First off, I'd like to begin by saying that TENCHI MUYO! (All characters, 
places, situations, etc.) Is the property of PIONEER / AIC.  I don't own any of 
the Tenchi characters, since I can't write at all this is a good thing.  
However, Victor is my creation.  If you like them and want to use him, let me 
know, and we shall see. If any of the situations are similar to ANYTHING written 
before...  Then phooey on you, and I am sorry if it seems I am ripping anyone's 
story off.  It's not intentional!!!  This story was written for pure amusement 
and enjoyment. Oh, and I am getting help on this story (without which, it would 
be just horrid!!) by one Mr. Mayhem. Thank you Dave!!!
	Now, on with the mutilating hack that is my story ^_^
	**NOTE**: All words that would normally be emphasized in bold are 
surrounded by asterisks (*..*), and all thoughts are surrounded as follows - 
<..>.  Thanks



Illusions of Life
Chapter, the first - Illusions of Normalcy


	There comes a time in a man's life when decisions, no matter how painful, 
have to be made.  Luckily for one particularly hapless young man, his time to 
decide had yet to arrive.  If it had, then he wouldn't be sleeping so blissfully 
while the shadowy form of a woman hovered mere inches above his bed, golden eyes 
glowing slightly in the dawn's dim light.
When the muted sounds of birds, trying vainly to chirp louder than the falling 
rain, invaded his unconscious mind Tenchi could no longer maintain the 
tranquility of oblivion.  Instead, behind eyes tightly closed against the 
morning light, he prepared himself for the morning of yet another day in a life 
that no sane person would have ever considered normal.  With a tired and well- 
practiced sigh, he opened his eyes to the sights that the day would bring.
	And promptly began screaming.
	"Aaugh!!!!!!!!!"  The strangled cry tore from the semi-conscious Tenchi's 
mouth, as his eyes opened to the sight of red-rimmed, blurry golden orbs mere 
inches from his own.  With reflexes he normally reserved for the heat of battle 
and his grandfathers training sessions, Tenchi propelled himself across the 
floor in a tight, fast roll that left him standing near his closet door, his 
posture wary.
	Your normal every-day teenage male would have found the thought of a 
beautiful, affectionate, utterly charming, young woman in his bedroom first 
thing in the morning to be a great thing.  Indeed, maybe even a blessing from 
the gods themselves.  And yet Tenchi could not bring himself, could not even 
*allow* him self to think like that.  It would tip the scales of his mind much 
too far off balance.  Tipping his mind to the point that he'd begin to doubt his 
own sanity. 
	Staring at Tenchi, Ryoko saw the look on his face.  It hurt more than 
almost any other reaction she could have thought of.  Flustered and upset Ryoko 
looked sheepishly down at her hands.  She couldn't understand what had made 
Tenchi react like that.  For Tsunami's sake, she had even worn *clothes* this 
time!  She knew she was beautiful.  Hell, she knew she could turn the head of 
almost any man just by walking into the room!!  So why, every night, did she do 
nothing but wait for him to wake up?  Why not just wake him and show him the 
things he was missing by being asleep?  
	However, despite those thoughts, Ryoko already knew the answer to that 
question.  She watched him sleep simply because of the way he slept.  She knew, 
she just knew, that she had to watch Tenchi at night.  The peace she gained by 
watching his calm, unflustered features in the moonlight was unattainable when 
she herself rested.  It soothed her tortured soul to see him like that.  Even if 
she couldn't sleep, her inner demons throwing her past at her, tormenting her, 
it helped her to know that her beloved could rest.  Ryoko liked to think that 
her staying beside Tenchi each night helped to keep his own demons away, 
whatever they might have been.  
	The look she saw in Tenchi's eyes that morning made her heart contract 
painfully within her chest.  Even from across the room Ryoko could recognize the 
fear in their deep brown depths.  He was afraid of the demon in front of him, he 
was afraid of *her*.  <Can't he see that I do this only because I love him?  Why 
can't he see?!?>   And with a choked, heartrending sob, Ryoko fell to the bed 
and began to cry. 
	As Ryoko sank to the bed in front of him curling into an anguished ball, 
Tenchi mentally kicked himself for over-reacting.  The intense feelings of guilt 
and self-hatred that welled up within him twisted his gut into knots.  What 
about the sight of Ryoko when he woke up made him react the way he did?  She had 
been doing this ever since the Kagoto incident.  Heavens above, she didn't even 
have a room of her own, just the rafters.  The room that had been built for her, 
in the wing with Kiyone and Mihoshi's rooms (Noboyuki had added some to his 
house, thanks to the ever expanding list of "houseguests"), was now Mayuka's.  
After the girl had been reborn, thanks to Washu, she had given it up, claiming 
that she preferred the rafters anyway.  Even if Ryoko spent almost all of her 
time there, she still appeared over him every morning and scared the hell out of 
him.
	Tenchi was beside the bed before he even realized what he was doing.  
Sitting on its edge, he slipped an arm around her, gathering her sobbing form to 
him.  He sighed, knowing that even if he never got completely used to it, that 
he would probably miss it if she didn't show up in his room every morning.  The 
thought shook him, had he really just thought that?  He shook his head to clear 
it, he couldn't have.  Gazing down at the sobbing girl in his arms, Tenchi 
opened his mouth to speak.
	"It's alright, Ryoko."  He reassured, stroking her cyan hair.  "It's 
alright, I'm sorry I overreacted like that.  I guess grandfather's training 
makes me a little jumpy now and then..." At that, Ryoko looked up and pushed 
herself out of his arms, a frightened look in her eyes.  Seeing the look on her 
face, Tenchi groaned inwardly, realizing he had said something colossally 
stupid.
	"Is that how think of me Tenchi?" she asked, her voice quiet and shaking 
slightly.  " Do you think of me as an enemy Tenchi?  Why?  All I've ever done is 
try and show you how good we are together..." As Ryoko said this, a steely edge 
crept into her voice.  "If I'm just an enemy in your eyes, then maybe I oughta 
just take Ryo-Ohki and leave!!!"
	Tenchi tensed, unsure of the seriousness of her words.  After a moment of 
hesitation he replied, his voice sheepish.  "That's not what I meant and you 
know it Ryoko.  I don't want you to leave, you know that..."	
	Ryoko brightened considerably when Tenchi said that.  All of her anger 
seemed to disappear instantly.  Glomping onto him in her normal manner, she 
nuzzled her face against his shoulder, pressing her body against him rather 
seductively.  She felt Tenchi tense up, but ignored it, telling herself he was 
just caught up in the moment.
	"I am so glad that you want me to stay with you Tenchi!!"  She enthused.  
"I know," she purred, "let's make this bed OUR bed!!" and with that Ryoko pushed 
him down onto the bed, pulling the covers over them.
