TENCHI MUYO! RYO-OHKI +1 EPISODE 2: HERE COME AYEKA AND SASAMI ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -CHAPTER 1- Concerning Events Occuring To A Princess, A Protector, And a Pirate Moonlight shone upon the trees on the spaceship: Ryu-Oh. The grass felt cool upon the feet of the little Princess, but not uncomfortably so. She gave out a giggle as she tossed a small stick across the moonlit meadow. The small ermine-like creature which she usually carried about upon her arm, bounded after it, its movement resembling a combination of the motions of an undulating dragon and a bounding kitten. It picked up the stick and dutifully returned it to its mistress. "Good girl." Sasami laughed, once again tossing the stick and laughing as her pet once again boundulated after it. An iridescent silver sphere floated up to her. "Sasami." it said, in a soft female voice. "Its time for your cooking lessons." "Okay!" Sasami smiled. She followed the sphere into the kitchen. On Jurai, such a thing never would've happened. But in deep space, where anything could happen, there was always a possibility that Sasami and Ayeka might end up having to cook for themselves. The concept had been distasteful to Ayeka. She felt that such menial tasks as cooking and housework were beneath her stature as a Princess. She had tried to convince Sasami of this, too and had failed utterly. It had been impossible to get Sasami to truly believe she disapproved of her cooking when she was making yummy sounds while ingesting one of Sasami's recent culinary endeavors. But Sasami was a little girl with a child's curiosity. Her heart still rejoiced at the simple things that she would learn to scorn as an older Princess. She enjoyed making all manners of meals and was actually very good at it, despite her young age. Sasami sang quietly to herself as she attended to her task. The song was an Earth tune called Seven O'Clock Rain. It was one of her favorite Earth tunes. It wasn't loud and boisterous like the music they people of Earth called "Heavy Metal". She had heard some of that, too. She thought that the music itself was a bit too busy for her. It was the musical equivalent of trying to listen to five people talk at once. But some of the lyrics were pretty interesting. One song in particular, called "Princes of the Universe", held her ear for its entirety. She was reminded of her older brother when she heard it. Particularly during the bridge solo. The song wasn't an exact match for Yosho. But it was enough to make her think of him. *** Not far away from Ryu-oh, a day's journey away, the best equipped escape pod in the Galaxy flew toward the planet Earth at a relatively slow rate of speed. Inside, an ancient protector turned the pages of a Japanese language dictionary. The computer implant in his brain stored the words, their pronounciations, and their definitions. Even at this rate, it would take a few hours. He paused somewhere in the G's and made himself some lunch. While he ate, he permitted himself time to reflect. He had been raised in a laboratory. Most of his life had been spent there. He attended Academy classes via teleview transmission. His non-classroom time consisted of various forms of physical exercise: Martial Arts training with a holographic Sensei, optical training in the form of game called Mah Jongg, and a highly stylized method of training for multi-attacker ambushes. The last of these three was called by many names: On his dead homeworld it would've been called "Ta'dach.", another race he encountered called it "N'Da".On Earth, the planet he was headed for, it was called "Football", and he was very surprised to discover that they had turned it into a sport. "Computer," he said, finally, "resuming dictionary scan. Maintain original scanning speed." The pages resumed flipping at their normal rate of speed. *** On Ryu-Oh, the page on the recipe book screen also turned. Sasami added the final ingredient and followed the mixing instructions. Then she put the whole thing into the oven. "I hope it turns out okay." she said as she washed the dishes and put them away. By the time she was done, it was time to take the dish out of the oven. She smiled at its aroma and settled down to eat. On the main bridge of the ship, Azaka and Kamidake, the Guardians of Jurai, woke from a slumber of over 700 years. Azaka checked the ship's logs while Kamidake made sure the systems were in working order. Finally Kamidake spoke. "All systems active and in working order. Unlock the Time Freeze now." A door in the trunk of a giant tree opened up in three directions to reveal the slumbering for of a beautiful young woman. "What planet are we approaching?" She asked them as she glided forth from her place of