---- Copyrights, etc: Tenchi Muyo! and all corresponding characters are the properties of AIC and Pioneer. I don't own 'em, so do not kill me, or hunt me down like a dog. I'm just a genius scientist writing fanfics. I'm just skin and bones, if any cannibal zombie lawyers were wondering, so don't eat my brains. Loknar and Joseph are mine! Mine I tell you! Notes: This fanfic might have a bit of violence. This takes place a few days after The Quiet Before the Storm, (OAV 17, OC Chapter 4). In this fanfic, the true reason for why the way Ayeka is should hopefully be revealed, and turn some Ayeka-haters into Ayeka-sympathizers. I had thought about her behavior for a few days, and finally came up with a satisfactory conclusion. Hopefully, you will be satisfied as well. This fanfic talks about some events from the Mihoshi Special. Yes, it does exist, and I have seen it. Ask around or look on ebay for it. It's there. Here goes a large amount of sugar, caffeine, minty gum (mmm......Minty), and money down the drain.... Loknar of Orion, 6/21/01, The afternoon (Holy Moly!) Fanfic Began: 6/21/01. Fanfic Finished: 6/28/01 ---- Tenchi Muyo! Episode 18: Snowflakes (Orion Chronicles, Chapter 5) He closed his eyes, slowly, preying that it would not happen again. Tenchi relaxed his muscles, first from his face, to his chest, to his abdomen, to his arms, to his legs, and finally to his feet. A sensation of relief spread over him, as he felt his mind drifting into slumber. A vast plane, devoid of light. Only he stood there, on ground that he couldn't see. There was no sky, no hills, no lake, no house, no world, no life. Only him. "Not again..." He thought, conciously. An unearthly light crept out of the void, making a figure visible. All that could be seen of it, even in the light, was just shadow. "I've been waiting..." A voice seemed to say, yet there was no sound. The only thing Tenchi could hear was the dead silence, as if some force had extinguished all sound like a fire. Slowly, Tenchi moved his eyes to that figure, that phantasm that appeared to him the night after Joseph's battle with Stygian. For the past nights, Tenchi could barely sleep a wink. Something kept invading his mind, scaring him to the core. Something wanted to numb his mind with fear, so another could destroy him. "W-Who are you?" Tenchi asked, breaking the silence. "I am He Who Is Lord of All." The figure responded, in his own voice, this time. The voice sent shivers up Tenchi's spine, the unpleasant memory reminiscent of a madman that Tenchi knew all too well. "You can't be alive!" Tenchi yelled. "You're dead!" "He is, but I am not." The figure replied. "T-T-That doesn't make any sense! You can't be alive and dead at the same time!" The dream was the same as it had been for the past week, down to the last breath, down to the last word. "I am not dead." The figure whispered, a robe visible on him. "But I killed you!" Tenchi screamed. Two unblinking eyes were visible on the figure. Two green eyes, stained with lines of blood sat motionless, like dark planets in a gloomy sky. Tenchi could recognize those eyes anywhere. "Get away from me!" Tenchi whispered, trying to back away. A black fire appeared in the figure's right hand, burning with the intensity of a blaze, yet taking up no fuel, and not even burning the man's hand. "You cannot run. This is my world." The figure said, the flame growing, the flickering dark tongue twisting like a serpent. The figure walked toward Tenchi, the steps slow and deliberate. A red star seemed to be imbedded in the chest of the man, growing more distinct as he walked. After a few more steps, it was revealed to be a medallion. It was made of a reddish metal, in a circular form. Inside the circle was just a field of darkness, disturbed only by a glistening red glyph in the center, an Omega as red as the star that it seemed to mimic. Seeing this, Tenchi began to run, yet didn't move an inch, while the figure approached without hesitation. "Why are you doing this?!?!?!? Why are you haunting me!?!?!?" Tenchi screamed. "Vengeance." The man responded. "But you can't avenge your own death!" "Not my death. I cannot expire from this realm. I am avenging the death of my brother." The figure was fully visible now. Long, teal hair escalated down from the cranium of the man, an offset pair of glasses on his eyes. Two bangs of hair came down from his ears, not even moving as he walked. He stared into Tenchi, burning a hole into his soul by the very look in his eyes. Tenchi gulped. The man was not Kagato, but looked just like him. Kagato didn't have a brother.....Did he? "Who are you? Tell me!" Tenchi screamed. "You already know who I am." The man whispered, a faint outline of the goddess Tokimi appearing behind him for a brief moment. The man thrust the black fire in Tenchi's face. ---- "Gyaaaahhhhhh!" Tenchi hollered, sitting up in his bed, cold beads of sweat on his forehead. He shivered a little bit. No one had seemed to hear his cry of terror as escaped the dream of that phantasm, the man who was the brother of Kagato. He looked at his clock. Two AM. The only things that would comfort him at this time of night would be the silence and the darkness. It was suprising that in a house filled with light and noise during the day could be so odd during the night. Ever since Tenchi was a child, he always had night terrors like this. Before Ryoko and everyone came, the terrors had nothing to do with Kagato, or any other madman. They were simple nightmares about the bogeyman and devils, nothing that he could ever meet face to face. These days, however... There was a sudden creaky sound, like someone coming up the stairs. Tenchi tried to hide himself under the covers. Always after these night terrors, the simplest thing could scare the life out of him. Demons always seemed to be everywhere, haunting him, hunting him, always for some unknown reason. They were always revealed to be formless, not visible to the naked eye. Noboyuki used to have to reassure Tenchi that there weren't any monsters in his closet, or any ghosts under his futon. When the lights turned on, the demons disappeared from all senses. But Tenchi knew that they were there, no matter what anyone said. He got the courage to get his head out from under the covers and look at whatever it was walk by. The creaking sound happened again, and he lost all of his courage, this time putting his head under the pillow. "It isn't real Tenchi...Stop acting like a kid..." He repeated to himself, trying to ward off any fear in his head. The creaking sound happened again, and again, each time scaring Tenchi to the core of his soul. His teeth were soon chattering with fear, and he had to all but give all to make sure something didn't spill out of him. "Cao?" A little voice asked. Following that single word, that simple word that all humans could understand, there was silence. Tenchi slowly lifted his head out from the covers, and looked toward the door. Ken-Ohki stood there, with one ear down, his head turned forty-five degrees to look at Tenchi, not exactly understanding what the youth was trying to do. Was it some sort of game that he was playing? Was he hiding something? Or was he scared? Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief, the fear leaving him. "Thank God it was only you, Ken-Ohki." Tenchi said, happily. Ken-Ohki sniffed the air, the scent of fear easily recognized. Like most animals, Ken-Ohki could sense when a human was distressed. He responded to this in the common way that the animals that can sense such human emotions can. Ken-Ohki jumped onto Tenchi's bed, and started licking him. "H-Hey, calm down there!" Tenchi said, laughing a little, the cabbit's little tongue tickling him like a feather. The cabbit cuddled into him, the calming effect instantly being felt by him. Tenchi smiled, the cabbit quietly purring. Tenchi soon closed his eyes once more, and finally had a restful, dream-free sleep, the terrors of the past slowly dissipating. Tenchi slept for a few hours, smiling in his sleep, nothing disturbing him. He woke up to the sound of the television, the volume loud enough to be heard from space. "Can you turn that down?!?!?!?" Tenchi yelled, holding his ears, a children's television show in the background. "HEY LITTLE HIRIKI! