Credits: Tenchi Muyo!/No Need For Tenchi is a product of  
Pioneer/AIC. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this 
fiction other than my own enjoyment, because the thought of getting 
sued is rather unpleasant.

Mr. Long T. Tran for his "Tenchi Muyo: Ryoko's Love Prologue" 
story line, specifically use of his character Shoji.  His fiction can be 
found at GenSao's excellent Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction Page: 
http://members.xoom.com/gensao/ 

Disclaimer:  All characters *I* have created are purely a work of 
fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is pure coincidence.  
Anyone who thinks otherwise is probably just itching for a fight.  
Also, please do not try and distribute this story in some lame attempt 
to make a buck;  it would be bad karma to say the least.


Email appreciated!
Send comments to Michael McAvoy (mmcavoy@acm.vt.edu)
The completed "No Need For Sasami" Cycle 1 can be found at: 
http://www.acm.vt.edu/~mmcavoy/



                           Tenchi Muyo!
                       "No Need For Sasami"


          Throw physic to the dogs, I'll none of it!
	  Come, put mine armor on!  Give me my staff!
	  Seyton, send out!  Doctor, the thanes fly from me!
	  Come, sir, dispatch!  If thou couldst, doctor, cast 
	  The water of my land, find her disease
	  And purge it to a sound and pristine health,
	  I would applaud thee to the very echo,
	  That should applaud again!

		[King Macbeth, distressed by an imminent battle
  		 and his wife's illness] 

                                    -- William Shakespeare



	  Tenchi... don't even think that I am giving in.
		This is only the beginning.

			      	      -- Emperor Azusa [TM! OAV13]




                       -* Folly and Ascension *-
             [The End of Emperor Azusa's Reign of Jurai]

                  A NNFS Side Story by Michael McAvoy
                 

	During the first two years since his world turned upside 
down, a competition raged between two women.  Locked in a battle for 
Tenchi Masaki's affections, the space pirate Ryoko and the Juraian 
princess Ayeka struggled for the upper hand in their contest.  
However, during that same period, they both failed to realize one 
crucial fact: 

	Tenchi, very simply, was not looking to fall in love with 
anyone just yet.

	Regardless, the snide remarks, the haughty looks, and the 
screeching fights continued unceasingly.  Ryoko and Ayeka, without 
realizing it, had formed a relationship based on antagonism that went 
far beyond Tenchi's involvement.  While their ultimate goal was 
always Tenchi's heart, in many ways that goal was sidelined as the 
two women enjoyed the simple thrill of getting under each other's 
skin.  

	In the meantime, unbeknownst to the pair, what they had so 
enthusiastically battled each other for had undergone a subtle change 
of his own.  Tenchi, not even realizing it himself, had grown into a 
frame of mind and state of maturity where he was open to the 
possibility of love and a relationship.  And the self-realization of that 
fact would stun Tenchi as surely as had he been hit with a decent sized 
brick.

	It is now the summer of his eighteenth year on Earth, and 
Tenchi has chosen Ryoko.  The competition is over.

	For Tenchi, however, it has not been a question of Ryoko or 
Ayeka.  For nearly two years, he has accepted and treated both women, 
indeed all the women at the Masaki residence, as beloved house 
guests.  Until now, Tenchi has not felt the need to involve himself 
romantically with anyone.  Since his vacation with Ryoko to Naroda 
Beach, however, Tenchi feels as if he has been filled with electricity.  
As if having his eyes open for the first time, he sees in his heart that 
there has only been Ryoko waiting there for him.

	The reaction from Ayeka has not been what folks at the 
Masaki residence would have expected.  In fact, it has not been what 
the princess herself would have imagined.  The sadness, loneliness, 
and hurt feelings have presented themselves just as she had dreamed 
they would if she were ever to lose Tenchi; those feelings, though, are 
not as raw as they might have been.  Ayeka has been distracted by the 
arrival of her new guardian and has been wrestling with a notion about 
what her true feelings for Tenchi really are.

	Ayeka, in her heart, seems to have realized for at least some 
time now that Tenchi will never become the kind of man she has 
desired in her fantasies.  Ayeka has been raised a princess, and she has 
grown up seeking a prince as the image of a mate.  Tenchi, for all his 
noble qualities, would never want to become the kind of man, the kind 
of royalty, that Ayeka has spent her life desiring in a love.  It is this 
slow realization that has perhaps softened the stinging blow of 
Tenchi's choice of Ryoko. the staggering realization for Ayeka that 
perhaps Tenchi is not what is best for her life.

	That powerful self-discovery, however, will take a while for 
Ayeka to work through.  After all, it is not easy to give up in the blink 
of an eye that which one has fixated on for two years.  In the 
meantime, she will have to contend with her uncertain future, as well 
as the assignment by her father, the emperor of Jurai, Azusa, of Shoji 
as her new guardian.  

	For now, Ayeka has invited Tenchi and Ryoko to join her on 
Jurai for Startica, the summer solstice.  Journeying to Ayeka's home 
planet, Tenchi and Ryoko are nigh unprepared for what awaits them 
there.  Amidst the festive atmosphere among the commoners of Jurai 
lies a thinly veiled undercurrent of resentment, maliciousness, and 
bigotry held by many of the noble houses towards the people of Earth.  
In particular, the revelation that Yosho's survival has led to a prodigy 
of royalty, whose ability to wield the power of Jurai far exceeds the 
current emperor's, places a piercing scrutiny upon a still na<ve Tenchi.  
Also, any welcome that might have been made to the young Masaki is 
evaporated once the identity of his love, Ryoko, is made known.

	Tenchi and Ryoko learn with unhappiness that hatred and 
revenge have long memories, and Ryoko's attack on the palace seven 
hundred years earlier has not been forgotten.  They also find that a 
royal pardon is thinner than the paper it has been decreed upon, 
especially from an emperor who has been cajoled by his wives to take 
such an action in the first place.  Emperor Azusa's royal pardon of 
Ryoko on Earth has caused great outrage amongst the noble houses of 
Jurai and undermined his eons old grasp on power a good deal.

	Emperor Azusa is a man beset with demons, from both his 
own insecurity and from the pressures that the noble houses place 
upon him.  Additionally, Tenchi's quite manner and wild popularity 
with the commoners of Jurai serve only to further set Azusa's teeth on 
edge.  To the emperor, originating from a pressure-driven illogic, 
Tenchi is nothing more than a powerful rival poised to usurp his 
empire completely.

	And as the emperor has learned from ages past, rivals must 
be neutralized.

	Perceiving her father's actions, a young princess Sasami 
becomes thoroughly enraged and a vocal protester of the maliciousness 
being served upon Tenchi and Ryoko.  Even Ayeka, who has made not 
finding fault with her royal family a lifetime practice, can not deny the 
insidious webs her father and the noble houses weave.  With a resolve 
unseen before, Ayeka confronts her father publicly, stating her 
intentions to leave Jurai again with Sasami, Tenchi, and Ryoko for 
Earth.

	Incensed by his daughter's public disregard for his authority, 
Azusa summons a nobleman to challenge Tenchi in combat from 
numerous, eager volunteers.  The emperor desires to see Tenchi 
humbled and vanquished in the eyes of the court and offers an 
incredulous Ayeka's hand in marriage as reward for doing just so.

	It is the summer of Tenchi Masaki's nineteenth year, and a 
firestorm of challenges against him have begun.

	Emperor Azusa, however, has gravely miscalculated.

*************************************************************************


	Emperor Azusa could honestly not remember when his 
unsettling dreams first began, only that they coincided roughly with 
his discovery of Yosho and Tenchi on Earth.  Infrequent at first, the 
visions within his dreams had increased in number after the royal visit 
to Earth to locate his missing daughters and son.  Azusa, a vain man 
and full of pride, did not take well to an earthling with merely a 
sprinkling of Jurai blood being able to wield such immense power as 
the Light Hawk Wings.

	The dreams, vague and difficult to recall, had whispered to 
Azusa for some time after the suitor he had brought to Earth had been 
vanquished by Tenchi (with quite a bit of help from Mihoshi).  As the 
months wore on, bits of his dreams would come back to Azusa's 
memory, making the emperor moody and more irritable than usual.  
There came a point when even his two wives, who already had been 
treating Azusa coolly for quite some time, distanced themselves even 
further from his grouchy behavior.  

	Now, Tenchi and Ryoko, along with Azusa's defiant 
daughters, had come and gone to Jurai for Startica, thwarting his best 
attempts to remove the imagined threat that Tenchi presented him.  
From the evening that Tenchi and company left Jurai, the unsettling 
dreams had reached a level of clarity previously unseen.  Though his 
visions might begin any of a hundred different ways, they always 
ended in a similar fashion.  

	[And you do not seem to understand,] a feminine voice would 
whisper in Azusa's dreams as his visions became clear.

	There would be Tenchi, standing before the emperor's court, 
a confused look of misunderstanding on his face.  Ryoko would be very 
near his side, anger washing her features.  Even Sasami and Ayeka, 
each wearing masks of defiance.  The lush, green lawns of the royal 
reception hall, a towering amphitheater supported by monstrous tree 
limbs, were always filled shoulder to shoulder with members of the 
noble houses of Jurai.  Azusa could feel their eyes burning through 
him with interest.

	[What changed in you?] the woman's voice would ask.

	In his dreams, Azusa would order Ayeka and Sasami, before 
the full court, to remain on Jurai and forever give up the backwater 
boy, Tenchi.  To his incitement, his daughters would refuse, causing 
him to call forth a challenger to defeat Tenchi in public.  A nervous 
tittering in the crowds of nobles, some would feign shock or surprise, 
but most inwardly would take pleasure at Azusa's authority being 
rebuked.  In his dreams, however, Azusa could see all their thoughts.

	[It seemed you were an honest man, once,] she would 
continue.

	Tenchi would then, each time, refuse the challenge, 
entreating in his quiet way for the emperor to simply let everyone 
come back to Earth.  Again, someone defying the emperor's 
command.  Certainly, Tenchi always seemed to think there was a 
way to work things out.  His genuine integrity only irritated Azusa 
more.  Did Tenchi actually *think* he could walk away after making 
the emperor of Jurai look like a dotard?

	[What changed in you, dear one?]  It was always a sad 
question.

	Stopping to note the satisfaction from the assembled horde of 
noble families, the emperor always took a brief pleasure in his dreams 
when he saw himself ordering the guards to subdue a surprised Ryoko 
and detaining his daughters as well.  The unhappy and angry look on 
Tenchi's face was always worth dwelling on.  Eyes narrowing, a 
serpent's grin would plaster dream Azusa's features.

	[Please.]

	The challenger would step forward, an ambitious young 
Juraian who held little love for the emperor, but who was willing to 
further his own position at court any way possible.  And not a fop this 
time either, but a soldier and excellent swordsman in his own right.  
Tall and arrogant, the nobleman would throw several biting and snide 
remarks at Tenchi, his lineage, and his planet before commencing the 
duel.  Tenchi would have no time to hesitate, activating his own sword 
and reacting to his attacker.

	[Please. do not make me regret you.]

	Adept, the emperor would note of Tenchi's ability as he 
watched the duel, but it was obvious Azusa's champion was more 
skilled.  After all, even with Yosho's instruction, Tenchi's meager 
years of training could not compare to a young Jurai nobleman who 
had been dueling for at least fifty years.  Yet, why was Tenchi not 
using the Light Hawk Wings to defeat his opponent?  He seemed to 
have no more power than what was the bare minimum to keep his 
sword, Tenchi-ken activated.  Were the reports and rumors Azusa had 
come by mistaken about the boy's true abilities?

	The young Masaki would invariably start to tire and be driven 
back.  That would be when Ryoko would try to break her restraints, 
only to be forced violently to the ground by the royal guards who 
surrounded her.  Azusa could sense the thrill in the crowds of nobles, 
seething forward to watch the pirate pay for her seven hundred year 
old crime.  The emperor, smoothing his long, brown beard could 
almost taste the satisfaction of imminent victory.

	[Do not let these fears whisper in your heart,] warned the 
mysterious and unseen woman in his dream.

