Well here it is folks, the first fanfiction I've done in years it seems. First off, I'd like to thank my buddies at #tenchiff for helping through this one. It's been long and slow going but you guys have stuck behind me all the way. I appreciate it, fellas. Next, Tenchi and all characters related in any way are the property of AIC & Pioneer. Please don't sue me, I have no money and very likely never will. (It burns! It burns!). To everyone else, I merely hope you enjoy. Legend's Past- Part I Present Day... A hot breeze blew around him and into his lungs. The place was dark and far more humid than he'd remembered when he was last here. But he doubted any of that was due to any climate change as the place he landed was now a crater caused by the beast he'd come here to fight. The twilight on Planet Jurai seemed calm and peaceful as Tenchi Masaki surveyed the twinkling stars above. It was serene, without even a trace of a cloud blotting out the beauty above. It almost made him forget the devastation around him, even though he knew that somewhere close by, the monster still thrived. Tenchi stood as an oddity in a crater which had once been a gigantic Juraian city. He stood in the center of it all as a single beacon of life in a land filled with the fruits of destruction. Though scorched and slashed in various places his skin-tight blue battlesuit still seemed to be undamaged. He had been lucky as only tiny scratches broke his skin. In his hand a slender Juraian-made hilt was clutched at his side. It was the sword of his namesake, and now was the only weapon that stood a chance against the hundred-year-old monstrosity, Kain. His dark brown eyes stared around the carnage hoping for any sign that he wasn't the only one left. Indeed, Tenchi could pick out the bodies of his friends. Whether they were alive or not was another question. Both Kiyone and Mihoshi lay next to a wall. Even though they had fallen early in the battle, they still showed no signs of returning to consciousness. That is, if they were only unconscious and not... Not far away, mussed up purple hair came out from beneath some debris of a nearby building. Ayeka lay there, her own battlesuit almost completely shredded. Burns covered her face and body as not even her formidable shield could protect her from that creature. She, like Kiyone and Mihoshi, also lay unmoving. Washu had been buried later in the battle beneath a ton of rubble. Tenchi could still see the gigantic pile of rock that marked this tragic loss. Tears welled up in his eyes as he believed that, this time, not even Washu's genius could've saved her. But Tenchi knew that there was no time for mourning. Even now he could hear the beasts horrible laughter as it gathered its strength. Tenchi began to scan the area faster as his emotions now bordered panic. He hadn't found any sign of Sasami, but, even though he cared for his friends very deeply, it was not any of them that he searched for. As each second passed, Tenchi grew more and more desperate, and fell deeper and deeper into despair. Finally Tenchi caught sight of several strands of cyan hair dangling down in streams over the stone. "Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted, his voice breaking the dark scene and sounding strange to him as it rebounded off the remains of buildings and returned to his ears. Tenchi ran towards the person to whom the hair belonged to, her body coming more and more into focus as he came ever closer. Ryoko's body was bruised horribly as he saw her, and several cuts afflicted her being with blood pouring from her wounds. But at that moment, Tenchi felt as if she were the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. He knelt down close to her as worry began to creep into his mind. But he found relief in the gentle rhythmic rising of her chest that confirmed that life had not left her. Tenchi placed his hands upon her shoulders and gently shook her in an attempt to return her to consciousness. Slowly Ryoko's eyelids fluttered open. "Tenchi!", she shouted as she shot up onto her knees and wrapped him in her embrace. Tenchi returned her affections, knowing that this may well be the last time he'd be able to hold her. As if on cue, the ground shook and heaved terribly. The winds came forward howling violently and the few buildings left standing fell in a great thunderous cacophony. Only a few feet away from the pair, the ground seemed to fragment into a spider's web of dry, cracked Earth. A substance of the darkest black oozed up from between the cracks with tiny pieces of what appeared to be white ceramic flowing amongst it. As the darkness seeped through, it all began to join together, molding into a gigantic ebony body. So, too, did the white fragments entangle forming two enormous clawed hands and a terrifying face, set in stone. Three glowing eyes stared down from that evil smiling visage, the light cast from them only interrupted by tendrils of the blackness, ever swirling through in a steady chaotic stream. Kain had arrived. Tenchi rose to his feet with a grim yet determined look on his face. Holding the sword's hilt out in front of him in the stance of a Juraian Knight, Tenchi prepared for this, the final battle. Summoning his inner Jurai power, he concentrated the energy through his hands and into the sword. Abruptly a long blue blade reflecting Tenchi's own strength, shot out from the sword's hilt. It was time for the final blows, Tenchi knew. Either one or both of them would fall at this exchange's conclusion. For Kiyone, Mihoshi, Washu, and all the others... Tenchi charged onward, his sword and a feral shout leading the way towards the demon's heart. Suddenly he felt as if he had run into a gigantic force field as the beast's clawed white hand slammed down upon him. But Tenchi's own strength prevented Kain's blow from crushing him. Tenchi quickly arced his blade upward, tearing a deep gash in the monster's hand. A