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY?" The TV seemed to scream. Holding his ears, Tenchi got dressed, and left his room. Sasami and Joseph were nearby, holding their ears as well. "What the heck is going on?" Tenchi yelled, hoping he would be heard. "What?" Sasami said, unable to hear him. "What the heck is going on?" "I don't know, but I think Hiriki needs to go to the Ogomogo store on the show....wait....What?" The trio walked downstairs, and saw Washuu and Loknar frantically trying to fix a new TV that wasn't there the night before. "What is that?" Tenchi asked, still yelling like there was no tomorrow. "Our new Galaxivision TV. It gets channels from all over the galaxy - But someone called 'Goldilox' has hacked into our system, and fooled with the volume!" Loknar said, working at a panel. The TV got louder. "How the hell did Goldilox get in here again?" Washuu mumbled, "And don't touch the 54th circuit! That one is the bass boost control!" "....I didn't touch the 54th circuit..." Loknar said. Washuu sighed. "Well, we've tried everything, except for plan B." Washuu said. "Do you want to do the honors?" Loknar asked. Washuu nodded, picking a sledgehammer out of a pseduospace pocket. "Washuu, please don't -" Tenchi yelled. Too late. Washuu struck the screen with the fury of a warrior, the glass shattering, the circuits breaking, and sparks flying. The TV flickered, and went off. They all breathed a sigh of relief. The TV suddenly erupted in a small fire. "Uh-oh." Loknar said, grabbing a fire extinguisher, and trying to put it out. The tiny blaze was soon put out. Mihoshi ran down the stairs, smiling. "There's an invisible TV in my room! I couldn't find the volume control to turn it down, but I could still hear my favorite show!" Mihoshi beamed excitedly. Everyone else sweatdropped. "What happened over there?" She asked, looking at the pile of ash. "The TV broke." Joseph said quietly. "What???????? That means that everyone can only come to my room, and only hear the TV!" Mihoshi said, saddened and confused once more. Ryoko and Ayeka came in from outside. "Is the TV finally dead?" Ryoko asked. "Yes, but you can use my invisible TV." Mihoshi responded. "Huh? What invisible TV?" "The one that Washuu or Tassi must have given me." "Washuu and I didn't give you an 'invisible' TV, Mihoshi...." Loknar said. "But then how could I hear my TV show then?" Loknar points to the wreckage of the TV. "Someone hacked into the system and made it too loud." "But that would mean....That is...That was....Uh......I was...." "Yes?" "Uh....." "You'll figure it out soon enough. Let's eat breakfast." Ryoko said, moving Mihoshi into the kitchen, and waiting for the others to follow. "I'll make a quick breakfast today, since everyone is really hungry." Sasami said, going to the stove, and beginning to cut some vegetables. Ryo-Ohki and Ken-Ohki crawl out from under the couch, seeing that the noise is gone. "Wait....uh.....Who's going to clean that up?" Ryoko asked, looking at the wreckage of the TV. "Why don't you do it, Ryoko?" Washuu asked. "Why me?" "Young lady, if you've got to do some chores." "But Washuu -" "Mom, Ryoko, Mom." Ryoko grumbles. "But Mom....Aw, fine." Ryoko says, picking up the wreckage, and hurling it outside near Mihoshi's broken ship. A small piece of the metal hits the ship, and the whole rickety thing fell apart. "My ship!! Oh, what should I do?!?!?!?" Mihoshi gasped. "The same thing you do every time, Mihoshi. ::Sighs:: We'll car...err...ship-pool." Joseph responded, still groggy after waking up. "Oh. But I like ship-pooling with you, Joseph." Mihoshi said, smiling. Joseph blushes a little bit, and heads into the kitchen. ---- A dark green-haired woman sits in the office of a local Galaxy Police Chief. While she had been in her rusty prison, she had dyed her hair black, which she kept until she was released, on which she brought her natural color back. She sits on a leather chair, a desk and a short, pot-bellied old man on the other side, in the uniform of a GP official. Along the walls are old relics of the GP, from early weapons, shields, and other paraphernalia. "Lieutenant Kiyone.....We thought you were dead." The balding man said to her. "I probably would have been better off dead for the past two years, sir. I was stuck in a jalopy of a stationary, broken-down ship, with my only entertainment being the holo-television and radio. It was amazing that I could pick up signals from there, as the ship was stuck on a dead-end system almost out of the darn galaxy." She told him. The chief nodded. "Anyway, Officer Kiyone, we do have an opening." He said to her. Kiyone looked at him, cautiously. "It isn't with 'her', is it?" "No. You'll be assigned to the Baryon system for your first mission, as an investigative officer. However, you will have a lot of missions in the Sol sector....It seems to be a haven for criminals." He told her. Kiyone sighed with relief. "However, you may run into her every once in a while." Her eyes went wide. "Please sir, for the love of God!" "I'm sorry, Kiyone. Her territory overlaps with yours." "But..." "Please, Officer Kiyone. You can handle her. She is one of the best in the galaxy, and you are just as good, or better than -" The chief said, before being interrupted by Kiyone. "The best in the Galaxy my butt! If you saw how many times she crashed her ship, destroyed equipment, destroyed GP property, and caused irreparable diplomatic damage, you wouldn't say that!" "Yes, but she also solved the toughest cases, captured the most dangerous criminals, saved countless lives, entertained the entire force with her hijinks, and she always gave credit to you, and tried to downplay her role as pure accident." Kiyone grumbled to herself, not hearing the last part. "Did you say something, Officer Kiyone?" "No sir." He then handed her an piece of electronic paper. "That would be your first new mission." He told her. She looks over it. "Let me see......Investigate an oddly charred field on Baryon II.....This looks easy!" Kiyone said, smiling. "We have to start small to make sure you aren't rusty." He said, nodding. "There's rumors of odd markings in a strange language there, and we hope you can clarify that. You may head out, detective." She shook his hand, and saluted. "I'm on my way, sir!" Kiyone said, marching out the door, and heading for her new ship, which would take her to the Baryon system. ---- "Oh, Mihoshi, there is a mission in the Baryon system for you today." Joseph said, handing her his GP communicator, which he had attuned for both their messages. "I love that place! It's very beautiful, and there are a lot of manga and candy shops!" Mihoshi beamed. "It also says that I can work on this case with you." Joseph continued. "Yay! Can you come with me?" "Sure." He replied. Ryoko and Ayeka rolled their eyes as they heard this. Everyone had sat down for breakfast by now, and eating a fine meal prepared by Sasami. "Mihoshi, please eat your food quickly. You must respond to the assignment." Yukonojo said, oddly placed on the kitchen counter. "What the heck is bolt-boy doing here?" Ryoko asked. "Don't ask. Mihoshi recovered him from her ship." Joseph responded. "Do not call me that time, Pirate." Yukonojo said loudly, responding to Ryoko's remark. "You sound just like Miss Prissy Pants over there." "Ryoko!" Ayeka growled. "Oh, so you admit it is true, princess?" Ryoko asked, expecting to get Ayeka quite angry. "Ryoko, please do not insult the Crowned Princess of Jurai." Yukonojo spoke. "You're blondie's baby-sitter, not my personal censor." Ryoko replied, rolling her eyes. "C-Can we please stop fighting?" Sasami asked. The two women and the robot didn't seem to listen, and just kept arguing. Sasami sighed, and continued to eat her food. ---- Author's Note: The following section may be a little dark, as it explains horrible things that happened in Ayeka's past. I just wanted to warn you. - Loknar ---- Tenchi was beginning