Normal Crap before a Fan fic : I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS AIC OWNS AND VICE VERSA! Thank you. ************************************************************ THE DARKEST HELL 11 : THE POINT OF NO RETURN What is hell? Is hell some place conjured in the minds of humanity to punish those they deem unworthy, or is it an actual place? Can you see hell, touch it, experience it, or is it just a figment of our imagination. One must ask themselves these questions from time to time, for whatever reason that is apparent, or maybe isn't. But, in a jet black organic star ship flying at unbelievable speeds in the deepness of outer space, several people were pondering these very questions. They all have their own opinions, their own belief, but they all had the same answer. For some reason, someone, somewhere, has chosen them as the sole warriors to fight in a war of unimaginable proportions. And they have done so, faithfully. They have survived the losses, gains, and surprises that have littered this tragedy laced adventure. Some have felt the pain of a loss too dear, some have felt the joy of a reunion with the ones they love unconditionally. But one thing is for sure, they all were alive, and what does not kill, only makes stronger. The same can be said here, in this star ship in the middle of nowhere. The bond between this group of friends and family has been strengthened by incomprehensible multitudes. The things that holds this group together so much is their love and respect for each other, and the realization of a common goal. the destruction of those who would destroy all, of those who have taken away so much, of those who threaten every life in our entire universe. Each member of the group has come to terms with the fact that there is no turning back, that this was the point of no return. It was now. or never. No obstacle could turn them back from their goal, their new purpose in life. Their mission, to save what can still be saved, and destroy the ultimate evil. What fate will befall these heroes and heroines? Only time will tell. "I think he's coming around." Said a soft, feminine voice, that cut through the blackness like a knife. "Yeah, look, his eyes are moving." said another female voice, only this one slightly more gruff. Matsui finally opened his eyes to see two angels staring down at him. 'Is this heaven?' he thought to himself, but no, he realized, it wasn't. He was on his ship, Leo-oki, and before him were not angels. close. but not close enough. Gillian took her hand and gently caressed Matsui's bruised and slightly cut face. He saw nothing but love in her eyes and wished to every god in the universe that he will be able to return that love, in the future, but now was not the time to be concerned with love. Next to her squatted an overly worried Ryoko. Ryoko, the same girl Matsui had been so kind too the one time they had met. His gesture was apparently remembered, for Ryoko treated him with a sympathy only reserved for family. Sorely, he grasped the two girl's shoulders and stood up. It was amazing how he still felt sensation in his body, even though it was all biomechanical. 'Damn, those Juraians are good at what they do.' he thought. Craning his neck around, he saw the entire group doing their own thing. The Juraians, all of them, were crowded around the blue haired woman. Togusa was steering the ship, not really paying attention to either of the groups. Then, off in the corner was Washu, the woman that Matsui, other than Gillian, that is, felt the strongest connection to. They had shared hours of time showing each other various inventions and ideas, laughing at each others stories and consoling each other during their failures. But, this time, she looked tired and lonely. Matsui walked up to her and lightly hugged her, hoping to cheer her up. "Thank you." Washu mumbled. Matsui just did made a weird "Happy Face" and smiled. Washu giggled at his attempt at humor, and pinched his cheek. When she turned back around, Matsui sat there, rubbing away the large red mark on said cheek. Washu seemed to be full of life and energy now, and this was apparent from the large smile on her face and the speed at which she was typing. The more she typed the happier she got, for she was getting closer and closer to achieving her goal, the discovery of the exact coordinates of the Dark Dimension. The only way to get there before was through the portal set up by Yuzuha before she was defeated. But now, after hours of merely defining the equation, she could begin the process of solving it. All she needed to do was define certain variables and the rest would just come to her, but this proved to be the tough part. She had been typing for an hour when she began to get frustrated. No matter what, she couldn't get this one variable defined. Her head began to pulsate from the sheer magnitude of her brainstorming. Eventually, she felt like giving up. But a reassuring hand was placed on her arm. Lightly, Matsui pushed her away from her terminal. Somewhat reluctantly, she complied and let Matsui do his thing. First thing he did was make a fist and stick it into the air, which confused Washu. Next, he extended his index finger. Washu became even more confused. Then, using his finger, he pushed one key on the terminal and the charts and graphs began to move and flicker like they used to when Washu first began. Washu's eyes went wide when she saw this and then jerked her head toward Matsui. Matsui summoned one of his mini-laptops and began to type. "SOMETIMES THE SIMPLEST SOLUTION IS THE CORRECT ONE." He typed. Washu dumbfoundedly nodded her agreement. Without any further hesitation, Washu plopped down in front of her terminal again and began to type. After a while she turned her head to the left and saw Matsui watching every keystroke and blip on the entire terminal. With a loving, thankful touch, she patted Matsui on his right cheek and planted a kiss on his other one. "Thanks. I can take it from here." Washu told him in her most grown up, yet happily content, voice she could muster. Nodding in agreement, Matsui got up and hobbled off toward Ryoko and Gillian. Suddenly, Matsui leaped into the air and teleported to the other side of the ship. He looked out the transparent hull and gazed out into space, a look of worry spreading on his face. Then, in a bright flash, several hundred GP ships jumped out of Hyperspace. Ryoko muttered a cuss word before her clothes transformed from her normal green and blue striped dress with a cat tail into her tight fitting battle uniform. Taking note, Gillian did the same, transforming her white shirt and black pants into her green and purple, skin tight battle suit. Then a shot was fired, and the group of Juraians were interrupted. They disbanded from around Tsunami, who was still clutching on the injured and bandaged up Ryo-oki. Togusa leaped from his chair and looked at the force. Something lost returned to his empty eyes. 