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- Black Aeronaut - 02-23-2014
Well, regarding how GXP is going to intersect with Garrick's time there... probably not at all. Garrick, in fact, will probably know of Seina, maybe even befriend the kid, but do nothing to change his fate. But Garrick will be long gone by the time Amane shows up.
Although it would be kinda funny if Kiriko had a crush on Garrick, only to come to find that Seina later steals her heart. A fun echo of Ayeka's situation between Yosho and Tenchi.
Quote:ClassicDrogn wrote:There is that, but there's also temporal momentum. So, the more things change the more they will stay the same. Kinda like Ryoko and Ayeka. Soon we'll see that while they do get a long much better, they'll still have some very colorful disputes. ^_^
An interesting segment - the repetition of "Forewarned is forearmed"
felt a bit odd at first, but then I realized Garrik was using it to
psyche himself up for the action. Considering his situation, it's a
fairly good byword, though as usual, the more he influences the less
things will look like the story he knew.
Here, have some more!
It wasn't over.
Not really.
Yakage was no
longer making any fuss about fighting Tenchi or myself. But things
were still far from settled. That much was clear as Yakage sat at
the table with us, nursing a tall glass of green tea. The tension
was as thick as you'd think it would be.
I was just glad
that Minagi wasn't present for this. Instead, Yakagi had called over
her ship, the Hinase, and she
was spending some time getting reacquainted with its computers.
I thought it was interesting that Minagi had a genuine Jyuraian tree
ship... without a tree to occupy it. And I had a seedling without a
ship.
I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I felt like fate was whacking
me over the head with a clue hammer.
“So,” Yakage
said at last. “You know for a fact that my best blade cannot
defeat the Light Hawk Sword, and that I would die in the encounter.
Washu vouches for you. As does... Minagi.” Yakage shook his head,
still not quite coming to terms with how Minagi turned against him.
“This is quite a quandary I find myself in.”
I scoffed. “Try
being me. Not that I'm not grateful for the life I have here, but
winding up in this place wasn't something I was planning on myself.”
Yakage glared at me. “What makes you
think I would want to stay here?”
I shrugged.
“Nothing. Except for the fact that you're dying. I know it. You
know it. So does everyone else here. And you gain nothing by
bringing on your death earlier than it ought to be.”
“Garrick has a
point,” said Washu quietly. “I took a moment to look at your
genetic make-up. You don't have a lot of time left, but it's enough
to do something better than to get yourself killed.”
“And what would
you have me do?” Yakage seethed. “Sit out on a sun deck and
spend my final days languishing?”
“How about you
take on a student?” said Washu matter of factly. “Hell, take
Garrick. He's a quick study. He's good with numbers and concepts
and he can pick up all the academics in six months. I guarantee it.”
I gaped at Washu.
“What?”
“Six months?”
Yakage said flatly. “This isn't some joke of yours, is it Washu?”
Washu grinned a
feral smile. “I wouldn't joke about this. Garrick has two
mental disorders that, separately, can be quite debilitating.
However, with a dedicated teacher they can work in conjunction to
drive him to learn at a phenomenal pace. First of all, he'll
dedicate himself to learning a new concept until he has it down pat.
But you can't let him linger on it too long or else he'll get bored,
so you have to keep feeding him new material. He's so easily
distracted by something new that if you play him right you can keep
him going until he drops dead from exhaustion.”
“Washu-chan, what
are you doing?” I asked, slightly horrified.
“Killing two
birds with one stone. Pipe down, dangit!”
Yakage glared at
me, then Washu, and then cleared his throat before going on, “I
will admit that your student is... different. But I still don't see
why I should teach him. What purpose would it serve?”
Washu kept
grinning. “Well, I suppose you haven't heard the news yet. The
Royal Household is keeping it
under wraps, after all.”
“You don't mean to say he is a bastard child!?” cried out Yakage in shock.
I snorted. “Were it so simple.”
“HAH!” Washu crowed gleefully. “It's better than that!
Queen Funaho is going to adopt him!”
“But why him of all people!?” said Yakage incredulously.
In response, Sasami came over, settled herself into my lap
just-as-you-please, and then wrapped her arms around my torso as she
gave me a huge hug. Of course, I gave her a bear-hug right back,
causing the tiny little princess to make a pleased grunt. Yakage
could only look on in shock at the amount of familiarity I was
displaying with the Second Crown Princess of Jyurai.
Sasami then looked to Yakage and spoke softly. “When Gar-nii-san
came here he lost his entire family. He was hurting so badly I
thought he would die of heartache. So we decided to become Gar-kun's family. Besides, Nii-san is fun. He
teaches me all kinds of things like how to fire a pistol.”
“WHAT!?” screeched Ayeka causing me to wince. Oh man, here it
comes. “GARRICK GRIMM, EXPLAIN YOUSELF NOW.”
“She was curious about the tactical course Mihoshi and I put
together. I know for a fact that once a child becomes curious about
fire arms the best course of action is to satisfy their curiosity to
prevent future mishaps. I've been teaching her using a .22 caliber
target pistol. By comparison, it's like a needler laser, so it's
pretty easy for her to handle.”
“And you felt it was fine to leave me out of the loop!?” Ayeka
growled.
“That was Sasami's request. She was worried about you having
exactly this kind of reaction. Relax. Washu has been supervising.”
Ayeka glowered at me disdainfully, but subsided somewhat as she said,
“Very well then. However, I myself wish to ascertain the content
of your lessons with Sasami. Therefore, you will teach me everything
you have taught our sister thus far.”
“By your command, my beloved sister.”
If Yakage had been shocked before, now he was completely floored.
With Yakage lost in
thought and the ad-hoc meeting breaking up, I went outside and met up
with Minagi.
“Garrick!” she
called out as she flew up to me and wrapped me up in a hug.
“Whoah! Are you
alright there?” I asked.
Minagi was quiet
for a moment. “I think I will be,” she said softly.
I looked into
Minagi's eyes and offered her a small smile. “Sounds like you have
something heavy on your mind. I know just the place for that
situation. C'mon, follow me.”
She gave me a
confused look, but followed me regardless as I jogged down the
waterfront path and made my way to Yosho's tree, Funaho.
“A Royal Tree!”
cried out Minagi. “Here!?”
I nodded. “It's
Prince Yosho's tree.” I then walked up to the trunk and placed may
hand against it. “Hello Funaho. I brought a friend with me. Mind
if we come up?”
The lights beamed
down from the leaves and I heard the tree's voice. “Yosho's
little brother is always welcome in my boughs. As is his precious
friend.”
I smiled as I looked back over at Minagi's astonished face. “C'mon,”
I said at barely more than a whisper, and then I grabbed the lowest
branch and swung myself up into the canopy.
As I settled into my favorite spot – a broad branch that gave me a
view of the stars framed by the canopy leaves – Minagi appeared
above me, giving me confused look.
“This... isn't disrespectful?” she said nervously.
