Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Nobuyuki, Yosho, Ryo-Ohki and all the other characters and settings from the Tenchi Muyo series are copyright of Pioneer/AIC INC. The lyrics to "Burning Rope" are written by Tony Banks, and copyright Genesis Ltd. as well as Gelring Ltd./Hit & Run Music, BMI. Disclaimer: The character "Kyo" is, in fact, NOT the Kyo from "King of Fighters"; he is an original character that I came up who HAPPENS to have the same name as that of the flagship character from said video game (copyright SNK, Ltd., and let it rest in peace.). Again, the Kyo in this fanfic is purely original, and owned by myself. This storyline and/or plot (everything except for the characters from the Tenchi Muyo series and the songs and lyrics) is copyright under Aaron Rutherford. You may contact Aaron at Archangel958@aol.com. This fanfic is purely fictional, and is an unofficial story of the Tenchi Muyo series. This story begins where the OAV left off... Tenchi: The Omnipresence (Part 1) Prologue Only silence is heard at the altar of Lady Tokimi. The surrounding trees and water adourning the place only emphasized it's tranquility. All was at peace... it least, that's what HE thought. The young man, kneeling at the altar, could most definately feel the ominous powers overflowing from everything in the room. "Your worries are useless, young one." Said a feminine voice, resounding and eminating quite possibly from the room itself. "Stand up, I have a task for you." He rose up from the floor, eyes widened, senses unnerved and heightened. "My Lady Tokimi," shouted the young man. "Why have you brought me to your holy place?" Materializing from out of nowhere, the goddess appeared to the young man. Her flowing robes, beaming eyes and elegant hair gave the man little relief. At least he KNEW who (or what) he was talking to. "You have not seen me before?" The young man answered in a fearful tone. "M-madam, no. To be honest, Lady Tokimi, the light of your entity has never touched my eye..." She replied with a warmth not seen by others in the outer spacial vicinity of the palace. "You are the second who has seen me. The first was Dr. Clay." "Ah, yes! I remember, now. Dr. Clay was sent..." "He failed." Said the goddess, interrupting with an ominous tone. "He failed the simplest task I've given him in all the years he worked for me." The young man's mind was clouded with confusion and fear. His eyes grew wide as he realized something. "Are you saying that... I..." "Yes. You shall take charge Dr. Clay's former mission. Do you object?" "N-no, Lady Tokimi! I've been waiting for a moment like this!" It was true. The young man, although experienced enough, was merely an apprentice, and was never given any missions. The passing years made him a bit restless, and needless to say, he was elated to recieve the project. "I gladly accept the mission! Please, tell me, what is it?" Lady Tokimi replyed, disregarding his sudden display of enthusiasm. "Kneel down once more, and I shall bestow upon you the plans." The young man did so. After a moment of passing time, he felt something unlock in his mind, as if he had just remembered to do an errand that he forgot about. This slowly grew to a feeling of obligation, then an order, and up to darker feelings. He absolutely lusted to get the job done. "You have been endowed with the knowledge of the mission. Everything you need, you will be enlightened with." The young man came back up; his marble-green eyes showed a glimmer of ambition. "I will serve you to the fullest extent, Lady Tokimi!" And with a flash of light, the young man's body became enveloped in giant blue crystal, placing him in a suspended animation. Lady Tokimi spoke her final words before disappearing into the stars. "Brave, young one, I am sorry for this. In light of Dr. Clay's failure, we must take extra precautions for this plan to take action." It was as if her words were being embedded into the young man's mind. "This is now a covert mission, and you must be kept in secret. Your landing site will be several miles away from your actual target, so they won't get suspicious." A long silence. "However, I give you permission to use any actions necessary, in order to make this a complete success. Go now, and God- speed." Her entity dissolved into the night, as the crystal shot out of the palace in a blue beam of light. Sasami thought it was a shooting star, as she peered into Washu's microscope. Track 1 (I would like to call chapters like this) It's safe to say that Tokyo is a very nervous city, what with it being nicknamed "The Matchstick City". They have been through a lot, if anyone thought about it. Giant, rubberized lizards, moths, magical girls, robots, and other supernatural entities infested the area many times before, and through it all, they managed to rebuild and get on with their lives. But the several occurences of otherworldly presences left them with a feeling of tension. So, if you are just HAPPENING to visit Tokyo on the 5th of May, at about 11:30, and you see all but an empty city, with a crater in the middle of an intersection, don't question anything. About 15 minutes earlier, that intersection was bustling with life, and people participating in their usual daily lives. That all came to a brief end as the crystal shot through the stratosphere and crashed pointe blank into the intersection. In a matter of minutes, the entire city was shut inside of their homes, ever fearing Tokyo's new danger. But why should they? The crystal was docile, there were no signs of life at all... YEAH RIGHT! After a while of sterile silence, the crystal melted (yes, it didn't crack, it MELTED) into a liquid substance