NOTE : This is a work of pure fiction, and is not used as a means of making a profit. Tenchi Muyo belongs to AIC and Pioneer, except of Sei! Note, this is a continuation of the OVA series, but I took some topics from the TV series as well. ENJOY!! TENCHI MUYO SILHOUETTE WINGS by Ron Head CHAPTER 4 No Need for Secrets!/ Minions of the Dark Side Dialogue Key : "~~~" for characters that are speaking (~~~) for characters that are thinking In Tsunami's realm, a bright glowing ball descends on the azure marble floor. The glowing light fades away from the ball, reveiling the presence of Tsunami. The area surrounding her is covered with trees of various sizes and shapes. The pony-tailed goddess walks across a long passageway until she reaches a floating platform. Endless stars surrounded the platform, giving a good view of the entire universe. Tsunami steps on the hovering platform. She closes her eyes, the marks on her forehead start to glow a bright yellow. The blue-hared goddess looks up, and an image of the Earth appears before her. Her marks glow again, and the image shifts to an overhead view of the Masaki house. The marks glow for a third time, and an image of the space station Masaki appears besides the view of the Masaki home. "Soon, she will have to know," said Tsunami to herself. She didn't want to do it, force all the responsibility on her "other" self : Sasami. Sasami has a hard enough time trying to except the fact that she is assimilated with a goddess. She tried to ease the burden by sending her visions in her dreams, but they only seem to make things worse. The goddess cringed at the thought of making that little girl cry all those nights just because of the hands that fate has dealt her. (It has to be done, there is no other way. Lady Tokimi will strike very soon, and this man she sent is only a decoy.) She looks up at the two images again. "I am sorry Sasami…" **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Tenchi Masaki walks down the long, stone passageway that leads to his house. Attached to his back is a large wicker basket filled with carrots. Perched on his left shoulder is Ryo-Ohki in her cabbit form. She nibbles happily on a carrot. Tenchi looks at the cabbit and sighed. "You should be thankful that I'm letting you eat another carrot, Ryo-Ohki," said Tenchi. "MEOW!!" purred the little fury creature. It was a sunny spring day, but thankfully the trees that covered most of the area provided shade for the two wanderers. Tenchi looks up at the near clear blue sky. He notices several flocks of birds flying by, chirping a melodious song. Tenchi smiled and continued to make his way down the long passageway. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Back at the Masaki house, Sasami busily prepares the breakfast table. The blue-hared princess places the plates and silverware on the large black stand. Once she was finished preparing the table, she rushes back into the kitchen. She checks the soup to make sure that it didn't spoil. Then she checked on the fish, flipping them over to reveal the scorch marks on the sides. After seeing that everything was in order, she hurries outside to see if Tenchi came back yet. Ayeka was in the living room, watching a soap opera. She yawned, covering her mouth in a decent and modest manner. (Boy, this soap opera is boring. It hasn't even gotten to the juicy part yet!) Then the purple-hared princess notices Sasami running by her. "Sasami!" The little pink-eyed girl stops and turns to meet her older sister. "Yes, Ayeka?" "Is breakfast ready yet?" "Almost, I'm just waiting for Tenchi to bring the carrots." "Okay Sasami, just checking." The first crown princess of Jurai slumps down in disappointment. She felt her stomach rumble in hunger. (Oh, I wish Sasami would finish breakfast soon.) Then she contemplated of what she just thought of. (Maybe I should help her prepare breakfast.) Ayeka then remembered all the times she tried to cook a meal. (Then again, maybe it would be a good idea if I just let her cook breakfast.) **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Space station Masaki was rendered to nothing more but a ghost town after the mercenary Sei Shikyru invaded and took it over. The hallways and corridors were filled with dead bodies of Jurain officers and military. Blood stained the walls and ceilings. Inside the throne room, everything was still and eerie. The dead body of the Jurain officer laid on the wooden floor in a pole of crimson red blood. Two orange containment bubbles hovered near the throne. Kiyone sat huddled in a small, curled up ball, fear definitely in her eyes. She saw more people die in one day than she would see in her entire lifetime as a Galaxy Police officer. Mihoshi, on the other hand, seemed rather relaxed and calm about the whole situation. The emerald-hared officer looked over at Mihoshi. They haven't really talked since Mihoshi woke up because of what had been going on. But since everything has cooled down, they now had the time to talk with one another. Kiyone felt like to talking to someone, even if it was Mihoshi. Besides, she actually wanted to know how her old partner's life went after they were separated. She didn't know how to approach her, though. She did not know what to say, or even what to talk to about. Then she noticed that Mihoshi was sitting starry-eyed at the ceiling. Finally she knew what to say. "HOW COULD YOU BE SO DAMN CALM, MIHOSHI!!! "Huh?" responded the blonde-headed officer, getting out of her quixotic state. "Kiyone, you got to learn to control your anger, you know. That's probably why you could never get a boyfriend." The green-hared policewoman growled in anger. "That's none of your business!!" replied Kiyone. "You shouldn't get so mad, Kiyone, I mean things could get worse, you know." Now Kiyone was clenching her fist and gritting her teeth. "HOW COULD THINGS POSSIBLY GET WORSE!!" "Well, we could end up like that guy." Mihoshi points to the dead corpse that was lying on the ground. "Oh, I see," said Kiyone, a large sweat drop was forming. Both ladies sighed and slumped down in their containment spheres. "I'm sure Galaxy Police Headquarters will rescue us anyways, huh Kiyone?" The policewoman closed her eyes, almost afraid of telling Mihoshi the truth. "Mihoshi, Galaxy Police Headquarters was destroyed while you were unconscious." Tears were starting to form on the sky blue eyes of Mihoshi. "Y, you