Author's note:

Okay, I don't own Tenchi Muyo or the characters of
Tenchi Muyo. They are the property of AIC and Pioneer.
I am not making any profit on this, so please don't
sue me.

(Now that THAT'S over with)

Okay fans of all things Tenchi, this isn't my first
Tenchi fic, it is just my first published one. I
do hope you enjoy it.

Note to you, this takes place in the OAV dimension
or Tenchi Muyo: Ryo-ohki for all of us who live in
the USA. It also take place and MNE and therefore
(of course this is exceedingly obvious) has Mayuka
in it.

Hmm, Ryoko still looks 17 and Ayeka is 725, I never
found out how old the two police woman are so however
Tenchi is now 19 okay, and Mayuka will just be out
of the regeneration chamber in the begining, so that
makes Sasami what?? ten or twelve. And as always
with Washu age doesn't matter.

Oh yeah, C&C is appreciated so you can contact me
at ringprincess@juno.com


:thoughts:
:: mental speech ::
"normal speech"
<dates>
________major time passes
--------minor time passes

				Tenchi Muyo Saga One: Fate of Empires
					"The Begining"
						by RingPrincess

<40,000 years ago>

"Washu, you must destroy them. They have no morals, no civility." Tsunami
pleaded.

Washu just stood there watching the dimension before her.

The rest of the Hall of Heaven was silent. Her brothers and sisters
sat on their thrones, watching the tableau between the three queens.

Tokimi sighed, Washu was going to be stubborn.

"Washu, I know they are your children, but they must go." she added in
support of Tsunami. The other gods and goddesses just nodded.

"You do not know them as I do." Washu stated a simply as possible.

"I am afraid sister, that even you don't know your own creations." Tokimi
remarked scathingly.

Tsunami looked at Tokimi in a bid to hush her, they were not going to
get Washu to see reason with harsh words and sarcasm. However, they were
getting nowhere with reason itself.

Washu reached out and touched the recently formed dimension again.
She smiled as she felt her power create something new.

The other two sisters looked at each other worriedly. Yet, they could
not stop her, they all may be queens but Washu was the eldest, the first
born, the queen mother even.

"Washu you must stop, you will destroy all we worked to create." Tsunami
pleaded again.

Wasu looked sharply up at her sister and Tsunami shuddered, it was if
Washu could see right through her.

Washu cocked her head to the side. They were a study of contrasts, these
three sisters.

Tsunami with her long sky blue hair in two ponytails that touched the
floor. She wore royal robes of the styling of her people, the Jurians. Her
red-pink eyes looking at her with concern and worry. Washu frowned, she
foresaw a great empire from her sisters people.

Tokimi grimaced as Washu's gaze turned to her, and Tokimi summoned her
powers to defend herself, Washu was irratated easily. Washu looked her
up and down.

Tokimi, an enigma of a sort. Her brown hair was held in place by a golden
head peice that looked like only two more locks of hair from her head.
She had on her cheeks green leaf designs and her eyes were purple with blue
instead of whites. Her clothes showed off an ample bust and a cape billowed
behind her. Washu couldn't see the future of Tokimi or her people, only
Tokimi herself could hide their future from her. This caused Washu to
narrow her eyes, something was wrong with her pretty little sister's head.

Washu turned from them and looked down at the dimension, she reached in
for the last time and expended the last bit of power she could with the
time she had left. The she closed her eyes and took the time to consider
one last person.

Herself, Washu took time to consider herself, she took
time to consider all data, it was part of what Kami-san had made her to be.
She was more feline than them and her hair was a spikey red-magenta held
back with a golden ribbon. her outfit was mainly violet and also showed off
an overly ample cleavage. Perhaps the most strange thing about it was the
gold peice that went around her neck and met in the front of her breasts
in the shape of a W. Inbedded in the W were three red-orange gems, the
partial source of her power and a sign of her goddess-hood.

She opened her eyes and turned back to her sisters. Tokimi had her
arms crossed and Tsunami was watching with a feeling of helplessness.