to eat his food, but suddenly memories of the dreams appeared in his mind. His appetite quickly depleted into nothingness. He could see the man walking towards him, with the black flame in his hands, and the medallion that looked like a red star from a distance... He couldn't help this feeling of terror at the mere image of him. Sure, he had defeated Kagato, but this man looked just like him, and much more powerful, and exponentially more terrifying than his brother. "Tenchi...Are you allright?" Sasami asked, concerned. "I-I'm fine, Sasami." He responded, still picking at his food. "Oh, go swim in the lake, Ayeka." Ryoko whispered. Tenchi closed his eyes, and tried to ignore Ryoko and Ayeka's conflict. Over the past few days, almost in cannon with his re-occurring dreams, Ryoko and Ayeka's fights seemed to get much more bitter than usual. The usual poking fun at each other was replaced by much harder, darker comments. The fighting seemed to escalate every day, each time one step closer to making them more than rivals. Oddly, the physical violence seemed to decrease, but the same damage was now dealt with words rather than with energy swords or flying Juraian wood blocks. Tenchi did not want to see the two women truly hate each other - Before this, they truly were just joking, but these past few days.... "Don't call me a twit, you ignorant fool!" Ayeka yelled, rage in her eyes. Tenchi put his hands over his ears, trying to block out what he knew was coming. Joseph grumbled to himself, an angry look in his eye. "Stop fighting, NOW." He whispered. The princess and the ex-space pirate didn't seem to hear his voice, or noticed that his lips even moved. Washuu and Loknar tried to ignore what was going on, and ate quietly. "Oh, go make love to one of your special trees, you little priss." Ryoko rasped, standing up. Joseph looked at Ayeka. That comment seemed to ignite the fury in Ayeka's soul, and Joseph could sense it. Even those without Psionic abilities could feel it. He observed her face, now covered with sweat, and a look of rage on her face. Still, something did not seem right. There had to be some reason why Ayeka acts the way she does. Sasami grew up in the same environment as her, and was very sweet, gentle, and loving, while Ayeka was proper, conformative, shy, defensive, egotistical, and irritable. Something must have happened in her past, something that changed her life forever, something that destroyed her normal childhood.... Ayeka opened her mouth, to begin to speak. Tenchi suddenly opened his eyes. "Your puny insults do not matter, Ryoko. For all I care, you can go back into your tomb, and wait for Kagato to be resurrected, and bring you back to the way you were. Is that not what you want, harlot? I hate you." Ayeka rasped, her voice growling as well. Silence filled the room, as if some great hand had come and taken all their voices. Everyone was stunned by this, both shocked and dumbfounded. This was especially true of Ryoko. Ryoko might have a little trouble forgetting what she said about Kagato, but the last few words were a dagger to her very soul. Ayeka hating her? She knew they had their arguments, but hate? She considered Ayeka a friend, and a very good one at that. They had saved each other's lives many times, and respected each other, all the while poking fun every few days. This suprised her more than many things before had. Tears fell down Ryoko's cheeks, and she ran into her room, not phasing at all. Tenchi ran after her. "Ryoko! Ryoko!" She yelled. She had locked her door. She could be heard crying loudly in her room. Tenchi walked back, and gave Ayeka a look of both sorrow, and wonderment at how she could say such a thing. Joseph had had enough. He had to get to the bottom of this, no matter what. He got up, and grabbed Ayeka's left arm. "Lord Joseph, what are you -" "We're going to have a little talk, Ayeka." "But..." "Quiet, damn it!" "Joseph, where are you taking her?" "To her room, Sasami. I shall speak with her there, ALONE. No one will enter there until I finish with her. Is that understood?" Joseph ordered. Everyone else nodded. Ayeka watched as Joseph brought her to her room. He only seemed to be somewhat angry. He looked mostly disappointed, and disturbed at what had happened. He opened her door, and they walked inside. He closed the door, and locked it tightly. To ensure that no one could hear their conversation, he placed some of Loknar's old sound-blockers on the door. Ayeka sat on the bed. Joseph pulled up a chair, and sat in front of her. He looked into her with his piercing blue eyes, and began to speak after a few minutes. "Why?" Was all he said. Ayeka didn't know how to respond, so he repeated it. "Why what?" "Why you act like you do. You're withdrawn, you're egotistical, you're irritable, defensive, and a walking emotional bomb. Tell me why, Ayeka. I'm not especially pleased with Ryoko either, so don't think this is just you." He whispered. "How can I tell you why I am what I am?" Joseph closed his eyes, and quietly said a prayer, thinking at the same time. "What are the most influential events in your history?" Joseph asked. Ayeka tried to keep her mouth shut. She could not explain to someone like him what had happened to her so long ago, yet so recently. She did not want to tell him the truth. She didn't want to upset him. He was a sweet young man, and knowing those things might cause him to shy away from her. Who would want to be with a victim? "When I was coronated as Princess of Jurai at birth, when Jurai was sieged by Kagato and Ryo-" She was cut off by Joseph. "Tell me what happened to you during the siege, Ayeka. Do not even try to lie. I am a Psionic Mage, I can tell when you lie." She sighed, but still hoped to avoid explaining what was done to her. "Ryoko and Kagato attacked Jurai. I didn't see any of the battle nearby because I was escorted away before it reached the palace. I was brought onto my ship, and the rest is history. Then Kagato came....." She bit her lip, and trailed off very quietly at the last part. She hoped to God that he didn't hear the part where she slipped out the truth. Joseph was intrigued by her last few words. "What did Kagato do?" He asked, almost inaudibly. "I didn't say anything about Kagato." "Tell me what he did." "He didn't do anything, Joseph." Joseph's eyes turned cold. "I can tell that you are lying to me, Ayeka. Tell me the truth. What did that son of a witch do to you? I want this as detailed as you can possibly make it. I want the whole damned story. Do not leave a single piece out." He said, sternly his eyes looking like black pearls in small puddle, the pupils mere pinpoints. Ayeka gulped. She had never told this to anyone before, not Tenchi, not Ryoko, not Washuu, not Loknar, definitely not Mihoshi or Noboyuki, not Yosho, not Misaki or Funaho, and not even to Sasami. She was scared out of her wits. She did not know how Joseph would respond to the horrors that she would now describe to him, whether with indigence, neutrality, understanding, or hate. The fear showed on her face. The fear evaporated when he put his hand on her shoulder, and told her "Do not be afraid of the truth, Ayeka. Do not be afraid of the future. Whatever happened...I will understand." She began to speak of the first major event that defiled her childhood, and ground her happiness to dust. "One night, I sat alone in my bedroom at the palace. The many moons of Jurai seemed to cast a pale glow into the silent room, as I lay asleep. I suddenly awoke, and I was drawn to the window. The sky seemed strangely empty. A few stars seemed to be missing, replaced with a single red star in the northern area of the sky. A few other red stars joined it. They seemed to be moving closer. Then the sirens came on. It woke up all of the kingdom while they slept, catching those who were still awake by complete suprise. I remember the sirens like the screeching of a bat, irritating both the ear and the mind. I could hear the faint sound of ships landing, and the firing of cannons, for ten minutes or so. Then all was hushed. I thought that it must have been a small rebel