DISCLAIMER:  The Tenchi Muyo character are the property of AIC and
Pioneer respectively.  I receive no monatary compensation for the
production of this work of fiction.
__________
DETAILS:   This is the start of a three episode epic saga set in
a bybtid mix of OAV, Tenchi Universe, and the Shin Tenchi.  A few
chatacters and creations used in this fan fic are my own design
that took me years to develop.  This epic will start a whole series
of other stories that plan to maintain well into the future.
__________

THE DARK LORD OF JURAI SAGA

Episode One:  No Need for Shattered Realities

Written by Michael "The-Zorch" Haney
__________
Previously in our story...

	Tenchi, his two brides, and the rest of the visitors take a well
deserved rest from the chaos of the past few days, but their holiday
is shortlived as the Darklings return in force.  Prince Orrin and
Washu return from an outing to collect dark matter just in time to
save them all from the horrible creatures.  Earthquakes have started to
effect the Earth as the orbit of the moon begins to shift.  Worse,
the Darkling queen regis is planning something viciuos for Tenchi and
the gang.  When we last left our heroes the second battle with the
vile Darklings in Washu's lab has ended, and Orrin has teleported away
leaving Washu behind to protect her while he risks himself to save the
Earth...

And now the conclusion of Episode One!
__________
Chapter Ten - The Final Encounter...

Part One...The Regent and An Old Enemy Returns...

	The floor of Washu's lab began to heave and shake.  Washu looked
up in shock from Tenchi's arms and looked around at her ruined lab and
instantly knew what was happening.  She pushed herself away from Tenchi
and called up her holopad.  She keyed in several commands furiously and
took in a sharp breath.  She suspected that something like this might
happen but she didn't expect it this soon.
	"Get out of here!  The subspace strata of my lab is collapsing!"
she shouted.
	Tenchi was about to form a question to the red headed genius when
suddenly a large portion of the lab broke appear and fell away into a 
vast black void of nothingness.  Everyone was on their feet at that
moment and they ran for the lab entrance.  They filed out of the door as
fast as they could in twos and threes.  Yosho and Sakuya were the last
to leave the lab just before it complete vanished.  With a flash of
light the broom closet was once again a broom closet.  Washu looked at
it disdainfully.
	"Oh, well.  I can always rebuild it." she said.
	"What happened, Little Washu?" Tenchi asked her.
	"The spacial distortions from the rift caused my lab to collapse."
Washu explained.
	The ground heaved again, but this time it was due to an earth-
quake.  Tenchi looked around at his father's house and was amazed there
was not anymore damage.  Some of the rafters that Ryoko liked to sleep
on were collapsed, a few walls were cracked, but all in all the house
survived.  The earthquake hit again, but stronger this time and dust
began to sift down through cracks in the ceiling.  Washu looked at
something on her holopad and then looked up at the ceiling.
	"I'm afraid your house of about to come down, Tenchi.  The main
support beam in the attic is the only thing holding it up right now."
she said.
	"Then lets get the hell out of here!" Ryoko exclaimed.
	Everyone left the house quickly and discovered that the air was
now warm instead of cold.  In the distance they could the lights of 
fires, the sounds of sirens, and low rumbled caused by thousands of
people screaming in panic.  The nearby town, the closest bit of
civilization near the Masaki residence was in total chaos.  Washu 
checked her holopad again and whistled.
	"Mt. Fuji has errupted into a volcano again.  Also, the magma has
risen several hundred feet in this region, which is creating this 
abnormally warm weather." she said.  "The tempature of the lake is
going up...it might actually start to boil if the heat goes up anymore."
	"Can you see what Prince Orrin is doing?" Aeka asked.
	Washu keyed in some more sequences into her holopad and an image
appeared on her screen.  They croweded around behind her as best they
could and watched as the Kryton dodged around cannon fire from the
modified Soja.  The Kryton was returning fire but its shots were
having very little effect on the shields of the larger ship.  Suddenly,
a large energy blast errupted from the Soja and hit the Kryton.  Washu
almost screamed out, but held her tounge.  She had to focus, and no 
matter how much she grew to love the young prince in these past few
days she had a family that depended on her to keep her wits sharp.  She
watched as the Kryton emerged from the blast unharmed and started 
firing back.
	"It looked like he has his hands full." Tenchi said.
	An alarm went off on the holopad at that moment.
	Washu's hands flew over the holopad just then.  A wireframe view 
of the Masaki residence suddenly displayed.  Several dozen red dots
begaan to appear all around, near the shrine, near the lake, behind the
house, and some near Ryoko's cave.  In all there was over fifteen red
dots on the screen.  Washu rolled her eyes at them and sighed.
	"What is it, Miss Washu." Aeka asked.
	"More distortions.  I think we are getting more visitors." Washu
answered.
	At that moment Tenchi was tackled to the ground by a young girl
who looked no more than sixteen years of age.  She had blue hair done
up in a twin ponytail style to Sasami's but they were nowhere near as
long.  She was wearing a short yellow dress with flowers all over it.
She was hugging Tenchi, squeezing the air out of him, her head was on
her chest, and she was smiling.  Ryoko and Aeka suddenly turned red and
Tenchi could feel rage building up in them through his link with them.
	"Oh, Daddy!  I found you!  I'm so scared!" the young girl yelled.
	"DADDY!!!!" Aeka and Ryoko shouted at once!
	The girl let Tenchi up, but she didn't let go of his arms.  She
clung to his side as if physically attached to him.  She was a bit wild
eyed with fear, and then she saw the others.  Her eyes went wide when
she saw two pairs of Aeka and Ryoko.
	"Daddy, why were there two of Aeka and Ryoko, and what is with
the earthquakes?" the girl asked franticly.
	Washu passed a scanner over the young girl and then looked at her
holopad.  A very shocked expression showed on her face and this made
Aeka and Ryoko turn white.
	"She is Tenchi's daughter!" she exclaimed.
	"Of course I am, you tested me remember." the girl said.
	Washu put a hand on the teenager's shoulder.  "Sweetie, we aren't
the people you think we are.  Your here by accident.  Your in another
dimension."
	"Oh no!  This must by mother's doing!" the girl shouted.
	"Who is your mother?" Ryoko asked.
	"Yuzha." the girl said.
	"WHAT!" Aeka screamed.  She ran up to the girl and grabbed her by
the shoulders.  "Lord Tenchi would never have anything to do with that
vile creature!"
	"Who the hell is Yuzha?" Ryoko asked.
	"She is the Dark Tree of the Underworld, a demon!  Before we 
married Lord Tenchi I would have preferred you over her being his true
love anyday." Aeka replied.
	"I'm not sure how to take that." Ryoko said.
	"What is your name?" Tenchi asked the girl.
	"Mayuka." she said a bit timidly.
	"That's a pretty name." Tenchi said.
	"Thank you, daddy." Mayuka said hugging him.
	"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" Ryoko and Aeka shouted at once.
	Mayuka looked at them sternly.  "Geez.  You two sure haven't
changed any at in another universe." she said.
	"Oh, yes we have.  Tenchi is our husband in this universe." Ryoko
said with her hands on her hips.
	"You and Aeka are married to Tenchi.  Wow!" Mayuka said.
	"We have only been wed for a few days." Aeka explained.
	"Oh.  How did you do it without them killing each other, daddy?" 
she asked him.
	"Its a long story." Tenchi said.
	
	The ground shook again and two women came running out of the
night.  They were Ryoko and Aeka, panic on their faces, and they
appeared to be wearing school uniforms.  Tenchi looked at them and 
realized that they looked good on the two.  It was then that Ryoko
appeared behind him, slapped him on the back of the head, and reminded
him that she was the real Ryoko.
	"TENCHI!" they screamed as he was tackled to the ground a second
time.
	"Get off, you, Tenchi's mine!" schoolgirl Ryoko shouted.
	"Tenchi would never want to be seen with a slacker like you!" 
schoolgirl Aeka shouted.
	"Oh ya, miss high and mighty student president!" schoolgirl Ryoko
replied with a snarl.
	"EXCUSE US, BUT HE IS OURS!" the real Ryoko and Aeka shouted.
	The schoolgirl versions of Ryoko and Aeka looked at themselves
standing over them and gasped in shock.  They climbed off of Tenchi so
he get up and Ryoko dusted him off.
	"Y-y-y-your me!" schoolgirl Ryoko exclaimed pointing to Ryoko.
	Ryoko looked over her duplicate self.  "You know something Tenchi,
your right I do look good in a school uniform." she said.
	"How can there be two of us?" schoolgirl Aeka asked.  "And what 
is this about Tenchi being yours?"
	"He is our husband." Aeka said.
	"WHAT!" schoolgirls Ryoko and Aeka shout at once with shock on
their faces.  A few tears fall down their face as well.
	"Hold on girls!  This isn't your Tenchi!" Washu said.
	"Miss Washu?  What are you doing at Tenchi's? house, and Miss
Kyone and Miss Mihoshi too?" schoolgirl Aeka asked.
	"Listen to me carefully." Tenchi said grabbing both schoolgirls
by the shoulders.  "This is another dimension, you are here by
accident.  We are trying to fix it but we ran into a few snags."
	"Another dimension!" schoolgirl Aeka shouted in disbelief.
	"Yes, and your Tenchi is back home safe and sound, and single."
he replied.
	Washu ran a scanner over the two girls and then almost fell over
laughing.
	"Hahaha!  This is cute, these two are normal humans." she
laughed.
	"What do you mean?" schoolgirl Ryoko asked.
	"Aeka is an alien princess, and I am a demon." Ryoko said.
	"A demon, how appropriate." schoolgirl Aeka said giving her rival
a evil eye and folding her arms.
	"You bitch!" schoolgirl Ryoko growled in anger.
	"And, I'm her mommy." Washu said with a smile.
	The schoolgirl Ryoko looked liked she was about to faint.
	