of great value (at least to the Tokyo folk that sold it the next day). The only soul that did see anything was an adult cat, casually watching the humanoid body rising out of the liquid. It was the young man, freshly out of his arrested animation. He glanced around, only seeing an empty city, with the buildings towering over him, and the cicadas slowly singing their songs of mating calls. The cat jumped as the young man's motionless body started to walk along the street. Absorbing the surroundings, he scrutinized each and every building, seeing only slamming doors and eyes leering outside windows. It never occurred to him that he COULD be that frightening, and he smiled. That smile wiped off as a cold front brushed at the back of his neck. He darted around to see a figure entering a door to an unusually small building, and darkened footsteps on the ground. His fists started to shake with fear as he saw the footsteps... they started near him. He made his way to the door, using the path the footsteps made for him. Did he make those footsteps? What was that person? Why was there a cold front on a summer day like this? These questions and more he asked to himself as he looked up to the sunlight. It burns his eyes, as he has not seen the heavenly body for an unknown amount of time. The crystal has kept him in composure, and concealed him out of sunlight while the mission guidelines were kept inside of a repetition, in his brain. This repetition revealed something. "A spacial footprint." The young man thinks to himself. Lady Tokimi left him a small, mental footnote, stating that sometimes, when certain entities visit areas, they leave behind "footprints", recognizable only by those who have the talent to see them. "She must have given me that ability." He says to himself as he reaches the door of the small building. The building in question seemed a bit wierd to him. Small, and constructed differently from the others. He felt relieved to know that the time he spent in the crystal hadn't rattled his mind a bit. His ambition rose, as the young man concluded that he found the trail, and was on the way to the target. He knocked on the door three times, and a wooden slot on the door slid open, revealing to suspicious eyes, hazel in hue, but nonetheless malicious. "What's the password?" Said a voice behind the wooden door. The young man face-faults in confusion. Stuttering for what to say next, he blurts out "uh...dunno." The eyes in the door darted around. Then, the voice replied. "Uh... I'm not sure... try again." The young man felt even more confused, and stated "What's a PASSWORD?". It seemed to do the trick, as he could see that the eyes giving a look of angst and confusion. After a long pause, the voice (who the young man concluded that both the eyes and voice probably belongs to a guard.) said, "...password... accepted... I think." And the door opened. The young man stepped inside of a dimly lit bar, occupied by detestable vermin, none of them easy on his (or anyone's) eyes. The barflies looked at him with contempt. They didn't like outsiders, and seemed to hate him even more. "Pretty boy", "Queer", the concluded, as they went back to their destroyed dreams, drowned out by beer and liquor. Yes, he did stick out like a sore thumb, to THEM, at least. If anyone with half a heart were to see him, they would most definately see him as a beacon of light in this dismal place. His soft skin and clouded, green eyes shone a brightness not seen by the barflies for a while. Even more so, the skinheaddedness of the occupants in the bar were overshadowed by the young man's hair; his light-brown hair rose and parted down in the middle, drooping down over his eyes. It was so calm and relaxed-- the 70's hairstyle he had. What really stood out was his clothes, as you'd might expect. It was obvious that he was... outdated, let's say. He merely wore a one-piece robe for the entire body, with an almost Incan design sewed throughout the piece. He wore it like a monk, but being a might tall, the robe looked thin, yet flowing. It emphasized his emaciation; the young man was thin, tall, maybe even undernourished. The barflies started to consider how much of a pushover he would be. "Hey, queer!" Shouted a voice from behind the bar table. The young man glanced at him. "How old are ya?" The young man raised an eyebrow, a little confused by the question. "...You LOOK 17... ADULTS ONLY!" He just stood at the theshold of the door, silent. The bartender got angrier. "You got something to say? SAY IT!" The young man came down the stairs and made his way to the bar, sitting down on a stool. "Well?" The young man spoke up, "Have you seen a young girl, with hot-pink hair here, lately?" The bartender shoke his head, then spoke, "Naw, but I did see a few other girls come in here a while ago. They were pretty tall, and were bitchin' a lot; one of them had pretty long purple hair, while the other had spiky, light green hair. They both had some strange-lookin' kimonos on, but needless to say, they were HOT, and man, could they drink!" The young man gave a look of concern. "Hot? And you didn't offer them something cool to drink?" He said, not even knowing what the term "Hot" presently means when you talk about women. The bartender face faulted while the young man made his way out. While he walked towards the door, a barfly craving a fight pushed him in the back, making him fall. The other barflies laughed while the young man picked himself up. "Hey fag, what the hell are YOU doing, lookin' for some girls?" The young man turned half of his body to look at the barfly, who was extremely muscular, and it seemed that he was the obvious winner if they