==-==-== Disclaimer: Pioneer owns Tenchi Muyo! BUT, I own everything else! ==-==-== Zelana's Quest Brian Burke Tenchii@hotmail.com http://members.xoom.com/Tenchiii/Homepage2.htm (The Crystal Shrine!) ==-==-== Friday, December 3rd Hovering over the planet is a small, silver craft. For this planet in question, it is an unusual sight. A planet of blue which has not made contact outside its own sphere. A small craft. The body of the ship is a long piece, but partially cylindrical. To either side are smaller, similar pieces about half the length of the body. In the control center for the ship, a lone figure sits patiently. She finds it curious to be out this way, in the middle of nowhere. However, her reason for being here haunts the lone woman. ==-==-== The room is empty, save a few stragglers that don't seem to have any other place to go. Sitting at the bar, she again waits patiently. Draped over her body is a white cloak which conceals all but her face and black gloved hands. On her left wrist, a strange metal medallion is attached via wristband. On the device, four small red gems sit in a 'plus' formation. The rest of the piece is polished brass. The glass ahead of her has only a violet ring around the bottom where it was once full. The bartender walks over, drying a glass. "Is there anything else you need?" he asks politely. She looks up at him calmly. Without a word, she reaches into her cloak and retrieves a small scrap of paper. She sets it on the bar and slides it forward. "Have you seen this person?" "Not in here. But, I heard she's on Earth. Don't know why, though. It's in the middle of nowhere." "Earth?" a voice whispers from afar. However, unnoticed. "Do you know anything else about Earth?" she asks calmly. "Anything useful?" "Not really. The area's off limits to most. But, I've heard Jurai ships pass through there." She stands and drops a few coins on the bar before turning to leave. Her usual serious look refuses to fade as she walks away. "Excuse me?" a voice asks. She turns and looks at the addresser. A young woman with gray-blue skin, long blonde hair, and traveling attire. "Yes?" she responds. "What do you want?" "My name's Tetra. I've been traveling about for awhile, hoping to get to Earth. Do you mind if I tag along?" A bit of annoyance is added to her face. "What? You want me to take you to Earth?" Tetra nods. However, after hearing the irritated answer, her expression dampens a little. "And, what is so important on Earth?" "I-I heard that I might have relatives on Earth. But, nobody will take me there. The area's protected, after all." She turns towards Tetra. "I know that." "I won't be much trouble," Tetra continues. She pulls out a small bag from her pocket. "I can pay you, if you want." She looks down at the bag, and then back at her. "I'm not interested in your money. I have enough of my own. My name's Zelana." "Ah! You're Zelana! I've heard about you!" Zelana looks a bit more annoyed. "Listen, Tetra. I'll take you to Earth. But, under one condition." "And what is that?" she asks a bit chipperly. "Either you calm down, or I'll drop you off where I see fit. Understand?" Tetra jumps at the comment and tries to calm herself. "I'm sorry..." Zelana turns and walks away, grumbling a bit. "Let's go, Tetra." Tetra runs up to Zelana to catch up. "This'll be fun, won't it?" "Are you always this crabby, Zelana?" "No. You're just getting on my nerves." After a short walk, the pair approach a small craft. Obviously well cared for as it looks new. "Is this your ship, Zelana?" Zelana sighs. Moments later, she enters the ship. "Just get in. How old are you, anyway?" "Don't you know it's rude to talk about that subject?" "Well, I'm over 6000 years old. Care to try and beat that?" "Damn. I'm only ONE thousand years old." Zelana sits in a chair on the bridge. "Yet, the maturity of a seven year old." "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zelana glances at her. "Just sit down so we can take off." Tetra sits in the other chair on the bridge and begins to get Zelana's silent message. "Am I annoying you?" Zelana looks to her and smirks. "What do you think?" Tetra gives Zelana a sheepish look. "I didn't mean to be a pain..." She turns towards the lighted counter behind her. "Don't touch anything!" Tetra shoots her hands up, "I wasn't going to! I'm sorry!" Zelana ignores her and types in a few sequences. Moments later, the