group, that was easily dispatched by the royal guard. All of the lights suddenly went off, from far in the hills to high the palace, where I was. Then there were screams, of all people, commoners, nobles, guards, everyone. The screams got closer. I could see no battle, yet I could hear death clearly. I hid under the covers, hoping that whatever was attacking could not get me. Almost instinctively, after a few minutes, I looked back at the window, getting out from under the covers. "A man was at the window. He wore an long cloak, and had deep green eyes, and long teal-green hair. In his hand was a sword painted with blood, the little drops seeming to vibrate like the screams of those that they were taken from. It was Kagato, but I didn't know it at the time. Fearfully, I managed to ask who he was. He responded by stating his name, then laughing oddly at the end. I asked him what he wanted. He said nothing, and just stood there. I asked again, and once more there came no response. I was deathly afraid now, and he could see it in my eyes, he could bore through my soul like a drill. He began to laugh as I quietly cried. He jumped down off the window, and onto the floor, with a deathening thump. He walked towards me. I cried for help, and guards tried to rush to help me, but he did something to the door. It could not be opened, nor could it be broken down. I screamed until he took me in his arms, and covered my mouth. I struggled like a madwoman, clawing and biting at him. He didn't seem to notice. A waiting ship approached my window, and it teleported both him and I into it. "We were now in some kind of dungeon area. Chains lined the walls, and skeletons were heaped on the sheet metal floor. I prayed that he would not kill me, that I would not have to share the fate of the innocents that he killed. I was not to die then; I was to suffer a fate much worse than the most horrible death. I screamed as he came closer, but he showed no remorse. He t-t-t-t-hen...." Ayeka was having trouble spitting out the words, as she was crying hard now. "Go on." Joseph whispered. "H-H-H-He then tore off my clothing, and ra-ra-ravaged me. He poisoned my maidenhood - He murdered my virginity with his unholy sword. He yelled curses at me the entire time, especially when he was inside. Even while he was working on completing his ungodly act, he whipped me, slashed at me, generally tortured and tormented me with all of the most horrible implements imaginable. While I screamed for my sanity, and yelled in vain for someone to liberate me, he only laughed, doing his work harder, and much more painful." She had broken down into very deep weeping. Joseph waited patiently. He had the urge to go and comfort her right at that moment, but he knew from his Psionic training that she had to release all of her negative energies, and that he could not intervene, no matter what the cost to him or Ayeka. She finally got the courage to continue on: "After all this, he sedated me, keeping me in complete paralysis, while he subjected me to horrible tests and experiments. I could not even scream. While still in paralysis, he masked all the physical wounds, even the physical loss of virginity, while leaving the mental wounds to infect and rot. I then passed out, the combined power of the pain of both body and soul knocking me out of counciousness. I awoke, fully clothed, in my bed. The guards were finally able to open the door, and get me to safety, or what they thought was. If I had just been killed there and then, I would have been happy. But no, I was a Juraian princess. I could not even think of doing that. That was grilled into my mind by my parents long ago. After being placed on an escape ship, I could see my wounds clearly, but Kagato's power blocked anyone else from seeing it. He trapped me in a personal hell that I could not escape. Only after Kagato's death was I able to allow my wounds to be visible, and right afterwards I had Tsunami block my wounds from everyone's mind. I chose not to tell anyone about this when he was alive, as I had no visible proof at the moment. But after he died.....I could not bring myself to confess this to anyone, not even Sasami. You are the only one who knows, Joseph." She wiped her tears away. She was suprised as Joseph gently hugged her. He could not control himself. She was in so much pain....He knew how it was. She finally got the hug that she wanted from him a few weeks ago. She blushed at this, and it cheered her up somewhat. Her mood changed once more as she took off Tsunami's mental block. Her wounds were now visible. Most of them were healed, but there were still scrapes and bruises on her, and some odd and disturbing markings. Joseph closed his eyes when he saw this. "They can be healed quickly.....But I do not know how to work medical machinery." She said, quietly. There were some bruises and scrapes on her that seemed either older or younger than the markings from the rape. "There were more painful incidents, weren't there, Ayeka?" Joseph asked. She nodded slowly. "Both before....and after Kagato raped me, my father, Azusa, would sometimes beat me. When things went bad at the court, Azusa let me take the blunt of his anger. He would take me to a secluded room in the palace, and curse at me, yelling that it my fault, and then hitting me with objects, and spanking me. He did this for years, and made me hide the marks. He said that no one would believe me, as he is the loving King of Jurai, and that he would never harm his eldest daughter." She said, beginning to tear up again. "I could never be examined by a psychologist, as it is the Juraian belief that royalty are 'perfect', and 'holy', and do not require any of it. I could not tell my mother, as she would probably not believe me. Sasami was too young, and everyone else wouldn't believe a single word. I would have told Yosho, but he was fighting Ryoko, and disappeared before he could return. Once I am here, and learned of what really happened, I was heartbroken. He was to be my savior, my bastion of light in a world of dark, my last hope. But by now, he had married, and he was very old. He did not, and still does not understand how much he meant to me, how much I prayed to be with him....I then displaced my feelings onto Tenchi, as he was very similar to the way Yosho was when we were growing up - Kind, noble, warm, sensitive....I figured he was mine until I met Ryoko. She was, and still is very peculiar to me. I could identify with her, as she had been tortured by Kagato as well, even though I could not tell her. But I strayed from her, because of the openness of her feelings, and the lack of manners. We fought many times, but it was never out of hate. The both of us knew that it wasn't real, that we could never truly hate each other. That was proven on the many occasions when she saved my life, and when I saved hers. To me, she really was my best friend. She angered me with her teasings, and it perplexed me on we could be friends, even though we were attracted to the same man. Still, if she didn't care for Tenchi in the way she does....We might be friends right now. But I r-r-ruined that, with my angry tongue, and my hot-headed wit. Some of the things she does, some of the things she describes are so similar to things I went through that I want to get her on the right track before something horrible happens. The both of us are worried about what might happen to you or Tenchi, so we were very irritable, like a smoking match on dry wood. But today, something snapped, and I ruined any possible chance at friendship with her. She must hate me now. I deserve to be hated. I'm a b|tch to everyone. I am the harlot, not her." She stammered at the end as she began to cry once more. "I don't think you are whatever you called yourself, Ayeka. I do not hate you." A familiar, but unexpected voice said, clearly, and calmly, as she opened the door. Ayeka turned to the speaker. "R-Ryoko?" She asked, dumbfounded. "I listened to the whole thing. I understand now." Ryoko responded. "How the hell did you hear all of this? There's a sound block on the door!" Joseph asked. "It was