Tenchi Muyo: No Need For Multiple Continuities Chapter 3 by Weber-san Standard Disclaimer: All of the characters appearing within are the property of AIC and Pioneer, and are used without permission. One of the ideas found within was given to me by Peter Suzuki, from the end of his story “Ruby Red, Cat-Like Eyes”, but how it turns out will be entirely my fault. Please don’t sue, I’m not making money on this, and it’s done out of love of the characters. The Sasamis, all still in the Pretty Sammy garb, were walking to the storage shed where the carrots and other vegetables were stored, all carrying armloads of carrots generated by one of Washuu’s many strange devices. They were followed by four eager looking cabbits. “This is quite a chore,” Sasami 1 said, “Even with all these people here, I don’t know if we can get rid of these before they go bad.” “Well, we can always try to sell some for extra money,” Sasami 3 pointed out, “I mean, with all of us here, there’s going to be a cash shortage in no time fast.” Just then, a green sphere of light appeared in the yard, and it opened up. Sasami 1 recognized the energy signature immediately, and screamed. “Kagato!” Kagato did indeed spill out of the portal, but he was different somehow. He collapsed on the ground, green blood covering his forehead. He looked up at the Sasamis, and reached out, “Help me....” Kagato passed out, face first on the ground. Ryoko 1 came flying, having heard the name Sasami cried out. Her energy sword was at the ready. She tapped Kagato with her foot, and when he didn’t stir, she lifted him by his hair, and gasped. “He can’t be Kagato. The Kagato I knew would never grow a goatee.” Kain and Yuugi watched from the shadow world. “What do you say we start to play with our new toys,” Yuugi grinned as she watched the others, “Let’s start with the pirates and the princesses.” “I don’t enjoy games,” Kain said, “I prefer to see my handiwork unfold firsthand.” “Patience, Kain. First we stir them up, then we strike. There’s more of them then there are of you, and you’re still weak from the fight you had with them in SubSpace (See Tenchi Muyo in Love for details). Technically, you should be dead.” “I can never die. I am energy, and energy is eternal.” “Energy can be dispelled, though. Besides, I owe them for what they did to me. I owe Sasami for rejecting me!” Washuu 1 and 2 were examining Kagato while Washuu 3 and 4 continued to peice what was left of the dimensional oscillator back together. “Well,” Washuu 1 said, removing her goggles, “It’s Kagato. The cell structure matches.” “Yes,” Washuu 2 nodded, “But the energy pattern is different. Your records show Kagato with a negative aura. This Kagato has a positive aura. And neither of the Kagatos we met in our adventures would have grown a full goatee.” “I believe,” Kagato said, opening his eyes, which looked far more human than either Washuu remembered, “that I might be of some assistance. I was attempting to flee from the Washuu of my world, who had just finished destroying Planet Jurai, and I figured that another dimension might be the best place to do it. I evidently stumbled into some sort of mirror world, where things are not quite the same. For instance, if you were the Washuu I knew, you would have started this off by applying electrodes to my eyes.” “So,” Ryoko wasn’t convinced, “He’s some sort of ‘good twin’ to our Kagato?” “That,” Washuu 1 said, releasing Kagato’s restraints, “is about the size of it.” “Well,” Ayeka 2 said, sipping her tea, “ Stranger things have happened.” “I see you ladies are having some trouble,” Kagato looked over at the other two Washuus, who had no reason to distrust him, especially not with that honeyed, soothing voice he had, “Is there any way I might help?” Washuu 1 beamed, “Of course! Kagato’s still a genius! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That means we can fix this puppy in no time!” Ayeka 1 was preparing for a dip in the onsen, when she passed a blonde haired girl on the path. “Oh. Have you come to pay your respects to the Masaki Shrine?” she asked, always trying to be helpful. The girl shook her head, “I’m looking for a girl I met near here, a friend of mine named Sasami. She’s about my height, with freckles and blue hair.” -Funny- thought Ayeka - Sasami never mentioned any friends.