purplish substance that served as the creature's lifeblood poured from the wound as it howled in more rage than pain. Returning its arm to its side, Kain leered at Tenchi. Two sparks of energy appeared where its shoulders would've been and suddenly three bolts of electricity lanced out from Kain, only its target was not Tenchi, but the wounded Ryoko lying nearby. Ryoko gazed blankly at the bolts of white hot energy, stunned as they were hurled towards her. She screamed a terrible keen of agony as one shot through her arm, another speared her thigh, and the third pierced her chest. Electricity ran up and down her body as she squirmed in an attempt to escape the horrible pain. "Ryoko!" Tenchi shouted not realizing the diversion for what it was. He turned back to the demon just in time to see its hand slam hard into his face leaving a thick line of blood running across his cheek. As Tenchi fell back, reeling in pain, Kain's other hand swung out quickly, and tore the sword from his hand. Tenchi made a pathetic attempt to reclaim his weapon, which now lay a good distance away, and was seized around his throat as the monster's hand lanced out again. Kain lifted Tenchi to meet its grinning white face as its own black body engulfed Tenchi in a cocoon of that substance. The darkness burned Tenchi's skin as if it were acid and he could not keep back an agonized shriek in response. Kain laughed mercilessly as he clutched his enemy within his power, savoring the victory. Even though its mouth did not move, Kain's deep inhuman voice rolled out and mocked Tenchi. " At last the end of Jurai is near!" it said. ," For not even its Emperor can destroy me!" With that boast the darkness around Tenchi intensified. He felt his flesh burning and rolling from within Kain's clutches. Dimly, Tenchi heard Ryoko cry his name out in horror, but her screams were drowned out by his own. Then, Tenchi began to feel light and his vision blurred as his consciousness dwindled. As he slowly lost focus on the world he didn't even notice the bright light that flashed into the area. The light grew stronger and brighter until it drowned out everything in the crater. Finally the light began to dissipate, slowly shrinking in size and disappearing altogether. But as it departed, so too, did the forms of Kain, Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, and all the others disappear leaving nothing but the crater and the ruins to mark what had transpired there. At that point in the nightmare, the man was jarred awake. He shot upright in his bed, eyes wide open darting back and forth to the shadows until he realized that it had all been a dream. Breathing a sigh of relief he threw the sweat-soaked sheets off of him and brought his legs out over the side of the bed. Setting his elbows on his knees he raised his hands to his face where he wiped the sweat from his forehead. Taking a deep breath he stood up and stretched tightly knotted muscles. Looking around he noticed a lone mirror standing out, barely noticeable by the room's single blue light. As he stood there he took a long look at himself in the mirror. He had short cyan hair, parted down the middle and hanging down either side of his face. A couple of loose strands hung down in front and where his hair had grown long, it was tied back in a ponytail that fell between his shoulder blades. His eyes were large, brown, and full of compassion and intelligence. But they also had a cat-like look to them, which hinted at mischief and craved adventure. His body was perfectly balanced and the muscles were finely toned. He wore only long white sweatpants which was held up at the top by a black string tied around his waist. Taking his eyes from the reflected visage that had stared back at him he began to march for the dresser but stopped as he nearly tripped over something that lay on the white carpeted floor. Looking down he saw a thick hard-back book lying open on the ground with a long green ribbon marking the place. Reaching down, the man closed it and lifted the book before his eyes. The book itself was of a dark green, almost black and the pages were rimmed with a golden material. That same substance defined the borders of the cover and also made up the large Juraian caricatures that formed the title. It read: "The Legend of Tenchi Masaki" The man looked down at the title and grimaced as he recalled his nightmare from the night before. Tossing the book unceremoniously upon his bed he muttered "That's the last time I read that junk before I go to sleep!" Continuing onward the man moved to a small crumbling dresser and proceeded to dress himself. He put on a black tunic and a ragged brown jacket, then stuffed his feet into black boots. Walking back over to the mirror he studied himself and smiled despite his ragged appearance. "Yosho, old man..." he spoke to his reflection though his years didn't even number in the twenties. ,"You are one good- looking guy." Tetsuya leaned back against the stone surface of the alleyway as a brief tired yawn escaped his mouth. His spiky short black hair stood well against the gentle wind that had managed to creep it's way into this area. Dark blue eyes, much resembling a deep crystal, stared down at his feet with an unspoken sigh and the beginnings of a worry he'd long ago told himself to ignore. His skin was tanned dirty with years of living in small rat holes and on the streets. He wore a thick black jacket covering a simple white T-shirt, stained here and there by smudges of dirt. Thick black pants covered his legs and were tucked into small ragged ebony boots. Looking down at a band around his wrist, a holographic image appeared forming into a digital clock. Tetsuya sighed as he realized he'd been waiting there for nearly an hour now. He focused now on his surroundings as he now knew that, with the time passing as such, he'd probably need to make a quick escape. The alley was very damp and slippery