Disclaimer : I don't own what I didn't make. If you can't tell which ones I made, then go watch the TV series AND the OAV series. ******************************************************* DARKEST HELL : CHAPTER 10 - FAMILY TIES The darkness was absolute. No light. No sound. Well, almost no sound. Off in the unthinkable distances there is a scream, a long shrill scream off utter hopelessness, torture, and suffering. The screamer's voice is beginning to become hoarse. But, in this screamer's mind, she knows that no one is listening, at least no one who cares. The young prisoner is unshackled, unrestrained. There is no need, for she knows that the darkness goes on forever, and ever. Before her, the darkness flows, like blood. There is no one here, there is nowhere to go, but she still screams. She screams because she holds on to the last thing her traumatized mind can still grasp, hope. A blind hope that somewhere, someone was listening, someone who understood, someone who would help. She knew someone was there with her, someone evil, the man who brought her there. Zeb. The vile bastard who tricked her, faked being her friend and brought her, to this dark nightmare land. Her mind was on the brink, barely able to take any more of this torture. Where was Tsunami when she needed her? Why hasn't she taken her out of this hell? Why must she endure this alone? There are too many questions, and not enough answers. 'Is this part of the hell that I must endure, the confusion, the endless mental loops? WHY!?' the young girls injured mind pondered. She kept thinking this to herself as the darkness flowed some more, closing in on her. 'It's coming again…' she thought as the darkness smothered her again. Then suddenly, the screaming stopped… ******************************************************* "When are you going to FINISH!?" Asked Ayeka impatiently to the Red headed wonder, Washu. "I'm still scanning. As soon as I isolate the section of the brain that the demonic influence resides in, I will proceed…with… the… evacuation." Washu informed the ticked off princess as she carefully scanned several areas of Tenchi's brain. Tenchi still lay in stasis on Ryo-oki. Ryoko, Ayeka and the rest of the occupants on the ship stared at the intense, nerve racking procedure. Even Keiko, who had woken up an hour ago. Yosho needed to hold her up, for she was still weak, but at least she is alive. The tension was finally broken, after a few long hours. "FOUND IT! HAHAHAHAHA!" Washu cheered as a small, almost microscopic portion of Tenchi's brain glowed and blinked. She summoned her phantom laptop and typed furiously. A small holographic projection of several charts popped up as several wrinkles in the holographic projection of Tenchi's brain slowly were filled with a red, glowing light. The light eventually made it's way to the blinking spot. Then the charts went haywire. Various energy levels flowed up and down and readings were taken and recorded for future research. Washu smiled as the blinking dot slowly faded away. Still smiling, Washu gazed up at the rest of the group. Ryoko saw this smile and immediately knew what it meant. She smiled brightly as Washu pressed a few more buttons and the stasis field around Tenchi faded into nothing. Gasps of shock echoed through Ryo-oki as Tenchi's hand rose into the air. And this time, Ryoko was the first one there. She nearly killed Tenchi with her crushing hug. She separated from him when he began to turn purple. She giggled, but was violently pushed away by Ayeka, who gave Tenchi a hug, followed by everyone else. Finally, Washu managed to push the hoard away from the poor, weakened boy. "Give him some room! Let him breath!" Washu yelled at the weeping mob. Reluctantly, they obeyed. They all backed a good distance away and watched as Washu helped Tenchi sit up. Ryoko was so overjoyed, she couldn't contain herself. Managing not to run at a breakneck speed, Ryoko walked over to the recuperating Tenchi. She went to his side and kneeled down, lightly holding his hand. Slowly, Tenchi turned his head, and smiled. The tears flowed freely down Ryoko's cheek and reached up. She caressed Tenchi's face and then gave him another hug. But this one didn't suffocate him. Soon, Ayeka joined, then followed by Nobiyuki. Washu just rolled her eyes. "They NEVER listen to me…" Washu muttered. She just sighed, gave a shrug, and joined in with this Kodak moment. ******************************************************* Gillian just hugged on Matsui, as she had for the last few hours. He hasn't moved, he hasn't blinked, and he barely even breathes. But the strangest thing of all is the fact that his lips