VISIONARIES By: Matt Taylor Disclaimer: All Ranma 1/2 characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. All Tenchi Muyo characters are the property of AIC/Pioneer. I receive no payment for this and am doing it for my own amusement. ************ CHAPTER 4 "You were great back there Tenchi! Didn't I say he would be great?" Ranma said. Ukyo sighed slightly. "You where great back there, Tenchi." She said. "Thanks." Tenchi said, still shocked that he had beat the school fencing champion. Ranma had a grin of victory plastered over his face. "I knew you could kick his sorry butt." Said Ranma. "Did you see the look on his face when Tenchi knocked the sword out of his hands? Priceless! I wish I brought a camera." "Why do you hate Kuno so much, Ranchan? You only met him today." Said Ukyo. "I don't know. I just don't like the guy. He's so conceited." "Yes, he's definitely that. But you seem to forget your own ego, Ranma." "Hey, I maybe a little confident in my abilities, but that's only because I can't be beaten." He said, as Ukyo sighed. "Besides, Kuno needed an ego deflation." "I do hope you're happy Ranma. Thanks to your challenge, we missed the buss, and have to walk home." Said Tenchi. "Hey, necessary sacrifice." He replied. "How far are we from home?" Asked Ukyo. "Not that far, really, maybe half an hour." Said Tenchi. Actually he thought it was rather nice, walking through the forest to get home. He didn't have the chance to most times, as he usually rode the bus. They continued on, Ranma still talking about the look on Kuno's face, with Ukyo and Tenchi enjoying the scenery. It was when they where nearing home, when Tenchi felt something odd. All of a sudden his shirt ruffled up, and a pair of arms materialized around him. "Welcome home Tenchi." A low, seductive voice spoke into his ear. He turned his head to see Ryoko behind him. "Ryoko! Get off!" He said. She laughed a bit and did so. Ranma's previous good mood evaporated at the sight of the pirate. "So how was school?" She asked. "Great! Tenchi beat the school fencing champion in a duel." "A fight?" Ryoko said, her voice showing slight worry, as she put her arms around Tenchi again. "You weren't hurt where you?" "No, Ryoko, I'm okay." He said. "Would you please get off?" "Oh fine." She said, Ryoko floated in the air next to the trio. Ukyo giggled a bit at the scene, and wondered how Ranma would react to her doing the same. ************ Somewhere in space, a large wooden ship floated softly through the void, as it has for the last 700 years. Inside, the ship is covered with a cold mist. Deep in the ship's bowels is a room, where someone has been asleep for all this time. But this sleep is soon to be disturbed. "Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep." The ship's computer suddenly activated, sending signals to several other parts of the ship. Fans began to dissipate the cold mist, and heaters start to heat up the ship. In the room, where she ships sole occupant sleeps, machines hum to life, and start to check for life signs. A green light appears on one, and there is a dinging sound. The mist disappears, and the figure starts to stir. It gets up from the bed and walks toward the main bridge. When it gets there a screen appears in thin air, showing a woman with spiky cyan hair, and gold eyes. The figure put its hand up to the screen. "You." "System received re-appearance signal exactly 32 hours ago." The ship's computers said. "Subject has re-appeared on Planet Earth, third planet of the Sol system." "Get us there!" "Yes ma'am!" As this woman went about her business, she didn't see a small figure watching her from the entrance to the bridge. In a moment, it had retreated to the back of the ship. ************* "Ranma! You shouldn't be pushing Tenchi into these fights!" Said Nodoka. "Oh come on, Mom! You should have heard the way Kuno talked him, the honor of the family was at stake." "Somehow I doubt that." Tenchi said under his breath. "Miya." Ryo-ohki agreed. "What if he where to get hurt, hhmm?" Nodoka asked. "He can take care of himself. Tenchi took care of him like it was nothing." Said Ranma. "I promised Achika that I would look after her family, I can't let Tenchi get hurt!" "He wasn't hurt!" "HEY!!" Both Nodoka, and Ranma turned in shock