Washu raised a red-magenta eyebrow over and intensly green eye and smiled.

"Why all these doubts? I know what I am doing."

"What is that exactly?" Tokimi said acidly.

"Providing a balance little sister. I am the last to create you understand,
so I am working with a framework that you ten provided, but that doesn't
mean I couldn't bend it a bit." Washu said tartly.

Tokimi bristled, even if Washu was eldest she didn't need to flaunt her
status so.

"What you have created Washu are monsters." She hissed.

Washu merely smiled at her sister with a nod.

"Yes, monsters to you and to Tsunami, but to me they are my children.
They, like children must be guided, but I have not provided that guidance
yet."

"Then do so." Tsunami cried.

Washu shook her head sadly.

"One day that guideance will come, it would have come sooner, but you
sisters delayed me during my creation and the door to that dimension closed
to purely mortal creations. I only had time to create a demi-goddess to
watch over them and direct them. She has all she needs."

The sisters stood there is shock, amazed at what they had done.

Wahsu murmured down at the picture of the dimension before them, even now
the newly minted creatures were going about their lives.

"One day that guidance will come. . ."
________________________________________________________________________

<20,000 years ago>

Tokimi gathered her forces and released them at Tsunami's alliance. Tokimi
laughed in delight as her demi-gods and those true gods and goddesses that
supported her tried to make waste of Tsunami's forces.

Washu stood to the side and watched her two sisters fight with sadness.
Five gods against five gods. Tsunami was holding out valiantly and Tokimi
refused to give up. They were too evenly matched, each waited for the
others first mistake.

"Washu, sister," Tokimi's voice was as smooth as honey. "Join me and we
will rule all this dimension together as we should."

"Washu don't!" Tsunami cried, "She is only trying to trick you, as soon
as you are no longer usefull she will kill you." Tsunami sent a blast
of power towards Tokimi's direction.

Washu shook her head and sighed.

"I will join neither of you. The only reason why this dimension even exists
is because we created it together.

The Hall of Heaven was a mess, thrones overturned, trees dead and dying,
tapestries torn and the floor jagged and uneven. The only pristine things
in the entire room was the Great Throne of Washu and the dimension cube in
front of her.

She looked into the cube and watched as the people in it copied their
creators and fought for supremecy. Her people, the Felids as they called
themselves had sought out advice from their goddess as they always did
before going to war. Washu's mouth twisted, she had told them, "don't get
involved."

The demi-goddess she had created had only repeated the prophecy and the
crystal ships of the Felid Empire stayed put. Washu grimaced
as Jurain Tree-ships and Asconian Warships battle against the ships of
Tokimi's supporters. Washu sighed, she wouldn't and couldn't intervene.

The war waged in heaven and in the dimension.

When Washu stood and kneeled, time stopped and Kami intervened himself.
The gods and goddesses cried in fear as they felt themselves being thrown
from heaven, with what was left of their powers they fled to the planets
that they themselves had created. The dimension cube surged with power
and soon all that was left was Washu and Kami in the empty chamber.

Kami looked down kindly at the goddess before him.

"So Washu, you wouldn't go one way or the other." He had taken the form
of an old, fatherly looking man.

Washu looked up at him from the kneeling position boldly and gave a small
shrug.

"You could have stopped it with a word Washu. Why didn't you?" Kami
stared down at her perplexed, Washu was by far the most clever of his
gods and therefore was the most dangerous. "Perhaps, you wanted to be
the only goddess in heaven."

Washu gave a small smile and shook her head slowly.

"Have you a reason Washu? You must, for you, of all of them do nothing
without a reason."

"Yes, Kami. I had a reason."

"Care to tell me what it is, Little Washu."

Washu shrugged, and stood slowly. Kami made no move to stop her. She
walked over to the dimension cube and looked into it. She watched as
each of her brothers and sisters made to their planets.

