The disclaimer from the previous chapter applies to this one as well. Tenchi Muyo! -Odyssey- Chapter Thirty-two: A New Day Dawns by William Nichols "This ends now!" Aescheron howled as he unleashed his attack. Tenchi ducked Aescheron's crosscut on one knee and brought his lone blade back up. To everyone present what happened next seem to pass in slow motion. With Aescheron's blade arcing across the space above his head Tenchi thrust the Lighthawk sword upwards, catching Aescheron in the chest. Aescheron's jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock as Tenchi's blade pierced his ribcage, even with his cold, black heart. A collective gasp rose up from everyone present as the forward half-meter of the Lighthawk sword erupted through Aescheron's back. "How did you...how..."Aescheron gasped as he struggled for his last breaths. Tenchi's expression was chiseled in stone. Resolute. Unyielding. Yet it was without malice. His chocolate orbs were locked onto Aescheron's orbs of obsidian, showing no emotion whatsoever. True terror scribed itself into every line of Aescheron's face as he looked into the champions' eyes. "Oh my..." Aescheron muttered as he saw a glimmer in Tenchi's eyes. It was the same glimmer Ryoko had seen when he had awakened her. "You...are...the light..." he exhaled, his eyes rolling back and body going limp. *** After a moment of total silence Tenchi dissipated the Lighthawk sword. Aescheron's lifeless form fell unceremoniously forward into Tenchi's arms. Carefully Tenchi cradled his fallen foe to the ground and rested Aescheron's head on his knees. "May you find peace in the next life," Tenchi said quietly as he closed Aescheron's eyes with the edge of his palm. "Peace that eluded..." he choked out as a solitary tear slid down his cheek. Before long others joined it. A life is still a life, whether or not it was an evil one. "Tenchi?" Ryoko asked hesitantly as she stepped towards her love. No one else dared to speak. Even the Megami were touched by Tenchi's act of selfless kindness towards his once mortal enemy. "This is why he was chosen," Marnot said softly. Ayeka only nodded and gripped his arm tighter. Ryoko took a step back and shot a glance in her mother's direction. Washu nodded approvingly and motioned for Ryoko to go on to him. Building her courage, Ryoko finished her trek to Tenchi and kneeled next to him. A small smile lit his face when her hand found his. "It's over," she said barely above a breath. "You did it." "No," Tenchi said shaking his head. "It's not over." "How so?" Ryoko breathed. This didn't make sense to her. Of course it was over now. What's left to do? Aescheron's dead and he's saved us all. What is he talking about? "The champion speaks the truth," Baltus said finally leaving the slain Elder's side. "Aescheron is no more, but his machinations are still in motion." "Once again it pains me to agree with my old friend here," Marnot added disdainfully. He hated to give any ground to Baltus, but here the emissary was correct. "But your task has not ended yet." "I know," Tenchi said looking up into Ryoko's eyes. Those amber globes held the world to him, and right now confusion etched every part of them. "I know," his voice faltered, "I know what has to be done." "What?" Ryoko asked. "What are all of you talking about?" "The wave has to be stopped," Tenchi said finally rising from where he had been kneeling, bringing Ryoko up as well. "Marnot," he began as he turned to face the timeless guardian. Tenchi smiled. Ayeka was clinging to Marnot's arm. At least she has known happiness, he thought. "You told me it was up to me to figure out how to contain Aescheron's darkness." He sees, Marnot concluded inwardly. "Have you come to a conclusion?" Marnot inquired. He knew the answer, and it pained him. "Yes," Tenchi said. "I...I am the light." Marnot and Baltus nodded grimly. Ryoko's mind raced. What the hell does that mean? And why does everyone look like they just lost their best friend... Ryoko's eyes darted back towards her mother and her mother's sisters. Tsunami was in tears while Tokimi just shook her head. Washu expression was unreadable, a cross between disbelief and deep contemplation. Then it dawned on her like Mihoshi crashing Yukonojo into the lake. Oh gods no... "You don't mean?" she said covering her mouth with her hand. Tenchi nodded silently as the first tears streaked Ryoko's face. No! No! No! I refuse to believe it! "I'm sorry," he choked out. Dammit! Tenchi cursed inwardly, why do the gods insist that all I can do is harm her? Will my Ryoko