EMPEROR TENCHI OF JURAI

By

Odyssey of Fire

Summary: A tale of political intrigue, love, and betrayal where a man is forced to choose between his empire and the woman he loves.

1: The Perfect Contradiction

Her gait was completely unique, her smile inimitable. The way her spiky cyan hair bounced on her shoulders was unlike any other. With her, everything was new and dangerous, like a territory unexplored. Sure, some ground was fenced off, but with a little forceful prodding, one could rip the barriers she built. But this seldom occurred. In a way, this obstinacy was attractive and at other times repellent, but it was always a game to be played, and one does not always want to play games. After all, one sometimes loses…

The sun peeked over the mountaintops of Okayama like a newborn peeling open their eyes for the first time. There was hesitance in its rising and shadows seemed to move faster than light. Tenchi Masaki, however, was easily roused from sleep, so the scarce sunlight did not impinge on his morning routine. He yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from his weary eyes. Tiny goosebumps crawled up and down his skin, as the cold air hit his naked torso. Shivering, he retrieved a sweater from his closet and slipped it over his lean chest and sinewy arms. Though he was not thick like the bodybuilders displayed on television, he was not emaciated either, but rather thin and strong from many days in the carrot fields and hours in swordsmanship training.

It was six o'clock, meaning no one, save Tenchi and his grandfather, would be awake. The tranquility and stillness of the early morning soothed Tenchi, for he knew later he would encounter chaos and disruption. Of course he embraced his extraterrestrial friends and enjoyed their company, but he wished for part of his day to abide by the Earth's natural order. Flying space pirates and child Goddesses were simply not ordinary.

So Tenchi breathed the fresh morning air that was not assaulted with fumes of smoke and ash and sighed with satisfaction. He walked to his bathroom quietly to avoid disturbing the sleeping residents of the Masaki household. The icy tiles of the bathroom floor caused him to dance until his feet had adjusted to the sudden change in temperature. He hoped Sasami would wake up soon, because his stomach growled, anticipating a delicious breakfast. Frowning and massaging his restless stomach, he began to brush his teeth. His breath now minty fresh and his drowsiness gone, he exited the bathroom and made his way down the staircase. All was silent, and for a moment, Tenchi felt unnerved. Usually, Ryoko's deep snoring pervaded the family room…but not today.

Today, he found her floating an inch above the lake, her head turned upward at the sky. He watched her through the sliding glass doors, hoping she would not notice him. She didn't, and so he slowly slid the door open while slipping on his shoes. Immediately the freezing air attacked him, and he almost gasped in surprise. He wondered why she didn't shiver at all, because she donned nothing but a pair of shorts and a tank top. He debated calling out her name, but it made no difference, because she soon faded out of sight.

…

Tenchi perspired copiously during his morning practice with his grandfather, and it had not taken long for his skin to heat up in the cold weather. He was surprised by the consistent swiftness of his grandfather's attacks and could not understand how a man so old could be so quick and fierce. Katsuhito stood a few feet away from him, drinking water. After the fluid had slid down his throat and quenched his thirst, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Though his hands were wrinkled, his skin was not thin and if one touched it, it seemed to still have the firmness of youth. But his eyes were the real puzzle. Ayeka had once said they resembled the Juraian flower, the Royal Teardrop. Contrary to the solemn name, his eyes were usually jovial and often mischievous, as if he were cooking up a prank to rival all others. But at other times, the flower's name fit perfectly with his eyes' expression. Tenchi wondered at these times if his grandfather was still in the past, still haunted by the memory of leaving Jurai over seven hundred years ago. Tenchi swore sometimes he saw fire and death in his grandfather's eyes, but it was quickly shadowed with a smile or laugh. And he wondered how many people his grandfather had killed…

"Tenchi!" Tenchi, startled by his grandfather's sudden outburst, focused immediately.

"Y-Yes grandfather?" he stuttered.