"You created us without many things father. I have learned much from
watching our creations, and for my goddess-hood I cannot figure out how
they survive. Yet, they are much more full than we are. They make us look
like two-dimesional carictures in a four-dimensional world."

"Is that why you did not step in, so they could learn what you did?"

"No."

Kami snorted. But his golden eyes sparkled with inner amusement.

Washu sighed and proceeded to explain.

"There was no point in stepping in. Tokimi would have used me and then
tried to kill me. Tsunami would have taken my help than hold me to the
fact that I owed her my throne for the rest of eternity, and she would
not have killed Tokimi and this would have started all over again at a
later date."

Kami smiled and nodded at her reasoning.

"So tell me Washu, what do you want?"

"Heaven holds nothing for me now father. Maybe one day we will all return
here, older and wiser, but until then I want to go there."

She pointed to a particular part of the dimensional cube. The dimension
began to zoom in and focus on a planet.

"The Royal Science Academy." Kami murmured.

"Send me there father, without my gem powers and without my memories. I
want to remember none of the War of Heaven, here I can learn why these
beings do the things they do. It will be quite educational."

Kami smiled.

"I will miss you, my Little Washu."

Washu gave a lecherous smile at him and watched as he turned into an young
man. Not her father only her lover. He was a young man with spikey black
hair and the same feline eyes as Washu only his were amber.

The young Kami wrapped his arms around his first creation and felt her
hands run through his black hair, before settling around his neck.
They shared one last kiss, one last embrace before seperation.

When they parted she stood in front of him, brave, passionate and
defiant.

"I love you Kami." She whispered as she held up a small vial filled with
fluid.

He did not ask what she was going to do with it. He smiled at her and
promptly used his powers to do as she had asked him. Washu dissappeared
into the dimensional cube and was safely sent on her way to the Royal
Science Academy.

The Hall of Heaven stood empty, except for a young Kami. He turned absently
from the cube and with a wave of his hands set the Hall to rights.

Once he was done he went and sat in Washu's chair. His chin rested on his
hands as he watched the dimensional cube.

He only broke the silence once. And that was to whisper one last testament.

"I love you Washu."
_________________________________________________________________________

<5,048 years ago>

A very pregnant Washu waddled around the office of her Science Academy
Lab. Only for this experiment had she resumed her adult form that she
had abandoned 18,000 years ago. After she lost her . . .

Washu grimaced she would not finish that thought. She sat down on her
purple cushion with a sigh and promptly summoned another cushion to prop
up her swollen feet and legs. Ryoko would come any day now.

Washu patted her stomach and smiled the luminous smile of the one who
knows something that no one else does.

"I don't even know you yet, my little Ryoko, but I love you. . ."

The child within her stirred and went back to quietness.

Washu smiled, "soon, my little Ryoko, soon you will be with mommy."

---------------------------------------------------------------------

<5,031 years ago>

Kagato smiled in at Washu in her crystal. Ryoko was cowering at his
feet.

"Get up and stop quaking," he snarled.

Seventeen year old Ryoko complied with alacrity.

"Now, my pet, we shall begin your real training and vocation."

With that he viscously took over Ryoko's body.

Ryoko had only time to scream. . .

"MOMMEEEEEE. . ."

_________________________________________________________________________

<701 years ago>

The ship form of Ryo-ohki crashed into the island group of Japan on Earth,
Jurian Colony Planet 0315. The young woman inside didn't even seem
fazed by the abrupt jolt that shattered her ship around her and created
a deep crater in a swampy area near mountains.

The whimpering miyas of the ship did not seem to make it to the girls
ears as she teleported out of the main cabin and landed on a crystal
that stuck out of the earth nearby. Her cyan hair was tangled and
the color of her eyes was obscured by a red glow. She wore a battle
suit of red and black that was torn in places. She licked her lips
in anticipation of the battle to come.

Another spaceship hovered over Earthen soil and a young man with
black hair and maroon eyes was teleported out of his ship.

"Space Pirate Ryoko, you have no farther to run, it ends here." He cried.