	At that moment a short, blue haired child ran into the midst of
them and grabbed into Tenchi.  Ryoko and Aeka started to grumbled and
wished every new visitor to their universe wouldn't latch onto their 
Tenchi.  They suddenly realized that the girl who latched onto Tenchi
was Sasami, but they saw the Sasami they knew standing next to Sakuya
and Yosho.
	"Brother, what's happening?" she asked.
	Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other in surprise.
	The second Sasami looked up and saw three pairs of the girls who
were always fighting over her brother.  She saw one pregnant girl she
never met before, Tenchi's teachers, and an exact copy of herself with 
Ryu-Ohki on her head.  She also had a Ryu-Ohki on her head as well.
	"What is going on here?  Tenchi what is happening?" she asked.
	Washu scnnned Sawami with her scanner.  "Human too, but she has a
strange energy signature similar to Prince Orrin's." she said.
	Tenchi kneels down in front of the other Sasami who looked at him
in surprise and shock.  "Sasami, you called me brother." he said.
	"Of course, I'm your sister." she said.
	"I'm not who you think I am.  Your here by accident...this is..."
he tried to explain but tears started falling down Sasami's face.
	The real Sasami ran up to her duplicate.  "What he's trying to
say is, Dorathy, your not in Kansas anymore." she said.
	"Miya." Ryu-Ohki added.
	"Is this another reality?" the other Sasami asked herself.
	"It sure is.  So your Tenchi's sister in your universe?" she said.
	"Ya.  What are you in this one?" the other Sasami asked.
	"A Princess from the planet Jurai." Sasami smiled.
	The other Sasami gasped, but was in response to the name of the
planet.
	"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but its time for you
all to die now." came a dark voice.

	They all turned around suddenly to and saw a tall women wearing a
type of battlegear and a cloaked man walking up to them.  Behind them
marched an army of twenty 2nd stage Darklings.  The human Ryoko and
Aeka both passed out on the ground and the human Sasami took on a fight-
ing stance.
	"Now what?" Washu said as she ignited her lightsword.
	"You don't recognize me, Washu." the man said.
	"Should I know you." Washu replied.
	"Ryoko should know me quite well." the man replied.
	Ryoko gasped.  Tenchi grabbed her as she started to suffer a
terrifle seizure.  "No, no, it can't be!" she screamed.
	The man pulled back his hood to reveal his narrow face, the small
specticles on his nose, and the cruel eyes.  His hear fell down in long
grey locks down his back.
	"Kagato." Tenchi said through clenched teeth.
	"I'm glad you remember me, Tenchi Masaki.  I will never forget
you, however." Kagato said.
	
	Washu was about to ask something when she felt a tap on her
shoulder.  She turned around and found herself looking at...herself.
	"Let me guess.  Mihoshi was playing with the Dimensional Tuner
again?" the other Washu asked.
	"Fraid not.  We have something far more serious this time." Washu
said.
	"What could be worse than Mihoshi?" the other Washu asked.
	"Just look." Washu said pointing to Kagato and the strange
woman.
	"Oh." was all the other Washu could say.

	Ryoko recovered from her seizure and stood up.  She ignited her
light sword, teleported out of Tenchi's arms, and appeared behind
Kagato.  She was about to stab him through the back when he suddenly
teleported out of harms way, and appeared heside her.  Ryoko was 
stunned by this move, and was suddenly struck by a invisible force
that sent her flying into the house and through a wall.
	"I am a thousand times stronger since the last time we met, my
dear Ryoko." Kagato said.
	The space pirate climbed out of the wreckage of the wall she just
smashed through and flew over to Tenchi.
	"I see you and the Princess Aeka are still chasing that pathetic
human." Kagato spat.
	"This pathetic human cleaned your clock the last time you met
him." Ryoko growled.
	"That was then, this is now." Kagato said, and his eyes began to
glow red with an evil light.
	Washu looked up from her holopad and her face was pale.  "Oh, god.
Tenchi, he's a Darkling."
	"Not just any Darkling, he is a Regent." the woman spoke for the
first time.
	"A...Regent." Washu said in fear remembering what Orrin had told 
her.
	"What's a Darkling?" the other Washu asked.
	"Those things." Washu points to the creatures behind Kagato.
	The other Washu summons her holopad and starts tapping rapidly.
She looked up at the creatures, a rye smile crosses her face, and Washu
bots A & B pop up.  "Your the best Washu!  You can do it Washu!" they
cheered.
	"That is soooo true." borh Washu's said at the same time.
	Ryoko just rolled her eyes.
	
	"Enough of this bravado, Kagato.  Finished this so we can be on 
our way." the woman demanded.
	"Certainly my queen." Kagato said as he ignites his black energy
sword.
	Tenchi ignites the Tenchi-ken and slowly advances on his old
enemy.  Ryoko with sword in hand joins him and is followed by the other
Ryoko with her sword ignited.
	"Hmm.  I see our rift has had unexpected side-effects on the
fabric of reality." Kagato said seeing the additional Ryokos.
	"Miss Washu, who is that guy, and what are those creatures?" the
human Sasami asked.
	"He is an old enemy of ours who has become more of a monster.  Now
only magic can harm him." Washu explained.
	Sasami suddenly smiled.  "Did you say magic can harm him?" she
asked.
	"Yes, and those monsters over there too." Washu answered in a bit
of confusion.  She hated it when someone knew something she didn't.
	"Stand back!" the human Sasami shouts as she suddenly weilds a 
large septer with a heart shaped gem on the end.
	"Transform now and lets help them." the other Ryu-Ohki on the
human Sasami's head says in perfect Japanese.
	Sasami watches her alternate reality self shout several strange
archaic words into the air and the heart shaped stone on the end of the
septer starts to glow.  She watches in fasination she the other Sasami
undergoes an elaborate transformation.  She blushes furiously when this
transformation has her appear totally naked for a few minutes, and when 
it is over her duplicate is standing is one of the most hilarious and
revealing outfits she has ever seen.
	"I AM MAGICAL GIRL PRETTY SAMMY!" the other Sasami finishes her
tranformation with a shout.
	Sasami looks down at herself to find she is wearing the same 
outfit.
	"Eeek!  What am I wearing?" she cries.
	Ryu-Okhi jumps off of Sasami's head and looks at her.  The other
Ryu-Ohki joins her and looks back and forth between the two.
	"I guess because your both Sasami the magic got confused.  Oh 
well." the other Ryu-Ohki said.
	"Miya?" Ryu-Ohki moewed a question.
	"Hum, I can't speak human in this dimension, huh?" the other Ryu-
Ohki asked the real Sasami.
	"Not in cabbit form, but as a cabbit-girl she can." Sasami said.
	"Cabbit-girl!" the other Ryu-Ohki said leaping into the air.  He
hopped over to his alternate self and started sniffing her.
	"Oh, no.  I'm a girl in this dimension." he said.
	Pretty Sammy giggled.  "I'm glad you find this so funny." the 
other Ryu-Ohki grumbled.
	The sound of clashing energy swords distracts them all as Tenchi
and two Ryoko's take on Kagato.  They watch in fascination as the one
man fends off three attackers at once, and then bashs them all together
with a massive, invisible force.  Tenchi and girls collapse into a heap
at Kagato's feet, but not for very long when the two Ryoko's teleport
away and Tenchi summons the Light Hawk Wings.
	
	The woman who was with Kagato watches with awe at Tenchi's power
and she recognizes it.  She suddenly panics and then hears a voice at
the back of her mind.
	-- Kagato must not fall.  We need him. -- the voice said.
	"He is a Regent, mi'lord." she whispered to the voice.
	-- The one called Tenchi Masaki has the powers of a Guardian of
Light, but does not realize it yet. -- the voice said.
	"How can that be?" the Regis asks.
	-- Every universe the Elo-Quin touches has a Guardian of Light,
and we need Kagato for our campaign against Jurai that is to come. --
the voice said.
	"What is your will, mi'lord?" the Regis asks.
	-- Kagato is young and does not yet understand the full extent
of his powers.  He will not survive this fight.  Leave now and let your
children deal with these. -- the voice said.
	"What of our deal with him?" she asks.
	-- Tell him we will fulfill our bargain, but in due time. -- the
voice said.
	"As you will it, mi'lord." she said.

	Kagato slammed Tenchi into the ground with such force that his
light hawk wings almost gave out, but was suddenly struck through the
chest by Ryoko.  He desolved, reformed in a another position and swung
his black energy sword at her head.  However, the second Ryoko, the real
Ryoko blocked the move, and threw an energy ball into his face.  Kagato
stumbed back from the explosion and suddenly heard the voice of the
Regis in his mind.
	-- This battle is ended, Kagato.  Our lord and master commands
it. --
	"I can defeat these fools!" Kagato seethed.
	-- Obey me!  You will receive your part of the bargin in due
time. --
	"As you wish." he spat.

	Kagato came out of the mental communication as all three of his
attackers came at him.  He raised his hand and launched three blasts of
energy that stuck each one and sent them flying.  After Tenchi landed
his light hawk wings faded and he looked up at Kagato.
	"You win this round, Tenchi Masaki, but next time you will not be
so lucky." Kagato spat before he teleported away.  The Regis vanished
soon after, and this left them alone with the army of Darklings that
came with them.
	The creatures surged forwards snarling and screaming.  Tenchi 
stood up, tried to summon the light hawk wing again, but felt too
tired and battered to call them up.  Suddenly, Sasami was at his
side wearing the strangest outfit he ever saw.  The skirt, he
thought was way too short for a girl her age, and he turned red
when he realized that when the wind blew he could see her rather
revealing panties.
	"Don't worry, Tenchi, I'll deal with these." she said.
	Pretty Sammy lifted her heart jeweled septer, aimed it at the
on rushing army of Darklings and shouted.
	"MAGICAL GIRL FLAMES OF VICTORY!" she exclaimed and a blast of
flames shot out from the septer and obliterated a large number of the
Darklings that were charging.
	Witnessing the power of this attack, the other Darklings suddenly
pull back to regroup.  They were met by a formitable force of multiple
Ryokos and Aekas who suddenly appeared.  Tenchi felt like he was about
to faint when Pretty Sammy grabbed him.
	"Stay with me, Tenchi." she said.
	"This has been a hard day." he said.
	Ryoko, his Ryoko, materialized next to them.  "The fight is almost
over, lets get you out of here." she said.
	Ryoko teleport herself, Tenchi, and Pretty Sammy to the shrine.
The rest of the family already gathered there as the army of Ryoko
and Aeka alternates cleaned up the remaining Darklings.  The two Washus
were checking their holopads.
	"Organizing those Ryoko alternates was a stroke of Genius." Washu
said.
	"Thanks.  I like getting compliments from me." the other Washu
chuckled.  All four Washu-bots cheered the praises of Washu.
	Aeka, upon seeing Tenchi all battered and beaten ran to him and
hugged him.  "Oh, are you alright Lord Tenchi?" she asked after kissing
him.
	"I feel like a freight truck ran over me multiple times." he said.
	Aeka kissed him again, followed by Ryoko.  They smiled at him.
	"Maybe I feel a little better now." he smiled back.
	"I don't like this, why did he leave so soon?  He had us." Ryoko
asked.
	"He knows something we don't." Aeka said.
	"I know Kagato, he would not run from a fight he is winning unless
there was something very serious about to happen." Ryoko commented.
	"Like the moon hitting the Earth." Washu said.
	"No, its something else..." Ryoko said putting a finger to her
lips.
	"If we live through this I'll research it." Washu said.

