Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction ❯ The Senior Year ❯ Koosei's Story ( Chapter 28 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Koosei's Story"
by Fred Herriot
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edited by E.B. Kushnir
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Twenty-third of a series of fan fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura,"
created by Rumiko Takahashi
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WRITER'S NOTES: Zephyrite wind-daisies are native fungi resembling a ball of
cotton. They are capable of adopting themselves to another planet's bio-
sphere. Once they have done so, they can identify alien contaminants, then
quickly consume them, reproducing themselves faster than tribbles. If wind-
daisies were unleashed on Yaminokuni, they would not have consumed the local
mushroom growth. I mentioned them here because in an earlier script of
"Ataru's First Girlfriend! Arrive Windy-chan!!" I had Rupa and Carla involved
in the storyline.

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Ipraedos.

As the airtram moves between stations, Bushi Roosei gazes at the vast
expanse of the capital city. It is late at night. Vast sections of Ipraedos
City are darkened. In many of those spaces, however, great bonfires burn.
The bread riots in the poorer sections had rocked the capital for the last
week. So far, units of the Imperial Police, not to mention *Asan'on* thugs,
had no success in quelling the mobs, all egged on by radical *Dowe'on*
elements trying to force social transformation by any means possible. Bushi's
green eyes glitter in reflection of those distant points of flame. For the
first time in over a century, civil war was visiting the Ipraedies homeworld.

It was about time!

The *Dowe'on* priestess/Information Service division chief sighs. She
clearly remembered the riots which brought down the Socialist Interregnum and
saw the monarchy restored. Bushi Roosei, born Tankenka Roosei over a century
and a half ago, having lived through a dozen "lives," switching identities
with the ease that a chameleon shifts skin colour, had witnessed some of the
most ground-shattering events in her race's history. The first contact with
the Vosians, the fall of the old monarchy, the Interregnum, the Vosian-
Ipraedies War, the Restoration and a century of expansionism buffeted by harsh
contacts with dozens of races surrounding them...she had seen it, experienced
it all. And now another phase was beginning, a phase that if it bore fruit,
would usher in a new era of peace and prosperity for the Ipraedies. It just
needed one ingredient to make this heady stew boil...that being the death of a
dictator now besieged in the distant Vosian capital city of Lecashuto.

Bushi had met the Mikado before. Over three centuries old, a general
with considerable experience, a Dali'lama Silent One master, the architect of
the Battle of Reiner's Five, the Mikado had ruled Vos with an iron fist and a
cold heart. At first, many Vosians, sick of the corruption which had come to
plague their society, welcomed the suspension of their millennia old
constitution. Civil rights and the right to be considered innocent until
proven guilty, a Mikado supporter once told Bushi, was where the criminal hid
from the justice of the righteous.

At first, little happened. Freedom of the press, free speech, rights of
habeas corpus, freedom of travel, freedom to excel in whatever task one set
before himself, were all preserved. During the first five decades of the
Mikado's rule, life on Vos was said never to have been better. That changed
when the Mikado began eyeing the territories surrounding the Confederation to
establish "pet" colonies, efficient totalitarian camps which would demonstrate
a new order, a new way of living, one which would make the Vosian people
supreme in the local cluster. One colony, the trouble-plagued Colony Four,
had become the Mikado's personal showpiece to the galaxy. However, almost all
the territory surrounding Vos had already been claimed by other powers,
Ipraedos being one. In that heady decade, defence expenditures skyrocketed as
the Galactic Federation and the Ipraedies Empire prepared for war. It would
have been a useless exercise; the Vosian tracking powers gave them a decided
advantage over their neighbours...save one.

The destruction of Colony Four by the Yehisrites blunted the Mikado's
thirst for new land. At the same time, it demonstrated a personal streak of
paranoia even Emperor Schwartz found at times amazing. Thousands of Vosian
children had secretly disappeared to become the Mikado's legion of psi-
hunters. Thousands of young adults were conscripted into the Mikado Marine
Corps. A powderkeg brewed, which just needed a spark to set it aflame. The
destruction of Colony Seventy-one thirty-five years ago had not just set the
Vosian consciousness on fire, it unleashed a firestorm!

Meanwhile, Ipraedies expansion continued unchecked. Projects such as
the creation of an internal corps of hybrid hunters were launched. Other
atrocities and illegalities continued against every race in the known galaxy
save for Zephyrus and the Seifukusu Dominion. They were spared simply because
of the distance involved. The recent scandal over the attempt to force
Princess Oyuki of Triton to marry the Crown Prince Schwartzkoff had almost
fatally damaged the Emperor's reputation. There were now open calls for his
abdication, coinciding with secret calls for his assassination. However, as
long as the Mikado still lived, Schwartz could maintain his grip on power by
playing on people's fears. Therefore, many of the *Dowe'on* Tribunal had come
up with an elegant solution to solve all their problems. Kill the Mikado.

Sighing, Bushi notices in the window's reflection a handsome young man
sitting behind her. "<<Greetings, sister>>," he speaks in a nearly lost
dialect of Ipraediespeak. "<<The *Apre-Dowe* wish you well.>>"

"<<As I wish them well>>," she smiles. "<<You have the information?>>"

"<<We do>>," the agent nods. "<<The target is the planet Gekido. What
you seek is there.>>"

"<<Thank you>>," she nods. "<<Does your group mind if I seek the help
in obtaining the object in question?>>"

"<<Of course not>>," he sighs. "<<In fact, our sect will petition the
Tribunal to ask him officially to become the spear aimed at our real target's
heart. He is...the best equipped and trained for the task.>>"

Bushi feels a chill cross her heart. "<<I'll tell him that.>>"

"<<Then we wish you success, sister>>," the agent nods.

The airtram reaches the next station, the one closest to the Imperial
Docks. Bushi disembarks, running towards the exit. She notices the agent
waving to her as she goes. Sloppy security, but forgivable. Time was now of
the essence. Now, if only Bushi's friend would be willing to go along...

* * *

Koosei Ryooki watches the snow cascade over the city as night falls.
The students had been dismissed early so they could do some last minute
Christmas shopping. Feeling the spirit of the season, he let Mendou and the
guards off from serving detention. He must be becoming soft in his old age.
Old?! Koosei chuckles as he sips his eggnog, returning to his papers. He was
still in his early twenties, looking forward to several centuries of life
thanks to the blood transfusions the Mikado's scientists subjected him to in
his years of imprisonment in Lecashuto. Now the Mikado, he was old! And if
the rebel forces had any say in the matter, he would not get any older.