	A sudden lurch in the dream would seem to slow time 
incredibly.  Azusa would watch Tenchi's head spin at Ryoko's cry.  He 
would watch the boy's face deaden into a dispassionate mask.  Ayeka, 
with Shoji hovering beside her, would cry out, commanding the guards 
to release Ryoko.  They would not listen, of course; they were loyal to 
the emperor of Jurai, not his mere daughter.

	This time, a brilliant flash from the massive courtyard.  
Azusa, each time, could feel his eyes close in pain from the glare.  
Slowly opening them, he would see the *real* threat that haunted him 
day in and day out.

	[These fears will only hurt you.]

	Tenchi, transformed by the full energy of the Tree of Light, 
covered in shimmering robes and fields of near transparent armor.  
The nobles would recoil in shock as Tenchi, darting silently, would 
dispatch his opponent, knocking him senseless with one move.  Not 
hesitating, the young man would then scatter the royal guards with 
several sweeping arcs of his Light Hawk Sword.  Standing defensively 
over Ryoko, he would be flanked by Ayeka and Sasami, with Shoji 
taking an aggressive position to the crowd as well.

	"We are leaving now, Azusa!" Tenchi's voice always 
thundered, despite being so even and calm.

	Azusa could feel his dream self rising up from his throne to 
his feet, fists balled in rage.  "I will not permit you to leave, you 
insolent Earthling pup!"

	"You will *not* have my empire, now or *ever*!"

	Charging down the marbled staircase, an energy sword 
conjured from the power of Jurai, he would watch as Sasami's eyes 
deepened in concentration.  That part of the dream always stood out to 
Azusa.  Should not his youngest daughter be terrified of seeing her 
father so powerful and deadly?

	A violent rocking would then strike the great hall.  
Crumbling one of the amphitheater sides, the bow of the great 
battleship, Tsunami, would cleave into the immense royal courtyard, 
strewing debris over many of the frightened nobles.  Azusa would 
pause in mid-stride, only then aware that his own daughter, Sasami, 
had called her ship in.

	The emperor could hear himself commanding Shoji to strike 
down Tenchi from behind, but the steady refusal of the guardian was 
more than enough of a message to show his absolute loyalties now lay 
with princess Ayeka.  Roaring in outrage, Azusa would advance down 
the throne staircase to the courtyard, more than willing to destroy all 
who would defy him.

	[You are falling from me.]

	The female apparition always chose that moment to appear in 
his dreams, not unlike how she had first appeared that fateful day.  
Blocking Azusa's path to Tenchi and the others, the emperor would 
skid to a halt on the soft grass, his Jurai energy weapon raised before 
him.  Observing the shadowy figure in apprehension for a split-second, 
he would then feel everything begin to close in around him.

	Slashing wildly at the empty air in front of him, Azusa would 
grow more desperate as the spirit closed in.  Commanding, 
threatening, and then crying out, the stunned witnesses would watch, 
unable to see the specter that pursued him, the emperor as he yelled 
and fought with the emptiness around him.

	[You are fading.]

	And the blurry figure would begin to come in focus.  Tall, 
female, and draped in flowing white Juraian robes.  The long, blue 
hair that streamed behind the woman, and the soft, blue aura that 
seemed to envelope her always.  A hundred trees seemed to flow from 
her silvery shadow, reaching out with twitching limbs to capture the 
sinking Azusa and squeeze the life out of him.

	[You will not hurt him.]

	Tsunami.  Her eyes always seemed to blaze a white fire.  As 
the spirit closed in on him, Azusa could feel the tree limbs biting into 
his flesh, tearing him apart slowly.

	[I will not *allow* you to hurt him.]

	"AWAY!! AWAY, FOUL SPIRIT!!" he would finally cry out.

			*	*	*


	Kicking and thrashing in his massive bed, Azusa, the 
emperor of Jurai, woke up screaming.  Wrapped in his silken bed 
sheets, the emperor pulled at the fine cloth, making long tears in his 
desperation.  Freed at last, the sweating man staggered out into the 
middle of his room, spinning wildly and taking in ragged breaths.

	"Demon!" he yelled to the empty room, "Lurker in the 
shadow of your own trees!"

	One hand against the side of his head and one hand out in 
front of him, Azusa tore wildly from his room and entered an immense 
hallway, scattering a number of already wary and frightened servants.  
Pushing them aside roughly, the emperor grabbed one of several robes 
that lined the room, struggling to put it on.

	"This was part of your plan in the first place!" he yelled angrily, 
shoving two servants who attempted to aid him, "Take *me* from my 
throne and place that... that *boy* on it! I have known this from the 
first day I learned of his existence!  But I will *not* be moved!"

	His robes whipping around almost as quickly as his brown 
beard and hair, Azusa stormed from his suites and thundered down the 
corridors of his personal battleship.  Guards, servants, and courtiers 
all gave way before the emperor's violent features, but none of them 
could actually discern the fear that gnawed in the dark pit of his soul.

	Crossing the lush structure of his Juraian ship, the emperor 
eventually made his way to the command center.  Having regained 
control of most of his emotions, he strode up to his ship's captain, an 
aging man who had learned commanding the emperor's flagship 
almost always meant never being able to make his own decisions.

	"We will be there soon."

	It was not a question Azusa posed to the captain.  The captain 
bowed quickly and nodded.

	"Yes, your imperial majesty," he confirmed, "we are currently 
entering the outer zones of the Sol system, and we are decreasing 
speed in order to safely navigate the inner planetary asteroid fields.  
We should be at Earth in a few hours."

	"Do not decrease speed," Azusa commanded in a deadly 
voice, "I want to be there as soon as possible, and I will hold you 
*directly* responsible if this ship should incur damage, captain."

	"Y-yes, your imperial majesty!" the captain replied slightly 
unsteadily, but quickly.

	No, one did not to make decisions very often as captain of the 
emperor's vessel, but one argued those decisions made for him even 
less.

	Azusa stared out at the virtual screens that wrapped around 
the bridge, his eyes as cold as the space that separated the billions of 
stars that formed the Milky Way.

	"When we reach Earth, set down immediately at the 
designated coordinates," he commanded.

	The captain chose that moment to break his usual obedience.

	"But your majesty," he began, "that portion of the Earth will 
be in darkness when we arrive.  Our descent will light up the sky for 
great distances, and we will be visi-*urp*!"

	An almost metallic hum began as the captain found a bright 
blue energy sword poised at his neck.  Swallowing hard, the man 
turned his head slowly to see a contemptuous Azusa ready to kill him 
on the spot.  The other members of the bridge team froze absolutely 
still, not breathing.

	"Question my authority again," the emperor whispered in a 
flat voice.

	"W-we will make landfall at the designated coordinates the 
moment we arrive at Earth, your imperial majesty!" the captain 
quickly back peddled.

	Without another word, the emperor released the power of 
Jurai and turned away from the captain, leaving the bridge in a swirl 
of robes.  Turning slowly towards the virtual displays, the captain 
slowly reached down and steadied himself on one of the arms of his 
command chair.  Breathing heavily, he only vaguely was aware of the 
rest of his bridge crew once again scurrying about their duties.

	'He... he's as mad as the rumors from court have said,' the 
captain thought shakily, 'Screaming himself awake every night, 
uncontrolled outbursts, and the raging violence... even for *him*.'

	The captain steadied his nerves and watched the screens as 
the battleship and its escorts shot past Pluto for the center of the 
system.  Releasing his grip on the chair, he eased himself down into 
the seat with the sensation of heat still on his neck from the energy 
sword.

	"Tree of Light, protect us all from him," his whispered.

			*	*	*


 	[A letter sent to Emperor Azusa, dated two months earlier.]

	Your Imperial Majesty,

	In response to your query of the redistribution of a
	significant portion of our naval forces to the 
	Restricted Zone of Jurai space, I feel that doing so
	would greatly compromise your majesty's presence
	in the more populated sectors of your empire.  As
	you are aware, our ability to produce great battleships
	from the royal trees on Jurai is a very slow process.
	To pull already deployed vessels from their 
	territories would invite some of the more ambitious
	systems to fill the void with their conventional ships.
	Taking into account the amount of time that would
	be spent away from those systems, it is very likely
	our forces would return only to find large numbers
	of entrenched vessels preventing reentry.
	Additionally, the Galaxy Police fleets, also large
	in number, would certainly arrive as well, 
	confronting both fleets to prevent a war from
	starting.  With our resources stretched thin over
	the galaxy, it is likely the battle, under the best of
	circumstances were it to arise, would be pitched
	and the outcome uncertain.  With no known
	threat against your majesty's empire in the 
	Restricted Zone, I would respectfully request your
	majesty not re-deploy our vessels in such a fashion,
	as to do so would threaten the might of your domain.

		Your obedient servant,

		Royal Admiral Saban Temest.

			*	*	*


	[A high-level communication within Galaxy Police 
	 Headquarters, dated six weeks ago.]

	To:  Director and Commander, Galaxy Police
	From:  Assistant Intelligence Director Mardent Hakana
	Re:  Unusual buildup of Royal Naval forces outside the 
           Restricted Zone of Jurai space

	Patrols have been monitoring unusual activity near 
	the border of the Restricted Zone of Jurai space in 
	the past two weeks.  The vessels are all from the Jurai 
	royal fleet stationed around the royal planet and make 
	up a formidable force of twenty seven ships of Royal 
	Tree classification.  As yet, the Galaxy Police has been
	unable to secure an explanation from official royal 
	sources.  However, operatives infiltrated to the outer
	circles of the royal court report rumors of erratic 
	behavior from the emperor of Jurai.  This rumored
	behavior seems to have coincided with the apparent
	confrontation during Startica festivities of one
	Tenchi Masaki by the emperor (see classified report
	Masaki C23-0021).  Again, though we had no
	operatives infiltrated to that level of the royal or
	noble circles, there have been enough eye witness 
	accounts flowing freely about to suggest the rumored
	altercation between Tenchi Masaki and the emperor
	may well have taken place, with the emperor 
	suffering a possible breakdown during the event.  We
	can confirm, however, that the royal battleship,
	Tsunami, did depart Jurai for Earth with Tenchi
	Masaki, Ryoko (no longer sought by Galaxy Police due
	to lapse in the statute of limitations), the princesses
	Ayeka and Sasami, as well as their respective guardians.

	If the rumors of the altercation on Jurai are based in
	fact, the activity near the Restricted Zone may be in
	preparation for a retaliation on the emperor's part 
	against Tenchi Masaki, or his home planet.  We can
	confirm that the emperor has been sending regular 
	transports to Earth in recent months bearing
	prominent members of the higher nobility.  Based on
	reports by Galaxy Police detectives Kiyone and
	Mihoshi, assigned to Earth, it is apparent the
	emperor is sending royally sanctioned members of 
	court to challenge Tenchi Masaki.  To date, all such
	encounters have gone in favor of the Earthling.  We
	have reports that strongly suggest the young Masaki
	is in full command of the Light Hawk Wings, which
	is of particular interest given the situation.

	At this time, the emperor has not been monitored 
	leaving Jurai, but his royal flagship has been confirmed 
	to be readying for an unknown voyage.  With such
	large numbers of royal battleships gathered for a 
	penetration into one of the most low risk sectors in
	the galaxy, it is the opinion of the Intelligence
	Division that, should the emperor leave Jurai, the
	Earth in the Sol System will be his destination, and 
	his intentions may be to harm Tenchi Masaki and/or
	the Earth in some way.  Also given the long standing
	attitude of the Jurai royal court against the Earth 
	(which continues to be a mystery as to the origins of 
	the animosity), the chances for a radical altercation
	increase.

	The Sol System has only basic orbital space flight at
	its command, and would not withstand any threat
	posed by the Royal Navy.  Additionally, the Galaxy 
	Police, though currently able to muster enough
	patrol units and battle cruisers to make a formidable
	fleet against the massing Royal Navy, is allowed
	patrol rights in the Restricted Zone only recently
	by special charter.  That charter specifically restricts
	the Galaxy Police's authority and power, but at the
	same time does give us the mandate to secure the
	planet Earth, quoting the charter, "from all threats 
	originating outside the Restricted Zone of Jurai space."
	While the drafters of the royal charter undoubtedly 
	never intended that to include the Royal Navy, such 
	forces are nevertheless not specified as exceptions to 
	said charter.