	The ground began to shake again, and more violently.  A part of 
the shrine building fell in.  Yosho looked at it a little heartbroken,
but Tenchi patted his shoulder.
	"We can rebuild it, grandpa." he said weakly.
	"Yes, but it was the original moldings from 700 years old." Yosho
said with sadness.
	They were all silent for a moment, and then they were alerted by
a bright flash of light in the sky.  Instantly their thoughts turned to
Prince Orrin in space.  There was another bright light flash.
	"What is going on up there?" the other Washu asked.
	Washu had her holopad out and was typing to it furiously.  The
other Washu could see tears flowing down her alternate's face.
	"What's wrong?" she asked a little concerned.
	"The man I love is up there, and he is going to get himself
killed if he isn't careful." Washu sobbed.
	"Hum.  Maybe we can help him." the other Washu said as she called
up her holopad.

Part II - The Soja and Sacrafices Are Made...
	
	In space Prince Orrin was doing all he could to try and take out
the Soja.  The shields of the great ship were too powerful.  He had to 
find another way.  Orrin thought about the Starburst Unit but decided
against it since it was never tested in combat conditions before.  The
ship was rocked by multiple direct hits and smoke began to billow into 
the bridge.
	"My shields are down to fifteen percent.  I can't take anymore
of this." Kryton said.
	"Everytime we tried to fly close to the rift they shoot off that
primary cannon." Orrin said.
	"Well, another direct hit and we are finished." Kryton replied.
	Suddenly, Orrin had some inspiration.  He called up his holo-
console and started keying in commands.  A holodisplay appeared next
to him showing the energy shield of the Soja and then data on the shield
began to stream in.  The shield was cycling, which mean it was generated
by multiple pulses that formed a solid barrier.  This also meant that he
could teleport through it.
	"I think I know what your proposing.  I am syncronizing the
transporter with the power cycle of their shields." Kryton said.
	"Do you always have to second guess me?" Orrin asked with a smile.
	"No, but then I know you too well." the ship said.
	"I'm glad you find me so predictable." Orrin said.
	"Not predictable, just consistantly suicidal." Kryton replied.
	"Your a good friend." Orrin smiled.
	"Syncronization done, I can teleport you there at any moment.
My friend." Kryton said.
	Orrin stood up, took the Star Gem Sword in his hand and walked out
into the middle of the bridge.  "Alright, send me over..." he said.
	"Not without me!" came a voice from behind him.
	Orrin turned around, staggered back as a hand slapped his face,
and then embraced Washu as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed
him with all her passion.  
	"What was the slap for?" Orrin asked, not bothering to ask the
beautiful genius how exactly she managed to board the Kryton without
either himself or Kryton knowing about it.
	"For running off like that on me back in the lab." she said.
	"I was only thinking of you." he said looking hurt.
	"Next time talk to me first." she said.
	"Yes, dear.  Listen to me I already sound like I'm married to
you." Orrin said with a smile.
	Washu looked at the data on the holoscreen.  "Your teleporting
through their shield, huh." she said.
	"Yes, to sabatoge their power core with these." he held out two
small, flat devices.
	"What are they?" she asked.
	"Phoritic charges.  The most powerful explosive known to the 
Setari Empire, just a few ounces are enough to destroy a small moon." he
said.
	"Impressive.  Let go!" Washu said.
	"NO, your staying on the Kryton." Orrin said.
	"How do you intend to stop me from coming.  I'll just us my own
portals, which is how I got here." Washu said with a wicked smile.
	Orrin looked down and sighed in defeat.  He looked up at the
beautiful red haired genius and he knew in his heart that leaving her
behind to return to his home dimension was going to the most difficult
thing he would ever do.  He loved her, he wanted to stay with her, but
as she had said once their destinies travel in different directions;
they were just at a crossroads.
	"I love you, Washu." Orrin admitted.
	The genius sobbed as she replied, "I love you, Orrin."
	They held each other for what seemed like an eternity until their
loving embrace was interrupted by the deck of the bridge shaking.
	"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but we are still under
attack out there." Kryton said.
	
	Orrin and Washu materialized somewhere near the engineering deck
of the Soja.  Washu's familiarity with the vessel was proving to be
a godsend to Orrin as she lead him through a shortcut to the main power
core.  They were crawling through jeffies tubes to avoid running into
Darkling crewmembers.  They stopped at a junction point in the tubes and
Washu summoned her holopad.
	"Ok, this tunnel leading down will take us into the main control
center for the power core." she said.
	"Where is the best place to plant these charges?" he asked her.
	"The main power regulator and the primary ion eccelerator.  Those
two taken out will overload the core and then you can kiss this ship
goodbye." she replied.
	"Lets get going." Orrin said.  He mounted a ladder built into the
side of the verticle jeffies tube and started climbing down.  Washu
followed after him.  When they reached the bottom, Orrin crawled over to
the access hatch.  He lifted the Star Gem Sword and concentrated on the
gemstone.  He saw a vision of the control room and found it was empty.
He opened the access hatch and crawled out into the control room.  Washu
followed him and started working the controls.
	She managed to open a second access hatch that gave Orrin access 
to the main core chamber.  As he was crawling through the hatch he 
looked up at Washu.
	"If anything comes into the control room, get yourself back to
the Kryton." he said.
	"I will, my love." she replied.
	Orrin crawled through and started climbing over the components of
power core to plant his charges.  Before long he located the correct
components, set the charges, set them to a sixty second delay and 
crawled back out into the control room.  When he stood up Washu was
there waiting for him, she was uncircled in a force field and two 3rd
stage Darklings stood in the room.  Orrin had only fought one of these
monsters before and barely survived the battle, now he had two to face.
	The two creatures stood seven feet tall, they had humanoid body
shapes with elongated faces that seemed vaquely humanoid as well, but
more grotesque.  Their bodies wee black with smooth, shiny armor 
plating and short spikes on their joints.  They each had a thick tail
that ended in a sharp multibladed weapon, their hands had two thumbs,
with wicked looking knuckle blades, and their lets were reverse 
articulated with large four toed feet.  On top of their heads were a
pair of clear crystal horns.  The creatures readiated with dark power
and their red eyes reguarded Orrin without emotion.  This was the
highest level of development for a Darkling that was not a Regis or
Regent, and they were powerful.
	Orrin ignited the Star Gem Sword and launched himself at them, but
it was not a good move.  The first Darkling raised a finger and Orrin
was sent flying to the wall with enough force to dent the metal.  He
stood up, caughed up blood, and then charged again.  This time he 
reached them and slashed with the sword, but the blade defected off
a force field.  The other Darkling raised a finger and a blast of
energy knocked Orrin off his feet and sent the Star Gem Sword flying.
	Orrin fell to the floor half conscious and then realized he was
behind lifted into the air.  A Darkling had him around the throat and
Washu was screaming inside her shield.
	"Orrin, Orrin, forget about me, run, run, run!" she cried with
tears in her eyes.
	"Never!" he croaked through the creature's powerful grip.
	Suddenly, the Star Gem flared with a bright light, the sword
levitated into the air, and flew straight at the Darkling holding 
Orrin up.  The energy blade of the sword ignited and it embedded itself
into the monster's chest.  The Darkling squealed with agony, lost its 
grip on Orrin.  Before the creature fell, Orrin twisted in mid air, 
grabbed the sword handle, pulled it out, and whirled around taking the
Darkling's head all before landing on the floor on his two feet.
	Washu's force field was gone in an instant and the second Darkling
attacked, but this time the Star Gem Sword acted of its own accord
again.  The gem flared bright again, and a blast of energy shot out from
the sword blade and incinerate the creatures instantly.  When the smoke
cleared the two could see that the blast tore through the ship melting
the walls and superstructure.  A distant roar of air told them that the
blast penetrated the hull on the other side of the ship and atmosphere
was escaping.
	"That was, incrediable." Washu said in awe of the power she just
witnessed.  He is as powerful as Tenchi, she thought to herself.
	"The Star Gem acted on its own.  It only did that once before,
a long time ago." Orrin said in surprise.
	"Be glad that it did and saved us." Washu said.
	"Lets get out of here hefore the charges go off." Orrin said.
	Suddenly there were two massive explosions in the power core
chamber, they were hurled off their feet, and the lights went dim.  An
alarm started to go off.  Washu summoned her holopad and looked at a
sensor reading from the core.  It was on a overload cycle, and it was
going to blow.
	"We have thirty seconds to get out or we fry." she said.

	On the bridge Kagato and the Regis tried to keep their footing as
the explosions took place.  The Darkling and humanoid crew ran over 
their consoles to find the cause of the disturbance.  The Regis already
knew what was wrong, she felt the loss of two of her children.
	"We have intruders." she said.
	"Mistress, the main power core is on an overload cycle!  Its going
to explode!" shouted a humanoid crewman.
	"Eject the core!" Kagato commanded.
	"Done!" replied the crewman.