fought. "C'mon, fag, let's fight!" The young man gave a sneer, then continued walking to the door. "What's the matter? You afraid I might make you cry? C'mon, I'll give ya something to cry about!" And with that sentence, the barfly pushed the young man again. He darted around, facing the barfly, and his right hand shot out and made a clean grip on his thoat. The muscular barfly struggled to breathe as the young man lifted him off of the ground with ease. The other muscular barflies tried to confront him, but backed off as the young man jerked his head towards them, giving the most malicious scowl they've ever seen. "Please... let... me go..." The barfly could barely talk, constricted by his trachea collapsing, quivering from staring at the young man's malevolent eyes. The young man, freshly awakened from the crystal, did NOT appreciate the welcome he is currently recieving. "All I'm doing is looking for someone; why must you... interfere? Y-you really could have just stayed out of my way, but no, you didn't. And now, look what I'm doing to you. If it were up to me, I would make doubly sure another breeze of oxygen NEVER AGAIN ENTERS YOUR BODY!" He finished his point by throwing the barfly with inhuman strength at the bartender and exits the bar, leaving his mark. Outside, the young man rolls his neck around to stretch. All that time inside of the crystal, and the unexpected tussle with the man inside of the bar gave him a little crick in the neck. Looking to the left, he could see the specteral footprints from before. The urge to get the job done quickened his heart as he followed the footprints again, leading him out of Tokyo. Track 2 The footprints headed into the rural, mountainous area of Japan. The young man trekked across the region with unusually high spirits. The surroundings lifted the heavy baggage on his heart, and he felt a little happier. He was surprised at how beautiful Japan (or, according him, this "place") is, and tranquility fell upon him. He walked along a dirt path for some while, singing some nameless tune in a low, quiet tone. You could ask the people who saw him what he sang, and some might be heard to recall, though, "It sounded like "Across the Universe", by the Beatles." And yes, they DO know the Beatles in outer space. The eerily prophetic tune seemed just right for the occasion, and he knew that well. He was convinced that, as well, then stopped dead in his tracks. His right hand quivered a little as he gathered the scenery. The rushing water and wind caressing itself through the summmer foliage had a familiar sound to it. These noises... these silenced noises... the last time he heard these noises were in the altar of Lady Tokimi's. He couldn't believe it, but continued walking anyways. "These emotions... what are they doing to me? Sh-she never told me about these... th-these... these FEELINGS!" The young man cringed in fear of what this "place" it's done to him- - what it's DOING to him. He walked on, limping more than he should. These alien emotions are slowly crushing down; it's pressure.... it's maddening! Miles pass-- his forward momentum gradually increasing, but he doesn't know it. This "place"... driving him mad. He slumps down to the ground, clutching his head in both hands and moaning loudly. "This... can't be RIGHT!... I can't... fail..." He said to himself as the pressure slowly renders him helpless. He knew Dr. Clay failed because of this; HE can't fail... HE CAN'T FAIL... Then... Then? "Hey, mister, are you all right?" Came a voice from out of nowhere. The pain and pressure in the young man's head ceased (dissolved, rather), and he felt calm again. He slowly raised his cradled head from his hands, and looked to reveal a little girl, staring right at him! He jumped back, and for a second, became a bit embarrassed in light of his actions. The little girl stared back at him for a bit. She was the usual height for a girl her age, with green hair, unusually long ponytails, and pink, beaming eyes that glimmered in the sunlight like some sort of magnificent jewels. He sighed anxiously, relieved, and gave a soft smile. "Yes. Yes, I'm... all right." He said with a soft tone. The little girl smiled back. He got up and looked around; his mind being occupied by the consuming "emotions", he didn't notice the change of scenery. To his right, he could see a flowing river. Just beyond it, lies a garden of sorts. "Excuse me," He said to the girl. His composure was remarkable, even after the recent pain he went through. "I would like to talk to your parents. Are they around today?" He had another question in mind, but couldn't bear to ask the little girl; she probably didn't know, anyway. THAT question, however, sounded MUCH more bizarre (at least to him). "Well, my Uncle is home! You can speak to him if you like!" "That would be great. Could you show me where to go?" Trying to negotiate which arm to put the basket of carrots in, she motioned behind her. The road continued on, and turned right, disappearing behind a grouping of trees. "Thank you." He made his way. "I hope to see you again." "Nice meeting you!" She replied in an enthusiastic tone. The young man looked down for the first time in a while, and the "Spectral Footprints" are still there. This was the final stretch. Track 3 To be clearer, a day has passed since the young man emerged from his crystal cocoon. It seemed like relief fell upon him once he reached the porch of the house, where the footsteps ended. To be even more clear, there were TWO steps of footsteps. One seemed larger and more plodding; the other was small and light, as if it barely touched the ground. "This is where Dr. Clay and Zero left off..." Stopping