Sitting at his desk, he shuffles through the mathematics homework. Over
the past month, Class 3-4 had demonstrated a growing ability to concentrate on
their homework, as shown by their current averages. Still, many were now
looking forward to entering cram schools come March. Fortunately, Tomobiki
High School was running special cram sessions for those who did not desire to
seek tutorials in the professional jikans. Koosei had been selected as
special tutor for the spring cram classes. What would be bad...if you were
Mendou the guards...was that Lum would be in Oshika, undoubtedly married to
Ataru and on their way to starting their own family.

Koosei smiles as he shuffles through his paperwork. He sometimes stood
in awe of the members of his class. After so many repeated blows, they
continued to recover and carry on, dreaming for the day that matters would be
restored to what they considered normal: with Lum in residence in Tomobiki
full-time and with Ataru either dead or once again in Tomobiki, hopelessly cut
off from his grandmother and sister. No such luck, Koosei sighs. The only
way Ataru would return is if everyone else had been married or dragged out of
the district. That would be nice...but it ran the risk of a new group of
idiots for Lum and Ataru to contend with. He hoped Oshika was not as bad!

As soon as the final sheet is marked, Koosei sighs, drinking the rest of
the eggnog. His ears then detect the strained moos from behind his back
patio. Koosei shudders. He hated cows in general...and Kinshou Moroboshi's
horrible imitation of one in particular! Growling, he stands up, opens his
back patio window, then flings a ten thousand tonne hammer at the Moroboshi
back yard!!! The *thwack!* of hardwood hitting hard skull, followed by the
*thump!* of a body hitting the snow, was music to his ears. Koosei refused to
bark anything at Ataru's mother. It was a waste of breath. The idiot was
probably one of the least clueless in the district. Koosei understood why
Ataru had finally stopped living with her. Who would live with that? "Sorry,
Koosei!" Lum's voice calls from the upper floor balcony.

"It's okay, Lum!" the teacher waves as he steps inside. Koosei wondered
how she tolerated living in this place. Still, Lum was Invader's daughter.
She had to have inherited some of the captain's legendary durability along
with her mother's good looks. Oh, to be a teenager again! However, if he
was, he would have had to compete with all the other idiots in Lum's class.
Koosei thanked heaven he had outgrown his teenage lusts. One fiancee was good
enough for him, even if it might be a while before he and Oyuki could marry.
Then again, both had long lives ahead of them. They could wait.

The putter of a scooter becomes audible. Ten-chan on his evening jaunt.
Koosei is surprised to see him land on his back patio, a girl accompanying
him. "Hey, Ten-chan!" he slides open the door. "Who's your friend?!"

"Hi, Koosei-onii-chan!" Ten-chan floats off his scooter. "This is
Minami Michini!" he nods to his companion. "She's from school." He turns to
his classmate. "Minami-chan, this is Koosei Ryooki. He's Lum-chan's teacher
and my old babysitter."

"Hello, Minami-chan," Koosei nods.

"Hi, Ryooki-sensei," Minami bows. To Koosei's surprise, she is wearing
a flowery kimono under her overcoat. Obviously from a traditional family.

"Hey, Ten, don't you think you should be travelling with a pretty girl
in a kimono on your scooter?" Koosei gives Ten-chan a knowing glance.

The young Oni flushes as Minami laughs. "Um...er...yeah!" he finally
stammers, then pulls out a small present. "Merry Christmas!"

"Aw, thanks, Ten-chan!" Koosei takes the present in hand. "Where'd you
get this from?!"

"I asked Oyuki-chan to get it made," Ten-chan beams.

Koosei feels a cooling sensation rush through his system. Hearing the
Tritonian princess' name always made him giddy, as if he was suffering from
vertigo. Especially when she glanced at him in a certain way. It was enough
to drive anyone insane with passion! "Um...how nice!" he stammers, trying to
keep some sense of decorum. "That's really sweet, Ten-chan."

"Open it," the young Oni urges.

"Okay," Koosei nods as he leads the two children into his living room.
In seconds, the package is unwrapped. Inside is a small music box, the dancer
being a Tritonian ballerina...obviously Oyuki herself! "This is really nice,
Ten-chan!" the teacher beams. "Thank you very much."

He turns the gears. A soft alien lament begins to play. "That's
pretty!" Minami sighs. "What is it?"

"A song to Queen Koori," Koosei smiles. "The saviour of Oyuki-chan's
people. She was the one who took her people from Neptune to Triton when the
Eternal Voyager presented the moon as their new homeworld."

"What's the Eternal Voyager?" Minami looks confused.

"It's a big ship...a big, *big* ship!!" Ten-chan flings his arms as wide
as they can go. "All it ever does is find the bodies of dead young girls and
takes them to its home planet!"

"*Dead* girls?!!" Minami pales. "Yuck!!!"

"No, they're not dead!" Koosei shakes his head.

"How do you know?" Minami looks curious.

"Well," Koosei helps the young girl onto his couch, "...when I was being
held prisoner by this evil man called the Mikado, I finally escaped. While I
was escaping, this ship came along and took me away from the Mikado's men.
That ship is the Eternal Voyager. That's how I know."

"Did you actually see these girls?"

"No, I didn't," Koosei shakes his head. "But, I can tell you that the
Maidens...the girls the Voyager finds...are *not* dead! The Voyager has the
power to bring them back to life...as alive as you and I are."

"They're zombies?!"

He sighs. It was hard explaining the Sagussans' regeneration process,
harder still when he himself did not fully understand it. "No, they're like
newborn babies...only except they're all grown up!" he waves his hand up to
emphasize adults. "The youngest Maiden is fourteen, the oldest is the
equivalent of twenty-five. That means you can't be one!" he points at Minami.

"I don't wanna be one!" she readily shakes her head. "Especially if you
gotta die to be one! So why does this ship do that?"

"Well, after it has all the Maidens, the Voyager goes back to its home
planet and the Maidens will make the planet a paradise!"

"Oh!!" Minami nods. "Don't they have boys?"

"Not yet," he shakes his head. "However, when the time comes, they'll
find a nice man and he'll become their leader. He won't rule them like a
president rules a country. He'd be more like what our Emperor does for Japan.
He will be a symbol for the Maidens to look upon and place their highest
virtues on. And after that man...the Chosen One, everyone calls him...is
found, other men will follow and the Maidens will finally have children."