with large and small crates packed on either side, providing higher ground should Tetsuya be forced into a fight. At the end the path terminated in a high stone wall running from either of the two large white buildings to the sides. Dimly Tetsuya wondered if that wall would prove an advantage or a hindrance, but if the kid was doing most of the fighting as he suspected, it probably wouldn't matter. Even as the thought entered his mind though, Tetsuya heard several footsteps charging his way. The first source of the noise charged around the corner, nearly falling over as he did it, and ran down the alleyway. Tetsuya sighed as he recognized Yosho, carrying a large stuffed sack over his shoulder, running at top speed and shouting, "Incoming!" Tetsuya stepped to the side and gently caught the bag thrown to him as Yosho sped by. Calmly setting it aside, Tetsuya found a spot of well-placed crates and slipped between them for cover. Pulling a small junky blaster from beneath his jacket, he lined up his sights on the alley's entrance as Yosho's pursuers made their way in. Eight people charged in, five male, and three female. Every one of them wore the blue uniform and red tie that marked an officer of the Galaxy Police. The one in the lead, a brown-furred alien with a canine maw shouted out to his companions as he spotted Yosho. "There he is! We've got him trapped!" Tetsuya grinned as he realized the irony in the unknowing policeman's words. Tetsuya let the first four pass, confident that they were not beyond Yosho's capacity to handle, and concentrated his aim on the last four. As the last of the group came charging in Tetsuya opened fire, sending three high-powered bolts of orange energy lancing out at them. One of the officers, a male, took the shot in his shoulder. He fell over clutching the scorched wound in agony. A female officer managed to pull her blaster as the firing started but only in time to take a shot through her thigh. Doubling over, she dropped her blaster and began crawling for the closest cover. The other two officers managed to leap behind a few crates for cover as the firing began and managed to remain unharmed. Satisfied, Tetsuya halted his shooting as he kept his blaster trained on where the remaining officers hid. He was confident that when they peeked their heads up he could easily pick them off where any counterfire would be random and useless. The two Galaxy Police officers knew this as well and hoped the four who had chased after Yosho would finish the boy soon. Hearing the shots fired behind them, two of the four chasing Yosho turned around to see the source of the commotion. But the other two, including their dog-like sergeant, continued their pursuit. Yosho headed straight for the wall and his pursuers grinned believing they had him trapped. In a burst of speed the canine officer attempted to close the distance as both neared the wall. But the sergeant's attempt ended in surprise and pain as Yosho leaped into the air and set his feet on the wall; kicking off, Yosho used his momentum to spin around and slam his foot into the policeman's furry face. As Yosho finished the move he landed on the ground beyond the reeling sergeant where he prepared to meet the other officer's charge. Setting his feet in a stance suitable for his next strike, Yosho leaped up into the man's attack. He spun in one full circle sending his left foot out in a wide arc that connected with the GP's face. But the move wasn't finished. As Yosho landed he continued to spin on the ball of his right foot. He grabbed the human combatant's arm, drawing the man into the circle, which only ended as the officer received a punch to the face that the sergeant had intended for Yosho. The human officer dropped to the ground unconscious. At this point one of the two policemen that had lagged behind, noticed the fighting and began charging in to give his fuzzy companion a hand. As he charged in, the canine officer had attacked Yosho with a flurry of punches and then struck out with a kick down low. But Yosho was not so easily fooled and he easily jumped over the incoming sweep. But the other officer threw in a punch high to catch Yosho in midair. Yosho twisted around and layed out dodging both attacks as he fell in the narrow space between the punch and the kick. Yosho fell to the ground having avoided their double strike, but he knew he didn't have much time until the next attack. Setting his hands beneath him, he then shifted all his weight into his upper body and heaved his legs into the air in a perfect handstand just as the sergeant kicked at his formerly prone form. Again the strike found nothing but air. But the other officer saw Yosho in his handstands and charged in hoping to grab the agile boy. But as he barreled in, Yosho split his legs open in an almost perfect horizontal line. Then, using the officer's momentum, Yosho closed his legs around the man's head and threw him right towards his furry ally. Yosho then did a series of back flips that carried him a good distance away from where he had just fought. He landed back on his feet and set himself into a powerful fighting stance where he glared at any remaining enemies in a calm stare that promised pain. The officer Yosho had thrown hit the ground hard and fell unconscious, but the sergeant managed to evade the human missile. Realizing now that he had no chance of beating Yosho in hand-to- hand combat, the canine policeman reached to his side and pulled out his blaster. Setting its sights on Yosho the sergeant prepared to finish the battle. But the moment the sergeant drew the weapon, Yosho began a dash right towards him. The sergeant got off two rounds as Yosho neared. As the first shot came in, Yosho dove to the side and held his body in air on his left hand. The second shot soared right between Yosho's legs as he parted them in air. Yosho then flipped forwards onto his feet and ran the last couple steps