	Orrin and Wasbu materialize on the bridge of the Kryton in time to
see a large piece of machinery eject from the bottom of the Soja.  Orrin
jumped into his command chair and magnified the image.  It was the core
they just sabatoged.
	"Dammit!" he exclaimed.
	"I should have seen this coming." Washu said summoning her holo-
pad.  Things like this really annoyed her.
	Suddenly another powerful energy blast hit the Kryton, the lights
flickered, and the main holoscreen crackled.  The ship began to list to
one side, and it was then that Orrin realized that the inertial 
stabilizers were offline.  He went flying into the wall of the bridge
and caught Washu in his arms as she fell towards him.  The holoscreen
flickered some more and then went out completely.  A few seconds later
the holoscreen reappeared.  An image of the Kryton appeared there as if
from an external camera.  Most of the ship itself was missing, large
holes could be seen it its side, and great sparks of electricity shot
from broken power conduits.
	"That did it, sire.  I am loosing major system functions.  We are
dead in space, I'm afraid." Kryton said.
	"Download yourself to an avitar and prepare an escape pod." Orrin
said.
	"Already working on it." the new avitar said after it formed on
the bridge next to him.
	There was another massive explosion that hit the ship, this time
it was the core of the Soja exploding.  The three occupants of the 
bridge were thrown to the floor.  Orrin crawled over to Washu and helped
her stand up.  The holoscreen showed the remains of the blast and showed
that the Soja had survive it.
	"Kryton, load the dark matter into a torpedo launcher and fire it
at the rift." Orrin said.
	"That system is still online, doing it now.  Done.  Firing!" 
Kryton said.
	There was a slight lurch as the pod was fire from one of the 
forward torpedo tubes of the ship.  The pod raced with great speed 
towards the rift, but before it arrive a beam lanced from the Soja and
destroyed it.
	"NO!" Orrin shouted and slammed his fist onto the deck, denting
it.
	Washu held him close, tears in her eyes.  For the first time she
was at a loss of what to do next.  "What do we do now?" she asked.
	"Kryton, is the fold system still online?" Orrin asked.
	"Yes it is, for all the good it will do." Kryton said.
	"Set it to overload, these bastards aren't taking us down without
a fight." Orrin spat.
	"Setting up the overload cycle now.  Done.  The escape pod is
ready." Kryton said, and a hatch opened up on the floor of the bridge.
	The three climbed in and slid down a long slide that ended up in 
a small version of the original bridge.  Orrin took a seat at a chair 
that seemed to be formed from the floor as one piece and started working
the holographic console.  The escape pod lurched for a second, and then
pulled away from the main ship.
	"Sire, according to my calculations the blast from my overloading
fold drive will not penetrate their shields." Kryton said.
	"It will if you channel the overload energy through the Starburst
Unit." Orrin replied.
	"It certainly will at that.  I am making the modifications now."
Kryton said.
	"What is a Starburst Unit, and what will it do?" Washu asked, her
cur.
	"It will make a very big bang." Orrin said with a grin.

	The tiny escape pod was more like a shuttlecraft.  It raced under
the massive Soja and its small size made it difficult for the slower
energy cannons to target it.  Orrin sent the small ship into a dive and 
made for the atmosphere of the Earth.  There was no way for them to 
close the rift now, so they had to find another answer to their problem.
In the meantime, the Starburst Unit would deal with their immediate
threat.
	"Overload in ten, nine, eight, seven, six..." Kryton announced.

	On the bridge of the Soja the overload of the fold system
registered on the main holoscreen.  Kagato puzzled over the readings and
realized the power level was not nearly enough to endanger them.  He
turned towards the Regis who had a very wide grin on her face.  She had
just witnessed the destruction of the dark matter pod, and all the hopes
of the heroes chances to close the rift were gone with that one lucky 
shot.  She made a mental note to give the gunner an appropriate award
for his targetting skills, later in private.
	"There is nothing to stand in our way, now." she said.
	"At last, a victory I can live with." Kagato said.

	Suddenly, the fold drive of the Kryton overloaded and the power
of the blast was channeled via magnetic bottling into the Starburst 
Unit.  The surge of energy supercharged the device, and destroyed it
was the same time.  The resulting blast of energy was one thousand times
greater than the initial one.  The great spherical explosion expanded 
out from where the Kryton had been and it slammed into the Soja.  The 
force shield of the great ship withstood the blast for only a few 
seconds before it gave out, and the blast smashed into the hull of the 
ship. Kagato and the Regis fell from their feet as the vessel was torn 
apart by the great surge of energy.  The walls of the bridge began to 
burn white hot as the surging energy reached where they were.  The Regis 
rose into the air, grabbed Kagato by the hand, and with a wave she 
summoned a black portal.  The two passed into it and the portal closed 
just as the bridge was engulfed in white light.

Part III:  Sadness, the Moon, and Yugi Awakens...

	On Earth everyone shielded their eyes from the massive blast.  The
light was so bright that it made the sky glow as if it were daytime, but
soon the darkness of night fell upon the land again.  All that was left
now was a massive expanding ball of gas and dust that was so large it
could be seen from the ground.  Everyone gasped at the sight, and they
all started talking at once, some screaming, other cursing.  The other
Washu who just arrived ran her hands over her holopad and a single tear
fell down her face.
	"That was the Soja.  It just exploded, and I can't detect that 
ship called the Kryton anywhere." she said.
	"Oh no!" cried Ryoko.  She burried her had in Tenchi's chest and
started crying.  She had just lost someone she only just now accepting
as her mother.
	"What about the rift?" Tenchi asked.
	"Its still there, and its going totally wild.  The moon's orbit is
shifting." Washu said.
	Ryoko fell to her knees still clutching Tenchi, her shoulders
shaking with her sobs, but then she felt a familiar presence at the back
of her mind.  It wasn't Tenchi and Aeka, she could feel them strongly,
but this was faint.  She recognized it, stood up, and looked into the
sky.
	"She's alive, my link with Washu isn't broken." she said.
	"Where is shw?" Tenchi asked.
	"Look!" shouted the real Sasami as she pointed into the sky.
	They all looked up and saw a small streak of light in the sky
make several sharp turns in the air, then a low hummiong noise heralded
the arrive of the shuttlecraft from the Kryton.  The ship had the same
organic look of the Kryton, but this one was more half saucer shaped
with a long tadpole like tail trailing behind it.  The small ship
landed not far away, and before long Orrin, Washu, and Kryton in avitar
form were running towards them.
	Ryoko teleported away, appeared in front of Washu and grabbed her
in an embrace that too the scientist by surprise.
	"Mom, you had me scared to death." Ryoko cried.
	"I didn't realize you cared about me." Washu said with surprise.
	"I'm so sorry, I do care, I do care!" Ryoko sobbed.
	Orrin ran up to Tenchi and Aeka, he had a very upset look on his
face.  "The rift, its still there." he said.
	"We know, now what do we do?" Tenchi asked.
	"I have no idea." Orrin admitted.
	Tenchi wondered what they could do now.  It would be up to the two
Washus and their combined intellect to solve this problem.  The ground
started to shake worse, and the wind started picking up more.  There 
were several bright flashes of lightning in the sky also.
	"Its starting!  The moon is falling towards the Earth!  It will
hit in twenty minutes from now!" the other Washu shouted over the
howling of the wind.
	"Tenchi, I'm so sorry for your world, but we must think of 
ourselves." Aeka said with tears in her eyes.  The sad thing about was,
Tenchi thought while blocking it out from her and Ryoko, that she was
right.  The Earth was doomed, but they had a way to leave the planet.
The thought of abandoning Earth and leaving billions of people to die a
death they knew nothing about for reasons they knew nothing about was
sickening to him.  He looked at Aeka and Ryoko and a new desire to
live came over him.  He had a reason to leave the Earth to its fate, he
had a family and two wives to think about, and an unborn child. He 
looked around at the land that had been his family's shrine for over
700 years and a great sadness fell over him.  Tears ran down his face
and his wives went to him to comfort him with hugs.
	"What is going on?" came a new voice from next to him.
	Tenchi looked to his left and saw a short girl no taller than
Sasami wearing a lite blue dress.  The girl had short cut hair and she
looked up at Tenchi with affection and remourse at the same time.
	"Yugi!" Sasami shouted and she embraced the child.
	"Sasami, I felt something terribly wrong and I woke up.  What is
going on?" Yugi asked again.
	"The world is ending, dear.  In a short while the moon will hit
the Earth and this planet will be no more." Washu said.
	Yugi's eyes went wide and she hovered into the air.  "NO!" she
cried.
	"We tried to prevent it, but we failed." Tenchi said.
	"No, your my friends, I can't let this happen!" Yugi shouted and
she started to glow with a bright light.
	"Child, even you don't have the power to prevent what is going to
happen!" Washu shouted.
	"Tenchi, if you combine your power with mine we might be able to
save this world." Yugi said.
	"It might work, we have nothing else to loose." Tenchi said.  He 
walked up to the little girl, took her into his arms, and summoned the
power of his Light Hawk Wings.
	"Count me in too!" Ryoko shouted as she flew over to them, walked
into Tenchi's wings, and summoned her own Light Hawk Wings.
	Orrin looked at Washu and touched her cheek.  She touched his hand
and he kissed her.  Then he raised the Star Gem Sword and walked towards
the malestrom of energy swirling around the three figures.  Orrin walked
into the power of Tenchi and Ryoko's light hawk wings, and concentrated
on the Star Gem.  The stone began to glow and it added its own awesome
power to the mix.  The swirling energy that was around intensified to
almost a thousand fold.  The two Washus stood side by side watching this
effect and summoned up their holopads to study the phenonenon in more
detail.  Yugi channeled their awesome power through herself and 
concentrated first on the moon.  She tried to shift its orbit back to
where it belonged, but she still did not have enough power to move it.
She focused her power on the rift that was erraticly changing shape and
causing the fabric of space and time to warp.  She focus all the power
she had at her disposal on it and the rift began to close.  Soon, the
anomily was completely gone.  She refocused her power on the moon, but
she still could not move it.  The satelite still fell towards the Earth
pulled in the gravity well of the planet.
	"I closed the rift, but I can't stop the moon." Yugi said, holding
tight to Tenchi's arms.
	"We can help." Sasami said as she stepped into the swirling and
in an instant the image of Tsunami appeared transposed over top of
Sasami's smaller frame.
	The goddess focused her awesome power into the malestrom of energy
swirling around them, and Yugi concentrated again.  This time she could
feel the moon shifting position.  She warped space around it and forced
the immense mass of the satelite to shift position.  Before long the
moon was back in its proper orbit.  Yugi released her power and the
swirling mass of energy collapsed, and with it so did everyone else.

