Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Dead ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Dead- Chapter Two



SOMETHING TO CLEAR UP: All right, I seem to be getting a lot of reviews saying that this fic is out of character and that it sucks and what not. ::sigh:: oh well. Need I remind everyone that this is an AU fic, which means it is ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. Look at all the sailor moon alternate universe fics! Are THOSE completely in character? No, I didn't think so! Serena is often not portrayed as the whiny, bad-grade-getting teenager we all see in the episodes. No, inmost fics she's refined and mature, and most of the time with a respectable occupation. ALSO, maybe I'm blind, but I didn't think that Darien looked like the player type, and yet he is constantly referred to as one. I never really saw any problem with all of that, so why should there be something wrong with this? EEP! Look at me! I've gone nasty! I'm sorry! Please don't be mad at me!! I'm really not mad!
ALSO! You should probably READ the rest of the fic BEFORE saying the title has absolutely nothing to do with it! Not to mention any names or anything… ^^ 'tis ok, I realized it too. Hopefully this chapter will not only clear up some things, but give you an insight to the plot as well. Enjoy!

PS. I forgot to give thanks to my wonderful beta in the last chapter. Thank you shady-chan! You make me laugh! Tell kate-chan I said ALOOOOOOOOOOOOHA! Then throw a cream pie at her! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA


Dead
Chapter Two
By alioop108
For gundamgirl88
2-01-01

Ryoko towel dried her wet hair, not caring if she colored the towel green in the process. The empty bottle of dye was on the bathroom counter, but she waltzed past it as if it weren't there. She paused at the mirror and examined her renewed shade of hair color, grinning with satisfaction. This was the one thing that distinguished her from the rest of her community, her cyan green hair.
Satisfied it look all right, she let the towel drop to the countertop, and headed to the front door, already having put on her outfit.
"By mom, I'm leaving!" she called as she grabbed her mask and shoved it in one of her pockets.
"By dear, have fun! AND DON'T GET INTO TROUBLE! YOU'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH YET!" Washu called from the book she was reading. Ryoko rolled her eyes and left her home.
Gurdie and Setloot were waiting for her when she set foot on her porch.
"It's 'bout time." Setloot told her, annoyed, arms crossed over his chest. Gurdie beamed a smile at Ryoko, before she promptly hit Setloot over the head.
"Be nice!" she ordered her long-time friend.
"Oww…" Setloot grumbled and rubbed his head. Ryoko smirked at the pair. Setloot with his wild red hair, popular this time of year, and Gurdie with her purple. That was one thing about the Dead; they took pride in their colors. It showed that you were a person, and you were different and yourself. We, the Dead, lived underground, in a place yet to be found by anyone up above. Sure, there had been many attempts, but they all turned up fruitless. Why do they want our hides, you ask? Because, we, the Dead, are proud members of the elusive thieves. We steal without asking, hide without remorse, and then run like there is no tomorrow. And I, Ryoko liked to remind herself in a narcissistic way, am one of the best. And that she was. Trained by none other than the quick-thinking Washu the "genius", she was agile, smart, and elusive. Plus she was definitely persuasive to pretty much the entire straight male population, with her seductive body and charm. Which, her mother liked to say, was all her doing.
"Well," Ryoko grinned, clapping her hands together and rubbing them together greedily, "Shall we be going?"
Gurdie and Setloot nodded and happily the three went over to the porthole that would lead them up above.

"So," Gurdie asked, once they had all reached the sidewalk successfully, "What are we going to do tonight?"
"Same thing we do every night?" Setloot asked. Then added after a quick thought, "Try to take over the world?" he grinned at his own joke, although no one else was laughing. With a sigh, he quieted himself.
"Hm..." Ryoko pondered, putting a finger to her chin and tapping it thoughtfully. "We could hit the club down on forty-second, and then go steal from the rich and give to us poor…" Ryoko's eye's gleamed, "Then break for breakfast."
"In other words," Setloot concluded, "The same thing we do every night."
Gurdie hit him over the head again.


Tenchi Masaki sat in his office, peering at some papers through a pair of well-made reading glasses. A pen in his right hand sat poised over a sheet of paper, as he scribbled down random notes. He had to finish these documents tonight, he kept repeating to himself. Then tomorrow you get to go back home to Japan. So he continued with efficient quickness, and was happy to say he was done by twelve forty-five.