ever know happiness? "No," Ryoko said trembling. "No...I won't allow it!" "Ryoko, please," Tenchi tried to plead as she wrapped her arms around him. "Understand," he begged, "I love you." "Then why?" she sobbed into his shoulder. Tenchi suppressed a small yelp as her fingernails dug through the cloth of his tunic and into his back. "If I don't," Tenchi said as he brought his arms up between hers and cupped her face with his hands, "all of you will be lost." Ryoko frantically looked around the shrine yard in hopes that someone would contradict Tenchi. The sullen looks from the assembled host only confirmed Tenchi's words. "Take me with you," she breathed. I will not let him leave me after he went through so much to get me back. Gods, please find a way! I can't lose him... "Ryoko," Tenchi began, but it was no use. Ryoko only increased the firmness of her hold around him. She was not going to let go of him. "She has a point," Baltus said approaching. "She will be of use." "Ryoko is not a pawn to be used!" Tenchi shouted, drawing Ryoko closer to him. She had suffered too much as it was in this gods-forsaken Odyssey, and Tenchi would be damned if he let her be used again. "That is not what I intoned," Baltus said in self-defense. Washu eyed him dangerously. For all Baltus knew he would wind up a water sprite or worse any second now. A shiver raced down his spine at the thought of Mihoshi tackling him again. "The Sacrifice still has a purpose in this Odyssey." In an instant Washu's demeanor changed from sullen to hellfire as Baltus' implication dawned on her. "Oh hell no!" Washu cursed as she stormed forward and grabbed Baltus by the front of his armor, lifting him a few centimeters off the ground. "Be calm wit- er, Lady Washu," Baltus pleaded in an attempt to save his hide. "The Elder have imparted their essence to the Champion already," he gasped as his armor rode up his neck to his jaw. "Why else do you think Aescheron could have felled this husk so easily," he finished motioning to where the slain Elder lay. "The Megami were allowed to reunite for a reason," he elaborated as Washu eased her death grip. "The Elder knew that it would take the combined power of the Elder, and the Megami to turn back Aescheron's machinations." "You mean," Tenchi said looking at his hands, half expecting to see lightning bolts fly from his fingertips. "Yes," Marnot said taking a knee before Tenchi. "You are the Elder." "That's what I sensed..." Washu said under her breathe as she sat the petrified Baltus down. I didn't want to believe it but it is true... "So Tenchi's the Elder!" Ryoko spat, fluttering her hands in front of her. "Big Deal. What does that have to with me other than that I'm not letting anything happen to him?!" "It is the combined power of the Megami and Elder," Marnot continued slowly pointing towards Tenchi and, then Ryoko, "that will turn back Aescheron's evil." Think child! I know you can see it! Finally Ryoko's eyes widened as she realized the broader context of Marnot's statement. "Now do you see," Tokimi said as she clasped her hands around Ryoko's. "The two of you together will be the light." "You mean..." Ryoko said trembling. Tokimi nodded in affirmation. She shot a glance over to Tenchi, who was just as thunderstruck. "Come sisters," Tokimi beckoned. Tsunami added her hands to Tokimi's around Ryoko's. "We are waiting," she said to Washu who was intently studying one particular flagstone in the shrine yard. She didn't like this, not one micron. "You know how it has to be," Tokimi pleaded. With a sigh Washu reluctantly joined the other goddesses and added her hands to the others coupling her daughters. "Ryoko," Tenchi started stepping forward, but Baltus' hand on his shoulder stopped him. Glancing back Tenchi saw Baltus shaking his head in warning. Sighing inwardly Tenchi watched as the Megami imparted their combined power to his love. A soft red glow began to form around their clasped hands and Ryoko's wrists. Soon it began to travel down the length of Ryoko's arms and up to her shoulders. Ryoko gasped slightly as the warm light washed over her, transforming her red and black battle togs into a new armor. The black cat suit remained, but the red sleeves and red splashes were replaced by red shoulder armor that extended down to her wrists in many plates. Red boots formed that reached up to her knees, adorned at the top with wide triangular flanges. A diamond shaped cutout in her body suit extended from her neck to down below her navel, exposing the inner curves of her breasts and the firm