I
smiled up at her. “Minagi, we humans are descended of an arboreal
species. Our love for lofty yet sheltered spaces comes from this
background. This is our ancestral home. The trees know this and
welcome us like mothers welcoming their children home. So find a
spot. Make yourself comfortable. Funaho here won't mind one bit.”
Minagi glanced around for a second, then shrugged and promptly
layered herself on me. I gave her a look of mild surprise, to which
she replied,
“Well, you did say to make myself comfortable.”
I chuckled. “You are adorable,” I said and then kissed her on
top her head. Minagi just sighed contently and for a long time we
just laid there like that.
In fact, we were laying there long enough that I was starting to get
that sleepy feeling... and then Minagi suddenly spoke.
“Hinase won't restore my memories,” she said. “It refuses to
do so.”
I sighed. “I didn't think it would. Hinase is worried for you.
To be honest, I can't blame it. I didn't have the happiest childhood
myself.”
“But... why? I mean... you seem okay.”
“Yeah, but I wasn't the nicest kid, either. Sure, I was an
adorable little flirt that stole hearts left and right. Kinda wish
my mother was still around to tell you, but the pictures I have will
have to do. However, I was also an evil, self-righteous, and
conceited little brat that didn't play well with others. I got
better, though. But the point is, I understand why Hinase thinks its
better this way.”
“But... you don't think so?” asked Minagi.
“Well... You can go about this one of two ways. One is that you
can go ahead and make peace with the fact your past is a mystery to
you and let it go. The other is that you confront your father and
fight him to recover your memories.”
“But he'll die if I do that!” Minagi cried out suddenly as she
levered herself up to give me a horrified look.
I simply shook my head and gave her a helpless look in return. “He
won't care. Because believe it or not, he wants you to be happy,
even at his own expense. Such is the calling all fathers that love
their children feel. I will surely be the same way with my own
children when I finally have them.”
Minagi's expression then became pained. “But he wanted me to kill
people... people that haven't even done anything wrong. How can a
man like that love me?”
I sighed. “I'm not sure what the deal with that was... All I know
for certain is two things – that he loves you very much more than
he allows himself to show, and that he wants you to possess the
strongest sword in the universe. From that, I can suppose that he
wants you to be able to take care of yourself no matter what might
come your way. And in order to do that, you would have had to been
willing to kill anyone that would threaten you.”
“But what he wanted me to do was still going too far!”
“Oh, I agree. Remember earlier? I pointed out to him that he
might have lost sight of the fact that you don't need to go to
extremes so often.”
Minagi gave me a dirty look. “And that gun of yours wasn't?”
I smiled at that. “That, milady, was a mechanical engineer
bringing hard physics to the table in the most efficient manner
possible. Those drones of his are no joke, so I simply decided not
to mess around. Like Washu-chan said, I prefer to be direct and not
beat around the bush.”
Minagi sighed as she settled herself back down on my chest. “Okay,
I can see your point. And I admit, it was pretty impressive, too. I
never knew Earth had such potent weapons despite the primitive
technology.”
“Conservative, my dear. Earth firearms are an exercise of
conservative technology.”
“I don't care. Just promise me that you will take care of
yourself, Garrick. I'd feel horrible if anything happened to you.”
“I promise,” I said as I stroked her head gently and gave her
another kiss. “In fact, I'll speak with Washu-chan on the matter
tomorrow. I actually have a few ideas. You might even like them.”
Minagi
made a contented sounding noise and snuggled up against me. We were
like that long enough for me to start dozing again when Minagi
suddenly asked,
“May I sleep with you again tonight?”
I chuckled softly. “People will definitely think that we're doing
something,” I warned her gently.
“What makes you think I want to disabuse them of the notion?” she
asked. Suddenly her lips were on mine and I kissed back.
After a moment, she pulled back slowly and I smiled at her. “Not
that I mind, Minagi, but isn't this a little fast for you?”
Minagi smiled back and shook her head. “I don't know why I feel
this way, Garrick, but I do. And somehow... I feel that, despite me
losing my memories, this sensation is new to me... and it's
wonderful... and I am happy that you're giving it to me.”
“Alright then, but let's just be clear about something.”
“What?”
“I'm fine with this relationship becoming physically intimate...
but if the time comes that we need to go our separate ways, then
let's just accept it as a cruddy turn of fate and let it go at that.”
“So we just live for the moment then?” she asked, giving me the
bedroom eyes. “I think I can live with that.” And with that she
put her lips to mine once more.
The opening bars of Sakura Saku began to blast cheerfully from my
alarm clock. With the unerring accuracy of a man who will not permit
his sleep to be interrupted any further, my hand found the alarm
switch (not the snooze button) and turned off the alarm.
Muscle memory is an amazing thing.
“Errrmph,” said a voice succinctly in my ear. “shoulda done
that 'rlier.”
“sorry,” I replied back softly. “kinda distracted me last
night.”
A soft bark of a laugh. “who distracted who!? you never really
explained where you learned that trick with your fingers.”
I cracked my eyes open and found Minagi giving me a small, sensuous
smile. Ah, the afterglow! How I have missed this.
When you get two people in the sack that are very athletic like
Minagi and I, and one of them really knows what they're
doing... well, let's just say that was an experience like none other.
I was intent on staying in bed for a while longer and it was obvious
Minagi felt the same.
“When I was much younger, I had a chance encounter with a book,”
I explained. “It looked pretty plain at first. But once you start
reading it, you realize it's anything but plain. The book was about
the findings from a questionnaire from about a thousand woman
inquiring about all the details of their sex lives. I learned more
about female sexuality from that one book than all the other guides
I've ever read.”
“Just books?” Minagi asked playfully. “What you did last night
was more than that.”
I smiled back at her. “That and a little bit of practical
experience.”
“Just a little?” she continued to tease.
“I'm just that good with my fingers.”
“Among other things.”
“I'll have you know that the equipment downstairs is perfectly
average. I know because I've seen some guys that are absolute
monsters in that department.”
Recruit Training – mentally scarring young men everywhere since the
dawn of time.
“You know better than that, silly,” Minagi replied as she inched
closer to me, every line on her face screaming indulgent sensuality.
“It's not the size of the tool. It's the skill of the user.”
We closed our eyes as our lips met. The kiss wasn't long lived,
though, as there came the sound of someone knocking on my door. Very
firmly at that, too. Minagi broke off the kiss suddenly as the
peephole holo-screen appeared over our heads.
It was Yakage and he didn't look very pleased.
“He can't see us, can he!?” Minagi squeaked out as she gathered
the comforter around us.
“No, he can't. It's one-way only. But I don't appreciate the
attitude regardless,” I grumbled as I slung myself out my bed and
down the ladder.
“What are you doing!?” Minagi cried out as she saw me whip open
the curtain and head straight for my door, not even stopping to put
anything on.
“Giving him another piece of my mind, since it seems the first one
didn't take.”