made by your father. He always attached little microphones in case there were important conversations that should not be blocked. He and Washuu transmitted it all to me telepathically - The events, the images, the wounds, everything." Ryoko replied, then looking back towards Ayeka. "I know you didn't mean what you said earlier. About us being best friends - that is true. I do not hate you. We may fight a lot, and anger the hell out of each other, we still cannot hate each other. In a way, both of us suffered the same stuff, just from different aspects. I am sorry, Ayeka." "I am sorry too, Ryoko." Ayeka replied, both of them hugging. Ryoko then smiled mischievously. "Come on, princess. Why don't we go fight over MY Tenchi?" She asked, emphasizing the 'my'. Ayeka grinned. "You mean MY Tenchi, don't you?" "I guess they're back to normal....." Joseph thought, smiling. But things were not exactly normal. Every word that Ayeka spoke was completely true, and the same for Ryoko. They now knew for sure that they were friends, and that could never be stopped. The two women walked out of the room, teasing each other and smiling. Sasami, Tenchi, Noboyuki, the cabbits, Kasuhito, and Mihoshi looked at them, and smiled. They knew that everything was allright now between the two, that the comments earlier were accidental, not truthful. Joseph got out the door, and walked to the lab. Loknar and Washuu were inside, quietly crying, and holding each other. "Why did you snoop on a private conversation?" Joseph asked, annoyed. "We wanted to and needed to know." Washuu responded. "That is still no reason, damn it! This was to be between myself and Ayeka, not anyone else!" Joseph almost yelled, angrily, as his privacy had been denied. "You handled the situation perfectly, son." Loknar replied. "Now they truly know that they do not hate each other, and that the insults were hollow, and were not meant to be taken seriously. Because of what happened today, the both of them will probably be much happier. And do not worry, we only telepathically broadcasted it to Ryoko, and she will not say a word about it to any one." "Say a word about what?" A voice asked. It was not the usual, expected eavesdropper, Mihoshi. It was Tenchi. "Tenchi - What are you doing here?" Washuu asked, suprised. "I was curious as to what happened....I overheard Ryoko as she came into the room, accidentally turning off the sound block. Please, tell me what happened to Ayeka. I am concerned about her outburst today." Tenchi said, quietly. Ayeka usually did not tell Tenchi the darker parts of her past, especially the siege of Jurai. He wondered what had happened to her, and what she explained to Joseph. Tenchi already knew what Kagato had done to Ryoko; beating her, experimenting on her, and doing even more horrible things. He knew that Ryoko had been placed in her cave-prison for thousands of years, for crimes she didn't even commit. He had to know what had happened to Ayeka. Loknar shut the doors. Joseph sighed, and looked at Tenchi. "Do you really want to know?" He asked. Tenchi nodded. Joseph summarized what Ayeka had told him. As he finished, Tenchi was shocked. He had imagined that something horrible had happened to Ayeka in the past, but this was too much, equal to what had happened to Ryoko. Tenchi sat silently for a moment. But when he was about to get up, Washuu began to speak. "Tenchi, please do not talk to her about it right now. After what happened today, she needs some time to sort things out. In a few days, maybe, but please, not now." She said, quietly. "Why didn't she ever tell me about this?" Tenchi asked. "I was explained what happened to Ryoko around the time that Kagato struck, and that was years ago! If Kagato did something to Ayeka, why did she wait until now to explain it all?" "Ayeka is different from Ryoko, brother." Joseph said, quietly. "She is royalty; she has been trained from infancy to be as silent and polite as possible. Royalty usually do not discuss those matters. Royalty are too 'perfect' to have dark pasts. They are trained to believe any negative incident in their past as a fairy tale, and move on. She had tried to keep these memories of hers in the attic of her mind, hoping to never find them again. She did, and it hurt." Tenchi looked at the floor. He didn't understand it. "I care about her as much as I care about any of you, and she knows that. She knows she can trust me....." Tenchi told Joseph, until he was interrupted. "Tenchi! Time for your training!" Kasuhito said, at the door. Tenchi got up, and walked toward him. "I'll try to talk more later..." Tenchi told them, as he followed his grandfather outside. Over the past month or so, even before Stygian's attack, Kasuhito had dramatically increased the pace of the already advanced training, as if to prepare Tenchi for something, or someone. They went outside, near the usual training grounds. "Grandpa, the training has gotten a heck of a lot harder recently. Why?" Tenchi asked, picking up his wooden sword. "To prepare you." Kasuhito responded, picking up his. "Prepare me for what?" Kasuhito sighed, taking off his glasses for a moment, and cleaning them with his shirt. "Someone is coming here, Tenchi. Someone you have seen in your mind, someone that you wish not to exist. That person exists, Tenchi, and Joseph has seen him. After that, Tenchi got silent, and he began to train. He worked much harder with the sword, as he knew that he would need the extra practice very, very soon. Inside the house, Joseph too walked out of the lab. "Joseph! Mihoshi!" A slightly metallic voice called, from the counter. "Huh? What?" Mihoshi asked, reading a romance manga in the kitchen. "You are approximately 17 minutes, 37 seconds, and 23 milliseconds late for your mission." Yukonojo said, sounding annoyed. "I was clearing up something with Lady Ayeka and Ryoko." Joseph responded. "That is no excuse. You may or may not get a minor misconduct demerit for this, resulting in the loss of .00001 Galactic credits from your paycheck." Yukonojo replied. Joseph didn't have time for this. "Oh, be quiet, you haunted old tin can." Joseph said, looking Yukonojo in the eye. "I am not a tin can, sir." Joseph picked up Yukonojo, and dropped him in the trash can. "You're in one, now." Joseph smirked. Mihoshi giggled. "Joseph, don't tease Yukonojo." Mihoshi said, smiling. "You tease me too, you know." Yukonojo spoke, from within the bin, his voice echoing slightly. Joseph pulled the ornery robot out of the near-empty trash can, and began to walk outside, Mihoshi following him. In his hand was a small remote control, much like the kind used on garage door openers and remote car locks. He pressed it, pointing towards seemingly empty ground, and there was a little beep. The ground disappeared, revealing a medium sized ship, almost done de-cloaking. "Let's go." Joseph said, going into it, Mihoshi right behind him, as they entered the ship, and took off. ---- Meanwhile, in a supermarket near Okayama.... "Whatever! I don't care!" A man barked into a cell phone, as he pushed a shopping cart down the isle. Needledrop-like music played in the background, as it usually does in supermarkets. There was a slight scent of rotting fish in the air, because of a strategically placed piece of swordfish in the radiator, brought by some prankster. He pushed the cart along, banging into the isle itself a few times. "I'm telling you, this place is overpriced as heck! Look at this!" He said, then picking up a small package of rice. "644 Yen for a package of rice from by that gawd-damn Mitsui's Food Pantry! Yes, you have heard of them! Remember a few nights ago, when we ordered some food over the darn phone! This pimple-faced punk shows up, about an hour late, holding some beat-up card. He kept calling me 'sir/madam/resident' the whole damn time! He tried to sing this stupid company song that made no sense at all! I'm serious! He was raving about, and I quote this as best as I can, "Grrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggg ssssss from the Okayama/Yokohama/San Francisco/Tokyo/New York/London/Hokkaido location of Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitttttsssssssuuuuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii's food mart!" The darn kid had all of these made up locations on the darn card! I doubt that some greasy little food delivery place has any other store outside of Okayama! May something kill me horribly if they have locations in Yokohama, San Francisco, Tokyo, New York and whatnot! Damn! What? Oh, I crashed into the damn aisle again. There's a buncha broken bottles of gawddamn soy sauce on the ground now! It's not your fault! Hell yes, it is your fault, buddy!" The man continued his long, ranting conversation with a friend of his over the cell phone. "I don't care! Oh, Lord. Look at what they are pricing for imported American beef jerky! 