Could this be the beginning of the end? Let's find out! Music included for the dinner scene!
//www.youtube.com/v/NuH4dwubjPM?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0
It was a quiet evening. We were all aboard Hinase because
Mimisaka had returned to the docks and Asahi, Nomori, and
Tatetsuki had all returned to their homes. Goghei was staying as a
guest of Nomori.
We were eating dinner together when Yuki piped up.
“Are you okay, Gar-kun? You're quieter than usual.”
I sighed. “I am kinda troubled... I'm just kinda uncomfortable
with the way things have turned out. It's too pat – too easy. I'm
used to things being a real struggle.”
“Why? What was it supposed to be like?”
“A lot more drawn out than this. Yume got what she wanted from
Asahi's ship and then thoroughly thrashed Yukinojo when it came
looking for Mihoshi. Minagi tried to get her father's sword back and
nearly got killed in the process, but she managed to save Asahi's
ship from being crushed by falling debris when Yume lifted off her
makeshift tree ship. Funaho and Misaki showed up along with an
entire fleet of Third Generation tree ships, but Yume used Bizen to
subvert their control over the fleet. And then there was the
showdown between Hishima and Goghei... Goghei forfeited when Hishima
adapted to his most powerful attack. But when Hishima then fought
Tenchi, Bizen was hurt during the fight and started to go crazy.
Bizen would have destroyed the galaxy, but Tsunami-no-fune showed up
and overrode Bizen and all the other tree ships it had taken control
of.”
The dinner table was pretty quiet after that.
“I know it's disturbing, guys... but the point is that everything
was okay in the end, and we were all better people for it.
“Ryoko, you learned that you honestly do see Minagi as a sister
when you donated your blood and marrow to help Washu save her life
after she was nearly beaten to death.
“Goghei learned just how deeply he cared for Asahi, and Asahi got
over her allergy to men.
“And Tenchi, you became a great leader when Bizen went crazy. You
made sure nobody lost their heads when they all would have been
justified in their panic and made sure that everyone did what they
could to stop Bizen.”
“But what about you and Yuki?” said Tenchi urgently as he got up.
“You weren't there in the original version of this time-line.
What would have happened then?”
I shrugged at that. “What would have happened happened earlier.”
Tenchi blinked at that, then sat down in his seat, stunned.
Washu, though nodded her head. “You people see his point now?
Garrick doesn't dole out information about coming events lightly. He
knows just how much of an impact it can have, and that is why he
chooses to remain silent at times.
“I want all of you to understand this: we should not make any
demands that Garrick reveal anymore than he has. It is far too
dangerous, and loathe as I am to admit it, only he can honestly judge
what sort of impact his knowledge will have. Do you all understand?”
“I suppose it is for the best,” Ayeka said. “I mean... you
would warn us about something when it is in our best interest, will
you, Dear Brother?”
I nodded. “Of course, Sister. I will always have everyone's best
interests in mind.” And that was no joke. I had already told
Washu about that spoiled brat, Garyu, and the utter mind-rape he did
to Ayeka. I only hoped that I would be strong enough to fight him
when the time came so I could throttle the little bitch-boy myself.
“That's good enough for me,” said Ryoko with a firm nod. “Not
a good idea to rock the boat anymore than we have.”
With Ryoko and Ayeka's approval, the others all nodded their heads in
agreement.
That night, Yuki surprised Minagi and I.
“Gar-kun, can Sasami-chan and I borrow your C-Space tonight?”
“What for?” I asked.
“She and I wanted to have a little sleep-over party with just the
two of us.” She then gave me a nasty little grin. “Also,
because I want to give you and Minagi a chance to do it properly.”
I felt my eyebrows go straight to my hairline. “Excuse me?”
“Minagi wants to make a child with you, right?” At my
undoubtedly surprised expression, Yuki giggled. “Silly.
Sasami-chan isn't stupid. She knows that you and Minagi have been
doing when your two sneak off. Don't worry, though. We haven't been
watching or anything like that.”
“I would hope not!” I cried out. I then sighed and hunkered down
so I was on eye-level with Yuki. “Yuki, look I-”
“Nope!” snapped Yuki cheerfully. “Don't care!” Her
expression then turned somewhat more sober as she went on, “I know
what you're thinking, Gar-kun... and you're right. I am jealous of
Minagi-nee. But that is just the way it is, right? She's old
enough, and she ready for this... I'm not old enough... and I'm
definitely not ready. I wish I was... but I finally learned... just
because I want something doesn't mean I should have it right away.”
Yuki suddenly laughed hysterically. “My friends back in school are
hardly gonna recognize me! They'll think that I was kidnapped by
aliens and replaced with a clone or something!” She then smiled
wistfully up at me. “But that's pretty much what happened... I
went to the stars... the old me died... and then the new me was born.
But I think it will be okay... even if some of my friends don't like
me anymore... I know the person I care about most will always like
me, no matter what.
