09/30/00 (Standard disclaimer begging for mercy) Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and the characters are not mine. They are owned by Pioneer/AIC (I think). I found them, and I'm just having a little fun with them. I'm not trying to make any money with them. This is simply for my own entertainment. Well, I hope it entertains a few others also, possibly. But please, don't sue me. OK? Pretty please? (This is and updated version. I fixed a few errors. If you notice any more feel free to point them out. I can't fix the story though, it is what it is.) "The Prince and the Pirate" -Part 1- "Ryo-Ohki is dropping out of warp. We are matching speed.", the computer's monotone voice chimed. The forward screen provided a image of the fleeing spacecraft, a shining speck in the vast ocean of space. "Magnify.", a man's voice quietly ordered. The ship now filled the screen, angular projections jutted out from the central hull, its spiky appearance resembling a collection of crystal more than anything else. The light of the nearby star struck its multi faceted surface setting it alight. It was as beautiful as it was deadly. "What system is this?", he asked, casting a curious glance at the yellow star. "The Sol system." "Sol?", he wondered aloud. Why did that name sound so familiar? Their lengthy pursuit had taken them out of the galactic hub and into the less populated spiral arms of the galaxy. Never in his life had he been out so far. Ryoko and her ship, the Ryo-Ohki, were extremely cunning and dangerous opponents, only his dogged determination had enabled him to follow them this far. Now their flight had ceased and it appeared that the inevitable battle was at hand. The battle he'd been waiting for. On the ship's monitor Ryo-Ohki spun bringing its central crystalline projection in line with his ship, Funaho. Beams of energy arched out, lancing across space, slamming into the Funaho's shields. The ship rocked with the impact, shuddering as the shields strained to dissipate the blow. At the ship's helm Yosho struggled to keep his footing. "We are under attack.", the computer imparted, oblivious to the pointlessness of its information. "Initiate evasion pattern Yosho One!", he barked, as Ryo-Ohki loosened another barrage. Funaho's impulse engines revved to full, bearing in on the stationary Ryo-Ohki at top speed. Ryo-Ohki's plasma burst swung wide, its target was now barreling straight towards it. It tried to draw a bead on the closing Funaho again, but there was no time, the ship was on a course to ram. Ryo-Ohki swung back around, initiating its drive in an attempt to evade the suicidal attack. Funaho roared in, missing the fleeing Ryo-Ohki by no more than a hundred meters. "FIRE!", Yosho screamed as the ships passed. Funaho fired off a withering broadside, plasma cannons along the ship's side erupting in sync. At such close range it was an attack that would have destroyed most ships. Ryo-Ohki, not being most ships, reeled away, blown backwards by the force of the combined blasts, spinning out of control, leaving a trail of debris in its wake. With his ship now at full speed Yosho fought to bring Funaho around to take advantage of his adversary's distress, but the Ryo-Ohki had already recovered and set off for a nearby blue green planet. "Colonized planet 315.", the computer reported, as the planet filled its viewer. "The Earth." "Earth?", he wondered, as half forgotten memories of childhood stories came flooding back. "Of course! Mother's planet." He had always known that his mother was from a distant planet, though he had never known its coordinates. Occasionally she would tell of her life there, before she had met his father. It had been a primitive world when she left all those years ago, with no knowledge of space travel or even electricity for that matter. He gazed down at the blue world with awe. So this was 'Earth'. His ship was closing with the damaged Ryo-Ohki, its shields glowing red as it skimmed the planets outer atmosphere. Unexpectedly, Ryo-Ohki turned and fired on them, desperately trying to drive its pursuers away. "Initiate evasion pattern Yosho Two!", he shouted, cursing his distraction. But it was too late, there was no evading the attack. The plasma bolts struck them head-on, Yosho was sent flying across control center. The ship howled in outrage as its shields buckled. Pieces of interior woodwork ricocheted around the cabin, becoming deadly projectiles. An ultra-sonic keening rose above the din, somewhere the hull had ruptured. "Damage report!", he yelled over the wailing. "Forward shields recharging, but temporarily nonfunctional. Primary and secondary hulls breached in aft section G seven. Anti-air guard number two damaged. Stellar drive is off-line." From his position on the floor he could see the Ryo-Ohki charging its main weapon for another volley. If that blow fell, he would be dead. Had he come so far only to be defeated by his own inattention? Distantly he could hear his old Academy Professor scolding him. "Yosho, you are an excellent swordsman, possibly better even than me, but you are your own worst enemy.", said Master Nisaki, after defeating him for the thousandth time. "Would you like to know how it is I manage to beat you time and time again?", he had asked with a gleam in his eye. "I know that all I really have to do is match you, given time you always defeat yourself.", he had laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. "If you ever learn not to, God help your opponents!" He had done it yet again, and this time it might very well cost him his life. He'd been a fool, following the most dangerous pair of criminals in the galaxy out into this desolate sector. Now he was going to die smoldering on the planet of his mother's birth with no one to mark his passing, no one to plant the Royal Teardrops upon his grave. There would be no songs would be sung about this battle. All that would be left was the story of the foolhardy prince who left to fight and never returned. He couldn't let it end like this, this was his moment. The defining moment of his life, even if it killed him he was going to be victorious. "Bring the ship hard around, one hundred and eighty degrees!", he ordered, struggling to his feet. If he was going to die, he was going to die fighting. Thrusters fired and with agonizing lethargy Funaho's bow swung around. Ryo-Ohki's plasma bolts pounded the ship starboard side as it continued to turn. Gripping the control center's railing Yosho weathered the blistering fire. The control room glowed an eerie red as both ships plunged into the planet's atmosphere. Yosho eyes locked onto the ball of fire that was Ryo-Ohki. There had to be a way to defeat the ship. He'd already damaged it, and if it could be damaged, it could be destroyed. As the thought passed through his mind he noticed something strange about Ryo-Ohki's corona. "Magnify.", he quickly ordered. The screen zoomed in on the falling ship. His attack had been more effective than he had first realized. The irregularities in the ship's corona were made painful obvious now, in several places Ryo-Ohki's shields had completely collapsed leaving gaps in its protection. The fleeing ship was delicately orienting itself in just such a way to keep it from burning on reentry. There was his advantage, if he could only utilize it! "Shield status!" "Forward shields now at forty percent.", the computer calmly replied. Only forty percent? It would have to do. "Computer, mark points of shield weakness on the Ryo-Ohki.", he ordered. "Rotate the ship back to prime and prepare to fire." The ships dropped into the Earth's lower atmosphere, friction slowing their speeds. Ryo-Ohki immediately oriented itself to fire on the pursuing ship, but Funaho struck first, dropping in with cannons blazing. Shots rang off Ryo-Ohki's shields as the ship attempted to returned fire. Funaho shook as the ship took several strikes on the forward shield, wafts of smoke were starting to drift through the cabin, but at least one of Funaho's bolts had struck home. Ryo-Ohki turned to flee, leaving a trail of smoke and debris. Funaho, in hot pursuit, dropped in behind it, continuing to rain fire down. Bolts lashed the fleeing ship and the ground below. Pulling up, Ryo-Ohki returned fire as best it could. "Computer, target the areas of shield weakness,", he ordered. "and prepare to fire!" This was it, he would never get a better chance. "FIRE!" Beams laced out from Funaho's cannons as Ryo-Ohki desperately turned, trying to orient its remaining shields, but it was hopeless. Fire erupted from a half dozen places along its hull; large sections of its fuselage were blown away. Mortally wounded, the Ryo-Ohki attempted to climb, but began to roll pitifully. Losing speed and attitude control Ryo-Ohki plummeted, spiraling in. Yosho followed the stricken ship as it blazed its way earthward. Ryo-Ohki slammed into the ground, a massive fireball rising from its crash. The impact sent up a mushroom cloud of debris, vaporizing an area of the forest below. Yosho brought Funaho in to hover above the smoking remains of Ryo-Ohki. Elation swept through Yosho. He'd done it! He'd defeated the undefeatable pirate. The pirate who had terrorized the galaxy for millennia, who'd had the audacity to attack planet Jurai, to attack the very palace itself. There was no way anyone could have survived that crash, but then again Ryoko was not just anyone. The powers and abilities she had were incredible. He hadn't believed in them himself until he'd witnessed them on Jurai. Some rumors said that she wasn't even human, a robot perhaps or some other type of man made monster. There was only one way he could be sure, he would have to see her body with his own eyes. He would have to search the wreckage. He set the badly damaged Funaho down in a nearby clearing, and had himself teleported to the ground. Once outside the ship he had the chance to survey the extent of the damage. Only then did he realize just how lucky he had been. Funaho's hull was horribly scared, smashed and buckled in several places. One anti-air guard, a wing for travel in the atmosphere, hung uselessly from the ship. If he touched it he was sure it would fall off. But the worst damage was in the ships aft, the compartment that held the ship's stellar drive. There was a gaping hole in the hull, the drive inside was completely destroyed. Without that drive hyperspace was impossible, and there weren't any developed systems in the area that he could reach under impulse power. If someone didn't come looking for him, he was going to be stuck here, in the middle of no where, for a long, long time. With a sigh he looked across the devastated area to the crater that held the body of Ryo-Ohki and began to walk. A hundred small fires burned, filling the air with acrid smoke, darkening the sky. The countryside was deathly quiet. Colonized, the computer had said, there should be inhabitants about, though he had no idea as to how sophisticated they might be. According to what his mother had told him it was very likely that they'd be hiding. Tentatively, he gripped Tenchi-ken, the master key, as he neared the crater's rim. Looking down from the rim on Ryo-Ohki it seemed as though the hand of a angry giant had crushed it. Several of the ship's crystal spines lay broken about it, the hull appeared ruptured in places. The once feared ship looked like nothing more than a smashed crystal flower. A cold chill washed over him, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Something was wrong. He spun around bringing Tenchi-ken to life just in time to deflect the blow that surly would have killed him. As it was, he took a strike across his forehead right above his eyes. He could feel the blood beginning to flow. The sight that greeted him was one from a nightmare. Howling with rage at her defeated attack Ryoko swept in, her energy sword blazing, viciously slashing, pounding her opponent's defenses. Her eyes, fiery holes filled with a pure primal rage. With the efficiency of a machine she went work on Yosho, driving his sword high, driving his sword low, looking for weaknesses, but Yosho was the best swordsman on Jurai, which made him one of the best swordsman in the entire galaxy. He fell into the battle's rhythm, feeling out his foe. She was very powerful, but thankfully, she didn't seem particularly skilled. Her attack routines were well executed, but very basic, soon he had her meter and began to anticipate her moves. The tide began to turn for him, his sword would shoot out intercepting blows that hadn't even been launched yet, he drove her back. The rage upon her face, was joined by expressions of frustration. He worked her sword low, forcing her on the defensive. Then with a snap of his wrist he brought his sword up and over her lowered defenses, striking for her shoulder. With a hiss of shock she vanished right before his eyes. Startled, for a moment he hesitated, then tucked into a forward roll just as he felt her sword cut into his back. Yosho leapt to his feet facing her. He could feel the blood coursing down his back. Ryoko stood, one hand clutching her shoulder, her left arm hanging limp. Even as he watched the wound began to heal visibly. An eerie smile lit her face, and a horrible mocking laughter rang out from her. It seemed to say, "I can take this kind of punishment all day, but how long will you be able to take it?" Realizing the depth of his trouble he rushed in. He had to keep her off balance, and injured if possible. His felt his wounds already beginning to take there toll, he was tiring. Just as he drew close enough to strike, Ryoko shot into the air, out of reach. The mocking laughter continued as she leveled her hand at him, a bolt of energy shot out. Tenchi-ken arched up to meet the incoming missile, deflecting it. Several bolts followed in quick succession as she toyed with him, giving herself the time to heal her wound. Yosho swung his sword about, deflecting each missile as it came. There wasn't much more he could do, she could stay out of reach firing bolts at him all day, gradually wearing him down. He could block her bolts for hours if he had to, but eventually it was going to come down to one sword versus another. If he wasted his energy like this he would never survive the coming fight. He had draw her in, to choose the time of that fight himself. An idea came to him. "Devil!", he yelled, during the lull. Her laughter floated down to taunt him. That was not the reaction he'd been hoping for. "So this is the 'Great' pirate Ryoko is it?", he sneered, changing his tact. "Just a little girl with a few parlor tricks to impress the ignorant?" "How terribly impressive.", he said, a sarcastic smile on his face. Ryoko's fiery eyes bored into him. The laughter had stopped. "I was expecting a fight, but all I got was a magic show.", he laughed. In the air above him, Ryoko seethed. "You've been a very naughty girl, little Ryoko.", he said, slapping Tenchi-ken in the palm of his hand. "Now what do we do with naughty little girls? Oh, yes. Spank them. Is that what you need Ryoko? A spanking?" Ryoko floated, quaking with rage. Her eyes flared red, the gems imbedded in her body flared in sync. Yosho's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Those gems, what were they? He hadn't noticed them before. One at her throat, and one on each wrist. Did they have something to do with her power? "Why don't you come down here so I can put you across my knee?", he