Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Autumn of Life ❯ Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The cool water invigorated Ryoko as she waded into the alien ocean. She hadn't gone swimming in what seemed like forever and although she had a task at hand, she really didn't mind slowly gliding through the water towards her destination. She paused for a moment to remember the last family outing on the Masaki lake.

"You demon woman!" Ayeka snarled. "There are children present! You can't just waltz out here without a swimsuit on!" The princess raged.

"Aw, Sasami doesn't care…..neither does….Tenchi…" The naked pirate levitated behind the young man and lowered herself into the warm lake water. She wrapped her arms around him and breathed on the back of his neck causing tiny hairs to stand to attention. I single drop of blood fell from his right nostril and his eyeballs grew as big as saucers.

"R,r,r,r,ryoko?" He managed to get out.

"See? He doesn't mind….." She answered seductively.

"You, you, you…..get your filthy paws off of Lord Tenchi!." Ayeka glowed with anger. Her Jurain powers kicked in and several small cylinders of wood encircled her body and the water around her began to billow outward in a mystical wind.

"Ayeka….Ryoko doesn't have to wear a bathing suit….I've seen her in the onsen like that many times….." Sasami pleaded with her sister.

"Miss, Ayeka?" Mihoshi added.

"Hahahahah! Give it your best shot!" Ryoko rubbed Tenchi's chest. He had to raise his hand to his nose and give it a pinch to stop the bleeding.

"Ohhhhhhh!" Ayeka fumed. Her powers also met critical mass. In an instant she flung that energy upon the pirate and poor, hapless Tenchi. The whole lake was filled with a horrific light.

The flash subsided. Washu just stepped out of the house to see what the racket was all about. She spied the yard, now filled with lake water and debris. Ayeka's blast had evacuated all the water from the lake into the surrounding land, however, the majority of the water flew high into the air and it still rose higher and higher. Ryoko clung to Tenchi as Ayeka fumed. Sasami and Mihoshi looked at each other dumbfounded in the dry lakebed. A little ways off, the shiny metal of Mihoshi's shuttle and the debris from the shell of the long crashed Ryo-Ooh could be seen. Ryoko's cackled wafted through the valley.

"Uh, people….." Washu stated. "I think you should get out of there…"

"Ayeka! You are pathetic!" Ryoko cackled, not releasing her love grip on the young man.

Suddenly a sound came from the sky. Ryoko looked up and then to Tenchi. She did this three times. "Oh, Boy!" She yelled as the contents of the lake came back down on them with a splash. Washu had just enough time to open her umbrella.

"That was a fun day." Ryoko sighed as she continued her jaunt into the water. She went deeper and deeper until she came to a line of brightly colored buoys. They had some sort strange writing on them which the pirate disregarded and kept swimming onward.

"Doesn't your grandmother know you can't swim past that boundary?" The food vendor asked Washu.

"No, why?" The red-haired child asked.

"Those buoys keep the sea creatures from the bathing area- they kinda shock them. You better call her back, there's some nasty beasty's out there…" He cleared off their table and went back into the stand.

"Well, she'll be fine!" Washu perked up. Girls? Last one in the water is a rotten egg!" She leapt up and tore off her t-shirt and ran for the water.

"Wait! Miss Washu! Shouldn't we look for Tenchi?" Ayeka ran after her.

"C'mon, Mihoshi, let's go swimming." Sasami followed

"Wait! Wait for me!" The blonde answered.

Ryoko smiled as she could no longer make out the people on the beach. She was now in HER element. The pirate levitated out of the water and gazed at the device Washu had given her. It was beeping.

"Must be close now." She grinned and flew forward for a bit. The lights on the device and beeping increased. "There, now for a dive!" She stowed the device inside her bikini top and lowered herself into the crystal blue water. She kept going, farther and farther than any normal human could endure. Ryoko's physiology enabled her to gain sustenance from energy around her such as the sun, but more so, the red gem embedded in her left wrist. She did not need to breathe air to live so submerging herself into the depths of the ocean or into the vacuum of space had no ill effect upon her.

