-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!"

--------



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.