rest. "Colonized planet number six seven four. Earth." The woman's face took on a look of hope, her eyes glistening. Now, after all this time, she would at last look upon the face of her beloved. She clasped her hands over her heart. "Then this is where my brother Yosho is!" She exclaimed. With her hands where they were she could feel her heart pounding. It wouldn't be long before she was in his arms once more. She would bring him home.Then, after recieving the proper recongition for the heroic rescue of her intended, she and Yosho would finally be wed. She could practically taste the wedding cake. "No. What we detected from this planet is Ryoko." Kamidake informed her. Ayeka felt her hopes dwindle. If Ryoko was alive and walking free. She put the thought out of her head instantly. "Not that woman. What does this mean?" "We have yet to detect Yosho's ship." Azaka reasoned. "But he was in pursuit of Ryoko. Logically, then." Ayeka cut him off with a wave. She had better ways to spend her day then holding any form of discussion over the woman who had led her fiance away from their marriage bed. "I see. That woman must be captured and brought back to Jurai to stand trial for her crimes." "Princess Ayeka," Kamidake told her gently, "unfortunately according to the statute of limitations all of Ryoko's crimes will be cancelled in five seconds." An image of Ryoko's record, with Ryoko giving the Peace Sign, appeared. In the corner, a counter read down the last five seconds of her wanted status. 5...4...3...2..1.. The record suddenly disappeared. "As of this moment," Azaka explained, "the statute of limitations has taken effect, and Ryoko's Galaxy Wanted file has been destroyed. Ayeka was livid. "DESTROYED?!" She demanded. "Why is it?!" "The Statute of Limitations is based on decisions made by the Holy Council of the Planet Jurai, and..." "That is not what I asked." Ayeka fumed. "I want to know what that woman is not sought for all eternity." "The Statute of Limitations is based on decisions made by the Holy Council of the Planet Jurai..." Ayeka signed for silence. "That woman is the only clue to my brother's whereabouts. We must capture her." "But the Statute of Limitations..." Azaka began. "That is an order." Ayeka snapped at him. "We will think of a reason." "Yes, ma'am." Azaka replied. "anti air-guard storming level four." He selected. Ayeka held back her tears, but could not stop her eyes from shimmering. "Be well, my dearest Yosho." she prayed. "Please, be well." *** The scoreboard on the teleview screen read "Buffalo 41 Houston 38". The protector switched it off and leaned back. "Close game." He observed. "Okay, computer, let's finish off the last few pages." He had decided to take a break in the T's. Having developed a liking for football, he had opted to watch a broadcast of it. The game had been somewhat exciting. He felt a little sad that he was landing in Japan and not the United States since landing in the latter place would've meant he'd be able to attend some of the games. "At least they've developed satellite television." He sighed in perfect Japanese. "I guess I'll just have to watch the games on television." "Very good." The computer praised. *** Tenchi stared at the sleeping demoness as she rose from her slumber and his bed. "Wha... I... I don't believe it." Ryoko held out her hand, ready to at last claim what was rightfully hers. "Now," She said, firmly, "I want your balls, please?" Tenchi's face went pale. Of all the trophy's she might have demanded. He crouched, sligtly, cupping his hands over his groin, as he asserted "No way! They're mine! I'm gonna hang onto them." Ryoko clasped a hand to her head in irritated amusement. "You dimwit! I mean the three jewels on your sword. Otherwise, I can't control Ryo-Ohki." *** "How long until we reach Earth?" the protector yawned. Despite spending the last several centuries in a cryo unit, he felt exhausted. He also felt pretty annoyed with himself. Here he was, a highly trained protector with the equivalent of a master's degree in physics; and he had just asked the computer the intergalactic version of "are we there yet, mommy?" "Two days." the computer chimed, helpfully. "Perhaps you should rest for a bit?" The only response from the protector was the sound of soft snoring. *** Tenchi's face bore a curious mixture of relief and worry. "Ryo-ohki?" He asked. "Don't tell me you don't know what that is!" Ryoko saw that he didn't and continued. "It's the other demon in the legend, you dimwit." "You mean if I give the jewels back to you, the demon will come back to life?" Tenchi excalimed. "No way! You made all this mess. You think I want another demon flying around, too?!" "No if about it." Ryoko told him. "Give me the