"Oh, okay!" Minami nods. "Have they found the Chosen One yet?"

"I know of a candidate," Koosei nods. "But I can't tell you!"

"Why not?!"

"Because if word ever got out that someone was the Chosen One, then many
bad people would try to kidnap him, hurt him and force him to make the Maidens
do bad things to innocent people," Koosei explains.

Before Minami could answer, a voice speaks. "One of those bad people
being the Mikado, child...the very same monster who once hurt Koosei-kun."

Koosei, Minami and Ten-chan spin around to see Bushi standing there,
having entered with a ninja's stealth! "Bushi?!!" the teacher gasps.

"She's got green skin!!!" Minami yelps.

"That's Bushi?!!" Ten-chan gasps, awestruck. "She's pretty!!"

The intelligence officer smiles. "Merry Christmas, Koosei-kun."

* * *

"There you go, kids!" Dakejinzou Shogai smiles as she distributes a pile
of stuffed toys to the group of young children surrounding her.

"What do we say to the nice lady?" their teacher smiles.

"THANK YOU, SHOGAI-SAN!!!!" the children bow in unison.

Oyuki giggles as the children exit the shooting range kiosk. The kiosk
is a part of the Oshika village fair, now decorated for the coming Christmas-
New Years season. The Tritonian princess had spent time visiting her Nendo-
kata sister Osooko before joining the synthezoid huntress at the fair. The
kiosk manager chuckles as he returns to work, his prizes now halved thanks to
Dakejinzou's impeccable aim. "I'm happy Ataru was kind enough to invite you
to this festival, Shogai-sama," the Tritonian smiles.

"Please," the huntress sighs. "My friends call me Dakejinzou."

Oyuki nods. "Forgive me, but your fame surpasses even Nassur-sama's."

"I should be the one paying respect," Dakejinzou muses as the two women
make their way towards a sushi vendor. "After all, I'm just a common citizen,
while you'll be the next Queen of Neptune."

They sit. "Sometimes I wish I wasn't the heir," Oyuki sighs. "However,
the next in line is Toji. She's too much in love with life to consider her
possible role in Triton's future. I do...envy her in a way. Toji-chan has a
love of life which really would take your breath away."

"Good for her," Dakejinzou nods, then smiles. "Hi, Ataru-chan!"

Ataru walks up. "Shouldn't you be visiting Koosei, Oyuki?"

"Well, he's detained marking papers," the Tritonian blushes. "I cannot
just barge in anytime. It would be...rude!"

Suddenly, a hover scooter is heard. "Oyuki-chan!!! Oyuki-chan!!!"

"Ten-chan!" Oyuki stands as Ten-chan jets up to her.

"Oh, there you are!!" the young Oni looks relieved. "Oyuki-chan, you
gotta come to Tomobiki quick!!!"

"Why?!" the Tritonian looks concerned.

Ten-chan looks scared. "Koosei-onii-chan was kidnapped!!!"

Oyuki pales. "What?!!" she shrieks, losing all sense of decorum. "My
Koosei-kun...kidnapped?!! By who?!! Who?!! WHO?!?!"

"By some Ipraedies girl named Bushi!!" Ten-chan panics.

"What?!!" heat explodes from her body. "My Koosei-kun...taken by her?!!
How dare she?!! I'll have her turned into an icicle because of this!!"

"Why would Bushi kidnap Koosei-kun?" Dakejinzou remains calm. "Their
relationship ended years ago!"

"Who cares?!" Ataru snaps. "Shit, what're we standing here for?! Let's
get after them!! We can get our answers when we catch them!!"

* * *

A half-hour later, the "Goddess of Luck" clears Earth's atmosphere. On
the bridge, Ataru and Oyuki stand behind Dakejinzou as she mans the controls.
"Ship, contact both the Urusian and Fukunokami Defence Forces. Inform them of
the presence of an Ipraedies Warhawk in this system," the huntress commands.

"*Immediately*," the computer responds. A communications relay signal
flashes. "*Dakejinzou-san, a call from Captain Invader on Uru.*"

"Pipe it through," Dakejinzou nods.

Invader's image appears on the forward viewscreen. "Hello, Shogai-san!"
the large Oni smiles. "What's the problem?"

"We believe that an Ipraedies Warhawk has absconded off with Princess
Oyuki's boyfriend, Captain," the huntress reports.

Invader looks shocked. "WHAT?!?!?!" he bellows. "Koosei-kun was swiped
by those bastards?!! When?!!"

"Just an hour ago," Dakejinzou reports. "I'm unsure as to where he
could have been taken."

"Thanks for calling me," Invader nods. "I'll put every ship in the
fleet on alert!!" He looks at Oyuki. "Don't worry, child. We'll find him!"

"Thank you, Captain," the Tritonian looks relieved.

The screen goes dark. "There's another thing we could do," Ataru muses.

"What's that, Ataru-chan?!" Dakejinzou stares at him.

"Call the guy Oyuki would've been married to," he thumbs the princess in
question. "He could tell us what's going on!"

The huntress considers that idea. "I'll do that," she nods. "Ship,
send a scrambled message to Crown Prince Schwartzkoff. Inquire as to the
reason Commander Bushi Roosei would want to take Koosei Ryooki!"

"*Done, Dakejinzou-san*," the computer reports as another incoming
message arrives. "*Another call is coming in.*"

The screen turns on, revealing the crown prince and princess of
Tofunokoibito! "Is it true?!!" Rio demands. "Who kidnapped Koosei-kun?!!"

"Your Highnesses," Oyuki is surprised by their interest in her problem,
then quickly explains the situation.

At the end of the Tritonian's speech, Lupica is surprised. "The chief
of Naval Division?!" she muses. "Why her?! I know they were pretty close
years ago, but that doesn't explain this!"

"This could be the case of jilted lovers again," Ataru crosses his arms.
"Then again, Bushi never struck me as the type!"

"Never mind," Rio looks determined. "If you want our help, Oyuki,
you've got it!"

The Tritonian looks relieved. "Thank you, Rio, Lupica," she bows. "I
truly appreciate your assistance."

"Anytime!" Lupica waves. "Let's meet at Sakusei Station. Did you call
Schwartzkoff to find out what's going on?!"

"We're waiting for his return call," Dakejinzou reports.

"Alright, then," the leader of the Galactic Federation nods. "We'll see
you there!" The image fades, reverting to the passing starfield.