	Tenchi began a life and death struggle with Ryoko.  She was difficult to 
fend off on any occasion, but when he was attempting to remain in his clothes, 
the conflict escalated far beyond what he considered a manageable situation.  
Suddenly, so suddenly that Tenchi hit the floor with a solid thump, he found 
himself flinging out of the bed and out of her grasp.
	Tenchi was confused.  What would make Ryoko stop?  Especially when she had 
nearly disrobed him completely, he noted, turning bright red.  He was forced to 
wipe a trickle of blood from beneath his nose when he noticed that she was 
wearing even less than he was.
	Perched on the bed, Ryoko had a sad, heartbroken look in her eyes.  She 
just couldn't understand why he had to be this way.  Any other man (although, 
despite what Ayeka would insinuate, there had never been any other men) would 
have submitted to her "good graces" long ago.  Could it be that he truly didn't 
have feelings for her?  Maybe, just maybe, had one of the other girls had 
already claimed his heart?  No, it couldn't be!!  She squeezed her eyes shut, 
trying to will away the tears that threatened to spill out at the thought.
	"Tenchi..." The name escaped from her lips as a quiet sob.  Etched on her 
face Tenchi saw of despair, her golden eyes clearly reflecting just how deeply 
she cared for him.  And deep within his chest, he felt his heart stir in 
response.  "Why..." She begged, her voice quiet and desolate.  As the plea 
slipped from her lips, Tenchi fought everything within him that told him to take 
her in his arms and tell her anything she wanted to hear.  He wanted to do 
anything to remove that look from her eyes.
	"Why?"  She asked again, the question coming out more as a sob then an 
actual world.
	<No, I can't do this.  There are too many other hearts at stake here.>  
Tenchi waged a heated battle in his mind in the space of a heartbeat.  <But if I 
don't do something I'll lose her as surely as if I had chosen one of the other 
girls.  I have to do something, but what?  I don't want her to go, I need her in 
my life.  Wait a minute.  Did I just think that?>  He saw Ryoko bow her head in 
defeat.  <I have to do something now.  Think, Tenchi, Think!>
	Tenchi looked over at the sobbing Demon and sighed.  Whatever happened, he 
couldn't let her go, not her.  Why, he couldn't, or wouldn't, say.
	"Ryoko, I...I just can't.  There are so many others to consider.  I care 
about you, but I also care about the other girls.  I just don't know what to do 
anymore, Ryoko..."Tenchi then hung his head in shame and defeat.
	The faint sound of crying coming from down the hall interrupted the 
emotionally charged atmosphere.  Ryoko looked up, first at Tenchi, then in the 
direction of the crying child.  She shook her head and rose, her face blank.
	Ryoko turned to the bowed figure before her.  "I have to go see why your 
daughter is crying, Tenchi."  She informed him, her voice flat... dead.  And 
with that, she phased out of his room.
	Tenchi had looked up just in time to see the pain hiding in the depths in 
her eyes before she faded from his vision.  Sighing, he woodenly started leaning 
his room.  After cleaning and making his bed, he went to his closet to get some 
clothes for the bath.  As he moved to the closet, something on top of his 
dresser caught his eye.
	Looking at the top of the dresser, his eyes scanned the pictures collected 
on top of it.  One of him as a young boy, strapped to his mother's back in front 
of the cave.  He seemed to be staring intently at the cave even as his mother 
was looking at the camera and smiling.  
	The next picture was of Tenchi and Noboyuki at Christmas, probably when he 
was 10 or 11.  This day was one of the few times that his father had been home 
from work for more than one day, and they had truly enjoyed that Christmas.  
	The rest of the pictures were more recent.  A picture of Tenchi and Ryoko, 
sitting in a cherry tree along the path to the shrine; one of Ayeka as she was 
tending the garden; one of Mihoshi and Kiyone posing in front of the Yagami; a 
picture of Sasami and a toddler Ryo-Ohki preparing a meal, probably lunch; a 
Picture of Washu, her hand in a "V" for victory, after completing the doorway to 
her subspace lab.  
	The next picture was of Ryoko holding Mayuka as she rocked the baby to 
sleep.  The photo brought a smile to his face.  Apparently Ryoko had not noticed 
the picture, and neither had Ayeka, for that matter.  The Picture was one of the 
few times that Tenchi had caught the so-called demon with her guard completely 
down, her mask of bravado discarded.  She'd had a smile, a gentle, caring smile, 
on her face as she looked down at the tiny child in her arms.  Stumbling onto 
the scene, Tenchi had quickly run and grabbed the camera to snap the photo.  
Amazingly enough he'd managed to sneak back to his room without getting caught.  
If Ryoko had found out about the picture, she would probably have thrown a fit, 
but it was the best picture he had of her.  Smiling slightly, her turned his 
gaze to the final photo.
	It was the largest photo of the group, and it was among his favorites.  He 
remembered that day well.  He had finally completed high school, graduating with 
honors.  (Mostly thanks to Kiyone's tutoring; Washu had a bad habit of over-
complicating her "simple" explanations.)  The entire group had come to watch his 
graduation ceremony.  With the entire group posing together, his old friend 
Amagasaki had taken the picture.  Standing in the center of the gang, in a black 
graduation gown, was Tenchi.  On either side of him were Ryoko and Ayeka, Ryoko 
wearing Tenchi's graduation cap lopsidedly on her head.  Washu stood in front of 
her daughter, Kiyone right next to her.  Next to Ayeka was Mihoshi (who looked 
as if she were about to fall *into* Ayeka), with Sasami standing before her.  
Noboyuki and Katsuhito stood side by side, behind Tenchi, and Ryo-Ohki, in 
toddler form, stood right in front of Tenchi, smiling and giggling.  Ryoko, 
Kiyone, Washu, Ryo-Ohki, and Sasami all had a hand out in the "V" for victory.
	Tenchi paused when he saw the pictures.  Sighing, Tenchi turned the 
memories over in his mind.  <So many memories,> He thought wistfully.  For all 
the stress all of these lovely, if alien, women brought to his life, he wouldn't 
trade any of it for a normal life.  For better or worse, they had changed his 
life, and changed him.  Imagining life without any of them, especially Ryoko and 
Mayuka, was just not possible.
	With a grunt and a cry, Tenchi slammed his fist into the wall, leaving an 
indention the shape of his clenched fist.  <Why is this so difficult?>  He 
screamed in his mind.  <Why can't I just care about them all equally?!?!?>   
With another sigh, Tenchi grabbed his clothes and made his way to the door.
	Opening the door, he saw most of the residents of his house peering out of 
their rooms, sleepiness and concern apparent on each face.  Not looking at any 
of them, Tenchi stalked down the hall and then downstairs, toward the Onsen.  
The only ones that did not see him were those that had already been up and 
about, or in Washu's case, in a different area of the house. 