	Tenchi sat up bolt upright and suddenly fell back again as a great
blast of pain hit his head.  He looked around and found that he was
in his bedroom.  The walls were all intact, and everything was in place.
He sat up more slowly and let the pain in his head ease away before
trying to move again.  He felt a presence behind him, physically, and
mentally.  He looked behind him and saw Ryoko lying on the bed sleeping.
She looked so angelic when she was asleep he thought.  Then, he felt the
other presence, and she came in through the door to his room holding
a tray.
	"Lord Tenchi, what are you doing out of bed?" Aeka asked.
	"How long have I slept?" he asked her.
	"You, Ryoko, Sasami, Yugi, and Orrin have slept for almost
four days." she said.
	Four days!  He tried to stand, but nearly collapsed because he
was so weak.  Aeka sat the tray on an end table, grabbed him before he
fell, and helped him back into bed.  She sat down next to him and gave
his a loving kiss.
	"Washu repaired the house and the shrine.  She said it will be
two weeks before the distortions from the rift have faded enough to
send everyone back to their dimensions." Aeka explained.
	"So, everyone is still here, then." he said.
	"Its been an interesting four days with almost twenty Ryoko's,
twenty of me, two Sasami's, and the others." Aeka said.
	"I take it we succeeded in saving the world, again." Tenchi 
said.
	Aeka kissed him again.  "Yes, my brave hero, you certain have."
she smiled.
	It was at that moment that Washu came rushing through the door.
She was holding a small device in her hands.
	"Aeka is...oh, I see your finally awake Tenchi." she said.
	"Hi, Little Washu, what's your hurry?" Tenchi asked.
	"The distortions have disapated enough for me to scan the outer
solar system.  I was looking for how the Darklings were controlling
that rift.  I discovered something interesting and frightening at the
same time." Washu said.
	"What is it, Miss Washu?" Aeka asked.
	"A concentrated neutreno stream beamed in from subspace was what
they used to create and control the rift.  Their understnad of Quantum
Dynamics and the manipulation of the Temperal Strata is quite impressive
actually, but that is not what has me worried." Washu said.
	"Then what is it?" Tenchi asked, but he didn't have the heart to
tell her that he didn't understand a thing of what she just said.
	"The neutreno beam originated from a planet outsiide of the solar
system." she said.
	"That is not very surprising, what planet would that be?" Aeka
asked.
	Washu looked the princess in the eyes and considered not telling
her, but she didn't have heart to do that to her.  "It originated from
Planet Jurai." she said quickly.
	Aeka gasped and Tenchi sat up on his elbow.  "That is impossible!
Your reading must in error!" Aeka cried.
	"My readings are very rarely ever wrong, thank you, and I double
checked everything.  The beam originated from Jurai.  My estimate is it
was projected up from the surface somewhere in the Juesquari Forest."
Washu said.
	"The Juesquari Forest, that is a vast nature preserve, it covers
thousands of square miles on Jurai." Aeka said.
	"And the trees there are more than a mile high, which would 
provide excellent cover.  Generating such a beam would require a great
deal of power some very specialized, and massive machinery." Washu 
added.
	"Great Tsunami!  That means the Darkness is on Jurai." Aeka 
gasped.
	"I'm afraid so.  I fear this isn't over yet." Washu said as she
left the room.  The two watched the short genius leave the room and
then they looked at each other.  Tenchi could feel her fear through
his link with her, and he held out his arms to her.  She layed down
on the bed next to him and rolled over into his arms.  He held her 
there for a while until the pain in his head made him fall back to
sleep.  When she noticed that Tenchi was out again, Aeka kissed him
on the forehead, sat up, and closed him and Ryoko with a blanket.

Part IV:  A Time to Heal All Wounds...

	Orrin opened his eyes and found himself in familiar surroundings.
He was in Washu's lab, he did not know that it had been destroyed and
rebuilt, however.  He was in the bedroom she slept in when she was work-
ing on those long projects into the late night.  He sat up and noticed 
he was undressed except for a pair of black boxer shorts, at least that
is what she called them, and smiled since he knew those where her idea.
He made his way out into the rest of the lab and heard the sound of
typing.  Washu was sitting on her floating seat typing away at her holo-
pad.  She had reverted to child form and was working so diligently that
she did not realize he was there.  That is until he crept up silently
behind her, put his hands over her eyes, and said, "Guess who?"
	Washu stopped working and was a bit annoyed but realized that the
man did not know which Washu he was seeing.  A second later she tapped
his shoulder, he looked down at her dumbfounded, and then realized that
what he had in his hands was a doll made in her likeness.
	"You want the other Washu, she's in the house." she said with
a smile as the door to the lab appeared.
	"Oh, I'm sorry, Little Washu." he said with a blush.
	"Its alright, no wonder she likes you, you do look like him." she
said almost seductively.
	Orrin smiled at her and made his way to the door almost at a run.

	The living room of the house was very crowded with multiple 
versions of Ryoko, Aeka, the alternate reality Tenchi who was looking
very nervous, Sakuya, and two versions of Sasami who were playing with
a very happy Yugi.  The demi-goddess child had created a pair of cartoon
like carrot creatures and Ryu-Ohki and Ken-Ohki were running around
the room chasing them.  The three girls giggled and rolled on the floor
watching the antics of the two cabbits.
	Orrin went into the kitchen and found Aeka and Washu cleaning a 
vary large pile of dirty dishes.  The genius in her adult form turned
around at the noise of somone coming into the kitchen, saw him, and ran
to him throwing her arms around him.  Aeka looked, smiled at them, and
continued her work.
	"I ran into your double in the lab." he said.
	"You didn't do anything with her did you>?" Washu asked.
	"No, no!  I thought she was you, and she directed me here."
he said waving his hands in front of him.
	"Good, I won't want to have to punish you." she said playfully.
	"How long have I been out?" he asked her.
	"Just about four days, give or take a few hours.  Yugi and Sasami 
woke up earlier around noon, and Tenchi and Ryoko are still out of it." 
Washu said.
	"Something tells me the world did not end while I was asleep." he
said.
	"You all did it.  The rift is closed, the moon is back in place,
and the spacial distortions are starting to fade away." Washu smiled 
and she kissed him lovingly.  Orrin welcomed that kiss and returned it
wholeheartedly.  Aeka looked at them, smiled, and let her thoughts 
drift into Tenchi and Ryoko's dreams as they slept.
	"It will be two more weeks before its safe to open dimensional
portals again without causing a breakdown of local spacetime, but
then your not in too much of a hurry to leave me are you?" she asked.
	"I can stand being here for two weeks, as long as I get to spend
them with you." he said.
	They embraced and kissed for several minutes until they heard 
Aeka clear her throat.  "Miss Washu, these dishes will not clean them-
selves and we need to feed alot of people this afternoon." she said
in a very fake serious tone.  Her stern face broke into a smile.
	"Alright, lets help her out so we can have some private time, 
eh?" Washu said as they walked to the sink and started helping the 
princess with the dishes.

	Ryoko rolled over and felt very well rested.  She opened her eyes
and saw the peaceful face of her dearest Tenchi sleeping next to her.  
She touched his face, running her fingers along his lips, and then 
ending with them on his cheek.  Tenchi raised his hand and took hers, 
opened his eyes, and kissed her hand.
	"Good afternoon." he whispered.
	"Are we in heaven or did we save the Earth?" Ryoko asked.
	"We saved it, but we were out for four days because of it." he
explained.
	"We've been asleep for four days." Ryoko said with surprise on her
face.
	"Yup.  And, Aeka was up here to check on us." he said pointing to
the tray on the end table behind him.
	"Is she alright, and everyone else?" Ryoko asked.
	"Everyone else is fine.  But, Washu told us something very
puzzling." he said.
	"Everything mom tells people can be puzzling." Ryoko replied.
	"She said the source of the rift was on Planet Jurai of all 
places." Tenchi said.
	"How did Aeka take that?" Ryoko asked as she ran her fingers
through his hair.  To him it was a very soothing sensation.
	"Not too good.  I sense its frightened her a bit." he admitted.
	Ryoko sat up and looked at the tray sitting on the end table.  It 
had a pitcher of orange juice, two glasses, and four tuna fish 
sandwiches on two paper plates.  There were also some rice cakes and
a small ceramic jar of homemade rasberry jelly that Sasami had made
that summer.
	"I take it Sasami is out too, eh?" she said looking at the sand-
wiches which looked like someone without much skill made them.
	"Aeka meant well, though." he said looking where she was looking.
	They ate the lunch, which was actually not all that bad for some-
thing Aeka made, and they made their way downstairs.  They walked arm
in arm and were greeted by the cheers of over twenty Ryokos, and very
cross looks from over twenty Aekas.
	"Now, now!  We talked about this." warned Mihoshi.
	"The first day they were all fighting over that poor boy.  Then,
Washu threatened to turn them all into frogs if they didn't behave
themselves." said Khyone who was waiting for them at the bottom of the
stairs and jestured to the very nervous looking Tenchi duplicate.
	Aeka, hearing all the noise came out of the kitchen, saw Tenchi
was on his feet, and hugged him.  "I'm glad you were able to get up
today, Lord Tenchi." she said.  Tenchi gave her a tender kiss on the
lips.
	All of the Aekas started cheering and sticking their tounges out
at all of the other Ryokos.
	"Now cut that out, or you'll be eating flies for dinner!" shouted
Washu from the kitchen.
	All the women shut their mouths and turned around back to the TV.
	"This place has been a zoo the past four days." Aeka said.

