Thank you's to K-chan, Lita, and the rest of the AFC. You guys are great. Thanks to Jan (best friend in the whole world), Lucy, Keiran, and the rest of the Scooby Gang. Here's to Victor-man (who will probably never read this) and to the band Divinity. Thank you Jen-chan and Daniel-kun. When is your fic gonna come out, huh?! And especially thanks to the readers. Without you, this would mean nothing. Here's to lost loves, new hopes, and our everlasting faith. Tenchi Muyo is property of AIC and Pioneer and-- Tenchi: I hate these disclaimer things, fast forward it will ya? Ryoko: Sure, hand me the remote Aeka. Aeka: ::mouth full of popcorn:: Ge ii yorshelf. ::swallows:: You lazy monster-woman. Ryoko: ::playfully nudges her:: Quit teasing Princess Airhead! Aeka: Who are you calling an airhead?! Tenchi: ::sighs:: How did I get stuck with this? HANDS OF FATE (Chapter 3: "Waking Dreams") By Little Ryoko ^.~ (a.k.a.-Ryoke) Please send C&C to ryokochan3@aol.com ************** I remember.... Looking out my mother's spaceship, staring at the tiny points of light that seemed so far away. And how they glimmered against the soothing darkness. My mother's hands on my face, wiping away my tears. Telling me that everything would be all right. That daddy and Azura and Renal were with the gods now. And when we reached the super nova, and gazed at its bright glory, at the beauty of a new light to shine across the vast void...my hands began to glow, my cuts healed instantly, and my mind seemed to expand a thousand fold. My mother pulled her hand to her face. I could feel my hands burning. My brain seemed to seethe with energy. And that's when I heard it, my name, my true name calling out to me. And a light formed between my hands, and I could feel a kind of heat boiling up behind my eyes. It became so intense that I cried out. My mother tried to reach me, but she was forced back by the power, by the light. And the light grew and grew, and I was immersed in it. I felt myself expand. Not my actual body, but my spirit, my heart, my mind, my soul. I felt like a pale flower, being pried open by moonlight. I became more than I was, more than I ever could have been. And that's when the voice imbedded itself in my mind, and gave me my true name. Destiny. ************** "My little Rei. So small, so precious. No one is ever going to take you away from me..." Aeka whispered to the small bundle of pink silk she cradled in her arms. She remembered the first words the doctor uttered after her baby was born, "It's a princess." And when Aeka held her for the first time and whispered her blessing over the child's anxious face, she felt nothing but pure and absolute joy. Tenchi leaned over her and reached out his finger to the baby. She took it in her own tiny hand and grasped it. "Daddy's little girl...she's beautiful Aeka. Beyond words," He said softly. Tenchi turned and walked away from the sun-drenched room. He looked back at his wife and his child. Aeka practically shimmered with joy. His world was perfect. As he left he smiled and whispered to no one, "Beyond words..." Aeka looked once again at her baby and smiled. She stood up and placed her in the crib, stroking her gently. My world is perfect. Suddenly the room was quiet and unbearably still. Her hands began to shake. She clutched at her heart, which was racing and burning. And suddenly, the voice she most feared entered her mind. No... NO... .... NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! Aeka felt her pulse race as she grasped onto the cradle. The baby began crying. Aeka pulled herself up and reached for her daughter. Her vision was beginning to fade. She grasped for the crying baby and pulled her close to her. The world around them began to spin and her eyes became unfocused. She heard music somewhere and she thought she could hear Tenchi crying out to her. The music swirled around her, and she thought she could see stars. It was then that the voice whispered into her mind. Then she blacked out. ************** Dead. Dead. Dead. Kiyone hated that word. It was an ugly word. One that cut off your trail of thought, like a falling axe at the end of a sentence. He's dead. Kiyone ran through the forest, her legs bleeding, her heart racing. She didn't care that she didn't know where she was going. It didn't matter. He was dead. And nothing could make it any better. She came to the middle of a large clearing. The grass was up to her ankles and felt cool and soft. She looked up to the sky, her chest heaving, her eyes burning. She let herself drop to the ground. Her knees hit the ground and she crouched over. Her hands tore at the grass and the tears flowed freely from her face. Her life was meaningless. One horrible failure after another. "I'm