ship takes off with less noise than expected. ==-==-== And, five agonizing days of Q&A later, Zelana dissipates her reminisce. Her usual cloak still draped around her, save for the hood which is down to reveal her black hair. Fortunately, for Zelana, Tetra is absent from the room. Zelana looks to the blue world silently. Her expression that of determination. She looks to the window on the right and watches a metallic device pass slowly in front of her. "Hmm..." With a few keystrokes, Zelana's look of depression from Tetra turns to joy. "Now, let's see what this world's about..." A door's hissing is heard from behind, as well as a few footsteps. "Sit!" Zelana shouts automatically. Tetra does so and snaps to her chair. "Whatcha doin'?" "I'm scanning the media. It should tell me more about the planet." Tetra looks ahead to the blue orb. "It's so pretty!" "Yes, well, you'll get a closer view soon enough." Zelana stands. Her white cloak flows off of the chair and nearly touches the floor. "Are you always going to be this mean to me?" Zelana sighs. "I guess I haven't been very fair. But, your cheeriness is getting on my nerves." She walks out the door to the rear of the bridge, and is followed by Tetra. ==-==-== On the planet below, Zelana pulls up her hood. Around her, trees hide their presence from nearby onlookers. And, under their feet, snow chills them slightly. "Tetra, you know what to do if you run into trouble, don't you?" "I just return to the ship, right?" She rubs her right hand, which a clear crystal adorns. "Right." "Remember that your crystal is empty. But, it can be used to find other crystals. According to the ship's scanners, one of them shouldn't be too far from here." "Thanks for helping me, Zelana," Tetra replies. Zelana turns and walks away. "Good luck, Tetra," she mutters. After a few steps, she jumps into the air and disappears. The blonde woman walks off in another direction as she begins her quest. As she passes tree after tree, her skin tone changes from gray-blue to a Caucasian color. ==-==-== After a short flight, Zelana drops to the ground and ignores the mountain she just abandoned. Once again, she hops into the air and prepares for a much longer flight. However, this flight isn't going to be boring. On Zelana's wrist, next to the odd circular piece of medal, a small device beeps quietly with both sound and a flashing light. Almost reflexively, Zelana presses a button near the top of it. "Report," she commands as she looks to the device. And so it does. The miniature computer rattles off data about the planet such as population, technology, transit, and so forth. An interesting line of data it shows different abilities used by other people. Sword techniques, martial arts moves, and even some abilities that aren't humanly possible. "Obviously, animation is a big deal on this planet," she comments quietly. ==-==-== In another part of the world, Tetra continues to carefully continues her own quest. As she walks, the sensation given by the Crystal increases. Not an uncomfortable sensation, but an unusual one. As she continues, she notes the vast number of trees which cover the land. Something about the trees seems familiar, but she seems to have lost the meaning. And, continuing on, one thought passes her lips. "Damn, it's cold up here!" Tetra crosses her arms across her body to keep herself warm. Or, at least try. Finally, she comes to a wooden cabin with a smoking chimney. "Oh, good. I think someone's home!" ==-==-== The other quester, Zelana, drops to the ground and continues to walk. She doesn't even bother to look back at the endless water she recently crossed. Zelana pulls out a small device from her cloak. On the small screen, a yet smaller dot blinks slowly. She puts the device away and leaps into the air. "I've got you now!" As she flies, her body becomes completely transparent. "Don't want to scare these people," she says quietly. "After all, they're not the most technological species. Yet." Zelana looks into the distance and sees where the device is leading her. "There you are!" As she is close enough to her target, she drops to the ground and rustles some leaves en-route. The forested area she dropped into seems to stretch for miles. Yet, her query isn't far off. Zelana walks forward, slightly excited to finally find the one she's been searching for. As she walks on, she stops to admire a single tree in