Echoes of Eternity Chapter One The day was cold, the ground was white and the air was ringing. "Ryoko!!!" the scream came tearing through the forest outside the Masaki household. Tenchi was busy moving the last of the snow from the walkway when it pierced into his ears. He winced and turned his head up the path as a triumphant Ryoko floated quickly towards him. Her dark purple coat was a great contrast to the white snow as she floated up to him with something in her hand. "Hiya Tenchi, what's up?" she asked casually. He looked down in her hand as she held another coat. "Uhm, Ryoko? Whose coat is that?" he asked with a sigh. She looked down at the object in her hand and smiled devilishly. "This? Ohhh, it's just something I found in the forest." she says with a small snicker. "Ryoko!!! Get back here!" Ayeka's voice was clearly getting closer. "Ryoko, why did you take Ayeka's coat?" Tenchi asks and glares at her. Another sneer crossed Ryoko's face, "Wellllll, I don't think it's the coat she is the most worried about." Ryoko says and opens the coat. A long sleeved shirt falls out followed by a small undershirt. Tenchi's eyes bulge as he realizes what she has done, only a moment too late. Ayeka comes running up, arms crossed over her bare chest and her face red as a Camilla. "Ryoko!! I am going to blast you to the moon!" Ayeka screams as she runs up. Ryoko grins widely and holds her coat and shirts up, "Oh, are these yours? I did not know that." she says and drops them in the snow. Ayeka raises her arms into the air screaming at the top of her lungs, "Of course they are! I wore them to the hot springs! I didn't know I needed to put my name on everything!" she yells. Then she blinks and looks at Tenchi, his face just as red as hers. Her eyes bulge as she quickly wraps her arms back around her chest and she gets even more red. "I am sorry, Lord Tenchi." she quickly says and kneels down to retrieve her coat. Ryoko bursts into laughter and flips a little snow up on her with her shoe, "What's the matter Ayeka, Princesses get embarrassed too?" she grins. Ayeka slides into her coat and zips it up quickly, then immediately grabs Ryoko by the coat. "Do you realize I could have frozen?! This time I am going to mop the floor with you!" she yells. Ryoko grins and grabs her arm, the other hand ready to erupt with energy. Tenchi sighs and drops his head, he is about to break the two up when Washu comes flying out of the house. "Tenchi! Quick someone is coming!" she yells loudly. The two girls stop and look at the red-haired figure sprinting towards them. Tenchi turns to her and holds his shovel up against him, "Who is coming, Miss Washu?" he asks. She stops in front of him and breathes a little heavy, "I don't know. All I know is he will be here any minute now...and he is very powerful." she says and then glares at the two girls. "Going at it again, you two? Well put it on hold till we find out who this is." she says with a small smirk. Ayeka gets an evil smile and suddenly lets Ryoko go, much to her dismay. Ryoko shrieks and falls into the snow as she was leaning heavily against Ayeka. "Careful Ryoko, lying in the snow while this is going on isn't very smart." she says with a grin. Ryoko gets steamed and jumps up. She is just about to start yelling again when Tenchi suddenly stares at something. Washu then turns to it also, catching the attention of the other two. They all are now peering at this small sparkle of light. A loud beeping comes from Washu's transparent monitor and she looks down at it. "Here they come." she says and looks back to the sparkle. Suddenly the sparkle grows into a huge swirling vortex, sending a strong wind blowing through the trees. They all cover their faces from the blast except for Washu, who gasps at the sight of it. "A trans-dimensional portal?" she asks out loud, but to no one but herself. She looks at her panel and starts to scan it when a bright flash of light fills the forest. All of them cover their eyes with their arms until the light subsides. Then they slowly look to see the vortex gone, only a figure standing in it's place. Aside from the long cloak covering his whole body, long green hair and the mask covering the bottom part of his face, nothing of the stranger can be seen. They all just look at the figure as their eyes start to adjust from the bright light. As they focus on what of the figure they can see, a pair of orange eyes glares back at them. "I seek the Lord Tenchi Masaki." the soft, low voice says from under the mask. The others just kind of look at him for a moment then Tenchi steps forward. "I am Tenchi." he says. Those orange eyes lock onto him and the figure speaks again, "I challenge you to a fight...to the death. By the ancient code of the Jurai, you must accept or be executed by the royal court." he says, his cloak blowing in the still harsh wind. Tenchi blinks, not knowing exactly what this all means. He looks back to Ayeka who has a look of dread on her face, "Do you accept?" the figure asks. Tenchi looks back to him and shakes his head, "No, I don't accept. I have no reason to fight you. Just go back where you came from." he says. "Lord Tenchi, you must accept. They will come after you if you do not." Ayeka says quietly and looks at him. He turns his head back to her and blinks, "Who will?" he asks. "The whole armies of Jurai. This person has instigated the Fated Circle, an ancient Jurai code where two warriors fight to gain honor." she says with fear deep in her voice. Tenchi looks at her for a moment then back to the figure, "I