Power.

When one is mortal, that is the ultimate goal in life.  For thousands of
years, men have lived and died only to achieve this one, incomplete vision.
The question humans always ask is "How do I get Power?"  They never ask, "What
exactly is Power?"

That is the greatest overlooked secret of the human race.  Power is nothing
without purpose, without direction.  When it comes right down to it, Power
itself is not the end, just the ends to a mean.  Without a purpose for
possessing Power, any human to wield it raw and unadulterated would be as a
child with a loaded gun.

For some beings, however, Power is a tool.  It is not some special magic that
can solve any and all problems, oh no.  There's always a catch, always a
problem.  The worst part about it is, the more Power you wield, the higher the
loopholes involved are.

For the being Ronoken, the catch can best be described as annoying.

Here is a being with unlimited power, a being with the ability to level
planets and destroy stars, but is restricted to operating strictly by the
barter system.  For him to have any power over a creature, her must first
offer something in return.  If a being accepts, then it in effect gives up its
soul as payment.  This is the secret, and the crutch, of the Ronoken's power.

Know this, that any who do deal with him do so at their own peril, for the
Ronoken never works for his own motives, but is always serving some higher
being.  Therefore, when one deals with the Ronoken, they are truly dealing
with something beyond their comprehension.

***

Things were starting to look dim.

Tenchi should have cracked.  Never had a living soul EVER been able to resist
the temptations of the Ronoken.  NEVER!  It was unheard of!  It was
unbelievable!

It was a momentary setback.

"Damn that boy!  My power was at its peak!  He should have given in!  All I
wanted in return was a simple yes, and he would have had his dream come true!
This is not a contingency that I had planned upon."

Ronoken stood in low earth orbit, debating his next course of action.  The boy
had been a mistake. He knew that now.  He should have gone for the most
obvious choice of temptation first, the choice that had never failed him
before.  He was falling out of favor with Tokimi, and in his line of work,
pissing off your employer was NOT the wisest thing to do.

"The boy was a mistake, I see that now.  So, let's see who's next, shall we?"
Ronoken straightened his silk tie as a vision appeared before him, the vision
of a young girl with long blue hair and bright, shiny pink eyes.

"God bless the child, indeed…"

***

BGlanders presents…

The Devil and Mr. Masaki

Chapter Two: How the Hell Did You Get So Small?

***

"What the hell?!"

These words echoed through the sub space lab of Washu, the greatest scientific
genius in the universe.  The red haired wonder was in front of her computer
counsel crunching numbers for her latest theory on trans-dimensional wormholes
when a little red light started blinking on her 'oh-damn-a-meter'.

"Oh damn.  Not good, not good at all…"

Within seconds, twenty different screens appeared before Washu.  Each of these
screens showed charts, patterns, fluctuations and row after row of numbers.
To any earthling, these images would have made no sense whatsoever.

For Washu, however, these screens told a slightly different story.

As Washu continued to work, sweat started to bead on her brow, and a dim light
of panic appeared in her eyes.

It was going to be a bad day.

***

It's gonna be a good day.

That was the main thought running through Sasami's head as she stood before
the kitchen window, washing the dishes from breakfast.  The sunlight streaming
through the pane of glass made dancing images of light play across her face
and hands.  The warm breeze from the open door behind her made her feel
relaxed and calm, and very content.

"I hope Tenchi gets home soon, otherwise he's gonna spend the whole day out in
that dumb old field and miss the lunch I'm making."

Sasami knew that working in the fields was Tenchi's duty, but that didn't mean
she liked it.  She would have much rather preferred to have Tenchi back at the
house, spending time with her and the others.  She liked Tenchi, but she knew
that she didn't stand a chance against her sister or Ryoko.  Still, she didn't
mind dreaming...

Sasami was still daydreaming when a flash of light from the window caused her
to drop the plate she was holding.  Just before it hit the ground, a small
pale hand caught it.