musculature of her belly. A red ribbed bodice materialized around her midsection to add support to the shoulder armor and help define the diamond cutout even further. Ryoko's three gems glowed with a new brighter light, before they too returned to their ruby shade. Tenchi watched intently as an inverted green triangle appeared on her forehead before a band of gold like the one he wore materialized. Once it had formed, the triangle emblazoned itself on the band. Her birthright would be seen as well. "Oh my," Ryoko said feeling a little lightheaded. The sensations from the new powers imparted to her were nearly overwhelming. As quickly as it came the momentary dizziness passed. "Steady there," Washu said as she placed her hands on her daughters new shoulder armor. My little Ryoko...she thought as she took full view of her daughters' true form. I am so proud of you... "Ryoko," Tenchi gasped as she turned to face him. The skintight nature of her body suit only accentuated her features even more than her old battle togs did. She just becomes more and more beautiful... "Not bad for a demon," Ayeka playfully chided Ryoko as she and Marnot approached Ryoko and Tenchi. Ryoko's only response was to give her old rival a fang filled grin. "Not a demon," Marnot correct, "but a goddess." "What now?" Tenchi asked as his hand found Ryoko's. Ayeka could not but help notice how the pair looked together: Tenchi in his blue and white armor; Ryoko in red and black. The scrolled golden headbands they wore rounded out the part. Elder and Megami. One in the same. "I think you know," Marnot said. Tenchi nodded. "Ryoko," he began as he turned to face his love, "I need you to open the gateway to Aescheron's realm." "Okay," Ryoko said, searching her mind for exactly how she was going to do that with her new powers. How do I open a gateway to another dimension? It's got to be crowded in with all that crazy stuff I felt a moment ago somewhere... ::Think teleportation,:: Washu whispered into her mind. Bingo! "Thanks mom," she said, as the knowledge was unlocked. "I need you to image the place in your mind," Ryoko said to Tenchi. "Then I can take us there." "Here goes," Tenchi said as he closed his eyes and reached out across the cosmos. Soon massed images of darkness and desolation bombarded his mental imaging. The cries of the untold numbers of lives lost to Aescheron roared in Tenchi's ears like a cacophony of angry bells, each pealing in a distinct, forlorn tone. "Tenchi!" Ryoko yelped as Tenchi grabbed his held and fell to his knees. "It's all right," he said as he fought back the horrors Aescheron has loosed upon the universe. Finally Tenchi punched through the dark barrier and into the still calm that lay beyond the edge of the universe. It was here that Aescheron had spent his twenty millennia in solitude and desolation. It was here that Aescheron brooded his hatred towards a universe he deemed corrupt and devoid of reason. And it was here; on a lonely little planetoid that he built his citadel. It's dark reaches painted the canvas of Tenchi's mind in all of its bleak brilliance. "I've got it," Tenchi said as he tried to calm his labored breathing. "I see Aescheron's realm." "Here goes," Ryoko said cautiously as she placed a hand on Tenchi's shoulder. Soon the images in his mind rushed into hers. "I've got it too," she said as the dark visage cascaded into her. "Ryoko," Washu began. Her daughter had changed so much. All the years with Kagato; the imprisonment in the cave; and finally rediscovering her true self in the past few years. Washu knew deep down that this was the real Ryoko. Her only pang of regret was this whole damnable situation they had been cast into. For so long she had wanted her daughter to be happy, and now that she had found that happiness, the chances were infinitesimal that they would come out of this alive. "Yes mom?" "When you arrive in Aescheron's realm," Washu continued, "fix that end of the gateway. That way you won't have to worry about opening a new portal. Things may get hairy there, and I want for the two of you to get out as quickly as possible." "Thank you, little Washu," Tenchi said. His hand had once again found Ryoko's and she returned his grip. "Let's go." "See ya'll soon!" Ryoko said with her usual fronted bravado. With everyone intently watching Ryoko closed her eyes and imaged what Tenchi had seen again. Come on...she thought as the first sparkles of light began to swirl around her and Tenchi's feet. Soon they were joined my more and more sparkles, each shining an iridescent blue. As