For countless millennia the beings of the Multiverse have undergone a 
constant struggle for dominance over one another, each being representing an 
extreme of the cosmic balance.  As long as these forces remain in conflict, 
the balance of the universe is maintained.  

While conflicts are quite common, it is very rare for two cosmic beings to 
directly confront one another, regardless of the situation.  The risk of 
overturning the balance is too great to risk, and there are other factors to 
consider as well.

Such is the reason the Avatars were created.

Each Avatar was designed as a tool, one that could adapt itself to its job to 
the best of its abilities, all the while observing the one prime cosmic law:  
No being of the Multiverse is to directly confront another being of the 
Multiverse.  Each Avatar is unique, given special powers and abilities so as 
to each perform a different task.

However, just because an Avatar was constructed for a job, that doesn't 
always mean it can carry it out.

*** 

Peel peel peel.

Cut cut cut.

Wash wash wash.

It was a beautiful, if not hot, day at the Masaki household as Sasami Jurai, 
princess of the Jurain Empire and physical half of the goddess Tsunami was 
happily peeling carrots over the kitchen sink.

To her left stood a little boy about her height, who at the moment was not as 
happy as his blue haired counterpart.

His coat was now draped over a nearby chair to save it from getting messed, 
and his sleeves were starting to conspire against him as they continuously 
unraveled just as he went to wash another carrot.  


Sasami giggled as the Ronoken's shirtsleeve once again sacrificed itself into 
the spray from the faucet.  "Gee Monis, you're really getting wet over there! 
 Are you sure you don't mind helping me with this?"

The pale little boy shook his head and smiled so big he could feel his face 
about to crack open.  "Oh I'm fine, Sasami.  I'm just having fun helping you."

As the two continued to prepare dinner, one constant thought reverberated 
through the lesser demon's head.

'I'm in hell.'

*** 

BGlanders presents…

The Devil and Mr. Masaki

Chapter Three:  Give Me My Regret

*** 

It was about four in the afternoon, and after prepping dinner, cleaning the 
kitchen and straightening up the house, Sasami had decided that enough was 
enough, and that she and her newfound friend should go do something fun.

Like play video games.

"Wow Monis, you're really good at this!  Aeka usually doesn't like me playing 
these too often.  She says they're way too violent for a princess, so I play 
them when she's not around."

"Is that so?"  The Ronoken continued to dance his fingers across the mad 
jumble of buttons and directional pads that covered the Washu-ized N 64 
controller in his hand.  He wasn't sure what he was doing exactly, but he was 
pretty sure that he was getting his butt kicked in something his playmate 
called 'Mario Kart'.

'I've got to find a way to… Damn, went into the lava.  Come on you turtle 
freak, pull me out! …Got to find a way to get away from her without breaking 
her wish.  But how?  Hmmm… The blue haired one is in first.  Damn.'

It was at that moment that the Ronoken noticed Sasami constantly looking over 
her shoulder at the rest of the living room.  Curious, he decided to find out 
what was up.  "Hey, the game is in front of you, you know."  

Sasami lightly blushed in embarrassment and apologized.  "Sorry, I was just 
wondering where Tenchi is.  He's usually back from the fields by now and I 
guess I just got a little worried."

'If the boy returns while I'm still here, then it's game over for me.  Damn 
it all, there just has to be a way for me to escape her for just a little 
while, if nothing else…  Wait, of course!  Why didn't I think of this before? 
 Oy, Ronoken no baka…'

"Ahh, I see.  Well, don't worry Sasami.  Tenchi is just fine right now, I'm 
sure of it."  Monis/Ronoken/Destroyer of souls looked at Sasami for a moment, 
and then put his hand on her cheek.  Sasami answered by blushing a deep red.

'Now's as good a time as any.'

"Um, Monis?  What are you doing?"  Sasami tensed as Monis brought his face 
close to hers.  Monis hesitated, met her gaze for a moment, and then 
proceeded to kiss the young princess on the forehead.

"Removing you."

Sasami dropped like a pile of bricks to the floor as Ronoken turned his 
attention towards the closet door below the stairs.

"Now that the mortal is out of the way I can…"

"What do you think you're doing?"

Ronoken turned around.  After pausing for several second in pure shock, he 
coughed and did his best to not act like he was severely screwed.  

