Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ A Crown of Lies ❯ Azusa-ken ( Chapter 1 )

** Disclaimer- The characters used in this prologue are all Pioneer and AIC's except for Matthias, Indigo, Asmodean and Sudorin. He is mine. All rights of Tenchi Muyo TV etc. belong to those companies.**

** I am not receiving any money for this fan fiction. This is written purely for enjoyment of me as well as my readers.**

** This fanfic is based on the Tenchi Muyo TV series and is following the prologue. If you haven't read the prologue yet, read it. Ledzepfan111@hotmail.com. Enjoy.

A Crown Of Lies:

Chapter 1- Azusa-ken

5 earth years after prologue (2 Galactic Standard Years)…

The excitement she felt right now was incredible. She turned a knob on the console next to her chair and the red ship Yagami lurched forward. "This is the First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. Pull over and prepare to be boarded. Surrender yourself and you will not be harmed," she stated professionally.

"Blow me," the communications channel responded. She smiled and looked over at her partner. Only Mihoshi could sleep through the most exciting chase of their career. She flicked a switch and pressed a blue button. The ship lurched forward again, though significantly harder than last time. Adrenaline flooded through her veins, as the past years of the academy and hunting down criminals became a distant memory.

The year at the academy had been torture for the two GP's. If the hotshot rookies Kiyone had to deal with were not enough of a problem, Mihoshi and she had entered a minor depression. Kiyone had had experience with depression before. In fact, before being paired up with Mihoshi, her life had been nothing but loneliness and depression. Even though she never would admit it to anyone else, Mihoshi was the best friend she had ever had. Meeting the ditz had been the best thing that happened to the officer.

The whole depression had been totally new to Mihoshi. It tore at Kiyone's heart to see the once happy woman, now looking uncharacteristically sad. She would have done anything she could to find the problem with Mihoshi, but she didn't have to. The root of their glum feelings was the same thing. They missed their family.

Every day, Mihoshi and Kiyone would talk of the days they had spent with the Masaki family. Even though it was short, they had all grown to love each other. The fact that they were family had been accepted by all of them. Ryoko had said it best when she described it as a carnival. Every day had been filled with joy and happiness that was unparalleled.

None of them had ever believed it would go away. It was too good to be taken from them. Yet, in saving Jurai and getting what she thought she wanted, she realized just how much she wanted to go back to her old life.

They had both perked up considerably as their days of teaching drew to a close. Mihoshi had returned to her bubbly self, floating through the world and causing as much damage as possible while being unintentional. Kiyone had gotten back to yelling at her friend and it seemed that the years of unhappiness were being blown away as each day passed by.

________

The GP's could barely contain their excitement when Graduation day was upon them. As professors, they sat proudly watching the students they had taught become full-fledged officers in the Galaxy Police. They clapped for each graduate but their hearts were not in it. All their belongings had been packed and were sitting in the Yagami who had already been prepped for flight.

She had heard an earth saying a while ago from Noboyuki. "Home is where the heart is," he had said. She smiled and reflected on its truth. Even though they had not been native to earth and had lived there for a short time, it was truly their home.

Kiyone and Mihoshi watched through forced smiles as the President of the Academy approached the podium. Students who had been nearly asleep through the other speeches leaned forward in their seats. The whole auditorium was silent waiting for the respected man's words to the departing students.

He cleared his throat and searched his memory for the speech he had so carefully planned. He took a deep breath and began to talk.

The entire audience jerked their gaze away from the President. The students watched with amusement as one of their most liked teachers faces grew a scarlet hue. Kiyone grabbed her beeping wristband and started banging on it, begging it to stop. Her face was growing an even brighter shade of red as the beeping continued.

Muttering a short apology, she grabbed her control cube out of her back pocket and her partner's hand. The President growled as the two GP officers disappeared into their ships, and cleared his throat again. The students attempted to stifle their laughter when one unfortunate young man said, "She's even cuter when she blushes!" a little too loudly. His voice was picked up by the sonic amplifier and echoed of the walls of the auditorium. The president threw up his hands and returned to his seat ignoring the laughter echoing around him.

________

She still could manage a blush at the memory of interrupting the graduation. Her wristbands message had been the most important that she had ever had. They had been given an assignment, yet now that it was drawing to a close, she was beyond happiness.

The case had been given to them directly from the Commander of the GP, who in seeing they're excellent past record, had figured they were perfect. The current most wanted criminal, the space pirate Indigo had been on crime spree. They had been assigned to track him down and apprehend him.

She sighed in joy. A year of tracking down the pirate was ending in the best way possible. She would be going home.

Indigo watched with fright as the red ship closed in on his. He opened up a viewing screen monitoring his cargo bay and smiled at his recent haul. The increase in speed of the Yagami brought him out of his happy thoughts and to his dismal future.

He forced all of his focus inward, and reached a conclusion. It was going to cut off his profit, but he had to do it. 'Damn it! There goes another thirty million Jurain credits,' he cursed.

He sighed before issuing his next orders. "Black Claw, fire an EMP shock at the GP ship," he said desperately.