sneered. With an inarticulate howl of rage Ryoko loosened her most powerful bolt yet, the gem on her wrist flashed as the power was released. Yosho was sure now, the gems were the key, he had to get them from her if he was ever going to win. With the help of a shield from Tenchi-ken, Yosho managed to deflected the bolt away, hearing it explode somewhere behind him, his arm ringing with the effort. It was time to put his theory to the test. "I've had enough of these games, coward!", he growled, challenging her. "Come on, show me what you've got!" Ryoko swooped on him like a bird of prey, shrieking as she came. Straight down came her blade, Yosho brought his sword up to block, but was dropped to his knees by the force of the blow. Their swords flared as they struck, a shower of sparks engulfed them both. With a snap roll to one side, Yosho quickly put some space between himself and his opponent, but Ryoko was on him again in seconds. His arms were still numb from the blow, he felt lucky they weren't broken. Incredible! He'd never experienced anything like it before. How could one person possess such power? Her sword came in almost too fast for the eye to follow. Acting almost purely on instinct Yosho brought his sword around, intercepting the strike. There was no time to think, only to act. A half dozen other slashes followed in quick succession. He back peddled, giving ground, buying time. Relentlessly she attacked, her strikes coming fast and furious. While managing to deflect the most sever blows, he was unable to stop them all. Blood flowed down his arms, ran into his eyes, it glued his tunic to his back. He was losing. Yosho struggled to regain his balance, his calm. He had to control himself before he could hope to control the battle. He knew his adversary, he knew her attacks. Even though they were coming much faster, they were still the same attacks. He had to get inside her head, to find her rhythm. There were patterns to be found; an overhand strike, followed by a sweeping slash, followed by an underhand leg strike. He had to use her predictability to his advantage, to allow her to defeat herself. He took the initiative, timing his move for the proper moment. In came her sword sweeping across his midsection as he parried. With a spin, back came the sword at his legs. He leapt over the blade, spinning, bring his sword around. Expecting him to parry, her sword arm swung wide of the target, vulnerably exposed. Down came Yosho's sword striking her on the wrist, severing her hand, striking the gem embedded there. With a gasp Ryoko reeled back clutching her damaged arm, her severed appendage vanishing in a quickly dissipating cloud. Yosho stared in wonder at the blade of his sword, and the gem entrapped there. As he watched, it slowly descended though the blade. Howling with fury Ryoko charged him again, her hand regenerated, her sword flashing back to life. But this time the blows she stuck seemed less potent, less effective. Yosho was on the offensive now, his sword waiting for the next opening. Now that he knew what to do, he had to end this, and end it soon, before he became too weak to win out. Confident now, Yosho executed an series of deft parries, sending her into a routine he knew well. Ryoko swung her sword high, arcing down towards his head. He rushed in, halving the distance between them. Caught in the midst of her swing she was unable to stop it, up came Yosho's sword arm, his blade held horizontally. The momentum of her strike drove her arm right onto the waiting blade. Ryoko staggered back, her face a mask of agony, she stumble and fell sprawling, twitching in the dirt. Yosho, panting for breath, watched as the gem flowed down the blade to join the other, reappearing, embedded in Tenchi-ken's hilt. He turned to regard the fallen woman who writhed on the ground. Sudden her movements stopped and for a second he thought the end had come, but slowly her arms pushed out as she levered herself off the ground. She rose to her feet, her back to Yosho. Slowly she turned to him, a horrible smile on her face, her eyes aflame. Yosho set his feet, ready his sword, and awaited the inevitable. Screaming, mindless, she charged him, arms out before her, fingers curled, clawing for him like an animal. Ryoko lunged at him and he struck, piercing her throat. He held her at bay on the end of his sword, as she grasped for him, her hands clenching and unclenching. Her vacant eyes glowing, she bared her teeth in a macabre grin. As the sword drew out the last gem her struggling slowed, becoming weaker. Her arms dropped to her sides. As the fire in Ryoko's eyes was extinguished, her legs buckled. She collapsed in a heap at his feet. Yosho fell to his knees, gasping for breath. He looked down at Ryoko where she lay, deathly still, her battle suit dissipating. Was it finally over? Was she really dead? He looked at the hilt in his hand, he gazed at the three shining gems now embedded there. The gems kept moving in and out of focus. He tried to get to his feet, but his vision swam, his legs shuttered. With the heat of battle now gone, massive fatigue crashed down on him, he'd lost a lot of blood. He had to get to Funaho, to the med. unit on board, his injuries were sever. It was possible he could die, he realized. Once again he tried to stand, but as he did his head spun, a wave darkness swept over him. His eyes rolled back in his head as he lost consciousness. His last conscious image was of the ground rushing up to meet him, as he crashed to earth next to his fallen foe. Nearly a half hour had passed before several figures warily emerged from their hiding place at the edge of the clearing. The man at their head clutching a battle worn sword, his blade at the ready. He was follow by three other men, all frightenly wielding farming implements as weapons. Cautiously they made their way across the blasted ground to the pair lying near the crater. Moving quietly, alert for any sudden movements, they slowly covered the dozen meters to the fallen warriors. At the last second, the two trailing men balked, too scared to continue, their voices raised in fear. The warrior silenced them with a sharp motion of his hand as they fell back. He waved the remaining man back as well, continuing on alone. Upon reaching them he knelt examining the fallen samurai whose battle he had watched so intently. He bled from a dozen wounds, his hand still griping the hilt of his sword, but it's amazing blade was now extinguished. As he rolled him onto his back, the samurai groaned. The other men jumped at the sound, shuffling backwards, ready for flight. But the strange samurai remained unconscious, his breathing steady. 'This one will live to fight again.', the old man thought. His eyes drifted over to the warrior's demonic adversary. Was this really the monster he had seen fighting so viciously? The naked figure of a girl lay face down, her arms sprawled to her sides. Cautiously he reached out, feeling her neck for a pulse. Her neck was warm to the touch. For some reason he had expected the flesh of a demon to be cold, icy, like death. To his surprise, he felt a pulse, strong and steady. She lived. He rolled the young woman with the strangely colored hair over. This was a demon? She lay there, her eyes closed, her face serene as that of a sleeping child. There was no blood, not a single wound marred her. Demons come in many forms, and he had seen this one fight. He knew well enough not to be fooled by her appearance. Standing, he sheathed his sword and walked back to his waiting companions. "Yoshi, fetch some rope. Bind that one.", he said, nodding in the girl's direction. "You two, fetch a couple of sturdy planks, we'll take these two back to the shrine." "B-but, sir!", one of the men stuttered, nervously eyeing the smoking crater and the strange air-ship that loomed in the far clearing. "What if there are more of them!" The swordsman turned to regard the ship. "If there were more of them they would have showed themselves by now.", he said. "Hurry now, I want that demon bound before she awakens. Unless of course you'd like her to get loose and perhaps pay a visit to your farm, eh, Manaki?" The man's eyes went wide with alarm, as he took a step back. "Gods no, Sir!", he choked. "Then you had better get moving,", he suggested. "all of you." Manaki ran off at a breakneck pace for the woods, Yoshi hot on his heels. The last man hesitated. "Father?", he asked. "I'll wait here for you. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, Kanida", he said, to ease his son fears. "Now go and help Manaki, all right?" With a final look over his shoulder, Kanida set off in pursuit of two men. The old man watched as his son vanished into the trees. Stretching, he turned to regard the two distant figures laying on the ground. He squatted, taking a seat to wait for the return of the others. "A strange day indeed,", he muttered to himself. "When creatures of myth walk the earth." He'd heard legends, but never had he thought he'd see such things himself. Perhaps they were more than just legends after all. He look around the hazy clearing, smoke from the smoldering fires burning his eyes. And to think, he'd come to this valley all those years ago to escape a lifetime of warfare. He'd come here to spend his remaining years in peace and quiet. He chuckled to himself. He'd come here because nothing of interest *ever* happened here. (more to come) [I'd like to thank Richard Hall, Nik (who needs no last name) and John K. Wright for proofreading, giving me advise and helping me grammatically. Anything you find disagreeable with the writing or story can of course be attributed to them. (I'm kidding, thanks guys!)] Questions? Comments? Angry rants? Contact: Ocristiii@aol.com 09/30/00 (Standard disclaimer begging for mercy) Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and the characters are not mine. They are owned by Pioneer/AIC (I think). I found them, and I'm just having a little fun with them. I'm not trying to make any money with them. This is simply for my own entertainment. Well, I hope it entertains a few others also, possibly. But please, don't sue me. OK? Pretty please? (This is and updated version. I fixed a few errors. If you notice any more feel free to point them out. I can't fix the story though, it is what it is.) "The Prince and the Pirate" -Part 2- Pitch blackness. Suddenly a million motes of light filled his vision like a shower of stars. He felt himself tumbling in the torrent, voices too quiet to be heard whisper to him from all sides. He strained to hear, but frustratingly, every time tried to focused on one voice it immediately stopped. Was someone playing a joke on him? 'Stop it!', he tried to yell, but he had no voice, or if he did he couldn't hear it. Suddenly the voices became clear. "On day you will be king, Yosho. You must learn to rule.", the voice of his father chided. "It's ridiculous, the offspring of an off-worlder savage, King? Jurai will never stand for it, the council will never allow that, I tell you.", a voice whispered, sounding as loud as a shout. "Sometimes I miss the Earth, life was so much simpler there. But if I had never come to Jurai I would never have had you, Yosho.", his mother's soothing voice said. "Why do they hate me so much?", Yosho was surprised to hear himself say. His voice sounded so much younger. "They fear what's different, they fear change. You must be strong Yosho. We both must be strong.", his mother said, her voice now harsh. "It has been decided, you are to marry Ayeka when she comes of age. Do not defy me, Yosho. This must be done.", his father ordered. Shades of color began to fill his vision. "The king believes that the council will not accept you as his heir, but if you marry Ayeka you will join the family's bloodlines. They will have no chose but to accept you then!", anger filled his mother's words. He suddenly found himself standing in a field. A small figure was running towards him, he reached down to pick up the child. "One day I will be your bride.", Ayeka said, suddenly growing in his arms, becoming too lager to hold, changing. She spun free of his grasp, away from him. "Won't I Yosho?", the voice was Ryoko's. Her flaming eyes stared back at him, a sickly out of place smile on her face, her sword arcing down at him. "One day," his sad voice replied in the twisted memory. "When you are older." As the sword struck home, everything went black. Something warm and wet touched his face. With a start he opened his eyes, shaking away the nightmare. A startled young woman knelt beside him, her hand clutching a wash cloth. She reared back as he came awake. He lay on a mat, covered by several sheets, a basin sat next to his bed. The room he was in appeared to be illuminated by light coming through the walls. "He's awake!", the dark haired woman gasped to herself in surprise. She spoke in a Juraian dialect, her accent was strange but Yosho could understand her well enough. "You're awake?", she asked, addressing him now. She put a hand on his shoulder, holding him down when he tried to rise. She laid the wash cloth down on the edge of the basin. "You were very badly injured, you should rest.", she said, her voice warm and soothing. "Where am I?", he said, surprised at how weak his voice sounded. "Who are you?" She seemed shocked to find that he could speak her language. "Please, wait here. I will get my father.", she said. "He can explain." Rising, she walked to what he had thought to be a wall. Sliding a panel away revealed a cleverly disguised door. She stepped through sliding the door shutting it behind her. He heard her quietly hurried footfalls fade with distance. He lay back, collecting himself. Where was he? Had his father sent someone to find him after all? But the woman hadn't sounded like a Juraian native, and her manner of dress had been somewhat odd. He pulled back the sheets and tried to sit up, groaning with the effort he fell back. It felt as if someone had beaten every inch of him with a hammer, every muscle in his body felt cramped and sore. Trying a different method he rolled onto his side, pushing himself to his knees, he discovered a sling on his aching left arm. Looking about for his clothes he found them washed and neatly folded beside the bed, Tenchi-ken placed carefully atop them. He grab hold of the sword and his robe, painfully rising to his feet. Tottering for a moment he slung the robe about him using his good arm and made his way to the hidden doorway. Pulling that door aside revealed a larger central room, with a pair of ornately carved doors off to his left. Holding his robe with his slinged left arm he shambled to the set of wooden doors. These lead outside, to a walkway covered by a simple, but beautifully decorated arched roof. A similar walk could be seen leading to a small structure on his right. Moving slowly, he followed the walkway to the main building of the complex. Pulling back a large sliding door he entered the strangely designed building. To his left he saw what must be a shrine of some type, straight ahead were a large pair of sliding doors. As he made his way to the new doorway he heard a door slide aside on his far right. An old man entered, followed closely by the woman who had tended to him. She gasped upon seeing him. The man smiled and strode up to him, while the woman hung back. "Awake at last are you, my boy?", he said as he drew close. His voice was much firmer than his frail appearance would have