"We are done for the day. You may go." Tenchi nearly sighed in relief, but stopped himself. Instead, he bowed to his grandfather, who returned the favor with a curt nod. Tenchi stretched his fatigued muscles and picked up his cloth sack from the ground. Inside there was a towel, which he used to wipe the sweat beading on his brow. As he walked along the dirt path back to the main staircase, he drank from a bottle of water.

The leaves were beginning to change from green to brown, and the blossoms from the cherry trees were starting to fall. All was preparing for winter. For a moment he sat down on a mossy rock and simply stared at the sky, mimicking Ryoko from that morning. The clouds were wispy, like stretched cotton balls. She must long for something up there, something to excite the domestic life she had settled for. After all, she had been a space pirate, and not one who relied on petty robberies to get by, but one who struck fear into those who heard her name. She was Ryoko, the devil caller. Tenchi thought of Funaho's memory, when Ryoko's eyes had glowed red, when her teeth were bared like fangs. Her scream had made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up and had sent chills up and down his spine. But now her eyes were gold, and they entranced him. How could a woman with irises so golden be anything but pure? And yet, her hands were tainted with the blood of a thousand murders…

There was a rustling in the tree above him, and he quickly looked up. He lost his balance and fell clumsily on his back. There was a laugh before Tenchi felt Ryoko teleport next to him. She cupped his face with her slender, graceful fingers and purred, "My Tenchi fell down." He opened his eyes and was momentarily shocked by the blurry face so close to his. It took a few seconds for his vision to adjust, but soon Ryoko's features were clear.

Her eyebrows were thin and arched, and they molded to her every expression. Long lashes outlined her eyelids, which did nothing to shadow her vivid eyes. Though her eyes were golden, they did not sparkle like a rare metal, but flowed like a river reflecting the sun. Her dark pupils were like ink drops, and he almost wished he could wash them out, so that all that was left was gold. He wanted to run a finger down her sharp, pointed nose. He wanted to trace all her features with his finger, so that he could memorize every line, every curve. And then he looked at her lips. They were not particularly luscious, but she pinched and puckered them in a way that could only be described as seductive. Rosy and soft, he imagined they tasted like cherries.

Tenchi realized he must be staring, so he shook his head and pushed her off of him. He sat up and brushed the dirt from his shirt. He looked at her in annoyance and wondered why she had to create this sultry façade. Why did she conceal her vulnerability with a mask of power and nonchalance? Nothing ever affected her, not for long at least. Though her battles with Ayeka were epic and filled with bitter insults, she always smiled at the end and laughed the cruel words off. Nothing could penetrate her shield.

"Ryoko, please don't. I'm not in the mood." He stood and shouldered his sack. He began to walk the dirt path again and she floated alongside him, smirking at him and occasionally stroking his cheek. Her fingers felt like petals falling on his face. His skin tingled at her touch, so he pulled away yet again. She retracted her hand immediately, as though she had been burned. His stomach knotted at the thought of having seared her precious skin. But he spoke out of anger. He was a man disturbed from his reverie. "Please leave Ryoko. I want to be alone." This time his words rung true.

Her lips quivered as they turned upward in a fake smile. Without another word, she slowly faded from sight and the only indication that she had been there was a slight rustling of leaves.

…

Sasami prepared an envious lunch filled with a multitude of foods, creating a myriad of different combinations. Either Ryoko had forgotten Tenchi's bitter scolding, or she was very adept at hiding her wounded pride, because she shoved food in her mouth at a rapid speed, looking extremely satisfied. Tenchi was rather unnerved by this display of apparent indifference. Not even her eyes betrayed any trace of sadness. Only the vibrant gold shone through.

Irritated, he firmly placed his chopsticks on the table, disturbing the joyous eaters. They stared at him, and he felt his neck and face heat up. He struggled for words. "I-I'm s-sorry. I dropped them." He had always hated lying through his teeth, and he knew he was awful at it.

"Excuse me," he said and stood up from the table. No one paid heed to his departure. No one looked longingly after him, wishing for him to return. They continued to gorge themselves, and he was sickened by it. He slid his feet into cushioned sandals, relishing in the comfort they provided. Perhaps he might take a walk to the bus station and ride into the city. He had to get away, away from this binging and away from her.