at Tenchi's voice. "We can talk about this later, right now. I just want some quiet. After everything that happened today, some quiet would do me good." "Of course, Tenchi. I just don't want to see you hurt." "I know Aunt Nodoka." "Hey, where's dad?" "He's up at the shrine, with your grandfather." "Think I'll go join them." Ranma ran off then. "I should probably start on supper." Nodoka walked into the living room, and spoke. "Ukyo, would you help me with supper?" "Oh, sure mom." Ukyo had already started calling her mom. Nodoka actually found she liked it. As the two of them started on supper, Tenchi went out to the deck. Now, provided Ryoko didn't show up, he could have some peace and quiet. He sat on a chair and relaxed. "Teeeeennncchhiii." Came a sly voice, as Ryoko appeared in his lap, her arms around his neck. "What you doing?" "I'm trying to relax, Ryoko." "I have a way for you to relax." She said, grinning. Tenchi shuddered as he remembered her previous attempt to get him to "relax." "I'd really just sit down for awhile." Ryoko pouted and got up. She sat down on the deck next to him. 'Finally.' Tenchi thought. He was just starting to relax, when he heard a loud roaring sound. ************* "Check this out, Grandpa. It's a move I learned from the Amazons in China." Ranma stood before his father, both of them in fighting stances. "It's called the Chestnut fist." Ranma ran at his father, and suddenly, there where hundreds of fists slammed at Genma in a blur. "Yes, I remember that move. An old friend of mine showed it to me." Said Katsuhito. All over Genma got hit 450 times. Ranma had tried the move on his grandfather during their duel, but all the hits had been blocked. Ranma was not surprised. Genma landed on his butt, as the onslaught of punches ended. "Hhmm." Katsuhito stared at the scene for a few moments, rubbing his chin. "What of that energy attack you used on me?" "Oh that? That's something I created a few months ago. I'd been working on it for along time." "Interesting." Suddenly there was a loud roar, as something came out of the sky. ************* All the members of the household stared in awe as a giant space-craft, apparently made out of wood, came over the mountains. "What the...?" "Good lord!" "Kami!" The huge ship came to a stop over the Masaki home. A beam of energy came out of the bottom, widening into a screen. Filling the screen... "YOU!!??" Ryoko yelled. In the screen was a woman, she had slightly pink eyes, and purple hair. She was dressed in a purple kimono, and she could see a tiara on her forehead. "I've finally found you Ryoko!!" She yelled. "Who....who are you?" Tenchi yelled. "I'll finally make you pay, you worthless whore!" The screen disappeared, and what looked suspiciously like guns, appeared on the outside of the ship. Tenchi gulped." "Oh no." ************* "What is that!?" Yelled Ranma. "I don't know, but it looks like it's going to destroy the house!" Genma said, his voice nervous, as he recognized the ship. There was only type of people who used a ship made of wood.. He decided it best not to tell Ranma yet. "Both of you, get going!" Said Katsuhito. Both nodded to him, and ran back towards the house. As they did so, Katsuhito's face grew even more somber. "I knew it wouldn't last." ************* "Tenchi! Run for it!" Ryoko yelled, as laser beams came down on the deck, shattering parts of it to pieces. Both of them ran back into the house, where Nodoka, Ryo-ohki, and Ukyo where watching the ship from the door. "Tenchi! What's happening?!" "I don't know, we have to get out of here!" "Right." The four of them ran to the front door, and out it, as more and more lasers slammed into the ground where they had been. All four where screaming, or miyaed, in terror as the huge ship turned to follow them. "Enough of this! Ryo-ohki! Transform." "Miya!" Ryo-ohki leapt into the air, at her mistress request, transforming into her starship form. A blast of red light teleported Ryoko aboard. The ship suddenly rammed at the bigger one, laser blasts now being returned to the large wooden creation. Ranma and Genma ran up to them all. Genma put his arms around his wife. "Are you guys okay?" Ranma asked. Ukyo ran up to him. "Ranchan! We're all okay, but Ryoko's fighting that thing!" He looked up and