Tenchi Muyo:  Dragon and Crane - Pt.2


     "As the great Miyamoto Musashi once said, 'Timing is everything'", said
Grandpa, the point of his bokuto resting under Ryoko's jaw.  "Allowing anger
to rule you only gives rise to mistakes, just like the one you made in
rushing me."  Ryoko gritted her teeth and flew backwards, holding her own
bokuto in a two-handed grip.  Grandpa smiled at the corner of his mouth and
took up the same stance, the only sounds that of the creek and the wind
rattling the leaves above their heads.
     "Don't get all David Carradine on me, old man" she said, narrowing her
eyes.  "I've been using a sword before you played hide-and-seek under
Tsunami's branches!"  With that, she rushed him again, her sword poised
behind her head.  Grandpa stood stock still and waited, closing his eyes and
feeling the flow of Jurai's power through his body.  Then, right before he
was to release its power at her, Ryoko teleported and reappeared behind him,
bringing the bokuto down at his head.
     "Gotcha!", she yelled victoriously, but stopped herself when she felt
Grandpa slip around her and hold his bokuto to her throat again.  She closed
her eyes and sighed in disappointment, then brought her elbow up into his
stomach.  Grandpa grunted and staggered, giving Ryoko time to recover.  She
laughed and teleported up into the tree branches, rest her chin in her hand.
     "You told me not to hold back", she said, smiling.  "You want to rest?"
     "Not..yet", he managed.  He closed his eyes and sent a flow of power
out into the tree where Ryoko sat, making it shake violently.  Ryoko cried
out and fell, landing in the creek with a splash.  Grandpa chuckled and
leaned against a tree, his bokuto on his lap.
     "Rrr!" growled Ryoko, wading her way out of the creek.  She pulled a
flopping trout out of her cleavage and fired up a ball of energy.  "What the
Hell was that for, huh?" she yelled, preparing to fire the glowing
projectile at him.  Grandpa patted the seat beside him with a smile, calming
her down enough so that the energy dispersed from her hand.
     Ryoko sat beside him and shook herself off like a wet dog.  Grandpa was
unfazed, and waited until she had finished.  "Something else is on your mind
today, Ryoko.  You should have seen that flow of power coming."  Ryoko took
off her boots and dumped the water out of them, sighing softly.
     "No more than usual" she said, putting her boots back on.  Grandpa
looked at her tenderly and laid his hand on her shoulder.
     "Don't try to hide it, Ryoko.  I've been in love before, too.  I know
all the signs."
     Ryoko blushed furiously and looked down.  "You're imagining things,
Yosho.  Why would I ever want or need to be in love?  And with whom?"
     Grandpa chuckled and looked off into the distance.  "Old people know,
Ryoko.  We may not look like it, but our hearts are just as bright and
burning as they were in our youth.  You love my grandson, and that's the
real reason why I've brought you here today.  I just wanted to tell you that
if you love someone, you must fight for them with all your heart.  And given
the true warrior's heart that beats within you, I know that you'll fight
that battle until the very end."
     Ryoko looked at him for a long while, then gave him a rough, happy hug.
  "Getting sentimental on me, old man?" she asked, sniffling.  "Thank you.
I'll remember that."
     Grandpa hugged her back and smiled, releasing her.  "Well, that's
enough for today, I think.  I don't suppose I could get you to sweep the
steps when we get back, hmm?"
     Ryoko groaned and sighed.  "Yeah, sure.  I need to dry out anyway.."
     A deafening roar cut her off in midsentence, and her eyes widened in
fear.  "Ryo-Ohki!" she said.  "She's with Tenchi, and there's something
headed toward them in the field!"
     Grandpa nodded and sheathed his bokuto.  "I can feel it as well", he
said.  "Two presences, and both of them are weakening.  Take us there,
Ryoko!"  She nodded, taking his hand and teleporting with hims outside the
training grove.  Above their heads, they saw the searing comet, and Ryo-Ohki
slowly descending with it to the field.  Ryoko flew the both of them there
and landed near Tenchi, who was cradling a woman's body in his arms.
     "Ryoko!  Grandpa!" he said, holding Nagi's head carefully.  "It's Nagi
and Ken-Ohki, and they're hurt bad!  We're got to get them to Washu, fast!"
     "Nagi?" asked Ryoko, leaning down to look at her.  She frowned and
looked back to Tenchi, whose look of concern for her arch-rival sent pangs
of jealousy through her heart.  "She came after me, no doubt.  I wonder how
this happened?"
     "That can wait for now" said Grandpa, who had gone over and picked up
both Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki's closely huddled forms.  "Ryoko, take them to
Washu.  She's the only one who can help them, now."
     Ryoko stared at Tenchi and Grandpa, then at Ryo-Ohki, who was nuzzling
Ken-Ohki's still body and meowing mournfully.  She closed her eyes and
nodded.
     "If I must", she said, taking Nagi from Tenchi.  Ryo-Ohki leaped out of
Grandpa's arms and turned into her spaceship form again, pulling them all up
into her control room.  They covered the distance back to the house quickly
and settled down on the lakeside terrace, holding Nagi carefully under the
arms and knees as they took her into the house.  Ryoko held the two cabbits
gingerly and followed.
     "Of all the people to step back into my life at this moment, it just
had to be her", she thought darkly, looking down at Ken-Ohki's mangled body
and feeling compassion for him, if not for his mistress.  "Well, you just
lie back and let Washu nurse you back to health, then come and try to get
me.  I've got someone to fight for, and I'll be damned if you think you can
take me away from him again."