The computer announces another incoming call. This time, it is from
Yaminokuni. "Rupa?!! Carla?!!" Oyuki gasps. "Why are you calling us?!"

"We overheard your call with Lupica and Rio!!" Carla looks concerned.
"Is this true about Koosei-kun?!"

"I'm afraid so, Carla," Oyuki sighs, truly pleased that so many people
were concerned about her true love. "Could you help us, please?"

"We'll meet you at Sakusei!" Rupa waves, then the screen fades.

Everyone is awed. "Shit, how many friends does your boyfriend have,
anyway?!" Ataru looks at the Tritonian.

"More than even I expected, I must confess," Oyuki blushes.

"*Dakejinzou-san*," the computer reports. "*A coded transmission from
Crown Prince Schwartzkoff: 'Commander Bushi Roosei has been sent to retrieve
the Fire-spirit from the planet Gekido, located between Spotak and Zeiwan.
Koosei will be asked by the Dowe'on Tribunal to ingest the Fire-spirit, thus
gaining the necessary strength to assassinate the Mikado and terminate the
Vosian Civil War. Captain Hakaba asked me to inform you to inquire Koruneko-
sama about the Fire-spirit. Good luck.' End transmission*."

"What?!" Oyuki gasps, horrorstruck. "The Tribunal wants to ask Koosei-
kun to assassinate the Mikado?!! Shogai-sama, please get us to Sakusei!!"

"We're on our way!" Dakejinzou programs the course, then engages the
ship's warp drive...

* * *

"Koosei-kun once informed me that who ever drinks the Fire-spirit will
have his or her greatest ability increased a million fold," Koruneko serves
tea. "It is a powerful legend among the Ipraedies. It's shocking to discover
that they've located the actual Fire-spirit after a millennia of searching."

"But, why would the Tribunal desire Koosei-kun to be an assassin,
especially targeting the Mikado?" Oyuki shudders. "He's empathically stated
that he has no desire to involve himself again in Vosian affairs!"

Rio nibbles some tofu. "Koosei-kun was on Vos for three years. He
knows the layout of Lecashuto...and he doesn't like the Mikado whatsoever!"

"Who *doesn't* like the Mikado?!" Lupica growls.

"So, where was this Fire-whatsis supposed to be?!" Carla wonders.

"It's on Gekido," the huntress reports.

"Why, we could be there in a few hours!" Rupa smiles. "That's not far
from Yaminokuni!!"

* * *

Minutes later, Rupa's destroyer-class cruiser jets away from Sakusei.
Relaxing on the bridge around a cooking pit, the rescue party share some local
Yaminokuni fare. "I never believed I'd ever look at these things again,"
Ataru holds some native mushroom salad between his chopsticks.

"I can't believe you never used your grandmother to get rid of us during
the Tag Race," Rupa stares at Lum's boyfriend. "Why didn't you call her?
There was no way we could've challenged the Zephyrites if they moved in to
drive us out of the system. Besides, Zephyrite wind-daisies would've cleaned
the mushroom plague Lan unleashed faster than my flock could."

"True," Ataru nibbles on his salad. "Then again, given how screwball I
was back then, I probably couldn't've considered that option. Then again, if
I did, I would've provoked a war between Zephyrus and half the Federation."

"True," Lupica sips some tea. "Um...mind answering a question, Ataru?"

"Shoot."

"Why are you here?" she looks curious.

"Koosei's a friend!" a determined look crosses his face as he starts to
rapidly consume his salad. "The first teacher ever to treat me with respect!"
he gobbles a serving of mushroom fried rice. "The first teacher ever to help
me with subjects I had trouble with!!" he gobbles a serving of roast pork with
mushrooms. "The first teacher who ever gave hell to those bastards at
Tomobiki High for all the shit they heaped on me!!!" he finishes it off with a
serving of tea, then relaxes. "So, what's your story?"

The aliens are stunned at how fast Ataru can eat. "Boy, he's hungry,
isn't he?!" Carla mutters.

"Well, I know that you and Koosei-kun have worked together on several
projects," Oyuki glances at Dakejinzou, then turns to Rio, "...and I know you
know each other from the time you both worked on Sakusei," she then looks at
Lupica, "...and technically, he still works for you as long as Earth's status
with the Federation remains unresolved," she then looks at Rupa and Carla,
"...but I do admit that I'm consumed with curiosity about your interest."

"Oh, that's easy to explain!" Carla blushes, giggling. "Well, a couple
of years ago, I was trying to date Rupa..."

An image appears of Carla's idea of "dating": blasting the hapless
prince with a bazooka! "...but one day, I accidentally shot Koosei-kun!"

An image appears of a burnt Koosei screaming at Carla, Rupa fearfully
hiding behind him. "He advised me to go a little easier when I was pursuing
Rupa-kun," she giggles. "Naturally, I took his advice!"

An image appears of Carla attacking Rupa's great-grandfather Upa! Rupa
is still fearfully hiding behind Koosei. "It's a wonder that Great-
grandfather never ordered you to be arrested because of that!" Rupa moans.

The two Yaminokuni then see everyone else sweating. "Boy, and I thought
Lum and I had problems!" Ataru stammers.

"At least I never had those type of problems when I tried to date you,
eh, Rio?" Lupica chuckles.

"Y-yeah..." the former tofu delivery boy nods...

* * *

Gekido is a deserted class-M planet in a star system close to the
Galactic Barrier. In the northern hemisphere, ancient ruins can be found, all
sporting Ipraedies heiroglyphs. Inside a temple, Bushi and Koosei explore the
interior. "Definitely a *Dowe'on* structure," he looks around. "I never
thought this place would be a haven for early *Dowe'on* practitioners."

"My ancestors were hunted down and killed by the hundreds because they
preached peace and harmony over war and conquest," the Ipraedies nods. "Many
died trying to find sanctuary on this planet...not to mention trying to deny
the *Asan'on* the chance to use the Fire-spirit in their conquest of others."

"That's sad," Koosei sighs. "You've heard from Rogo Chishiki lately?"

"I'm sorry," Bushi looks ashamed. "Chishiki-sama was captured by the
Navy two months ago. I've tried to see her released, but the fleet commanders
are pressing hundreds of Aimaiyite women into becoming 'comfort women.'"

Koosei gasps. "No shit!! Poor Rogo!"