2, 576 yen, for crying out loud! They only price the stuff for three dollars in America! Damnation, what is this world coming to, where we overprice by about......Let me convert it.....Hell, they're overpricing about 17 American dollars!" The man yelled, an old woman then glaring at him for his rantings. "Oh, go to hell lady! Nothing happened. Just this old lady glared at me because I was talking to you!" He continued. The old woman grumbled to herself, and got back to her shopping. As the man continued raving and ranting, the room suddenly fell silent. The bad music playing in the background ceased. "So then this.....What the hell? Everything got suddenly quiet. Yes, even the damned music stopped!" Something moved above him, but was too fast to see. "What the hell is that?" It moved again. "Something just moved overhead, and it looked red, like blood!" He whispered into the phone. Once more it moved, but much closer. "Okay, this is starting to frighten me." Now it moved in back of him. A blood red omega glyph was visible for a moment on the figure's chest. "Who the hell are........OH, GOD!" Were the man's last words, right before all the lights in the building turned off, and there was a dead, stiffening silence, like that of a grave. The roof suddenly collapsed. ---- Their ship soon approached the planet Baryon II, a lush, earth-like world, with massive oceans and immense forests, covering the whole planet. Little streaks of silver dotted the foresty areas, evidence of cities. "We're here." Joseph told Mihoshi, smiling. "Okay. Just let me put my uniform on." Mihoshi said, in the small washroom. Joseph waited a few minutes, while they entered orbit of the planet. He stared at the planet for awhile, going into a little daydream. "Joseph....Joseph, wake up!" Mihoshi spoke, breaking him out of the dream. "Oh, heh.........." Joseph replied, embarrassed. They got strapped into their seats, as Joseph prepared to enter the atmosphere of the planet. "Ready, Mihoshi?" "Yup!" "Do we have a beacon at our target?" "Yup!" Joseph nodded, as they soon entered the atmosphere. They could soon see their landing site, a large, fallow field, with odd runes carved all over it. Joseph read them, and frowned. "Those are Antaran runes.....That could only mean one thing........." Joseph thought, rage suddenly filling him. "Koros is here. It will only be a matter of time before I have to face that SOB....." The anger left him as they landed, and got out. "Special Agent Joseph Anonymous, Psionics and Extra-Universal Officer." He said, saluting the commander nearby. "First Class Lieutenant Mihoshi." Mihoshi said, also addressing the superior officer. "Greetings." The corporal muttered. He was a gruff man, in his fifties; his short gray hair seemed completely the inverse of his dark green eyes. "As you can see, we have a strange message encoded in this field, and the farmer can't seem to plow over it. We sent some local officers in, but they had no success, either. They detected some strange radio signals emanating from these carved runes, so we were sent in. We could be working on a case that mattered at the moment, but someone at command said we should do this one." Joseph and Mihoshi examined the runes for a little bit, other officers doing the same. "One of these dirt thingies look like some crazy mathematical shape." Mihoshi said, not exactly understanding the purpose of the mission. While Mihoshi couldn't understand what the runes were, Joseph translated them, using a field guide for an Ancient Orion soldier, which Loknar had given him a long time ago. The book provided translations for many languages of the era of the first AGN, including Antaran. Joseph wrote down the runes on a sheet of paper first, and then matched the runes with the translation. "Pray, little sheep. The butcher is coming." The runes read. Below the runes was a an omega glyph, the mark of Koros. Once Joseph read them, the runes seemed to fill with blood, then suddenly disappearing. "Wha...What the heck happened?" Mihoshi asked, as suprised as anyone else. "Special Agent Anonymous, were you able to translate the markings before they disappeared?" The Corporal asked, running up to him. Joseph nodded, a depressed expression on his face. "The Brother of Kagato is coming for revenge." Joseph whispered. "Holy Tsunami! We need to relay this to HQ immediately! Did you copy down the runes, Joseph?" Joseph responded by handing him the paper that he had copied the runes onto. The corporal quickly thanked him, then running to a subspace radio transmitter nearby, and explained the entire thing to his superiors. Joseph sat down for a moment, just staring at where the runes were. Mihoshi didn't question what he was doing, as she was petting a cat that had walked by. After a few minutes, most of the other officers had left. A green haired woman stood at the other side of where the runes were, collecting a soil sample for further study. She wore a conventional GP uniform, and had a red headband. "This was a very easy mission, but still quite strange." She thought, then writing it down in her case report. "You're a very cute little kitty, you know?" Mihoshi asked the purring cat. The woman dropped her electronic pen and case report, a look of astonishment on her face. Very quickly, the expression turned from astonishment to rage. "YOU!" She shouted, running at Mihoshi. "Ki-?" Was all Mihoshi could say, before the green haired woman pointed her laser at her. "Give me one damned reason why I should not kill you, Mihoshi!" She screamed. "K-Kiyone? You're a-a-a-live?" Mihoshi asked, very bewildered. "Answer me!" "I don't think it's wise for an officer to put a gun to another's head." Joseph said, putting his index finger in the barrel, and taking it from the woman, then reading her identification number. "Tell me, Officer Kiyone, what problem do you have with Miho-.........Nevermind, I remember. You were her partner, weren't you?" Kiyone could only look at Joseph. To her, Joseph looked extremely attractive, and quite cute. "How the heck did Mihoshi get someone like him as a friend?" She thought to herself. Mihoshi got over the initial shock, and shook her head a little, as if to release the confusion from her. She smiled warmly, and then hugged Officer Kiyone. "Kiyone! You're alive! I missed you so much!" Mihoshi said, hugging her way too tightly. "Mihoshi....Please let go." Kiyone tried to say, her voice small because the hug was cutting off her flow of oxygen. "You were so brave in the energy matter crisis! You sacrificed yourself for the universe!" Mihoshi spoke quickly, spitting out compliments like bullets from a gun. "I didn't sacrifice myself! You pushed me into that river of orange plasma! Before the mad scientist's ship was destroyed, I managed to get away in the space pirate's ship, but the engines were destroyed in the blast! I was stuck in a rotting piece of metal siding for two years because of you! YOU! You know how that feels, Mihoshi?" Kiyone yelled, the complete opposite of what Mihoshi was saying. Mihoshi thought about this for a moment. "Anyway, it's wonderful that you are allright!" Mihoshi beamed, hugging her again, ignoring what had just been said, Kiyone sweatdropping. "Mihoshi, I think Kiyone's been under a lot of stress lately....Could you let her go?" Joseph asked Mihoshi, as he saw she was once again cutting