On the TV screen where the video game had been a moment before, the image of 
Tsunami now shone.

"Oh… Um, hello melady.  And how are you this fine afternoon?"

The image of Tsunami locked eyes with the demon as the screen started to glow 
brighter than a television screen normally would.  "How dare you incapacitate 
this child for your own selfish needs.  You shall pay for this, jinn.  You 
know you are forbidden to harm any beings of the Multiverse!"

'What?  What the hell is this blue haired tree talking about?  I haven't even 
TOUCHED any beings of the Multiverse! I…I have done no such…umm…'

Monis looked towards the young girl that was passed out on the floor.

The young girl with blue hair.

'I am severely screwed.'

After straightening his tie and developing a thin bead of sweat across his 
brow, the Ronoken took a deep breath, swallowed, and put on what he liked to 
call his 'Daniel Webster' face.

"Melady, first off I had no knowledge whatsoever that this child was of the 
Mulitverse…"

"She's more than just that, demon!  She's my counterpart!"

'Oh yeah, I'm screwed.'

The Ronoken chuckled for several seconds, then coughed for a bit.  "forgive 
my ignorance, melady, but she was so well cloaked by you that I detected 
nothing to warrant staying away, however technically she's not hurt, she's 
just asleep.  And besides, I didn't want to… well…

"Well what?"

"I didn't want to worry the poor child, so I decided to put her under while I 
did my work."

Tsunami paused, considering the words of the demons.

"…You realize what will happen to you if you dare to hurt her, jinn?"

The Ronoken nodded to the tube.  "Yes, melady.  I know all too well.  My 
business here doesn't concern this one in the slightest, but to ease your 
fears I pledge to thee a vow."

"A vow?  Speak demon, this intrigues me."

Ronoken paused for a moment, taking a second to glance at the sleeping 
princess on the floor.  Then, after turning his attention back to the TV, he 
put his hand over the place on his chest that a human's heart would normally 
be found.

"I vow to you that by my Father's name, this little one will not be harmed."

Tsunami glared for several seconds at the demon, searching its face for any 
sign of falseness or betrayal.

"Very well, jinn.  As long as Sasami is not involved, I have no power over 
your actions here, no matter what they might mean for me."

"Why your majesty, would you imply that I would…"

"I know why you're here, demon!  Don't you dare to play innocent with me, but 
as I have said, I cannot directly interfere in this matter as long as the 
rules remain unbroken.  Now, leave us.  My Sasami will sleep until you have 
gone."

Turning his back on the blue-haired women, the demon once again headed for 
the closet under the stairs, mumbling all the while.

"Damn.  Damn damn damn.  One pissed off goddess is bad enough, but two?  This 
is starting to really get on my nerves.  Ahh well, on to the redhead."

*** 

Professor Washu, the most scientifically brilliant and arguably one of the 
most kawaii beings in the known universe, gave a tired sigh as she slumped 
back in her floating futon.  She had been working for several hours to 
determine the source of the space-time disturbance she had detected earlier, 
and after running several thousand tests and comparisons, she had finally 
reached a decision.

"This is impossible!  Whatever this thing is, it doesn't want to be found 
out, that's for sure!"

The red haired genius sank back into her chair as exhaustion started to creep 
across her face.  She was still semi-human after all, and after pulling 
several all nighters a puzzle like this was the last thing she needed.  As 
much as she wanted to keep devoting her energies to this new problem before 
her, she regretfully started to admit that said energies were at the moment, 
non-existent.  With one last scan of her control panel, she blinked once, 
twice, then proceeded to pass out.  The lights of her lab slowly dimmed out 
one by one, giving their master a chance to rest peacefully.

*** 

"Huh?  Wuzzat?"

Washu awoke with a start.  She knew she had been dreaming, and that those 
dreams had been laced with nightmares, but Washu had long since learned to 
deal with those.  At the moment, every major light in her subspace laboratory 
was turned off.  Washu liked it like this; the familiar blinking of countless 
buttons, gauges and readouts had been a source of soft, quiet comfort to the 
scientist for countless years.