…

Ironically, the city evoked a certain peace within him that the countryside could never provide. Car horns blaring and venders shouting were not nuisances, but rather a welcomed escape from the commotion of his daily life. The tranquility of living in the mountains had been erased when his celestial companions had arrived. Every other place now seemed tame, and Tenchi believed that those who complained of city life were whiners. They couldn't imagine. None of them could ever know.

And perhaps this is what bothered Tenchi the most. He could never vent to anyone, except to those who he wished to vent about. The normal human mind is not ready to comprehend the complexity of outer space, nor the idea that their planet is simply a dot on a much larger map. Tenchi knew this and resented it, believing that if he could just relate to someone, he might be saved. The women in his house expected everything of him, yet how could he tell them that all the stories they wove did not amaze him but baffled him into utter confusion? How could he tell them that he still believed the battle with Kagato in space was but a dream? How could he tell them that he could never leave Earth, his home? He could not bear the guilt of grounding them here to a life filled with monotonous routines that could never compare to the fantastic stories of space piracy and Jurai.

Ryoko, she always looked up at the sky, and he knew she wished to return to it, gliding through the stars aboard Ryo-ohki. The desire to wreak havoc upon the universe was probably strong within her. Who was he to imprison her yet again? Her spirit had been slowly broken in a cave for over seven hundred years. He would not do that to her again. And he could not keep Ayeka from fulfilling her royal duties on Jurai, for without a leader, Jurai would be left to crumble. He was just an Earthling boy, not even comparable to the strong, adventurous men they deserved. How they could love him so was a mystery to him. He was so…normal.

Tenchi walked on until the sky dimmed and the streetlights flooded the city with artificial light. One could not even see the stars.

…

Dinner was abnormally peaceful at the Masaki household that night and Tenchi almost wished for the usual exuberance. He felt like such a hypocrite, craving peace and chaos at the same time. He glanced at Ryoko, the perfect metaphor for this dichotomy. When she floated above the water, as she had done that morning, so quiet and serene, she seemed to be one with all around her. Even her hair flowed perfectly with the wind. Yet her specialty so long ago had been to destroy the natural order of things. She was so terrible in her destruction it was hard to believe nature would ever accept her again. To him, she seemed so separate from the universe, as if she wasn't really made for it.

Ryoko suddenly laughed, and it made Tenchi nearly fall out of his seat. Ayeka had spilled her soup all over her dress and was now screaming in despair. Tenchi hurriedly rushed to help her, while Ryoko continued to laugh uproariously.

"Are you all right Miss Ayeka?" Tenchi dabbed carefully at her dress with a fresh napkin, blushing whenever he came close to an inappropriate area. The princess stumbled for words, desperately pushing Tenchi's hands away from her as she coughed to clear her throat.

"I'm quite fine Lord Tenchi. Thank you, but I must excuse myself to clean up." Tenchi smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, as she stood to leave. Her ruined dress trailed after her as she walked up the stairs to the bathroom. She was so formal that he sometimes didn't know how to respond. Even after living with him for all this time, she never seemed to fully relax around him. Of course he was aware of her feelings for him, but instead of being flattered, he was often perplexed. His complete lack of social awareness seemed to contradict everything she was about. He knew he could never succeed in the aristocratic environment she called home.

Sasami giggled and said, "Oh Tenchi, don't worry about Ayeka. She's just embarrassed. That's all." Tenchi stared at Ayeka's innocent younger sister for a moment. In Earth years, she was tremendously old, but she was still a child and still thought in simple terms. She did not even attempt to make things more complex, and she seemed to understand the world better than anyone. Was he just making his life more difficult?

…

The news came at 4:53 in the morning, and Tenchi would remember this time for the rest of his life. He was awoken by a loud scream of terror, and he was out in the hallway before he even remembered getting out of bed. It was dark, and none of the hallway lights were on, so his eyes took a moment to adjust. Standing near the staircase was a small, shadowed figure that Tenchi soon realized to be Sasami. Though he couldn't see her face clearly, he could see her entire body shaking and could hear her sharp intakes of breath. Tiny drops of light fell from her face to the floor, and he knew she was crying.

