Power of the Gods A Tenchi Fan Fiction by Jacob McDonald Chapter 4: The Power of Faith Note: I don't own any of the characters in this story, nor did I make any of them up (well, except for Hiro....) I just decided to write a story about them. I'd say that's one of the biggest forms of flattery out there, to have such a great story that other's want to write about it. So please, this is a fan appreciative story, don't sue me for using your stuff OK? (Believe me, you wouldn't get too much any way....) Author's notes: You HAVE to read the other three parts of this series to get this one... and you should really read the six parts of What Happens Next? as it was the series that precedes this one. Man, that's a lot of reading... maybe I should start making these things shorter.... but what fun would that be? See all ya'll at the closing comments.... Morgen had decided a long time ago that he liked his job. It was easy to fly a galactic transport from one world to another. All he had to do was plot a course, and the ship flew it's self. Oh, there was the occasional emergency he had to fly around, or a pirate attack, but those were few and far between. All in all, he had an easy time shipping goods between worlds. Ever since the fall of the Empire his work load had grown to the point where he needed to hire a crew to help him. If you could call the two men in his employ a crew. Tan was a skinny sandy haired youth who was good for little more then simple repairs and moving crates, and Barbus was an ex-pirate who was just along for a cut of the cash really. The rare cases when he did have to defend the ship were over in seconds due to the remarkable defenses Morgen had been able to upgrade to. Still Barbus was kept around just in case they were ever boarded. Morgen was in a particularly good mood this day as he strolled around the corridors of his ship's command deck, checking on everything. He made it a point to do so once every few days to clean up and fix anything that needed cleaning or fixing. He ran a clean, functional ship, and wouldn't have it any other way. He was disturbed presently by a beeping noise coming through the ships intercom, then Tan's voice, "Hey, Cap'n? Could you find your way up to the bridge real quick? We got somethin' out here that's kinda' weird..." Morgen sighed and pushed a button on the nearest wall display, "I'll be there shortly." he quickly checked about the command deck's mess hall (it was big enough to feed maybe five people) and then trotted off down the hall to the bridge. Once there he took the command chair from Tan and looked at the displays, "Now what's up?" "Look right there..." Tan pointed to speck on the visual. Morgen zoomed the view in and saw that it was a young man, seemingly unharmed, save a few burns and cuts, floating in space. "What the..." he couldn't quite understand it. How could a normal person just float around in space and not be frozen solid by the lack of any heat, or burnt to a crisp by a stray radiation belt, or simply imploded from the total lack of air? Obviously this was no normal person. "What's really weird though," Tan continued, "Is this." he punched up a display next to the visual. Morgen's eyes went wide. "He's still alive!" the Captain shouted and jumped up. "Who is?" Barbus asked as he walked in. He scanned the visual and the life scan and frowned, "We should blast him to a sub-atomic smear." he said in a worried tone. "What? We don't even know if he's friend or foe yet!" Morgen looked at the former pirate with a frown, "Have some compassion Barbus. We can't just kill every last person we come across out here." "Compassion killed the Yuolithor!" Barbus growled, using the old saying, "We can't trust a boy floating in the middle of space who is unharmed and still alive. It's just not smart!" "I'll be the judge of that. Tan, let's get him inside the ship. He's obviously not able to himself." Morgen turned and walked off the bridge followed by his two man crew. They came to the one cargo hold that was empty on this run, and Tan used the loading arm to reach out and grab the young man from space. Once the bay had been filled with air, the three of them walked over to where he lay on the hard steel floor. His clothes were strange, none of them had seen the likes of them before on any world they'd been to. Other then that however, he appeared to be a normal human or Jurian. His hair stood on end, bowed slightly out, and was jet black with green at the tips. On one side of his face, a scar from a burn adorned his jaw line. His sharp features were accented by a serious expression, which he wore it seemed, while in slumber. He moved a little and the three men jumped back. Barbus drew a blaster and held it ready while Morgen moved forward. He knelt next to the young man and helped him sit up. When the stranger finally opened his eyes, the Captain was almost startled by their bright green color. A flash of green light washed over them and the crew jumped back with their captain. The stranger looked at them all in turn, then his eyes rested on the blaster in Barbus's hand. He frowned and the gun's power cell