these vast woods. Strung to this particular tree are oddly shaped pieces of paper. They seem to be tied to the tree by a single thick rope. Around the base and roots of the tree is a moat with a few stone steps leading to it. Not far from the area, rustling of bushes is heard. As a reflex, Zelana jumps into the tree to hide. Though she is high enough to hide herself from whoever is about to appear, she is able to watch for trouble. Curiously, a violet haired woman in a pink kimono walks through the shrubbery. She walks across the stone steps and finally stands near one of the enormous roots. From inside the cloak, Zelana pulls out a handle with a round hilt. Four red gems are in a 'plus' formation around a circular indentation. She points the tool downward and watches as a glowing streamer drops from it. It stops at the other woman's ankle without her knowing. Finally, with a quick motion, Zelana jumps down from the branch she was perched on and pulls on the hilt as she drops. And, as she drops, the other girl is pulled into the air. When she hits the ground, she hops over to the trunk of the giant tree and stabs the hilt into it, leaving the other woman hanging from her ankle. Her task complete, Zelana reveals herself and replaces her tool to its original place. "Who are you?" she asks. "You don't know who I am, but I know who you are, Princess Ayeka." She looks to her captive and laughs on the inside as Ayeka desperately tries to keep her kimono from draping downward. "How dare you treat Juraian royalty like this! Get me down from here!" Zelana walks up to her and meets Ayeka face to face. "If you're good, then I'll let you down. If not, well... But, enough chat. I'm looking for Ryoko. Have you seen her recently?" "Why do you want her?" "Uh-uh-uh! I ask the questions. Unless you like where you are." "I am not sure where she is." Zelana grimaces. "Okay. If that's all you know, then that's all you know." Without another word, she walks off into the bushes Ayeka just came from. As she walks, she literally disappears into the background. "Wait a minute!" Ayeka screams. "GET ME DOWN!!" ==-==-== Not far from the giant tree, a path has been made beyond a short distance of shrubbery. Zelana walks calmly down the path, curious as to who would have made it. Along the path, a few flowers garnish the edges. Flowers that aren't exactly native to this world. In fact, Zelana notices the 'Royal Teardrop' which only grows on Jurai. And now, a good number of them on Earth. As she continues to walk, Zelana sees that the landscape ahead is very odd. Unlike the green grass path she came from, this area has less vegetation. In fact, the vegetation is growing in rows. As she grows closer, the rows multiply unbelievingly. At the center of these fields, a lone man works feverently to uproot the dominating vegetation. Carrots, in fact. Nothing but carrots. Sitting nearby is a cabbit, doing it's all time favorite thing. Eating the new crops. This well known creature, in fact, is her query's partner. Zelana thinks to herself. "Meow!" the cabbit shouts. A moment later, she jumps to her feet and bears her teeth towards Zelana's hidden form. "What is it, Ryo-Ohki?" the boy asks. A moment later, he looks in the direction Ryo-Ohki seems to be concerned about. "Is someone there?" Zelana sighs and appears before Ryo-Ohki and the boy. "I underestimated your cabbit. I had not known it had such an acute sense of smell. I'm afraid I don't know who you are." "I'm Tenchi. Tenchi Masaki. Can I help you with something Miss..." "I am Zelana. And, I am looking for Ryoko. Have you seen her recently?" "No. I'm afraid not." Zelana's face remains unchanged. However, something to her right drags away her attention. She snaps her hand in that particular direction, tossing the tool she used before. However, this time, one foot of blade heads the item. After a short flight, it stabs itself into a tree, six inches from the edge. Although the target of this act remains unclear, a familiar transition takes place. "I'm impressed," the woman says. "I thought I came in silently." Zelana looks to the newcomer without changing her expression. "Not really. But, I have very good ears. That, and I could feel the energy disturbance in the air." "You ARE good. So, who are you, kid?" She holds out her hand, and the tool she launched returns to her palm, minus the blade. As before, it disappears under