Tenchi Muyo!: Culture Shock! Chapter 3: The Beginnings of a Hated Fate By Gitaro the self-induced-vomiting Metalhead -DREAM SEQUENCE- Tenchi was happily walking his way to school. The day was beautiful, the birds were singing, and life was great. The best! This could be the best day Tenchi had ever lived! His life was perfectly normal again, and he was basking in the glory of his average, private life. < I don't know how I ever survived those days! > He thought, referring to the times with the girls. Even his house had been returned to its original position, right down the road from where he went to school. On the way he ran into some people he recognized. he ran over and joined them. "Hey! It's Tenchi!" friend #1 replied. "He's finally back!" "No way!" friend #2 said. "...Is it really you?" "Sure is!" Tenchi commented. They were all having a grand time, even just walking to school. They talked about the summer, some of the things they did and they even mentioned a new classmate. A bully named Bryan, who apparently had a dislike for people who met Tenchi's description. < Huh? > Tenchi thought. < Bryan doesn't go to my school... and... a bully? > Later in class, Tenchi could see what his friends were talking about. Bryan was sitting in the seat two rows over from Tenchi, and made faces at him practically the entire class period. He threw crumpled paper at him, and even managed to get a pepperoni slice from his sandwich to stick to Tenchi's right cheek. < This doesn't make any sense! > Thought Tenchi. < My life is normal now. What is Bryan doing here? > he looked in Bryan's direction and saw him pulling his eyelid down. Later, in the cafeteria, Tenchi was eating lunch, alone. He didn't understand why his friends hadn't wanted to join him, but this life suddenly wasn't making sense anyway. He slowly took a bite from his food when he heard a rather disturbing voice come from behind him. "Hey, faggot!" Said the voice. Tenchi stood still. He didn't know whether to turn around or ignore him. Fortunately, the voice's owner chose for him. He picked up Tenchi by his shirt and turned him around. It turned out the voice had belonged to Bryan. Tenchi's *friends* were behind him, each of them standing on either side of him. "I said faggot!" Tenchi didn't even know what the word meant. "What?" Bryan stood there looking him in the eye. He looked very angry, as if Tenchi had done something to hurt him. "I said: Hey, faggot." "Yes, you said that." Tenchi replied. Tenchi's *friend* #1 spit in his face. Bryan spoke again. "Why haven't you picked yet?" "Picked what? What are you talking about?" Tenchi asked, rubbing the spit from his face. The second *friend* of Tenchi's spit in his face. Bryan spoke again, this time louder. "I said: Faggot, why haven't you picked yet?" A tear started forming in Tenchi's eye. "I don't know what you're talking about!" His first *friend* spit him in the face again, getting him in the eye. Bryan began yelling. "You fucking haven't chosen! You fucking faggot! You're killing them!" "WHO?" Tenchi yelled, tearing in both of his eyes. "Don't you know?" Bryan yelled as both of Tenchi's *friends* spit in his face. "They love you Tenchi! And you don't have the courtesy to fucking tell them what's up, faggot! F-A-G-G-O-T!" "I'm not a faggot! I don't know what you're talking about!" "FAGET!" Bryan yelled as both of Tenchi's *friends* spit him in the face again. "FAGET!" They did it again. "FAGET!" They repeated. Tenchi started cowering to the ground and began crying. "I'm not a Faggot!" He yelled. "FAGET!" Tenchi's "friends" pulled his face back by his hair and spit in it again. The room began melting around him but the words echoed in his ears. "FAGET! YOU'RE A FAGET!" He could still feel the spit from his traitors hitting him in the face. -TENCHI WAKES UP- "NO! I'M NOT A FAGET!" he yelled. He was awake. He was in his bed, in his room, and everything was OK. He heard music playing down the hall. It was the song "Faget", by Korn. He also felt a drop of water hit his face from above. It was a leak. That's what his dream was about. A stupid song, and a leak. He wiped the tears that had accumulated in his eyes. < It was so real, though. > He looked at the leak again. Tenchi brushed it off as a coincidence. He slowly got up, and out of bed. He put a bucket under the leak and looked out of the window. It was another stormy day, and Tenchi was finally starting to get sick of them. < Crappy weather. > He thought. Tenchi sighed