"Sasami!" he exclaimed and ran towards her, nearly falling after catching his toe on the edge of a rug. He grabbed her shoulders and looked straight into her face, hoping to decipher what she was thinking just by looking at her. It was so dark. "What is it?" She did not respond, but instead collapsed into his chest. The front of his shirt was soon sopping wet, but he continued to hold her, and he suddenly noticed how small she truly was.

Soon footsteps could be heard all throughout the house, and the house was suddenly ablaze with light. Ryoko flew from her rafter to the landing and looked at Sasami, horrified. It was as if she was not looking at Sasami, but someone else. Ayeka pushed Tenchi out of the way to get to her sister. "Sasami, what happened?"

Mihoshi, Washu, and Noboyuki soon joined the group and all waited for Sasami's explanation. For a few minutes she was inconsolable, and none of her words could be understood through her intense sobbing. As she attempted to compose herself, she took a shaky breath. All she said before fainting was, "Jurai."

…

THE EMPEROR HAS FALLEN read the news headline on Washu's galactic television. "Breaking news from Jurai! A band of mercenary pirates have assassinated the Emperor. Azusa is dead! The murder occurred at approximately 2:45 Juraian time. The pirates infiltrated the Royal Castle and killed countless guards to get to the Royal Chambers. Emperor Azusa was decapitated in his sleep, but Queens Funaho and Misaki remain unharmed. Juraian Knights were able to capture the pirate leader, and protect the Queens after hearing frightened yelling. Many are still debating as to how the group was able to break in to the castle at all, but…"

Washu's eyes were wide, and she typed madly into her holographic computer. Noboyuki gasped and sat down in a chair. Mihoshi immediately started to cry, but this time it did not seem so ridiculous. Sasami was still unconscious on a bed nearby. Tenchi wondered if she had seen her father's death in a nightmare, but the thought of it was too horrifying.

Ayeka fell to her knees, her eyes unable to tear themselves away from the screen. She placed a hand over her mouth, but soon she grabbed her head and screamed. No tears fell from her eyes, but her scream revealed a deeper sorrow than anything Tenchi had ever witnessed. He fell to his knees beside her and pulled her close. She tried to pull away and even started to claw at his shirt to get him to let go, but he wouldn't. Soon she exhausted herself and relaxed into his chest, staring blindly at the opposite wall. She did not seem so formal now.

For the longest time, he could not think, and he began to wonder if he was even breathing. THE EMPEROR HAS FALLEN ran through his mind like a taunting slideshow, and he desperately searched for some emotion to cling on to, but everything seemed to slip through his fingers. He looked for Ryoko for the first time, hoping she would give him something to feel, but she wasn't even there.

…

Tenchi found her outside, floating above the lake, staring at the sky: the image of perfection. This time he approached her and called her name. She did not respond, but instead looked down. He could see her stroking her left wrist where her gem used to be. "What now Tenchi?"

He didn't expect this question. He gazed into the forest in the direction of her cave and responded honestly, "I-I don't know."

"Yes you do. You just don't want to say it." He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. Fire erupted within him, an incontrollable rage that had been suppressed for too long. He couldn't help but think that every time he felt this irate, it was always directed towards her.

"No I don't know! I'm tired of everyone telling me I do, or that I'm supposed to know! I don't know what now! I don't know anything anymore!"

Ryoko looked away from him, not hurt, but seemingly disappointed in him. This only enraged him further. "Don't do that!" he yelled. He did not want her above him anymore. He did not want her floating there anymore, looking so perfect and pristine. She wasn't faultless after all, and this made him bitter. How could she be condescending after all that she had done?

"Get down from there! Don't tell me I have the answers, when you don't know any yourself! You don't even know who you are, do you? You're just one big contradiction." This time, she looked at him, shocked by his heartless words. She slowly lowered to the ground. With her feet planted firmly on the grass, she was equal to him.