Yuki's smile then split her face. “So go ahead! Make Pictures of
Spring with Minagi-nee! Make your first child with her! I'll do my
best to help Minagi-nee, and that will help me prepare to have my
first baby. Just make sure you do a good job, though, or else
I'll never forgive you!”
I laughed despite myself. Where the hell had this version of Yuki
come from? But then, I guess it's like she said. The old Yuki died
out there on Yatsuka... and a new one had sprung forth from the
ashes, determined to take on the world and wiser from her earlier
mistakes.
I pulled the precocious girl into a hug. “You are one crazy little
girl, and I love you for it.”
Yuki hugged me back with a vengeance. “You are my protector and
teacher and I love you for it.”
With my arms around her back, I tapped a familiar sequence into C-Pod
and felt the object I needed drop into my hand. As I pulled away
from Yuki, I clipped the thin band around her wrist.
“There you go,” I said with a smile. “Twelve hours of limited
access to my C-Space. You remember how this works, right?”
Yuki nodded. I then leaned over and gave her a little peck on the
cheek. “Give my love to Sasami-chan. This one is for her.” I
then gave her another one on the other cheek.
Yuki suddenly kissed me back, sneaking it onto my lips with the
swiftness of a snakebite. And then she took off, leaving a trail of
girlish giggling in her wake.
I sighed after I couldn't hear her anymore. “Girl is gonna be the
death of me, I just know it.”
The next morning I awoke to someone shaking my shoulder. Slowly I
opened my eyes to see Minagi looking down at me.
“Gar-kun, Funaho's here!” she whispered urgently.
“Bwwaaaa?” I said, oh so coherently, as I broke out into a huge
stretch and the sort of cavernous yawn that earned me the title
'Mouth the Size of Texas' from my mother. And then there was the
sound of a coy chuckle.
“Oh my! I've seen some impressive yawns before, but I swear that
all of Tenju could have fit into that one.”
“GYAH!” I yelped in surprise, my eyes quickly zeroing in on
Funaho.
Minagi had been quite literal in saying that she was 'here'.
“Ahhh...” I said, as my brain began to spool up. “Err...
Mother... You do realize I'm not decent under this blanket, right?”
Funaho tilted her head and smiled at me. “And why do you feel this
should concern me?”
I blinked at Funaho. “Okay, it's too goddamn early for this.”
Throwing modesty into the wind, I threw the covers off and got out of
bed, then quickly found my pants and pulled them on. That
accomplish, I planted my but back into Minagi's bed and started
rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“So, what brings you over here today, Mother?” I asked through
another yawn.
Apparently Funaho had froze for a moment. “...Oh! Yes, Yume
wanted to see about settling this challenge with you.”
“Yeah, we never did set a date for that. How about later this
afternoon?”
“It is already late in the morning. Are you certain that you'll be
ready to face her?”
I waved it off. “I've dealt with worse. Nothing like being woken
up at oh-my-goddess in the morning to load a few one-thousand-pound
torpedoes. You have no idea how thankful I am that I don't have to
put up with that malarkey.”
Funaho hid her open-mouthed shock with her hand. “I can only
imagine.” No surprise there. I don't think the Jyuraians have had
to do any sort of real weapons systems maintenance since Tsunami came
into their lives. Score one for organic weaponry. “Well, at any
rate I'll let Yume know.”
“Before you go, Mother, how is Bizen doing?”
Funaho smiled. “Bizen is doing well. She will appreciate your
asking after her.”
I nodded and suddenly had an odd thought occur to me. “Mother...
Since Bizen already has a name... that means that she was already
bonded to someone... so if Yume didn't steal her, then how did she
get ahold of Bizen?”
Funaho nodded in understanding. “It is a highly unusual situation.
I don't blame you at all for being confused on the matter. Bizen
belonged to a man who was something of a recluse among the nobility.
He passed away of extreme age, far out in deep space where no one
could find him.”
I nodded in understanding. “No one that is, except Yume.”
“Indeed.”
And then something else occurred to me. “Wait... Only the person
that bonds to a tree may name a tree... I forgot about that when I
named Katherine, and she accepted the name... then...”
“She may have already bonded to you. Remember, son, the ceremony
is only that – a ceremony. Although that is usually when a tree
will make its Master Key, there have been times when it occurred
before hand.” Funaho looked at me in askance, and I shook my head.
“No, she hasn't yet.”
Funaho smiled once more. “Then there is still unfinished business
to attend to. At any rate, though, I must be on my way. Prepare
yourself well, my son. Washu has already warned me that while Yume
is an academic by choice, she also has considerable prowess as a
swordsman.” She then gave me a wry grin. “Though I suspect you
knew that already.”
I smiled back at her. “Somewhat. I only ever saw that she was
able to stand on even footing with Washu-chan in hand-to-hand combat.
Thank you anyhow.” My smile then turned a bit nasty. “Forewarned
is forearmed, after all.”
Funaho grinned back at me. “Indeed. Good luck, my son.”