and looked out the window again. These last few weeks had been rather trying. < Calm down, Tenchi. > He thought again. < Bryan can't possibly be responsible for the rain. It's just a coincidence... > [Are you crazy?] Tenchi argued with himself. [Every day Bryan's been here, it's rained!] < It's just a coincidence! Coincidence! Bryan can't make rain! > [If Ryoko can walk through walls, and make light sword out of thin air, then Bryan can bring rain!] < No, he can't! > [Yes, he can!] "Damnit!" Tenchi yelled aloud. "I'm so use to people arguing around me that I'm starting to argue with MYSELF!" He started downstairs, and approached Bryan's room. He opened the door and motioned for Bryan to turn it down, which Bryan promptly did. He then went into the kitchen. Maybe talking with Sasami would make him feel a little better. "Hey, Sasami," he said as he walked through the door. "I was wondering wh..." "SHHH!" Sasami interrupted. "I can't hear the music. Bryan turned it down for some reason!" Tenchi stood in silence. "You mean you actually LIKE this?!" Tenchi couldn't believe it. "Well... YES! Actually, it keeps me focused. It's something fun to listen to while I'm cooking... has a really catchy rhythm to it, huh?" "Derrr, uh. yeah." He felt as if he were betrayed. How could she do this to him? Sasami was supposed to be the level-headed one. [DOES EVERYBODY LIKE BRYAN AROUND HERE!?] Tenchi asked himself. < Well, Ayeka doesn't. > He thought again. [She might as well, now! Now that EVERYBODY else does!] [I'm NOT JEALOUS! It's just that they. they.} [I'M NOT JEALOUS!] "STOP IT BOTH OF YOU!" Tenchi yelled aloud. "What's wrong Tenchi? Who are you yelling at?" Sasami asked him. Tenchi suddenly awoke, as if he were having a daydream. "Oh, sorry. Heh. I think. that, uh. I'd better go now." Tenchi didn't know what was happening to him. It was as if there were two of him trapped in his head, fighting over control. What caused this? Was it his dream? Was it Bryan? Was it. his crazy music? He decided that a chat with his grandfather might be helpful. *** The long walk up the stairs to the shrine seemed longer than ever. And the rain made it all the more arduous. He was beginning to feel torn. Part of him wanted to remedy the situation as fast as possible. The other side wanted to keep fighting. He finally reached the door to the shrine, and let out a series of long knocks. "Come in." Said the familiar rock of a voice that was his Grandfather. Tenchi did as he said. "Oh, hello Tenchi. What brings you in here on such a rainy day?" "Grandfather," Tenchi said. "I'm starting to freak out. I don't know what's wrong with me. between the rain, and Bryan, and his music, and the girls, and... and..." "Whoa, slow down, Tenchi. That's nothing out of the ordinary. Besides, I thought you enjoyed Bryan's music." Katsuhito stared at him. "I never said that!" Tenchi yelled. "Calm yourself, Tenchi." Katsuhito looked at him sternly. "Could it be that you're suffering from stress?" "Huh? Stress? ...At my age?" "Of course. That's it. You're starting to get stressed out. It's fairly common for your age!" "Common?" Tenchi looked at him questionably. "Without question. Just learn to take things easier!" "How am I going to do that?" "Well, Bryan has an easy time coping with stress! You could talk to him, for starters." "Groann.." Tenchi turned to walk outside. [Not him, too!] Tenchi thought. "Oh, and Tenchi!" his Grandfather yelled at him. "What is it?" "Just remember: Never take life so seriously, or you'll never get out of it alive." "Hmmmm. Thanks, Grandfather." [I guess.] Tenchi proceeded to the fields to begin his work for the day, as defeated as ever. < Maybe I should take life less seriously. > He thought. He was beginning to feel a little better already. *** The fields. The endless supply of carrots lay before the young man, asking, even begging to be taken care of. The young man glanced back at the carrots, reaffirming that they would have nothing to fear as long as they were in his protection. He didn't know why, but these carrots seemed to bring a certain amount of sanity back to him when he worked around them. Perhaps it was because they were orange, or perhaps it was because they were the only break he could hope to get from his real life. Tenchi breathed a deep sigh, and gazed at the work that lay before him. All he had to do was make sure the water drained away from the fields, and he would fare well. A distinct voice could be heard in the distance. "Tenchi! Wait up!" the voice said. < Who could that be? > He thought < Unless its.