"But sir, this will cause an unknown amount of damage to this ship," the monotone computer responded.

The dangerous look on Indigo's face could have made stone quiver with fright. "Damn it! I know what the hell I am doing and you will follow my orders!" he screamed.

"Yes sir," the same monotone voice responded.

Indigo stood up and clenched his fists waiting for the inevitable. His ship shuddered as the Electro- Magnetic Pulse shock was released. Sparks flew out of his consoles.

Fear leapt into his soul for a second time. "Damage report," he questioned, his voice wavering slightly. He listened with agitation as the computer's dull voice echoed off the walls, blanketed in sparks.

"The primary and secondary buffer failed during the shock destroying ninety percent of our fuel. In addition, the systems have been overheated and nearly everything has been destroyed. The stabilizer, cargo and many of the computer systems are gone. Recommend stopping for repairs."

He groaned at the news. It was the last time he got his ship fixed half assed. Imagine, the buffer circuits failing! He had new ones put in a month ago. His 'dear friend' who had done such a good job with repairing the black claw would pay dearly.

"The third planet in the sol system is the closest and may be able to accommodate repairs. It is advised that we land there."

"Never mind that Black Claw, We need to get the GP out of the way first. Then we'll head for that planet of yours." He exhaled slowly and went over his options. If he was right, and that was the famous ship Yagami, he would barely have a minute to decide what he would do.

Kiyone watched with horror as everything in the cockpit died. The emergency generator kicked in, but only could handle life support functions. 'Damn it, that was an EMP shock,' she cursed.

She made her way over to the ditz. "Mihoshi, get up!" she screamed while shaking the blond GP.

Mihoshi let loose a yawn and scratched her head. "What's the problem Kiyone? You know Kiyone you shouldn't get so mad, it's not good for you," Mihoshi bubbled.

"Forget it," Kiyone said. "Just watch the cockpit and if something bad happens hit this button," she said pointing to a button on the console next to Mihoshi.

"Umm, ok Kiyone. You can count on me," Mihoshi cheered.

Kiyone put her hands in her head and muttered, "That's what I'm afraid of." Shaking off the blonde's behavior, Kiyone ran out of the cockpit and headed for a computer mainframe. She had to restore power before it was too late.

"Suck on this," Indigo screamed as his ship barreled towards the Yagami. His battle was lost, unless he could bring the famous GP duo out of commission, or at least cripple their ship. His afterburners ignited and the momentum of his ship forced him back in his seat.

"Black claw, ram the hell out of them!" he commanded as his black ship rapidly approached the red GP cruiser.

Kiyone finished up the repairs. "This should do it, all I have to do is activate it in the cockpit," she said wiping her forehead. A red light on the wall began to flash and a little buzzer went off.

Kiyone jerked her head up from the damage screen as the Pirate's ship began its journey through the Yagami. She cursed to herself while she ran towards the bridge. The automatic doors opened releasing a torrent of noise.

"Kiyooooneeeeeee!" Mihoshi cried as her friend broke into a run and sat down in the captain's chair. "They're going to hurt us Kiyoneeeeee, and I don't want to die," Mihoshi wailed. The waterfall of tears coming from her eyes increased in their flow. The teal haired GP did not respond as she typed feverishly on the keyboard in front of her.

"Kiyone, what's wrong Kiyone? What are you doing? Why won't you answer me?" Mihoshi asked as her friend gave her the cold shoulder. "Kiyone?" she stuttered, receiving no response. She broke into a fit of wails.

"C'mon… done," Kiyone said triumphantly. The ships interior glowed bright for a few seconds and then returned to its normal intensity. Mihoshi stopped her crying, mesmerized by the glow in the lights. "Yagami throw up the main screen," Kiyone demanded. A holographic screen appeared them. Mihoshi broke into frantic wails, at the sight of the Black ship seconds away.

Focused and level headed till the end, Mihoshi's partner spun around and launched her hand upon the blinking red light on the console behind her. The lights were choked out, leaving the ship in total darkness.

________

A spiky head of cyan hair moved stealthily throughout the Masaki house. The owner of the hair floated up the stairs, carefully avoiding attention. The female it belonged to spotted her destination and phased through the door into the bedroom of Tenchi Masaki.

She watched the man who slept happily in total bliss of the intrusion. He still looked like the Tenchi he was years ago, except for a couple changes. He had never considered himself short before since his height had been about average, but time had made him a much taller man. His body was more muscular and defined, and his ponytail had grown longer, but his hair was still short and spiky.

The last change was the biggest difference of all. His face had lost some of his boyish innocence and had matured; yet he was still distinctly Tenchi Masaki.

His arms shot out as to grab something and pull it closer to him, but only met air. The cyan haired person standing next to him smiled at his actions. Her eyes gleamed with mischief as she began a silent count down.

'5…'

'4…'

'3…'

'2…'

'1… Blast off' she thought excitedly as she launched herself at the sleeping man. She giggled happily as she sailed through the air.

Years of intense training had left Tenchi with augmented senses. However, there were two people that could get by his incredible awareness.