Ryoko took a moment to stare at the sparkling gem on her wrist and she pondered on the whereabouts of the other two. Tenchi had them the last she saw him, they were embedded in the hilt of the Tenchiken as always. More than once, a long time ago, she had plotted to trick the boy into giving her back the other two gems-gems which his grandfather, Master Yosho had taken from her in their last battle seven hundred years ago and embedded them upon the hilt of the sword tenchi. After she realized that she was in love with Tenchi, Ryoko had stopped trying to get the gems back. To have them restored to her would mean she really had no excuse to remain on Earth. She also knew that Tenchi was afraid of what she would become should all the gems be restored to her body. Deep down, Ryoko knew that someday, she would earn the boy's trust and hopefully his love and on that day, he would return the jewels to her.

The gems could not be copied nor could they be destroyed. Ryoko knew that Washu was scanning the universe for the energy signal of the other two gems and when they found them, hopefully, they would find Tenchi. She also wondered if Washu was so smart, why she wasn't able to detect the other two gems. She decided to grill her mother a bit over that question when she returned to shore.

***

"Master Edo!" Gento graciously ushered the bejeweled nobleman into his home. "Please, please make yourself at home. We are extremely honored by your presence!" He bowed and offered a plush cushioned seat to Edo.

"News travels far and near of your young Tak. I was hoping to watch him practice."

"Oh, of course, of course! We can take our lunch in the courtyard. He's sparring with Mitir at the moment. You should be quite entertained!" The two noblemen exited the far door leading to the courtyard and seated themselves upon fine silken cushions while servants poured whine and brought platters of food.

"See? There's my boy. Isn't his skill grand? He's going to bring fame and more wealth to our family, that is for sure." Gento beamed with pride.

Lord Edo smiled and sipped his wine. "Gento, he truly does fight well, but is it true that he was incapacitated in the water battle? I heard he didn't even get to fight five minutes…."

"Well, one setback amongst a hundred glorious victories!" Gento came back. "Besides, just look at him….he's better than his mentor, Mitir."

Tak leapt into the air, his ankles missing Mitir's sword by inches. He then let out a guttural yell and brought his own sword down upon his master's neck, however, stopping inches from breaking his friend's flesh.

"I…I….won!" The boy sputtered through heaving breaths from exhaustion.

"You have, you have beaten me. Very good!" Mitir smiled and patted the boy on his shoulder. "Gento! May we take a moment to rest?"

"Bravo, Bravo! Dear Tak! Here! Take this as your reward!" The old man slowly got up and tossed a bottle of wine at the two warriors. Tak leapt up and caught it.

"Thank you, Gento!" He smiled and released the cork and took a big gulp of the red liquid then shared it with his trainer. The two retired to a bench in the training pit just below the noblemen.

"He does fight extremely well….but I have a question for you Gento. Do you think it is the warrior or the weapon that makes the difference?" He sneered and popped a morsel of food into his mount.

"Edo, my friend. An excellent warrior such as my Tak does not need a weapon, he is skilled with hand to hand combat as well…."

"No, my dear friend. I have heard tales of weapons of mass destruction, magical devices held by our neighbors on the water moon. One warrior would not stand a chance against magic such at that…he would not get an opportunity to fight if the enemy could obliterate him from miles away….

"Nonsense! Such things do not exist!"

"Well, perhaps not on Thea, but…." Edo leaned closer to Gento. "I've come into possession of a truly horrific weapon."

"What?"

"Well, I don't mean to brag…but you've better prepare that boy. Once we have my tak using this weapon, we'll have to import Krta's from other planets because this weapon and my warrior will have killed them all."

"Please, don't make me laugh…" Gento was offended. "I don't think you have it in you to possess such a thing."

"Really?" Edo smiled. He reached within the bulk of his flowing robes and produced a wooden box. "Then by all means, please see for yourself…." He placed the box on the table before Gento.