Minagi and I had a light breakfast, then limbered up and warmed up
together. Without pausing, we then went through a series of easy
drills to get my head in the game. We even went through some
scenarios of tactics we thought Yume might employ during our contest.
In then end, though, we were realists about the matter. We knew that
there was not much we could do to prepare me for this, except for the
more immediate matters.
To that end, Ayeka once more lent me a set of Jyuraian battle armor,
and then showed Minagi how to bind my hair the way she had when I
fought Yakagi.
That done, all I had left to do was to choose my weapon. Though I
did deliberate for a moment, the choice was clear.
When I arrived back on Ryuten, it was to a remarkable sight: the top
of the tree that had held the Shima Brothers facility had been
carefully removed and Bizen, along with the containment unit that
held the Royal Tree, was slowly being pulled up through the massive
trunk with the careful use of tractor beams and anti-gravity devices.
Yume was there as well, watching. Idly, I siddled up next to her.
“What would you have done afterwards, Yume?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, arch towards me but seemingly
unable to summon any real fury.
“After it was all said and done. After you had toppled the
Jyuraian Empire and had Washu as your willing slave. What would you
have done then?”
Yume scoffed harshly. “Would it have mattered? Think about it,
kid. If I was so willing to knock over the Jyuraians so readily, do
you think I would really cared about what happens next?”
I sighed. “I would have hoped so. It's so short-sighted for
someone of your caliber.”
“Yeah, well I'm in it for me and no one else. And what I want the
most is to monopolize Washu's brilliance.”
I cocked an eyebrow as I gave Yume a sidelong look, but she didn't
even bat an eyelash as she kept her eyes on the scene unfolding
before us. For all her talk about being 'mature' she sure didn't act
the part. She was in desperate need of some humbling.
“So, when do we get started,” I asked.
Yume turned and gave me a vicious little smile. “So eager to get
your ass handed to you?”
“You never know,” I answered with a smile of my own. “I just
might surprise you.”
“We'll see about that, little boy. Let's get this show on the
road.”
The field of battle had already been prepared – a large clearing in
the midst of the giant trees of Ryuten. An observation stage had
been set up on the far side of the clearing. There everyone waited.
My family, including Funaho, as well as Asahi, Nomori, Tatetsuki, and
Goghei. Misaki was not present, though. She was still cleaning
house with the Protector – an unenviable task if there ever was
one. Emperor Asuza was not present, either, but I had been told he
would be watching from the comfort of his throne on Kirito. Oddly
enough, however, Hishima and Takashima were there on the observation
stage.
Yume and I took our positions on the field. She drew her weapon, the
Shadow Blade. I drew my own Hielzein-S blade.
“So... you possess one of the Sibling Blades,” said Yume, a hint
of intrigue in her voice. “How exactly did you come by that?”
“It was a gift from the descendant of the man that forged these
blades,” I explained. “He was a friend of Yosho, who possessed
the other blade and had me pass it on the Tenchi. When I helped free
his people of a corrupt magistrate, he learned that Tenchi was not
only the Prince's descendant, but that I was regarded as his elder
brother. And so, it was felt proper that I possess this blade. In
honor of that, I have named this blade Otouto. Tenchi, likewise, has
named his Oni-san.”
“So, you're one of those sappy sentimentalists,” sniped Yume.
My brow furrowed as I gave her a hard look. “What the hell
happened to you?”
“What do you mean?” snapped Yume harshly.
“You know exactly what I mean, Yume. People don't become this way
naturally. We're sentimental for a reason – the ties and bonds of
friends and family are part of what makes us what we are. Who
destroyed your bonds of family? Who was it that hurt you so horribly
that even the thought of having such things are anathema to you now?”
Yume's expression had turned dark. “That... is none of your
business.”
Nothing more was said – it was finally time for this duel to begin.
Yume came first in a sidelong charge as she tried to flank me, and
very nearly succeeded in doing so due to her small size and speed.
That's alright,
I thought to myself as I moved to meet her head on. Let
her do most of the moving. She'll tire out eventually.
Our
swords met and I was almost surprised at how the shock reverberated
up my arms. It was like Takashima all over again, only at least the
blows were not so gut-wrenchingly hard.
On second
thought she may outlast me, I
thought as we traded more blows. She was not only fast, but powerful
as well. That tiny frame of hers held an enormous hidden strength.
Maybe she had more densely packed muscle fibers, much like a cat
does.
And
right as the thought of catlike movements came to mind, Yume suddenly
vaulted over my head, spinning like a top with the Shadow blade out
and flashing over me like some nightmarishly large food processor. I
was barely able to hold that assault at bay.
This was starting to become more than I bargained for. But did I
have an ace in the hole? Time to check my hand and find out.
Katherine, are
you there?
I
felt something alien, but not unpleasant, brush against my mind
gently and with the sound of a giggling child.
I'm always
watching over my Gar-kun.
I couldn't stop the elation from flooding my heart.
Can you lend me
a bit of your strength?
Silly, it's
always yours for the taking. You just have to reach for it.