her cloak to her left side. "Who am I, you ask?" Zelana grabs at the collar of her cloak and tosses the article away. Underneath is an interesting outfit, to say the least. Black gloves stretch up to her elbows and end in a diagonal cut upwards towards her body. Similar pieces cover her legs up to her knees and end in similar ways, but to the outside. A triangular black piece reaches from her shoulder joints to the point between her sternum and navel. The portions of her breasts that aren't covered by black are covered adequately by white. From her side, a piece climbs her stomach to meet the triangular piece, and goes back down to her other side. Three inches lower, the bottom of the piece parallels the course, revealing her white undergarment below it. To her left side, a leather loop is attached to her outfit which holds not one, but a pair of tools which she used before. The ends of the handles are attached, and the loop is secure just below the upper hilt. Her hair, which before was held to her body by the cloak, is tied with a one-foot braid. The rest of her hair is thus held in check and makes a fashionable tail. "I am Zelana-bounty hunter extraordinaire! I have come to bring you in, Ryoko!" "Maybe. But, do you think a flashy outfit and big talk is going to help?" She smirks in amusement. "Do you remember Dre'ca'to?" she asks quietly. "Yeah, I remember that hotshot. A thousand years ago, he was finally stopped. Why do you ask?" "Do you remember the mark they found on his forehead?" "Something about four circles within a circle." Another smirk of enjoyment. She grabs at her tool, and easily detaches the lower half. With a quick movement, she stabs the round hilt into the ground. After a short flash, she raises the item to reveal a circular burn mark in the ground with four other circles in a 'plus' formation. "Now, do you understand?" "You... beat Dre'ca'to?" Ryoko asks fearfully. "How? He's more powerful than I am!!" "It takes courage to admit something like that. But, beating him wasn't easy. I was tired, sore, and weakened. But, I was victorious. Two straight days of fighting..." She smiles again. "I still have money from that venture! I wonder what kind of challenge you will be?" Ryoko's nervousness shows slightly. "Zelana, there is something you should know. I was cleared of my crimes after disappearing for 700 years." "Yes. I know. However, that is by Juraian rule. There are other planets which have a longer statute of limitations. Many still hold a grudge, Ryoko. You can come peacefully, or you can fight for your freedom." "I guess I have no choice then," she responds. Amber energy swirls into her hand, coalescing into a ball. She squeezes it, and forms a sword. "I have never given up on anything. I'm not about to, now." The tool that hangs in Zelana's hand is gripped slightly tighter in anticipation. A glowing streamer tumbles out of the tool and hangs two feet below, just an inch from the ground. The streamer straightens and forms the semblance of a blade. Finally, the glow stops and is replaced by an almost chrome shine. "Hold on a minute!" Tenchi interrupts. "Stay back, Tenchi," Ryoko states. "I'll be alright." She prepares to fight for her life, possibly. Calming herself, charging herself, and dropping any arrogance she may have. As she does this, she studies her opponent carefully. She claims to have taken down a heavy hitter 1000 years ago. However, can she still be that powerful? Or has age dampened her abilities? Last year, Ryoko regained her gems to put her at her peak. A necessary move, considering the Masaki family was pulled into a war months later. Zelana, for her part, isn't acting any different. She, too, is studying her opponent. The action that put the blade on the hilt was nothing more than elevating to Ryoko's situation. To keep up, so to speak. She, too, is calming herself, charging herself, and dropping any arrogance she has at the moment. A moment ago, when explaining Dre'ca'to's situation, her arrogance built up slightly. That, however, is gone. Now, she waits with her sword in a horizontal grip. Waiting for Ryoko to make the first move. And, so they wait. Both waiting for the other to make the first move. Almost unnoticed, two more girls approach the battlefield. One with a large amount of red-pink hair and small stature while the other is a tall woman with an enormous clump of blonde hair and a 