Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, places, or events from the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OAV's or Manatsu No Eve. These are the property of AIC and Pioneer. I do own all new events, characters, and places that have occurred during and after Tenchi Muyo! Will of the Goddesses. Tenchi Muyo! Shadows of a Forgotten Sin "Truths Beholden" *Mayuka...* Ryoko called out telepathically. *Honey? Are you there?* A few seconds went by, but eventually Ryoko felt her daughter reach back out to her. *I hear you, mom,* came her voice, although a little distant. Ryoko strained to keep the link active over their long distance. She could always use her Light Hawk Wings to boost the power of the link, but the pirate knew that would be like creating a signal fire to their enemies. *We'll need to keep this short,* said Ryoko. *What's your situation?* *We've joined up with Kiyone and Mastir,* she reported. *Right now we're on our way to make contact with Admiral Judroa. Also, Gerin has found Ayeka. She's being held captive in the Imperial Palace.* *Good job, sweetie. What about Sasami?* *Kiyone told me that she's been taken some place safe by a bodyguard. No one knows exactly where she is.* *Well, that's going to have to be good enough. If none of our allies know where she is, that means our enemies can't find her either. I have to go now. You watch yourself, Mayuka. And don't do anything I would do.* Mayuka chuckled across the distance. *Yes, ma'am.* Then she was gone. _____ Ryoko opened her eyes and pulled herself up into a sitting position on her bed. The pirate was currently in her room on board the Loaded Dice. Wearing a white night gown, she floated up off the bed and over to the bathroom for a quick shower. Ten minuets later she appeared back in the main room, once again dressed all in black and gray with her hair pulled back tight into a braided ponytail. Feeling slightly edgy, she decided to go for a walk around the ship. The pirate left the room and started walking slowly down the metallic halls of the ship. She stopped halfway down the hall and phased through the floor down to the next deck. Her feet touched the ground, and she continued on her way. Ryoko's ear twitched as she passed a door to her left. "What's this?" she asked herself. If her ears were not deceiving her, there were sounds of battle on the other side of the door. Not bothering to knock, Ryoko simply walked right through the door. Inside was a small training facility with workout machines, free weights, and a sparring ring. Much to her surprise, the ring was currently home to two combatants. Hiro, in a pair of loose white pants and with T-shirt, and Leah, wearing a blue spandex jumpsuit and her hair pulled back, were fencing back and forth with energy swords, while Somar was pacing around the ring watching them. Ryoko watched for a few moments and smiled. It was clear to all observers that the two fighters were battling with a lot of intensity. But to her trained eyes, the mother could easily tell that her son was holding back quite a lot. "Ah, what the young do when they try to show affection," she whispered to herself. Of course, who was she to comment on such things? Her idea of wooing Tenchi back in the day came very close to sexual assault in some cases. The fight continued as she neared the ring. Somar noticed and gave her a knowing smile. Ryoko smirked back at him. Tenchi had told her a long time ago that it had been on advice from the pale man that he had decided to really explore his feelings towards her. The pirate stopped on the opposite side of the ring from the him. She looked up to see a holographic clock counting down to zero. Ten seconds later, as the clock reached its mark, a buzzer sounded around the ring. Hiro back flipped away from a slash of Leah's and landed in a red marked corner. Leah walked over to the opposite blue corner and powered down her red energy sword. Ryoko teleported over to her son's corner grinning. Hiro looked at her from behind a white towel. "Hey, mom." Somar climbed onto the ring apron and poured a bucket of water over his head. "Hello," she replied. "Having fun?" The grin remained on her face the whole time. Hiro blushed slightly, or it might just have been from the workout. Ryoko believed it was the latter, though. "Uh, yeah. She's pretty good." The cyan haired mother leaned forward while looking up at her child. "It's not polite to hold back in a fight like this, Hiro," she whispered. "I'm sure Leah's feelings would be hurt if she knew." Panic flooded his young face. "I don't want to hurt her, mom. She's the one who challenged me. The girl's been bugging me about it ever since the fight at the club three days ago. I figured I'd give her a decent bout, and that would be the end of it." "Uh huh," said Ryoko with a nod. "Okay," she added before sending herself across the ring to Leah's corner. The troubleshooter only jumped slightly when she appeared. "Oh, hi, Ryoko," she greeted. "Hey, Leah," returned the pirate. "How's the fight going?" Leah paused for a second before responding. "Good, except that Hiro's holding back," she said with a frown. "He hasn't even used his teleportation ability once this fight. That, and I know he's pulling the strength behind his attacks." She looked down at Ryoko. "I saw him take down guys ten times my size in the club without even breaking a sweat." An idea suddenly formed in Ryoko's mind. "Do you really want to make him work?" Leah's eyebrows went up, but the grin on her face showed her openness to