His eyes snapped open as a four-year-old child landed on him squealing "Daddy!" with joy. One of those people just happened to be his daughter Achika.

She pulled him into a tight embrace, and he returned it. He gazed upon her spiky cyan pigtails with a smile. Her feline features and love for life made it clear who her mother was.

She also had a lot of him in her as well. She had his brown eyes, ears, and sense of responsibility. Anyone who knew the Masaki family could not doubt that this was the daughter of Tenchi and Ryoko.

"So what does my little space pirate want with her daddy," he said coyly. She released the embrace and looked at him, deep in thought. Her features lit up as she found what she was searching for in her four-year-old mind.

"Mommy says, she has a secret for you. And she already took a shower with me," she said, proud that she had successfully relayed her message. Her face lit up with as she smiled innocently.

"Well then, don't you think we should grab grandpa from the shrine and go eat breakfast?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed with excitement.

She hopped off the bed and floated in the air gazing at her father with loving eyes. Tenchi stretched and yawned lazily, eliciting giggles from the girl in front of him. He smirked at her and stood up, phasing into a white t-shirt and olive green khaki pants.

He admired his attire for the day and found himself enjoying some of the perks of the power of Jurai. If Kagato had done one good thing, he had brought the knowledge that the Jurai power had no feasible limits.

Since his return to Earth, he had been training with his grandfather in building up his strength in his powerful gift. At first he had been worried that training like that would taint him as it did Kagato, until he brought the question to his grandfather.

"Kagato was evil in his heart. It possessed him and fed his ambitions for strength. You do not have to worry about becoming him because your heart is good Tenchi," the Shinto priest had explained.

"But is it grandfather? What if accessing more power does indeed taint a heart into evil," Tenchi had rifled back. Since admitting his feelings for Ryoko, he had grown more of a backbone.

After the incident with his mother, he had always been shy and careful not to hurt others, no matter how much it would hurt him. He was always afraid that acting otherwise would lead to another incident like his mother's death.

However, in letting the space pirate into his heart, he realized the errors in his ways. Getting hurt was an inevitability. Being shy and meek did not prevent people from receiving pain. In most cases, it did more hurt than help. In realizing this he had matured into a man.

"Kagato used the darkness to feed his power. I admit that only you have the capabilities to have the strength in the Jurain power that he did. But you will do it differently," Katsuhito responded.

"How?" Tenchi retorted, his curiosity growing to overwhelming levels.

"Your good heart will feed your strength. It will allow you to expand your power without losing yourself like Kagato. You will easily grow to unimaginable levels, and if I'm right, so will your girlfriend."

Tenchi blushed a little at his grandfathers comments earning a chuckle from Katsuhito.

"What do you mean by that? I know she is very powerful, but she isn't Jurain. She doesn't have the Jurain power in her like you and me."

Katsuhito turned his head towards the sunset and exhaled slowly.

"I can't explain it Tenchi. Remember that Ryoko herself doesn't remember much of her past beyond pirating, but every time she uses her powers, I can feel an energy that is almost kindred to the Jurain power. She has the same capabilities as you, as you have the same as her."

The sun peeked through the room pouring onto the face of the little girl, accenting catlike features. 'She is so beautiful,' he thought. 'She's going to grow up and be a gorgeous woman like her mother… and she'd better get a nice boyfriend or else. I'll show those jerk's who want her for her body what it means to treat my daughter like that. And I'll hate every boy she brings home unless he is good enough for her.'

He almost sat down on the bed after his mental rant. 'Listen to me. My fatherly instincts are running away with me again. I'll trust her when she starts liking boys. And when she starts dating. I'll trust her not to go too far until she is married or the boy loves her enough to never want her out of his life.'

He nearly screamed. 'Arghhh. Kami-sama she's only four and I'm already thinking of her future.'

"Daddy, are you ok?" Achika asked bringing her father out of his internal reprimand. She smiled at him, succeeding in immediately lifting his spirits.

"Of course I'm ok my little pirate," he said with a smirk. "Have you been practicing using your powers with grandpa?"

She nodded fiercely and puffed out her chest. He chuckled at her innocence. "Do you think you could teleport me and you to Grandpa Katsuhito?"

She quirked an eyebrow and stared at him with an odd look. "But why don't you do it?" she inquired.

"Because I want to see how strong my little girl is," he replied.

"Daaadyy," she whined. She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at him.

"Okay, okay. My little pirate," he added, obviously to her satisfaction as she hugged him again. 'But you'll always be my little girl' he added to himself as Achika teleported them both away.

________

Kiyone let out a gasp as the black ship hit the shield she had just thrown up. She had diverted all the Yagami's power into it, but it wouldn't hold. The energy level was draining quickly and she doubted the shield would last much longer.

"Mihoshi, brace yourself," she managed to yell before her ship shook violently, throwing her onto the floor. She picked herself up and stared at her best friend. She could not understand how the ditz did it. Mihoshi had managed to fall into the captain's chair that automatically locked her into the seat.