the sparkles circled them streamers of translucent light followed their ascent. Then in a flash it was over. The circle of light washed over them both and they were gone. "Lord Tenchi, Ryoko..." Ayeka said mournfully. Deep down she prayed that this was not the last time she had seen her two closest friends... *** The gateway opened outside of Aescheron's citadel on that lonely little planetoid he had created for himself. "Oh my..." Tenchi said as he cleared his head from the sensations of instantaneous inter-dimensional travel. The dark mass of Aescheron's citadel loomed above them, occasionally lit by the flash of a purple arc of lightning as it danced across the clouds that formed a vortex above the imposing structure. "Nice..." Ryoko said sarcastically as she surveyed the extent of Aescheron's domain. The citadel was constructed of the blackest basalt, which had been polished to a gleaming luster. The high arched windows and sweeping flying buttresses glowed an eerie purple as they reflected the heavenly electrical discharges. A spire erupted from each corner of the citadel and extended into the vortex of clouds, obscuring their true height. For all intents and purposes they have originated in the heavens and extended to pin the citadel to this forsaken piece of rock. The citadel was topped with several onion domes, each inlaid in spirals of purple and gold. Atop each of the five domes was a spire, on which countless skulls had been impaled. A large portico adorned the front of the structure, held up by twisted golden columns. The massive oaken doors that lay behind the portico bore a darkened Lighthawk tri- foil. "I guess this is the welcome mat," Ryoko joked as they ascended the shallow stairs to the landing. "Here goes," Tenchi said as he laid his hand on the black tri-foil, not knowing what would happen. "It's normal," he said to a slightly shocked Ryoko as the emblem began to glow. Recognized, the doors opened for them. Inside they found a foyer, floored in a purple and white marble harlequin pattern. Veins of gold twisted in the purple diamonds, whilst fingers of purple extended into the white stones. The inner walls of the citadel were the whitest alabaster, in stark contrast to the basalt of the exterior. Great black iron brazier's held caldrons of flame casting a harsh light onto the hall of the citadel. "Abandon all hope ye who enter here..." Ryoko said softly. "Huh?" Tenchi asked looking for the inscription she must have pulled the phrase from. "No silly," she laughed. "I read it in a book at your house one day while you were at school. I think it may have been one of your school books." "What was the story about?" Tenchi asked as their footfalls echoed in the foyer. "Some fella gettin' a guided tour of hell," Ryoko said searching her mind for the exact title. "I just thought that it seemed fitting for this place." "I always liked what that American scientist said when he saw the first atomic bomb explode," Tenchi said as he watched the flames of one of the many braziers lap at the air. "What was that?" Ryoko asked, not exactly sure what an atomic bomb was. Sounds primitive... "I have become death," Tenchi said as the first stained glass windows of the main hall came into view. They depicted Aescheron's first savage war against the Elder and Heaven. "The shatterer of worlds..." his voice trailed off as he saw an image of Aescheron doing that very act. "I hope you never know that feeling," Ryoko said with a slight tremble to her voice. Tenchi stopped in his tracks and cursed inwardly for dragging up such memories. "I've never known the Ryoko that could lay claim to that statement," he began as she turned to face him. Ryoko was about to contradict him, but Tenchi continued. "The only thing this Ryoko has shattered besides the occasional piece of furniture was the wall I built around my heart." "Hush," Ryoko playfully scolded, "or you'll make me blush." Tenchi smiled. He did love this woman, more than anything else in his life. "Hold up!" Tenchi called out to Ryoko who was a few steps ahead of him. "What now?" she asked as a warm yellow glow began to emanate from Tenchi's tunic and breastplate. "It's the medallion," Tenchi stated drawing the shimmering golden disk from his tunic. All five of the spirit stones were glowing in sync with one another. Tenchi flipped the disk over and once more a holographic message leapt from the totems surface. "The four spirits," Tenchi began to read as the fiery text danced about in front of him, "are bound by a fifth. As does a spirit bind that which