	All patrol craft in the Restricted Zone of Jurai space
	have been placed on high alert status and are to give
	the royal fleet, should it enter, a wide berth while
	communicating only standard Galaxy Police protocol.

	It is the recommendation of the Intelligence Division,
	per review, that this developing situation be given the
	full attention of Galaxy Police resources.

	[End Communication.]

			*	*	*


	It was a beautiful fall evening in Japan.  All across the 
mountainous regions, the trees swayed gently in the twilight, their 
leaves awash in fiery reds and golden yellows.  It was mid-October on 
Earth, and, in the Northern Hemisphere, temperate regions were 
beginning to experience the first hints of the winter weather to come 
later in the year.  Temperatures still managed to climb into the lower 
seventies during a sunny day, but at nighttime they would fall into the 
lower fifties, causing humans to find warmer clothing.

	The fall was always a wonderful time as far as Tenchi Masaki 
was concerned.  For one thing, it spelled the end of the unrelenting 
heat and humidity that August and early September always seemed to 
smother the land with.  Cooler air always seemed to invigorate Tenchi, 
and he enjoyed being able to train with his grandfather for longer 
periods of time without instantly being drenched in sweat.  There were 
the lustrous colors of the trees as well; Fall was Nature's pageant, and 
the leaves of the trees danced in shimmering flashes, crystal blue skies 
as their backdrop.

	Tenchi also enjoyed the smell of Fall as much as anything 
else about the season.  With the leaves turning and falling, there was 
always a slightly musty fragrance of decay that he could never get 
enough of.  Though it was the smell of decay, for some strange reason 
it was a good smell, and it often reminded Tenchi of the past.

	The past.

	Tenchi, sitting in the twilight and watching the first stars 
starting to appear above the mountain valley that sheltered the Masaki 
residence, sighed and dropped his chin into his hands.  Sitting on a 
large rock at the lower end of a stream, just before it entered into the 
lake, the young man wished fervently that he could forget parts of the 
past few months all together.  Unfortunately, Tenchi was unaware of 
any way to selectively erase his memories without being strapped to 
one of Washu's lab tables, and he was not willing to go through that 
again.

	Watching the small waves ripple across the surface of the 
lake in the closing darkness, Tenchi felt a small tingle down his spine.
Raising his eyes a little, he saw the air before him shimmer and haze 
slightly before Ryoko phased into view.  A rising full moon from 
across the valley silhouetted the pirate's long and spiky hair.  The 
effect of Ryoko's tall form haloed by the moon only seemed to reinforce 
Tenchi's larger than life perception of his love.  His head 
came up out of his hands, and he smiled.

	"Ryoko-san," he said, "I can't understand why you wear a 
sweater to keep you warm, but then you wear shorts at the same time."

	The pirate tossed her mane to the side and winked at Tenchi, 
while moving towards him.  Shifting his sitting position, Tenchi let 
Ryoko sit down with him, and together they molded comfortably 
together.  Interestingly enough, sitting together had been Tenchi and 
Ryoko's first big challenge of their relationship.  Figuring out how to 
sit so closely to each without various back or leg muscles screaming in 
protest had taken a little time, but the pair had enthusiastically 
learned how to do so.  Now, they knew each other well enough to come 
together perfectly without even a thought.  Ryoko snuggled up Tenchi 
and breathed out happily.

	"Tenchi," she replied in her deep voice, "you know I can 
adapt to most any temperature, so I really don't even have to feel the 
cold if I don't want to.  I just like the feel of a sweater and shorts, 
that's all."

	"Oh," mumbled Tenchi.

	"Naturally, I could run around naked in the dead of winter, 
and I'd be as comfortable as I am now," commented Ryoko 
offhandedly, "I can prove it to you sometime if you like, Tenchi."

	Tenchi blushed slightly in the darkness, "Uuhh, that's okay, 
Ryoko-san.  I'll take your word for it."

	Ryoko laughed merrily and hugged Tenchi.  "I'll wear you 
down, eventually, my prince.  It's only a matter of time."

	Tenchi could not think of a response to that.  He decided to 
change the subject less than artfully.

	"Eeeh, so is Mayuka asleep yet?" he asked, trying to dodge 
Ryoko's teasing innuendoes.

	"Mmm, not yet, Tenchi," she replied, "Washu had just 
finished cleaning up after little Mayuka's meal, and Sasami was 
playing with her on the couch.  She has a lot of energy for a baby.  I 
think she's going to be a handful when she grows up."

	"Sasami really enjoys spending time with Mayuka, doesn't 
she?" asked Tenchi, "And miss Washu continues to amaze me with 
the care she gives her, too."

	Ryoko sighed noisily, "Yeah, I have to admit, Washu would 
make a pretty good mother."

	"As would you, Ryoko-san," Tenchi added, squeezing her in 
his arms a bit, "We've all seen how much care you give Mayuka.  I 
think you'd be a great mother."

	"Teeeenchi, stop," Ryoko mumbled, burying her face into 
Tenchi's sweater, "you know I get embarrassed when you say things 
like that.  It... it makes me feel strange inside."

	Tenchi only nodded and cradled Ryoko.  For several minutes, 
they simply sat in silence like that, listening to the drying leaves 
rustle on their branches and the frogs in the lake singing some of their 
last songs before heading into the mud for winter.  Tenchi found his 
thoughts finally cleared of their worries, as did happen every time he 
was with Ryoko.

	"What were you thinking about, Tenchi?" Ryoko finally 
asked, breaking the silence, "You looked so serious when I arrived, 
even for you."

	Tenchi's revere was broken, but he did not let it bother him.  
Watching the lake across the top of Ryoko's head, he breathed deeply 
in the evening air and gathered his thoughts again.

	"I was thinking about the past," he said simply, "The... the 
past from far back and the last few months."

	"Mmm, hmm," Ryoko mumbled neutrally.

	"Mainly," Tenchi continued, "I was thinking about those four 
Juraian nobles that have come to Earth to challenge me.  I was talking 
to grandfather this afternoon about it, hoping there was some way we 
could get them to stop."

	Ryoko sighed, "Oh, I wish they would. I know you can 
subdue them almost instantly without anyone getting hurt, Tenchi, but 
I still get nervous.  One day, I am afraid it's going to be more than 
just one who arrives."

	"That is my worry, too, Ryoko-san," Tenchi nodded, "but 
grandfather says there is nothing we can do about it until Azusa 
decides to come to his senses."

	"Which will be never," Ryoko snorted, "if it were just you, 
Tenchi, maybe he'd wise up, but having his two daughters blow him 
off in front of the court... he'll never forget that."

	"I'm afraid so," Tenchi worried.

	Ryoko popped up with bright eyes.  "*Speaking* of the 
princesses," she smiled with a toothy grin, "guess who's out this 
evening down by Yosho's tree again?"

	Tenchi raised an eyebrow.

	"Ryoko-san," he chided, "you aren't spying on them, are 
you?"

	"Tenchi!" Ryoko gasped, feigning shock just a little too 
dramatically, "How could I?  I'm right here with you!"

	"Uh, huh," answered Tenchi, "and where is Ryo-ohki?"

	Ryoko sat up and blinked.  Putting a hand to her head, she 
laughed nervously.

	"I thought so," Tenchi nodded wisely, "you just can't help 
being curious, can you?"

	Ryoko crossed her arms and looked directly at Tenchi.  Even 
in the growing darkness, Tenchi could still see light reflecting in her 
golden eyes.

	"Tell me, Tenchi," Ryoko demanded, "tell me you are not the 
least bit curious, yourself."

	It was his turn to be a little embarrassed this time.  "Well," he 
hedged, "maybe a little."

	"Ah-hah!" Ryoko cried triumphantly, "I thought so."

	Dropping back against Tenchi, Ryoko snuggled into her love 
and closed her eyes.  Listening, she heard Tenchi breathing quietly, 
and she waited with a barely contained grin for Tenchi's curiosity to 
overcome him.  Finally, he spoke.

	"So, uh... what are they, um, doing?" he asked hesitantly.

	"I thought you weren't really interested," commented Ryoko.

	"I don't want to invade on their privacy, Ryoko-san," Tenchi 
replied, "but... Ayeka's been so unhappy, especially after Startica."

	Ryoko smiled.  "Don't worry, my noble prince," she said, 
"they are just keeping each other company.  I think Shoji is very good 
for the princess right now.  They don't seem to have any romantic 
notions between them, but Ayeka really needs the kind of royal-type 
attention that a guardian is trained to give, I think."

	"Grandfather seems to like him," said Tenchi thoughtfully.

	"He is not without his good traits," agreed Ryoko, scratching 
the side of her cheek absently, "and he seems to be the right 
temperament for Ayeka as a companion.  Pliant, but not afraid to 
speak his mind to the princess... or maybe not wise enough to stay 
quiet!"

	Ryoko chuckled at her little tease of Shoji.  Tenchi smiled as 
well, drawing Ryoko in with his arms once again.  A second long and 
comfortable silence passed between the pair as the evening progressed.  
Tenchi found himself, under the influence of Ryoko's warm body, 
starting to grow fairly sleepy, but the hardness of the rock they were on 
was preventing him from ever getting fully comfortable.

	"Stop squirming, Tenchi," Ryoko complained quietly.

	"Sorry," he apologized quietly, "it's just that this rock is 
starting to get really uncomfortable, but I don't really want... uh-that 
is..."

	"Don't really want what, Tenchi?"

	Tenchi gulped, still a little nervous about expressing himself.

	"Uh, don't really want to get up from here..." he replied, 
dribbling off into an embarrassed silence.

	Ryoko raised her head up and snaked a hand around Tenchi's 
neck.  Drawing his head in close, Ryoko locked her lips onto Tenchi 
and delivered a long and fairly impassioned kiss.  As Tenchi's initial 
shock wore off, and he started to kiss back, it was Ryoko who quickly 
found herself becoming breathless.  Pushing Tenchi away very gently, 
she looked up into his eyes and caught her breath.

	"Tenchi," she whispered, "tell me that you love me."

	"I love you, Ryoko-san," he whispered back, placing his 
forehead against hers.

	"Tell me you... you trust me."

	"As I love you, Ryoko-san, so do I trust you."

	Ryoko's heart soured so high, she felt it would burst from her 
heaving chest.  At the same time, she felt a giddy sensation of vertigo, 
like the world was falling away from underneath her.  Was this the 
way love would always be like, she wondered in excitement.  Ryoko 
certainly hoped so.  She moved forward and kissed Tenchi again, quickly 
this time.

	"I love you, Tenchi," she grinned impishly, "and I can solve 
your little problem.  Just be sure not to let go, my prince!"

	Tenchi blinked.  "Let go?" he asked in confusion, "Why 
would I need to not let... wait a minute... Ryoko, you're not going to- 
waaauugh!"

	There was a buzzing noise as the pair shimmered and 
disappeared from the rock they were sitting on.  Tenchi's last cry of 
amazement echoed across the lake surface a few times before drifting 
off into silence.  

	Ever so slowly, the crickets and frogs returned to their 
chattering.

			*	*	*		


	It was in a sheltered section of the valley below the Masaki 
residence that was home to Yosho's space tree, Funaho.  Transplanted 
there centuries earlier in a spectacular crash, the great tree was the 
last remnant of a sleek battleship that had once cruised around the 
planet of Jurai.  Forever bound to the Earth, the tree now stood with 
its massive branches and limbs arcing upwards, always reaching for the 
stars it would never again sail among.

	Under its protective canopy, watching the still reflection of 
the night sky in the placid waters of the tiny pond that surrounded the 
space tree, princess Ayeka stood straight and poised.  Considering the 
waters before her, the princess tried to be like the pond inside 
herself... still and reflective.  It was a quiet moment, but that was 
rapidly becoming the norm for the princess, especially since the events 
that had drawn Startica to a close.

	The cool air of the autumn evening gently brushed Ayeka's 
face, but only seemed to further comfort the princess.  Raising her 
arms from her sides, she let them slip out of the protective folds of her 
robe and come to a rest outstretched from her body, palms downward.  
Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the attributes of the pond.

	Still.

	Calm.

	And fluid.