have gone from their normal color to a pale blue. She thought him dead on several occasions, but his breathing convinced her otherwise. She rocked him back and forth, lightly kissing him, praying and crying for him to wake up, to be alright, but her prayers have yet to be answered. Togusa has been watching her do this ever since she brought him back on board. He remained quiet and flew the damn ship, not wishing to get involved. He knew what Gillian was capable of, especially when it came to those she loved, and didn't wish to do or say anything that'll piss her off. She has the tendency to overreact to certain things. He looked over on the other side of the ship and saw Kiyonne and Mihoshi. Mihoshi stood, looking out into the vastness of space while Kiyonne, well, she looked like she could use some rest. 'Hell, we all could. That seems to be the ONLY thing that hasn't happened yet. Came close on Orion, but that didn't go very well…' Togusa thought to himself. He let out a sigh and continued to watch Ryo-oki in the monitor. He could sense that something was going on, but he couldn't guess at what. He looked at Gillian and Matsui again. She still rocked back and forth, near catatonic. He grunted in a small amount of anger and then the occupants of the ship felt the G-forces shift as Leo-oki made its way to even out with Ryo-oki. Then he got out of his seat. Gillian barely gasped as Togusa picked both of them up and faded into the air. Mihoshi turned around a second later, her eyes blinking with confusion. ******************************************************* Washu was almost too busy relishing the moment to notice the energy discharge. She opened her lime green eyes and looked over to her left. Standing there was Togusa. In his arms was his brother, and behind him stood Gillian, gazing the seemingly unconscious figure and weeping. She saw that Gillian was pale and shivering, and was probably going into shock. "Awe, man. Now what…?" Washu mumbled almost inaudibly as she broke her embrace with the newly revived Tenchi and walked over to the fallen young man. Then she saw his pale, blue lips. Washu's eyes widened and her breath became ragged as the memories came back to her. Of how the demon had tempted her, then tricked her. She remembered the seemingly eternal torture that she was forced to undertake. And now, here it was again. Before her stood Togusa, the young man's once wild green eyes now pleading to her, as if to tell her 'Help him…'. She ran over to Togusa and took Matsui from him. His clothes were torn and tattered, and certain areas were burnt and crispy, and he was missing his right arm. It was a strange sight to see such a small person as Washu pick up and hold a man as big as her without any form of physical strain. But she did, and put him on Keiko's old medical table. Immediately the scanners came on and scanned him. "What are you doing?" Togusa asked Washu, his voice sullen and downhearted. "I'm scanning him…" Washu began. "Scanning?! All you DO is scan! DO SOMETHING WORTH A DAMN FOR A CHANGE!" Togusa interrupted. His shouting caused the others to break away from Tenchi and wonder what was going on. Ryoko watched as Gillian lumbered over to Matsui's unconscious body. She watched as Gillian broke down again. 'This isn't right…' Ryoko thought as she looked at Tenchi, who was half asleep from the exhaustion. Ryoko gently laid Tenchi down on the table as he dozed off, and walked over to Gillian. The smell of sadness crept over her like a fog, almost causing Ryoko to waver. But she continued and put her arm around the poor thing. Gillian then turned and gave her a crushing hug and began to cry, and hard. Ryoko stood there and consoled her, patting her on the back and whispering encouraging things in her ears. She looked over at Washu, who seemed completely immersed in the information that the scan provided. But it wasn't a look of happiness that she had, but one of pure shock and dismay. Holding Gillian up, Ryoko slowly walked over to the small scientist. Curiously, Ryoko began to gaze at the information. It blazed by at a rate too fast for Ryoko to comprehend, but Washu understood it all, and was not happy. "Wh…what is it, mom?" Ryoko asked, seriously. "I'm seeing it… but I don't believe it…" Washu mumbled, still shocked. "What? What is it?" Ryoko continued. "It's his DNA… it's pattern. I'm seeing it, but… I can't even explain!" Washu continued to mumble, barely heard by the group. "Well… Tell us, Damn it! What do you see?" Togusa asked. "I have no idea…" Washu said as she shook her head and looked at the screen again. "NO IDEA!?" Togusa shouted, causing everyone but Gillian, Ryoko