towards the alien officer. As he charged in towards his terrified opponent, Yosho leaped high into the air and thrust his right hand above him. Orange energy ran in streams around his hand, heeding his call, as it all joined together in a small compact ball on his palm. Closing his fingers around the sphere, the ball transformed into a long orange sword that glowed with power. As Yosho descended he grasped the sword with both hands and swung it down upon the canine sergeant. The sergeant stared down at Yosho, his eyes filled with dread, as the boy landed in front of him. Suddenly the barrel of the officer's gun split right down the middle and fell apart in his hands. Yosho looked up into the sergeant's eyes as a grin found it's way onto his face. Taking his right hand from the sword, Yosho raised his pointing finger in front of the Galaxy Policeman's visage. He then waved his finger back and forth as if to scold the officer on the use of a firearm. The canine sergeant, now completely unnerved and horrified, slowly backed away and then ran around Yosho and out of the alley screaming. The other officers that were still conscious cast a dumbfounded look at Yosho, who was slapping the energy blade lightly across his palm, and the followed the course their leader had taken. Tetsuya watched the fleeing officers depart before he came out of his hiding place behind the crates. He looked around the area and at the two unconscious policemen before turning a curious look towards Yosho. Yosho dissipated his sword into tiny glowing specks before it disappeared altogether. Catching Tetsuya's look, Yosho just shrugged in response. Tetsuya sighed and put his blaster back inside the hidden holster within his jacket. He walked towards Yosho and gave him a scolding look. "You're late." Deep space. A vast, seemingly endless, void with no dimension or form. Never can a deeper, more profound blackness be found among the living. The only light found among this curtain of darkness were the billions of stars moving endlessly until they flared up and died. For all their number, though, they couldn't even come close to filling the space around them. And so they traveled, lost amongst the void with nowhere to go. Yet even though the stars themselves knew not where they drifted, ironically they now served as guideposts for ships that passed through. One such ship now slowly drifted through this space on a steady course. It was fair-sized and colored in beige with brown edges along the tips of strangely arrayed long sections. The bulk of the vessel rested in a spherical center but from there it branched off from each side directly opposite each other and formed together into what appeared as wings. The starship had a certain grace to it as well, as if it were an extension of the nature of its homeworld. Such was the tree-like beauty of a ship of Jurai. From within the bridge section, with the tree that controlled the ship behind her, a young girl stared out at the stars that swept by endlessly. She had long dark blue hair in a style where the front hung down to the sides of her face and the back was tied in a long ponytail. Her eyes were red which, with her elaborate white and light blue dress, made her well known as a member of Jurai Royal Family. With her destination, a small blue and green world, now in sight through the main viewport, the girl let out a small sad sigh. Responding to her discomfort a Juraian Knight stepped up beside her with staff in hand. Like the design of the ship, his armor and weapon reflected Jurai's value of all things natural. His hair was black though shaven mostly, and was tied back in a topknot. A thick mustache rested beneath his nostrils. His face was very hard and cold allowing for little emotion. His only cares were for the wellfare of his homeworld and their princess with whom he has been charged with protecting. "Is there something wrong, your highness?" he asked, showing true concern. "No, Setsuo." The girl replied sadly. "I'm just tired of these endless meetings." "Princess Matsumi, you must understand." The Knight explained. "With the Juraian Empire in the state that it is, it is imperative that we show our strength and quell any possible uprisings." "Yes, I know!" Matsumi growled as she faced the Knight. She walked away from the viewport and waved her arms in hopeless frustration as she stated. "I just wish there were a way out of this bureaucratic prison!" Setsuo only looked at the Princess sadly. Matsumi became even more frustrated upon seeing the Knight's less than helpful stare. "Just once I'd like to see some action! Some adventure!" Setsuo shook his head at her sadly. " I understand your feelings, Princess. But I'm afraid that with how things are right now, we simply can't afford to take any risks." With that Matsumi turned her back on him. She "hmmph'd" to herself and exited the bridge leaving Setsuo staring behind her. She marched down the hallway and into her bedroom. As she entered the dark room she fell down on her bed and grabbed one of the pillows. Clutching it closely to her chest, she thought to herself. *Fine then. If you won't help me, I guess I'll just have to help myself.