Still working on stuff. Slow going, but its going.
I came back to the Hinase with dinner bento in hand. Yuki
came first and I had to quickly set down the bento before she tackled
me. And tackle me she did, hitting me like a thrown sack of
potatoes.
“Whoof!” I cried out as she knocked me to the deck. Suddenly,
her face was up in mine and I thought she was about to kiss me, but
then she seemed to think better of it and instead leaned down to
whisper softly in my ear.
“I missed you.”
I smiled and rewarded her with a kiss on her cheek. “Missed you
too, little princess.” Yuki pulled back, blushing slightly, but
otherwise didn't move. “Ah, so are you gonna get up?”
Yuki only giggled, soft and girlish as she ought to be. In a way, I
hope she never really loses this part of herself. It is just so
endearing to me.
I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Of course,” I said as I began to
lever myself up. That took a little more work than it would have
before. Yuki had packed on a bit of muscle and I could feel the
added heft in her tiny frame. I shifted Yuki over to a bridal carry
and looked her over with a critical eye. Her limbs did have a little
more substance to them. It wasn't enough by any stretch to be
considered aberrant. Rather, she had taken on the dimensions of a
very athletic young girl.
I then looked over to Minagi, who was returning the look with
amusement.
“Sorry, I'd give you a hug, except it seems someone wants to
monopolize me.”
As soon as the words left my lips, Yuki harumphed, grabbed ahold of
my neck, and began to climb over my shoulder. Once she was up
and over, she then placed her knees to my ribs and squeezed while
wrapping her arms carefully around my neck.
“Here you go, nee-san,” chirped Yuki. “Now we can both get a
little bit.” Minagi laughed delightedly as she came up and wrapped
us both in a hug.
If I had any doubts or concerns on if this odd relationship between
the three of us would work out, that right there squashed it flat.
That evening, I had my two ladies bathe and settle into bed earlier
than usual. Quick to pick up on the change of pace, Minagi called me
on it. I simply smiled and said it was a surprise. However, once
they were all settled Yuki couldn't contain her impatience any
longer.
“Gar-kun! What's going on! We never go to bed this early!”
I smiled and chuckled at her. “Just give me a second, Yuki-chan.
I need to get something real quick.” I then twiddled with my C-pod
and the door to my C-space materialized next to the door to Minagi's
closet. I went in and didn't take very long – I had a very clear
idea of what I was after and I knew exactly where I had left it.
With the navy-blue book with a fuzzy seagull silhouette in hand I
went back to Minagi's quarters and dismissed the door.
“This book,” I said as I began to make my way to onto Minagi's
bed, this time opting to settle in between my two ladies, “is one
of my most treasured memories of my childhood. It was a favorite
book of my mother's and it was one of the very first books she gave
to me. Unfortunately, the book itself fell apart at the binding long
ago. But what mattered to me was the memories of reading the book,
alone, at peace, and with a pot of tea to drink through the night.
It is one of the few books in my collection that has the distinction
of being read over and over again.”
Minagi smiled, both serene and joyous at this revelation. But
Yuki... Yuki had shed all her excitement from earlier and took on an
open-mouthed reverence as she stared at the book, no doubt marveling
at how such a simple little thing could give me such contentment and
happiness.
And so, I opened the book and began to read out loud the book,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Yuki fell asleep halfway through and Minagi touched my shoulder to
stop me.
“We'll finish the rest tomorrow,” she said. I nodded with a
smile and slid a bookmark into place before closing the book and
passing it to Minagi so she could set it on the night stand. As we
snuggled down under the covers together, she whispered in my ear.
“I feel it bears repeating: I always felt you would make a good
father. Now I know you will be a perfect father.”
“Hardly anyone is perfect. I know I'll screw up sometimes.”
“Probably. But you will admit it. And you will make up for it.
That puts you far ahead of the crowd... and I have known many men in
my life.”
I chuckled softly. “Surely not as well as you have gotten to know
me.”
Minagi chuckled as well. “No. Out of them all, you were the only
one who was both gentle and strong enough.” I then felt her lips
nibble playfully at my ear. “Sleep now, love. We can always talk
more tomorrow.”
I certainly couldn't argue the point. Instead, I gave her one last
squeeze and began to let myself drift, content in the gentle sound
and warmth of my two ladies softly breathing at either side of me.
We still took our time in approaching Ryuten. Even with the enemy
knowing that we were coming, Washu felt that it was better to be safe
and take our time than sorry and blasted into sub-atomic particles.
That was just fine by me, because that meant more time training Yuki.
Yuki had been growing stronger. Immensely so. She was already at
the point where her classmates would notice a huge difference – not
only in appearance, but also in her strength, speed, and grace.