The shaking did not end, but intensified. She stumbled over to one of the undamaged consoles and laughed at their predicament. They barely had any fuel, but she had enough to land their ship on the nearest planet.

She would have jumped into the air with joy as she read the planet in which they were destined to crash. She shrugged off her happiness and focused. She typed something into the computer while straining her legs in an effort to keep her balance. 'If only I can control the crash a little…' she thought happily.

A red light began to flash on the bridge and Kiyone's breath caught in her throat. The damage was worse than she thought. She looked over her partner who was staring intently at the flashing light. Her stomach twisted in knots. They would be returning to their home. Her only question was if they would live to see it.

________

Ryoko hummed happily as she flew towards her love. Achika was trailing behind, whirling around, and enjoying the freedom she got when flying. Ryoko clutched the pitcher of ice water as she began her descent.

Achika rose higher in the air, chasing a butterfly oblivious to the rest of the world. 'Was I ever that innocent?' she pondered. The four-year-old accelerated, closing in the distance and holding a paper cup outstretched, ready to snatch the butterfly.

The wind grabbed a hold of Achika's cup and tore it out of her grasp. Immediately the cyan haired girl flew backwards and caught it. She turned around ready to renew her chase, but was met with empty air.

"Darn" she muttered, upset at losing sight of her butterfly. Ryoko giggled a little at her daughter's antics.

"C'mon down here Achi and we'll go see daddy," she yelled. The girl's mood immediately brightened at the space pirate turned mother's idea and nickname. Ryoko began laughing as the girl's face turned to a look of concentration.

She watched as Achika appeared in front of her with a proud grin. She ruffled her daughter's hair a little, admiring the pigtails like her lover had. "You're doing great with teleporting. Your even better than your father," Ryoko said with a smile.

Achika giggled and blushed a little at her mother's praise and joke about her father.

"C'mon lets go see your dad before he gets too lonely," Ryoko added. Achika nodded as a playful grin crossed her face. With a last look at her mother, she rocketed forward.

"Last one there's a rotten egg," she squealed with delight as she left her mother behind.

"Hey, that's no fair," Ryoko called out after her daughter. Achika laughed in response as she disappeared over a hill. "You better run, because I'm gonna get you!"

________

Katsuhito walked towards the carrot fields with a happy heart. He had always preferred a nice peaceful life with his family. He had feared the end of it when Ryoko crashed onto Earth, in turn bringing other girls and adventure.

However, he had faced his past, and still was able to live the life he desired. He had worried for his grandson after their normal life had resumed and all their friends had left. Tenchi had been depressed ever since he had left Jurai.

His grandson had missed his friends, though Katsuhito had had a sneaky suspicion of who it was Tenchi missed the most. His suspicions had been confirmed when Ryoko returned to Earth. Tenchi had confessed his love for her pleasing both Noboyuki and himself. It had been discovered that both Noboyuki and Yosho had secretly been hoping she would win Tenchi's heart, all along.

Tenchi and Ryoko had been married after Tenchi's graduation from high school, roughly four months after Ryoko's return. Shortly after, Ryoko had become pregnant and little Achika had entered their lives.

Katsuhito loved both his granddaughter and great granddaughter with all his heart and thanked Kami every day that things had turned out as they did. His son-in-law had been the happiest he had ever been since the death of his wife. Noboyuki had dropped all of his hentai habits and instead shown love to his new daughter and granddaughter.

Life had truly worked out well for the small Masaki family. A day didn't pass in which they did not miss their friends, but they knew that their paths would cross some day.

He entered the carrot field and immediately saw his grandson daydreaming while leaning on his hoe. Tenchi had a far off look on his face as he gazed into space. Katsuhito immediately knew what he was thinking about as Tenchi continued to stare at the clouds passing overhead.

"Tenchi. You'll never be a full fledged priest if you don't get your wife out of your head," he taunted. In reality, Tenchi was a priest in everything but name, ready to take on the responsibilities when his grandfather retired.

Tenchi immediately snapped his attention to his grandfather who was approaching him with a smug look on his face. "Grampa!" a little voice yelled out before the old warrior was tackled. He smiled at his great-granddaughter who had succeeded in bringing him down to the ground.

"Lay off of him gramps. He can't help it if he can't keep his mind off a beautiful woman like me," Ryoko said phasing in with her arms around Tenchi.

"I'll say," Tenchi added while meeting her lips in a passionate kiss. Katsuhito laughed while Achika made a look of disgust. Tenchi had come a long way in the years after the coup. A while ago, Tenchi would have become red with embarrassment at his current actions.

"Mmm," Ryoko sighed happily as she snuggled into her husbands shoulder. "I'm regretting not taking a shower with you even more. I didn't know you'd be in this kind of mood."

Tenchi turned bright red at her response. Katsuhito laughed even harder. If there was anyone that could make Tenchi embarrassed, it was Ryoko. "I forgot to ask you, what's your secret?"

She smiled up at him. Tenchi had grown taller than her as time progressed, to the point that now she looked up into his eyes. "That I love you," she whispered to him as they met in another kiss.

