Tenchi Muyo is the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC. I only own the writing. This is the second chapter of "The Last Avatar." Criticism being what makes the world go round, I'm asking for you, the reader...Yes, *you*, to please e-mail me with your comments. Thank you. The Last Avatar: Part 2 The Day Illusions Were Shattered Sasami stood at the desk of the rental office and waited. After one or two minutes, a Mallin, a native of the planet Mallistair, stepped up behind the desk and smiled with both of its mouths. "Hello, hello," it said, the top mouth echoing the bottom. Mallins had two sets of everything except arms and legs. Four green, insectile eyes blinked at her. "Hi," she said. "I need to rent a speeder, and I'd like to hire a guide to take me to the temple." Sasami removed her wallet. The insect clicked at her, a sign of regret. "I can rent you speeder," it told her with its top mouth. It's bottom mouth joined in. "But our last guide was rented yesterday. Apologies." It dipped its head at her. "Oh," Sasami said. She didn't really need a guide. She could find the temple on her own. Still, she would've preferred having someone intimately familiar with the terrain with her. "Give me the speeder anyway." "Of course. Of course," the mouths said, only a second apart. Sasami paid in the local currency and took a key card from the Mallin. It thanked her and pointed out the window to a rugged-looking overland speeder designed for rough terrain parked not far away. Sasami thanked the native and readjusted the straps on her back pack. She had everything she needed for three or four days in the jungles of the south continent of Mallistair. At the last second, she pulled a map of the region where the temple was located and put it on the counter. The Mallin rang it up for her. "Popular are these...are these," it told her. Sasami paused. "Are they?" she asked noncommittally. The Mallin nodded. "Tokimi's temple has many guests this season...this season." Sasami paid for the map and walked out. As she approached her rented speeder, her hand trailed to the lightsword her mother had given her. All of a sudden, she found herself feeling edgy. She shook off the feeling and started the speeder. She had research to do, and she was burning daylight. The Mallin watched her pull out of the dirt lot. It turned and activated a viewscreen. A raven-haired woman wearing black, Jurain warpaint appeared. "Yes?" "Another has just left...just left." The young man hit the ground with an indignant cry. Ten feet away, a boken held firmly in her hand, Mayuka shook her head and frowned. "Of all the stupid things I've heard in my life, Kuno, the idea that I'll actually go out with you if you beat the snot out of me with a boken takes the cake!" The young man stood up on the gym floor, his own boken pointed at Mayuka. "It's a matter of honor, beautiful Mayuka Masaki. To have you I must defeat you!" Mayuka arched a tired eyebrow. "Mmmm hmmmm," she said, imitating her grandmother brilliantly. "My father won my mother this way!" "Jeez, Masaru!" she cried. "How long has your family been living in the dark ages!?" "I will have you!" the youth rallied pathetically. "I swear it on my father, Tatewaki Kuno's, sword!" Mayuka smiled. For all his bluster, she rather liked Masaru Kuno, the self named, "Red Thunder," of Okayama High. She actually wouldn't mind dating him... She just wanted to bring him down a peg first. "I tell you what, Masaru," she said flirtatiously. "If you can knocked this big, heavy sword out of my hands, I'll go out with you." The young man's eyes went wide. "You will?!" She smiled and brought her boken up. she thought to herself. Masaru lunged at her. Mayuka easily parried two blows, then spun as he lunged at her again. Masaru fell forward, and she smacked him across the backside with the flat of her boken as he passed. He cried out and hit the mat again. Mayuka laughed. "Oh no!" she cried in mock concern. "The great Red Thunder of Okayama High has suffered a mortal wound....TO HIS ASS!!" She laughed hysterically. He let loose a battle cry and attacked again. Mayuka continued to parry. Both were considered the best fighters on the school's kendo team, but Mayuka had moves Kuno had never seen before, taught to her by her grandfather, who in turn learned them from a society that still placed swordsmanship as one of the top areas of study. She shook her head as she ducked under a slash. "This is stupid, Masaru," she commented, blocking another attempt to attack her. "You're never going to beat me! Why not give up and chase a cheerleader? I hear they don't fight back." "Never! It's Mayuka Masaki or no one!" Mayuka actually blushed, flattered by his words. She ducked down and spun, lashing out with her foot and catching the young student in a leg sweep. Kuno cried out and fell again. He blinked, dazed. Mayuka smiled mischievously and let her boken fall to the floor. "Oops!" she cried. "I dropped my sword!" She looked down at him. He was still trying to collect his wits. "I guess now I have to go out with you. How's Friday?" "F...Fine..." he said. "Okay! Meet me here after class! Bye!" she said, and ran out of the gym, giggling. "That was fun!" she commented to herself. "Hey, Mayuka!" She turned and found her best friend in the world, Chi Aoyama, running up to her. "Hey, Chi! How was photography club?" "Same o'l, same o'l," she replied. She saw Mayuka's expression and grinned. "And someone is obviously happy about something," she noted. "I just got a date for Friday," Mayuka said, grinning as her friend tried to make sense of what she had just said. "With who!? SPILL!" "Masaru Kuno," Mayuko said casually. Chi arched a skeptical eyebrow. "That kendo guy who's been chasing after you the past semester? Why?" "He's cute...in an obnoxious kind of way," Mayuka admitted. She and Chi continued to talk until Mayuka got on the bus for home. She walked through the front door to see Ryoko taking groceries out of two shopping bags. "Welcome home, Mayuka," Ryoko said with a smile. Mayuka hopped up onto the counter with a grin on her face. "I got a date," she announced proudly. Ryoko grinned and arched an eyebrow. "Masaru?" Mayuka blinked. "How did you know that?!" "I read about him in your diary," Ryoko told her. "Mom!" She took a swipe at Ryoko, who disappeared and reappeared behind her. "I'm just kidding, Mayuka," Ryoko told her. "I didn't read your diary. I just talked with Chi the other day, that's all." Ryoko grinned. "I can't believe you!" Ryoko giggled and floated around her daughter. "Come on! If your mother can't make fun of you, then who can?" Mayuka smiled, but not as intensely as before. Ryoko's words had brought up something that had been concerning her for several months. She had been trying to find some way to bring it up, but Ryoko was never comfortable with the subject, and dodged the question whenever she could. But Mayuka wanted to know. "Mom..." Mayuka