What Might Have Been Chapter Nine: The Beginning of the Tale Disclaimer: This fanfiction is not written with the consent of Pioneer/AIC. I do NOT own the characters, with the exception of Kei. Please do not sue me. Comments, criticism, flames, and death threats may be sent to Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com. !!WARNING!! This is NOT mainline Tenchi. It is an alternate universe, and the characters at times will be VERY ooc, compared to those in the series. Please remember that the versions in this story line had very different experiences. ***** When they finally reached the flower field, Tenchi realized that in no uncertain terms they really had arrived. He'd been picturing a small park, or maybe a little walled garden when Ayeka said flower field, at most a reasonably sized clearing on the outskirts of town. She'd made it sound like something small, after all. In hindsight, he realized, he should have considered what Ayeka thought of as 'small.' They'd still been following Ayeka's party, and had been climbing a hill. He'd been looking at Kei as they crested it, and seen her eyes go wide behind her sunglasses. "What is it?" he asked. Kei just slowly pointed ahead of them, her jaw hanging slack. He turned, and felt his own jaw drop as he did. The quaint little park that he'd been picturing was blown away by the unending field of wildflowers that literally stretched as far as they could see. "Remind me to ask Ayeka to define her idea of big and small," he said dryly, after a long moment. Kei nodded slowly, as they started forward again. "Can you see Dad and the others?" he asked, looking around. Kei shook her head. "No, but they must be nearby," she said. Ahead of them, little Ayeka was running down the hill toward the field. Lightly, he touched Tenchi-ken, and remembered what the elder Ayeka had told him. "Sword Tenchi is a tool created to focus the Jurai power into a blade of light, but until now, only Yosho had the strength to use it. According to the legend, it will only lend its aide to one with great need," she'd said. "It's a sword?" he'd asked. "It can be. But legend says that it was created for a higher purpose than to take life. It was born of Tsunami, the Juraian Tree of Life; it has long been wondered why she would create a weapon only of death," she'd replied. The conversation still mystified him more than a little. Still, as long as it worked when he needed it to… Up ahead, Achika was signaling them forward; the Guardians were floating lazily along behind the Princess. Tenchi and Kei looked at each other, and then hurried to catch up to his mother. "Keep your eyes open," she said quietly, as they reached her. "It'll happen any time now." Tenchi and Kei nodded. "Right," said Kei. Achika smiled at them briefly, and then drifted forward. Kei turned to him. "What now?" "Now, we keep our eyes open," he said, grinning dryly. She gave him a flat look, and then looked around. They were surrounded in wildflowers now, reds and yellows and oranges, even a few violet buds that seemed bunched into a more or less small area. In a corner of his mind, a soft alarm suddenly started going off for some inexplicable reason, and in the back of his head a thought glimmered at him. Before he could dwell on it though, Kei tapped his shoulder. "Look!" she said, pointing. He followed her line of sight, and then he saw her. She looked a couple years younger than Ayeka, five instead of seven, but there was no mistaking the golden eyes and cyan hair. She was running down the hill in their direction; not far behind her was his father and the others. "So that's Ryoko," said Kei quietly. "Is it just me, or does she vaguely remind you of Sasami?" she asked. Tenchi blinked, and took a closer look at her. That hair was a bit lighter, but she wore it in a pair of pigtails… He nodded. "Yeah, she does, actually - I think it's the hair," he agreed. But now that she'd appeared, that alarm was getting louder with each step closer that she took, and that nagging feeling there was something he was missing… He turned slightly, looking back at the purple flowers that seemed to have set it off in the first place. "Flowers…" he said. The violet flowers really were rather close together, and he couldn't see any other dark patches anywhere, near or far. He started to frown slightly, as he looked back at Ryoko. He saw now that her path would take her almost right through the middle of that small patch… "Huh?" asked Kei, but he shook his head. He saw some movement out of the corner of his eye, and turned to see that Ayeka was coming toward them as well. Then his eyes were drawn back to the purple wildflowers. "Purple flowers…" "What about… Oh, you mean those black flowers there? Yeah, you'd think they'd remove the dead ones," said Kei. Tenchi's eyes widened as Kei gave him the clue, at the same time he abruptly detected a stale, musty odor, an odor that he remembered all too well from his dream. "He said that she partly woke up and said 'Black flower' over and over again! But she meant purple!" he exclaimed, his hand snatching Tenchi-ken from his belt. "It's here! Hidden in those flowers! The miasma is