Gurdie and Setloot sat together at the bar, watching Ryoko amuse herself on the dance floor. She had found herself a partner…again. Meanwhile, her two friends could only look on and amuse themselves, drinking shots and talking.
"I don't know how she does it." Gurdie admitted, "She never has trouble getting men's attention."
"Damn charisma." Setloot muttered, as he glared daggers at the next victim of Ryoko the enchantress. Gurdie looked sadly over at Setloot, although he didn't notice her. She should hate Ryoko for being the object of Setloot's obvious affection, but she wasn't. She and Ryoko were too close for a guy to come between them. Even if that certain guy was the love of her life. She let her gaze fall to the table they shared. How long had she loved him, you ask? She couldn't answer that. They had known each other since they were three. He just sort of…grew on her. There was no other way to explain it.
With all of her staring and lost thoughts, she didn't see Setloot look over at her, with a confused expression on his face. Something was troubling Gurdie, and he was sure it must have something to do with him…again. He almost sighed. If he didn't know that Gurdie obviously hated him, he would have asked her out long ago. But, knowing her feelings toward him, he kept himself quiet, contenting himself to be the overprotective brother to Ryoko.
"Want another drink?" Setloot offered, softly touching Gurdie's hand. She seemed to start again, as she looked up, and then blushed for reasons unknown to him.
"Uh…yeah, sure." He nodded and motioned for another round of beer.

Ryoko looked over the shoulder of a particularly well-dressed gentleman to her friends, sitting by themselves by the bar. Oh boy, they were at that old game again? Ryoko almost groaned, had she not been…preoccupied. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that these two were completely gone on each other. And it didn't help matters much that they chose to hide their feelings. After a few minutes, Gurdie looked up at Ryoko, and they made eye contact. Men tend to get acutely annoyed when women do this, have conversations with mere glances. It may be the fact that men simply have bad communication skills, or that they are simply very dim-witted.
Ryoko raised her eyebrows and nodded her head towards Setloot, suggesting that she ask him to dance.
Gurdie's eyes widened, and she shook her head furiously.
Ryoko's eyes narrowed, and she once again motioned to Setloot with her head.
Gurdie looked over at Setloot nervously, who by now had noticed something going on, and then back at Ryoko. She seemed terrified.
Ryoko held up a fist and narrowed her eyes dangerously, letting her know exactly what would happen to her if she refused, she being female or not.
Gurdie's brown eyes widened even more, but then they seemed to fall, and she sighed. With resolute slowness, Gurdie turned to Setloot's quizzical face, and asked him something she had never done in the thirteen years of knowing him. She asked him to dance. Setloot nodded vivaciously after a moment of stunned silence, and Gurdie's face brightened immediately. They headed out to the dance floor together.
So no one was surprised when they left, finally, at sometime past twelve thirty.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Setloot asked, with one arm draped over Gurdie's shoulders.
"Why, I can't believe you forgot so quickly." Ryoko drawled and rolled her eyes, "Love, may I never understand it." They turned into an alleyway, a shortcut that led back to the porthole. "But seeing as you guys have some…catching up to do, I guess we could call it a night." She said, turning to walk face them and walking backwards.
Gurdie smiled and snuggled deeper into Setloot's embrace.
Ryoko rolled her eyes again, "OK, love birds, get a room." She turned to look where she was going and took a couple steps…and then she stopped.
"Ryoko?" Setloot asked, once he realized she had ceased walking. "Something wro-"
"Shhh!" He was cut off by Ryoko's terse whisper, and he then followed her gaze. He saw nothing in the open space ahead of them.
"I don-"
"Shhh!!" Ryoko insisted again, and he shut up again.
Click
Clop
Click
Clop
The sound of shoes echoed from the sidewalk in front of them, and Setloot's face brightened. He opened his mouth again to say something, but he was cut off once again.
"Men's…size…ten, I believe, maybe eleven… expensive…" Ryoko grinned at her realization. "This one's mine." Setloot and Gurdie grinned at her, and nodded.
"Be careful, Ryoko" Gurdie whispered. "We'll wait over here." Ryoko nodded, and began her prowl.

Tenchi was not a happy man. Not only was it after midnight, he was tired, had not slept in almost twenty hours, had had a stressful day, was leaving on an airplane in the morning to Tokyo, on the other side of the world, and he was in dire need of something to eat. A hamburger sounded awfully tasty right now…
He walked down the sidewalk quickly, not wanting to stick around to see what a Friday night would bring in the pitch of dark. Suddenly he stopped.
He was being watched.
The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, causing an odd sensation to travel down his spine. Not only was someone watching him, but someone was following him as well.