I whipped the door open right as Yakage was about to pound on it
again. He reared back then at the sight of me, not a single thread
of cloth to cover my body.
“Problem?” I asked him archly.
“What is the meaning of- GHHKKHHH!” he said as his eyes suddenly snapped to
the direction of my sleeping area. I looked back over as well and
saw Minagi trying to hide in my comforter. I stifled a laugh as I
looked back at Yakage who looked like he was about to go
thermonuclear.
Honestly, I didn't care what he thought. If he tried anything he was
going to find out first hand just how tough my door really is, and
then he'll find out about how I would like to handle people that try
to get in without my approval.
After a few long seconds of seething incoherently, Yakage finally
seemed to get control of himself and took several long breaths.
“You,” he finally ground out between clenched teeth. “And me.
Out front. In thirty minutes.”
The bit with the pistol lessons will be in a side stories tale. It was something I had just come up with as a way of showing just how thoroughly Garrick was integrated into the family. Beyond that I don't think it would have much bearing on the plot except as a potential Chekhov's Gun.
- classicdrogn - 02-23-2014
One of my enduring notions is a mandatory Firearms Safety unit as part of High School PE, to make guns something you had to write a paper about instead of something mysterious and cool, and teach everyone how to avoid the mistakes that get people hurt or killed accidentally. Do it with airsoft or paintballs, so there's no real danger, and make it a pass/fail that you can't get a diploma or GED without ticking off or getting a medical exemption for.
In short, I approve.
As to the rest of the update... Rejoice, Yakage! For you get to fullfil the dreams of all fathers whose pure and innocent daughter has been despoiled by some smooth-talking Lothario! Six whole months, to make his existence a living hell!
I'm sure Garrick will appreciate having such a motivated instructor. He certainly went to great lengths and plumbed great depths to provide the incentive
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Thesilentjackofalltrade - 02-24-2014
Oh, I love messing with BA over the fact that he finds it ok to do it with a chick who just lost her memories.*
It's fun watching him try to justify it when it's clear in this case there is no issue.
*In this case it would be ok due to the fact that she becomes a better person in the end thanks to the memory loss, and his foreknowledge of this fact gives him leeway.
_____________
Veni, vidi, vici. [I came, I saw, I conquered
Quote from Julius Caesar
- Black Aeronaut - 02-24-2014
?_?
- classicdrogn - 02-24-2014
[size="large"]¯(?)/¯[/size]
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Foxboy - 02-24-2014
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''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''
-- James Nicoll
- ordnance11 - 02-28-2014
*Laughing like a loon*
Oh wait..that's Doug's line.
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
- Black Aeronaut - 02-28-2014
Quote:ordnance11 wrote:At what? Garrick's antics or the ASCII text-off?
*Laughing like a loon*
Having a bit of trouble deciding what direction to take the fight between Garrick and Yakage. Got a pretty good idea of how it will open (with a move so horrendously unorthodox that even Yakage, with all his centuries of experience, is shocked by the audacity)... but afterwards... do I follow through with Garrick utterly insane yet somewhat plausible promise to 'TAKE THIS INTO THE TREE TOPS!' ... or do I go the route of utter hurt where Garrick impresses Yakage with his excellent Cpt. Ahab impersonation?
- classicdrogn - 02-28-2014
I'd kind of like to see the treetops action, myself. If not now, certainly at some point.
While I'm at it - Please oh please take time to kick Lynn Kaifun's whiny ass when you do get to Macross. If Garrick replaces him as the actor to play Shao Pai Long with his very real space magic powers, all the better.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- ordnance11 - 03-01-2014
Quote:blackaeronaut wrote:Both actually...Quote:ordnance11 wrote:At what? Garrick's antics or the ASCII text-off?
*Laughing like a loon*
Having a bit of trouble deciding what direction to take the fight between Garrick and Yakage. Got a pretty good idea of how it will open (with a move so horrendously unorthodox that even Yakage, with all his centuries of experience, is shocked by the audacity)... but afterwards... do I follow through with Garrick utterly insane yet somewhat plausible promise to 'TAKE THIS INTO THE TREE TOPS!' ... or do I go the route of utter hurt where Garrick impresses Yakage with his excellent Cpt. Ahab impersonation?
As to the fight..I keep hearing "Duel of the Fates" in the background. Visions of a jedi style duel. like the SWTOR "Return" trailer. The Jedi master has some serious two sword fighting skills to be able to fight 2 Sith simultaneously.
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
- deadpan29 - 03-01-2014
I don't think "Take this into the tree tops" would work in Garrick's favor. Yakage is Juraian so already has some links with trees or an arboreal setting, and from what we see of him in the manga he was adept at fighting from the flying platforms his drones turned into.
----------
No, I don't believe the world has gone mad. In order for it to go mad it would need to have been sane at some point.
- classicdrogn - 03-01-2014
That just means it would be a good fight. And, given the drones, fighting in and around the canopy might be the only way for Garrick (who can't fly) to have a chance, by restricting the field of batttle to one wgere they don't provide a significant advantage. Garrik has the initiative in that Yakage wants to fight him and has to follow if Garrick moves; he should take whatever advantage of his own he can glean from it because in pretty much every other way he is hosed.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Black Aeronaut - 03-02-2014
Pretty much what I was thinking myself, CD. Although Yakage would be leaving the drones out of this, seeing as not only has Garrick done for two of them already, he would also like this to be... personal.
- ordnance11 - 03-02-2014
Oh yes, Daddy wanting some chastisement on the Lothario boinking his baby girl!
__________________
Into terror!, Into valour!
Charge ahead! No! Never turn
Yes, it's into the fire we fly
And the devil will burn!
- Scarlett Pimpernell
- robkelk - 03-02-2014
I suspect this is a crossing of the line between "narrative causality" and "narrative inevitability" - Yakage will be dueling someone.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
- Black Aeronaut - 03-02-2014
Quote:robkelk wrote:
I suspect this is a crossing of the line between "narrative causality" and "narrative inevitability" - Yakage will be dueling someone.
I've already lampshaded this phenomenon earlier...Quote:Garrick and Washu-chan said:Garrick will be able to change quite a few things, but there's still temporal momentum to consider. For example, while Minagi is out and about, she will still run into a certain young lady that mistakes her for Ryoko and panics, crash landing on Earth.
I sidled up next to
Washu. “Take a note, Washu-chan. Temporal momentum is definitely
in effect here.”
“Oh? How so?”
“In the time-line
from the mangas I read? Ryoko was the one to originally do that to
Minagi... and afterwards she had amnesia. I'd bet all my booze that
she's not gonna remember anything but her name for a while after
this.”
“I see. So there
are limits to exactly how much you can change.”
EDIT: As we've seen on OVA3, this could be the result of certain people time traveling in order to keep things on an even keel.