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

	Ryoko, meanwhile, had already phased into Mayuka's room, and plucked the 
child from her floating crib.  She looked down at the bawling child, and sighed.  
Leaning Mayuka into her shoulder, Ryoko made her way over to the changing table.  
Setting the baby down gently, she proceeded to change her, tossing the diaper 
cover and her sleeping outfit in the dimensional hamper that lead to the laundry 
room.  
	Washu had been making her way to Mayuka's room after she had heard the 
mental sigh from Ryoko.  Knowing full well that the sigh was directed solely 
towards the baby, she slipped quietly into the infant's room.  She stood in the 
doorway and marveled at how natural her daughter looked caring for Mayuka.  With 
a grin, Washu closed the door silently behind her and opened her mouth to speak.
	"Aww, how sweet.  My little Ryoko is such a good mommy, isn't she 
Noodles."  Washu said, looking at the smile on Mayuka's face.  The diminutive 
scientist prepared to make good her escape if Ryoko decided to make a quick 
attempt on her life for the comment.
	Looking up at hearing her mother's voice, Ryoko tensed, grimacing for a 
moment at the "Little Ryoko" comment.  Then she sighed and a wistful look 
settled across her face.
	"Do you think I'd be a good mother, Washu?"  
	Washu was shocked into silence by the question, but her heart skipped a 
beat because of what Ryoko said next.
	"I really want to have a child of my own one day.  I really hope Tenchi 
will look at me that kinda way soon Mom", Ryoko said.  Her expression was far 
away and dreamy.  
	Sighing, she finished cleaning Mayuka off, and picked Mayuka up.  Grabbing 
an extra diaper and a change of clothes, both for herself and for the baby, 
Ryoko promptly willed herself and the giggling infant to the floating onsen.
	Washu stood there, physically and mentally attempting to regain her 
composure.  Ryoko had called her Mom.  Her *daughter* had called her Mom!  This 
was one of the few times that Washu could ever remember Ryoko willingly calling 
her mother.  Thinking quickly, she was startled to realize this finally brought 
the non - joking total to six.  She finally could count it on more than one 
hand!!!  
	Shocking the rest of the house, an ecstatic Washu hopped and skipped down 
the hallway and downstairs toward the kitchen.

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

	Ayeka, seeing the pain and frustration on Tenchi's face as he stomped by, 
she assumed that Ryoko must have been hovering over him again.  
	<Really, I cannot believe that monster woman.  Why can't she just leave my 
Lord Tenchi alone in the morning?>  She thought to herself.
	Ayeka sighed, somewhat angrily, and began to dress.  She would just have 
to have words with Ryoko during breakfast.  Smiling wickedly, Ayeka made her way 
downstairs to the kitchen.
	The kitchen was one of the most advanced, well furnished kitchens in the 
galaxy, though the purpose of a few things in it were a mystery to everyone but 
Washu.  Well, when you have the greatest scientific mind in the universe "touch 
up" the kitchen because she was bored, you know it is going to be fantastic.  In 
front of the sink, wearing a frilly yellow apron overtop a blue, green, and 
white Jurain kimono stood a young girl with two long, blue ponytails arching 
like falling water from her head.  She was deep into the process of making a 
morning meal of gargantuan proportions, since many of the houseguests had 
appetites that rivaled that of most small armies.
	Sasami hummed merrily to herself as she cooked.  Even though it was still 
raining out, she was in an exceptionally good mood.  Tsunami had shown her some 
very beautiful places and people while she slept, and she was glad to know that 
her "grown-up" half was so nice and happy.  As such, Sasami barely even 
registered the loud crash when Tenchi nearly broke through the wall of his room.  
	Chalking up the noise of Tenchi's outburst to the normal chaos of the 
house, Sasami kept humming cheerily, anticipating everyone's reaction to the 
meal.  Sasami was so glad she had such a good group of friends.  Really they 
were more like family, with father Noboyuki, and grandfather Katsuhito, and 
cousin Tenchi, and sister Ayeka.  Everyone else, Kiyone and Mihoshi and Ryoko 
and Ryo-Ohki and Washu, they were all family too.  And every morning, instead of 
giving them a big hug, she would get up early and cook them an extra special 
breakfast.  It was a good life, she thought, as she stirred the soup. 
	Sasami turned when she heard the front door open.  Looking up, her smile 
widened to epic proportions when she saw who had come in to the Masaki 
household.
	"Grandfather!!  I'm so glad your here!  You're just in time for breakfast.  
What brings you to the house?"  Sasami exclaimed as she leapt into the old man's 
arms, hugging him happily.
	Katsuhito just smiled and lifted the young, spirited girl into his arms so 
he could return the hug.  Chuckling with genuine mirth, he set his youngest 
sister down.
	"Is there anything I can do to help prepare breakfast today Sasami?  I was 
going to give Tenchi an early lesson today, but I might as well start with one 
of your delicious breakfasts."  Katsuhito smiled down at the blue-haired 
princess and pushed his glasses back into place on his nose.
	<More and more, she is beginning to look like Tsunami,> Katsuhito thought 
to himself.  <I wonder when they will assimilate into one being; will Tsunami 
still be as kind as Sasami is now?  Or will her duties as a Goddess reign in 
that youthful exuberance?  I hope not, that would be the greatest of tragedies.>
	The rest of the household descended the stairs as the smells of Sasami's 
excellent cooking set all of their mouths to watering.  First down was Ayeka, 
walking calmly and stately.  She stood, waiting for the rest to arrive.
	Next down was the duo of Space Detectives, Kiyone and Mihoshi.  The blonde 
Mihoshi shot down the stairs as if fired from a cannon.  Skidding slightly, she 
pounced down at her spot at the table, looking around with wide eyes.  Sighing 
in an exasperated tone, the green haired detective sat next to her partner, 
albeit with much better grace and decorum.
	Trudging down the stairs shortly after the two GP officers the slightly 
stooped form of Noboyuki appeared, yawning loudly.  Since this was one of the 
rare days he didn't have to be at the office, he was dressed in a much more 
relaxed fashion (i.e., without the tie ^_^).  The Brown eyed father set himself 
down with a thud next to Katsuhito.
	Finally, practically dancing for joy, Washu entered the room and took her 
place in between Kiyone and Noboyuki.  Everyone looked at her oddly as she 
continued to giggle like a schoolgirl every few seconds.  Realizing what she was 
doing, the red headed adult in a child's body blushed slightly, and then met 
everyone's gaze with an innocent expression.  "What!?!?!" Washu asked in such an 
accusatory voice that everyone looked away and became *very* interested in 
something, anything, else.