'please don't fight' expression. From another angle, another man appears. An elder man with the outfit of a shrinekeeper. Though he says nothing, his wise facial expression speaks volumes. "I wonder where Sasami is?" Tenchi wonders. "Everyone else seems to be here." "That would be my doing," the red-head states. "I told her to stay at the house. I knew it wouldn't be a good idea for her to see a fight at her age. Not with one of us involved, anyway." "And Ayeka? She's not here either." "I'm sure she's hanging around somewhere," Zelana states with a slight smile. In the distance, birds fly away in flocks, squawking and chirping very fearfully. Ryoko is the first to move. With a cry to the heavens, she charges with her sword prepared to strike. She flies at a speed which is easy to follow by the spectators. However, Zelana stands firm. Not even with her sword up. That, however changes in a flash of chrome. Ryoko's energy blade comes down, and is met by Zelana's sword. Her face behind the blade seems unchanged. Calm but determined. Two more would-be slashes are quickly blocked by her with relative ease. Ryoko jumps back and lands in her original place. "Okay. You get points for speed. But, how's your endurance?" She dissipates her sword and flies into the air, just above eye level. Two spheres of energy form in her hands with ease. "Let's try something else!" With that, she launches the balls at Zelana. Without a twitch of fear, Zelana stands firm and dissipates the blade on her hilt. A second later, the attack strikes her stance and creates a small cloud of gray smoke. "Strikeout!" Ryoko states. A force of energy parts the cloud. The first visible object is a spiral shield with Zelana's tool at the center. Behind the said piece is Zelana herself without so much a change in expression. Still serious. Her shield disappears, leaving the tool as a handle and hilt. "Is that it?" She stands straight to await her answer. "No! I'm just warming up!" "Well. At least one of us is." "Was that arrogance I heard?" Ryoko asks. "Heavens no. That was truth!" Ryoko tenses a bit. "Tell me, Zelana. Why are you after me? Am I the only bounty left?" "Of course not. You're special. At least to Nagi, you are." "Nagi? What's she have to do with this?" "Well, one day, I met her. I told her she was a cold vindictive bitch. I told her that I thought the only reason she still wants to bring you in because she can't! You kick her ass all the time, which drives her want to bring you in to the roof." "Is that her problem?" "I told her I could bring you in without a problem. She said I couldn't beat you." "Don't forget that Nagi wants to kill me." "But, I want you alive. That way, you can sit in jail where she CAN'T kill you." Zelana smiles. "I want you in jail to piss off Nagi." Her statement released, Zelana calms herself again and tries to push out her arrogance. "You're bringing me in for a bet?" "No. I'm bringing in a criminal. A few planets still want you in ail, Ryoko." Ryoko dives with her sword. Zelana creates a sword on her tool and blocks it. "Well, there's something you should know." Zelana blocks a couple swings. "And what is that?" "I don't play fair!" Zelana disappears and watches from afar and above as two Ryokos battle momentarily. She shakes her head in partial amusement. "As if that would work..." Both Ryokos throw their swords at Zelana. The amber energy cuts through the air as if nothing. From Zelana's side, she grabs her other tool. Not a second later, she spins them both in front of her to create small twin shields. Just a moment after creation, the amber weapons bounce off. The round metal disappears from both, and is replaced by blades on both. Finally, she attaches the handles. "Well?" Both Ryokos fly up and start to slash with their swords. Both of which are blocked. Ryoko A fights on the left while Ryoko B fights on the right. Both continue to slash, but both are continually blocked. Finally they combine into one once more to fight more effectively. Zelana keeps up with the action and dissipates one of the blades. Though the handle is longer then she would like, she is able to deal with it. Block after block, yet still no attack of her own. And still with the unopinionated expression. Ryoko, while not looking tired, seems to be annoyed that Zelana won't go on the offensive. "What is your strategy, anyway? Afraid to fight me?" Zelana blocks a