disappointed in you Officer Kiyone." "I'm afraid I have to demote you." "What's wrong Kiyone?" "Officer Mitsuki will be taking your place." "Don't worry Kiyone." "I don't love you." She looked up at the sky and wondered how fate could be so cruel. She shouted out into the sky and screamed his name. "Why?!" ... "WHY?!" ... "Didn't you know I LOVED HIM?! I love him..." "Tsunami?! Tsunami help me!! I know I'm not Juraian, but I know you exist. I know you're out there! Help me!! What does it mean?!! Why does every being in this universe have a purpose but me? Fate took him away from me, give him back!!" "But you're a goddess!! You hold life and death in your hands! You must do SOMETHING! Anything..." "Don't you know HOW?!" Kiyone screamed, waiting for an answer. Her tears streamed down her face. She bent down and closed her eyes, her heart tearing. Her tears fell to the ground, leaving nothing but a sudden emptyness inside. One drop. <...can you...> Two drops. <...unring...> Three drops. <...a bell?> ************** Everything around me is just falling apart. And I have no idea of what to do. It seems like no one needs my help. I don't know what to do. Sasami is so scared. And sad. Kiyone ran out when she told us that Emperor Azusa's ship was destroyed. I personally didn't really know him, but everyone is so sad. And I feel so awful. Where is Aeka? Where is Kiyone? Poor Tenchi. Poor Ryoko. Poor Sasami. Poor everyone. What is going to happen? I walked up to the roof where I knew she would be. There she was. Her back was hunched over, and she was shaking. I walked up to her, trying not to slip on the roof tiles. "Ryoko?" I asked. "...Mihoshi...leave me alone." "But Ryoko I-wah!!" I was walking towards her when I slipped on a loose tile. I fell sliding towards the edge of the roof but a strong hand gripped mine. Ryoko looked into my eyes as she pulled me up. I sat down next to her after I struggled up. I wiped my hands on my pants and stared awkwardly at my feet. "You know Ryoko, things can only get better." "No they can't Mihoshi. They can only get worse..." "That's not true Ryoko!" I looked to her, pleading for some kind of hope. "I mean, Washu's really smart and all, and of course Tsunami might be able to do something and..." I bit my lip. It did look pretty hopeless. It left the moment Ms. Washu told us Tenchi was...dying. ...You're...you're right. I put my hand on Ryoko's shoulder and gave her a hug. "Look Ryoko, no matter how bad things get, you can always have faith. Faith can get you through it." Ryoko's eyes widened as she hugged me back. I released the hug and looked at Ryoko. I smiled my best smile and said cheerfully, "Besides, how could Tenchi leave you?" Ryoko looked at me as if that was the last thing she expected me to know. Then she broke into a smile and laughed. "Yeah, Mihoshi, of course..." ************** The symphony of Washu's lab hummed and rose and fell to the steady pulse of the electricity coursing through the machines that surrounded her. Her fingers were flying over the keyboard. Line after line of untranslatable scientific data flashed across the screen. She turned and pressed a few keys. A long raised medical bed floated down. On it was a sleeping woman, barely covered by a thin flimsy mist-light cloth. Washu walked to the woman, observing her shrewdly through her brimmed spectacles. She pressed a few more buttons and a beam of green light passed over the woman, feeding information into Washu's holotop. Washu's eyes widened and she stared again at the woman. This time analyzing her with her eyes. She rubbed lightly just below the woman's neck, where her collarbone met. A small bump graced her fingers, and for the first time in a long time, Washu flinched. She decided to check her hunch and pressed just against the woman's wrist. Another bump. She checked the other wrist, another one. Her eyes narrowed as she turned back towards her computer and proceeded to open a file locked by barrier after barrier of computer data. She typed in seven passwords, let a machine give her a retina scan and finally she opened the file she had been waiting a year to open. Finally, she opened the file... Netelae. ************** I remember when I used to dream. In my dreams my Mom was still alive. We were a happy family. And it was just me, my Mom, my Dad, and Grandpa. And nothing in the world could've changed that. But after awhile, the dream did change. It became me, my Dad, my Mom, my Grandpa, Ryoko, Aeka, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Sasami, Washu, and Ryo-Ohki. And we were still happy. There were no fights, no horrible life- threatening battles. Just peace. Complete and utter peace. But we're not happy. And my mother is not alive. I'm