Between myself, Minagi, and Sasami, Yuki was turning into quite the
martial artist. I began to watch her closely and saw that even in
the most basic of day-to-day rituals she was starting to move like a
dancer and a fighter.
That combined with the constant pressure we kept on her with her
studies would ensure her a spot as the star of her class.
But, I had decided that we could go ahead and taper off on the
physical conditioning. Any more would be pushing Yuki's body to
unhealthy levels of strain, and we needed to focus more on skills
regardless. I shifted her intellectual pursuits to the mornings
preceding her calisthenics routine. Although, with her in the throes
of adolescence, I found that I needed to mildly caffeinate her to get
her going. Such were the pains of growing, and at Washu's suggestion
I had been keeping a photo-journal of Yuki's progress to help me keep
track of her growth.
I was glad that I had – Yuki had begun growing at an almost
frightening pace. Before our trip started there had been little
besides cosmetic differences to distinguish her gender. But
recently, her chest had begun to fill out, her hips began to widen,
and her waist began to stretch along with her arms and legs. The
thing is that, day-to-day, you wouldn't notice it. However, looking
back over the pictures from two weeks ago, the difference was
striking.
Yuki was going to be one of the lucky ones that didn't have an
awkward looking gawky phase. It was happening all at once, and it
was all thanks to the restoratives that Washu had prescribed. They
had the affect of supplying Yuki's developing body with everything it
desired for even and steady growth.
Honestly, it was fascinating. Watching Yuki grow from a clinical
standpoint is the stuff that biology and medical students write
papers and theses about – the changes the body goes through,
shifting from child to adult, make up for a fascinating processes of
metamorphosis – particularly for a female! The human body
completely reconfigures itself to support, what is in essence, a
parasitic life form – to nurture its development through many early
stages until it can be fully self-sufficient.
At the same time, it was frightening because this all played into
reproduction. The the ebb and flow of the hormones that drove her
development caused Yuki to alternate between brazen and demure as she
struggled with some very base and primal desires. One moment she
would turn a grappling session with me into a bid for a makeout
session, the next she would realize what she was doing and go as red
as a cooked lobster. The only thing that would keep her from being
mortally embarrassed was my acceptance of the circumstances –
it was what it was, so long as she worked towards better
self-control.
The only reason she hadn't started lashing out at Minagi was because,
fortunately, Yuki didn't really see her as competition. Just a
fellow sister that would gladly lend a hand when things got tough.
Social survival mechanisms at their finest. The only comparison I
could draw in the animal kingdom was a pride of lions.
I knew, deep inside, that when the time came and we started having
children, they would not simply be Yuki's children or Minagi's
children... they would be our children, regardless of whose womb they
were born from.
For now, though, we trained Yuki, shifting the focus more to skills
than strength. And seeing her thrive happily in this setting not
only raised my hopes... it warmed my heart closer to the woman she
was striving to become.
The next two weeks had a comforting routine to them, different from
that before we arrived at Yatsuka.
I woke Yuki, got us fed, and started her on homework and mental
exercises. We would keep at it until lunch, at which point Minagi
took over for Yuki's swordplay lessons. Eventually, Sasami would
arrive with a dinner bento for us, and then Yuki would begin her
staff lessons.
Sometimes, Minagi and I would watch, marveling at Yuki's progress and
the grace of her movements.
Sometimes, instead, Minagi and I would sneak off and make love in
some quiet corner of her ship.
Either way, after Sasami would leave, we'd all bathe and then bed
down together, and I would read a story from my library until Yuki
fell asleep. While Jonathan Livingston Seagull had resonated
with Yuki at a deep and profound level, there were others as well.
Works by authors like Diane Duane, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey,
Mercedes Lackey, Lemony Snicket, Gary Pouleson, and even some Isaac
Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. I even read some of the great
stand-alones from my memories of school. Maniac McGee
reminded Yuki intensely of myself – of someone always on the run,
always trying his best to smile despite how much hurt he held in his
heart, and how much he needed a family to belong to. The Giver
painted a horrifying picture of just how evil a 'perfect world' could
be. Howl's Moving Castle was a window into a fantastic world
that showed just how badly things can go if you always ran from your
problems... and the rewards that could come if you faced them
unflinchingly.
At times, Yuki would ask to read a book to herself. At others, she
asked me to read them aloud, saying that she loved to hear my voice.
For a time, I felt almost like I was in heaven, being in this little
microcosm of just Minagi, Yuki, myself, and sometimes Sasami.
And then Washu came and popped the bubble.
“Okay, Washu-chan, we're here,” I grumbled as Minagi and I
trudged into the lounge on Mimisaka. “Now what's so
important that we gotta hide it from Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan?”