her suggestion. _____ "I think they're planning something," warned Somar. Hiro looked up and over to the opposite corner where his mother and Leah were discussing something. "I'm not worried," he said with a shrug. "Mom's probably just giving her a few tips." A timer sounded above the ring, and both fighters rose to resume the fight. Hiro was only partially surprised that Leah came out all offense. She ignited her red energy sword and charged with a series of slashes at his right. Hiro sidestepped to the left while ducking around the first two slashes. When he jumped back from her third slash, then he finally formed a sword in his right hand. Leah made a thrust for his right shoulder. Hiro easily parried and threw her blade aside before going on the offensive. Then she surprised him by completely backing off with a back flip. Before the surprise could completely register on his face, the cyan haired teen's danger sense flared. Acting on instinct he side flipped to the left just as a pair of red energy lances exploded on the ring mat. Hiro landed and glanced up to see his mother floating fifteen feet above the ring with a red energy sword in her right hand. "Think fast!" she said before vanishing. Hiro's eyes darted from side to side. Then there was an energy sword screaming at him from the right. Hiro threw out a quick parry and teleported five feet forward. Ryoko followed up quickly and launched herself at him sword first. Red sword clashed with green sending sparks in all directions. Hiro found himself breathing heavily after only the first few exchanges with her. His mother's attacks were coming faster and faster with each passing second. It almost seemed like there were five red swords trying to hit him at once. Suddenly he caught movement coming at him from the left. Thinking quickly, Hiro deflected one of Ryoko's slashes and released a small blast at the ground right in front of her. A screen of smoke shot up right between them, giving Hiro just enough time to fire a blast at Leah who was charging him from the left. She batted his shot aside and jumped at him. The teen countered by jumping right at her and phasing through her at the last second. He became solid again, turned around, and threw a quick energy lance at her back. The green bolt struck Leah in the back, accelerating her descent towards the ground. She hit the mat hard, but started back to her feet quickly. Hiro had only a moment to admire his counter before Ryoko, or as it was two Ryokos, appeared at his sides. Hiro threw out a pair of energy shields that deflected the coming two attacks long enough for him to teleport away. Once back in the ring, Hiro took aim and started laying down successive fire at his pair of mothers. The Ryokos swooped around his blasts while phasing in and out until they were right in front of him. Ryoko A launched a kick at him. Hiro blocked the kick with his right forearm and spun around to wrist block a punch from Ryoko B. Then Leah darted between them swinging her sword. Hiro batted away his mothers, jumped over Leah's attack, summoned a large ball of power in his hands, and tossed it at the group below. He landed just outside the ring, panting from the extensive use of his powers. When the smoke from the explosion cleared, his mother was standing there with one hand outstretched. She lowered her arm and placed a hand on each hip. "How are you feeling, Hiro?" she asked with a grin. "Tired," he said between breaths. "How are you that fast, mom?" Ryoko tilted her head to the left. "Did you honestly think your father just trained with the old man and you kids? Now get yourself cleaned up. We'll be entering the Jinwei system soon." She fizzled for a moment, and then his mother was gone. Hiro staggered over to the ring and leaned on its apron with his forearms. A pair of boots was suddenly eye level with him. "That'll teach you to hold back," came Leah's voice from above. Pushing aside a groan, Hiro lifted his eyes to look at the woman. "I didn't want to hurt you," he explained. "I'm not exactly your run of the mill fighter." She huffed and slipped through the ring ropes to the floor. "I'm a big girl, Hiro," she replied tightly. "I can take care of myself." On that she turned and walked out of the room. "Wait!" he tried to call out. "I didn't..." Too late. The door slid shut, and the teen dropped his head with a moan. "Don't worry about it, Hiro," Somar told him as he came around the corner of the ring. "She's not really mad. Leah just doesn't like being treated like a weakling because she's a woman." "But I wasn't trying to treat her like a weakling," Hiro said from within his arms. He lifted his head to the pale man. "Me of all people knows how strong some girls can be. I have two sisters and a mother who are capable of kicking my ass in a fight on any given day." He motioned at the smoldering ring. "You just saw it!" Somar smiled and tossed him a towel. "Leah's only a couple of years older than you. She also doesn't like it that you're this strong for someone younger than her." He reached out and put a hand on the teen's back. "Come on. Let's get ready for the mission." _____ Rashoch paced back and forth impatiently on the bridge of the Madhatter. Juraian officers went about their businesses rigidly, half expecting the madman to start a killing spree at the drop of a hat. He suddenly stopped his pacing and looked out the view port at the hyperspace tunnel. "Bring the ship out of hyperspace!" he bellowed. The bridge crew scrambled to their stations and brought the large Juraian