Ryoko cocked her hips and placed her right arm on one and insolently
lit an energy sword from a ball of energy she created in her hand.

The young man narrowed his eyes and lit his own sword, if that was
the way she wanted it. So be it.

She charged, the three gems on her wrists and neck glowing brightly.
He parried her charge deftly and the battle truely began.

Slash, kick, parry, cut, dodge. . . on and on it went.

Both combantants were getting tired, their swords crossed and locked.
Eye to eye they strained, Ryoko made kissing noises at him and he pushed
against her sword harder. He pushed her away and before she could recover
he put his sword through her throat.

Ryoko's eyes widened and the redness faded from them.

"Yosho, help me. . ." she gasped. "Please. . ." She slumped against
the sword, defeated.

Yosho gasped and quickly grasped the situation, so the rumors had been
true, she was just under control. None of what was attributed to her
was her fault, now he couldn't kill her. She was innocent, a victim, just
as those that she attacked were victims.

His eyes narrowed and he felt the power of the Tenchi-ken take her gems
from her. He wrenched the Tenchi-ken from her throat and she fell to the
ground unconcious.

Yosho stood there considering his options. He kneeled down and used his
jurian power to put her to sleep and that was all he was able to do
before he slumped on the ground next to her, exhausted himself.

The spaceship tree Funaho landed and protected the hunter and hunted, until
Yosho had enough energy to finish the task set before him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yosho kneeled near the entrance of a cave he had found in the nearby
mountians. The tree Funaho rested in the middle of a small lake nestled
between the mountains.

He turned his head towards the tree as if it was speaking to him.

"Yes, I know we must contact Jurai and mother, Funaho, but not yet."

A moment of silence as Funaho's leaves rustled in a non-existent breeze.

"We shouldn't be here long enough for you to take root." Yosho turned
his head back to the opening of the cave. "However, we must some way
make sure no one releases Ryoko from the cave until she has had time
to heal in body and soul."

Prisms of light lanced from the tree's branches lanced the forest floor.

"Oh, now your saying that you wouldn't mind staying on this planet, even
if it does mean taking root."

More silence in the little clearing.

"Oh,. . . make up your mind." Yosho's voice was slightly annoyed. "Here,
I am, argueing with a tree."

Heavy rustling by Funaho.

"Yes, yes, you are more than just a tree, and I of all people should know
better." Yosho consoled.

Yosho stood up and walked into the cave and through the small walkway
he had created, ahead he could see the glow of lichen and hear the
drip of the natural spring. Here was where he had put Ryoko until a
suitable time could be made for her reawakening.

"I know that this isn't the best place but it is the only place I could
find." Yosho told the floating woman. He kneeled nest to her and cupped
her cheek in his hand. "I wonder what you are really like behind all those
masks." The body made no reply and Yosho stood up and walked back out.

He sealed the cave with Jurian power and with the Tenchi-ken made the
appropiate carvings in the rocks to make the place sacred. Someday
he would return here and let her out. Hopefully after whoever was
controlling her was dealt with and his own demons.

He went out and hopped from stone to stone till he reached his tree and
sat underneath it. Yosho dropped his head on his hands and began to
think, finding peace and solitude on the planet of his mother that
he had not found anywhere on the planet Jurai.

In the end Yosho did not return to Jurai and instead stayed on earth and
was strangely. . . happy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A young Ayeka paced frantically within the palace corridors outside the
communications room. She was twenty-two now and according to Jurai law
wasn't fully a woman yet, but the beautiful girl wasn't worrying about
that this particular moment.

She stopped in front of the door to the communication center and glared
at it.

:Why doesn't he call.: her mind wailed. Ayeka Jurai struggled with her
infamous anger as she restrained herself from beating the door down.
She had been barred from the communications room a week ago.

Empress Misaski watched her daughter from farther down the corridor
and tried not to laugh at the ridiculous sight of the 1st Crown Princess
glaring at a door. However, she couldn't and began to giggle helplessly.