As Washu sat back in her floating futon, she took time to quietly enjoy the 
soft, familiar darkness.  This was her lab, her sanctuary.  It was her one 
and only hiding place from the rest of the world, the place where she felt 
safe.  The place where she…

"Mama"

Washu jerked forward.  After giving a mental command to her lab for the 
lights to come on, she felt a thin layer of sweat form across her forehead.  
After several seconds, Washu's eyes went wide with the realization that the 
lights still hadn't come on yet.

And something was inside the lab.

"Lights.  Lights!  Damnit, lights!  Why the hell isn't this working?  I… I…"

Washu froze, her hands were raised to meet her holo-top, but for the first 
time since she could remember her personal computer wasn't responding.  

And something was inside the lab.

"Okay, this is getting weird.  Since when does my lab decide not to respond 
to it's master?  Damn, I bet Mihoshi came in here and messed something up, 
and of course the patended mihoshi-seeking lazers and random deadfalls 
couldn't stop her.  Ahh well…

"Maybe something escaped?  Or maybe… Ryo-Ohki?  Is that you?  Why aren't you 
bothering Sasami or…"

"Mama"

Washu froze. The first time she had heard it, she wasn't sure, but the second 
time there was no doubt.

Something was inside the lab.

And that something wasn't Ryo-Ohki.

In the center of the lab, about a good ten meters from where Washu sat, a 
single cone of light appeared, illuminating a tiny white bundle of rags on 
the lab floor.

Slowly, the scientist rose from her chair.  After taking several breaths to 
calm her, Washu slowly started to walk towards the small pile of cloth.  With 
each step, it seemed as if the lab were getting darker, as if the blackness 
itself were somehow becoming even blacker.  Washu shook her head several 
times, trying to rid herself of a growing noise- a pounding in her ears.  
Only when she stopped to calm herself did she realize that the pounding was 
that of her own heart.

"Mama"

As Washu reached the bundle on the floor, she noticed that part of it seemed 
to be seeping something, something thick, dark and red.  As she started to 
reach for the small pile before her, she snapped back and suppressed a scream 
of shock and surprise.

The bundle was moving.

As she watched, tears began to well up in Washu's eyes.  She was slowly 
backing away, now shaking her head, mouthing a silent 'no' as the bundle 
slowly moved across the floor.  This was too much like her nightmares, the 
ones that came to her when she felt lonely, frightened or hurt.  For twenty 
thousand years the nightmares had haunted her, ripped her sanity to its seams 
with their frightening repetition and clarity, and now, after all this time 
the bundle, the thing from her dream was here, on the laboratory floor.  

As if she were in a dream, Washu shakily reached down to the bundle, all the 
while her tears streaming down her cheeks.  Washu watched her hand drift 
towards the tiny bloody bundle as if she were no loner in control, a 
passenger in her own body.  She watched as her hand gripped the tiny cloth 
and pulled it back, revealing what was inside.

"Mama"

It was then that Washu screamed.  And screamed.  And screamed.

*** 

Peel peel peel.

Cut cut cut.

Wash wash wash.

"Hi Sasami!  Man is it hot outside…"

Tenchi Masaki, future Jurain emperor and gardener extraordinaire, shuffled 
into the kitchen of the Masaki household, sweating like a pig and rubbing the 
back of his head.  Without paying any real attention to the young princess at 
the counter, he made a beeline for the sink.  Within a minute, he had 
consumed an amount of water that probably could have watered most rice 
fields.  Once he felt somewhat rehydrated, he gave a three second pause, 
remembering what tended to happen when a seriously dehydrated person suddenly 
consumed too much water.

"Erugh!"

Whether it was due to his incredible amount of Jurain power or years of 
martial arts training, Tenchi thanked his lucky stars that he had the 
endurance to make it to the ground level bathroom on time.

*** 
Peel peel peel.

Cut cut cut.

Wash wash wash.

"Hi Sasami… man was it hot outside…"

Tenchi Masaki, future Jurain emperor and now somewhat physically drained 
gardener extraordinaire emerged from the ground floor lavatory, still feeling 
somewhat sick and now thoroughly exhausted.  Sighing, he shuffled into the 
kitchen, coming to rest at the kitchen table.  It was only then he noticed 
that Sasami hadn't moved.

"So how was your day, Sasami?"

Cut cut cut.

"Sasami?"

Peel peel peel.

"Umm… Sasami?"

