By Keener <otakunxs@bellsouth.net>

OtakuNXS presents...

            Gems Cubed!

    Ryoko stifled a yawn as another cube went to pieces. These guys were
pretty insistent and their ships did seem to take almost two full blasts now
that they had strengthened their shields for the tenth time, but really, she
used to annihilate planets for a living, what did these guys expect? Still,
she would have been done already if they had trusted her with all three of
her gems. She wasn't sure what annoyed her the most, the fact that Tenchi
had only let her use one of her other gems or that the idea had been
Ayeka's.

    "Your giving her gems back? Are you out of your mind?" Ayeka's face
turned a deep red as Tenchi looked at her abashidly. Scarlet colored her
cheeks but her path was clear and not even embarrassment was going to slow
her down. She continued in a quieter yet still resolved tone. "Lord Tenchi,
really, think about what your doing. She's already destroyed the house three
times with just the one, the woman has no control."

    "Listen little princess, I'll have you know I've been doing this a good
millenium before you were even a gleam in your mother's eye. I have complete
control." Ryoko beamed at her rival, for once, Tenchi was on her side and
that was all that mattered.

    "Complete control? Like the control you have over those monsters of
yours? Maybe you've been doing this a little TOO long. Old age has softened
your brain."

    Sitting opposite the discussion at the dinner table, studiously ignoring
the vapious blonde beside her, and only partially paying attention to the
argument in front of her, Kiyone sipped from her soup bowl. "Point Ayeka."
she interrupted into one of Mihoshi's police stories, something about
chasing Cabbits down holes and eating mushrooms to get bigger, just what she
needed, thought the first class detective, MORE Mihoshi.

    Ryoko's normally pale features flared under the red of her face as she
gritted her teeth. "Having reached puberty does NOT make one old. Besides, I
told you what I need was my other Gem. If you want me to help defend your
highness' highney, I need my Gems."

    Kiyone slurped up an errant noodle. "Point Ryoko."

    Smiling proudly to herself, she continued. "Besides, if you want proof
of my control, see how I handle you. I've already shown you just how nasty I
can be when I'm serious, don't you think certain things would be over and
done with if I didn't have any control? Hell, I've got more then enough
power to accidentally fry you with just one real gem and one falsie. With
two real gems, I could easily smoke a small planet." The last was punctuated
with a crackling sound as tendrils of energy danced about Ryoko's hand and
illuminated her face.

    "Well then, if you’re really that powerful, you don't need your other
gems, do you?"

    Ryoko's jaw hit the floor. Fearfully, she looked to Kiyone, her eyes
demanding a recount. "Game, set and match, Ayeka." The police officer
shrugged her shoulders as she set her bowl down.

    Still, thought Ryoko, Tenchi HAD let her snag one of her gems. If only
Ayeka hadn't spent the whole day congratulating him on his intelligence and
judgement. Any objections the space pirate might have had would have seemed
like pathetic begging. Damn that woman!

    Her last thought came to a close as she let out an incredible assault on
the latest the Borg had to offer. Though their shields had improved almost
to the point to deflect it, the raw force of the blast was enough to send
the cube spiraling. That gave Ryoko her first genuine moment of
satisfaction. The angle of it's spiral, it's subsequent running over of the
Hubble and the crash landing into the Moon, gave the once demon her first
jolt of fear and finally exasperation.

    Just great, thought Ryoko, how do I explain this? She landed beside the
cube that had inserted itself rather nicely into the natural satellite,
burying for all times the man made satellite. Strangely enough, the space
telescope had NEVER given clearer images of the moon. Sighing to herself,
she sat atop the massive wreckage and tried lifting it from its newfound
perch.

    "Having problems are we?" Ryoko turned to see her mother standing to the
side of the smashed cube, Washu's thoughtful eyes full of mischief.

    "Where have you been? The Sol systems been attacked by these freaks, you
can see what they did to the Moon. Just when we needed some kind of
dimensional whatsit and you’re off promoting your stupid book."

    "Can it Ryoko, I know your energy signatures too well not to know you
did this, and stop mentally humming Yappa Pa to block my thoughts, it's not
going to work."

    Ryoko sighed again and teleported down to her estranged, strange mother.
"Ummm, mommy?" she nearly gagged at the thought much less spewing the word,
"You, uh, wouldn't maybe help me clean this up before Tenchi sees it, would
you?"

     "Of course my little angel. That's what a mother's for." The sparkle in
Washu's eyes unnerved Ryoko like no destroyer of planets or eater of
Galaxies ever would.

     "Really?"

     "Well, you see, it's partly my fault. Think back to a time when the
universe was younger, before Kagato, before even you. Think back to a little
girl, a super genius and exceptionally cute." Ryoko sighed as she used the
power in both her gems to lift the cube from its resting-place. Washu
crawled under and began surveying the devastation, a holographic computer
pad in hand. "Now think what happened when she accidentally breaks open her
hybrid, techn-organic Ant Farm."

     Ryoko dropped the cube on her.

The End