Ayeka's temper flared and she whirled to give the person who dared mock
her the sharp side of her tongue. However, one couldn't upbraid one's own
mother.

Ayeka sighed and put her ire on a back burner for the moment.

"Hello mother." she said resignedly.

Misaski controlled her giggles and took the few steps foward to wrap
her daughter in a strong hug.

"Mommy, let go." Ayeka gasped, blushing as she said it. Misaski let go
reluctantly, hugs to and from her daughter had been scarce more and more
lately.

"He still hasn't called, has he?" Misaski said sympathetically.

Ayeka almost broke down, but gathered what little dignity she had left
and shook her head in a sharp negative.

"He won't even tell me where he goes anymore, mommy." Ayeka cried, the
mommy part was slightly muffled as Misaski grabbed her in a more
gentle hug. "It's been fourteen years."

"He'll come back, little Ayeka, he always does." Misaski soothed, but
she knew she was lying. Yosho had never felt welcome on Jurai.

"If he's not back next year, I'm going after him." Ayeka declared.

"Ayeka. . ."

"Why shouldn't I? Next year I'll be twenty-three and a woman."

"Ayeka, we don't know where he is even."

"I'm going, and I don't care."

Misaski paused before she said the next thing. Ayeka was determined
and what Ayeka wanted, Ayeka got.

"We'll see." She said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

<700 years ago>

Ayeka brushed her hair behind her shoulders. She smiled at herself in
the mirror. Yes, now she was a woman and today she would go find
he beloved, Yosho.

Even the thought of his name made her look dreamy. She hadn't seen him
in fifteen years, not since he had left to chase that space pirate
Ryoko!

Ayeka gritted her teeth. If only. . .

Not that it mattered. Today she was taking Ryu-oh and leaving. She
would find Yosho or die trying.

There was a knock on her door.

Ayeka turned to face it, taking a few steps away from the mirror.

"Come in."

It is was Sasami.

"Hiya Ayeka." Sasami smiled. Sasami always smiled.

"Hi Sasami." Ayeka smiled back, the girl was infectous. "So what did
you want to see me about?"

Sasami began to rub her foot on the floor. "Oh, not much really."

Ayeka raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"Well, I was wondering," she began slowly. "CouldIcomewithyouwhenyougo?"
The words tumbled out on top of each other.

Ayeka froze in shock. She hadn't thought anybody had noticed her
preperations of Ryu-oh.

:Was I that transparent, that even Sasami could see I was getting
ready to leave. I thought I was doing better this time, I really
did.: Ayeka mentally grimaced at the 'other' times she had run
away, unsucessfully.

"Sasami, wouldn't you rather stay here with mommy and be safe?
And grow up in the palace like you deserve?"

Sasami shook her head emphatically. "No one would bother a Jurian ship,
Ayeka. Can I please come?" Sasami made puppydog eyes at her sister.

They worked, Ayeka found herself saying yes and including her sister
in on all her plans. Somehow, this time she ran away to find her
brother, and was sucessful. And then again she had never included
Sasami before.
_________________________________________________________________________

<6 years ago>

Mishoshi Kuramitsu, Galaxy Police Captian, 1st class, stared down
the gunsights of the Yukinojo and centered her shot.

"Fire" she said tersely and the plasma cannon recoiled. A streak
of white flashed between the GP ship and the ship she was pursueing.
There was a slight glow to the engine compartments before they died.

Duo Hamikasu cursed the day that he ever crossed paths with Mihoshi
and his fingers flashed as he coasted through space.

"Pirate, Thief, Mercenary, Bounty Hunter," a smooth soprano voice
that sounded somewhat mechanical flowed from the ships com speakers.
"Quite the list of charges you got there Duo."

His fingers quit moving and he began to return cannon fire. No torpedoes,
they were to expensive. He stared at the screens and watched as
Mishoshi expertly began to evade his shots. He began to type again.