* Matsumi grinned mischievously as a plan began to form in her mind. The cold breeze swept across the rooftops of this small spaceport city. The wind seemed to always be cold on this part of the planet Orega. Chill and terrible winters rocked this land and kept it barren, whereas the summers, though hotter, had terrible winds. But the people that walked the streets here hardly ever noticed them. A strong stubborn form of humanity had grown here, and, despite the chill, stood proud of the solid city they had built here. A sigh escaped Yosho as he stared up at the yellowish sky from one such windswept rooftop. Not for away Tetsuya sat cross- legged as he dug through the sack Yosho had tossed him back in the fight. He eyed several trinkets before setting them to one side and counted packs of money before he set them to the other. For a moment silence had fallen between the two and Yosho let his mind drift outwards to the clouds. It seemed to almost always be cloudy on this world allowing only rarely for breaks in the cover for the sun to show through. Even more rare were breaks in the night, so star-filled skies were few. But on those nights Yosho felt pulled towards something greater. It was almost as if something beyond the boundaries of this world beckoned for him to find it. "Not a bad haul." Tetsuya called to him, shattering Yosho's line of thought abruptly. "Looks like we'll be eating well for awhile." Yosho's face brightened at the mention of food as he sat up and faced Tetsuya. They had difficulty usually, just trying to pay the rent and were rarely able to live or eat in anything resembling luxury. The prospect of a real meal for a change always tended to lighten Yosho's mood. "So how many GP were there this time?" Tetsuya asked turning a curious eye on Yosho. "Eight, I think." Yosho answered. Tetsuya smiled. "That's a new record for you. Just last week I remember you were having trouble getting more than four." At that, the two shared a laugh. Tetsuya always liked to let Yosho think of their business as a game of sorts. A little something to ease Yosho's often adventurous spirit. Unfortunately that same spirit tended to lead to recklessness that left Tetsuya worrying out of his mind. Though Tetsuya originally found Yosho as an orphan, he often thought of the boy as sort of a kid brother. Now though, Yosho had grown into a strong young man. Tetsuya was amazed at his potential and every day saw just one more surprise right after the other. It was true that Tetsuya had taught Yosho how to fight, but now Yosho had begun using techniques and moves that Tetsuya could never imagine doing himself. And then there was that sword... At this point Yosho had leaned back and began to stare at the sky again. Suddenly he blurted out. "Do you think it's out there?" Taken by surprise, it took Tetsuya a moment to respond to the question. "What?" "Earth." Yosho said as he tilted his head to look at Tetsuya. "Do you think it may really exist?" Tetsuya sighed and gave Yosho an annoyed glare. "Don't tell me you've been reading that stupid book again, have you?" Yosho shrugged sheepishly and turned away in embarrassment. "Listen." Tetsuya sighed as he prepared to give his lecture once more. "Tenchi, Earth, and all that other stuff? They never existed. The whole thing is just a legend used to teach morals and frighten little kids. Even if it does exist, I doubt it's some great paradise rivaling the beauty of old Jurai itself." Yosho turned away with a sad, pained expression on his face. Silently, so Tetsuya couldn't hear him, Yosho muttered in defiance, "To every legend there is a bit of truth." Suddenly, in the distance the sound of drums and cheering crowds sprang up. Yosho sat up as both he and Tetsuya stared outwards towards the source. The whine of a ship's engines soon drowned out the other noise as a light brown, almost wooden, vessel began it's descent from the clouds. Yosho studied the ship in awe. He was always fascinated by starships but he had never seen one of this grace and magnitude before. He turned to Tetsuya as the noise died down and asked, "Juraian?" Tetsuya nodded, as he continued to watch the ship's descent. "And not a militiary vessel either..." Yosho looked at Tetsuya curiously. Finally, Tetsuya tore his gaze from the ship and turned his attention back to Yosho. "Looks like it may be from Jurai Royal Family." "Jurai Royal Family?!?" Yosho near-shouted as he turned back to look at the, now landed, ship. He studied the bits of hull that were visible from between the buildings. Yosho then turned back to Tetsuya. "What would they be doing here?!" "Routine visit, I'm guessing." Tetsuya explained. "A little something to raise morale and show that they're still in charge." Tetsuya looked up to regard the boy with a curious glance. "Uhm... Yosho? What are you doing?" During Tetsuya's explanation Yosho had begun to sneak away towards the edge of the building. Tetsuya's words only caught up with him as he flung his legs over the side and spun around to grab onto the building. Not even looking back he began to make his way down. He casually answered Tetsuya with, "I'm going to take a closer look." "No way, Yosho." Tetsuya said as he shook his head back and forth. "It's far too dangerous. You can bet that the place will be infested with GP." But Yosho had already disappeared from the rooftop. Tetsuya brought his hand to his face as a groan escaped his lips. He stood up and stretched tired worn-out muscles. Moving over to the ledge of the building he prepared to take up pursuit. All the while he muttered, "Here we go again." The main street of the city was wide allowing for several lanes of traffic normally. But today the street itself was cleared away while people packed in tightly for the best viewpoint from either side. Yosho gasped as he came upon the crowds. Yosho had lived within this small spaceport all of his life and yet he couldn't believe that there were possibly this many people living here. Even then, he never expected to see them all in one place as they were now. Sounds of conversation assailed him from all directions as he began to plunge into the horde. As he stammered through, nearly tripping several times, abruptly a new noise sprang up from the cleared away street. The rhythm of drums could be heard beating from far down the street and the crowd's chatter slowly faded into silence. Shortly after the drums began, the sound of horns, strings, and other instruments began to accompany the beat to form a great harmony. The music was both majestic and yet graceful. A fitting opening for the parade, in honor of Jurai, that would surely follow. The sounds swam through the ears of