off her circulation with the bear hug. "Okay." Mihoshi said, easily letting go of her. Kiyone was startled by this. "How.......How did you make her let go?" She asked. "I just asked her." Joseph replied, smiling. "By the way, I'm Special Agent Joseph Anonymous, Officer in the Psionics and Extra-Universal departments." "Lieutenant Kiyone Makibi." She responded, blushing as he helped her up. "I could never get her to do that." "It takes practice, but it works." Joseph looked around a little. "Everyone's left. Should we head home, Mihoshi? We can submit the report later." Joseph said. "Sure!" Mihoshi said, smiling. "But could Kiyone come with us?" "I don't think that would be a problem. How about it, Kiyone?" Kiyone thought to herself about this for a moment. As she had escaped from her ship-prison less than a week ago, she had no place to go. When she was missing in action, most of her belongings and her apartment were sold. For the past few nights, she had been sleeping in ships that she borrowed for missions, and the chairs on the bridge gave her one heck of a neckache. Since Joseph would be there, Kiyone thought it wouldn't be that bad. But then, another reality hit her - Mihoshi is there, so that could mean.... "Maybe. Just wondering, Mihoshi....Could I talk to you for a second?" Kiyone asked. Mihoshi nodded, and came over... "Uh, Mihoshi.....Are you and Joseph an couple?" She whispered. "Not 'yet'." Mihoshi responded, giggling a little. A smile crept across Kiyone's face. Joseph could still be hers, if she tried hard enough. "But why are you two living together then?" "We don't just live with each other - There's tons of other people there. You'll really like 'em, Kiyone." Again, Kiyone tried to decide this. Joseph would be there, but so with the bubbledheaded blonde. Still, Joseph could protect her from the antics of Mihoshi....She knew how Mihoshi was. They had been roommates a few years back, when they first started working in the Galaxy Police, up until the Ultra-energy matter caper. Mihoshi had a few odd habits; sleepwalking, singing in the shower, drawing chibi-SD versions of people she knew, and her normal ditziness. But she still had to factor in the other people that they lived with. "Well, they probably can't be as crazy as Mihoshi is......" She thought, hopefully. "I guess I could come." She told them, smiling. "Yay!" Mihoshi cried, happily, giving Kiyone another bear hug. Kiyone mumbled a bit, but smiled. Joseph opened the door of his ship, using his key remote. "I love this thing..." He thought, stepping in. "Should two of us go in one ship or...." Kiyone asked, looking at her ship. "Just a moment...." Joseph said, getting to the controls of his ship. A small slot opened at the top of the ship. It got larger, revealing a compartment big enough to hold Kiyone's smaller, borrowed ship. He entered some commands on the control panel, and a few dozen little robots, bearing the emblem of Loknar and Washuu, jumped out, and hoisted Kiyone's ship into the compartment, and closed it. "....I've never seen that feature on a GP ship before..." Kiyone told him. "It isn't standard. My father, and his err......Girlfriend designed it, and installed it. You'll meet them at the house, too." Joseph replied, then motioning for them to get in. Mihoshi walked by Kiyone, just happy that her best friend was alive. She tried hard not to cry; she had thought Kiyone dead for two years, and that she would never see her again, until she went to heaven. Mihoshi realized that moment that she didn't have to die to see Heaven. Heaven was a medium-sized house near a pond in the mountainous countryside, with a lot of lovable, but quirky people. Kiyone sat on one side of Joseph, Mihoshi on the other. "Ready to go?" He asked them. "Yupyup!" Mihoshi replied, smiling. "Allright." Joseph replied, the ship gently lifting off. "You guys may want to buckle up....The conventional drive engine system on here is a little rickety, so it may get shaky. I have to fix that soon." "How rickety do you meeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn??" She asked, as they began to leave the atmosphere, and the ship shook. Joseph kicked the control panel a bit, and the ship stopped shaking for a moment, then shaking a little softer. "I think something is stuck in the steering shaft..." Kiyone said, opening up the panel, revealing a romance manga left there by a certain blonde. "Oh! So that's where it went!" Mihoshi exclaimed, then getting some tape, and beginning to repair the slightly-torn manga. "Manga in the steering shaft. Made the steering mechanism knock back in forth. It wasn't the engine." Kiyone said, thinking out loud. "How did you know that it was a manga, and not the engine?" Joseph wondered out loud, amazed. "When you've spent a few years with Mihoshi, you begin to understand the insides of ships, hopefully ones that are still usable." She replied. "Joseph, you know where some clear tape is? This electrical tape is blocking out some of the pictures." Mihoshi then asked. "It's in the meeting room, Mihoshi. The computer there could probably print you out another copy of the manga." Joseph responded. "I'll be right back then!" Mihoshi spoke, as she ran into the meeting room with the shredded manga. In a matter of seconds, she returned with a seemingly new manga. "I don't think the computer prints that fast..." Joseph said. "It doesn't, so I fixed the manga myself." "How'd you do such a good job in ten seconds?" Kiyone asked. "I dunno. Anyway, let's go home." She replied. "What was that all about?" Joseph asked Kiyone. "Just one of the many mysteries of Mihoshi...." The GP replied, looking out into the stars surrounding them. ---- Back at the Masaki residence, about half an hour later, Ryoko watched a scifi anime. "Shinji, you can pilot EVA-01!" A woman said, on the television. "I can't! I'll die, you'll die, and it will be all my fault!" A youth cried. "Damn, Joseph is right. Shinji is the biggest wimp in the Multiverse!" Ryoko said, then frowning as a news flash came on, interrupting her anime. "Tragedy at an Okayama supermarket." The report's title read. The reporter came on, a burning wreck of a building in the background. The roof had completely caved in, and the windows shattered. Wrecked cars were scattered around it, and there was fire in some of both the cars and the building. Strange runes seemed to be visible in the fire, with the emblem of a red omega below it. "I'm standing outside of the remnants of the Korikani Supermarket. Something unexplained and horrible transpired here less than half an hour ago. The building apparently collapsed, with no explanation as of why. The building had its' structural codes up to date, and had re-inforced the walls, after that huge flood a few years back." The reporter spoke to the camera. "I don't think we'll be shopping there again." Ryoko said, as she watched. "Approximately twenty are dead, and countless others injured. Witnesses describe seeing a black blur with a strange, crimson star on its' belly before the destruction. Okayama police are dumbfounded as to the cause of the razing of this building, but they have stated that there must be a scientific explanation for it." The reporter continued. Ryoko looked at the runes in the fire, and frowned. "I'll need to talk to Joseph about this...He might be able to translate them." She thought. While the report continued, Tenchi was finishing his training for the day. "One last time, Tenchi." Kasuhito said, then charging at Tenchi with his wooden sword. Tenchi blocked the practice attack with his own sword. "Good. You're learning, Tenchi." Kasuhito told him, a faint smile on his face. Ayeka smiled as well. She had been watching them from the shrine. Tenchi was getting better at his training, and she knew that Kasuhito saw that. It comforted her to know that the man that she was going to try to marry was a good swordsmen. However, she wondered what was taking Joseph and Mihoshi so long.... Right after she thought that, their ship quietly landed. "No crash. Good. Joseph must be piloting." She thought, getting up. She waved as Joseph and