Washu turned and gave me a level look. “Gar-kun, Minagi-chan, I've
been talking about it with everyone else here, and we all feel that
it would be best to make sure that Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan are
safely out of the way when we arrive at Ryuten. To that end, I am
proposing that we put them to sleep for several days and leave them
on Mimisaka.”
I sighed and looked to Minagi, who gave me a concerned look in kind.
“Well, I can't lie and say I didn't see this coming.”
Ryoko shot upwards in anger. “You mean to say that if none of us
had said something about this then you would have allowed Yuki-chan
into this situation!?”
“Adversity is growth, Ryoko,” I replied evenly. “Yuki-chan has
committed herself to this path and the best I can do for her is to
facilitate it as best as possible. Besides, if the situation ever
showed any signs of getting too hot, there's always this.” And
with that, I twiddled briefly with my C-Pod and summoned my door.
“Your C-Space?” asked Ryoko.
Washu snapped her fingers. “That's a perfect idea, Gar-kun. We
can use his C-Space to keep the girls while they sleep. Not only
will they be safer there than anywhere else, but we'll still have
easy access to it as long as Gar-kun's around.”
I nodded at that. “It would be the best thing. It will even allow
us a three-pronged attack between Mimisaka, Hinase, and
Ryo-Ohki. Heck, if things really go to shit we can use it as
an ad hoc life raft.”
“But Dear Brother, aren't things supposed to go well in the end?”
asked Ayeka.
I nodded. “They are, Dear Sister, but while we do have temporal
momentum on our side, we also have the Butterfly Effect to consider.
And I really don't want to tempt Murphy's Law into striking in
an undesirable fashion.”
Asahi suddenly stomped her foot in anger. “If you know so much and
you want things to go so well, then why don't you tell us what's
going on!?”
I gave Asahi a sharp look as I turned the idea over in my head.
Would there really be any harm in telling them? What could go wrong?
Would I deny them of any real growth as people? I sighed. I wanted
to be careful, but in a ways I wasn't doing everyone else any favors.
If the Butterfly Effect struck then they would need to be able to
recognize it as soon as possible.
“Alright then,” I said at last. “But understand this: knowing
what's coming will probably not make this go any easier for us.
There are complications along the way that we will need to account
for, and even then we will need to have our plans be flexible enough
to account for the Butterfly Affect. Does everyone here understand?”
As I looked around, I got nods from everyone present.
I nodded and sighed once more before carrying on. “Washu-chan, I
hate to say this, but this whole situation is kinda your fault to
begin with.”
“WHAT!?” screeched the mad genius. “How so!?”
“Remember you used to have a colleague named Yume? Tiny little
thing, looked even younger than you, long fuzzy ears, and crazy
looking amber eyes?”
Washu stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I do. Always wondered where
she got to after all these centuries.”
“Well, when you two got plastered in a bar, you made a bet to see
who could take down the Empire of Jyurai first.” Ayeka just about
went thermonuclear right there, but Tenchi and Ryoko were pretty
quick in restraining her so I could continue uninterrupted. “You
just don't remember at the time because apparently you were even more
pickled than you realized.”
Washu had the decency to look sheepish. “Eh-heh-heh... Well, it
was back in my younger days... I was just a couple thousand years old
at the time...”
“But what does this have to do with my father and I?” asked Asahi
pleadingly.
“Don't fret, little carpenter bee,” I soothed. “I'm getting
there. Anyhow, Yume knew that with Jyurai's Navy she wouldn't stand
a chance, so she did some research and learned a very important, but
basic fact about Jyurai's trees: that a Royal Tree of a senior
ranking can subjugate trees of junior rankings. If Yume could gain
control of a single Second Generation Royal Tree, then her bid for
conquest becomes a curb stomp in that she will only have to fight a
handful of ships with all the rest of Jyurai's Navy on her side.”
“My word, it would be a disaster!” gasped Ayeka. “But how
would she do something like that? Even if she could bond with a
Royal Tree, it still has its own will, and it would never permit
itself to be used in such a fashion.”
I nodded. “Usually. But apparently a long time ago someone on
Ryuten made a record of all the secrets about the Royal Trees...
including how it is possible to subjugate one's will through an
artificial means. That record is in a data node hidden right here on
this very ship.”
I then turned to Asahi. “This ship, while the outer hull was
carved on Ryuten, has a central unit that is implicitly of Jyuraian
make. This may even have been the very same central unit that housed
the Second Generation Tree, Bizen, which has been hidden in the
depths of Ryuten this whole time.
“And that, Asahi Takebi, is why these people have such a vested
interest in you.”
Asahi looked absolutely stunned as she sat back heavily into her
seat.