suggested. He struck a stiff bow, inclining his head toward Yosho. "I am Hatori Masaki, I am the priest of this shrine." The man wore white robes and blue slacks tied at the waist with a braided belt. His features were dominated by an immense gray mustache beneath his sharply shaped nose. His piercing eyes, dark as coal, looked out from under his bushy eyebrows. His long gray hair tied back. "A priest that wears a sword?", Yosho said, indicating the strange item he had notice amongst the old man's wardrobe. The man's eyes widened when he spoke, a smile spread across his face. "A momento from a previous life", he said with a chuckle, his hand dropping to it's hilt. "But never far from my side." With a blurred motion, the old man pulled the sword from its sheath, performing a breath takingly executed routine. Yosho, his eyes going wide, took a step back. Did this man plan to attack him? But the display was over almost before it had begun, the click of the scabbard signaling its completion. Hatori stood laughing at his reaction, a hand scratching the back of his head. The man's daughter cringed, her hands balled up before her face. "Father!", she cried, aghast. "I'm sorry," he apologized, a mischievous grin on his weathered face. "I couldn't resist." "A fine weapon," he patted the sword at his hip. " but nowhere as remarkable as your own, my friend." Again bowed, stiff and formal. "It is truly an honor to meet a Samurai such as yourself." "A Samurai?", Yosho asked the surprising old man. "A warrior.", the man said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You are not from around here, are you young man? You speak our language though. I must say your pronunciation is a little odd." "May I know your name, and where from you came ?", the priest asked. Without a second thought Yosho drew himself up, and bowed as well as he could. "I am Prince Yosho, of Jurai.", he told the man. "A Prince?", Hatori said, his furry eyebrows rising in surprise. "Jurai...? I have not heard of this land. Where exactly is Jurai?" First contact; these people where still alone in the universe as far as they knew, he had to tread lightly. It was considered a crime of the highest magnitude to interfere with developing planets, even ones within Jurai's own jurisdiction. He quickly tried to recall the map of the surrounding region he had seen aboard Funaho. "It is a land far to the south, I have never travel so far northward before. But I was in pursuit of a vicious criminal that had attacked our land, injuring and killing many of my people.", he said, trying to weave the truth into his lie. "I finally caught up to her here." The priest listened to his story, absently rubbing a finger below his bottom lip, his penetrating gaze upon Yosho. His eyebrows knit for a moment before he turned to the woman behind him. "May I introduce my daughter in law?", he asked, his expressive eyebrows rising as he extended a hand towards her. "This is Yogami." She quickly stepped forward, her multi-colored robes shuffling as she crossed the polished wooden floor. Stopping before him, she dropped into a low bow. Yogami was a handsome woman, her long dark brown hair nearly reaching to the floor, her brown eyes striking, her features delicate. "I am very pleased to meet you.", she said, a shy smile upon her face. "I'm very pleased to meet you too.", he said in reply. "I'd like to thank you for taking care of me while I was injured." "Oh, it was my honor, sir.", she said, her face becoming concerned. "Are you in pain? Is there anything I could get you?" "No, I'm all right. Just a little stiff", he said with a smile, reassuring the woman. "Thank you anyway." "Yogami", Hatori spoke up. "Could you get us some tea, please?" "Of course father.", she replied, bowing again. "The prince and I will take it on the verandah.", he said, taking Yosho by the arm and guiding him to the front doors of the shrine. "Thank you, Yogami." She hurried off as Hatori ushered Yosho outside onto the porch of the building, and steered him into the shade. "Do you need any help getting seated?", the elderly priest asked as the pair reached a likely spot. "I think I can manage, though I might need some help getting up again.", he said with a wry smile, as he lowered himself to the ground. "That makes two of us.", the old man said, with a grunt as he took a seat. Yosho chuckled in reply. He sat quietly with Hatori surveying the countryside. It was a truly beautiful land indeed. Woodlands and fields, stretched out before them, the smell of flowers in the air. But another familiar smell came in on the wind, drawing him back reality, back to the reason for his presence here. The smell of smoke lingered. Hatori took a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he stretched out his arms. Resting his hands on his knees he leaned close to Yosho. "So...", he asked pausing, an eyebrow aching, fixing Yosho with a wry eye. "Do you have many flying ships and demons down south in Jurai?" Yosho, at a loss for words, didn't reply. But his expression told the old man everything he needed to know. "My boy,", he said, with a laugh at Yosho's reaction. "As a young man I traveled quite a bit. I've been just about everywhere, seen just about everything there is to be seen. But in all my journeys, I've never witnessed anything like I witnessed here two days ago!" 'Two days ago?', Yosho wondered in surprise. Had he been unconscious so long? "I know you must have your reasons for lying to me," Hatori continued, his tone even, his expression earnest. "But whatever your secrets might be, I assure you, you can trust me to keep them." Yosho bowed his head considering the man's words. "Yosho, I'm an old man. I don't know how much time I have left on this earth. Would you force me to go to my grave never knowing the reason for the amazing events I witnessed?", the man asked, shamelessly playing upon Yosho's conscious. "And there is the small matter of my saving your life.", Hatori said, with a sigh and a quick glance in his direction. "But don't let that affect your decision." With a small smile on his face Yosho shook his head at the audacity of the man. Hatori returned the smile when he saw his resolve waning. He cocking one of his extremely mobile brows, his expression eager. Well, he supposed, Hatori did deserved to know, he had apparently saved his life. What harm could it do, telling one man his story? "All right," he said, finally giving in. Hatori's face lit up like a child's. "I'll tell you the truth. But I doubt you'll believe me." He told Hatori of planet Jurai, of the palace, and of the attack by Ryoko. He explained about his ship, Funaho, the chase that had led him to Earth, and of his battle with Ryo-Ohki. Yosho went on to tell about his fight with the deadly pirate Ryoko. Hatori sat chin in hand through out the tale's telling, his expression unreadable. "Ah yes... the girl.", he muttered to himself as Yosho finished. He sat back pulling on his mustache, mulling over the information Yosho had imparted. He cast his eyes skyward, before looking back to Yosho. Yosho regarded him curiously, pondering just what the man might be thinking. "Ships that sail the sea of stars?", he wonder aloud, awe in coloring his voice. "Other worlds, empires of the stars?" "Why, this tale is even less believable than the previous one!", he exclaimed, a look of exasperation on his face. Yosho shook his head, he had told him that he wouldn't believe it. Perhaps it was for the best, anyway. Hatori turned to him, a knowing grin on his face. He reached out and placed a hand on Yosho's knee. "Which is precisely why I believe it.", he said reassuringly. "Thank you for being honest with me." "I can't say I understand it all, but it was a wondrous tale," he said, seemingly distracted, his gaze falling on the shrine's door. "...and completed just in time, I see." The door opened and a smiling Yogami appeared, carrying a tray. "Where have you been, Yogami?", he chided her. "Prince Yosho and I thought we were going to perish from thirst." "Father!", she exclaimed, scandalized by his comment. "I was only joking!", he chuckled at her discomfort, holding up a hand to ward off her wrath. Yogami knelt setting the tray down. "Father, really!", she gasped, shocked at his behavior. "We have company." Yosho watched the exchange in amusement, sympathizing with the young woman. He could imaging how difficult for her it must be for her, having to deal with this cantankerous man day in and day out. She set about pouring tea for the two men, offering Yosho a cup first. "Thank you.", he said accepting it, she smiled sweetly in return. Then she handed a cup to the priest, a disapproving expression on her face. Demurely she stood, retreating to the door. Pausing to shoot Hatori one last look, she stepped through, closing the door behind her. The old man chuckled as she left. He turned to Yosho, taking a sip of tea. "She really is the best daughter in law.", he said, honestly. "My son is very lucky to have married such a woman." He turned to regard the door again. "But I can't resist teasing her sometimes.", he said, turning back, a mischievous grin on his face. Yosho chuckled at the man's temerity. "Where is your son?", Yosho asked, after taking a couple of sips of the tea. It was delicious, he'd never had anything quite like it before. "Kanida?", he replied. "Oh, he's out tending the fields. You'll get the chance to meet him this evening, when he returns." The sun rose high in the sky while they chatted, the heat of the day was coming on. Soon they would have to move, as the shade of the porch drifted away. Hatori sat quietly for a moment, obviously deep in thought. He turned to regard Yosho his expression serious. "There is one thing I need to know.", he said, his words weighty, as he poured another cup of tea for Yosho and himself. "I need you tell me about this dem...", he began, before rephrasing his question. "This pirate of yours, Ryoko. It's a strange name, "Spirit Caller". " Yosho sat for a moment thinking. Startled, he realized that he really didn't know that much about her. He knew her crimes, but they were common knowledge. Her age and her origins were a complete mystery. Apart from the fact that she was thought to operate with another pirate called Kagato, uncounted years of investigation by the Galaxy Police had yielded almost nothing. She had suddenly appeared, several thousand years ago, cutting a swath of terror and destruction through the galaxy. She was (had been) immensely powerful, a fact to which he could testify. She would attack and plunder planets, seemingly at random. The strange thing was, she often stole things of no practical value. Historical relics, and the like. Priceless, but nearly impossible to resell. It didn't make sense, and it was only one of the many puzzling things about her. He pulled Tenchi-ken from it's hiding place in the sleeve of his robe to regard the jewels in its pommel. They sparkled as the light hit them, red as blood. He stroked one of the gems with his thumb, it was cool to the touch and smooth as glass. Why had Tenchi-ken done this? For that matter, how had Tenchi-ken done this; incorporated her gems into itself? Occasionally sipping his tea, Hatori sat patiently waiting, watching as Yosho contemplated his sword. "It's strange," Yosho said after several minutes. "I know as much as anyone knows about her." He raised Tenchi-ken, and glanced over to the priest. "Maybe more than anyone else, but it still adds up to almost nothing." "She was a pirate, one of the most wanted in the galaxy. Physically she appeared young, but her real age was anyone's guess. She had some exceptional powers. I guess you saw that for yourself though. She attacked many planets over the years. She was responsible for a lot of destruction and quite a few deaths. It was just her bad fortune to attack planet Jurai while I was there. If she hadn't, our paths probably never would have crossed.", he paused, gazing off into the distance. "It was my duty, to catch her, to destroy her. Such an offense to Jurai, to the throne, was unforgivable. It could not be allowed to stand. If the palace of Jurai was not safe from her, no one was safe. She had to be stopped.", he said, his voice hard. "So I tracked her here.", he muttered, distantly. "Tracked her here, and killed her." Stopping, he reached for his cup, quickly taking a sip. His mouth had gone dry. Hatori quietly sipped his own tea, one eye on Yosho, as he digested what the man had said. Setting down his cup he turned to Yosho. "Wanted to test your sword out on the 'ultimate' opponent, did you?", he said, seeing through Yosho's words, cutting to the heart of the matter. Surprised, Yosho met his gaze. A long moment passed before he dropped his eyes and looked away. "Never killed a man in combat before, had you?", Hatori said, taking a sip of tea. He looked over at the young prince, whose eye were locked on his sword. "It's not like you thought it would be, is it?", he said, understandingly. "There was no glory in taking a life, was there? Even when it needed to be done?" Yosho gave no sign that he was even listening. "There was no pleasure, just relief. Relief that it was finally over." With a sigh Hatori paused to refill his cup. Reaching out he collected Yosho cup, refilling it also and setting back down before the unmoving man. "Perhaps I should have asked Yogami to fetch Sake instead.", he said sadly, holding the cup before him, downing it in a gulp. He reached out, resting a comforting hand on Yosho's shoulder. "It never gets any easier, my boy.", he said quietly, giving his shoulder a squeeze before releasing him. "Pray that it doesn't." "Let me tell you a little about myself. After all you've told me, it seem only fair.", he said as he looked out across the valley. "Before I settled here and took a wife, I roamed far and wide. I was a sword for hire, a man of war. As a young man I craved adventure, but as a commoner all the adventure I was ever likely to see was the summer harvest, and the muddy fields of the rice paddies. But one day I chanced to meet a wandering swordsman, a "Ronin". Daigoro, his name was, the master swordsman of a defeated clan. When he passed though my village I set out in pursuit of him, and never looked back. I had to follow him for almost a year before he finally agreed to teach me, probably just to get me to stop. After many years under his tutelage, and many adventures together, I took my leave of him and set out to make my own way in the world. Selling my sword to the highest bidder, I quickly gained the reputation of a master. As a commoner I would never be deemed a true Samurai, but my blade was respected across the land none the less.", he said, his hand falling to the sword still at his waist. His eyes were far away, reliving the events of the past. The man's words drew Yosho out of his dark contemplations, his head rose as he regarded the old man. "I fought a hundred battles, but there was always another one in the making, and always someone willing to pay for my expertise.", his voice became quieter. "I've killed more men than I care to remember. Some who deserved it, to be sure. Other who probably didn't, but that's the nature of war." His head dropped down as he examined his hands, his eyes weary. "But warfare is the occupation of a young man, as I grew older I grew tired of the endless intrigue, the endless killing. I decided to retire, but where ever I went a Samurai was sure to follow, to