Was it really so simple? I turned inwards as I left my hands to do
the work of turning aside Yume's assaults. And suddenly, there it
was: an upwelling of pure power that I never really noticed was
there. And being freely offered by Katherine, it was all mine for
the taking. The only condition being that I be her companion, and
she mine, for as long as I live and even unto death.
This was the pact. This was the bond. I took hold of this power and
pulled it up until I felt the connection fall into place. And not a
moment too soon as Yume darted aside from one of my thrusts.
I had hundredths of a second to react.
I had trained under Yosho for roughly a year, throwing myself into it
like a man possessed. To say that the training had born fruit was an
understatement: Yosho had begun to teach me blade catching. Granted
we had only done it with wooden swords for safety's sake, and at
nowhere near a proper fighting speed...
But here and now, with Katherine's empowerment, I stopped the Shadow
Blade cold between the palms of my hands, six inches from my face.
Yume gave me a maddened smile and somewhere I heard some commotion on
the observation stage.
“Incredible,” she hissed with insane joy. “No one has ever
stopped my blade like this before... But not even you can keep it at
bay forever!” She then began to pressed down against me with the
Shadow Blade.
Before, Yume's strikes had been brutally hard. She was certainly
strong then... but that was not the case anymore. It was time for me
to disabuse her of that notion.
I pressed back and Yume's smile faltered as she realized what was
going an and redoubled her efforts, but it was in vain. Once I had
the clear advantage, I then lifted the blade, and along with it, Yume
as well as she held onto it.
“There's no way!” wailed Yume desperately. “I had you dead to
rights! Where did you get this strength from all the sudden!?”
“Those bonds you seem to think are so needless?” I asked archly.
“They really aren't.”
“What?” said Yume, puzzled, but then her face became anguished as
the pieces fell together. “no... I should have KNOWN! OF COURSE
THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A TREE!”
Yume finally let go and dropped to the ground.
“I yield,” she said quietly.
I sighed and carefully set the Shadow Blade aside, and then held my
hand out. “May I have the sheath, please?”
Yume looked up at me and made a feral sounding growl that sent a
shiver up my spine. And then, too quickly for me to react, she
lunged and bit my hand, her sharp little canines digging deeply into
my flesh.
I squawked in shock and pain as I tried to pull my hand away. Yume
held on, but only for a second. Once she did let go, she giggled
hysterically as she licked my blood off her lips.
“Hmmmm. Good iron content,” she said with a vicious perversion
of coyness. “I hope you don't mind too much, Gar-kun. Even if you
have been endowed with the Power of Jyurai, you still would have
needed some great skill and talent to beat me. That little love bite
of mine is just my way of saying how much I appreciate being
challenged.”
“CEASE HER!” came Funaho's voice sharply as several members of
the Royal Bodyguard materialized around us.
“NO!” I cried out, giving the guards a sharp cutting gesture.
“Don't! It's over now. Yume will leave peacefully... won't you?”
“I shall,” Yume replied. “Here's the sheath,” she said as
she tossed it my way and I caught it with my good hand. “I hope
the next time you and I meet, Gar-kun, you'll be a little more...
amenable.”
The guardsmen let her by, but kept staff weapons trained on her at
all times. As Yume called Hishima and Takashima, Fuanho approached,
shooting Yume evil looks as she did so.
“Are you alright, son?”
“I think so,” I answered honestly. “It's not even hurting all
that much, but I'll have Washu-chan take a look at it here in a
minute.”
“Are you certain you want to let her get away with that?”
I nodded. “Just a bit of defiance – a last flying 'fuck you'
before she retreats. She won't be anymore trouble since she got her
pound of flesh in the end there.”
“I'm not so certain, son. People like her... tend to show up when
they are least wanted.”
“I'll take that chance, mother. As I said before, we'll want her
goodwill later.”
Right then, though, I had a horrible feeling in my gut. You know
that thing people say about feeling like someone walked over their
grave? I've never had anything to liken to it... until now.
Funaho gave me a concerned look. “What is wrong, my son?”
“You know that feeling you get when there's a horrible joke coming
up and you just know you're going to be the butt of that joke?” I
asked her. Funaho frowned sharply and nodded her head. I nodded
back and said, “Yeah, I'm getting that feeling now.”
And right then the entire world seem to lurch sideways and I
had to struggle to stay standing up.
A horrible cackle filled the air, reverberating off of everything and
nothing at once. Looking up to the sky, I saw the image of a huge,
overweight man in crimson robes and a hideously styled hair and beard
that made his head look like an octopus.
“DOCTOR CLAY!?” I cried out in shock.
Clay stopped laughing and looked down at me. Unnervingly, he seemed
to have both of his eyes now... and they were filled with an
unspeakable darkness.
“I think you have played with the little girls long enough, my
little pet! I think you've learned plenty here... time for us to
move to the next phase!”
DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUNNNNN~! TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR THE EPIC CONCLUSION!
Yeah, I'm a complete schmuck, ain't I?