exploded, causing Barbus to throw it to the side with a curse. "You wont need that." the young man said, getting unsteadily to his feet. Morgen, undaunted by the obvious display of power rushed forward and helped him up, ignoring the cautioning words from Barbus. "What's your name son?" the kindly old Captain asked. "Hiro Yehmi... you have to help me..." "I'll do what I can... what is it you need?" "Take me to the Sol system. Planet Earth." Two weeks latter, they were passing Jupiter. Hiro stared out the port window at the moon Io as it passed, remembering his first night with Ryoko. They had flown to that hunk of rock and made love long into the night.... He shook the thoughts from his head. Twelve years had passed. She might not have waited for his return. He was sure that after a few years they would have given up hope and moved on. Earth was his best starting point to finding them though, so that's where they were headed. Hiro had helped Morgen and his crew in the remainder of the haul they had been making, and as thanks Morgen had agreed to take him to the Earth, where, Hiro, assured him, he could find another ship if he needed it, and pay him for his trouble. While they had been on the route to deliver the goods they had been shipping, they came under attack by a band of pirates. Hiro had dispatched them quickly, and after that incident Barbus had given a fair amount of respect to the young warrior. Tan was a friendly youth, and he got along well with everyone by Morgen's report, so Hiro had befriended him as well. The Captain himself had been nothing but helpful to him, making him the first real ally Hiro had in this strange new Universe that used to be his home. As he watched the rings of Saturn flow past him like a great river, he sensed a presence entering the room. He felt it out and found that it was Morgen. "What can I do for you Captain?" he asked. Morgen paused for a moment, slightly taken aback, then he chuckled, "You'll never stop amazing me, Hiro. How did you know it was me?" "It's a power I've found I developed since I've been back in this dimension. I can feel individual people's energy patterns, and if I feel them often enough, I memorize them and know if they're near." "You have many gifts." "Yeah..." "Are you glad to be home?" "There's so many memories... so many of them sad..." "There must have been some happy times." Morgen smiled at his young friend. "Yeah, more happy then sad, but the happy ones just remind me what's happened. I've been gone for twelve years, Morgen. I had a woman I was going to marry, and I don't even know if she's still alive, let alone waiting for me. My friends and family... they could all be dead, or they could all have forgotten and moved on." "If it makes you feel any better," Morgen said softly, putting one hand on the younger man's shoulder, "I've only known you for a few weeks, and I'll never forget you. Not just your great power, but your spirit as well." he squeezed Hiro's shoulder then walked off. The young warrior looked out at the small read orb that flew past the ship. Mars. Next stop: Earth. His home. The ship set down in the large open area next to the lake. Minutes later, Hiro, Morgen, Barbus, and Tan all appeared on the ground and looked about. Where the Masaki house had once stood was a field. Overgrown with grass and wild flowers, Hiro thought this must have been what the valley looked like before Ryoko had dropped Tenchi's house here. They searched around for a while, until Tan fell over. When Hiro helped him up he explained he had tripped on something. Hiro knelt and brushed some dirt and plants away and found a stone. A man made stone. He flew up into the air and looked down. The outline of the Masaki house's foundation was clear. He landed near to the spot he thought the hall might have been. He waved his hand through the air. Nothing. "What is it you're looking for?" Barbus called to him from where the kitchen would have been. He bent and pulled a carrot from the ground where it was growing. He sniffed at it then stuck it in his pack. "A door." Hiro replied, "Just a door, standing straight, with no walls. At least it doesn't have to have walls..." "I don't see any of them around here..." Morgen said trudging up. Hiro frowned. This was the right spot. He knew it was. "Hey Hiro!" Tan called as he trotted up as well, followed by Barbus, "Your watch is going off." "I don't wear a watch..." Hiro replied and looked down at his left wrist. The Gem was pulsing. "What the hell...." Barbus breathed. "It's my Gem..." Hiro wondered at this new development, "Stand back..." he said, and they all complied. He extended his arm, and held it to the spot he thought the door should be. I appeared, and opened, showing a yawning black void beyond it's frame. "Should we go in?" Tan asked, but Hiro had already walked over. The green haired young man walked in without hesitation. The others looked at one another, shrugged, and followed him in. Washu's lab was as it had always been. The plants still grew, the specimens were still alive, and the droids still did the upkeep. Hiro walked over and jumped up onto the seat pillow