Mihoshi gave a grim smile. :Who does he think he's messing with?:
She piloted the ship with one hand and began to choose targets with
the other, he couldn't even change course and that made him a sitting
duck.

Almost casually, Duo observed, Mihoshi was picking off his cannons.
The wire frame that represented his ship was slowly becoming more
dark as systems failed.

He had one last card to play.

"I surrender Captain Kuramitsu."

"I accept your surrender Hamikasu, prepare to be boarded." Mihoshi's
voice was cool.

Duo sat there and sweated. He watched as the Yukinojo moved in
closer. . .

There, that was perfect. He slammed a fist down on one button.
TORPEDO LAUNCHED flashed on the screen.

Mihoshi narrowed her eyes, at eighteen she was no amateur and this
was an old trick. She fired a canon at the torpedo and it exploded
raining shrapnel on the hull.

:SHRAPNEL: her mind screamed. She initiated auto docking procedures.
Whatever happened to her ship, getting Duo Hamikasu was worth it.
:Exiled zor*:

The 'exiled zor' was staring at the screen in shock. :She's still
coming!: The shrapnel was ripping her outer hull to shreds and
she was still initiating a boarding lock. He cursed himself for
a fool and relized belatedly that he should have aimed for the
docking hatch, for that was one of the few places not affected
by his missle.

Small lasers shot from the Yukinojo's cannons and tried to clear
some of the debris, a few were jammed and exploded on themselves, but
overall the strategy was partially sucessful.

With a screech of metal the two ships force docked. Duo grabbed
his pistol and headed into the passage ways of his ship. The last
thing he did before he left was start the auto-destruct and
self-protection programs. He ran towards his shuttle.

Of course, Mihoshi was already there.

She was leaning up against the hatch of the shuttle, calmly examining
her gun. She pointed it at him with barely a thought.

"Drop the weapon Hamikasu." her voice was cold.

"It really is Hamika now, sweetheart." He leveled his weapon at her
in response.

Mihoshi raised an eyebrow and fired between his feet. "That was your
only warning."

"Oh, I thought when you fired your plasma canons at me was my only
warning." His voice was sardonical. Playing to the courage and
smootheness he just didn't have at the moment. But hiding his fear
he faced her down.

Nerves were taut, and tensions were high. Perhaps that was why
neither of them felt it.

"Which reminds me Duo, you broke surrender, that should add another
two to five years to your term." Mihoshi said sweetly.

"Glad your satisfied." He grunted. He tried to fire and found he
couldn't. :What the h^ll!:

He saw Mihoshi's finger tighten on the trigger, :oh, sh^t.: He began to
dive out of the way, expecting to feel heat at any moment.

The shot never came.

Mihoshi's gun clattered to the floor and his was lying just out of
reach.

He rolled to his feet, prepared to even go to hand to hand combat.
But Mihoshi was just standing there, dazed. Duo stood up slowly.

"Mihoshi," he paused. :Why am I concerned?: "You okay." He took
a couple steps back for safeties sake.

Mihoshi shook her head. :What in the world is happening to me?
Am I going nuts?: "I'm fine." She said tersely. :I'm supposed
to arrest him, so now do it.: "You, Duo HamikaSU are. . ." :I
can't.: she cried inwardly.

"Are what, Captian KuramitSU?" He asked archly.

Mihoshi felt a flash of irratation. It took her one second to
notice that she wasn't fully angry with this man anymore.

"You are infurating." She bit out.

"What?! Isn't it supposed to be. . . 'Are under arrest for the capture
and despoiling of one hundred so ships, banks and planets. For breaking
and entering, exceeding the speed limit, murder, being an unlicenced
bounty hunter and oh yeah, breaking arrest.'?"

"Well, there is that too." Mihoshi looked him up and down. :He really
is handsome. Oh all right, down right gorgeous. . . Hey wait, I'm
supposed to arrest him, remember. Not fall for him.:

Duo turned a bit red under her scrutiny. "Um, Captian, if you are
going to arrest me, get on with it."