and Washu to jump back. He was turning red with anger, almost as red as his hair. He looked at Washu with is emerald eyes, their rims red with anger. "His DNA is beyond all my comprehension! It's a work of art!." Washu muttered. "Art?" Ryoko asked. "Yes. His DNA chain is to complex, even for MY understanding. I am amazed at what I'm looking at…" Washu said, unblinking. "Well, I'm happy that you are astounded by the complexities of Matsui's DNA, but what about Matsui himself, will he be okay?" asked Ayeka from behind, somewhere. "Well, as long as he remains comatose, yes. " Washu answered. "And that's supposed to mean…?" Funaho replied. "Well, to keep it simple, if the demons are able to control him, I can see an unfortunate situation. But, if he remains in a coma until I can invent something to cure him, he'll be fine." "What about the device you used on Tenchi?" Togusa asked. "I'm afraid that Matsui is too complex for his own good. My machine won't work." "How long will it take?" Takeshi asked. "I don't know, hours, days, months…" "Well, we don't HAVE months, you might want to get to work…" Ryoko commented. "Yes, I know, but I'm going to need privacy. Togusa, I was wondering if I could use Leo-oki…" "Sure, on three conditions." Togusa responded. "Name them." Washu said, her voice serious. "One, you don't blow anything up." Togusa said, extending his index finger. "What do I LOOK like, a mad scientist?" Washu asked. "Yes" Everyone said in unison. Washu frowned deeply. "Two, me and Gillian stay on the ship with you." Togusa continued. "Fine." Washu sighed. "And three, you have to go into your adult form and stay that way, at least for a while. I much prefer to see you like that." Togusa winked. "You pig. Alright, fine. Anything to help Matsui." Washu said as she snapped her fingers, reverting to her adult form. Togusa smiled and then snapped HIS fingers. Gillian, Togusa, and Washu vanished into thin air and Kiyonne and Mihoshi fell from the sky with a dull thud. "Uh, Kiyonne, where are we?" Mihoshi asked. "I guess where on Ryo-oki now…" Kiyonne guessed as she looked around at all the dumbfounded faces. ******************************************************* The first thing Tenchi saw when he awoke was Ryoko's face nuzzling his neck. Her arm was draped over him and she seemed to be asleep. Somewhere in the distance, Tenchi saw several mats formed out of Ryo-oki's floor. Sleeping on them were everyone that he has grown to know and love over the long stretches of time. The only person awake was a man, who stood watch over Tenchi like a hawk. His face, although blurry and slightly hidden in the dark, was very familiar. "Grandpa…" Tenchi whispered weakly. "Yes Tenchi. I am here." Yosho answered. "You're… so young…how?" Tenchi murmured softly. "Never mind that..." Yosho told his weakened grandson. "Well, it looks good on you. So, what happened while I was out?" Tenchi questioned as he began to sit up. Ryoko murmured and slightly moved when he did this. Tenchi froze and laid back down, not wishing to wake her up. "You mean you do not know?" Yosho asked, totally surprised. "The last thing I remember is the fire. Is the house alright? Why are we in Ryo-oki?" "Tenchi, I have some… bad tidings… to inform you of." "Tell me, grandpa, I can take it." Tenchi said bravely. Yosho then began to inform him on the story thus far, of the destruction of both Earth and Jurai, Gillian, Togusa, and Matsui, of Keiko and Takeshi, and all the rest. Tenchi looked as if he was going to have a coronary. "WHAT!?" Tenchi yelped at the top of his lungs, succeeding in waking the slumbering Ryoko up. She rubbed her eyes and smile weakly at Tenchi. The look in Tenchi's eyes and the way he hyperventilated swiped the smile from her face. Then she saw Yosho, and took a guess at what Tenchi had just learned. "What about Mayuka? What about my aunt and Taro? WHAT ABOUT ALL MY FRIENDS!? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM!? TELL ME!" Tenchi demanded loudly, causing Ayeka to stir. "We… can only assume the worst…" Yosho said, looking away. Tenchi's whole world collapsed around him. The universe faded away and the only things that existed were rage and sadness. The expression on his face became both full of wrath, and swollen with depression. "And, then of course, there was the fact that you… died…" Ryoko added. Tenchi looked at her. His eyes grew even more saddened. "I… died?" Tenchi gulped. "Yes. The Dark Juraians took your body and made you their demon warrior." Ayeka added as she walked up to the table where Tenchi and Ryoko lay. "Demon warrior… you mean the one that destroyed Jurai!?" Tenchi exclaimed as his voice cracked. "Yes…" Ayeka added, sadly. Then Ayeka watched as Tenchi blacked out and fell back onto the table with a thump. Ryoko sighed depressingly and caressed his face. She felt the tears falling down her face. 