- Black Aeronaut - 03-12-2014
Okay, sorry about the delay, folks. Deciding on how to handle things between Garrick and Yakage took me a while because, let's stop and think about this for a second: Yakage is a Master Swordsman (and a Master Swordsmith, too!) while Garrick is, despite his capability to learn fast, very much a novice. How do you keep a fight like that interesting whithout making it seem like the master is just toying with the boy?
Also, work's been kicking my ass. I haven't had a real day off in a while because I keep getting called in. I've had four consecutive weeks where I've made overtime, and not a small amount of it, either.
Anyhow, something to note. I found out the Kajishima-sensei has given us a delightfully sweet little tale telling of the lives of the daughters of Ayeka and Ryoko... and the son of Kiriko. http://tenchiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1149 Oh, and WoG is that this will be that basis of the next Tenchi animation.
Getting all my info from here: http://tenchi.astronerdboy.com/ Wonderful resource!
And now for more Adventure Time with Garrick Grimm and the Haremites.
“Do you think I'm ready for this?” I asked Yosho as he fussed
with the armor I had been fitted with. While Jyuraian battle armor
pretty much took care of all the complex and fiddly details of
fitting itself to you all on its own, it was best to have an
experienced veteran check it over regardless.
“As an instructor, no,” said the seemingly old man. “But I
think you should be fine. Especially if you put that delightfully
odd way of thinking of yours to work.”
I grinned back at Yosho. “I'll see what I can manage. Little
Sister, are you almost done?”
“Just about, Dear Brother,” Ayeka replied as she wrapped my hair
in a binding. It had been growing like a weed over the winter. The
colder it gets, the faster my hair grows, and in the mountain
highlands I had grown a whopping four inches to an already impressive
queue, bringing my hair to a proper waist-length.
Poor Ayeka was torn up over it. “This hair of yours is amazing.
It's thick and heavy like ours, but it's so soft and silky – not
stiff at all! Is there any chance that Lord Tenchi's hair will be
like this if he were to grow it out as well?”
“I'm sorry, Sister,” I said with honest regret. “Japanese hair
tends to be a little more like yours. Mine is from my Native
American heritage.”
Ayeka sighed. “Pity. Maybe we can convince him to undertake a
gene mod... to signify his acceptance of you as his brother, I mean!”
I smiled. “So it would have nothing to do with fantasies about
running your hands through thick, silky hair that happens to be
growing off of Tenchi's head?”
Ayeka gave my queue a sharp tug.
“OW!” I cried out, laughing. “Okay, okay, I deserved that,
I'll savor it.”
“Gar-nii-san!” called out Sasami. “I have a present for you!”
I looked down and saw that Sasami was offering me a small wooden
blade.
“A shoto!” I said in wide-eyed surprise as I took the proffered
weapon – a wooden wakizashi – from Sasami.
“Unh!” she replied enthusiastically. “Washu-chan said that
Yakage prefers to use a double-bladed sword, so I found a fragment of
Ryu-Oh and carved it up for you!”
“You carved this?” Sasami nodded happily and I laughed
softly. “And here I didn't get anything for you!”
“Just make sure you don't get hurt. That will be your present to
me.”
“How does he get off so easily?” Ayeka whispered to Sasami, for
it was a well known fact that Sasami, despite her adorable looks, was
an absolute mercenary when she wanted to get something out of you.
“Because he's my precious Gar-nii-san.” And that was all Sasami
needed to say on the matter. I swear you'd almost think I was
replacing Tenchi's place in her heart.
“Whoah! Look at you!” came Ryoko's voice. “Damn, Garrick!
You shine up prettier than a brand new coin. Minagi better not see
you like that or else she'll ruin all that hard work we've done.”
“Too late,” said Washu, pointing at the second-floor railing.
There, Minagi stood with a wide-eyed slack-jawed expression.
And she was drooling.
“Uh-oh,” I said succinctly.
There were a pair of loud pops in rapid succession and suddenly Ryoko
was holding Minagi bare inches from me.
“Oh, c'mon Ryoko!” raved Minagi as she and Ryoko struggled
against each other – Minagi desperately pawing for me while trying
to push Ryoko off of her, and Ryoko making all kinds of hilarious
expressions as she did her damnedest to keep Minagi in check. “Just
five minutes! I won't mess him up too badly! You can even watch!”
“WHOAH!” I cried out at that last little bit.
Ryoko's eyes bulged, everyone else face-vaulted and, I swear in the
name of all that's holy, Sasami-chan had a freaking nose bleed.
She just covered it up so effectively that I was the only one that
saw it. Noboyuki, I decided then and there, should really keep
better tabs on his doujinshi collection.
“Whoooaaa there, Missy!” Ryoko replied once she regathered her
wits. “I can admire your spirit, but Garrick's gotta fight for
your honor now.”
Minagi sighed heavily as she slumped against Ryoko. “ohhh
alright,” she said weakly as she picked herself back up. Suddenly,
she went ramrod-straight as she then announced, “BUT AFTER YAKAGI
IS DONE WITH HIM GARRICK IS ALL MINE! DO YOU HEAR ME?”
“That's nice, dear,” I said as I leaned over and pecked her on
the cheek, causing her to blush. I laughed – I couldn't help
myself. Seriously, now you blush? After that outburst about
letting others watch!? I was starting to like Minagi more and more –
not that I'm an exhibitionist, but she was definitely my kind of
crazy. You know, the sort where you let yourself get carried just a
little too far away. Freddy Mercury was well known amongst his
friends for this.
I then turned and looked at everyone. They all stood there, smiling
back at me.
My family.
Sasami, my loving, kind, mercenary little sister.
Ayeka, my bold yet refined sister – courageous in ways that few
women are.
Ryoko, my close friend who had more love in her heart than she knew
what to do with.
Washu, my kindred spirit – out of them all, she knew my heartbreak
the best.
Mihoshi. Sweet, bumbling, loving Mihoshi. She will always turn up
at exactly the right moment.
Yosho, my teacher. He held my respect and gratitude for propping me
up when I needed it.
And Tenchi... The young man that looked up to me, if for no other
reason than that I never really gave up. His only fault in this
convoluted situation was being afraid of change.
Aren't we all in some way or another?
And then there was, of course, Minagi. Ryoko's sister. Bold like
she is, but without the bravado and tempered with a generous helping
of sweetness like Sasami's. Like everyone else here, she was
courageous and would never shrink back from a threat to her loved
ones.
I wondered oddly if she was the one. What would it be like to have
her as my life companion – to raise a family with her as my
partner?
I had to set that aside for now, though. As sorely as I craved
having children of my own and a wife to help me raise them, it would
still have to wait.
There were more immediate things to tend to.
“Thank you. All of you,” I said as I lowered my head to them.
“You've all given me back the things I thought I'd lost... for
that, I'll love you all forever.” I then turned to face the patio,
tucking the shoto Sasami gave me into my belt next to the bokuto
Yosho gave me. “Okay, let's see if I got this Big Damn Hero thing
down pat.”