don't care. I am not gonna fight this guy without a good reason." he says. "Lord Tenchi, please reconsider. As a member of the royal family, I would have to be the one to turn you in." she says with a tone of terror in her voice. He whips his head around to look at her and she looks down. "You traitor! You would turn Tenchi over just because he didn't do this stupid code?!" Ryoko yells at her. She doesn't answer, just keeps looking at the ground. Tenchi peers at her a bit longer, then turns his head back to the figure. "Fine, I accept your challenge." he says sternly. The three girls glare at him in surprise, "What the hell? Tenchi no, you don't have to do this." Ryoko says and looks at the figure. "Let me fight him instead." she says. "No, I will do it." Tenchi says and steps forward. He removes his coat and tosses it on the ground, his long sleeved shirt blending in nicely with the snow. In his hand, Tenchi-ken waits ready to battle with the intruder. "Come on then, let's get this over with." he says coldly. The figure nods and reaches in his cloak, removing a five foot staff with intricate designs and markings. On the end of the staff are two blue, elliptical orbs and he holds it out. "Is that it? Tenchi is gonna make mince meat out of this guy." Ryoko says and crosses her arms. Ayeka doesn't even look up, just stares down at the snow. Washu is busy trying to scan this new figure with her computer. "Make your first move." Tenchi says as a glowing blue blade erupts out of Tenchi-ken. The figure almost seems to nod and then lunges at Tenchi. Each swing with his staff is easily countered by the graceful blocking of Tenchi-ken. After a quick exchange if hits, the figure steps back and looks Tenchi over. "We don't have to do this." Tenchi says and breathes a bit heavy. "You are wrong, I am afraid this is very necessary." the figure says and holds his staff with the end pointed at him. "Kick his butt, Tenchi!" Ryoko cheers on. The two stare at each other for a moment then Tenchi looks at his staff, "You aren't going to defeat Tenchi-ken with that thing." he says. The figure tilts his head slightly and his hands grip around his staff tighter. "Never assume anything from an unknown enemy." he says quietly. Suddenly the two crystals at the end start to glow. Then a long, yellow energy blade starts to grow out of the end of the staff. After it ceases to grow, the blade is two feet long and glowing brightly. Tenchi blinks and looks at the figure uneasily, "Uh, okay. Right." he says and holds Tenchi-ken tightly. "Now, Lord Tenchi, let us see if you are as powerful as I have heard." the figure says. Suddenly he leaps off the ground again, landing behind Tenchi and swinging the blade down at him. Tenchi raises Tenchi-ken's own blade up to block it. He pushes his blade away and spins around, slashing at his chest but finding only empty air. He quickly looks around but is too late as his vision is suddenly blurred when the figure flings his cloak over his face. Tenchi struggles a bit and the glowing blade of Tenchi-ken comes tearing out the black material. Right when he looks out the hole, the butt end of the staff connects to his forehead. Tenchi groans and reels back, but the figure doesn't stop. He lunges at Tenchi, spinning the staff quickly in his hands. He brings the blurred staff above his head and slashes down hard with the blade end. Tenchi quickly sidesteps to avoid the blade and just as the figure finds his missed his target, Tenchi swings Tenchi-ken around and a slicing sound echoes through the cold air. Tenchi rebounds and quickly turns to the figure, waiting the next attack, but the figure is just staying in his last position, the blade of his staff planted in the ground. Ryoko and Tenchi blink as he doesn't move. Then, the figure rises up to a normal stance and turns to Tenchi. A small trickle of blood runs down his head and his orange orbs move to look at the crimson streak. "Now, if you don't stop, next time I won't just graze you." Tenchi says. The figure then looks back to him and lowers his staff to his side, the blade still glowing brightly. Suddenly, the figure's mask indicates a wide smile widely and closes his eyes, "Well done, Lord Tenchi. All that I have heard is true. You truly are a descendant of Yosho." the figure says quietly. Tenchi blinks and continues to look at this stranger. "Forgive me for acting as I have, but I needed to see for myself if you are as good as I have heard." he says. "Who...are you?" Tenchi asks, still not letting his guard down. The figure raises his staff up and sets the butt end into the snow lightly, the long yellow blade slowly fading from view. "My name is Sento. I have come here to help you." he says and bows. "What? Help me with what?" Tenchi asks, now lowering Tenchi-ken down, but not losing the blade. "Help you defend yourself from a known criminal. I have been searching for him for as long as I have served the Jurai empire, two thousand years." the figure says. Ayeka finally looks up at him as Tenchi gasps, "Two thousand years?!" he almost yells. "Hah, ridiculous." Washu says and looks up from her computer. The orange eyes peer over at her and narrow just a bit. "Well, the great and powerful Washu. I did not expect you to be here." he says. Washu sets her hand on her hip and narrows her eyes also. "And how would someone such as you know who I am, although I know my reputation is far reaching across the universe." she says with a smug grin. "Let's just say we have met before, though I am sure you would not remember someone