"Doesn't look like much to me!" Gento reached for the box and gingerly picked it up. Slowly he pried it open. "A stick!" He let out a roar of laughter. "You've have me afraid of a stick!" He dropped the box onto the table. Resting within it, cradled in fabric of red silk was an ancient sword hilt made of carved wood. Resting on the top end of the hilt were two points of sapphire blue. Winding vines and patterns twisted and spun around the handle accumulating in a smooth round tip. Set deep into the end of the hilt lay two brilliant red jewels-the tenchiken.

"Then, my friend, you would have no objection to holding it? Please, please pick it up." Edo sneered with an evil grin which made Gento quite nervous. The old man hesitated, then raised his hand toward the seemingly safe hilt of wood before him. Gento's hand came within an inch of touching the ancient material when he stopped.

"You! Pick this up!" Gento yelled at a nearby servant. Tak and Mitir took notice when Gento raised his voice.

"Yes sir!" The hapless servant strolled toward the noblemen and nonchalantly grasped the hilt and held it before them. Almost instantly blue surges of electricity ran through this poor man's body and his hand began to sizzle. He screamed in agony but could not release his grip.

"Let go of that!" Tak screamed and leapt a full ten feet out of the training pit and flew into the servant knocking the sword from his grasp.

"Water! Someone bring some water!" Tak cradled the screaming man and attempted to bandage his hand which was now severely burned.

"I'll get someone to help!" Mitir ran into the house and came back with the family healer who took over from Tak.

"I see, you are very, very sly, my friend." Gento grasped his glass of wine and took a leisurely sip while his healer tried to save the servant's hand.

"Best be sure your boy there is ready…."

"Don't worry. "Gento winked. "He will be." The glimmer of a plan formed in the old man's mind.

***

"Brrrrr! It's cold down here!" Ryoko complained to herself as she descended into the depths. "How much longer?" She held the device. It was going berserk with flashing lights and beeping sounds. "Damn, I can't see a thing." The pirate clenched her left hand and formed a ball of energy to illuminate her way. It sizzled and sparked in the water but it worked to give her some light. Suddenly, a huge gray mass came into her field of vision. "There!" Ryoko sped downward to gaze upon an enormous chunk of the aft section of Clay's Ganali ship. "Oh…my….god!" She took a moment to survey the wreckage. The chunk was ten levels high. Half of the decks were submerged into the white sand of the ocean bottom. The whole piece of debris was almost the size of Mihoshi's shuttle. It dawned on her it would take some time to survey it all….in the dark.

"Well, no time like now!" Ryoko discarded the blinking device and swam toward the wreckage. The tiny box slowly drifted to the bottom, still screeching, still blinking. The sonic waves of the box wafted far out into the ocean, ultimately finding the sensory organs of several large creatures.

Ryoko entered the craft and began searching for anything. She wasn't sure exactly what she was looking for, hopefully the Tenchiken, but her stomach would not keep still as that terrible thought, the thought of finding her Tenchi down here in the cold popped into her mind.

"Baka!" She thought. "That's nonsense! Snap out of it, Ryoko….you've seen, you've seen much worse!" True, she had seen horrors galore at the hands of Kagato, but, she wasn't sure she was prepared to actually find the boy's body down here. She prayed that she wouldn't.

Ryoko overturned consoles and chairs and rummaged through the rooms moving from the top level of the wreckage downward, surveying as much as she could. Suddenly, a metallic gleam caught her eye. The light from her energy ball had reflected off of an object and although she hesitated for a moment, she knew she had to investigate. She swam toward the glimmering light.

***

"Ah! This is the life!' Washu smeared some suntan oil on her arm and plopped back into a beach chair.

"Miss Washu, shouldn't we be meeting up with Ryoko?" Ayeka asked.