can bring forth the light." "Have they all been this cryptic?" Ryoko asked, scratching the back of her head. It was a habit she had inadvertently picked up from Tenchi over the years, but it was one she could live with. "For the most part," Tenchi replied as the text shifted into a hazy overview of the citadel. The main hall seemed to be winged on both sides by a pair of ells. At the far end of the main hall stood an altar, behind which on an elevated platform sat a throne of ebony and gold. This is where Aescheron wiled away the past twenty millennia, brooding and planning his return. "This way," Tenchi said pointing towards the main hall. Ryoko smiled. Tenchi's more authoritative attitude settled well with her. Gone was the indecisiveness of his youth. Yes, she thought. I did watch Tenchi become a man over this Odyssey. Oh Tenchi...she sighed inwardly. I hope we make it through this my prince. No! she countermanded in her mind. Not my prince, Ryoko thought with a smile, but my Champion! Not a word was spoken as they traversed the length of the great hall. The vaulted ceiling extended too far the eye to discern its endpoint; its true height obscured in darkness. Along the walls the rows of stained glass windows continued. Each one bore a depiction of Aescheron's rise and fall. The ones nearest the alter were blank, obviously to be filed in as the deeds of Aescheron's rebirth transpired. Purple drapery canopied the elevated throne. A scepter with an inlaid ankh rested on the thrones scarlet cushion. A crown of thorns hung from the rolled armrest. On the other armrest was draped a cape of the finest violet silk. It was from here that Aescheron would his perfect universe. A universe populated by beings of his descent. A universe free from the feelings of love and compassion. A universe that still held the possibility of becoming reality. The very thought sent a chill down Tenchi's spine. "I don't guess he left instructions on how to stop his machinations?" Ryoko asked as she surveyed the alter. A chalice rested on the elevated surface, as did a flagon of wine and a scroll. Tenchi carefully picked the scroll up and popped the ancient wax seal. The dry parchment crackled as he unrolled it. The writing was archaic and faded but for some funny reason it seemed familiar. "Oh my God..." he muttered as he read the scroll. "What is it?" Ryoko asked as she took a peek at the scroll. To her surprise she too could decipher the ancient glyphs and runes. "Is this?" she gaped at the unfurled parchment. "The hand of the Elder," Tenchi answered as he read the glyphs. "Is it the key to Aescheron's destruction?" Ryoko asked as she too read along. "But why place it here? I mean why didn't Aescheron destroy it?" "He tried," Tenchi said, pointing out the singed edges of the scroll. "But it appears that he could not break the ward sealing the scroll." "Only the Elder," Ryoko surmised, " can open or destroy this page." "The four elements are bound by the fifth," Tenchi read aloud. "Earth to water; water to sky; sky to fire; and fire back to the earth. All are bound by the light. And the light shall overcome the darkness." Thus spoke the energies sealed in the gathered spirit stones began to be loosed. "Tenchi! The medallion!" Ryoko gasped as the pendant began to glow again. Tenchi furled the scroll and pulled the medallion from his tunic one final time. The five stones were glowing more intensely than ever before. "The four elements," Tenchi echoed as a beam of colored light erupted from each of the four elemental stones. "Are bound by the fifth." A column of white light burst from the light stone and pierced the shroud of darkness that palled at the ceiling of the great hall. In a blinding flash the darkness was swept away to reveal a fresco of cerulean and white. The lay of the universe was spread before them on that ceiling. But soon this was burned away as well by the shaft of light. With a mighty roar the roof of the citadel was punctured and ignited. The glowing embers were swept away by the vortex that was now forming above Tenchi and Ryoko. Tenchi began to tremble as the four shafts of colored light from each of the spirit stones radiated upwards towards the column generated by the light stone until they formed an obelisk of light, each iridescent side shimmering with color of its respective spirit stone: red, blue, green, and white. The light of the light stone rose up from the point of the obelisk, and began to turn back the darkness set into motion by Aescheron. "I can't hold it!" Tenchi exclaimed as the weight