challenge me." "One day a voice called to me from outside my house, challenging me to a duel. I found a boy standing there, he couldn't have been more than fifteen. He was a cocky one, full of piss and vinegar, his chest swelled out like a rooster's. Fifteen is old enough to be considered a man in this land. I had killed ones younger than even he, in battle in the past. He had come to prove himself, to gain a reputation. He'll never know just how close he came to death. But looking into his face that day, I realized the pointlessness of it all. I realized it would never end so long as I was alive." "So Masaki, 'The Sword of the East', came out of retirement one final time, to take part in one last battle.", he said, pulling his sword from it's sheath, holding it before him. "Where he fell,", he said, bring the sword down in emphasis. "honorably in combat." Sheathing the well worn sword he turned to regard an entranced Yosho. "They never did find his head or his sword, they were probably taken as trophies by the opposing army.", he paused, glancing away. "Not long after that, a new priest arrived at a dilapidated shrine in the mountains of Okayama." "And here I've lived ever since.", he said, with a wave of his hand. "Twenty five years have pasted now, I've tried to live a pious life. Perhaps to make up for the carnage I caused in my youth, perhaps to convince myself that I'm not the same man that did those things.", he looked back to Yosho, his eyes troubled. "But not a day goes by that I don't see them in my mind, an endless parade of dead men. All with my name on their lips, an accusatory look in their eye, haunting me." he muttered, his voice tailing off. Finishing his tale, he refilled his cup, gulping the contents. Yosho looked on in astonishment at the man's story. His respect for the old priest growing immeasurably. "Yes, I defiantly should have had Yogami bring Sake.", he sighed sadly, looking at the now empty cup. He looked over, he studied Yosho intensely for a moment. "Anyway, I hope you'll never have to experience what I have over the years.", he said, eyeing Yosho, obviously pondering some thought. "Here, come with me," he said with a grunt, beginning to rise to his feet. "I have something to show you." Getting up, he offered a hand to Yosho, helping him to his feet. Together they walked back through the shrine, and out through it's rear exit to the covered walk. Hatori led him back to the building he had originally come from. Entering the building he moved to the door on the far left, the door opposite from Yosho's room. He waited for the young man to join him before quietly sliding it aside. The room, very similar to his own, was dimly lit. It took several moments for his eye to adjust, but in a short while Yosho recognized the figure lying on the floor, bound head to toe with rope. He stood in shocked disbelief. "She...lives?", he whispered, stunned, unable to take his eyes from the woman on the floor. "Yes.", Hatori agreed with a little consternation. "I was surprised myself, especially since I saw you put your sword through her throat with my own eyes, but..." "There wasn't a mark on her, not a single wound." he said, his arms crossed, stroking his mustache with one hand. "It's the damnedest thing I've ever seen." They both stood looking at their captive, each lost in their own thoughts. "I suppose I should have killed her on the spot, while she was helpless.", Hatori said his voice quiet. "But I couldn't bring myself to do it. She's just a girl." "Well,", he said, glancing to the silent Yosho, remembering what he had said. "She looks just like a girl anyway." Yosho didn't respond and they stood quietly for a moment in the doorway. "What are we to do with her?", Hatori finally asked, turning to meet Yosho's eyes, hoping that Yosho could make the decision he hadn't wanted to. "Kill me.", a voice whispered. Both men turned in surprise to the unmoving figure on the floor, their hands flying to their weapons. Hatori stared in shock, the whole time she had been here she'd never moved, never batted an eye, let alone spoken. He had assumed she'd been unconscious the entire time. Yosho stood holding Tenchi-ken before him, ready. "What?", Hatori asked in astonishment. Again the voice spoke, this time stronger. "Kill me.", she said, sadly. "Please." Yosho and Hatori turned questioningly to one another, then back to the girl that lay in the room. "Why would you want us to do that?", Yosho asked, genuinely curious. "I...He'll...", she said, her voice faltering. "Just do it. Quickly. Please." Both men looked at one another, knowing the other's thoughts. It was one thing to kill an opponent in the heat of battle, but quite another to kill someone who was asking you to do it. Neither of them thought they were capable of that. After a moment Yosho stepped carefully into the room and stopped within a couple feet of her, crouching down. Hatori came up behind him. "Ryoko?", he asked, his sword at the ready, just in case. The woman still lay face down on the ground, her arms tied behind her. She turned her head in his direction, looking up at him, her expression pitiful. Yosho met her eyes. Yellow, not the burning red he had seen before. Her eyes were golden, they seem to plead with him. "I know you could have easily escaped," he said, looking over her bindings. They were woefully inadequate to hold a creature of her power. "Why haven't you?" She lay quietly for several moments before speaking. "Where would I go?", she asked dejectedly. "You've taken my gems, you've...", she said quietly, her voice thick with emotion. "destroyed Ryo-Ohki." "Where would I go?", she asked again, her eyes haunted, distant. Yosho sat contemplating her, tapping Tenchi-ken against his chin. He looked over his shoulder to Hatori who raised a curious eyebrow in reply. Yosho could detect no deception on her part, but she was acting very oddly. This wasn't at all the way he would have expected her to act. She was changed somehow. The howling beast was gone, it had been replaced by this pitiable girl. She *felt* different, in a way he could hardly define. It was as if the mask of an actor had been pulled aside, revealing their face beneath. But how was this possible? Perhaps there was more to Ryoko than just the fighting machine he had battled. But what were they going to do with her? An idea came to him unbidden, as if it had whispered in his ear. It was crazy, to even think such a thing was an act of lunacy. But try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that it was the correct thing to do, that it was something he must do. "If we were to release you, would you attack us?", he asked, after struggling with his conscious for what seemed like an eternity. He glanced back to Hatori. The old priest looked shocked, though he didn't object. "I...I don't know.", she said with apparent honestly, as if unsure herself. "Do you *want* to attack us?", Yosho asked, trying to figure out the strange woman. "No.", she replied sincerely, her voice quiet, her eyes closed. Again Yosho glanced from the woman to Hatori. He raised a questioning eyebrow himself this time. Hatori shrugged in reply, he was leaving this decision up to him. Yosho knew there wasn't much point in keeping her tied as she was. She could escape at will, if she wanted to. If they weren't going to kill her, they might as well free her, Yosho thought with the slightest trepidation. He couldn't believe what he was about to do. "Ryoko, if you give us your word that you won't harm us," he said, against his better judgment. "I'll set you free." "But, I can't! You don't understand. I don't know if I'll...", she exclaimed, her eyes opening, meeting Yosho's gaze. "Your word.", he reiterated, his gaze steady. She looked back at him pleadingly, before turning away. It was a moment before she spoke again. "You...have my word.", she said, her voice sincere. Yosho nodded to Hatori before standing up. "I'll fetch a knife then, it should just take a minute.", he said, turning to the door. Yosho placed a hand on his shoulder stopping him, Hatori turned questioningly to him. "Go on Ryoko.", Yosho said reassuringly. "You're free now." She glanced up at him, and a second later her ropes collapsed, their captive now gone. She reappeared standing in front of them, her eyes downcast and naked as the day she was born. Hatori stood in amazement for a moment at what he had seen, at what he was seeing. He looked away with an embarrassed cough. "I'll see if Yogami has an old Kimono or two she could lend you to wear." "That's not necessary.", Ryoko said, quietly. Phasing from sight she reappeared a moment later fully clothed. Hatori thought her garments looked outlandish, but very striking on her. It was a improvement at least. "Are you hungry?", he said, brightening. "You must be, you haven't eaten anything in days. You just wait here and I'll have Yogami bring you something to eat and drink." "Please, make yourself comfortable.", he said, with the friendliest smile he could muster. He bowed quickly before turning with to Yosho, they both moved to the doorway. As they exited the room he slid the door shut behind them. "Do you really think this is wise?", Hatori asked, stopping Yosho after they had put some distance between themselves and the door. He glanced back worriedly at the room behind. "That's not the same woman I fought.", Yosho tried to explain, his brows knitting, deep in thought. "I have a strange feeling about her." "Not the same?", Hatori asked, confused, an eyebrow going up. "She's the same one I brought back from the field that day." "She doesn't act the same though. Her voice is different, her eyes are different. Something has changed in her.", he said, looking down at the jewels in Tenchi-ken curiously. He thought he might just know the cause of that change, even if he didn't know it's reason. He glanced back up the old man. "I don't believe she's a danger to us, not right now anyway." "I hope you're right.", Hatori sighed warily. "She'll be in contact with my family, my granddaughter..." "I don't believe we have anything to fear from her. But...", Yosho said, his voice firm, the look in his eyes deadly serious. "If anything should happen. Believe me, there will not be a second chance." In her room, Ryoko sat staring at the door through which the two man had left. She could hear their footsteps fading, their voices raised in a conversation she couldn't quite make out. After a moment the they continued on, their footfalls dwindling in the distance. They were going to let her live. 'What am I to do now?', she wondered to herself. Wait. Wait until...*He* came. He would never let her escape. Eventually he would come to claim her once again. He would kill the Prince and the others, and take her away. Then they would continue with his plans. With his knowledge and her brawn, they would capture Tsunami. With the knowledge of the Secret of Jurai, and the First Ship, her master would be supreme. He would be all powerful, unchallenged in the galaxy. Then he would rule, and she would serve him, faithfully. Forever, and ever, and ever, and ever... A shiver swept through her, she jumped to her feet. Pacing like a caged animal, she hugged herself, roaming the confines of the small room. There was no way to escape it, he would come. He always did. Morosely, she sat again. Drawing her knees up, she hugged them, making herself small. Small enough to go unnoticed, maybe? The silence of the room was deafening. She was truly alone now, for the first time in her life. Gone was the dark insinuating voice of Kagato, always whispering his unquestionable will in the back of her mind. Gone too was the voice of Ryo-Ohki, the one who had always been there. The ship that wasn't a ship. The nonjudgmental friend whose soft voice had comforted her for so many years. The warm voice that had always been with her, finally stilled. She rocked herself slowly. She could picture Ryo-Ohki, smashed, smoking, lying at the bottom of a crater. Lying at the bottom of a grave. She rose. Closing her eyes she pictured the scene in her mind and willed herself to be there. She felt so weak, for a moment she thought she might not be able to do it. But a second later, light shown red through her eye lids. She opened her eyes to a bright blue sky, a quiet expanse of ground, scared black. A scene that looked all too familiar to her. Below her, in the crater sat Ryo-Ohki, broken. Half submerged, as the waters of a nearby marsh slowly seeped in to covered her. Ryo-Ohki was an amazing ship, with the power to heal herself, if damaged. Even, she'd been told, to reproduce herself, if she was damaged beyond repair. But, Ryoko reasoned, she should feel something from her. There should some kind of response, anything. There was only a chilling silence. 'Ryo-Ohki?', she reached out with her mind, hoping against hope for a reply. 'Ryo-Ohki?' 'Ryo-Ohki, please! Answer me!', she begged, but there was no response. She sat listening, hearing only the wind that blew across the clearing. Tears welled in her eyes, her legs trembled. She fell to her knees. "I'm sorry, Ryo-Ohki!", she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry!" She doubled over, her head bowed to the ground, her hands to her face. "Why couldn't it have been me?!", she wailed, her body convulsing as she sobbed. "It should have been me!" "It should have been me...", she cried, gasping, racked with grief for the only innocent she had ever known. "She's gone!", Hatori came rushing into Yosho's room, a look of misgiving on his weathered face. Yosho replaced the sling on his arm, finally having had the chance to get properly dressed. He quickly followed the old man out into the central room, Ryoko's door was open. A concerned Yogami stood before it, a tray lay on the ground beside her. "When Yogami came to bring her something to eat, she found her room empty.", he said, his brow furrowed, his expression worried. "We've searched the shrine for her, she's not here." Yosho looked past Yogami into the vacant room beyond. Had he been wrong? Had he been wrong to trust his intuition? In spite of what he had experienced, he had trusted his heart. He had listened to the little voice in the back of his mind, it had never lied to him before. Even now, the voice seemed to say, 'All is well'. But that voice was no consolation to Hatori and Yogami who stood before him. Their anxiety was all too obvious. He was merely a visitor, who could leave if he liked, but these people's lives and homes were at stake. They had been put in jeopardy by a decision he had made. How would he be able to live with himself if anything happen to them? Perhaps the harshest course of action had been the correct course after all. He'd been so sure though. Ryoko had been right about one thing. Where could she go? The only viable ship on Earth was Funaho. She could never get inside Funaho, and even if she could the ship would never function for her. She was trapped here on Earth. Her powers might be diminished now, but she could still wreak havoc if she chose to. This planet was unprepared for a creature the likes of Ryoko, she could bring chaos the likes of which the Earth had never seen. Looking into the eyes of his benefactors he felt ashamed of his weakness. He shouldn't have trusted a hunch when lives were at steak. She had to found, found and dealt with, before it was too late, before something terrible happened. Even as he thought this, despite his fears, a kernel of hope remained. 