Kevin Shiue This is part of a large-scale alternate timeline (called Heaven and Earth) for Tenchi Muyo, part of the work organized by Josh Prismon, so he deserves credit for this. This work is an OAV version of Tenchi Muyo in Love. Standard Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo is copyright of AIC/Pioneer... and this work is in no way meant to put down the series... Comments to: shiue@andrew.cmu.edu ___---Tenchi Muyo in Love---___ ___---by Kevin Shiue ---___ ___---April 23, 1997 ---___ Out of chaos, the three goddesses, Tokimi, Tsunami, and Washu, created the universe, and with it, created a balance. This balance was delicate, and before long, was destroyed. With the balance gone, there began a power struggle, and after many eons, a truce. Yet the damage was done. Washu did not remember her past. Tsunami now lived among mortals, though still a goddess, among mortals. She became the founding entity of the Jurai royal trees, and the Jurai dynasty. Tokimi, too, had her followers. Among them was one without a conceivable name in this universe... a name that could only exist in the higher dimension, where Tokimi had retreated. In this universe, they knew him only as Kain. -- "Emergency!" "Emergency! The lock on the subspace confinement system has been destroyed!" "The confinement system itself is eroding!" "What's the cause?" "Whatever it is, it's causing the time axis to desynch!" The Galactic Police Headquarters was in chaos. The officers of all rank, ran, and ran quickly, to nowhere, as people tried to flee the impending destruction. They were all too late, however, and slowly, a blinding light flashed throughout the headquarters, and within a matter of minutes, the headquarters slowly blinked out of existence. No trace of it was left. It was no more. An indifferent entity shot out of where the GPHQ used to be, moving with a cause, moving toward a specific place, to get his revenge. He had finally been freed, after fifteen thousand years, and he wanted to seek his revenge. As his amorphous body shot through the light-years of space between galaxies, he thought with glee at his good fortune, to be within Lady Tokimi's favor. Without it, he would not be free at this time. Time, though, was no meaning to him. All that mattered was that he was free, and he would be able to seek his revenge. -- Mihoshi and Kiyone sat in their seats on the GP cruiser in the backwater part of the Milky Way Galaxy, in the Solar system, one of the most insignificant places in the universe, well, almost. It would be insignificant had the important members of the Jurai Royal Family not lived here but despite the honor in guarding them, Kiyone was not pleased. She had trained hard, and had become a top notch officer, and then been assigned to Mihoshi as her partner. "Mmmm" said Mihoshi, to no one in particular, as she sipped on her hot coffee, and ate her bag of chips. Her console was a mess from all of the food wrappers, crumbs, and bits of unrecognizable junk that was sitting in front of her. It was a clear violation of GP procedure, but she got away with it simply because not many criminals came here. "Emergency! Emergency! Attention All police units! Class A criminal Kain has escaped from GPHQ subspace confinement. Repeat. Class A criminal Kain has escaped from GPHQ subspace confinement. Warning! He is extremely powerful. This message will again repeat in..." "Waaahhh!!!!" cried Mihoshi as she spilled her coffee on herself. Suddenly, Kiyone swept all of the junk off of the console, and typed in her security code. A secure frequency to the GPHQ was established. "Hello? Hello? First Class Detective Kiyone reporting... Hello? Hello..." -- In Japan, they saw something that had never been seen there before. The sky lit up with hues of red, yellow, and orange, as the shimmering curtain of light slowly advanced south. It was the Aurora Borealis and most people had thought that it could not be seen this far south. In the Masaki House, Tenchi felt strange. His foot seemed a bit blurred, and then his hand, and after, he felt an incredibly strange sense of pain yet, it was not pain, it was doubt. It was doubt of existence, the fear of limbo... but it was pain, and as he watched, enthralled, his entire hand disappeared in front of him, and he screamed. -- The black and white screen showed a beautiful young girl walking on a path in a forest. Her back was to the audience, as she walked, and paused, and turned. Her expression was that of tempered amusement, as she waved her hands in front of the camera. She continued to walk, but this time, the camera moved with her, showing her profile, as she talked and smiled. "8 mm film?" asked Sasami. "Yes. This was what they used back then to take movies. Father always liked gadgets" said Tenchi, as he showed Aeka, Ryoko, and Sasami a film of the past. The image on the screen smiled, and beckoned the family to an earlier time. "...and he especially liked taking movies. I suppose that was a good