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

	Relaxing in the warm waters of the Onsen, Tenchi closed his eyes as the 
warm waters started to melt the tension from his muscles.  He sighed aloud as he 
thought about how his morning had started.  There were so many things he could 
have done differently, could have done better.  Instead, he had reacted the way 
he usually did, and had hurt Ryoko's feelings, badly.
	<Why am I such an idiot?>  Tenchi berated himself silently.  <I really 
ought to be used to Ryoko doing that by now, but no.  Instead of just asking her 
to move, and let me up, I had to go and freak out.  What is wrong with me?>  
With another loud sigh Tenchi hung his head in defeat.  
	It was probably a good thing that he did, because at that exact moment, 
Ryoko phased into existence about 20 feet in front of him, a happy Mayuka 
cradled in her arms.  The little baby giggled as Ryoko settled into the warm 
waters, Mayuka nestled comfortably against her chest.  As she settled into the 
water, Ryoko sighed tiredly, alerting Tenchi to her presence.
	Hearing the depressed sigh directly ahead of him, Tenchi reflexively 
started to look up to see who was so upset.  His brain didn't kick in until 
after he had lifted his head, reminding him that the sigh was female, and 
exactly who had said she was going to go take care of Mayuka.  Putting one and 
one together, he realized just a second to late exactly who would be sitting in 
front of him.  As his eyes settled on the form in front of him, he realized in 
horror that the only towels were next to the door, nearly twenty feet away!!!!!!
	<Kami Sama...>Tenchi thought, as blood began to trickle from his nose and 
a sweat drop the size of a soccer ball appeared on his head.  Tearing his eyes 
away, Tenchi spun around, blushing madly, and attempted to maintain both his 
composure and his consciousness.  <How am I gonna get out of this one?  She's 
between me and the door!!>
	By this time Ryoko had caught his familiar scent, and had realized that he 
was in there with her.  Judging by the swift movement, and the sound of dripping 
water, Ryoko guessed that he had seen her.  She considered for a moment teasing 
him, maybe even coming on to him, but then remembered Mayuka.  Sighing, she 
floated over and got herself a towel, then seated herself back in the waters of 
the Onsen.  Mayuka began crying, just a tiny bit, when she was removed from the 
warmth of the hot spring.
	"Aww, it's ok Mayuka.  Shhhhhhh, don't cry little one.  Mommy Ryoko's 
gonna keep you warm and safe".  Indeed, the soothing words and warm waters had 
already calmed the blue haired infant.  Glancing in Tenchi's direction, she saw 
that he was beet red and trying to make his way, to the door without looking at 
her.  Sighing, Ryoko moved away from the door to the opposite side of the pool 
and turned from Tenchi and the door.
	Not wanting to torture him any more, She spoke.  "It's safe, Tenchi.  I 
have a towel on, so you're more than welcome to stay.  We'd like that, wouldn't 
we, eh Noodles?"  Mayuka giggled as Ryoko tickled her stomach.  
	Tenchi had immediately sprinted to the door and grabbed a towel, and was 
almost gone when he heard the last comment Ryoko made.  He slowly turned to her.
	"Ryoko, you know I'm not supposed to be in here when one of you girls is 
in here."  He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head nervously.
	Ryoko looked up, a playful gleam in her eye.  "It's ok, Tenchi.  I don't 
mind, and nobody else is here..."  She smiled a little, noticing that he didn't 
tense up when she offered the invitation again.  Seeing that Tenchi was still 
hesitant though, she tried a different tack.  "You don't spend enough time with 
Mayuka anyway, Tenchi."  She got a small bit of satisfaction seeing that remark 
hit home.
	With a grimace, Tenchi realized she was right.  He didn't spend enough 
time with his daughter, or enough time with the group as a whole since he had to 
tend the fields.  Besides, Ryoko had a towel on, and she wasn't attempting to 
seduce him.  He was certain even Ryoko wouldn't try that with the baby here, so 
Tenchi relaxed a little and got back into the water.  Slowly, he made his way 
over to Ryoko and Mayuka.
	As Tenchi made his way over, Ryoko's smile got even wider than it had been 
before.  She hadn't thought that he would actually stay, but now that he was she 
was ecstatic.  As he got closer, she realized that he was watching her 
carefully, on guard if she tried anything.  Even if she WAS tempted to try 
something, she decided it would be better if Tenchi actually stayed for once.  
Maybe she could convince him to take a bath with just her... later.  She purred 
at the thought.
	When Tenchi reached Ryoko and Mayuka, he grinned down at his daughter.  It 
had been a while since he had seen her.  She was a beautiful child, and he 
looked forward to watching her grow up.  She was spirited, even this young.  He 
glanced at Ryoko, and realized that anyone walking in might have mistaken the 
three of them for a family.  Well, anyone not from his little group that is.

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

	Ayeka tapped her foot impatiently as she stood next to the kitchen door.  
She could not understand what was taking Lord Tenchi so long to arrive for 
breakfast.  For that matter, she couldn't understand why Mayuka and that demon-
woman weren't here either.  After hearing the cry of the baby in the morning, 
she knew that the first two to reach Mayuka's bedroom would be Washu and Ryoko.  
Since Washu was here, Ayeka decided she would just ask the diminutive scientist.
	"Excuse me, Miss Washu...." Ayeka began, but she immediately corrected 
herself at the glare from the red-haired woman, "um, *Little* Washu, could you 
please tell me where baby Mayuka is?  Ryoko and she should have been down for 
breakfast ten minutes ago."
	Washu considered the question for a moment, and then replied with a grin, 
"I think Ryoko and Mayuka went to the Onsen to bathe before breakfast, Ayeka.  
They probably got there just after Tenchi did.  They'll be along shortly...." 
The words were barely out of Washu's mouth before Ayeka's face went red with 
rage.
	"How dare she be in the Onsen with Lord Tenchi!  Of all the nerve!!  Who 
knows WHAT she is doing to him in there. I will have none of this!!!!!"  Ayeka 
snarled at this last comment as she ran to the door and flung it open, intent on 
stopping whatever it was Ryoko had planned.  She instead got a rude, and to her 
quite frightening, sight.
	Tenchi, Ryoko, and Mayuka were strolling slowly up the path.  Tenchi was 
not distressed in the least as he carried his daughter.  Indeed, neither he nor 
Ryoko was nervous, as if they were trying to hide anything from the rest of the 
house.  What frightened Ayeka the most was the laughter.  Tenchi and Ryoko were 
laughing together, and laughing with Mayuka.  Ayeka's mood worsened when Sasami 
walked up behind her as she stirred something in a small pot.
	"Wow, Ryoko and Tenchi look like they're having a good time, Ayeka.  Don't 
you think that they look happy sister?" In her joy at seeing her friends and 
family so happy, she missed the look that Ayeka gave her.  Washu then walked up 
and put a hand on Sasami's shoulder.
	"Don't they just look like the *darlingest* couple, Sasami?"  Washu asked 
the small princess.  Sasami nodded her head and giggled with Washu, though the 
scientist was not looking at the happy sight in front of her.  Washu looked up 
at Ayeka and watched the elder princess's reaction to her statement.
	Ayeka glared daggers at Washu and snarled, "Do not make such outlandish 
accusations Washu, lord Tenchi would not disgrace himself by consorting with 
that monster - woman."  Ignoring Washu's glare at Ayeka's title for Ryoko, she 
stomped out the door to greet the trio as they neared the house.
	Bowing to Tenchi in greeting, she began speaking.  "Good morning, lord 
Tenchi.  I am pleased to see that you and your daughter are all right.  It eases 
my mind to see that neither of you are harmed in any way..." She said, her voice 
tight as she shot Ryoko an icy stare.
	Ryoko growled a bit at the implications of what Ayeka had just said.  
"Whaddya mean by that, Princess?  You know I'd never hurt Mayuka or Tenchi.  
What's gotten your goat?"  Smirking, Ryoko assumed her usual cocky stance and 
continued.  "Why is it so hard for you to believe that Tenchi would actually 
choose to stay at the onsen with little old me?" Ryoko clasped her hands and 
batted her eyes.
	Meanwhile, Ayeka's own eyes had gotten round as saucers.  She was shocked 
at what Ryoko had said.  Indeed, she could not make herself believe it.  
	"W-w-what?!?!?!?!  How can you expect me to believe such an outlandish 
story?  Surely you must be lying then..." Ayeka said, the disbelief rampant in 
her expression.
	"Sorry Ayeka, but it's true.  Then again, it's only natural for two people 
who are so much in love to bathe together, eh?" Ryoko retorted, glomping onto 
Tenchi and winking at Ayeka.
	Ayeka's eyes narrowed, and she thought furiously to herself, <the nerve of 
that brazen hussy!!!  I'll just have to show my Lord Tenchi just what a fiendish 
monster Ryoko really is then.  >Inspiration struck, and Ayeka decided to put her 
newly found barbs to the test.
	"You fiendish woman, what have you done to Lord Tenchi?  It is obvious 
that he is only standing beside you right now because he is afraid for his 
daughter's safety. Why else would he be near a slothful, arrogant, ungraceful 
tramp such as yourself?"  Ayeka had a great deal of satisfaction to see the 
comments hit home, to see the hurt on Ryoko's face.  
	Both of the girls stared at each other, the hatred and anger palpable in 
the kitchen everyone was gathered in.  It was plainly obvious to all that a full 
out fight was brewing, since Ryoko wouldn't allow such painful words to go 
unanswered.  Surprisingly though, it was not Ryoko that replied, it was 
*Tenchi*.
	"That's enough, Ayeka.  I ran into Ryoko in the bath, and I stayed to 
spend time with Mayuka.  Ryoko didn't try anything so don't get so worked up.  
And besides," he said, meeting each of their eyes in turn, his voice terse, "How 
many times do I have to tell you not to fight in front of Mayuka?"  As if on 
cue, the baby began to wail.  
	Tenchi walked past both of them, and handed the baby to Washu.  "See, now 
you've done it."  Tenchi then turned to his Grandfather and the rest of the 
household.  He spoke as he grabbed a bowl of rice and headed back to the door.  
"Grandfather, I'm going to head up to the training grounds now.  I'll see you 
when you get there".  Bowing to everyone, Tenchi strode quickly out the door.
	The group looked on in silence as Tenchi stalked away.  Everyone except 
Katsuhito looked at each other in shock.  The Shinto priest's face was 
expressionless, his eyes hidden behind the light reflecting off his spectacles.  
Washu spoke up first.  "I hope you both realize that fighting in front of Tenchi 
like this is just going to drive him away, girls."  She commented quietly.  "If 
you two don't stop fighting like this, then neither of you will win his heart.  
In fact, it'll be more likely that Sasami will get Tenchi..."  She added, a 
mischievous gleam in her eyes.
	"What?!?!?!?!" Ryoko and Ayeka screamed in unison, their rivalry and 
argument momentarily forgotten.
	Sasami giggled at the two girls reactions.  She didn't think of Tenchi 
like that, and the thought made her giggle.  She could feel Tsunami laughing 
right along with her.
	Ryoko was the first to recover from Tenchi's unusual outburst and Washu's 
scolding.  Taking Mayuka from Washu, she glared at Ayeka, her eyes narrow and 
holding barely restrained anger.
	"We'll settle this later princess.  I have a baby to take care of.  Now, 
if you'll all excuse me." With that Ryoko and the baby phased from view.
	Washu felt a voice in her mind as soon as her daughter left.
	<Can I talk to you later, Washu?>  Ryoko's mental voice sounded inside her 
mind.
	Washu grinned, knowing what her flesh and blood would ask.  <Of course, 
little Ryoko.  You can tell mommy all about it later, ok?>  She could feel Ryoko 
tense up when she called her that, but sometimes it was fitting.
	Katsuhito just sighed and looked at Noboyuki.  "Sometimes, I think the boy 
takes after you a little too much, Son."
	All Noboyuki could do was sigh and nod as Katsuhito finished his meal and 
made his own way to the training grounds.  He sincerely hoped Tenchi would not 
get too rough of a lesson from his grandfather.