'Please, Ryoko. Prove me wrong.', he silently wished, looking down at the sword now in his hand. "I doubt she'll have gone far.", Yosho said aloud to Hatori. "The two of us should go and search the surrounding area until she's found." The old man, noticing his expression and the presence of Tenchi-ken in his hand, leaned forward, so as not to be overheard. "You're having second thoughts about your decision now?", he whispered in apprehension. The wrinkles on his face becoming deeper with his worry. He glanced over his shoulder to his daughter in law. "Yogami, where is Miyana?", he asked, trying to sound unconcerned. Her eyes when wide at the mention of the girl, a hand flying to her mouth, but she settled an instant later. "She walked down to farmer Manaki's home this morning.", she said with obvious relief. The thought of her daughter out there all alone, with that creature running around, had scared the life out of her. "She was going to play with his son, Yoichi. She won't be back until supper time." "Thank the Gods,", Hatori said with a sigh, his tension easing a bit. "At least she's safely away from here." Under the midday sun an apathetic figure lay curled into a ball, her spirit broken. She was tired, so tired of this existence. For thousands of years it had gone on now, each new day bringing new atrocities for her to commit in her master's name. She just wanted it to end. Was the universe so cruel? Was fate so cruel that it would foil her only chance for peace? Finally someone had appeared to stop her, to put an end to it. Only to have that man leave her alive to suffer. She should have forced him to do it, damned him to his face, spit in his eye and laughed at his worthlessness. But the bravado she had always know was gone now. The detachment she had always felt had been replaced by a self awareness she had never experienced before. Frightening new emotions welled within her, emotions she couldn't control. As the hand of Kagato, she had only ever experienced the emotions he would allow. Rage she knew all too well, and the pleasures of destruction, the satisfaction of each new victory, the joy of a mission properly completed. But these new emotions were all so different, so alien. Grief, fear, despair, apathy, even for the briefest of instants, hope. She hated it, she hated them, she hated herself. There was always the omnipresent hate. "Are you all right?", a tiny voice asked worriedly. With a jolt of surprise Ryoko untangled herself, and sat up. She found herself face to face with a sprite of a girl. A child that couldn't have been much more than three feet tall. "What were you doing lying there?", the girl asked, peering curiously at her. "It looks like you've been crying. Did you hurt yourself? I know I cry when I hurt myself. Like when I did this." She stuck her elbow into Ryoko's bewildered face for closer examination, there was a large recently healed scab covering it. "I fell down the cement steps at the shine. Well, not all of them, that would have *really* hurt. Just the last few, but I fell flat on my face and skinned my elbow. See?", she said holding her elbow an inch from Ryoko's nose as evidence, so close that Ryoko's eyes crossed trying to focus on it. "It hurt so bad, it was all bloody and stuff. I was crying like crazy. There was snot and everything, it was gross. What's your name?" Surprised by the verbal onslaught Ryoko sat blinking dumbly, trying to digest what the girl was saying. Suddenly she realized the talking had ceased. "Ryoko.", she gasped out, sympathetically breathless for the girl. "Ryoko? That's a pretty name. My name's Miyana. Why don't you get up? You're getting your clothes all dirty." Miyana reached out and attempted to haul the much larger woman to her feet. Compelled to stand, Ryoko managed to get up despite Miyana's help. On her feet now, she towered over the little girl. She was a diminutive elf of a girl, dressed in a blue kimono. Her large brown eyes smiled up at Ryoko, her hair pulled back in pigtails. The girl busied herself brushing dirt from Ryoko's clothes. "Wow, you're tall! Mom 'sez men don't like tall woman, but I think you're kinda pretty. I like your eyes, yellow's such a nice color, mine are just brown.", she said, making a face and sticking her tongue out. "I've never met anyone with hair your color before. Were you born like that? And your clothes, I've never seen clothes like those before either.", she paused, giggling, with a hand over her mouth. "You can see your boobs.", she whispered. Befuddled, Ryoko looked down at her chest and back to the girl. She though she might have just been insulted, but it was hard to tell. How this girl ever managed to stop talking long enough to sneak up on her was a complete mystery. Miyana turned away from her and walked to the edge of the crater, peering down into its depths. "Where'd this come from?", she asked curiously, as if it had suddenly appeared next to her. Ryoko stepped up beside to the girl to look down on Ryo-Ohki with her. "Ooo, It's kind of pretty, isn't it?", Miyana said, glancing up at her before looking back. "All sparkly, and shiny like that." "Yes, it is." Ryoko agreed, her voice heavy. "But it looks all broken.", Miyana said sadly. "I wonder what it was." "My only friend.", Ryoko whispered with the hint of a tear in the corner of her eye. But the girl hadn't heard her. She walked off around the edge of the crater, leaving Ryoko standing alone. Halfway around the girl stopped and ran back to her, an excited smile on her face. She stopped in front of Ryoko, beaming up at her, her eyes twinkling. "It's real pretty, but I know something even prettier.", Miyana said conspiratorially, with a quick glance around. She leaned close to Ryoko, putting a hand up to shield her mouth from prying eyes. "Do you want me to show you, Ryoko?", she said in a quiet voice, her eyes dancing. "Do you want to see the most beautiful place in the whole world?", she whispered. "I'll show you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. It'll be our secret, okay?." "Come on!", she said as she took hold of Ryoko's hand. Without even waiting for the requested promise, she began pulling a confounded Ryoko off towards the tree line. Ryoko allowed the girl to lead her away from Ryo-Ohki and off into the cool shade of the forest. Miyana seem to know the woods like the back of her hand, taking turn after turn as trails met and crossed. Soon Ryoko was completely lost, but the little girl seem to know exactly where she was going. Before long they were on trails that seemed to be not much more than animal runs, partially covered with thick vegetation. They continued on, pushing their way through, Ryoko having to crouch down to get past some of the low hanging plants and branches. Suddenly Miyana stopped and turned to her. "Now close your eyes.", she said smiling. Her curiosity peaked now, Ryoko hesitated. "Come on, Ryoko! I want it to be surprise!", Miyana insisted, pouting. "Close your eyes!" Acquiescing, Ryoko finally closed her eyes. Miyana took hold of both her hands and lead her the last few feet. "Duck your head. Lower!", she said her voice excited, as Ryoko blindly followed her. Finally she stopped, letting go of Ryoko's hands. "Keep your eyes closed!", Miyana ordered. Ryoko could hear her stepping away from her. "Okay, you can open your eyes now.", the girl said. The sight that greeted Ryoko was overwhelming. It was as if every color ever invented had been brought together in one place. Miyana stood in the middle of it all, laughing. She threw her arms out, spinning like the tiny dancer of some beautiful music box. The glade they entered was covered with flowers of every conceivable color and description. Floral vines even grew up the surrounding trees, stretching themselves out overhead onto the limbs to hang down in multi-color streamers. It was as if a rainbow had fallen to earth. "Isn't it beautiful?", asked Miyana, laughing at the joy of it, waist deep in the blossoms. Even if Ryoko had been able to reply, she wouldn't have. She didn't want to dispel the magic of the moment, she didn't want it to end. "Watch this!", Miyana said as she turned to run into a thicket of taller plants. Clouds of colors erupted from them as the girl brushed past. Ryoko's mouth hung open in amazement. Butterflies of every imaginable hue took flight all at once, disturbed by Miyana's passage. The beating of their fragile wings filled the air with flashing motes of color, filling the small clearing with swirling patterns of life. It was the most beautiful thing Ryoko had ever seen. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and a smile spread across her face as her laughter joined Miyana's. The girl had been right, it was the most beautiful place in the world. Perhaps it was an old garden, long since abandoned, that had found a life on its own. Perhaps it was just a mysterious trick of nature. Whatever the reason for its existence, it had been Miyana's special place, her place to be alone. She had found it long ago on her wanderings and claimed it as her own. She gave it to Ryoko now. Together they sat under the eaves of their cathedral of flowers. Lovely scents perfumed the air as a gentle breeze blew through the glade. Miyana had collected several of the flowered vines and sat delicately braiding them together for some reason or other. She didn't seem to mind the fact that her conversations were all one sided, and Ryoko was content to just sit and listen as the girl prattled on, just happy to be in a place of such beauty. "I was playing with Yoichi earlier, but he's a farthead.", Miyana said, continuing with the story of her day. While she spoke she deftly went about the work of twining the vines together, her tiny fingers making quick work of the job. "He always wants to play 'You show me yours, I'll show you mine'.", she said, her eyes went wide with exasperation. "I've already seen his! It was kind of stupid looking, why would I want to see it again?" "He never wants to do anything fun," she complained, irritated. "and he smells. I wish there were some girls around here to play with." "Say, do you live around here Ryoko?", the girl asked hopefully, looking to Ryoko. "Maybe we could play together? I've never had a girl friend before." Ryoko met her gaze and smiled back. "I...think I'd like that, Miyana.", she said to her newfound friend. Ecstatic, Miyana leapt to her feet. In her hands she held two floral wreaths, she stepped up to Ryoko. "Great! We can play princesses! Here's your crown, I made it special for you.", the girl said, holding out a yellow flowered wreath and placing it on her head. "It matches your eyes." "And this one is mine.", she said, placing a red flowered wreath on her head. She stood beaming proudly at her own handiwork. "So, what exactly do princesses do?", Ryoko asked, straightening her crown. "Um...well", Miyana started, her eyes scrunched up in thought, chewing a nail. "They...uh...sit around all day looking beautiful..." "I think I can do that.", Ryoko told the girl with a smile. "And they marry princes!", Miyana finished with a dreamy look on her face, her hands clasped together. 'Princes?', Ryoko thought uneasily. "Yosho.", she said quietly to herself. With one word, her brief respite from reality had come to a sudden end. Yosho, the first person to ever beat her in combat. She could picture him in her mind, still dressed in his white formal robes, his sword flashing, moving with the grace of a dancer. His black hair flying out behind him as he spun, his violet eyes filled with loathing for her, his voice cursing her name. Someone was speaking to her, the voice of Kagato flared in her memory. Like frost moving across a window pane, it's icy touch spread, until it engulfed her. She found herself back upon his ship. "...and finally, Prince Yosho, the first prince of Jurai and heir apparent to the throne.", her master said as he slowly paced around the last of the holographic likenesses. They stood in the vast central hall of Kagato's ship, the Souja. It was his temple to ambition, his chapel of egotism, complete with a pipe organ, where he would sit and compose hymns for the worshippers to come. But time for composition was over, now it was time for him to assume his rightful mantle. All that remained was for him to locate and acquire the final pieces of the puzzle. Ryoko had been with Kagato almost from the beginning and had seen him slowly change. Not in personality, that had always been the same, but in form. Once he had been human, or nearly so. The creature that stood before her now was barely recognizable as the man he once had been. Cloaked in the clothing of a gentleman he hid, the monster that was her master. A ghostly face, and strangely glowing green eyes peered from beneath a shock of grey hair. But she knew it was just an affectation, she had seen what he truly was, what he still tried to hide. He was a creature of pure power now, insubstantial, a wraith of remembered form. While he still wore a face, he did not trifle with his extremities. Gloves and long sleeves propagated the myth of hands and arms. Clothing concealed the void that had once been a man. "Even you might have trouble with this one, Ryoko.", he said, one corner of his mouth cocked up in an ever present sneer. Arrayed before her stood the Juriain royal family. Possibly the most powerful family in the galaxy. King Azusa, his wives, Funaho and Masaki, and their children, the princesses, Ayeka and Sasami, and the prince, Yosho. Kagato rounded the group of holograms, stepping lightly he walked over to her. He stopped slightly behind and to one side of her. Standing at attention, her eyes fixed on her targets, she could feel his presence looming. "Although he is not ranked, rumor has it that he is one of the top swordsman in the galaxy. A personal student of old Master Nisaki himself, at the Academy.", he said as he contemplated the prince. "Nisaki is very traditional when it comes to his students. He would never take one who wasn't accomplished, even if he was the crown prince." "Well, if he gives you any trouble," Kagato said, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "You may destroy him. Would you like that?" In her mind she could feel the gentle caress of his intellect, she shuddered with delight. Pain and pleasure were his to dole out, rewards for accomplishments or punishments for infractions. The puppet master pulled the strings. He was very adept at it now, having had thousands of years of practice to perfect his control over her. The gentlest of touches was all that was required. If he pushed too hard she struggled, ruining her performance. What was required was finesse. "But remember, it is vitally important that we capture at least one of the children.", he said warningly. "The royal family possesses information on the secret of Tsunami. Once we have captured the ship, we are going to need that information to control it." "Do you understand, Ryoko?", he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. Together they stood facing the flickering images. Ryoko felt their unseeing gazes boring into her. "Yes, Master.", she said obediently. "Excellent.", he said, his voice silken. Again in a wave of pleasure swept through her, Ryoko gasped at its feel. Kagato smiled, kneaded her shoulders ever so gently. He knew she would do exactly as she was told, the programming he had given her was unbreakable, but he liked to have her say it anyway. However