'Finally, a challenge.' he thought as he rose his head. "Leo-oki, evasive maneuvers. Tell them that if they fire again, it will constitute a declaration of war and we will return fire. And ask them WHY they are firing on us!" Togusa commanded. Leo-oki roared in compliance. A few seconds later, a large monitor appeared and showed a weird looking, alien, humanoid, dog looking person. He was wearing a GP uniform. "Surrender the criminal known as Tenchi Masaki to us and we will release all charges to the rest of the crew on your ship." The GP commander growled. "The demon that destroyed Orion is gone. This is not the Tenchi you want. This is the Tenchi that saved Jurai countless times." Ayeka said. Then she put on her most royal face. "Leave this ship, the Juraian Royal Family commands it." She continued. "I am the Juraian Emperor. Leave this quadrant and I will forget this little mishap." Yosho said to the GP commander. The Commander just smirked. "Since when is it policy for Juraian Royalty to hang out with known criminals?" He asked smugly. "What're you TALKING about? My record's gone! The statute of Limitations took affect, like, a long time ago!" Ryoko said sarcastically. "Yeah! So did ours!" Togusa said in the same tone. "A criminal is always a criminal. You have five seconds to release the prisoner before we open fire. Four. three. two." The commander began. "STOP!" Shouted Kiyonne. She didn't look happy. "Ah, Kiyonne. Arrest those criminals and you are DEFINITELY in for a promotion." The commander added. "Commander, these so-called 'Criminals' have fought and risked their lives to uphold the law. The evil creature that destroyed Orion is dead. I can verify that. This is not a demon, this is Tenchi Masaki, one of the LAST earthlings, beside his father. You have no business here." Kiyonne said, hoping to dissuade the commander. The commander's mocking smile faded into a frown. "Kiyonne, you disappoint me. I hereby am relieving you of your command. You're finished with the GP. You are now a wanted criminal, along with Mr. Masaki. I hope your satisfied." The commander said. Kiyonne's chest began to get really tight as she started to hyperventilate. Then, from behind, Mihoshi walked in front of Kiyonne. The commander's eyes went wide. "Miss. Miss Mihoshi! What are YOU doing there? I thought your grandfather told you to stay in the Corgan system!?" The commander yelled. "Commander, I don't get mad easily, everyone knows that, but right now, I am seriously ticked off! Nobody does that to Kiyonne, and I am gonna make sure of that! Once my grandfather hears about this, he'll have you doing traffic duty on Tristan 8228! Do you hear me!?" Mihoshi shouted. Everyone in Leo-oki took several steps back, surprised at the outburst that she had just let loose. "Well, what will he do when he hears that you are consorting with known criminals?" The commander asked. "As an officer of the galaxy police, I am hereby pardoning Tenchi of all crimes he is guilty of. There, happy? Now I ain't with 'known criminals'. I'm with friends. Do you care to do anything about that, commander? You know, I think you are hindering a serious investigation here, right Kiyonne?" Mihoshi asked her surprised partner. Kiyonne merely nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you see, we're trying to apprehend the REAL criminals behind the destruction of the planets Earth, Jurai, and Orion 3. And here you are, a heavily decorated GP official, standing in the way of OUR investigation. I can't wait to see grandfather's face." Mihoshi boasted. "OKAY. I'm very sorry Miss Mihoshi. It'll never happen again. Please, notify us if we can be of any assistance." The commander said, his voice shaky. Then his picture faded from view. The GP ships terminated their attack procedures and stayed in perfect formation behind Leo-oki. The ENTIRE group inside said ship simply stared at Mihoshi, their jaws wide and eyes bulging. Mihoshi noticed this and looked confused. "What? Do I have something in my teeth?" She asked in her normal way. The entire group did one simultaneous face fault. Mihoshi giggled as the collapsed group struggled to get up. Kiyonne walked up to her partner. "How. who. what. WHY!?" She clamored. Mihoshi just smiled. "Looks like I'm not as much of a ditz as you thought." Mihoshi giggled as she walked away. The entire group had large sweat drops on their heads. Mihoshi turned around. "COME ON! LET'S GO! WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO MONKEY AROUND!" She shouted, scaring the rest of the group back into action. Finally, Togusa leaped back into his seat, disappointed that there wasn't a fire fight, and commanded Leo-oki to fly to the nearest GP spaceport for supplies. Leo-oki ROARED a triumphant roar and zoomed off, followed by ninety-nine Galaxy police battle cruisers. Following the cruisers was a smaller, undetected ship. The light from the nearest star glimmered off it's white hull. It let out a mighty 'SAAAAAOOOOOUUUUUUU!" as it picked up speed. ************************************************************ Ryoko tossed and turned in her bed from the restless sleep she was receiving. She was having the nightmare again, but for some reason, this time it seemed more powerful, more intense than the last time. She awoke with a start upon the muttering of the words "DEATH IS THE ONLY WAY OUT." . She was in a small apartment room, provided by the generous people of the GP. Ryoko snickered at that last thought. 'Yeah, real generous all right.' She thought as she sat up. A peculiar breeze glided past her. "I thought I closed that door." Ryoko wondered. But then it hit her. She had. Someone had opened it. But, before she could react, a figure leapt out of the shadows and pointed an articulately crafted, golden sword at Ryoko's throat. "Nagi!? How the HELL did you get IN here?" Ryoko exclaimed. "Your GP friends aren't too smart. Sneaking in here was child's play. Make one false move and I'll take you in piece by piece. Either way, I get my bounty." Nagi whispered to the space pirate. Ryoko could hear her chuckle to herself. 