ship out of hyperspace. Rashoch slowly walked to the railing of the command platform. He turned his head to the left and sniffed the air. "I can smell them," he whispered to himself. He pointed down to the navigator. "What hyperspace coordinates fall along that trajectory!" he demanded. The officer quickly punched a series of keys at his station. "A course along that route will pass by the systems Ubera, Jinwei, and Vested, sir." "Set a course for the Jinwei system," Rashoch ordered seconds later. "Maximum speed." He turned to leave the bridge, when a COM officer suddenly called out to him. "Uh, sir. Incoming message from Jurai. It's the Emperor." "Transfer it to my quarters," Rashoch told him over his shoulder. He was surrounded by a black flame as he teleported to his room. The madman dropped into a high backed black chair and snapped his fingers. A view screen appeared bearing Gabriel's white eyed visage. "Hello, Emperor," greeted Rashoch in a light tone. "To what do I owe this honor?" Gabriel's right eyelid lowered slightly. "How goes your hunt, Rashoch?" "It would keep going if you hadn't decided to make a phone call," sneered the madman. "If we stop now, I can be back on my way to catching them." If the entity was annoyed at his remarks, it did not show. "In a moment, my dear boy. I just wanted to give you a piece of information I promised that just might motivate you further." At that remark he smiled. Rashoch, however, was wary of this sudden situation. "What game are you playing with me, Gabriel?" He chuckled following up with a thin grin. "I'd at least like to know the rules." "No games, my boy," he replied. "Just the truth." _____ Ryoko turned around when the door to the bridge opened to admit Hiro. The teen had cleaned himself up after the "training session" and was now dressed in a long sleeved green shirt with black pants. His cyan hair was slicked back and still wet from the shower. "Go on, Ukarit," prompted Ryoko. "As I was saying," continued the gangster. "We're about ten minutes from Jinwei three. Once we dock the ship Ryoko, Hiro, Leah, and myself will go into the city and find this antique shop. Somar and the Twins will stay with the Dice incase we need back up. Any questions?" Leah, seated at the navigator's station wearing an all sea blue outfit consisting of pants and a buttoned trench coat with a high collar, raised her right hand. "Are we going in weapons hot?" Ukarit shook his spiked head. "We'll be packing, but I want to go into this one thinking peaceful thoughts. Got me?" The troubleshooter nodded. "All right then. Let's get ready." _____ It was exactly ten minutes later that the Loaded Dice was docking at the Shrevt spaceport on Jinwei III. The side hatch of the green ship opened, and Ukarit, wearing his black leather pants and vest with a beret and sunglasses on his head, led the way out. Ryoko followed glancing left and right as they entered the docking area. Hiro was about to follow his mother, when Leah stopped him. "What?" he asked. She thrust a black cap into his arms. "Wear this. News vids from the fight at the club are talking about a male, cyan haired fighter with strange abilities. We don't really need to be noticed here." Hiro looked at the hat once, shrugged, and placed it on his head backwards. "How's that?" he asked with a grin. "Fine," replied Leah half heartedly as she grabbed the front of his shirt. "Come on." The pair quickly caught up with Ukarit and Ryoko, who were already past the docking bay entrance and walking down the crowded hall. The small group made their way through the spaceport until they reached the entrance to the terminals. Ukarit stepped up to the street curb and waved over a taxi. Soon a green and blue hover car with alien writing pulled up. "What?" questioned Ryoko. "No rental car?" The gangster opened the rear passenger door and motioned for her to enter. "Minimize traces of our being here. The boys are already working on erasing our docking logs, so we might as well take a cab. Now then, after you." _____ Ukarit got into the cab's passenger seat and handed the driver a piece of paper. "Can you find that place?" The purple skinned driver pointed his eyestalks at the paper and then back at the gangster. "Sure," he replied with a gurgling voice. The hover car's engine started to hum, and they were off in search of Logbrav's Antique Emporium. The taxi zoomed through the airways on its route to their destination. The entire ride, Ukarit kept his mind on what could happen when they arrived at the antique store. There was no way they could know exactly who or what this escapee from Druz looked like. The best assumption he could make was the owner was their target. He lifted his head slightly to use the rear view mirror to catch a glance at his companions. Gauging their actions was going to prove a bit difficult. Leah he knew would want to bully the information out of the guy, if it was a guy. Fortunately, Ukarit knew that she would follow his orders to keep it under control. The woman to Leah's left was another story. Ryoko was a wild card for the time being. Over the past week she had gone back and forth from the edge of depression. Ukarit couldn't be sure how she would react if this so called escapee refused to give the location of Druz. And then there was Hiro. Up until now, he had been operating on directions from his mother, but the teen was constantly showing that he had Ryoko's spark for doing what he pleased. The boy followed orders, but Ukarit couldn't deny that he could take matters into his own