meaningless her agreement was, it was always nice to have a willing accomplice. "We leave for Jurai tonight." "Do not fail me, Ryoko.", he whispered as he turned and walked away. As he left her eyes locked onto the image of the prince. He was beautiful, he smiled back at her. She trembled, her fists clenching, rage gripping her. How his smile mocked her, mocked her whole hellish existence. With a cry of fury she slashed through the flickering hologram with her sword, but still the image remained, looking back at her unconcerned. What right did he have to look so happy? What right did any of them have? She would make them pay for their happiness. They would all pay for her misery. "Ryoko?", a voice called to her from somewhere out of the darkness. "Ryoko?", she looked around confused, trying to identify the speaker. "Ryoko!", the voice pleaded with her, she felt hands gripping her shoulders again, small hands. She blinked, shaking herself free of the past. The worried face of Miyana came into focus before her. "Are you all right?", Miyana asked, looking relieved. "You had me worried. You were just sitting there, staring, like you fell asleep with your eyes open or something. But even when I shook you, you didn't wake up." Ryoko shivered, glancing about, trying to get her barings. It had seemed so real, like she had never left. She'd been *home*. "I'm fine, Miyana. Really.", she said, her breath coming in pants. The girl gave her a quizzical look, obviously not convinced. "I'll be fine.", she said again, unsure as to whether she was trying to convince the girl or herself. (more to come) [I'd like to thank Richard Hall, Nik (who needs no last name) and John K. Wright for proofreading, giving me advise and helping me grammatically. Anything you find disagreeable with the writing or story can of course be attributed to them. (I'm kidding, thanks guys!)] Questions? Comments? Angry rants? Contact: Ocristiii@aol.com 09/30/00 (Standard disclaimer begging for mercy) Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and the characters are not mine. They are owned by Pioneer/AIC (I think). I found them, and I'm just having a little fun with them. I'm not trying to make any money with them. This is simply for my own entertainment. Well, I hope it entertains a few others also, possibly. But please, don't sue me. OK? Pretty please? (This is and updated version. I fixed a few errors. If you notice any more feel free to point them out. I can't fix the story though, it is what it is.) "The Prince and the Pirate" -Part 3- Yogami stood on the steps of the shrine waiting for the return of her father and prince Yosho. They had been gone for almost an hour now and she was starting to get worried. What if something had happened to them? Her father in law had explained the nature of the strange 'woman' the men had brought to the shrine that day. Apart from her unusual hair she had seemed normal enough, but when the old priest began describing the what he had seen she had taken on a much more menacing appearance. Now she was out there somewhere, loose. If anything had happened to the men, how could she hope to protect herself and her daughter from such a creature? She caught her breath as a figure appeared from the trees, after a second another followed. Relieved, she quickly recognized the two men returning. Hatori raised an arm, waving to her. She quickly descended the steps to meet them. "No luck?", she asked as they drew close. Hatori shook his head, stopping to mop his brow with the sleeve of his robe. Both men were soaked with sweat from the walking they had done. "I take it she hasn't returned here?", the old man said. Yogami, cringing at the mere suggestion, shook her head. "Perhaps she's run off," Hatori said turning questioningly to Yosho. "Perhaps she's gone for good." A weary looking Yosho, didn't reply. Maybe it would be better if she never returned? No. She was too dangerous to be allowed to roam free. If she didn't return on her own he would have to track her down yet again. She was his responsibility now, he would have to deal with her. At that moment though, he didn't even feel capable of dealing with the shrine's steps. If he didn't sit down, he realized he was probably going to fall down. Yogami, noticing his discomfort, quickly rushed to his side putting an arm around him. She began helping him to the stairs. "Father!", she said, shooting the old priest a disgusted look. "Are you blind, have you forgotten how badly hurt he was?" Hatori, abashed, quickly moved to help her. "Gods, boy! Why didn't you say something?", he draped Yosho's good arm across his shoulders, walking him to the steps. "I'm fine!", Yosho protested, knowing full well that he wasn't. "I just need to rest for a minute." Yogami gave him a disparaging look as they helped him down. "What you need to do is get some sleep.", she said reprovingly, but the expression on her face told him that she understood. He couldn't, not while Ryoko was still missing. "Wait here a moment, I have some chilled tea inside for both of you.", she said as she hurried up the steps and into the shrine. Hatori groaned as he took a seat next to the younger man. "You should have told me Yosho.", he gently reprimanded him. "You're not going to be of any use to anyone if you pass out on us.", he said clapping him on the shoulder. The jar to Yosho's shoulder knocked Tenchi-ken from his weakened grasp. The master key clattered as is fell to the ground, coming to rest at the bottom of the steps. "I'm sorry.", Hatori gasped embarrassed. "I'll get it." Before Yosho could react to warn him, the man had leaned out, reaching down to pick up the sword. Aghast, Yosho waited the for the inevitable consequences of the man's actions. To his profound shock Hatori picked up the master key, dusted it off and held it out for him. The confusion must have been apparent on his face. "Is something wrong?", the old man asked, an eyebrow raised in curiosity. His hand hovered, still holding out Tenchi-ken. Yosho was too stunned to speak as he took the sword back. He sat examining it closely, as though it had somehow been switched with a duplicate. But there was only one Tenchi-ken, and this was it. How was it possible? The master key could only be handled by members of the royal family. Anyone else who tried found the experience unpleasant in the extreme. Tenchi-ken would lash out with a burst of electricity if it found its handler unsuitable. "You...You picked this up," he said bewildered, his expression dazed. "With your bare hand!" Unable to understand Yosho's reaction, Hatori looked worriedly at the younger man, his brows knitting. He was acting very strangely indeed, maybe he was becoming delirious. "Are you sure you're okay?", he said anxiously. "Perhaps Yogami's right, perhaps you do need to lie down for a bit." "Miyana!", Yogami suddenly gasped from behind them. The men spun to regard her. She stood in the shrine's doorway, a tray clutched in her trembling hands. Following her line of sight they discovered the cause of her distress. Crossing the flagstones from the direction of the shrine's concrete steps, came Ryoko hand in hand with the little girl. Upon seeing her mother, Miyana pulled free and ran towards the group. "Mommy!", she yelled happily. "Grandpa!" Quickly setting the tray aside, Yogami ran down the stairs to meet her. She wrapped her in an embrace, kissing her. "Are you all right?", she asked, worriedly brushing the girls hair from her face to look her over. "Yeah! Me and Ryoko were just playing.", Miyana said, a bit confused by her mother's reaction. "Playing?", Yogami said, casting a wary glance at the approaching woman. "I told her she could stay for dinner.", the girl continued. "That's all right isn't it?" "Yes honey, that'll be fine.", Hatori said, having gotten up and crossed to the pair. "In fact Ryoko's going to be staying with us for a while." "She is?!", Miyana exclaimed. "Great!" "You didn't tell me you knew my grandfather.", she said as Ryoko drew to a stop before the trio. "I didn't know that I did.", she said, with a trace of amusement in her yellow eyes as she regarding the man. "I guess I never did properly introduce myself.", he said, a bit abashed, bowing formally. "I am Hatori Masaki, the priest of this shrine." "This is my daughter in law, Yogami," he continued. "And her daughter, Miyana, whom you've already met I see." Ryoko regarded the woman who knelt before her, looking up at her. Her arms were wrapped protectively around her daughter. She was sadden by the distrust she saw in the woman's brown eyes, the fear that she recognized all too well. "Miyana, why don't you come help me fix dinner?", the woman said, taking her eyes from Ryoko to regard her daughter. She stood up, taking the girl by the hand. "But...", Miyana began to protest, looking back at Ryoko. "Don't worry, you'll see Ryoko later.", Hatori reassured her. "Go and help your mother." "Okay.", Miyana acquiesced unhappily, waving as she was lead away. Ryoko held up a hand in response. Ryoko and Hatori stood side by side watching as Yogami ushered her daughter around to the back of the shrine. "She's a beautiful little girl, the light of my life.", he sighed, glancing at Ryoko out of the corner of his eye. "I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to her." She stiffened at his inference, knowing exactly what he meant. "I would kill myself before I allowed any harm to come to her.", she said quietly, turning her gaze on him, indignant at even having to say such a thing. The old man studied her intently for a moment before replying. "Yes, I'm sure you would.", he said confidently. "But that won't be necessary. If you can just keep her from falling down the concrete steps all the time, or beating up Yoshi's son again, that would be more than sufficient." With a smile he turned to her bowing his head slightly, apologetic. "I have a few things to attend to. I'll return to collect the two of you for dinner later.", Hatori said, turning to the shrine's steps. "I expect you'll be easier to find now that I've gotten you away from my grand daughter.", he said with a disarming chuckle. Yosho had watched the proceedings quietly from his perch on the steps, immeasurable relieved that he hadn't needed to intervene. He knew there was a fine line between wisdom and folly. His decision regarding Ryoko had apparently fallen into the former category. Hatori approached him, a quirky smile on his weathered face. "I guess you were right after all.", he whispered as he passed, heading for the main doors. He stopped abruptly before reaching them though. "Ah," he said, stooping to retrieve the discarded Yogami's discarded tray. "We forgot all about the tea." Turning he brought it to where Yosho was seated. "Well, maybe you can share it with my other guest." With a final wink he departed, leaving the pair to fend for themselves. Yosho glanced out into the courtyard where Ryoko still stood looking ill at ease, her eyes looking anywhere but at him. Sighing, he picked up the pitcher and poured himself a cup of the chilled tea Yogami had left. It was very good, slightly sweetened, not too strong. "Would you like some tea?", he called to her, feeling that he should at least make the effort. "It's a local blend, it's delicious, really." Ryoko glanced about before turning to him, as if he might have been addressing someone else. "Have a seat, and try some.", he coaxed. Pouring another cup, he held it out for her. With one final look around Ryoko walked the final few yards to the shrine stairs. Accepting the offered cup she took a seat across from him. Yosho watched as she sniffed the its contents. Satisfied that it was at least non-lethal she took a small sip. He smiled when he saw her expression of curiosity change to one of delight. In a couple of gulps she had downed the whole thing. "See? I told you.", he said, picking up the pitcher to refill her cup, which she eagerly held out. Setting the pitcher back down he retrieved his own, taking a sip. He couldn't help but reflect on the bizarre twist his life had taken. If someone had told him two weeks ago that he would be sitting on the stairs of a shrine on his mother's planet, drinking tea with the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy, he would have told them they were crazy. Yet, here they were, the Prince and the Pirate. Glancing over, he studied her profile. She looked like she was in her late teens. Her hair was a wild mane of teal, her eyes a golden yellow that glittered when struck by the sun. Her features were finely boned, her neck long and graceful. How could someone as delicately built as she was, have wielded so much power? She seemed so harmless now, almost meek. It was hard to believe that he'd nearly been killed by this woman. When Ryoko became aware of his attention she fidgeted self-consciously. "What?", she finally asked. "What is it?" "Sorry, I was just thinking.", he said, forcing himself to look away. It was strange. He had *known* she would return. Just as he *knew* they were in no danger from her, despite what common sense said. What he couldn't figure out was just how he knew. The odd pair sat quietly gazing out across the countryside. The afternoon sun hung low in the sky. The heat of the day was filling an already tired Yosho with a dreamy languor. The tea had helped revitalize him somewhat, but what he really need was sleep. Now that Ryoko had appeared, thankfully on her own, there was the possibility he might get it. He turned to regard the teal haired woman again. "You had us pretty worried you know.", he said offhandedly. "Running off like that." Ryoko stiffened a bit at his comment, but didn't reply. It didn't appear as though she was going the allow herself to be dragged into conversation. Yosho lapsed back into silence, Ryoko pointedly ignored him. Curiosity had gotten the better of him though. She was a mystery begging to be solved. If only he could only get her to talk he might be able to make some headway. "Who are you Ryoko?", he mused, speaking aloud the simple thought that had passed through his mind. "What do you mean?", she asked, taken aback by his question. "Just that. Who are you?", he said, taking a sip of his tea. "Where do you come from?" For some reason she seemed troubled by these questions. Silently she sat, her hands restlessly toying with her cup. "I don't know.", she muttered after a few moments. "Well, how did you become a pirate?", he probed, not ready to give in just yet. She turned and gave a look that pleaded for him to stop, but he met her gaze, unrelenting. He wanted to understand her, he needed to know. It seemed for a moment as though she was going to get up and leave, but she stopped herself. The cyan haired girl appeared to be fighting some sort of inner conflict. He watched curiously, waiting for its outcome. After a few moments she became very still, then she began to speak. "There's a man named Kagato.", she said, her voice nearly a whisper, her head bowed, her face shadowed. "He's my master, he...owns me." Yosho stared at her in shock. Ryoko was a slave? "I've been with him as long as I can remember. He...", she paused taking a breath. "controls me. He uses me, to do things, to get things. " She placed a hand to her head. "Until now he's always been with me, in my mind, telling me what to do.", she said, her eyes unfocused. Her voice was strangely trance like. "When you took the gems you must have broken his power over me." Suddenly she