'Damn.' she thought. "Why the HELL are you still after me? I'm no criminal anymore. I have no file." Ryoko asked. "Because someone out there wants your head, and is willing to offer a multitude of money for it. Other than that, no particular reason." Nagi told her. "Let me guess, your contact was Juraian, I suppose?" Ryoko asked. "Yeah. how'd you know?" Nagi asked. "Woman's intuition. Come on, we've got someone to talk to."Ryoko said, beginning to stand up. "What in the hell do you think you are doing?" Nagi demanded. "I'm saving my ass. Now move it, or I'll leave you behind." Ryoko said as she slipped out of bed and put on a robe. She walked to the door and motioned to the confused Nagi. The two blue haired girls walked down the hall a few feet before stopping at another door. Ryoko motioned for Nagi to stop. "What are you DOING, Ryoko!?" Nagi whispered anxiously. "Stopping you from wasting your life." Ryoko returned as she knocked. After a few seconds the door opened to show a half-asleep Ayeka. She was rubbing her eyes when she saw Ryoko and Nagi. "Oh, my. I see you've gotten yourself in a predicament, haven't you." Ayeka chided. "Ayeka. did anyone in your family put a bounty on my head, say. seven hundred years ago. by any chance?" Ryoko asked with false politeness. "Well, my father DID mention about doing something like that." Ayeka muttered, her index finger tapping her chin. Ryoko turned a slight shade of red, as Nagi just stood there, her sword at the ready. "Ayeka, please tell Nagi that the bounty is OFF!" Ryoko asked loudly, waking up several more people in the other apartments. Ayeka shushed her loudly, then bent toward Nagi. "Yes. well, since my father died, there is no one to pay your bounty. There is no reason to hunt Ryoko anymore. Sorry, but your jobs over. goodnight!" Ayeka said as she swiftly ducked behind the door. Ryoko, smiling looked over at Nagi, who looked less than enthused. Ryoko saw the sadness in her face as Nagi put her sword away and started to walk off. "Hey.. Nagi! What's the matter? If you need money, all you have to do is ask." Ryoko assured. "It's not that. It just that. You were my last great bounty, one where after I collected I could retire, maybe even do some of the things that I always wanted to do before I became a bounty hunter, but now, it's all over. I lost. You won. Goodbye Ryoko. I hope you have a good life." Nagi said as she walked off down the hall. When she turned the corner, she knocked into what seemed to be a well endowed chest. She looked and saw Ryoko, who hovered a few inches off the ground. "What, have you come to mock my pain? Go ahead. I'm not listening." Nagi said as she tried to walk past Ryoko. But Ryoko didn't budge. "Come on. Let me buy you a drink." Ryoko offered. "Yeah, so you can gloat. No thanks. I'm just going to leave now. Now get out of my way." Nagi said as she pushed past Ryoko. Quickly, Ryoko turned around. "Nagi WAIT! We. we need your help." Ryoko admitted. "Too bad. Have a nice life." Nagi said as she continued walking. "I got a bounty for you!" Ryoko shouted after some quick thinking. Nagi stopped dead in her tracks. "How much?" Nagi asked flatly. "Depends. The better the job, the higher the pay. You up for it?" Ryoko urged. "Who's the mark?" Nagi said, her back still turned to Ryoko. "An Emperor. A very big job, lot's of money. It just SCREAMS 'Nagi', don't you think?" Ryoko said with a smile. Finally Nagi turned around. "An Emperor? You want me to take out an Emperor? What if it starts a war?" Nagi asked. "What do you care? Besides, we're already at war. We need another tough, blue-haired beauty in the group!" Ryoko said, her smile widening. Nagi actually managed to crack a smile. "You seem to have plenty of those already, but. alright. You got me. When do we start?" Nagi asked. "Soon, we're gonna rest up for a while, then the job starts. You should get some rest too. You look horrible." Ryoko mocked. "Fine. I'll see you soon Ryoko. Hopefully some of that good luck'll rub off on me. 'night." Nagi said as she did a little salute and walked off. Ryoko smiled some more to herself. 'Damn I'm good. Why am I so good? 'Cause I'm just THAT DAMN GOOD!' Ryoko gloated to herself. She had managed to make a lifelong enemy into a powerful ally. She yawned and teleported back into her bed. Lady luck was smiling on Ryoko, for the rest of her night was dreamless. ************************************************************ Washu sat in her room, the only light came from her holo-computer. Once again, various charts and graphs decorated the immediate area around Washu's face. She was typing diligently when she heard a noise. It was a faint whispering, so faint that it was unrecognizable, but it was there. And then it stopped. Washu turned her head and looked toward the door. It was closed. She craned her head and looked around the room. Nothing. Washu shrugged and resumed typing. Then, she heard it again. A voice, totally unrecognizable, yet, it was louder this time, getting louder gradually each passing second. Someone, or something, was calling her name. "Who's there.?" Washu muttered as she looked around the room some more. The voice was still calling her name. "WHAT!?" Washu shouted. She then saw, out of the corner of her eye, something moving in the darkness. She watched as she realized there wasn't anything in the darkness moving around, but the darkness itself was moving. The faint whisper repeating in her head then became a roar of rage and evil. All of the cloth in the room, such as the sheets, towels, and so forth, caught on fire and shadows danced about in the flickering flames. Washu watched as the shadows started to form together into one black mass. The mass took a somewhat humanoid form as two red, glowing spots formed in what could be called its head. Washu took several steps back, away from the darkness, and tripped on something. She fell on her ass, still staring at the moving mass of darkness. It was talking to her, roaring her name, telling her 'THE TIME IS SOON.' and 'DEATH IS THE ONLY WAY OUT.' over and over. The volume and repetition of the roaring chant was maddening. Washu covered her ears, closed her eyes, and screamed, as if to try to block out the voices, but she couldn't. Suddenly, the door to her room flew open, and inside ran Togusa and Matsui, their faces enraged and worried all at once. Inside, they saw Washu, screaming and covering her ears, and the entire room was on fire. Togusa tapped Matsui on the shoulder. Matsui nodded and Togusa ran out the door. He ran up to Washu and lifted her off the floor. She was still screaming when the automatic sprinkler system came on and soaked the room with a bluish liquid. The fire quickly dispersed and faded into nothing. Matsui set the screaming Washu down and shook her. She still didn't stop. Matsui, with great difficulty, pried her hands from her ears, which were bleeding, and gave her a quick, painful slap to the face. This seemed to snap her out of it, although she was blubbering, moaning, groaning and hyperventilating. Washu jerked Matsui closer to her and wrapped her arms around him. Matsui returned her hug and started to