	Ayeka rolled her head slightly to one side and opened her 
eyes, focusing on the stars she could see through the mighty branches 
of Funaho.  Reaching down and finding that stillness in herself, she 
was able to look at the events in her life with control and a certain 
objectiveness.

	It had not been a good summer for the princess.  At the start 
of the hot months in Japan, she could almost sense him slipping away.  
There was no reason to believe this, no evidence to suggest it, but 
Ayeka could...

	'I could feel it,' she admitted silently, `I could see that his 
affection for me would never blossom into love.  I knew it all along.'

	Turning her palms to the sky, the princess lifted her arms a 
little more, bowing them slightly at the elbows.  To her only observer, 
it looked as if she were the Roman god Atlas, but instead of the Earth, 
she was trying to hold the entire galaxy in her hands.

	`Where is my pride?' she asked of herself for the millionth 
time, `Where is my indignant anger towards that woman?'

	It was a puzzle that Ayeka simple could not find the answer 
to.  That her greatest rival would have won a prize she so desperately 
sought for so long, and she could not find the depth of emotion to be, 
at the very least, somewhat put out by it?

	"Why can I only be contented when I see them together, 
sharing moments I so wanted for myself?" she asked aloud this time.

	Ayeka's sole observer raised his head from where he had been 
sitting quietly and very still.  Dressed in comfortable Earth style 
clothing, his eyes flashed brightly before he spoke.

	"How long will you torture yourself, your highness," the man 
queried, "how long will you berate yourself before you accept the 
graciousness and depth of maturity you have so elegantly risen to?"

	Ayeka quirked an eyebrow at her guardian's remarks.  The 
young man, as far as the princess was concerned, could be very 
aggravating at times.  Never in her life had she met someone like 
Shoji, someone who was able to point out her shallowness without 
actually insulting her royal pride.

	`Where *is* my royal pride?' she wondered, `Why do I even 
tolerate *his* behavior?'

	"And is there some attraction I am unaware of," continued 
Shoji, "something that purifies the soul, perhaps, by standing in the 
cold with your arms outstretched?"

	Ayeka's eyebrow twitched again.

	"I was just trying to decided," Ayeka replied primly, "why it 
is I tolerate your unsolicited and impudent comments sometimes."

	Shoji stopped to scratch his chin thoughtfully.  

	"I have oft times wondered that myself, your highness," he 
responded, "In truth, I have devoted great expanses of time to that 
question, but a logical answer has never arisen that would explain your 
gracious leniency."

	Ayeka sighed silently.  The man was simply impossible at 
times.  Yet, for whatever reason, the princess valued his quirky 
companionship as a guarded commodity.

	"Why must you follow me around so?" she asked in a feigned 
weariness, "My previous two guardians never tagged along with me so 
closely."

	In the dark Shoji nodded his head.  "Your previous two 
guardians had a distinct advantage," he admitted, "of being able to 
materialize near you whenever you were in need of protection.  I am, 
alas, without the command of such an ability as of this time.  Hence, I 
have to be near you when you venture out from the house."

	Ayeka slowly dropped her arms.  "Then it is the greatest 
tragedy," she replied with a small smile and a hopeless voice, "that the 
princess Ayeka, fresh as an morning flower, is in possession of a 
guardian of such limited talents."

	Ayeka's guardian could only nod in agreement.  "Surely," he 
said lightly, "it would be wise of you to dismiss me in a prompt 
fashion.  A clumsy, occasionally irreverent, and often times nosy 
member of the royal guard can be of little use to your highness's 
morning freshness."

	Ayeka finally had to laugh.  It was a little pearl of a laugh 
that danced across the waters of the pond.  Giving up entirely at her 
calm and still pretensions, the princess turned and faced where Shoji 
was sitting on the bank.

	"You are a clown, Shoji," she accused good-naturedly, "my 
guardian, yes... but still a clown."

	Her guardian adopted a philosophical look and scrunched his 
eyebrows.

	"It has always been the role of the clown to lighten his 
master's mood," considered Shoji.

	"As has it been the role of the master to lighten the clown's 
burden of his head, should he displease her," finished the princess.

	"In all honesty, your highness," replied Shoji, "that aspect of 
a clown's life had not occurred to me."

	Ayeka smiled again.  "Believe me, clown," she said, adopting 
a royal look, "I keep that *firmly* in mind every time I consider you.  
And how many times have I asked you to stop calling me `your 
highness'?  I prefer that you refer to me as Ayeka, or even mistress, 
while we are on Earth.  Yet, you constantly refuse to do so.  Why?"

	"If I say I'm being a clown, will your highness seek to 
unburden me of my head?" Shoji asked innocently, "I *have* grown 
rather attached to it."

	Ayeka waved her hands in defeat.  There was no reasoning 
with the man, and the princess had been trying for several months.
Still and yet, Shoji did not get on Ayeka's nerves nearly as much as 
she protested.  Quite the opposite, though Ayeka might not be ready to 
admit this to herself, she had come to depend on her clown's 
presence in no small part since the summer's events had turned sour 
for her.

	"I am aware, as always," Shoji began, breaking Ayeka's train 
of thought for a moment, "that being here can not be easy for you.  I 
also can not pretend to understand how you feel about the situation 
here and on Jurai, but if I may be so forward as to suggest-"

	"You usually are," Ayeka interrupted wryly.

	"-I believe you are too hard on yourself," he continued, 
"your bearing and manner these past few months, given everything 
around you that has been swirling so rapidly, has only distinguished 
your finest qualities.  And not just as a princess of Jurai, but as a 
person.  It is easy to see why everyone here values your friendship and 
company."

	Ayeka dropped her hands in front of her and clasped them 
softly together.  Absorbing Shoji's words, she found herself wondering 
again what it was about her guardian that could humble and elevate 
her spirits so much at the same time.  It was a mystery to her... and a 
comfort.

	"You may keep your head for another day," she could only 
respond.

	"Thank you ever so much, o generous and benevolent 
mistress!" he replied gallantly.

	"Clown."

			*	*	*


	Earth.

	A beautiful planet, the captain of the emperor's battleship 
observed in a moments idle.  He could not fathom what such a 
relatively massive fleet of Jurai ships was doing hovering threateningly 
over such an inoffensive world, but he was afraid it would come to no 
good.  If the boy down there was even a fraction as powerful as the 
rumors suggested, who knew what kind of rash decision the emperor 
might make?  And what would the captain do if the most terrible of 
orders, to obliterate some wide section of the Earth, were given?

	The captain decided a retirement from the emperor's detail 
might be in order, if only he could get through the next few hours 
unscathed.

	He then felt a presence to the left hand side of him.  Tearing 
his eyes away from the planet, the captain looked up from his chair to 
where one of his bridge crew was standing at attention.  It was a fairly 
new recruit to the detail, one of the brightest officers to come out of 
the academy in recent memory.  She looked as young as the captain felt 
old.

	"Report," was all he said.

	"Captain," she acknowledged quietly, "we've entered an orbit 
around the Earth.  At present, all ships are more than shielded against 
the inhabitants' detection devices.  This ship and four other vessels are 
fully prepared to cross the planet's terminator and descend to the given 
coordinates... And..."

	The captain raised an eyebrow.  Looking up at the new 
officer's face, he could read the uneasiness in her features.  So, the 
captain concluded, he was not the only one nervous about what was 
about to take place.

	"And?" the captain echoed.

	Bending down even further, the new officer leaned close to 
the captain's ear.

	"Sir, long range scanners have detected a sizable force of 
vessels rounding the far side of the fifth planet of this system," she 
reported in a whisper.

	The captain raised his eyebrows.  Now that was interesting.  
As far as he knew, the could be only one group capable of mustering a 
`sizable force' in this zone.

	"The Galaxy Police," nodded the captain.

	The woman was taken by surprise.  "S-sir, aye sir," she 
stammered, "but how-"

	"Never mind," he said, waving a hand a tad, "send a private 
message to the other fleet captains.  Tell them they are to make no 
threatening moves towards the Galaxy Police.  Have them answer all 
standard Galaxy Police protocols and maintain a neutral position in 
orbit."

	"Sir?"

	"Until our emperor's events are resolved on the surface," the 
captain said, eyes narrowing, "we can not allow the Galaxy Police to 
interrupt him.  His actions are already unpredictable as it stands.  And 
we might just need the GP when this is all over."

	Understanding flashed in the young woman's eyes.  She had 
heard the rumors and seen the emperor's behavior, too.

	"Aye, sir," she replied, resuming her post and carrying out 
the fleet captain's orders.

	The captain sighed and took off his cap, rubbing the top of his 
head where it was starting to bald.  It was looking like retirement was 
a better and better option.

	"Navigator," he called out, "take us in across the terminator 
to the designated coordinates."

	"Aye, sir" the man called back.

	Grinding his teeth, he hoped the local military forces would 
by some luck not pick up on the ships' entry, but it was hard to make 
five fireballs across the evening sky and be subtle about it.  The 
captain did not want to have to watch any Earthlings get themselves 
killed uselessly trying to defend their planet against the Jurai 
battleships.

	"We're going to light up the damn sky on this planet like a 
Startica tree," he muttered darkly to himself.

			*	*	*


	From an observation deck, Emperor Azusa watched intently 
as the Earth grew large in its view.  As the ships crossed over into 
night high above the planet, the emperor felt a familiar agitation start 
in the pit of his stomach.  Growling loudly, the man forced his 
apprehensions down and buried them deeply.

	`This is your last night in this existence, Tenchi Masaki,' 
Azusa swore vehemently to himself, `You will not have my empire.'

	The five ships continued their descent into the night.

			*	*	*


	Tenchi's room was bathed in darkness, save the light from 
one paper lamp that glowed softly in the corner.  Giving off a dim but 
warm light, it somehow made the room seem larger and more inviting.  
In a corner of the room, next to a large circular window, Tenchi's bed 
sat with two large lumps on it.  The lumps were covered entirely by a 
very thick comforter.  Suddenly, the comforter rustled as someone 
underneath it moved.  In the dimness, Ryoko's head popped out.

	The pirate lifted herself up onto an elbow and looked down at 
the other figure on the bed beside her.  Draping her other arm across 
his chest, Ryoko smiled mischievously.

	"See?" she asked brightly, "I told you I could solve your 
problem.  Isn't this much better than a rock?"

	Tenchi also popped his head up from underneath the 
comforter and looked around a little wild eyed.

	"I, uh, that is... uh," he stammered, "we're, uh, in my b-bed."

	"Yes, Tenchi," answer Ryoko evenly, "I was aware of that 
when I decided to bring us here."

	Tenchi blinked.  "Oh," he said lamely, "it's just, you know, I, 
uh, think that -"

	"Tenchi."

	"Uh, yes, Ryoko-san?"

	Ryoko leaned down and kissed Tenchi softly on the lips.  
Pulling back from his face, she tucked herself warmly up beside him 
and got comfortable.

	"Tenchi," she repeated, "just go to sleep... and trust me, 
okay?  I won't let anything harm you."

	There was a brief silence as Tenchi muddled over what to do.  
Finally he opted for an appropriate response.

	"Oh," he said, trying to relax.

	"That's better, my prince," Ryoko responded with 
satisfaction, feeling Tenchi's muscles start to smooth out.

	It did not take much longer for Ryoko to fall asleep.  Despite 
reassuring her love that she would watch over him, in truth Ryoko 
really desired the exact opposite.  After so many centuries of nights 
being alone and isolated from the world, the one thing she had wished 
for had finally come true.

	Tenchi was there to watch over her dreams.

			*	*	*


	Little Mayuka was not quite a year old, but already life was 
pretty interesting, as far as she was concerned.  Still a little ways 
from talking and walking, Tenchi's daughter was nonetheless quite able to 
scoot around on her hands and knees.  As such, there were times when 
this made her quite difficult to locate and even harder to keep a hold 
of.  Already sprouting a head of hair a color everyone in the Masaki 
residence recognized, the infant was not a fussy baby, but she was 
expressive.

	At that particular moment, little Mayuka was wholly 
engrossed by a series of flashing lights and beeping noises that 
continually appeared in front of her.  Dazzled by the spectacle she was 
witnessing, the infant girl reached up from the lap she was sitting in 
and batted at a lock of red hair that dangled by her head.