tensed, withdrawing. "Who am I?!", she hissed sarcastically. She snapped her head around, facing him. "Nobody!", she yelled, without warning. Angrily she hurled her cup out across the yard. "Without him, I don't know what to think! I don't know what to do!" Yosho, who had been hanging on her every word, rocked back in shock at the unexpected eruption of emotion. The girl had gone wild. "I don't know who I am!", she cried, hysterical tears streaming down her face. "I don't know!" Yosho watched in horrified silence as the young woman disintegrated before him. What had he done? Ryoko sat shaking violently, her face buried in her hands. He felt compelled to try to comfort her. Tentatively he reached out a hand, but as he rested it on her shoulder she jerked away. "Don't!", she gasped warningly as she turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Don't touch me." As he withdrew his hand, she faded from sight. Alone he sat, staring at the seat she had so recently occupied. With a sudden flash of insight he thought he knew the cause of her reaction. He thought he knew the cause of her pain. She was empty. There was no Ryoko. Like a new born babe, she was a blank slate. All she had left were the ghostly echoes of her master's desires. In Miyana's grove Ryoko sat clutching the garland of flowers that had been her crown. The weak light slanting through the trees left the clearing shrouded in shadows. It was as if the color had been sapped from it. Her hands fumbled with the floral wreath as she plucked petals from it. She sniffed, a tear rolled down her cheek. She angrily wiped away. Nothing made any sense anymore. All her life she had secretly wished, deep down in place Kagato could never reach, that one day she would be free of him. Now she had her freedom, only to discover that she was lost without him. She was incomplete. Even without his power she was still his slave. "Damn you...", she cursed him, tears flowing again. She brought a hand to her face to wipe her eyes. She looked down at the moisture on her hand. Tears, after all these years. Was she making up for lost time? She found herself wishing that things were back to the way they had been. Where everything made sense, where there was no pain. She knew that he would eagerly take her back, he was probably looking for her right now. "NO!", she shouted venomously, shaking her head to dislodge the treacherous thought. She would never go back to him! A lifetime of confusion and pain was better than one more hour under his thumb. She was strong, she could handle it. She was going to do what she did best, she was going to survive. She would learn to live on her own terms, to be her own person. She would learn to deal with it. But it was so hard, in ways she never would have suspected. Ryoko looked down at Miyana's crushed wreath in her hands. At least she wasn't completely alone now. "I don't want you around that woman.", Yogami told her daughter, as she busied herself in the kitchen preparing dinner. Miyana, who was helping looked up at her dumbfounded. "But why?", she asked confused. Yogami turned to her daughter, her expression sober. "Miyana, just do as I say." "But she's my friend!", she protested. "She said we could play together!" "Miyana!", her mother snapped. The girl shrank away at her angry tone. When she saw Miyana's reaction Yogami put down the knife she had been using and knelt down before her. She took hold of Miyana by the arms, looking her in the eye. "Miyana you don't understand, you don't know the things I know about her.", she said reasonably, pleading with her. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. She's dangerous..." "But she's not!", Miyana interrupted, struggling in her mother's grasp. "She's my friend!" "Miyana!", Yogami said sternly, giving her a shake. "I want you to promise me that you won't go near her when I'm not around!" "Promise me!" Tears were running down her face. Miyana, disturbed by her mother's distress, began to cry as well. She didn't know how, but she done something to upset her mother. Now she had to make it better. "I promise, mommy.", she cried. A relieved Yogami gave Miyana a teary eyed smile before wrapping her in her arms, holding her close. As he had promised, when dusk descended, Hatori appeared. Somewhat to Yosho's surprise Ryoko reappeared as well. Subdued and quiet she said nothing about their previous conversation. She didn't speak at all in fact, following them as silently as a ghost. The old priest said that dinner would be at Kanida and Yogami's home. Back behind the shrine, a short way down the hill lay Hatori's son's humble home. It was modest, even spartan; as befitted a hard working farmer's family. Four rooms, a kitchen in the back, but small as it was, it was filled with life. Yosho had lived in a palace all his life. Hugh and impersonal, it dwarfed all those who lived within it. Dust never collected in the corners, the polished gleam never left the woodwork, and its residents never left their mark on it. It was like living in a museum. The family's rather ramshackle quarters by comparison spoke volumes about them. It was the little things; muddy shoes left in the entrance way, dried flowers hanging in a corner, umbrellas leaning neatly by the door, the smell of cooking wafting through the room, clothing hanging on a line. To his surprise he found himself envying them their hovel. They 'lived' here. As small as it was, it was theirs. Ryoko stood quietly off to one side in the family's main room listening while Hatori explained to Yosho the duties of a shrine's resident priest. The population of the valley being as small as it was, there wasn't much to do. Apart from the occasional wedding and funeral (one time on the same day, he chuckled morbidly as he recounted the fate of one particular elderly couple), he only had to preside over the local festivals. This left him to his own devises for most of the year, which was just as he liked it. The activity in the kitchen drew her attention, she craned her neck trying to catch a glimpse of little Miyana. As she stood watching, the girl stopped in the doorway, basket in hand. Catching her glance Miyana gave her one strange sad look, then continued on. Ryoko stood wondering at its meaning when a call from the front of the house drew her attention. "I'm home!", Hatori's son, Kanida had returned from a day in the fields. "Papa!", a high pitched voice cried from the kitchen. A two-legged blur streaked through the doorway and leapt into the man's arms, nearly knocking the wind out of him. "Well, hello sunshine. How was your day?", he chuckled as he lifted his daughter. His laughter trailed off when he noticed his visitors. Hatori and Yosho both rose from the table where they had been seated. Kanida took it all in with frank surprise, his eyes lingering longest when he came upon Ryoko. He turned to his father with consternation. Hatori gave him a calming smile in reply. "Allow me to make the introductions.", he said diplomatically. Stepping aside Hatori held out his hand. "Kanida, this is Prince Yosho of Jurai." Kanida's face went white as he attempted a low bow with Miyana firmly tucked into his hip. Yosho smiling, nodded in return. Taking a couple steps to his left Hatori again gestured. "And this is...", he hesitated, seeking a proper title for the woman, one that wouldn't arouse his son's fears, but failed. "Ryoko." Politely, Kanida slowly bowed, never taking his eyes from the strangely dressed woman. Ryoko remained aloof, barely acknowledging the gesture. "Ryoko's my new friend!", Miyana said, all smiles, breaking the building tension of the room. Kanida looked down at the girl perched on his hip with thinly veiled concern. "Oh...", he said devoid of enthusiasm, before looking back to the cyan haired woman. "That's nice honey." Yogami, who stood silently in kitchen doorway watching the exchange, caught his eye. They shared a brief but intense look before she spoke up. "Dinner will be ready in a just a minute.", she called. "Miyana, let your father rest. Come and help me set the table." "Go help your mother.", Kanida said letting the girl down, giving her a playful swat on the rump to send her on her way. "'Kay.", Miyana said as she scampered off. Kanida noticed curiously how Ryoko eyes followed the girl, her strange expression. For a moment their eyes met as she tuned back. Ryoko quickly looked away, but not before he saw the odd sadness evident on her face. Hatori gestured for Kanida to take a seat at the table. The men sat as Hatori poured a cup of tea for his son. He refilled Yosho's and his own cups as well. Ryoko, setting herself apart from the group, hovered in the background. They sat talking, pointedly avoiding her as a topic of discussion. Ryoko listened in on their conversation for a while. It seemed to involve an upcoming harvest. She found it all mind numbingly dull. As her attention wandered she occupied herself by studying Hatori's son. She supposed he was a handsome man, he looked as she would have imagined Hatori to look if he were his age. Rather short but well built, he carried an aura of quiet strength. His hair and eyes were so dark that they appeared as almost black in the low light of the room's lanterns. The man wore the dirt of the field as another man might wear his finest clothes. His rich voice had the ring of authority to it when he spoke, but the similarity to his father faltered there. There was something almost indefinably different about him, something lacking, something the predator inside her could sense. Was it that hint aggression, that promise of violence embodied in the older man? A person attuned to such things couldn't miss it. Hatori might be a lion, but he had raised a son who was a lamb. Weakness, she could almost taste it. The trio's voices rang with laughter as Kanida related the problems inherent with following a plow horse cursed with over active bowels. Ryoko drifted in the shadows, circling the small room, unobtrusively watching the interaction of the men with curiosity. She came to a stop leaning on one of the home's supporting beams, quietly blending in with the background. For a flickering of an instant Yosho's violet eyes met hers, marking her presence. There was nothing preylike about that one. She rested her head against the wooden beam, it's coarse surface cool against her cheek. The fatigue on his tightly drawn face was obvious to her, though he gamely hid this fact from the others. He was a tough one alright. His left arm hung in a sling around his neck, several closed lacerations evident on his face. She absently brought a hand up to rub the base of her throat. Smooth, as though the gem had never been there. Closing her eyes she could feel the missing gem's ghostly presence, followed by a strange burning sensation that began growing in intensity. Her eyes snapped open fixing the Yosho with a stare. No, there was nothing preylike about that one at all. "Dinner's ready!", Yogami called from the family's dinning room. Ryoko trailed behind as the men rose and trooped into the adjacent room. A low table sat in its center, set with a surprising variety of dishes. She watched uneasily from the doorway as the group sorted out their seating arrangements. Yet another hurdle to cross, an intimate dinner. Anxiety warred with her amusement at the ridiculousness of it all. Of course she was no stranger to eating, but she'd never had to eat with others before. One did not have a quiet dinner with master Kagato, and there was never such a thing as a 'guest' on the Souja. Ryoko couldn't help but grin at her own discomfort. Etiquette, what an absurd thing to worry about. Hatori turned to her from his seat at the end of the table. He smiled back at her, unaware of the true origin of her grimace. "Well, don't be a stranger.", he said, gesturing to the seat on his right, as all eyes turned to her. "Have a seat right here, next to me." Nonchalantly she strolled over, taking the offered seat between the priest and the prince. She surreptitiously watched as the others began to eat, aping their actions. She'd never seen anything quite like it. There was so much to choose from and everything smelled so good. A meal aboard the Souja had always been a dicy affair. While the food the ship's replicators produced was definitely nutritious, it had always left a great deal to be desired in the way of taste. They had been programmed to create a hundred different meals all of which tasted similar to, if not exactly like, dirt. Fed up with the infernal machines she had once stopped eating altogether, only to discover that she really didn't need to. But eventually some deep seated biological urge had driven her back to them for yet another plate of their damned gruel. This was a different experience entirely. While she would be the first admit that she didn't have the most well developed sense of taste. She had had no idea there could be so many different flavors. It was like colors in a rainbow of taste. She soon lost herself in the process of trying to sampling everything, unaware of the rather amused looks she was drawing. "Try the fish Ryoko!", Miyana urged from the far corner of the table, egging her on. "Momma let me fix it all by myself!" 