"Mommy, I beat you," Achika chanted, trying to gain her parents attention. It succeeded as both of her parents turned to the little girl. Achika gasped as Ryoko disappeared from view and two sets of fingers began to tickle her body. Her body convulsed with laughter as she doubled over.

"I told you I was going to get you," Ryoko said with a feline grin. Achika managed to wriggle free of her mother and teleported behind her father in an attempt to hide from her mother.

"So Achika, you ready for Grandpa Noboyuki's trip to Tokyo," she asked calmly, as if it were no big deal. Achika's head immediately popped out from behind Tenchi's legs.

Her eyes shone with delight at the news. "He got of from work to take me to Tokyo?" she asked incredulously.

Tenchi let out a chuckle. "Are you kidding? Dad would have left the firm if they didn't give him off for his granddaughter," he said warmly.

The little girls smile grew wider and she clasped her hands together in excitement. "I take it that you like your surprise," Katsuhito stated. "I haven't been out of the country in a while and I think it would do a old man some good to get out into the busy streets once again. So I guess I will be joining you two."

"You're coming too?" she asked. The shrine keeper nodded his head, answering her question. The little girl immediately latched onto Katsuhito in an extremely tight embrace.

"Well, I guess its time to go home, don't you think honey?" Ryoko asked. Achika floated over to her mother, happiness etched onto her face.

"Mhmm. But first let me take care of the vegetables," he said moving an arm around her waist. Ryoko looked around her and suddenly found herself very confused. Tenchi had only been planting seeds today. So what was he talking about when he said vegetables?

"Umm Tenchi. There aren't any… Whoa!" she yelled as she was slung over his shoulder, dropping the pitcher and cup. Achika found herself in the same position as her mother, except on the opposite shoulder.

"Of course there are. I still have to take care of these two sack of potatoes," he taunted. He began to fly back towards the house dragging along two happily giggling females.

Katsuhito picked up the forgotten pitcher and matching cup as he began his journey home. 'Life couldn't be better…' he mused.

________

Kiyone braced herself on the floor as her ship entered the Earth's atmosphere. The alarms had become increasingly annoying in the last few minutes and her stomach was churning with worry.

The ship began to shake more violently, almost tossing the GP from her position. Mihoshi wailed for Kiyone to make the alarms stop. 'Ten more minutes,' she thought hopefully. 'Kami let her hold together for ten more minutes. C'mon Yagami, baby. You can do it.' She shut her eyes and began to count backwards from ten minutes.

________

Azusa Jurai reclined on his throne, deep in thought. His wives, Misaki and Funaho were next to him chatting about a soap opera. He hid a smile, as they talked on, rather involved in their conversation. He often wondered what he had done to deserve such a great family.

He could never have asked for greater wives than he had. They always were patient with him and understanding of his duties as emperor. They helped him deal with everything he faced and were the main reason he still kept his sanity.

He loved the people of Jurai and wanted to help them as best as he could, yet even an emperor had his limits, and sometimes people forgot that. Many rulers throughout history had felt the same way as him, yet the stress had eventually caught up with them.

They had begun to lose their sanity, or lose all interest in the well being of their people. His anchor had been his family. They helped him be the person he was and not succumb into the stress he faced everyday. His rule was not about power but about helping his people.

Yet, he was faced with one of the hardest problems he had ever had. The high council of Jurai had demanded that he name his successor to the throne within the next few months. Normally, he would have consulted his family without hesitation, but this was a different matter altogether.

He already knew whom they would suggest. The boy his daughters were so taken to, Tenchi. He didn't have anything against the boy. In fact, he reasoned that he liked him. He owed the boy a debt for saving Jurai that he doubted he could ever pay.

The troubling thing about the boy was his lack of strength. He had an abundance of the Jurain power and was very courageous, as demonstrated with the Kagato incident, but he was weak. His daughters had bragged about "Lord Tenchi", depicting the picture of the prince. In Azusa's mind, the boy was too kindhearted to rule.

Tenchi was too passive and shy. His meekness would did not support the mental strength and power needed to rule well. Besides, he was a boy who his little Aeka was interested in. His fatherly instincts yelled at him to hate that boy.

Aeka and Sasami had been begging for him to allow them to return to Earth, yet a gut instinct had told him to say no. At least until he had met the boy. He hated denying his daughter's wishes but life had been complicated since the coup and he didn't want his daughters far from him. The experience had left him somewhat paranoid, yet his current dilemma suggested that he finally meet the boy.

Currently, Kamidake was en route to Earth to bring the boy and his family before Azusa. He would determine how worthy Yosho's grandson was of his daughter and his throne. If he proved himself, Azusa would give him the throne and allow Aeka to marry him.

A crack of thunder brought him out of his thoughts. Light flared through the throne room and died out just as suddenly. A storm today?

"Azaka, is there a thunder and lightning storm scheduled for today?" he asked his loyal knight. One of the two Lord Protector's, the highest-ranking positions in the knighthood, approached the emperor. Azaka stood nobly, but deep in thought.