"Tenchi…"

"You don't know who you are." But he wasn't talking about her anymore.

"Tenchi stop."

"You're meaningless to this world. You're torn between two lives, and you don't even know what they are. You serve no purpose, but to make things more complicated." Ryoko didn't move, seemingly frozen. For a moment, she was the haunting figure she had once been in the cave, trapped not by the power of a sword, but by the power of his words. She seemed so lost, as if the place she had once clung to had disappeared beneath her. He was oddly satisfied with her anguish. He had finally broken her barrier, had finally realized her fears, and he found they were not that different from his own.

…

Katsuhito stood on the shrine steps, his long gray ponytail whipping about with the strong breeze. His hands were clasped behind his back. There was something both youthful and wise in his stance, depicting a man still hopeful, but also hardened by the experience of age. Funaho, his tree, whispered to him through the darkness, telling him of his father's untimely death.

Katsuhito remembered his journey from Jurai to Earth, chasing Ryoko rapidly through the stars. Though his home planet had been nearly destroyed by her frightening power, he did not feel any resentment towards her. He recalled the first time he clashed swords with her on Earth, and there had been something forced in the way she moved. It was as if she was not doing it on her own. Her strikes may have been powerful, but they were clumsy, often missing their target. And her eyes, he could never forget her eyes. They shone red, the same crimson shade that emitted from her gems. And there was no emotion in them.

To spare her, he had imprisoned her, but now he could not help but think he had caused her more pain. She had been forced to witness a life she had never had, a happier, more joyous one. Perhaps she even thought she might never have a life as good. Katsuhito often saw her holographic form standing outside the cave, simply observing the forest around her. This was his curse: knowing he had put her there and knowing he could never be the one to release her. He was afraid Tenchi did not yet realize he was Ryoko's one and only hope for this life.

As Katsuhito stood there in the early morning, he wondered how much pain he had caused his family by leaving.

…

Ryoko did not leave after Tenchi's harsh tirade. Instead, she stood beside him, watching the lake ripple and flow. He was silent for the longest time. She could hardly hear him breathing.

"Ryoko?" It took her a moment to realize he had spoken. He had said her name so softly, as if ashamed.

"Yes?" Her own voice was unusually quiet.

"Why aren't you cold out here in the morning?" He did not look at her when he said this.

She turned away from him and whispered, "Because I don't feel hot or cold." Her words rang loud in his mind, and for a moment it was all he could think about. "Don't think less of me because I can't." Her fragility at that moment shocked him into silence. She seemed immensely pale in the moonlight, like a porcelain doll. Without thinking, he stroked her cheek with a single finger, but she shrunk away from his touch. He was reminded of all the times he had rejected her touch.

"Ryoko…"

"I can't taste either, a flaw in my genetic code I suppose."

"Ryoko, you don't have to-"

She put a finger to his lips and smiled at him, but there was no happiness in her expression. "You know what you will do, and it really has nothing to do with me." Before he could protest, she faded from sight. He reached for her, his hand grabbing nothing but air. It was as if she had not been there at all.

…

Ryoko stood on a tree branch, supporting herself by placing a hand on the trunk. Through the trees, she could see the sun starting to rise again like a phoenix from the ashes. To her, the sun never seemed old, but rather born again into something much brighter and more beautiful. Even the plants grew again, stronger and healthier. They lived in a continuous state of progress. How she wished she could do the same instead of living in a standstill. Too many years of her life had passed, and nothing had really changed. She was still imprisoned as she had always been. Kagato, the cave, her own inhibitions, they all trapped her in one way or another. And now he would be leaving her, taking the key to her cage with him.

Ryoko screamed and sent an orange blast from her palm into the forest. There was a loud explosion, and a tree fell to the ground, its splendor dying with it. Maybe this was all she was good for. She flew to the ground where the tree now lied and set it on fire, watching as the bark burned into ash, hoping to ruin any chance of rebirth…