began as Ryoko resumed unpacking groceries. "Who was she?" Ryoko paused, her hand wrapped around a jar of strawberry jam. "Who was who?" she asked, pretending not to know who Mayuka was talking about. Mayuka took another breath before continuing. "You told me... You told me that you weren't my birth mother, and that's okay," she finished quickly. "You're my mom. The only mom I've known, and the only mom I call, 'Mom.'" She wished she could word this better. "But...But I want to at least know who she was." Ryoko didn't look at her. She stared down into the grocery bag. "I was thinking about having something simple for dinner tonight." "Mom, please..." "What difference does it make!?" Ryoko suddenly snapped. Mayuka flinched in shock. "Um...I'm sorry," Mayuka muttered. She turned away from Ryoko. The demon sighed. "No, Mayuka, I'm sorry. Just...Please, don't ask me about that again." She looked Mayuka in the eye. "You don't want to know who she was." Mayuka turned and started for the stairs. "I have to change to practice with Grandpa Yosho." "Mayuka." There was regret in Ryoko's voice. Mayuka turned back to her. "Your father was a good man," she said. "And he has a wonderful daughter." She looked sad. "I wanted to be your mother since the day I met him." Mayuka met her gaze. "You *are* my mother." Ryoko brightened slightly. "But that doesn't mean I don't have questions." She started for the stairs again. Ryoko watched her daughter go and sighed. She didn't want Mayuka to know about Yuzuha. The less she knew about her "real" mother, the better. They had told Mayuka that Ryoko was not her birth mother. They felt they shouldn't keep that fact from her, but Ryoko had drawn the line when the matter of telling her *who* her "mother" was came up. She sighed again and continued to unpack the groceries. she thought sadly. She shut her eyes painfully. She collected herself and continued to put away the groceries. Ayeka stood in front of the shuttle craft's hatch and took a deep breath. A two day trip had finally ended, and she was now waiting to begin her first marriage meeting. Standing next to her and just slightly behind, her SIS minder, Mina, gave her a comforting smile. She fought down the butterflies in her stomach as the door opened. Two rows of Mollidoni soldiers in black uniforms, their rifles at order arms, formed a path to an elderly man in a more elaborate uniform sixty feet away. "COM-PANY! PRE-SENT...ARMS!" The soldiers went to present arms. Ayeka, flanked by Mina and her two guards walked between the two rows and stopped before the man. He was a grandfatherly figure. He reminded her of a kinder version of her late father. "Your Majesty," he greeted her with a smile. "I'm General..." "I know who you are, General Redara," Ayeka said, smiling. "Your charge up Peremptory Ridge is legendary." Redara smiled and bowed to her. "You do me too much honor," he told her. His Mollidoni accent was smoother than others she had heard, rolling off his tongue in a way that somehow made him sound more charming. "It was the very least we could do for our Jurain allies, and the very least we could do for the Beleguese," he finished with a grim smile. Ayeka nodded. The Third Galactic War five years ago pitted half the galaxy against the other half. It started as a limited trade war between the Jurains and Danitans, then escalated. The Mollidoni came in on the Jurain side, prompting their enemies, the Beleguese, to join forces with the Danitans. Due to a series of treaties and alliances, this brought Edel and Morphia into the war on the Jurains' side. Orsini joined with the Danitans, and it just snowballed from there. Before long, the entire galaxy was at war. It was this war that had made Ayeka queen. A surprise attack, stabbing into the heart of Jurain territory, resulted in a bombing of Jurai itself. Her parents had been killed in that attack, and the SIS had raced to Earth to find Ayeka and hand her the reigns of the government. "If you'll walk this way, Your Majesty," Redara prompted, gesturing for her to walk with him. "I am to escort you to the palace." "Thank you." She fell into step beside him. His dress saber clinked against his thigh with every step. "If...If you don't mind my asking," Ayeka began. "What is he like?" "His Grace?" he asked. Ayeka nodded. Redara thought for a moment. "As a soldier, I'm expected to die if he orders it." He stopped. "But he's the kind of man where he wouldn't order it. And the kind of man where he wouldn't *have* to." Ayeka just nodded. "Nervous?" he asked. She nodded again. "Piece of advice?" She stopped and looked up at him. "I believe you'll get along with His Grace. This is his first marriage meeting too, believe it or not. The death of his wife and child affected him for a long time, and it's just now that he's decided to try again, so he is just as nervous as you are." Ayeka listened as the old General went on. "However, if you decide during the meeting that you don't want to pursue something with His Grace, the only thing you have to do is tell him you don't want children." Ayeka arched an eyebrow. "Children are very important to the Mollidoni. We consider them the most valuable treasure in in the Mollidoni Confederation. If you hint that you don't want to have one, it'll give you both a way to walk away from the meeting without feeling bad about it." "Thank you," she said. "I, for one, hope you decide not to do that," Redara told her as they began to walk again. "His Grace is a good man. I watched him grow up. He's not looking for political power, he's looking for a wife." Ayeka sighed. "That's good to know. I'm here for many reasons, duty among them. Even so, I'd like to think of this as more than a political arrangement." Redara smiled. "I assure you, Your Majesty, he would not wish it to be so either." They came upon a group of hover limos. Redara opened the door and helped Ayeka and Mina inside before entering himself. The motorcade started down the street toward the palace. Sasami parked her speeder next to a clump of trees near the temple. She got out and jumped down, landing nimbly on the ground. She looked up at the mammoth stone structure before her. It was a truncated pyramid almost eighty feet tall. Vines and jungle growth covered most of it. A small gorge, probably formed by weapons fire ten thousand years ago was not far away. She walked over to it and looked down. It was ten meters deep, at least, and a dead tree lay at the bottom of it, devoid of leaves. She shivered even through the tropical heat. She felt cold. Her hand trailed down to the lightsword on her belt. Rather than close around it, her hand continued into her pocket and produced a small, hand held voice recorder. "The Temple of Tokimi," she said, bringing the recorder to her lips. "The headquarters for the Order of Tokimi. According to historical text, the Jurain Knights, accompanied by Tsunamic clerics, stormed the temple in the