way to pick up my mother." "That's your mother?" asked Aeka. "Yes" "It seems your father has always liked younger women" said Ryoko, as her hand reached for the cookie bowl. "That's because they were both in high school!" yelled Tenchi, exasperated. "Huh?" said Ryoko, as her hand grasped thin air, and turned to notice that Aeka had removed the cookie bowl from the coffee table, and held it out of Ryoko's reach. A tug-o-war began, and insults flew between the rivals of Tenchi's affection as the others continued to watch. The silence of the movie conveyed the perfectness of the image. Suddenly, the image's lips turned up into a shy smile, her hands reached up to her cheeks, and her head tilted slightly, as she said something happily. Then, her head turned, and, as if fending off some imaginary criticism, her hands waved back and forth, and she suddenly disappeared. A scream pierced the serene quality of the movie as Tenchi collapsed in pain, knocking over the film projector. His body flickered, and suddenly flew up into the air. His body was plucked out of the air by the glowing green criss-cross of a force net. The lines of the net were roughly a foot apart, and the four corners were attached to some unseen anchor. A look of sheer agony was etched on Tenchi's face, and his body was mashed against the foot-wide field. "Tenchi-nichan!" yelled Sasami, in concern. "What?" questioned Aeka and Ryoko, who immediately forgot about their argument as the object of their rivalry was in danger. Other than being in the awkward position he was in, Tenchi seemed to be all right, though. "I have confirmed this without a doubt" said Washu, who had just seemingly materialized from nowhere in particular. "There is a problem... in the past!" "Huh?" said everyone in unison. "The reason Tenchi is disappearing is that something happened to his mother twenty six years ago in the past. The Masaki family died out, and Tenchi was never born!" As she spoke, the environment around the group changed. No longer were they in a cozy room in a modern house, but among ramshackle ruins of an ancient, old-fashioned house. The weather outside was stormy, with gusty winds, thunder and lightening, and leaves and twigs flew in the gale-like wind. "Luckily, I detected this, and while you (pointing to Aeka and Ryoko) were fighting, I set up this force field to prevent the desynchronization of the time axis from affecting us. However, it can't last forever, and the change in Tenchi's past will spread outward, and change all of our pasts, and, eventually change history itself!" "Is there anything we can do?" asked Aeka, as Ryoko and Sasami nodded vigorously. "Yes! We need to go back, and protect Tenchi's mother." "I'm sorry I'm causing all this trouble" said Tenchi with difficulty, as all the blood rushed to his head, still embedded in the bluegreen field. -- "Ah, I wonder what that was all about," thought Kiyone, as she prepared to sleep that night. The day's occurrence had been bizarre indeed. She had not been able to contact GPHQ, and had seen a strange sight: a black form flitted across the viewscreen, and circled the Earth twice before disappearing. "Wasn't that strange, today?" asked Kiyone to Mihoshi, who was now completely asleep, and hadn't heard a thing Kiyone said. Mihoshi was sprawled on top of her blanket, since apparently she had just fallen asleep before planning to. Kiyone tucked Mihoshi in, and then, herself got in bed, when she suddenly heard a voice calling. "Oi! We need your help. You're coming with us..." As Ryoko approached Kiyone, Kiyone began to exclaim "WHY ME?" as her face contorted itself into a painful grimace, and she realized that, there was no escaping... -- In Washu's lab, everyone had been strapped into her time traveling machine. It was very impressive, with a traveling ring on the ground that had several metal stands in which to place people for travel. On the enormously spaced ceiling were antennas of all types, and rods made of different exotic metals, all connected by wires along the wall, in which consoles of different color and lighting flashed unknown symbols. Washu herself was seated in the center of the entire arrangement, as she typed into her infinitely light and invisible keyboard. Around her head were tinted glasses which displayed all information she needed to know about the procedure, with strange graphs and displays flashing, mirror imaged, out of her eyes. "Why do I have to come along?" asked Kiyone, and her question remained unanswered, as Washu gave final instructions. "There is only enough power to last one week, so you need to do whatever you can by that time." Washu started the machine, and the work of a genius went into motion, as everyone except Washu, strapped into their respective seats, began to rotate, accelerating at a leisurely pace. "Though I don't know exactly when something happens to Tenchi's mother, I am 85% sure it occurs during this time. Also, Tenchi, you need to avoid contact with