"I don't believe so sire," the guardian replied. A flash of light filled the room again. The emperor tugged at his beard.

Funaho gasped and Misaki cried out as a wave of Jurai power was hurtled towards them. Azaka barely had enough time to position himself in front of the blast and create a shield.

Azusa's fury was growing quickly. He almost unleashed his own blast of Jurai energy at the other knights in the room, but restrained himself, deciding to see the cause of their actions.

"Azusa Jurai. Enjoy you're the last moments of life for you and your family. We, knights of Jurai have become your executioners," a knight called out sinisterly. The dozen Jurain knights in the room began to approach the throne slowly.

Azaka took up a battle pose. "You dare call yourself a knight of Jurai. You have no honor at all. Die infidels!" he yelled out with anger. He prepared himself for the battle.

________

Aeka embraced the Jurai power. Power logs filled the garden, surrounding the attacking knights. Sasami stood behind her, surrounded by a force field generated by the guardians, Azaka and Kamidake. Matthias gripped his staff firmly and slightly bent his knees, locking into his own battle stance. Aeka released the power her logs had been generating on the renegade knights. She smiled triumphantly as one fell down.

Her spirits sank when the knight on the ground got back up laughing. "Aeka, don't waste your power. Your blasts won't do enough damage to them. They are too well trained," Matthias called out. Aeka looked at the young knight in surprise. She caught his staff awkwardly in her hands as she looked at him.

"Why are you giving me this?" she asked.

"Aeka get out of here. Take Sasami and go to the throne room. Get your parents and get off Jurai," he demanded. "You should be able to use the staff if you run into trouble. It will amplify your Jurain power."

"What about you?" she asked.

"I'll be fine. Just get out of here. I'll meet you at the hangar," he said with a smile, doing his best to avoid the sight of the knights closing in on them.

"I'm not leaving without you," she promised her friend.

"GO!!!" he demanded ignoring her comment. He watched with a smile as she disappeared down a secret tunnel, her sister and her sister's guardians in tow.

Within seconds the renegade knights were upon him. "Now I'll show you what it truly means to be the second sword of Jurai," he yelled. He reached into his robes and pulled out a metallic silver sword hilt. It wasn't as elegant as the Tenchi-ken, but had an elaborate and detailed image of a tree engraved into it.

A bright green blade sprung out of the handle as Matthias reached his enemies. He slashed out at one of the knights, starting their dance of death.

________

Ken-ohki dodged between laser blasts. The bounty hunter Nagi stood at the helm of her ship with a disk clutched protectively against her breast. She had to get to Earth.

An image of a GP officer appeared on one of the crystals. "Bounty Hunter Nagi, stop your ship and prepare to be boarded for investigation. Failure to do so will acknowledge your guilt and you shall be looked at as a criminal in the eyes of the Galaxy Police," the young GP officer dictated.

"You fool. You won't report this because you can't without bringing attention to yourself. And then all you're plans will be ruined," she said with a smirk.

"What?!! How did you?" he asked in astonishment.

"Please. I know of your little caper and your higher allegiance. I have nothing to fear from the Galaxy Police except people like you," she said dangerously.

The GP officer face broke out into a mischievous smile. "We might not be able to report you, but that won't stop us from using our full force to shoot you down!" he yelled forcefully. He turned his head and addressed the other ships in his command. "Use everything in your power to destroy Ken-ohki!" He turned back to Nagi and smirked teasingly. "Sorry to say I won't be seeing you around Nagi."

"Ken-ohki, shut down communication line," she hissed.

"Chau!" her ship responded as it dodged another onslaught of laser blasts. The crystal she had been using moved away from her.

The laser blasts from the GP ships suddenly increased in their intensity and speed. Nagi scowled as her ship shook. "C'mon Ken-ohki, you can get us out of here."

"Chau," the cabbit responded sadly.

"What do you mean you can't? I guess your just going to miss out on seeing your girlfriend," Nagi said hoping to spark some more life into the cabbit ship. Her mission was accomplished as the cabbit-ship screamed "CHAU" and rocketed away from the GP ships.

"Ryoko… what do I do with you?" she asked her ship. Another crystal appeared in front of her with Ken-ohki's cabbit face in a perplexed stare.

"Never mind. Ken-ohki, Earth, full speed," Nagi said happily. Her life would start to make sense very soon. She just needed to make it there in time.

"Chau," her cabbit agreed with a happy smile. The purple ship rocketed towards the sol system, unyielding in its voyage towards destiny.

________

Azusa formed an Energy sword in his hand. Whatever was going on, he would oppose it to the end. He stepped forward and assumed a battle stance next to Azaka.

"You will die," he screamed. He felt both his wives move next to him.

"We're with you till the end, dear husband," Funaho said studying their opponents. Her face was hard and devoid of emotion, a clear sign that she was totally focused.

"Let's kick their Asses," Misaki said dangerously. Her usual happy personality could be lost in a second if anyone threatened her family. She would show them why it was she that commanded the royal bodyguard.