I then looked to everyone else and carried on. “Now, that's just
the broad strokes. Now for some details. Mushima dies on Ryuten
after he arrives. Rather than be healed of his injuries, he commits
sepuku, after a fashion. There is nothing we can do to save him as
it's already happened. However, before he died he gave his brother,
Hishima, a data crystal containing all his experience and knowledge.
This includes the data collected during his fight with you, Goghei.
If you go into a fight with Hishima, do so with that in mind.”
“Yume herself is sealed within Bizen.” Everyone took a breath to
say something all at once, but I held a hand up to forestall the
commentary. “Don't even ask – I have no idea because it was
never covered in the manga. Suffice to say, no matter how she pulled
that stunt off, it has been most effective in hiding her involvement
in this scheme. Only someone highly familiar with her work would be
able to tell from the three men she created, and even then only after
you've had a chance to autopsy the remains... if they were ever
killed and left remains.”
Washu snorted. “That's Yume to a tee. If she doesn't want you to
know she has a hand in something then you'll never even have a clue
unless you get real lucky. But what does this mean for us?”
“Good question. Yume hasn't committed any real crimes thus far
except for conspiracy against the Empire of Jyurai, and that can be
arbitrated away. With the exception of Mushima, no one has really
been hurt yet, and honestly I'd like to keep it that way.”
“But why would you want to do that?” asked Ryoko. “I mean,
she's doing this all as part of some wager.”
“She'd make a good ally if we ever needed someone to back up
Washu-chan in the mad genius department. And honestly I'd rather
have someone as dangerous as Yume as a friend rather than an enemy.”
Washu nodded. “He's got a point. While Yume and I had our
disagreements in the past, she was definitely someone I could respect
and work with.” She then sighed happily as a giddy grin blossomed
on her face. “ohhh it will be so nice to work with a proper genius
again!”
I leaned over to Washu with a sour-yet-bemused look on my face. “Oi,
I thought I was a proper genius.”
Washu gave me a fond smile. “You are, but you need a few thousand
years before you can even be a proper assistant.”
I snorted at that and resumed my previous train of thought. “Anyhow,
at some point we'll need to figure out how to get her out. The
information for that is stored within the data node, but it's sealed
by the four guardian beast statues by the central computer. I'd like
to spare Asahi's heart by not destroying them as they're a
memento of her mother.
“But we can figure that out later. There is still one other
important thing I must reveal.”
I then turned to Minagi. “Minagi, they have your father's
Hielzein-S sword.”
A series of emotions played out on Minagi's face until she finally
settled on an incandescant rage as her hair began to levitate around
her in a very Miyazaki-esque fashion.
“I'll kill them,” she snarled.
“No,” I said with a firm, but gentle finality.
It was like throwing a switch as Minagi went from enraged to baffled.
“What?”
“For keeping this from you, I shall take it upon myself to return
your Father's stolen property to you.” Minagi gave me a very
puzzled look, but then caught on to what I was saying.
“You... You knew all along.”
I nodded.
“You could have told him.”
I nodded.
“Why didn't you?”
“He would never have been able to take it back. How so when
Hishima was able to take it by force in the first place? Granted, he
used you as a hostage while you were helpless, but in his state at
the end of his life the most he would have done was gotten himself
killed.” I then went to Minagi and gently cupped her face in my
hand. “Besides, he said he passed everything on to me. That would
have included his sword, so it would fall to me to retrieve it. And
once I do... I feel it better belongs in the hands of the woman he
gave to me, instead. Who better than she of his blood to wield it,
my beloved?”
“You shouldn't.” Minagi whispered as tears built up in her eyes,
her hands clasping mine to her face.
“I will, because I love you.”
“But how can you do it where my master failed?”
I grinned my evil grin. “Did you forget already? I'm a cheating
bastard. He'll never see me coming.” Minagi suddenly threw her
head back and laughed ruefully, and then pulled me into an embrace.
“You never stop giving me reasons to love you.”
“And I hope I never do,” I replied as I hugged her back. We let
each other go, save for keeping our arms linked together as we turned
to everyone else. “Anyhow, that's pretty much everything.
Tenchi?”
“Yes?” asked the teenage boy uneasily.
“You need to take charge for the next part. Now that I've
disseminated what I know, it's up to the rest of us to come up with a
plan of action.”
Tenchi looked to say something about it, but then the expression on
every girl's face (as well as the monk's) caught his eyes. Tenchi
then sighed as he realized what he was supposed to be doing: being a
leader.
With that, he plunged on in, head first.
For the next part, things seem to go very well. Almost disturbingly so. Garrick expects the Murphy to drop the other shoe on his head... but it comes in a way that he could never have suspected. And not even the 'Bad Guys' may be able to save him from his fate...