"Oh!"  Sasami gasped as she saw the stranger beside her.  He was about her
height, with pale skin and short black hair.  He was dressed in a black suit
and seemed very thin.  "Hi," he said as Sasami stumbled away from him, "My
name's Monis.  What's yours?"

Sasami paused and eyed the newcomer for a moment.  He seemed a nice enough
boy, with a warm smile and soft brown eyes.  "My name's Sasami.  How did you
get in here Monis?"

Monis pointed at the open door.  "Through there.  I'm sorry, if I'm not
welcome, I can go..."

Sasami shook her head and smiled.  "No, that's all right.  You just startled
me, that's all.  Would you like to help me do the dishes?"

Monis took a look at Sasami, then at the sink.  'Well, if it means getting her
as an avatar, then why not?'

***

"So you're here to see grandpa?"

The dishes were almost done. Sasami was washing while Monis had taken his suit
coat off and was doing a fairly decent job of drying.

"Well kinda... I was on my way to the Shrine and I got kinda lost.  I didn't
mean to scare you before, I was just looking for someone who could tell me
where I was."

Sasami giggled and picked up another plate.  "Well, this is our home.  The
shrine is up the hill.  There's a set of steps leading the way."

"Thank you, Sasami.  I guess I'm not too good when it comes to finding
things."  Monis reached over to get the plate Sasami was holding and
accidently brushed against her hand.  Monis suddenly froze at the contact, not
knowing why he was suddenly feeling the way he was.

'What's going on here?  Why do I suddenly feel this...this rush of emotion?
And why haven't I started with my sales pitch yet?  I should be done by now,
and instead I'm drying dishes and ranting on and on and...'

Sasami lightly blushed as Monis was still frozen in contact with Sasami's
hand.  He suddenly caught himself and pulled away franticly while she lightly
giggled.  "Hey are you okay Monis?  You were kinda spaced out there for a
second."

'And she has the most beautiful pink eyes...'

"Umm..I..uh.. I was just thinking about..well.."

"About someone you love?"

Monis's head snapped up to see Sasami staring out the window with a dreamy
look on her face.  "You said you came here to see grandpa.  Why?"

Monis gulped and raced for an explanation as to why a 10-year-old boy would
visit a Shinto priest in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, you see, I came to pay respects...to my family, you see..and.."
Sasami's face suddenly took on a look of concern.  "I'm sorry..I didn't know
your family was...I'm sorry Monis.  I shouldn't have been so nosey."

'She's so thoughtful.  No mortal has ever been this concerned about my
feelings before.  No one's ever... asked me about them.'

"It's all right, Sasami.  You didn't know.  Say, when I was talking, you were
thinking about somebody.  Tell me, who was it?"

'That's right.  Do your job.  Find out what she wants, then do the exchange
and give Tokimi what she wants.  Then you can just leave this place and these
people who have thwarted you.  You!  You're supposed to be a damn
professional, so act like one!'

'But she's so young and innocent.  So caring..so unlike me...'

Sasami blushed and turned away.  "Well, he's just a friend.  I know nothing
will ever happen, but it's nice to daydream..."  Her eyes once again turned to
the window and a smile crept across her face.  Monis just continued to stare
at her.  The way the sunlight accented her features, the way her eyes seemed
to sparkle, she was... she was...

'NO!  Damnit I'm here to do a job and I'm going to do it!  I'm not going to be
distracted by this...'

"Hey Monis, you wanna take a walk?"  Sasami hopped away from the sink and took
Monis by the hand.  Monis grinned and nodded while grabbing his suit coat
jacket.  Sasami giggled and led the way outside.

'...by this wonderful little mortal...'

***

Washu continued to scan her readings, checking probe results one after
another.  The information her super computer was giving her was not what she
had hoped for.

"This can't be!  These readings can only be caused by a high level dimension
reaction, and those can only be caused by a very select few beings..."