The air in front of the four assembled warriors shimmered revealing the guardian logs Azaka and Kamidake. "Sorry for our tardiness," the log Azaka bellowed.

"Forgive us, and cover your eyes," Kamidake said. The group barely had a chance to react before a blinding light filled the room. Smoke followed it enveloping the area in which the royal family and their loyal companions were standing.

A firm hand grabbed Azusa's arm. "Father, everyone follow me," Aeka demanded. Azusa spun around to see his two daughters standing before him.

"Aeka, Sasami. What are you doing here?" Funaho asked in amazement. Aeka released her father and clutched Matthias's staff in her hands tightly. She raised an end of it into the air and let loose a volley of blasts at the ceiling above where the renegade knights had stood. Pieces of the ceiling fell down on top of the unsuspecting knights.

"No time to explain Mommy Funaho, we have to go," Sasami said while she backed away and headed towards the throne. The mighty throne of Jurai was now offset from its normal position, revealing a hidden passage. Sasami ran into the passage followed closely by her guardians.

"What in Tsunami?" Azusa questioned.

Azaka shrugged his shoulders and took off after the princess. "Please follow me," Aeka begged before running off into the tunnel. The rulers of Jurai did not hesitate in following their daughter.

Once they entered the tunnel the throne slid back into place. The smoke cleared leaving the throne room devoid of any life besides the renegade knights. "What in the hell?" one of the knights asked.

"Lord Sudorin will not be pleased," a knight responded as they moved up the steps of the throne in search for the royal family. Failing to see any signs of the royal family, they quickly made their way out of the room in search of their prey.

Sasami continued running as fast as she could until she reached a fork in the tunnel. The rest of her family soon caught up to her.

"Which way now, Sasami-chan? Aeka-chan?" Misaki asked.

Aeka ignored her mother and approached the loyal knight Azaka. "Azaka, my guardian Matthias was fighting some knights in the royal garden. Can you go bring him to the hangar? A left here will bring you to the garden. And when you return to this fork take this way," she said pointing to the other path in the split of the tunnel. "It shall bring you to the hangar in which we shall be waiting for you." She looked desperate, yet held herself together.

"Yes highness," he replied before taking off down the left tunnel.

"Let's go," She said turning to face her parents. They nodded accepting her command.

She took of down the right fork and headed to the royal hangar with her thoughts filled with hopes of Matthias's safety. He would be ok. He had to be.

________

Something was wrong. Something was definitely wrong. Their entrance into the atmosphere of Earth shouldn't have been happening this way. Her ship was shaking too wildly for the predicament they were in.

Kiyone carefully made her way across the shaking floor and locked herself in the captain's chair next to Mihoshi. A small swell of relief found it's way into her. She was in the safest place in the ship she could have been in.

Even with the damage to it, it shouldn't have been shaking that badly. She looked to the screen that Mihoshi was monitoring. "Kiyone, we're not on the line that you said we should be on. The picture of our ship is above it," Mihoshi informed her partner, her voice shaking from the vibration.

'We aren't going to land in Japan, that's for sure,' she thought. 'Amazing how a ditz can simplify the chart showing are course. What the hell is making us miss it our destination, and why are we shaking so badly,' she asked herself.

A light flicked on in her head. 'How could I have been so stupid?' she asked herself. "Goddamn it, how could I have been so stupid?" she yelled. "That stupid pirate's ship is probably stuck to ours," she cried.

'The only thing I can do now is pray we make it through,' she thought hopelessly. "Mihoshi, I don't know if we'll make it through this," she said to the blond haired woman.

Mihoshi let out a defeated wail. "I want you to know that I loved having you as my partner. And that, I'm sorry for yelling at you. I hope you forgive me. You have always been my best friend," Kiyone confessed.

"I forgive you Kiyone," Mihoshi said with a happy smile despite the situation. Kiyone smiled back at her from her position next to the blond. "You've always been my best friend too, Kiyone," Mihoshi confessed.

She reached her hand out towards Kiyone. Kiyone tentatively met it and grasped it. "If we don't make it we'll still be together Kiyone," Mihoshi said soaking in courage from her friend's hand.

"I guess your right Mihoshi," Kiyone replied. A loud hissing noise filled their ears as the atmosphere of Earth impacted with her ship. Kiyone closed her eyes and waited for their fate to come. She continued her countdown as the heat inside the cockpit increased. Deep in her heart she felt she knew the answer. 'We're not going to make it…' she thought, filled with grief.

________

"There are two guards, watching over the royal ship. That's probably all they could put up that are loyal to their cause. Any knights must be outside the door to the hangar," Azusa said pulling his head behind the crates of supplies on the floor. "Misaki, Funaho, you are the stealthiest here so why don't you-," he said turning his head to face his family. He immediately peered over the top of the crate in time to see his wives standing over the unconscious guards.

"You were saying daddy," Sasami said, stifling a giggle. Azusa shook his head at his wives rash actions.

"Azaka, Kamidake prep the ship for launch," he ordered, keeping his voice low to avoid attracting any other attention. The logs phased into view in front of him, as he stood upright.