pat her on the back. She was whispering something. Matsui strained his ears to hear what she was muttering. "They are coming for me." she whispered over and over. ************************************************************ Tsunami was sleeping peacefully alongside her sister Ayeka. Her dreamless sleep was interrupted by a small whisper, almost too quiet to hear. Slowly, she stirred, but when she opened her eyes, instead of seeing the darkened room, all she saw was total blackness. She began to get frightened as memories of her time in the dark dimension came back to her. Then, just as in her memories, the blackness began to pulsate and move. Fear crept over her as the whispering got louder and louder. It began to call her name as the darkness crept in closer and closer. No matter what she did or said, the blackness came closer, until it was upon her. As the shadowy tidal wave toppled her, a pair of red, glowing eyes appeared. The last thing Tsunami remembered doing was letting loose a loud scream. Ayeka woke with a start when she heard the loud, shrill screaming emanating from inside her room. Swiftly, she looked for the source and saw that her sister was the one screaming. Dodging her flailing arms, Ayeka grabbed Tsunami's shoulders and shook her hard, but it did not wake her. "Sas.Tsunami! Wake UP!" Ayeka shouted, but still Tsunami's eyes were shut tight, and she was still screaming. The way she tossed her arms around, it was like she was trying to defend herself from some sort of attacker. While Ayeka continuously shook her distressed sister, there was a knock on the door. Behind it, Tenchi's voice rang out. "Hey, Ayeka. is everything alright?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled. "Tenchi, hurry! Something's wrong!" Ayeka shouted. A second later the door flew open and Tenchi ran in. He turned on the light and sat down on the opposite side of Tsunami, facing Ayeka. His eyes widened with apprehension. "What happened?" Tenchi asked as he tried to stop Tsunami from flailing her arms. "I don't know!! She started screaming and she won't wake up!" Ayeka bellowed as she held Tsunami's shoulders down. Tenchi then stood up. "What are you doing?!" Ayeka demanded to know. "I'm going to get some water!" He shouted. Tenchi reached into a cabinet in the kitchen area and pulled out a large cup. He put it under the futuristic looking faucet and filled it full of water. As soon as he filled it to the brim, he ran over to Tsunami and splashed it in her face. Seconds after the water hit, Tsunami's eyes popped open. But she was still screaming. Ayeka's eyes darted up to Tenchi. "Tenchi, help me get her to the bathroom!" She commanded. Tenchi nodded and grasped the screaming girl by her shoulders while Ayeka grabbed her feet. Then, as quickly as possible, the two took Tsunami into the small bathroom. Instead of the typical bath, there was only a small shower. Softly, they placed the frightened young woman into the small, one person shower and turned on the cold water full blast. After a few minutes, the screaming subsided and Tsunami became silent, although her eyes remained wide with fear. Ayeka moved closer to her shivering sister. "Tsunami. what's wrong. what did you see?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. "They are.coming. for. me." Tsunami whispered over and over. ************************************************************ "What happened? At first they were all right, but now, well. look at them!" Ryoko inquired. The whole group was stationed in the infirmary, keeping watch over the two freaked out women. Washu and Tsunami didn't sleep, they just stayed there and stared at the wall. Gillian waved her hand in front of Washu's face and snapped her fingers. No response. "Well, something must have scared them out of their wits. And what does that mean, 'They are coming for me?'." Ayeka questioned. "Them. They are coming for Washu and Tsunami." Togusa muttered from off in the background. "They WHO!?" Gillian shouted. "Who the HELL do you THINK!?" Togusa shouted back. At first, Gillian looked like she was going to kill him, but then she looked away, realizing what he said. "I had almost forgotten." Gillian whispered, mad at herself. "Ha. ALMOST FORGOTTEN!? HOW!? THE ONLY THING WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS WAS HUNTING THESE MOTHER FUCKERS DOWN!" Togusa screamed. A second later, he felt Matsui put a hand on his shoulder. Still pissed, he shook it off and walked away. The last Matsui saw of him was him walking down the hall, whipping out a cigarillo. 'I wonder why he smokes those things.' Matsui thought. His attention was finally diverted BACK to the situation at hand when a particular point in the conversation caught his interest. "I wonder what they saw." Ryoko said as she looked at Washu, her mother. "I CAN TAKE A WILD GUESS." Matsui typed. This time, instead of the usual holographic lettering, a robotic voice rang out, saying each word clearly and concisely. This scared the group to no end. "Warn us when you're going to do that!" Ryoko yelled. "SORRY." Matsui continued. "What do you MEAN 'you can take a wild guess'?" Takeshi asked. "THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THEM THAT THE DARK JURAIANS WANT, SOME SORT OF POWER. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THEM THAT MAKES THEM FAR MORE SPECIAL THAN WE CAN IMAGINE." Matsui continued. "How do you know all this?" Gillian asked. "GILLIAN, I KNOW THINGS THAT YOU COULD NOT POSSIBLELY COMPREHEND. I HAVE SEEN THINGS, EXPERIENCED FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS BEYOND ANYTHING YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE. TRUST ME, LOVE. I AM WISE BEYOND MY YEARS." Matsui dematerialized his mini-laptop and walked over to Washu. Carefully, he moved her hair out of her face. Then slowly, he waved his hand in front of her eyes. Washu immediately fell unconscious. Then, with the same hand, he snapped his fingers and Tsunami followed suit. Matsui looked over at Gillian, who had just done the same thing, and sneered mockingly. Gillian was impressed, but not for long. "What will happen to them?" Yosho asked. As if to respond, Matsui looked over at Ryoko. Ryoko's emotional gaze turned blank and apathetic. "They will sleep. When they awaken, they will not remember the horrors that they have been shown." Ryoko muttered. "How." Gillian wondered. "I hope you liked this demonstration of my powers. But, as powerful as I am, I am still mortal. Remember that." Ryoko grumbled. Then she shook her head violently and the emotion returned to her eyes. She looked around curiously. "What the HELL just happened?" Ryoko asked. Yosho then slowly walked up to her, his face, although young, was still intense, like the Lord Katsuhito that we all remember. "I think it would be wise to speak quietly, we do not want to wake up these two." He said quietly as he motioned to Washu and Tsunami. She nodded and looked for Matsui, who was caressing Washu's head. She watched as he stopped his index finger right at her temple. In a brief, and a fairly low intensity, flash of light, Washu's Holo-terminal popped up under Matsui's hands. Tenchi grew even more curious. "What are you doing?" He asked softly. Matsui looked at Tenchi with a sharp and vehement look. Then Tenchi heard a voice in the back of his head. 