Ryoko stared in mock awe at her prey. She had to give him credit; he did in fact acknowledge that someone was on his trail. This might prove harder than it looked. Besides the fact that he had the nicest body she had seen in a good, long while and his butt was awfully cute, he did seem to have the build to overtake her, and maybe even the smarts to do it as well. Even though she highly doubted it. All men were exactly the same, all with only one thing on their minds. Sex appeal.
She stalked up behind him, still around the corner and a good five feet away, but close enough to smell his aftershave. Maybe it was her acute sense of smell or the fact that it seemed to pull her in, but it was definitely something to delight in.
With lightening fast abilities said gotten from her mom, she pounced, ready to pin him to the floor and relieve him of his valuables.

Tenchi's blood was going crazy. He knew someone was watching him intensely, he could almost feel the holes being burnt into his back. The feeling only seemed to intensify, and he all but knew something was going to happen. Dropping his paperwork, he let his hands fall into the defensive position. Unbeknownst to many, Tenchi Masaki was a trained fighter.
With a sudden new weight he was pushed violently from behind, and he fell to the ground in a heap, a body squishing him to the pavement.
"Now," a sultry voice whispered into his ear. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." Shivers once again ran up and down his spine, and his nerves went haywire. "Either you can stay lying down and be an easy prey, or I'll have to knock you out and you can be my prey anyway." She softly bit his ear as she finished, and his body temperature raised a few degrees.
"You seem very sure of yourself," Tenchi said as much as he could with his face half on the pavement, "But didn't you think I wouldn't give up so easily?"
"I thought of that, yes." With a quick move Tenchi had her pinned to the ground, his arms holding her's above her head. "But I hardly expected it." She smiled, her eyes lighting up through her mask.
Ryoko struggled for a moment, until once again she was on top, this time, straddling him. She raised her eyebrows at him. "It seemed I have underestimated you."
He grinned back. "And I you."
She rolled her eyes. "They usually do." She then began to slide her hands behind his back and underneath him, coming to stop over his butt pocket. "Well mister, is that a banana in your pants or are you just happy to see me?" she grinned suggestively.
"Care to find out?" he countered, as if he wasn't the slightest bit perturbed that she was robbing him.
"Maybe," she said, slipping out his wallet, and flipping it open with ease and inspecting the bills it held. "Mm, you don't exactly travel light, do you?" she raised an eyebrow at him.
"Like I always say, be prepared." Ryoko was about to roll her eyes again, but she was suddenly flung off him and thrown to the ground. She looked up in astonishment, but was pulled up and thrown against a wall. Tenchi had her pinned to the brick building by her arms, and she could only stare at him in awe. She definitely had not expected this to happen. She vainly tried to scramble out, thrashing violently to escape his grip. How long she tried to free herself she didn't know, and she was only stopped when the cold metal of a gun's barrel slid onto her masked head.
"Stop being childish. You can't get away." His cool words were whispered into her ear, and something sparked inside her body. She stiffened, and looked over his shoulder…and saw Setloot and Gurdie staring in fright.
"Setloot…Gurdie…" she choked out, breathing hard, and Tenchi half turned to see them there. "Get out of here."
"No Ryoko, we can't do that." Gurdie stepped forward, only to be held back by Setloot.
"Just leave, Gurdie, I'll be fine." Ryoko insisted.
"We'll go and tell the others," Setloot assured, and turned to leave.
Ryoko opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by Tenchi, who spoke for the first time since having seen the two new comers.
"You- you're one of-of THEM?!" he asked, astonishment written all over his face. Ryoko looked at him, quizzically. Tenchi looked deep into Ryoko's masked eyes, before he nestled off the mask with the gun. It dropped to the floor, and her beautiful cyan hair flowed out, having been exposed. "You-you're" he said, barely above a whisper, "You're …dead."
"Congratulations. Ask Johnny what your prize is." She drawled angrily. Then she looked over Tenchi's stiff shoulder to her two friends. "Don't tell the others. I'll get back on my own. And don't under any circumstances tell mom."
Gurdie and Setloot looked between each other, and exchanged quiet words. Finally, with a sigh, Setloot turned back to Ryoko. "Fine, we'll go. Take care Ryoko."
Ryoko saw them off with her eyes, and once she was convinced they were safe, she turned back to Tenchi. She was about to try and bargain with him for her safety, offering him the location of the dead (a wrong one, but a location) in return for her freedom. When suddenly an idea came to mind. She smiled at him seductively, and he raised an eyebrow at her. With a certain quickness that only could have come from her mother, she thrust her head forward and met his lips with hers for a long, passionate kiss. Hi arms didn't move from pinning her down, but she felt him loosen his grip. His tongue was certainly moving though, as was hers.