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

	At the clearing devoted to his training, Tenchi was balancing on short, 
narrow wooden pegs stuck into the ground, jumping to and fro slashing at a block 
of wood.  At least he didn't have it attached to a tree branch anymore.  It felt 
good to know that he could keep the chunk of wood in the air on his own now, 
almost making the little thing fly.
	The small piece of wood floated around, as though it were flying through 
the sky, maybe even through space itself.  With a sigh, he remembered who else 
could fly. Tenchi played over the incident that had happened just before he had 
left the house.  Why Ayeka would react like that, he only knew only too well.  
Why Ryoko and she couldn't get along, Tenchi didn't know.
	*Thunk* Tenchi grimaced when his train of thought caused him to miss the 
small piece of wood he had been keeping in the air with his bokken.  <Kinda like 
me and the girls..........> A rustle in the trees behind him alerted him to a 
presence in the clearing.  <Good, time to start the lesson.  Maybe this will get 
my mind off of Ryoko and the other girls.>  Tenchi Turned to face his 
grandfather, bowing as he did so.
	All the Kama must have taken a liking to Tenchi.  For the second time 
today, the act of bowing his head saved him, this time from a fast moving bokken 
aimed for the back of his head.  Teetering slightly on the post he was balancing 
on, Tenchi brought his own bokken up quickly to deflect the next strike.  The 
force of the swing sent him off balance.  He was not quick enough to block the 
next attack, and it struck him hard enough to send him tumbling across the 
clearing into a tree.
	Scrambling to his feet, Tenchi saw Katsuhito staring at him from the other 
side of the clearing.  Katsuhito's eyes were inscrutable behind his glasses, but 
his deep frown alerted the young man that today's lesson was not going to be an 
easy one.  Hunkering down into a defensive fighting stance, Tenchi waited for 
his grandfather to make the next move.
	Katsuhito suddenly lunged across the entire clearing almost before Tenchi 
could react striking with a succession of quick blows that Tenchi fended off 
only through reflex.  His frown deepened, and he slipped into the more familiar 
fighting routines.
	"Tenchi, have you learned nothing in all the time I have been training 
you?  How can you expect to defeat any opponent when you only react?  Without 
decisive action, there can only be failure.  *Houoof*!"  The last exclamation 
flew from Katsuhito as Tenchi slipped a blow through the elder Masaki's defenses 
and scored a solid hit.
	With a savagery that Katsuhito had not thought his grandson capable of, 
Tenchi began to fight almost desperately, almost inhumanly.  If not for his 
vastly superior training, Katsuhito was sure that he would have lost to his 
grandson within the first seconds of the boys attack. The sparring session 
ranged all around the clearing, neither opponent speaking, the only sound in the 
clearing was the crack of their practice swords colliding.  The elder swordsman 
was listening to the flow of the battle, trying to determine the reasons for his 
grandson's viciousness.  
	There was more going on in his grandson's head than Katsuhito had 
originally thought when Tenchi had arrived at breakfast this morning.  After his 
grandson had left, Washu had filled him in on what had happened earlier, as did 
Kiyone.  Ayeka had disappeared into her room, quite embarrassed about being 
scolded in front of everyone by Tenchi of all people.  After thinking on this 
for a while, Katsuhito reached a conclusion that startled him a little.  If he 
was right, then things were about to get more interesting.  He was almost 
certain that he was right.
	The elder Masaki was forced to return his full attention back to the boy 
in front of him when Tenchi succeeded in landing another strike on Katsuhito; 
this time a sold hit on his grandfather's shoulder.  Recovering quickly, 
Katsuhito focused completely on his grandsons actions, parrying blow after blow 
in rapid succession.  Finding the flow of the battle, he struck quickly, 
disrupting the pattern Tenchi had fallen into.  A few precise strikes later, 
Katsuhito had Tenchi on the defensive again, backpedaling to avoid the hailstorm 
of blows from the master swordsman's bokken.  His voice level and unflustered, 
Katsuhito asked his grandson a question.
	"What is troubling you so, Tenchi?  You are fighting well, better than you 
usually do.  Your actions reflect your emotions," he observed, meeting his 
grandsons eyes with a steady gaze, despite the speed of his attacks.  "You are 
fighting something, are you not?  And it is not this old man either.  No, You 
are fighting something, fighting it with your entire being.  Fighting so hard, 
so savagely, that this must involve someone you care about more than you even 
realize.  One of the girls perhaps."  The last part was meant to goad Tenchi on, 
and it succeeded.  Katsuhito had to stop his line of questioning momentarily as 
Tenchi began to press a furious attack on his defenses. After beating Tenchi 
back and returning to the offensive, he continued.  
	"The last time I saw this sort of decisiveness from you was when you had 
to go fight Kagato.  So, what has happened with the girls to elicit this sort of 
reaction?"  Ducking under a wild swing, Katsuhito saw that Tenchi's emotions 
were getting the better of him, and he was no longer fighting with any sort of 
skill, instead just letting his rage and frustration guide his sword.  His point 
made, Katsuhito decided to end the lesson for the day.
	Tenchi could not believe the change that came over his grandfather.  
Suddenly there was nothing he could do.  Every attack he made, Katsuhito's blade 
was there, almost before his own was.  Tenchi watched in growing amazement as 
his grandfather made it painfully clear exactly how much farther he had to go 
with his training.  In less than ten seconds, Tenchi found him self struck 
repeatedly over a good portion of his chest, arms, and legs.  Even as he landed 
face down on the ground, his own bokken in his grandfather's hand, he knew that 
every place he'd been struck was going to bruise.  As Tenchi looked up, 
Katsuhito dropped Tenchi's bokken and began to calmly walk away from the 
clearing.  
	"Tenchi, one last thing."  Katsuhito said, not turning or stopping.  
"These lessons are not meant only for battle.  Life can be far worse than any 
battlefield.  Today was our practice was good, but you were not fighting me, you 
were fighting both yourself and your life.  You cannot hold back the tide of 
your life forever, Tenchi.  It will only hurt you, and the people who care about 
you, if you are not honest with yourself. The longer you hide from the truth, 
the less time you have to live with it.  Remember this, grandson, while you tend 
to yourself."  That said Katsuhito disappeared down the trail toward the shrine.