hands at any moment. The real question, then, was when would he? The taxi finally pulled up to a small, brick building on the ground level of the city. Ukarit scanned a credit chip across the scanner and exited the vehicle with the rest of the group. The building was only one story with a pair of windows facing the street. Various types of antiques could be seen through the windows littering the store. Ukarit took the lead and walked through the front door. Inside was what looked like a common antique shop. Old pieces of furniture lined the walls, stacked orderly and marked accordingly. Other items from old swords, to rugs, lamps, and clothing could be seen all over the place. At the rear of the one large room was a single service counter with an old humanoid behind it. The old man wore a red and green robe and held a newspaper in his hands. His face looked wrinkled and human except for the ridge of spines running from his forehead to his nose. Behind him was a standing birdcage with an orange feathered, black beaked bird sitting on a hanging ring. The old man looked up from his perch on a stool and smiled at the group. "Welcome," he greeted. "What can I do for you?" Ukarit plastered his best smile on and stepped forward. "Good day to you, sir. My associates and I are in the market for a certain kind of antique. It's Juraian in make." The old man placed his paper down on the counter and stood. "Well, I do carry many Juraian items. What is it exactly?" "A globe," answered the gangster. "One dating back several thousand years. It's a rare item because it is one of the only globes that shows the old Juraian pirate hideouts." Ukarit noticed the old man pause ever so slightly as he walked around the counter. He chanced a glance at Ryoko, who confirmed with a small nod that she had caught it. The old man continued around the counter, heading to the left portion of the store. "Let's take a look over here. This is where I keep most of my Juraian stock. Do you know the galactic year it was made?" "Roughly two thousand galactic years ago," he replied calmly. "I know that's not too long ago, but this item would complete a very important collection of mine. Money is not a problem." "Hmm," the old man went. He had stopped in front of the collection to stare. "You know, I don't think I carry such an item in stock. Perhaps if you leave me your name, a way of contacting you, and a small down payment I can put in a search for this globe." There was a muttered curse from behind, and Ukarit looked to see Hiro making a move towards the old man. The gangster was about to stop the teen, but Leah acted faster. She laid a single hand on his right shoulder and shook her head. Hiro looked back and forth between her and the old man twice before stepping back. Ukarit sighed inwardly and redirected his attention to the shopkeeper. His eyes went wide when he saw what was already happening, though. Ryoko had made her move while Hiro had been trying to make his. The pirate was now in front of the old man with a handful of his robe in her right hand. She effortlessly lifted him off of the ground. "Enough word games, pal," she hissed. "We know you escaped from Druz two thousand years ago. Now I'm only going to ask once, so be careful with your answer." Her feline eyes thinned. "Where...is...it?" There was movement from the old man's right hand, which looked like he was going for a weapon. Ryoko acted in kind. With a flick of her wrist, the cyan haired pirate tossed him across the room into a pile of junk. Ukarit slapped his forehead and cursed. "Tsunami dammit, Ryoko!" he cried. "I had everything under control." She glared at him while walked towards the downed shopkeeper. "You were taking too long. My patience ran out." She stopped in front of where he landed and reached down to grab him, only to be greeted by blaster fire. Her reflexes kicked in, and Ryoko teleported three feet to the left. Then she reacted on instinct and loosed an energy bolt at her foe. There was a small explosion, followed by a gust of smoke. "Shit!" Ukarit heard Ryoko shout. "Why the hell did he have to go and do that?" "I don't know," replied Ukarit darkly. "Maybe because you assaulted him?" "Did you really have to shoot him, mom?" asked Hiro. "That guy was our only link to Druz." Ryoko shot him a second glare. "It's not like I put an energy sword to his neck. Besides, he fired first." The smoke started to clear, and she moved in to see if there was anything left alive of the old man. Ukarit walked over as well. What they saw came as a complete surprise. Lying in several pieces was the old man. Except each piece was surrounded by small electrical sparks. "He's a machine!" cried Ryoko. "Oh, man," came a low voice from behind them. Everyone spun around to see the bird standing on the counter. "Do you people know how much a good simulagent droid costs?" "The...bird is talking!" gasped Hiro with wide eyes. "The kid wins a cookie," snapped the bird. Ukarit walked back over to the counter and stared down at the creature. "So, you're the...guy we're looking for. I thought you'd be bigger." The bird cocked his head at the pink man. "I am the only guy who ever escaped from Druz. Do you really think I would keep my old body? It took a lot of genetic and molecular engineering to make me look like this." Ryoko was suddenly standing next to them. "Where's Druz?" she demanded. The bird flapped his wings furiously and zipped out of her reach. "Whoa there, lady. It's gonna cost you a pretty credit for that, now, since you toasted my bot." It