She shakes her head. "That's why we need the Fire-spirit now, Koosei-
kun," she sighs. "The Mikado's evil is only the beginning. After he falls
and Vos is liberated, we'll then clean up the mess on Ipraedos." A touch of
fervour enters her voice as she stares to the stars. "Then, finally after so
long, my people will have the world my ancestors once imagined it could be!"

"By using the same tactics the *Asan'on* used on your people, Bushi-
chan?" the Terran shakes his head. "I can't believe you'd resort to that!"

"Sometimes, you have to fight for what's right," she snarls.

*I wonder if that's always true*, he muses.

The two enter the centre of the shrine. A small sarcophagus is there.
They approach, scanning the writing on its sides. "My Ipraediespeak's rusty,
Bushi-chan," the Terran shakes his head. "Can you translate this?"

"'Lord...of...Fire-spirit...bringer of peace!'" she translates, then
leaps up, joy crossing her face. "This is it!! Stand clear!!!"

Koosei backs away as Bushi fires on the sarcophagus. An explosion
later, a small container resembling a perfume anatomizer rolls towards his
feet. "This is it!!" Koosei nods. "We've got it! So...now what?!"

"Drink it!" she urges.

The Terran is surprised. "What?!! Me?!! Why?!!"

The Ipraedies looks regretful. "The Tribunal wants you to be the one
who receives this! You know Vos like the back of your hand! You could kill
the Mikado with ease since no Vosian can track you thanks to that fool's idiot
hunter-tracker experiments they used you as a guinea pig for!!"

Koosei is stunned. He knew well the *Dowe'on* Tribunal's plans to
assassinate the Vosian dictator. But to be requested to become the hammer
meant to slay the monster who brought such misery to so many? "I'm sorry," he
shakes his head, "...but you can forget it, Bushi-chan! I've been in one war
after the next since North Tokyo High went up in smoke! I'm tired and I want
to rest. Find someone else to do your dirty work!! I'm no killer!!!"

Bushi pauses, then nods. "I see..."

Suddenly, an earthquake rips through the temple. Both panic as the side
wall explodes!! A second later, Oyuki runs into the temple, looking around.
"Koosei-kun?!!" she calls out, then spots the dazed Terran nearby. Running
over, she helps him to his feet. "Koosei-kun, are you alright?!"

"O-...yu-...ki-...cha-...n?" the teacher moans. "That...you...?!"

The Ipraedies intelligence agent shakes her head, then levels her gun at
whoever is holding her former boyfriend, the smoke still obscuring the
Tritonian's features. "Hold it right there, you!!!" she growls.

The smoke clears, revealing Oyuki's face. "You!!!" both women gasp.

Bushi then pulls her gun back. "I've no fight with you, Oyuki! Just
give me the Fire-spirit and we'll go our separate ways!!"

The princess is not impressed. "You people would use *my* true love for
your sick plans?" she icily snaps.

"What are you talking about?! You call killing the Mikado 'sick?!!'"

"He's suffered enough!" Oyuki nods. "Leave him be or answer to me!"

The intelligence agent looks neutral. "Fair enough, then..." she pulls
out a sonic grenade, "...but understand that this is for those nameless
innocents on Vos who die every day because of that bastard!"

Before Oyuki could react, the grenade explodes at Koosei's feet,
knocking the couple away from Bushi!! The Fire-spirit bottle is flung into
the air as the teacher is shoved into the princess. Seeing her target now so
close, Bushi runs to intercept. "I got it!! I got it!!!"

A sledgehammer states otherwise! "That's what you think!!!" Ataru snaps
as Bushi drops to the floor.

The Terran leaps over the Ipraedies, catching the Fire-spirit. By that
time, Bushi has recovered. "Your pet Oni won't save you now, Ataru!!!" she
bolts to her feet, her gun aimed at his heart.

"True, Commander," Ataru smiles as he holds the Fire-spirit in her line
of fire, "...but **this** will!"

"How'd you do that?!!" Bushi demands.

In answer, the thunder of machine guns and bazookas rocks the temple!!
Explosions destroy the roof, debris collapsing between Ataru and Bushi. The
Terran and the Tritonian drag the unconscious Koosei out of the temple as the
whole works collapse! Once in the clear, Ataru looks up as airbike engines
are heard. "Okay, Dake-chan! Let's blow this popsicle stand and head home!!"

Dakejinzou drives up on an airbike. "Get on!!!"

Ataru and Oyuki leap on, Koosei now in the princess' lap. The huntress
guns the engines, blasting off for Rupa's orbiting destroyer. Along the way,
Dakejinzou passes Carla and Lupica, both suspended in mid-air by jetpacks,
their favourite weapons in hand. "Bushi won't bother us anymore!!" the
huntress reports. "Let's go!!!"

"Give me a sec'!" Carla takes aim at the temple...then shrieks as a
phalanx of missiles fly at her face! "OH, SHIT!!!!!!" the Yaminokuni screams.

Everyone scatters as the missiles explode!! The force of the blast
rocks Koosei off Dakejinzou's airbike, sending him falling to the ground far
below! "KOOSEI-KUN!!!!" Oyuki cries.

"I got him!!!" Ataru yells as he leaps after the falling teacher.

Pandemonium breaks out as Ataru skydives towards Koosei, psychic fire
consuming the teenager as he transforms into the Cyborg before leaping off.
With the extra boost from his lower legs, Ataru drops past Koosei, crashing
into the Earth long before the unconscious teacher could drop a hundred
metres! "That crazy idiot!!!" Lupica gasps. "What's he trying to prove?!!"

In the massive crater he just created, Ataru leaps up, not the least bit
harmed by the near-kilometre fall. Seeing Koosei approach, he crouches down
to leap up and save the teacher from becoming street pizza...when a gun is
aimed at him! "Don't move!!!" a voice barks.

Ataru looks right to see a young female Ipraedies navy trooper, Hazel's
age, with a pistol aimed at his face. The poor girl is visibly trembling at
the machine-man's presence. "**Fly's undone!**" Ataru points at her pants.

"Oh, really?!" she looks down. "Where...?!"

Ataru nerve-pinches her unconscious! "**They always fall for that!**"
he snickers, then tenses...

...and spins around just as Mendou's katana blade sweeps at his head.
"Moroboshi, you animal, how dare you...?!!" Mendou snarls...

...then rockets into the sky thanks to the Cyborg's fist! "**Eight ball
in the side pocket!!!**" the machine-man snaps.