here!" he shouted. Somehow, he wasn't all that surprised when the blade really did flicker to life. Everything fell to pieces, even as it did. "It's here! Hidden in those flowers! The miasma is here!" shouted Tenchi, as Kei suddenly understood what he was so worried about. She saw Ryoko, almost into the patch, and the patch of black flowers suddenly writhing as Tenchi's sword ignited. With a shout, she lunged at Ryoko, tackling her just before her foot landed in the patch. As they landed, she felt a shadow fall over her, and looked up in just enough time to see a huge, formless black blob fall over her. Instinctively, she put out her hands to try to hold it back, already knowing that it was too late. Achika turned as Tenchi shouted, in time to see Kei throw herself at Ryoko, and Kain's miasma explode up and out of the ground. The miasma turned slightly, before Tenchi could react, and fell over Kei and Ryoko. "No! Kei!" she shouted. Tenchi hesitated, probably afraid of accidentally stabbing one of the girls. Then suddenly, something blasted through the miasma. Achika stared as a second, and then a third blast punched through, finally seeing what it was - a small, orange fireball that she remembered so well. Cut nearly in half, the miasma rolled off, and Kei scrambled away. Kei scrambled away, hugging Ryoko close to her. Tenchi grimly advanced on the blob. Tenchi felt his heart stop, as the miasma fell on them, any words he might have said frozen along with the rest of his body. Then, a moment later, a moment that felt like a lifetime, the miasma jerked as a fireball blasted its way through, followed by two more. Seemingly dizzied, it flowed away, leaving Kei to scramble away with Ryoko. "Are you alright?" he shouted, as he closed on the blob. "Fine. She thought it was fun. Personally, I'm a little shaken," she called back. The miasma quivered for a moment, and then suddenly rolled toward little Ayeka, who was staring in shock. "Oh no you don't!" growled Tenchi, dashing up and slashing savagely downward. He thought he heard a somehow silent scream, as a chunk of the miasma flew off, and it paused, shaken. Then the chunk he'd just cut off shivered, and flowed back into the main mass. "That's… not a good thing, is it?" he muttered. He saw his mother rushing up to grab Ayeka, and moved to block the miasma's attack, slicing away the tendril it threw at them. As it shivered, and rejoined, Tenchi had the sense of it turning to him, seeming to puff up even larger. "So that got your attention, did it?" he said, and then dodged as four tentacles lanced out at him, slashing at one that got too close. "I guess so," he muttered. As the severed tentacle fell to the ground, he tried stabbing it with his sword to pin it down. It merely flowed around the glowing blade. Tenchi started to sweat. Ayeka frowned from where she watched Tenchi fighting off the miasma, wishing she could think of a way to help. But her powers lay along the lines of defense, not offence, and Sasami had not begun to manifest her abilities at all, yet. Tenchi hacked off yet another tendril the miasma sent at him, and it shivered, getting ready to rejoin the main mass. Suddenly she did get an idea. "Azaka! Kamadake! Trap what Lord Tenchi cuts off inside force shields, so that it may not rejoin the main creature!" she shouted, as the two Guardians floated in between Achika and her younger self and the miasma. As they heard her, they slowly rotated toward her, as if confused. Ayeka winced. Of course - they wouldn't recognize her yet at this age. They would be keyed in on her younger self, and recognize her voice, but at this distance they couldn't identify her. She looked at Sasami, who could only shrug helplessly. Back down on the field, Kamadake turned toward her younger self, as if listening to something. Then he abruptly rotated back to the battle, and a moment later one of the tendrils was trapped. She grinned broadly. Her younger self must have ordered them to help. Now, as Tenchi cut off the tentacles, a force bubble appeared around the severed limb, and the miasma began to slowly shrink. "We're winning!" cheered Sasami. Ayeka nodded, smiling. It did appear to be so. As the miasma's attacks began to slow, Tenchi knew that the fight was drawing to a close. It was down to less than half its original size now, the Guardians holding the other pieces away. Tenchi bided his time, waiting for a hole to open in its defense where he could strike a more convincing blow. He'd seen something once or twice, a small, white spot that never quite lost its shape. He was certain that was the miasma's brain; it looked like the strange, three-eyed mask that had been Kain's face. Abruptly, he found it; the mask appeared again. Slicing through one tentacle, and ducking another, he stepped in, thrusting forward with all of his strength. Tenchi- ken's blade slid in almost too easily, and he heard that silent scream again. The miasma writhed, and then suddenly fell to the ground with a splash, losing its cohesion with a startling abruptness. Slowly, it drained away, into the ground, even the pieces shielded by the Guardians. For a moment, he remained ready, suspicious of a trap. But the miasma didn't reappear, and after a minute, Tenchi let the sword go out. "That… wasn't so tough…" he said, a little surprised. Then abruptly, as his mind relaxed and he lost his battle concentration, the exhaustion of it all hit him. He staggered, wincing at his burning lungs and watery knees. How long HAD he been fighting, anyway? It hadn't seemed like it was too long, but he felt about ready to drop flat on his face. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked around, as Kei and the others came over to him. "Is that it? Seems like Kain was a lot harder to kill," said Nobuyuki. Achika shrugged. "He probably wasn't expecting it to have to deal with anything more than the kids," she said, and then blinked as the younger Ayeka tugged lightly on her sleeve. "Achika, who are all these people? Are they friends too?" she asked. Somehow, the innocent question swept away all of the tension, and they laughed. "Yes, Princess, they are… my family," she said, smiling. The younger Ayeka grinned. "Then they are my family, too," she said firmly, giggling. Tenchi grinned in spite of himself. His father smiled, and then cleared his throat. "We should signal Washu, and get home," he said quietly. Achika started to agree, when suddenly Kei gasped. "Look out!" she shouted, just before they were all knocked off their feet as the ground suddenly swelled beneath them. Kei landed near him, and Tenchi automatically began to reach for his sword. Before he got his hand around it, a black tentacle shot down, and pinned him to the ground. He heard his mother and father call that they too were caught, followed by Ayeka and Sasami. He looked back at Kei, and then felt his throat go dry. Kei was unconscious, but standing over her… She was a bit taller than she had been in the dream - no wait, that was because she was floating about a foot above the ground. She wore an odd sort of robe that managed to be both skin tight and yet, flowing at the same time. Perhaps the strangest thing was that she seemed to be shining, or maybe that was just because before her, the impossibly black form of the miasma had risen once again. Ryoko scowled, pushing the tendril that would have pinned Kei down back. Something clicked, suddenly, in the back of his mind. That horrible crash her parents had died in, yet somehow, miraculously, had left her unscathed. It shouldn't have been possible for her, only a baby at the time, to have survived, much less unharmed, but somehow, she had. The miasma had fallen over her, and then those fireballs had blasted through it, saving her. She'd survived… because Ryoko had been protecting her, all along. The way she'd had of sensing people and things that might have wound up injuring her… All along, it had been Ryoko, protecting her. Ryoko hadn't been reborn into Kei… Ryoko had been hiding within her, waiting until now, and keeping Kei safe in return. With a final heave, she threw the tentacle aside, and then fired a half dozen fireballs at the main mass. It was thrown back, and with a snap, he was free to move again. Tenchi was on his feet, the sword ignited, before the miasma had even landed. But before he could do anything, Ryoko stepped between him and it, and spoke softly. "You can't stop it, but I can. Your timeline doesn't need me, anymore, but she does need at least one of us." She paused, and then grinned slightly. "I think she'll forgive me this once, if I do this." She abruptly stepped a bit closer, and brushed a kiss across his cheek. He jumped - it was like being touched by pure energy. Then, she suddenly grabbed Tenchi-ken, and shoved him away, as the miasma closed in. Tenchi landed unceremoniously next to Kei. Before he could recover, Ryoko turned back to the miasma, raising the sword before her. "LEAVE THEM ALONE!" she screamed, as the sword… changed. She aimed it at the miasma, and a bar of solid light burst forth from it, so bright that it blasted away everything else, blinding him. He heard that strange, silent scream again, only this time it went on and on, growing higher and higher in pitch. And then, after what seemed a very long time, he heard something else. "Good-bye," Ryoko said, softly. The silent scream rose to a crescendo, and then finally faded away. Tenchi went to open his eyes… and then blinked, as he realized that he'd never closed them, but could still only see that searing, blinding light. A strange peace settled over him, as he started to laugh, understanding. The blinding light… "What are you laughing about, Tenchi?" asked Kei, after a moment. He shook his head. "Nothing, Kei. I'm laughing at nothing," he said, softly. He heard her and somebody else gasp softly - Ayeka, he thought. He couldn't see to tell for certain. Kei stared at Tenchi, who was only staring straight ahead, at nothing. "Oh no…" Tenchi turned toward her slightly, and smiled. "It's… alright, Kei. I suppose now I'll get a chance to really find out what it was like, for you. One more thing in common between us," he said quietly, before starting to stand up. "Ayeka and Ryoko, are they alright?" he asked, stumbling. She quickly moved over to him, and helped