'I'm finishing her research.' Matsui responded with a determined smirk, quite like his brother. ************************************************************ "Whaa. what's going on." Washu stuttered as she woke up. The whole group surrounded her, except for Togusa, who wasn't there, and Matsui, who was sitting in the lotus position, typing faster than she had ever seen anyone type in the universe. ' Wow.' she remarked to herself. "Mom. you'd better get some sleep. You need it." Ryoko said, a little worried. "I feel fine, Ryoko. You shouldn't worry." Washu stated. "I can't help it. Even though you've been gone most my life, you're still my mom, and I don't know what I would do if I lost you." Ryoko mumbled to the bed ridden red head. Ryoko gently then grasped Washu's hand. Washu went from feeling fine, to feeling great. She looked over at Gillian, who merely nodded. "That's Gillian for ya, never much one for words." Washu laughed. Gillian just shrugged silently and smiled. Simultaneously, Ryoko and Gillian blinked, and Washu was gone. Surprised, they turned and looked at Matsui. Washu was standing right behind him, looking at his progress. Her eyes were wide as saucers. "My GOD! That's IT! Why didn't I think of THAT!? Matsui, you are a GENIUS!" Washu exclaimed as she rubbed Matsui's head. Matsui ignored it and continued to type at a feverish pace. The charts darted and moved all around the monitor, and soon, every variable fit into place, like a fully symmetrical cube. Suddenly, a CGI picture of Washu flew onto the screen and shouted "YOU DID IT!" as crabs began to dance around her smiling face. Washu was in awe. "Geez. You managed to solve an equation that took me days to even DEFINE in a few hours! And I thought I was the greatest Scientific genius in the universe." Washu muttered. Matsui, smiling, looked up at her. Washu began to hear a voice in the back of her head. 'You still are. I have no intention of taking that position from you. Just don't tell anyone.' Matsui communicated telepathically to her. "But." Washu said. 'Just think your responses. I can hear you.' 'Okay. anyway, where did you learn to do that?' Washu thought, her mental voice thick with curiosity. 'Mostly from experience.' 'Oh.' Washu wondered. 'Believe me, learning about my powers is one thing, you are going to learn something about yourself that will surprise you infinitesimally, I have foreseen it.' Matsui continued. 'Foreseen it? You mean you can see the future?' Washu asked, shocked. 'I've caught glimpses. I know many things revolving around the Masaki household. I know who'll get Tenchi in the end. I know when, exactly, each of the people in this room will die. Even me.' Matsui said, a tinge of sadness in his thoughts. Washu caught this. 'Tell me.' Washu urged. 'Unfortunately, I cannot. It's one of the rules of prophesy, never foretell someone's death. I have spent endless years searching for a way around it, but I cannot find one. It is one of those situations that cannot be changed. And until that time, I am stuck with that knowledge, and the understanding that I can do nothing about it.' 'Matsui.' Washu sighed. 'No. Be happy. I've got a while yet. I'm not saying how long, but it's a while. Let's just spend that time in the best way possible.' And with that, Matsui broke the telepathic communication with Washu and stood up, causing the holo-terminal to disappear. A few seconds later, Togusa walked into the room. He looked at Tsunami, snapped his fingers, and walked toward Matsui. Tsunami immediately awoke. Ayeka and pretty much the rest of the group, walked over to her. Washu stayed with Matsui, and watched as Togusa walked up to them. "Hey bud. You done?" Togusa asked his younger brother. Matsui nodded enthusiastically. "Alright kiddo. I've been giving our problem some thought." Togusa began, as he looked over at the group surrounding Tsunami. He shook his head and put his thumb and index finger into his mouth. He emitted a whistle that caused the windows to shake. The group, after recovering from the fright and painful ringing, turned around and gave him their full attention. "Now, like I was saying. I was giving our problem some thought. These bastards are very strong, even in our universe, but they must abide by OUR rules here. Where we plan to go, it's their rules. In their dimension, they are all powerful. And, in that case, if one of us is taken over in there, that person is gone forever. So, if we plan on going into their dimension, we must take precautionary measures. Here they are." Said Togusa as he held his hand out. Inside were several ribbons with red gems imbedded in them. Ayeka and Ryoko eyed them cautiously. "What are they?" Ayeka asked. "They are solidified gems of pure energy, produced by none other than me. They are placed around the neck, like a choker, and once there, they implant themselves, painlessly, in that exact location and can only be removed by me. Anyway, their purpose is this. if you know for sure that the enemy is about to take you, all you need to do is send a mental thought to the gem, and it will explode." The group cringed at this bit of information. "WHY would we want to put something like THAT on our necks!?" Ryoko demanded to know. "Well, think about it. In this dimension, if you are taken over by those dark bastards, there is still a chance that you can be saved. In there, once you are taken, that's that. You are theirs to do with as they please. They will use you against your friends and family, and they know that your friends and family will not harm you. It will be like taking candy from a baby. Would you rather condemn all of your friends, or are you willing to sacrifice yourself to save them, and the rest of the universe. The placement of the jewel guarantees a quick and painless death. I highly recommend putting this on, because once we get there, I'm switching to mercenary mode and I will not hesitate to kill one or all of you if you even look at me funny. We are participating in a matter of importance far greater than anyone's understanding. We are about to embark on a journey into a place beyond any hell in existence. Luckily, we