I came back to the Hinase with dinner bento in hand. Yuki
came first and I had to quickly set down the bento before she tackled
me. And tackle me she did, hitting me like a thrown sack of
potatoes.
“Whoof!” I cried out as she knocked me to the deck. Suddenly,
her face was up in mine and I thought she was about to kiss me, but
then she seemed to think better of it and instead leaned down to
whisper softly in my ear.
“I missed you.”
I smiled and rewarded her with a kiss on her cheek. “Missed you
too, little princess.” Yuki pulled back, blushing slightly, but
otherwise didn't move. “Ah, so are you gonna get up?”
Yuki only giggled, soft and girlish as she ought to be. In a way, I
hope she never really loses this part of herself. It is just so
endearing to me.
I smiled and rolled my eyes. “Of course,” I said as I began to
lever myself up. That took a little more work than it would have
before. Yuki had packed on a bit of muscle and I could feel the
added heft in her tiny frame. I shifted Yuki over to a bridal carry
and looked her over with a critical eye. Her limbs did have a little
more substance to them. It wasn't enough by any stretch to be
considered aberrant. Rather, she had taken on the dimensions of a
very athletic young girl.
I then looked over to Minagi, who was returning the look with
amusement.
“Sorry, I'd give you a hug, except it seems someone wants to
monopolize me.”
As soon as the words left my lips, Yuki harumphed, grabbed ahold of
my neck, and began to climb over my shoulder. Once she was up
and over, she then placed her knees to my ribs and squeezed while
wrapping her arms carefully around my neck.
“Here you go, nee-san,” chirped Yuki. “Now we can both get a
little bit.” Minagi laughed delightedly as she came up and wrapped
us both in a hug.
If I had any doubts or concerns on if this odd relationship between
the three of us would work out, that right there squashed it flat.
That evening, I had my two ladies bathe and settle into bed earlier
than usual. Quick to pick up on the change of pace, Minagi called me
on it. I simply smiled and said it was a surprise. However, once
they were all settled Yuki couldn't contain her impatience any
longer.
“Gar-kun! What's going on! We never go to bed this early!”
I smiled and chuckled at her. “Just give me a second, Yuki-chan.
I need to get something real quick.” I then twiddled with my C-pod
and the door to my C-space materialized next to the door to Minagi's
closet. I went in and didn't take very long – I had a very clear
idea of what I was after and I knew exactly where I had left it.
With the navy-blue book with a fuzzy seagull silhouette in hand I
went back to Minagi's quarters and dismissed the door.
“This book,” I said as I began to make my way to onto Minagi's
bed, this time opting to settle in between my two ladies, “is one
of my most treasured memories of my childhood. It was a favorite
book of my mother's and it was one of the very first books she gave
to me. Unfortunately, the book itself fell apart at the binding long
ago. But what mattered to me was the memories of reading the book,
alone, at peace, and with a pot of tea to drink through the night.
It is one of the few books in my collection that has the distinction
of being read over and over again.”
Minagi smiled, both serene and joyous at this revelation. But
Yuki... Yuki had shed all her excitement from earlier and took on an
open-mouthed reverence as she stared at the book, no doubt marveling
at how such a simple little thing could give me such contentment and
happiness.
And so, I opened the book and began to read out loud the book,
Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
Yuki fell asleep halfway through and Minagi touched my shoulder to
stop me.
“We'll finish the rest tomorrow,” she said. I nodded with a
smile and slid a bookmark into place before closing the book and
passing it to Minagi so she could set it on the night stand. As we
snuggled down under the covers together, she whispered in my ear.
“I feel it bears repeating: I always felt you would make a good
father. Now I know you will be a perfect father.”
“Hardly anyone is perfect. I know I'll screw up sometimes.”
“Probably. But you will admit it. And you will make up for it.
That puts you far ahead of the crowd... and I have known many men in
my life.”
I chuckled softly. “Surely not as well as you have gotten to know
me.”
Minagi chuckled as well. “No. Out of them all, you were the only
one who was both gentle and strong enough.” I then felt her lips
nibble playfully at my ear. “Sleep now, love. We can always talk
more tomorrow.”
I certainly couldn't argue the point. Instead, I gave her one last
squeeze and began to let myself drift, content in the gentle sound
and warmth of my two ladies softly breathing at either side of me.
We still took our time in approaching Ryuten. Even with the enemy
knowing that we were coming, Washu felt that it was better to be safe
and take our time than sorry and blasted into sub-atomic particles.
That was just fine by me, because that meant more time training Yuki.
Yuki had been growing stronger. Immensely so. She was already at
the point where her classmates would notice a huge difference – not
only in appearance, but also in her strength, speed, and grace.