the crowd for a couple of moments before it ended gently to cheers from all around. Curious as to what was going on, Yosho pushed his way through the horde and made his way towards a building. Murmuring apologies to everyone he passed he grabbed hold of a long thick pipe running along the side of the building he had aimed for and began to climb up. Finding a secure perch just above the heads of everyone else, Yosho looked out towards the street. There, on a hovering platform guarded on both sides by two large men dressed in white clothes and graceful curving armor, was a young girl, sitting easily on the central dais, her feet tucked beneath her in a pose of dignity. She was gorgeous even by the standards of Juraians. Yosho gawked at her from his perch along the building. He hadn't seen too many women around on his world. And the few he had looked at couldn't compare to even the ugliest of Juraian women. Blue hair cascaded down the girl's shoulders and a long ponytail hung from the top of her head to the small of her back. Her large red eyes looked around at the crowds gently and kindly, but as Yosho looked on, he saw something lying underneath. Could it be... despair? Suddenly her eyes met with his and the impression of despair left her. Yosho realized he had been staring a little too late. She smiled at him and waved at him as she passed by. Yosho's face turned a bright red and he dropped his eyes to the ground hoping nobody else saw. Slowly he began to look up again sheepishly. He caught one last glance of her as the platform passed by. His last look at her brought a smile to his own face. She was chuckling. His face softened as he forgot his momentary embarrassment. Slowly he began making his way down the pipe and into the crowd, though for the moment he'd forgotten the people. He decided then that he just had to get a closer look. As Yosho reached the bottom of the pipe, he plunged back into the horde once more. "Yosho!" Tetsuya called as he began to plow through the horde of people surrounding the main street. He paid no attention to the parade going on nearby or the angry shouts of people as he made his way through. Instead he concentrated on spotting Yosho's cyan capped head among the people. Grumbling curses all the while Tetsuya muttered in between "Where in hell has that boy gone?!" Tetsuya continued marching through the crowd muttering an endless string of curses. Just as he was about to give up, he looked up and spotted Yosho clinging to a thick pipe on the side of a building, not far from where he was standing. Tetsuya breathed a sigh of relief as he began trying to make his way over to Yosho. But he had barely even taken a step when a small flash of something at the corner of his eye halted him in his tracks. Tetsuya turned his head to see what he now confirmed to be a blue uniform. On a hunch, Tetsuya continued his scan of the crowd. His guess was proven correct as he noticed, stationed at various intervals all over the horde was an infestation of Galaxy Police. And one of them, was staring right at him. Tetsuya ducked back into the crowds hoping that he was just imagining things and that the policeman hadn't actually seen him. But he knew better than that, and was pretty sure he had seen the GP pull out a communicator before Tetsuya had backed out of sight. Attempting to come up with a quick plan of escape he peaked up over the top of the crowd once more and breathed a sigh of relief. Yosho was nowhere to be seen. That meant the boy wouldn't be caught in the snare and, with a little luck, wasn't even noticed by any of the policemen. However, Tetsuya did notice that several GP were slowly filtering through the crowds towards him. Taking a deep breath, Tetsuya ducked back down and thought quickly on his whereabouts. Using that information as a guide, he formed a plan to make his way out of the noose the GP were closing him in. Tetsuya slowly began to make his way through the crowds once more. After much shoving Yosho finally made his way to the front of the crowd, despite the fact that working his way through had proved more difficult than he first thought. He discovered that the closer he came to the front, the more reluctant people were to let him by. Even now as the last person cursed angrily and Yosho stepped past, he found that much of the parade had already passed him by. Whispering a curse to himself, Yosho looked around for any way to work his way back around. For any way to catch one final glimpse of the Juraian Princess. He could see the hull of her ship, glimmering slightly in the distance. On the other side of the parade line, the giant vessel waited patiently for the Princess and her entourage to return and lift off again. The hatch wasn't too far away now, which meant that Yosho was running short of time. Becoming desperate, Yosho began to make his way back into the crowd until his progress was halted abruptly by a bearded oaf that was twice his size. Screaming a string of profanity at Yosho, the man shoved the boy right out of the crowd and into the marching band proceeding the central dais. Yosho nimbly dodged the many band members and their instruments until he emerged at the end, and found himself alone in the middle of the street as the crowds looked on. His embarrassment only lasted as long as it took for a shout from within the horde to reach his ears. "Hey, you!" Yosho turned towards the shout to see a familiar canine Galaxy Police Sergeant pushing his way through the crowd with a small battalion of officers behind him. "Stop right there!" the sergeant shouted at him. As far as Yosho was concerned, that was his cue to leave. Yosho made a quick dash across the street and plowed into the crowd nearest the Juraian starship. Muttering apologies as he passed, Yosho tried to form some plan of escape. He had not the slightest clue of where he was going. All he knew was that he had to escape. Yosho realized that the