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