“Well, you showed up,” said Yakage dryly. “At least you're not
a coward. Aren't you a bit overdressed, though?”
“I'm no fool, Yakage,” I said levelly. “I don't walk into a
fight like this unprepared.”
“Good,” Yakage replied with a grim smile. “You have some sense
in that head of yours. So now the question is how much more sense do
I need to beat into you, child?”
I raised an eyebrow. “This isn't about Minagi then?”
Yakage glared at me. “Oh, don't worry about that. I intend to get
my pound of flesh where that is concerned. Though I must admit,
Minagi has never shown any romantic interest in anyone until she met
you. And I have to wonder now... how much is it really her lack of
memory... and how much of it is your devilish charm?”
“Hah,” I scoffed, much to Yakage's displeasure. “Nice verbal
judo there. In one way I'm taking advantage of her and in another
you paint me as man-whore. I suppose it's just as well – Ayeka can
tell her parents that you legitimately besmirched my honor as a man,
thus the need for this duel.”
Yakage laughed slowly. “Young fool. This is no duel. This... is
a crucible. And I will use it to divine what you are really made of,
child.”
“Then I hope you brought enough fuel for the fire, because it's
gonna take a lot more than you think to melt me down.”
“Enough talk then! Draw you're weapon, Garrick Grim!”
I drew the shoto with my left hand and the bokuto in my right,
turning to my dominant side so as to present the bokuto to face
Yakage. The shoto I held in a low-guard position – with luck it
would block the other end of Yakage's double-blade and allow me a
chance to counter-attack.
“So, I see you brought two blades,” said Yakage with a smirk.
“Someone has been whispering in your ear. At least this means I
don't have to hold back!” With that, he brought out both of his
massive blade emitters, joined their handles, and ignited them.
Crap. To think he would have gone with just one, at least for a
little bit, if I had left the shoto in my belt. Ah well. I planned
on this from the get-go anyhow.
And then came the moment I liked the least – the stand off.
That moment of tension between when we take our stances and when we
charge at each other. Where you wait until the feeling is just
perfect. I don't really mind the fact that we have to wait for this
moment, but the waiting itself just kills me.
“I wonder what would have happened if, instead of Tenchi, Garrick
had to fight Seiryou,” I heard Ayeka's voice somewhere behind me
ask.
“Are you kidding?” I heard Ryoko reply. “Garrick would have
killed the man.”
“Shush you two,” hissed Washu. “This is important!”
Yakage gave me a look of consternation from across the deck. I could
only shrug in return – it was a bit awkward with the two blades in
hand, but I'm pretty sure I managed to convey my feelings on the
matter.
The silence settled in once more and we waited.
And then... NOW!
There were no sudden shouts, no challenges, just sudden movement as
we both charged at each other like two freight trains on a single
siding hellbent for leather. I kept my eyes on Yakage's movements.
I wanted to know which way his blade would go. I was pretty sure
that I would avoid it with what I had in mind, but it still helped to
know.
Finally, when we were at what I judged to be just the right distance
between us, I shifted my weight backwards and planted my feet. And
then I fell to my side and began a foot-first base-runner's slide.
For Yakage, it simply did not compute. After all, in all his
centuries of experience, who would throw themselves to the ground and
make themselves so vulnerable to attack?
His blade came for me, carving a smoking furrow in the wooden deck
but I parried the blow with the shoto... and counter-attacked with
the bokuto, aiming for his legs. Yakage tried to adjust his footing,
but I still managed to catch his left ankle with the full force of
the blow.
Yakage snarled as he stumbled. I rolled and picked myself back up
again, assuming a defensive posture.
But a second attack was not forthcoming. Instead, Yakage looked at
me in unmitigated shock.
“What in the Great Tree's name are you thinking?”
I smiled back at him. “That's the question, isn't it?” I
answered. “What is Garrick Grimm thinking? How about something
along the lines of 'I better pull out all the stops if he thinks he's
gonna test me. Besides, better him than me!'” Yakage stared at me
in disbelief for a moment longer, and then burst out laughing
uproariously.
“Now I get it!” he crowed. “I see now why The Professor likes
you so much, boy! Like her, you don't follow the rules, at least
when it suits you not to. Oh, you'll follow them often enough, just
to keep up appearances. But the moment you see you're not going to
benefit from them...” Yakage then leveled an evil smile at me.
“You set the rule book on fire and throw it out the window.”
Yakage laughed again, this time the tone taking on a slightly
maddened pitch. “Oh, how I wish I could have gotten you sooner! I
would have given you the GP Body Modification to extend your life and
taught you everything I could. I would have made you into a monster
that rivaled Kagato. You might have even surpassed him with your
vicious practicality and killed him before Tenchi even mattered to
anyone.”
No joke there. While I may not be the type to kill a fly with a
sledgehammer (as amusing as it might be to try), I am the type where,
if I honestly wanted to make sure a certain man dies, I would use
bullets filled with polonium.
The only reason why I think I never pulled any knives on anyone like
my younger brothers did as children was because of my Grandfather.
The old man had put the fear of himself into me, and no surprise,
either, considering he was an old World War II veteran from the
Pacific Theater. That stoutly built little Creole man was a terror
to behold at times.
Small wonder I have anger issues – his blood runs in my veins.
“I think I'd like to keep as much of my humanity as possible, thank
you very much,” I replied levelly to Yakage.
“And how long do you think that will last, boy?” Yakage growled
back at me. “How long until something happens and there's no way
to bring you back? And even if you do manage to beat the odds, how
long until you die of old age? Minagi will still have her youth long
after you've turned to dust. What do you think that will do to my
daughter's heart?”
“We'll work it out one way or another. It's too early to tell
anyhow.”
“What? You mean this is just some sort of dalliance?”
“Pretty much. We're two consenting adults that find each other
attractive. The rest isn't fit for public dissemination.”
“You... YOU ANIMAL!”
Whoah! Plan B! RUN!
“Come back here and fight me like a man, coward!”
“Shut up! I'm taking this where I can fight on my own terms!”
And boy, was I ever.
Thing is, ever since Washu-chan had reinforced my body I had taken my
free-running to a whole new level. I was doing things to myself that
would have destroyed an ordinary man's body.
Basically, I had been free running through the trees, making the
canopies into my own personal little kingdom. For certain, there was
a lot of trial an error. I've had a lot of falls that would have
killed me before. Now I just get up, dust myself off, walk it off,
and go again until I get it right.
I had only been half-joking when I told Yosho that I would take our
practice into the tree tops.
Quickly I sheathed my wooden swords, shimmied up the first tree I got
to and perched myself on a sturdy limb to look down at Yakage's
gobsmacked expression.
“Well, you coming or not?” I called down tauntingly. Yakage
snarled wordlessly and I saw him coil in on himself for a tremendous
bound. I didn't wait – I gave off a whoop as I jumped for the next
branch.