> [Bryan.] "Hey man, I came up here to help you out! Whaddaya think?" The rain seemed to get heavier the closer Bryan would get to him. [I think you're a major pain in the...] Tenchi began thinking. < Shame on yourself! > He thought again. "Of course you can help, Bryan." Tenchi said, half regrettably. "I'm just working on some ir- rigation ditches, to take some of the water-flow away." "Great. While I'm helping you, I really need some help of yours." Bryan stated. "Sure, why don't you grab that shovel over there?" He said. Maybe he could actually get twice the work done today, compared to the usual half he would get whenever someone would 'help' him. They both began digging when Bryan began talking. "Anyway, I need you to teach me something." Bryan said as he took a large chunk of muddy earth from the ground, setting it aside. The water began filling it almost instantly. "Sure, as long as I know how to teach it." Tenchi replied as he shoveled a chunk of his own. "And provided you teach me something in return." "Yeah, man. Whatever you need to know that I already know, consider it taught." Bryan stated with enthusiasm "Allright, you first. What do you want to know from me?" Tenchi shoveled another mound to his right. "Well, I mainly want to know." He struggled for a way to say it. "Well. how you dodge the girls so easy." "How I... dodge... the girls?" Tenchi stopped digging. "Yeah, you know, how you get away from them all the time." Bryan replied. "Why would you want to know something about that?" Tenchi asked, as he resumed digging. "Well." Bryan paused. "I think I might run in to some problems with Washu in the future. Not to mention the hat Sasami gave me." He resumed digging as well. "Hat? What hat?" Tenchi asked him. "This cowboy hat she bought for me. I can't bring myself to wear it, but I don't want to hurt her feelings. She's just a little girl, after all." Bryan looked at Tenchi. "What would you do?" Tenchi dug a little more. "I would just wear it. It's not like you're going to die if you wear it." "Maybe you're right." Bryan sighed. "Hey, Bryan." Tenchi said, digging a little more. "Let me ask you something." "Shoot. As long as I know the answer." He replied. "How do you cope with... stress?" Bryan looked at Tenchi kind of blank-staredly. "My grandfather told me that you would know something about that." Bryan looked him even funnier. "You're grandfather seems like he'd know more about coping with stress than I would." "Well," Tenchi thought to himself. "Grandfather likes making things harder for me. I guess he supposes that by asking you I will grow more, or something." "Hmmm." Bryan thought aloud. "That's just like my dad. I don't know, I guess I handle stress by not taking a bad situation so seriously." "That's exactly what my Grandfather said." Tenchi exclaimed, gaping at Bryan. "How can you NOT take something seriously?" "Well, I figure life is a comedy, or something." Bryan glanced at the ground for a moment. "That's why life sucks, I suppose. Unless you can find humor in the suckiness, it's not worth it." "That's not much of an answer." Tenchi sighed. "But I guess it makes a little sense. I wonder what kind of ratings my life would get if IT was a comedy." Bryan thought aloud for a moment. "Well, space pirates, princesses, police officers, babes, a love triangle or three, and sci-fi have always had good ratings. Your comedy would have all of them, so it would probably get a LOT of dedicated fans. Even people writing their own stories about you." "Heh." Tenchi laughed a little. "Tenchi Masaki, the TV show. More like Useless Tenchi." "Or no need for Tenchi." Bryan said. They both worked silent for a while. Both of them digging on either side of the field, working their way uphill. The water began finding it's way to the ditches they were digging, draining away in a muddy mass. "Hey, Tenchi." Bryan broke out. "What is it?" Replied Tenchi. "You still haven't told me how I should dodge Washu." Bryan spoke, concernedly. "Just run when things get out of hand." Tenchi said. "I think she's more bark than bite anyway." *** Lunch that afternoon was going surprisingly peacefully. Tenchi, Bryan, and Grandfather Masaki were having lunch in the shrine, while the girls stayed in the house. The rain still hadn't stopped, but Tenchi believed that his life may have been heading for the (slightly) better. He could see that his grandfather had