Brian Burke Tenchii@hotmail.com ==-==-== Disclaimer: Pioneer owns these characters. I'm just trying to intro a new idea. No copyright infringement intended! Rikano is mine, as well as Wind-rider. =-==-==-= Rikano Brian Burke Tenchii@hotmail.com =-==-==-= On the bridge of the ship Windrider, a lone figure sits in the lonely chair on said deck. Most of the body is in the shadows, except for the boots. With feet propped up on the console, the figure considers the recent turn of events. "Well, where should we go?" she asks her furry companion. The critter in question is red in color with long ears and a puffball tail. A small jewel protrudes from her head as she starts to stir. Standing on the console, "meow?" she asks groggily. Swinging down her booted feet, the lone girl stands and carries her animal friend across the deck and starts to pace. As the girl comes into the light, she is seen wearing black spandex shorts and a loose white shirt with red across her shoulders. She also has a dark blue cape hanging off her shoulders. Her dark brown hair is kept in a ponytail with a hairband at her shoulders and another at the small of her back. Her hair continues down over her rump. "How about we try and track down Ryoko?" she asks in a bit of a high voice. "Meow? Meow meow." "Oh, I wouldn't worry about her," she says, smiling, "Nagi won't mind some competition." "Meow..." she reminds. "No, I haven't forgotten!" How could she forget the display Nagi put up for her. =-==-==-= At a bar on Tyran, she met Nagi while waiting for a drink. Of course, she heard about Nagi. Who hasn't? Finally, her drink came, and Nagi looked at her suspiciously. "Who are you supposed to be, kid?" she asked. The girl looked to Nagi a bit timidly, "Rikano," she responded nervously. "I see. And what are you up to? Pretending to be a bounty hunter?" she asked, eyeing her attire. "Uh, yeah. I am." Smiling, Nagi took the drink and sniffed the air around the top of the glass. "There's no alcohol in this. How old are you, 'bounty hunter?" Taking the said drink, "Nineteen. Is there a problem with that?" "NINETEEN?!" she roared. "We got ourselves a novice!!" she bellowed. Rikano turned absolutely white at that. Looking over to the rest of the patrons, she can see most of them walking towards her. Three, to be exact. One in particular, a hooded man, walked behind her and gave a tug to her ponytail. "OW!" she protested. Pulling on the said hair, "let go!" "Long hair. Must be a novice," he said to the others. Another gave a tug at her loose shirt. Fearing the worst, she pulled the fabric from him. "Loose clothing," the large man said. "Must be a novice." The third gripped her chin and pushed it from one side to the other. "No marks. Must be a novice." Finally, Rikano gets up to walk away, leaving her drink. Nagi, taking the beverage, downs it. "Must be a novice." "Yeah, so I'm a novice! Big deal!" "You don't understand," the first one started, "you need to be initiated in order to become a true bounty hunter." "Initiated?" she asks. "What do you mean?" =-==-==-= An hour later, she found out what he meant as she was put on a bounty hunter cross, stark naked, and just out of town. As the four left, she could hear laughter coming from the group. "Initiation?!" Nagi laughed. "That was a good one, Michaco!" "Get me down!" Rikano screamed. "Do you hear me? Get me off this thing!" She wailed like that clear into the night, when her cabbit came from the ship and freed her. Chewing on the ropes, she quickly freed the girl. "What took you so long?" "Meow..." "Lazy bum," she grumbled as she dressed. =-==-==-= "Those people humiliated me," Rikano continues. "I need to make a name for myself, and catching Ryoko will definitely do that." "Meow meow..." "How hard can she be to beat?" "Meow..." "Look, everyone has limits, including her." Smiling again, "besides, it sounds like fun!" =-==-==-= As another hot day bakes the landscape, a man in brown work clothes tends what has to be the largest carrot patch in existence. With him is the field's other caretaker, who mostly eats the profits of the man's work. As the furry critter plants new seeds, the black haired one takes the rewards from the previous planting a few months ago. "Tenchi!" a high voice calls from nearby. Looking over to the source of the