final days of the Fifty Day's War. From what my research has uncovered, it appears that the temple functioned as more than just a hideout, but also a communications center, barracks, and nursery for the cult's trees. Most of the temple is underground, howe..." She broke off as she noticed something not far away, a glint of light reflected off metal. Another speeder. Sasami stepped forward and inspected the speeder. It was a typical all terrain job. The doors were locked. She looked to her right and saw the entrance to the temple not far away. She removed a palm light from her knapsack and started forward. She pointed her light down the passage and began to walk into the interior. The light played over stone walls, damp and rotting with age. The tunnel led into a larger chamber, a bowl shaped area with a sandy floor fifty yards below her. Stone benches circled the area in cocentric circles, each row moving up... Like a stadium...or an arena. The floor itself was about fify feet in diameter, covered in loose sand. She brought her recorder out again. "I'm in the central chamber," she said. It wasn't necessary to record this, there were descriptions of the temple in books, but she wanted her own notes to fall back on. "It looks like some kind of meeting place. I'd say about five thousand people could be fit comfortably here." She shivered again. Looking to her right, she saw a break in the benches. A deep hole divided one area of the seating. At first she thought it was a crater, probably created by a bomb or grenade, but upon further inspection, she found that it was too neat, too orderly for that. And it looked oddly familiar. The bottom of the hole was stained black. "I found a hole," she said into the recorder. She shivered again. "Something died here. I can feel it." She was whispering now, as if she didn't want to risk being caught in this place. She reached out and touched a part of the black soil. "I...I think..." Suddenly a bright, white pain shot through her head. She screamed and dropped the recorder, her hands going to either side of her head. Her eyes clenched shut as she screamed. The pain left her and she looked up. The sound of hundreds of cheering people met her ears. She looked from side to side and found that people now filled the stadium. Most were dressed casually, in fashions from half a dozen planets. But a few...A few were dressed all in black. She looked back at the hole, but found that where there was once a gaping opening in the floor... A tree now stood. It was black. Black, oily sap oozed from between its coarse bark. It's leaves were dark except for the glowing purple veins that ran through them. Sasami shuddered in fear. Her attention went back to what the crowd was cheering at. Two men dressed in black Jurain battle outfits were dueling on the sandy floor. Lightswords crossed with electrified *zats* as the two men fought for their lives. Sasami watched in fascinated horror. One man she had never seen before. The other... Was *him*! She would never forget his face for as long as she lived. Her hand went to her own lightsword, but she stopped. There was no way she would be able to get to him, and even if she did, then what? Kill him? The fanged man with the black queue regarded his opponent with contempt, then lashed out with his lightsword! The amethyst blade darted out and lopped off his opponent's hand at the wrist, his lightsword and his hand, flying from his arm and landing in the dirt. The man screamed and fell to his knees. With a war cry, the fanged man who had killed her beloved Tenchi swung his blade around and took his opponent's head off with it. The crowd cheered. Sasami just watched, rooted to the spot in fear. What was she seeing? The future? The past? Was this Tsunami's doing? The warrior looked up... Right at her. Sasami tensed. He started up the stairs toward her. She went for her own sword again, but found it missing. The warrior continued toward her... And walked right past her. He stopped before the tree. The tree spoke, arcs of violet light coming from the leaves and striking the pool of blood it sat in. Sasami watched in fascination. As a noblewoman, she could hear and understand the speech of the space trees, but all she could hear from this tree were horrible shrieks. She watched as the warrior reached out and touched the trunk with his hand, his black handled lightsword clenched firmly in the other. Sasami hissed as she realized what she was witnessing. A bonding. She was watching this man bond himself to this dark tree, much in the way her sister had bonded to Ryu-Oh...and Tenchi to Tsunami. The tree shrieked in her mind. The warrior stiffened and cried out in pain as sap from the tree ran down his hand, entering his body at every possible access, his eyes, his ears, his nose, his mouth. He continued to scream. No, this was nothing at all like the bonding Jurain nobles went through. This was darker, more malignant. The screaming trailed off. The warrior looked up at the tree and smiled. The bonding was complete. Sasami watched and listened as the tree spoke again, but this time, she could understand it. "I have given you power," it said. It's voice was familiar to Sasami, somehow. Like something from a dream. "Now serve. Kill him. Kill the Avatar." Sasami's eyes went wide as the tree finished. "Kill Tenchi Masaki." Mayuka knocked on her grandmother's door and waited for Washu to call out, "Come in," before entering. "Hey, Gramma," Mayuka said as she entered the lab. As usual, Washu was typing away at her holotop. "Whatcha do'in?" "Just adding in a few lines of data," Washu told her. "How's my favorite granddaughter?" "Your *only* granddaughter," Mayuka told her. She smiled uncomfortably. "Dinner's ready," she said. Washu only smiled. "Thank you, Mayuka, but I'm not really hungry." Damn. She had been afraid of this. Mayuka hardly ever saw her grandmother eat. She had to get her out of the lab. "Please?" Mayuka begged. "Mom really needs to talk to you." Washu blinked. "What about?" "I think..." Mayuka racked her brain for ideas. "She's really depressed," she finished. "Couldn't you go try to cheer her up? I've tried everything." Washu sighed. "You know she and I really don't get along that well..." "I know, but please? I know she *wants* to talk." Washu smiled. "All right, I'll give it a shot." "Great! If you want, I'll stay here. Give you some privacy." Washu blinked. "Why here?" she asked. "Well..." Mayuka looked for an answer. "I can put in that data you're working on!" Washu smiled wanly. "Okay, Mayuka. That would help a lot." Washu set up the holotop and pointed at a screen of data. "Just put these equations in where I've marked." "Okay, Gramma." Washu smiled again and left the lab. Mayuka didn't waste time. She sat down in Washu's chair and began typing as fast as she could. She wouldn't have much time before Washu figured out that her mother really didn't want to talk and come back. She