something on his mind, as his glasses traditionally gleamed in the limelight. "Tenchi, how are you faring in the field this afternoon?" The old warrior asked. "Well, to tell you the truth, great." Tenchi said. "I'm almost done with the ditches, and the water level in the field is manageable again." "What about you, Bryan? What do you think of it?" Katsuhito glared at him, then sipped some of his tea. Bryan never did like that glare. "Uh. fine, fine. But a little too much stooping over for my tastes. My shovel's a little too short." Katsuhito didn't stop glaring at him. "Yes, from what I hear about you Americans is that as a rule you're taller than most Japanese. I hear it's mostly because of the difference in diet." Bryan tried to ignore the glare and continued the conversation. "Yeah, I guess the growth hormones that we put in the beef have an affect on us. I don't really mind being taller though." Katsuhito maintained his poker-face of a glare. "Yes, most people wouldn't..." -INSIDE THE HOUSE- "Where do you suppose Tenchi and Bryan are?" Sasami asked. "I made a little extra food for them." "Save it for later." Ayeka said. "They'll probably show up for dinner, late as usual, and you can serve them that." "But it'll be cold." Sasami looked at the pot she was holding. "I guess I could warm it up again." Ryoko was chilling out in one of the ceiling rafters. Her inexistant need for food left her uninterested in all but the social aspect of having meals. "Tenchi and that idiot are probably in the shrine eating." She said. "You did give them sacks for lunch, you know." Sasami remembered the sacks from earlier that morning. "Well, they weren't nearly large enough." -BACK IN THE SHRINE- "That's an interesting theory you have Bryan." Katsuhito exclaimed. "Life does have an almost sitcom-like quality to it at times." Tenchi opened his mouth. "Especially life around here." Tenchi thought about his choatic charge of a life. "You know what though," Bryan said aloud. "I don't mind it that much. It sucks from here to there, but. It makes you appreciate the good times more." [When you actually get a good time.] Tenchi thought. "So, Tenchi." Katsuhito burst. His asphyxiated gaze shifted to Tenchi. "What have you learned about stress from Bryan, anyway?" Tenchi opened his eyes a little more. "Stress.? Well," Tenchi tried to worm his way out of it. "Stress stinks (note: Arrid works!). I guess to cope with stress easier, you have to be a little more detached from things, and not care as much." Grandfather Masaki narrowed his eyes and gave Bryan a menacing look. Bryan raised his shoulders. "Perhaps Bryan should have told you to always be prepared for the worst, while hoping for the best." Bryan's eyes shot open. "Hey! I didn't tell him anything like to stop caring! Tell him Tenchi!" Katsuhito didn't seem to buy it. "At any rate, I think it's about time you two headed back to the field. It won't be raining much longer." "What makes you so sure?" Tenchi asked him. "I'm not." Tenchi and Bryan walked out to the field They gazed at the work they had completed. The water was leaving the field as quickly as the rain would put it there. < Not bad. > They both thought. "Bryan I don't think I'll need your help for the rest of the day." Tenchi said. "From now on it's almost too easy as it is." "Not a problem." Bryan replied. "I have a date with Washu in the lab anyway." Tenchi looked at him rather puzzle-edly. "You have a date with Washu, really?" "No, I don't mean a DATE date, I meant I have to meet her in the lab sometime today." "Oh, Yeah. What kind-of tests is she running on you anyway." "Well, for now, she's just collecting data. I think she wanted a full-body scan of me today, or something like that. Don't worry. If things get out of control, I'll just do what you do, and run." "Yeah, that usually works. -As long as her door isn't locked." *** < Damnit! Why did she have to lock her door! > Bryan thought in desperation. He looked around, trying to find somewhere he could hide from his maniacal captor. "AAAH-HAA! THERE you are!" Washu yelled from behind him. She was wearing a sleek black combat suit and holding some sort of projectile needle gun. "AAAUUUGHH!!!" Bryan yelled as he scrambled to his right. Needles stuck to the door and the walls behind him as he scrambled across Washu's aim. she thought. "C'mon, Bryan! You need your shots! What would I tell your parents if you caught one of the contaminants in this lab?" she was trying to coax him out of