//www.youtube.com/v/NuH4dwubjPM?hl=en_US&version=3&rel=0
It was a quiet evening. We were all aboard Hinase because
Mimisaka had returned to the docks and Asahi, Nomori, and
Tatetsuki had all returned to their homes. Goghei was staying as a
guest of Nomori.
We were eating dinner together when Yuki piped up.
“Are you okay, Gar-kun? You're quieter than usual.”
I sighed. “I am kinda troubled... I'm just kinda uncomfortable
with the way things have turned out. It's too pat – too easy. I'm
used to things being a real struggle.”
“Why? What was it supposed to be like?”
“A lot more drawn out than this. Yume got what she wanted from
Asahi's ship and then thoroughly thrashed Yukinojo when it came
looking for Mihoshi. Minagi tried to get her father's sword back and
nearly got killed in the process, but she managed to save Asahi's
ship from being crushed by falling debris when Yume lifted off her
makeshift tree ship. Funaho and Misaki showed up along with an
entire fleet of Third Generation tree ships, but Yume used Bizen to
subvert their control over the fleet. And then there was the
showdown between Hishima and Goghei... Goghei forfeited when Hishima
adapted to his most powerful attack. But when Hishima then fought
Tenchi, Bizen was hurt during the fight and started to go crazy.
Bizen would have destroyed the galaxy, but Tsunami-no-fune showed up
and overrode Bizen and all the other tree ships it had taken control
of.”
The dinner table was pretty quiet after that.
“I know it's disturbing, guys... but the point is that everything
was okay in the end, and we were all better people for it.
“Ryoko, you learned that you honestly do see Minagi as a sister
when you donated your blood and marrow to help Washu save her life
after she was nearly beaten to death.
“Goghei learned just how deeply he cared for Asahi, and Asahi got
over her allergy to men.
“And Tenchi, you became a great leader when Bizen went crazy. You
made sure nobody lost their heads when they all would have been
justified in their panic and made sure that everyone did what they
could to stop Bizen.”
“But what about you and Yuki?” said Tenchi urgently as he got up.
“You weren't there in the original version of this time-line.
What would have happened then?”
I shrugged at that. “What would have happened happened earlier.”
Tenchi blinked at that, then sat down in his seat, stunned.
Washu, though nodded her head. “You people see his point now?
Garrick doesn't dole out information about coming events lightly. He
knows just how much of an impact it can have, and that is why he
chooses to remain silent at times.
“I want all of you to understand this: we should not make any
demands that Garrick reveal anymore than he has. It is far too
dangerous, and loathe as I am to admit it, only he can honestly judge
what sort of impact his knowledge will have. Do you all understand?”
“I suppose it is for the best,” Ayeka said. “I mean... you
would warn us about something when it is in our best interest, will
you, Dear Brother?”
I nodded. “Of course, Sister. I will always have everyone's best
interests in mind.” And that was no joke. I had already told
Washu about that spoiled brat, Garyu, and the utter mind-rape he did
to Ayeka. I only hoped that I would be strong enough to fight him
when the time came so I could throttle the little bitch-boy myself.
“That's good enough for me,” said Ryoko with a firm nod. “Not
a good idea to rock the boat anymore than we have.”
With Ryoko and Ayeka's approval, the others all nodded their heads in
agreement.
That night, Yuki surprised Minagi and I.
“Gar-kun, can Sasami-chan and I borrow your C-Space tonight?”
“What for?” I asked.
“She and I wanted to have a little sleep-over party with just the
two of us.” She then gave me a nasty little grin. “Also,
because I want to give you and Minagi a chance to do it properly.”
I felt my eyebrows go straight to my hairline. “Excuse me?”
“Minagi wants to make a child with you, right?” At my
undoubtedly surprised expression, Yuki giggled. “Silly.
Sasami-chan isn't stupid. She knows that you and Minagi have been
doing when your two sneak off. Don't worry, though. We haven't been
watching or anything like that.”
“I would hope not!” I cried out. I then sighed and hunkered down
so I was on eye-level with Yuki. “Yuki, look I-”
“Nope!” snapped Yuki cheerfully. “Don't care!” Her
expression then turned somewhat more sober as she went on, “I know
what you're thinking, Gar-kun... and you're right. I am jealous of
Minagi-nee. But that is just the way it is, right? She's old
enough, and she ready for this... I'm not old enough... and I'm
definitely not ready. I wish I was... but I finally learned... just
because I want something doesn't mean I should have it right away.”
Yuki suddenly laughed hysterically. “My friends back in school are
hardly gonna recognize me! They'll think that I was kidnapped by
aliens and replaced with a clone or something!” She then smiled
wistfully up at me. “But that's pretty much what happened... I
went to the stars... the old me died... and then the new me was born.
But I think it will be okay... even if some of my friends don't like
me anymore... I know the person I care about most will always like
me, no matter what.