saw the two ships locked in combat, lasers criss-crossing the sky. "This is crazy!" Said Tenchi. Another shot hit Ryo-ohki, and with a loud MIYA of pain, she went down. Ryoko appeared next to the, now once again, cabbit, and cradled it softly. Ukyo ran up to the cabbit to take a look as well. All of a sudden, the huge ship moved over them, and in a flash of light, all of them disappeared. ************* "Ouch!" Ranma rubbed his head, and looked around. He saw his father laid next to him, still unconscious. How long had he been out. He saw they where lying in a wooden circle, itself generating an odd colored field up to the ceiling. Ranma touched it, and pulled his fingers back in pain. "Great, a force-field." He said. He looked around and saw several others, with Tenchi, Nodoka, and Ukyo in them. Ryoko and Ryo-ohki weren't here. Suddenly a door on the far side opened, and a woman stepped in. It was the same woman from that viewscreen. "Hey lady! What's the deal?!" Said Ranma, as the others came too. "Silence! I am giving the orders here." She said. "I am Ayeka, Princess of the all mighty Jurai Empire. I want to know what you where doing with Ryoko!?" "What are we doing here!? Why have you attacked us!?" Asked an indignant Nodoka. "You where seen conspiring with the pirate Ryoko. I want to know what she was doing there!" "She lives there." Said Nodoka. "She wasn't doing anything." The princess suddenly let loose a haughty laugh. "Oh, surely you must be kidding, a woman as low as Ryoko never stays in one place so long unless she's planning something. No matter, I'll find out what she was up to in my own time, and then I will have my revenge on her." Ayeka left the room, the door closing, and leaving little light in the room. "Okay, so what do we do?" Asked Tenchi. "First we have to find a way out of these forcefields." Said Genma. Just as Genma was about to touch the field, the door zoomed open again. Standing there was a very young girl, much younger than Ayeka. She had light blue hair, that was made up in two long ponytails behind her. She had light pink eyes, and freckles. "Hi." She said. "Uh, hello miss." "My name is Sasami, I think I can help you." ************* "Damn it Ayeka! Let me out of this thing!?" Ryoko was held in the air, in a forcefield generated by the two large cylindrical wood logs at her side. "Hhmm, my my, don't we look humbled?" Said Ayeka from her seat on the bridge. She had turned the seat around to watch her life-long nemesis. "Finally, after all these years I shall have my revenge on you, monster woman." "This I between you and me Ayeka! Let them go. They don't have anything to do with this!" "Silence! What where you doing on that planet Ryoko!?" "I was trapped there! In a cave. I got out a few days ago." "Very well, that what has happened to my dear Yosho!?" "Yosho?" Ryoko's face became thoughtful. "Yosho?" That name was awfully familiar. Suddenly a memory surfaced. "Oh right! Yosho. I don't know what happened to him." "LIES! You do know, and I'll get it out of you eventually." She yelled, and stalked off. "Nutcase." Ryoko said, from behind her back. ************* "You can help us?" Tenchi asked the little girl. "Uh-huh, but you have to do something for me first." Said Sasami. "What?" Asked Ranma. "I want you to get my sister's tiara." She said. "And your sister is...." "Ayeka." Everyone face-faulted. "Okay, you'll let us all out, if we get her tiara for you?" "Yep, but only one at first." Sasami looked around at them as they shared looks. "Okay, I'll go." Said Ranma. "But Ranchan..." "No buts, Ucchan. I gotta do this to get us out of here." Sasami smiled and pressed a button on the wood circle that was holding Ranma and his father. A door appeared, Ranma stepped out and it zipped close behind him. "Ayeka should be going to bed right now." Said Sasami. "Her quarters are just down the hall." "One question? Why do you want her tiara?" Asked Ranma. "Well, I've always wanted to see it, but she never lets me." Ranma facefaulted. He got up and stared at the little girl, who was just smiling, innocently as ever at him. Ranma sighed, and headed towards Ayeka's bedroom. ************* Ranma stood at the door to the sleeping area. He could hear Ayeka inside, obviously dressing for bed. "I've been waiting