Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and their respective characters belong to 
Pioneer LDC and AIC.  I, however, stake claim on the characters which
are original to this fic, and I ask that if you would like to use them,
please ask me first.  Thanks.

Author's Notes: Hello again.  Well, this is it.  The LAST chapter.  
There will be an epilogue at the end of this, but as it is, this is 
pretty much the end of the fic.  I'm aware that I said there was going
to be 2 more chapters after 7, but I decided one longer chapter was 
better, and it seemed to have better coherency than two shorter ones.
This chapter is going to get really insane, so hang on.  It's been one 
hell of a ride, and I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed every minute of 
it, but in the end, this overall was really fun.  I really enjoyed 
writing this, and I am really glad that a lot of you have enjoyed reading 
this.  I hope that you will enjoy these final installments, as I know 
I'm going to enjoy writing them.  Oh yeah, there is going to be an 
ending song instead of an opening one, just because the song that will
be used PERFECTLY mirrors the entire fic, so I said, 'What the hell?', 
and decided for an ending theme.  Thank you so much for everyone who has 
liked this and have just been my friend.  You all rule.  I'd like to 
give a great big thanks to my good buddy Dark Jezter for taking over 
the prereading for this final installment.  Thanks, DJ.  
Take care, all! ^_^  

NOTE:  This Chapter, unlike the others, will be divided into parts.
You'll see what I mean.  Further, like the last chapter, this fic
contains some lime content.  Considerably MORESO than the previous
chapter, as well.  Be warned.

EXTRA IMPORTANT NOTICE!!!!
I'm going to ask a very important request for you, the reader.  If you
are reading this on Fanfiction.net, and plan on leaving a review 
afterwards, please, please, PLEASE do *NOT* give away any plot 
elements in your review.  I've seen it done before, and I would hope
that you let everyone discover the ending for themselves.  Thank you.



Quote of the Day:
"Any man in this world can be like God.  All present, all knowing, and 
yet... impudent outside the confines of his head.  And what God cannot 
do... men will attempt.  Unless... unless we stop them."
					- Arakawa (PatLabor 2)



	**********

JUNE MERMAID
Chapter 8: Toy Soldiers

	**********


-- Part 1:  "Confrontations" --


	"Thank you... Tenchi."
	Ryoko quietly whispered to him.  She moved her nude body a little
on top of his equally nude body so she was snuggled against him.  Her
arm was draped across his chest, and her left leg was propped over and
in between his, as she lay her head on his shoulder.
	He looked at her and smiled gently.  "You're welcome."
	Ryoko closed her eyes and smiled, nuzzling against his neck little,
her sweaty bare skin and cyan locks rubbing against his soft skin.
	The two of them lay in the small bed, in the small dark room, 
somewhat of a tangle of flesh.  Their sweaty, glistening bodies shone 
in the darkness, and their breathing was quite audible.  It was an
experience that both of them found they were scared of, but neither
would ever forget that time they had together.
	Tenchi put his arm around Ryoko, and hugged her a little closer.
	"I love you, Ryoko."
	Ryoko sighed, and snuggled a little closer.  "Mmm... say it again."
	Tenchi grinned.  "I love you, Ryoko."
	Her eyes were closed blissfully.  "I like the sound of that."
	Tenchi tilted his head, so he was using the top of her head and
her thick mane of cyan hair partially as a pillow.
	Ryoko sighed.  "....I can't believe it."
	Tenchi blinked.  "You can't believe what?"
	"I'm... *here*.  I'm... really... here... with *you*."
	Tenchi hugged her a little tighter.  "You sure are."
	"You seem a little different, Tenchi."
	Tenchi closed his eyes.  "I *am* different, now."
	"What happened in there?"
	Tenchi shook his head.  "More than words can describe."
	"....tell me about it, sometime?"
	Tenchi smiled.  "I'll try to, sure."
	Ryoko opened her eyes, and then crawled over a little, and 
hoisted herself up above him, so she was looking into his eyes.  Her
long cyan locks fell down to the sides of his neck, and stuck to it
a little from the thick sweat.
	Her amber eyes stared down into Tenchi's brown ones.
	"Tenchi... I..."
	And then the door opened.
	In unison, they blinked at the added light, the sound, and the
overall disturbance, turned, and screamed.
	Tokimi stood there, and just blinked as she saw a naked Ryoko
staring down at a naked Tenchi, screaming.
	"Is something wrong? Did I come at a bad time?"
	They quickly threw the covers over themselves.  "You sure as hell
*did*..." Ryoko grumbled.
	Tokimi shrugged, and walked into the room, the door sliding shut
behind her.
	"T...Tokimi-sama, what is it?"  Tenchi asked, holding the white
sheets tightly around him.
	"We're almost there, you two.  Just so you know."
	Ryoko blinked.  "There?"
	Tenchi looked at her.  "The Cradle."
	Tokimi frowned.  "You know, Adam?"
	Tenchi looked back at Tokimi, his face expressionless.  "I know
more than *you*, sister."
	Tokimi just stood there, blinking, not able to comprehend what
he meant.  Ryoko didn't have a clue what was going on, either.
	Tokimi backed up a little, and put her hand up as if to gather
some energy, but Tenchi waved his hand. 
	"Don't worry, he means you no harm."
	"*He*?"
	Tenchi sighed.  "The wave existence."
	Tokimi arched an eyebrow.  "What about him?"
	Tenchi looked into her dark blue eyes of her mortal body.  "He and
I are now one and the same."
	Both Ryoko and Tokimi took the reaction surprisedly.
	"WHAT?!"
	Tenchi nodded.  "I am now the Light Hawk.  But I am also Tenchi.
All of my Uroborus Rings have been awakened, so I have *all* of my
memories back, with the exception of the ones that only Ashley had
after Judas was born."
	Tokimi nodded.  "I see..."
	Ryoko put her hand on Tenchi's.  "Tenchi..."
	He looked at her.  "It's alright, Ryoko. I'm still Tenchi.
Just... a little different, that's all."
	Ryoko searched his eyes, and quickly found the Tenchi that she
knew and loved, and nodded.
	"Just different," she whispered.
	Tokimi shook her head.  "Adam, what did you mean by 'sister'?"
	Tenchi looked back at Tokimi, then at Ryoko.  He blushed.
	"Uh...could we continue this conversation after we get dressed?"
	Tokimi arched an eyebrow.  "I... suppose so."
	Tenchi nodded.  "We'll meet you in Tsunami's room then in a 
little while, okay Tokimi-sama?"
	Tokimi shrugged.  "That's fine with me, I suppose."
	Tokimi turned around, and walked out through the door, the 
wooden entrance sliding closed behind her with a slow hiss.
	Ryoko stood up and stretched.  "You know," she began as she
reached for the ceiling, "this just keeps getting weirder and
weirder."
	Tenchi shook his head.  "You have *no* idea, Ryoko."
	Ryoko started rolling her shoulders.  "Nope, I sure as hell don't.
Don't care, either."
	She grinned.  "All I care about is going in, kicking ass, and
then going home.  Not too much to ask, eh?"
	Tenchi smiled back at her.  "Not at all."
	Ryoko yawned, and floated almost giddily off the bed and onto
the floor, phasing into her blue and yellow dress.  She turned around 
to see Tenchi climb out of the bed...
	...and then phase into his clothes.
	Ryoko blinked for almost a minute.  "When the hell did you learn
how to do *that*?!"
	Tenchi rolled his neck as he stretched his muscles.  "It became
clear a little while ago."
	Ryoko frowned.  "Any other surprise tricks you've got up your
sleeve?"
	Tenchi grinned.
	<How about this one?>
	Ryoko's eyes went wide.  "That... was inside my head!"
	Tenchi's grin widened.  "Oh, I'm just full of surprises now,
aren't I?"
	"Really, what else can you do?"
	Tenchi's grin never faded.  "Hmmm... it's more a question of
what *can't* I do."
	"My, aren't *we* arrogant."
	Tenchi smiled sheepishly, and scratched the back of his neck. 
"Well... maybe just a little..."
	Ryoko smiled and shook her head.  "Come on, let's go."

	"I'm not sure I can trust him, now.  He called me 'sister'."
	Tokimi, Washu and Tsunami stood on what could be classified as
the 'bridge' of the ship, as it had the largest window that displayed
everything, and it was the largest room on the whole artificial ship,
although there were no controls.  Everything was controlled by Tsunami's
mind.
	Washu shook her head.  "I seriously doubt that we could stop
trusting him.  Even if he did fuse with the wave existence, he is still
*Tenchi*.  And while that may mean nothing to you, *I* know that he is
more than trust worthy."
	Tokimi took in a deep breath.  "Are you sure we can trust him,
Deis?"
	Washu nodded.  "With your life, sister."
	Tokimi closed her eyes and shrugged.  "Alright, if you say so. 
But keep in mind that I'm going to have my eye on him."
	Tsunami shook her head.  "That won't be necessary, sister.  Deis
speaks the truth.  I have seen Tenchi grow his entire life, and he is
if nothing else, an honorable man."
	"Yeah, but he isn't just *Tenchi* now.  He's also something else."
	Washu leaned against the wall, and crossed her arms.  "Well, we'll
just have to see for ourselves how different he is."
	The three of them stood in front of the massive window as the
ship barreled through hyperspace, only they weren't wearing their normal
attire.
	Washu's normal Science Academy Uniform was gone, in favor of 
something more maneuverable.  Her hair was still tied back, and there 
seemed to be as much of it as ever, only her whole face seemed...
different.  It was not only more adult, but it was a quiet beauty that
wasn't present in her normally.
	Her clothes were completely black.  There was a sharp collar 
on the top of her outfit, and a gold ring that rung around the back
of the neck.  The actual uniform was somewhat tight, although around
her hands it flared out slightly, not quite to her fingers, though.
	Tsunami was wearing a similar uniform, only where Washu's was
black, Tsunami's was white and blue, with a dark green ring around
the back of her neck.
	Tokimi wore something similar as well, only her's was a very 
dark red with some black streaks through it, although the ring around
the back of her neck was also gold.
	They were in their physical bodies, and they were as ready as 
they were ever going to be.
	The three of them turned as one as the doorway on the far side
of the massive room opened, and Ryoko and Tenchi walked in casually.
	Washu got off the wall.  "Hurry up, you two!" she shouted.
	To their amazement, Tenchi held Ryoko's wrist, and in a flash
of blue light, they appeared right in front of them.  Tenchi let go
of Ryoko's wrist, and he had on a somewhat cocky halfsmile.  Ryoko 
just looked as if she expected something weird to happen.
	Washu shook her head.  "Did the Wave Existence teach you that,
Tenchi?"
	He nodded.  "Uh huh."
	Tsunami stepped forward.  "What else did He teach you?"
	Tenchi crossed his arms.  "He didn't *teach* me anything.  Like
I told Tokimi-sama, he and I are now one and the same.  What he knew,
I know.  What I knew, He knows."
	Tsunami nodded.  "I see."
	Tokimi waved it aside.  "Alright, that's fine and all, but why
did you call me 'sister', Adam?"
	"Because you three have forgotten *who* I really am."
	Tsunami frowned.  "What do you mean?"
	Tenchi sighed.  "Our brother... Anonlbe... has been taking some
of your memories to use you for his own purposes.  He took many of
your memories.  Countless ones, in fact.  One of which was that I, 
the Light Hawk, am your brother."
	Washu shook her head.  "What else did he take?"
	Tenchi looked at Washu.  "We should talk about that later.
What matters now is stopping Anonlbe and Judas."
	Tokimi took a step forward, so she was looking right at Tenchi.
"Just a moment, Adam.  If someone has *really* been stealing my 
memories, I want to know what is gone."
	Tenchi sighed.  "It would take *years* to tell you all of the
things that he has taken.  And we don't have that much time until
he fully utilizes the Cradle."
	Tokimi frowned, but Washu spoke first.
	"He's right.  Right now, we should worry about Judas, and then
we can try to regain what we lost.  That's what this is all about, 
anyways."
	Washu turned to face Ryoko.  "We'll have to substitute your
gems, Ryoko.  Tsunami is willing to lend us some Jurai power so I
can create some new ones, now that I remember how."
	Ryoko smiled, and shook her head.  "That's awfully sweet of
you Washu, but I don't need to."
	"Why not?"
	Tokimi growled.  "If the girl isn't going to fight, get her out.
We need someone who is *willing*."
	Ryoko frowned, and stood Tokimi up.  "Hey now, watch it!"
	Tenchi put his hand on Ryoko's shoulder.  "Hold it, Ryoko. 
Don't worry about it."
	Ryoko stared at Tokimi for another second before turning back
to Washu.  "Tenchi is going to help me."
	Washu arched an eyebrow.  "Tenchi is?" she looked over at the
seemingly normal farm boy.  "Just what are you going to do *now*,
Tenchi?"
	Tenchi grinned.  "This."
	He took a step back from Ryoko, and then held out his palm.
Everyone looked at Tenchi, and watched with curiosity as blue energy
began to gather into his palm.  Slowly at first, but eventually the
energy began to amass itself at an alarming rate.
	The blue iridescent ball that completely encompassed his palm
throbbed with power.  He opened his eyes, and looked at Ryoko.  He 
pointed his palm at her, and then the ball of energy jettisoned from
his hand, and straight into Ryoko.
	The room was filled with noises of electricity cracking, and
blue light dancing all about the wooden carved walls, creating
shadows and silhouettes that seemed to represent and mimic the awe
of the occurrence.
	Ryoko's hands went to her chest where the ball struck, and 
the energy gathered.  She felt... warm.  There was no other feeling
than that.  She could feel something within her... building...
rising... almost as if it was an orgasm of power.
	Ryoko opened her eyes, and then it happened.  Her clothes were
being blown around as if she was in torrential winds, and her vast 
mane of cyan hair was receiving the same treatment.  On her forehead,
appeared the marks.
	The three green triangles, identical to those that Tenchi 
wore every time he donned the Light Hawk Armor.  Then, her entire
body was encompassed by a soft warmth, and then the light faded.
	The goddesses stared at her in awe.
	She looked down to see her new raiment's.
	Ryoko was now donned in the exact armor that Tenchi had worn
when he slayed Kagato, and when he had saved her from Doctor Clay.
	No one said anything for a few moments.  Eventually, Ryoko
broke the silence.
	"This is *SO* cool!"
	Tenchi grinned, and lowered his palm.
	Tsunami was stuttering.  "H... how... how..."
	Washu put her hand to her chin in thought as she looked at
her daughter, who was spinning around in her new armor.  "It seems
to be exactly the same as Tenchi's."
	Tenchi smiled.  "It is the same.  The *very* same."
	Tokimi looked at him.  "How?"
	Ryoko was grinning from ear to ear.  "The very same armor...
I wonder if it has the same underpants?"
	Tokimi, Washu, Tsunami, and Tenchi all blinked in unison and
looked over at Ryoko, who had a finger to her chin in thought.
	"Hmmm... I'm wearing the same underpants as Tenchi was when
he killed *Kagato*..." she blushed, and hugged herself, "talk about
a *turn on*!"
	Tenchi sweatdropped.  Washu face faulted.  Tsunami blinked. 
Tokimi shrugged.
	Ryoko began to swirl her hips around, as if to get a better
feel for the... undergarments.
	She was looking down at her waist as she did.  "Hey, this is
pretty nice!  Huh?  What do think of this, Kagato!  Turn *this* to 
stone, you slimy bastard!" she cried, as she continued to swirl her 
hips as if she was spinning some sort of hoola-hoop.
	Washu shook her head, and looked over at Tenchi.  "...ANYWAYS,
How did you do that?"
	"It's the same as with Tsunami."
	Tsunami looked over at him.  "The same?"
	He nodded.  "The very same.  You simply manipulated the waves of
my advent to create the Light Hawk Wings, armor, sword, and shield. 
I simply did the same, and gave Ryoko my old armor."
	Washu grinned, and shrugged.  "How do you like that, eh? 
Supernatural hand-me-downs."
	Tsunami stepped forward, and took Tenchi's hand.  "Tenchi... if 
we have forgotten things... is there anything that we must know before
we face Judas?"
	Tenchi took in a deep breath.  "A few things.  First, is that 
if you go in expecting a cake walk, we'll be dead in two seconds."
	Washu nodded.  "Right, don't underestimate him."
	"Them."
	"Them?"
	Tenchi nodded.  "Both Anonlbe and Judas will be our opponents."
	Washu frowned.  "Anonlbe can *fight*?"
	Tenchi closed his eyes, and nodded.  "Anonlbe is a thousand times
stronger than Judas."
	Tokimi's eyes went wide.  "What?!  How... is that possible?"
	"He control's the Cradle.  As long as he is within it, his power 
is almost omnipotent."
	Washu scoffed.  "Then how the hell do we beat him?"
	"We don't," Tenchi said, looking at her, "*I* do."
	Ryoko looked at Tenchi, finally calmer.  "'Scuse me?"
	Tenchi let go of Tsunami's hand, and leaned against the wall,
crossing his arms.  "Within the Cradle, you three won't be as strong
as you'd like to think.  You'll be powerful, true, but overall, Ryoko
and I will be stronger."
	Tokimi nodded, absentmindedly rubbing her neck.  "I can agree 
with that.  I couldn't even tap into half of my power."
	"That's because of the fear, Tokimi-sama.  You were *afraid*.
It's understandable, as you must be in your mortal forms to enter,
therefore you must have emotions.  But the thing is, you have to push
the fear aside."
	Tokimi scoffed.  "Easier said than done.  Have you *seen* Judas 
at point blank range with a sword to your neck?"
	Tenchi shook his head.  "I haven't.  But that isn't the point. 
The point is that we will be working on *his* wavelengths within the
Cradle, and therefore, you won't be able to have as much power."
	Washu took in a deep breath.  "Alright, that's fine.  We'll
just have to be careful.  But what are we going to do then?"
	Tenchi closed his eyes, still letting the wave existence do
all of the talking.  "Anonlbe and I will fight.  No..." he said, 
thinking, "there will not be a fight right away.  I know that he 
won't want to risk being killed until Judas has been defeated."
	Tokimi shrugged.  "Then we kill Anonlbe right away.  End of
story."
	Tenchi smirked.  "Good luck."
	Tokimi frowned.  "What do you mean?"
	Tenchi opened his eyes.  "Anonlbe can kill you all the second
we enter there with a *thought*.  You don't have a ghost of a chance
against him.  *Any* of you."
	Washu shook her head.  "Then..."
	"I, on the other hand..." Tenchi interrupted, "...do.  I can
manipulate his own Cradle just as well as he can, so I can stop him
from killing *you*.  However, he is far more experienced at wavelength
manipulation than I, and therefore, although we have the same power,
*he* has the advantage."
	Washu took in a long breath.  "So what do we do?"
	Tenchi shrugged.  "My first guess would be to try and talk them
out of it.  If that doesn't work, Judas has to go."
	Tokimi frowned.  "We can't kill him, Adam."
	Tenchi sighed.  "At the very least, incapacitate him, then. 
Make it so he can't fight.  He must be removed as a threat.  You four
should do that."
	The goddesses and Ryoko looked at each other, and nodded.
	Tenchi uncrossed his arms.  "I'll make sure Anonlbe won't
interfere.  I can keep him away from you all while you take care of
Judas."
	Ryoko nodded, and walked up to Tenchi, and put her hand on
his shoulder.  "We'll do it Tenchi. We can take care of him.  Right now,
I feel like I can take on anybody."
	Tenchi chuckled.  "With the power I just gave you, you *can*, 
Ryoko."
	Ryoko's grin intensified.  "I'm gonna have to think of some way
to reward my handsome prince for his lovely gift..."
	Washu cleared her throat.  "Later, Ryoko."
	Ryoko rolled her eyes.  "Whatever, *mom*."
	Ryoko took a step away from Tenchi, and as she did, she didn't
notice the warm, sad glance that Washu gave her.
	Tsunami looked back to Tenchi.  "Tenchi, once we have removed
Judas as a threat, what do you think we should do about Anonlbe?"
	Tenchi rolled his neck.  "That's an easy one.  Kill him."
	Tokimi rolled her eyes.  "Obviously, Adam.  *HOW* is the
question."
	Tenchi shrugged.  "I really can't think of anything other than
just leave him to me.  He'd kill you all in less than a second if
you tried him yourself within the Cradle."
	Washu nodded.  "Alright then, we'll do our best, Tenchi."
	Tokimi nodded.  "Alright then.  We will incapacitate Judas, and 
you will kill Anonlbe."
	Tenchi nodded.  "That's it in a nutshell."
	Tsunami's head snapped back slightly.
	They all looked at her. 
	"Sister?" Washu asked.
	Tsunami closed her eyes, and let out a long breath before opening
them again.  "We have arrived."