"Well, let me check in on her….." Washu took a moment to peak into Ryoko's mind. She saw her swimming toward a light. "She's good. She'll call if she needs us….speaking of calling, it's time to check in with Katshuhito!" Washu produced her trusty laptop and conjured up an image on the screen of the Masaki home place. The view traveled up the winding steps to the shrine. Standing tall and strong, as only huge blocks of wood could, were Ayeka's guardians, Azaka and Kamidake.

"Azaka! Kamadake! How are things, my friends?" Washu asked.

"Miss Washu! You are late checking in." Answered Azaka.

"Yes, we were worried about the Princess." Kamidake replied.

"I'm fine, perfectly fine. Is Lord Yosho about?" Ayeka answered.

"Yes, just inside….Princess….we'd feel much safer about your excursion….." Azaka stated.

"If we could accompany you…." Kamidake finished.

"Nonsense, my friends. We need you to protect my brother, Yosho and I don't need nannied by you two!"

"Very well, but if the Queen finds out that we neglected you, we'll be royal kindling for sure." A sweat drop fell down the side of Kamidake.

"Brother! How are things?" Ayeka asked as the view changed to the office of the shrine. Lord Yosho or Katshuhito as was his earth name was just sneaking a sip of sake when interrupted by the shrill voice of his half-sister.

"Fine! Fine!" The old man sputtered alcohol about as he answered. "We are getting along fine. Nobuyuki's arranged for a local boy to come by and help me with chores and I've been busy training him……Boy! More starch! They must be stiff!" Yosho took a second to yell orders at a dark haired boy frantically ironing some shirts for his master. "Hmmmmm, anyway, have you any news?"

"No, not yet. We are taking our time and enjoying some relaxation on the beach while Ryoko is checking out some underwater wreckage." Ayeka chuckled at Yosho's treatment of the poor lad in his tutelage. She wondered if Tenchi had grown to be such a master swordsman after years of ironing his grandfather's robes.

"Ayeka."

"Hmmm?"

"Ayeka, please take some time to enjoy yourself and the company of your friends." His jovial expression turned serious. "You know it has been over six months. Tenchi would not wish you to suffer from life, but for you to grasp life and enjoy it….who knows, you may find new friends on your adventures…."

"Brother…."

"Mind me, Ayeka. Just live a little, it won't hurt you a bit."

"I will try. Take care, brother. We will contact you soon." With that the transmission ended.

"He's right, you know. We don't have to leave this planet for a while if you don't want. You, Ryoko, and Mihoshi are young and vibrant, it would be a shame if you wasted your time away on this paradise being miserable."

"You're absolutely right, Washu!" Ayeka stood up and took off her shirt and shorts, revealing a stunning swimsuit which was green in color and appeared to have leaves intertwined around her svelte body. "Sasami! Let's go in the water!" She yelled at her sister who was tossing a beach ball to Mihoshi. The child broke into a trot and grabbed the blonde police officer's hand and drug her into the water with Ayeka. Washu sat back and smiled.

***

Ryoko came closer and closer to the reflection. She came upon a brilliant piece of metal poking out from behind a doorway. "Ok, girl, it's now or never!" The pirate reached down to grab the metal when suddenly, the door opened all the way and she was quite surprised to see that attached the metal was the decomposed remains of a Ganali. She shrieked in initial horror and then realized that the green and bloated bodies of these creatures littered the room around her. "You big sissy!" She yelled at herself. "Toughen up! They're just dead meat…that's all…" She felt askew. Something, besides seeing grotesque corpses was not right. She felt water move behind her and a leathery wisp lightly touching her ankle.

"What was that?" She turned around to see nothing. But there it was again, behind her, the same swift movement in the water. Suddenly, her body was jolted out of where she was standing. In a matter of seconds, she had been ripped from that place and now she rested in the jaws of an enormous sea creature. She screamed in pain as the teeth dug into her skin and tore her flesh. Regaining her senses, Ryoko phased her body out of the beast's jaws and she powered up her orange laser sword.