of the medallion increased a hundred fold. But that was the least of his worries. The vortex above them was beginning to collapse back into the darkness. His power was not enough o keep the reversal going. And if that happened Aescheron's machinations would win, and all would be lost. That was not an acceptable outcome to Tenchi; not after all they had been through together. This would not end like this. Tenchi grunted as he struggled to hold the medallion level. "As does a spirit bind that which can bring forth the light," Ryoko whispered to her self as she watched Tenchi struggle to hold the medallion. As does a spirit bind that which can bring forth the light...she thought as the hidden meaning became clear to her. "It is the combined power of the Megami and Elder," Ryoko remembered Marnot say to her and Tenchi, "that will turn back Aescheron's evil." "I love you," she whispered into Tenchi's ear from behind as she wrapped her hands around his. When she did so the power of the obelisk increased and its weight lessoned. It's working! "I see now," Tenchi said with a grin as all the cryptic clues and half- truths became clear to him. "I love you, my Ryoko," he said as pulse of light burst from the medallion and began to burn back the darkness. "I love you..." * * * "They have done it," Marnot muttered as the darkness began to recede and the bright star field of the Milky Way returned to the waning night sky above Okayama. "So it would seem," Katsuhito said, newly returned from the eternal realm. He had not spoken much since he surveyed the damage inflicted to his shrine from Tenchi and Aescheron's battle, but it was a small price to pay. "So it would seem..." "Come on," Washu encouraged. "Get out of there." Nothing else needed to be said. * * * "Milady!" Seira Takai called out from her terminal. Funaho raised her head from its resting place of her palms and to see what had excited the young officer. "The wave!" Seira said holding a shaky finger towards the stellar cartography projection. "Tsunami's grace..." Funaho whispered as she watched the line representing the wave recede. System after system emerged from the darkness. "We've got contact from each system!" the Minister of Intelligence exclaimed as messages began to flood in over the subspace communication array. "They seem to have emerged more or less intact!" he giddily said, surveying the content of the telexes. Thank you Tenchi...Funaho thought, wiping a tear from her eye. * * * "Just a little longer!" Tenchi yelled as the force of the medallion increased. We have to hold on...for everybody's sake! "It's working!" Ryoko exclaimed, noticing that nearly all of the darkness had been drawn into the vortex. With one final shriek the dark mass unleashed by Aescheron was drawn into the vortex. Gnarled fingers of other worldly energy grasped out from the vortex, desperately trying to claw it way free, but the power of the spirit stones was too great. The roar was deafening as the vortex collapsed into a point of light and was drawn into the medallion. The once brilliant gems of the spirit stones clouded and turned black, containing the evil that had been unleashed upon the universe. "It's over," Tenchi gasped, falling to his knees. "It's over..." The medallion clanged as it fell from his hands and gyroed to a stop. "Let's go home," Ryoko said as she slid her hands under Tenchi's arms and pulled him back to his feet. "That sounds good," Tenchi breathed as he twisted around in her arms so that he was facing her. "Let's...go..." he said barely above a breath, his mouth millimeters from hers. Ryoko leaned into the kiss just as a shattering sound reverberated through the citadel. "What now!" she fumed. Every time I get close to Tenchi something has to get in the way! Ryoko's mental tirade was cut short as a large crack jutted across the floor between her and Tenchi. "Uh-oh..." "Let's get out of here!" Tenchi exclaimed as he grabbed Ryoko by the wrist. She did not bother to disagree with him. Tenchi and Ryoko raced through the disintegrating great hall. Once Aescheron's evil had finally been contained the dark energies holding his citadel together for the past twenty millennia dispersed. That and the fact the roof was obliterated by the power Tenchi and Ryoko unleashed didn't help matters much either. "The medallion!" Tenchi gasped as he realized he had left it behind when they began their mad dash. "Forget about it!" screamed Ryoko as she formed her energy saber to slice a falling piece of wall. "What the-!" she huffed as the blade fizzled out. Tenchi