	Blackness.  Total, complete blackness.  Dark as far as everything
stretched.  All around, was a void of absolute nothingness, which seemed
to close in on them at the same time.
	Almost as if it was the manifestation of fear itself.
	Churning noises could be heard, a horrible whisper of phantoms 
within that void of nothingness.  A low rumble and chant as if there was
some sacrifice being offered upon a feast of madness.
	The void screamed at them, launching them into a plague and 
maelstrom of perpetual fear and discord.  And just when the screams, the
terror, and the chanting seemed to climax, all of that shattered away.
	The five of them looked at each other almost in a daze from
the disorientation of entering the Cradle.  Tenchi was no longer in his
field jacket, but he was dressed in new raiment's.  A long black cloak
fell behind him, and his body was adorned with black plated mail, with
silver lining. 
	His hair was still tied back, but he had three black slashes on
each of his cheeks.  The goddesses still wore their battle garbs, and
Ryoko was still in Tenchi's Light Hawk Armor.
	Tsunami was the first to speak.  "Well... we are here."
	As she spoke, they took a moment to examine their surroundings.
Never before within this dimension had any of the five ever been in
awe of something as they were now.
	They stood... in a tower.
	Not a normal tower, but a very, very, *very* big tower.
	They stood on what appeared to be rusting reinforced metal.  It
expanded all around them.  The walls of the tower where a dark blue, 
and appeared to be metallic, and old, and archaic.
	Far, far below them, was water.  Lot's, and lot's of water.
	There were broken outcroppings up the length of this massive,
almost hollow tower.
	Up...
	As one, they looked up. 
	And up... and up...
	Their eyes widened when they realized that they couldn't see the
top of the hollow tower.  It simply vanished into darkness, as it left
the realms of their mortal vision.
	Washu took a few steps around, and walked to the ledge, and 
looked down to the dark waters far below.
	"This is the largest structure I have *ever* seen..."
	Everyone just agreed by nodding silently.
	Washu shook her head.  "I'd say it's a good thousand feet down
to the water below..." she stood from her kneeling position, and
looked at the walls, that were very far from them, "...and I think that
the actual diameter of the tower is easily over a kilometer in length."
	Tenchi shook his head.  "Damn, you could fit the entire 
*mountain* back home in here, and there would still be room left over."
	It was true.  They were in the middle of this abandoned, rusty,
old archaic tower, and they seemed *very* small.  The walls were broken
open in a few places, allowing the only means of light to intrude 
into the tower, giving it the small essence of light.  There would be
*no* problem fitting several school sized buildings into the tower,
and that would simply fill the *width*.
	They all looked back up once again.
	Washu shook her head.  "I can't discern how far up the tower goes, 
though.  It goes out of my field of vision."
	Ryoko floated off the ground.  "Well, let's take a look, shall
we?"
	Ryoko gathered energy into her palm, and was just slightly
surprised when she noticed that the energy was blue, not red. 
Shrugging, she flat palmed her hand, and pointed straight up to the 
darkness, and then fired.
	Of course, she wasn't adapted to her powers yet, so she 
underestimated herself.
	A *massive* blast of blue iridescent energy came from her hand, 
sending a small shockwave, knocking Tokimi, Washu, and Tsunami off
of their feet, and sending any loose objects within a nearby radius
flying.  Some rust peeled off of the old floor.
	Washu quickly looked back up to watch the beam.
	They watched, and waited.
	And waited.
	...and waited.
	Washu squinted as she stood, leaning her ear higher, as if to
get a better notation of the sound.  After almost a minute and still
no sound, Washu shrugged.
	"Well I'll be damned."
	Tokimi got up, and brushed herself off.  "Well, Deis?  How far
up do you think it goes?"
	Washu put her hand to her chin in thought.  "Well... I'm 
guessing that the ceiling of this structure would fall somewhere in 
between forty five to sixty *kilometers* into the air."
	Ryoko blinked.  "Holy Shit!"
	Washu rolled her shoulder.  "Yeah, that's about the sum of it."
	Tsunami frowned.  "Hold on a minute."
	Washu continued to roll her shoulders.  "What?"
	"...isn't this *somewhat* familiar to you, Deis?"
	Washu shrugged.  "I don't see..." her eyes went a little wider,
and she looked over at Tsunami, "...damn, it is."
	Tenchi looked back at them, returning his gaze from the gaping
void above them.  "So you noticed too?"
	Ryoko looked back and forth between them.  "What?  What is it?"
	Tokimi looked at her.  "The Centra."
	"Centra?"
	Washu sighed.  "A *long* time ago, there was a war between a
group of people called the Centra and Jurai.  It was over thirty
thousand years ago.  Anyways, the short of it was, the Centra wasted
Jurai."
	Tokimi shook her head.  "That's an understatement."
	Washu nodded.  "The Jurains were all but finished.  They tried 
for one last ditch attack, but it didn't go as well as planned."
	She chucked a thumb at Tsunami.  "They managed to get Her tree
back, but they lost their priestess in the process.  They also lost
many, many men."
	Ryoko shook her head.  "Does this have a point, maybe?"
	"I'm getting to it, hold on.  Jeez, you can be so impatient 
sometimes."
	Tenchi smirked.  "Sometimes...?"
	Tokimi interrupted.  "Not now.  Let Deis finish."
	Washu nodded, and looked back at Ryoko.  "There was a... change,
however."
	Ryoko arched an eyebrow.  "Change?"
	Washu nodded.  "Things happened, people died, but the short end of
it was that *someone*..." she said, looking back in Tokimi's direction
from the corner of her eye, "...created a block on his persona so someone 
could be a shield for him, from the pain of losing his loved ones."
	Ryoko nodded.  "Okay, so then what?"
	"This new person was Judas.  And Judas single handedly brought
the Centra Empire to it's knees, and then killed all of them."
	"How'd he do that?"
	"By making contact with the Wave Existence."
	Ryoko blinked, now totally confused.  "But I thought that *Tenchi*
was the wave existence!"
	Tsunami spoke up.  "The *second* one, actually."
	"There are *two*?"
	Washu nodded.  "Yup.  One is our good buddy Tenchi over here, and
the other is Anonlbe."
	Ryoko shrugged.  "Alright, whatever.  I still don't get this whole
tower thing."
	Washu sighed.  "The Centra people, those that remained, that is, 
believed in a religion.  They believed that there was only one God, and
that he was waiting for them in Heaven."
	Ryoko smirked.  "Yeah, a horseshit religion.  Doesn't answer my
question, though."
	Tsunami cleared her throat.  "Actually, that is more true than
you may think, Eve."
	Ryoko blinked, but Washu waved it aside.
	"Doesn't matter.  Anyways, this is the point.  The remnants of 
the Centra were distraught.  They had no where to go, and the people of
Jurai were trailing them.  Judas had disappeared, as of then."
	Washu looked up, as she continued to speak.  "However, they
weren't beaten.  They found a means of fighting back."
	"How was that?"
	Washu grinned.  "To run, of course."
	"...wha?"
	Washu closed her eyes, summoning all of her knowledge on the 
memory.  "The Centra people decided that their only salvation was to 
return to heaven, and be with their God.  So, they stopped running from
Jurai."
	Washu looked back at Ryoko.  "Somehow, they managed to beat them
back.  It still can't be explained as to why, though.  Some speculate
that Judas returned, and devastated everyone and everything on the
battlefield, but mostly the Jurains."
	Ryoko shook her head.  "So then what?"
	"They began to build a tower, Ryoko.  They began to build a 
tower so that they could reach towards the heavens and be with their
God.  They worked on that tower for hundreds of years."
	Ryoko nodded, it all beginning to sink in.  "I take it this is
that tower?"
	Washu smiled.  "Now we're seeing the picture."
	Ryoko frowned.  "What happened after that?  Did they stop building
the tower?"
	Washu shook her head.  "I don't know.  After a long time, the 
entire Centra race simply... vanished.  The tower still is on the far
recesses of Jurai, sitting in a dormant and incomplete state, although
it has completely fallen apart."
	Ryoko whistled.  "Quite the story, Washu."
	Washu grinned.  "Glad you liked it."
	"Yes... I'm glad as well.  I welcome you all... to Babel."
	The five of them immediately looked up at the sound of the
voice.  Floating almost fifty feet above them... was Anonlbe.
	His appearance had changed.  He no longer reflected Adam, but a
newer persona.  He wore the same clothes, the white pants with the
blue shirt and purple sash, but his face and hair were different.
As well as his voice.  His voice was low, and accented.  Almost a
scratchy voice.
	His hair was several inches long, and spiky.  It was cyan, like
Ryoko's, only his was a darker shade.  Almost teal.  His eyes were a
dark yellow, and on the side of his face, he had two thin scars on
each cheek.  He also had a horn jutting out of the tip of his skull.
	He floated there with his arms crossed, grinning down at them.
	"It has been a *long* time, sisters."
	He looked over at Tenchi, and his grin widened.  "Ah, Brother!
I am so glad to see that you could come as well.  It is a long awaited
family gathering!"
	Tokimi stepped forward, a heavy frown on her face.  "Where is
Ashley?  Where is Judas?"
	"Judas is waiting.  He is waiting for us," he smiled, spreading
his arms, as if to gesture to the grandeur of the tower, "I do so hope
that you have enjoyed coming.  I thought that this would be the most
adequate place for us to meet again, don't you agree?"
	Tenchi frowned.  "How could they, when you've taken their
memories?!"
	Anonlbe humphed, crossing his arms again.  "Brother, no need to
be sour with me."
	Tsunami looked at Tenchi.  "Is there something that we should
know about this place, Tenchi?"
	Anonlbe laughed.  A cold, scary laugh, that was nothing but a
frightening thing to listen to.  "You don't remember, eh?  I almost
forgot that I removed those memories."
	Anonlbe smiled.  "After all, you are nothing more than puppets."
	Tenchi shook his head.  "Let it be, Anonlbe."
	Anonlbe thrust his hand forward, then moved it horizontally at
a blinding speed.  Before anyone knew what was happening, Tenchi held
his hand up, and a white, transparent barrier flickered, and then
a crashing noise could be heard, and then silence.
	Tenchi glared at him.  "Let it be."
	He blinked that Tenchi had blocked his attack so easily, but
then grinned, and looked down at them with a sinister smile.  "What?
Let *what* be?  Are you referring to the fact that they aren't 
goddesses?  That they aren't even *real* to begin with?"
	Tsunami, Tokimi, and Washu's eyes widened.
	Tenchi growled.  "LET IT BE!!"
	Anonlbe laughed.  "What would they think when they found out that
they are nothing but elaborate fantasies that *you* created?  What would
they think then?  That in actuality they never even existed until the
moment that this tower was destroyed?"
	"What...?" Tsunami whispered.
	Anonlbe chuckled.  "That's right, sister.  The only entities from
the original dimension that existed at the time of this dimensions
creation were myself, and our brother.  Adam, right there."
	Tsunami shook her head.  "But..."
	Anonlbe pointed.  "Goddesses... what a joke.  You are nothing 
more than fantasies... illusionary images that were created by 
manipulating waves by our *brother*."
	They looked at Tenchi.  Tenchi looked at the ground, unable to
meet their gaze.
	Anonlbe laughed again.  "Do you want to know why this tower is
unfinished?  Why the Centra were simply destroyed without a trace? 
Why you even EXIST AT ALL?"
	"ENOUGH, Anonlbe!" Tenchi shouted.
	"No..." Tsunami whispered, "...let him tell us."
	Anonlbe snorted.  "That's right, Adam.  They want to know.  They
are tired of all the lies that you have woven in their lives.  Enough
with the elaborate fabrications."
	Anonlbe looked up.  "On that day, that day that Judas returned
from his slumber... he came here.  To this tower.  Judas' sole desire,
his only reason for existing, is to erase everything, and then erase
himself.  He is a machine, bred on destruction, and born through the
searing flames of chaos.  He came... and he ravaged.  He annihilated
the Centra using my power."
	Anonlbe looked back, and pointed at Tenchi.  "But *HE* 
interfered.  He thought that the mortals that were created by the 
All Father deserved to live... so he stopped him."
	"He sealed Judas away, and then broke him into three pieces.
His entire consciousness was split into three.  I managed to make an
exact copy of it, before this happened, fortunately."
	Anonlbe chuckled.  "Our Brother never wanted to take the life
of one of the All Father's creations... so he did the next best
thing.  He divided it into three alternate personalities so that 
they wouldn't remember Judas.  Of course, seeing as Judas was the
physical advent of *myself*, as I had no desire to see mortals and
I wanted to end them all, he had incredible powers. So the three
pieces were all very powerful."
	Anonlbe smiled.  "And those pieces were none other than Deis,
Tsunami, and Tokimi."
	Tokimi shook her head.  "YOU LIE!!"
	Anonlbe started to laugh again.  "Do I?  I lie?" he continued to
laugh, and then became suddenly serious.
	"Then tell me, do you remember the True Dimension?"
	Tokimi frowned.  "Of course I do."
	"Describe it for me."
	"It... can't be put into words."
	"It's perfect.  A perfect harmony of existence," he said, a 
faraway look on his face.  He looked back.  "Then, do you remember when 
you were created there?"
	Tokimi took a step back.  "I..."
	Anonlbe snorted.  "Distorting the fabric of space time in this
dimension is so easy for me and my brother.  We can manipulate it
to whatever we want, in our true forms.  Of course, since my true
form has lost most of it's power since I gave it to Judas, I was
unable, and afraid to admit, that I am *still* unable to do so.  Of
course..." he sneered at Tenchi, "the same thing does not extend for
our dear brother."
	As one, the goddesses looked at Tenchi, who was simply looking
at the floor.
	Anonlbe crossed his arms again.  "He created the three of you,
and then distorted space time so that the very fabric of reality 
was... rewound, so to speak, back to the time we advented into this
existence.  And then he placed you all on a pedestal, and let Tsunami
create Adam and Eve, and filled you all with false memories of the
True Dimension that he collected from himself."
	Anonlbe smirked.  "You were all created here, at Babel, Time
Crash Ground Zero!"
	Washu shook her head.  "LIES!"
	"What's the matter?  Are you just mad that you came all this
way to find out that you are nothing but a puppet?  The reincarnation
of the original Judas?" he smirked, "The copy is waiting for us. He
is most looking forward to meeting you all."
	Tsunami shook head, and stood to her feet, her face burning
with anger.  "Why are you DOING this?!"
	"To return us all to the beginning, Tsunami.  To return us to
the All Father.  Don't worry, you will all come with me, of course.
Even those mortals who you are all so attached to will come."
	Tsunami collapsed to her knees, sobbing. 
	Ryoko walked over to Tenchi, and leaned over to look him
in the eyes.  "Tenchi..."
	He looked at her.  "I'm sorry... Ryoko."
	She took his hand in hers.  "It's okay.  I know it's still you,
Tenchi."
	He squeezed her hand back.
	Anonlbe spread his arms wide, and looked straight up at the 
top of the tower.  "Enough!  The time has come!  The time has finally
come to put an end to everything that was started over sixty
thousand years ago!" he looked down at them, "Judas and I will
await you all on the roof.  There is where the door will open upon
this realities destruction."
	With a large hiss, and a hum of power, he vanished in a flash
of red light, leaving no trace of his existence behind.
	Tokimi's had her hands balled into fists, and she was growling.
"I will... KILL HIM!"
	Washu walked over to Tsunami, and helped her up.  "It's alright,
sister."
	Tsunami wiped the tears out of her eyes.  "Deis... I..."
	Washu shook her head.  "Don't worry about it.  I'm still Washu, 
and you're still Tsunami.  That's all that matters."
	Tsunami smiled.  "....you're right, Deis."
	They stood up as one.  Tenchi sighed, and turned to face 
everyone.  "I'm really sorry, everyone."
	Tsunami shook her head.  "It's alright, Tenchi.  It isn't your
fault."
	Tenchi smiled.  "He was lying, you know."
	"Oh?"
	Tenchi nodded.  "You were born in the True Dimension.  It's just
that you weren't given physical properties until the Time Crash.  So
it was only a half truth... really."
	Tokimi shook her head.  "He's just trying to play mind games 
with us to throw us off."
	Ryoko took a step towards them.  "Well?  What are we waiting for? 
Let's not keep them waiting."
	Tenchi looked up at the massive, vast, hollow tower, and
spoke.  "Okay everyone, here we go."
	For a moment, blue waves of energy began to waver around the
group, and then at once, they all blasted off as Tenchi carried them
higher into the tower at a blinding speed.  The rusty reinforced 
metal they took off from caved in at the sheer might of the force
that was exerted.
	Ryoko was blinking.  "Wow... this is... fast..."
	She closed her mouth after, noticing the completely serious
and solemn expressions on her four companions. She nodded to herself,
and prepared herself for the top.