your mother at all costs. The time paradox is extremely high." "Hai!" said Tenchi in affirmation. The speed increased, and each person flashed in front of Washu in an increasing rate. "Why do I always get involved?" asked Kiyone. "I'm sorry for causing all this trouble." said Tenchi. Ryoko looked smug, as Aeka glared at her. "I'm getting sick" said Sasami, with Ryo-Ohki miyaa-ing in assent. "zzzz" said Mihoshi. The spinning increased, and increased, and sparks began to form, and fly, as the energy flowed from the ceiling to the floor, and the room brightened to the level of the sun, and everyone screamed in agony as the spinning increased. "Remember, you only have one week!" warned Washu, and zip. They were gone. -- In a particular high school, during a particular time, a new teacher came in to teach. Her name was Mihoshi-sensei, and she was introduced to the class by the principal. As the class started, two new students entered the classroom. They were introduced, as Jurai Aeka, and Washu Ryoko, two transfer students, who lived quite a distance from the school. Luckily for them, the father of one of the students was amenable to hosting them, as it was too far to commute to the school. Unfortunately, the student herself did not know of this development. Halfway through the school day, the lunch period began, and before Nobuyuki had a chance to start his lunch, Achika had already finished, and was hailing a friend of hers. As she walked past, she glanced at Nobuyuki, and smiled, and waved, as Nobuyuki smiled back. The two had begun to flirt. "Hey Aeka" said Ryoko. "What?" asked Aeka, as the two ate their lunch. "Amazing, isn't it? Tenchi's old man over there..." continued Ryoko, pointing in Nobuyuki's direction, "to see him when he's young, he looks exactly like Tenchi...doesn't he?" "Well, it's not too late, you know." said Aeka, "Father is still single, you know." An image of Nobuyuki in his current condition, the pervert that he was in the 1990's was strikingly different that the young adolescent seated in his chair. Ryoko was not pleased. "What? I'm not talking about that dirty old man. I'm talking about Tenchi's father as we see him in the past." "What are you talking about?" asked Aeka, "You know what? If Father never marries Mother... Tenchi will never even be born, will he?" "I know that." replied Ryoko, and then with a snide snicker, "And just when did Father and Mother become your parents anyway?" "Well, we'll just have to let the future" said Aeka calmly and confidently, "take care of itself, won't we?" "Huh! Are you stupid? It won't happen." interjected Ryoko, as she swiftly stood up and slammed her hands on her desk. "What? I don't wanna be told by somebody stupid!" shouted Aeka, as she too stood up. And the entire classroom stared at the two, as their eyes met and sparked. And they started laughing. "It was nothing..." And they sat down with a humph. -- Class resumed, and throughout the class Nobuyuki and Achika would steal glances from each other... the two where definitely getting along, and there was magic. Achika sighed contentedly, and turned to look out the window, and as Mihoshi-sensei began to teach the story of the Demon of Rashomon, she noticed a strange boy with a baseball cap and rattail crouching outside, looking in. As he noticed her, he dove behind a nearby bush. "That's strange," Achika thought, as she returned her attention to the class, just as someone spoke up and mentioned that they had already covered this story. "What??" questioned Mihoshi, as she collapsed to the ground, and, behind the desk, began crying. "This is the only earth story I know... what am I going to do??..." -- Outside the classroom, Tenchi and Sasami sat behind a bush and talked. "That sure was close," said Tenchi. "Okay, let's get going. We're supposed to meet at the house after school. It's probably better if... ARRRGH!" Suddenly, Tenchi felt a stinging pain, and his body fuzzed and blurred, as he convulsed in sheer agony. "Tenchi-nichan!" cried Sasami, as she removed her backpack, and allowed the force-net to activate. Tenchi remained on the net for a minute, and when he returned to normal, the intricate wiring and machinery all collapsed in on itself, and put itself away in Sasami's backpack. When it was established that Tenchi was indeed all right, the two began walking toward the house. About now Aeka and Ryoko should have returned, to watch over Achika, and Kiyone and Mihoshi should be meeting with them there. So far so good. -- Though it was almost dark, there was enough light for everyone to see each other... as they sat in the forest right outside the old house. Ryoko and Aeka had made some lame excuse to get out of the house, so there they were, as this was the time Sasami was to receive a message from Washu. Sasami put on a pair of dark glasses, which then began to glow, and a 3 dimensional image of Washu popped up. "Oh good, you're all safe." was the first thing that Washu said. "What do you