mean we're doomed?!?" Kiyone nodded. All of a sudden, Mihoshi broke down crying, tears were rolling down her checks in endless streams. The turquoise-hared officer sighed. (Me and my big mouth.) **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Sei Shikyru and Lady Masaki stands at the entranceway of the Royal Garden. The golden-hared mercenary was amazed at the elegance and beauty of the tree nursery. He could see hundreds of royal trees floating in the air and several waterfalls in the far ends of the garden. Then he notices rows after rows of bushes and flowers. Sei recognized some of the flowers he saw. He picked up a purple-hinted flower, staring at it intently. "This place is gorgeous," he said to himself softly. Lady Masaki smiled, looking at the mercenary. "I see you got a soft side, Mr. Shikyru." Sei immediately turned around, squinted at the black-hared queen. "Shut up! We're here to make sure that nobody else is onboard, OK?!" The pair walked down a long aisle. Surrounding the aisle were bright, white lights. In Sei's right hand was his gun. The silvery Desperado sparkled and glistened from the bright lights. They made their way to a large Jurain tree. A bright, mutli-colored beam of light shinned out of the large royal tree once Sei neared it. The mercenary was startled for a moment. The tree started to glow, giving off more rainbow-colored beams. "What the hell…?" said a perplexed Sei Shikyru. "This is a royal tree that belongs to an empress from a branch family." Sei walks closer to the tree, putting out his hand to touch the glowing object. As his fingers neared the tree, the glow became brighter. Finally he touched it, feeling the warmth radiated from the Jurain tree. Soon, his hand started to glow as well. Startled, he jumped back, releasing his touch. "What the…" Lady Funaho stared at the mercenary. Sei swallowed hard, reaching out his hand to touch the tree again. "I feel like this tree is familiar somehow…" said Sei softly to himself. He felt like he could almost feel a soul inside the tree, a soul that was calling out to him. The mercenary touched the tree again. This time, his entire body started to glow. He couldn't quite described what he was feeling. It was almost like he was getting reacquainted with someone, but he didn't know who. Lady Funaho continued to stare at Sei, not believing what she was seeing. (How can this be? Only someone of royal blood could communicate with a royal tree, unless…) "AHEM!" coughed Funaho deliberately. Sei looked up, moving away from the tree. "Uh,…sorry about that," said Sei. "Let's move on." The two left the tree, and walked down a narrow passageway. Once they left the room, the tree stopped glowing, and everything went dark. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** A large fleet of Jurain ships passes the far ends of the sol system. The main ship is a large, green-colored battleship. Surrounding it are four, navy-hinted escort ships. Inside the main battleship stands the king and queen of Jurai on a large, floating pedestal. King Ayhzua looks down at the control room, a serious demeanor was emitted from his face. A Jurain officer quickly runs towards the king. He was wearing a gray and white Jurain uniform, and had on a large hat that resembled the one that Mihoshi always wore. "Sir," said the officer, "we out of range from the Masaki." The king of Jurai nods in approval. "Good," he replied. A Jurain councilman walks towards King Ayhzua. The councilman was an elderly member of Jurai's Holy Council. He wore a white robe designed with patterns of two Royal Jurain trees on it. "Sir, is it wise that we do this?" asked the councilman. "I mean, if word spreads that all of the top royalties of Jurai fled like cowards because of one little hostage situation, won't that give us a bad reputation?" "Didn't I say I was going to demote you earlier?" answered King Ayhzua. The elderly councilman swallows hard in fear. "Besides, we would have received a bad reputation anyway if we stayed or tried anything. How would we look if we let two GP officers die because of our pride?" The councilman remained silent, not answering the king's question. "Exactly," said King Ayhzua. Realizing his mistake, the councilman bowed humbly before the purple-hared king. "I am sorry for questing your judgment, sire." "It is all right. That son of a bitch mercenary will get his soon, so don't worry." In the meantime, a worried Lady Masaki looks down at the ground. She was fiddling around with the sleeve of her robe that hung a couple inches down. "I just hope that sis is okay," Lady Masaki said to herself. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The darkness of Lady Tokimi's realm engulfed her domain. The only light that was shinning in the eerie dimension was from the goddess herself. She looked down at an image of the Masaki. "Soon, the gems will be mine," she said to herself. "All we have to do is wait for that arrogant mercenary to draw out Washu and the others." The goddess smirks evilly, giving out a slight chuckle that echoes through the dark void. "What a fool. He doesn't realize that his usefulness will end once I have those gems in my position." **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Electrical sparks start to crackle around Washu's lab. All of the machinery was in full force, processing and compiling data from numerous sources. Washu is hard at work on her transparent computer, typing rapidly with all her strength. Surrounding her are several large holographic screens with charts and graphs on them. Washu is wearing a velvet-colored visor with numbers calculating on it. "Now let's see," she says to herself, "that disturbance in the Masaki must have been caused by a high level energy output emitting from one source. But there seems to be several sources that have the same energy level readings in the same area." She pauses for a moment, thinking of her next step to solving the problem. "But if I could find the exact percent ratio of the difference between those sources, then maybe I can find the actual origin of that disturbance." She types in the necessary equations on her translucent laptop. After adding all the information she needs, she waits in anticipation for the results. Two Washu puppets appear out of nowhere on her shoulder. "Yeah, you go Washu!!" screamed Washu puppet A. "Kick butt Washu!!" screamed Washu puppet . The two little puppets