in mid-sentence. He looked back to see the gate and road leading to the house, with the bizarre oak pillars, with gems and markings... that wasn't the wierdest part, though. It seemed that when he walked on, the pillars started to TALK. "Their journey ended here. It's unbelievable... that man (Dr. Clay) was far more omnipresent than I could ever be... STILL, defeated by an unknown assailant..." He stared into the red-ochre door. "THAT assailant is IN THIS HOUSE... I've my work cut out for me." He finished his thought, and knocked three times on the door. It gave a shallow noise, sounding as if it didn't carry far enough. After a small moment or so, the door opened, revealing a father figure of some sort. He was of tall stature, with slick, black hair and mustache. Seemed to be dressed for some sort of occasion, he was a little bit shocked to find the young man on the doorstep. He probably didn't expect any guests. The young man was equally shocked, for a reason still unknown. They both stared at each other in an awkward silence, only broken by the occasional "Uh..." from the father figure, and the twitching of the left eye from the young man, until... "Nobuyuki! What are you doing? You're letting the heat out!" To further complicate things, an older man (bearing the best resemblance to a sensei) came to the door. He gave a stern look to the young man, then to the father figure. "Why didn't you greet our guest?" "Uh... sorry, dad. I blanked out there." The father figure laughed, and lead the young man inside. "Please, have a seat! We'll get you some tea." The old man spoke, as he proceeded to the kitchen to get some tea ready. The father figure (or rather, Nobuyuki), and the young man kneeled down to the table. The old man came in with a few glasses and a teapot, and came to the table with them. Staring at his glass, the young man was surprised by the unexpected hospitality. The old man proceeded to fill the four glasses with green tea, then took out a beige- colored bottle. He popped the top off of the bottle, and poured a bit of liquid in to his and Nobuyuki's cup. "Would you like some Sake with your tea?" Nobuyuki replied, "You look old enough for some sake. How 'bout it?" It was true. The young man was (Or looked, at least.) 17 of age, but he didn't care. "No, I'm fine." The young man said with warmth in his voice. To be kept in secret, he had to PRETEND to be nonchalant, and above-all, poised and courteous. It was executed VERY awkwardly, as the young man simply stared at the cup of tea. After all the tea was poured, the old man looked up to the stairway. "Tenchi!" A voice eminated from upstairs. "Yes, Grandpa?" "We have a guest! Come down here and have some tea with us!" "Not another one..." Said Tenchi as he came down the stairs. The young man glanced at Tenchi (I don't need to bother in DESCRIBING Tenchi, you guys already know what he looks like.), then continued with staring at the tea. The old man continued. "Tenchi, I'd like you to meet... oh, I'm sorry, we haven't exchanged..." "It's Kyo." The young man said. "Ah. Tenchi, I'd like you to meet our guest, Kyo!" "Hi. It's nice to meet you." Tenchi said with enthusiasm. The young man (now introduced as Kyo.) smiled and nodded. The old man continued. "This is Nobuyuki." "Hi." Said Nobuyuki with a zealous smile. "And I am Katsushito, but please, call me Grandpa. And you are in the Masaki residence, overlooking the Masaki shrine." Grandpa pointed outside, to the shrine. Kyo replied with as much sincerity as he could think up. "I... really appreciate your hospitality. It's great to meet all of you." It was much easier to PRETEND to be nice; it didn't put so much mental pressure on him. Tenchi continued the conversation. "So, what brings you here?" That question brought on an awkward silence. The only noise was the clacking of Kyo's wrists against the teacup. It was as if diamonds were clinking against the cup... Kyo broke the silence (he was getting pretty tired of all these quiet moments). "Well," and Kyo cleared his throat. "A few weeks ago, I was camping around this area. While I was sleeping, a... creature of some sort attacked me and my family." Kyo said, weaving an intricate lie. "Through the chaos, my... girlfriends' pendant got lost. I'm just returning here to look for it... tell me, have any of you seen that pendant around? It's... uh... oh, yeah! It's purple and spherical, encased in a small, green pyramid." The Masakis quickly skimmed through their memories for the pendant. Something as peculiarly shaped as a purple gem in a green pyramid should be very inconspicuous, unless it's in... "Washu's room!" Tenchi thought to himself. In a small tour, he noticed THAT very jewel on one of the laboratory workbenches. "I think I saw it around here, somewhere. I'll be right back." And Tenchi got up and made his way inside Washu's portal-door-room. Kyo, Grandpa and Nobuyuki continued drinking the tea. After a moment or so, Kyo could hear the whirring sound of an engine just outside. "Ah! The girls' are back!" Nobuyuki said out loud. Kyo raised an eyebrow as he looked towards the door. He could hear several footsteps, growing louder, seeming as if it's coming closer to the door, then, it stopped. The noonday-sunlight gave face to a small figure, making a silhouette on the window. The curtains were shut, but were also thin enough so that Kyo could make out a small figure with seemingly long, flowing hair. Some small voices are now heard at the front door, but became blocked out by Tenchi walking back into the room, jewel in hand. "Is this it?" Tenchi asked. Kyo's quivering left hand stroked the hair out of his eyes as he stared at the magnificent purple