Wash wash wash.

"Hello?"

Tap tap tap.

"OH!"

Sasami nearly jumped a mile when Tenchi tapped her on the shoulder.  After 
getting her bearings, Sasami nodded and tried her best to compose herself.

"Sorry Tenchi, I guess I was daydreaming…"

Tenchi gestured to the pile of near mush that at one time had been a carrot.  
"Yeah I guess.  What's on your mind, Sasami?"

Sasami sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table.  After briefly rooting 
through the fridge, Tenchi found some edibles and joined the young princess.  
"Yen for your thoughts."

"…Tenchi, have you ever had a dream that was so real you thought that it was? 
"

Tenchi's face took on concern.  "Sasami, what's the matter?  Did you take a 
nap and have a nightmare?  What's wrong?"

Sasami sat staring at the table for awhile, trying to come up with the right 
words to describe what had happened.  After trying to sum it up in her head, 
she decided to just sum it up and skip the details.  

After all, it was only a dream.

*** 

"No no no no no…"

Washu, now curled into a ball in the corner of her lab, lay crying 
hysterically, babbling to herself while keeping an unbelieving eye on the 
gooey red bundle not three meters from where she lay.  As the thing inside 
the sheets slowly crawled in what seemed like a blind circle, a shadow in the 
background started to stir.  

"Mama"

"No.. No you can't be no you're not no no just leave me alone please oh god 
please just leave me alone…"

Washu shut her eyes tight, shaking her head while yelling at the tiny 
red-soaked thing.  Once again the shadows behind it stirred, and this time 
gave way to a medium sized gentleman in a black suit.

"There there now, my dear professor.  Is that any way to talk to a child?"

The suited man, starkly pale for such a dim light set, bent down and 
retrieved the red mess of rags and flesh on the floor.  After getting a good 
hold on it, he affectionately rocked the tiny bundle, like a father rocking a 
newborn.

"Who… who are you?  What do you want?"

Washu started to gather her wits about her.  The initial shock of what she 
had seen was starting to fade, and sheer anger was taking its place.  With 
the force of sheer will, she stood and faced the newest intruder to her 
sanctuary.  After cooing to the thing in his arms, the man looked towards 
Washu and smiled, taking a step closer to the scientist.

"I'm sorry.  Here, would you like to hold him?"

"Get that thing away from me!  Who the hell are you?!"

The Ronoken chuckled, then tossed the bundle at Washu.

"Here, catch!"

Washu screamed and dodged the soaked clump of rags, which seemed to dissolve 
in mid air moments before touching the ground.  Washu, now madder than ever, 
started to advance on her unwelcome guest.

"Just who the hell do you think you are, you son of a…"

"How would you like your son back, little Washu?"

Washu froze in her tracks.  After several seconds, she slowly responded, 
"What… what did you just say?"

"You heard me.  How would you like your son back, little Washu?"

"How dare you come in here and ask me a question like that!  I…"

"You did love your son, didn't you?"

"…Of course I did!  He… I…"

"So if you love him so much, why don't you want to see him again?"

"What?  What are you...?  Hold on!  I haven't even…"

Washu now found herself under a spotlight, while the man in black was 
circling her, fading in and out.  Washu, not quite knowing what to do, stood 
in the light, trying to keep her composure.

"I guess I'll be fair, since you've been such a good sport so far.  I am Mr. 
Monis, you're new best friend.  I've come to offer you something, little 
Washu.  I'm here to offer you something that no one else can, and all you 
have to do is answer my questions."

"Why should I?  I can get whatever I want.  I don't need some trickster to 
get it for me, thank you very much."

"Oh really?  And I suppose you accomplish this with all your so-called 
science?"

"Of course!  Science is the alchemy of the educated, after all.  There's 
nothing in this universe that science cannot give me!"

"What about your son?"

"My… son?"

"Tell me professor, do you love your son?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then… why did you let him go?"

"What?  What are you talking about?"

"Your son.  He's not with you anymore, is he?"

"No… he…"

"He was taken from you, wasn't he?"

"He… yes… yes he was…"

"Why was he taken from you?"

"I… I don't… my husband was... he was a member of high society.  They didn't 
approve…"

"Of you?"