dying, alone, constantly losing blood. Washu's droids keep coming in for transfusions. But I'm tired... So very tired... I just want to go to sleep. But I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes her face flashes before me. Her eyes. Her lips. I can't stand it. Then I see my mother. Her soft hair, her gentle eyes. Then Sasami. And I can't help but smile. And Aeka's kind eyes, so worried about me, caring for me. They all flash before me. All my memories, my dreams. Their faces. And then comes Tsunami. She is smiling at me. She is close, so very close. She's whispering something to me. But I can't hear. Only the rushing sound of gentle waters swirling in my head. And the last face flashes before me...it's a woman. She looks a bit like Tsunami. But she has light lavender hair; her face seems softer, like she's been crying. Her lips are light pink. She glows. Just below her neck is a gem, just like Ryoko's. Except the gem is an opal and glows softly. She is eerily beautiful. I can feel my ears burning. Then Ryoko's words echo in my mind and the woman's face fades away in a circle of mist. "I love you Tenchi." I love you too. ************** Sasami entered Washu's lab hesitantly. "Washu?" she called out into the darkness. Sasami walked quietly towards the massive data screens that were centered amongst the bulking machinery. Washu was there pacing along the side of a medical bed. Sasami called out quietly once again, "Washu-chan?" Washu jumped at the disturbance and quickly pressed several buttons on her holotop. The table disappeared as she turned to face her. Her gaze was one of disturbing annoyance. But when she saw the streaks of tears on Sasami's face, her expression softened. She had to grow up so fast. Be quiet Tokimi, I'm a little busy. Wouldn't you be? I don't understand you either. You're a cold, calculating, unbelievable bitch. Even geniuses get pissed. Washu stared at the blank and open look on Sasami's face. She looked so much like Tsunami. Just younger. A flash suddenly went off in her mind. I've seen this before. Her tears. Except it wasn't Sasami. It was Tsunami. "Washu?" "What is it Sasami?" "Washu I...I-" Sasami broke down and began to sob. She latched onto the young scientist and cried onto her shoulder. She choked out a few muffled words as she cried on and on. "Shhh...It's okay Sasami. It's okay..." Washu patted her on the back. The young girl continued to cry. "Washu," she croaked, "...I...I've done something bad... So very bad..." "Shh...shh...Sasami. You can tell me. It'll be all right and-" "No!" Sasami exclaimed, "It's horrible. Washu I--" Sasami was cut off as a glaring red light and several chibi- Washu's popped out from nowhere and cried out in unison, "Tenchi! Tenchi! Tenchi!" "I'm sorry Sasami. Tenchi needs more blood, I have to go..." Washu ran towards the surrounding darkness and a seamless door suddenly appeared. Washu disappeared into the door and Sasami was left alone. "Washu, I killed my father..." she whispered hauntingly. She sighed and walked towards Washu's holotop. She pressed a random key and suddenly the same med-bed she saw earlier appeared. On it was a young woman in her twenties. She had brown hair and American features. She was unconscious. Sasami's eyes widened as she heard Tsunami's voice whisper into her mind. She's what?! Then Washu needs her memories back! <...Maybe...> Tsunami...you made me...you made me do those things. Help Washu understand. Help me understand. <.......> You know the consequences!! Your decision affects too many people! <......Very well Sasami.> Thank you Tsunami. ************** I kept working at my computer. Poor Sasami. She came in here looking for support, for a little understanding. And all I gave her was time to live through this misery all by herself. I'm so selfish. My ambitions, my need to solve a scientific problem, these come before everything else. They come before my daughter, before Sasami, before anything. And now Tenchi is being "reformatted" and I can't figure out why! I sighed as I collapsed on the keyboard. I rubbed my temples and tried to figure out the problem set before me. She is a mystery to me. A question I have to answer. Who is she? You know I won't. I don't have to. I sighed at the headache this extra presence in my mind was creating. I walked towards the woman's sleeping figure. I looked at my cute little cabbit wristwatch (property of Washu Inc., of course) and checked the time. It's already late. Damn. I guess I'll have to continue tomorrow. What is she? But she can't be! That's impossible. You realize what this means. I mentally sighed. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do. ************** Tsunami sighed. She was tired of the music. She was tired of all the plans, all the worries. She was tired of everything. And all the sadness she was carrying welled up inside of her. And she cried. And even the teardrops sang. The rush of water from all the worlds joined in just one great chorus. And some deep part of her mind screamed at the music. Stop!!! STOP IT!!!! I'M SICK OF IT! ALL OF IT!! Tsunami shivered as she looked down over the small blue-green planet that was Earth. The child inside of her was screaming at her insides. The child wasn't Tsunami, something before her. Like a wall with layer after layer of different color, telling a history. And all her layers were peeling away to reveal the small frightened child she thought she could never be again. Sasami's emotions were stirring inside of her more and more each day. Such new feelings and senses. Things she could not handle all at once. They fed the tiny child, nourished it. And Tsunami could feel herself slipping away into Sasami. She didn't know who she would be afterwards. Tsunami or Sasami? Or was she to be both? Or a new person entirely? Tsunami felt afraid, another mortal emotion. Part of her, some deep sickening part of her, wished she had never saved Sasami at all. She could feel the trees growing. Their constant chant echoing in her ears. The blood that coursed through them called out to her. And as she cried over the planet, a crystal clear tear fell from her face. She let it land on the tip of her finger. She stared at it. Observing it with her light and anxious pink eyes. She looked back down over the planet. She whispered softly as she let the single tear fall down into the darkness. Forgive me. ************** Washu slept. It was so nice sleeping. To actually let her mind wander. Instead of constantly thinking, solving, calculating, worrying. She had fallen asleep on top of her computer. She was dreaming about her family again. Her husband, her son, even Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were there. And she was happy. Soon her ears began to tingle. A small drop of water landed on her forehead, it trickled down her face till it reached the bottom of her eyelid, falling like a tear. And then a rush of water came roaring in the back of her mind. She heard music. And what she saw...it frightened her. Images of herself. Older, with three small circles arranged in a triangle on her forehead. She saw Tsunami. She looked just as Sasami looked earlier, with tears down her face. She saw another woman. She looked strange. She spoke, but no words came. A tiny desperate voice whispered into her mind. Washu's mind suddenly woke up, drifting between the vision and reality. The images kept flashing before her. Of power, of unimaginable power. She felt as if she was a universe being born. A sudden rush of energy that expanded and expanded, until it reached its limits and enfolded unto itself, only to be born again and again. Her mind broke with the sounds of laughter, of tears. She saw so many faces. So many worlds. The Juraians. The Terrans. Every kind of species of life flashed before her. Suddenly bits and pieces of what appeared to be different worlds surrounded her. Different dimensions. Different realities. She searched through these too. She felt the dim heat of a dying sun, the rush of running up against the Galaxy Police, speeding away from a certain 20 to life sentence. She saw children being born, people dying. Stars, galaxies, planets, universes. She traveled the unimaginable web of time and space and reality. She searched through all possibilities, all the threads that were woven. And she knew in her heart of hearts that she was the weaver. She was the one who determined what changed the course of one universe. And what determined the fate of another. She wove the threads of fate that bound one person to another, the knots and strings that made up a person's soul and random possibility. Eternity passed by in the blink of an eye. Yet somehow seconds became days, minutes became years. Every time she spent in one mortal body seemed to tire her free and ever expanding soul. The images kept flying. Her mind became overwhelmed. But a part of her was still stuck on her lab on Earth. Wondering the kinds of physical effects that this might have on her body. She could feel Sasami smile. They kept flying. Washu felt the cool rain after a dry white- hot summer. The celebration and revelry in a defeated enemy. She saw the First King of Jurai as a child. Then at his coronation. She longed to go farther back. What came before Jurai? Then she saw it. A woman's face flashed before her. She had a kind expression, soft light pink eyes and light lavender hair. She could feel Sasami's approval at her discovery. Like a proud mother