	The sky at the top of the tower was distorted.  It was many miles
above the ground, and thus it was in the clouds.  The clouds hung around
the massive kilometer wide ceiling like a cloud of gas.  They were 
orange, but a dark orange.  Almost to the point of ashen.  Red, crimson
lightning forked through the clouds, and the wind blew furiously.
	Anonlbe materialized, looking up into the clouds further.  After
a moment, he turned his head.
	"They are coming."
	Judas was standing with his arms crossed about ten feet behind
Anonlbe.  His face was expressionless, and his eyes were clouded.  On
his forehead were three inverted red triangles, and he wore armor that
was similar to that of Ryoko's, only it was Red and Black.
	Anonlbe looked back to the cloud's as a fork of lightning 
criss crossed it's way through the thick vapor.
	"The time has finally come, to put an end..."
	...he looked back at Judas through the corner of his eye...
	"...to everything."


-- Part 2: "Blood and Thunder" --


	After travelling at a blinding speed for almost a minute, they
could finally see the top of the tower coming very quickly towards
them.  Just as the five of them were about to smash into it, they
phased through it instead, passing through it as if it was a hologram,
not even there.
	Tenchi took a quick look around, and saw Anonlbe and Judas a 
good ways away, and teleported the five of the over there.
	They settled in, and then floated to the ground.
	Anonlbe had his arms crossed, and a grin on his face.  "So we're
here at last."
	Tokimi growled.  "I'll KILL you!"
	Anonlbe's eyes went wide, and there was a slight amount of
static the began to crackle around Tokimi.  A blue electrical field
that slowly danced around her, and then fizzled out.
	She just blinked.
	Anonlbe looked over at Tenchi.  "That's twice you've stopped
me from killing her."
	Tenchi just stared back him, with nothing but a deep frown 
on his face.
	Tsunami took a step forward.  "Please Anonlbe, you don't have to
do this..."
	He snorted.  "You're not one to say that about me, Tsunami. 
Not after what you've done.  Besides, the time for talk is over.  The
time to end everything and return everything to the beginning is
upon us."
	Tsunami sighed.  "Then this will be the time that we atone 
for everything."
	Anonlbe nodded.  "Yes... all of our sins will be washed away.
All of them."
	The wind howled at them, whipping their clothing around as
much as possible as their bodies would allow.  There was a collective
silence that fell over everyone, as everyone silently began to
reflect on themselves, and everything that they were.
	<Was this worth my existence?>
	Tenchi stared at Anonlbe, and he did the same.  Both knew that
they outclassed the others a thousand times, and both knew that
the second either moved, the fight would be on.
	But it was not them who moved first.  It was Judas.
	Unable to contain his rage anymore, Judas screamed across the
rooftop in a blaze of power and fury, straight at Tsunami.  His 
crimson Light Hawk Sword was ignited, and aimed at nowhere but
Tsunami's throat.
	Tsunami looked at him fear as he approached at a speed that
was inhuman, screaming like an animal in bloodlust.  She raised
her hands to defend herself, just as the blade struck.
	However, it was not her own barrier that the blade met.
	Blue clashed on Red.
	Judas looked to the source of defense, and saw that it was
Ryoko holding Tenchi's blue Light Hawk Sword that was holding him
back.
	Ryoko grinned, and then trust her foot forward in an attempt
to kick him.  Judas moved back from the blow, and swung again, 
attempting to take Tsunami's head off.
	Tsunami was gone, though.
	Tsunami was in the air, with a protective barrier around 
herself, some fifty feet above them.
	Ryoko saw her chance, and drove her shoulder into Judas'
stomach, driving him straight into the hard ground.  As they hit,
Judas sent his elbow into her face, and then kneed her throat, 
and then grabbed her head, and threw her flying with the momentum
that she had caused.
	He got to his feet, his eyes completely clouded with rage.
	"Damned avatar!" he shouted, reigniting his sword.
	Ryoko was already on her feet.
	Judas' brow furrowed.  "Above..." he whispered, just as he was 
struck again and again with large red energy blasts.
	Washu was floating some twenty feet above them, with
her right arm held down facing Judas, and her left arm bracing
the right, firing consecutive energy blasts.
	As the smoke cleared, Judas stood unscathed.  His five crimson
red Light Hawk Wings absorbed the blow, and were now orbiting around
him like electrons around a nucleus.
	He whirled, pointing his hand towards Washu, and fired a massive 
red energy blast.  Washu blinked, and then extended her hands.
	Two red ethereal raven-like wings extended in front of her
and began to swirl, just as the blast hit them.  The energy slowly
drained into the wings, and then Washu grinned as the wings 
folded back into her, causing her arms to surge with a red ethereal
glow.
	She grinned down at Judas.  "Never underestimate Washu, the
greatest scientific genius in the universe!"
	With that, she quickly cupped her hands together, and 
fired the same blast of energy along with the red raven wings 
right back at Judas.
	He growled, and lunged out the way, his wings extended
completely.  The blast struck the location where he was, causing
a massive explosion, kicking up dust, flames, and shrapnel in
every direction.
	He was growling as he got to his feet.  He could feel it.  She
was coming.  Judas knew the attack was coming before it hit.  He tilted
his head to the side, just barely evading Tsunami's fist.  Her fist
was powered by a throbbing blue energy, aimed directly at his head.
	Judas grabbed her arm at the elbow, and drove his fist into 
her stomach, causing her to almost collapse in his grip. 
	He grinned viscously down at her, and she frowned.  She quickly
held up her other free hand, and fired an energy blast right into
his face before he had any time to react.
	A light blue concussion explosion engulfed the two of them
as the blast struck him square in the face.  The others looked on
as the dust slowly cleared, and nothing was changed.
	Judas grinned, still holding onto Tsunami's arm.  "What the
hell was that?"
	Tsunami growled, and went to blast him again, but not this
time.  Judas crushed her elbow in his vice like grip, causing her 
to yelp in pain, as the sound of the bone and elbow joint snapping
was very audible.
	Judas grin of lunacy widened as he kicked Tsunami in the chest, 
while at the same time, flicking his wrist downward and pulling, 
successfully pulling Tsunami's right arm right out of the socket.
	Tsunami hit the ground with a grunt of pain, and her one
arm directly covered the spot where she used to have an arm.  Blood
was spraying out of the massive wound, and some was dripping out
of her mouth.
	She just stared up at Judas with a face of pain and anger, 
as she tried to comprehend this new sensation.
	Judas grinned as he threw the now completely limp arm to
the side.  "I don't think you realize exactly how long I have waited
for this moment, Tsunami."
	Judas took a step forward to finish her off, but Ryoko slammed
into him, causing the two of them to go flying.
	Washu dropped in next to Tsunami, and helped her to her knees.
	She looked at Tsunami with concern.  "Are you alright?"
	Tsunami frowned as she felt her warm blood run between her 
fingers.  "No, I am most certainly am not."
	Washu shook her head.  "It's called pain, Tsunami.  It's something
that you're going to have to get used to."
	Tsunami wheezed a little.  "I don't like it."
	"Neither did I."
	The two of them turned to see Tokimi walk up to them.  Washu 
frowned.  "Where the hell did you go?  Why haven't you been fighting?"
	Tokimi shook her head.  "I'm sorry... I just am having a hard 
time fighting *him*."
	Tsunami wheezed as she tried to stand, but fell back as the
rooftop was rocked by an explosion from Ryoko and Judas' sortie.  She
looked over at Tokimi. 
	"It's alright, Sister.  Just try your best."
	Tokimi shook her head, and knelt next to Washu and Tsunami. 
"That's not all, though."
	Washu frowned.  "What do you mean?"
	Tokimi gestured behind her with her eyes.  "Adam and Anonlbe. 
They've vanished."
	The three of them quickly scanned the roof.  Tenchi and Anonlbe
were nowhere to be seen.
	Washu helped Tsunami up as another explosion rocked the roof.
"I wonder where they wandered off to?"

	Judas flipped back as Ryoko dove down with her sword, successfully
carving a large portion of the metal roof with the energy blade.  He
landed, and growled at her, igniting his sword.
	"You are very good, Eve."
	Ryoko stood up, and smiled, pointing her sword at him.  "Thanks."
	His frown turned to an expression of violent pleasure.  "You
realize of course that you don't stand a chance against me."
	Ryoko humphed.  "I seem to have been doing pretty good so far."
	Judas' smile widened.  "But I have five wings."
	Ryoko chuckled.  "Yeah?  And I don't give a shit."
	With that, she blasted forward towards him at an incredible speed,
leaving a wake of blue energy matter behind her.  Her face was hard, 
and her sword was aimed straight for Judas' head.
	Judas changed his stance, and prepared for the attack.
	But the attack never came.
	At the last minute, Ryoko faded out of existence.  Judas blinked,
and began to frantically look around.
	He grunted.  "Dammit, that bitch has some tricks of her own, I
see..."
	As he said this, Ryoko struck.  A cleaving arc slash at Judas'
chest level from behind came from literally out of nowhere. Judas
realized the attack was coming not a moment too soon, and fully
extended his wings, as he leapt high into the air.
	Ryoko sword crashed against his barrier, causing energy to
ripple throughout the dusky sky.  Blue and red waves dances spectacularly
across that desolate roof, illuminating it in a rainbow of clashing
power.
	Ryoko pressed the attack, growling as she did.
	Judas' brow furrowed.  "You have some power... avatar..."
	Ryoko didn't respond, she just continued to press against the
barrier.  Judas began to channel more of his energy into defending 
Ryoko's increasingly fierce attack.
	Judas just glared furiously into Ryoko's eyes, and was somewhat
surprised when she suddenly flashed him a grin.
	Taking up on the act, he spun, and brought his sword up, just
in time to block the downward slash of Tokimi's black energy sword.
	Tokimi was grinning at him as she pressed her aerial attack, 
forcing him back down onto the ground.  Judas' eyes went wide when he
had to exert all of his energies into simply defense as Ryoko turned,
and struck at him again.
	Both Ryoko and Tokimi pressed the attack against him viciously.
	He growled.  "Damn you... Tokimi..."
	She frowned.  "Give me back Ashley."
	Judas quickly brought his sword down from Tokimi's, and then let
her momentum carry her down for a moment before swinging it again at
her neck.  She gasped and tried to bring her black sword up to block
it, but she wasn't quick enough.
	Her sword moved against Judas' Crimson one, but it shattered as
if glass as it was struck by his blade.  Her eyes went wide as the 
blade screamed towards her open neck, but it was blocked just a few
inches from severing her head and ending her long life by a blue
blade.
	Both Judas and Tokimi looked to the source of the blade, and
Ryoko was there, grinning.  "I thought that we were doing just fine, 
chump.  No need to involve any one else."
	Judas' patience with Ryoko snapped.  "You bitch!"
	Ryoko laughed as he lunged at her, and she simply phased out of
existence.  He began to look around again, this time in sheer fury.
His anger was consuming him, and Ryoko knew it.
	"Where are you!  You fucking coward, fight me bitch!" he screamed
to the sky.
	Tokimi leapt back, sensing the attack before Judas.
	Judas looked up at the last minute to see Ryoko barreling 
straight towards him from above, five, not three wings fully extended,
her entire being coursing with a blue power, drawing in matter from
her surroundings and channeling it into herself.
	His eyes went wide.  "Dammit..."
	And then she crashed into him.
	And for a moment, the roof ceased to exist.
	Tokimi, Washu, and Tsunami quickly erected barriers and took to 
the sky as the roof was completely saturated in an all encompassing
violet explosion, the result of Crimson and Blue Light Power crashing
into each other.
	For several minutes, nothing could be heard.  Simply a high
pitched whining sound as everything within sight of the roof was 
completely engulfed in light.
	After a few moments, the sound began to fade, along with the 
light.
	Washu blinked her eyes, and surveyed the damage.  Her and her
sisters eyes went wide when all was revealed.
	What once was a massive kilometer wide roof was now simply a 
gaping hole.  Debris from the walls and the roof were raining down the
massive tower, and the entire reality around the roof was somewhat
wavy and distorted.
	In the center of all the carnage, was Ryoko and Judas.
	The two of them were floating in the middle of a wide open 
space with used to be a roof.  Power was literally seeping off of them,
as they floated in a static position.  Judas had all five of his wings
extended, and his hands were cupped together, and within them, he
held onto Ryoko's blue Light Hawk Sword tightly.
	Ryoko had both of her hands on the hilt of her sword, and all
five Light Hawk Wings were revolving around her like electrons.  Both
her and Judas were breathing heavily, staring right at each other.
	Judas growled.  "Five wings..."
	Ryoko managed a grin.  "You like that?"
	Judas screamed.  "ENOUGH!"
	With that, he pressed fiercely against Ryoko sword, pushing her
back somewhat.  Ryoko's grin disappeared, and turned into a deep frown
as she pushed back against his hands.
	And then Judas pulled the surprise move.
	Ryoko suddenly fell forward at a blinding speed.  She blinked a
few times, and then her eyes went wide when she realized that Judas
had phased out of existence!
	Ryoko whirled around to block the fierce slash from Judas.
	Ryoko looked into his eyes as they both barreled down the massive
length of tower, both blades pressed against each other in a brilliant
shining light of power.
	In those eyes, were nothing that resembled a human.  Nothing. 
Simply an eager bloodlust, a savage animal that wanted nothing more 
than to feel and taste the flesh of it's enemies, and it wouldn't
be satisfied until anything and everything had met it's end by his 
own hand.
	Ryoko shook her head.  "There is no Ashley..."
	Judas went wide, and his face adopted a fiendish grin.  "That's
right.  There is no Ashley.  Only Judas.  Anonlbe destroyed that weakling
and already inserted him into the Cradle."
	Ryoko sent a kick upwards, but Judas laughed sadistically and
faded out of existence, laughing.
	Ryoko stopped her rapid descent, and looked around.  "You monster!"
she cried out to the desolate tower.
	Judas faded into existence about thirty feet above her.  His
devilish grin intensified.  "Monster?  I'm not a monster."
	He held his sword out, and prepared to strike.  He let a dry
smirk escape his lips.  "I'm the devil."
	Ryoko prepared to catch his blade with her own, but he faded out
of existence.  This time, she didn't even have a moment to find him,
as he struck instantly.
	And this time...
	...Ryoko couldn't block it.
	Ryoko found that breathing had become very difficult.  She 
trembled a little, and looked down.  Protruding from in between her
collar bones, was the end of Judas' sword.
	Her lip began to quiver as she felt her blood seeping down her
own chest and back.
	Judas grinned from behind her, and leaned in so his head was
next to her ear.  "Don't worry, Eve child.  You will be united with
the Cradle, and soon you will be one with Adam."
	Ryoko began to blink as she could feel herself grow lighter
and lighter with each passing second.  She slowly looked up, and saw
that there was nothing but darkness.  The two of them had descend far
below where the roof was formally.
	<I remember... when he was a little boy...>
	Ryoko's body bucked slightly as Judas pulled his sword from the
back of her throat, and Ryoko felt her body falling down, the life 
from her body fading away.
	<He made me laugh... he made me cry...>
	Her vision was becoming clouded...
	<He made me *me*.  He created a woman, and I loved him for it.>
	The feelings in her limbs were slowly fading away from her...
	<I'll never stop loving him for that.>
	She could feel the light rush of the wind as her body fell
further and further down, and as her consciousness slipped further
and further away...
	<...even if I can never be with you again, I will never stop
loving you...>
	Ryoko managed to turn her body as she fell, but she could no
longer see Judas.
	<I'm... glad... that I know that you love me, too.>
	It was either that she had fallen too far, or that she simply
couldn't see anything anymore.  Everything within her body seemed
to be shutting down.
	Ryoko eyelids began to close, and as she felt the very last 
of her being suffocated as it cried out for breath, she let out one
last thought.
	<I'm sorry...Tenchi...>