know that, due to the destruction of the tree of darkness, they have been seriously weakened, so you Juraians, and as well as everyone else, might be able to use your powers there. If we can somehow take out the heart of the problem without having the entire Dark Juraian army crawling up our ass, then we can consider ourselves lucky. Now, any questions?" Togusa said with the zeal of a general. Takeshi rose his hand. "Yeah, what?" Togusa asked the one person he didn't really like in the whole group. "Well, who is staying behind? There are 16 people." Takeshi began. "That's seventeen junior." Nagi said as she walked into the room. Ryoko smiled at her fashionably late entrance. "Anyway, there are SEVENTEEN people here, and you only have 13 jewels. Who's staying behind?" Takeshi continued. "It's a good thing you asked that question, kid. There are a few of you who are NOT coming. Keiko, Lady Misaki, Lady Funaho, and Nobuyuki must stay. As for the rest of you, pack your shit folks, were going on a business trip." Togusa informed. Keiko stepped forward. "I'm NOT going to leave my son alone in a place like that! There is NO way I am staying!" She proclaimed. "Don't worry, your son can take care of himself, and besides, Yosho'll be there. Have faith. He will return. Right Matsui?" Togusa said as he glared at his brother. Matsui took a deep breath and nodded his head. Washu took a relieved sigh. This seemed to comfort the rest of the group. "Fine. Takeshi, come here." Keiko said, admitting defeat. "Yes, mother." Takeshi said reluctantly. He slowly walked over to her, expecting the usual lecture. Instead, he received a crushing hug. "You listen to your father now, do you hear me? I want you to come back to me." Keiko muttered, a tear falling down her cheek. "Okay." Takeshi gasped, as he tried to breath. Finally, his mother let go and Takeshi took a step back. Togusa cleared his throat and everyone looked over at him. "Okay, everyone. It's like the old saying goes, fifty of you are going in, twenty five of you ain't coming back, so, get whatever you have to say. or do. out of the way, and then, we're history, comprende?" He asked. Everyone gave a small nod and just stood there. "Well come on people! The longer we wait, the more powerful they get! LET'S GO!" Togusa shouted. Everyone jumped into action. Ayeka and Ryoko zoomed in toward Tenchi at lightning speeds. He let out a frightened cry when they rammed into him and knocked him down. His eyes were all swirling when Ayeka and Ryoko started to babble on about who gets to be first. Gillian stepped in, and whipped out a coin. "Heads, it's Ryoko, Tails, it's Ayeka, got it?" Gillian asked. "Yes, just get on with it!" Ayeka spat out. Frowning, Gillian flipped the coin into the air and caught it. She slammed the coin into her forearm and then uncovered it. It was heads. Ryoko cheered and hollered in joy and triumph as Ayeka turned red and sat on the closest bed. Ryoko went over to Gillian. "Thanks." Ryoko whispered. "Hey, don't thank me, thank the coin." Gillian said with a smile. Ryoko turned around and lightly grabbed Tenchi's hand. Slowly, she guided him out of the infirmary and into the room across the hall. Gillian was still smiling as she inspected the coin. The heads side contained a detailed picture of one of the Emperors of Jurai, and the other side contained the same damn picture. ************************************************************ "Ryoko, I." Tenchi began. Ryoko silenced him by putting her finger up on his lips. "You don't have to talk right now, but I do. There is a chance that you. or I. won't be coming back, and I need to tell you something. Tenchi, for, oh god, going on seventeen or so years now, I've loved you. I have loved you more than mere words can describe." Ryoko said, her strong voice wavering. "Ryoko. I already know all of that." Tenchi told her. "How could you possibly.?" She asked, a little surprised. "Come on, do you think I'm blind? I know that you love me. I'm sorry I never regarded your feelings, I was stupid." Tenchi said as he gazed into Ryoko's feline, yellow irises. He started to talk again, but was cut off by Ryoko's kiss. This was the moment Ryoko had waited so long for. And, instead of fighting her, Tenchi seemed to join in. Ryoko began to cry tears of pure joy during this experience. After what seemed as an eternity, Ryoko finally broke the kiss. She looked extremely happy, yet totally depressed at the same time. This puzzled Tenchi. "Ryoko. what's wrong?" Tenchi asked. Ryoko took a deep sigh. "Soon, you and me are going to go into what could be called HELL and one of us might not come back. And there is also the Ayeka factor." Ryoko grumbled. "The 'Ayeka Factor'?" Tenchi asked. "Yes, 'cause sometime within the next few minutes, she's gonna want her turn. And I am going to have to go. Oh, Tenchi, I just want this moment to last forever." Ryoko wished. "Then I guess we must make the best of the time we do got, then." Tenchi, in a bold move, especially for him, grabbed Ryoko by the waist and kissed her again, this time with more power. Ryoko moaned lightly in pleasure as he did this. Tenchi was a mile high in the air. He couldn't believe what was going on here, and what he was doing. 'Ayeka's going to be pissed.' Tenchi thought, but he mentally shrugged it off. 'If she really loves me, she'll understand.' Tenchi continued. His thoughts were broken when he felt Ryoko lightly grab his hand and put it on her chest. Alarms started to go off in Tenchi's head. 'Uh-oh, we're going WAY too fast here.' Tenchi thought. He moved his hands back down onto the mattress. When he did so, Ryoko stopped kissing him. "What's the matter?" Ryoko asked him. "Uh. nu. nothing's the matter. Why do you ask?" Tenchi said nervously. "It's Ayeka, is it. You were thinking about her the whole time, weren't you?" Ryoko said, a bit saddened. "Ryoko." Tenchi tried to say. "Is that the way it's always going to be Tenchi? If you were to chose me, would it be her face you would see on the woman you made love with? Would it be her face on the mother of your children? If you love her Tenchi, then I can accept that, but don't pine for me, and pretend I am her for the rest of your life. That would be worse than you making love to her, right in front of me, right now. I. I better go." Ryoko said as she got up. "Ryoko. wait!" Tenchi shouted as he began to stand up. Ryoko opened the door to the room she led Tenchi too and jumped back a step when she saw Ayeka, right outside the door. She looked like she was getting ready to knock. A sweat drop formed on her head as she smiled anxiously. "He's all yours." Ryoko stated flatly as she walked out of the room. Ayeka swiped the smile off of her face and slowly walked in, occasionally checking behind her back. "Hello, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka said as she slowly shut the door. ************************************************************ Gillian walked over to Matsui, who was leaning back on the wall of the infirmary. She walked up to him and grasped his warm, metallic hand. She began walking and led him to the room she occupied with Kiyonne and Mihoshi. It was empty. She led Matsui into the room and shut the door. After she turned the lights on, she walked up to the shorter, younger looking red head. Matsui had a curious smile on his face. Slowly, a smile of her own grew on Gillian's face. "Matsui, I think you know my feelings for you by now. And I know that it'll be really. difficult. for you to act on them. So I just wanted to bring you here to see what would happen." Gillian said, looking Matsui straight in the eyes the whole time. Matsui smiled. 