Between myself, Minagi, and Sasami, Yuki was turning into quite the
martial artist. I began to watch her closely and saw that even in
the most basic of day-to-day rituals she was starting to move like a
dancer and a fighter.
That combined with the constant pressure we kept on her with her
studies would ensure her a spot as the star of her class.
But, I had decided that we could go ahead and taper off on the
physical conditioning. Any more would be pushing Yuki's body to
unhealthy levels of strain, and we needed to focus more on skills
regardless. I shifted her intellectual pursuits to the mornings
preceding her calisthenics routine. Although, with her in the throes
of adolescence, I found that I needed to mildly caffeinate her to get
her going. Such were the pains of growing, and at Washu's suggestion
I had been keeping a photo-journal of Yuki's progress to help me keep
track of her growth.
I was glad that I had – Yuki had begun growing at an almost
frightening pace. Before our trip started there had been little
besides cosmetic differences to distinguish her gender. But
recently, her chest had begun to fill out, her hips began to widen,
and her waist began to stretch along with her arms and legs. The
thing is that, day-to-day, you wouldn't notice it. However, looking
back over the pictures from two weeks ago, the difference was
striking.
Yuki was going to be one of the lucky ones that didn't have an
awkward looking gawky phase. It was happening all at once, and it
was all thanks to the restoratives that Washu had prescribed. They
had the affect of supplying Yuki's developing body with everything it
desired for even and steady growth.
Honestly, it was fascinating. Watching Yuki grow from a clinical
standpoint is the stuff that biology and medical students write
papers and theses about – the changes the body goes through,
shifting from child to adult, make up for a fascinating processes of
metamorphosis – particularly for a female! The human body
completely reconfigures itself to support, what is in essence, a
parasitic life form – to nurture its development through many early
stages until it can be fully self-sufficient.
At the same time, it was frightening because this all played into
reproduction. The the ebb and flow of the hormones that drove her
development caused Yuki to alternate between brazen and demure as she
struggled with some very base and primal desires. One moment she
would turn a grappling session with me into a bid for a makeout
session, the next she would realize what she was doing and go as red
as a cooked lobster. The only thing that would keep her from being
mortally embarrassed was my acceptance of the circumstances –
it was what it was, so long as she worked towards better
self-control.
The only reason she hadn't started lashing out at Minagi was because,
fortunately, Yuki didn't really see her as competition. Just a
fellow sister that would gladly lend a hand when things got tough.
Social survival mechanisms at their finest. The only comparison I
could draw in the animal kingdom was a pride of lions.
I knew, deep inside, that when the time came and we started having
children, they would not simply be Yuki's children or Minagi's
children... they would be our children, regardless of whose womb they
were born from.
For now, though, we trained Yuki, shifting the focus more to skills
than strength. And seeing her thrive happily in this setting not
only raised my hopes... it warmed my heart closer to the woman she
was striving to become.
The next two weeks had a comforting routine to them, different from
that before we arrived at Yatsuka.
I woke Yuki, got us fed, and started her on homework and mental
exercises. We would keep at it until lunch, at which point Minagi
took over for Yuki's swordplay lessons. Eventually, Sasami would
arrive with a dinner bento for us, and then Yuki would begin her
staff lessons.
Sometimes, Minagi and I would watch, marveling at Yuki's progress and
the grace of her movements.
Sometimes, instead, Minagi and I would sneak off and make love in
some quiet corner of her ship.
Either way, after Sasami would leave, we'd all bathe and then bed
down together, and I would read a story from my library until Yuki
fell asleep. While Jonathan Livingston Seagull had resonated
with Yuki at a deep and profound level, there were others as well.
Works by authors like Diane Duane, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffrey,
Mercedes Lackey, Lemony Snicket, Gary Pouleson, and even some Isaac
Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. I even read some of the great
stand-alones from my memories of school. Maniac McGee
reminded Yuki intensely of myself – of someone always on the run,
always trying his best to smile despite how much hurt he held in his
heart, and how much he needed a family to belong to. The Giver
painted a horrifying picture of just how evil a 'perfect world' could
be. Howl's Moving Castle was a window into a fantastic world
that showed just how badly things can go if you always ran from your
problems... and the rewards that could come if you faced them
unflinchingly.
At times, Yuki would ask to read a book to herself. At others, she
asked me to read them aloud, saying that she loved to hear my voice.
For a time, I felt almost like I was in heaven, being in this little
microcosm of just Minagi, Yuki, myself, and sometimes Sasami.
And then Washu came and popped the bubble.
“Okay, Washu-chan, we're here,” I grumbled as Minagi and I
trudged into the lounge on Mimisaka. “Now what's so
important that we gotta hide it from Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan?”