along time to find that monster woman! She won't escape me!" He heard Ayeka say. "Azaka and Kamidake can hold her for the night, I can continue tomorrow." Ranma decided to remain quiet, and wait for her to go to bed. After waiting for awhile, he heard rustling, and snoring. "Alright, time to get that tiara." For a second Ranma considered just going back and forcing that little girl to release his family, but is was dishonorable to threaten a child, he would be nothing more than a bully. There was no honor in that. Ranma stepped through the doorway, and tip-toed to what looked like a dresser. He very slowly looked through the jewelry there, looking for anything resembling a tiara. 'Nothing up here.' He thought. He went over to what looked like a make-up stand, and looked through it, still nothing. 'Well, where else could she put the damn thing!?' A thought struck Ranma then, as he looked over at the sleeping princess, his trained eyes making out a tiara on her forehead. 'Just my luck.' He thought. Ranma crept silently over to the bed, and saw the peacefully sleeping princess. 'Okay, not a problem, just slip the thing off.' Ranma lowered his hands slowly toward her forehead. He gently brushed a strand of hair away, and saw the tiara fully. He put his hand against it and tried to pull it free. It wouldn't come loose! Ranma gently pulled again, still no leeway. He was really getting in over his head here. He reached around the side, and felt something, like a clip to the hair. Perhaps that was what was holding it? He fiddled with the clip for a few moments, until it finally came loose. 'YES!' Ranma thought to himself. He took the tiara off, and began to leave. As he came to the door he found himself smacking against the air. Ranma rubbed his nose, and felt the field that was keeping him from leaving the room. "Oh no you don't." Ranma turned slowly to see a very angry, and very awake, Princess Ayeka behind him, many small logs in the air around both her and him. ************* "It's been too long." Said Tenchi, as he paced in his forcefield. "Don't worry Tenchi, Ranchan is a very capable fighter, if he gets in trouble, he'll be able to handle it." Said Ukyo. "I do hope so. I only got my son back a few days ago, I'd hate to lose him again." Said Nodoka. "Ranma can handle a snobbish princess, my dear. He has defeated many of the greatest warriors in the world on our training journey, this should be relatively simple." Genma spoke from his field. He was slightly nervous though. He had not expected to see the inside of a Juraian ship again, so soon. Especially after..... "BOOM!" Tenchi sighed, as he heard the sound that was becoming increasingly common in his life, an explosion. It was followed by the sounds of shouting, both female and male. "Uh-oh, looks like Ayeka woke up." Said Sasami, who had been having a nice conversation with Ukyo about cooking. All of a sudden, Ranma ran by the door, dodging energy bolts from Ayeka. As he passed he tossed something into the room. "Oh, it's sister Ayeka's tiara!" Said Sasami. She picked it up, and ran over to the various wood circles, shutting them off. "Okay, you're all free!" She said happily. All of them stepped out of the circles, happy to be out of the force-fields. "Come on! We have to help Ranchan!" ************* "Filthy thief!" Ayeka yelled at the man from behind her forcefield. "How dare you steal the key!!" "Hey lady, there wasn't much choice in it!" He yelled over the din of battle. Ranma continued to dodged the mad princesses attacks, wishing she would let down that stupid force-field so he could get a blow in. Of course, if it was dishonorable to bully a child, it was even more dishonorable to attack a woman! Ranma decided to just keep dodging. He turned his head slightly and noticed they were on what looked like the ships' bridge. He saw Ryoko being held in a force-field, generated by two logs, with odd words on the front, "Azaka, and Kamidake?" "Ranma!" Ryoko shouted. "Get me outta this thing!" "I'm a little busy right now!" He shouted back. "Ranma?" came a voice, as the rest of them came into the room. "Stop it Ayeka! You'll ruin the ship!!" Sasami yelled. Ayeka apparently did not recognize the voice. "Azaka! Kamidake! Get them!" The two logs holding Ryoko suddenly