'No. No more tears. I've cried too much. I have to be strong… for Tenchi.' Ryoko thought as she wiped away the tears. 'Poor Tenchi. So much trauma all at once. He doesn't deserve all of this…' Ayeka thought as she lowered herself onto the floor next to Tenchi, which immediately became soft, and rose to form another mat. Soon, as Ryoko and Tenchi were, she fell asleep. Yosho soon followed. Somewhere, in the back of Ryoko's head, as she drifted off into a dreamless slumber, she heard a voice, a laugh, more hideous and dark than that she has ever heard before. And she heard it for hours, even as she slept, as did Ayeka, Nobuyuki, Washu, Tenchi, and, to a lesser extent, Gillian. But the laughter was even louder for one of the fairly large group. But, it was intermixed with all sorts of voices, calling out for blood, vengeance, and honor. The person kept playing the events back and forth in his mind that led to this loud, hellish chorus. 'Welcome to eternity' said one of the voice in a dialect he didn't recognize, but understood immediately. He remembered sobbing in the park near the hotel. He remembered monitoring strange energy spikes in the three bright stars surrounding the planet. He remembered flying into one of the stars to get a more accurate reading, and seeing the black, amorphous mass, growing in the center. Then, he saw Gillian, and how perversely she was being raped by Tenchi, Yosho, Nobuyuki, and his brother. Rage filled him as the blackness surrounded him, and soon, all was dark. And still he saw the images. He heard Gillian's cries of pain and embarrassment. He felt for her, but could do nothing more. Rage filled his soul. Rage at the fact that this was being done to the one he so loved, by the ones he had trusted. How could they do this, especially his brother, who he trusted more than anyone in the universe. He had touched his Gillian. He had raped his Gillian, over and over, his mouth flowing with her blood, his eyes glowing bright red. Finally, the rage inside him transformed. It became something dark, evil and sinister. Inside his encapsulated, metallic prison ( Washu had covered the table with a laser field, just in case…), Matsui's eyes opened, but the wide eyed greenness was no longer there. His eyes were as black as Leo-oki's now, and filled with rage. He bared his small fangs, one of the few traits given to him from his mother, and suddenly, a small red light penetrated the deep blackness in his feral eyes… ******************************************************* 'Why… why must this go on and on… I cannot live through too much more of this… please… mother… save me…' thought Sasami. In the eternal volume of the blackness, she is nothing. No light penetrates the darkness, no new hope either. She reaches out with her awareness from time to time, and manages to touch the mind of another, but he is cold and not listening to her pleas for mercy. But Sasami kept on trying, hoping that someone, somewhere, was listening… ******************************************************* "Very good Zeb. You have served me well. You have brought me a goddess, and that is not very easy, especially for a mortal such as yourself. I commend you. Now leave me, I must talk with my advisor." Said a dark voice from the shadows. His face was shrouded by the darkness, and only his body can be seen. His heavily muscular form was covered in a vile misinterpretation of the uniform of the emperor of Jurai. Zeb, totally pleased with himself, faded back into the darkness. Soon after, a creature, wearing a death robe, walked up to the Dark Emperor. His large, evil bat wings fluttered and stretched in the large room. The robed creature knelt before the emperor. "What shall we do with the mortal?" The Emperor asked him, his voice laced with evil. "It has been our policy to never except neophytes into our empire. I suggest we keep that policy, and do just as we did with the other human and send him on a suicide mission. They have both served their purpose, and should be exterminated." The robed creature hissed. In the darkness around his face, the dark emperor's eyes glowed a bright red. At first, the emperor merely chuckled, but then it grew into a full fledged roar. But the laughter did not fall on the robed creature's ears alone. There was another in the room, one who never left. 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies even closer…' thought the trespasser to himself. 