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

	After an uncomfortably quiet breakfast, Kiyone and Mihoshi headed out on 
the Yagami to make their rounds.  The Sol sector was much better patrolled now 
that Kiyone had arrived, since she actually *made* Mihoshi go out on patrol.  
After an hour into the patrol with absolutely no activity, it looked as if the 
day was going to be yet another uneventful one for the two Galaxy police 
detectives.  That's why it came as a bit of a surprise when the long-range 
sensors picked up two spacecraft streaking into the solar system at reckless 
speeds.
	"Wow, would you look at that," Kiyone said as the two racing ships sped 
towards them, seemingly oblivious to the GP cruiser only a million kilometers 
off their bows, and closing fast.  Glancing to the left to see if Mihoshi was 
even paying attention, Kiyone was irritated, but not terribly surprised to find 
Mihoshi asleep, drool dripping off her chin.
	"Wake up Mihoshi!!" an extremely annoyed Kiyone screamed into her blonde 
partners ear.  "We've got some police work to do, so get it together Mihoshi!"
	Mihoshi just curled up a little bit more and mumbled, "Just let me sleep a 
little longer, Kiyone."  Then she yawned and snores pored forth from the co-
pilot seat.
	Kiyone could barely contain her anger at Mihoshi's inaction.  Glancing at 
the main display, she realized that she had less than a minute to prepare.  The 
read-out identified the ship in the lead as a light civilian freighter that was 
popular among smugglers because of the amount of room in its hull and frame for 
modifications.  The second ship, an obviously modified heavy fighter, was 
apparently in pursuit of the first.  Focusing the visual sensors on the smaller 
ship, she noticed the markings of the bounty hunters guild emblazoned on its 
dagger-like hull.
	"Great, just what I needed.  Now I have to get involved with a bounty 
hunter."  <Geez, what a mercenary bunch of creeps!  First Mihoshi sleeping, now 
this,> Kiyone thought glumly. 
 "Why can't anything ever go my way?"  Kiyone mumbled to herself as she readied 
to hail both ships.
	"Wow, those ships are moving really fast, aren't they Kiyone?" Mihoshi 
observed, rubbing sleep from her eyes.  "We should tell them to slow down before 
they get into an accident.  Shouldn't we be hailing them?"  Mihoshi asked.  
Kiyone fell out of her seat in surprise as her partner spoke directly into her 
ear. 
	She looked on in shock as Mihoshi opened a general hail and began speaking 
to both ships.  <How does she even remember how to do that?>  Kiyone thought to 
herself.  Then she heard what Mihoshi was saying and she turned stark white.
	"You there, in the ships.  This is detective's first class Mihoshi and 
Kiyone, in charge of the Sol system.  You are going really fast, and you need to 
slow down, okay?  If you don't, you'll make Kiyone really mad, and we'll have to 
arrest all of you, so please slow down, pretty please?"  As Mihoshi pleaded with 
the two ships, Kiyone quickly overcame her initial shock and slapped the comm. 
system off.
	"Mihoshi, you dingbat, what are you doing?  That's a bounty hunter and a 
criminal out there, they're not going to listen to you just because you asked 
nicely!!"  She saw tears beginning to well up in Mihoshi's eyes and sighed.
	"Look, it's all right.  I'm going to hail the bounty hunter and find out 
who the bounty is, ok?"  Seeing Mihoshi starting to calm down, Kiyone started up 
the comm. again and hailed the bounty hunter with a tight beam transmission.
	"Bounty hunter, state you name and license number, and the nature of your 
chase." Kiyone called, her voice calm and full of authority.  
	A fuzzy picture of a man dressed in a red coat and wearing a wide brimmed 
hat appeared on the monitor.  The man had apparently seen better days, as was 
made obvious by the ragged scar that angled from is left brow across the bridge 
of his nose, and across his right cheekbone. The scar was pale against his 
tanned complexion.  While apparently human, Kiyone noticed the fur on his face, 
nearly dismissing it as a beard before she looked more closely.  With a small 
gasp she realized that the bounty hunter was a Priderian, a race known for both 
their strength and their sense of justice.  Kiyone had never heard of a 
Priderian bounty hunter before; usually, they stayed on the right side of the 
law, with many making up the very best of the Galaxy Police.
	The bounty hunter looked up a little bit, his eyes still hidden in the 
deep shadows underneath the wide brim of his battered hat.  "My name is Victor 
Duras, and I am a Class 4 bounty hunter.  My guild code is V60513D.  Please 
stand down, detectives, I can apprehend this bounty without your help, I 
am......" 
	Suddenly, the frequency fuzzed out completely, the image degenerating to 
static.  Looking up quickly, Kiyone could see that the freighter had opened its 
main bay to space to reveal a jury-rigged weapons turret, which it was bringing 
to bear on the small fighter.  What made Kiyone's eyes go wide was when she 
recognized the cannon mounted to the make-shift turret.  It was a capital ship 
deck gun designed for engaging battleships.  
	Against something as small as a fighter even a near miss would be enough 
for a kill.  The bounty hunter had excellent reflexes.  The second the cannon 
started to target him, he threw his small craft into a tight turn that almost 
brought him out of the cannons firing arc.  Almost.  The blood-red streak of 
energy passed by less then a meter from the fighter's hull, and the sleek 
craft's port wing exploded as fuel and ordnance was ignited by the intense heat.
	"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...." Mihoshi wailed.  "I don't wanna die!!!" she 
screamed as the freighter turned its attention on the much less maneuverable GP 
cruiser.
	"We have to get out of here!!" Kiyone exclaimed.  "Our ship can't stand up 
to a cannon like that.  We need reinforcements......." Kiyone looked up in time 
to see the criminal ship prepare to fire, the cannon's tip glowing blood red...