couldn't leave it alone. She just couldn't. She had to know. But she didn't want to hurt her mother by forcing her to tell her. Hopefully, if she was right, she wouldn't have to. Her grandmother was an information pack rat. If she observed it, it was recorded somewhere. Washu knew who her birth mother was. She thought about just asking her, but if she did, and Washu refused, then she'd be on guard against just this kind of plan, and Mayuka would never have been left unsupervised. She opened a search program and typed, "Mayuka Masaki Mother." She waited for the data to compile, throwing looks at the door as she waited. A list of files came up. She hit one that said, "Mayuka's First Word," and watched as a screen popped up. It was an image of her, as a baby, surrounded by her family. She was looking up at a shocked Ryoko as she said, "Mama," for the first time. She smiled at the image. Still, it wasn't what she was looking for. She came upon another file. This one was marked, "Genetic Background, Masaki, Mayuka." She opened it. A new picture appeared on the screen. Mayuka blinked and read the data below it. Ryoko blinked in shock as Washu sat at the end of the table. "Washu? Are you eating with us tonight?" Washu nodded. "Mayuka said you wanted to talk to me, Ryoko." Ryoko looked at her mother in puzzlement. "Um...No. Did she say what it was?" This time, it was Washu who blinked in surprise. "No, she just said you were really depressed and asked me to talk to you." "I'm fine. Really." There it was. The iciness that seemed to fall over every conversation the two had. "Nothing's wrong?" Washu asked again. "No...Well..." Ryoko sighed. "Mayuka's been asking me about Yuzuha again." Washu's eyes widened. "She has?" Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm...Hey! Where are you going!?" Washu had gotten out of her chair and was running to her lab. Mayuka just stared at the picture in horror. She felt sick to her stomach. She stood up and shook her head at the...the *thing* on the terminal's screen. It had to be some kind of mistake. She must have landed in the wrong folder or something. This...monster...couldn't be her mother! It looked like some kind of rat. Some kind of fanged vermin. It was grinning maliciously at her. The name of the creature was prominent in green lettering beneath the picture. "YUZUHA." Mayuka was shaking as she took a step backward. She felt hands grab her shoulders. She screamed and turned, lashing out with her fist at the attacker. Ryoko's hand caught her fist. "Mayuka! It's okay!" Mayuka continued to shake as she stared back at the screen. "What is it?" She didn't look at Ryoko, at her mother...no...She wasn't her mother. That *thing* was her mother. "What is it!? What the fuck is it!?" "Mayuka, calm down!" Washu tried to calm her granddaughter. Mayuka shook her head. She had pictured her birth mother in a variety of ways, but never like *this*! It wasn't even human! Or even Jurain! "No," she said shakily. "Not until you tell me what it is!" "Mayuka," "No!" Before she could continue, her breathing quickened beyond her control. She began wheezing. "Washu!" Ryoko cried. "She's hyperventilating," Washu said calmly. "Get her to a table." Mayuka could barely breathe. Ryoko put her on a lab table, tears in her eyes as she tried to comfort her adopted daughter. Washu appeared with an advanced device designed to help steady Mayuka's breathing. She called it, "a brown paper bag." She put the open end over Mayuka's mouth and nose and told her to breathe. Mayuka continued to hyperventilate. Ryoko stroked her hair and made shushing noises. "Shhhh, it's okay, baby. It's okay," she kept whispering. Before long, Mayuka's breathing resumed a slower tempo. "It's okay, Mayuka," Ryoko whispered. "It's okay. Just breathe." Tears coursed down Mayuka's cheeks. "What is it?" she whispered through the bag. "What is it?" Ryoko didn't know how to answer her. "What am I?" Mayuka asked. Then she passed out. "Your Majesty," the man greeted her with a smile as he approached her. Prince Vazner of Mollidon was older than Ayeka, but youth seemed to cling to him. He was about her height, with short, curly blonde hair. His eyes were a dark gray. He was dressed simply with a gray cloak the only hint of his noble status. "Your Grace," she greeted back. "I trust your ride from the spaceport was comfortable?" "Oh, yes, thank you," Ayeka replied. "I enjoyed speaking with the General a great deal." "I'm glad. Shall we talk over tea?" Ayeka nodded and allowed the prince to lead her and her party into a sitting room. A large, bay window overlooked the palace grounds, giving Ayeka a view of a mammoth fountain. She could see a pair of young girls, no older than eleven or twelve, playing near it. "Two of my nieces," Vazner explained as he poured her a cup of tea and offered it to her. "Risa and Anya." "They're adorable," Ayeka told him with a smile as she watched them chase each other around the fountain, obviously enthralled in a game of tag. They reminded her of Sasami at that age. Or Mayuka. Vazner sat across from her. "Well," he said uneasily. "I never thought I'd be in one of these." Ayeka could only smile at that. She had never expected it either. Marriage meetings were all but obsolete, and weren't practiced much anymore. If it weren't for the tense political climate that had permeated the galaxy since the end of the war, a need for a clear successor would not be so vitally necessary and she probably wouldn't be here. "Yes," she said, "It is rather awkward, isn't it?" "Nervous?" She nodded. "Good. I'd hate to be that way alone." She laughed. "No danger of that." She looked at him for a moment. "Why me?" she asked. "Hmm?" "Marriage meetings come by request," she told him. "You requested this meeting. I'd like to know why me?" "I think we share some things in common," he told her. His voice turned a little sad. "We both know what it's like to lose loved ones." Ayeka said nothing. She knew he was right. He had lost a wife and child, and she had lost her parents and Tenchi. "And I know your mother used to visit us here, and that you speak Mollidoni." She smiled. "Well, a little. I'm afraid I let a lot of it go." "My point is, it's a place to start. And I won't lie to you. Mollidon has a lot to gain by stregthening our ties with Jurai. The war left our economy in something of a spot." Ayeka sipped her tea and nodded. The war had left a lot of planets economically weakened. A short depression had followed the war, but Jurai had stabilized quickly enough to prevent any permanent harm from befalling her empire. She opened her mouth to reply, but a beeping noise came out of nowhere. She looked to her left and saw Mina pulling a small communicator from her purse. "Excuse me, please," she said. "I need to take this." "Of course," Vazner drawled. "My guard will show you to my office." "Thank you, Your Grace." She bowed to Ayeka. "By your leave, Your Majesty." Ayeka