This the epilogue for my story Do Not a Prison Make.  So read that one first 
if you want to understand what's going on.

Tenchi and crew belong to Pioneer LDC and AIC.  Minagi and everything 
relating to her belong to Viz Communications, Inc.  I only own this story 
and the extra characters I create to make it work.

<Thoughts>
'Mental Link'
"Spoken or Audible Sounds"


...Nor Bars a Cage  (Epilogue to Do Not a Prison Make)

	A lone figure wrapped in a long, black cloak entered the bar from the dusty 
street.  On his shoulder sat a black and white furred creature that 
resembled a cross between a cat and a rabbit.  They approached the counter 
and sat down on an empty stool.
	"What can I get you?" the bartender asked.
	"Juraian sake for me, and carrot juice for my friend here," Hakubi answered 
and pointed to his cabbit.  Rye-Ohki jumped off his shoulder to the bar and 
looked around.  The waiter nodded and left to get their drinks.
	'Is this the right place?' Rye-Ohki asked.
	'This is where we're supposed to meet our contact,' Hakubi answered.  'A 
guy named Yahichi.'  The bartender returned with their drinks and left after 
setting them down.  Rye-Ohki happily hopped to the bowl of carrot juice and 
lapped it up.
	Still uneasy with what had happened in the last few weeks, Hakubi decided 
that it would be good to get away for a while.  Tenchi suggested that he go 
out and meet one of their agents and to get his report.  The Juraian Empire 
had many agents roaming the outskirts of the galaxy, reporting on what they 
saw and evaluating whether they posed a threat to the Empire.  Hakubi agreed 
and headed out with Rye-Ohki.
	"Minagi!" a large man angrily shouted as he slammed the door open.  "I know 
you're in here!"  The man entered followed by several others.  Rye-Ohki 
shuffled around his bowl to see what was happening.  Hakubi ignored them.  
The gang walked to the back of the bar and stood in front of a table 
occupied by a single person shrouded in a cloak.
	"Because of you, my brother's on death row!" the man shouted and slammed 
his fist down on the table.
	"It's not my fault he killed that family and burned down the hospital," a 
very familiar voice replied.  Rye-Ohki perked up his ears to hear better.
	'That voice sounds so familiar,' Rye-Ohki commented.
	'We're not getting involved,' Hakubi ordered.
	"You're the one who brought him in, so I blame you!"  The man reached for 
his blaster but Minagi kicked the table over and jumped away before he could 
get a shot.  The rest of the gang also drew their blasters and began firing. 
  The other bar patrons ducked under the tables to avoid the fight.  Dodging 
the laser blasts, Minagi ran across the tabletops for the door, apologizing 
to the occupants as she went.  The man reached the exit first and blocked 
her path.  Without a second thought, Minagi leapt at him and knocked him 
down.  She flipped herself over him and out the door.  The man managed to 
grab her cloak and pulled it off as she went over him.
	'Ryoko?' Rye-Ohki asked, puzzled.
	"What?" Hakubi asked in surprise.
	'I thought that woman looked like Ryoko,' Rye-Ohki wondered.
	'I'm going to take a better look,' Hakubi thought to his cabbit and stood 
up.
	'We're getting involved?'
	'We are now!'
	The man also got up and ran out the door after her.  The rest of his gang 
began to follow, but Rye-Ohki jumped in front of them in his child form, not 
yet strong enough to manage his adult form after being reborn.  He held his 
copy of the Tenchi-ken in his small hands and ignited it.
	"Little boys shouldn't play with sharp toys," one of the gang members 
laughed.  "Why don't you give it to me before you cut yourself?"  Rye-Ohki 
shook his head and readied himself to attack.  The man raised his blaster 
and in a flash of blue light, Rye-Ohki cut it in half.  The man dropped his 
broken blasters in shock and backed away.
	"Why don't we let them work this out in private?" Hakubi asked the men, 
stepping between them and the door.  Another gang member raised his blaster 
and Hakubi cut it in half with his own energy sword and punched him in the 
stomach in one fluid movement.  The others froze, Hakubi had moved so fast 
that they only saw a blur.  The gang backed down and Hakubi made his way out 
the door.
	Outside, the fight was already over.  Minagi stood over the man with her 
energy sword at his throat.
	"You give up?" she asked.  The man let his head fall back to the ground and 
grunted.  In the distance, police sirens could be heard and they were 
getting closer.  Knowing when they had been beaten, the rest of the gang 
hurried out of the bar and fled.