'Fish?', she thought as she spied a likely looking dish. She added a bit of the plate's contents to her own, it smelled wonderful, and tasted even better. The whole thing began innocently enough as a slight tickle in the back of her throat, then she sudden started sweating, her eyes began to burn. Within seconds her mouth was aflame, gasping she reached for her glass quickly gulping it in an attempt to extinguish the raging blaze. To her dismay it only seemed to spread the fire. Losing control she sputtered, coughing, her eyes tearing, as she fanned her mouth. "Eh?", Hatori looked at her curiously, noticing her discomfort. With a quick bit of deduction he sampled the fish himself. Coughing, he grabbed his cup swigging it, realizing a second too late that that had been a bad idea. "Gods!", he gasped pounding his fist on the table, drawing everyone's attention. "Did I use too much Wasabi?", a confused Miyana asked her mother innocently as both Hatori and Ryoko writhed at the far end of the table. "Just how much did you use?", Yogami asked her, a little worried. "All of it.", she replied casually. "All of it?!" "Well, yeah. But I mixed it in real good!", Miyana said a bit defensively. Suddenly understanding the problem, both Yogami and Kanida turned and began offering helpful, if contradictory, advise. "Quick! Rinse your mouth out with tea!" "Scrape your tongue with a bamboo shoot!" "Hold your breath! "Breathe through your nose!" "Rice! Eat lots of rice!" "No, soy sauce! Take a mouthful soy sauce!" "Sake!", Hatori wheezed cutting them off. "Get some sake!" Even if it didn't help it might at least make it bearable "Quick!", he urged, as Yogami jumped to her feet and trotted into the kitchen. She quickly returned carrying a large white stoneware bottle, which Hatori snatched from her grasp just as soon as it came into range. Discarding the top he upended the bottle, pouring a measure into his empty cup. He downed in one long swallow. Yosho watched all this with curiosity. Glancing back and forth between Ryoko and Hatori, he tried to figure out just what was going on. The old man, refilling his cup, now wore an expression of mingled agony and ecstasy. Ryoko sat frantically looking about for some source of relief. "Here girl.", Hatori gasped out, handing the bottle to her, wheezing even worse than before. "Get a bit of this into you." As he watched wide eyed, Ryoko took hold of the bottle, pressing it to her lips she tipped it back. That hadn't been quite what he had in mind. Her throat worked as she quickly downed the entire thing. Finishing, she set the empty bottle down on the table with a gasp of relief. Hatori, despite himself, was rather impressed by this demonstration of drinking prowess. It wasn't just anyone who could polish off a bottle of sake like that. An odd expression came over Ryoko's face, she turned an even deeper shade of crimson. Without warning she erupted in a hacking, sputtering cough. Thinking fast, Yosho gave her a quick swat on the back which seemed to help her regain her control. Silence descended on the room, punctuated by Hatori and Ryoko's panting breaths. A tiny voice spoke up from the far end of the table. "Um...", Miyana said with embarrassment as everyone turned to her. "I'm sorry?" "Miyana! Really!", her mother scolded, exasperated. "It's all right, Yogami.", Hatori said, holding up a hand to calm her. "We'll survive." Managing to produce a reassuring smile he glanced over at Ryoko. She sat staring off glassy eyed, swaying slightly. A concerned Yosho exchanged looks with him. "I think...", he amended, his brow knitting. It was several minutes before Ryoko finally snapped out of it. She had gained a rosy blush on her cheeks, and a quirky lopsided grin, but otherwise seemed none the worse from her experience. Her appetite appeared unaffected, she picked up right where she left off, sampling dishes. Once the offending fish had been properly disposed of the rest of the group resumed eating as well. Miyana's cooking skills became the main topic of conversation, much to her embarrassment. Quite a bit of creative energy was put in to naming her new dish. Although 'Miyana's Surprise' was thought to be the most appropriate, 'Flaming Fish of the Fiery Sun' was judged the most artistic. Even Miyana giggled when her grandfather rose to accept the accolades of the crowd. As dinner drew to a close Hatori spoke up. "Ahh, a fine meal. Do you know what a meal like this calls for?", he asked rhetorically, a large smile on his face. "Sake?", Kanida answered with a knowing grin. "Sake?", Miyana piped up. "More sake?", Yogami said wryly, giving the old man the evil eye. "Sake!", he exclaimed, as though they had never spoken. "If you would be so kind, Yogami." With a shake of her head the woman rose. She returned in short order with the requested bottle and several clean cups. "What do you say Ryoko?", he said turning to her, offering her a cup. "Would you care for some more?" "Please!", Ryoko said eagerly accepting it. As Yogami cleared the table Hatori set about distributing glasses to everyone. Yosho sipped his drink experimentally, it was very strong. Even before he had finished it he could feel its warmth spreading through his tired limbs. It had been a long day, while Hatori and his son discussed their plans for the coming day he found his eye lids drooping. The old priest took note of Yosho's difficulty. "I think it's about time for us to be going.", Hatori said when he noticed Yosho starting to nod off. "And it's about time for you to be going to bed young lady.", he said to Miyana, who was sitting quietly at the far end of the table. A frown colored her face. "We have a big day tomorrow." Ryoko, who had been pouring herself another cup of sake, glanced at the unhappy Miyana. She gave Hatori a questioning look. "Tomorrow I'm taking her to town to enroll her in master Kobayashi's class.", he explained. "She's going to school." Everyone's attention was drawn by a loud crash of dishes. Yogami snatched up her tray and walked into the kitchen, purposely making as much noise as possible. "Yogami doesn't approve.", Hatori said with irritation as his daughter in law disappear through the doorway. "Doesn't approve?", Ryoko asked confused. "Why not?" "Yogami's very traditional." Kanida answered her sadly, his eyes on the doorway. "She feels that it's unseemly for a girl to be educated." "My mom says that no man would want a wife smarter than he is.", Miyana told Ryoko, a hint of worry in her voice. "No grandchild of mine is going to go through life ignorant!", Hatori said vehemently, his blanket statement ending the discussion. Ryoko had the impression that she was witnessing a very old argument. "Just be ready in the morning.", he said turning to Miyana, his tone softening. "It's important for you to make a good first impression on the master." "I'll be ready.", she said with her head bowed, still not sounding particularly thrilled. She glanced up at Ryoko and her face suddenly brightened as an idea struck her. "Grandfather, can Ryoko come with us too? Please?" Kanida shot Miyana a surprised look before glancing to Ryoko, then to his father. Yogami, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation, appeared in the doorway with a shocked look on her face. Hatori sat considering Ryoko, absently stroking his mustache. A mischievous smile grew on his weathered face. "Well...why not?", he chuckled strangely. Miyana's parents looked positively stricken. "If she'd like to come that is." "Please Ryoko?", Miyana begged. "Please?" "Sure, I guess.", she replied. A trip to town did sound interesting, and she really didn't want to disappoint the girl. Miyana leaped up and came around the table, wrapping a surprised Ryoko in a hug. "Oh, thank you!", Miyana said happily. "I'll feel so much better if you're with me." From across the room, Yogami's look threw daggers at Ryoko. She glared at her husband, demanding he to do something. Kanida, while uneasy about the situation, was inclined to trust in his father's judgment. He remained silent. Unnoticed by the others, Yogami shot him a withering look before storming back into the kitchen. "Now off to bed with you.", Hatori said waving Miyana away. "We'll see you in the morning." The girl said her good nights to everyone before scampered off. "And we should be getting this one to bed as well.", he said motioning to where Yosho was seated. He had fallen asleep sitting at the table, quietly snoring. Hatori woke Yosho with as much dignity as was possible and Kanida helped him get the man to his feet. The strain of the day had finally caught up with the prince. Yosho wobbled unsteadily, the old priest had to put an arm around him to help him to the door. While the others were occupied Ryoko stealthily claimed the unfinished bottle of sake for herself. She fell into step behind the men. Yogami watched their progress from the shadows of the kitchen, her hands nervously wringing a wash rag, her knuckles white with the effort. She didn't trust that Ryoko woman, not one inch. And Kanida had stood by and done nothing while his father put their daughter right in harm's way. Ryoko was dangerous, Yogami could feel it in her bones. Why couldn't they see that? Kanida return after seeing the trio off. Sliding the front door of the house closed he turned and walked back to the dinning room. Yogami stood one hand resting on the door jam, a pained expression on her face. He took a step towards her, holding a hand out. Before he could speak she icily turned her back on him, angrily walking away. Kanida dropped his hand back to his side and stood looking at the empty doorway. He understood why she was angry, but he didn't have any idea how to dissuade her from it. There were things he knew with his heart that he would never be able to explain. One of them was his trust in his father, he was the wisest man he had ever known. If his father said a thing was so, you could be certain it was so. Unfortunately, his father's casual manner did nothing to reassure Yogami. She was just too serious a person to trust in the judgment of someone who was so easy-going. He knew his father's manner grated on her, but she put up with it, for his sake. They were like two sides of the same coin, both were opinionated and stubborn as mules. Frustrated, he looked about for the sake bottle. Where the hell had it gone to? He sat at the table retrieving the half finished cup he had left behind. He took a drink, sighing sadly as he lowered the cup. Perhaps that had been what had attracted him to Yogami in the first place, those traits she shared in common with the man he loved the most. Well, that and the fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. A fleeting grin crossed his face. Yogami and his father were so much alike. If only they could find some common ground. With Ryoko's help Hatori had seen Yosho to his room. The prince had been fast asleep before his head even touched the pillow. That he would ever show such weakness was a surprise to Ryoko, perhaps he had simply reached the limits of his endurance. Hatori urgently ushered her out of the room. He tiptoed in a ludicrous manner, trying to be quiet as possible even though it was obvious that the prince was beyond hearing them. Once the door was closed he leaned heavily on it letting out a sigh of relief. He flashed her a mischievous grin that she couldn't help but reply to. Smiling back, she found herself liking the old man. There was definitely more to him than first met the eye. His grin turned into a warm smile as he stood up. "We'll leave for town a little after dawn tomorrow. Wear your best traveling clothes." "Perhaps something a tad more conservative?", he said looking her over critically. She looked down at her outfit before glancing back to him. "Conservative?" She thought she had some idea of what he meant after seeing how Yogami was dressed. "Please?", he asked. She nodded her acceptance. "I'll see you tomorrow bright and early then." Hatori sketched a short bow bidding her good night. Turning on his heel he walked off toward building's doorway. Stopping as he reached it he turned back. "Oh...", he said with a wink. "And don't drink too much sake, you might over sleep." With that he closed the door behind him. Ryoko pulled the bottle from its hiding place in her sleeve with a wry smile. She was going to have to keep an eye on that one. She considered the door to her room for moment. She probably should try to get some sleep, but she really didn't feel tired. She walked to the building's entrance, sliding the door open. The night air rushed in to greeted her. A light breeze blew past, carrying with it the strange smells of the new land. The stars stretched out overhead, blanketing the sky from horizon to horizon. The planet's one lonely moon hung high in the sky, a giant eye frozen in the midst of a blink. She stepped out into the darkness of the courtyard. Closing her eyes she let the wind wash over her, she listened to the sounds of the valley. The patter of little feet in the brush, the beating of wings in the air, the calls of the creatures in the night. But nowhere could the presence of humans be detected. Standing there with her eyes closed she imagined for a moment that there were none, that she was alone in the world. For some reason that thought wasn't so frightening anymore. Opening her eyes she looked up at the waiting moon, it called to her, begging for her company. She glanced around, spying the peak of the building's roof she pictured herself standing there. With the effortless speed of a thought she found herself perched on the roof looking out across the valley. Her strength was beginning to return she realized. If she could conserve her energy in a few days she would have enough stored to replicate a duplicate gem. She sat gazing out over the treetops, the silvery moonlight lent the view an other worldly appearance. Her thoughts turned to the gems; Yosho had them. She had seen them on the pommel of his sword. Should she try to get them back? Could she get them back? Did she really want them back? She felt like a different person without them, true, but it was not an altogether pleasant feeling. She pulled the stopper on the bottle, raising it to her mouth she took a long pull on it. With a sigh she set the bottle in her lap, looking up at her silvery companion in the sky. She asked herself the question she still had no answer for. Could she really live the rest of her life like this? The moon shown down on her, adrift on it's sea of stars, she eyed it wistfully. If her friend up there had the answers he was not sharing them. (more to come) [I'd like to thank Richard Hall, Nik (who needs no last name) and John K. Wright for proofreading, giving me advise and helping me grammatically. Anything you find disagreeable with the writing or story can of course be attributed to them. (I'm kidding, thanks guys!)] Questions? Comments? Angry rants? Contact: Ocristiii@aol.com 05/11/01 (Standard disclaimer begging for mercy) Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and the characters are not mine. They are owned by Pioneer/AIC (I think). I found them, and I'm just having a little fun with them. I'm not trying to make any money with them. This is simply for my own entertainment. Well, I hope it entertains a few others also, possibly. But please, don't sue me. OK? Pretty please? "The Prince and the Pirate" -Part 4- Even before the sun had risen over Okayama the household of Kanida Masaki was stirring. There were breakfasts to be cooked, animals and fields that needed to be tended. A farmer’s life might not be easy, but it was at least satisfying. Living off the land, at one with nature, being in tune with seasons. It was the way of life Kanida had chosen, it was the way of life he loved. Kanida had been born and had grown up in this valley. He fully expect to die here one day too. He looked forward to growing old surrounded by his friends and family, the familiar sights and sounds of Okayama. The valley was as much a part him as he was of it. Kanida couldn’t imagine it being any other way. Once long ago his father had attempted to peak his interest in the outside world. He could still recall that day. Kanida had been a young man, just come of age when his father had called him into his office for a talk. "Kanida,", he had said, his tone serious. "You are a man now. You have the right to choose your own destiny." His destiny? Kanida had thought about his future a bit. Land was not hard to come by in Okayama. With no large landholders laying claim to the valley, it just required the willingness to clear an acre or two and the ability to pay taxes on it to the Daimyo. He had already discussed the possibilities of working a few acres together with some of his friends. ‘Many hands make light work.’, so the saying went, and they make more in the way of profits too. Was his father suggesting that he should start right away? Perhaps he wanted him to move out of the shrine, though his father had given no indication that he was unwelcomed to stay. Hatori’s eyes had bored into him, after a brief pause the old man continued. "There’s a much larger world out there beyond the boundaries of our little valley. There are things a young man should see, things waiting to be experienced. Perhaps you would like to visit a city, Tokyo for instance? Or the ocean? You could try your hand as a sailor maybe. I can supply you with traveling expenses, I have more money than I’ll likely be able to use in my lifetime. If my gold could bring you the adventure you desire, it would make me happy indeed. All you need do is ask." Kanida’s mouth hung open. Far from being pleased, he had been aghast. "But, why would I want to leave?