	Outside Nagi, in her GP uniform, and the Mihoshi duplicate in a
winter coat watched birds gathering seeds in several feeders sitting in
the front yard of the Masaki house.  Mihoshi reflected on her past life,
her life as a bounty hunter chasing after Ryoko, and she was starting
to have doubts about her career.  She loved the atmosphere of this 
place, how there was a sense of family here, and now there was so much
love among the residence with the exception of some unmentioned 
visitors.
	Nagi thought about her life, she remembered that faithful day that
Aeka and Tenchi married.  She was so happy to see them together, but was
sad when he remembered the tragedy that took place that day.  She saw
Ryoko materialize before the newly married couple and confront them, a
flight between Aeka and Ryoko broke out, Tenchi tried to stop Ryoko,
and he was killed in the process.  She reflected back on the moments
that occured on that day, she remembered the anguished cries of Aeka as
she was lead away from the shrine and the body of her fallen husband,
the agonized scream of Ryoko when she realized what she had just done,
and the shocked screams of the gathered family members as they watched
Tenchi fall to the ground.  A tear fell down her face.  She then 
reflected on what she saw here.  Tenchi was alive here, he was married
to both Aeka and Ryoko here, and they were happy.
	"I'm leaving the bounty hunter bizz." Mihoshi said.
	"Huh?  What did you say, I wasn't listening?" Nagi said.
	"I said, I am leaving the bounty hunter bizz." Mihoshi repeated.
	"Why?" Nagi asked.
	"I've lived in the company of death long enough.  This place has
reminded me that there is another way of life for me." she said.
	"When I go back home there will be few changes.  Tenchi will still
be dead, Aeka will be a meer shell of her former self, and I will still
have to find Ryoko for what she did." Nagi said.
	"Here is an idea.  If this Washu can send you home, have her send
you back in time before Tenchi is murdered." Mihoshi suggested.
	Nagi looked up at the now former bounty hunter and had the sudden
urge for the first time in her life to kiss a woman.
	"Thank you!" she cheered as she ran into the house.
	Mihoshi smiled to herself.  Helping others made her feel good.
She pulled out her Galactic Bounty Hunter's license from her coat
pocket, cocked back her arm, and threw it into the lake where it
sank with a kurplunk.  She smiled to herself and felt good with her
decision.

	The next two weeks were a time to remember at the Masaki house.
The visitors, all of them, made life interesting for Tenchi, Aeka and
Ryoko.  Many of the alternate reality duplicates had trouble seeing
their arch rivals hanging off of Tenchi, kissing him, and laughing at
his jokes from time to time.  A riot almost started when both girls
went into the onsen with him, but Washu appeared from her lab with
a large frog in her hands and they all shut up really quick.  To make
room for all the duplicates Washu made a large subspace room off the
coat closet in the living room with rooms for each of the different
Aekas and Ryokos.  The two Sasami's shared the same room, while young
Yugi opted to return to her stasis chamber to go back to sleep.  This
prompted both Sasami's to start crying, but Yugi explained it was for
the best before she started getting out of hand with her power again.
Yugi had been surprised to see Sakuya again but then realized she was
a different Sakuya from another dimension.  She thought about bringing
the real Sakuya back, but she thought about how it might effect Tenchi
and his current relationship with Aeka and Ryoko.  He fell in love with
her creation, she killed it, and bringing her back would just over
complicate matters.  She would have to make this all up to them soneday,
she thought.  I some ways the feelings of her shadow reflected her own,
and in some ways she did love that human.
	Meanwhile, Washu made the announcement that it was safe to start
sending everyone home.  She gathered the some twenty duplicates of Aeka
and Ryoko into her lab and started sending them to their respective
dimensions through her portal machine.  The house was not as crowded 
anymore, and now it was time for the original visitors to go home.  Ryoko took the alternate Tenchi to the side and started talking to him.
He nodded yes and no to different questions, and then she gave him a 
few bit of information he would need.  Tenchi smiled at her and she gave
him a peck on the cheek that made him blush.

Part V:  Going Home...

	Tenchi Masaki looked back through the portal at the people he had
come to call his friends.  They waved to him and he waved back.  Ryoko
gave him a peace sign, and then the portal closed.  He was alone again,
no monsters, no aliens, just him and his normal boring life.  The air
was warm in his dimension since it was still summertime.  Washu had
sent him back to his world just a few minutes after he originally left,
so he would not have to explain why he had been gone for so long.  He
made his way down towards his house and he could smell the sweet scent
of his mother's sweetrolls.  She always had something really nice from
the oven waiting for him when he got home from school everyday.  As he
walked towards the house he noticed something was not quite the same 
as usual.  There was someone waiting for him by the front gates.  When 
he got closer he noticed it was Ryoko in her shool uniform.  She looked
up and saw him, a blush formed on her face, and he remembered what it
was that other Ryoko had told him.  Just be yourself, don't try to be
something your not, and she will fall for you.
	"Hi, what are you doing here, Ryoko?" he asked.
	"I wanted to appologize for yesterday." she said, kicking leaves
around with the toe of her shoe.
	"All I did was ask you out." he said.
	"Ya, but I shot you down really bad, and in front of my friends."
she said unable to look him in the eyes.
	"I'm used to it." Tenchi said.
	"It wasn't what I really wanted to say.  I was afraid to say yes
because of what my friends would say." Ryoko admitted.
	"You were going to say Yes?" Tenchi said in surprise.
	She nodded her head.  "The girls talk, because your a priest's
grandson and all." she said.
	"I didn't even know you liked me." Tenchi said, walking a little
closer.  Just be yourself, he heard the other Ryoko say in his mind.
	Ryoko looked up at him, brushed a lock of wild white hair out of
her eyes, and said, "I like you alot, actually."
	Tenchi took her hand, which made her blush furiously.  "Then, 
don't worry about what those boneheads think or say.  I like you too."
he said with a smile.
	"Oh, Tenchi, I'm sorry I hurt you." she said hugging him.
	When they parted they looked into each other's eyes.
	"Let's try this again.  Would you like to go see a movie sometime
with me, Ryoko?" he asked.
	"Yes, I would." Ryoko said with a smile.
	A powerfully sweet smell wafted in the wind towards them.
	"WOW!  What smells so good?" Ryoko asked.
	"My mom's cooking, say would you like to meet her?" he asked.
	"Sure." Ryoko said.  She took his arm and they walked towards
the house.
	Years would pass and the relationship between Tenchi and Ryoko
would grow.  Shortly after graduation from high school they married in
a small private service at the family shrine, lived in his parents 
house, and had three sons.  Katsuhisho retired as the priest of the 
family shrine and Tenchi took over his duties.  Tenchi and Ryoko lived
a long full life with each other, and they loved each over very much.
	Many years later an elderly Tenchi Masaki, wearing the robes of 
his calling as a priest, walked with his loving wife Ryoko down the 
stone pathway towards the shrine.  They held each other, out of love,
and out of the fact they needed to help each other walk.  Several small
chidren, the grandchildren, ran around playing in the grass and the
bushes.  A tall man walked up to them and smiled at them.  There were
several other adults sitting around a large picnic spread around on the
ground just off the path.  He was wearing the robes of a priest like his
father, but he was now the head of the family shrine as Tenchi had once
been.
	"Mom, dad, I'm glad you decided to join us." the man said.
	They sat with their three sons and their wives and enjoyed the
company of their grandchildren.  They lived like this for several more
years until one day the family found them laying in their bed together.
They seemed so peaceful sleeping in each other's arms, but they were not
asleep...they have left this world for the one beyond...together for all
eternity.

	Ryoko and Aeka both hugged Tenchi goodbye, and then they hugged
their duplicates that he married goodbye.  They walked through Washu's
machine and found themselves back home.  Like the duplicate Tenchi they
were sent back minutes after they left their dimension.  Their ears were
met by the sound of breaking glass and the yells of Noboyuki and Yosho
as they tried to calm Tenchi down.  He was drinking again.  Ryoko took
Aeka's hand, they nodded to each other, and teleported to the house.
	The first thing they did was knock Tenchi out and put him to bed,
which releaved Noboyuki.  They spent the rest of the day scouring the 
house for every bottle of saki, whisky, beer, and anything with any
kind of alcohol in it.  They then dumped it all down the toilet.
	Together the two women worked with Tenchi over a period of three
years to help him.  At times he was angry, at times he cried, and at
times he was totally normal, but he never hurt them anymore.  He was
remorseful over hurting them, he did not realize what he had been
doing to them, and asked them why did they still love him after all he
had done.
	"Because we kept the hope in our hearts that we could help you."
Ryoko told him.
	"And we hoped that the Tenchi we grew to love would still be in
there somewhere." Aeka said.
	"I love you both, you know that." Tenchi said with tears in his
eyes.
	"We know, that is why we are going to marry you." Aeka said.
	"What?" Tenchi said almost jumping out of his skin.
	"Both of us, we are putting our differences aside, we both want
you, and you love both of us." Ryoko explained.
	"But, marry both of you, is that legal?" Tenchi asked.
	"On Jurai it is." Aeka said as she leaned over kissed him, follow-
ed by Ryoko who also kissed him.
	Tenchi put his arms about them and almost felt like crying.  "I
love you, I will marry you." he said.
	"Oh, Tenchi." the two girls said at once and they rested their
heads on his shoulders.
	They would marry in a large service attended by the Emperor of
Jurai who was not happy to see his daughter marry Tenchi Masaki, but he
had to live with the fact since Aeka threatened not to let him visit
the grandchildren when they came if he didn't.  Ryoko denounced her
pirate past and devoted her life to making Tenchi happy.  Sasami had
been heart broken over how Tenchi had treated her, and it took her a
few days to get up the courage to be around him again.  He was very
remourseful over what he did to her, and soon they were in each
other's arms crying away the pain.  Before long things were getting
back to normal. All was right with their lives, until the next evil 
villain came along that is.