"Yes…  They… they didn't approve that I wasn't from a noble family.  They 
took him away while I was gone, my husband…"

"So you let them go?"

"Are you nuts?  Of course not!  Why would I let the most important thing in 
the world to me simply vanish?"

"But you did.  You let them both vanish, didn't you, little Washu?"

"No!  I did everything I could!  Everything in my power to…"

"To what?  To find them?  To get them back?  Tell me professor, how does the 
universe's greatest scientific mind not locate her own husband and child when 
they're both not 500 miles from where she lived?"

Washu froze.  Memories that had been long forgotten started to claw their way 
up from the recesses of her mind, like a thousand screaming demons that just 
wouldn't go away.

"That's… that's not true…"

"Oh, but it is.  They hadn't even left the planet, yet you never made contact 
once.  Why?"

"I… there were… there were complications…"

"No they're weren't."

"I…"

"You could have found them any time you wanted, couldn't you have?"

"I…"

"In fact, you did find them, didn't you?"

"No I… I"

"But you never went to them, never asked your husband why."

"No… no I didn't…"

"Because you were scared, weren't you?  You were scared of the answer he'd 
give you, so you ran away."

"No.  No I didn't, I… I…"

"You hid from the truth, didn't you professor?  You hid from the truth…"

"No…"

"You hid from the world…"

"No I…"

"And in the end, you hid from yourself."

"…"

"What was the truth, little Washu?"

"…"

"What were you hiding from?"

"…"

"WHAT WERE YOU HIDING FROM?"

By now, Washu was on her knees, the tears flowing down her cheeks.  Without 
looking up, she answered.

"I… was hiding from the truth."

"What was the truth, Washu?"

"He didn't want to… to be associated with me."

"Why not, little Washu?"

"When we had the baby… he thought… he… he always thought that if he had to, 
that if the pressure got to be too much from his family that he could just 
divorce me, that he could just walk away… but the baby changed that."

"How did it change, little Washu?"

"He was trapped.  His family didn't want any… any 'bastard' heirs roaming the 
universe if he had to leave me.  They were scared their fortune would be at 
risk.  So they just did what they thought was… was right."

"And what was that?  What was considered so 'right'?"

"They… they took him away."

When she finished, Washu's voice was just above a whisper.  The white-hot 
spotlight above her was now at a dim glow, casting her in a thick, oily 
yellow.  The Ronoken, who until then had been consumed in shadow, was now 
illuminated not a meter from her.  When he spoke, his voice was no longer 
harsh and accusing, but rather soft and somewhat soothing.  

"That was such a shame, all that pain, all that suffering for one so young.  
No matter how smart or gifted you may be, in the end there was nothing you 
could do.  Your life was taken from you… but now, now you have a second 
chance."

"…"

"I came here because I know how painful the last 20,000 years have been for 
you, little Washu.  I know how you cried when your children were ripped from 
you, one by one.  I know all the pain and frustration this world has caused 
you, so I'm here to give you a choice, my dear little scientist."

"… Go on…"

"No amount of science can give you back your firstborn, but I… I can go 
beyond such trivial barriers as 'science.  I can grant you the one wish 
you've always wanted, your hearts most burning desire.  I can give you back 
your son, Washu.  I can give him to you right here and now, happy and 
healthy, just as bouncy as you remember him."

Washu shuddered uncontrollably as images of her child raced through her mind 
once again.  A tiny round face and two cheerful eyes that she had tried so 
hard to forget were now there, glaring in her mind's eye, screaming to be 
released.  Washu felt as if she were falling, the possibilities rushing past 
her at a mile a minute.  So many lost centuries were only now catching up to 
her.  So many nightmares she had forgotten, now vividly remembered.

"You… You can do this for me?  You can make it right?"

"Yes my little Washu.  I can do this and so much more.  Never again will you 
cry through the night, alone in your silent self-inflicted prison.  Never 
again will you awake screaming in terror of the past that might have been, 
the past that led to this, all of this.  I can make it better Washu.  I can 
make your wish, your dream come true, and all for a simple 'yes'."

Her mouth opened, her lips quivering, trying to force out a word.  As the 
Ronoken leaned closer, a smile like that of a hungry predator's crossed his 
lips.

'Finally!  Just say it and all this will be done with!'

"..ugh.."