'I may not have all the proper equipment, but there are still some things I can do.' Matsui beamed into Gillian's head. Gillian grew a little confused by this. She watched as Matsui lifted his outstretched hand right in front of her face, and then the whole universe collapsed after waves upon waves of pleasure swept through her body. Still working his magic, Matsui led Gillian to the bed, where he laid her down and lightly shifted his hand all over her body, never really touching her. Gillian didn't seem to notice, she was too busy moaning and arching her back. Outside, a whole group had formed and were listening in. Nobuyuki walked by this group and scoffed. "You guys should really get a new pastime." he muttered as he shook his head disappointingly and walked further down the hall. They didn't pay any attention to him. For nearly half an hour, Gillian continued moaning and groaning, until she finally told Matsui to stop. A few minutes later, Matsui opened the door, only to be surprised by a barrage of cheers and applause. A sweat drop formed as he smiled apprehensively and waited for Gillian to exit. Gillian walked into the threshold and stopped. She kissed Matsui full on the lips and then leaned back on the door frame, still moaning in pleasure and contentment. Nodding in impressed approval, the group walked off, whispering about the spectacle that just occurred. Gillian weakly leaned on Matsui and they walked together back towards the infirmary. ************************************************************ Ayeka walked out of Tenchi's room, her face unemotional and pale. This hadn't gone anything like she wanted. She walked back to the infirmary, totally in a daze. She walked in and saw Ryoko, sitting on a bed, her back turned toward Ayeka. The way her back moved, she could tell she was crying. Ayeka wanted to go over there and comfort her, but decided against it. She walked over to her sister, who was still in bed. Tsunami looked up and saw her sister and smiled, but it quickly faded when she saw Ayeka's expression. "Ayeka, what's wrong?" She asked. "It. it's Tenchi. He was so cold, so distant, when I went to talk to him. He was upset about something and wouldn't talk to me at all. He just kept staring at the floor. What did I do wrong?" Ayeka asked her older, younger sister. "You didn't do anything. I don't think I'm the one you need to talk to." Tsunami pointed out as she motioned to Ryoko. Ayeka took a deep breath and nodded, then she got up and walked over to the blubbering, cyan haired space pirate. Ryoko didn't even acknowledge her presence. "Ryoko. what is the matter? What happened between you and Tenchi?" Ayeka asked, her voice full of concern. Ryoko didn't respond. "Come on, Ryoko, you were there for me, twice, and now it's my turn. Please, talk to me." Ayeka begged. "You. you're the problem." Ryoko bawled. "Me? What did I do?" Ayeka asked, a little shocked. "You keep telling me that I'm gonna poison his mind and take him away from you, but that is the EXACT thing YOU did. I went in there and I bared my soul to him, and I even got to kiss him, but all he thought of was YOU! You stole from me my reason to live." Ryoko told her, wailing even more. Ayeka was too shocked to speak. "How do you know what he was thinking? Can you read his mind?" A voice came from behind. "Hello. Nagi." Ryoko mumbled. "Well? Can you?" Nagi repeated. "No. but." Ryoko began. "Well, what did you do? You can't tell me that you went in there and made out, and he accidentally called you 'Ayeka'. I doubt that would've happened. So, tell us what EXACTLY went on." "We talked, I kissed him, I broke it off, he kissed me, then he pulled away shortly after I mentioned Ayeka. That's what convinced me that all he saw WAS Ayeka." Ryoko said in between crying. "But that's just what YOU think. Why did he pull away?" Nagi asked, making herself look concerned. "I don't KNOW!" Ryoko shouted, her face as red as her eyes. "Well, what did you do right before he pulled away?" Nagi asked her. "I. I put his hand. on my chest." Ryoko sobbed. Ayeka's face lit up with understanding. "That's why he pulled away! You were going too fast for him. You know that Tenchi is the nervous sort. He panicked, that's all. It doesn't mean that he doesn't love you, he just didn't know how to handle the situation." Ayeka beamed. "You. you think so?" Ryoko said, hope returning to her eyes. "I know so. You should have seen him when I went in there. He didn't say a word. He was absolutely devastated. You need to go back in there and talk to him, and this time, don't do anything overtly sexual to him. When he's ready for that, trust me, you'll know." Ayeka continued. "Thank you.Ayeka."Ryoko smiled as she got up and ran to the room where she left Tenchi. Nagi looked at Ayeka. "I thought that you two constantly fought over him for his attention. Why did you just help her? You might have just lost." Nagi wondered. Ayeka looked over at her and smiled. "I trust Tenchi. He isn't going to choose, because he doesn't want to. He likes his life the way it is, with the both of us. That's the way it's going to stay until one, or two, or all of us die. Besides, it's Ryoko's turn in the storage shed." Ayeka said. Nagi looked confused. "Storage shed?" Nagi asked. "It's a. long story." Ayeka told her. Ayeka turned around just in time to see Ryoko open the door, right across the hall from the infirmary. "Hello. Tenchi."Ryoko said, humbly. "Ryoko, I." He began. "You don't have to say another word. Come on, we have to talk." Ryoko said as she grabbed his hand and led him back into the room. Ayeka smiled to herself. 'Oh, this is FAR from over. Tenchi, I pity you.' Ayeka thought to herself as she giggled a little. Nagi gave Ayeka a confused look and walked off, shaking her head. "Man, I'm glad I don't live with you whackos" She mumbled, only causing Ayeka to laugh louder. 