	"Ah-wa-ga... ha!" she called out loudly.

	Washu, the galaxy's greatest scientific mind, looked down 
with an amused grin on her face.  Drawing her hair out of the baby 
girl's reach, the scientist nodded.

	"That's right, Mayuka," Washu said, "it's a computer... can 
you say computer?"

	Little Mayuka went silent and crossed her eyes in a comical 
concentration.

	"Ah-fwa!" she blurted out.

	Quirking her face, Washu shook her head.  "No, not quite," 
she replied, "but it's not bad.  Perhaps we should try something else. 
How `bout `inter-dimensional gyroscopic'?"

	Mayuka grew incredibly hesitant for a moment before sitting 
back in Washu's lap in confusion.  Forgetting the scientist, the infant 
went back to watching Washu's virtual console flash away.

	"I dunno, Washu," a sleepy looking ten year-old Sasami 
replied, hanging over the couch that the red head and infant were 
sitting on, "little Mayuka's just a baby!  She can't say words like 
that!"

	"Hmm," Washu nodded, "perhaps you're right, Sasami.  It 
would appear her synaptic connections required for advanced 
communication have yet to develop.  But, I'm sure she'll come 
around!  Babies always do!"

	Sasami slid over the back of the couch slowly, finally landing 
in a heap beside Washu.  Looking upside down at Mayuka and the 
scientist, the princess wrinkled her nose and pinched her eyes.  The 
freckles on her cheeks danced.

	"Um, Washu..." she began.

	"Mmm-hmm?"

	"Um, will Mayuka look like Mayuka when she grows up?" 
the princess asked.

	Washu stopped typing and leaned back into the sofa.  Softly 
picking the toddler up, Washu turned Mayuka around until she was 
facing Sasami.  The princess rolled over and looked at the pair in 
curiosity.

	"Well?" demanded Sasami, "Will she?"

	"Mostly," replied Washu, "little Mayuka here has the exact 
same DNA she had when she first showed up.  However, there might be a 
few little differences here and there as she grows up.  Even clones 
don't look *exactly* the same when they are made, ya know."

	"Oooh," nodded Sasami wide-eyed, "But, but Washu..."

	"Yeees?"

	"Um, will little Mayuka be able to remember..." Sasami tried 
to ask, "... you know, remember before?"

	Washu shook her head.  "Negative, Sasami," she answered, 
"our little girl here will be starting over fresh from scratch."

	Sasami looked very relieved.  "That's good," she said, "I 
wouldn't want her to remember that."

	Washu could only nod in agreement.  Sighing and making 
herself comfortable, the scientist leaned back in the plush sofa and 
relaxed, her work momentarily forgotten.  Suddenly, a series of lights 
and noises went off on her virtual console.  Very bright and obnoxious, 
Mayuka was instantly dazzled and began to cry out happily.  Washu, 
on the other hand, sat up very straight and quickly passed the toddler 
off to Sasami.

	"W-what is it, Washu?" Sasami demanded.

	Washu bit her lip and started typing rapidly.  "Proximity 
alert!" she said quickly, "Looks like we've got company again."

	"Has father sent another ship?" Sasami asked with a frown, 
rocking an active Mayuka, "Tenchi's beat the past four suitors for 
Ayeka.  Why won't he just stop?"

	"Who knows!  Only, it's not just *a* ship," Washu corrected, 
"but about twenty-five or so, including... including Azusa's 
battleship!"

	Sasami gathered Mayuka into her arms and suddenly looked 
very small.

	"Washu," she said in a tiny voice, "what would my father 
need so many ships for?"

	But Washu was already typing furiously into her console, 
momentarily ignoring the princess.  Sasami watched her fingers fly 
across the virtual computer keyboard, growing more worried by the 
second.

	Little Mayuka happily reached up and patted the princess on 
the chin.

			*	*	*


	Prince Yosho, one time heir to the throne of Jurai, sat in his 
shrine very still.  His hand in midair, it was poised directly over a 
pristine white sheet of paper.  In his hand, there was a fine brush 
designed for intricate calligraphy work.  A drop of black ink gathered 
on the very tip of the brush, finally breaking free and falling.  There 
was a soft splash against the paper.  

	Yosho never noticed.

	Something was... wrong.

	A series of loud beeps whirled in front of the aging prince as 
a virtual screen popped into existence.  Yosho did not even react as 
Washu's distressed face came into view.

	"Lord Katsuhito!" the scientist exclaimed, "There are exactly 
twenty-seven Jurai battle cruisers in orbit over us, right now!"

	Yosho felt his uneasiness grow.  What were so many Jurai 
ships doing here, he wondered.  Certainly, another challenger for 
Tenchi would not require... so many.

	`Father.' thought the prince, `you wouldn't go *this* far.'

	Washu continued on, "And one of them is Azusa's flagship!"

	The scientist then only heard a scuffling as Yosho leapt from 
his sitting position.  There was a slapping noise as the door to the 
shrine was slung open and footsteps rapidly disappeared into the night.

	"Lord Katsuhito?" called Washu urgently, "Lord Katsuhito!"

	But there was only the paper, a brush, and a small vial of ink 
left where the prince had been sitting.  In his haste, Yosho had 
knocked over the vial without ever looking back.  The black ink slowly 
spilled out and began to stain the highly polished wood floor of the 
shrine.

			*	*	*


	Walking back to the Masaki residence from the space tree, 
princess Ayeka suddenly stopped up short on the path she was using.  
Almost tripping over his own feet, her guardian, Shoji, had to 
maneuver swiftly to keep from running into her, so unexpected was 
Ayeka's halt.  Shoji's planned comment of surprise was quickly 
forgotten as he saw the princess's puzzled face peering up into the 
night sky.

	"Shoji," Ayeka asked with a frown, "what are those things in 
the sky?"

	Following the direction of the princess's gaze, Shoji had no 
problem instantly picking out what Ayeka was staring at.  Above 
them, high on the horizon, five blazing lights were cutting across the 
stars.  Waiting a few moments, Shoji realized they were getting 
larger... and nearer.  His eyes went wide in recognition.

	"Are they shooting stars?" asked Ayeka curiously.

	Shoji instantly grabbed the princess by her arm and started 
pulling her quickly down the path.  Ignoring her yelp of surprise, the 
guardian pulled out his energy weapon and held it at the ready, 
moving rapidly in the darkness.

	"No, Ayeka," he said calmly as they ran, "they're spaceships, 
and I have no idea whose they are."

	The princess was too breathless to notice her guardian had 
finally called her by her real name.

			*	*	*


	And light up the night sky, they did.  Burning through the 
atmosphere, astonished humans from Hawaii to Japan looked up in 
amazement as the five objects drove parallel to each other across the 
stars.  Glowing incandescently, the war ships also displayed their full 
array of running lights from bow to stern.

	Emperor Azusa was damned if he was going to sneak onto a 
mere colonized planet in his *own* domain.

			*	*	*


	"APPEAR BEFORE ME, BOY!" Azusa, emperor of Jurai, 
thundered across the front yard of the Masaki residence.

	Hovering overhead, five battleships hung suspended in the 
night sky.  Their running lights brazenly cutting through the darkness, 
the ships illuminated the whole valley and the entire region for miles 
around.

	Azusa stood with a sword of Jurai energy extended from his 
left hand, his features contorted and stressed.  His other hand was a 
clenched fist, and he shook it at the house.

	"I WILL NOT BE MADE WAIT BY A MERE EARHLING!" he yelled once 
again, motioning to many of his numerous guards on the ground.

	Storming into the front of the house, the Juraian guards 
quickly returned, pulling out several members of the Masaki 
household.  Carried out kicking and screaming by two soldiers, 
princess Sasami was deposited unceremoniously on the grass and 
instantly surrounded by several royal guards.  The princess looked up 
in unhappy confusion, tears running down her face, not understanding 
why royal guards were doing this to her.  The royal guards, whatever 
they were thinking, however, were trained to follow only the 
emperor's commands... and without question, regardless of what they 
might be.

	Washu was the next to exit the front of the house, albeit under 
her own power.  Walking quietly and slowly with Mayuka cradled in 
her arms, the scientist made no effort to resist the guards, but did 
shoot many of them looks that could have frozen suns.  Stepping out 
into the yard, Washu's attention was brought up sharply by the 
electrified sounds of several energy swords springing into life on the 
second floor of the house.  There were a number of shouts and crashes 
as the sounds of a violent fight ensued.  Suddenly, the shouting stopped 
without warning.  A few moments later, a royal guard came running 
outside and made a beeline for the emperor.

	"Your imperial majesty," he began bowing one knee.

	Azusa's right eye twitched just slightly as he observed his 
respectful guard.

	"Where is he?" the emperor asked in a deadly whisper.

	"Forgive me, your imperial majesty," the guard apologized, 
"but the pirate, Ryoko, managed to transport the boy from the room 
before we coul-"

	The guard was never able to finish his sentence.  With a 
sweeping arc, Azusa brought his clenched fist down and drove it into 
the guard's exposed jaw.  Knocking the man to the ground, senseless, 
everyone in the courtyard heard a sickening crunch as the guard's jaw 
exploded into several pieces.  Sasami shoved her hands over her ears 
and began to cry, her eyes tightly shut.  Washu watched impassively, 
comforting a strangely calm infant Mayuka.

	"Where *is* he?!" the incensed emperor demanded, "Bring 
him before me now!"

	A large number of the guards dashed in and around the 
surrounding woods, stumbling in the deep shadows thrown by the 
lights of the hovering battleships in their haste to comply.

			*	*	*


	Ayeka felt herself being yanked back most rudely.  Grabbed 
from behind by her guardian, Shoji hooked his hand into part of 
Ayeka's kimono and hauled her into one of the darkest shadows close 
to the edge of the woods.  Wrapping his hand around her mouth 
firmly, but gently, Shoji drew the princess behind a large tree and held 
her until she stopped squirming.  When she was still again, he 
removed his hand from her mouth.

	"A thousand apologies, mistress," he whispered evenly, "but 
your clown can't allow you to go down there."

	Ayeka stared furiously at Shoji and then down through the 
trees along the mountainside to the Masaki residence.  Observing her 
*father* and so many royal guards around, she turned back to Shoji 
accusingly.

	"Why *won't* you let me go down to my father?" she 
demanded in a fierce whisper.

	"Look closely, Ayeka," he said, nodding towards the 
assembled people milling about around the front of the house.

	Ayeka turned with a silent huff and looked back at the house.  
Tenchi's father, Nobuyuki, was being roughly escorted out of the front 
of the residence and shoved beside Washu, who was holding Mayuka.  
Sasami was still sitting on the grass nearby, crying.  Ayeka gasped as 
the body language of the guards became clear.

	"Indeed, mistress," Shoji said in a quiet voice, "I refuse to 
give the emperor yet another hostage."

			*	*	*


	Emperor Azusa was getting incredibly impatient, and it was 
starting to take its toll.  The stress of ruling an empire compounded by 
his relentless fears had left him edgy and irrational.  Now, on Earth, 
he fidgeted his hands while slowly pacing back and forth across the 
front lawn of the Masaki residence.

	Washu eyed the emperor warily, like a wounded animal 
whose actions were wholly unpredictable.  Outwardly composed, the 
short scientist inwardly feared what Azusa's action might lead to in 
the state he presented.  How much would it take to push the man until 
he did something not only irrational, but deadly?  

	Resting comfortably in Washu's arms, little Mayuka chose 
that moment to gurgle and sigh sleepily.  In the chilling silence that 
dominated the yard, Azusa heard the infant's vocalizations and 
immediately fixed his attention on the little girl.  Ceasing his pacing, 
the emperor strode up to Washu arrogantly.

	"Is this his daughter?" he asked harshly, "Is this the offspring 
of that cowardly boy?"

	Washu raised her eyes upwards, craning her neck slightly to 
meet the tall man's gaze.  With a neutral face, she read Azusa's 
features and, sensing the danger and unsteadiness in his bloodshot 
eyes, decided to do as little to provoke him as possible.

	"This is Tenchi's daughter," the red head answered calmly, 
"her name is Mayuka."

	Azusa's eyes narrowed.  "Who is her mother?" the emperor 
demanded, "Who gave birth to this brat?"