	Mihoshi hugged herself goodbye and the two blondes, the police
woman, and the former bounty hunter both cried out loud.  After leaving
a sizable puddle of tears on the floor Mihoshi hugged and kissed every-
one goodbye and went through the portal.  She was wearing a very 
feminine dress that Aeka had picked out for her, with white lace, yellow
flowers that went well with her tan, and a pair of white pumps that went
with the outfit.  She looke beautiful in it.  She was on the deck of her
ship again, and her crew watched her emerge from the portal, wave good-
bye to a group of poeple they never saw before.  There was one person
they saw that looked like the dreaded Ryoko they were always following.
	When the portal closed Mihoshi took her usual set at the captain's
chair, and looked at her ragged crew.  They just stood there looking at
her.  One crewman had the courage to step forward.  His name is Remard,
and he was one of her best engineers.
	"Mihoshi, ma'am, what are you wearing?" the crewman asked in a
raspy voice.
	"Find yourself another captain, I am quiting this racket." she
said.
	"But, but, we have Ryoko in our sights!" Remard sputtered.
	"Leave her alone, I'm tired of chasing her, and I am sure she
is tired to running from me.  Just take me to the closest M class planet
and drop me off." she said.
	"Why are you doing this?" another crewman asked.
	"I learned something when I was away.  I learned there is more to
me than hunting people down.  I want to have a life, get married, have
kids, grow old with a man who loves me." she said with a wistful look
on her face.
	"You certainly did change, you hate men who try to hit on you."
Remard said with true affection on his face.
	"You guys were like family to me for a long time, will you visit
me?" she asked.
	"Yes!" they all said.
	"M class planet detected.  The charts call it....Earth....an old
colony of the planet Jurai." the helmsman said.
	"Excellent.  I know just the place on that planet you can let me 
off at too." she said.
	"Huh?  But, this is our first time there." the helmsman said, very
confused.
	"Trust me, there is is this nice house sitting my this lake, and
its a nice place where I know I will be happy." she said.
	Soon after, Mihoshi's ship appeared over the Masaki house to the
shock of its residence, a yound Tenchi Masaki and his dad Noboyuki.  The
blonde ex-bounty hunter decended on a lift beam from the ship and landed
in the courtyard.  Aeka came out of the house and scowled at the woman,
she was very beautiful with her tan skin and that golden hair.
	"Hi, you don't know me, but my name is Mihoshi and I was wondering
if I could stay here for a while." she said as the ship raced away.
	"Sure, how long?" Tenchi said with some hesitation.
	"As long as it takes," she said, walked up to him, and kissed him
on the cheek.  Aeka seethed with jealousy, she just got rid of Ryoko and
now she had this blonde bombshell with a brain to deal with...life was
extremely cruel.

	Washu took special care programming the portal for Nagi's return
to her dimension.  She targetted the correct time period and location
to the near exact second.  She stood by the device and watched as Nagi
gave everyone hugs.  The GP women gave Tenchi a kiss on the cheek and
then signalled to Washu that she was ready.  The portal opened and
the grounds of the shrine just before the wedding procession left for
the reception appeared.
	"Good luck." Tenchi said.
	"I'm going to need it." Nagi said.
	The GP woman ran through the portal and found herself in the
shrine courtyard.  The procession were Tenchi would die at the hands of
Ryoko's accidental sword stroke was on its way.  She had to find Ryoko
and fast.  Which she actived her antigrav belt and jumped onto the roof.
She found Ryoko there and ran over to her.  The space pirate with very
surprised to see her.
	"What are you doing here, Nagi?" Ryoko asked.
	"To help a friend out, whether she want it or not." Nagi said.
	"What do you mean?  I'm here to see Tenchi." she said.
	"You won't like what your about to see." Nagi said.
	"See what, what has happened since I left?" Ryoko asked.
	"You'll see, but promise me not to fly off the handle." Nagi
said.
	"It depends on what it is." Ryoko said giving the GP woman a 
strange look.
	The wedding procession came through the courtyard, and Ryoko's
eyes when wide when she realized who the married couple were.  Ryoko
stood up, a rage on face, and she ignited her light sword.  Nagi was
ready, she pulled out her capture device, and sealed Ryoko up in a 
green crytal all the way up to her shoulders.
	"Let me go!  Let me go!" Ryoko cried, tears falling down her face.
	"If I do, Tenchi will die...by your hands." Nagi said cooly.
	"WHAT!  I would never hurt Tenchi!" Ryoko shouted.
	Nagi pulled out the holoviewer and showed Ryoko the scene of
Tenchi's death at her hands.  She noticed that Tenchi was in a wedding
outfit, and Aeka in a wedding kimono just as they were now.  Then, she
looked down into the crowd that was walking past and she saw Mihoshi 
with them in dress uniform, and then she looked up at Mihoshi who stood 
next to her.
	"Oh god!" Ryoko said with tears going down her face.
	Nagi disintegrated the crystal that held Ryoko and could only sit
and watch the woman collapse where she stood and cry.  She had loved 
that man so long, and now she lost him.  She left for a short tune and 
in that time her arch rival Aeka had won him.  Nagi felt sorry for her
at that moment, and for the first time in years she understood what 
drove her to do what she did...despiration and heartbreak.
	"Thank you." Ryoko said.
	"That wasn't easy for you to watch was it?" Nagi asked.
	"No, but you saved me from doing something I would regret for the
rest of my life." Ryoko said.
	Years would pass and Ryoko would come to visit Tenchi and Aeka as
they lived on Earth.  She would play with the children, two boys, and
a little girl.  Sasmai assimilated with Tsunami and soon started to
discover boys, and one day when Ryoko visited she met the brother of
Sasami's Juraian boyfriend, Jurdan.  It was love at first sight.  A year 
later they married, and had a son who she named Tenchi.
	Nagi and Ryoko never told Tenchi and Aeka what had happened that
day at the wedding until ten years later.  Tenchi and Aeka were sitting
with Ryoko and her husband Jurdan in the living room.  She told them
the story of how Nagi encased her in crystal on the roof of the shrine
to save them.  She showed the holographic video of Tenchi's death,
and she cried for a while.  Tenchi came around to her and hugged her,
and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
	"Thank you, I love you, and I consider you my best friend, Ryoko."
he said.
	"Even though I love Jurdan with all my heart, I still feel love
for you Tenchi." Ryoko said.
	"I know.  It must have been hard carrying this secret all these
years." Tenchi said with a smile.
	"I won't need to keep it a secret anymore." she said and she
smashed the data crystal under her heel.  "Becuase it never happened."

	Sakuya walked up to Tenchi, took his hand, and placed it on her
belly.  He smiled when he felt the tiny kick inside.  There was a tiny
life growing inside of her, and technically it was 'his' child, but
in a way 'he' was not the father.  She smiled up at him in that way he
remembered from long ago, and the old pain begam to creep back in.
	"I will miss all of you." she said.
	"We will miss you.  Its like losing you all over again." Tenchi
said.  Aeka put a hand on his should to reassure him.
	"I'm not the Sakuya you knew, but do know what its like to be 
loved by you.  I can understand why you feel so sad." she said.  "I
am not her, but let me speak to you as if I were her, for this one
time before I go."
	"Alright." he said swallowing back a sob.
	"Dear, sweet, Tenchi.  I will love you always, and I want you know
that I will remember you always.  I want you to move on, don't forget
me, but remember the good parts.  Remember the fun we had, our first
kiss, and he first time we held hands.  Don't ponder on my death, but
charish the time we had together.  Cherish the good memories, and I 
will live forever in your heart." when she finished she had tears in 
her eyes.
	Tenchi, with tears in his eyes, put his arms around her, and she
kissed him in that way they did that one night so long ago.  They
parted, Aeka and Ryoko whispered a "thankyou" to her, and then she 
vanished into the portal that took her home.
	Sakuya walked down the path towards the Maski house and Achika
came bounding towards her.
	"Where have you been young lady?" Achika asked.
	"I just went for a walk." she said.
	"You've been gone an hour.  Look at you, lets get you home and
get you some warm tea." Achika said.
	"Ok, Ms. Masaki." Sakuya said.
	"Wait, didn't you have a pink shirt on this morning?" Achika asked
suddenly.
	Sakuya froze in place a second.  She was wearing a shirt that
Sasami had bought her.  "No, that one got dirty after lunch...silly me
got food on it." she lied.  The shirt had an image of Ryu-Oki muching
a carrot on it.
	"Well, alright, come on, Tenchi is probably worried sick right
now." Achika said.
	As they reached the front door, Achika turned around and looked
at Sakuya.
	"You know, your marrying my son in a few weeks, would you mind,
I mean would you like to, I mean I'd really like it if you called me 
'mom'." Achika said with a smile.
	"Sure, mom." Sakuya smiled back.
	
	Everything was peaceful at the Masaki house.  Sasami was in the
kitchen with Ryu-Ohki, Aeka was in the greenhouse tending the flowers,
and Ryoko was with Tenchi cuddling up in front of the TV.  Washu and
Prince Orrin were on the opposite end of the couch in a similarly
cuddled position.  Sasami, who had done away with her Pretty Sammy
outfit, sat on the floor with her Ryu-Ohki resting on her head.  She
held a dark grey PlayStation 2 controller in her hand and was watching
the TV screen as she ran around the 3D battle arenas of Unreal
Tournament.  She just iced someone with the Ripper, switched to the 
Sniper Rift and executed three headshots in a row before making a run
to the Redemer.  She let it fly and a group of remote players, whom
sat in their living rooms screaming in anguish, and were engulfed in a 
bright blast.  "M-M-M-M-MONSTER KILL!" shouted a voice form the
game.
	"They don't have games like this back home." the other Sasami 
said.
	"I for one think its way to violent for a little girl to be
playing." said Ryu-Ohki.
	"Oh, and so I guess you'll give up playing my brother's Resident
Evil 2 late at night, too." Sasami said.
	"Uh." was all the male cabbit could say.
	"Speaking of home, my portal machine should have signaled me that
it found your universe by this time." Washu said as she summoned her
holopad.  She keyed in some commands and the answer she wanted showed
up.
	"Hmmm.  No match found, yet." she said.
	"That's Ok, Sasami can get us home." the other Ryu-Ohki said.
	Sasami looked up at the cabbit.  "I can?" she asked.
	"Of course, your not a Magical Girl for nothing you know." he 
said.
	
	They gathered outside of the house to say goodbye to Sasami.  She
cried for little bit, Ryu-Ohki said goodbye to Ryu-Ohki with a hug and
and a friendly lick on the nose, and then Sasami transformed to Pretty
Sammy.  Sasami averted her eyes during the transformation, and Tenchi
wacked his dad on the back of the head for watching.
	Sasami twirled her septer/baton over her head and chanted out, "Oh powerful magic of light, powerful magic of Juraihelm, open a doorway 
through the ether of space and time to send us home!"
	She pointed the septer straight ahead and a beam of energy shot
out.  The beam formed a swirling portal, and in the center was a
scene from a bedroom decorated like that of a young girl's.  Ryoko 
noticed a poster of Leonardo DeCaprio in boxer shorts on one wall and
smiled at Pretty Sammy.
	"Hey, I can dream can't I." Sammy said looking at her.
	"Thats my, I mean your bedroom?" Sasami asked.
	"Yup." Sammy said.
	"Goodbye, and good luck against this Pixy Misa you told us about."
Aeka called to her.
	"I will, thank you, all of you." Sammy said as she and her Ryu-
Ohki vanished into the portal.