Up, over, under, twisting, swinging, flipping, loping, skipping,
bouncing, ricocheting. I had gone hyper-active and was gleefully
leading Yakage on a chase through the branches, all while Yakage
cursed me, my parentage, my seed, and anything else he could think of
while slashing at me with his double-sword, always missing me by
inches as I kept bouncing and swinging from one limb to another.
Despite how all this seemed random, it was actually a calculated move
on my part. Yakage, I knew, was dying. He really didn't have his
old strength anymore... or at least if he was able to summon it, then
it wasn't for extended periods of time. Me, on the other hand, a
youthful thirty-something with boundless energy and a body toughened
up by Washu-chan...
That, and I had gotten him pissed.
Suddenly, Yakage broke into a coughing fit. Blood spattered the
trunk as he leaned to it for support.
“You clever bastard,” Yakage swore softly. “I can't believe I
let you get to me like this. You really are a devious little child,
aren't you? You knew you couldn't fight me directly... so you
changed the game.”
I swung my way over to his limb and sighed as I straightened up. “I
do what I must to get by,” I replied in an equally hushed tone.
“If that means I play up a man's weakness against him to keep him
from beating the shit out of me, then that's exactly what I'll do...
unless he expects that, then I gotta change up my game.”
Yakage laughed ruefully as he wiped his bloody hand against the
trunk.
“You're very wise for your age, child. I always wondered what King
Azuma saw in that woman when he made her his wife. Now I think I'm
starting to understand. After all... this is the first time I have
ever gone up against an Earth Man.
“The GP are right to make this a protected territory. Your kind
are highly competitive... and even worse, you tend to incite
conflict. If your people ever got off this planet in mass, the
entire galaxy would be set ablaze.”
I bowed to Yakage for the rather back-handed compliment. “Thank
you. So, what now?”
Yakage stared at me for a brief moment. “Yosho has spoken highly
of your capability. Thus far you've managed to outpace Tenchi in
learning the way of the sword.”
“Ooo, I think I see where this is going,” I said nervously.
Apparently this wasn't over yet.
Yakage laughed. “You're right to be cautious, but this isn't what
you think. I merely wish to see your skill with a sword.”
“Right here?” I asked.
“No better place,” said Yakage with a smile. “You are stuck on
this branch with me... nowhere to go at all.”
“Shit,” I cursed. He was right. This was one of the few
branches around here that, while I could get to it, getting off of
it presented an issue – the only way off being a twenty-foot drop.
Yakage reignited his blade, this time only one half. I drew out my
bokuto and settled into a ready stance once more.
Our eyes locked, we charged, and then struck.
There was a moment of blinding pain followed by sudden
weightlessness, and everything went dark.
- classicdrogn - 03-12-2014
you're weapon -> your weapon
Otherwise, nice - and entirely predictable once the grandmaster has you in a position where there's no room for monkey business.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows
- Bob Schroeck - 03-12-2014
face-vault -> facefault
And there's somewhere I can't find now where you have "an" instead of "and".
Those are the only two that come to mind after reading the new passage, which succeeds admirably.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.
- Black Aeronaut - 03-12-2014
I've been wondering about that, Bob, and I think I know why 'face vault' may have become popular: because in appearance this is kinda what it looks like: http://www.sportplan.com/drills/Gymnast ... yCA_YWfVcI (make sure you play the little vine-like clip there).
There's also an Urban Dictionary entry: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.p ... face+vault
- Bluemage - 03-12-2014
I like what I'm seeing. Old master-types that appreciate somebody inventive enough to change the rules and exploit weaknesses seem to be entirely too rare in fic, so I enjoyed seeing this one. As long as he's not disappointed at Garrick for being beaten so fast, I heartily approve of this.
(Also, you've got some typo in your fic.
Quote:“Enough talk then! Draw you're weapon, Garrick Grim!”Two for the price of one! )
My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.
I've been writing a bit.
- Black Aeronaut - 03-14-2014
Glad you do approve, Bluemage. And no, he's not going to be disappointed in the least.
Also, just got done watching War on Geminar... Kenshi wins at having the biggest harem in anime. Looking forward to seeing more if and when it comes.
- deadpan29 - 03-16-2014
A subjective issue, but an issue none the less in my eyes:
All in all, this story has individual chapters that are very well written but the overall flow of the story is such that Mr. Grim seems to have gone from a random schmuck dropped on the Masaki household to beloved family member and central figure way too fast for my suspention of disbelief to keep up.
----------
No, I don't believe the world has gone mad. In order for it to go mad it would need to have been sane at some point.
- Black Aeronaut - 03-16-2014
I apologize for that, but it was important to get Yakage as a teacher because of what it sets Garrick up for later on down the line - swordsmithing is going to play a role in some worlds he goes to. (Sorry, don't wanna drop any more spoilers than that. I already got one person's hopes up with Macross.)
Garrick will be staying home for the next major story arc - that is, the one featuring the adorable wood-carving girl, Asahi. Although he'll see a bit of action on the home front.
As soon as I figure out the plot, Garrick will have some adventures that are uniquely his own. Although there will be a few arcs from the manga where he'll get involved. In particular, any one where Ayeka is kidnapped, because you just don't mess with family.
- Black Aeronaut - 03-17-2014
Other thoughts about Tenchi and Garrick.
Tenchi's upbringing is Japanese. Garrick's is American. Most Japanese like to have an appearance of mediocrity because mediocrity = uniformity. Americans like to stand out, which means going out, trying different things, and showing off at least a little bit. When confronted with a toilet that doesn't stop running, a Japanese man will think, 'This isn't my specialty. I'd better call the plumber.' The American, on the other hand, will make the adjustment (even if it's not the proper one) and go, "Fixed that for you."
And that's pretty much what it boils down to. Tenchi is passive and Garrick is proactive. Small wonder that Garrick steals the show, eh? But, in time Tenchi will learn to assert himself better, and then the relationship between the two will take on an odd dynamic. Think of Benawi and Kuro from Utawarerumono.
Anyhow, we now return to General Hospital, starring Garrick Grimm, Washu Haukubi, Yakage, and special guest star, Seto Kamiki Jyurai!
“He's far better than I imagined,” I heard a voice somewhere
speaking softly. “Had he a better weapon he might have taken me.”
“You should see some of his projects,” a more familiar voice
murmured. “The weapon he used to take out your drones? He made
that himself... though he claims that it's derivative work.”
“What isn't these days? We all stand on someone's shoulders no
matter what field we pursue.”
“Oh, look! He's coming around. Morning there, Garrick! How ya
feeling?”
“'shu-chan?” I murmured as I cracked an eye open cautiously.
Fortunately, she seemed to have the lights dimmed, but that did
nothing for the fire burning in my chest. “Gahdahm ch'st f'lls
'ikes't used fer trampoline,” I said through clenched teeth.
“F'king 'aser swords.”
“I told you I'd get my pound of flesh from you, boy,” came
Yakage's voice.