	Tenchi looked at his hand, and then at Anonlbe.  "You killed her."
	Anonlbe took in a long breath.  "I'm sorry, brother.  No... more 
for Adam.  It had to be done.  I apologize."
	"You... killed her..."
	Anonlbe sighed. 
	The two of them floated in a void of nothingness.  Absolutely
nothing existed there other than themselves.  Every sound they made,
or movement they took, seemed to echo off of some invisible walls that
enclosed all around them, even though there was nothing.
	Tenchi wiped his eyes.  "I should be crying more..."
	Anonlbe shook his head.  "You shouldn't be crying at *all*.  It's
merely Adam's influence on you."
	Tenchi found himself breathing heavier and heavier.
	Anonlbe arched an eyebrow.  "Exactly how deep have you intermingled 
yourself with this mortal, brother?"
	Tenchi then stopped.  Everything.  Breathing, moving, crying...
	...everything ceased.
	Anonlbe frowned.
	Tenchi looked up at Anonlbe, his face totally expressionless.
And then... he spoke.  A voice that was not Tenchi's, not at all. 
Another voice.  A voice that was soothing to listen to.  A voice that
seemed to caress the ears of those who heard it, a gentle melody of
song within that voice.
	"We haven't learned anything."
	Anonlbe arched an eyebrow.  "What's that?"
	"Nothing.  We have learned nothing.  We have been put here for
a reason.  And we haven't learned it yet."
	"Come on.  Enough of that!" Anonlbe admonished,  "We are here
because the All-Father is testing us!  We will return to Him!"
	"No."
	"...what?"
	Anonlbe's eyes went wide as everything went white.  The blackness
of their surrounding folded away, and everything went from a cold,
deathly void, to an enveloping, serene white.
	And then it faded away.
	Anonlbe looked around him.  Tenchi was standing across from him, 
his face still expressionless, but that wasn't the difference.  The two
of them were now in what seemed to be almost a copy of the tower of
Babel.
	Only it wasn't as large, and it was in far better shape.  The
largest difference was, however, what was several meters from the
two of them. 
	There, standing erect in the middle of the tower, was a massive
tube.  A cylinder, that stretched upwards and downwards, and seemed to
have no roof nor bottom, as did the tower.  Within that tube, was a
rippling substance that seemed to mirror water, as it cascaded in a
cerulean brilliance, a turquoise liquid that shone against the dark
tower.
	Anonlbe looked at it.  "What is this?"
	Tenchi turned to it.  "The one that we have forgotten."
	"Forgotten?"
	"We have all forgotten.  All of us.  Everything that mattered to
us is nothing because we have forgotten."
	Anonlbe looked at Tenchi from the corner of his eye.  "What is 
it that we have forgotten?"
	Tenchi lifelessly raised his arm, and gestured to the tube.  His
arm hung almost limp as he did.  "Her."
	Anonlbe blinked.  "What...?"
	Tenchi body then began to quake with shivers, and then harsh
seizures and spasms rocked his frame.  After a moment, he doubled over,
and clutched his stomach, and let out an animal filled scream of
excruciating pain.  It was no longer that voice of benevolence, but
it was the voice of Tenchi Masaki that was in pain.
	As he hit the ground, his body shimmered.  It seemed to ripple
as if it was a distortion in space time.  Then, his body shone a 
blinding light, and flashed brilliantly.
	Anonlbe squinted, but kept watching. The light then billowed
up and away from Tenchi body, and then slowly formed into the shape
of a man, a replica of Tenchi. Only it was completely compromised
of light, and had no distinguishing features.
	Anonlbe shook his head.  "I see that you have abandoned the
Adam child.  You were just using him to get to me, weren't you?"
	The same benevolent voice spoke again.  "Yes."
	"But who is it that you are referring to?"
	The entity of light once again gestured to the cylinder of
light.  "Her."
	Anonlbe squinted, and then blinked.  Within that massive 
cylinder, was a body.  The body was of a naked woman, floating with
her eyes closed, as if in some serene surrender of slumber.  The
body was that of Ryoko's.
	Anonlbe shook his head.  "Eve?  How have we forgotten Eve?"
	"That is not Eve."
	"What?"
	"That is our sister."
	Anonlbe looked over at him.  "What do you mean?"
	"Eve is our sister.  We have forgotten that.  I did not remember
myself until she was ended inside the Cradle.  The backlash of her
own waves as it left her body stirred the memories within me."
	"I don't understand.  How is she our sister?"
	"She is the third."
	"Third?" Anonlbe's eyes went wide, "The third wave existence?"
	"Indeed.  If you remember correctly, when Adam was known as
Sydney, he came into contact with her.  She was known as Raven then.
I don't think they ever knew that, though.  I am rather surprised...
since it was *you* who came into contact with her."
	Anonlbe walked forward and gently rested his hand on the glass. 
"Sister..." he looked back at the wave existence from the corner of his 
eye,  "How is it that I have forgotten such a thing?"
	"It isn't very difficult to comprehend.  It is because of dreams.
It is because we are mortal.  It is because we are flawed.  It is
because of the Time Crash.  There are many things to be factored."
	"Dreams?" Anonlbe snorted, "I don't dream."
	"But you do.  As do I.  We all dream.  Remember?  Dreams are the
extension of reality.  We forget things in our wake, but we remember
them in our dreams.  When Eve came into contact with Sydney, it was
through a dream.  The wave existence within her waited until Raven
was asleep, and then reached out to Adam."
	"So you think it's because we *dream* that we forgot that Eve
is our sister."
	"It is also because of the Time Crash.  We are mortal, therefore
we were affected by it, whether or not we wanted to.  We have 
forgotten many things from that time."
	Anonlbe gently smirked.  "Yeah...I suppose we have."
	"Give Eve back to Adam."
	"Pardon?"
	The wave existence took a few steps towards Anonlbe.  "Please
brother, return Eve to Adam."
	Anonlbe frowned.  "Why?  Why should I?  I need her to operate
the Cradle!  Hell, now that I know that she is a wave existence, I need
her the *most*!"
	"Abandon this foolish plan.  Give Eve back."
	Anonlbe's frown deepened.  "You speak in a demanding tone, 
*brother*."
	"I have touched Adam's being.  I have *been* Adam's being.  I know
what it is to be mortal.  And I know that what you are doing is foolish."
	"Foolish?"
	"The All-Father will come when He comes.  Until then, believe in
the power of humans, brother."
	Anonlbe closed his eyes, and shook his head.  "Forget it.  I won't."
	"Touch him, then."
	"What?"
	"See what it is like to be a mortal like him.  See what it is like."
	Anonlbe frowned.  "I..."
	The wave existence floated into the air, and looked down at
Anonlbe.  "I will show you what he showed me, brother."
	Anonlbe took a step forward, his eye arched, as he stared up at 
the wave existence.  "Are you going to attempt that?  In *my* Cradle?"
	"Indeed.  You will be changed.  We will *all* be changed."
	Anonlbe closed his eyes.  "Creating a Time Crash within this
hyper condensed space is impossible for me... but I think that you
would be able to do it.  I will allow you to do so, but know that I
will retain all my memories."
	"Thank you, brother."
	Anonlbe sighed.  "Since I am the only one of the god's who seems
to not believe in 'the power of humans', as you put it, I will try
to see your way.  But I will not forget my mission."
	"You won't have to.  You just have to see it for yourself."
	Anonlbe sighed.  "Then go ahead."
	There was a slight rumble that seemed to emanate from the wave
existence, and then everything went white.

	The air crackled with a crimson electric scream as the lightning
tendril raced across the distorted sky.  An ominous mixture of dusk
and immense twilight seemed to permeate from the desolate remains of
the roof of the tower of Babel.
	Washu's fists were shaking in anger, as tears were streaming 
down her face as she floated in the air.
	"Judas..." she growled.
	Judas floated twenty feet in front of her, his sword in his
hand, and an expressionless face on his persona.
	Washu gritted her teeth as she felt hot salty tears fall past
her lips and into her mouth.
	"You... Killed... my daughter... you... *bastard*!"
	Judas shrugged as he looked back and forth at the three goddesses.
Tokimi looked back at him angrily, Tsunami had a similar but more pained
expression as she held the open wound on her shoulder, and Washu 
stared at him with blinding hatred.
	Judas waved his sword a little.  "I used strategy.  I eliminated
the biggest threat first."
	"I WILL KILL YOU, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!!"
	Judas smirked, and began to channel energy into his palm, when
he stopped.  His eyes went wide.  "It's... happening again..."
	Tokimi frowned.  "What's going on?"
	The sky began to rumble,  and the intensity and the frequency of
the streaks of lightning increased tenfold.  Judas began to tremble as
the entire reality seemed to be tearing apart.
	"No... not again... Anonlbe... please... I'll be good... don't...
don't let it happen... again..."
	Tokimi was watching Judas as he was collapsing into a haze of fear.
Washu was still shaking in absolute fury, and Tsunami was looking all
around as the reality seemed to be coming undone.
	Judas disengaged his sword, and looked down the massive tower.
	"I'm a bad boy, Tsunami."
	Tokimi's eyes went wide as the pitch, and texture of his voice
changed.  "Ashley!"
	Ashley looked up at Tokimi.  "Tokimi... you're here..."
	Tsunami screamed.
	Tokimi looked at her sister.  "What is it, sister?"
	"It's... happening... the Time Crash!"
	As she uttered these words, everything ceased to exist.  Everything
didn't even go white nor black, as those colored distinctions ceased to exist
as well.  Distorted screams were launched in a frantic clash of apoplexy 
as everything crashed in on itself, taking Ashley, Tokimi, Washu and 
Tsunami with it.
	Then, there was nothing.


-- Part 3: "Mantra of God" --


	Air.
	The primary element of the atmosphere in which we mortals need to
live.  We breathe it.  It is our lifeblood.  We cannot exist without it.
	But for one who is beyond mortal, air is but a word.
	Anonlbe looked around in the darkness.  There was nothing.  Not
even air.  No elements existed.  At his feet, was a blue, translucent
ground, which resembled glass, which ran as far as he could see in front
of him, and as far as he could see behind him.
	To the sides, it stretched only a few meters, where it ended.
	Other than the haunting glass like ground, there was nothing.
	Anonlbe shook his head.  "Is this what you wanted to show me brother?
That there is nothing?"
	No response.
	"Have you tried to trick me?  You know that this is my Cradle, and
just because you removed Time doesn't change the fact that I am all
powerful within it."
	Again, no response.
	Anonlbe sighed, and spoke again.  "I see.  Then you proved to be
petty in the end.  I was willing to hear you out, but it-"
	<Silence.>
	Anonlbe stopped.
	"Who was that?  Brother?"
	<Brother.  Here.  Brother not here.>
	The voice echoed out of the nothingness, and spoke to him in a 
very disturbingly eerie tone.  The voice was extremely low, and almost
more like a growl than a voice.  It held no emotion, and seemed to 
echo off of the nothing.
	"Is that you, Brother?  Are you trying to trick me?"
	<Brother not here.  Only you, and I.>
	Anonlbe arched an eyebrow, as he just looked around the nothing,
trying to find the source of the voice.  "And who, praytell, are you?"
	<I am you.>
	Anonlbe frowned.
	<I am what you are.  I am nothing.>
	"What?"
	<You are nothing.  I am nothing.  Therefore I am you.>
	Anonlbe smirked.  "How is it that I am nothing?"
	<You don't exist.  You are an illusion.>
	"Is that so." Anonlbe said, with no traces of conviction in his
voice.
	<Darkness.>
	Anonlbe gasped, as the voice seemed to echo more, and it seemed 
to spread itself.
	<I am Darkness.>
	"What is..."
	<We are Darkness.>
	"What is going on!"
	<We end.  We are darkness.  We are nothing.  You end.  You are
darkness.  You are nothing.>
	Anonlbe fell to one knee on the blue glass.  "What... is this?!"
	<This is you.  This is the end.>
	Anonlbe was breathing heavily, as he stared at the glass.  "I
survived the Time Crash before... and it was nothing like this... what
is it that has happened...?"
	<Judas.>
	"Judas?"
	<We are Judas.  You are Judas.  Judas will end all.  He will end
everything.  He is nothing.  You are Judas.  So you are nothing.>
	"I am NOT Judas!  He is only my power!"
	<The Time Crash reset that.  You are forever intermingled with 
him.  He is nothing.  We are nothing.  You are nothing.>
	"I don't care!  I don't care if I don't amount to any more than
an illusion!  I must see my Father!  I want to see my Father!"
	<Petulant.  You are worthless.>
	"Shut up!  Shut up!  Shut up!"
	<You will vanish.  When time is restored, you will become us.>
	"I don't want to disappear!  I want to go home!  I hate this!
Why?!  Why did this have to happen!  I didn't do anything wrong!"
	<You are nothing.  You have no opinions.>
	Anonlbe stood up shakingly, and began to fire energy blasts off
into the darkness, in every direction.  "Shut up!  I am not nothing!
I *am* something!  I am Anonlbe!  I am the long awaited man of God!
What makes you think that you know *anything* about me!"
	<We know.  We know you.  We are you.  Nothing.>
	Anonlbe collapsed onto his knees on the glass, with his arms 
folded around his torso, and he cried.  "I am not nothing.  I'm not."
	<You do not need to worry any more.  You are a good boy.>
	"I'm... a good boy."
	<Father is happy with you for wanting to see him.>
	"Father..."
	<You are nothing.  You wish to be with your Father so you can be
*something*.  You know it is true.>
	"It... isn't..."
	<We know because we are you.  You cannot lie, not even to yourself.>
	Anonlbe's arms fell limp.  "I'm... nothing..."
	<Come home, Anonlbe.  Come and be one with us again.>
	"Home..."
	<Here, you are wanted.  You will be welcome.>
	"I will be welcome there?"
	<Come and join us and be nothing.  One day your Father will return
and make you and us into something.>
	Anonlbe stood, and wiped tears out of his eyes.  "I will be something."
	<Join.>
	"I want to be something.  I don't want to be nothing.  Away from
Father, I am not worth anything.  I want to be with Him so I can be
something."
	<Come to us, and we will take you to him.>
	"I don't want to be nothing."
	<We will take you home.  Once with us... you *will* be home.>
	"...nothing..."
	<Only once nothing can you be made into something.>
	"I..."
	<Come home, Anonlbe.>
	"I'm..." Anonlbe started, and then he closed his eyes, "I'm... home."
	<Welcome home.>
	The darkness around Anonlbe shimmered like a candle, and then seemed
to make his being flicker just like a candle would.  His body flashed on
and off, and faded slower and slower...
	And then, Anonlbe was home.