reason he was in this mess was because he directly defied Tetsuya. And if he got caught now, Yosho'd never live it down. Yosho charged through the last group of people and suddenly found himself... in the hatchway of the Juraian ship. Yosho looked around himself in awe as he suddenly forgot all about the Galaxy Police, and even the Juraian Princess. He studied the smooth bulkheads and ran his hand over it slowly. He noticed the texture had a fine, yet wooden feel to it. And yet, the surface also had the feel of strength and power. Abruptly Yosho realized where he was, shocking him back into the reality of the situation. "If they catch me here, I'll really be in for it!" Yosho muttered to himself. Turning around and beginning to sneak away, Yosho said "I'd better get out of here!" Suddenly Yosho turned back around again with a new look on his face. A mischievous grin ran across his face and a barely noticeable twinkle appeared in his cat-like brown eyes. "... Right after I have a look at that bridge!" Yosho added to his previous statement. With that Yosho ducked into the central hallway and charged in the direction he believed would take him to the bridge. The crowd's cheers never faltered as the parade came nearer and nearer to its end. The platform had moved a full circle around an inner section of the city and had begun it's way back towards the Juraian starship once more. As the beige hull slowly began to come into view, Matsumi decided that the time had at last come to put her plan into effect. With only a few paces left between her and destiny, excitement welled up in her to the point that she thought she might explode. She could see the hatch at the front of the ship lying open, inviting her towards her fate. She looked to the left and right to check on the two knights standing at either side of her. They both stood poised at attention ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. Their eyes swept across the crowds with a glare that warned all the people surrounding them to maintain their distance. Matsumi smiled to herself. All was going well so far. The two knights had a sharp eye for anything and they were certainly in no less then peak form today. Nothing could get by their notice. At least, nothing outside the central dais... As they came nearer and nearer of the Juraian ship, Matsumi chose a spot up ahead in the movements of the central dais where she could execute her plan. Still keeping a close eye on the knights' movements she slowly slipped her hand into her kimono and produced a large paper bag. Raising the paper bag to her lips, carefully, so as not to make any sudden noises-though with this crowd she probably wouldn't have to worry about that-she began to fill it with air. Matsumi then pulled the bag close to her and checked on the two knights at her side once more. Seeing that their attention was still on the crowd she waited until the central dais came just within a few paces of the ships hatch. Then she raised the bag, pulled back her hand, and... The resulting noise wasn't quite what she wanted but the effect it had was all she could have dreamed of. The sound went off over the voices of the crowds and, by the screams of the people nearby, must've seemed like the noise made by one of those primitive projectile weapons going off. The two knights suddenly gripped their ornate Juraian staffs and scanned outwards in an effort to pinpoint the direction the shot had come from. They never even considered that the real problem was from within. "Get down, your highness!" Setsuo shouted. Matsumi grinned. If only Setsuo realized how ironic that statement had been. Matsumi ducked down on top of her cushioned throne and then rolled off the central dais and onto the ground. The two Juraian knights didn't even know what was happening until Matsumi had already entered the hatch to the ship. Matsumi would've paid almost anything for a camera at that moment. Just to capture the looks on those two knights' faces. Matsumi gave Setsuo an innocent grin before tapping the switch to the main hatch. She waved and mouthed "bye, bye!" to the two shocked knights as the hatch slowly swung shut. As the hatch closed, the protests of the knights, now trying to follow after her, were cut off. Matsumi's face lit up in a bright smile as she closed her eyes and hugged herself happily. She'd pulled it off. Somehow, by Tsunami's grace, she'd done it. Suddenly her eyes opened again as the full weight of the moment hit her. A dangerous light flared up inside those red orbs. "FREEDOM!!!!" Matsumi shouted happily to herself as if the sound of her voice would make the moment even more realistic to her. She began laughing almost madly and charged down the main corridor of the ship with her arms spread out horizontally as if she could fly. With a wide smile and an adventurous gleam in his eyes, Yosho brought his hand to the doors edge and slid it open. But just as abruptly his head fell in disappointment. Yosho found himself staring into what appeared to be a large bath area. The room was a perfect square with a door opposite each other on each side. Next to each door were racks with towels and various scented soaps lined up and organized neatly. In the center of the chamber was a large pool of water with a giant fountain spouting from all four directions. The fountain was in the shape of a patch of large leaves, interconnected and pointing towards each corner of the bath. Standing atop those leaves was the statue of a man with large kind eyes and long hair flowing down his back in a ponytail as well as hanging over his ears. The figure was dressed in great royal robes, which Yosho could only guess were typical of royalty of Jurai. In the figure's hand was a long sword pointing downwards at his side. Something about that statue sparked something deep back within his memory. Yosho felt some sort of connection to this man, as if he had vaguely known him