"Yes, sir," they voiced in unison. With a nod from Azusa, they teleported into the ship and began prepping it for flight.

"Anyone miss me," a weak voice dictated from behind the group. Aeka spun around to see Matthias walking out of the tunnel. He was leaning heavily on Azaka for support, and was having great difficulty in walking. His white robes were covered in crimson liquid. From the way he clasped his hand over his side, some of the blood staining his clothes was definitely his. His body went limp as he passed out

"Azaka, get that poor young man aboard the ship," Misaki said as she was beamed aboard the ship with Funaho.

"Matthias," Aeka gasped as she disappeared from the hangar bay and into the ship. Sasami yelped as she followed her sister into the transport.

"Azaka, once you are aboard take off. Make sure Sasami's guardians do not bring me on board. Tell my family I love them," Azusa boomed.

"What? My lord?" Azaka asked in astonishment.

"Azaka you know that they have set up the defense systems to prevent anyone from leaving or entering. They probably had that done before they started this revolt," Azusa said. "Someone needs to shut them down if you are to escape."

"Let me do it highness. Please, there is no need for you to risk your life. You will be stranded here," Azaka pleaded.

"I have lived through a change in power already. I will not have my family suffer as they did before." Azusa swallowed heavily. "Go to Earth, and go to Tenchi. He is my heir and can marry Aeka," he choked out. "I do this as a man for his family. Not as the emperor of Jurai. For my family, I would gladly make the ultimate sacrifice."

"I understand my lord," Azaka said, grief in his eyes. "May Tsunami watch over you and may Jurai bless your soul. May your name go down in history as the greatest emperor of Jurai."

Azusa was about to stop Azaka, but did not when he realized what the Lord Protector was doing. Matthias was teleported to the inside of the ship freeing up the rest of Azaka's body. Tears stung at the lord protector's eyes. "Great Tsunami, none but the divine deserve his presence. Guide his soul to his destiny. May Jurai laugh with your joys and weep with your grief. May the blade of judgment reflect this man's strength."

"As in the beginning when the great Tsunami created Jurai. She linked heaven with earth in the Tenchi-ken. The sword of Jurai."

The staff in Azaka's hand began to glow cascading over the knights entire body. With a loud roar it lit on fire. "Azusa Jurai, great emperor, may the blade of Tsunami deem you worthy of immortality. Great Tsunami, may you acknowledge the greatness of this man. Let my soul be the channel of his glory," the knight said, tears cascading down his cheeks. He grabbed the staff, clothed in an unearthly blue fire with both his hands and knelt down his right knee.

A great boom echoed of the walls of the chamber. Azusa found tears in his eyes as well. "May Tsunami, deem you worthy," Azaka whispered as his staff disappeared.

The breath caught in the emperor's throat when he saw what occupied the space the staff had. A kind-hearted woman's voice rang throughout the chamber. "Azusa, you are worthy. Behold Azusa-ken," the goddess Tsunami said. "As true of the sword I created with your race, may be the same be true of the sword I create with your heart, great emperor," she chanted.

With a final flash of glory, the flames and immense light that had blanketed the chamber died out. "The Larianetta," Azusa breathed out in disbelief.

"My lord, throughout the history of Jurai, the great ritual of Tsunami, the Larianetta has never been performed successfully. Many a time has a Lord Protector kneeled before the emperor and asked Tsunami if the emperor was worthy of a sword of Jurai in his honor. None have before you. With this ceremony, you shall live on. Your heart and soul are in Azusa-ken." Azaka reached forward towards the golden sword hilt floating in the air. It had an elaborate etching of fire cascading over it. Azusa grasped it in one of his hands at the same time as Azaka.

"You are now my knight. My sword is yours. Live through my honor," Azusa said.

"I will my lord," Azaka replied. Azusa released his sword, leaving the hilt with the knight. Azaka grasped it with both of his hands and a dark blue blade erupted from its hilt.

"May Tsunami go with you," Azaka stated as Azusa approached the doors of the hangar. A dark blue light sword erupted from Azusa's hand. He turned around and gave Azaka one of his rare smiles.

"May Tsunami go with you as well my friend," he replied, as the knight was teleported inside the transport. He opened the door and began his journey to save his family.

________

Asmodean cracked his knuckles with an evil grin. Sudorin was staging the revolt as he sat here in the blissful darkness. His dark cape flowed freely down his back as he meditated.

That pig headed Jurain emperor and his bitch wives would be lying in pools of their own blood on the throne room floor. His daughters would squeal with fear before they died, and then Asmodean would take his rightful position.

He would rule over all, and none would be able to overcome him. He would have all the cards he needed in his hands. Things were finally coming together.

His boisterous voice filled the air with his laughter. Finally he would receive the glory he deserved.

Author's Notes- I had fun with this and hope you like it. I especially like the whole Azusa-ken thing. Let me know how you like it. There are many amazing writers out there, and I hope to join them, but I really have no clue how good my writing is. Any questions, comments, etc. welcome at Ledzepfan111@hotmail.com. Thank you,

Ledzepfan