Ryoko finally pulled back, breathing hard, amazed at the intensity of what was supposed to be a simple distraction. She saw him also breathing hard, but with a certain look in his eyes, telling her he was deep in thought. She smirked. All men were exactly the same…
She threw Tenchi off her and started to make a run for it, down towards her left. She hadn't expected Tenchi to still keep his grip on one of her arms. He thrust her back onto the wall, and she glowered at him with hatred. She didn't want to think about why this man had not succumbed to her kiss and fell into a puddle at her feet by now.
"And just where do you think you're going?" he sneered, jokingly.
"Back to 'my kind'" she sneered ruefully. Before turning her face away. She didn't think she could look at him anymore. The dead were never caught. Never. And to think that she was actually good at what she did…and then got caught…was shameful. It hurt her pride more so than anything else could.
Meanwhile Tenchi took this time to get a good look at her. He knew what he had caught; anyone who watched television at all knew the price of the Dead. Even one was worth more than he could count. No one knew the location of their secret clan, not in the twenty years or so of crime they had leashed upon the city of New York. He looked her body over with hungry eyes. Boy, he sure had caught himself something fine, all right. Something tantalizingly fine. Her body was seemingly built to perfection; nothing was flawed, as even he could see. Even he was surprised he wasn't pudding from the kiss, as he was sure most men would have been. Her green-blue hair was shining, even in the dim streetlight. Her red lips set in an angry line, her jaw showed her defiance. Her oddly golden eyes were almost feline and strangely erotic. He suddenly knew exactly what to do with her.
"Come on," he ordered quietly, and tugged her arm in his direction.
She locked her gaze on him now, asking him millions of silent question. She settled on speaking one. "Where the hell are you taking me?!"
He felt the corner of his mouth curl upward in a smirk. "I'm taking you with me." He stated the obvious.
"But-but you can't just TAKE me! That's-that's kidnapping!!" she yelled, digging her heels into the ground. "Get your hands off me!" she seethed through clenched teeth.
"I would suggest coming along, Ryoko." He said her name with a certain tenderness that went unnoticed by the brooding woman. "I could turn you in to the proper authorities at any given moment, and be handsomely rewarded."
She glared at him "You wouldn't" she stated in a low growl.
An eyebrow rose. "Wouldn't I?"
He led her to a close by Chinese restaurant, and they took a booth in the back. All the while Ryoko continued her icy looks, trying to burn holes right through his black heart. He in turn continued to smile at her, in a melting sort of way that would have any normal woman swooning. But right now Ryoko felt uncannily like steel, and wouldn't show any…outward effects of his…charm. So she continued to glare at him, arms crossed over her chest. She knew he had her cornered, but she would never admit complete defeat without a fight.
"Don't look so mad." Tenchi said after a bite of his food, having been at the restaurant for nearly a half an hour. Ryoko's gaze was fixed on her untouched meal, so as she wouldn't have to look at him. Tenchi sighed. "You could at least eat something."
"I'm not hungry" she cut in curtly, and the table was drowned in silence once again.
Twenty minutes brought the waitress back, and she took Tenchi's clean plate and Ryoko's full one. "Is the miss not hungry?" she asked shyly.
"No, I am not hungry" Ryoko answered for herself. Tenchi offered an apologetic smile, and the young girl hurried off with their plates. Tenchi looked witheringly at Ryoko.
"You know, you could at least try to be a little more optimistic. You will be with me for a while."
"Somehow I don't see that happening." She glared at him.
Tenchi sighed, before a firm expression crossed his features. "Ryoko, you are to stay by my side whether you like it or not. If you run, I'll have you reported to the police in minutes. You should know that."
Ryoko said nothing.
"It's time you accepted the current position. I'm not going to let you go. You are mine now. Get over it and enjoy it."
The table was silent for a moment, before Ryoko broke it. "And how long would I be in your…care?"
Tenchi seemed to think for a moment. "Till I tire of you, I suppose."
Ryoko didn't say anything for a while; letting his words sink in. she didn't like this. Not at all. She wanted to go back home, to her mother and friends. To the small cottage-like house she shared. She wanted her familiar downy bed and blue walls. Wanted to wake up every morning to the smell of hot pancakes on the stove and strong coffee brewing. She wanted to go back to her life.

Sigh, I know I shouldn't cut it off right there, but I'm going to people. This seems to be a VERY long chapter already, and I DESPERATELY need to get crackin' on AFWHI before shady-chan starts throwing food products at me…again.


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