	"My, my, Azusa," Washu replied, her own eyes narrowing, 
"don't tell me there are things about us that you don't find in your 
little reports."

	Azusa leaned forward, his blade still activated in his hand, 
and put his face very near Washu's.

	"Do not mock me, scientist," he whispered menacingly, "your 
life hangs on my whim, as does that of the infant you hold."

	Washu, though not frightened, reflexively made her hold on 
Mayuka more protective.

	Azusa smiled grimly.  "I see you understand me," he nodded, 
"I would lose no sleep knowing the woman who holds technology 
equal to our great trees no longer exists.  You would do well to 
remember that, *scientist*."

	Without another word, the emperor turned and resumed his 
pacing.  All about him and the detained members of the Masaki 
residence, numerous guards not involved in searching the woods stood 
at heightened attention.  They expected anything and everything that 
could take place to do so at any time.  Nearby, Nobuyuki stood quietly, 
rubbing his head where he had been shoved by a guard.  The princess 
Sasami also sat on the ground quietly, her initial bout of tears having 
stopped and left wide tracks down her round and freckled cheeks.

	Washu tried to bite her tongue, but it was no use.

	"And you would do well," she called out, "to remember that 
Tenchi is infinitely stronger than you, Azusa."

	Azusa froze, his robes rustling softly as he stopped with his 
back to the woman.  Washu continued, tempting fate and the 
emperor's potentially wild anger.  

	"The fact that Tenchi could care less about your throne and 
your empire aside, Azusa," she said, "how can you hope to defeat him 
when he controls the Light Hawk Wings now with total ease?  Have 
those ridiculous challengers he sent back to Jurai told you *nothing* 
of his ability?"

	Azusa spun and snarled at Washu.  "His ability means 
*nothing*!" he hissed, "He is a *weakling*, and there are things he 
does not have the metal inside him to do or endure what it requires to 
be the ruler of an empire!"

	The emperor motioned to two of his guards.  Coming up 
behind Washu, they grabbed the woman and held her tightly.  Azusa 
stepped towards the red head and raised his Jurai blade very near 
Washu and Mayuka.  Mayuka began to squirm in fear of the heat 
coming from the blade.

	"Let's call this an experiment, shall we, scientist?" smiled 
Azusa, sweat pouring down his face into his beard, "to prove to you 
that boy is not as powerful as you profess."

	Going limp in the guards' grip, Washu peered up past the 
blade with apprehension.  

	"What's on your mind?" she asked.

	"A true ruler of an empire must learn to be very strong early 
on," he said, barely above a whisper, "it is not easy holding most of a 
galaxy under control for centuries upon centuries.  To survive, you 
must be willing to sacrifice everything you hold dear, if doing so 
means keeping the throne."

	Washu blinked, doing her best to pacify Mayuka, who still 
looked at the emperor and his blade unhappily.

	Azusa's smile became grotesque.  "Even if, shall we say, 
someone was to hold your family at sword point... a real man of power 
would be able to watch his family die before he gave up his empire.  
I'm willing to wager that Tenchi has no such strength... that he'd 
rather give up... than to see you or his dear daughter dead."

	Azusa raised his blade closer to Washu's chin.

	"What do you think, scientist, about my little theory?" he 
sneered, "I believe Tenchi will surrender before I kill you and 
Mayuka."

	"I think your theory is scientifically infantile," retorted 
Washu, "and I also think you're a raving lunatic."

	Azusa's right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.

	"Let's find out," he snarled.

	"I will not permit you, father," a voice called out from the 
edge of the woods.

	Azusa swung his head up in surprise and consternation.

			*	*	*


	"Granddad!" exclaimed Tenchi, halfway rising up from 
where he was concealed in a thicker part of the woods.

	Tenchi suddenly found himself snagged and dragged to the 
ground.  Wrestled down quietly by Ryoko, Tenchi found himself quite 
powerless under the pirate's great strength.

	"Are you *nuts*, Tenchi?" demanded Ryoko in a sharply 
hushed voice.

	Tenchi squirmed ineffectively.  "Dammit, Ryoko!" he said, 
struggling, "I have to do something!"

	Ryoko suddenly threw her entire weight on her love, pinning 
him solidly in the brush.  Tenchi strained a moment longer and then 
gave up trying to overpower her.

	"Just listen to me, Tenchi!" Ryoko whispered urgently, "You 
*can't* just run in there!  If you do, Azusa will kill you!  You can see 
it in his face!"

	"B-but, Mayuka..." Tenchi blurted, starting to go short of 
breath, "father and Washu!  We've got-"

	"Hush, Tenchi!" ordered the pirate, "You've got to calm 
down!  We'll do something, okay, but you've got to trust Yosho, okay?  
He wouldn't be down there if he didn't have something planned!"

	Tenchi became very quiet and still.

	"Granddad," was all he said.

	Ryoko rose up off of Tenchi in the darkness and pulled him 
up to his knees.  Turning him back towards the house, the pair peered 
through the stands of trees at the scene erupting below.  Blazing 
brighter than the light from the ships overhead, Yosho was being 
attacked by royal guards too numerous to count

	To the amazement of both Tenchi and Ryoko, however, the 
shimmering shields that flowed around Yosho deflected all the attacks 
that were aimed at him.  Royal guards were thrown backwards from 
Yosho's energy as the aging prince simply continued to walk towards 
the emperor very slowly.

	Tenchi whirled on Ryoko abruptly with a sudden idea.

	"Ryoko-san!" he whispered, grabbing her hand, "Washu and 
Mayuka - if granddad distracts Azusa long enough, can you-"

	Ryoko gave Tenchi a rapid nod, her mane of hair bouncing in 
the dim light that made its way that far back into the forest.  She took 
a hold of the young prince's hand and squeezed it tightly.

	"You bet, my Tenchi!" the pirate affirmed vehemently, 
catching on instantly to Tenchi's idea, "No one threatens *my* family 
and gets away with it!"

			*	*	*


	Prince Yosho now stood, for the moment at least, alone in the 
center of the yard in front of the Masaki residence.  Squinting slightly 
from the massive flood lights that shone down from overhead, he 
waited with a patient look on his face, his features dispassionate 
despite the current situation.  The royal guards, having seen enough of 
their comrades tossed aside with little effort on Yosho's part, had 
warily given the prince a suitable distance, forming a loose ring 
around him and the emperor.  They knew when an opponent was out of their 
reach.

	Azusa, for his part, stood just to the side of Washu with his 
blade of Jurai energy still hovering menacingly over the scientist and 
Tenchi's daughter.  There were several little shakes running through 
the man's arms and hands now and again that he seemed unable to 
control.  As a result, his weapon trembled noticeably.

	"Interesting," the emperor finally said, his breath quick, "I 
would have expected that *boy* to show himself before my cowardly 
excuse for a son!"

	Yosho made no movement or sound, but he continued to level 
a piercing gaze at his father.  Seeming ridiculously tiny next to the 
towering emperor, Washu swallowed slowly and tried to silently 
soothe Mayuka.  The last thing the situation needed was a crying baby.

	"I'm surprised you didn't run away again when you saw my 
ships approaching," Yosho's father spat.

	"Once upon a time," Yosho replied in his deep and aged 
voice, "I might have been touched by your jibes, father, but that young 
prince who fled your court seven hundred years ago no longer exists."

	"Do you *think* I care, Yosho?" asked Azusa with anger, 
"When you ran away from court, how do you think that made my 
position with the noble houses, having my heir a weakling?  Then, 
having both my *daughters* fleeing after you!  I was a *joke* to 
them!"

	Yosho remained impassive.  "Do you think I care, father?" he 
replied. 

	The emperor's features tightened.

	"I left Jurai forever to get away from that court you take such 
meaning in life from dominating," said Yosho, "I wanted then, as 
now, nothing to do with it *or* your plans for me.  Retain whatever 
defamatory memories of me as pleases you, father, but don't make the 
mistake of thinking I am the same man you once called your son."

	Azusa barked a nasty laugh.

	"I make no mistakes," he retorted, "The emperor of Jurai can 
not *make* mistakes!"

	"You have already made your last, as far as I am concerned," 
the aging prince relied slowly, "the moment you endangered my house 
guest and my great-granddaughter."

	"So," the emperor drawled out with a short laugh at the end, 
"my cowardly son thinks to challenge me?  I find your attempt at 
humor pathetic."

	Yosho's shields shimmered with his small movements as he 
brought his blade of Jurai energy up in front of him.  Shaking his head 
slowly, he focused his attention completely.

	"It is not humor, father," he replied, "especially when you 
have known since I was a young man that my powers exceed yours."

	"Lies!" yelled Azusa, the muscles in his neck tensing.

	"Are they?" replied his son coolly, "How relieved were you, 
father, when I left Jurai all those years ago?  I am sure you must have 
seen me then as you see Tenchi now.  It is unfortunate that your 
judgment in both cases could be so impaired."

	"How dare you!" snarled Azusa, "I am the emperor of Jurai, 
and no one speaks to me in such a manner and lives!"

	Yosho would not be moved.

	"Then come, father," the prince offered, "come and take my 
life, if you can.  I am challenging you directly, father, in front of 
your royal guard."

	Azusa's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

	"Of course," Yosho continued, "you can decline my challenge 
and depart this planet peacefully with your reign intact-"

	"Never!" shouted the emperor.

	"-either way," he finished, "holding a woman and a baby at 
sword's end to protect his throne is hardly the image of a powerful 
emperor, father.  Indeed, you look like a coward to me."

	The emperor growled in anger, his breath smoking in the 
night's cooling air.

	"You mock me for the last time!" Azusa snapped, stepping 
away from Washu and Mayuka with his blade drawn.

	Washu allowed herself a momentary sigh of relief, but found 
herself still firmly held by the two royal guards who had nabbed her 
earlier.  Azusa strode away from them in long steps, his blade raised 
and his face on fire.

	"I will show you, Yosho," he snarled, "why I am *meant* to 
be ruler of this galaxy forever!"

	Yosho only waited patiently as his father advanced, closing 
the distance rapidly.

			*	*	*


	Hiding in the thick woods, the space pirate Ryoko saw her 
chance.

	"Now Tenchi!" she whispered.

	Tenchi almost jumped, so startled was he by Ryoko's sudden 
comment after watching the tense drama below.  He felt a peculiar 
sensation at the base of his neck as Ryoko shimmered and phased out 
of site.  Not waiting to see the result of Ryoko's daring plan, he stood 
up in the darkness quickly...

	And he embraced the power of the Tree of Light.

			*	*	*


	There was a strange noise and a cry of surprise from behind 
Azusa that stopped him in his tacks.  

	Whirling around where he stood, the emperor turned back to 
where he had left Washu and Mayuka guarded.  Before his eyes, he 
watched Ryoko fade into existence between his two royal guards.  
With a swift motion, the pirate grabbed both guards by their long hair 
with either hand.  Pulling backwards with a wrenching force, the two 
men were forced to fall backwards, their spines unable to bend very far 
in that direction.

	Not stopping to pay them anymore attention, Ryoko then 
wrapped her arms around Washu and Mayuka.  Leveling the emperor 
a malevolent flash of her eyes, Ryoko began to phase herself and her 
two surprised passengers out of the yard.

	"I won't forget this, Azusa," she warned before disappearing 
with Washu and Mayuka.

	Azusa took a half step forward and roared in outrage, his 
anger contorting all his features and most of the muscles in his body.
Before he could even think to act, however, a blinding light from the 
edge of the woods caught his attention.  Spinning around on his heel 
again, the emperor of Jurai saw what he feared and loathed more than 
anything in the world.

	Tenchi Masaki, bathed in the Light Hawk Wings.

			*	*	*


	"Tenchi!" cried out princess Ayeka in another section of the 
mountainside forest.

	Trying to come up to her feet, she was stopped once again by 
her guardian.  Struggling in vain against his arms, which were locked 
around her waist like steel, she beat on his head ineffectually.

	"Let me go this instant!" she ordered, "I demand it!"

	Shoji shook his head in the darkness, struggling with the 
princess.

	"Forgive me, your highness," he said quickly, "but I will not 
permit you to walk into danger!"