Mihoshi stepped out, but wondered who the green-haired GP was. "Hi Joseph! Hi Mihoshi! Who's that with you?" Tenchi asked them, walking up. "She's Kiyone, my long lost partner! Remember the ultra-energy matter caper I told you about?" Mihoshi asked him. "She's allright?" "Yup! She was stuck in a ship for a couple of years, though." Kiyone looked at Tenchi. He looked somewhat similar to the male GP that the space pirate had captured during the ultra-energy matter case. "Ah, well then, pleased to meet you, Kiyone!" Tenchi said, smiling and shaking her hand. Ayeka came up as well. "Greetings, Miss Kiyone. I am Ayeka, Crown Princess of Jurai." She spoke, smiling. Again, another similarity; Ayeka looked kind of like the heiress from the case....Wait a moment. Why would the princess of Jurai be here? "Don't mind my asking, but...Shouldn't you be at the palace, princess?" Kiyone asked sheepishly, as she did not want to offend the princess. "No; This is my adopted home." She replied, smiling again as she thought about Tenchi. "Then how did you get here?" "It's a long story. Sasami, could you come outside? Miss Kiyone, Mihoshi's friend, is here!" Ayeka called. "Coming...." Sasami responded. Sasami walked outside, and smiled at Kiyone, remembering her from the picture that Mihoshi had shown her. "You must be Kiyone! It's so nice to meet you!" Sasami told her, curtseying. "Pretty Sammy...." Kiyone whispered, remembering. "What?" "Nothing. You just looked like someone I knew..." Kiyone told her, thinking. "What's all the hubbub?" Washuu asked, standing by the door, Loknar right beside her, and the cabbits at their feet. "Joseph and Mihoshi are home, and Mihoshi's long-lost partner is here." Tenchi told them. "Well then...You must be Kiyone." Said Loknar. ".......Yes." Kiyone was a little startled. She hadn't seen Loknar before, but Washuu looked amazingly similar to the mad scientist from that case. Loknar and Washuu walked up to her. "Miss Kiyone....Do you happen to know how to keep Miss Bubblehead out of our laboratory?" Washuu asked, whispering. She was even more startled when Washuu mentioned the word 'lab'. "...You aren't a mad scientist, aren't you?" She responded with a question. "Every genius is a little mad....But my boyfriend, Tassi, and I are...." Washuu spoke, Loknar then saying the last part with her, "The Two Greatest Geniuses in the Multiverse!" Kiyone blinked. She may have misjudged her predictions that the other guests weren't as crazy as Mihoshi. This was proven as a certain space pirate teleported behind her. "Boo." Kiyone jumped. "Yaghhh! Who the heck are you?" Kiyone asked, startled once more, both because of the sudden scare, and the fact that she looked like the pirate from that last case. "Ryoko. And who may you be? If you try to hit on my Tenchi, you'll regret it." Ryoko replied. "Miss Kiyone, please excuse Ryoko here. She's quite ignorant at times. Besides, Lord Tenchi is mine." Ayeka said, cutting in. "Why you...." Ryoko said, beginning to argue with Ayeka. She had definitely misjudged the probability of craziness. Kasuhito and Noboyuki came to greet her as well. "Hello, Miss Kiyone. I am Kasuhito, Tenchi's grand-" He was trying to say, before a certain hentai cut in. "Hooray! Another guest! Another woman guest, too!" Noboyuki said, grinning. "Uh...Dad, can you please...." Tenchi asked. "Not now, son..." Noboyuki told him. Noboyuki was about to try more of his 'tactics' when Ryoko went over to Joseph, having finished her argument with Ayeka. "....There is a news report that I think you should see, Joseph." She said quietly. "A supermarket collapsed, and there are some of the runes you told us about all over the wreckage." Joseph raced into the house, followed by everyone else. He watched the report, rage growing within him. He read the runes, and translated them. They were the same as they were on the field in Baryon II. Kiyone and Mihoshi recognized that as well. Joseph stood there silently, the rage visible only in his eyes, the rest of his face emotionless. His pupils were narrowed, and his blue eyes seemed to be on fire. Loknar frowned as he saw the news report as well. He turned on his computer, and looked up the latest Galactic News. "There's a news flash here too...." Loknar said silently, having everyone come and see it. A large, dome-like satellite was on the picture. It was filled with forests, and Juraian shrines, but there seemed to be darkness in the center, and it was spreading. "Sasami, can you please leave the room? I....I don't think you should see this." Ayeka told her sister, who promptly left the room with the two cabbits. "This is GHK News. Breaking news......The Juraian satellite colony of Tsaniko has been invaded by an unknown force. The Juraian Palace lost contact with the colony approximately three hours ago. Since then, bodies have been seen scattered about the now-darkening dome. Juraian trees have fallen dead and have begun to rot, and the governor's palace has grown completely dark. All attempts at communication have been met with silence." The reporter began, standing on the bridge of a GP ship, hovering about fifty miles from it. "Several Galaxy Police ships have been dispatched to the area, but all of them were destroyed by innumerable fighter craft, each bearing the emblem of a red omega glyph in a black field. It is not known who or what is ordering these attacks on the Juraian Kingdom and the Galaxy Police, but they have left a message. We take you now to camera two, which has a series of runes somehow inscribed into the unbreakable stone of the governor's palace." A series of runes were seen on the screen, and the usual red omega at the bottom. Joseph translated it out loud, getting angrier as he did: "Greetings, Mr. Anonymous, Miss Ayeka, Miss Sasami, Miss Mihoshi, Miss Washuu, Miss Ryoko, Mr. Yosho, Mr. Noboyuki, Mr. Tenchi, Mr. Loknar, and possibly Miss Kiyone. I am Lord Koros of Antares, Master of Death, brother of Mr. Kagato. The killings that you witnessed on this colony and on Earth will continue until you come here. I want revenge, children. I want to do to you what you did to him. Please rest assured that your deaths will be long and painful. Come and be slaughtered. Refuse to come and more shall die at my blade. Until you arrive, little sheep...." "I am going to kill that SOB once and for all." Joseph rasped, the full spectrum of rage visible in his voice. "I agree." Tenchi said quietly. Everyone else said the same. Ken-Ohki and Ryo-Ohki came out from the other room, knowing that they were needed. The two jumped into the air, and they changed into their ship forms, shining slightly as the sun set, the pale purples, golds, reds, and oranges reflecting off of them. From the few clouds scattered about in the air, small flakes of snow gently drifted down. Tenchi watched in both silence, and a kind of strange fear. The last time that snow fell was when Kagato attacked for the first time. In several variations of his night terrors, Tenchi frequently saw snowflakes - But they were not normal snowflakes. They were as red as blood, as if they were blood, crystallized blood. Joseph, on one of his rare occasions of discussing the Battle of the River of Blood, described a weapon similar to acid rain, known as Crimson Snowflakes. The Melkars had dropped it from their bombers, killing entire cities with it. They could eat through metal. Tenchi shivered, hoping that Koros would not use that weapon against them. Joseph looked up into the sky for a moment, the first stars of the night visible. "This is for you, Miranda....." He whispered. ---- Lady Tokimi watched the actions of Koros and those of the Masaki residence carefully. Her eyes were almost dead, unblinking. She stood by her throne, in complete darkness. One moment later, she opened a portal to Koros' throne, within the governor's palace. Koros grinned at her. "It has begun, Tokimi." He whispered. "Good, good." She replied quietly, looking around the darkened and defiled throne room. Juraian flags were tattered and torn, guards lay dead on the floor, and a thin layer of blood soaked the carpet. It had begun.