was it the right way? 'Oh god,' the cyan-haired beauty thought, her body trembling, 'what if I'm wrong about all this? What if she --' >CLANK!< Ryoko's eyes snapped open at the sound. She lifted her head and gasped at the sight. Nagi had dropped her sword on the ground. Her blood-red eyes were brimming with tears, her face a mask of anguish. "Ryoko," she finally spoke, her voice low and choked, as if she were sobbing, "I.I.I." Before she could say anything, the bounty hunter had collaped to her knees, her hands over her face as, for the first time since that awful day over fifteen hundred years ago, she was crying. "I can't do it!" she sobbed. "How could I do it after all that I've seen!" Nagi wept alone for only a few minutes when she felt a pair of strong arms embracing her. Looking up, she that Ryoko -- her sworn enemy for over a millenia -- was hugging her, tears also in her eyes. "It's okay, Nagi." Ryoko said, looking at her, "I understand how you feel. I've been living with that nightmare called Kagato for over five thousand years. I'll live with those deaths that he made me commit for the remainder of my years. But at least I'll do that knowing that Kagato is dead. Tenchi destroyed him, and freed me. And now, he's freed you as well -- from the hate that poisoned you all this time." With that, the two resumed embracing each other, sharing the knowledge of shared pain and shared healing. Almost everyone was silent watching this scene. Mihoshi was sobbing loudly and leaning on Kiyone. "Oh, this is so touching." she cried. "Oh please." Kiyone moaned, her eyes rolled up in her head. Ken-Ohhi walked over towards Ryo-Ohki. The two cabbits then nuzzled each other, happy that their mistresses had ended their feud. Tsunami smiled at the scene, fading away gradually. Tenchi grinned, thankful that no one was killed in the process. Ayeka sighed contentedly, glancing over at Washu, who had reverted to her child form. "Well, I'm glad this is over." the scientist said. "Me too." Ayeka replied, smiling in spite of herself. "Yep. That's for sure." another voice piped up. Everyone turned in the direction of the voice. There, standing next to Ayeka, was a familiar electric blue-haired child, smiling wide and happily. "Sasami?" Ayeka gasped. "But, how did you. oh, nevermind." Ayeka then gave her sister a big hug and asked, "How are you feeling? You look alright." "I am, Ayeka." Sasami answered. "Tsunami got me all better. So, is Nagi going to stay with us?" Everyone, including the two former enemies, then looked at each other. Nagi spoke up, "Look, I don't want to impose on you. And besides, I don't think want to settle down yet." "Then why don't take a small vacation. You know, just stay for a week, until you're feel up to.you know.going back to.doing what you do." Tenchi managed to get out. Ryoko then spoke up, looking at Nagi, "And in the meantime, you and me can possibly get a chance to know each other better? You know? Girl stuff?" "I guess." Nagi said. "Besides, I think should get in a few appoligies, especially with Tenchi's family." "Alright then," Tenchi said, "it's settled. Nagi, why don't you stay for the week." "I think I might." the bounty hunter. "Don't worry, Nagi," Ryoko said, "you'll have a blast. But just remember, Tenchi is mine, so back off from him." "What do you mean 'Tenchi is 'YOURS?'" Ayeka answered threatenly. "Just what I said, little princess, Tenchi is mine. We were ment for each other, remember?" the pirate answered. "Well I do remember that Lord Tenchi IS a member of Jurai royalty and he is destined to marry me," the princess snobbishly answered, "so there." "OH GET OFF IT, AYEKA!!!!" "MAKE ME, YOU OLD BAG!!" "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?!" By then, Mihoshi and Kiyone rush over to try to separate the two rivals, who are threatening to go at each other, as usual. And as usual, Tenchi simply groaned and slumped his shoulder. "Does THIS allways happen?" Nagi asked, walking over to Tenchi "Unfortunatly, yes." Tenchi moaned. "HEY," Ryoko yelled, "JUST WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, NAGI!?!" "YES, JUST WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT, YOU HARIDAN!?!" Ayeka screamed. She and Ryoko nearly lept upon the bounty hunter, but were restrained by Mihoshi and Kiyone, who were joined by Washu and Sasami. Tenchi, Nagi, and the two cabbit just looked dumbly at what was going on. "I better stay out of this one," she said, walking away from Tenchi, "I just made up with Ryoko, I don't want to start fighting her again over you." Ken-Ohki looked at Ryo-Ohki. "Chou?" he asked. Ryo-Ohki bowed her head and answered, "Meow, meow-meow." *** AUTHOR'S NOTES--Finally, I've gotten to the end of this. I am right now suffering a major case of braincramps just cooking up this story. And I still not finished with this one! But more on that later in this rant. I have to admit that this was the most difficult story to write, but I thought that Nagi was too good of a character to leave out. If may of you are familiar with the Nagi featured in 'Tenchi Universe', you'll note that she was after Ryoko simply for ecconomic reasons. I thought that, since this is set in the OVA universe, I'd give a darker reason for Nagi's obsession. Like most of my stories, I thought that I could do a better job. Tell you what. if anyone has a yen to, you can go over this and my other stories, and if you got a suggestion to make it better, feel free to do a little proofreading. Just don't claim them as your own. I may not have them copywrited, but I keep copies. Or if you feel like it, go ahead and MST this story. As for future projects. I myself might venture into the world of MST's myself. I found a few stories (mostly lemons) that are overdue for some skewering. I won't say which stories, but keep an eye on the TMFFA. I might just offer an MST or two. As for this storyline.I will try to wrap up this series with Nagi's vacation at the Masaki home. What happens is yet to be written, but I hope to settle the mystery of what happens to Baron Kazamone (you don't think I'm going to let him off so easy), and an apperence of the first ladies of Jurai. I think you know who. So until then. LATER!!!! 9/11/01 FDNY-NYPD-THE REAL HEROES