Mendou collides with Koosei, sending the teacher flying right into
Oyuki's waiting arms!! "Um...thank you, Ataru!!!" the princess waves, quite
pleased by the sudden turn of events.

The Cyborg waves back. Mendou crashes into the earth some distance
away! Ataru looks from his vantage point. "**Ah, he's unhurt!**" the
machine-man cackles as he reverts to normal. "Pity!"

"Darling, what's going on here?!!" Lum demands as she flies up to him.

"What are **you** doing here?!!" he faces her.

"I was worried!!" she looks upset. "Don't you know how much I worry
when you take off like that! I thought you'd been kidnapped!!"

"Who told you that garbage?!!" he snorts.

"Cherry did!" she replies. "He said that if you went into space...!"

Ataru belts her with a sledgehammer! "What did I tell you about
listening to that old fool?!" he growls.

Megane's sledgehammer belts Ataru!! "You unappreciative slime, how
*dare* you strike Lum-san?!!" the guards' leader snarls.

An explosion later sends Megane flying into orbit!!! "***GET OUT OF
HERE, YOU DINGBAT!!!!!!***" Ataru roars.

Megane soon crash-lands on the slowly recovering Mendou! "And what're
**they** doing here?!!" Ataru points at his two most annoying rivals.

"I needed help to find you and I couldn't get in contact with Nassur-
chan or Benten!" Lum looks defensive.

"I've **got** to get you out of Tomobiki!!" he slaps his forehead.
"It's the only way to cure you of the perversions of those jerks!!!"

Mendou, Megane and the other guards suddenly appear behind Ataru, quite
incensed. "***WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!?!***" they roar.

"Don't move!!!" a voice barks.

Lum and Ataru see Bushi several yards away, her pistol aimed at them.
With her stand a half-dozen of her Warhawk's crew. "Bushi!!!" the Oni gasps.
"What's going on here?!!"

"That, you idiot, will be answered as soon as your boyfriend hands over
the Fire-spirit!!" the Ipraedies snaps. "I'm tired and I've got no patience
for the lunacy those mindless morons produce day after day!!!"

Dakejinzou lands with Oyuki and Koosei. Carla and Lupica drop down
behind the huntress, warily eyeing the group of Ipraedies. Much to Ataru's
disgust, Sakura, Shinobu, Lan, Ten-chan, Cherry and Ryuunosuke appear, having
come from the Oni's scout. "Gods, now **all** the idiots are here now!" the
former student's eyes roll skyward.

"Gee, you sure don't express much in the way of appreciation when
friends come to help!" Ryuunosuke snaps.

"With *friends* like you, who needs **enemies**?!!" Ataru retorts.

"Darling, enough!!" Lum snaps, then faces Bushi. "What's this Fire-
spirit you're taking about?!"

"She means this thing!" Ataru produces the bottle.

The Oni blinks. "You mean to tell me that you went to all this trouble
because of a bottle of *perfume*?!" she stares incredulously at Bushi.

An explosion occurs!! "No, you idiot!!!" the Ipraedies intelligence
officer belts the Oni with a sledgehammer! "Have you no brains?!! Is this
what type of clueless morons Nassur teaches these days?!!"

Lum, Lupica and Carla look very insulted. "HEY!!!!!!" all three scream.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING 'CLUELESS?!?!?!'"

A cartoon dragonfly passes behind Bushi. "Need I ask...?" she mutters.

"Hey, hold the story!!" Megane grabs the bottle from Ataru. "What's so
spectacular about this thing that you're ready to go to war over it?!!"

"Oh, gods!" Bushi shakes her head. "Can't we stop worrying about such
things?! Lives are at stake here!!"

"What are you talking about?!" Lum demands.

Bushi points to the bottle in Megane's hand. "We need that potion to
create a super-warrior who could assassinate the Mikado!"

"Who's the Mikado?!" Chibi hums.

"Probably the worst dictator that you'd ever encounter!" the Ipraedies
explains. "Your own Adolph Hitler was *tame* in comparison!!"

"He rules Natsu-chan's homeworld, Vos," Dakejinzou continues. "You
could say that the Mikado is the reason Nassur doesn't live there anymore!"

"Koosei-kun, did you ever meet him?!" Sakura wonders.

"I've had that pleasure," Koosei moans. "Believe me, Sakura-chan, he's
as bad as they say!"

"Then, you understand why we want the Fire-spirit!" Bushi snaps.

"Bushi-chan, the Vosians want to settle the problem with the Mikado on
their own!" Koosei sighs. "Even the Yehisrites and the Zephyrites grudgingly
accept that!! Personally, if you ask me, he's got six months tops left in
power before the rebel forces nail his ass to the wall!!!"

"And how many more must die before that?!" Bushi looks sad. "And what
of those of his followers who escape to harass people again?! Do you have the
right to commit those poor lives to death by allowing him to run loose?!!"

Koosei shakes his head. "There's nothing to worry! So far, he's
committed no crimes outside of the Vosian Confederation!! Let him be dealt
with on Vos and be done with it!!"

"What would you say if I told you that he plans to attack *Tomobiki?!*"
Bushi points to Koosei's fellow Terrans.

Everyone looks surprised. "What did you say...?" Koosei gasps.

"Simple!" she crosses her arms. "He wants to avenge himself on Nassur
for his defiance! What better way to do that than to kill Nassur's only
friends...which are right there!!" she gestures to the people from Tomobiki.

Everyone faints! A curious stare appears on Ataru's face. "Commander,
if you get that potion...he could be stopped?!" Mendou hums.

"Exactly!" she nods. "If you don't mind..." she holds out her hands.

"Here!!" Megane moves to hand her the bottle...then finds he no longer
has it! "Hey!!! Where'd it go?!!"

"And where's Lum-chan, Darling and Ten-chan?!" Lan looks around.

Everyone is surprised to see how fast the three disappeared. "Ataru
took the damn bottle!!!" Megane screams.

"FIND MOROBOSHI!!!!!!" Mendou commands.

Lan and the Terrans save Koosei race off. The aliens are quite taken
aback. "Are you sure about this?!" Lupica looks at Bushi.

"I've seen the signs on Vos, Princess," Bushi nods. "It's going to
happen sooner or later."

"I still can't believe it," Koosei shakes his head.

The Ipraedies moves to kneel beside her former boyfriend. "Do you think
the rebel forces are going to stop the Mikado, Koosei-kun?" she urges. "I'm
sure he'll pay you a very unpleasant visit sooner or later!"