looked at Ukarit with its tiny eyes. "Five million." Ukarit tossed his credit chip onto the counter. "Done," he said without a pause. The bird stopped flapping and dropped down to the counter. "Damn," it said. "You really mean business. It tapped a section of the counter top, and a small red light flashed over the chip. He tapped it again and a small green light flashed over it this time. "Okay, I transferred the coordinates to your chip. Nice doing business with you. Now get the hell out of my store." _____ The space above Jinwei III was empty. Then, suddenly, a Juraian flotilla emptied out of hyperspace. At their head was the first generation ship dubbed the Madhatter. Sitting in the command chair of the immense battleship was the former Champion of Tokimi, Rashoch. His right green eye twitched as opposed to his blue left eye that remained completely still. Wearing only a loose, black jumpsuit, the madman grimaced openly as a picture of the planet appeared on a view screen. The ship came to a complete stop in space. Black bolts of energy started rippling up and down Rashoch's arms. Zorin stepped up to stand to the left of the chair. "What are your orders?" The green eye twitched. "I can smell her..." Zorin shifted ever so slightly. "Orders?" "Put together a large assault force," whispered the madman. A small giggle escaped his lips. "We go planet side in thirty." "As you command," replied Zorin. He pulled a communicator from his belt and started issuing orders. "Ryoko..." hissed Rashoch. _____ "To success!" cheered Ukarit with a raised glass of green liquid. Ryoko raised her own glass and clinked it with her companion's. She tilted her head back and downed the drink in one gulp. A small sigh left her mouth as she leaned forward. She turned her head from the bar and scanned the densely packed club they were in. Ukarit had suggested a small celebration after the success at the antique shop. Humanoid aliens of all shapes and sizes were out on the dance floor "getting their grooves on." Somewhere, out in the crowd, were Hiro and Leah. The pirate smirked at that thought. Ukarit picked up on her wandering gaze. "I wouldn't worry," he told her over the fast paced music. She glanced over at the pink man. "I'm not. Considering all the hell I went through, I'm not going to get in the way of a little bit of teenage romance." "Ha!" barked the gangster. "Leah's anything but a teenager." Ryoko smirked at him. "Yeah, but Hiro does something to her. I can see it in her eyes." Her smirk changed into a wistful smile. "He challenges her in a way that pisses her off, yet interests her at the same time." "Kind of like the way you and Tenchi used to be," added Ukarit with a laugh. The music shifted to a jumping beat. "Yeah," she whispered, keeping that wistful smile. "Yeah." _____ Hiro found himself being pulled into the writhing mass of the dancing crowd by Leah. Every other moment she flashed a grin over her shoulder at him. They finally stopped somewhere in the center of the large crowd. The troubleshooter turned around to face him. Her face was a light with good cheer, and she started to sway her hips with the beat of the music. Hiro watched, dumbfounded, as she raised her hands above her head and started weaving them. "Come on, Hiro!" she called to him. "Dance and have some fun! Your young!" She lowered he right hand and beckoned with its index finger. The power of youth suddenly filled Hiro's body. Any nervous, and unsure feelings he had been harboring suddenly disappeared. He walked forward and simply started dancing with the woman before him. The music went on, and the two of them continued to dance for another hour. Lights flashed across the massive dance floor, bathing it in a rainbow's selection of colors. Finally, though, the upbeat music trailed off into a slow, rhythmic melody. Both Hiro and Leah abruptly stopped dancing and stared at one another. Standing only a couple of feet apart, they were the only two people still on the floor who had not coupled up for the slow song. Having previously lost himself in the music, Hiro was suddenly at a loss about what to do now. It was Leah, then, who made the first move. She took a careful step forward and slipped her arms around his neck. "What are you doing?" he whispered. Her green flecked hazel eyes seemed to twinkle as the lights changed to just blue and purple. "Throwing caution to the wind," she told him quietly. Heart rate increasing due to their closeness, Hiro slowly placed his hands on her lithe hips. Ever so carefully, the pair started to blend their movements with the rhythm of the music around them. Emotions that he had never really addressed before started to well up inside of the cyan haired teen. The closeness of Leah's body and the smell of her hair caused his mind to pause. For that brief moment, this woman was the only thing he could focus on. Their eyes locked, and the pair stared intently at one another. The intense moment was suddenly shattered when the doors to the club exploded inward. All heads snapped in that direction as a hoard of Juraian knights and soldiers poured into the building. Hiro looked up as a second explosion opened up a hole in the ceiling. A lone figure descended from the opening towards the center of the dance floor. The crowd ran in all directions to avoid the stranger. "Oh no!" hissed Hiro when he saw who had just landed not twenty feet from Leah and himself. Rashoch, black electricity crackling around him, scanned the crowd until his different colored eyes landed on the cyan haired teen. An