displaying the accomplishments of her daughter's first piano recital. Sasami did not answer. But Washu could feel her smirk. She could feel everything. It was amazing. It wasn't as if she had a body. It was if she was all bodies, all minds. But she could feel her body back on Earth calling her home. They came to a small planet. It was a brownish-red, like earth dipped in rust. Down beyond the planet's hazy atmosphere was a small village. It was very primitive. But it was quaint, and simple. They came to a house just beyond the edge of the town. In the house was a woman. She had long cyan hair and bright blue eyes. She turned and looked straight at Washu. Her mind flinched. She had been given a form. Next to her were two other girls. One was very small, and young. She had light brown hair and a smiling face. The other was sitting, reading a data pad. She looked cross and covered her face. Suddenly the door to the house opened. A tall man came through. He had sandy blonde hair and bright green eyes. Washu felt a familiar tingle in her stomach of whose eyes looked like that. The man picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. He smelled of dirt. Of fresh earth and sweat. But he also had a pleasant smell. One of spices and clear water. He put her down and walked over to the woman with cyan hair. He kissed her on the cheek and she blushed and giggled, just like a little girl. Washu's nerves were hit as she looked to the young girl to her left, the one with brown hair. She looked into the smiling eyes of this little girl and felt her brain go into shock. She whispered to her in a child's voice, "Tsunami?" The girl giggled and looked at her older sister. "You're so silly Azura," she answered. Washu turned to her right and looked at the girl reading. She cleared her throat and asked in a quiet voice, "Tokimi?" The girl looked up at her. She was the same blonde as her father, except she had beautiful violet eyes. They weren't as beautiful as they should have been because she was looking at her younger sibling in disapproval. "Stop talking nonsense. I'm trying to do my homework." Washu blinked in amazement as she stared again at the woman preparing some kind of root for the boiling pot next to her. "...Mama?" she called out. Suddenly the woman turned and looked at her. She felt guilty as if she had done something wrong. The woman ran over to her and picked her up. "You spoke? ...Y-You spoke!! Jamus, come in here, Azura said 'mama'!!" The tall man came into the room and looked at his wife and little girl. Then he broke out into a smile and came over and hugged them both. Washu could hear her sisters whispering below them. As if they had never heard her speak before Leta..." the cross girl said. "They haven't Renal." said Leta. Washu looked to the smiling couple who began prodding at her to say it again. Washu cleared her throat and once again uttered that simple word. "Mama?" They laughed and hugged her tighter. She felt a bit patronized but at the same time her heart was bursting with pride. Suddenly she felt her real form tug at her again. She looked at her smiling parents. The joy on their faces. She whispered to them, tears forming in her eyes, "Mama...Papa..." She gave them one last hug as she felt herself melt away. And once again she was flying. Her mind zipped across time, past the star systems till it was finally back at the Masaki home on Earth. And there was her body, still asleep. Washu woke up in a gasp of air. Tears were streaming down her face and her head was pounding. She kept gasping over and over again. She tilted her head up and looked to the darkness that was the seemingly never-ending ceiling of her lab. She whispered one final word into the darkness. "Mama..." ************** I was sitting on the grass staring at my feet. They were red and had little cuts. And I just kept thinking about the Academy, where I had been, where was I going, what it all meant to me. I had kissed guys before. But they were sloppy and clumsy. Like they were trying every trick in the book without really knowing what they were doing. But when I met him...... We were young, we were walking together. Not to some particular destination, just wandering like we had all the time in the world. The tall, white, uniformed buildings loomed on either side of us. It was after our Galactic History class when he led me around the campus, asking me questions, hiding the real reason he dragged me out there. And when we stopped, it was only sunset, he took my hand. That first time, I noticed how slender and soft his fingers were. And it was weird because we kept talking like it wasn't happening. Then he looked at me and told me I was "unconventionally beautiful". I didn't know what to