Washu turned and gave me a level look. “Gar-kun, Minagi-chan, I've
been talking about it with everyone else here, and we all feel that
it would be best to make sure that Sasami-chan and Yuki-chan are
safely out of the way when we arrive at Ryuten. To that end, I am
proposing that we put them to sleep for several days and leave them
on Mimisaka.”
I sighed and looked to Minagi, who gave me a concerned look in kind.
“Well, I can't lie and say I didn't see this coming.”
Ryoko shot upwards in anger. “You mean to say that if none of us
had said something about this then you would have allowed Yuki-chan
into this situation!?”
“Adversity is growth, Ryoko,” I replied evenly. “Yuki-chan has
committed herself to this path and the best I can do for her is to
facilitate it as best as possible. Besides, if the situation ever
showed any signs of getting too hot, there's always this.” And
with that, I twiddled briefly with my C-Pod and summoned my door.
“Your C-Space?” asked Ryoko.
Washu snapped her fingers. “That's a perfect idea, Gar-kun. We
can use his C-Space to keep the girls while they sleep. Not only
will they be safer there than anywhere else, but we'll still have
easy access to it as long as Gar-kun's around.”
I nodded at that. “It would be the best thing. It will even allow
us a three-pronged attack between Mimisaka, Hinase, and
Ryo-Ohki. Heck, if things really go to shit we can use it as
an ad hoc life raft.”
“But Dear Brother, aren't things supposed to go well in the end?”
asked Ayeka.
I nodded. “They are, Dear Sister, but while we do have temporal
momentum on our side, we also have the Butterfly Effect to consider.
And I really don't want to tempt Murphy's Law into striking in
an undesirable fashion.”
Asahi suddenly stomped her foot in anger. “If you know so much and
you want things to go so well, then why don't you tell us what's
going on!?”
I gave Asahi a sharp look as I turned the idea over in my head.
Would there really be any harm in telling them? What could go wrong?
Would I deny them of any real growth as people? I sighed. I wanted
to be careful, but in a ways I wasn't doing everyone else any favors.
If the Butterfly Effect struck then they would need to be able to
recognize it as soon as possible.
“Alright then,” I said at last. “But understand this: knowing
what's coming will probably not make this go any easier for us.
There are complications along the way that we will need to account
for, and even then we will need to have our plans be flexible enough
to account for the Butterfly Affect. Does everyone here understand?”
As I looked around, I got nods from everyone present.
I nodded and sighed once more before carrying on. “Washu-chan, I
hate to say this, but this whole situation is kinda your fault to
begin with.”
“WHAT!?” screeched the mad genius. “How so!?”
“Remember you used to have a colleague named Yume? Tiny little
thing, looked even younger than you, long fuzzy ears, and crazy
looking amber eyes?”
Washu stroked her chin thoughtfully. “I do. Always wondered where
she got to after all these centuries.”
“Well, when you two got plastered in a bar, you made a bet to see
who could take down the Empire of Jyurai first.” Ayeka just about
went thermonuclear right there, but Tenchi and Ryoko were pretty
quick in restraining her so I could continue uninterrupted. “You
just don't remember at the time because apparently you were even more
pickled than you realized.”
Washu had the decency to look sheepish. “Eh-heh-heh... Well, it
was back in my younger days... I was just a couple thousand years old
at the time...”
“But what does this have to do with my father and I?” asked Asahi
pleadingly.
“Don't fret, little carpenter bee,” I soothed. “I'm getting
there. Anyhow, Yume knew that with Jyurai's Navy she wouldn't stand
a chance, so she did some research and learned a very important, but
basic fact about Jyurai's trees: that a Royal Tree of a senior
ranking can subjugate trees of junior rankings. If Yume could gain
control of a single Second Generation Royal Tree, then her bid for
conquest becomes a curb stomp in that she will only have to fight a
handful of ships with all the rest of Jyurai's Navy on her side.”
“My word, it would be a disaster!” gasped Ayeka. “But how
would she do something like that? Even if she could bond with a
Royal Tree, it still has its own will, and it would never permit
itself to be used in such a fashion.”
I nodded. “Usually. But apparently a long time ago someone on
Ryuten made a record of all the secrets about the Royal Trees...
including how it is possible to subjugate one's will through an
artificial means. That record is in a data node hidden right here on
this very ship.”
I then turned to Asahi. “This ship, while the outer hull was
carved on Ryuten, has a central unit that is implicitly of Jyuraian
make. This may even have been the very same central unit that housed
the Second Generation Tree, Bizen, which has been hidden in the
depths of Ryuten this whole time.
“And that, Asahi Takebi, is why these people have such a vested
interest in you.”
Asahi looked absolutely stunned as she sat back heavily into her
seat.