nodded. "Of course. I hope it's nothing serious." Mina sighed. "Yes, Your Majesty." If they were bothering to call her here, it was most certainly serious. The Mollidoni guard led her to a separate room and closed the door, giving her some privacy. She held up her wrist watch and pressed a button on the side. A two inch tall hologram of a young man appeared there. "Yes, Major?" "Arin, scan the room for listening devices," she ordered. "Of course, Major." Mina waited while her Personal Field Assistant conducted a scan of the office. Her communicator beeped again. She ignored it. She couldn't risk a private communique being tapped, and she knew they would just keep beeping her until she replied anyway. "Scan is negative, Major. You are clear." She deactived Arin and activated her communicator. "Todara," she announced. "Is this line secure, Major?" "Switch to scrambler channel B," she ordered, making the adjustments to her own communicator at the same time. The voice returned. "Stand by for Lord Akita, Major." Mina waited, then heard the aging voice of the SIS Director. "Ah, Major. Good. A situation has developed in Sector Eight. A rather odd incident that will more than likely have a bad impact on intergalactic relations." "What happened." "Two days ago one of our cruisers, the Invincible, was fired on and captured in intergalactic space by a Danitan fighter." "Excuse me, sir, a *fighter*?" "You heard correctly, Major. Somehow this fighter forced the crew to abandon ship, then strafed the life pods in space. We're still picking up survivors." "Shit," Mina muttered. "Why would the Danitans be rattling the saber now? Our relations couldn't be better, under the circumstances." "That is still unknown. But regardless this could mean that the Danitans are hoping to harvest technology from the Invincible and find ways to counteract our weaponry and shielding. If that is so, then it means that they're gearing up for the next war." "Orders?" "I want Her Majesty back on Jurai where we can keep a close watch on her. As soon as it's politically convenient, I want her back on a ship for home. Admiral Wakazi has ordered two of our cruisers, the Indomitable and the Courageous, to Mollidon to provide an escort. They should arrive in twenty hours. Brief Her Majesty and get her out of there. We don't know what the Danitans may have planned next. I'm transmitting a copy of our data to your PFA." "What should I tell the Mollidoni?" "I am coordinating with my opposite number in the Mollidoni Secret Service. In all likelihood the Princes will be briefed in time. Your main concern is the protection of Her Majesty." "Understood." "Tsunami with you Major. I'll call you again in twenty hours." "Yes, Sir." The comm clicked dead. Mina stared at it for a moment. She pulled her PP90 blaster pistol and checked the action. Taking a breath, she started for the tea room again. The dark priest stood before the tree and went to one knee. The two black clad figures on either side kneeled as well. The tree's leaves lit up, and soon the image of a woman appeared above the tree, bathed in yellow light. "As Tokimi's light blesses us, may Her will bless the universe," the priest intoned. "You have something to report, I trust?" the image asked. "Yes, Holiness. I come to ask for your guidance. The Queen of Jurai is on Mollidon and away from her forces. I know Her Holiness instructed us to wait, however, news of the Invincible has already reached the ears of the Jurain government. Things have escalated, and it will not be long before Tsunami's puppet Queen is behind the safety of her palace walls." The priest stopped for breath. "Shall we strike her now?" The image paused. "The Jurains are moving faster than anticipated," she commented. "You should not have allowed the crew of the Invincible to escape alive." The priest licked his lips nervously. "Yes, Your Holiness, but in order to incite the war you ask for, we required eyewitnesses..." There was a flash of purple light behind him. He turned slightly. A raven haired woman in black Jurain war garb stood there now. She approached him. "Can't you see I'm..." he started to hiss. The woman bent forward and whispered something in his ear before falling to her knees before the image. The priest's eyes widened in shock. He turned back to the image. "Your Holiness, there has been a new development. It appears that Jurain agents are, even as we speak, searching your great temple on Mallistair. Although we do not believe we left anything incriminating behind when we abandoned it ten years ago, this does suggest that someone within the Jurain government suspects our involvement." The image said nothing for a moment. "Killing the Archsennas was a mistake," she told him critically. "It was necessary," the priest assured her. "And I assumed... mistakenly...that it would be written off as a single, anomalous event." The image stared at him. "There is more..." the priest continued. "It would appear that one of the...encroachers...is the Princess Sasami." "Tsunami..." the image muttered. "What are you up to?" The image trailed off. "Could you have found another Avatar so quickly?" The priest waited for his orders. The image looked down at him. "The time has come to take the next step. You may take the Queen now." The priest sighed in relief. "As for the Princess...Take her. She must not be allowed to leave that temple." "It will be as you command, Your Holiness." "One last thing..." "Yes, Your Holiness?" "Make preparations to recover Washu. With Tenchi Masaki gone, control of her Avatar will determine our fate." "We will begin preparations immediately, Your Holiness." Without another word, the image vanished. The priest turned to the dark haired woman who had arrived during his audience with his deity. "Kill them," he ordered. The woman nodded and vanished in a flash of purple light. Sasami was gasping for breath as she climbed to her feet again. The crowd was gone. The dark tree was gone. And the assassin was gone. She picked up the recorder as she tried to remember every aspect of what she had seen. "I just had a..." She didn't want to say, 'hallucination.' "A vision," she finished. "I think it was from Tsunami. I saw a tree, a black tree. There were people here, and there was a duel..." She tried to remember, but the dream was quickly fading. "He was here," she said. "The man who killed Tenchi. I...I saw a bonding...I...I can't remember anything else....I..." She sensed movement behind her and turned, igniting her lightsword as she went. A man with a gun stood before her. "Drop the sword," he ordered. Mayuka felt something furry rubbing against her face. She opened her eyes and found Ryo-Ohki standing on her chest, rubbing her face on her cheek. She sat up and picked the cabbit up, looking around herself at the same time. She was in her room. she said, hopefully. She looked down and saw a brown paper bag lying on the bed next to her. Moisture