disengaged and she fell to the floor. "Yes ma'am!" The voice had come from the two logs, and a jewel on each of them lit up when they spoke. Both of them flew at Tenchi and the others shooting bolts of lightning. Ryoko was there in front of them before the bolts came close, her own force-field blocking them. Ryoko generated her sword, and went at them. "Tenchi! You find Ryo-ohki, and get out of here!" She yelled back. Tenchi nodded, and led them away from the entrance to the bridge. He eventually found the cabbit, kept under a small force-field, generated by a tiny piece of wood. He yanked the wood away, and the field disappeared. "Ryo-ohki, we need you to get us out of here." Ukyo said. The small cabbit miyaed, and started to transform in front of them. Tenchi and the others backed away as it started to take up more and more room in the bridge. Eventually it grew to a big enough size, and teleported Tenchi, Ukyo, Nodoka, Sasami, and Genma into it. It miyaed slightly, and then did the same to Ryoko and Ranma, who where still in the middle of battling Azaka and Kamidake, and Ayeka, respectively. Ryo-ohki smashed through the side of the ship, and took of for Earth below. "After them!" Ayeka yelled. ************* Ryo-ohki appeared over the Masaki house, and dropped everyone but Ryoko off. Suddenly, Ryo-ohki took off for the space again. "Ryoko, where are you going!?" Tenchi yelled. He suddenly heard a voice in his head. He turned around to look at the family. Did all you guys hear that?" "Yep." Said Ranma. "She's not going to let that princess get away with this." ************* "Alright Ayeka." Ryoko said from her seat on the Ryo-ohki's bridge. "Nobody endangers my Tenchi and gets away with it." "MIYA!" The ship said in response. Ryoko looked at the oncoming Juraian ship. "Move us to ramming speed!" ************* "Ryo-ohki has moved to ramming speed, Princess Ayeka." Said the log called Azaka. "Then do the same! I finally have you exactly where I want you, Ryoko!" Ayeka began to laugh hysterically as the two ships prepared to ram each other. ************* There was a flash of light in the sky, as the two ships collided. Tenchi and the others shielded their eyes, as both ships began to plummet to Earth. With a horrible sound of whooshing wind, and a huge splash, both came down in the lake. Ayeka's ship looked to be on fire. Both soon disappeared under the waves. "Oh no, Ryoko!" Said Tenchi, but after he said it, the pirate appeared out of thin air in front of them, holding a dripping wet Ayeka. Azaka and Kamidake where behind them. "Ryoko! You're alright?" Nodoka asked. "Sure I am, I even took the time to save the princess here." Ayeka turned up her nose, and looked away. "What about Ryo-ohki?" Ukyo asked. Ryoko dropped the princess to the ground, and flew out over the lake. She floated over the area where the ships crashed. Ayeka had turned to the lake, and was muttering. "My poor Ryu-oh." She said. Ryoko stuck her hands out over the spot, and a ball of red light floated out of the lake. She flew back over, and they could see a black egg in her hands. "Now we just wait." ************* All of them sat around the table, enjoying supper. Ayeka, and Sasami sat on the end. "I'm still upset that you stowed away on Ryu-oh, Sasami. You didn't have a cryogenics tube for the sleep, you could have been killed." Said Ayeka, her tiara back in place. "But I didn't Ayeka." Said Sasami, rolling her eyes. "Well, we have plenty of room here." Said Nobuyuki. "We are thankful for your hospitality, sir." Said Azaka, from behind the princess. While he said they where welcome, Nobuyuki was right now considering adding on to the house. He wondered just how many more house-guests they were going to get? "Yeah you're real welcome." Said Ryoko, from her place beside Tenchi. Ayeka, started staring laser beams at the pirate, who returned the gaze. Ranma sighed as he saw the scene. He gave a look to Tenchi that clearly said "Please break it up?" "That's enough. No fighting at the dinner table." Both combatants reluctantly agreed. Tenchi sat down, and resumed eating. For a second, Tenchi worried about the structural integrity of his home, and what it was going to go through with these two living here. TO BE CONTINUED NEXT CHAPTER: THE ETERNAL LOST BOY!