I then looked to everyone else and carried on. “Now, that's just
the broad strokes. Now for some details. Mushima dies on Ryuten
after he arrives. Rather than be healed of his injuries, he commits
sepuku, after a fashion. There is nothing we can do to save him as
it's already happened. However, before he died he gave his brother,
Hishima, a data crystal containing all his experience and knowledge.
This includes the data collected during his fight with you, Goghei.
If you go into a fight with Hishima, do so with that in mind.”
“Yume herself is sealed within Bizen.” Everyone took a breath to
say something all at once, but I held a hand up to forestall the
commentary. “Don't even ask – I have no idea because it was
never covered in the manga. Suffice to say, no matter how she pulled
that stunt off, it has been most effective in hiding her involvement
in this scheme. Only someone highly familiar with her work would be
able to tell from the three men she created, and even then only after
you've had a chance to autopsy the remains... if they were ever
killed and left remains.”
Washu snorted. “That's Yume to a tee. If she doesn't want you to
know she has a hand in something then you'll never even have a clue
unless you get real lucky. But what does this mean for us?”
“Good question. Yume hasn't committed any real crimes thus far
except for conspiracy against the Empire of Jyurai, and that can be
arbitrated away. With the exception of Mushima, no one has really
been hurt yet, and honestly I'd like to keep it that way.”
“But why would you want to do that?” asked Ryoko. “I mean,
she's doing this all as part of some wager.”
“She'd make a good ally if we ever needed someone to back up
Washu-chan in the mad genius department. And honestly I'd rather
have someone as dangerous as Yume as a friend rather than an enemy.”
Washu nodded. “He's got a point. While Yume and I had our
disagreements in the past, she was definitely someone I could respect
and work with.” She then sighed happily as a giddy grin blossomed
on her face. “ohhh it will be so nice to work with a proper genius
again!”
I leaned over to Washu with a sour-yet-bemused look on my face. “Oi,
I thought I was a proper genius.”
Washu gave me a fond smile. “You are, but you need a few thousand
years before you can even be a proper assistant.”
I snorted at that and resumed my previous train of thought. “Anyhow,
at some point we'll need to figure out how to get her out. The
information for that is stored within the data node, but it's sealed
by the four guardian beast statues by the central computer. I'd like
to spare Asahi's heart by not destroying them as they're a
memento of her mother.
“But we can figure that out later. There is still one other
important thing I must reveal.”
I then turned to Minagi. “Minagi, they have your father's
Hielzein-S sword.”
A series of emotions played out on Minagi's face until she finally
settled on an incandescant rage as her hair began to levitate around
her in a very Miyazaki-esque fashion.
“I'll kill them,” she snarled.
“No,” I said with a firm, but gentle finality.
It was like throwing a switch as Minagi went from enraged to baffled.
“What?”
“For keeping this from you, I shall take it upon myself to return
your Father's stolen property to you.” Minagi gave me a very
puzzled look, but then caught on to what I was saying.
“You... You knew all along.”
I nodded.
“You could have told him.”
I nodded.
“Why didn't you?”
“He would never have been able to take it back. How so when
Hishima was able to take it by force in the first place? Granted, he
used you as a hostage while you were helpless, but in his state at
the end of his life the most he would have done was gotten himself
killed.” I then went to Minagi and gently cupped her face in my
hand. “Besides, he said he passed everything on to me. That would
have included his sword, so it would fall to me to retrieve it. And
once I do... I feel it better belongs in the hands of the woman he
gave to me, instead. Who better than she of his blood to wield it,
my beloved?”
“You shouldn't.” Minagi whispered as tears built up in her eyes,
her hands clasping mine to her face.
“I will, because I love you.”
“But how can you do it where my master failed?”
I grinned my evil grin. “Did you forget already? I'm a cheating
bastard. He'll never see me coming.” Minagi suddenly threw her
head back and laughed ruefully, and then pulled me into an embrace.
“You never stop giving me reasons to love you.”
“And I hope I never do,” I replied as I hugged her back. We let
each other go, save for keeping our arms linked together as we turned
to everyone else. “Anyhow, that's pretty much everything.
Tenchi?”
“Yes?” asked the teenage boy uneasily.
“You need to take charge for the next part. Now that I've
disseminated what I know, it's up to the rest of us to come up with a
plan of action.”
Tenchi looked to say something about it, but then the expression on
every girl's face (as well as the monk's) caught his eyes. Tenchi
then sighed as he realized what he was supposed to be doing: being a
leader.
With that, he plunged on in, head first.
For the next part, things seem to go very well. Almost disturbingly so. Garrick expects the Murphy to drop the other shoe on his head... but it comes in a way that he could never have suspected. And not even the 'Bad Guys' may be able to save him from his fate...