somehow... Yosho continued to study the room curiously and began heading for one of the doors when he began to hear a strange humming noise echoing from somewhere deep within the ship. Yosho listened curiously as he tried to pinpoint exactly what that noise might be. Some sort of problem with the ship? The computer systems had begun acting up maybe? Or perhaps something had broken down in the engine room. Suddenly Yosho's eyes went wide. As his thoughts drifted towards the layout of the ship he realized exactly what that noise was. The engine had started up and was preparing for take-off. The floor-plates began to rattle beneath his feet as the repulsors on the under side of the ship had begun to operate, but Yosho hardly noticed. His thoughts were, instead, centered upon what would happen to him if he was caught on this ship. Surely anyone who had snuck aboard a royal ship of Jurai would be thrown into some horrible prison for many years... or even worse... "No! Don't take off!" Yosho shouted as the thought of his head detached from his own body entered his mind. He began to run for the nearest door hoping that somehow his luck might go easy on him, just this once, and get him to the bridge. Yosho figured that by getting the pilot to stop from taking off and describing this all as some horrible mistake, he might just come out of this alive, and with another look at that princess to boot. He shouted out once more, hoping someone might hear him "I'm still in here!" The only answer Yosho received, however, was the sudden lurch of the ground beneath him as the ship lifted off. The sudden movement pitched Yosho forward, knocking him off balance. He attempted to regain his footing, but his shuffling movements came too late as he found himself crashing, head first, into the bulkhead. Falling back onto the ground, Yosho lay still. His vision slowly began to blur and become darker until he finally slipped into unconsciousness. Tetsuya slipped his hands over the edge of the building as he finished the last part of his climb. He unceremoniously tumbled end over end as he tossed himself onto the rooftop where he and Yosho would regularly come and plan their next scheme. As he settled upright at last, Tetsuya rubbed his hands with a grimace, as he hoped to ease them from all the abuse they'd seen today. "I'm getting too old for this..." Tetsuya grumbled to himself as he slowly put his feet back beneath him. With a grunt at learning of ten more aches covering his back, he began to rise to his feet. Tetsuya looked down over the streets below as he pulled his blaster from his coat. Forgetting his pains he remembered that he was still on the run here. He hadn't seen a sign of the GP for some time now, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Tetsuya began checking all the various alleyways surrounding the rooftop while keeping his blaster at the ready. When he and Yosho had first set up their little operation he had made sure to catalogue every potential hiding spot. Tetsuya was quite proud of his caution as his planning had saved the duo more than once. Finally, Tetsuya put his blaster back in it's holster and breathed a sigh of relief. There had to have been nothing less than an army of GP out there. As Tetsuya gradually became more confident that he hadn't been followed, he turned his attention back to the crowds still gathered around the Juraian ship. The hordes of people were still shouting, but the note they sang had changed to one of terror. But a new noise had begun to drown out the screams of the crowd. It was the same noise, Tetsuya realized, that he had heard when the vessel had touched down on the planet's surface. The starship was taking off. But why would the ship be taking off so suddenly without warning? The Juraians would never be so quick as to take off with people still on the ground surrounding it. Even if there had been an incident with the princess, why bother taking off? If something had happened the princess would surely have to meet the mayor afterwards to calm things down. So what then...? Abruptly it clicked together in Tetsuya's head and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at the revelation. Then his eyes abruptly narrowed and his mouth tightened in anger as he muttered to himself "He wouldn't dare!". But then Tetsuya remembered just who exactly he was talking about. He let out a long sigh as he corrected his own previous statement. "Oh, yes he would." Tetsuya growled and kicked the nearest object in frustration. How could the kid possibly pull a stunt like this? This time there'd be no way that Tetsuya would be able to drag Yosho's butt out of the fire. The mess the kid had gotten himself into had finally gotten too big. After all they'd been through, all the years of training and instruction Tetsuya had given the boy, Yosho had still gone and done something as stupid as this. Tetsuya looked up to see the ship moving away from the planet's side. He watched it slowly fade into the sky. Every last second Tetsuya could see the ship, he hoped that somehow the ship would turn around and come back. Then everything would be okay. But all he saw was the vessel become the size of a tiny dot and finally disappear into the sky. Tetsuya's eyes fell down to the ground and he stared at his feet for a moment. This time, no matter how much thinking he did, it wouldn't change the kid's fate. Suddenly, completely unbidden, a smile found it's way onto Tetsuya's face. Abruptly Tetsuya burst into a roaring bout of laughter that echoed across the rooftops of the city. Tetsuya found himself running across the rooftop and over to the ledge in the direction of where the ship had disappeared. Raising his arms and fists above his head Tetsuya cheered as loud as he could. "Go get 'em kid! Show 'em what we're made of!" End. Thanks for reading everyone. Send any comments and criticism you have to Preymaker@excite.com Daniel "Ssedrey" Powell