"I'll believe it when I see it!" he sighs...

* * *

"Darling, *why* are you asking me to take you back to Earth?!" Lum
grunts as she, Ataru and Ten-chan fly towards her waiting scout.

"It's a matter of principle!" he tightly holds the Fire-spirit bottle.
"That green-skinned witch used *our* friend to obtain some stupid potion,
which may **not** be the real McCoy, then intends to employ it for some idiot
attempt at assassinating some dictator whom we've not had any dealings with!!
Besides, I know how Bushi's scenario is actually going to play out!"

"How?!" Lum looks curious as they land beside her scout.

"Simple," Ataru sighs. "Say this is the real Fire-spirit, someone
drinks it and they go after this Mikado! The chances are still good that he
may survive!! And he's *not* going to be pleasant when he does survive!"

"True," she considers his words. "The Mikado's escaped heaven knows how
many assassination attempts before! It's nothing new to him."

"Thank you," he smiles. "Anyhow, when he survives and he finds out what
happened, he's going to go out and find every person who was involved with
this, including those who could've stopped it but didn't...such as...!"

"Koosei-onii-chan!" Ten-chan gasps.

"And I know the Mikado didn't appreciate it one bit when Koosei escaped
Vos!" Lum muses, nodding understandingly. "When he bolted out of Lecashuto,
three years of scientific experiments were lost!!"

"Exactly!" Ataru nods. "The sooner we get rid of this thing, the
better!!" he holds the Fire-spirit bottle. "There's an old saying in my clan:
'if you don't want to stir up a hornet's nest, don't *touch* it!"

"Okay!!" she nods. "Now...how do we persuade Commander Bushi of that?!
There's little protecting us from her Warhawk save Rupa's destroyer...and I
know his crew's not well-trained to take her on! And if they do, it's war!!"

"True," he sighs, then considers the possible options. "Okay, let's go
to Earth and let Chie-san take a look at this! He can tell if this thing's
the real deal or just a millennia-old sham!"

"Ataru-kun, stop!!!" Shinobu's voice is heard as she runs up, the others
from Tomobiki behind her. "You don't know what's going on!!!"

Lum and Ataru face them as they catch up. "What's that supposed to
mean?!" he demands.

"That potion's supposed to save lives!" Shinobu gasps. "Don't take it
to Chie-san!! Give it to Commander Bushi and let it end there!!!"

Ataru looks surprised. "Since when did we start trusting Ipraedies?!"

"The man Commander Bushi's after is a sick and evil dictator!!" Mendou
snaps. "She may be right, you know! He may attack us!! She wants us to help
her nail this bastard before that can occur!!"

"See, Jariten?!" Ataru looks at the young Oni. "All these idiots want
is get good with a pretty lady!"

"Hey, quit changing the subject!!" Lan snarls.

"You should talk, Moroboshi!!" Megane grabs Lum by the arm. "Even Lum-
san agrees with us on this!"

"I do not!!" Lum yanks her arm away. "Darling wants to take this to
Chie-san and have him look at it! What's wrong with that?!"

"Do any of us know this is the real thing?!" Ataru holds up the bottle.
"My uncle's run into this time and time again on his safaris! Someone could
have slipped this as a false lead to anyone looking for it!!"

"Enough!!!" Shinobu moves to take the bottle away from him. "We're
taking this back to Commander Bushi!!"

The people from Tomobiki are then roasted by Ten-chan's flame-breath!
"Sorry about this, Ten-chan!!" Ataru lets him go. "Lum, cover me!!!"

"Right!" Lum leaps protectively in front of Ataru as he transforms into
the Cyborg, then leaps into the air back towards the Fire-spirit temple!

"Ataru-kun, wait!!!" Shinobu cries as the machine-man disappears...

* * *

Minutes later, the Cyborg makes a soft landing in front of the pile of
wreckage which once house the Fire-spirit. "**Those jerks'll never get it,
will they?!!**" he hisses as he moves towards the ruins. "**Putting this
thing back here will keep it safe from those dummies!!**"

His hands assault the rocks as they are tossed away. Soon enough, the
wrecked sarcophagus is produced. "**There you are!**" Ataru nods. "**Now to
put you back in where you can't do any more harm!!**"

"Ataru!!" Koosei's voice is heard.

The machine-man stops, turning to see Koosei and Oyuki standing there.
"**What are you doing here?!**" he demands.

"We'd ask the same of you," the Tritonian muses.

He reverts to normal, holding up the bottle. "I'm putting this where it
belongs! They'd never think of looking for it here!!"

"Under normal circumstances, I'd agree with what you're doing!" Koosei
nods. "There's little escape seeing as you didn't come in Dake-chan's ship!!
Bushi-chan's desperate to make use of that thing!!! I know her too well!!"

"So?!" Ataru snaps. "Koosei, she used *you* to get her hands on this
thing!! Damn it, her people wanted **you** to kill this Mikado!! Doesn't
that tell you that she's a little paranoid?!"

The teacher considers the problem. "Koosei, I've known idiots like that
all my life!" Ataru points outside. "If people perceive an enemy, they'll do
everything to make someone an enemy!! What do you think I've been fighting
over the past two years, what **you've** been fighting since you came to teach
at the school?!! If you give in to that paranoia, allow it to fester and
grow, then there's no escape!! Why'd you think I left Tomobiki, why I'm
trying to get Lum-chan out of that zoo?!!"

"Still," Koosei crosses his arms, "...Bushi may be right."

"If she's right, then fine!" Ataru nods. "But if she isn't right, then
we're working ourselves into a snit over **nothing**!!"

Koosei looks at Ataru. "And another thing," his former class president
holds up the Fire-spirit. "If we make use of this against the Mikado, whom
from what I've heard, is certainly capable of backstabbing anyone...then that
makes *us* as bad as he is! I don't want to be thought of as that way...and
I'd like to believe you're not that way, either!!"

The teacher stares at Ataru, surprised by the sudden compliment he just
received. "Ataru, you and I've been using all sorts of underhanded tricks to
nail idiots like Mendou and the guards!" he chuckles, pointing outside.

"No," Ataru shakes his head. "I'd like to believe that all we've ever
done is expose those morons to the truth of what's around us!"

Koosei considers the point. "I guess so," he turns to see a bunch of
people racing towards the temple, "...but try to convince them!"