'If they want the goddess, they will have to come and get her.' He continued when he teleported out of the chamber. The robed creature felt something in the back of his spine, something that bothered him. "Something is amiss, my liege. I foresee disaster." The creature muttered to his master, who had stopped laughing. "Then make it so you foresee my VICTORY!" The Emperor yelled. He held out his armored hand and suddenly, the area around the robed creature became distorted. Soon, the creature was blown back hundreds of feet from the massive throne room. He began to groan in severe pain. "Yes… my liege… I… will not… fail you…" He muttered. "Make sure that you don't, otherwise, I will not be so merciful." The dark emperor growled as he waved the creature off. The Robed beast simply faded into the ever expanding blackness. ******************************************************* Sasami just laid there, alone, naked, fearful. She knew that something was different about her, but she couldn't sense it. There was no light, so she was blind, and she was totally numb, so she couldn't feel a thing, physically. Unexpectedly, the blackness around her shifted. She felt the presence of another, coming ever closer. She knew it wasn't her mother, or her father, or even Ayeka. 'Tenchi?' she thought, but no, she dismissed that thought, cause he was dead, killed by her captors. The presence became stronger as it neared, and Sasami felt its blackness, its evil. She tried to scream, but her throat was beyond making any noise. The fear began to make her breath heavily again. 'No… no more… please…' was all she thought as she felt herself being hoisted over someone's shoulder. Her numb, limp body just swing over like a large rag doll. Then, a second later, she felt her stomach lurch and she was surrounded by blinding light. The minutes flew by like seconds as she felt herself being jerked and hoisted around, and then her captor, or rescuer, began to run. She felt him limping harshly and his breathing was ragged. Then, the lurching began again. But this time, she the bright light was replaced by a blurry image of stars and nebulas. Soon after, the "Pins and needles" came and she began to feel sensation in her body. Taking this opportunity, she looked at herself. Her hair was ragged and tangled. She was bruised all over, from her long, slender neck, all the way to her breasts. Breasts? She looked at herself more and saw that she was no longer the young Sasami that everyone had known. She was older now. She was Tsunami. She was now the living embodiment of a goddess. She had grown while she lived in the darkness. Was she there THAT long? She subconsciously shook her head. 'I hope everyone is alright…' she thought as she slowly twisted herself off of the shoulder of her weakened rescuer. She realized that they were not moving, for he had gone unconscious. Tsunami looked at the persons face. 'That face…' Tsunami thought. Its familiarity finally jogged her memory. Those beady eyes, that short, dark green hair, his gangly form… it was Zeb, the man who brought her to that hell. Images of her ripping apart the little man flooded Tsunami's head, when she realized something as she saw the blood flowing freely from his gnashed open chest. 'Why did he save me?' she thought. 'He risked everything to save my life… I must help him…' Tsunami's mind rang. With a wave of her hand, Tsunami clothed herself and grabbed up the knocked out young man. She frowned when the wounds would not close. Then, using her mind, Tsunami felt out into space for any familiar thought echoes. She found them all, in the same place. Smiling, she faded into the blackness of space… ******************************************************* "Whaa…?" mumbled Tenchi when he heard a loud thump. He rose up, and gently moved Ryoko's head off of his chest. 'Poor Ryoko… she's been through too much…' Tenchi thought to himself. Then he realized that the same could be said about everyone in this ship. Slowly, so he didn't wake up Ryoko, Tenchi got up and moved through the inside of Ryo-oki, toward the source of the thump. Then, his eyes finally focused on what looked like two people, huddled together. One of them was a tall, gangly fellow with deep, dark, forest green hair. The other looked like Tsunami. Looked too damn much like Tsunami. Suddenly, the Tsunami look alike rose up and entered a stray beam of light. Tenchi gasped. It WAS Tsunami. 'But, wasn't Sasami trapped in the Dark Juraian dimension?' Thought Tenchi. But he stopped thinking when Tsunami's eyes went wide. After a small tear fell, he felt her embrace him. 