wherever he had just hidden to. "More than half of them are fatal!" -JUST OUTSIDE WASHU'S DOOR- "What do you suppose those explosion noises are?" Sasami asked the others. "I don't know," replied Ryoko, "...but whoever is screaming down there sounds like he isn't having fun." "You don't suppose Bryan's down there do you?" Sasami asked again. "No, he's with Tenchi in the field." Ayeka reassured. "At least. That's where I think he was." "Maybe she's being attacked!" Sasami suddenly became alarmed. "Oh, no! Poor Washu. We can't even help her because her door is locked." Ryoko calmed her down a bit. "Actually, I would feel more sorry for whoever the intruder is." "Hey!" Sasami shouted. "The noise stopped." The group moaned and went off on their regular business. -WASHU'S LAB ONCE MORE- "Heh heh heh." Washu stood over an uncoscious Bryan. "Now the real tests can start." She stripped him to his undergarments, and then propped him up in an examination bubble. She closed it, and a long snake-like camera entered the bubble, examining Bryan from head to toe. It was creating a 3-d model of Bryan for future reference. Meanwhile Washu was examining some DNA she had collected from Bryan the day before. She suddenly spit her coffee all over the computer screen. "This can't be right!" She cross-referenced it against some of Tenchi's DNA, to see the resemblance to humans that Tenchi had. "No, that's impossible." She glanced at the two nearly identical strands, and shook her head. < This isn't right. > she thought. < How can this HUMAN be... unless...> *** Bryan glanced around. He seemed to be in a large black bubble. He couldn't see outside at all. The only clue that there even was an outside was that there were tubes coming in everywhere from holes all around him. He looked at his arm. There were several tubes going into it, and it was tied down very tightly. He glanced at his other arm, which had several reading instruments. It was tied just as tightly. There was a tube attached to his side, and a camera glaring him in the face. He realized that he should be in pain, but found himself to be in none at all. < How long have I been out? > He thought. He then heard a whirring noise, coming from his left leg. A device that was attached to it had activated, and a small fan whirled to cool it. He was unsure if he was even in Washu's lab, as she would have asked him permission before becoming so intrusive. He then heard a loud whooosh noise. A large door to his right opened, and Washu stepped in, still wearing the tight black combat suit from when she had stunned him. "I'm terribly sorry about all of this." She said as she started to remove the devices from his arms and legs, closing the wounds that some of them left behind. "There was something that I had to be absolutely sure of." "I don't understand." Bryan slowly relaxed as Washu released him from his restraints. "What did you want to be sure about?" Washu looked at him. "Your Physiology." Bryan looked back at her. "What about it?" "It might be Juraian." *** Sasami was on the computer in one of the rooms upstairs. She found American history very fascinating, especially the times of westward expansion. Scenes of Cowboys and Indians played in her mind, as it often tends to happen with children. She could picture Tenchi dressed in Native American attire, and Bryan as a cowboy, both of them fighting over something. < They do fight a lot. > Sasami thought, in regards to the boys. < This internet thing sure has a lot of neat information. > She suddenly saw something very interesting. Very interesting indeed. Something so interesting, that she couldn't brush it off as mere coincidence. Interesting enough for even her sister to be concerned. "Ayeka!" Sasami yelled. She waited several moments with no return. "AYEKA!" She yelled even louder. Still no reply came. "AAAIIIIIYYYYY-EEEEEEEEEECKAAAAA!" She opened her eyes to see Ayeka standing in the doorway with an impatient look on her face. "I heard you the first time, Sasami!" "Oh. Ok." Sasami looked at her sister cheerfully. "Well?" Ayeka stared at her. "Well, what?" Sasami asked, confused. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" "Oh. Look at this." She pointed to some of the names of Native American tribes. One was Pawnee, and another was Apachee. There were several others on a list. "This. " Ayeka couldn't believe it. "These are the names of the lost trees of Jurai in the legend." "I thought they looked familiar." Sasami said. "I thought you might think they were interesting." "I don't believe this." Ayeka didn't believe this. "These are at least over half of the names of the lost trees of Jurai! The legend says that they were scattered throughout the galaxy! Do you suppose one of them could be here?" "I don't know." Sasami raised her shoulders. "Sasami, if one of these trees is here, then we will have to see it face-to-face. At all costs!" "You're going to have to talk Tenchi into it, you know." Sasami smiled. "What are those names doing here, anyway?" Ayeka wondered wondered how names like this on earth could be possible. "These are names of Native American tribes. If there's a tree of Jurai anywhere, it might be in America." Sasami suddenly smiled. "Bryan could show us around! What fun!" "Bryan! He cannot get involved! He is a regular, run of the mill, EARTHLING! If he were to get caught up in this, he... he...!" "You sound like you're making excuses to me." "I am not!" Ayeka really didn't want Bryan to come along. "But Tenchi's part earthling! Is that any different?" "Tenchi is a direct descendant to the throne of Jurai! It's completely different!" Sasami looked at her older sister and sighed. "You might be right." *** "What do you mean, Juraian?" "Well, you'll have to see for yourself." She handed him a shirt and pants, mainly for a little more privacy on his behalf, and motioned for him to follow. They both proceeded into the adjacent room, where a rather embarrassing 3-D hologram was projected in the middle of the room. "That's. a pretty graphic hologram, if I do say so myself." Bryan said, tonelessly. "Oh, it's all YOU, anyway. And I have to admit, it's not that bad!" Bryan turned a little red in the face, then sterned himself again "Could you be serious, Washu?" "Right. Here's one of the giveaways. This organ here." Washu worked on her air-top a little and a portion of the hologram's mid section opened up, revealing an intestinal organ of Bryan's. "This here is an organ that has nothing to with you're vital functions. It is something like a parasite, as your body has forgotten how to use it." "So what does that mean?" Bryan asked. He stared at the organ for a while, but knew nothing of anatomy. "Well, it strongly resembles an organ found only among Juraians. As a matter of fact, you're entire body strongly resembles Juraian physiology. This organ, among Juraians, is what lets them exploit their trees' power. It is something like a symbiotic relationship. The trees depend on the Juraians in the same way that the Juraians depend on the trees. And the Juraians organ acts as a beacon to absorb the trees' power. Yours, however, doesn't really do anything but use oxygen and blood. It's completely function-less." "So, because of that, you think I'm Juraian?" "Bryan, that is the least of the reasons that I think you could be Juraian!" They stared each other in the eye. Bryan was having a hard time swallowing what she was trying to feed him. "You're saying I'm like Tenchi? That can't be possible! That would mean that a relative of mine is Juraian, and none of mine are. We have our family origin traced to Czechoslovakia! We're all average!" Washu looked into his eyes with a very af- fectionate intensity. She would have to get him use to the idea whether he wanted to believe it or not. "There's a small chance you may be right, Bryan, but until I can figure out EXACTLY what you are, don't tell anyone about this. And I mean ANYBODY." Silence followed what she said. This was a blow. How could Bryan be Juraian? He wasn't from Jurai. He couldn't put a handle on what he would do. At the very least he could keep it a secret from the rest of the group, until Washu could find out for sure. "I think I can handle that. I'll just hang out in the guest room, or something. Away from everyone." "Good. I should know by tomorrow what is going on, so... just lay low until then." Bryan proceeded from Washu's lab, and headed directly outside. He donned his cowboy hat, and leaned against the wall of the house in thought. The pale moon gleamed above him, and a thought occurred to Bryan. The rain had stopped. He saw Ryoko materialize above him. She looked at his hat for a while, and then busted out laughing. "AAAAH HA HA HA HA!" She was starting to sound like a cackling witch. "What is THAT?" Bryan was trying to force back a sweat drop, but couldn't. "It's just a hat." "That's the most hideous thing I've ever seen!" she continued laughing. "And