Disclaimer: Tenchi Masaki and all other Tenchi Muyo characters are property of Pioneer. As I pointed out before, Ronin belongs to me. Anyone who uses him without my written consent shall be torn apart by wild horses to be applauded by my troops and for the amusement of the children. Thank you and enjoy. Tenchi Muyo! Blade of the Jimmu Chapter 2-The Man Behind the Mask The cockpit of the Yagami was filled with silence. Mihoshi was asleep. Kiyone flew the ship, occasionally glancing at Ronin, who appeared to be meditating in the corner. This is unbelievable, she thought. Who is this guy.and where did he learn to fight like that? She smiled slightly. I'll bet not even Ryoko could move like he did. "I doubt she could." Kiyone jumped in her seat. She looked over at Ronin. He had one eye open, and was staring at her with that deep gaze again. "You can.you can read minds?" ".Yes." He closed his eye. Kiyone sighed. It's impossible to get this guy talking. She switched the Yagami on autopilot and sat next to Ronin. "Alright, I'm going to find out who you are, whether you like it or not. Are you a bounty hunter?" Ronin shook his head. "Ok, are you with the Galaxy Police?" Another negative head motion. Kiyone sighed again. "What are you?" He looked up at her. "As I said back on the ship, I will explain when we get to the Masaki residence." "How do you even know about that?.oh, right. But, why do you want to go there?" "All will be explained in time." He looked up at the monitor. "We're there." Exasperated, Kiyone walked back to her seat and started the landing procedure. Mark my words, Ronin. I'll find out your story sometime. DING-DONG! "Tenchi, I'm a little busy in here. Can you get the door?" Sasami yelled. "Sure thing, Sasami." Tenchi replied. He walked to the door. "Yes? Oh, Kiyone and Mihoshi, come in! Sasami's almost done making din-!" He paused when he saw the black-garbed figure on the steps. "Uh.Kiyone, who's this?" The figure stared at him. Tenchi felt cold merely from its gaze. The figure spoke, "I am Ronin." He walked past Tenchi and sat on the living room floor. Without saying a word, he slipped into another meditative trance. "Hey, wait a sec!" Tenchi turned to Kiyone. "Who is that?" Kiyone smiled halfheartedly. "Maybe you should sit down." Washu hummed to herself as she typed away. Almost done, she thought. This invention will ensure domination of the universe. She finished her work and stood back. "Finally, it's done! AAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" The robotic Washu's on her shoulders popped up. "Washu, your work is done!" "You are the ruler of the galaxy, Washu!" The short statured scientist laughed maniacally. "With this, the Ultra Super Mega Alpha Death Lunch Sack of Doom, entire planets will be mine in minutes!" She held her invention high above her head and continued cackling. Suddenly, energy sensors in the living room went off. The readings were off the scales. The sheer force of the energy shook the lab, forcing Washu to drop the sack. The thermonuclear explosion rocked the area. Washu dug her way out of the rubble. She walked to the sensors, which, due to a plot hole, had not been damaged. "What the hell? Who is this? I'd better check this out." "You monster! Get away from Lord Tenchi this instant!" Ayeka was red with anger. Ryoko smiled evilly and remained latched onto Tenchi. It was just the beginning of another normal meal at the Masaki residence. "Oh, yeah? And who's gonna make me?" the female pirate replied. A plethora of miniature logs began to float in the air. Tenchi turned white. Oh, man, he thought. Here goes another dining room. Ryoko stood up. She held out a hand and summoned her energy blade. Golden electricity began to flow around her. "All right, princess, let's go!" Having said that, she took a mighty swing. Tenchi let out a small eep and leaped behind the nearest available piece of furniture. Sasami, Nobuyuki, and the others quickly followed suit. However, rather than the anticipated explosion, their ears perceived another sound, that of a single clash of blades. Tenchi peeked out from his hiding spot. He couldn't believe his eyes. "So this is what Kiyone was telling me." he said aloud. Ayeka stepped back, a surprised look on her face. Ryoko was even more shocked, as she found herself locking swords with a strange black-garbed figure. "Who the hell are you?" Ryoko cried. "My name is Ronin." The figure replied. He lunged forward, pushing his blade through Ryoko's. Her weapon dissipated, leaving her open to the advancing slash. Ryoko closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. She waited for it to come.a moment passed, but nothing happened. Hesitantly, Ryoko opened her eyes again. The shining red blade of Ronin's sword hovered less than an inch away from her face. Ryoko was utterly stunned. "How.how did you?" Ronin stepped back and sheathed his sword. He sighed. "I suppose you deserve to know. All of you, be seated." Without saying a word, the assembled party sat down. "First of all," Ronin began. "If I am going to help you, I shouldn't hide behind this." He reached up with one hand, and, very dramatically, removed his mask. A gasp echoed throughout the room. They had all expected some rough, scarred man behind the mask. Instead, the warrior before them looked surprisingly young, about Tenchi's age. His hair was a medium shade of blue, and his eyes seemed much less cold without the mask. Kiyone was amazed. This is the invincible warrior that saved my life? She thought. "Yes, it is." Ronin answered. "My real name is Nathan Grant, and I am a human." "No way!" Ryoko cried. "How could a human have your kind of power?" Nathan glanced over at her. "Tenchi has power like mine, does he not?" Ayeka spoke up. "Yes, but Lord Tenchi is a member of Jurai's royal family. You claim to be a pure blooded human. From what source did you obtain your abilities?" "Even Tenchi needed assistance to awaken his power." Ronin shifted his gaze to Sasami. "If I am not mistaken, it was the goddess Tsunami who did that. You see, my power was given to me by a deity, just like Tenchi." "Another goddess?" asked Kiyone. "Not really.OW!" Nathan winced and grabbed his arm. He spun around just in time to spot Washu bolting back to her lab, syringe in hand. The assembled group sweat-dropped. Tenchi slapped his forehead. "That's Washu for you." Nathan turned back to the others. "Well, no doubt Washu will tell you about me later. I've heard she is fairly skilled in scientific research." He sniffed the air. After a moment, he smiled and rubbed his hands together. "Well, my speech can wait a while. What's for dinner?" The Tenchi crew groaned and hit the floor. TO BE CONTINUED.