continue to shoot words of encouragement to the rosy-hared scientist. Soon, the words where getting on her nerves. "Will you two shut up! I'm trying to concentrate!" Both puppets shut up. Large sweat drops were forming on the sides of their checks. Several seconds passed, but to Washu, those mere moments seemed like endless hours. Finally, the data was complied, and Washu got her answer. "WHAT THE…!?!?" A stunned expression was emitting from her face, her jaw was hanging lifeless from the outcome of the experiment. "Error," said Washu, reading off the words that were emitting form the screen of her computer. Washu clenches her fist and gritted her teeth in anger. She takes her visor and throws it against the wall. "SON OF A BITCH!!!" The velvet visor shattered into a million pieces. Both Washu puppets stared at Washu with perplexed looks on their faces. "Uh, Washu…" said Washu puppet A. Washu glared at the little puppet with an evil look in her eye. "WHAT?!?" A sweat drop the size of grapefruit formed on the side of the puppet's head. "Um, nothing, Washu." Suddenly, an alarm popped out of a dimensional portal. "What the…Now what?!?" Washu pressed a button on the keyboard on her computer. The holographic screens that surrounded her disappeared. Washu then typed in several commands in her laptop, until a large, multi-dimensional screen floated down from the ceiling. Static buzzed on the clear-coated screen. "Huh? I'm getting a message?" Washu continues to type on her computer until the signal was successfully transferred. She sighs as she collapse on a floating chair. (At least there's something I can do right!) An image appeared on the large screen. The scientist froze at the image that she saw. Her eyes nearly bulged out of her eye-sockets. On the screen was the face of Sei Shikyru. He wore his black-tinted sunglasses, and was standing in front of the throne in the Masaki. "Hello there, Washu," said the mercenary. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** "Hi guys!" pronounced Tenchi. He walks through the front door, taking off his work shoes. "I'm home!" Sasami runs up to Tenchi, greeting him with a hug. "Oh Tenchi, you're back!" "Hi Sasami." Tenchi takes off his basket, placing it near the entrance to the kitchen. Ryo-Ohki jumped off of Tenchi's shoulder and hopped towards Sasami. The second princess of Jurai grabbed the little cabbit, embracing it close to her. Ayeka walks in, obviously famished from hunger. She had a dulled expression on her face as she leaned against a wall. The first crown princess of Jurai gave out a long yawn, covering her mouth in modesty. Then she notices Tenchi, and her entire expression changed from monotone to joy. Her eyes sparkled with affection as she walked over to greet Tenchi. "Oh, good morning Lord Tenchi," said Ayeka in her most dignified voice. She hoped to give a good impression on Tenchi, wishing that he would return her endearment. "Good morning Ayeka. Sorry to keep you waiting for breakfast." While saying that, Tenchi was rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, that's quite alright, Lord Tenchi." She looked down, her checks blushed a rose-colored red. "Uh, Tenchi…" "Yes Ayeka?" "Um,..I…." The purple-hared princess was interrupted by the presence of Ryoko. She floated behind Tenchi, wrapping her arms around the spiky-hared boy. "Good morning, Tenchi," said Ryoko in her most seductive voice. Sweat drops were forming all around Tenchi's head. Ayeka, on the other hand, was grimacing with anger. (How dare that devil-woman rudely interrupt my moment with Tenchi?!? This was one of the few times that Tenchi and I had a chance to be alone, and Ryoko had to go and ruin it!) At that moment, Ryoko noticed Ayeka was fuming in rage. She smiled evilly as she thought of a way to piss off Ayeka even more. "Tenchiiiii," coed Ryoko. A large sweat-drop was now emitting around Tenchi's head. "You worked awfully hard in the fields. You're sweating like a pig." She gently wipes off some trickles of sweat off of Tenchi's brow. "Well, I uh…" was all that Tenchi could response. "I know!" proclaimed the cyan-hared space pirate. "Let's go take a bath!" Shocked expressions were showing on both faces of Tenchi and Ayeka. Ayeka quickly dashes in, grabbing Ryoko's arms. "Now just wait a moment, Miss Ryoko!" Ryoko's smile widened. "Yes princess?" "I will not allow you to take a bath with Lord Tenchi!" "Really princess?" said Ryoko in a sarcastic voice. The violet-hared Jurain was getting really mad now. She gritted her teeth and was gesturing with her hands that she was going to strangle Ryoko. The space pirate laughed mockingly at Ayeka. Realizing that she was losing the verbal argument, Ayeka quickly regained composure. "Besides Miss Ryoko," said Ayeka in a taunting voice. She walked over to Tenchi and wrapped his free arm around herself. "I'm pretty sure that Lord Tenchi would rather take a bath with me than with a disgusting monster-woman like you!" After that statement, both faces of Ryoko and Tenchi were shocked and frozen. They were surprised at what Ayeka, the shy, innocent princess, had said. Ayeka was a little surprised herself, but she knew it must have made a big impact on Ryoko. Now Ryoko was the one who was fuming with anger. She marched over towards Ayeka and released the princess's hold on Tenchi. "OK, that's it princess!" screamed Ryoko. The space pirate formed a light saber in her right hand. Knowing that she was about to go into battle, Ayeka formed her force shield around herself. Both woman glared at each other with death in their eyes. Before either one of them had a chance to strike, a large green bubble formed around Ryoko. Ayeka stood dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on. Washu suddenly ran our of her lab and got in-between the two ladies. "They're be enough time for that later!" declared the red-headed scientist. Everyone in the room stared in a perplexed state at Washu. "We got more important things to worry about!" Meantime, Ryoko was pounding on the green bubble. "Get me out of this damn bubble Washu!!" **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** "Bring the princesses and the gems, or you know what will happen," said Sei. The transmission was cut off, and the large holographic screen turned to static. Washu presses a button on her transparent computer which causes the large screen to vanish. The greatest scientific genus