I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime." "Great. Nice." Bryan tried to hold back his embarrassment. The cyan-haired beauty was still laughing. "Well, are you going to join me tonight?" "No, I'm going to sit this one out." "Allright, if you insist." She flew up toward the roof, laughing like a hyena. A very beautiful hyena, but a hyena nonetheless. *** Tenchi had just returned from the field at the end of the day. He was walking the road to his house, with his raincoat tucked under his arm. The rain had mysteriously stopped, and the irrigation ditches Tenchi made let the excess water drain away. He looked into the stars and saw just how clear the sky had become. < Between dodging Ryoko, and keeping the rising water down, today was pretty extreme. > he thought. < ...strangely rewarding though. > He continued walking down the path until he could see his house. He turned around to see the forest behind him, fresh and full of life. The trees seemed to be breathing in the wind, and moving as if they were animals. "I guess the rain was good for you guys, though." he said aloud, as if the trees could hear him. Just then he noticed a figure leaning against the wall of the house outside. The figure was looking down at the ground as if contemplating something. He thought it might have been one of the girls, but it wasn't. He walked up to it, only to find that it was Bryan, wearing a very ridiculous hat. "Hey Bryan." he said. Bryan didn't reply. "Is... there something bothering you?" Bryan lay silent for a little while but eventually replied. "Nothing's wrong. I was... looking at the stars, wondering... where my home is..." Tenchi wondered what he was thinking about but decided Bryan would rather keep it to himself. That's the way he was. He told Bryan something his Grandfather use to tell him. "Well, I've always been told that home is where your heart feels at ease." Bryan eased up a little. "Thanks, I appreciate it." Tenchi continued into the kitchen where Sasami was waiting for him. She looked at him and smiled. He smiled back. "Is he OK? Tenchi?" she asked, in regards to Bryan. "I think so, do you know what's wrong with him?" "Well, he's been acting different since he came out of Washu's lab this afternoon. He act's like he's hiding something from us." They stared at each other, each wondering what the other was thinking about. If Sasami would have been older, she would have probably been a very nice candidate for Tenchi. "Why do you guys do that?" "Do what?" asked Tenchi. Sasami glanced him a sarcastic look. "Hide your feelings. You do it, your grandfather does it, and so does Bryan." Tenchi paused for a while, and stared towards the ground. "I don't know why, it just...it's a natural reaction I guess." "Tenchi..." Sasami said, sounding as if she was teasing him. "What?" "You're doing it right now and you don't even realize it." Tenchi smiled and looked at her. "Hmmm... I guess I am. Goodnight Sasami." "Goodnight." Tenchi walked up the stairs into the bathroom. He could finally take a shower and get clean after all of his work. Sasami followed him with her eyes until he was out of sight. She could hear Ryoko materializing behind him and a muffled "mmmph!" sound came from Tenchi. Then she turned to look where Bryan was standing. He was gone. she wondered. *** Bryan walked down the path that led into the forest. When he would feel depressed he would sometimes go for long walks in the middle of the night. He didn't know where he would end up, but he didn't care. He walked along, admiring the beauty of the trees and wildlife, deep in thought. He stopped at a fork in the road and turned right. He stopped and looked around again. Every one of these trees was now a part of an alien world. A world in which he had by all means no relation. he thought about it for a minute. By now he had passed another fork in the road. He didn't realize it, but he was starting to get lost. He paused for a moment. The road in front of him had ended. He turned around and decided he would head back. Bryan paused again. He looked at his surroundings. He glanced into the menacing nature of the woods at night. Suddenly Bryan saw something to his right. It was a massive tree, in the middle of a small lake. It seemed to be glowing in the night air. He moved nearer to it, and as he did it began to glow even brighter. The tree was huge. It wasn't very tall, but it was by far the thickest tree he had ever seen. He stood watching it. It seemed to radiate power, hidden behind