sphere inside of the small, green pyramid. "I couldn't find the necklace to hook it to, though." Kyo was ecstatic; TRULY ecstatic. "It's no problem... I'm glad enough that I found my sweetheart's pendant." He looks at Tenchi. "I-I'm indebted to all of you. Thank you very..." "DON'T GIVE HIM THAT JEWEL!!!" A voice shouted out from outside. The Masakis jumped, while Kyo remained in a state of composure, still kneeling, drinking his tea. The silhouette jumped and crashed through the window, with other figures following suit. "WASHU!" THe figure jumping through the window was, in fact, Washu, with Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami and Mihoshi behind. "You can't give him that jewel. You have no idea of it's potential!" The Masakis were dumbfounded. "Our window..." Washu continued on. "Oh, I knew she was gonna send out another one!" The Masakis and the girls were shocked by the sudden defensive display. Aeka butted in. "You there!" She pointed to Kyo. "Just what do you think you're doing, taking our jewels?" "That's no jewel..." Washu continued. "That's the vessel..." "Huh?" "The vessel... it was why Lady Tokimi wanted us in the first place! The jewel inside the pyramid holds knowledge that NONE OF US could even comprehend!" She just made it even more confusing. "Uh... Washu... what does that thing do again?" Mihoshi asked. "It's a vessel that gives the person that opens it infinite knowledge!" "Uh..." "A jewel that makes you SMARTER!" "Uh..." "YOU LEARN STUFF!" "OH! Okay..." "And Lady Tokimi wants it; THAT's why she sent down Dr. Clay and HIM!" She ended, pointing at Kyo. Ryoko stared at the jewel. "But... why?" "That's the thing... I don't know." Silence finally entered the room. Kyo took a sip of tea, and gave a small chuckle, which escalated into a maddening laugh. "What are you laughing at, you maniac!?" said Ryoko. Kyo stood up, with an ominous stance not seen since their incident with Kagato. "So, I guess you guys found out my little secret!" He said with a mailicious smile, and looked at the pink-haired woman. "So... you must be Washu..." He shook his head. "Why would you want to keep it, anyway?" He points to the sphere. "Lady Tokimi's powers are limited, at best, but she has just enough to open it... it's not for herself, but for the good of mankind, and of EVERY living specie in this universe." Ryoko was getting fed up, while Sasami and Mihoshi looked on in awe. Kyo looks at Sasami. "I met you a while ago." He said, calmly. "I noticed that... that your happiness was unrestricted, I can feel these things. You're happy with how these things are going. That is what Lady Tokimi wants; not to further augment her strength, but to open doors; it would inevitably bring euphoria to ALL that she sees. Please, I beg you; give me the..." His statement was cut short by a red beam shot directly at his eye. He recoiled back, wincing in pain. "If you want it, you're gonna have to get through ME first!" said a furious Ryoko. Kyo slowly came back to standing position. His right eye was glowing a bright red-- his left eye gave a cold stare. Kyo slowly came towards Ryoko, with the glow in his right eye slowly dissapearing, back into it's normal, marble-green eyed state. "So, you wanna dance?" Said Kyo, and his devilish smile came back on his face. "LET'S DANCE!" Track 4 Ryoko and Kyo stood at the opposite ends of the built that was floating over the lake. Ryoko stood at the side of the house, with Tenchi and the others watching carefully (Aeka was rooting for Kyo, by the way. You don't need to ask why, it's pretty obvious. Just remember her grudge with Ryoko.). Kyo stood at the other side, with only the trees standing by him. Kyo was, needless to say, shocked by Ryoko's sudden display of... abilities. However, that didn't stop him from getting into the duel with her. "You ready to fight?" Yelled Ryoko. The sour wind blew by, stating something... dangerous is about to happen. A moment went by with the wind until Kyo spoke up. "...what?" Yelled Kyo. "I said, ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT!?" "I'd rather not!" "What?" "I'D RATHER NOT! I DON'T LIKE TO USE BATS!" "What are you talking about?" "What?!" "KYO! ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?... KYO!" "...Dave's not here!" "Oh, screw this." And with a horizontal swing of the arm, Ryoko flew a beam across the bridge, aimed straight between Kyo's eyes. Nothing happened after that, and Ryoko laughed triumphantly... until HER beam was shot back at her, singing her hair. She jerked her head around; Washu and Mihoshi was ducking in fear, and she could see a hole in the door. She turned back around to see Kyo walking towards her. He raised his right hand well above his head; his sleeve shifted downward, and revealed.... A GREEN GEM! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the clacking noise from his wrists to the teacup was because of a GREEN GEM embedded into his wrist! It started to glow, and waves of energy started to gather into his hand, cumulating into a green circle of light. He then clenched the hand into a fist. Almost like light speed, four beams of light shot out of his hand, forming a giant shuriken, with his fist being the center of it. He then slashed downwards, creating a thin green trail right down his robe. The robe split apart, revealing a futuristic, skin-tight suit with black edges (you guessed it; it was also green.). The remaining part of the robe turned black and hung over his back, like a cape. The others gasped in shock, as they realized that Ryoko won't be getting the upper hand this time. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" And Kyo lunged at Ryoko, and the fierce battle started. Ryoko immediately materialized a beam sword, and started to clash sword and shuriken. The others looked in awe, as Ryoko and Kyo had remarkable sword-play techniques. "It's amazing." Said Washu. "They seem to be so SIMILAR in battle... the suit, the techniques... all except for the way they absorb... DUCK!" They all dropped to the ground as a red sphere shot by them, futher destroying the door. They looked up again to see the battle being waged in the air, with Ryoko and Kyo exchanging shots. Ryoko fired of some very volatile bolts of red energy, as Kyo rapidly shot off streams of light from his palm, as if it were a machine gun. Both darted around in the sky, sometimes managing to get a few crack shots but nothing more. After a while of shooting, Ryoko raised her left hand and called a name that could barely be heard among the madness. A quick flash later, and Ryo-Ohki was in the sky (In ship form), and blasted a purple ray of energy, colliding head-on with Kyo. The impact shot him down to the ground; at the last second, though, he stuck out his right hand, and managed to pivot on his four fingers to face Ryoko, now on the ground. On all fours, in a spider-stance, Kyo spider-crawled towards Ryoko, and flipped back into fighting pose. "Very good! If you can do that in bed, you'd be unstoppable!" Joked Ryoko. "Oh, Suck on this!" And almost as if on cue, they started to absorb massive amounts of energy into spheres, growing dangerously huge. And, like a bubble, Kyo's gree light enveloped Ryoko's (due to a loss of concentration on her part.). All seemed over, as Kyo yelled and raised his hand, lifting the gigantic sphere over his head. "I want to enjoy this!" Said Kyo, and got ready to throw it... that is, WAS about to throw it. An unknown shot came through the woods, and slammed right into Kyo's back, burning a hole in his cape. The sphere had lost control, and soared into the blue sky. Kyo slumped to the ground in pain, while Ryoko and the group of women gasped (particularly, Mihoshi.) "K..K..." Mihoshi was stunned by the gun-toting woman that shot Kyo. "KIYONE!" The women put down her side-arm, and fell into a moment of shock. "MIHOSHI!?" "KIYONE!" And MORE confusion fell into the area. Kiyone was shocked by the group surrounding her. "PRINCESS AEKA! PRINCESS SASAMI!" Ryoko was surprised by the person who shot the energy-bullet, but was nontheless disgruntled, now having to deal with ANOTHER galaxy policewoman. "YOU!" "KIYONE!?" "WASHU!?" "YOOUUU!!" "WHAT?!" "KIYYYYOOOOOOONEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!" "SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUUUT UUUUUP!" A voice rang out from the area; Kyo wasn't defeated yet! Kyo started to get up, but was knocked over by Mihoshi, running to Kiyone. She then embraced her former partner; her former partner face faulted, discovering that her partner wasn't REALLY dead-- just on hiatus. Mihoshi started to babble on, with tears streaming from her face. "Oh, Kiyone! I'm sooooooooo happy to see you again! I got trapped here, and I got shelter from this really cute guy, and I found the princesses of Jurai and the space demon Ryoko..." Kiyone's eyes lit up with enthusiasm, only to be squashed by what Mihoshi said next. "But Ryoko's warrant became invalid so I couldn't arrest her, so I stayed here for a while until we fought this wierd guy, and I found the genius Washu..." "Hi." Said Washu, cutely. "And she fixed my ship, and I flew back to report, and started to do my usual police route, only to crash AGAIN here, and now I'm gonna stay here and patrol THIS area, and then we met that guy over there..." "Hi." Said Kyo, with much pain. "And then he fought Ryoko for some cool jewel, and then you shot him, then I said "KIYONE!", and then I..." "MIHOSHI!" Tenchi yelled out. "You need to think before you talk!" "I..I... I'm so... happy to finally see you Mihoshi! Ha, ha...." Said Kiyone, with a nervous tone. "Quick! You need to save us! He's gonna come back up, then he's gonna throw some beams, and then..." "MIHOSHI!" Tenchi yelled, again. After the shout, Kyo stood up with some of his strength regained, but was slumped over a bit, holding his right arm. "Rrrrr..... I've had ENOUGH of this charade!" Kyo yelled out, and jerked his head around, looking at Kiyone. She in turn, knocked Mihoshi away and drew her side-arm. "You are under arrest for the act of speeding an a 75 megalo-mile zone, breaking the peace, and contributing to the radical acts of the followers of Lady Tokimi!" Kyo stood, unfazed. "My...::SIGH:: partner, will now read you your rights." She gave a virulent smile as Mihoshi searches through her pockets and bra for the visual-rights. "Oh my God, I've actually caught one of the Lady Tokimi followers! I'll be promoted in no time!!!" She thought to herself. After a small moment of giddyness, she composed herself, and continued on. "If, at any time, you try to resist arrest, I will be obligated to..." "Never again, girl!" Kyo raised his left hand, revealing another gem, and made a crushing gesture; Kiyone's gun crumpled up, then exploded right in her hand. "Now, with her out of the way..." Kyo materialized another beam- shuriken, then lunged right at Ryoko, thus continuing the battle. It raged on, the noises of energy clanging together, and the occasional "GO, KYO!" from Aeka. Everything was one heated match-up, right up to a few assisting shots from Mihoshis' gun, which missed and hit Ryoko's beam. After a moment of disorientation, Ryoko's beam sword shattered by a well-placed slice from Kyo. He immediatly de-materialized his beam-shuriken, and grabbed Ryoko by the throat. The vessel that Ryoko held all that time