make of that, so I just stroked his hand and leaned against him, breathing softly on his neck. I had no idea what I was doing. I was Kiyone Makibi, top honors, first in my class, work first, everything else had to take a number. But we just stayed like that, listening to our own thoughts. No words, just drinking the moment in as if it would be our last. When I had to leave he asked if I would be okay. I said yes and he kissed me lightly just under my eye. On my cheekbone. He acted like he had done it on accident and he wouldn't look at me. Like it never happened. And when I was walking back to my dorm, I could still feel where he had kissed me. Like a tingling feeling. It didn't hurt. It was just there. And I wondered if real kisses felt like that afterwards. And even now, staring at my red feet and the cool grass, I touch my cheek and wonder if real kisses feel like that. ************** "Mihoshi, I have a favor to ask of you." "What is it Ms. Washu?" "..." "Oh...OH!! Sorry, Little Washu!" "Okay, I need you to head to the Galaxy Police Headquarters to get me some special information they have in their planetary database. I need information on the race of the Netelae. Look for it under any info on Jurai. Here is a high-density data crystal for you to download the information. Now listen closely Mihoshi, this has to be a covert operation. I can give you a fake ID to temporarily boost you rank high enough to get in, but you and Kiyone are on your own from there. Do you get it Mihoshi?" "Um...no." "Argh! Look, here is a data pad with your instructions. I'm giving you anything you might need. If you have any other questions just ask Kiyone okay?" "Ask Kiyone, okay Little Washu!" "Great." "Now, um...what do I have to do again?" ************** My eyelids fluttered. I looked up, my eyes heavy and filled with water. I saw only sky and grass. I slowly, achingly, pulled myself up. My wrists shook. I could feel my tendons quiver. Where was I? I stared at my slender pale fingers against the cool grass. My palms faced down to the ground. They looked like a pair of broken wings, desperately fluttering to get up and fly away from my body. My shoulders ached, my eyes ached, everything ached. I felt a little cry well up inside my chest and I only let it escape as a pitiful whimper past my lips. I slowly turned my head to look around me as I pushed myself off the ground. I could do nothing but hold my aching chest. I felt so hollow inside, as if my insides were missing. The emptiness inside of me boiled up and only escaped my body as tears. I heard them plop to the ground, being soaked up by the earth. Where was I? I looked around the clearing I was in. I knew I was searching for something but I couldn't remember what. My head was fuzzy and unsure. My ears perked up as a small wail came to my attention. It came from over there, the small patch of grass near the bush. I dragged myself to the sound, ignoring the numbing feeling in my legs. As I came closer, the cry lessened, as if it had expected my approach. It was a baby. It was very small. It was wrapped in pink silk with some sort of writing on it. It was a girl. I stared at her in amazement. She was beautiful. She looked like a lump of unformed clay, so delicate and soft. I felt that if I pressed my fingers to her face, they would leave an imprint. I couldn't remember ever seeing a baby before. I couldn't remember a lot. I gently reached my hand out to her. She took it and smiled, I couldn't help but smile back. There was a tag tied around her wrist. It said the name "Rei". At least I think it was her name. I sat on my knees and picked her up. She was so small and soft. "Hello little Rei. Aren't you adorable? Well Rei, my name is..." I trailed off, my mind grasping for some kind of memory, my name, my age, where I was from, anything. But no. Only soft wisps of voices and faces. No real memory. I could remember how to speak, what was a baby, how to take care of one, and things like what are math and science. But no real memories from my own life. Who were my parents, was I married? I just stared at the small baby, as if to search for some kind of answer within her small and desperate features. Who am I? ************** A woman's song pierced the silence. The darkness from heartbeat and heartbeat. Her voice filled the emptiness, it sung high and rich. What she expressed in her melody made it possible for one to almost see her, her mouth open wide and her lips full. The sadness hung around her eyes. Her eyes were black, shining like a bird's. She had a crow's eyes. And a beat pounded behind her song, a heartbeat that whispered between each treble in her voice. Her hair was jet black, her skin pale, like chalk and powder. She was like