of the universe turned to see Tenchi and the others in her laboratory. "Well…" said Washu, almost imploring a question. Tenchi couldn't believe what he heard. In the replay transmission that Washu had shown everyone, the mercenary stated that he took over the space station Masaki and held Mihoshi as his hostage, as his prisoner. Tenchi had always thought of everyone in his house as part of his family, and to have one of them being held captive makes his blood boil. "I guess we have no choice," said Tenchi. Both Ryoko and Ayeka turned to look at Tenchi with concerned looks on their faces. It was true, they had no choice. They had to go to the Masaki, they had to. If they didn't, not only would Mihoshi be in trouble, but so would Ayeka's aunt Lady Funaho. Plus, the golden-hared mercenary had another hostage in his possession which raises the stakes in his favor. "But Tenchi…" protested Ryoko. She ran towards the spiky-hared boy with a look of concern in her eyes. She clung to his shirt, looking deep into his chestnut brown eyes. "You can't go! I won't let you!" Ryoko protesting words were ringed with concern for the safety of the one she loved. The cyan- hared demon knew what Tenchi was capable of due to his fight with Kagato, but she also knew of the danger that he would be facing. Ryoko wouldn't allow that to happen. Tenchi, on the other hand, was a little confused at what Ryoko was doing. "What's wrong Ryoko?" asked Tenchi. "It's just one man, isn't it?" Ryoko interrupted Tenchi. "No," she said strongly. "It's not just one man, Tenchi. This guy is good, real good." Tenchi swallowed hard, understanding why the space pirate was so worried. But he couldn't deny Mihoshi. He couldn't deny his great-grandmother, or all the other hostages that that one man had. He didn't care how strong or how powerful this mercenary was, as long as he got his friends, no, his family back safely. "No," said Tenchi sternly. "I'm going no matter what." Ryoko was shocked at what Tenchi had just told her. After all the affection and worry she had for him, he still wanted to go. She didn't care if it was bravery or stupidity, she couldn't allow him to throw his life away. "No Tenchi, you can't! Because if you do…" Her words were cut off as tears started run down her checks. She tried to hold back her tears, but it was no use. She broke down crying in front of the one she loved. Ryoko embraced Tenchi with affection. Her tears moistened her checks as they poured out. Ayeka was watching as everything transpired. A stern look of both concern and irritation was on her face. She was concerned for Tenchi's safety also, but she was irritated at the brashness and forwardness of the space pirate. Deep down, she knew Ryoko was doing this out of love for Tenchi, but she couldn't stand it. She wished that she was as forward as Ryoko, being able to show her true feelings. But because of her Jurain heritage and traditions, she was forced to put on a facade of solemnity. "Tenchi…" spoke Ayeka. Both Tenchi and Ryoko turned to look at the princess. Ryoko sobbed as she watched Ayeka. "Tenchi, I feel the same way as Ryoko does. Deep down I don't want you to go either. However, I also know and understand that it is your duty to go." A sad and disgruntled expression was emitted from Ryoko's face. She also knew that Tenchi must go as well, but she didn't want him to. Her feelings for his safety were stronger than her feelings for his pride. "Tenchi…" Ryoko said softly. "But I think what Ryoko was trying to say earlier is that if you go alone, you'll be in trouble. Tenchi, if you are going, then I, err, we are going as well." Ayeka looked at Ryoko was pity while saying the last part of her statement. "Thank you Ayeka," said Tenchi affectionately. He looked down at Ryoko. He grabbed her arms, prying them off around his neck. He looked deep into her golden eyes. "Ryoko, if you worry that much for me, then I won't go. I don't want to see any of you getting hurt, by me or by anyone." Ryoko thought about what Tenchi said for a moment. A part of her was glad for what he said. That part was glad and relieved that Tenchi would stay and not get hurt. Yet, another part of her felt wrong for forcing him to do this. She did felt wrong and bad for making Tenchi stay behind because of her excessive concern for him. Both feelings, both emotions pulled on Ryoko's heart and mind. After a long time of decision, Ryoko made up her mind. She moved away from Tenchi, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It's okay Tenchi, you can go." A relieved look fell upon the face of the young crown prince of Jurai. Ryoko continued on. "However, like Ayeka said, you are not going alone. We are coming with you." "Thanks Ryoko," said Tenchi. He turned to meet everybody. "Thank you, everyone." A disgruntled expression emitted from Washu's wide, kawaii face. "Well, here we go again." **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The crystalline ship known as Ryo-Ohki docked with the Masaki. Clamps and tractor beams held the large black craft in place as it neared an open hatch on the space station. The trip from the Earth to the Masaki was a short one, only taking several hours, but it seemed like an eternity of anxiety and fear as they approached the large, floating Jurain station. Darkness fell upon the docking station once Ryo-Ohki entered. Everyone inside the vessel were startled. "HEY!!" they all screamed aloud. Complaining and arguing followed. "Hey, why is it so dark!?!" voiced Tenchi. "Where did the lights go!?!" said Sasami. "Watch where your stepping on Ryoko!!" screamed an irritated Ayeka. "Well move out of my way your royal 'lowliness'!" responded Ryoko. The rosy-hared mad scientist stumbled over a pile of floating crystals while looking for a light switch. "HEY!!" protested Washu. "Watch it Ryo-Ohki!" "MIYA!!" answered the cabbit. "Watch where your touching Ryoko!" said Tenchi. "It wasn't me!" declared the demoness. "I swear it!" "Ayeka!" said Tenchi scornfully. "It wasn't me either!" responded the princess. "Then who…" "Sorry Tenchi," said a sheepish Sasami. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** After spending several minutes finding a light switch, Tenchi and the others leave the large, spiky space ship. Before they departed the vessel, they had a quick change of clothes. Tenchi and Ayeka wore their white and brown Jurain battle-suits, while Ryoko wore her usual red and black battle outfit. Washu changed into her Science Academy uniform, and Sasami wore her green and brown outdoor kimono. Ryoko floated near Ryo-Ohki's center, which was the large red sphere in the middle of the ship. "Now listen Ryo-Ohki" started Ryoko, "we're gonna be gone for a while, OK? You stay put." "Meow," replied the crystalline cabbit. "Don't argue with me! Like the Nike sign says, just do it!" "Meow." "It'll be okay, we won't be gone long!" "Meow." The space pirate was getting frustrated now. She didn't know what to do with Ryo-Ohki, until an idea struck her like a thunder bolt. "Will you stay for five carrots!" exclaimed Ryoko, holding out five fingers with her right hand. "Meeooowww." "Fine! Be that way! How about ten?" Ryoko held out all ten digits in front of the black-tinted ship. "MIYA!!!" "That's a good girl." **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Wash, and Sasami were walking down the large corridors. The indigo-tinted walls were stained with dried blood from all the dead Jurain officers. Dead corpses rested against the walls and laid on the cold floor. It was a horrific site, one you would expect from an old war movie. Sasami couldn't bear the dreadful site. She covered her eyes and clung to her older sister. Ayeka held the blue-hared girl close to her, a look of rage was on her face. Sasami doesn't know the burden of being a full-fledged princess yet, but Ayeka has. It was her duty to worry for her people, and to see her fellow Jurains dead enraged her with fury. They finally made their way towards the front doors to the throne room. The walk was not only a long and tiring one, it was appalling as well. Seeing corpses from left to right gave the group a grim and angry feeling. To think that a person would do this to their fellow man disgusted and enraged Tenchi. He was angry at the mercenary, but he was also scared of him as well. (Only a person with no compassion would do this.) And a person with no compassion has no limitation, and that scared the boy more than anything at that moment. They opened the doors and walked inside. Everything was dark and eerie. Tenchi continued to walk forward until he stumbled over a large dead body. He looked at the corpse, and a look of dread was on his face. Sasami shrieked with fear. Ryoko and Ayeka moved on, making her way to the throne. Everyone came to the steps of the throne. Near the throne were the two floating containment spheres that held Mihoshi and Kiyone. Next to the containment bubbles was Lady Funaho, who stood with her head bowed and her eyes closed. Mihoshi looked up and saw Tenchi and the others. A look of joy and hope fell on the tanned face of the officer. "Tenchi!!" she declared. "Ayeka! Ryoko! Sasami! Washu! You guys came!!" Kiyone looked at the group, an expression of relief appeared upon her face. But when she notices the space pirate Ryoko, her relieved look was wiped away by a look of surprise. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it!" said the emerald-hared woman. "Oh, you must be Detective Kiyone," declared Ayeka. The GP officer looked over at the first crown princess of Jurai. "Princess Ayeka, I can't believe that your staying with a wanted criminal like Ryoko!" The cyan-hared demon coughed deliberately to get Kiyone's attention. "EX- criminal you mean!" said Ryoko sternly. "Oh yeah Kiyone," said Mihoshi, "I forgot to tell you, Jurai's Holy Council set the Statue of Limitation, so Ryoko is no longer a wanted criminal." "This gets more confusing by the minute," said Kiyone. "Don't worry Miss Kiyone," said Tenchi, "we'll explain it once we free you guys." Kiyone turned to meet Tenchi, staring deep into his brown eyes. He reminded her of a man she knew long ago. A man who brought great joy into her life, but at the same time brought misery and loneliness as well. She turned away from her gaze, haunting memories of sadness filled her mind, reminding her of the past. Ayeka walked over towards her aunt. "Aunt Funaho," said Ayeka, bowing before her Jurain relative. The black-hared queen looked up at her niece and smiled. "Hello, Ayeka," said Funaho. Sasami ran towards her aunt, tears welting in her eyes. "Auntie Funaho!" announced Sasami. The little blue-hared girl hugged her aunt close to herself. Lady Funaho patted the pink-eyed girl's head. "I missed you too, little Sasami." "Come, let's get you guys out of here," pronounced Ayeka. The princess walked over towards the containment spheres, when a gunshot ranged out, almost hitting her foot. Ayeka froze immediately, sweat was dripping down her forehead. Everyone turned to where the gunshot was fired. A sleek, shinny nozzle peered out of the shadows in the far corners of the throne room. A shadowy figure held the gun up, smoke emitted from the nozzle. The figure walked forward, letting the light in the room shine on him. "I don't think so, Princess Ayeka," says the deep, dark voice of Sei Shikyru. Everyone stared at the golden-hared mercenary with contempt. "So is this the guy?' asked Tenchi who was looking at Washu. Washu nodded her head. "Yep," she said. Ayeka looked at the Sei with an expression of hatred and frustration. The anger inside Ayeka boiled up, causing her to greet her teeth and clench her fists. "You!" said Ayeka roughly. Ayeka formed her force shield around herself. "Ayeka!" screamed Washu. "Don't do anything stupid! I know your angry, but calm down!" "You should listen to the professor," said Sei, pissing off Ayeka even more. He pulled out the copper-colored device that controlled the orange containment bubbles. The mechanized object shinned and glistened from the light in the room. "I have all the cards in my hands, so be smart and don't start any shit with me!" Ayeka stared at Sei with death as her intent. She eased back and the force shield disappeared. "Smart move," said Sei. "You…you uncivilized piece of sewer trash scum!!" said an angry Ayeka. Sei smirked, easing his gun down. "Yeah, fuck you too Ayeka," replied Sei harshly. The purple-hared princess fumed with animosity after that statement. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Inside Lady Tokimi's realm, the dark goddess looks at an image of what transpired in the Masaki. A surprised expression fell upon the goddess's face. D-3 appeared before Tokimi, an equally surprised look was on his face as well. "I'm quite shocked and impressed that that arrogant mercenary got Washu and the others over there," said Lady Tokimi. D-3 remained silent, not replying to his majesty's statement. "You have to admit, that was a smart move," said D-3 finally. "True, I suppose there is some amount of intelligence in that barbaric human being." Both the goddess and her servant remained silent, starring at the image that hovered in front of them. Sei continued to converse with Ayeka and the others, still making the princess even more furious. "Well," said Tokimi, breaking the silence, "at any rate, even if he was successful, his usefulness has come to an end. D-3, you know what to do." The dark goddess looked at the servant with evil intentions in her eye. The servant bowed his head in obedience before his majesty. "As you wish Lady Tokimi." D-3 disappeared in a thick aurora of green mist. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Back in the Masaki, things have settled down. Sei and Ayeka has ceased their argument after the mercenary threaten that he was going to roast Mihoshi and Kiyone. Sei walked over towards the throne and seated himself on the large, elegantly designed chair. He placed the copper-tined device on the right armrest of the chair. Ayeka looked at Sei with threating eyes as she watch the golden-hared mercenary make himself comfortable on her father's chair. "Hey!" screamed Ayeka in a high-pitched voice. "That's my father's throne! What gives you the right to sit in a Jurain throne!?!" Sei turned sharply at the purple-hared princess, flipping her with his right hand. "I do whatever the hell I want, and no stuck-up Jurain bitch is gonna to tell me what to do!" he said sharply. Now Ayeka was mad, REAL mad. She'd never been this insulted, not even by Ryoko. She was on the brink of madness, and was ready to kill someone at that point. In the meantime, Tenchi and Ryoko watched with befuddled looks ; they never seen Ayeka so pissed off. Then again, they never saw anyone who had the brass to piss off Ayeka's ass that bad before either. Ayeka was now turning red from anger. Her eyes were blazing with fire as smoke emitted around her, causing the small pebbles that surrounded her to float in the air. Washu didn't feel right about all this. She kept on trying to think why a mercenary was hired to hijack a Jurain space station just so he can kidnap a handful of aliens and retrieve several gems. (It doesn't make any sense! It's like we're all set up to take some kind of fall!) The scientist looked out in space through the large window in front of the throne. (Who could've sent this mercenary?) Sasami felt weird ever since she arrived on the Masaki. She felt out of place, like she was in a different body. The pony-tailed princess's thoughts were also out of place as well. It almost felt like she was being warned secretly. The uneasiness was getting on her nerves, making her twitch and fiddle with the sleeves of her kimono. Suddenly, like a jolt of lightning, an image flashed before Sasami. She gasped, not knowing what was going on. The marks on her forehead changed from their original triangle form to two circular patterns. They glowed an intense yellow, which burned her severely. Smoke started to emitted from the marks. She held her head, moaning in pain as the image flashed in her mind again. Everyone turned to look at Sasami, even the mercenary. Sasami fell to her knees, still clutching her head in agony. The pain in her mind became more intense. It was throbbing now, tearing away all of the young girl's senses. Sasami shrieked in pain as the throbbing took it's toll. The pain went away, and the young Jurain fainted. "Sasami!!" declared Tenchi, Ayeka, Lady Funaho, and Ryoko at the same time. Washu was the first to aid Sasami. She caught the little girl before she fell on the hard wooden floor. Tenchi, Ryoko, and Ayeka followed, fear and concern were definitely in their eyes. Mihoshi and Kiyone looked concerned as well as they pounded on the containment spheres. "Sasami!!" howled Mihoshi. Washu rested Sasami softly on the floor. She gently wiped away the sweat that was building up on Sasami's forehead, when she grazed the glowing marks. Her fingers burned immediately when she came in contact. Washu clutched her hand as she cringed in pain. "Sasami!!" screamed Ayeka. She pushed Washu out of her way and was now at her sister's side. "Sasami…" Tears were now welting in Ayeka's ruby-trimmed eyes. Ayeka turned sharply at the mercenary. "What did you do to my sister, bastard!!" A shocked look was emitted from Sei's face. "What the hell did I do?!?" he responded. "Ayeka," said Washu seriously. The first crown princess of Jurai turned to meet Washu. "This is not his doing. This is caused by someone else." "But who?" queried Ayeka. Washu typed away on her computer, trying to find the answer to Ayeka's question. Suddenly, Sasami sat up, her pink eyes were blank, showing no signs of presence. "She's coming," she said softly, almost a whisper. Everyone was confused at that point. "Who's coming?" asked Tenchi. "She's coming," said Sasami again. "Lady Tokimi is coming." **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** A large warship was heading towards the Masaki. It was tinted with black and gold, and had designs and patterns that resembled ancient Roman architecture on it. A large statue of a golden, glistening phoenix stood on the front of the warship. The warship fired a large blast of green energy from the mouth of the phoenix which struck the hull of the Masaki. A large explosion rocked the Jurain station, causing debris to fly through space. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The explosion destroyed most of the main bridge of the Masaki. Inside the throne room, everything was rumbled from the impact of the blast. Sei clung on the armrests of the throne-chair while the rest of the group was thrown to and fro. After everything settled down, Sei got up from the throne. "What the hell was that?!" Sasami has regained herself, and the marks returned to their triangular forms. After processing all of what transpired in her mind, Sasami gasped. "What happened?!" stated Sasami. Tenchi got up on one knee as he reached for the master key. "Washu!" he said abruptly. "What's going on?!" The rosy-hared woman looked at Tenchi with a serious demeanor. "We're being attacked, that's what's going on!" **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The warship fired another energy blast. The barrage nearly tore the space station apart as scattered parts of trees and machinery floated in space. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Sei fell to the ground from the force of the attack. He scraped to his feet, a look of anger and determination was on his face. "Dammit!!" An image of the warship appeared before everyone. Sei gasped as he saw the ship. (That's one of the battle-cruisers I saw in Lady Tokimi's realm!!) Sei clenched his fist as he reached for the copper-tinted device. "Lady Tokimi, you ungrateful bitch!!" said Sei violently. As he reached for the device, Ryoko noticed what Sei was doing. She immediately teleported towards the throne, forming her light saber in her right hand. She slashed the copper- toned device out of Sei's hand. The device fell on the wooden tiled floor and shattered into a million pieces. Once the mechanical object was dismantled, the two containment spheres were deactivated and Mihoshi and Kiyone fell into a heap. "OWWW!" they both uttered. The mercenary looked up at Ryoko with a furious look. "Not today, buddy!" said Ryoko in the mercenary's face. Sei got up to his feet, wiping off the dirt that had collected on his beige trench-coat. "Fine," he said calmly. "We'll do this the hard way." Sei jumped over the large Jurain throne and grabbed his Desperado. After rolling to a crouched position, he pointed the gun at the space pirate and was ready to fire. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The gold and black warship fired one more energy-blast. The third barrage tore the space station apart, causing a large explosion to emit. Although the throne room was still intact, most of the station was now destroyed. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** The throne room looked like it's been through an earthquake. Sei fell to the ground, but managed to stagger himself to his feet. He held his gun close to him as he looked up at the large image in front of him. He saw a large black shadow fly out of the warship as it headed straight for the throne room. "Oh crap," he said to himself. Within one second, the shadow made it's way into the throne room. It phased through the walls and stood before everyone in the room. The black shadow transformed into a large pile of black slime, which then formed into a dark demon. It was pitch-black, except for it's eyes which glowed a bright white. It opened it's mouth, revealing a row of sharp fangs that drenched with green saliva. Two more shadows appeared next to the demon. They both turned into the same hideous creature, raising the odds in their favors. One of the demons spoke. "Sei Shikyru," it said in an inhuman, demonic voice that echoed through the throne room. "Your usefulness has ended, along with your life. Lady Tokimi will take care of the rest from here." "Lady Tokimi," said Washu aloud. (Just who is she? Was she the one who employed this mercenary?) The great scientific mind turned to look at Sei. (Was he only a diversion to get us here?) Ryoko, Tenchi, and Ayeka got in front of the three dark demons. Tenchi activated the master key, pointed the flashing blue blade at the monsters. "You have to get through us first!" he stated strongly. The demons laughed mockingly at the crew. Ryoko formed a glowing orange ball in her hands. She floated into the air, flying several feet away so she could have enough range for her attack. "Laugh at this!" Ryoko hurled a barrage of laser blasts at the demons. The energy shower merely passed through the beasts as they continued to laugh. "What pitiful little creatures!" one of the demons said aloud. After making it's comment, the dark creature extending several sharp tendrils that tore through Ryoko's battle-suit. The black tendrils grazed Ryoko's skin, causing several light cuts. The demon hurled one last tendril which pierced the space pirate's stomach. Blood poured from her wound and mouth as the tendril dug deep into her midsection. "Ryoko!!" screamed Tenchi in horror. While watching the battle, Ayeka's head ornament glowed a bright green as her fury was raising. She dashed forward and attempted a blow with her right fist. Ayeka tried to attack the monster that was injuring Ryoko, but was sidelined by one of the other demons. It blocked Ayeka's strike with a shield that surrounded itself. "Such a pathetic display of strength!" The demon fired a red beam of energy at Ayeka from it's right claw. Ayeka quickly formed her force shield to protect her from the blast. Even though it did not hit her, the force of the beam hurled Ayeka ten feet away. Ayeka's body crashed hard on the wooden floor, welting a bruise on her upper-back. The creature threw another fireball at Ayeka. Ayeka blocked it with her force- shield, but once again the force of the attack launched her into the air and sent the princess crashing down on the hard floor. Ayeka lay unconscious as the monster leered closer towards it's prey. The other demon that held Ryoko with it's tendril threw the limp body on the floor. Ryoko clung on her wound and attempted to get up, but it was no use. Her body had taken to much punishment. "It can't end like this," she said wearily. Tenchi had enough. He ran towards one of the demons, delivering a battle cry as he slashed the master key. The blade penetrated the monster, causing it to howl in pain. The dark demon slashed it's right claw at Tenchi, causing a series of deep cuts to form on his chest. Tenchi backed away, clutching his chest in agony and fell to one knee. Sei was watching the whole battle take place. He couldn't believe it, he was betrayed by his own employer! (All that she told me, all that she promised me was a lie!) Sei knew he couldn't beat these monsters, these minions that Lady Tokimi had sent. But he couldn't allow this happen. He didn't want any one of these people to get hurt, even if he was a mercenary. Sei reached inside in his trench-coat and got a out a silver-colored object. It resembled the master key, only it had a large red button on the hilt of it. He pressed the button, and looked up at the rest of the group. "Everyone, get out here!!!" exclaimed Sei aloud. Everybody in the room looked at Sei, not knowing what was going on. Sei was getting frustrated now. "Are you guys all deaf?!? I said move! This whole place is gonna blow!" Now everyone was staring at Sei with confused looks. "WHAT?!!?" they all said aloud. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** An explosion occurred on the foundation of the floating throne room. Following it are a series of explosion that tore the remains of Masaki apart. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Everyone felt the rumble from the explosions. Cracks on the ceiling were forming, giving notice that the throne room wasn't stable. Sei turned to look at everybody. "See! Now get the hell out here!" The mercenary raced in front of Tenchi and the others. "I'll hold off these big bastards, now MOVE!!" Sei pointed his gun at the demons. Tenchi grabbed Ryoko and gently lifted her from the ground. Ryoko moaned in pain as the blood continued to flow from her wound. Mihoshi and Kiyone went to the aid of Ayeka, helping her up since she was still dazed. Washu, Sasami, and Lady Funaho were the first to leave through the entranceway. A large column fell from the ceiling, crashing down in front of the doorway. "Hurry up!" screamed Washu who held the doors open. The others followed, dodging the falling debris that was falling from the roof. Finally, everyone left the throne room except for Sei. Fire engulfed the room as the explosions spreaded upward. "Stupid human, you shall burn in the depths of hell!!" pronounced one of the dark creatures. "I don't think so," responded Sei. He fired his Desperado at the roof, causing most of it to fall on the three demons. Using the distraction he needed, Sei quickly leapt for the entranceway. **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Tenchi and the rest made their way to Ryo-Ohki, who was waiting patiently. "MEOW!!" the cabbit pronounced as it saw her friends. Kiyone stopped dead in her tracks. "We're not going in that thing!" said Kiyone. Washu turned sharply at the emerald-hared GP officer. "Listen, Miss Kiyone, we don't have a lot of choices here! If you want to die here suit yourself!" Washu disappeared into the space ship, followed by Tenchi, Ryoko, and Sasami. Lady Funaho looked at Kiyone was pleading eyes. "Please Detective Kiyone," she said. A sweat drop formed on the side of Kiyone's head as she sighed to herself. (This is not turning out to be a good day.) **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Soon, everyone was onboard Ryo-Ohki. Washu was controlling the space craft since Ryoko was too injured to pilot it. Washu typed in her computer, and two floating chairs appeared out of nowhere. Kiyone and Mihoshi rested Ayeka on one of the chairs, while Tenchi carried and laid Ryoko on the other floating seat. "Ok, let's get out of here Washu!" declared Tenchi. The rosy-hared scientist looked at Tenchi with an irritated look on her face. "That's 'Little Washu'! How many times do I have to tell you that?!?" Tenchi gave Washu a delirious expression as a sweat drop was emitted from his forehead. "Besides" continued Washu, "we got to wait for Sei." Now a confused appearance replaced Tenchi's perplexed expression. "You mean that mercenary?!? What for?!?" "We want to find out who employed that guy to come after us right? So we got to wait for him, Tenchi!" Another large sweat-drop formed on Tenchi's forehead as he slumped his head in defeat. "Oh, okay…" he said soundly. Washu continued to type in her holographic laptop. "Ryo-Ohki," said Washu to the cabbit. A crystal with an image of Ryo-Ohki's face on it floated in front of the scientist. "MEOW!!" "I want you to leave an entryway open for someone, okay?" "MIYA!!" **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** Sei was like an world-class Olympic runner as he raced to escape the blaze that was building behind him. Sweat was dripping that his forehead and neck, but he didn't care at that point. His legs felt like they were going to fall off, but he had to keep running. A burst of flames grew out of the blaze, which threw Sei about 20 feet into the air. He landed hard on his left shoulder. A sharp pain was felt as he attempted to get up on his feet. Sei clutched his injured shoulder and looked at the building pyre. (This is it. Ironic, I never knew I was going down in a blaze of glory.) Sei closed his eyes and waited for the fire to engulf him. Suddenly, a large shinny spike thrusted upward in front of the fire column. The spike shielded the golden-hared mercenary from the inferno. Sei looked up, and to his amazement he saw Ryo-Ohki. "What the…" A hatchway opened up behind the spike, which was in front of Sei. "Get in!" screamed Washu through an intercom. A befuddled look was emitted from the mercenary. He wasn't sure if he should get in or not. Then he saw the blazing inferno build up even more. He knew that the spike wouldn't protect him long. (I guess I have no choice.) **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** After Sei entered the large crystalline ship, Ryo-Ohki left the fiery remains of the Masaki. The black and gray space ship zipped across space as it narrowly escaped a large explosion that sent a shock-wave flashing throughout the ends of the sol system. Washu watched as the last remains of the Jurain space station blow up. She then turned to look at Ayeka, who was still asleep from the beating she took. (Perhaps it's better if she didn't saw what happened.) Sei was teleported in the main bridge of Ryo-Ohki and landed hard on his rear end. "OUCH! Dammit that hurt!" He looked up, and found a light saber and the master key pointed inches away from his throat. Washu held the light saber, while Tenchi was holding the master key. "Uh-oh," said Sei to himself. He swallowed hard as everyone watched him with angry and blaming eyes. (Something tells me I was better off in that explosion!) TO BE CONTINUED Author's notes : Well, I'm finally done with that load-full! I didn't expect that this chapter would be this long! Oh well, I promise that the next chapter won't be quite as long, I hope. ^_^ Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that! If you have any comments, feedback would be greatly appreciated. You can e-mail me at Crpller21@aol.com, or at Alkaiszer@aol.com. Check out me and my friend's webpage at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/7675. Also, I know I used a line from the Nike banner, so I just want to note that Nike doesn't belong to me (if it did, I would pay guys to write this story for me!) so please don't sue me, oh great and powerful (and rich!) lawyers of the Nike Air company! Stay tuned for the next chapter! ^_^ ********** ^_^