Yuki's smile then split her face. “So go ahead! Make Pictures of
Spring with Minagi-nee! Make your first child with her! I'll do my
best to help Minagi-nee, and that will help me prepare to have my
first baby. Just make sure you do a good job, though, or else
I'll never forgive you!”
I laughed despite myself. Where the hell had this version of Yuki
come from? But then, I guess it's like she said. The old Yuki died
out there on Yatsuka... and a new one had sprung forth from the
ashes, determined to take on the world and wiser from her earlier
mistakes.
I pulled the precocious girl into a hug. “You are one crazy little
girl, and I love you for it.”
Yuki hugged me back with a vengeance. “You are my protector and
teacher and I love you for it.”
With my arms around her back, I tapped a familiar sequence into C-Pod
and felt the object I needed drop into my hand. As I pulled away
from Yuki, I clipped the thin band around her wrist.
“There you go,” I said with a smile. “Twelve hours of limited
access to my C-Space. You remember how this works, right?”
Yuki nodded. I then leaned over and gave her a little peck on the
cheek. “Give my love to Sasami-chan. This one is for her.” I
then gave her another one on the other cheek.
Yuki suddenly kissed me back, sneaking it onto my lips with the
swiftness of a snakebite. And then she took off, leaving a trail of
girlish giggling in her wake.
I sighed after I couldn't hear her anymore. “Girl is gonna be the
death of me, I just know it.”
The next morning I awoke to someone shaking my shoulder. Slowly I
opened my eyes to see Minagi looking down at me.
“Gar-kun, Funaho's here!” she whispered urgently.
“Bwwaaaa?” I said, oh so coherently, as I broke out into a huge
stretch and the sort of cavernous yawn that earned me the title
'Mouth the Size of Texas' from my mother. And then there was the
sound of a coy chuckle.
“Oh my! I've seen some impressive yawns before, but I swear that
all of Tenju could have fit into that one.”
“GYAH!” I yelped in surprise, my eyes quickly zeroing in on
Funaho.
Minagi had been quite literal in saying that she was 'here'.
“Ahhh...” I said, as my brain began to spool up. “Err...
Mother... You do realize I'm not decent under this blanket, right?”
Funaho tilted her head and smiled at me. “And why do you feel this
should concern me?”
I blinked at Funaho. “Okay, it's too goddamn early for this.”
Throwing modesty into the wind, I threw the covers off and got out of
bed, then quickly found my pants and pulled them on. That
accomplish, I planted my but back into Minagi's bed and started
rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.
“So, what brings you over here today, Mother?” I asked through
another yawn.
Apparently Funaho had froze for a moment. “...Oh! Yes, Yume
wanted to see about settling this challenge with you.”
“Yeah, we never did set a date for that. How about later this
afternoon?”
“It is already late in the morning. Are you certain that you'll be
ready to face her?”
I waved it off. “I've dealt with worse. Nothing like being woken
up at oh-my-goddess in the morning to load a few one-thousand-pound
torpedoes. You have no idea how thankful I am that I don't have to
put up with that malarkey.”
Funaho hid her open-mouthed shock with her hand. “I can only
imagine.” No surprise there. I don't think the Jyuraians have had
to do any sort of real weapons systems maintenance since Tsunami came
into their lives. Score one for organic weaponry. “Well, at any
rate I'll let Yume know.”
“Before you go, Mother, how is Bizen doing?”
Funaho smiled. “Bizen is doing well. She will appreciate your
asking after her.”
I nodded and suddenly had an odd thought occur to me. “Mother...
Since Bizen already has a name... that means that she was already
bonded to someone... so if Yume didn't steal her, then how did she
get ahold of Bizen?”
Funaho nodded in understanding. “It is a highly unusual situation.
I don't blame you at all for being confused on the matter. Bizen
belonged to a man who was something of a recluse among the nobility.
He passed away of extreme age, far out in deep space where no one
could find him.”
I nodded in understanding. “No one that is, except Yume.”
“Indeed.”
And then something else occurred to me. “Wait... Only the person
that bonds to a tree may name a tree... I forgot about that when I
named Katherine, and she accepted the name... then...”
“She may have already bonded to you. Remember, son, the ceremony
is only that – a ceremony. Although that is usually when a tree
will make its Master Key, there have been times when it occurred
before hand.” Funaho looked at me in askance, and I shook my head.
“No, she hasn't yet.”
Funaho smiled once more. “Then there is still unfinished business
to attend to. At any rate, though, I must be on my way. Prepare
yourself well, my son. Washu has already warned me that while Yume
is an academic by choice, she also has considerable prowess as a
swordsman.” She then gave me a wry grin. “Though I suspect you
knew that already.”
I smiled back at her. “Somewhat. I only ever saw that she was
able to stand on even footing with Washu-chan in hand-to-hand combat.
Thank you anyhow.” My smile then turned a bit nasty. “Forewarned
is forearmed, after all.”
Funaho grinned back at me. “Indeed. Good luck, my son.”
Minagi and I had a light breakfast, then limbered up and warmed up
together. Without pausing, we then went through a series of easy
drills to get my head in the game. We even went through some
scenarios of tactics we thought Yume might employ during our contest.