swordstroke and jams her fist into Ryoko's gut. "Satisfied?" Ryoko winces in pain. "Very...." ==-==-== It's been an hour since she was put into this position. An embarrassing position, to say the least. "Would someone get me down from here?" she complains quietly. Of all the things she wants, she would like nothing more than to have blood flow to something other than her head. A very painful feeling as it's been built up for quite a long time. The fact that her body is poorly circulated takes its toll as she has had to drape her arms and be forced to abandon her current need for modesty. Slowly, she begins to pass out. Mercifully, her body drops suddenly. The cold water below her is greatly needed to awaken her. Slowly, weakly, she climbs out of the water to the green grass beyond. "Are you alright?" a voice asks. The owner of the voice grabs her by the arms and pulls her to her feet. Immediately, the woman begins to feel the blood in her body return to its proper place. She looks to her rescuer but finds the sun directly behind her head, which shadows her face. "Who are you?" The woman bends down a bit to show a huge amount of blonde hair and a dark tone of skin. "Mihoshi?" she says quietly. "No. My name's Tetra. You're not hurt, are you?" "No... I am not. Tetra... I have a question for you." "Yes?" "What has happened to your hair?" ==-==-== The fight continues as it has for a long time. Sword to sword. Though Zelana doesn't seem to be sweating, Ryoko certainly looks exhausted. But, finally, she summons her remaining resources and smashes her sword into Zelana's. The effect she was waiting for finally happens as the prized tool/weapon is sent hurtling to the ground. She uses Zelana's surprise to kick her in the stomach. "So much...for your toy!" Zelana looks surprised, but not upset to have her 'toy' planted into the ground. "So?" She rubs the recently attacked part of her body. "Is that supposed to be a problem?" Ryoko screams in fury and throws a punch. "Shut up!" Zelana grabs Ryoko's wrist and moves behind her. As she does, her free arm goes around Ryoko's neck. "No, I do not mind that I have been disarmed. A real fighter uses their body as a weapon just as much or more than a material possession." "Now what?" Ryoko asks. "Are you going to kill me?" "I said I wouldn't." She dives, and crashes into the ground. When the dust clears, Ryoko is sprawled out on the carrot field while Zelana stands nearby. "It's over, Ryoko." Ryoko slowly picks up herself from the ground. Small rocks fall off of her shoulders as her sore body rises from the earth. "Not...yet..." Her face shows her pain as blood trickles down from certain places. "Ryoko!" Tenchi shouts. He attempts to run for her, but his held back by Washu. "This is her fight, Tenchi," she says quietly. "If she needs help, she'll ask." "But..." "Listen to her, Tenchi," Ryoko states. "This is my fight. I must end it." "Zelana!!" a high voice shouts from a short distance away. "Stop!" Zelana grimaces at the voice, but looks none-the-less. "Tetra... What are you doing here?" she asks. "I thought you were looking for your family." "I have something more important to tell you. Your mother is on Earth!" To say the least, this catches Zelanaís attention. "What?! She's HERE?" "Yes, she is." "Where?" "What?" "Where is she?" "Um..." "Tetra..." she says angrily. "Where is she?" "I don't know..." she responds sheepishly. "I left before I could remember to ask." Zelana suppresses the need to kill the blonde. She decides to save that for later. "Ryoko," she addresses. "I'm afraid that I'll have to wait to finish this. Something more important has come up." She grabs her cloak and wraps it around her body. "Wh...at?" Ryoko asks. "You're just going to leave?" "Yes. There are more important things than money. Or joy in Nagiís suffering. Family, for instance." "You mean... you beat me up for nothing?" "Pretty much. No hard feelings? I was just following my profession." "I'll get you next time, kid." Zelana turns and walks away. She is followed closely by Tetra. As they walk, Zelana snatches the crystal from Tetra's hand. "Idiot," she mutters. Ryoko watches them walk off just before she passes out. Immediately, her fellow family members run to her side. ==-==-== Not far away, the pair of aliens walk towards Zelana's new goal. "Next time, try to find out where she is. I must know where Mystic is hiding." -End-