'My god… Sasami's becoming just like her mother…' thought Tenchi as he turned purple. "OH MY GOODNESS! I thought you were DEAD!" Tsunami exclaimed. "Shhh! You'll wake up the others. Anyway, where have you been, why are you all grown up, and who is he!?" Tenchi whispered loudly, totally shocked at the arrival of the Adult Sasami. "All in due time. You must help me with my friend here." Tsunami exclaimed. Suddenly, a hand gripped Tsunami's shoulder. Terrified, both Tenchi and Tsunami turned around. Standing there was Yosho. His concerned look turned into a large smile as he scooped up Tsunami in a big hug. He looked as if he were to cry. When he broke the embrace, Tsunami put a finger to her lips to quiet him. He simply nodded. In the corner of his eye, Yosho saw a familiar form. He turned his head and saw the beady eyed servant boy who kidnapped Tsunami. A look of rage filled him as he began to summon a light hawk sword. Before he could, Tsunami put a calming hand on Yosho's shoulder and pointed at his bloody, ragged shirt. Yosho looked at her and sighed, then placed his hands at his sides. Tsunami smiled, then yawned. Tenchi barely had a second to catch Tsunami before she fell into an exhausted sleep. Lifting up the thin, young woman, Tenchi placed her on the floor next to Ayeka, which became a soft mat, just like all the other sections of the floor. Smiling, Tenchi looked at Yosho and winked. Yosho smiled too and soon, they both returned to their respective spots and continued their much needed rest. ******************************************************* Finally, Ayeka's eyes began to focus and the light pouring in from the nearby star at last began to simmer down. She looked to her left and saw Tenchi, asleep on the floor, his table having disappeared, and Ryoko curled up in his arms. Normally, she would have taken offense to that, but, considering what the poor girl had been through, she decided to give her a few moments of peace. 'But don't I deserve the same?' thought Ayeka sadly. She sighed as she slowly turned her head and looked at the others. Next to Tenchi lays an empty table, Yosho, Keiko, and Takeshi. Further around, she saw Washu, who had returned to Ryo-oki to collect more research on Matsui. As to WHY she didn't just take him to Leo-oki, Ayeka could not begin to guess. She blinked a few times and turned to her left. She saw the ship, Leo-oki, flying away out in the distance, she guessed that Togusa and Gillian were still ticked off and didn't sleep a wink. Well, at least Sasami got a good rest… 'Wait… Sasami?' thought Ayeka as she gazed on her sisters sleeping visage. But she wasn't Sasami, she was Tsunami. She was fully grown and beautiful. "Sasami…" Ayeka muttered, somewhat loudly. The volume of Ayeka's comment woke her sister from her slumber. Sleepily, Tsunami smiled at her sister. "Hi Ayeka…" she managed to say before Ayeka leaped at her sister and hugged her hard. "SASAMI!" Ayeka sobbed with joy. Her shout managed to wake up everyone. They all lazily looked up and saw the formally missing, yet slightly older, Sasami. Misaki and Funaho leaped from their mats and ran to her, giving her a massive group hug. Soon, Ryoko followed, and then Washu joined in. When Washu hugged Sasami, Ryoko began to reluctantly pull back, but then decided against it. Behind them stood Tenchi, a big smile on his face, Yosho, likewise, and Keiko, who held her son in her arms during this touching moment. Washu was near tears when she lifted her head for some reason and looked at the empty table. Empty? "Oh, god… MATSUI!" Washu yelled in despair as she broke her embrace and ran to the table. Her eyes widened drastically as she eyed the table up and down, totally confused. "I don't get it! He was there, and then he was gone! How could he have broken my access code!? HOW COULD HE HAVE GOTTEN PAST ALL MY DEFENSES AND OUT OF THE CONTAINMENT FIELD!?!?" Washu shouted in defeat. She kept on thinking, but in the bottom of her heart, she knew that she knew the answer. Her scientific brain whizzed around all the possibilities as she entered her access code and unlocked all of the inner and outer defenses. Then, as the containment field dimmed away and the near invisible glass-like doors began to open, the answer occurred to her. 