sword. I want it and I want it now." She sprang at him, trying to lay her hands on the sword in which her gems were encased. "If you think I want another demon around you're crazy." "Are you sure?" Ryoko mused. "Because the one approaching is even worse." "What do you mean?" Tenchi became very concerned. "Just give methe sword. I want it and I want it now." Tenchi fought back, but soon Ryoko had him pinned on the bed. She grabbed the sword and held it, sighing in triumphant contentment. All at once, a blast of energy from the sword caused Ryoko to shriek in pain and drop it to the ground. Tenchi picked it up. "Ah ha! So, you can't touch this, can you?" "Tenchi," Nobuyuki set the paper down, "be quiet. What's going on up there?" he headed to his son's room to check As he neared the door he heard a woman's voice. He figured Tenchi's radio was on too loudly again. He peeked in through the shutters. If Tenchi had fallen asleep with the radio on, he could live with that. He didn't want to wake Tenchi if he was asleep. To his surprise, Nobuyuki saw Tenchi standing there, awake. He was holding something in his hand. Some kind of new adult toy, perhpas? Before him, a pretty girl was on her knees, begging for him to give it to her. 'I was worried about him being too shy with women,' he smiled, 'now he's gone and sneaked one into his room. If I were his mom, I'd find some excuse to barge in. But as his dad I must respect his privacy. "Okay," Tenchi told Ryoko, completely unaware of his father's presence just outside his room, "just tell me what's approaching." "She's the devil." Ryoko replied. "What?" Tenchi half-panicked. "She's like a devil." Ryoko amended. She tickled Tenchi's chest with a single finger. "She's so dangerous and mean. She'll fire on you without even giving you a teeny weeny chance to explain." *** Ayeka sneezed violently. She blinked and looked around, as if wondering who it was who had just sneezed. "Begin the capture process." She declared. "And you must refrain from firing." Soon Ryoko would be in her custody. And she would either tell Ayeka the whereabouts of her brother Yosho, or suffer the cruelest punishment Ayeka could think of, Statute of Limitations or not. Subject: Re: TMR+1 Episode 2 "HERE COME AYEKA AND SASAMI (2/?) Nobuyuki hurriedly unwrapped a brand new super8 tape and slipped it into his video camera. He quietly hurried outside and crept around to the back window. With a stealth that would've made even his father-in-law proud, though not neccessarily of his actions, he placed the ladder against the wall under Tenchi's window and climbed it quietly. "I know it is my duty to respect his privacy. But it's also my duty to record my son's development in sex. I mean life." He corrected himself. "Oh my dear wife in Heaven. You would be so proud of how your son has grown." *** "...and someday, far away, maybe I'll find my love." Sasami finished singing as she stepped out of the shower. She dried herself off and put on clean clothing. The ship was going into orbit around an inhabited planet and if her half-brother, Yosho, was there, she wanted to be fresh and pretty when they saw each other again. That done, she went into the kitchen, selected a snack from the refrigerator, and shared it with her furry companion. *** "Wha...aaah!" Nobuyuki screamed in confusion as he fell off the ladder. "H.. honey? Is that you?" He'd seen many manga and anime with Tenchi. In one, a movie called "Roujin Z", the long-departed wife of an old man took possession of a souped-up hospital bed and was determined to take the old man to the beach. Had Achika come back as a possessed machine, too? Was it his turn to 'go to the beach'? *** On the bridge of the Ryu-Oh, Ayeka stood proudly. "Ryoko! Ryoko, come out! I know that you're in there. You can't escape me!" She paused. "Are you sure this is on?" She asked. "Yes, ma'am." Kamidake told her. "Then what is she doing?" Ayeka asked, exasperated. "Oh, never mind." She quickly amended. "I want you to fire a warning shot nearby." "I thought we were to refrain from firing." Azaka pointed out. "That's an order." Ayeka pointed out. *** "...one-ninety-eight, one-ninety-nine, two-hundred." The Protector sat there, catching his breath. "This used to be so easy." "You haven't exercised in centuries." The computer pointed out. "Don't coddle me." The Protector snapped, baring his sharp teeth slightly. "I was merely pointing out that your muscles have undergone the normal deterioration associated with long-term cryogenic sleep." The computer pouted. "So in other words, I've got to start over again?" The Protector sighed. "Just don't overextend yourself." The computer replied, trying to be helpful. "Now there's a suggestion I never would've come