insane grin spread across his face. "Tag! You're it!" he shouted right before firing a black blast of energy at Hiro. Acting on instinct, Hiro threw his arms around Leah and teleported to the other side of the room. The blast hit, incinerating and sending patrons flying in all directions. At that the crowd broke into a complete panic. Aliens stampeded for all available exits. The Juraians responded instantly by mowing them down like nothing. Hiro released Leah and tried to spot his mother and Ukarit, but it was no use. He took a couple of steps to the right, only to be stopped suddenly by a large form. Hiro only had a quick moment to look at who barred his path before a large fist impacted on his stomach and then on his chin. His black cap flew off his head right before the cyan haired teen crashed into several tables. "And just where do you think you are going, boy?" asked a deep voice that Hiro was able to identify instantly. Zorin loomed over him from several feet away, face emotionless. There was a flash of movement from the left as Leah pulled out her blaster and opened fire at Zorin. The large man merely raised his right hand to form an energy shield that absorbed the shots. He turned his hard gaze from Hiro to Leah and smiled as his energy shield changed into a ball... "NO!" cried Hiro. With amazing speed, the teen rocketed from his position and tackled Zorin. The two of them hit the ground, rolled as one for several feet, and then separated. Both combatants were immediately back on their feet. Hiro formed an energy sword and charged Zorin without pause. Zorin met the attack with a deep blue energy sword of his own. The blades locked as did their eyes. All around him, Hiro could hear people crying out as the Juraians killed them without pause. Then he heard a female battle cry cut through the rest of the screams. "Mom," Hiro said quietly. She was fighting Rashoch. Zorin smiled across the crossed swords at him. Hiro's response was to growl as he disengaged and attacked the large man with all his might. _____ Rashoch looked away from the boy when he saw Zorin appear to take care of him. After all, that was not whom he was looking for. The madman did not have to look much farther before spotting his true target. Across the room was Ryoko. The pirate was walking directly towards him, pausing only momentarily to take out any Juraian who dared to bar her path. More energy started flow over Rashoch's body the nearer she came. "There you are, Ryoko!" he called out when she was only twenty yards away. "How's life as a single mom?" he asked followed by a cackle. A red energy sword appeared in her hands. "Die...you SON OF A BITCH!" she roared. The enraged pirate launched herself at him, and Rashoch readied himself for her first attack. She slashed at him wildly, trying to take his head off in one attack. The madman, smiling all the time, merely sidestepped and ducked under her first two slashes. He quickly extended his hands and released a blast of power that connected with her stomach. Ryoko cried out as she flew through the air and into the wall on the other side of the room. She wasn't down for long, though. Rashoch was forced to teleport away before a series of red energy discs exploded all along the center of the dance floor. Ryoko appeared just to his right and knocked him to the ground with a hard right. Momentarily dazed, Rashoch could do nothing to block her combination of attacks. He lifted his chin just in time for her left boot to make contact and rock him backwards. Then the pirate was behind him driving her right knee into his back. Rashoch coughed out a cry as he felt his lungs crash against his rib cage. He hit the ground face first, sliding several feet before coming to a skidding halt. Rage suddenly filled his entire being and was personified by the huge energy wave that fanned out in all directions from his body. Rashoch jumped to his feet instantly scanning the dance floor for his opponent. Suddenly Ryoko appeared on both his sides with energy swords blazing. The former Champion of Tokimi forward flipped over the Ryokos' slashes, landed perfectly, and jumped back with his hands stretched out to the sides. Both hands grabbed a braided, cyan ponytail and pulled inwards. The Ryokos cried out as they were slammed together with great force. There was a shimmering effect as the pair became one again. The now dazed Ryoko tried desperately to block Rashoch's next attack. She was able to block his first combination kick from his right leg, but she failed to block the next one, which ended with a reverse crescent kick. His black boot struck her on the right cheek, sending her to the ground. "Pathetic," he hissed. Ryoko lifted her head and grimaced at him while blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. But instead of a verbal retort, the pirate thrust her hands out and released a series of blasts at the floor between them. A wave of smoke and debris shot up into Rashoch's face. A rage filled shout flew from his lips, but changed to surprise just as Ryoko's right fist came through the smoke and hit him in the nose. The madman stumbled back clutching his face. Ryoko exploded from the smoke, drove her right shoulder into his gut, lifted him up, and slammed him down on the floor with all her might. "Rraaahh!" grunted the madman as his back made contact with the floor. Ryoko raised herself up and drove her right fist down at him, but Rashoch's reflexes reacted. He caught her punch with both hands, pulled her forward, and threw out a head butt that rocked