	Water.
	Water is the most beautiful of all elements.  It can be as quiet and
serene as a gentle stream, lazily flowing down a mountainside, to a 
torrential onslaught of rain, pounding down on the earth below.
	From water comes life.  Life cannot exist without water.  From 
something as simple as a cherry blossom that flutters off of a large tree,
gently guided by the wind, to something as complicated and structured as
a human taking a walk through a forest, life cannot exist without water.
	Tsunami took in a deep breath. 
	She looked down at the water. 
	Around her, was nothing.  It was an empty void, where nothing
existed.  No air, no stars, no particles of any kind.  A dead reality.
	However, she was very much alive.  She was standing above the
only means of life in... wherever she was.  A small rippling pool of
cerulean water.  She gazed down at it, surprised that she could see
her reflection as if it was glass.
	Even more surprising, was that her arm had rejuvenated.  She
didn't even notice the change.  Tsunami simply looked into the water,
and gently ran her delicate fingers down the side of her face, to
confirm that she was still within a mortal body.  Then, the voice
spoke.
	<Tsunami.>
	Tsunami blinked, and looked all around.  She knew that voice. It
was so similar to hers, after all.
	"Sasami?  Was that you, Sasami?"
	<Tsunami.>
	"Where are you, Sasami?"
	<I am here.  I am where you are.  We are the same, after all,
aren't we, Tsunami.>
	Tsunami nodded.  "Yes, I suppose that you are right."
	<You lied to me, Tsunami.>
	"Sasami?"
	<You lied.  You don't love me.>
	"That isn't true, Sasami."
	<You used me so you could get to Tenchi.>
	Tsunami sighed, and looked down at the water once again, this
time in sadness.  "I'm sorry, Sasami.  It is true.  But I do love
you, still."
	<Do you really?>
	"Of course.  I love you so much, Sasami."
	<What will happen to me?>
	"Do you mean when... we assimilate?"
	<Yeah.>
	"We will be one."
	<I don't understand, Tsunami.  What do you mean?>
	Tsunami sighed, and leaned down to look into the water further. "It
is a very difficult thing to explain using words, Sasami.  I can't tell
you any better than I could show you.  You will be me, and I will be
you.  I will be able to be mortal, and feel what it means to have emotions
like you do, and you will be a goddess, able to recollect things from
countless millennia ago."
	<Will I lose being me?  Will I disappear?>
	"No.  You will simply change.  As will I."
	<I'm scared, Tsunami.  I don't want to change.  I want to be me.>
	"It will be better than you think, Sasami.  You will just have
to wait and see.  You will be you, and I will be I, but we will be the
same, all at once,"  Tsunami sighed, "It is very difficult to explain."
	<You can't tell me more?>
	"I am as a mortal now, Sasami.  I cannot do anything beyond my power.
And as such, *you* are a mortal, therefore once I return to my proper
form, I will still be unable to tell you, because you, as a mortal, will
be unable to comprehend it.  Just wait.  It will come, and then you
will understand everything."
	<...I love you, Tsunami.>
	Tsunami smiled, and gently touched the pool of water with her
finger.  "I love you too, Sasami."
	<When will you be coming back?  When will everyone come home?>
	"Are you dreaming, Sasami?"
	<Yes.>
	"I thought so.  You are spreading your mind into my dimension
once again.  That is why you have nightmares, because you try to touch
something that goes beyond natural understanding."
	<I'm sorry, I->
	"It's okay, Sasami," Tsunami interrupted sweetly, "I'm just telling
you.  I do not know when we will return, or even if we will."
	<How is everyone?>
	Tsunami let out a long breath.  "Tenchi is well.  As is Washu."
	<What about Ryoko?>
	Tsunami shut her eyes in pain.  She couldn't bring herself to tell
Sasami that Ryoko had fallen to the hands of Judas. 
	Tsunami's eyes snapped open.
	"She's not gone yet..."
	<What?>
	"She... is in... the Cradle..." Tsunami said, piecing everything
together.
	<What are you talking about, Tsunami?>
	Tsunami stood, and stared down at the pool, this time with a 
large smile on her face.  "Soon."
	<Huh?>
	"Soon.  We will all be home soon, Sasami."

	Fire.
	A strong essence of nature.  An essence that holds light, in even
the most dark of times.  A flicker of hope, or a flame of solitude,
fire is always warm.  Fire always dances.  Fire always illuminates.
	As this occurred, Washu sat on the couch.
	She was in a small room, but it was very comfortable.  It was made
of wood, and the wood glistened with the gentle touch of the fire's light.
There was a large carpet which was spread about the small room, and within
this room, there was a soft couch, which faced a small, cobblestoned 
fireplace. 
	In this fireplace, danced a fire, which lit the room, shining it's
orange glow and basking it all in it's gentle effervescence.  Washu sat 
on the couch, simply staring back at the small fire.  She was dressed in
very causal, comfortable clothes, and she had a faraway look on her face.
	She had a thick, white blanket wrapped around herself, and she
simply stared into the fire.
	The fire of her memories.
	At the side of the small room, on a small wooden table, was a 
music box.  The music box slowly played a quiet, soft tune, as Washu
simply stared absently at the fire.
	She remembered.  She remembered this.  She remembered then, the 
voice.  It spoke.  It called to her.  The gentle voice that Washu had 
not heard in so long, but she would never forget.
	It spoke to her.
	"...mmy..."
	It was faded.
	"...ommy..."
	It came again, only louder.
	"..mommy..."
	It called her name.
	"Mommy!"
	Washu's head turned from the fire, to directly behind her where
there was a wooden door to this cabin like room, which crashed open.
The door swung open, and cold frost and snow blew in as it did, but
something else came in with the wind and the snow.
	A child.
	A child that Washu had not seen in thousands of years.
	A child that was *Washu's*.
	The door closed behind the child, and the child turned around and
grinned up at Washu.  The little girl scampered around the room, and
around the couch, still covered in flakes of snow, towards Washu.
	The child was small.  Washu remembered that.  The child was only
four feet tall.  Washu remembered that.  She remembered everything 
about this child.  Her cute little nose, her spiky cyan hair, her
golden eyes, shining with mischief... everything.
	"Mommy!" she cried in joy as she leapt off of her small feet and
into the welcoming arms of Washu.  Washu embraced her daughter back,
ignoring the cold frost covering her small, thin jacket, and the thick
snow that had imbedded itself into her thick mane of hair.
	"Oh, mommy!  I'm here!"
	Washu smiled softly down at the little girl in her arms.  "I'm
glad you came back, little Ryoko.  It is very cold outside."
	Little Ryoko sat down next to her mommy, and looked up at her
with two, questioning, tender golden eyes.  "Why is it snowing, mommy?
Can't you make it stop?  It's cold!"
	Washu chuckled softly, and began to run her hand through little
Ryoko's hair, wiping the snow out.  "I can make it stop."
	"Then how come you don't?"
	Washu smiled down at her daughter.  "Because I don't want to."
	Little Ryoko blinked, and just looked at her mommy with a
puzzled expression on her face, as Washu began to take off little
Ryoko's boots, and put them down next to the couch.
	"But... *why* don't you want to, mommy?  The snow is cold!"
	Washu didn't say anything, but just smiled as she lifted Little
Ryoko's coat over her head, and then placed it down on top of her
boots next to the couch.  She then draped the thick white blanket
around her little daughter, and Little Ryoko snuggled up to her 
mother.  The two of them sat that way, simply staring at the fire, 
listening to the music box play it's slow, sad song.
	"I... like the snow." Washu finally answered.
	Little Ryoko snuggled a little closer to her mommy, and continued
to gaze at the dancing flames with her amber eyes.  "Why, mommy?"
	Washu sighed.  "I don't know, sweetie.  I... just... like it.  It
is difficult to explain.  I know that it is cold, but I love the way
it looks.  I love the way that it covers everything, and blankets it
with beauty."
	Little Ryoko giggled.  "You mean like this?" she asked, tugging
at the white blanket they had draped over themselves.
	Washu chuckled.  "Yes, like that, sweetie.  Just like that."
	Little Ryoko just giggled, and the two of them sat in each others
embrace, watching and being warmed by the fire, listening to the music
box.  The slow tune seemed to compliment the scene so adequately.
	A memory.
	A promise.
	A memory of a time long since passed.
	A time when everything was perfect.  When everything was just as
it was meant to be.  A memory of a time... that would never return.
	Washu felt tears beginning to gather in her eyes as she began
to realize this.  This wasn't real.  This was a memory.  It had long
since come and gone.  This little girl who she loved more than anything
in the entire universe wasn't even *her* little Ryoko.
	It was a simple memory. 
	A recollection of a time.  Nothing more.  It wasn't real.
	It was a time that was gone.
	Washu sniffled a little as she held her daughter close.
	Little Ryoko looked up to see that her mommy's eyes were watering,
and she looked very sad.
	"What's wrong, mommy?"
	Washu blinked, and then looked down at her daughter.  "Nothing.
Nothing is wrong, sweetie."
	"But you're crying, mommy!  People only cry when something is
wrong.  So what's wrong?"
	"I... I'm just..." Washu shook her head, and used her free hand
from underneath the blanket to wipe at her eyes.  "I'm just happy."
	"Happy?  But then why are you crying?  People don't cry when they
are happy, mommy."
	"They do, little Ryoko... they do.  When they are really happy."
	Little Ryoko blinked as she looked at her mommy's face.  "So 
you are *really* happy, then?"
	Washu smiled sadly down at her daughter.  *Her* daughter.  "Yes,
honey.  I'm happy.  I'm *very* happy."
	"Why?"
	Washu didn't respond at first.  She simply looked at her daughters
face, looking deep at her eyes, her nose, her ears, permanently engraving
this moment into her memory forever.
	Because she knew that this moment would end.  So she wanted to
remember it for the rest of her days.
	"I'm happy because I'm here with you, little Ryoko."
	"Oh..." little Ryoko said, in a quiet voice.  Then, "I'm happy 
to be with you too, mommy!"
	"I'm glad."
	"Mommy?"
	"Yes, sweetie?"
	"I love you, mommy."
	Right then.
	Everything.
	Everything at that moment, came to a stop.  All of reality stopped.
Her memories, her feelings, her presence, her thoughts, her ability to
even think...
	Gone.
	Those words where what she had wanted to hear for her entire life.
She remembered them.  Not even that.  She *experienced* them.  Her 
daughter.  *Her* daughter.  Her little Ryoko.  How she loved her little
Ryoko.  Her little Ryoko... loved her back.
	Washu smiled down at her daughter, as tears began to pour down
her soft face, and her vision of little Ryoko's face became a soft 
blur from the gentle light of the fire and the salty warmth of her tears,
but even still, she could see her.
	"I love you too, honey.  I love you so much."
	"I want to stay with you forever, mommy."
	<Memories...>
	<This is a memory... I still have it... after all this time...>
	Washu smiled. 
	<Then, since I remember these words... she will always...>
	"Yes, Ryoko.  We will be together forever."

	Washu opened her eyes.  She ran her hands along the length of the
surface that she appeared to be kneeling upon.  Blinking a few times,
she reoriented herself.
	She was now back in her black battle gear, and she was on her
knees on a blue, glass like floor.  All around her, there was nothing.
Beneath the glass floor, and in every which direction, spanned nothing
but total darkness.
	Washu slowly put her hands on the glass, and pushed herself up,
allowing herself to rise to her feet.
	<Are you awake?>
	Washu looked at her hands as she stood.  "I guess that I am."
	<You were dreaming.  Not an uncommon thing.>
	Washu nodded.  She recognized the voice very easily.  It was
one that she was very familiar with, and hearing it speak to her
from almost everywhere at once it seemed didn't disturb her all that
much.
	It was *her* voice, afterall.
	<Did you have a sweet dream?>
	"I did."
	<Do you remember it?>
	"I do."
	<Will you forget that dream?>
	Washu shook her head as she continued to stare at her hands.  
"I will never forget that dream.  Never.  My Little Ryoko will live
on forever within my own memories."
	<That is good.>
	Washu took in a long breath, as she began to survey her 
surroundings.  Darkness.  And a small glass road that spanned on for
eternity in both directions. 
	Not much to look at.
	<Do you know where you are?>
	Washu nodded.  "I still think that we are in the Cradle, I believe."
	<Incorrect.>
	"Oh?"
	<You are within the nothing.>
	"...nothing?"
	<It is a place where the concept of 'time' is but derogatory.  
This is the End of Time.  Or maybe even the Beginning of Time.  It is
impossible to discern which, because the very concept of 'time' 
is impossible.>
	Washu nodded as she let out a long breath.  "The Time Crash."
	<Indeed.>
	Washu closed her eyes, painfully.  "Time Crash or not... it 
doesn't change the fact that my little Ryoko is gone.  Forever."
	<Maybe.>
	Washu frowned as she listened.
	<You are still alive.  Your memories are reality.  They
occur within yourself, therefore, they are real.  You remember her.
Therefore, she is real.  As you said, she lives on through your
memories.>
	"I understand that... but I still want to see her."
	<Then, you *do not* understand.>
	Washu shook her head.  "I... I do understand.  That doesn't mean
that I don't feel regret!"
	<Poor Washu-chan... you haven't learned anything, have you?>
	Washu frowned.  "What?"
	<You do know who I am, don't you?>
	"Aren't you supposed to me?  You are reflecting my thoughts
through the Cradle, I'm assuming."
	<Sort of.>
	Washu blinked.
	<I am you, but I am merely a memory of you.  I am a past life.>
	Washu arched an eyebrow.  "Then you must be communicating to
me through my Uroborus Rings."
	<Correct.  A long, long time ago, when I had a body as you do,
I had a name, too.>
	"You were...?  I should have your memories."
	<My name was Yoko.>
	"Oh yes," Washu agreed, nodding, "You were a mercenary, right?"
	<That's right.  And I know what you are going through better 
than you know.>
	"Oh?"
	<Perhaps due to the Time Crash, you can't access my memories. 
Otherwise you would know what I was talking about.>
	"Maybe you're right..."
	<Did you ever know why I was a mercenary?  Why I teamed up with
a vagabond like Sydney?>
	"No... I *did* know, but I never looked at that memory.  Why?"
	<When I was younger, I had a daughter once.>
	"Really?"
	<Yes.  When she was only five years old, and I loved her so much,
she died.>
	"I... see..."
	<I didn't think that I could live on after that pain.  Her smile,
her giggle, her playful attitude... her love for me...>
	Washu's head drooped.  "I know what you mean..."
	<But I did.>
	Washu's face grew puzzled.  "What do you mean?"
	<I lived on.  I moved on with my life.  Even though my daughter,
who was the most important thing in my entire life was no longer a 
part of it, I moved on.>
	Washu scoffed.  "So you became a merc just to ease the pain, is
that it?  You substituted a new life for yourself just so you wouldn't
have to go through the pain of *remembering* your daughter."
	<You're wrong, Washu.>
	"I doubt it."
	<I never forgot her.  Never.  Every time I remembered her, it 
hurt.  It hurt so much.  Until I just...>
	"Stopped remembering?" Washu accused.
	<No... I remembered other things.>
	Washu crossed her arms.  "Like what?"
	<I remembered her smile... I remembered the way that she made me
laugh...> Yoko chuckled slightly then, <...I remember having to clean
up after she made a mess of my office that one time.  She looked so
precious.>
	Washu sighed.  "I totally understand, Yoko.  But... but for me...
it's the same, only different."
	<What do you mean?>
	"When I remember my little Ryoko, I remember her smile.  Her 
ready giggle.  Her love for me.  The way she loved everything about
life.  The way she wanted to know more, to play... to have fun."
	Washu paused, and felt tears gathering in her eyes.
	"But I also remember other things.  Like the way that my little
Ryoko... who is not so little any more... say things that she said to
me.  'Stay the hell out of my life.'  'I hate you.'  It... hurt.  
And the worst part was... I deserved it.  I deserved all of it.  I
became the devil that had ruined her."
	<Wrong.>
	"But I'm not!  My last memories of my daughter are ones where 
I treated her as a specimen and where she treated me with spite!  I
can't just call up my old memories into some sort of rosary to 
escape reality!  I just... just... can't."
	<But you are wrong.>
	"I'm not.  And whenever I remember what she was like when she
was younger... as happy as she was then... I can't help but remember
what she became.  She became a frightened, angry, petulant child.  
And it was *all* my fault."
	<That's hardly true.>
	Washu smirked sadly as tears began to run down her face.  "She
wouldn't even call me 'mom'."
	<Do you really believe all of that?>
	"Of course I do... let's face it... I'm a crappy mother."
	<So you say that she has become a crappy child?>
	Washu paused.
	<All children have faults.  All mothers are imperfect.  But you
share something.  Something that is there, but hasn't had the chance
to bloom yet.  Love.>
	Washu looked at her hands.  "But it won't ever get the chance to
bloom, now.  She's... gone."
	<Are you going to forsake her memory, Washu?  Are you going to
forget that time with your daughter when you promised that you would
be with her forever?>
	"That was... that..."
	<Think of exactly where you are.>
	"The Nothing.>
	<Yes.  And where does the nothing stem from?>
	"The Cradle."
	<Correct.>
	Washu's eyes went wide.  "The... Cradle..."
	<You see now?>
	Washu shook her head.  "I'm sure that Tenchi will be the one to
do it.  I'm not closest to her."
	<But it can be done, can't it?>
	Washu sighed.  "Tenchi... please... do the right thing."