filled her eyes. "It wasn't a dream," she whispered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. She crushed Ryo-Ohki to her breast and cried. "What am I, Ryo-Ohki?" she asked. "What am I?" Ryo-Ohki looked at her and miya'd sympathetically. Downstairs, looking through the cabbit's mind, mother and daughter watched the scene sadly and sighed. "I knew this would happen," Ryoko said quietly. "I knew it would." She shook her head. "Why didn't you delete that data?" she asked harshly. Washu looked up in surprise. "How was I supposed to know she'd go snooping around for it?!" "It's not like you needed it!" Ryoko fired back. "You could have at least hidden it or something!" "Hey, Little Ryoko! If you had just swallowed your pride and told her about Yuzuha, she wouldn't have had to looking for her own answers!" "That's not fair!" Ryoko cried. "We all agreed..." "*You* agreed, Little Ryoko!" Washu spat. "*You* decided not to tell her! Kiyone, Ayeka, and I thought we should, remember? You vetoed us. You were so afraid of shaking Mayuka's faith in you as her mother, that you *forbade* us from even bringing it up!" "It was for her own good!" Ryoko shouted at her. "Bullshit! You were Mayuka's mommy, and you didn't want anything to change that! Now, she had to find out the hard way!" "She didn't need to know!" "Yes, she did! And you know what?" Washu asked. "A part of me is *glad* she found out! She has a right to know!" Ryoko said nothing. "I don't care how much you loved Tenchi! Mayuka is *his* daughter, not *yours*!" Ryoko went rigid. Washu blinked in shock at what she had just said. If she could, she would call the words back to her. But she couldn't. The damage was done. Ryoko was shaking in rage. "Get out of my house," she said, her voice just above a whisper. "Ryoko, I..." "Now," Ryoko whispered. "I don't want to see you again. I don't want to hear from you again." Ryoko's voice was cold. "As a matter of fact, I don't want to *feel* you again." Washu's eyes widened in shock. "Ryoko..." "Cut the link, Washu," Ryoko told her. Washu had insulted her and abused her for the last time. "Cut it now." "I know I've said some..." Ryoko glared at her. "Now." Washu returned her glare. "Fine," she whispered. Ryoko felt Washu's mental essence pull away from her mind. Washu started for her lab and stopped at the door. She turned back to her daughter. "You know," she said, "You're not the only one who loved Tenchi." Ryoko just glared at her. "The rest of us loved him too. And just like you we saw raising Mayuka for him as a final way to express that love. We were *all* going to raise her, remember?" Ryoko still said nothing. "Funny, isn't it, how you make all the decisions for her now?" She grimaced. "No wonder the others left." With that last shot, she entered her lab and closed the door. Ryoko fumed and disappeared, reappearing at the door to the lab. "Now, wait just a minute!" she started angrily, throwing the door open. A closet met her. Washu had sealed off her lab. Ryoko slammed the closet door shut and growled. "I swear, Mitsuki is out of her goddamn mind," Detective First Class Shara Reese commented over the comm system. Sitting in the pilot chair of the GP pursuit ship, Mahotsukai, Captain Kiyone Makibi sighed and nodded. "I know, Shara, but you know how hard Mitsuki is after the Kingslayer. We might as well humor her." "Puh-lease!" Shara shot back. "There's nothing in that sector of space! I swear! That bitch is making sandwiches without bread! She's basing a multisquadron operation on...on a *rumor*!" Kiyone was busy running a guidance system diagnostic and only murmurred her assent. "You know what she thinks?" Shara said. "She thinks bagging that renegade Danitan battleship will cinch her for Marshal. *That's* what she thinks!" This idea made Kiyone pause. Shara could have a point. Catching the Kingslayer could very well be the feather in the cap Mitsuki needs to be made a Vice Marshal. After that, Marshal was just a hop, skip, and a jump away. She shook her head. "The Kingslayer's just a myth," she assured Shara. "Captain Zara and her ship were destroyed by Jurain warships four months after the war ended." "I don't know, Kiyone," Shara replied. "I don't want to sound like Mitsuki might know what the hell she's talk'n about, but I've heard the same stories she has. The logs of the Jurain ships that 'destroyed' the Kingslayer have never been able to verify its destruction. I just don't think we should have four patrol squadrons mobilizing based on a rumor she heard in some bar!" "Look at it this way, Shara," Kiyone told her, "We don't have anything better to do, and when it turns out she's wrong, we can laugh at her." Shara grinned. "I'll bring the beer, you bring people who can point and laugh." "Done!" Kiyone promised with a laugh. "See you in orbit." "Roger that, Mahotsukai. Karisuma out." Kiyone went back to her diagnostics. She had a lot to do before taking off from the pad and joining the rest of her patrol squadron. "Captain Makibi?" She hit her comm system again. "Makibi," she answered. "Go." "Ma'am, your new partner is here." "Great, send her out." "Yes, Ma'am." Kiyone went back to rechecking her ship's systems. Although the Mahotsukai was brand new and lightyears more advanced, she often found herself missing the Yukinojo she and Mihoshi used to share. She paused for a second. She missed Mihoshi. She wondered how she was doing. She heard the door open behind her. She started to turn in her chair. "Welcome aboard the Mahotsukai. I'm Captain...MIHOSHI!" The blonde GP smiled in confusion. "I thought *I* was Mihoshi." Kiyone stood up and hugged her old friend. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on hardship leave." Mihoshi smiled wearily. "Well, I figured I could sit around for the rest of my leave and feel sorry for myself, or I could get back on the horse. So, I came back early and requested a transfer to your squadron." She took off her jacket and hung it on the back of the copilot's chair. "I guess because we used to be partners, they decided to pair us up." Kiyone smiled. "I'm glad." She paused before asking the question that had been bothering her ever since she heard about Mihoshi's...situation. "How did it go?" Mihoshi sat down and looked down at the control panel. "Good...I guess." "Personally," Kiyone told her, "I hope you took the cheating bastard for all he's worth." Mihoshi shook her head. "I just took what the judge and the pre-nup said. I didn't want to fight it. I just wanted it over." "Well, you deserve better, Mihoshi." She smiled at Kiyone. "I know. Thanks." She made herself comfortable in her chair and took a breath. "So what's this big case?" Kiyone shook her head wearily. "Not a case. Mulitsquadron operation. What do you know about the Kingslayer?" Mihoshi blinked. "Isn't that some Jurain ghost story about the war?" "At the height of the war, a Danitan battle group penetrated Jurai's territory and bombed