fell from her pocket and dropped to the ground. Ryoko could only squeeze out a few choking noises, while Kyo slowly placed her on the ground. She slumped onto Kyo, where he then placed her upright, and kissed her on the forehead. "No hard feelings, 'kay?" Said Kyo with a smile. That smile wiped off as ANOTHER shot flew by their heads, and hit the VESSEL. "I'LL SAVE YOU, RYOKO!" Yelled Mihoshi, and she ran past them, repeatedly shooting the vessel. "Take that, Lady Tokimi!" Kyo's eyes grew wide with fright, as his goal started to shatter in front of his very eyes. The pyramid shattered, and the purple gem fell to the ground, breaking in half. The sky grew dark, and a blast of wind blew through the war-torn backyard. A dark, sparkling, blue cloud slowly rose up from the broken gem, and swirled into a milky-way-esque swirl. It flew by Tenchi, Grandpa and Nobuyuki, and blew through the hair of Aeka and Sasami. It blew under Ryoko's kimono, and swirled around Mihoshi and Kiyone's heads, until finally reaching Kyo, where it then stopped. After a moment, the blue mist surrounded his head. It was a strange phenomena; even stranger were the thoughts and emotions flooded his mind... Throughout the flashing memories, Kyo could see his lust to accomplish the mission slowly deteriorate into nothingness, as a new thought started to grow. He could see (in his mind's eye) Ryoko and Aeka fighting over Tenchi. He could see Sasami cooking dinner, and letting RYO-OHKI test the sauce. He could see Washu researching feverishly, only to find her specimen let loose by Mihoshi. Finally, he saw all of them under one household, tied together in one knot; one trusting, loving knot... this vision slowly melted into one of depression. He could see all of the girls in a cold, saddening moment of thought... Visions and nightmares, thought only to be seen in their minds, was seen by Kyo. A liquid black ichor descended before his eyes, now feeling the unbearable head pains that only last came when he was walking along the rural region of Japan. The pain was more intense and consuming, as he became assaulted by horrifying visions of murder, lost hope and... sadness. The pain was as if Kyo was BLOCKING OUT the emotions. He was consumed in his own dark mind, and didn't even acknowledge the calls of Tenchi and the others. It didn't matter-- they were shocked by his sudden screams of torture and resentment... but in one last, deep breath, Kyo succumbed to the "Place's" emotions, and the mist flew into the sky. Everything came back to normal, and everybody breathed a sigh of relief. Sasami glanced at Kyo, who had fallen to his knees, cradling his head in his hands. She slowly walked to Kyo, kneeled down, and grasped his right hand-- she saw the hand stained with tears, as she could hear a soft whisper. "I'm sorry... I can't finish the mission... I failed... I'm sorry I even hurt that girl... I'm sorry I put any of you in jeopardy... I placed my ambitions first-- I didn't want to hurt..." and Kyo fell silent. Track 5 Dusk had finally fell upon the Masaki residence. Sasami was busy fixing a rather large dinner, while the others were in the living room watching TV. Another soap opera was on, and needless to say, all the girls were transfixed... except for Kiyone, who was laying on the couch with a hot towel over her head. Apparently, she was given the assignment to patrol the regions of planet Earth with her partner, Mihoshi, the "human wasteland" (according to Kiyone). To make matters worse, when she shot Kyo, the gigantic ball of enrgy lost control. It shot off into space, ricocheted off of a nearby meteorite, sling-shotted around a crab-nebula, and SLAMMED into her parallel-parked Yagami, completely demolishing it. She was gonna be there for a while, so Tenchi insisted that she stay. Then, right at the really JUICY part of the soap, Sasami came into the room and turned off the TV. The "beeeeoooop" sound of the TV turning off was immediately following by moans of Ryoko, Aeka, Mihoshi and Washu. "Dinners' ready!" She announced, in her usual spunky way. The group of girls slowly groped to the dining table, which larger than usual. Tenchi, his dad and Grandpa were already there. Finally, Sasami looked up into the rafters. "Hey! It's time for dinner!" And a 17-year old voice replied. "I'll be right down." The owner of the voice was staring out of the window, awed by the sight of a golden dusk. So fixed in awe, in fact, he forgot about the whole day. You could hear him softly rehearse some song lyrics, inspired by the heavenly body that is the sun. "When is that kid coming down from those rafters?" Ryoko impatiently asked. Grandpa, always being the wise one, responded. "Kyo's had a rough day. He'll be down when he's good and ready..." "If he doesn't get down here in 5 seconds, I'm gonna... gonna..." Tenchi looked at her cautiously. "TAKE HIS FOOD!" And all of a sudden, Kyo jumped down from the rafters and made his way to the table, kneeling down and taking a sip of tea. In spite of the chaotic battle waged eariler, he managed to slip into more casual clothes. He had a long-sleeved, black shirt on, and regular, blue denim jeans; they were all courtesy of Tenchi, and it seemed to fit fine. Truthfully, upon further inspection, Kyo and Tenchi can be pretty similar, physically. They both had svelte, skinny bodies, and they had the same build. Tenchi and Kyo may not LOOK like they're muscular, but rather, their muscles were toned down to be aero- dynamic and stream-lined. The only differences were kind of subtle; Kyo's skin was a bit more pale, and Tenchi's hair was short and black, with a small ponytail at the end. Of course, there were also the eyes. Tenchi