"Hey! That hurt!" She screamed at the monster turning toward her again. It looked like a creature in that movie Tenchi had rented long ago….what was it…a shark. Yes, it looked very much like a shark, only much, much bigger than she believed a shark on earth to really look like. She maneuvered out of its way just as a second monster grabbed her legs and shot through the water dragging her. She gurgled in pain, but maintained enough presence to use her weapon, bringing it down on the monster's eye, instantly causing it to release her. "Got, to get out of the water!" She yelled in her mind a scream that a distant red-haired child heard on the beach, far, far away.

"Ryoko?" Washu shot up. "Ryo-Ohki! Come on! Ryoko needs us!" The little cabbit stopped her play with Sasami immediately and leapt into the air, transforming herself into her spaceship form. With an ethereal "Meow!", Washu was transported into the ship and it sped across the water leaving the others staring dumbfounded on the beach.

Ryoko had mortally wounded one creature when her energy blade pierced its eye and seared into its brain. She swam frantically trying to locate the other sea monster, the water around her became cloudy with wisps of red blood from her wounds. "Where are you…..C'mon, where?" She searched the murky depths. Suddenly, the water below her surged downward and she stared into the open mouth of the beast. Ryoko dematerialized a split second before the monster swallowed her whole. As the creature swam upward, she cleaved it in two with her sword. Blood encircled her body, her blood mixed with the monsters' so heavy she could not see clearly. Ryoko mustered all her strength as her self healing powers kicked in. She shot up like a bullet through the water toward the surface just in time to see Ryo-Ohki in the distance. "About time…." She muttered weakly as the she was transported into the ship.

"Ryoko!" Washu ran to her daughter as the pirate's bloody and wet body slowly descended to the silver surface of Ryo-Ohki's bridge. A small puddle of blood and water formed around her prone form.

"Aw….Crap!" Ryoko looked at Washu and rest her head back on the floor.

"Shhh, don't move. It looks like you went through a blender!"

"It….feels…like it…" She smiled.

"You'll be fine, see, the bleeding's stopped. But I'm sure you'll be out of commission for a few days until your body's healed." Washu had some devices hovering over Ryoko's body. She smiled and wiped some blood soaked hair from her daughter's face.

"Great….useless again….." Ryoko moaned and shut her eyes.

***

Tak raised his hand to block out the piercing sunlight. He gently resumed tending the small garden in the courtyard of Gento's house. This small patch of vegetables was one tiny oasis in a sea of sand. The boy beamed at his small accomplishment of growing and was glad his master allowed him such a small hobby in between his practices. Besides, they all enjoyed the fruit of his labors and gardening was somehow, very soothing and yet familiar. He set down his hoe and picked up a large basket of produce and walked through the kitchen entrance.

"Here's some new ones." He said to the cook as she smiled and accepted the basket. He marveled at the old woman's dexterity in the old kitchen. She turned to take a steaming pot out of the fire but stopped to grasp a silver cloth to protect her hand from the hot metal.

"What is that?" Tak asked.

"Oh, the ladies in the market sell these….it's made from a sand plant….darn thing won't burn at all! Saves my old hands from that hot kettle there." She smiled and returned to her cooking.

Tak smiled and went to leave, but not before taking a big sheet of this material from the table as the cook turned her back to him. This would come in handy. He quickly tucked it into his tunic. The boy turned a corner and came face to face with his master.

"Tak!" Gento smiled deceivingly. "Please, I have something to discuss with you…." He ushered the boy into a side room and he closed the door. "I have an important task for you…."

"Gento?"

"Tonight…" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You will get me that sword Lord Edo showed us today."

"Master?"

"Mitir will take you outside his home. You are to sneak into his house and steal that weapon for me!"

"But?"

"No! Listen to me, boy!" His tone turned wicked. "We will harness that thing's power and nothing can stop us in the tournaments!" The old man's eyes shone with feverish thoughts of glory. "And nothing is to stand in your way, do you understand? Kill him or anyone who tries to stop you….."

"I understand…."

"And Tak…." He turned to leave but clutched the key to the boy's mask as he exited. "Should you fail you will not live to regret it….."