Washu continued to crunch numbers, trying to pin point the identity of the
multiverse culprit.  She currently knew of only one definite being that could
create such a disturbance; Tsunami.  However, as Tsunami usually didn't make
her presence known, Washu ruled her out.  Besides, these readings didn't match
Tsunami's energy patterns.

"According to this, the being causing the reactions isn't...waitaminute.  I'm
reading...yes!  Another force blanketing the first one!  That's why I didn't
pick it up before!  There are strange doings afoot here..."

Washu continued to engross herself in her work, not paying attention to the
monitors behind her, the one's showing the Masaki household.  She didn't see
as a tall, gaunt being had appeared out of thin air right behind Sasami, then
shrank himself down to the child's size.  She didn't see Sasami doing dishes
and talking with the apparition that had appeared moments before, and she
didn't even notice when Sasami left with the very creature Washu was trying to
pin point.

Kinda funny how things can happen that way.

***

It really was a beautiful day.

The air was warm, but not humid or hot, and a gentle breeze could be felt
drifting across the cool green grass.  The clouds overhead lazily sauntered
along on their paths to nowhere in particular and the song of a bird could be
heard on the wind.

Of course, Tenchi Masaki didn't care a bit about any of this.

The first thing he saw wasn't the blue sky or the green grass, but rather
dirt, and lots of it.  He found himself lying face down in the middle of the
carrot fields he had been tending.

"What..happened?  How'd I end up like this?"

He slowly gathered his wits, then tried to push himself up.

Then fell back down as a semi-truck smashed his skull.

The pain in Tenchi's head was unbelievable, like a thousand knives were
driving straight into his temple.  Like a jackhammer was pounding into his
temple again and again and again and...

"So I guess this is what Ryoko feels like after drinking..."

Tenchi took a deep breath and then, with a force of sheer will, managed to
stand up.  As Tenchi fought off the urge to pass out, he shook out the cobwebs
in his head and tried to remember what exactly had happened.

"I was working and then...something happened...but what?  I...I don't remember
anything but..something about a man in a suit..."

Tenchi shook his head again and took a swig from his canteen.  The water
tasted hot and stung his tongue.  He cringed, but managed to drain his flask.

"Water...I remember something about water... It must have been heat stroke.
Yeah, that's it!  I was working too hard and I passed out.  Well, I am pretty
much done with the field anyways, so I might as well head home."

Tenchi proceeded to gather his belongings and started heading back to the
house, thinking the afternoon's transpirings nothing more than delusions
brought on by heat stroke.

***

"MISS RYOKO!  I WILL MOST CERTAINLY NOT HAVE SEX ON THE BEACH!"

It was your typical pub setting, with dimly lit booths, dirty floors, and
stools lining a counter topped with smoked glass.  What made this bar so un-
typical were the two patrons at the counter.  The first was dressed in tight
jean shorts with a short red tank top.  The other was wearing her
stereotypical pink and purple kimono.

"Calm down, Aeka.  It's a drink, not an offer.  Geez, you're so uptight!  Come
on, lighten up!"

Aeka paused, mentally weighing the truth to Ryoko's words, as the barkeep
brought her a drink.  Hesitantly, she took a sip, then proceeded to down the
rest of the beverage.

It had been Ryoko's idea to come into town.  Things had been quiet lately, and
Tenchi's birthday was coming up, so Ryoko decided to pick him up a little
'something special'.  Her first idea for a birthday gift had been, well, let's
just say it involved candles and wax, and wasn't a cake.  So to keep Aeka from
going off the handle, Ryoko had agreed to buy a gift with Aeka.  That way
neither one of them could get mad at the other's decision.

After three hours of arguing and one near meltdown over what to buy, Ryoko
decided that a break was in order.  So after a bit of prodding and an offer to
pay, Ryoko finally managed to steer Aeka into the local tavern.

"Well Miss Ryoko, I must say that this was one of your better ideas…now you're
sure that you can pick up the tab?  I don't feel like being ditched with the
bill AGAIN, if you don't mind."