In then end, though, we were realists about the matter. We knew that
there was not much we could do to prepare me for this, except for the
more immediate matters.
To that end, Ayeka once more lent me a set of Jyuraian battle armor,
and then showed Minagi how to bind my hair the way she had when I
fought Yakagi.
That done, all I had left to do was to choose my weapon. Though I
did deliberate for a moment, the choice was clear.
When I arrived back on Ryuten, it was to a remarkable sight: the top
of the tree that had held the Shima Brothers facility had been
carefully removed and Bizen, along with the containment unit that
held the Royal Tree, was slowly being pulled up through the massive
trunk with the careful use of tractor beams and anti-gravity devices.
Yume was there as well, watching. Idly, I siddled up next to her.
“What would you have done afterwards, Yume?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, arch towards me but seemingly
unable to summon any real fury.
“After it was all said and done. After you had toppled the
Jyuraian Empire and had Washu as your willing slave. What would you
have done then?”
Yume scoffed harshly. “Would it have mattered? Think about it,
kid. If I was so willing to knock over the Jyuraians so readily, do
you think I would really cared about what happens next?”
I sighed. “I would have hoped so. It's so short-sighted for
someone of your caliber.”
“Yeah, well I'm in it for me and no one else. And what I want the
most is to monopolize Washu's brilliance.”
I cocked an eyebrow as I gave Yume a sidelong look, but she didn't
even bat an eyelash as she kept her eyes on the scene unfolding
before us. For all her talk about being 'mature' she sure didn't act
the part. She was in desperate need of some humbling.
“So, when do we get started,” I asked.
Yume turned and gave me a vicious little smile. “So eager to get
your ass handed to you?”
“You never know,” I answered with a smile of my own. “I just
might surprise you.”
“We'll see about that, little boy. Let's get this show on the
road.”
The field of battle had already been prepared – a large clearing in
the midst of the giant trees of Ryuten. An observation stage had
been set up on the far side of the clearing. There everyone waited.
My family, including Funaho, as well as Asahi, Nomori, Tatetsuki, and
Goghei. Misaki was not present, though. She was still cleaning
house with the Protector – an unenviable task if there ever was
one. Emperor Asuza was not present, either, but I had been told he
would be watching from the comfort of his throne on Kirito. Oddly
enough, however, Hishima and Takashima were there on the observation
stage.
Yume and I took our positions on the field. She drew her weapon, the
Shadow Blade. I drew my own Hielzein-S blade.
“So... you possess one of the Sibling Blades,” said Yume, a hint
of intrigue in her voice. “How exactly did you come by that?”
“It was a gift from the descendant of the man that forged these
blades,” I explained. “He was a friend of Yosho, who possessed
the other blade and had me pass it on the Tenchi. When I helped free
his people of a corrupt magistrate, he learned that Tenchi was not
only the Prince's descendant, but that I was regarded as his elder
brother. And so, it was felt proper that I possess this blade. In
honor of that, I have named this blade Otouto. Tenchi, likewise, has
named his Oni-san.”
“So, you're one of those sappy sentimentalists,” sniped Yume.
My brow furrowed as I gave her a hard look. “What the hell
happened to you?”
“What do you mean?” snapped Yume harshly.
“You know exactly what I mean, Yume. People don't become this way
naturally. We're sentimental for a reason – the ties and bonds of
friends and family are part of what makes us what we are. Who
destroyed your bonds of family? Who was it that hurt you so horribly
that even the thought of having such things are anathema to you now?”
Yume's expression had turned dark. “That... is none of your
business.”
Nothing more was said – it was finally time for this duel to begin.
Yume came first in a sidelong charge as she tried to flank me, and
very nearly succeeded in doing so due to her small size and speed.
That's alright,
I thought to myself as I moved to meet her head on. Let
her do most of the moving. She'll tire out eventually.
Our
swords met and I was almost surprised at how the shock reverberated
up my arms. It was like Takashima all over again, only at least the
blows were not so gut-wrenchingly hard.
On second
thought she may outlast me, I
thought as we traded more blows. She was not only fast, but powerful
as well. That tiny frame of hers held an enormous hidden strength.
Maybe she had more densely packed muscle fibers, much like a cat
does.
And
right as the thought of catlike movements came to mind, Yume suddenly
vaulted over my head, spinning like a top with the Shadow blade out
and flashing over me like some nightmarishly large food processor. I
was barely able to hold that assault at bay.
This was starting to become more than I bargained for. But did I
have an ace in the hole? Time to check my hand and find out.
Katherine, are
you there?
I
felt something alien, but not unpleasant, brush against my mind
gently and with the sound of a giggling child.
I'm always
watching over my Gar-kun.
I couldn't stop the elation from flooding my heart.
Can you lend me
a bit of your strength?
Silly, it's
always yours for the taking. You just have to reach for it.