	Earth.
	The ground below.  The element of nature in which the Mother of all
Things lives.  It sustains life, it gives life, and it takes life.  A
part of life that is in essence, the jubilation of all creatures.  The
place where everything lives, and the place that allows them to live.
	However, such a place was insignificant to Lady Tokimi.
	Tokimi looked all around her.  She was in a cave, for that much
she was certain.  The cave was large, and it appeared to have been 
sculpted by sentient beings, as the glyphs and cobbled stones where
far too precise and common for the natural level of erosion and terra
evolution to have accomplished.
	There were several torches about this cave, this... temple.
	It was a very large room, in which there seemed to be archaic
writings on the wall, and large support beams holding up a cobbled,
decaying roof.  On each end of this place, there were copper torches,
the only means of lighting the desolate room.
	Tokimi looked around with a certain degree of fascination.
	"Where... am I?"
	"You know where you are."
	Tokimi blinked, and turned, to see a woman descending down a
long flight of steps towards her.  The woman was haunting, and ghostly
in her appearance, as she seemed to shine, and be somewhat transparent.
She wore ornate robes which Tokimi recognized immediately as robes of
the High Priestesses during the reign of the Centra.  She looked at 
the woman for a quick moment more, and then recognized her.
	"Ah.  Sumirei-san."
	"It is a pleasure to finally meet you at last, Tokimi-sama.  
Although I do wish that I was... er... alive, for this meeting."
	Tokimi nodded.  "Understandable."
	Sumirei walked up a few feet in front of Tokimi, and then stopped.
She just looked at Tokimi for a few seconds.  After, she bowed low, 
and respectfully.
	"I thank you, Tokimi-sama."
	Tokimi arched an eyebrow.  "For...?"
	Sumirei stood erect again.  "For saving Ashley."
	"I didn't save him."
	"You did.  Twice.  You blocked Judas from Ashley, so Judas 
wouldn't destroy everything including Ashley.  You also saved his soul."
	Tokimi blinked.  "Saved his soul?"
	Sumirei nodded.  "When you entered the Cradle not too long ago. 
When Judas attacked you.  Your block on Judas was failing, and he
was being consumed by Judas.  Your return helped manifest his true 
self.  And then when you..." she trailed off.
	Tokimi looked back at Sumirei blankly.  "What?"
	Sumirei sighed.  "When you made love to him, you helped show him
that he was loved." Sumirei shook her head.  "I'm sorry, it was for 
the best, and I know that a part of Ashley does love you, but I..."
	Tokimi closed her eyes.  "Wished it was you instead of me?"
	Sumirei nodded.
	"I'm sorry, Sumirei-san.  I can understand.  I know that you love
him, and that he loved you.  But you have been separated for over
thirty thousand years, now.  And you have been reborn into the cycle.
Twice, in fact.  Ashley was trapped all that time."
	Sumirei nodded.  "I know."
	Tokimi sighed.  "I don't even know why I love him.  I don't even
know why I *love*, for that matter.  I'm a goddess.  I'm not supposed 
to feel emotions of joy.  I'm not even supposed to feel *anything*."
	Sumirei tilted her head to the side a little.  "Then... why do
you, Tokimi-sama?"
	Tokimi sighed.  "It's because of my sister, Tsunami.  She was
different.  Deis was never around, since she was always in the cycle,
but Tsunami allowed emotions into herself.  I tried it once.  I didn't
like it.  But... I remember that Ashley... intrigued me."
	"Intrigued?"
	Tokimi nodded.  "He interested me.  More than any of his previous
incarnations did.  I watched him.  I guided him.  I even opened my
emotions.  Then, when you died, and Deis as well... something happened
in my emotions.  I couldn't turn them off."
	Sumirei nodded.  "I understand.  I know what it is like to love 
him."
	"I wanted what was best for him.  I don't even understand why 
that is.  A mortal is insignificant to me, but... I... just... loved
him."
	"I'm not angry."
	Tokimi blinked.  "Pardon?"
	"I'm not mad that you love him, or that he loves you.  I know
that he still loves me."
	"He does."
	"I know that with you, he is happy."
	Tokimi sighed.  "But we won't be together."
	"What?"
	Tokimi looked off at one of the torches burning in the distance.
"Don't misunderstand.  When I was mortal, and I made love to him...
I have never felt such utter... zeal.  I enjoyed it.  I loved it.  I
loved him.  But we won't be together."
	"Why?  If you love him..."
	"Because he will not live.  I can see that now."
	Sumirei gasped.  "Tokimi-sama!"
	Tokimi shook her head sadly.  "I didn't want to admit it, but the
truth is... Ashley will die.  It is for the best.  He is one with 
Judas, but they are not one and the same.  Judas will never cease 
until he has ended everything.  He was created for that very purpose
to suit our brothers needs.  Only once Ashley and Judas are one with
death will Judas be... ended."
	"Oh, Ashley..."
	"It is best.  I know that... I know... that he wants this.  
Ashley loves you, and he, deep down, I know he loves me, too.  But 
he wants Judas to die, and he *knows* that the only way to do that
is for the both of them to... end."
	Sumirei sighed.  "I feel so horrible for him.  And for you."
	"Do not feel bad for me, Sumirei-san.  I can turn off my
emotions."
	"But you shouldn't!"
	Tokimi turned, so her side was facing Sumirei.  The copper light
off of the torch and the cave walls seemed to radiate onto Tokimi, and
gave her a rather opaque appearance.
	"I'm a goddess.  Having emotions is not in my best interests."
	"Don't you cherish?  Don't you enjoy them?"
	"I do.  But they... interfere."
	Sumirei sighed.  "Do not turn them off when you are sad."
	Tokimi arched an eyebrow, and looked over at Sumirei from the
corner of her deep blue eye.
	"It isn't right to turn on your emotions for when you'll be
happy, and then turn them off when you are sad."
	"I'm a goddess.  I don't want to be sad, I don't need to be
sad, therefore, I will *not* be sad."
	"But you said you liked your emotions.  You should embrace
all of them.  They... they help you respect and cherish the fact
that you are even alive!"
	Tokimi blinked.  "The fact that... I am... alive."
	"Yes."
	Tokimi closed her eyes, and smirked quietly.  "I have already 
been sad."
	"Oh?"
	"Once... with Judas.  When he wouldn't relinquish control over
Ashley.  I was sad."
	Sumirei didn't respond. 
	"I suppose even then..." Tokimi opened her eyes, and looked back
down at her mortal hands.  "...even then, I suppose I enjoyed it."
	"You did?"
	"Having emotions made me feel... like I was alive.  Even the ones
I didn't enjoy, they still made me feel as though I was alive.  I
guess... I'm just... afraid of them."
	"Afraid?" Sumirei smirked.  "If you have no emotions, how can you
possibly be *afraid* of them?"
	Tokimi chuckled.  "Odd, I suppose.  I seem to be a conundrum to
even myself."
	Sumirei walked over, and rested a hand on Tokimi's shoulder. 
"Tokimi-sama, even though you are afraid, you do love your emotions, 
don't you?"
	Tokimi nodded.
	"Then follow Tsunami's lead.  Embrace them."
	Tokimi closed her eyes and nodded, and then looked back up at
the ceiling before opening them once more.
	"Embrace them... I think... that I will."


-- Part 4: "Arcadia" --


	The screams.
	The terror.
	The death.
	The carnage.
	It raged.  It raged on.  Morbid cries for help and bloodcurdling
lacerations of the quiet sanity rang out, perpetuating a dark foreboding
lamentation which creeped through the infinite darkness.
	Thus... was the home of Judas.
	The dark was everywhere.  It seemed to permeate from everything.
But there was no silence.  There were screams, the sound of destruction,
the sound of chanting, the sound of calamity, the sound of flesh and
bone being torn asunder.
	And the sound... of a pendulum.
	Click... click...
	Back... forth...
	The large bodiless pendulum swung in almost frozen time, the
sound echoing off of the carnage every several seconds.
	Ashley opened his eyes.
	He saw everything.  Everything was not completely darkness, as
it was a very dark and faded blue.  He heard the sound of the pendulum
and the screams of terror and death, but other than that, all there
was, was an endless blue.
	His feet were on nothing.  He was not falling.  There was no
ground, there was no air, there was nothing.  Just a static limbo void.
	Across from Ashley, was... himself.
	Ashley stared at himself as the sounds of mutilation continued
to scream throughout the void.  He knew who was standing there.
	Judas.
	Judas grinned sadistically back at Ashley.  "So... we meet at
last.  It is the first time that the two of us could ever actually
'meet'."
	Ashley nodded, frightened to the bone of the sounds of carnage
and madness.
	Judas smirked.  "You like that?  This is *my* world.  Or, rather,
*our* world.  We share it.  This is my part of our world.  That sound?
That is the sound I cherish.  The sound of the time that I was not in
control."
	Ashley frowned.  "What?"
	"That is the sound of the time that *you* went berserk.  Those
screams?  Those cries for mercy?  That sound of a sword tearing through
flesh, bones, muscles, tendons, and sinew?  That is *your* sound.  That
was the day that you became a demon.  That is the sound of the day that
you and I became one.  It is my most cherished memory."
	Ashley was shivering as he heard man, woman and child scream 
out for mercy, only to be met with the sound of a sword ripping through
their helpless bodies.
	Judas chuckled.  "You and I are truly one and the same.  We are
ravenous beasts.  We hunt for the blood of others."
	Ashley shook his head.  "No."
	"You cannot deny that, Ashley.  Listen to those sounds.  Those 
sounds of death.  The sound that you once took such pleasure in killing.
Killing and death are my greatest of friends.  On that day, when we
became one, they became your friend, too."
	"You lie."
	"Do I?"
	It was Ashley's turn to grin.  "What of the time in the Cradle?"
	Judas frowned. 
	Ashley continued.  "That time... when it was *you* who broke 
down into tears in front of Tsunami?  What of that time?"
	Judas growled.
	"You have forgotten?  It is true that you and I are one and the
same, Judas.  But it is also true that while you seek death and carnage,
I do not.  And since you are me, you cannot be the beast that you so
think that you are."
	Judas crossed his arms and smirked.  "You actually think that
you even know the whole story."
	Ashley frowned.  "What's that?"
	Judas chuckled.  "You have forgotten that I was around *before*
the Time Crash.  My knowledge is much higher than your's."
	Ashley smirked.  "Ours, you mean."
	"What's that?"
	"We are one and the same.  I know everything you know, don't 
forget."
	"Then *WHY ARE YOU SUCH A COWARD*!!!" Judas screamed.
	Ashley tilted his head to the side.  "Angry, Judas?"
	Judas seethed.  He was beyond angry.  He was livid.  He was the
very incarnation of the emotion of hatred and anger itself.
	"Why do you STOP me if you KNOW what I know?!" he growled.
	Ashley shrugged, enjoying the way he was making Judas furious.
"Perhaps it is because unlike you, I actually have the sense to realize
that there are more important things than some childish vendetta 
against Tsunami.  You hate her so much, and all she did was kill
Sumirei.  And after all, those were *my* memories, and *I* have
dealt with it far better than *you* have.  Because I know that it
was necessary." Ashley paused.  "Now, anyways.  You have become 
nothing more than a child, Judas."
	Judas growled, and lunged at Ashley tackling him.  He glared 
down at his alter ego, brimstone and a hellish flame burning behind
his sadistic eyes.  "YOU... DON'T... UNDERSTAND!!!"
	Ashley looked up at death calmly.  "And why is that?  Are you
going to *kill* me now, Judas, is that it?"
	Judas stopped.
	Ashley grinned.  "You know that if I die, that you go with me.
And vice versa.  It's really a shame."
	Judas stood up.  "You wanted that.  You wanted me to kill you.
So *I* would end."
	Ashley grinned.  "Damn, was it *that* obvious?"
	"You stupid fuck."
	Ashley laughed.
	Ashley stood, and looked at Judas once more, this time ignoring
the plethora of screams and destruction.  "Come on, brother.  Let's 
end this."
	Judas looked back at Ashley.  "What?"
	Ashley extended his hand.  "Let's end this once and for all.  I
know you want everything to end, but I also know that you want to end
your own existence more than anything else.  Anonlbe is gone.  He
embraced nothing.  Isn't it time that you did the same?"
	Judas sighed.  "You will go too."
	Ashley nodded.  "It is my place.  I have lived far longer than
I should have.  My existence can no longer even be acknowledged."
	"What of Tokimi?  She most certainly will acknowledge it."
	Ashley shook his head.  "Not likely.  She understands."
	"How are you so certain?"
	Ashley sighed, and rubbed his arm.  "I know because... I love
her.  I know she understands."
	Judas arched an eyebrow.  "You love *Tokimi*?  What of Sumirei?
Would not she feel betrayed?"
	"I do love Sumirei.  I really do.  With everything that I am.
But I love Tokimi, too.  I love both of them."
	Judas closed his eyes, as he felt tears threatening to fall.
"I guess you are right."
	"What is that?"
	"You are right.  About... Tsunami... about... everything.  I do
owe Tsunami a great deal.  I think that you are right... that... it...
is finally time."
	Ashley let out a long breath.  "Then the time has come."
	Judas nodded.  "As the rain scatters, as the winds howl, and 
as the mountains erode, so will we too become one with the rule of
nature," he quoted.
	Ashley nodded.  "I understand.  I love you, Sumirei... Tokimi."
	The two of them faced each other perfectly.  They mirrored each
other, standing perfectly straight and erect, peering deeply into 
each others eyes.
	It was almost like one was a reflection of the other.
	Ashley, the light reflection of Judas.
	Judas, the dark reflection of Ashley.
	Then, they spoke as one.
	"What once began within the cycle of the endless..."
	"...will now return, ceasing to be and being reborn..."
	"...embracing nothing, shall we stand once again..."
	"...and let our sins and our deeds fall, never to return."
	As they said this, the screaming stopped, and the reality around 
them began to thunder.  Light began to scream everywhere, and electricity
crackled.  They shared one long look with each other, and nodded, and
then the pain began.
	They both screamed.  Their screams echoed into the infinite 
darkness like the screams of madness that had been quenched mere seconds
ago did.  Screams of agony lanced throughout everything.
	Their sins, their fears, everything that was wrong... it all
began to leave them.
	Light began to pour out of their eye sockets, and their very eyes
were torn away in the channel of dark shattering light.  Their bodies
were decaying, one molecule at a time.  They were both thrashing about
and screaming, as they could *feel* each and every particle of their
entity being torn asunder and ripped away from them, one by one.
	Lightning cascaded all around them, a mere myriad mirror to the
storm that was blazing like an inferno within their bodies.
	As they faded, as they ended, as their sins and their zeal's
were forever turned into nothing, Judas leaned his head back, and
managed to complete a scream in words...
	"AT... LAST... I AM... ONE... WITH... NOTHING!!!"
	And then, after so long... Ashley, and Judas...
	...ended.