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

	Half a system away and a few minutes earlier, in Washu's lab, the 
diminutive scientist was busily typing away at her ethereal computer.  Mid-
keystroke, the computer started beeping, indicating that someone was in the lab.  
A millisecond later, Washu felt someone appear behind her.  Without even 
turning, she knew it was Ryoko, probably there to talk with her about Tenchi.
	"Well hello Ryoko," Washu said as she spun around on the floating cushion 
she used as a chair.  Washu peered into her daughters mind and was surprised to 
see the mornings events not blocked from her.  <Oh, so this is what she wants to 
talk about, eh?>  Washu thought to herself as she scanned the most recent 
"Tenchi" incident through the telepathic link she shared with her daughter.
	Ryoko regarded the childlike woman in front of her for a hesitant moment 
before sitting down unceremoniously on the floor.  Looking up, she opened her 
mouth to speak, then shut it almost immediately, unsure how to proceed.
	"You wanna know if Tenchi is in love with one of us girls, don'tcha?"  
Seeing the pained look Ryoko gave her, she realized she had hit the nail on the 
head, so to speak.  "Well how am I supposed to know Ryoko?  I could probably 
look into his mind with some device or another, but I don't even do that to you 
unless I think there is something wrong.  So why should I do that to him?"  
Washu asked, turning back to face her computer.
	"But Washu, any other man I know would have been mine by now.  How can he 
keep turning me down or pushing me away?"  Ryoko grimaced and fought back a tear 
before she asked her next question.  "He's gotta be in love with someone else if 
he acts like this, right?" Ryoko asked her mother.  
	"Good use of deductive reasoning, my little Ryoko," That succeeded in 
getting an irritated grimace out of the cyan haired girl, so Washu finished the 
rest of what she had to say quickly, "But your not entirely right.  Did it ever 
occur to you that the reason he can't, or won't, return the affection you show 
him is because he doesn't want to hurt ANY of us?"   
	Ryoko was about to dismiss Washu's thought with a shrug and a wave of her 
hand when the diminutive scientist spoke up again.
	"Look at all the facts dear," and Washu said as she called up a few 
screens of data.  "If Tenchi picks Ayeka, that will hurt you and Mihoshi.  If he 
picks Mihoshi, which is unlikely, the little blonde would likely be killed by 
Ayeka or yourself.  If he chooses you, both Ayeka and Sasami will leave, and 
none of us want that."  Washu turned back around, meeting her daughter's gaze, 
her eyes filled with motherly compassion.
	"But Washu, I know that none of the other girls love him like I do!!  Why 
can't he see that it hurts when he keeps pushing me away?" Ryoko asked, 
desperation evident in her voice, her eyes wet from unshed tears.
	Washu sighed, but had expected nothing less from her progeny.  Slipping 
off her cushion to kneel beside Ryoko, she wrapped her arms around her startled 
daughter a fierce hug.  The former space pirate's control slipped a second later 
and her slender frame shook as she started crying in great, shuddering, sobs.
	"Just remember, Ryoko, that he doesn't express how he feels because he 
doesn't want to hurt anyone."  Washu whispered comfortingly, as she held the 
sobbing form of Ryoko in her childlike arms, "If you're hurting this badly, 
imagine the guilt and pain he must be going through, *knowing* that he's hurting 
you and the other girls, and hurting himself as well."
	Ryoko looked up in shock as Washu finished her speech.  Thinking on it for 
a moment, she realized that the one being hurt the most by all of her flirting, 
all of the fighting was Tenchi.  But, she couldn't just *let* Ayeka win.  That 
would drive her crazy, she was sure.
	Before either of them could continue their conversation, warning lights 
started flashing from a number of displays.  Washu let go of her daughter after 
a final squeeze, and leaped back to her computer, her small hands flying over 
the keyboard as she tried to pinpoint the source of the disturbance.
	"Ryoko, go get Ryo-Ohki and the others.  There's a firefight out by 
Saturn, and it looks like it is gonna be a doosy."  Seeing her daughter's 
reluctance, she shot Ryoko one of her best glares and snapped,  "Kiyone and 
Mihoshi are out there, and they're going to be totally outmatched if we don't 
hurry and get out there.  Now get moving Ryoko, grab Ryo-Ohki and get out 
there!"  Her expression softened for a moment as she added, "we'll finish our 
little mother daughter talk later, ok?"  With that, Washu flashed her daughter 
one of her best mad scientist grins, jumped from her floating pillow and 
sprinted for the door.
	Ryoko just shrugged her shoulders and faded away.  She reappeared in the 
fields next to Tenchi a moment later.  She didn't want to let on that she was 
actually worried, but Ryoko picked up her pace as soon as she reappeared next to 
Tenchi.  <I hope Mihoshi doesn't get those two killed>. 
	"C'mon Tenchi, we have to go," Ryoko said as she put her arm on Tenchi's 
shoulder.
	"Go where, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked even as he set down his tools.
	Ryoko shrugged her shoulders.  "It looks like Kiyone and Mihoshi have 
gotten themselves in a bit of a jam, so we need to go help out.  We have to go 
get Ayeka, so C'mon, let's hurry." 
	 Without waiting for a reply, Ryoko teleported Tenchi and she over to the 
hanging lines, where Ayeka was busily cleaning the laundry.
	Ayeka started visibly when Ryoko stuck her head through the linen she was 
setting on the line.  Startling her further, Ryoko just grabbed her hand with a 
grin.
	"Time to go on a little trip princess," she said with a smirk.  Suddenly 
Ayeka and Ryoko disappeared.
	Sasami came out of the house a moment to late to witness her sister's 
abrupt exit.  She looked around for a minute, and then sighed.
	"Where did everybody go?" The little girl wondered, as she looked around 
the suddenly deserted yard.  "Even Ryo-Ohki's gone..."
	Less than a minutes later, Ryo-Ohki shot out of the atmosphere, headed 
directly for Saturn.