Jurai with Triplutonium charges. Illegal weapons in every civilized government in the galaxy. The Kingslayer was at the head of this battlegroup. When the Danitans finally surrendered, the captain of the Kingslayer, Ana Zara, refused to acknowledge the order, took her battlegroup, and left for the unknown territories. She's been hunted ever since. The Jurains want her for what happened to Jurai. The Danitans want her for treason. The GP wants her for violating the the Carissia Accords by using the Triplutonium bombs." She smiled wearily and shook her head. "Mitsuki wants her so she can make Marshal." "Ahh," Mihoshi said. It was much clearer to her now. "So why are you going?" Kiyone grinned. "Simple. If Mitsuki *is* right, she'll end up a Vice Marshal. I'm not about to be caught writing parking tickets while she's out making history. If I have to ride *her* coat tails in order to get that promotion, I'll do it." "Wow, Kiyone, I've never heard you talk like that." She faced her new/old partner, once again her smile was tired. "I'm almost forty, Mihoshi, and I'm still patrolling quiet sectors and catching speeders." "You're a squardron commander, Kiyone. You should be proud!" "I am proud," she told her. "But I also want more before I retire. I made my career my life. I never...I never took the time for anything else. Never had a family...never even tried, really. If my career's my life, I might as well make the most of it." Mihoshi sighed in understanding. "Okay...Let's go." Kiyone grinned gamely. "Power up the reactor, Mihoshi. Let's go bag us some renegades!" Mihoshi smiled and began typing. "Power to reactor, positive. Port and starboard engines at sixty percent...and rising." Kiyone toggled the comm system. "HQ Control, this is Mahotsukai requesting permission to take off." "GPS Mahotsukai this is HQ Control. You're number one on the runway. Happy hunting." "Thanks, Control. See you when we get back." Mihoshi took a breath, turned to Kiyone, and paused. Kiyone smiled and shook her head wearily. "Go ahead, Mihoshi, I know you're dying to..." Mihoshi took another breath and held up a fist. "Beware, renegades! Galaxy Police Detectives Mihoshi and Kiyone are *on their way*!" Mayuka heard a knock on her door and turned her head to it. "Yes?" "Mayuka," Ryoko's voice called through the door. "It's me. Can I come in?" The blue-haired teenager continued to pet the cabbit sleeping on her stomach. "Sure," she said noncommittally. Ryoko phased through the door a second later carrying a tray with a cup of tea and a sandwich on it. Mayuka didn't look at her. "I brought you something to eat," Ryoko told her, trying to smile for her benefit. "No thanks," Mayuka said quietly. Ryoko frowned and put the tray on the nightstand next to Mayuka's bed. "Mayuka...honey...Let me explain..." "Explain what?" Mayuka asked angrily. "That I'm the child of an inhuman monster that, as gramma put it, is no less than the embodiment of darkness?" She paused. "Go ahead. Explain it. Tell me about it." Ryoko said nothing, caught up in her own guilt. "And while you're at it, explain why you never explained it before." The demon sighed. "Mayuka, I didn't want you to find out like that..." "You didn't want me to find out at all!" Mayuka shouted angrily, turning to her adopted mother with tears in her eyes. "How could you!? How could you hide something like that from me!?" "Mayuka...I...I'm sorry," Ryoko tried to tell her with a sob. "I didn't want you to know. I...I was your mother...I thought that would be enough..." "It would've been enough if you had just told me!" Mayuka fired back. She looked away again. "I used to dream about her, you know," she said quietly. "I heard stories about the Jurain nobility...I saw what kind of women you and Aunt Ayeka are, and I just assumed she was like you...that she and Father had...had *wanted* me..." "Mayuka..." "I always pictured her...kinda like you, or Aunt Ayeka, or Aunt Sasami....Like a Jurain princess...strong and beautiful and kind..." Ryoko saw Mayuka's shoulders begin to shake as tears overcame her. "And...And then I find out she was a hairy, cruel, vindictive *monster*! And that I was just some kind of *experiment*!" "Mayuka, you can't think of it like that..." "I wasn't born! I was *manufactured*! Father didn't even *want* me!" "That's not true!" "YES IT IS!" Mayuka screamed, turning on Ryoko again, this time with tears coursing down her face. "I...I...I'm not even human, am I?" she asked pitifully. Ryoko embraced Mayuka in a hug. "Of course you are, honey!" Mayuka burst into tears and returned the hug, crushing Ryoko to her as she wept. "Of course you are," Ryoko told her. Ryoko held her and let her cry until Mayuka finally cried herself to sleep. "Why would the Danitans attack a Jurain cruiser?" Ayeka asked Mina from her chair in the sitting room. The SIS agent had pulled the Queen of Jurai aside and brought her to a quiet, secure room where she could brief her on what was happening. "We still have no idea, Your Majesty," Mina told her. "All we know is that one Danitan fighter was able to bring down an entire cruiser. It might be a warning to us. 'We have the bigger guns now. Your cruisers are space bait, so watch out.'" "Or?" Ayeka asked. Mina sighed. "It could be the opening shots of another war." Ayeka shook her head. "Damn," she whispered. "I don't believe this." "I should point out that there doesn't appear to be any other indications," Mina told her. "The Danitans do have a deployed military, but it hasn't made any moves that we could even begin to call hostile to us." Ayeka tapped her knee and bit her lip. "And you're *certain* it was a Danitan naval fighter?" Mina noddded. "The Invincible confirmed the IFF code before she was torpedoed. The code on that fighter is unique to the Danitan Navy." "Tsunami," Ayeka swore. "Can you get me Yppessa from here? On a secure channel?" Mina blinked. "I can certainly try." Mina saw what the Queen was doing. She wanted to talk to the Danitan government now, it seemed. She went to the sitting room's small viewscreen and activated it. She brought her PFA up. "Arin." The holographic man popped up. "Yes, Ma'am?" "I'm standing in front of standard comm viewer. I need you to link with it and get me a secure channel to the Danitan capital. Can you do it?" The holographic man grinned. "Watch me and weep." A few seconds later, the screen came to life, a Danitan royal seal was prominent in the foreground. "Connection established. Who do you want to talk to?" Ayeka got up and spoke. "Queen Koriya." It took a few minutes, but after a few mistries and a few beaureaucrats, the beautiful but predatory features of the Queen of Danitan appeared before them. "Hello, Highly Honored Ayeka," she greeted the Jurain queen. "If this is some sort of apology for the recent attack at Tessas, I'm afraid..." "An apology!?" Ayeka fired back in astonishment. "I am told that *you* are the one who owes *us* an