'He couldn't have gotten past all of the defenses if he had never left in the first place…' she realized when the doors finished opening and a huge energy surge blew Washu back, singeing her clothes. Out of the surge flew a small, black object that landed a good distance away from the group. The energy took form and became Matsui. Only, this Matsui was different. His eyes were black and evil and pulsating with an evil red light. His grin was vile and his fangs jutted out. His long, shaggy red hair seemed to spike up like an angered cat. Quickly, Matsui jutted out his arms, one of them ripped off at the elbow. In a flash of light, his arms were covered in a pair of wicked looking, black guns. Then the firing started. The first bullet flew at the small group before they could react, but exploded a few inches away from them as both Ayeka and Tsunami summoned double force fields and protected the group. The other bullet shaped laser blasts flew through the ship, nearly hitting Tenchi, Yosho, Keiko, and Takeshi. Expertly dodging the blasts, Tenchi summoned his Light Hawk sword. Still dodging blasts almost superhumanly, Tenchi rushed in for the strike, only, when he swung, his target disappeared. Before Tenchi knew it, Matsui had reappeared behind him and had summoned his laser Kitana. Matsui swung before Tenchi could react. Luckily, Yosho leaped in between the two and blocked the attack with his own light hawk sword. Growling evilly, Matsui leaped back and began to type on his mini laptops. As she watched, Ryoko's eyes widened. "AYEKA! Let me out! I can help Tenchi!" She demanded. "No! You'd only be a liability! Tenchi would be more concerned with keeping you alive than winning the battle, and that might mean him dying… again!" Ayeka responded. She saw Ryoko's eyes begin to get enraged. Seeing this, Tsunami waved her hand in front of Ryoko's face. Ryoko slumped over, unconscious. Ayeka smiled at her younger sister. 'At least she WAS my younger sister…' Ayeka thought to herself. A large blast broke Ayeka away from her thoughts. Now Takeshi joined it, with his smaller, weaker Light Hawk sword. Keiko ran for the force bubble and passed through it like it didn't exist. She joined Ayeka, Tsunami, Washu, and all the others in watching the battle. The battle was intense and was getting more so by the minute. And it looked like the Juraians were losing… ******************************************************* "NO!" Screamed Togusa as scenes of the battle popped into his head. The Psychic link that he shared with his brother was filling him in on the whole thing. And his head hurt too. "God damn it. Why is it always ME who has to calm the little freak down…" Muttered Togusa as Leo-oki altered its course and soared toward Ryo-oki. Gillian heard what he said and started to get worried. She put her hands together and prayed that Matsui was alright… ******************************************************* Tenchi, Yosho, and Takeshi stood side by side, glaring at the maniacal little monster before them. This wasn't the sweet, loving, kind Matsui that they all knew, it was a demonic creature, with Washu's brains and capabilities… and it was kicking their ass. Tenchi looked at Yosho, who looked at him back, then turned his gaze to Takeshi, who nodded. Then, all at once, the three leaped at him, screaming a battle cry and focusing their power as much as they could. Just inches before they connected, a massive force field threw them back against the opposite wall. The three Juraians struggled to move, but couldn't. "Damn it. Matsui did something to us…" Takeshi mumbled. Matsui then turned his evil attention toward the force field surrounding the women. He slowly motioned his hands. Energy arched all around them as Ayeka and Tsunami began to scream bloody murder. This woke Ryoko up with a start. "My god… what the HELL is going ON!?" Ryoko wondered. "Matsui's reversing the energy flow of the force field and causing a massive influx of the Juraian energy!" Washu yelled, frightened. "WHAT!?" Ryoko shouted. "He's torturing Ayeka and Tsunami with their own energy! Is that CLEAR enough for you!?" Washu exclaimed. "Oh…" Ryoko muttered, realizing what was happening. She looked at the two girls. Ayeka was bleeding out her nose, eyes and ears, so was Tsunami. A feeling of helplessness flooded over her as Ryoko realized that she couldn't do anything to help, at least while she was inside this bubble. She gazed out the window and saw a light blue streak, and then smiled. 'Time to play our trump card…' Ryoko thought devilishly to herself. Matsui sensed the approaching menace and typed on one of his mini-laptops. Suddenly, a large energy surge appeared on the hull of Ryo-oki as a massive hole was blown into her side. Ryo-oki let out a massive, pained meow. The limp and numb bodies of Tenchi, Yosho, and Takeshi were being sucked out into space right before Ryoko's eyes, and no matter how much she screamed, she couldn't stop it. Tenchi felt himself being lifted into the air as he made it to the hole, but instead of flying out into space, he seemed to be slammed into the blackness. That was when he realized that it wasn't space, but the outer hull of Leo-oki! Leo-oki let out a mighty roar as Gillian and Togusa teleported into Ryo-oki. Gillian summoned her laser staff and Togusa whipped out a large gun. A cigarillo dangled out from his mouth. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Boy, I'm really getting tired of you tantrums. You're grounded, junior." He said. "Please, Matsui, WAKE UP! Stop this!" Gillian cried. Matsui lunged toward Togusa and Gillian, fighting with the tact of a wild animal, and growling like one also. Gillian and Togusa were having lots of trouble. Matsui slammed Togusa in the back of his head during an impressive maneuver and knocked him out cold. But, before Matsui could recover, Gillian hit him a good one, knocking him off balance. Expertly getting back on his feet, Matsui simply waved his hands and blew Gillian five feet back. Once again, he resummoned his laser Kitana and slowly walked to Gillian. His red, glowing eyes burned with a deep hatred. He rose his sword and began to swing downward, when a pair of arms surrounded his in a half nelson. For some reason, Matsui could not shake this pest off. Matsui turned his back to Gillian and she saw a green haired, beady eyes fellow keeping hold of him. The man's eyes were black as pitch. Mustering all her strength, Gillian resummoned her laser staff and put it to Matsui's neck. Matsui stopped struggling and glared at her. His face contorted into a mask of rage as he growled an awful lot like Leo-oki. His fangs were bared as he turned red with anger. Tears fell from Gillian's eyes. "Matsui… please… don't make me do this!" Gillian pleaded. "Gillian, NO!" Shouted Tsunami. Gillian turned her head. "Who are you? How do you know my name?" "I am Tsunami. Trust me. I can help…" Tsunami added with confidence. She got up and walked over to the struggling Matsui and slowly closed her eyes. "Love from the heart, knowledge from the mind, guide this lost soul back to us and save him from the darkness of despair. From Earth to hell, then up to heaven, guide my powers and cleanse his torn spirit…" Tsunami chanted. Matsui lifted his head and ROARED. The transparent hull of the weakened Ryo-oki shuttered with the force. Slowly, light poured out of Matsui's mouth and eyes. The light grew until it became blinding. Then, like a bolt of lightning, it was gone. Matsui lie slumped and unconscious, his guns clanging loudly against the ground, his lips gradually faded back to their original color. Matsui fell to the floor as Zeb doubled over in pain. Tsunami's pleasant face faded and it turned to pained horror. "Oh, no…Zeb!" Tsunami lamented as she ran over to him. A trickle of blood dripped out of his mouth. "Why… do you… care… for me…. after considering… what I… have…done…" Zeb gurgled. "You were just under their control, you couldn't help it. I forgive you…" Tsunami whispered as she touched her forehead to his. "…Kindness… it is… so… alien to… me… please… hurry… there still… is… time…" Zeb continued. "Time…? For what?" Tsunami murmured quietly. "… To… save… Jurai… go now… they… are weakened… without… the… tree……." Zeb said as he trailed off, and then went silent. Around him, a black smoke formed around Zeb. Tsunami cried a few more tears before wiping them away. Ayeka, still cleaning the blood off of her face, walked over to Tsunami. A look of curiosity was apparent on her face. "What did he mean 'to save Jurai?', he didn't mean what I think he means, does he?" Ayeka hoped. "That's IT! That's why Tsunami is still alive. The tree of light still lives… that's it! That's their plan! They want to corrupt the tree of life and use it to take over our dimension! Why didn't I see it sooner!?" Washu exclaimed loudly. The rest of the group gasped at her revelation. Tenchi finally was able to stand, and he did so. He clenched his fist in determination. "Then we know what we must do. Washu, finish your research on the transdimentional stuff, and then we must prepare. Soon, this is all gonna end… one way… or the other…" Tenchi informed. Soon, he was joined by Ryoko, then Ayeka, and then the rest of the group, save Matsui, who was still out cold. "We must win, there can be no other solution. If we lose, countless lives will be lost. I pray for our victory." Funaho said to the group, her voice grave and serious. With help from Leo-oki, Ryo-oki sped off to the great unknown. Now is the beginning of the end… ******************************************************* Questions, Comments, Criticisms : Send to ruby@pa.net. Dedicated to the memory of Phil Hartman, possibly one of the greatest comedians ever