"Come on…"

"Uerrgghh.."

"Tell me.."

"….NO!"

The force of her scream was enough to push the jinn back.  When he regained 
his balance, he noticed the small scientist standing, glaring at him with a 
look of pure rage.

"How.  Dare.  You.  How DARE you come in here and try to force this upon me.  
You want to know how I feel?  You want to know if I want my child back?  If I 
could have changed the past?  I'LL TELL YOU: every second of EVERY DAY I WISH 
THAT!  There is NOTHING I wouldn't give to go back and fix things, to get the 
chance to do what is right!"

By now Washu was advancing on the demon, who at this point found himself 
slowly backing towards the door.  Before he could interject, Washu cut him 
off as a slight wisp of ozone seemed to emanate from the enraged scientist.

"I have that power!  Why do you think I built that damn dimensional portal, 
or that damn time machine in the first place?  Yeah I've thought about fixing 
it, I've thought about changing things so that everything would have worked 
out all right, but do you know why I've never used those devices?  Why I've 
never gone ahead with it?  I'll tell you.  Because my past, no matter how bad 
or how horrible it may seem, is the result of MY actions and MY choices!  If 
I started to change every little thing that ever went wrong in my life, where 
would that leave me?  What kind of person would I be if I never made any 
mistakes, or never had any hardships in my life?  Where would that leave me?

"Yes I lost my family all those years ago, but you listen here, demon!  I 
have a new family now, one that loves me for who I am, and respects me for 
what I have inside me!  I have friends here, people who love me and I love 
them!  This is my home now!  This is my family, and damn you, no matter how 
tempting it may be to have my son…I'd…I'd… I'D NEVER TRADE WHAT I HAVE NOW 
FOR WHAT I COULD HAVE HAD THEN!  Now… GET OUT!"

In the blink of an eye, Washu formed and brought her energy saber forward…

…Slicing through nothing more than thin air.

She stood there for what felt like ages, frozen in place with a look on her 
face that would make the darkest devils of hell cringe with fear. Then, 
without a word, she dissolved her sword, dropped to her knees and cried 
uncontrollably.  

Around her, the familiar lights and sounds of her laboratory once again came 
to life. 

*** 

"So let me get this straight, you dreamed a boy in a black suit came to visit 
you, helped you with your cooking, played video games with you, kissed you 
and caused you to pass out in the living room."

Sasami nodded as Tenchi tried for the second time to absorb what Sasami had 
said.  After thinking it over, Tenchi put his hand on Sasami's forehead to 
see if she had a fever.

"Tenchi cut it out!  I told you I feel fine, I just… I was just so sure it 
was real, you know?  It didn't feel at all like a dream…"

 Tenchi shrugged and gave the princess a smile.  "Well, don't worry too much 
about it.  If it was a dream, then everything's fine.  If it wasn't, then 
maybe someone's got a crush on you, Sasami."

Sasami responded by turning several shades of crimson.  "Tenchi knock it off! 
 You shouldn't say such things, you know…"

Tenchi shrugged, then once again went to the fridge for something to drink.  
After several moments, he pulled out a pitcher filled with brown liquid.

"Um, Sasami?  What's this?"

"Oh, that's some tea I made.  Try it!"

Tenchi's gag reflex took over as he tried to set the pitcher down without 
dropping it.  

"You refrigerated the tea?!  Sasami are you sure you're not feeling bad?"

Sasami giggled and got a glass from the cupboard and set it in front of the 
still cringing prince. 

"Silly.  This is called Iced Tea.  I got it at the store.  Apparently the 
Americans like to drink it a whole lot."

"Heh, figures they'd come up with something that crazy… Umm… Sasami I think 
I'll pass on the tea for now and go take a bath Ill see you at dinner okay 
bye."

Sasami was about to reply, but where Tenchi had been sitting a mere second 
before, now only air remained.  Sasami sighed and put her 'tea' back in the 
fridge.  

"For a prince he sure can run fast."

*** 

Tenchi sat in the floating onsen, thinking about his day and what Sasami had 
told him.  At first he had dismissed Sasami's story as the result of too much 
sneaking into the Shoujo Manga in the attic, but the more Tenchi thought 
about it, the more her story started to unsettle him.  As he sat soaking in 
the warm water, he asked questions to no one in particular.