mean?" asked Aeka. "I wasn't even 100% sure that you'd all get there... it's a tricky business..." answered Washu, as everyone collapsed in shock. "When and where will mother disappear?" asked Tenchi, as he approached the glasses closer, and his face twisted in concern. "I still don't have all the information, but I've confirmed it's within the next six days. And that it may have to do with the mysterious disappearance of the Galactic Police Headquarters." -- That night, Sasami, Tenchi, Kiyone, and Mihoshi camped out, as Ryoko and Aeka slept in the Masaki household. All was quiet. Quiet, except in Sasami's mind, where her thoughts tumbled in turmoil. "You must stop Kain..." said Tsunami, as the minds melded together as one. Sasami was still Sasami, yet, she was different... her knowledge now surpassed her years, and her wisdom was that of an ancient one. "Yes, but who is Kain? What does he do?" asked Sasami. "He is one who is seeking revenge for his capture many, many years ago. During that time, he had destroyed many planets, many civilizations, having so much power he had no feeling for life. It was then the Juraian King, in cooperation with the Galaxy Police, and... they captured him, using Juraian energy..." "But, there's something more important... I can feel it." said Sasami, as fear in her increased and her mind became more agitated. She was in obsidian darkness, facing her future self. Tsunami sighed. "Yes, I did not want you to worry at this time, but it seems I must tell you. I was there, and I helped the Juraian Emperor in that capture, perhaps interfering where I should not have. You see, Kain is one who was a servant of Lady Tokimi, before D3. His release at this time is no surprise, as another with equal amounts of power has appeared: that is Achika. Indirectly, you, too, are affected, for without Tenchi, your future is in doubt. And in this way, I would be affected, for without Tenchi's inherent energy, I cannot continue to support the Juraian dynasty." "No," said Tsunami, sensing Sasami's question, "Lady Tokimi would not actively send Kain against us... that would be a violation of the truce. However, she released him knowing full well who Kain's first target would be." And as the dream faded, Sasami heard her name being called. "Sasami... Sasami, it's time to wake up." It was Tenchi. "Tenchi-nichan, I had a terrible dream..." -- "Whaaaaahhh! There's a school field trip tomorrow!!" cried Mihoshi in disbelief as the other faculty members stared at her... as tears of helplessness welled up in her eyes. -- "What? We have a school trip tomorrow?" asked Aeka and Ryoko in unison. "Yes, that's why we divided into groups in class today." answered Achika. Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other in disbelief. Fortunately, they needed to meet with everyone later today outside again, to plan. Outside, Kiyone and Mihoshi were already waiting, as Sasami clinging on to Tenchi approached. "Mother is inside, right? Everything's okay?" asked Tenchi. "Yes, but, first, I think we should go over what we know." said Kiyone in her usual business-like tone. "First of all, has anyone noticed anything strange, no matter how trivial?" "Well, come to think of it, yes..." said Mihoshi. "Today during lunch they served noodle bread, which is normally the first to be sold out, but there were actually (counting on her fingers) one... two... three... pieces left... don't you think that's odd? I mean..." The others fell in disbelief. But then again, Kiyone had mentioned "no matter how trivial." Typical Mihoshi. As everyone regained their composure, Tenchi suddenly collapsed again, shrieking in torment. The force-net popped out of Sasami's bag, again, and Tenchi was again stuck to it for a few minutes. "Wait, but if we're all here, then where's Achika?" The wild goose chase began. Four girls ran in four different directions. Aeka ran back toward the house, Ryoko searched the surrounding area, Sasami and Mihoshi ran toward the forest, and Kiyone remained, having not had contact with Achika. Ryoko spotted her first. Achika was standing on a dirt path overlooking a beautiful pond, across which was her house. "Whew... guess that wasn't too bad..." and as she stepped forward from behind to try to talk to Achika, when her arm was jerked back, by Aeka. "Don't bother them," she said, and Ryoko then noticed that Nobuyuki was there also, drawing on a pad of paper. They could not hear much, but then they saw Achika grab the pad away from Nobuyuki, and flipped through it. Both were laughing, and their eyes were bright. Achika pointed to a portion of the drawing, and Nobuyuki said something in return; but it was significant, as her face reddened, and he drew into the pad. Nobuyuki then got up, and the two walked away, down the path, toward the lower part of the hill. "They're having fun without us," said Ryoko with a pout. "Well, we have to go tell the others..." said Aeka, turning and walking back. -- "Okay, returning to the events