Requiem -- Chapter 3: Prometheus Unbound Standard Disclaimer:Ranma 1/2 is the property of Hiroki Hayashi, Emotion, Pioneer Entertainment, and Viz Entertainment This story is written on a non-profit basis. Any unauthorized (ie for-profit) use of this story is strictly prohibited. Let it be on your head if the above people should find out that you have done so anyway. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- As Mihoshi ran headlong through the overgrown foliage, a second ship appeared in the sky. A ship fashioned from one of the holy trees of Jurai. "How can she run through this when she normally stumbles over her own feet?" Kiyone puzzled, watching Mihoshi race before her. Grumbling, Kiyone pushed through the leafy undergrowth, the humid haze of summer morning clinging to her skin. "Look, Kiyone! Another ship!" Mihoshi exclaimed, pointing to the sky. Kiyone stepped up beside Mihoshi and looked at the two ships. "Ryo-ohki and...who? I don't recognize the ship but the tree looks familiar for some reason," Kiyone pondered. With a booming crash like the crack of a breaking tsunami, the two ships charged at one another. As each of the leviathans pushed against its opponent, a solitary figure appeared above each ship. Mihoshi moved up to the flying female figure. "Ohayou, Ryoko!" she called. Kiyone rolled her eyes at Mihoshi. Raising her left hand to shade her eyes against the glare of the morning sun, Kiyone peered closely at the second figure. Kiyone drew in a breath of shocked surprise then shook her head in disbelief. She -had- to be wrong. There was no way it could be -him-! At this distance, she could have mistaken him for someone else, after all. "Oh, no! They're crashing!" Mihoshi cried, shaking. As they watched, the ships began smoking, rapidly descending towards the ground at an angle. An angle aimed right where they were standing! Wide-eyed in fear, Mihoshi began crying and flailing, running around with no apparent direction. Kiyone glanced at the rapidly descending ships, cursed, grabbed Mihoshi's wrist, and dove into a thick patch of woods. The two ships skimmed low through the air at the top of the hill. Ryo-ohki crashed, skipped, and bounced through the forest until it landed in the lake, quickly sinking under the water. The Juraian ship clipped the top of the hill, scraping away the very spot the two officers had been standing mere moments ago. Kiyone watched the Juraian ship roll down the hill, gouging huge gouts through the ground scant meters from their hiding place. Mihoshi was curled on the ground, her head tucked between her arms. Finally the second ship skidded to a halt in the forest valley. The countryside resounded with the echoes of the cataclysmic crash landings. Kiyone slowly peered out of the brush, cold sweat trailing down her body. The wind rose goosebumps on her skin. All was still as the echoes finally died away. There was no sign of Ryoko or her mysterious opponent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- Tenchi looked around the shrine in silent shock and anger. What had happened here?? When he ran in he had seen Ryoko attacking his grandfather and father. But why had she done this? And why did she not even seem to recognize him? He had seen Ryoko like this only once before...when Kagato had controlled her mind and forced her to attack -him-. Kneeling by his father, Noboyuki, Tenchi checked to make sure he was still alive. Sasami looked at where her older sister Aeka had stood only minutes ago. She knew they had to go after Aeka soon. The royal family of Jurai ha many enemies seeking the power of Jurai...a power only her family could summon and control. Washu stood in the door way, thinking furiously. Without access to her lab, she knew Tenchi would need to rush his father to the city hospital several miles away. Yet time was of the essence if they were going to save Aeka, as well as her own daughter, Ryoko. This was made even more difficult without a spaceship in which to follow Mecha- Washu. Mecha-Washu had gained control of Ryo-ohki as she had Ryoko. She had felt it happening through the connection they shared. Mihoshi and Kiyone had disappeared, preventing use of their police cruise ship. On top of all that, there was also the matter of Yosho's imprisonment within Funaho with which to contend. Their forces were few and their power weak. Sighing, Washu looked around at the shrine. Although Katsuhito normally kept his shrine immaculately clean, it was severely damaged, dirt and rubble strewn everywhere. 'Well, at least I have enough dirt with which to write...time to devise a counter-plan,' Washu thought as she began scratching at the dirt to write. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Aeka quietly moaned in pain as she woke, holding her head. Opening her eyes, she found that she was inside a blue energy sphere inside Ryo-ohki. Standing in front of her as if a marionette hanging limply from her puppetmaster's strings was Ryoko. Ryoko watched Aeka with glowing red eyes devoid of life and sentience. Aeka curled her lip at Ryoko, then a look of concern briefly flickered across her face. A soft cackle from Ryoko's right side drew Aeka's attention. "Oh, was that an actual look of -compassion- from the ice queen to her infernal enemy?" Mecha-Washu laughed icily. "Who are you to presume to know me so well??" Aeka snapped. "One who has suffered at the hand of you and those like you," Mecha-Washu responded. "I know your kind. You care for none but yourself. You take without giving. You expect others to conform to your wishes without consideration as to -why- that cannot and SHOULD not always be. And then you dare believe that -you- have the right to judge -them-!" Mecha-Washu sneered. "You should be happy, your highness, for I will shortly dispose of Ryoko once and all for you," Mecha-Washyu announced darkly. "Of course I cannot release - you- either. Your people are a threat to my existence, and you are a -very- useful pawn against their interference." With that said, Mecha-Washu turned her back to Aeka in contempt and walked off, softly cackling to herself. As the echoes of her laughter died away, so did the light. "A PAWN?! She intends to use -me- as a pawn against -Jurai-??" Aeka shouted, fuming angrily. For as long as she could remember, she had always been a pawn. She was used by her family and government to forge alliances, yet seldome did anyone ever ask what -she- wanted. Because of position and power, she was never allowed to have friends. Juraian law maintained that, as the crown princess, she must study and work to be a legislator and ambassador. Never was she allowed to simply be herself, child or young woman. There was only one bright point in her bleak childhood -- her dear brother Yosho. She had loved him with all her heart and knew he loved her in return. To know that one day she would be his bride was the greatest joy in her young life. "And then -you- came," Aeka spat bitterly at Ryoko, meeting her blank gaze with a fiery glare. The day Ryoko the space pirate came to Jurai was the day all light would be extinguished from her life as her dreams and hopes crashed to the ground in flames. Seeking to defend his world against Ryoko's depredations, Yosho sailed into battle onboard his ship Funaho. Yosho and Ryoko battled through the galaxy until Jurai lost all contact and they both disappeared to never be heard from again. Aeka had tried to wait for her beloved Yosho's return but eventually could wait no longer and went after him. His trail would eventually lead to the relatively primitive and remote planet of earth. A world which would change Aeka's life forever. It was upon this world that she would find her heart-sworn enemy, Ryoko...only to discover that she was not the monster she expected to find. "How was I to know that Kagato had been controlling you? All I knew and cared about was that you had taken the light and love from my life," Aeka mumbled, avoiding looking at Ryoko.
Yet she -would- find her love on earth. She discovered that Katsuhito was her beloved Yosho. He had never returned to Jurai because of the nobility's disapproval of their engagement. They held him in disdain because he was only half-Juraian. So many years had passed that Funaho had taken root in the soil of this planet earth. Yosho could never leave or he would age and die away from Funaho. Turning her back to Ryoko, Aeka shed several tears at the memories. Earth, however, brought her the hope of new love in the form of Yosho's grandson, Tenchi. His simple, honest ways were charming and refreshing to Aeka after a lifetime at the royal court of Jurai. Tenchi's brave determination to protect her and the others earned her admiration. More than anything, it was Tenchi's concern for her as a person, not her title, that captured her heart. "I love Tenchi too," Aeka confessed to Ryoko, feeling it now more than ever, knowing she may never see him again. "Too bad you'll never see him again then, isn't it?" Mecha-Washu mocked cruelly, smirking at Aeka as she stepped out of the shadows once more. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Mihoshi blinked her eyes and listened. The horrible booming crashes had finally ceased. Was it over? Were they safe? Lowering her hands from her face and sitting up, she looked around herself. Her heart lurned from her chest when she did not see Kiyone. Had only -she- survived? Had Kiyone been killed in the crash? "K...Kiyone?" Mihoshi called, hoping and praying to hear a reply.