"Oh, dear!" Oyuki gasps. "Should I freeze them?"

"It might work," Koosei muses. "Then again, they're so riled up now,
they might just punch through ice!"

Ataru looks at the people now racing towards the temple, all trying to
obtain the bottle in his hand. Koosei was right: there was no reasoning with
those idiots. Thank the fates that Lum saw the logic of his conclusions.
Staring at the Fire-spirit, he shakes the bottle. Liquid is inside. Dare he
risk it? If it was fake, there would be no cause for alarm. If it was real,
what then? Ataru sighs, then opens the bottle.

Outside, the people from Tomobiki spot Koosei and Oyuki standing by the
temple. "Where's Moroboshi?!!" Mendou draws his katana. "I shall make him
*two* for his defiance of us!!!"

Ataru then screams at them through a megaphone! "KNOCK IT OFF!!!!!!"

Everyone is blasted back by the wall of noise. Ataru walks out of the
temple, the Fire-spirit bottle in hand. Recovering, Mendou leaps at his
rival, aiming his katana at Ataru's throat. "Now, are you going to turn that
thing over or do I take it from your dead hand?!!" he snarls.

"Sure..." Ataru holds up the bottle...then lets it go! "Ooops!!"

The bottle shatters on a rock. Everyone gasps, then confusion crosses
their faces when they see nothing there. "E-empty...?!" Shinobu stammers.

"Nope!" Ataru shakes his head. "I drank it!!"

An explosion occurs!! Everyone stares in disbelief at Ataru, who
slightly winces, feeling his stomach. "Ugh!!" he spits out. "It was awful!"

Confusion crosses many of their faces as they see no reaction. "Are you
okay, Darling?!" a worried Lum floats up to him.

"I don't feel a thing!" he shakes his head.

"Hah!!" Megane snorts. "The Fire-spirit's works on people's **good**
qualities!!! That proves that you *don't* have any, Ataru!!"

The guards's leader is frozen by an icy glare from Lum. "C'mon, you
clueless jerks!! Let's go home...urk!!!" he gasps as he doubles over in pain.

"Darling!!!" Lum leaps to his side. "Are you okay?!!"

"My...head hurts...!" he reaches for his forehead.

"Maybe that thing works after all!" Ryuunosuke muses.

Ataru's eyes open...glowing a bright gold! "So..." he glares at his
former classmates, "...all you idiots care about is trying to hurt me, eh?!!
You didn't give a shit about what this thing might've done to anyone, eh?!!"

Lum looks confused. "Darling, what are you talking about...eh?!"

She looks left to see everyone from Tomobiki save Ten-chan doubling over
in horrible pain, reaching for their foreheads. "Ouch, what a headache...!"
Megane groans, dropping to his knees.

"Can't think straight...!" Paama gasps.

"Owww!!" Lan moans. "Make it stop...!!"

Lum then feels a curious tingle in her mind. The tingle increases as
she draws closer to Ataru. "Why...Darling...you're psi-linking!!!"

"Psi-linking?!" Oyuki gasps. "How?!"

"He's part-Vosian, remember?!" Koosei stares at his girlfriend.

"But how could he do that?!" Ten-chan scratches his head.

"Not just that, Ten..." Ataru hisses, "...but THIS!!!!!!"

A second later, a psychic Akira-wave wrecks everything within a fifteen
kilometre radius of the temple!!!

* * *

"It worked?!!" Bushi gasps.

Bushi's Warhawk and Rupa's destroyer depart Gekido. Ataru is asleep,
his head in Lum's lap on the latter ship's bridge, Ten-chan relaxed beside his
cousin. Bushi meets with Koosei and the other members of the rescue party
nearby. "Too well, I'm afraid," the homeroom teacher crosses his arms. "I
guess it's for the best, anyway. That stuff was *too* powerful to control!"

"Pity," Bushi sighs. "The Tribunal will be disappointed regardless.
And that's not to mention what the Mikado might be planning as we speak."

"If so, then we resort to the old idea," Koosei adjusts his glasses.
"'The price of liberty is eternal vigilance!'"

"I pray that's enough," Bushi turns to depart. "Thanks for your help,
anyway, Koosei-kun. Take care."

The Ipraedies teleports off the bridge. "Well, that was quite simple,"
Oyuki looks relieved. "Now what happens?"

"We take those slobs now crowding Rupa's sick bay back to Earth and I
give them a month's detention for skipping classes!" Koosei growls.

"Does that mean me, too?" Lum gulps.

"No, not you!" the teacher smiles. "You at least had a legitimate
excuse for coming out here."

"Th-thanks," the Oni smiles.

"Koosei-kun," Oyuki smiles, "...you're breaking Ataru's faith in you."

"Perhaps I am," Koosei shrugs. "Then again, with idiots like the ones I
have to deal with, a little backstabbing never hurts...especially if it
finally teaches them some lessons about life!"

"In a million years," Dakejinzou snorts.

Everyone laughs. "Oh, man!!" Ataru groans as he slowly rises. "What
the hell happened to me?!"

"Darling, are you okay?" Lum looks concerned.

Hearing her voice, Ataru stares at the Oni. Suddenly, his eyes briefly
flash gold. "L-lum-chan...!" he gasps, his eyes not averting from her.

"Darling, are you okay?" she looks nervous. "You look pale!"

"Pale?!" he hums. "No...I just have this mad urge to..." he grabs Lum
in a bear-hug, "...make mad, passionate love to you RIGHT THIS MINUTE!!!!!!"

Lum shrieks, pushing herself away from Ataru, then backing away from
him, her hands waving him away. "Darling, stop it...!!" she stammers. "Stop
it!! We're in public!!! Don't you have any shame?!!"

"Listen to you!!" he cackles. "You were crawling all over me before the
Spirit War!! Take you clothes off!! Let's do it **now**!!!"

Shrieking, the Oni flies off the bridge, the Terran in hot pursuit.
Everyone watches them go. "Boy, I've heard of instant recognition, but
**this** is ridiculous!" a stunned Koosei shakes his head.

In seconds, Rupa's destroyer echoes with Lum's screams as she tries to
beat her lust-driven boyfriend back. "Darling, cut it out!!! Save it for
when we get home!!!" Lum screams. "Someone, give me a firehose!!!"

The lightning merely drives Ataru even more crazy! "More!!!" he howls
as he races after her. "More!!! GIVE ME MORE!!!!!!"

*** The End ***