was no doubt Japanese, but Kyo's were shaped almost like Kiyone's eyes. "Well, it's great to see Mr. moody down here, finally! Can I have your soup?" Said Ryoko, hungering for some more food. Kyo gently passed her his bowl of soup, and she started wolfing it down. Grandpa spoke up among the passing of the food and clicking of the utensils. "I must say, it's a great pleasure to have a few more guests move in with us. We really enjoy the company." Kyo gave a small smile, while Kiyone moaned in pain. A few more moments of eating and clicking past. One question echoed through all of their minds, until all of them asked it to Kyo in one big, awkward moment. Only Washu's question was heard (they all asked the same, but she made an effort by screaming it out.). "What did that blue mist do to you?!!?" Was the question. Kyo drummed his index fingers against the table. Kyo didn't respond. Awaiting what he would say next, the girls and Tenchi leered at him in held breath. Kyo tapped his slender fingers against the cup of tea, not even responding. "Are you gonna be like this ALL THE TIME!" Ryoko questioned. "I mean, c'mon! You had a great time fighting me!" Kyo said nothing. "So, what are you gonna do, now?" Asked a naive Mihoshi. "What do you mean "What are you gonna do now"? We gotta arrest him!" Kiyone snapped back. "Oh, I don't know." Ryoko said. "It might be kinda hard to arrest him, what with the whole ship blowing up, and all..." Ryoko gave a small chuckle, as Kiyone sighed and downed the entire cup of sake-laced tea. Epiliogue (Please read, it hints at the NEXT fanfic) "Goodnight, girls." "Goodnight, Lord Tenchi." "You don't have to keep calling me that." " 'Night, Tenchi!" And Tenchi closed the door to Aeka and Sasami's room. He made his way down the hallway, saying goodnight to Washu, who was heading to her room, and to Mihoshi and Kiyone, who made a bed out of the couches, until he finally came to Ryoko. "Ryoko, do you want to sleep in the guest room, tonight?" There was no answer. "Ryoko?" Tenchi leaned over the sofa to see Ryoko buried into a pillow, snoring quite loudly. Empty bottles of sake were littered around her. "Goodnight, Ryoko." Tenchi climbed the stairs and opened the door to his room. Undressing into his slacks and turqoise shirt, he gave a breath of relief. The bottles of sake were pretty expensive, but they DID keep Ryoko occupied for a long time (To be honest, he has no idea how they always manage to have sake SOMEWHERE in the house.), and if she drank a couple before bedtime, that only meant one thing: BLISSFUL, UNINTERRUPTED SLEEP! He buried himself in his sheets, and went fell into a dreamless slumber. "Aeka..." Aeka's eyes twitched. She opened them to see a dark silhouette above her. "Aeka, I can't sleep... can you read me a story?" Aeka simply moaned, and turned over to her side. Sasami didn't like the answer, and went back into her bed, now restless. The ceiling can be extremely boring in the middle of the night, and Sasami can prove that, as that was the only thing she can watch... no, she didn't like the ceiling; she looked out the window for a moment. The moon hung over her head, almost as if it were watching over her. It's shine gave a blue blur to the empty room, and Sasami felt sadness descending, with the moonshine, upon her. Then, a voice broke the quiet night... it was soft and penetrating-- like the voice belonged to the moon, itself... speaking of the moon, that was what the voice spoke of... "The warming sun, the cooling rain... The snowflake drifting on the breath of the breeze..." The voice was singing, and it was coming from the living room. Sasami snuck out of bed, slowly opened the door, and stood at the threshold. "The lightning bolt that cleared the sky for you, Yet only eagles seem to pass on through..." She walked towards the voice, which ended at the stairway and curved upwards. She looked into the rafters to see Kyo, perched on one of the rafters, watching the glistening midnight moon. Ryo-Ohki slept on his lap, curled up, and her head buried into her paws. "The words of love, the cries of hate; And the man in the moon who seduced you, and finally loosed you." Kyo sang a soft chorus that sounded as if he's reflecting. "Kyo?" "G'ah!" And Kyo fell onto the floor, just barely missing Mihoshi; she was still sleeping, anyways. Sasami came down the stairs to help Kyo up, but he managed to collect himself just in time. "Kyo! Are you all right?" "It's just a bump." He rubbed his head, and gave a soft laugh. "I need to find another place to sleep... hey, Sasami, why aren't you asleep?" "Oh, I was just thinking..." "About what?" "Stuff." Kyo smiled at the Sasami's answer. "About the day?" "Yeah." It was obvious now; his new roommates had not even warmed up to him as much as Sasami did. "You wanna go to the mall with me tomorrow?" "...Sure. Why not?" "Great! We're gonna go at noon, 'kay? "I'll be there. Goodnight, Sasami." " 'Night!" And she went back up the stairs, and back to her room. Kyo phased back up to his rafter and closed his eyes, drifting off. " "Mall"...It sounds fun... I wonder who this "Mall" is.." and he slept under the celestial window. Each star has their own story, and their own background... From the view of the window, though, it's impossible for anyone to make out, say, what the stars really are, and the fact that they grow brighter by the minute. The moon was a silent sentinel, watching over everybody in the Masaki household, but even the oldest of celestial guardians can't see the armada of "stars" behind him... So how was it? I'm gonna work on another one IMMEDIATELY, and trust me, this isn't the last you'll see of Tenchi, Ryoko, or the others...