	"You will not *permit* me?" asked Ayeka dangerously.

	Feeling an electricity in the air, Shoji looked up from where 
he was kneeling and widened his eyes in surprise.  His princess was 
coursing with Jurai energy.

	"Let... me... go... guardian," she ordered, her eyes incredibly 
dangerous.

	Pausing only slightly, Shoji bowed his head and shook it.

	"Forgive me, Ayeka, but I can not," he replied quickly, 
expecting to be knocked senseless, "Tenchi and Yosho are in a 
dangerous situation with your father, and your entering the battle like 
this will only add confusion that could give him an advantage!"

	Shoji waited for his demise, but after several seconds, he 
realized that it might not be his time to shuffle off this mortal coil.  
Looking up at his princess slowly, he saw her energy begin to dissipate 
slowly, but not completely.

	With a look that could sink a thousand Jurai vessels, Ayeka 
ordered without words that Shoji release her.  Letting go of the 
princess's waist with his arms, the guardian sank back on his legs in 
the soft earth of the forest, counting his lucky stars.

	The princess sniffed coldly and turned to watch events as they 
continued to transpire below.

			*	*	*


	"A trick!" cursed the emperor of Jurai in a shaking voice, 
"Cowards!  All of you are not fit to be in my presence!!"

	Melting away from his path, the royal guards of Jurai made 
way for Tenchi.  Embraced in a traditional Juraian uniform with the 
Light Hawk Wings dancing around his body, Tenchi carried also the 
Light Hawk Sword, held low and deceptively casual.  The royal guards 
were not stupid; they knew they had no hope of stopping a member of 
the royal family with as much power as Tenchi.  This was a purely 
royal affair now.

	"Pathetic Earthling!" spat Azusa at Tenchi, "Backwater 
barbarian!  I will destroy you!"

	"You will fail," replied Tenchi quietly, "You have violated 
my home, held my family hostage, and threatened their lives, all for 
the sake of a throne that I have no interest in."

	"Liar!" roared the emperor, his voice cracking, "You covet 
my empire!  All of you!!  You all want to see me overthrown!"

	Emperor Azusa was now shaking violently and stumbling 
around a little.

	"That is not true, father," replied Yosho calmly, "We want 
nothing even close to your empire.  Why can't you see that?"

	"Lies!" Azusa swore again.

	Tenchi looked up at the emperor and shook his head.  "It is 
the truth, Azusa," he said quietly, "we want nothing of your empire or 
your life.  You can still leave here right now, and no one will be hurt.  
Please don't force me to have to deal with you."

	Azusa began to laugh.  It was a raspy laugh that crackled 
with his breathing.  Spinning around wildly, he advanced on Nobuyuki 
and Sasami, who were still being held off to one side by a host of royal 
guards.  Reaching the pair, he grabbed a hold of Nobuyuki and 
forced him to the ground.  Sasami's tear-stained eyes went wide as 
saucers as her father raised his blade high in the air.

	"You?  Stop *me*?" the emperor chuckled hoarsely, "It is 
*you* who will submit to *my* will, boy!"

	Yosho and Tenchi both took a small step forward, but then 
halted the moment Azusa placed his blade near Nobuyuki's neck.  
Tenchi's father looked understandably uncomfortable.

	"You *will* bow before my authority, the both of you," 
snarled Azusa, "or this precious Earthling of yours will die!"

	"No, Azusa," an oddly strained voice to the side of the 
emperor said, "no one will die tonight."

			*	*	*


	From their vantage point a safe distance away, Ryoko and 
Washu watched with great astonishment as the princess Sasami got up 
to her feet and faced her father calmly.

	"Sasami!" cried out Ryoko, "What does she think she's 
doing?"

	Instantly, the pirate tensed, gathering up her power and will 
to phase into the front yard again and snatch the little princess.  She 
was stopped, however, by a firm hand on her wrist.

	"Wait, Ryoko!" Washu said softly, still holding a quiet 
Mayuka, "Look closely!"

	Ryoko threw her mother a confused looked and turned back to 
the yard.  Peering through the safety of the trees, the pirate focused 
for a moment.  Suddenly, she gasped.

	"Exactly!" nodded Washu tersely.

			*	*	*


	Azusa, the emperor of Jurai, released his hold on Nobuyuki 
and stumbled backwards.  Tripping over his own robes, the man 
stumbled over and landed roughly on the grass.  Looking up again, 
with his blade held out defensively, Azusa's face contorted in fear.

	"N-no!" he cried, "N-not you!"

	Before him, standing straight in her little ten year-old body, 
was none other than his own daughter, Sasami.  Only, it was not just 
Sasami that stood over the emperor.  There was someone else in 
Sasami's space at the same time, a figure everyone, not just the 
emperor, could see.  With long and flowing hair, and dressed in pearl 
white robes, the figure seemed to coexist with Sasami in some 
unexplainable way.  Sasami's eyes were dull and glazed over.

	"Tsunami!" exhaled Tenchi, his eyes widening in surprise.

	Azusa continued to crawl backwards on the lawn, his sword 
arm trembling violently.  His face streamed sweat, panic, and fear 
now, and his own royal guards subtly put distance between themselves 
and their emperor.  The figure of Sasami/Tsunami paused and 
considered the Azusa.

	"Get a-away from me, you apparition!" he screamed, "You 
are not my daughter!  You are a body thief!"

	"Emperor Azusa," Tsunami's strong and steady voice echoed 
across the lawn, "I have tried to communicate the folly of your fears, 
but you have not heeded my warnings.  You have now made the error 
of threatening my champions of Light and their family.  You would 
endanger the future of the Light for your petty hold on power?"

	Spittle ran down the side of Azusa's mouth, disappearing into 
his thick beard as he tried to talk.

	"I-it's mine!" he cried out, "I won't let them have my empire!  
I'll d-do whatever it takes to keep them from taking it from me!  It's 
all your fault, demon!  You're the one giving that wretched Earthling 
my throne!"

	Sasami/Tsunami sighed sadly.  "So be it, dear Azusa," she 
whispered, "I have tried to steer you from this course, but the time for 
that is past.  I will not allow you to harm my champions, now or 
ever."

	Closing her eyes, Sasami/Tsunami brought her hands 
together and began to whisper softly.  As she did, a powerful aura of 
white and blue light spread out from the spirit, causing all those 
around her, except the emperor, to back up several steps.  Suddenly, 
the spirit opened her eyes and made a sharp motion with her hand.  As 
quickly as it had come, the white and blue energy around her body was 
gone.

	"Behold," Sasami/Tsunami called out sternly, "Emperor 
Azusa's link with the power of Jurai has been cut off-"

	There was a sickening fizzle of energy as the blade Azusa 
wielded flickered in his hand and disappeared.

	"-forever."

	Bringing up his hand before his face, Azusa looked at his palm 
in horror.  Looking within himself, he desperately searched for the 
comforting feel of the Jurai power that he had known every day of his 
life before that moment.  Not finding any trace of the power, Azusa's 
eyes widened in horror.  Trembling violently, the man began to wretch, 
convulsing terribly on the ground.

	Everyone on the ground and in the ships above watched in 
dreadful fascination.

	"So shall be the fate of any who threaten the will of the Tree 
of Light," intoned Sasami/Tsunami quietly.

	Azusa threw back his head and shrieked.

			*	*	*


	An emperor of Jurai... now totally cut off from that power 
which gave him the authority and strength to rule an empire.

	The captain and crew of the emperor's battleship watched in 
frozen astonishment the events occurring below.  They, as all the Jurai 
vessels, were watching the emperor's mad behavior and breakdown on 
their view screens.  Waiting in a kind of shock, they saw the emperor 
try to strike down his own daughter Sasami.  Now, they watched as 
their emperor screamed and clawed in the dirt, wrapped up in a 
dehabilitating madness.

	Then, still trembling, Azusa seemed to make a motion at his 
wrist and say something before collapsing again.

	The communications officer went visibly pale as a message 
was flashed to him across his virtual screen.  Swinging around, he 
addressed the captain in a shocked voice.

	"Captain!" he quaked, "the emperor has ordered us to open 
fire on the t-targets below, including himself!"

	The captain stiffened.  "What the - belay that order, mister!!" 
he demanded.

	The fleet captain was damned, emperor or no emperor, if he 
was going to vaporize a significant portion of the royal family standing 
just a few hundred feet below.

			*	*	*


	The emperor of Jurai dropped the small communication 
device on his wrist weakly from his face, letting it hit the ground.  
Clawing his way unsteadily to his hands and knees, Azusa desperately 
fought the terrible loss of Jurai energy that echoed in every fiber of 
his being.

	"You... you think," he tried to say, his voice shaking, "you 
think you can just defeat me like that, Tsunami?  Eh?!"

	Sasami/Tsunami watched the emperor crawl around, her face 
stern, but with a hint of sadness for the man.  On either side of the 
spirit, Yosho and Tenchi cautiously approached Azusa.

	Azusa laughed maniacally.

	"I will wipe you all from the *face* of this disgusting world!" 
he swore.

			*	*	*


	"Cruisers Banta and Oratika energizing their forward 
weapons batteries!" the bridge lieutenant called out frantically.

	The fleet captain of the emperor's battleship swore and leaned 
forward in his command chair.

	"Get them to stand down, immediately!" he called out, "That 
is a direct order!"

	The young woman shook her head vigorously.  "It's no use, 
captain!" she yelled back, "They're determined to follow the emperor's 
last command!"

	"Computer!" the captain barked, raising up from his chair 
stiffly, but quickly, "energize main weapons battery and target the 
Banta and Oratika, now!"

	"Targeting," the ship's computer droned.

	"Communications!" continued the captain, "order the Nagani 
and Sutemikaze to open fire on those ships immediately!"

	"C-captain?" the communications officer balked.

	"DO IT!" snarled the captain, pulling out a side arm made of 
Jurai wood and pointing it at the man, "Or I'll end you where you 
stand!"

	"A-aye, sir!!" the officer cried frantically, sending the 
message.

	"Captain!" the female lieutenant yelled again, "we're not 
going to be fast enough!"

	"Damnation!" swore the captain, pounding his fist while 
watching the two ships on his view screen open their weapon bays.

			*	*	*


	With a deadly grace, the weapon bays on the battleships 
Banta and Oratika opened smoothly.  Their arrays charged and ready 
to fire, the two ships' captains took aim on all the people standing 
below, Earthlings *and* Juraians.

	"Tenchi!" snapped Yosho forcefully.

	Looking over at his grandfather, he saw Yosho gather Nobuyuki and 
the still dazed Sasami into his arms protectively while staring intently 
up at the two battleships.  A shield of energy then formed around 
the prince and his charges.

	Tenchi instantly understood.  Gathering the power of the Tree 
of Light around him again, he concentrated in his mind on focusing 
the power above him.  Then, Tenchi formed and released the Light Hawk 
Wings just above all the people around the entire Masaki residence.

	Shimmering in a brilliance more blazing than a sun, Tenchi's 
Light Hawk Wings never got the chance to deflect the two battleships' 
weapons.  Before the Banta and Oratika could fire, several sleek ships 
roared out from the night and across the valley.  With searing flashes, 
the four patrol craft opened fire.

			*	*	*


	"The Galaxy Police!" the lieutenant cried out in surprise, 
"And they're firing on the Banta and Oratika!"

	"Let them!" retorted the captain, "and follow their example!"

	"Aye, sir!" she replied.

	There were several deep shudders across the frame of the 
giant battleship as its weapons were fired on the Banta and Oratika.  
While the Galaxy Police's patrol craft had been unable to seriously 
damage the two Jurai battleships loyal to the emperor, they had 
disrupted them enough to give the other three Jurai ships time to make 
up for it.

	Slamming numerous weapons into the sides of the two ships, 
the other three Jurai vessels quickly incapacitated them, rendering 
them severely damaged and adrift.  The four patrol craft raced by all 
the ships, moving too fast to bank for a second pass.

	"Banta and Oratika seriously damaged!" reported the 
lieutenant, "Weapons systems off-line!  They are at minimum power 
and adrift sir!"

	"Excellent," replied the fleet captain, "What is the status of 
the rest of the fleet in orbit?"