	It wasn't long till the local police arrived and Hakubi stood in the 
shadows and watched as they took the man off of Minagi's hands.  After a few 
words, they shook hands and left.  When everyone was gone, Rye-Ohki walked 
up to Minagi in his child form and mewed a greeting.  Minagi spun around and 
looked at the little child.
	"Hey there little guy," Minagi answered and patted his head.  "Where's your 
other half?"  Rye-Ohki understood that she meant Hakubi and took her hand.  
He led her to Hakubi who stepped out of the shadows.  She looked him over 
and walked around him once.
	<She really does look just like Grandma!> Hakubi thought to himself.
	Minagi nodded a few times and stood in front of him with her hands at her 
hip.  "So Sasami's little baby boy is all grown up now!"  Hakubi almost fell 
over.
	"Um, excuse me, but who are you?" he asked.
	"What?  Your parents didn't tell you who you're supposed to meet?" Minagi 
asked in surprise.
	"They just said to meet someone named Yahichi."
	Minagi smiled at the mention of the name.  "Those jokers.  Yahichi was the 
name of the character I played when we went to Ryuten," she explained.  "I'm 
your grandma's half sister Minagi."
	"Grandma never mentioned she had a sister," Hakubi wondered.
	"It's a long story.  Let's get a cup of tea and I'll tell you about it," 
Minagi suggested as she wrapped her cloak around herself once again.

	"And the last time I saw you parents was when you were just a little baby," 
Minagi told Hakubi at a café across town.  "So what brings you all the way 
out here?  Tenchi told me you had something on your mind."
	"It's complicated," Hakubi sighed.  Rye-Ohki was sleeping on the chair next 
to him and he reached over and gently stroked him.
	"I've lived a very complicated life.  Why don't you tell me about it?"
	"It all started a month ago..." Hakubi began.

	"So what's the problem?  You stopped Tokimi, saved the universe, and 
everyone's still alive.  Why aren't you living happily ever after?" Minagi 
asked after hearing his story.
	"I did some terrible things under Tokimi.  I still have nightmares about 
it," Hakubi answered quietly.  "And now I'm supposed to act like nothing 
happened?  Innocent people died at my hand.  How can I lead anyone now?  How 
can I say what is right and what is wrong when I have done so much wrong in 
my own life?"
	"Those are some tough questions and I can't give you a simple answer," 
Minagi replied.  "But let's make one thing clear.  YOU did not do those 
things.  It was Tokimi.  Don't blame yourself for something that you had no 
control over.  No one has forgotten what you did, but they understand that 
you were not responsible.  They may act like nothing happened, but that's 
because they do not blame you."
	"I keep telling myself that, but it doesn't help."
	"Give it some time.  In the meantime, no one said you have to rule over 
anyone.  Tenchi's grandpa decided not to take the throne and you can do the 
same.  Heck, you can hang out here with me for a while."
	"I don't think Kiyone would like that," Hakubi mumbled.
	"Kiyone eh?" Minagi asked and looked at Hakubi slyly.  He blushed and 
Minagi laughed.  "So she's a woman after all!  Good for you, good for both 
of you!"  Hakubi blushed deeper as Minagi patted him on the back.


	Kiyone placed their last box down on her new desk.  She took a moment to 
look around her new, smaller office on planet Jurai before she opened the 
box and began to unpack.
	"You didn't have to do this," Kiyone said to Mihoshi who was unpacking 
another box.  "You didn't have to give up your position at Headquarters."
	"Don't be silly," Mihoshi replied cheerfully.  "I don't care about 
promotions or positions.  I just want to stay with you."
	Kiyone smiled at her long time partner.  Despite their rocky beginnings, 
she had grown fond of Mihoshi and although she wouldn't admit it, she would 
miss her if they were separated.  Kiyone turned back to her box and pulled 
out a photo frame.  Inside there was a picture of Hakubi with Rye-Ohki 
sitting cheerfully on top of his head.  She smiled again and placed the 
photo where she could see it.
	There was quite a ruckus when Kiyone had gotten back to Headquarters.  Her 
chief was furious that she had gone behind his back and tried everything to 
get her court marshaled for high treason.  Commander Karacus valiantly 
defended her throughout the whole ordeal, but Kiyone unexpectedly gave up 
her case.  The Galaxy Police was her life, and she felt that life end on the 
cold floor of Tokimi's prison.  She believed that she had been given a 
second chance and it completely changed her priorities.  No longer would her 
job dominate her life.  She decided that position was not worth losing 
Hakubi and told the judges that she would accept any punishment they 
decreed.  Fortunately, they ruled that Kiyone had acted appropriately 
considering the delicate situation, but agreed that she was no longer suited 
to be the ambassador to Jurai.  From a last minute suggestion from the 
Emperor of Jurai, she was demoted to liaison officer as punishment.
	"I think I'll like it here," Kiyone said to herself.
	"Now we can go see Tenchi and everyone everyday, right?" Mihoshi asked 
excitedly.
	"Yes we can.  It's part of our job description."  The cut in pay didn't 
bother Kiyone; they had, after all, worked three jobs at the same time to 
stay afloat on Earth.  A bonus perk was that she could continue her 
relationship with the Prince of Jurai and no one would care.  "I'll 
definitely like it here," she added quietly.