	"So... I guess she's really gone."
	Tenchi sat.  On a small chair, he sat.  The reality around him was
not a total dark necrosis, but it was still very dark.  His chair 
seemed to be perfectly positioned, even though there was no means of solid
ground.  It was a static dimension, where everything around him was
nothing more than the vacuum of space.
	Tiny dots of light shimmered in every direction, the only means
of making this place from being as dark as night.
	However, Tenchi was not alone.  
	Tenchi sat on that chair, but there were mirrors. 
	Mirrors... hundreds of them.  All of them floated around 
independently, yet in a clockwork like fashion.  It was as if they were
orbiting around Tenchi himself.  Each mirror reflected something 
different than the others.  The reflected fields, mountains, valleys,
rivers, streams, city streets, caves, houses...
	...everything.
	All of reality seemed to be represented in those mirrors.
	And at the center of this, all alone, in the very nexus of the
reflections of reality, sat Tenchi.
	Tenchi sat with his hands on his knees, and he stared down into
his lap.  He had no idea how he was there, where 'there' was, or even
if he was still alive.  All he knew was one thing.
	"She's... gone."
	"Ryoko..."
	"My Ryoko... she's... gone..."
	Slowly, in front of Tenchi, the wave existence began to billow
and form, a smattering of light which coalesced rapidly into a human
shaped body of light.
	<Ryoko is gone.>
	Tenchi nodded, still looking into his lap.  "She's gone."
	<She is dead.>
	Tenchi just nodded sadly.
	<I am sorry.  It is mostly my fault.>
	Tenchi didn't respond.
	<What was Ryoko to you?>
	"What?"
	<What did Ryoko mean to you?  Who was she to you?  How was she
different from everyone else?>
	Tenchi smirked sadly, and closed his eyes, feeling tears pressing
against his emotional barrier.  "Ryoko was... she was... everything."
	<Everything?>
	"Ryoko was more to me than... than... I can't possibly... I..."
	<....>
	Tenchi gagged, and then covered his eyes with his hand, and he
began to weep.  He cried.  He wailed.  His soul screamed out in pain.
	<I'm sorry, Adam.>
	"Ryoko was..." he sobbed, through his hand, "everything to me. 
I never even realized that until just recently.  I... I... oh, god..."
	Tenchi's torso fell over, and into his lap, his face into his
knees.  He cried, unlike he had ever before.  Not since his mother had
died did he cry this way.
	<You will see her again.  The cycle is never ending.  You will be
with her again.>
	"But it's..."
	<It is what?>
	"It's not the same!"
	<How is that?>
	Tenchi lifted his face streaming with tears from his knees, and
looked up at the wave existence hopelessly.  "It's not the same at all!
She won't even be Ryoko anymore!  I won't even be *me* anymore!"
	<You will remember.>
	"I won't!  I won't!  I didn't remember in this life that I had
*ever* had a past life!  Only when this whole thing *started* was when
I remembered!"
	<What did you do until then?  Were you not with Ryoko then?>
	Tenchi scoffed angrily, and looked away, still crying.  "No, I 
wasn't!  I was a stupid fool who couldn't even see that the person 
who meant so much to me was even *there*!"
	<That is not anyone's fault.>
	"But what if that happens *again*?!  In the *next* life?  If I
just take her for granted *again*, when she deserves *so* much more?"
	<Then it will happen.>
	"But I don't want it to!  She had such a horrible... she had a...
god, I can't even..." he choked, "...I can't even imagine how bad her
life was... I... *can't*... and then when she finally gets the only
thing that she ever wanted, she has to start ALL OVER AGAIN?!"
	<Life is not fair to mortals, Adam.>
	"I don't want to hear it!  I don't want to hear those idealistic
dreams!  I... god, I want my Ryoko..."
	As he said this, the wave existence faded away, and one of the
mirrors seemed to break orbit around the chair, and scream towards him.
Tenchi looked up through his bloodshot eyes, just as everything went
white as the mirror enclosed around him.
	Tenchi opened his eyes, and felt different.
	He was within that mirror.
	He was no longer on a chair, but he was lying down.  He was lying
down in a field of long grass, which was swaying in the wind, as the
dark blue sky was covered in clouds, casting shadows onto the field.
	Tenchi took in a long breath, taking in the scent of the field.
	He closed his eyes, and simply allowed the wind and the summers
breeze to caress his body as he lay on the ground.  After a moment, he
spoke.
	"I don't... even remember when it all happened."
	"One day, I just... saw her."
	"I saw through it all.  I saw through everything, and I saw... 
*her* for the first time.  I don't remember when that was."
	Tenchi opened his eyes, his tears still falling grimly down
the soft yet now desolate contours of his face.
	"I saw her.  Through the pirate, through the demon, through the
lying, through the games, through the laziness... through it all.  I
don't know how, but I saw through it.  It just... happened."
	"I know that many believe in love at first sight.  I never did.
That was... until I saw *her*."
	"The day that I looked upon Ryoko as she really was.  I loved
her.  I loved her, and I still love her.  I love her more than 
*anything* in this entire world."
	Tenchi took in another long breath.
	"And now... and now I *miss* her.  God... I... can't even
*describe* how I miss her.  Her face.  Her nose.  Her eyes.  Her
ears.  Her skin.  Her hair.  Her touch.  Her laugh.  Her voice.
Her..."
	He took in a long breath through his nose, which was prevented
slightly due to the mucus buildup of his sobbing.
	"...her smell.  God how I miss her smell.  I... loved the way
she smelled.  She smelled like... like..." he chuckled sadly, new
tears streaming down his face as he looked at the sky, "...she 
smelled like... Ryoko."
	As he said this, he heard a voice.  He knew the voice.  It was
the wave existence.  He sat up slightly, to see the wave existence
looking down at him from only a few meters away.
	The part that caught Tenchi off guard, was that he *heard* the
voice.  Unlike before, where the voice seemed to speak inside his head,
telepathically, he actually heard the voice.
	"Sometimes people's emotions can move the heavens."
	Tenchi looked back at the wave existence.
	It continued.  "People's emotions conflict with themselves time
and time again.  It is what it means to be mortal.  To have conflicting
emotions.  Such is the nature of free will."
	Tenchi just looked back at It blankly.  "Free will?"
	"All mortals are born with one thing that all immortals lack.  
Free Will.  The Will to laugh.  The Will to cry.  To Will to live.  
The Will to love.  Such a thing is not possessed by those of the 
endless."
	Tenchi didn't say anything.
	"It is also through this Will that mortals are hurt, and hurt
each other.  It is only through choosing to do so, does pain happen.
Pain is a choice.  You choose to hurt others... and you choose to 
hurt yourself."
	Tenchi shook his head.  "Why would I choose to hurt myself?"
	"You have.  You are in pain from the death of the one that was
most precious to you.  It is only because you choose to."
	Tenchi scoffed angrily.  "Like your words mean anything to me.
Like *you* have ever gone through this!"
	"I have, Adam.  Do not forget that until not too long ago, you and
I were one and the same.  I shared your pain."
	"But *I* was the one who loved Ryoko!  You couldn't *possibly*
understand what I am going through!"
	"I do not understand, but I can comprehend.  Moreso than you
are willing to admit to yourself."
	Tenchi growled.  "I don't even CARE anymore!"
	"Do you wish for Ryoko to come back to you?"
	Tenchi stopped.
	The wave existence made the ethereal equivalent to a nod.  The
breeze blew through the valley again, stirring the grass and Tenchi's
clothes, but passing through the wave existence as if it wasn't even
there.
	It spoke.  "This is the Cradle.  This is the Time Crash.  The
concepts of *everything* does not apply here.  Here is where anything
can happen.  That is why I told you.  People's emotions sometimes move
the heavens.  You can move them, as you have."
	"Ryoko... c- can I..."
	"You can only do what you want.  Things that limit the physical
body are not here.  Only things which are within Free Will.  Wants.
Thirsts.  Sexual Desire.  Such things that the body needs, are not
needed here.  You can welcome them, as you have the Will to do so,
but you have the ability to do so much more."
	"How... how do..."
	"You change.  Conflict lives within us all.  All of us who are
mortal.  Emotions and Free Will, by their very definition are the
reasons for both pleasure *and* conflict."
	Tenchi leaned up on his elbows, and wiped his eyes, and sniffled.
"I don't really understand... but if there is a way to get Ryoko back...
then I'll do *anything*."
	"Then change."
	As he said this, the reality around them once against collapsed
in a brilliant apocalypse of light.  Everything simply shattered, and
not a sound was made.  Tenchi's eyes were forced shut, either that, 
or he simply lost the physical perception of sight.
	He opened them again, and was once again surrounded by another
reality within another mirror.  One that reflected his heart.
	Tenchi sat on a small, wooded boat.  It was bigger than a canoe,
as it had a strong bow, but it wasn't meant for more than five or
six people.  It was completely made of glistening brownish yellow
wood.  The boat rocked gently on the water.
	All around the boat was water.  There was nothing, but completely
calm, smooth as glass water.  In every direction, nothing could be seen
except where the sky kissed the seas.
	Off in the direction that Tenchi decided was west, the sun was
setting.  The giant, red globe had already began to sink into the sea,
and it cast an ominous orange twilight across the water and into the
boat.
	Tenchi looked around to see that he was alone on the boat.
	It was indeed, just like his heart.
	Abandoned.  Alone.
	Bathed in twilight.
	All alone within Mother Ocean.
	Tenchi sat down, and simply listened to the water gradually lap
against the wooden vessel, doing nothing more than wishing that Ryoko
was there with him.
	A part of him was gone, now.
	A part that he had for his whole life.  He never even knew it 
was there until recently.  But it was gone, nonetheless.  He didn't
even know if he could live without that part anymore.
	<Then Change...>
	The words echoed through his head.
	Tenchi sighed sadly.  "How can I change?  What do I have to do...?"
he asked the water aloud. 
	As he expected though, the murky sea had no answers to give him.
	He let out a long breath, and felt tears threatening to fall again.
	<Damn Judas.>
	<Damn the wave existence.>
	<Damn Anonlbe.>
	<Damn Tokimi.>
	<Damn Tsunami.>
	<Damn Washu.>
	<...and damn myself for not realizing anything until it's too late!>
	"I thought I told you to change?  Malice will not work."
	Tenchi blinked, and looked up to see the wave existence hovering
over the boat.  Tenchi frowned.
	"How the hell am I supposed to 'change'?"
	"Rid yourself of everything.  Everything but your will."
	"What?"
	"Cast away all your emotions, and decide that you want her back."
	As he said this, he disappeared once again.
	Tenchi sighed again, and just looked up at the orange, cloudless
sky above.  "I can change... I want my Ryoko back... I don't care... 
about anything else..."
	He closed his eyes.  "Maybe I've been a fool... maybe I've let
her down... maybe I hurt Aeka... but even still..."
	He opened his eyes, a determination there, replacing his sadness.
"I love her, and I know that she loves me... and... and... I promised
her that we would always be together!"
	As he shouted this, the reality just above him shattered, as if
glass.  Sky bent and broke, wind was pulled into a vacuum, light was
bent as if it were being looked at through water...
	...it simply shattered.
	And she fell.
	Tenchi's eyes went wide as the body fell, and landed on top of
him.  Tenchi tried to quickly shake the dizziness of being hit with
a falling body, long enough to figure out what had happened.
	Once he could see clearly, and the boat stopped rocking enough,
he took a look at the body.  And gasped.
	There... lying on top of him, completely unconscious, wearing
her blue and gold kimono with the green shawl over top of it...
	...was Ryoko.
	His Ryoko.
	The Ryoko that he so wanted to return.  The Ryoko that he loved.
The Ryoko that loved him.  She was here!  She was really here!
	Tenchi shook his head, and then rested his arms against Ryoko's
shoulders, and began to lightly shake her.  "Ryoko!  Ryoko!  It's
me, Tenchi!  Wake up, Ryoko!"
	Ryoko's body began to move slightly.  Tenchi felt more tears 
come to his eyes as it did.  Not of sadness, not of loss... but of
joy.  Of Relief.  Of a feeling that he couldn't describe.  A part of
him that was gone had now been returned to him, and he would do 
everything that he was capable of to make sure that it would never
leave him ever again.
	"Ryoko!"
	Ryoko moaned slightly, as she moved on top of Tenchi's body.
Her eyes fluttered open.  Tenchi's heart soared.
	Tenchi was about to throw his arms around Ryoko, and cry and
cry about how he was so happy that she was alive, that she was here,
but he wasn't fast enough.
	Ryoko beat him to it.
	Ryoko threw her arms around Tenchi, and sobbed into his shirt.
	"Tenchi... Tenchi... it's really you... it's... really you..."
	Tenchi wasn't hesitant in the slightest to wrap his arms around
his Ryoko and hold her close.
	"It was dark again, Tenchi.  Dark.  I kept feeling that... that
I somehow... I... failed you... Tenchi..."
	Tenchi kissed the top of her head, and held her closer, nuzzling 
her hair as he did.  "I'm here now, Ryoko.  I'm here.  I'm never 
leaving you again.  You're never leaving me.  I'm never letting us
separate ever again."
	If Ryoko looked up, she would've seen that Tenchi was crying.
But as it was, she was still crying, herself.  The two of them held
each other as close as they could, almost as if they were trying to 
crush each other into a single being.  Their souls had been ravaged.
	The two of them had given a piece of themselves to each other,
and then they had lost it.  They had both entrusted part of, if not
their entire souls to the other, and then they had lost that.
	And now, they had gotten them back.
	Tenchi was returned to Ryoko.
	Ryoko was returned to Tenchi.
	They were now one, once again.
	The two of them were molded into one being, like angels with
single wings, falling from the heaven's, but using the other for 
support.  Depending on each other.  Becoming one with each other.
	Breathing for each other.
	Living for each other.
	No longer would either live alone.  No longer would either try
to *be* alone.  The two were forever one, and never would either let
the other separate.
	Ryoko lifted herself off of Tenchi, so she could look down at 
him.  "Tenchi... I really thought that I lost you."
	Tenchi's eyes were shining in the orange twilight.  "Yeah?"
	Ryoko nodded.  "After the battle... everything... everything 
was dark.  I couldn't see anything, I couldn't hear anything... but 
I knew that I was alive.  Somehow.  I thought that I was trapped away
from you forever.  And then... then..."
	She trailed off, a tear sliding down her face, and falling down
onto Tenchi's lip.  He simply stared back at her, and ran his tongue
along his lip, tasting her.  He wanted to taste her again, so badly.
	Ryoko continued.  "Then...  I heard someone calling me.  I 
didn't know where it was coming from, but I heard it.  And then I knew
it was you, Tenchi.  I... don't know why, but I just... knew.  It was
you.  The way it spoke.  The way that it wanted me to come back.  I
knew that it had to be you.  So I followed the voice here."
	Tenchi smiled, and reached up and began to caress her face 
softly with one hand.  "Ryoko..."
	Ryoko lifted one of her hands, and held onto Tenchi's that was
on her face.  "Tenchi... I love you."
	"I love you too, Ryoko.  More than *anything*."
	Ryoko smiled, and leaned down and rested against Tenchi.  She
wrapped her arms around him, and laid her head against his chest, 
and closed her eyes.
	Tenchi wrapped his arms around her, and held her as close as
he could, taking in a long breath, *smelling* her once more.
	He loved her.  He loved the way she smelled.  She smelled
like cherry blossoms.  Like a cascading waterfall of a hidden 
mountain spring water.  Like the sweetest of perfume.  She smelled
perfect. 
	She smelled like... Ryoko.
	"Tenchi... do you think that I can come back?"
	Tenchi blinked.  "What?"
	Ryoko didn't say anything right away.  She just held onto Tenchi,
and let herself be held by him, and the small boat was gently rocked
by the Mother Ocean, as the sun bathed them in it's twilight.
	"I mean... can I leave with you?"
	"Of course you can."
	"No... I mean... I died, Tenchi.  Judas killed me.  Can I really
return?  I should have already disappeared into the cycle."
	Tenchi's embrace tightened a little.  "You're here now.  I'm
never letting you leave."
	"I don't want to either, Tenchi.  But what if... I have to 
stay here?"
	"Then I'm staying right here with you."
	He felt Ryoko's head shake against his chest.  "But Tenchi...
what about everyone else?"
	Tenchi sighed.  "Everyone else... they can live without me.  I
can live without them.  But... you can't live without me.  And... I
don't think that I could live without you."
	Ryoko stirred a little.  "That's sweet of you, Tenchi... but...
isn't it a bad thing to depend on each other so much?  What if-"
	"No."
	Tenchi cut her off, firm in his speech.
	"I don't *care* anymore.  I love everyone, and I wish them
the best.  But... I... promised you that we'd be together forever...
so... we're going back home together."
	Ryoko nodded.  "Okay, Tenchi.  Together."
	"Together."
	Ryoko stirred in his embrace, and moved again.  She moved out of
his warm, comforting, protecting arms, and lifted herself up again, so
that she was looking down at him.  He simply looked back up at her.
	"Tenchi..."
	Tenchi ran the back of his hand down the side of her face.  "You
are so beautiful..."
	"Tenchi... if we don't make it back together... if we just have
this one moment together..."
	Tenchi nodded, picking up on her sentiment, her want, and her
*need* just as strongly.  He brought his hand that was caressing her
face around to the back of her neck, and pulled her down to him, and
kissed her.
	She kissed back immediately.
	Passion.  Love.  Care.  A wildfire of desire.  Everything that
is in the symbol of love and unity between two soulmates was in that
kiss.  Their lips parted, and their bodies screamed with electrical
shocks of pleasure and warmth as their tongues slowly intertwined, 
danced, and played with each other.
	Ryoko pulled out of the kiss for a moment, and straddled Tenchi,
only to lean in to kiss him again, with the same passion.  The same
desire.
	Tenchi's hands during this time were not idle.  He ran his finger
tips gently along Ryoko's spine, and even through the fabric Ryoko's
body shuddered with pleasure.  As they kissed, Tenchi's hands came 
around from her back, and over her chest, and then slowly across her
breasts, squeezing them slightly as he did.  She moaned with pleasure
into the kiss as he did.
	Tenchi's hands then ran down her taut stomach, until he came to
what his hands were after.  He reached the folds over her shawl.  
Slowly, being careful not to break the kiss, Tenchi put both of his
hands into the shawl, and spread it apart, opening it, exposing the
rest of her blue and gold kimono.
	Ryoko broke the kiss, and simply leaned over Tenchi, and put
her face next to his ear.  Tenchi ran his hands inside the shawl, 
and down her back, and over her rear, onto her thighs, and back,
slowly repeating the process.
	As he did, he was kissing her neck with a hunger that they
both wished to fulfill. 
	Ryoko was whimpering his name over and over as his hands 
roamed and as he kissed her. 
	"Tenchi... Tenchi... Tenchi..."
	Time went by.  How much?  That couldn't be gauged.  After all, 
they were in a place where the very concept of time didn't exist.  And
it was hardly like either of them were looking at their *watches*.
	After a while of gentle caresses, Ryoko pulled back, and pushed
herself up, using Tenchi's chest as leverage.  She was still 
straddling him, and she smiled sadly, and yet sweetly down at him.
	He wore a similar expression.
	She took off her shawl, and then began to unbutton her kimono
from the back.  Tenchi simply watched wordlessly as Ryoko's eyes
were half closed, eagerly awaiting the coming moments, and cherishing
the thought that Tenchi was willingly touching her.
	The shoulders of her kimono began to sag as the buttons were 
undone further and further down it's length, until she finally undid
the last one.  Smiling at Tenchi, she slowly shucked her way out of
the kimono, leaving her torso completely bare.
	Tenchi shook his head.  "Look at you..." he breathed.
	She smiled, and took one of his hands, and cupped it against
her bare breast, sighing in content as she felt his soft, warm skin
against her nipple.
	Tenchi's hand squeezed slightly, and his other went up behind
her neck, and pulled her back down into a kiss.
	"We'll... be... together... forever... right Tenchi?" she panted
in between kisses.
	"Yes... I love you, Ryoko."
	She pulled back.  "I love you too, Tenchi."
	And then she kissed him again.
	