	"Captain," the communications officer spoke up, "no other 
ships in the fleet have taken any offensive action.  They have been 
joined by the bulk of the Galaxy Police squadron and are transmitting 
standard protocols only!"

	"Excellent," repeated the captain, sinking back down into his 
chair, "Communications, send my appreciation to those four patrol 
craft."

	"Aye, sir!"

	The captain sighed and took off his cap, rubbing again at the 
bald patch on his head.  Squinting through suddenly weary eyes, he 
looked upon the screen and calmly observed the unthinkable occurring 
before his eyes.

	The boy, Tenchi, still extending the Light Hawk Wings.

	He was still for a few moments, sitting in his chair, watching 
Tenchi.  Finally, he took a deep breath and began issuing numerous 
commands.

	In the back of his mind, he wondered if he was looking upon 
Jurai's new emperor.

			*	*	*


	Releasing his hold on the Light Hawk Wings, Tenchi Masaki 
slowly lowered his arms and became aware of the scene around him.  

	Tenchi looked up and around and was astonished to see every 
last member of the royal guard on their knees with their heads bowed.  
He suddenly realized they were bowing at him.  Tenchi then swung his 
head slowly, making a visual check of everyone in his life he cared 
deeply about.  At the edge of the forest, he saw Ryoko and Washu
emerging quickly, with Ayeka and Shoji appearing from another
direction.  They were all present and safe.

	A strangled noise then caught Tenchi's attention.  Turning 
again, he looked across the yard.  Trembling and blubbering on the 
ground, Azusa, the emperor of Jurai, was suffering a serious 
breakdown of sanity.  Shrinking from the figure before him, Azusa did 
his best to cringe in the dirt from his own little daughter, Sasami.

	The princess stood very still, her ten year-old face oddly 
mature and saddened.  Tenchi watched Sasami... or was it Tsunami... 
whisper something inaudible to the emperor, from which Azusa began 
to tremble even harder.  Suddenly, the stoic features fell away from 
Sasami's face and the blue aura around her faded.  Standing with a 
shocked expression on her face, the little princess began to tremble 
violently.  Before anyone could even move, Sasami turned and 
stumbled across the yard and into the house, weeping hysterically.

	Tenchi could only watch in a detached amazement.

			*	*	*


	[Memo directed head of CIA, Langley, Virginia, two days
	 later.]

	Director:

	The final data in reference to the events of two nights ago
	over the western Pacific ocean has been analyzed.  The
	Agency has gathered that at approximately 7:25 PM JST, 
	five objects of unknown origin entered the Earth's
	atmosphere and crossed into Japan's air space.  At this 
	point, there is no official confirmation of what occurred
	next as there were no US satellites currently tasked in
	that orbit (per priority placed on their usage in the 
	India-Pakistan conflict).  Additionally, the Japanese Air
	Force, once alerted to the possible penetration of their
	air space, was unable to locate any trace of intruders or
	other objects that evening.  However, in a remote mountain
	region of Japan, numerous eye witnesses report several bright
	flashes and an incandescent light from far off in the distance.
	Eye witness reports have been unable, however, to pinpoint 
	an exact location for the source of these unexplained lights,
	and extensive aerial and satellite imagery has been
	unsuccessful in locating any evidence of a crash or impact in
	the surrounding countryside.

	At this time, unless more information becomes available, the 
	nature and identity of the objects that entered our 
	atmosphere will remain unknown.

	[End memo.]

			*	*	*


			     [Afterward]

	Two evenings later, a thoughtful and quiet Washu walked 
among the trees outside of the Masaki residence.  With Mayuka asleep 
in a small cloth seat on the scientist's back, Washu could walk with 
her hands free.  Feeling the cool air on her hands and face, the little 
woman walked along confidently in the darkness, enjoying the scents 
and sounds of the Fall.  Letting her thoughts drift away from scientific 
phenomenon and the like, Washu pondered the strange turn of events 
that had rocked her little community.

	The princesses Ayeka and Sasami had left with all the Jurai 
ships that very evening, taking their father with them.  Jurai tradition 
had strict edicts about who could rule the empire, and any member of 
the family, no matter how royal, could not do so if they could not wield 
even the most minimal power of Jurai.  There was a void now in the 
galaxy, and Nature abhorred a void.  As Yosho and Tenchi had no 
desire to involve themselves with affairs on Jurai, that left only one 
person in line for the big job of leading an empire.

	Washu sighed.  While she understood why Ayeka and Sasami 
had to leave, she nonetheless missed their presence.  Well... the 
presence of Sasami at any rate; while the little scientist did not 
dislike Ayeka, she did not exactly amuse herself by enduring her company 
either.  Washu thought idly about Ayeka's guardian, who had departed 
with the princess as well.

	Tenchi was recovering from the stress of the ordeal nicely.  
Taking it in something resembling stride, Washu was pleased to note in 
the back of her mind Tenchi's continuing evolution of maturity.  
Ryoko was taking matters a little less well, after having the emperor of 
Jurai attempt to kill several members of her family.  The pirate had 
spent most of the last forty-eight hours within site of Tenchi, and 
steadfastly refused to leave him alone when he left the house.  Washu 
was also pleased to note that Tenchi took Ryoko's overbearing 
attention with patience and a good deal of understanding.  The 
scientist allowed herself a brief smile; Ryoko would get over her ultra-
protective behavior sooner or later once the memory of the past days' 
events wore thin.

	Nobuyuki had fared pretty well from the stress of almost 
being killed as well.  However, Tenchi's father had sought therapy in 
his architecture work in town.  Washu also noted wryly that the man 
was also probably taking therapy from any of a number of attractive 
young women in his office as well.  Some things never changed.

	Without realizing it, Washu had wound up at her destination.  
Blinking in surprise, the woman chided herself for being so lost in 
thought that she had not noticed the entire trip.  Rising above her, 
surrounded by a small pond, was Funaho... Yosho's forever grounded 
space tree.

	`Yosho.' sighed Washu silently.

	Since the altercation with his father, Yosho had gone into his 
shrine and not emerged.  Skipping all meals and activities that he 
normally engaged in, the aging prince of Jurai even went so far as to 
miss his daily training routines, which stunned the remaining 
members of the Masaki residence.  Washu, in particular, was feeling 
the absence of Yosho; over the past year, she had become used to him 
regularly braving her laboratory to bring her lunch or dinner when she 
was too absorbed in her work to think about food.  The funny thing 
was, Washu had not realized how much she enjoyed Yosho's visits, 
especially his poetic nature or unexpected bouts of humor, until they 
had stopped two days ago.  That was curious, the red head considered.

	Washu contemplated the tree in front of her.  Pausing a 
moment, she listened to the sounds of the forest as well as Mayuka 
cooing softly in her sleep.  Scrunching her brow, Washu pursed her 
lips.

	"I know you're here," she said, finally.

	There was no reply except for cricket noises and frogs.

	"Naturally," she continued, "I wouldn't expect you to explain 
yourself.  You are entitled to your little secrets, just like the rest 
of us."

	There was no reply from anyone.  Washu quirked an eyebrow 
and decided to find a seat.  Sitting on the bank of the pond amidst the 
dry grasses and clover, the scientist got comfortable.  Taking off the 
kangaroo pouch on her back, Washu carefully brought the sleeping 
infant around and cradled her gently.  There was a glowing aura that 
then enveloped the space tree, illuminating the surface of the pond 
water.  Washu did not bother to look up.

	"This is the daughter of Tenchi and Yuzuha," came the voice 
of Tsunami across the night air, "is it not?"

	Washu raised her eyes and looked upon the spirit.  Tsunami 
stood on the surface of the water, her robes trailing across the 
shimmering ripples.  The spirit looked upon the infant with interest.

	"I had not been presented with the opportunity to meet the 
daughter... of Tenchi," Tsunami continued, "She appears to be a 
beautiful and healthy child."

	Washu continued to rock Mayuka in her arms, still looking at 
Tsunami, but not responding in any way.

	"She seems," the spirit mused, "to have none of the 
abilities she presented before."

	Washu smiled.  "That must be of great comfort to you," the 
scientist remarked knowingly, "another element you don't have to 
consider in your plans."

	Tsunami regarded Washu steadily.  "And just what are my 
plans... Washu?"

	Washu shrugged.  "Beats me," she said quietly, as not to 
disturb Mayuka, "but your intentions are clear.  Protect your pawns at 
any cost... push aside those who threaten your purpose."

	Tsunami remained passive, not reacting to Washu's mild 
accusation.

	"You do not approve of my actions with Azusa?" she asked in 
her ethereal voice.

	"He deserved what happened to him," replied Washu, "I can't 
say I wouldn't have found some way to get even with him myself had 
you not intervened.  Let's just say it's not Azusa I'm thinking about."

	"Tenchi then?" asked Tsunami.

	"Nooooo," answered the red head, "more like Sasami.  
Somehow, I gather that she was not at all happy with your little 
interruption in her autonomy the other night."

	"It was necessary," said Tsunami, "In time, when we become 
one, Sasami will understand-"

	"Ya know, Tsunami," Washu said, interrupting the spirit, 
"somehow that explanation just, I don't know... falls kind of flat.  
Looks to me that Sasami isn't terribly thrilled about your little plans 
of assimilation."

	"It is necessary," Tsunami repeated, "Our thoughts one day 
will come together and-"

	"And Sasami's will be pushed aside," finished Washu, archly, 
"I wonder, Tsunami, what will happen if Sasami decides she wants 
nothing to do with your thoughts... what will you do then?  Will you 
force yourself on her as you did upon Azusa when you tore the power 
from his being?"

	Tsunami remained silent, not answering Washu's question.  
Instead, the spirit simply began to fade into nothingness, the aura 
surrounding her and Funaho falling away.

	"Washu," the spirit said finally before vanishing, "why do 
you insist on refusing to remember your past?"

	And then she was gone.

	Washu blinked and clicked her tongue on the roof of her 
mouth.  That was certainly not the reply she was hoping for.  And 
what did Tsunami mean by that cryptic remark?  Certainly, Washu 
could not remember a thing that occurred a day over twenty thousand 
years ago, but...

	"Oh, well, little Mayuka," the woman said, tossing her red 
mane of hair a bit and standing up, "just another mystery to think 
about in my laboratory."

	Brushing a few fallen leaves off of her pants, the little 
scientist turned away from Funaho without a backwards glance and 
headed for home.  Waking up and looking over her shoulder, Mayuka 
turned towards the space tree and made a small-fisted wave at it.

	Funaho seemed to shudder slightly, it's limbs rustling, and 
give off a peculiar glow for a split-second before falling silent again 
like a normal tree.  Adopting a confused expression, the infant forgot 
about the tree and settled back down into Washu's arms.

	Neither the scientist nor Tsunami ever noticed Mayuka's 
wave or Funaho's reaction.

			*	*	*
Author's Note:
Well, this little side story has been on my mind since the end of
last summer.  As you probably know by now, my NNFS fiction is 
based off of "Ryoko's Love", in which Ayeka is the empress of Jurai.
I've been thinking some bit about what might have happened to Azusa
to make him no longer the ruler of the empire. I couldn't imagine
him just walking away without something serious happening.  Additionally,
as he made such a sinister statement at the end of OAV13 as his ship
pulled away from Earth, i couldn't imagine him ignoring Tenchi either.
So, i decided to send him down the path of a ruler haunted by
visions and dreams set off by his own insecurities.  More often than
not, that tends to make rulers go nuts!

At the same time, I did not want to just kill Azusa off, or have
Tenchi or Yosho simply defeat him in a duel.  Tsunmai and Sasami
continue to be the perfect enigmas, so who better than to deal with
the angry emperor?  Anyhow, I just wanted to get this out before
I started work on NNFS Cycle2, so people out there wouldn't be thinking,
gee, what happened to Azusa?  I also wanted to place a basis for 
Sasami's less than thrilled opinion of having her life overtaken by
Tsunami... And what was that whole thig between Funaho and baby Mayuka,
anyhow?  Find out in Cycle2!


Email Appreciated!

Michael McAvoy
mmcavoy@acm.vt.edu
www.acm.vt.edu/~mmcavoy
	
Listen to the mouse.
It titters at the sleek cat
When safe in its hole.

Last updated March 10, 1999.