gentleness. He was compelled by it. He wanted to get closer, but was held back by fear. So he stood there looking at it more. It looked as though it was breathing, expanding and contracting. The leaves were glowing with a bright neon blue tint. "Pretty isn't it?" said a voice from behind him. He turned around to see who it was. It was Sasami. "You followed me here Sasami?" She shook her head. "Actually, I saw the tree glowing from a distance, and I came to see what it was." the little girl smiled. "And I found you here. It shouldn't be reacting to you like this, you know." "This is a reaction?" Bryan gazed at the tree and it seemed to respond to his thoughts. Colors radiated in the leaves from the different expressions of emotions in his head. "Yes, it's reacting to you, Bryan. Can't you hear it? It's practically begging you to come closer and touch it." "It is?" Bryan slowly neared on the tree, and as he did it became unbelievably radiant. The colors grew more and more complex as he neared it and Bryan fond himself seeing colors that he had never even seen before, as if he were seeing outside of the known color spectrum. He got right in front of the tree, and put his hand against the bark. He was immediately flashed with several con- fusing images. He felt as if he was floating. He could feel his worries disappear. Everything climaxed as he felt relief from every burden he had ever had, and a new sort of pain, one which he had never felt before. It grew in his side, swelling with his heartbeat. "Oh, my GOD! It HURTS!" he yelled. Bryan let go of the tree and it instantly went dull. The pain in Bryan's side remained. It paralyzed him, leaving him unable to think about anything but the unbearable pain. He heard a distant scream that came nearer and nearer until it became so close it was inside his head. It was the sound of his own voice. "Bryan, what's wrong!?" Sasami yelled. Seeing someone like this, in this much pain, made her feel afraid. Afraid, like when she had her dreams. She tried to wake up, but this time it was reality. She began crying and begged for it to stop. "Bryan! SAY ANYTHING!!" She fell to her knees, just as paralyzed as he was. She tried to look away, or close her eyes, but couldn't. She was forced to watch him writhe in pain, up until he stopped, and fell unconscious. She was so panic-stricken, she didn't know what to do. She stood still watching him. The shallow motions of his chest rising and falling put her mind at a little more ease. She thought. *** Ending Song, 'Need To' by Korn, or you can skip to the bottom (THIS TIME YOU REALLY SHOULD READ THE BOTTOM! PLEASE!) I, I am confused, fighting myself Wanting to give in, needing your help Skin cold with fear, feel it when we touch Outside I don't know you, but inside I'm fine (fucked) Can you see it in me? Skin cold from touch Each day confronted with what I have done You pull me closer, I push you away You tell me it's okay, I can't help but feel the pain I hate you Why are you taken? I love you I feel so helpless. Why is it you? Ripping my insides each time I'm with you, why do I try? Why do I really need to? Why? X4 Fuck you, bitch Need to (X3) Fuck (X4) I hate you Why are you taken? I love you I feel so helpless Why is it you? Ripping my insides each time I'm with you why do I try? Why do I fucking need to? (Fuck.) X7 Slut. *** So, another Chapter has taken place. And I need your help. I need comments. Tell me what you like, and tell me what you don't like. I need to know. I am at a stage where I can take this story virtually anywhere. So freakin' E-mail me. Chances are that I will listen to you. C'mon, email me, you know you wanna. Mail me, Gitaro, at 4alldaze@msn.com. Subject: To Gitaro the Metalhead: Comments on chapters 1,2 or 3 I just had a bright idea, too. If you want to be a character in my series, just Email me with your name, general body type, type of role you would like to play, as well as your personality and gender, whether you would fall in love with Tenchi or not, etc. In the subject box, write: To Gitaro the Metalhead: I'm a character. This way I won't delete it. Also, and this is important, if you want to be a character, tell me what kind of music you listen to and AT LEAST ONE FLAW about your character. I need names for all sorts of upcoming characters. So I need your help. If you don't help me. I'm not responsible for any retaliation mother nature might take. This guy in Montana didn't help me, and I hear he turned into Bigfoot. Honest.