	
-- Part 5: "June Mermaid" --


	It was over.
	Everything.
	Everyone's goals.  Everyone's dreams, everyone's... everything,
had finally come to an end.  Everyone's reasons for even existing
were found, and thus, it was all over.
	In the darkness, the wave existence floated, all alone.
	The single sentience within the thick umbra.  
	He thought.  "It seems that everyone has finally found their
place within this world.  Everyone no longer questions who they are.
They know what is important to them."
	"Is that the way it is for me?"
	"Do I know what is important to me?"
	"Ashley has ended.  Judas has ended.  Anonlbe has ended."
	"They could not find their places in this world, this reality,
they could not find the meaning of their existences."
	"So they are no more."
	"What of Eve?"
	"Is she ended?"
	"She found her place.  She found why she exists.  But she was
ended.  Does that mean that she must begin again?"
	"It is difficult to decide.  Such a metaphysical question 
does not seem proper for an entity that is so simple.  So carefree."
	"Do... *I* want her to be reborn?"
	"What do I want?  Should I leave Eve as she is... or should
she be reborn into the cycle?  I dare not cross my sisters creation...
it is Her's, not mine.  I have no right to interfere.  Therefore,
she should simply be reborn."
	"But..."
	"I have felt how important she is.  Through Adam.  Even though
I used him.  I used him... but... I felt that loss.  She is so
important to him.  She was the catalyst for Adam to finding what it
means to be himself and what it means to place value in others."
	"A *mortal* value."
	"I have felt that.  Should I... allow that?  Interfere with 
my sisters creation so that I can allow a being who means nothing
to me to continue to exist?"
	"What... should I do?"
	"I will return everyone.  Everyone will return home."
	"It is time.  The Cradle is no more.  Everyone has found 
themselves, and the time for everything to return to what it once was
is now."
	The wave existence moved, prepared to destroy the Cradle, and
return everyone, but it hesitated.  It stopped, for just a microsecond,
and then thought before completely eradicating the Cradle from
existence...
	"But should I... interfere?"

	The darkness shattered in a brilliant blast of aurora and rainbow
fire.  Starlight flickered and danced, swirling and transmogrifying, 
until it burst.  Then, darkness took it's place.  Except for the
entity which had stepped forth from the darkness.
	D3 turned it's ethereal head.  "Ah, Tokimi-sama.  You have 
returned."
	Tokimi said nothing as she simply walked along the path of her
incredible garden within her palace which seemed to defy physical 
laws.
	"You are still in a mortal body?" D3 asked.
	Tokimi nodded.  "Yes, D3.  I have found that I enjoy it."
	"What happened inside the Judas Cradle?"
	Tokimi smiled.  "More than words, my friend."
	"Friend?  What has happened to you, Tokimi-sama?"
	Tokimi smiled.  "I have simply changed, that is all."
	D3 turned away from her.  "What do you command of me?"
	"Nothing."
	D3 turned back.  "Nothing?  You have no orders?"
	Tokimi sat down on a large throne.  "No, I do not.  You are
free to do as you wish, D3."
	"A- as you command, Tokimi-sama."
	D3 then vanished, leaving Tokimi along with her thoughts and her
garden.  Tokimi looked at all the water that cascaded down the sides of
the garden, and all the different vegetation.  And then she smiled.
	"I'm going to come to you one day, Tsunami.  One day..."
	She tilted her head back.  "One day, maybe I will find a child
to become mortal with, as you and Deis did."
	Tokimi just stared up at the stars above.  They all twinkling
separately, a tapestry of celestial benevolence.  She stared at one
in particular that seemed to flicker as if it was speaking to her.
	She smiled.  "Ashley... do not worry.  I will keep my emotions.
And I will never forget you."

	The tree around the pool of infinite water that seemed to advent
in every direction shimmered with delight as the master of this garden
materialized.  Tsunami took in a long breath, taking in the scent of 
her garden, her tree, and her ship once again, and then sat down on
her throne.
	She looked at her hand.
	"Sasami... it seems that we will be together soon.  I hope that
you are ready, Sasami."
	Tsunami smiled.  "I feel sad for my brothers.  I feel sad that
there are things that even I cannot comprehend.  But I am glad... that
at the very least... we all grew from this."
	The water all around her seemed to resonate as if it was agreeing
with her.  Tsunami's smile widened.
	"You wish to see everything?  All of Jurai?  All of my friends,
too?  Then... you will simply have to wait."
	"We will wait... as we have all the time in the world."

	It was loud.
	The sound of a large tree ship pulling out of a celestial orbit, 
and coming within a planetary gravitational field was definitely not
a quiet one.  The friction made from the air molecules and the hyper
condensed space tree wood, cut through the stratosphere like a sonic
knife, tearing down in miniature sonic booms.
	Ryu-oh descended down slower and slower, until it reached the
landing pad at the Jurain Royal Palace.
	Even as the large ship descended, there were hundreds upon 
hundreds of guards awaiting the arrival, all stood erect in practiced
fashion, with nary a sound escaping any of their lips.
	Ryu-oh finally slowed to a stop, with steam hissing out of several
open holes on each side of the massive ship, allowing the air pressure
to be properly stabilized as the ship finished the docking procedure.
	After a few moments, the hatch upon the underbelly of the ship
opened with a large creaking noise, and began to move downward towards
the marble ground of the landing pad without a sound.
	So different from normal mechanically inclined space ships, were
Jurain Space Tree ships.  They made far less noise.
	The wooden door finished it's descent, and locked in a perfect
position, providing a ramp for the passengers on board.
	As the ramp finished locking into place, on the far end of the
pad which was exposed to the orange twilight of the late day Jurain
sky, walked three individuals.  The three of them were all dressed
in the most elegant of fashions, and walked in a brisk, yet
extremely practiced manner towards the ramp.
	As they did, Aeka and Sasami, with Azaka and Kamidake behind
them, descended down the ramp.
	Once the two Princesses reached the end of the ramp, all of the
hundreds of soldiers present dropped to one knee silently, and held
one hand across their chests in a fist against their shoulders.
	The three individuals arrived at the ramp, and they just 
looked at the Princesses.
	Sasami was first.  "Mommy!" she cried, before scampering across
the marble ground, and into Queen Misaki Jurai's awaiting arms.
	"Oh, my Sasami-chan!"
	Sasami giggled as Misaki hugged her daughter tight.  Funaho
and Azusa smiled at this.  Azusa turned to Aeka.  "It is good to see
you here again, Aeka."
	Aeka bowed.  "Yes... thank you, Father."
	Funaho nodded.  "I'm sure that you must be tired after...
everything that has happened.  Would you like to rest?"
	Aeka nodded.  "Yes, thank you.  I would like that."
	Misaki lowered Sasami, and walked over to Aeka.  "Aeka-chan..."
	"Hello... Mother."
	Misaki just smirked sadly as she looked at Aeka's sad, yet
tired face.  "Welcome home, Aeka-chan."
	"I'm home... mommy."

	Cold.
	Winter.  It is a cold season.  It is a season of frost, wind,
and death to all of Mother Earth's creatures.  It can also be argued
to be one of the most beautiful of all of the seasons, however.
	Washu stood on the cliff edge, surrounded by trees that were
now simply brown, as they were stripped of their leaves, and covered
in white snow instead.  She looked over the valley, and quiet burg
covered in snow.
	She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
	"Well, we made it."
	Tenchi nodded as he looked.  "Yeah... we sure did."
	Washu sighed.  "For a while, I never thought we'd ever make it
back here alive."
	"Yeah... me neither." he agreed.
	"How do you feel, Tenchi?"
	Tenchi sighed.  "I don't know.  I don't really... know.  I just
want to live.  I want to forget that I'm Adam, the reincarnation of 
the human male.  I want to be *Tenchi*, Shinto Priest in training.  I
want to forget that there was once a God living in me, and I just
want to be... me."
	Washu nodded.  "Gotcha."
	"It's going to be hard to forget."
	Washu shivered a little as the breeze blew through her jacket.
"Do you still get memories from your past lives?"
	Tenchi shook his head.  "Nah... I think that I lost all that
in the Cradle when... He left me.  I think he took all of that with
him."
	Washu nodded.  "Maybe it was for the best."
	Tenchi just nodded.  The two of them stood there for a few
moments in silence, just letting the snow fall on them gently.
	Washu sighed.  "The wave existence did a lot of things that
he shouldn't have."
	Tenchi nodded.
	Washu scratched her forehead.  "He caused us a lot of grief,
that way."
	Tenchi nodded, and then looked down at the sleeping cyan haired
woman in his arms, and felt a grin rise to his face.  "Yeah... but
there is at least one time I am grateful for him going against the 
rules."
	Washu sniffled.  "Yeah... me too."
	Tenchi's grip on Ryoko tightened.  "I don't know what to do
or say about much... but all I know is that I've gotten a second
chance to be with Ryoko... and I'm not going to blow it.  I'm going
to make sure that she knows I love her, and that she'll never be
lonely again."
	Washu smiled sadly, and rested her hand on Tenchi's shoulder.
"She knows... Tenchi.  She knows."


-- Epilogue --


	The air breathed it's listful life through the trees on the
mountain.  The winds whispered through the beautifully crafted 
life-wood and gently caressed it's leaves with invisible hands, causing 
them to shudder in a serene surrender.
	The boy sat on the edge of the cliff, as the wind danced around
his frame, slowly rippling his clothes that clung to his small body.
	The small boy looked over the vast valley, the green trees 
painting a rich tapestry of splendid natural beauty, as the mountains
carved against the sky, displaying a portrait of nothing but awe.
	The small boy sat in the grass.  He wore a small white muscle shirt,
and black shorts.  His skin was slightly tanned, and his facial features
were rather sharp.
	On his head, was a mane of black spiked hair, that extended no
more than an inch away from the scalp.  His remaining hair, was tied into
a small rat tail which fell from behind his back.
	He looked out over the beautiful valley through two soft, brown
eyes, that twinkled with compassion.
	He sat in a quiet silence, enjoying the sounds of the wind as it
carried the scent of the valley below up to him.
	He heard a stirring in the tall grass behind him, and he turned 
to see where the sound had come from.
	He saw a small standing figure, and he looked up to see it's face.
	It was a small girl.
	The girl was holding her hands together behind her back, and
she smiled down at him.  She was wearing a small red T-shirt, and 
a small pair of blue shorts.  She grinned down at him.
	Her hair was tied back in a large pony tail, and yet even though
it was somewhat constrained, it still seemed to have somewhat of a...
	...spiky appearance, to it.
	That, and it was cyan.
	She looked at the small boy, who was no older than she, through
two golden cat like eyes.  Her skin was pale, and like the boy, her 
features were sharp.
	She was grinning.  "Hi." she said, in a small girl's voice.
	The boy simply stared at her, and then smiled himself.  "Hi."
	"Whatcha doin'?" she asked him innocently.
	"Just lookin'."
	She stepped closer to him.  "Lookin' at what?"
	The boy turned his gaze back to the valley, and merely pointed.
The girl nodded, and then casually moved beside him, and sat next to
him. 
	The two of them stared over the valley, not saying anything for
a few minutes.  Neither of them were more than 8 years of age, and they
had never met one another.
	And yet, they seemed to instantly connect with each other. 
	The girl finally turned to the boy.  "What's your name?"
	The boy looked back at her, right in the eyes.
	He felt... warm. 
	It was an odd feeling.  Like nothing that he had ever experienced
in his life, ever before.  It was as if his body was resonating with the
girls gaze upon him, which made his whole body feel... warm.
	He paused for a moment. "Ummm... Shinta."
	"Shinta..." the girl said, nodding to herself.
	Her face regained it's playful composure, and she giggled.  "My
name is Yumei.  It means 'dream'." she told him.
	"...dream..." he whispered.
	"So, Shinta..." the girl asked, "...where do we go from here?"










-- Final Ending Theme --
"Heart, Return to the Beginning", from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'



	Light!  Earth!  Flowing Air!...

	Those sad days will soon become fossils
	And your pain will be secretly led
	to the forest of sleep
	Good night, all of you overly enthusiastic stray children
	Until impatience makes the evolving days into your dreams

	Life is waiting for that dazzling morning
	Even if the final penitence doesn't come true
	Someday the dark era will break into the dawn
	World!  Close your eyes
	Life is awakening, spinning time itself
	Like returning to your proof
	And so, the light tells your heart
	Heart!  Return to the Beginning

	On the beach of tears, you constantly stand,
	as though gently concealing your feelings the secret mind
	Transporting them to the sea of memories
	Good night - your fingers and ears dirtied by morality
	Within your heart, let it sleep

	Life is waiting for that dazzling morning
	Rather than holding on to your worn-out scriptures,
	Someday the dark era will break into the dawn
	You!  Cast away your prayers
	Life is awakening, spinning time itself
	Entrust yourself to the rule of nature
	And so, the light tells your heart
	Heart!  Return to the Beginning

	Life is waiting for that dazzling morning
	Even if the final penitence doesn't come true
	Someday the dark era will break into the dawn
	World!  Close your eyes
	Life is awakening, spinning time itself
	Like returning to your proof
	And so, the light tells your heart
	Heart!  Return to the Beginning



MUSIC:

	- Tenchi and Ryoko: "Trust Me", from 'Final Fantasy VIII'
	- Everyone prepping: "Kryptic", from 'Gasaraki'
	- In the Cradle: "Omen", from 'Xenogears'
	- On the roof: "Blue Summers", from 'Trigun'
	- Judas attacks: "HEAT", from 'Gasaraki'
	- The battle rages: "Hurt Conveyer", by 'Fear Factory'
	- Ryoko dies: "Adagio", by 'Samuel Barber'
	- The W.E. & Anonlbe: "Omen", from 'Xenogears'
	- The Time Crash: "The Dark Star", from 'Secret of Mana'
	- Anonlbe: "Introjection", from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'
	- Tsunami: "Leena on the Beach", from 'Chrono Cross'
	- Washu's memory: "Faraway Promise", from 'Xenogears'
	- Washu: "Instinctive", from 'Bubblegum Crisis 2040'
	- Tokimi: "Find your Way", from 'Final Fantasy VIII'
	- Judas and Ashley: "The One who is Torn Apart", from 'Xenogears'
	- J&A's Destruction: "Scattered Rain", from 'Trigun'
	- Tenchi's Despair: "Arcadia", from 'The Vision of Escaflowne'
	- Tenchi on the boat: "Drifting", from 'Final Fantasy VIII'
	- Ryoko & Tenchi: "Space Lion", from 'Cowboy Bebop'
	- Everyone Returns: "June Mermaid", from 'Xenogears'
	- Epilogue: "Heart - Return to the Beginning", from 'Neon Genesis Evagelion'





J U N E   M E R M A I D
Written by The Entry Plug
A Story about Cycles, Gods, Loves, and Conundrums


The Cycle will now begin, once again...




   The End