----------------------------
	
	Kiyone closed her eyes and shoved the throttle all the way forward as she 
desperately veered the ship into a tight left-hand turn.  There was no way the 
Yagami was going to be able to dodge the freighter's main cannon at this range, 
but she had to try.  
	She could hear Mihoshi crying next to her, but Kiyone was too scared to 
even yell at her.  <Please let us live through this,> she prayed to whatever 
gods happened to be listening, as she watched arcs of energy run across the 
barrel of the cannon as it ran through the last moments of it's firing sequence.
	From behind the GP cruiser, energy streaked into the criminal ship, 
battering the boxy craft with a hail of weapons fire.  At almost the same 
moment, laser fire streaked from the debris cloud that marked what Kiyone had 
though was going to be the final resting place of the bounty hunter's fighter.  
Kiyone checked her screens and let out a small, amazed, gasp.  Victor's ship had 
partially survived the blast and most of the main hull, the starboard wing, the 
engines, and some of the energy weapons were intact and operational, at least 
for the moment.  Even more encouraging, Ryo-Ohki shot past the Yagami's bow, 
still raining fire on the criminal freighter.
	Ryoko, with Tenchi, Ayeka, and Washu in the background, appeared on the 
Yagami's main screen.  The former space pirate was still as smug as ever, and 
her devilish grin was in full force.  
	"Thought you two could use a little help."  Ryoko looked over her shoulder 
then and said, "You were right, Washu.  That other ship did survive; at least 
kinda, anyway."
	"Well, I told you.  That bounty hunter must have known how his target was 
armed and planned accordingly.  Still, he must have had a contract with the 
science academy at some time or another in order to have shielding that good on 
such a small ship."  While Washu was talking, she waved her holotop into 
existence and began typing.
	The fight in space was short but intense.  After a few well-placed shots 
from Ryo-Ohki, the main cannon on the criminal freighter was destroyed.  Without 
its primary armament, the criminal began evasive maneuvers, trying vainly to 
escape the combined wrath of three vessels.
	The Bounty hunter opened up a channel to Ryo-Ohki.  Though it was obvious 
that both he and his ship were worse for the wear, he spoke in a deep, calm 
voice.
	"Thank you for your help, former criminal Ryoko.  Though I did not believe 
the rumors that you were in this sector," Victor said, a slight grin appearing 
on his battered and bloody features, "I am relieved, for the moment anyway, that 
you have indeed changed for the better."  And with that he gave a slight bow of 
acknowledgement.
	"Wow, I didn't think I was still famous," Ryoko said, her lopsided grin 
even larger than before.  "Didja hear that Tenchi?  People still know me!" she 
said as she drank in the praise from the bounty hunter.
	"Yes Ryoko, Definitely still infamous, anyway," Ayeka said with a smirk.
	"Whatever Princess, at least I am known for more than my name."
	Ayeka shook her head as her eyes got wide.  "Wha-what WHAT!?!?!?!?!  How 
dare you say such outlandish things!!"  She turned to Tenchi, the glimmer of 
tears in Ayeka's eyes.
	"Tell this monster woman to stop, Lord Tenchi." She implored the young 
man.  Tenchi began to sweat as both Ayeka and Ryoko loomed nearer to him.
	"Um, Ladies", Washu said as she peered up from her spectral computer, 
"Maybe we should concentrate on the battle out there, not the one brewing in 
here?" 
	Washu looked at the screen, and her eyes narrowed slightly when she saw 
the bounty hunter.  <Hmm, so he's a Priderian, eh?  Has to be a half breed if 
he's bounty hunting; No full breed would debase himself like that>.  Washu's 
hands danced over her computer as she entered in numerous observations.  
	<Well, well, well!>  Washu thought to herself.  <This might be even more 
interesting than I thought.>  Washu looked up again to see the scenes of the 
battle, and hmmm'd to herself thoughtfully...

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

	The Criminal ship, it's shields starting to buckle and the big gun little 
more than slag, made a break for Earth's surface.  Ryo-Ohki swung around in 
pursuit as Kiyone brought the Yagami around to follow and the bounty hunter 
limped after all of them, his fighter doing an admirable job of keeping up, 
despite the heavy damage to it's port-side.
	The Criminals ship, while not faster than Ryo-Ohki, was fast enough to get 
to the Earths atmosphere before the rest of them could catch up.  Unwilling to 
damage their ships, Ryoko, Kiyone, and the bounty hunter stopped their ships 
before they entered Earth's gravity at a reckless pace.
	Washu opened a channel and spoke to the other two ships.  
	"All right folks, it looks like whoever that was just crash-landed in the 
central mountains of Japan.  We'll meet you back at the House, Kiyone and 
Mihoshi.  You three should be able to take it from here."
	"Take it easy you two", Ryoko said over the comm., and then the signal 
went out as Ryo-Ohki returned to the Masaki residence.
	Kiyone and Mihoshi looked at each other.  Mihoshi looked as confused as 
ever, and Kiyone looked surprised to still be alive.  Shaking her head to clear 
it, Kiyone maneuvered their cruiser over to the Victor's damaged fighter.
	As she made preparations to tractor the small ship into the holding bay, 
Kiyone opened up a comm. channel to speak with Victor.
	"Come in, Victor Duras.  We're going to bring you into our ship so that 
you'll survive reentry, and then we'll begin tracking your criminal."  Kiyone 
looked at the screen and saw the nod from the Bounty Hunter.  
	"That is acceptable Detective.  I'll be aboard shortly."
	"Why are you after this criminal anyway, Victor?"  Kiyone asked as her 
curiosity took over now that the threat was neutralized.  "They must have 
something very important to have that kind of weaponry."
	"They are very important, Detective, and very dangerous.  Once you get me 
to Earth, then leave the rest to me.  I can find these criminals on my own."
	Kiyone looked at him oddly as she asked her next question.  
	"What do they have, or what did they take, that is so important Victor?"
	Victor looked fully up at the screen, and Kiyone could see a smoldering 
fire within his eyes that frightened her.  And yet, they reminded her of the 
past, though she could not place why.
	"They have information, Detective Kiyone.  They have information to the 
whereabouts of the one known as Shinrai.  And I *will* have this information."  
	She was startled to hear this name out of the past, but she decided to 
wait until Victor was on board to ask why he was after that man.  As she was 
activating the tractor beam, she saw Mihoshi looking at the co-pilot's control 
panel.
	"I wanna help, Kiyone!"  Mihoshi whined, realizing that her partner was 
more or less ignoring her, "I'll start our descent Kiyone, and then we can go 
arrest that vile criminal in the name of Justice!!"  Mihoshi, striking a pose 
right out of a magical girl anime, didn't quite realize where she was putting 
her hand until it was a bit to late.  "Oops...I don't think I was supposed to 
press that one..."
	Kiyone's eyes got wide when she realized that Mihoshi *had* hit the 
correct button.  However, she also managed to hit the button for the 
afterburners... and had knocked the throttle all the way to the max position.  
The end result being that the cruiser hurtled towards the Masaki residence at 
roughly ten times the speed it should have been going.  Kiyone didn't even have 
time to scream at Mihoshi before the GP cruiser hit the lake.  As she lost 
consciousness, Kiyone made a vow to kill Mihoshi if she lived through the 
impact.

...To Be Continued


End of Chapter, the First.  What did you think?  This is the first fanfic I 
wrote, and I would like it muchly if you commented.  Makes me feel special to 
get email, even if it is hate mail ^_^  I know ye are itching to get on to the 
next chapter, but tell me what ye thought of this chapter as well, ok?  All 
replies go to Unholydragoon@aol.com.  Thanks!
DREZ