“Din't haf ta be so f'king litteral!” I cried out in pain.
“I better do something about that,” said Washu as she twiddled
something on a holo-pad. Right away, blessed relief flooded my
system.
“ooooohhhhohohohoh, that's nice. Soooo much betteeerrrr... Out of
curiosity – pharmaceutical or pain editor?”
“Bit of both,” Washu replied. “Pain editor blocks it out
completely, but the drug helps with the pain induced stress.”
“Natch,” I quipped. I then looked to Yakage. “So, satisfied
now?”
“For now,” Yakage allowed. “You had better do well as a
student, though, or else I may feel that a... repeat lesson will be
in order.”
“Good! Good!” said Washu cheerfully. “Now that that's out of
the way, we have visitors. You can come in now!”
I was expecting Minagi, one of the girls, Tenchi, or even Yosho to
show up. I was, however, not expecting Seto to step into view.
“Oh my, you seem to have gotten roughed up, Garrick,” said the
Devil Princess of Jyurai with a smile that said 'Boys will be boys'.
“I had the other guy on the ropes,” I said glibly, “but then he
played the 'fight fairly' card and beat me with experience. By the
way, not that I am unhappy to see you, but why are you here all the
sudden?”
“We were following unconfirmed reports of an outlaw in this
vicinity when we heard from the Princesses that Yakage was here.
Imagine that,” said Seto coyly as she leveled a deadly glare at the
man in question. “I'll be blunt with you, Yakage.” The man
grimaced and reared backwards as Seto began to advance on him. “I'm
of half-a-mind to arrest you and bring you back home to face
punishment for your crimes – chief amongst them bringing harm to a
ward of the Royal Family.”
“It's official?” I cried out. “Already?”
“Not the adoption,” Seto said, turning a kind smile to me. “For
now, though, the counsel has agreed to grant you provisional
membership of the Royal Household until Funaho and I can get them to
agree to let us adopt you in properly. I love my son-in-law, but he
can be quite stubborn at times.”
I nodded at that and Seto turned her attention back to Yakage. “As
I was saying, part of me would love to bring you back for judgment.
However, since you have been so kind as to agree to pass your
knowledge down to Garrick, I will let it pass. It has been a while
since the Royal Family has had its own Master Weaponsmith.”
“That's what you want me to do?” I asked incredulously.
“If you don't mind,” said Seto as she turned to me with a smile
once more. “I just got done playing with this marvelous little toy
of yours.” She then held up the shot gun I'd used to kill Yakage's
drones. “Got to admit, this thing kicks like a Doduos... but it
strikes like one, too – it actually manages to overload most
mass-produced personal shields in one shot. With some refinement
this could be just the thing my anti-pirate forces need for their
boarding actions. I can only imagine what will come of it after
Yakage is done educating you.”
I blinked at Seto. “Is this some kind of test?” I asked.
“Oh? Why would you feel that way, Garrick?” asked Seto kindly.
I sighed as I tried to put what was on my mind into words. “I
understand you don't like pirates... but deciding my career so
suddenly... that's not entirely like you. And especially not
something you know I may come to dislike. The weapons I make are
mostly for my own use. If a friend or family member expresses an
interest, then I may gift someone with one of my creations, but that
is about as far as I would go. I'm not doing this to arm the
military.
“I want to build things that make everyone's lives better.
Weapons... do not necessarily do this.”
Seto chuckled, a deep and throaty laugh. “Well spoken, Garrick.
I'm glad that you feel that way. Otherwise, I think I would have had
to keep a much closer eye on you than I really wanted. That said
though... If you want the job, it's yours once Yakage is done with
you. Don't worry, it really is nothing more than a ceremonial
position. You see, those that the Master Weaponsmith judges to be
worthy to hold his creations is held in high esteem by the Royal
Household.”
I blinked in surprise. “You mean I would, in essence, be judging
the character of the people the Royal Household interacts with?”
Seto nodded. “Indeed. While it's not really necessary... it is
something we feel better with than without.”
“But why would you want me for that? I mean, you hardly know me!”
“I may not,” Seto replied, putting a fingertip to my lips to
shush me. “Although I have been watching you from afar when I can.
I also speak with my grandchildren on a regular basis. They have
truly come to regard and adore you as the older brother we want you
to be. Think about it, my grandson. Little Sasami is absolutely
smitten with you and wants nothing more than to see you smile. My
darling Ayeka grows more steadfast and serene every time I see her.
Yosho cannot stop about how hard you push yourself in training... nor
can he be more impressed with how Tenchi has begun to follow your
example.
“In case I'm not being clear, I'll spell it out for you. All
ulterior motives aside, I want you to be part of our family, Garrick,
and the only thing really holding us back are the politics. And for
once I can honestly do without them. I just want to see you and the
rest of my grandchildren happy.”
Warmth filled my chest and I was pretty sure it had nothing to do
with Washu's medicine or Yakage's sword.
“In that case, do you mind if I call you Grandma?” I asked Seto
with a smile, already knowing what the answer would be.
Seto smiled back at me. “Only if you let me spoil you from time to
time and call you Grandson.”
The smile became a grin. “I think I can live with that, Grandma.”
Seto then turned to Yakage and the smile left her face. “There are
things you and I need to discuss, Yakage. Let's leave Garrick be so
the rest of his family can visit with him.”
Yakage gave a short bow to Seto. “As the Devil Princess of Jyurai
wishes. Garrick, you and I will speak later.”
Just as Yakage was leaving, though, Minagi was making her way in. I
saw the two make eye contact and then Minagi gasped.
“That scar!” she cried out. Of course, this would be the first
time she's been close enough to see the scar on his face in detail.
“I... I gave you that scar! I... I remember now... the first time
I ever beat you... you kept it as a memento.”
“Then you should know then,” said Yakage with uncharacteristic
gentleness, “that everything I have ever done was for your sake,
Minagi.”
Minagi turned away, but didn't move any further. She remained in
silence.
“I won't kill,” she said at last. “I know I may be left
without any choice in the future, but if I do have that choice...
Never again!”
Yakage sighed as he lowered his head in defeat. “Very well then.
I understand.”
He was about to leave once more when Minagi spoke again, “Garrick
is right, isn't he? You cannot possibly create a Lighthawk Sword,
can you?”
“...I cannot,” Yakage replied with soft finality. “I have gone
over the data with The Professor and the results are conclusive. I
may very well have died dueling Tenchi. And I no longer have the
time left to find the answers I need.”
Minagi's face suddenly took on a sorrowful appearance. “I'm
sorry.”
Yakage was taken aback by the sudden apology. “You are? But why
would you be?”
“Because it was your lifelong dream... to create the ultimate
sword.”
“Minagi, my life-long dream was to give you the ultimate
sword.”
Minagi then turned back to Yakage in surprise, her eyes brimming with
tears. “It was!?”