	"Feeling better?" Minagi asked Hakubi as they walked towards her ship.  
Rye-Ohki ran playfully ahead of them in his child form.
	"A little," Hakubi replied.  "It was good to talk to someone about it."
	"You should really talk to Ryoko," Minagi suggested.
	"Grandma?"
	"Yeah.  Kagato controlled her for many years and made her do some pretty 
nasty things.  You don't get the reputation of the most feared space pirate 
for being polite, ya'know.  If anyone knows what you're going through, it's 
your grandmother."
	"I never really thought about that," Hakubi replied thoughtfully.
	"It took her 700 years to find herself again after being freed from Kagato, 
and even then it was hard for her."
	"She's never told me about any of this."
	"She hasn't told anyone.  I pieced it all together from many years of being 
partially connected to her.  I'm sure Washu has all ready figured it out as 
well."  Hakubi continued to walk on silently so she continued.  "She may try 
to give off the impression that she's a tough-as-nails space pirate, but 
she's really quite sensitive.  What she'd done under Kagato's control tore 
her up inside and she probably would have killed herself to escape the 
memories."
	"What stopped her?" Hakubi asked curiously.
	"It was Tenchi and Sasami.  She felt drawn to Tenchi ever since the first 
time he visited her cave.  And when she was freed, being with him drove 
those unhappy times away and finally gave her peace."
	"What about my mother?"
	"Sasami was the first person to treat her as a normal person.  Even Tenchi 
was scared of her at first.  Sasami considered her a new sister and had 
complete trust in her.  Ryoko found another reason to live besides Tenchi.  
She appointed herself guardian over Sasami and would do anything to protect 
her.  You mother had also changed my life, and I know exactly how Ryoko 
feels.  The entire Juraian fleet couldn't control Ryoko, but if Sasami 
cried, she would move a planet to make her happy."
	Hakubi continued walking.  His problems paled in comparison with what his 
grandma had gone through.  Rye-Ohki turned back and ran up to Hakubi with 
his arms outstretched.  With a little hop, Rye-Ohki jumped into Hakubi's 
arms and hugged his neck.
	'Hey, by now Kiyone would've been reassigned to Jurai.  If we leave right 
away, we can make it back by the weekend,' Rye-Ohki thought happily to 
Hakubi.
	'Why are you always so happy?' Hakubi playfully asked back.
	'Cause I was created for the sole purpose of keeping you safe, and now that 
you're safe and sound, I'm happy!' Rye-Ohki thought back with a triumphant 
"Meow!"  Rye-Ohki's happiness was contagious and Hakubi began to smile.
	'It would be fun to take Kiyone out on the town this weekend,' Hakubi 
thought back.
	"You guys want a lift back to Jurai?  It's about time I dropped in on those 
jokers and paid them a visit," Minagi asked as they approached her ship.
	"Yeah, that would be great," Hakubi replied.
	<Things are starting to look up,> Hakubi thought to himself.  <If Kiyone 
and Rye-Ohki can forgive me after what I did to them, then maybe I can live 
"happily ever after," after all.>


The End.  (For good this time.)


Stone walls do not a prison make
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage.
	- Richard Lovelace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's it!  That's the end of the Hakubi series.  His number is retired, so 
to speak.  As always, please send all comments, good or bad, to 
tm_fan1023@hotmail.com.  I have more ideas for new fics, so keep and eye out 
for future works.