Mihoshi turned beet red and looked away. Duo took the chance and
dived across the floor at her taking her down.

Mihoshi's training kicked in and against her instincts she began to
fight this man. However, he had the advantage this time and
she wound up looking straight into his large green eyes, her ponytail
had fallen out and her blonde hair was splayed around her head.

Duo was panting as he sucessfully kept the block that kept Mihoshi from
going anywhere. He shook some red hair out of his eyes and looked
down at his captive. :By the gods, she's beautiful.:

It was about that time when both of them realized what had happened.

"Lifebond," he cursed.

Mihoshi closed her eyes and groaned.

Knowing neither of them could hurt the other intentionally. Duo rolled
himself off her and onto the deck of the ship.

"It figures that I would lifebond with a criminal." Mihoshi moaned.

"You know what they say about the opposites thing." Duo muttered.

Mihoshi gave a bark of bitter laughter. "Guess we should have paid
attention."

She rolled to her side to look at him better. The Hamikasu house
was one of the few houses that didn't look like they had a perpetual
tan. So compared to most of her people he was quite pale, but he was
handsome.

Mihoshi tentavily reached a hand out and touched were his heart would
be. His hand came up and gently cupped hers and held it there. Both
were lost in their private thoughts.

In the end, Mihoshi consifcated his ship and took him in. She also applied
and got a desk job at HQ so she would be near him. But events
out of their control conspired against them when his friends broke
him out and took him away.

Mihoshi lost her grip on her career after that, and most of herself.
The force gradually forgot the rising star that had been Mihoshi and
Mihoshi, Mihoshi chose to forget.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

<2 years ago>

Seventeen year old Tenchi Masaki slipped through the woods towards the
demons cave. He was a handsome youth, with kind brown eyes and
spiky short black hair. A thin braid ran down his back and it was
constantly swaying as Tenchi kept looking over his shoulder to make
sure no one was following.

Not that he was able to tell that his grandfather, Katsuhito did.

Tenchi convusivly gripped the keys to the gate that always got in the
way of his explorations tighter and scrambled the last few yards to the
gate.

The keys were a perfect fit and the turned with little protest. Strange, it
was almost if someone had oiled them in preperation for this day. Tenchi
shook his head, he had no time for such thoughts. That is if he wanted
to get to explore the cave and not get in trouble with his grandfather.
There was no telling what punishments the old man would make him do.

Tenchi went inside.

Katsuhito stayed behind a nearby tree and smiled in anticipation. He nodded
to the apparition of the young woman who grinned back before dissappearing.
Katsuhito began to count down how many seconds it would take to get to
the inner cave and awake the "demon."

Katsuhito waited.

Tenchi came out running, and screaming.

Katsuhito frowned, what in h^ll had gone wrong. He didn't have
to wait long to find out.

Ryoko came out of the cave and settled on the ground, a mummy, a parody
of her former self. If she had been able too he could tell she would be
crying.

Katsuhito cursed himself for a fool, already she was regenerating, but
the damage had been done and her sorrow was sure to turn to anger.

"I'm sorry Ryoko. I should have done it differently." He whispered
sorrowfully and headed swiftly back to the shrine.

Ryoko sat in front of the cave and used the energy she drew from the
living things around her to return to herself and cursed herself also.
She should have known that it would turn out this way, but of course
her spirit had never left her body for a long amount of time.

She would make it up to Tenchi, he'd see. No, she wouldn't remain
a dried out mummy in his eyes.

Ryoko held out a hand and captured the singular solitary tear that
escaped her regenerated eyes.

She'd show him, he'd see her as a woman, or she would die trying.

-So the carnival began-

*********************************************************************

Notes:

*okay calling someone a zor on Mihoshi's homeworld is like calling
someone a dog or son of a b^ here on earth. Now a zor is actually
something more like a pig, but has a few doggish attribrutes, and
is reviled because it is not exactly a clean animal or even a useful
one. (But enough cultural lessons)