the pirate back. With just enough spacing to rise, Rashoch rolled back slightly and jumped himself back into a standing position. Ryoko had recovered from the head butt by this time. She refocused on him and loosed a series of energy lances. Feeling tired of playing games, Rashoch opened himself up and released the power of his Light Hawk Wings. The five fiery black wings exploded into existence absorbing the lances and forcing Ryoko to jump back. "I'm through with these pointless exorcises," said Rashoch as his black armor formed over his body. He sensed Ryoko opening herself up to her own power and reacted instantly to stop her. With a flick of his right wrist five black wings suddenly appeared behind and wrapped themselves around her. Ryoko struggled to break free, but black electricity cascaded all over her body causing her to scream in pain. Chuckling quietly to himself, the former Champion of Tokimi walked up to the bound pirate. The electricity ceased flowing from the wings. Ryoko opened her eyes and saw him approaching. She began thrashing wildly to try and break free. "It's no use," Rashoch told her. He stopped directly in front of her and grabbed the tip of her chin with his right hand. "You are trapped," a thin grin spread across his face, "dear sister." _____ Hiro parried a low slash from Zorin, disengaged their blades, and back flipped away. He landed with his sword up and ready to parry the large man's next attack. The problem was could Hiro keep going for much longer? Zorin had him outmatched in brute strength. While the teen could use his agility to try and counter that, it wouldn't be much use since his opponent seemed to be almost as fast. Zorin silently charged again, and Hiro met the attack head on. There were a series of slashes and parries exchanged by the two combatants. Hiro attacked with an overhead, downward slash that Zorin parried perpendicularly. The large man smiled across the crossed swords and threw Hiro off with a mighty shrug of his shoulders. Hiro was sent flying backwards. A fraction of a second before hitting the floor, he teleported himself to a standing position ten feet back. There was an explosion of black power followed by a pained female scream. Hiro frowned while keeping his eyes on Zorin. His mother was losing against Rashoch. If he didn't get past Zorin soon and help her, then she was going to die. Hiro grimaced and threw his energy sword at his foe. Zorin easily batted it aside. "You're going to have to do better than that, boy," taunted the large man. "I can read your actions before you even move." Surprisingly, Hiro smiled back at him. "Well then. It seems that I have to come up with something different." His body tense with concentration, Hiro flickered for a moment and then vanished. _____ Zorin readied himself to parry the boy's coming attack from the left. Predictably, he reappeared wielding an energy sword. Zorin locked blades with him and pushed the green blade down with his blue one. "As I said, too predictable." "And as I thought," replied the boy...from behind. Zorin's head snapped around to see the brat standing behind him. "Dumb as a post," added the one with the energy sword. Before he could even muster a thought on how to react to this new situation, the Hiro without the energy sword punched Zorin directly in the nose. The large Juraian grunted as he flew across the room, hit a wall, and collapsed into unconsciousness. _____ "Was that...new enough...for ya?" asked Hiro breathlessly as he pulled himself back into one body. "Man...how does mom do that without feeling so tired?" "Nnnnoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!" Ryoko screamed. Hiro cringed slightly as he felt a massive amount of Light Hawk energy flowing from the dance floor. Not wasting any time, the teen opened himself to his own Wings. _____ "No," whispered Ryoko. "That's...not possible!" Rashoch smiled down at her. "Oh but it is, sis." Ryoko shut her eyes. "No." She felt his hand grab her by the throat. "Believe it!" shouted Rashoch. "I am your brother, Ryoko! I am Washu's abandoned son!" He leaned close to whisper in her ear. "We are blood." "Nnnnoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!" Ryoko screamed in disbelief. Rashoch released her throat and stepped back several feet. A black sword appeared in his right hand. "Unfortunately, this little reunion is coming to an abrupt and bloody end." Panic rushed through Ryoko's mind as she struggled to do something, anything, to get her out of this situation. But no matter what she tried, her bindings kept all her powers in check. Rashoch raised his sword. Madness was apparent in his features as he took aim at her head. He moved to strike, but his sword was suddenly sent flying from his hands by a green energy ribbon. The madman's eyes went wide when he looked right just in time to see a column of Light Hawk Power hit him. He roared in pain and horror as the blast sent him through the wall of the club and far out into the city itself. Ryoko's bindings vanished, and she dropped to her knees sobbing lightly. Hiro, his forehead rune glowing brightly, was suddenly by her side helping her to stand. He placed his hands under her arms and lifted her up. "Mom?" he asked worriedly. "Are you all right?" "No," she whispered. "No, I'm not." There were sounds of footsteps all around the pair. Ryoko slowly lifted her head to see at least a hundred Juraian soldiers standing around them with plasma guns armed and ready. Ryoko tried to find the strength to fight, but at that moment, she didn't