only shook his head and redoubled his efforts to get back to the gateway. Dodging the piece of debris they made it to the foyer just as a section of floor collapsed behind them. "Look out!" Tenchi shouted as he pushed Ryoko away from a falling column. They both hit the ground hard as the mass of fluted marble jammed the other half of the vestibule. "What now?" Ryoko asked, helping Tenchi up. Tenchi frowned. The debris from the column completely blocked the landing leading to the still open doors. Freedom was so close and yet so far away. "Can you teleport us outside?" he asked. "I'll try," Ryoko said as her face scrunched in concentration. In a flash she and Tenchi were outside the rapidly collapsing citadel. "Come on," Tenchi said as he steadied his lightheaded love. "We've got to move it!" Ryoko nodded. Their feet carried them as fast as possible towards the fixed end of the gate. With a leap they made it into the dimensional gateway with no time to spare. Aescheron's planet died in a flash of light, before it collapsed back into itself forming a singularity bright enough to be seen across the galaxy. * * * Tenchi opened his eyes to find himself somewhere he did not expect to be. Instead of being back in Okayama where he hoped he would have been, he found himself in a completely dark room. A circle of light extending about a meter around him was the only illumination. "Masaki Tenchi," a voice said from the darkness. "Where am I?" Tenchi demanded. "Who are you?" "Mortals never change," the voice laughed. "All ways inquisitive. I am the voice of the Elder. And we have brought you and your sacrifice to our temple." Ryoko! raced through Tenchi's mind. "Where is she?" he asked somewhat frantically. "Fear not," the Elder insured, "she is fine. The two of you will be together soon enough." Tenchi sighed in relief, but his gut told him that the Elder was not finished with him just yet. "You have a decision to make," the voice calmly stated. "Such as?" Tenchi inquired. "You have completed your Odyssey and done deeds greater than any champion past or future will ever accomplish. But the choice is still yours: do you wish to return to this continuum or to the space before the Odyssey began?" "Before the Odyssey began?" Tenchi asked somewhat dumfounded. How can I go back to before? Aescheron will still be alive and we'll have to do this all over again! But, he pondered, I could confess my feelings to Ryoko sooner... "Your fears of Aescheron are misplaced," the Elder informed. "Time is a mortal convenience. Once a dimensional being has been destroyed he is destroyed across all frames of time and reality. Do you understand this?" "I believe so," Tenchi replied scratching the back of his head. "It would be as if the Odyssey never happened, right?" "And you will be the only one to remember any of these events. What is your choice?" the Elder asked. Then something dawned on Tenchi: Ayeka. "Tell me," Tenchi began, "what will become of Marnot?" "The Guardian," the Elder said slowly, with a hint of disdain in his voice, "will be dealt with. He defied our words and transgressed the sacred law." "So either choice I make he will be taken from Ayeka?" "That is correct." Tenchi bit his bottom lip. His happiness would be guaranteed with either choice. Choosing the past would give him the chance to tell Ryoko properly, and Ayeka would suffer the least. Staying in the present he would already have Ryoko, but Ayeka would suffer having Marnot taken from her. No Tenchi, decided. I will not cause any more suffering in my house. But how can I decide? Can I bear having to face Ayeka everyday while I'm happy and her chance for love has been taken from her? "What is your choice?" the Elder inquired. "Time is infinite here, but not in the physical world. Tarry not much longer." This is a long shot, Tenchi thought as a solution to his quandary dawned on him. "The power of the Elder was imparted to me, was it not?" Tenchi asked of the Elder. "That is correct." "Then I decree that Marnot will not be taken from Ayeka." Please work, he prayed. "So be it," the voice replied after a lengthy period of silence. "You and your sacrifice will be returned to the current frame of time and the Guardian shall be granted mortal form and mortality as his punishment." "Thank you," Tenchi said bowing slightly. His gamble had paid off, and Ayeka would have the chance for happiness that he enjoyed. "You have been a wise choice as champion. Your services are greatly appreciated and you shall live your lives in peace now. No longer shall such power