"A man in a black suit… I wonder, could Sasami have dreamed of the same man 
that I did? Was that a dream?  What happened out there today?  Ahh well, I 
suppose this is just one of those every day odd occurrences I should have 
learned to expect around here.  Maybe Washu was fiddling with a new dream toy 
or something…I don't know…"

As Tenchi went back to silently soaking, he didn't notice a tiny black dot 
through the onsen's glass dome, shooting silently into the heavens.

*** 

On the other end of the universe, Tsunami, the Ship of the Beginning and 
gardener extraordinaire cursed as she wandered through the magnificent forest 
that was herself. 

"Why is this happening?  I can't believe my sister would be so underhanded as 
to send a jinn to try and destroy those I love so dearly.  Ohh, if only there 
was something I could do without breaking the rules of engagement…"

Tsunami strolled throughout the garden, absently taking note of her young as 
she walked.  As she reached the upper levels of her nursery, she noticed 
several children playing around her own.  Tsunami smiled, once again thankful 
that the Emperor had opened the gardens for all the public to enjoy.  It had 
taken a bit of mental manipulation on her part, but Auzua had relented in the 
end.  It may not have been the wisest thing to do militarily speaking, but 
for Tsunami the sounds of happy conversation and laughing children that 
wandered through her gardens gave her peace of mind.

"It's good to see that someone's having a carefree day, isn't it Achika?"  

The tree next to Tsunami gave an affirmative through its many streams of 
light.  Tsunami stood in silence, watching the children run here and there, 
playing hide and seek in the massive hall that made up her nursery.  As they 
ran and played, one of the children, a little boy, happened to notice the 
pretty young woman standing next to a tree, just out of their way.

"Good afternoon!  The trees are really beautiful today, don't you think?"

"Why yes, yes I believe they are."

The boy ran over to where the young blue-haired woman was standing, bowing as 
he came to a stop before her.  "Miss?  Can I ask you a question?"

"Why certainly," Tsunami said as she kneeled to address the child.  

"Who takes care of all these trees?  They always look so pretty and well 
kept, and my friends and I were wondering.  Do you know?"

Tsunami nodded and said, "Why yes I do.  These trees are my responsibility."

The child's smile grew bigger as he bowed again.  "They're very pretty.  
Thank you very much for taking care of them, they really look nice."

Tsunami laughed and bowed her head.  "Well thank you for coming her to play 
and enjoy them!  It's always nice to have company.  Speaking of which, I 
think your friends are looking for you…"

The boy grinned, bowed and with a quick goodbye/thank you was back to playing 
with his friends.  As she watched him leave, the tree beside her gave of 
several more shafts of light.

"Yes, I believe you're right.  I have faith in my chosen, and as long as 
Sasami and the others have faith in themselves, they can get through this, 
but I swear, if he oversteps his boundaries even once, then no force in this 
universe, not even my sister, will be able to stop me."

The tree lit up in agreement.  Tsunami turned her attention back to the 
playing children, this time wearing only a face of concern.

"I swear, no force in this universe…"

*** 

In the endless subspace that was known as Washu's laboratory, the lights, 
sounds, machines and gadgets were operating at a quiet hum.  All lighting in 
the lab had been either turned down or off, once again immersing the chamber 
in darkness, but unlike the last time, this dark was filled with tiny 
blinking lights, each shattering the memory of what had been there only a 
little while earlier.

In the center of all this pleasant darkness, one solitary figure sat, 
drenched in the blue light of an oversized computer screen.  As the words on 
the screen silently rolled by, the woman sitting before them was shaking.  
With her head buried in her arms, she leaned on the vast control panel in 
front of her, silently sobbing as she had done so many times before.  On the 
screen in front of her, a simple message repeated itself over and over.

SCIENCE ACADEMY GENETIC LEGACY LOG

SUBJECT:    KENJI HAKUBI
 
BORN:   5/7/20980

DIED:       3/16/20982

AGE:        2

LIVING RELATIVES: NONE

*** 

Author's notes:

Tired.  I had to force parts of this fic and it probably showed.  Ahh 
well….sleep…


Tenchi and Co belong to AIC, TV Tokyo and Pioneer

All C&C Should go to BGlanders@aol.com