- “Sasami is at the house,” Ayeka said, “Shall I show you the way?” “Oh no, I can find it myself. Thank you.” And with that, the girl proceded down the path. Ayeka entered the onsen, and found two of her already there, and one Ryoko as well. The fact that none of them seemed injured in any shape way or form indicated that this was Ryoko 4, the all human one. "Has anyone seen Lord Tenchi," Ayeka 1 asked. All of the other shook their heads. "Not since that explosion earlier," Ayeka 3 said, "Really, Ryoko, was it necessary to use all that power?" "Power? What power? I'm Ryoko 4, in case you've forgotten. No powers here." "Perhaps Lord Tenchi went to the shrine to help his grandfather," Ayeka 4 suggested. Tenchi was, in fact, hiding in the last place anyone would think to look for him, in Washuu-chan's lab. The fact that the Washuus were all busy meant that he'd be safe, and with the Mihoshis all in their rooms, no further mishaps could occur. Well, almost no other mishaps. There was still the new random element, Mayuka. "Daddy!" Mayuka pounced on Tenchi, "Oh, I'm so happy to see you, Daddy. But why are you here in Mommy Washuu's lab?" "I'm just...resting," Tenchi said, "Mayuka, why did Washuu send you back in time, anyway?" "Oh, that. Um.....she wrote it down, somewhere. Now where did I put that note?" "Mihoshi didn't, by any chance, teach you your organizational skills, did she?" "How did you know?" "Lucky guess." Yuugi saw all the Sasamis gathered in the kitchen, tending to various cooking chores. She suddenly felt guilty. Sasami had never hurt her. Sure, she'd chosen not to go with her to her world. But the first time that Sasami had gone to her world, she had been hurt defending Yuugi from an "attack". And her family still would have been in a world like this, and she would have been without them. Seeing all the Sasami's working together, Yuugi realized that it was her friend's kindness that drew her, and she could no more take Sasami from the people she loved than she could bring herself to crush Tenchi. "Yuugi?!" Sasami 3 spotted Yuugi, and went running out to greet her, "Did Washuu's device bring you here too? Are you alright? Would you like something to eat?" Yuugi smiled faintly, and a tear came to her eye, "I'm fine, Sasami. Thank you." "Hey, everyone," Sasami 3 pulled her into the kitchen by her arm, "This is my friend Yuugi!" "Konichiwa, Yuugi-chan," all the others greeted her with their most cheerful smiles. Yuugi knew then that she had been wrong, and that Sasami had always been her friend. Mayuka finally found the note that Washuu had given her. She handed it to Tenchi. "Tenchi, There is great danger. Kain is coming. Give this disc," Tenchi stopped reading and looked at a computer disc taped to the letter, then resumed reading, "To my counterparts." Minagi landed her spaceship near the onsen. She wanted to surprise her sister and mother by popping in unannounced to say hello. She got more than she bargained for when she bumped headlong into a woman in a cloak, with cyan hair, and a sword blaster. "I have you now, Ryoko!" "The name's Minagi," Minagi replied, "Ryoko's my sister. And I don't know what beef you have with her, but you just took it up with me!" At that moment, all the Ayekas and Ryokos came out of the onsen. Nagi was stunned, to say the least. "What!" Ayekas 2-4 yelled, "Another Ryoko?" "No," Ryoko 1 said, "It's my sister. Minagi, you chose a really bad time for a family reunion!" "Hey, Nagi," Ryoko 2 called mockingly to the bounty hunter, "Wanna try to take all of me on at once?" Nagi threw her sword on the ground, "Ken-ohki, get us back home. I'm quitting the bounty-hunter trade. This is more than anyone deserves, if you ask me!" "What," Minagi scratched her head in puzzlement, "Was that all about? And since when could you do more than two of yourself, Ryoko?" "It's a looooooooooooong story," Ryoko said, patting her sister on the shoulder, "Come on inside, and I'll tell you all about it. From deep space, a sleek craft streaked towards the Earth. To be Continued...