Part VI - Washu's Farwell...

	It took another week for Kryton to grow a new ship body from a 
piece of his avitar.  The new ship hovered over the Masaki house, ran
a few test flights over the lake, and then landed at its usual spot
across the lake.  The other Washu had already said her goodbyes after
Sakuya left for her dimension, so the orignal Washu was left alone with
Prince Orrin for one last night alone.  That night was a night of great
passion for the two since they knew it would be the last time they would
ever see each other.
	The world around them came back into focus as they collapse into
each others arms, exhausted, and Washu began to cry on Orrin's bare 
chest.  He rapped his arms around her and held her there, tears starting
to form in his own eyes from her sadness.
	Washu composed herself and kissed him longingly.
	"I will miss you." she said.
	"So will I." he said.
	"When are you going?" she asked him.
	"After breakfast, Sasami is fixing something special in my honor."
Orrin said with a smile.
	"Dear sweet Sasami, she is so kind." Washu said.
	"What will you do after I am gone?" he asked.
	"I am going to investigate that neuteno beam from planet Jurai."
she said.
	"I won't be here to protect you from the Darkness." Orrin said.
	"Don't worry, Tenchi and our family can handle them." Washu said.
	"Do not underestimate them...that is what the Elo'Quin did." Orrin
warned.
	"I am the great scientific genius in the universe, don't worry
about us...you just make sure you keep yourself safe." Washu said before
kissing him.
	"I will, my dear sweet Washu." Orrin replied.

	Sasami had indeed made an excellent breakfast for them all that
morning.  She had made a traditional Setari dish which she got from
Kryton and his databanks.  They ate something like a pita sandwich but
it had sweet syrup, fruit, and different ingrediants like egg and
some nuts.  The meal of very good despite the fact that the others found
it unusual.
	Orrin and Washu spent most of their time together that morning
walking around the Masaki shrine one last time together arm in arm.
Ryoko watched them and felt very sorry for her mother.  She could feel
through her link with the ancient genius that she did love the man very
much, and leaving him was breaking her heart.  Before it was time for
them to part they held each other under the shadow of Fonaho and just
watched the clouds pass by.
	"There are few clouds on Galiea, my homeworld." he said.
	"You never really told me about your homeworld." Washu said.
	"Its not a planet.  Its a sphereworld built by the Elo'Quin
thousands of years ago." Orrin said.
	"And you live on the inside of the sphere?" Washu asked.
	"Yes, its over two AU in diameter, so ther is a great deal of 
surface area on the inside of the sphere." he replied.
	"That is alot of land mass." Washu commented.  She calculated it
in her mind and found that it would match the land mass of over ten
million M-class worlds.
	"It must be beautiful." she said.
	Orrin looked into her eyes and kissed her.  "Would you like to see
my homeworld?" he asked.
	"How?" she asked.
	"Like this..." he said as he hold her in his arms and closed his
eyes.  Washu watched the world around her suddenly fall away and she 
was suddenly airborn with Orrin beside her.  They drifted through mist
and clouds and then emerged to a sight that took her breath away.  The
capital city of Buran on Galiea lay sprawled on a mountainside.  The
great city was massive, but did not intrude on the natural beauty of the
land.  In the distant horizon all around could be seen the rising 
surface of the great sphere barely visible in the haze of the atmsphere.
Great alien trees with multicolored leaves grew in places, and strange
winged animals flew in the air.  They flew over a large ocena that was
one time the size of the Pacific ocenn on Earth and watched great beasts
with massive jawed mouths breaching the surface of the water like whales
on Earth.  The creatures here however were the size of the Yugami or 
larger.  Soon, they were flying over a glorious palace with shimmering
towers of crytal, great walls that almost looked like mother-o-pearl, 
and huge courtyards that could have easily fit several Masaki shrines.
	When the world returned to normal Washu kissed Orrin for what 
seemed an eternity.  They parted and the tears began to pour again.
Washu's holopad suddenly appeared and started beeping....Orrin's
dimension has been detected.
	"Its time." she said.
	Orrin kissed her back and held her close one last time before they
headed back to the house walking hand in hand.
	
	Orrin took his seat on the bridge of Kryton and watched his 
friends waving good bye on the ground.  Washu blew a kiss into the air
and waved up to the ship.  Orrin waved back, though he knew they would
be able to see him, and blew a kiss back to Washu.  Washu, though,
felt a sensation on his cheek like a soft kiss, and knew if had to have
been manifested from Orrin.  He put his hands on the controls, guided
the ship over the Masaki house and took it into a steep climb through
the clouds and into orbit.
	"Little Washu's portal is approximately three thousand kilometers
from our location.  I am seting course now." Kryton said.
	"Thank you." Orrin replied.
	"Sire, if you love her so much....why leave?" the ship asked.
	"I have unfinished business back home." Orrin said.
	"I understand.  Will we see them again?" Kryton asked.
	"I don't know." Orrin said, and single tear fell down his face.
	Orrin closed his eyes and held back the sadness that was washing
over him.  Images of Washu's lovely face float past his mind's eye and
he dreaded the thought of never seeing her again, but then images of
family and friends back home came to him.  Images of the Imperium
fleet storming Galea, his homeworld, and of the lovely suitors he
left behind at the royal palace who fought over him worse than Aeka and
Ryoko fought over Tenchi before marrying him.
	I will always love you, Washu, he thought to himself as the ship
passed through the portal.

Part VII - The End Is Only the Beginning...
	
	The family gathered in Washu's lab to hear the news of what her
research has uncovered.  The genius did not revert back to her child
like form, but decided to stay as an adult for now.  She has her
daughter back and was going to be a grandmother soon, she should
start to act her age.  Washu did make sure that Khyone kept Mihoshi on
a short leach during their time in the lab.  Washu looked at them
with a very serious face and this denoted the seriousness of her
findings.
	"I need you, Tenchi and Ryoko, to think back to the events of the
two fights you had in the lab here." she said.
	"We were getting our asses kicked." Ryoko said.
	"Precisely." Washu said.
	"I really wish you would get to the point, Little Washu." Tenchi
said.
	"Alright, you and Ryoko should have splatter those things." Washu
commented.
	"Excuse me, but those things were mopping the floor with us."
Kyone said.
	"But, Tenchi and Ryoko both have the powers of demi-gods.  Ryoko
has all of her gems, and she now has the power to destroy whole worlds
if she wanted to, and Tenchi's powers are almost on par with her's."
Washu said.
	"Do you mean the Darklings are stronger?" Tenchi asked with a 
little fear showing on his face.
	"NO, you should have been the one kicking ass and not getting 
your asses kicked!  Look..." Washu exclaimed and she summoned up
a giant holodisplay.  The screen had two red lines like status bars,
one labeled Tenchi and the other Ryoko.  "This is your magical energy
level right now." Washu said pointing out the fact that both meters went
off the screen.  "But, this is your energy level around the Darklings."
she said and pointed to the meters again.  This time the lines barely
made it half way across the screen.
	"You mean they were nulifying Lord Tenchi and Ryoko's powers?"
Aeka asked in shock.
	"And yours too." Washu said.
	"No wonder they were stomping us so good.  We were at half out
usual strength." Ryoko said shaking her head.
	"It appears that the Darklings have a natural ability to either
neutralize or weaken magical energy around them.  Which is probably
why they were able to destroy Orrin's ship so easily." Washu said.
	"And those things are on Jurai." Aeka said coldly.
	Washu called up another display.  This one showed the neutrino
beam.  The line carved a straigth line from the Juraian starsystem to
the the Terran starsystem.
	"All indications show they they are indeed on Jurai." Washu said.
	"Then lets go to Jurai." Tenchi said standing up.
	"What?" Kyone said in surprise.
	"I you sure about this, Lord Tenchi?" Aeka asked him.
	"He's sure, and we both now it." Ryoko said putting her arms 
around Tenchi the way she used to get Aeka riled up.
	"You do realize Tenchi, that the Darklings now have a Regent in
the form of Kagato, and he is not at all fond of us." Washu said.
	"I have no love for him, and for what he did not Ryoko and then
my homeworld." Tenchi said.  Ryoko kissed him on the cheek when he
made the comment about what Kagato did to her.
	"A journey to Jurai will take the Yugami six weeks." Khyone
said.
	"Oh, wow, I love space advetnrues." Mihoshi said.
	"This isn't going to be a joy ride, Mihoshi." Khyone derated her.
	"We're going home, sis?" Sasami asked.
	Aeka looked at the young princess and nodded her head.  "Yes,
Sasami, we are going home but I wish it were under better circustances."
she said.
	"And, there is no telling what is happening on Jurai right now."
Washu said.
	"I can monitor intergalactic transmission and see if anyone has
seen or heard anything strange from Jurai." Khyone said.
	"I can have Azaka and Kamadake try to reach my father." Aeka said.
	"We'll also need to get a great deal of provisions on board the
Yugami, which will require a great deal of money" Washu commented.
	"These two weeks have really slaughtered the grocery budget for
this month." Noboyuki said.
	"Hmmm.  I do have this food replicator device I created.  I guess
I could make a larger version for us." Washu said.
	"As long as it doesn't blow up the ship." Tenchi said.
	"So little faith, Tenchi, for shame." Washu said waving a finger
at him playfully.
	Everyone looked at each other and they all noted the resolve in
their faces.  They all nodded to each other and Washu switched the
display to an image of planet Jurai and its twin ring systems.
	"I guess it is settled them, we go to Jurai." Yosho said.
_____________
End of Episode One...to be continued

Thank very much.  I worked hard on writing this first episode of this 
planned three episode series.  I hope you really like it.  I am writing
stories that feature Orrin Quintarin in his own adventures, too.  I am
working on Episode Two - No Need for A Space Journey at this moment
and the proloque and first chapter are almost ready.  Stay tuned.

If you enjoyed this fan fic series let me know at zorch@the-zorch.com.