of the day..." said Kiyone. Aeka reported that they were going on a trip the next day, and as Sasami began to report her dream, Washu interrupted with a holographic announcement. "I have pinpointed the time to be within the next three days. And I now know also where it will occur. It will be in Tokyo." "Um... where are we going tomorrow?" asked Mihoshi. "Tokyo," said Ryoko, as Tenchi gaped in shock, and Mihoshi temporarily involuntarily lay on the ground. Everyone prepared for the trip. Nobuyuki packed his movie equipment, knowing he would want to take pictures. Achika, Ryoko, and Aeka had the standard clothing and toiletries to pack, while for Mihoshi, Kiyone, Tenchi, and Sasami, there was no difference in procedure, as they had been camping out for the past three days already. Kiyone, though, would not be going to Tokyo, little did she know... -- That night, while Kiyone was bathing, she suddenly materialized in Washu's lab. "You could've at least given me a warning before bringing me back!" exclaimed Kiyone indignantly, as a towel flitted down from somewhere unknown. "I need your help. We need to establish who exactly is going to attack Achika, so we can prepare for it," said Washu, "and I figured that you have access to the GP log files?" "Yes, but that won't be necessary. It's somewhat complicated, but I'll explain the best I can. You see, through Sasami, Tsunami has told us that..." "Who? Did you say?" asked Washu, her face growing serious. "Tsunami...? Why? What is wrong?" "I seem to recall the name from somewhere," said Washu, but then her continence lightened again. "Oh well. Continue..." "It appears that Kain, the criminal who completely destroyed the GP headquarters, is out for revenge on Achika, because of an event that occurred fifteen thousand years ago. Kain was captured by the King of Jurai at that time, with Tsunami's hel..." "Wait! I must find out who this Tsunami is... I just don't remember... I just can't remember..." said Washu, her little head shaking in disgust. Kiyone became worried, but said nothing. -- Everyone except Kiyone was on the train to Tokyo, the students being eager to go, and the Tenchi gang dreading the day, when they would have to figure out a way to combat Kain. The train trip itself was uneventful, with the possible exception of the small argument between Ryoko and Aeka, resulting in a five hour delay. In the end, everyone got to the hotel. However, everyone was frazzled in the meantime. -- The next morning, the first sight they were to see was Tokyo Tower, and since Tenchi, Sasami, Ryoko, Aeka and Mihoshi hadn't heard from Washu, they assumed everything was going to be all right. After all, Washu would warn them if there was something wrong. Little did they know. Of course, being discrete, Tenchi and Sasami had gotten on the elevator with Achika, as it was finally a situation in which Tenchi could watch over his mother without arousing suspicion. The elevator was full of people, and slowly made its way up. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the sky darkened. An amorphous blackness shot across the elevator's view, and circled the tower. "Wait, he's here already? That's Kain?" The elevator stopped, as a large gaping hole was blown in the side. In fear, students and chaperones poured out of the elevator, and as Nobuyuki, Achika, Sasami, and Tenchi ran toward the stairs Kain's cold breath froze all of the other students... and Nobuyuki was among them, as he lagged behind the others. His frozen expression of worry stuck to Achika's mind, as she rushed back to try to do something... anything, for the one she loved. Sasami stayed back, in fear. A dark menacing voice spoke from the void that was Kain, "The blood of Jurai, the reason of my suffering." Kain advanced upon Tenchi, Achika and Nobuyuki, but shouted in annoyance as bursts of energy pinpointed his body. "Stay away from Tenchi!" Ryoko yelled, as Ryoko and Aeka hovered, and attacked Kain. "Quickly, up the stairs," Tenchi yelled at a frightened Achika. Achika and Sasami took hold of Nobuyuki, and dragged him up the steps, to keep him out of danger. As the threesome worked its way up the stairs, Aeka and Ryoko were busy dodging Kain's attack. Aeka threw herself at Kain, only to have the energy of her attack pushed back at her. Aeka passed out and begam to plumment to the ground before Ryoko grabbed her, and kept Aeka from plunging to her death. The edges of Kain's mouth lifted, as he unleashed a barrage of energy, which slammed Ryoko and Aeka into the ground, and out of commision. Tenchi's expression from worry changed to that of anger, and he drew Tenchi-ken, his sword of light. "You are of the House of Jurai..." said Kain, in a low grumbling voice, "I can feel it... " and he began to laugh. Kain reached out with one of two white hands, gigantic hands, and reached for Tenchi. Tenchi slashed at the hand, but to no avail, for, before he was able to reach it, it reached him, and struck him, full force, and