a bird, quick and piercing. Chaos had her form, her name. She existed outside space, outside time, where her counterparts could not reach her. She was the infinitum. She would call upon the players, waking them from their cosmic sleep. The game was not over. It was war. And she was always a creature of war. Forged in the blood of dying men, the flash of sun that raked across the lifted spears. She was a being that lived in war cries, in a soldier's song. She could see them, feel them, watching them being born from nothingness. Like a swirl of dust that became a star. They were like twin stars, racing towards her outstretched arms, racing towards the blue planet. They passed her in a flash, and she closed her eyes and felt their energy, their excitement. Choose. Choose a body. Choose well and choose wisely. They twirled around her, chattering like sparks. They sped towards the planet, racing each other, eager to see who could fly through the world first. ************** Washu moved through her lab in a liquid haze. Her eyes glowing blue like two soft topaz coins, observing all that was set before her. Lines of white silk thread ran back and forth between the creatures floating in their tanks, staring with six, maybe seven eyes, silent in their gel-like contentment. They were creatures from different dimensions, they all had memories, experiences, as all beings with a brain do. Their lines of dimension crossed into nothingness. Worlds unopened lay in their minds, waiting to be unlocked by her silver touch. Washu passed her hands over them, letting her fingertips trail over the smooth glass, opening their minds a little wider. Peeking into the threads of light, watching the dusty worlds with a reproachful gaze. They flickered before her, some no longer real, nothing but an unformed mass of energy. Waiting for her sister's molding touch. And then beings would come, with hearts, spirits, and minds. And Washu would bind them together, tie them up and string them along the mortal coil, till their strings were cut and they would fall limp, like puppets to infinity. She walked to her monitor, calling forth her holo-top, typing in faster than ever before, her fingers a blur as they flew across the keys. The world she saw now glowed a soft hazy blue, but she saw more than she ever did with her normal vision. The monitor split into several screens, dividing and dividing, drawing the information from her mind. They showed images, flashing. Dark worlds of eternal midnight, inhabited by people with blind eyes and chalky skin. Dusty planets with azure skies and tanned beings that sang bubbles of light. Universes, new and unformed, like raw clumps of clay. The lines of what could have been. And as she continued to type, the images drew in, a single yellow star, a green and blue planet. A cluster of islands floating in a tranquil sea, a land of green and brown, a forest, a lake, a house. Achika Masaki, leading her seventeen year old son to a picnic, Nobuyuki and Katsuhito waiting, smiling. A young American girl and Tenchi, walking arm in arm under a tunnel of trees. A young girl with short cyan hair and dark ochre eyes, flying over a small town in the light of a sinking sun. She flashed over to other planets, a blue world. A young woman with teal hair, a small child playing at her feet, a man smiling next to her. A tanned woman with blonde hair stands next to them, her arm around a grinning young man, staring at a small woman with pink hair. Another world. A place of metal and smoke. A land of gray. A young man sits at a bar. He has cyan hair and yellow feline eyes. He sips at his drink. A tattoo marks his left hand. His eyes water from the dust smoke rising in the noisy room. Washu's eyes fly over the screens, drinking in the images, feeding the information into her brain. The lines of light crossing and weaving tying into a vast infinite web of possibilities. Her eyes still glowed blue, glazed over, a small smile creeping across her face. ************** Washu? You know your purpose. What do you plan to do? ************** THE END of Chapter 3 ************** Author's Notes: Well, this chapter took awhile, but at least I have some sort of idea as to where the plot is going now. Things are going to get weird folks, just make sure you keep track. The next chapter will end the first story arc of the fic. Then weÕll be diving into some new worlds, you wonÕt even believe it. Don't forget, whether you love it or you hate it, e-mail me at ryokochan3@aol.com. For those of you who tried to go to the website and it did not work, I apologize, it *was* working, but things didn't exactly work out right. I'll try to put one up very soon. One is under construction at: http://members.xoom.com/ryoke