“Are you so shocked?” Yakage asked kindly as he reached out and
gently brushed her tears away. “A father will do anything for his
daughter.” Minagi gazed up at him for a moment longer and then
suddenly grabbed Yakage up in an embrace, sobbing softly against his
chest.
As Yakage put his arms around Minagi comfortingly, I felt a hand on
my shoulder. Looking up I saw Seto giving me a warm smile. She
nodded once, as though saying that she approved of what I had done
here today, and then quietly left us.
For a long time, Minagi wept quietly while Yakage held her. But
finally, she pulled herself together enough to ask a question.
“What now, my Master?”
“I will pass on everything to Garrick. My knowledge, my
experience, my hopes and dreams... and even you. But my body is not
what it once was. I will need you to help Yosho instruct Garrick in
the way of the sword by sparring with him.”
Minagi looked a question at me and I smiled back at her. “Don't
worry. I'm tough as hell. In fact, I'll probably be up and about
later today.”
“Like hell you will!” snapped Washu. “You know why your chest
is on fire? It's because you had a myocardial rupture!”
Holy shit.
“Myocardial?” said Minagi, putting two and two together. “You
mean...”
“Yes,” said Washu grimly. “His heart exploded when Yakage's
sword passed though his chest.”
Minagi shot a wrathful look at Yakage.
The man simply cleared his throat and said, “Perhaps I had the
voltage level set too high. I am not accustomed to dueling against
humans.”
“MASTER!” snapped Minagi.
“Why the hell am I still alive?” I asked in horror.
Washu nodded knowingly. “Indeed, normally that sort of shock is
instantly fatal for a human. However, when I reinforced your body I
suspected that something like this may happen. So, to that end I
made an adjustment to your neurochemistry that makes you resistant
against suddenly fatal levels of shock. Even if someone were to blow
a hole the size of Yakage's fist in your chest, you'd live at least
long enough for me to get you into my Emergency Intensive Care and
Trauma Unit.”
“Gyaahhh,” I grumbled. “I don't know whether to thank you or
curse you. Whatever! What's the prognosis?”
Washu folded her arms and sighed as she closed her eyes.
“Your heart was not salvageable. The electrical current completely
destroyed the biolectrical system. Even if I could repair the nerve
damage, which is tricky business as you already know, I would have to
reprogram the nerves that control it. It's a lot more work than you
think and it's easier just to make you a new heart.
“For the moment, I have an artificial heart composed of complex
forcefields taking its place. It will keep you alive for now, but
only so long as you stay in that bed. I have already begun to grow
you a new heart and I've made a few minor improvements. Nothing
major, just a bit bigger and stronger to help you cope with what's
coming later. I already know you don't like the idea of me tampering
with your physical makeup without your consent, but this is still
within the scope of your genetic profile. Also, because we're
starting from scratch, the carbon nanoweave reinforcement will be
stronger. You shouldn't ever have another rupture once we get it in
you.
“All said and done, you should be out of here in a week.”
“I guess there's no way to make it shorter.”
“Only if things go horribly wrong. Then you'll be out of here in a
matter of hours. On a slab.”
I winced. “Okay, who are you and what did you do with happy-fun
Washu-chan?”
“She's out while I'm dealing with idiots that get their hearts
disintegrated. Seriously, you're making work for me. KNOCK IT OFF!”
Yakage began to edge away. “I think it would be best if I-”
“AND YOU!” Washu cried out, leveling a finger at Yakage.
“Egotistical! Self-rightous! Prideful! You... YOU'RE AN
ASSHOLE!”
I suddenly felt the irresistible urge to troll Washu. “Now now,
Washu-chan, don't hold back! Tell us how you reeeaaally feeeel.”
Washu whipped around to me and I was briefly reminded of an Oni mask.
“SHUTUP GARRICK!”
Worth it, and I would be happy with that. No need to push my
luck on that matter!
Washu then turned back to Yakage. “Look, it's not like Garrick
hasn't been seriously injured before. That's why I reinforced his
body in the first place! But this is the first time that it was
because someone actually intended him harm! If this happens again
under your watch... I will come after you and KILL YOU myself! Do we
have an understanding, Yakage?”
“It shouldn't be a problem, Professor,” Yakage replied tiredly.
“Good. Now g'wan, get! The others want to see Garrick and he
needs rest!” Without any further ado, Yakage bowed and left us.
Washu nodded her head, satisfied. “Good.” She then turned to us
and flashed a mildly mishievous grin. “Okay you two. No funny
business! That forcefield heart is a very temporary thing –
it won't handle sudden movements very well... or even heavy
workloads. And Minagi?”
“Yes?”
“When was the last time you had a gynecological examination?”
And down she went with a spectacular thud.
I gave Washu a flat look. “Washu, can't you be a little more
gentle with these topics?”
Washu waved it off with a sigh. “You two are sexually active.
This means that, even if you don't have multiple sex partners,
regular examinations are important. Especially if Minagi wants to
preserve her reproductive health.”
Washu got a pleading look from me. “Seriously, Washu-chan...
please be gentle with her. This isn't like when you mess around with
Tenchi trying to get a semen sample from him or goading Ryoko about
her womanly attributes.”
“That's a low blow and you know it, buster!” said Washu sharply.
“Why if you weren't so horribly ill right now I'd smack you upside
the head!”
“Alright, alright!” I said, holding my hands up in surrender. “I
went too far with that, I apologize! Mr. Nasty is back in his cage
now.”
“Mr. Nasty?” said Washu, raising an eyebrow.
“The reason I would make a lousy diplomat – every now and then I
slip up and say something tactless.”
“Well, you should know better regardless.” Washu then knelt down
to help Minagi back to her feet. “Ryoko I had the advantage of
creating her, so I was able to write in programming that took care of
that business for her.” She then looked the still-dazed Minagi in
her eyes. “But you my dear... I still need to make a full
assessment so I fully understand what your medical needs may be.
After all, I want my long-lost daughter to be happy and healthy,
whether or not you decide to have children.”
“Children would be nice,” said Minagi with a dreamy lilt to her
voice – she was sporting a rather large goose egg “Garrick and I
can make beautiful babies.”
Washu gave me a sheepish look. “Okay, I take it back a little –
you seem to be right about her being sensitive.” The then sighed.
“Even if she is more stable than Ryoko.”
I snorted. “Can't have it all, Doc. Like the popular saying on
the Internet about finding a girlfriend goes: attractive, single,
mentally stable – pick only two.”
Washu grimaced at that. “Was it really that bad?”
“Pretty much. I'm trying very hard not to frighten her off and
keep a realistic perspective on this thing.”
Washu blinked at me. “You really have fallen for her?”
I sighed. “I don't know yet. Right now, she's like an oasis after
being lost in the desert for a long, long time.”
“I see,” sighed Washu. “Okay then, I'll go get her situated
and then let the others know you're free to visit.”
“Thanks Washu-chan.”
“Don't thank me yet. You still need to deal with Sasami-chan.”
I blinked at that. “Hoo boy.”