apology, *Highest Honored* Koriya!" She made the Queen's title a curse. "For what!? Bloodying your noses for you!?" Koriya spat. "It would be wise for you to remember it! Your victory five years ago does *not* give you the right to attack us at will!" Mina blinked at this. "I am warning you, Highly Honored Ayeka, this attack on our sovereignty will *not* go unanswered!" "What are you talking about!?" Ayeka cried. "Are you implying that I ordered some sort of attack!?" "You deny it!?" "OF COURSE, I DENY IT!" Ayeka shouted at the screen. "Do you deny ordering an attack on one my cruisers!?" "Are you implying that *we* would break the peace!?" Koriya demanded. "You're damn right that's what I'm implying!" Ayeka told her acidly. "That cruiser was in intergalactic space! You had no right..." "WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEFEND OUR SOVEREIGNTY!" Koriya shouted. "Even that shameful treaty you forced down our throats acknowledges that!" Mina watched as Ayeka faced off with the Danitan leader. She knew from experience that Her Majesty would not be cowed by Koriya's threats. As a matter of fact, half the galaxy knew it. After the death of her parents, most people assumed that Ayeka would sue for peace after taking control of the government. No one expected the grief stricken princess to want to continue the war, but that's what happened. Rather than let her grief get the better of her, Ayeka ordered a massive counteroffensive, a counteroffensive that would later bring Danitan's Beleguese allies to their knees and take Belegast out of the war. The Beleguese called her, "le Vanon dem Rion," or, "the Iron Matron." "Highest Honored Koriya," Ayeka began quietly, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but rest assured that if I find out that *one* Jurain serviceman has died by Danitan hands, I will personally lead the fleet to Danitan and REDUCE IT TO DUST!!" Koriya flinched visibly, but rallied, "And I don't know what scheme you've cooked up to undermine us, Highly Honored Ayeka, but when I discover what it is, I swear I won't rest until a DANITAN FLAG IS WAVING OVER THE PALACE OF JURAI!" With that last shot, Koriya cut the transmission. Ayeka glared at the black screen for a moment. "That could've gone...better," Mina muttered. "It's politics," Ayeka told her. "The Danitan jump to take advantage of any perceived weakness. If I hadn't behaved that way, she would've been able to walk all over us." Mina smiled. "Your Majesty, I spent a good part of the war on Danitan. No offense, but I probably know more about Danitan customs than you do." Ayeka smiled. "Yes, of course you would." Danitan society placed women in the dominant role. Women made up the warrior and leadership castes, so most of the Jurain SIS agents who infiltrated Danitan organizations had been women. "How long until our escort arrives?" Ayeka asked her. "Seventeen hours." Ayeka nodded. "Well...I guess we should go have dinner with the prince then." Mina nodded. "As you wish, Your Majesty." Mina paused. "What do you think she meant by an 'attack on Tessas?'" Ayeka sighed. "Who knows? It was probably some pirate attack that Koriya wants to pin on us to take attention away from the Invincible. One thing is for sure. No Jurain ship would *dare* attack a Danitan settlement....not unless I order it." Mina nodded. "Please have the guard inform Prince Vazner that we would be glad to join him for dinner." Mayuka moaned in her sleep and rolled over in her bed. "Mayuka," She moaned again and opened her eyes. "Wake up...daughter." Her eyes shot wide open. Her room was dark. She searched the dark corners of her bedroom anxiously. Her breath came in short, fearful gasps. "Who's there?!" she called out. "Don't you recognize flesh and blood?" The voice was raspy, eerie. It frightened her. "This isn't funny, Mom," she called out, at the same time knowing that it wasn't Ryoko. "That's right," the voice said, "It's mommy!" Mayuka reached out and found the Tenchi ken on her nightstand, knocking over the untouched cup of tea Ryoko had left there. She ignored it. "Who's there?!" she called out again. She sensed movement to her right and looked, activating the Tenchi ken! The room was bathed in a soft, blue light. Still, it wasn't enough to make anything out. There was something in the corner, something dark. Mayuka's jaw dropped in fear and shock. It was crouched in the corner, pointed ears caused angular shadows to be cast on the blue tinted wall behind it. It moved. Bat-like wings unfurled from its back. Mayuka's sword shook in her hand. She whimpered as whatever the dark shape was turned to her. Its eyes glowed red as it stared at her. It reached out for her... Ryoko shot straight up in bed as she heard it. Mayuka was screaming. "Mayuka!" She threw the covers off and disappeared. She concentrated and reappeared in Mayuka's room, floating just above her bed. She heard the screaming and turned to find Mayuka swinging the Tenchi ken visciously at something in one corner of her room. The blue laser blade hummed as it struck the walls of the corner repeatedly. Ryoko flew to one side to get a better look at what her daughter was attacking. She gasped as she saw Mayuka's target. Absolutely nothing. Mayuka continued to swing the Tenchi ken from side to side, half screaming, half growling, as she pressed her attack. Something, words perhaps, could just barely be heard through the animalistic cries of fury. "Mayuka!" Ryoko flew up behind her and put her daughter in a full nelson, incapacitating her. Mayuka continued to struggle. "Mayuka! Calm down! There's nothing there! THERE'S NOTHING THERE!" Mayuka continued to scream, trying to kill whatever it was she thought she saw in that corner. Finally, she went limp in Ryoko's arms, sobbing quietly. The Tenchi ken disengaged and fell from her hand as she cried. The sword hilt hit the ground with a clack. Ryoko held her for another minute before releasing her. Mayuka fell to her knees, her hands going over face. She was shaking. "Mayuka?" Ryoko asked, kneeling next to her. "What happened." The girl didn't answer, instead she turned and grabbed a hold of Ryoko, burying her face in the demon's chest and sobbing uncontrollably. Ryoko paused in shock, but, after a moment, wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her forehead. "It's okay, baby. It's okay." Ryoko kissed her forehead again and held her as she cried. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, Mayuka," she said, a tear running down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, honey." So swept up by her grief, Ryoko didn't notice the red glow coming from high within Mayuka's chest. After a few seconds, this glow died out, leaving mother and daughter sobbing on the floor of the bedroom alone. Author's Notes: Please send comments and criticism to Thomas "009" Doscher at doscher009@hotmail.com. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. It's appreciated.