want to even move. The only thing she could think about was... "Rashoch," she whispered. _____ Hiro looked at the Juraians and then at his mother. "Come on, mom. Snap out of it. We have to fight." She just lowered her head without a response. The Juraians took aim at them. "Crap," muttered Hiro. Suddenly, the building rocked again causing the ceiling to rain down upon everyone. Hiro looked up and saw a hover van descending towards them. The side of the van opened up to reveal Leah standing there with a pair of objects in her hands. She winked at Hiro and tossed the items in her hands down to the floor. The first one landed at the teen's feet, giving him a chance to see it. A neutron grenade rolled to a stop next to his right foot. Not wasting a moment, Hiro teleported both himself and his mother into the hover van, which was already rising out of the devastated club. Leah slammed the side door shut, and Ukarit flew the van away at top speed as soon as they were outside again. A pair of explosions could be heard in the distance, signifying the detonation of the grenades. "Who the hell were those two guys back there?" asked Ukarit from the driver's seat. "The guys who attacked our home on Earth," replied Hiro. He placed his mother down in one of the back seats and sat down next to her. "Is she all right?" asked Leah with a gesture at Ryoko. Hiro shook his head. "I dunno. I think Rashoch said something to her." "Who?" "The guy in the black," he added. The teen looked closely at his parent, who was now sitting with her knees pulled up to her chin and looking out the window. "Somar!" shouted Ukarit into his communicator. "Get a lock on this signal and meet us with the Dice...Yes I know there is a Juraian fleet out there! Just get your pale ass in gear and find us!" He threw the communicator on the floor and looked back at Leah. "Hack into the local Vid Net and get it out about the fleet so the whole planet knows. Then broadcast what footage you can get from what just happened in the club. That should create enough confusion for us to get away clean." "Got it, boss," replied the troubleshooter. She climbed into the front seat and started working with the on board computer. Hiro took a deep breath and looked back at Ryoko. Whatever the madman had said to her had finally pushed her over the edge. The cyan haired woman just silently stared out the window, lost in her thoughts and oblivious to the happenings of the outside world. _____ Washu lunged for her sister literally steaming with rage. Her hands wrapped around Tokimi's throat. "YOU BITCH!" she screamed. "YOU...YOU...WHY?" Despite being strangled Tokimi smiled nonetheless. She slowly gripped Washu's wrists and pulled her hands away. "Do you really have a right to ask that?" Washu tore her wrists away and stepped back. "How could you? *Why* would you, Tokimi?" The dark haired goddess straightened her robes. "He was of our blood," she replied. "Despite the fact that you were mortal when you birthed him, he was still a member of our family. I simply wanted to act on his potential." Deep sadness threatened to pull Washu into a state of depression right there on the spot. Her personal iron will was all that kept her standing. "You had no right," she said finally. "He was my son." "A son you abandoned," countered Tokimi. Washu shot her a cold glare. "I didn't reclaim him because I wanted him to have a normal life. Even though I didn't remember who I was then, I knew that any member of my family would be in danger simply because of the things I did. He was supposed to live and die as a normal person." The red head closed her eyes and hugged herself. Tokimi huffed. "That is utter nonsense." Washu's eyes opened to level a thin gaze at her sister. An image of Rashoch from the fight with Ryoko suddenly appeared between them. "What happened to him?" she asked finally. "He looks nothing like he should." "There was a, how do I put this, bad reaction," she answered. "After you decided not to claim him, I did. I thought that he would make a perfect Champion to herald my cause. With your genetic make up combined with my powers, he would be the perfect warrior." She sighed and started pacing around the image. "Unfortunately, it seems that there was an incompatibility between our powers. There was a reaction that completely changed him in mind and body after I introduced my power to him." The goddess frowned. "His Light Hawk Wings ended up making him insane. His power was immense, though uncontrollable. When the transformation was complete I renamed him Rashoch, since any trace of wha...who he used to be had been destroyed." "However, he seemed to have developed a hatred for being controlled. The more I tried to command him, the more he rebelled. Then one day he actually tried to open a portal to come and kill me." Tokimi laughed lightly. "I was forced seal him inside a hibernation crystal and search for a new Champion." Washu walked around the image, searching for any sign of the son she had never really known. She stopped and stared into his face. Only one thing remained of her son. A single green eye. A slow, unsteady hand reached out to caress his face. But her hand only succeeded in passing through the image. Washu slowly turned to her sister. "Tokimi," she said in a hoarse whisper. "I will never forgive you for this." To be continued... Notes- Well now. How did you like that one? I debated a long time whether or not to do this, but I eventually decided why the hell not. Any comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com.