as unimportant as I." he says, his torn cloak whipping lightly in the cold wind. "We have, have we? Well, I don't remember you and your claim of being that old is frankly hard to believe." she says. "Oh? Try your computer now, see what it tells you." he says. She blinks and looks down at her computer screen, new data compiling on it. Her eyes slightly widen and she looks back up to Sento. "W...what's it say, Miss Washu?" Tenchi says, looking at her. "By my computer's calculations, this person is over five thousand years old." she says blandly. Ryoko and Ayeka look at each other and blink in disbelief. Sento's orange eyes move back to Tenchi, "Only has it been the last two thousand have I served the Jurai." he says. "Oh, is that why you wear the mask? Cause your old and ugly under it?" Ryoko says, looking back to him with a smirk. Those orange eyes move to her, "Well, now you I know also. Although I was not on Jurai when you were causing all that destruction, I was told about you. How is it such a horrible demon such as yourself is now in the company of the descendant of Yosho?" Sento asks. "Well, call it luck I guess." Ryoko says with a grin. Sento looks her over really fast, "It was fortunate I was not on Jurai when you attacked. Yosho would not have had to leave after you and Tenchi wouldn't have been born." he says. "And what do you mean by that!? You got a real ego there buddy, maybe I will show you how wrong you really are." Ryoko yells and holds her hand out. Energy glows around it and she growls at Sento. "Oh, that would be a feat. Let's see what you have demon." Sento says and the blade from his staff erupts once again. Washu grins and crosses her arms lightly, "It always makes a mother proud to see her daughter ready to kick some butt." Sento looks over at her quickly and then back to Ryoko, "Daughter?" "More or less, yeah. So what?" Ryoko says and grips the energy a little tighter. Sento stands normal and the blade disappears from his staff. "How interesting." he says. "Oh what, now you don't wanna fight? Too bad, I am gonna knock that smug...." Ryoko starts but Tenchi steps between them both. "Now stop, you two just calm down." he orders. "I have never heard of you." Ayeka finally chimes in. Sento looks over at her and tilts his head a bit. Then an image flashes into his head of her in a royal dress and he turns to her fully, away from Ryoko. "Princess Ayeka, forgive me. I did not recognize you." he says and bows to her. She smiles a bit, remembering what it feels like to be treated like a princess. "It is all right. But I have never heard of a warrior named Sento before." she says. He straightens back up and nods, "I am not surprised. There are few even in the royal court that know of my existence." he says. "What is it you do exactly?" she asks, looking him over to see if she maybe has seen him before. "Under the house of Jurai, I did many.....illegitimate tasks. Tasks that normal military sections could not perform because of political reasons." he says. She tilts her head, not exactly understanding what he is saying when Sasami comes strolling out, rubbing her eyes. "Wha....t is going on out here?" she asks sleepily. Sento turns his head to her and blinks, "Princess Sasami? I did not know you were here also." he says. She rubs her eyes and looks at the new person, "Who are you?" she asks. He turns his head back to Ayeka, "I have come from Jurai. To help Lord Tenchi." he says quietly. She just keeps looking at him as does Ryoko, Tenchi and Sasami. Washu is busy typing quickly on her computer. After along silence, Tenchi finally speaks, "Help with what again?" Sento looks over at him and Ryoko, "There is a man coming here. It is rumored among intelligence he will be seeking the powers of the descendant of Yosho." he says. "You mean he is coming to steal Tenchi-ken?" Tenchi asks, finally the blade on Tenchi-ken fades away. Sento only nods and then looks to Washu once again as she feverishly types on her computer. "Yea? Then we will defeat him. It's not like we need your help, Timbo." Ryoko says and her sword also fades away. He glares at her, "Trust me, with Dargon you will need all the help you can get." Sento says. Washu suddenly looks up, "Dargon? Like, the brother of Kagato, Dargon?" she asks. Sento doesn't take his eyes off Ryoko, "The same." he says. Ryoko just glares back at him as Washu winces a bit, "Yes, I can see why the Jurai has sent you then." she says. They all look at Washu as she starts typing into her computer again. "What's going on?" Sasami asks, still a bit sleepy. "Dargon is a very dangerous person. He's not too smart but he is very strong." Washu says as her computer displays an image. The image is a silhouette of a huge figure, covered by the jagged edges of armor. Ryoko, Ayeka, Tenchi and Sasami blink at the sheer size of this figure. "He stands ten feet tall, over four hundred pounds not counting his magically created armor. He can manipulate space, energy, matter, you name it. Truly a force to be reckoned with." Washu says. They all go a bit pale, except for Sento, who is still looking at Ryoko. "And you say he is coming here?" Tenchi asks. Sento nods and turns his eyes to him, "Yes and that's why I am here. I will help you stop him." he says. Tenchi looks back to the image and holds Tenchi-ken tightly, "Okay then, we will gladly accept your help. I will not lose Tenchi-ken to this....creature." he says, staring at the image. Sento nods, then gives a sideward glance to Washu, who is still studying him and typing on her computer.