up with myself." The Protector's voice sounded sarcastic. "Thank the kami we have machines." "I might point out," The computer argued, "that without the machine in your head, you'd still be on page 3 of that Japanese dictionary." "Okay, okay." The Protector sighed. "So, what's next?" "Go to bed." The computer replied. The Protector checked the chronometer. It was, indeed, rather late. He went into the bedroom area and lied down on the futon. On his homeworld, though he didn't know this, he would've slept hanging from a sleeping bar. But, the one who had raised him, had raised him to sleep in standard fashion and at this point he was quite used to it. So used to it, in fact, that within moments of his head hitting the pillow, he was fast asleep. -Chapter 2- The Demon Ship Awakens / The Abduction of Tenchi Tenchi lie on the floor between Ryoko's legs. "What am I supposed to do now? She's blowing up my house!" He wailed. Ryoko had a very good answer for what Tenchi was supposed to do now. But this wasn't the time for that. "Hmmm." She smiled. "Well, first why don't you stand up?" She suggested. Tenchi and Ryoko were soon standing and facing each other. "Now point the sword hilt toward me, and pray to have the gems return to me." "And that's all I do, huh?" Tenchi made sure. "That's it." "You sure I don't have to give you my soul, too?" "No, but your heart would be nice." Ryoko murmured. "Huh?" "Nothing." There was a surge of energy between them as Tenchi closed his eyes and focused on the prayer. A moment later, Ryoko sighed and opened her eyes. "HEY! That's only one!" "Yup." Tenchi replied. "Oh well. I guess it'll do for now." Ryoko closed her eyes. "Come, Ryo-Ohki." She summoned, her voice ethereal. "Awaken. Awaken. COME!" she commanded, more firmly. >From the pond, a spaceship arose with a loud metallic cry that somehow reminded Tenchi of the meowing of a cat. *** "Ryo-ohki is here." Azaka reported. "Ah ha! There you are, you heinous criminal battleship!" Ayeka shouted. "Attack that ship!" Ryu-Oh turned toward Ryo-Ohki and sped forth. *** Ryoko grabbed Tenchi and the two of them transported up to the bridge of Ryo-Ohki "Ryo-Ohki! Let's get out of here!" Ryoko shouted. "MIYA! MIYA!" The ship's metallic meow echoed triumphantly as they sped toward the heavens. Tenchi looked down and saw his house, yard, and father on the floor. All of them had been miniaturized. "Sorry, didn't have time to worry about it, so I shrank it all and brought it along." Ryoko explained. Tenchi noticed where his now-shrunken father was and the ladder and camera beside his now unconscious form "Dad!" He said, his voice a mixture of concern and disapproval. *** "Sasami," A voice, ethereal and gentle, called to her. "Sasami." Sasami turned in the shimmering darkness of her dream. A Royal Tree stood before her, surrounded by a small lake. It's boughs and branches were full of life. All its leaves were shimmering, sending out seemingly random beams of light, like sunlight glistening through branches. A leaf fell from the tree, landing upon the lake. Light shimmered up from it and the form of a beautiful woman appeared standing on the water. She was dressed in what could only be described as simple elegance. Her hair, skin, and eye color were the same as Sasami's own. She could've passed as an older sister. Sasami and the older woman both bowed. "Hello, Tsunami." Sasami said. "Sasami, come and look." Tsunami invited. Sasami went to the lake and looked down. In its shimmering surface, she saw the reflection of a young man. He looked somehow familiar, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She watched the image. Then, she felt herself being pulled away from the dream. "Tenchi," Sasami whispered in her sleep. Her pet nudged her until she woke. The dream faded from sight and memory as Sasami picked her head up off the table. Her pet pushed a small ball against her ankle. "Oh. I'm sorry." She told the small furry creature. "I must've dozed off. Do you want to go play?" Sasami's pet nodded, happily and boundulated out of the room with Sasami right behind. *** "Seal her up!" Ayeka commanded. *** Ryoko was suddenly surrounded by two circles of what looked like children's playing logs. They emitted a powerful forcefield around her. She screamed in pain, her arms pinned at her sides, her powers useless for the moment. Tenchi tried to get close, to help her. But Ryoko warned him off. "Don't!" she told him. "Don't come near! Stay back!" Then, as she passed out, she told him "Guardians of Jurai." Tenchi didn't have time to consider what this strange term meant before a much larger log was approaching. The last thing Tenchi thought as he blacked out from terror was "Oh my god, it's going to crush me!"