be vested in you or your sacrifice, Masaki Tenchi. Live your lives in peace," the Elder spoke as the circle of light grew out from around Tenchi until it encompassed the entire room in a blinding flash. * * * Ignatius Baltus looked up to the heavens above the Masaki Shrine as a vortex of clouds began to swirl. "Can you feel it Raphael?" he asked of Marnot as the form of four cloaked beings descended from the vortex. "That I can," Marnot replied as the beings landed next to the slain husk of the Elder. "Friends of yours?" Ayeka asked. Marnot nodded. Ayeka's stomach was doing somersaults. She knew that Marnot had defied the Elder in saving her and expressing his feelings for her, and that he would have to face the consequences of that action. All she could do was pray for the best as Baltus strode over to the four acolytes. One of them handed Baltus a scroll before he returned to the slain Elder. A palanquin materialized next to them and they carefully place the body of the Elder onto its surface. The solemn processional then shouldered the palanquin and ascended back into the heavens from whence it came. Ayeka's grip on Marnot's arm tightened as Baltus methodically walked over to them and handed Marnot the scroll. "Take care, old friend," he said, offering Marnot a hand in friendship. "That I shall," the guardian replied, accepting his friend's hand. "I bid thee farewell," Baltus said warmly as he dissolved in a shimmer of light. Marnot gulped audibly as he cracked the waxen seal on the scroll and unfurled it. His eyes darted back and forth as he read his sentence. "What does it say?" Ayeka hesitantly asked. "Tell me something," Marnot began as Ayeka's eyes flashed with hope. "Do you like my current form?" Ayeka didn't have to think about that one long. The two meter tall guardian with his fair skin and dark hair was the picture of handsomeness in her mind. "Of course I do," she replied, blushing slightly. "That is a good thing," Marnot said as he rolled the scroll back together. "Because you're stuck with it." "You mean?" Ayeka asked, drawing a hand to her mouth. "I'm mortal and confined to this form," he answered, handing the scroll to Ayeka. The elated princes flung her arms around Marnot and cried tears of joy onto his shoulder. "But what of Tenchi?" she asked softly as Marnot stroked the back of her hair. "Yes," Katsuhito seconded, "do you know the whereabouts of my grandson?" "And my daughter?" Washu added. Marnot closed his eyes and reached out with his mind searching for the absent pair. "My powers are diminished," he said, eyes still closed. "Mayhap you can find them, Lady Washu." "My link with Ryoko!" Washu exclaimed, slamming her right fist into her left palm. "Let me see," she said. "It's fuzzy for some reason, but they're definitely here. I think they landed back in the house..." Washu's voice trailed off and her cheeks reddened as she got a brief moment of clarity across the link. "They're here alright," Washu panted as her blush deepened. "What's the matter Little Washu?" Kiyone asked as Washu held a hand to he mouth and began to bite on the sleeve of her tunic. "Oh my..." the goddess said breathily. "I think it would be wise if we took our time returning to the house," Katsuhito said, stoically as ever. Washu nodded. "My son!" Nobuyuki beamed, wishing he had more batteries for his camcorder. "Oh my dear wife in heaven!" he said pulling a well-worn handkerchief from his pocket to dry his eyes. "We may be grandparents after this night!" "I never knew Tenchi had it in him," Urd joked to Kiyone. "I'd say by the look on Washu's face," Kiyone began with a sly grin, "that it's not Tenchi who 'has it in him' so to speak." A hearty round of laughter rolled across the snow covered hills around the shrine. **** The first rays of morning light began to peek through the rolling country and bathed the Masaki home in it s warm light. As this new day dawned, it found a young man and his love asleep on the couch, in one another arms. Together they braved the deepest fears harbored in each other's soul, and became one another's champion. A new day has dawned for the both of them. A day that they have both dreamed of many times over. *** It is an undeniable fact that this universe will end one day. But perhaps, today is not that day. The Odyssey shall be concluded... Well folks, just one more chapter to wrap everything up. Thanks for following this little tale of mine, and I sincerely hope that it has been worth it. My heart felt gratitude goes out to each and every one of you. William Nichols 5/6/02