Kiyone considered not answering but she knew she couldn't be that cruel. Despite Mihoshi's bungling, Kiyone knew Mihoshi cared about her and considered her her best friend, maybe her only one. Kiyone hated to admit it, but she cared about her too, although she would never be certain why. "I'm down here," Kiyone called back from the bottom of the hill. "Oh, Kiyone!" Mihoshi cried happily, running down the hill towards Kiyone. "When I didn't see you...I thought...I thought...Oh, Kiyoneeee!!" Mihoshi cried loudly, bawling loudly as she captured Kiyone in a desperate hug. Kiyone sighed and looked off in exasperation, occassionally wincing at the strength of the hug. It was true, though. This -had- been one of the closest calls. "I'm all right, Mihoshi. Could you *ouch* let go now?" Mihoshi nodded and released Kiyone. "Where are we, Kiyone?" she asked, looking around the valley. "I think the question's more like -when- are we?" Kiyone replied. "the second ship was Funaho, Lord Yosho's ship," she said, pointing out the giant tree, standing far above all the others in the forest. "But...he came to earth over 700 years ago!" Mihoshi exclaimed. "I know. We had to have been transported back in time somewhere along our path," Kiyone explained. "Providing the point of transference isn't closed, we should eventually be able to find our way back by retracing our steps." "And if it -is- closed?" Mihoshi asked quietly. "Then we wait...for 700 years," Kiyone said darkly as she began to make her way up the slippery ravine. Mihoshi swallowed hard and followed. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------- Sasami looked down at what Washu had written in the dirt of the shrine floor. "Prometheus?" she asked perplexed. "What is that, Washu?" Washu continued writing. "Oh! Now we can get into your lab! We should hurry," Sasami said, comprehension in her eyes as she smiled at Washu and nodded. Washu mewed and hopped onto Sasami's shoulder. "We should hurry. Father has been hurt badly," Tenchi said grimly, struggling to shoulder Noboyuki's body over his shoulders. "Dad really could stand to lose a few pounds," Tenchi mumbled with a groan as he staggered out of the shrine. Sasami cast a regretful glance back at Funaho as she quickly followed after Tenchi. So far each and every one of her new family had been eliminated, but now she felt a glimmering of hope. Despite what had happened to Washu, she still refused to surrender. She knew the others would do the same. They had faced and defeated horrendous enemies before, she knew they could and would do it again. Unlike the rest of that morning, the walk back to the house was quiet and uneventful. The silence was broken only by their own footstep, even their breath seemed to reverberate in the stillness. Occassionally they would peer at the trees and bushes around them as if expecting another attack. Once Tenchi and Sasami had arrived at the entrance to Washu's laboratory, they were emotionally exhausted. Washu hopped down from Sasami's shoulder to push her lab door open with her head. Once inside, she walked over to a cryogenics tube, looking back and mewing at Tenchi. "You're saying I should put dad inside that thing, Washu?" Tenchi asked, looking askance at the machine. "It's ok, Tenchi. We have these on Jurai. It'll put him in a deep sleep and keep him from getting worse. He'll be fine until someone can help him," Sasami reassured Tenchi, holding the capsule open for him. "I hope he gets well soon. I don't want to lose my father too," Tenchi quietly said as he lowered Noboyuki into the tube. "I know," Sasami replied, softly hugging Tenchi after sealing Noboyuki into the capsule. "Password please," the main computer requested in a monotone voice. "Prometheus," Sasami answered, hoping Mecha-Washu hadn't changed the password yet. "Password accepted. Main systems online. Sub-systems on stand-by," the computer intoned. Washu hopped over to the main computer and looked at the keyboard. After a couple attempts at typing by padding at the keys with her paws, she sighed and laid her head down in frustration. Hopping down, she bounded across the cold metal floor and burrowed through her teaching materials. After a few moments, she pushed her head back out, holding a metal pointer in her mouth. Hopping back over to the computer, Washu began typing furiously by pressing the keys with the pointer. "Konban wa, Tenchi. Konban wa, Sasami," the computer greeted. Blinking, Tenchi looked upwards, surprised. "Uhmm....konban wa," Tenchi replied uncertainly. "Konban wa, computer," Sasami said, glancing at Tenchi quizically. "Miss Washu? What's going on?? Where are Ryoko and Aeka??" Tenchi shouted. "It seems that Mecha-Washu has decided to become the master instead of my assistant," the computer answered. "I believe she is on Ryo-Ohki. She has gained control of Ryoko's and Ryo-ohki's minds and has taken Aeka hostage." "But why? Why has she done this??" Tenchi demanded. "I can only guess that something went wrong during the personality overlay," the computer said. "But, Washu, she had Mihoshi's mind before....her behavior isn't like yours -or- Mihoshi's," Sasami declared. "That is true, Sasami. Therefore, that is why I believe the personality overlay malfunctiones," the computer replied. "I ned to send you to fight her, Tenchi. Sasami, I need you to remain and act as my assistant. Only by all of us working together can we hope to defeat her," Washu announced. 'All this and I still haven't had breakfast,' Tenchi mentally sighed as his stomach audibly grumbled. "Prepare yourself, Tenchi. As soon as you arrive in Ryo-ohki, Mecha-Washu will send Ryoko after you. I will try to break her control over my daughter. You must do the rest," the computer declared. As Washu's words reached Tenchi, a wind arose and circles around Tenchi, teleporting him onboard Ryo-ohki. "Now, Sasami, we must make preparations for the return of my wayward 'daughter'," the computer stated. End Requiem -- Chapter 3: Prometheus Unbound