"Hey Aeka, chill out.  I said I'd pick up the check and I meant it.  Now drink
up!"  Ryoko downed another Sake cup as Aeka continued to enjoy her 'Sex'. "So
Aeka, what should we get him, anyway?  I mean, if it were up to me, I'd give
him a present that would make this birthday especially happy."

"And that is exactly the reason I'm here with you, Miss Ryoko!  I'm not just
going to sit around and let you pervert my Tenchi on his birthday!"  Aeka
downed another drink as Ryoko started to chuckle.

"Don't sweat it.  Remember, we both agreed to this so that we could be sure
Tenchi got something from the both of us, and so I could make sure you
wouldn't pull any funny business, Aeka."

"I know I agreed to it, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with the idea."

"And you think I am?  Do you honestly believe that I wanted to spend my
afternoon in the company of her Majesty?  No!  I could be at home right now,
cuddling with my Tenchi, but no, I'm here with you, fighting about a stupid
gift!"  Ryoko downed another Sake cup and sighed.  This really wasn't her idea
of a good time.  In fact, spending this much time together would have ranked
quite high on Ryoko and Aeka's list of personal hells had it not been for the
alcohol.

"Look, let's just try and get along, just this once, for Tenchi's sake."  Aeka
paused and considered Ryoko's words then decided that for today, she could
handle a little torture if it meant the happiness of Lord Tenchi.  Besides, it
wasn't like she had to share him with Ryoko in everything, was it?

"Very well Ryoko, for today, I'll try not to fight with you, but if you even
try to start anything, so help me I'll…"

Ryoko set her Sake cup on the counter and looked Aeka dead in the eye.  "I
promise I won't start any fights today.  Is that good enough for you Aeka?"

Aeka nodded, and the two clasped hands to shake on it.  Two minutes of
squeezing later, they let go.

***

"So Sasami, you wanna play a game?"

Sasami and her new friend were at the base of the Shrine stairs.  They had
walked out to the lake and watched the Funaho sway in the summer breeze, then
wandered until arriving at the base of the Shrine hill.

"Sure Monis, what do you wanna play?"

Monis paused and did his best to keep his eyes on the stairs ahead of him.
"Well, let's play a wishing game.  If you could have anything in the world you
wanted, anything at all, what would you want?"

Sasami and Monis started up the base of the shrine stairs, Sasami enjoying the
scenery while Monis, now sweating, kept his eyes glued to the stairs ahead of
him.

"Anything I want?  Well gee, Monis, I don't know what I'd want.  I mean, I
laready have everything I could ask for right here, but I guess if I had to
wish for something, I'd wish…"

"Yes?"  Monis was now wrining his hands behind his back in anticipation.  This
was it, it had to be!  She would wish and then his job would be done!

"I'd wish for you to stay here and be my friend."

Monis, who had until this point been on the preverbal edge of his seat, did
the only thing he could.

He face faulted and tripped down the stairs.

 At the bottom, the well-dressed child was rubbing his head and trying to pick
himself up off the ground.

"This could be a problem…"

*****

Notes:

Since I've finished (or so you believe) Gentle Sound of Thunder, I've decided
to work on my other series, mainly this one.  I'm trying some new ideas with
this series, so write me and tell me if they work.  Also, I'm really trying
not to let Ronoken/Monis be the center of the fic, but rather have everyone
weighed equally.  I've seen the horrors of bringing in a character and having
them be a dominate force (just read some self-insertion lemons ~shudder~)

ALSO…

As I have several ideas on how to finish this series, I'm open to ANY AND ALL
SUGGESTIONS!  If you somewhat like this series, write me and tell me how you
would like to see it end.  I will take one at random and use it, so please
folks, READ AND WRITE!!!!!!

ONE FINAL ITEM...

Happy birthday Aldrich Bautista!

Tenchi and Co. belong to AiC and Pioneer

All C&C to BGlanders@aol.com