he flew and hit the wall behind Achika and Nobuyuki. "Who is this boy?" though Achika, wondering what was going on in the world around her. She never imagined something this terrible. "Noooo!!!" cried Tenchi, as he got on his feet again, his energy driven by anger, and he ran forward to fight, and was knocked back again. "Don't touch my mother!!!" shouted Tenchi, his blood boiling as he staggered to the ledge, and got into a defensive stance, his sword extended in front of him. "Who..." thought Achika, and then it came back to her. The boy by the window of the school; the boy attempting to hide, though it was futile, behind the tree at home, he was her son. As Achika's mind was opened to an entirely new world, she rose, and the power emanating from her body shattered windows, as she said resolutely, "I will not allow it." Kain was delighted. In this one opportunity he would be able to rid the House of Jurai the two most powerful people in this epoch, and also completely rid himself of the pain in his side called Tsunami, for she would not be able to stop him this time... not this time, for she had lost significant power from the damage from last time. No, this time, would be his sweet victory, even more assured as Tenchi collapsed in pain, his resolution fading. "I will never allow it." repeated Achika, as her arms unfolded, and in front of her, a glow appeared, which solidified into a solitary Light Hawk Wing. Kain struck, but was thwarted, as the shield that enveloped Tenchi and Achika was strong. Kain struck again, but to no avail, but the shield was clearly weakening. Suddenly, Sasami ran forward, and she reached up and held onto Achika's hand, and stooped to hold on to Tenchi's hand, her mind temporarily strengthened by Tsunami. A link between Sasami and Tsunami openned, and as the three held hands, the one fading Light Hawk Wing split into fourteen, as Achika pulsated in the energy. Tenchi remained unconscious. Kain was impressed. "This energy," he said, "is greater than that possible by the House of Jurai!" as the Light Hawk Wings bolted forward, and the bright energy disintegrated him, completely destroyed him. "Tokimi! The boy..." was the last words to leave Kain's mind. -- "Tokimi!" suddenly stung Washu's mind, as she heard a word that seemed oddly familiar, but wasn't. -- In Tokyo, the students had been restored, as half of the class, or, everyone on that elevator, had been taken to the hospital. In the newspapers, there was news of some damage to Tokyo Tower, but there was surprisingly little details. Their job done, Washu brought everyone back to the 1990's, and dropped Kiyone off there as well. Afterward, in her mind, ideas flitted, and fit together, and then, she realized where all the energy that was able to defeat Kain came from. It hadn't just been generated by Achika, nor just Tenchi. "Tsunaaaammmmiiiiii!!!!!!" -- It had been five years since Tenchi was born, and that fateful day, Achika was playing with him, giving all the motherly attention she could. Ever since the incident in Tokyo, though she remained cheery in personality, in reality her body was weak. She knew that nobody should know of what happened, so told no one. Thus, it was a surprise to everyone, except herself, when she suddenly fell, her head dizzy, and her body uncontrollable. They placed her on a wheelchair, and for the next few days, she could only do things with help. Nobuyuki, who had already been particularly kind, was terrified of the circumstances, unknowing of the events fourteen years ago. And though he did not know, he could sense that Achika was in intense pain, as tears would well out of her eyes whenever she moved. Her pain was not just physical, however. She knew that, when Tenchi would need her most, she wouldn't be there for him. As her mind faded, Nobuyuki sat faithfully at her side, and she looked at him with a smile in her eyes. Tears welled up for the last time; her eyes closed, and her body went limp. Nobuyuki screamed, "Noooo!!!!!" For the next few days, family friends took care of Tenchi, as Nobuyuki was in no condition to do so. He refused to eat, refused to sleep, and refused to admit that Achika was dead. Yosho continued to console him, and prod him into returning back to normal, and one day said "Achika in heaven wouldn't want to see you depressed like this..." and something in Nobuyuki's mind snapped. He picked up a new hobby: collecting manga. Unfortunately, it wasn't the manga that's particularly appropriate for young children. Nobuyuki had changed personalities... irreversibly... -- "I always wonder" said Tenchi to everyone, back at home "what happened while I fainted." "Tenchi-nichan's mother protected him" said Sasami, with a cute little smile. "Wow..." said Tenchi in admiration, but in realization, his smile turned serious, "though, perhaps, the reason that her life was cut short was that she couldn't handle all of the energy she produced to protect me..." Sasami looked toward the ground.