Was it really so simple? I turned inwards as I left my hands to do
the work of turning aside Yume's assaults. And suddenly, there it
was: an upwelling of pure power that I never really noticed was
there. And being freely offered by Katherine, it was all mine for
the taking. The only condition being that I be her companion, and
she mine, for as long as I live and even unto death.
This was the pact. This was the bond. I took hold of this power and
pulled it up until I felt the connection fall into place. And not a
moment too soon as Yume darted aside from one of my thrusts.
I had hundredths of a second to react.
I had trained under Yosho for roughly a year, throwing myself into it
like a man possessed. To say that the training had born fruit was an
understatement: Yosho had begun to teach me blade catching. Granted
we had only done it with wooden swords for safety's sake, and at
nowhere near a proper fighting speed...
But here and now, with Katherine's empowerment, I stopped the Shadow
Blade cold between the palms of my hands, six inches from my face.
Yume gave me a maddened smile and somewhere I heard some commotion on
the observation stage.
“Incredible,” she hissed with insane joy. “No one has ever
stopped my blade like this before... But not even you can keep it at
bay forever!” She then began to pressed down against me with the
Shadow Blade.
Before, Yume's strikes had been brutally hard. She was certainly
strong then... but that was not the case anymore. It was time for me
to disabuse her of that notion.
I pressed back and Yume's smile faltered as she realized what was
going an and redoubled her efforts, but it was in vain. Once I had
the clear advantage, I then lifted the blade, and along with it, Yume
as well as she held onto it.
“There's no way!” wailed Yume desperately. “I had you dead to
rights! Where did you get this strength from all the sudden!?”
“Those bonds you seem to think are so needless?” I asked archly.
“They really aren't.”
“What?” said Yume, puzzled, but then her face became anguished as
the pieces fell together. “no... I should have KNOWN! OF COURSE
THEY WOULD HAVE GIVEN YOU A TREE!”
Yume finally let go and dropped to the ground.
“I yield,” she said quietly.
I sighed and carefully set the Shadow Blade aside, and then held my
hand out. “May I have the sheath, please?”
Yume looked up at me and made a feral sounding growl that sent a
shiver up my spine. And then, too quickly for me to react, she
lunged and bit my hand, her sharp little canines digging deeply into
my flesh.
I squawked in shock and pain as I tried to pull my hand away. Yume
held on, but only for a second. Once she did let go, she giggled
hysterically as she licked my blood off her lips.
“Hmmmm. Good iron content,” she said with a vicious perversion
of coyness. “I hope you don't mind too much, Gar-kun. Even if you
have been endowed with the Power of Jyurai, you still would have
needed some great skill and talent to beat me. That little love bite
of mine is just my way of saying how much I appreciate being
challenged.”
“CEASE HER!” came Funaho's voice sharply as several members of
the Royal Bodyguard materialized around us.
“NO!” I cried out, giving the guards a sharp cutting gesture.
“Don't! It's over now. Yume will leave peacefully... won't you?”
“I shall,” Yume replied. “Here's the sheath,” she said as
she tossed it my way and I caught it with my good hand. “I hope
the next time you and I meet, Gar-kun, you'll be a little more...
amenable.”
The guardsmen let her by, but kept staff weapons trained on her at
all times. As Yume called Hishima and Takashima, Fuanho approached,
shooting Yume evil looks as she did so.
“Are you alright, son?”
“I think so,” I answered honestly. “It's not even hurting all
that much, but I'll have Washu-chan take a look at it here in a
minute.”
“Are you certain you want to let her get away with that?”
I nodded. “Just a bit of defiance – a last flying 'fuck you'
before she retreats. She won't be anymore trouble since she got her
pound of flesh in the end there.”
“I'm not so certain, son. People like her... tend to show up when
they are least wanted.”
“I'll take that chance, mother. As I said before, we'll want her
goodwill later.”
Right then, though, I had a horrible feeling in my gut. You know
that thing people say about feeling like someone walked over their
grave? I've never had anything to liken to it... until now.
Funaho gave me a concerned look. “What is wrong, my son?”
“You know that feeling you get when there's a horrible joke coming
up and you just know you're going to be the butt of that joke?” I
asked her. Funaho frowned sharply and nodded her head. I nodded
back and said, “Yeah, I'm getting that feeling now.”
And right then the entire world seem to lurch sideways and I
had to struggle to stay standing up.
A horrible cackle filled the air, reverberating off of everything and
nothing at once. Looking up to the sky, I saw the image of a huge,
overweight man in crimson robes and a hideously styled hair and beard
that made his head look like an octopus.
“DOCTOR CLAY!?” I cried out in shock.
Clay stopped laughing and looked down at me. Unnervingly, he seemed
to have both of his eyes now... and they were filled with an
unspeakable darkness.
“I think you have played with the little girls long enough, my
little pet! I think you've learned plenty here... time for us to
move to the next phase!”
DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUUNNNNN~! TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR THE EPIC CONCLUSION!
Yeah, I'm a complete schmuck, ain't I?