'Where the hell is Ken-oki at?' Nagi thought as she looked under several of the infirmary beds. She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips and let loose a frown. ************************************************************ "Just one more ingredient to add." The official GP cook said to himself as he prepared a multitudinous feast for the rest of the GP. The short, chubby little man walked over to the basket labeled "Carrots" and reached in. He felt nothing. With an enraged look on his face, he peered into the basket. It was nearly empty. The only thing inside it were a few carrots and two balls of fur. Swiftly, he reached in and grabbed out the balls of fur. "Ah-HA! Cabbits. Just as I thought. You little bastards are gonna be the entr‚es! Hey RICKY! Don't put the steaks in the oven just yet, I got two little vermin to cook." The chef grinned evilly. "Isn't that a violation of the health ordinance?" Ricky replied. "I'm not gonna SERVE them. I'm just gonna teach them a little lesson. Open it up and turn it off full heat." "It'll take a few minutes sir." Ricky replied. "Good. It'll give them more time to think about what they've done before they FRY!" The chef laughed out loud. The two cabbits hissed and squirmed under the man's iron grip. With no mercy, he tossed them into the oven. The two cabbits peered through the clear window in the oven and had a look of trepidation on their face. The chef laughed a deep, guttural laugh and walked off. He came to a covered tray. "Hey, Ricky! Are these the steaks?" The chef asked. "Yessir! They still need to be cooked." Ricky replied. "Okay. I guess that's why we have more than one oven." The chef said as he uncovered the steaks. But, instead of a large platter of raw, juicy steaks, there was a jet black, sleek looking creature. He grinned a frightening grin and the three jewels in his forehead glowed briefly. The creature's long slender tail stabbed the final steak and brought it to his mouth. After baring his razor sharp teeth, the creature popped the still bloody steak into his mouth, munching it loudly. Then it let out a growling laugh. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The chef yelled as he ran off. The chef grabbed Ricky by the collar and dragged him out of the kitchen. "WAIT! WHAT ABOUT THE CASSEROLE?!!" Ricky shouted as he was hauled out of the kitchen. Leo-oki just laughed and looked over at the oven. The two cabbits inside began to sweat profusely. Taking a deep breath, Leo-oki nonchalantly walked over to the oven and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Frowning, Leo-oki thought for a few seconds. Then he smiled. The three jewels glowed brightly as Leo-oki strained himself. Suddenly, the oven exploded and out of the heavy smoke walked Leo-oki, dragging the exasperated cabbits out of the kitchen. ************************************************************ An hour later, everyone finally regrouped back into the infirmary in full battle armament. Togusa looked gravely at the whole group. He nodded at them and Misaki, Funaho, Nobuyuki, and Keiko, who carried Ryo-oki, Ken-oki, and Leo-oki, slowly walked out of the room after giving one last hug to their loved ones. After they left, Togusa motioned to Matsui. Matsui typed and energy began to arc all around the room. "Alright everyone, put'em on!" Togusa shouted over the large buzzing of energy. The whole group took the bejeweled ribbons and tied them around their necks. Within seconds the ribbons faded and the jewels painlessly dug themselves in the necks of the wearers. After one last look over, Togusa turned to Matsui. "Alright, let's do it!" He shouted. Matsui nodded as the energy became louder. Suddenly, a bright flash occurred right behind Togusa and Matsui. The white light was soon overtaken by a strange black light. All the electric devices in the room flickered on and off, including the lights. The black light grew into a large, black, swirling portal as a strange alien wind blew through the room, blowing anything that wasn't weighed down, like loose paper and bed sheets, around the whole room. Togusa patted Matsui on the shoulder and motioned for him to stand up. Togusa and Matsui joined the rest of the group as they all huddled together. No one was moving. "Come on, you bunch of Pansies! It's now or never!" Togusa shouted. "Why don't you go first?!" Ayeka yelled. "Because me and Matsui have to make sure nothing goes wrong. We'll be in momentarily, now let's GO!" Togusa responded. From somewhere, a sigh was heard. Slowly, everyone watched as Tenchi walked toward the portal. The closer he got, the more distorted he became as even light was being warped into the dark dimension. Finally, he took a deep breath and jumped in. A blast of energy arced all around as the portal rippled, like water. "TENCHI!" Ryoko screamed as she flew into the portal. "Tenchi!" Ayeka shouted as she followed Ryoko, only a millisecond behind her. "Alright! That's three, who's next!" Togusa shouted. Immediately Nagi jumped into the portal. She was soon followed by Kiyonne, Mihoshi, Washu, Tsunami, Yosho, Takeshi, and everyone else, except Gillian. She looked at Matsui and reached out for his hand. Matsui looked over at Togusa. "Go ahead! I got it from here!" Togusa shouted over the loud energy. Matsui grabbed Gillian's hand and they leapt together into the portal. Soon, Togusa was all alone. "Alright, it's time to rock 'n' roll." Togusa said as he pulled a massive gun from out of nowhere. One of his damned cigarillos appeared as well, fully lit, on his lips. After taking a deep drag, Togusa leapt and flew into the portal. Shortly after he left, the portal collapsed in on itself, sealing off any more entry. A whole squadron of GP officers ran into the room. "What the hell HAPPENED in here!?" One officer asked Keiko. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Don't worry, we'll clean up." Keiko smiled, albeit a little nervously. Finally, the wind died down also and the paper stopped flying around. The small group that was left behind walked in. Misaki and Funaho gazed to where the group formally was. "Good luck." Misaki whispered as the group began to clean the mess. The room was silent after they were done, not a single sound permeated the area. The remaining members of the group sat in their individual rooms and waited for the safe return of their loved ones. Some prayed, others hoped, but all the while, they all thought the same thought. 'Please, all of you, come back to us safely.' ************************************************************ End chapter 11. I'm almost done folks. Send those comments as quickly as possible. Thanks. ruby@pa.net..