keep him steady. "Thanks," he said, smiling again. "They’re… they're fine, Tenchi," said Achika, staring at him with a stunned expression. Tenchi just nodded, as if nothing had happened. "Just knocked out." "Then we're done here, right? Except for the memory chips," he said. Slowly, Nobuyuki nodded, as he withdrew the thin case from his pocket. The elder Ayeka turned to the Guardians, as he knelt by the younger girls. "Scan, and identify," she ordered. They both turned to her. "You are Princess Ayeka, First Princess of Jurai," confirmed Azaka. "How can this be?" asked Kamadake. Ayeka shook her head. "That does not matter. Do you recognize my authority?" she asked. "Yes, Princess," they replied. "Then hear this order, and obey me. What you have witnessed today, you must not speak of, until after Kain has been destroyed, and Ryoko has recovered - you don't have to understand now, just obey and they should understand when you do tell them. Once Ryoko has recovered, then you must tell them all that transpired here today," she said. "As you… wish, your Highness," said Azaka. "Wait - one more thing. When you tell them, ask Ayeka to talk to Tenchi and Ryoko about her favorite nanny - the one with silver hair," said Achika suddenly. Ayeka eyed her askance, and Achika grinned. "Trust me. They'll understand, and I'll explain to you on our way home," she said. Ayeka shrugged. "Fair enough. Do as she asked, as well, Azaka, Kamadake," she said. "Yes, your Highness," confirmed Kamadake. Ayeka turned to them as Nobuyuki rose. "They're ready too. We're all done, now. Let's… go home." As the cabbit-ship rose into the sky, Kamadake turned to his counter-part. "Who were they?" he asked. "I'm… not sure. Somehow, they all seemed a little familiar," replied Azaka. "I have the feeling we'll see them again, though." Weakly, it strained to go after its targets as the Guardians carried them away. But it had lost too much energy. It knew it was dying. Reaching out, it tried to find - wait! Far below, buried under the earth, it sensed another weakly fluttering spirit. It let itself sink down to it. It was too weak to control the spirit, but if it could meld with it, perhaps it could influence it in some way… He felt it, dimly, as the miasma joined with him, and as it did, a memory came loose. A name. His name. "Kagato." "Ten… Tenchi?" He looked up in surprise, as he felt a light touch on his hand, and then broke into a wide smile of relief. "Ryoko… Hi," he said softly. She looked at him, with her huge, beautiful golden eyes. "What… What happened? The last thing that I remember is Washu bringing us back. How did I end up here?" she asked. "It… isn't important, right now, Ryoko," he said. She frowned at him. "Don't tell me it isn't important, I want-" she started, but he shook his head, placing two fingers over her lips to make her stop. "I promise, I'll tell you everything, but right now I want you to let me talk, alright?" he said. Slowly, she nodded, and he smiled. "I once lost somebody who was very important to me. Her name was Achika, and she was my mother. For a long time, I wondered if she'd known how important to me she was. I'd never really told her, you see; I was sure that she already knew. But when she died, suddenly, I found myself wondering… Had she really known? Had she died because I hadn't told her how much I loved her? Maybe it was a childish thought, but I wondered. It haunted me; sometimes, it still does." He paused, looking at her. "More recently, I almost lost somebody else who is also very important to me. At first, I hadn't realized how much she meant to me. I thought that she'd just been here to turn my life inside out. Time after time, I managed to hurt her, or let her down, and I couldn't understand why she kept coming back, only to have me let her down again. Then something happened to her, and she was almost taken away from me for good. And suddenly, I realized that, just like my mother, I'd never really told her how much she meant to me, that I'd just assumed she'd known," he said, before pausing again. 'Just say it,' his double had told him. Could it really be that simple? He looked at Ryoko for a moment, and knew that yes, it could. "I almost lost you, Ryoko. I don't ever want to go through that again, but just in case, I have to make sure you know. I love you. I have ever since I found you unconscious by that pool of water, when Ryo-Ohki crashed here, and I'm sorry that I took so long to tell you," he told her quietly. For a long moment, she stared at him silently, and then, slowly, she smiled at him. "I have always known, Tenchi. But it's good to be reminded, now and then, just to be sure," she said softly. He smiled at her, and nodded. Then he stood up, and offered her his hand. "Come on. Everybody will be glad to know that you're alright," he said, as she took his hand and slid off the bed. Then she paused a moment. "Tenchi?" she asked. He looked at her. "Yes, Ryoko?" "I love you, too," she said quietly. He smiled. "I know. But it's good to be reminded now and then, just to be sure," he said. She smiled at him, as he lightly put an arm around her waist and they left the small room.