caller, he sees a small girl with blue hair in a pair of tails approach him. Wearing orange coveralls, white shirt, and white sweatband on her forehead, she carries a glass of ice water to her friend. "I brought you some ice water. I figured you might need it. Sure is hot today, isn't it?" "Yeah, it is," he says, sipping the water. "Thank you very much, Sasami," he says to her. Smiling wide, "sure!" As she scans the area, she sees an unfamiliar form walk towards the field. "Who's that, I wonder?" Looking in a parallel direction, Tenchi looks to who Sasami is referring. "I'm not sure. She doesn't look like she's from Earth." Walking towards the group, the newcomer looks at them in wonder, but trying to keep a business-like frame of mind. "Excuse me," she says to them, "I'm looking for someone named Ryoko. Have you heard of her?" "Uh, yeah," Tenchi replies. "Why do you ask?" "Meow?" the cabbit asks. "Someone looking for me?" Ryoko asks, teleporting in. "Are you Ryoko?" the girl asks. "Yes, and who might you be?" Pulling out a sword, "I am Rikano Kumihida," she says in her adolescent voice. "And I'm taking you in." The addressed individual simply bursts into laughter. "What makes you so sure?" she asks her. "What makes you think you can beat me?" Thinking for a second, "why do you say that? I can easily beat you!" As her laughing subsides, "like you did with Nagi?" Turning red, "w-what do you mean?" "She told me about what happened at the bar. Initiation. That was a good one," she says, launching into more laughter. "Ryoko," Sasami asks, "do you know about her?" "Nagi told me about her when we were on more peaceful terms. She's a NOVICE bounty hunter." "Yeah? So?" she shouts. "Everyone's a beginner at some point!" Creating a beam-sword, "yeah, but none are as dumb as you!" Flying forward, she watches as the girl runs back into the woods, screaming. "Ah, come on! You said you wanted to take me in! Didn't you know there was a fight involved?" On instinct, Ryo-Ohki runs off after the space pirate. Quickly catching up to Ryoko, "miya! Miya!" Seeing a ship drop down, "So, that's her ship!" After a second of thought, Ryoko hurls a ball of energy at her, which she deflects with her sword. The blast is deflected straight at her ship, blowing a hole in it. "What a piece of crap!" Ryoko shouts. "No! My ship!" Rikano shouts while running. Looking back, she still sees the space pirate on her heels. Finally, she sees her ship plow into the ground. Although no bigger than a GP cruiser, it was the only ship she had. Running to wreckage, she sees her cabbit sitting next to the heap. "Meow..." the red critter says. Looking back to her bounty, "why'd you do that?" she screams. That was my ride home and you killed it!" "Look, kid, that was your fault! You sent the blast in this direction." Looking down, she notices the girl's furry companion. "THAT was your ride? Boy, have you got a lot to learn!" "W-What do you mean?" she asks, noticing Ryoko walking closer. Taking out her sword, "s-stay back!" Ryoko simply makes a beam sword and knocks the would be bounty hunter's sword into the ground, right next to her cabbit, Ryo-Ohki. Picking up the other cabbit, "do you know what this is?" "Uh, no," she stutters. Shaking her head, "boy, is she dense," she states. "Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko shouts. "A demonstration!" The said animal lifts off and transforms into an all too familiar form. "Meow!" Rikano just stands there, stammering. "It's a-a space ship!" "Duh!" Ryoko shouts. "Didn't you know that?" "No, I didn't!" she shouts back. Grabbing her cabbit from the criminal, "and you didn't tell me this," she asks the animal. "Meow...." she says, sheepishly. Ryoko turns and slaps herself in the face. "She's so dense!" Ryo-Ohki shrinks back into a cabbit, and starts to meow curiously. "No, I don't think so. Let's go. She's not worth my time," Ryoko says, walking out of the clearing. Or at least it is now, with a very recent addition taking out a number of trees. She picks up Ryo-Ohki as she passes her. "Wait!" Rikano shouts, running after her, "I'm still taking you in!" Ryoko faces her and makes a small sphere of energy. "Really?" "Uh, please?" she says nervously. "Come on, kid. You got people to meet. Let me show you why I'm still here." -End? Nah!-