that still floated near the over look for this particular planet section. He held his hands out, and once again, his Gem pulsed. The holo- computer appeared under his fingers and he began typing. "Yes! Data is undamaged! Gathering information! Done..." Hiro read. "What is it?" Tan asked after a few minutes. "Hmm? What?" Hiro asked, turning to face his three friends. "This place!" Tan threw his arms up and looked around, "It's huge!" "It's five small planets actually, and it was once the personal lab of the most brilliant scientific genius in the universe." Hiro replied as if that explained everything. "And what happened to him?" Barbus asked nervously fingering his blaster. "SHE became a Goddess." Hiro replied, turning back to the computer. He began to open files and search folders. He finally turned back to the three men with him. They all stood with mouths agape, "Look I know it's a little much to take in all at once, but try to keep up. We have important work to do... I've located the files for my ships AI... it was built here you see... and it's been busy." "It still works when it's owner is away?" Tan asked as they followed Hiro to a teleporting pad. "Yeah... more then that, it upgrades it's self. When the computer here found that the ship had simply vanished, it assumed that meant it was destroyed." he paused for a moment and said, "Hanger." they were all teleported there in an instant and Hiro walked off the pad, leaving the other three staggering after him, "So it started construction of a new ship. Over the years, it's been keeping tabs on all the discoveries and advances around the galaxy (and there haven't been many that it didn't already know about) and it's been incorperating them into it's design. So..." Hiro flipped a switch as they came to a control desk in the hanger and a light came on above a green ship, maybe half the size of the cargo ship they had come here in, but much sleeker. It's hull was shinny and new, proving that it had never been out of the confines of the lab. Hiro punched a few commands into the consol he stood at then walked up to the ship, his friends following him. A boarding ramp lowered and they walked on. "I must say, it's much bigger then the first one was. Lowrider?" there was a beep, and the familure voice responded. "Hiro. You've been gone a long time." "And you've made some nice upgrades in my absence!" "Would you like me to list them for you?" "Later. We have to find Tenchi and the others... what can you tell me?" "After the fall of the Empire, Dr. Clay took control of most of its planets. His droids enforce the peace, and things returned to a semi-normal state." "So he's playing that card huh? Continue." Hiro frowned. A populace that didn't know it was being controled didn't rise up to revolt. "The only reliable information I can give you is that Tenchi and the others went into hiding shortly after the Empire's collapse. They began a revoulotionary group, but have had little luck with recruiting people to the cause. The populace is content with the slightly more enforced way of life if it means no further blood shed." "I thought so." Hiro frowned. This was going to make Tenchi harder to find, "Are there any other events I should know about, Lowrider?" "Great amounts of Jurian energy have been detected throughout the galaxy at places where Tenchi and his freedom fighters have been said to attack. The levels are far greater then the initial power summoned by Tenchi when he was using the three Wings of the Lighthawk. Reports from one man who survived such an attack tell of a man who wields seven Wings." "He did it then..." Hiro smiled, "He increased his power." "You're in leage with the Jurian Freedom Fighters?" Barbus asked. "I am." Hiro turned to him, "Is there something wrong with that?" "No..." Barbus smiled wanly, "You see, so am I...." "So you see, when she asked, I couldn't just turn her down... I mean, Ryoko had saved my life! I may have been a pirate, and I might have been robbing her, but when those droids came after me, she helped me out. I'm Jurian born, and I guess I felt a little bit of nationality right then. I signed up. I've been working for Morgen here, hopping from place to place, acting as an informant." Barbus shook his head, "Never thought I'd run into the kid who's gonna' save all of our asses from Tokimi." "Why didn't you tell us before?" Morgen asked. "Frankly? I didn't trust you. That's why I wanted to blast Hiro out in space. I was worried he was one of Tokimi's agents...." "Tell me about these agents of Tokimi's..." Hiro asked. "There's ten of 'em." Barbus said with a serious expression, "But that's all there needs to be... I've only seen one of the bastards myself... he just blasted the Jurian I was with into little chunky bits and took off. That was before I joined the revolt, and I found out latter that the Jurian man, his name was Bjoren, he was really a Jurian Knight... full of power and all. I hear that Lord Tenchi is the only one who's fought one of the Agents and lived... and he didn't even kill it. 'Course that was years ago... he's much stronger now... might be able to take one..." "Hmmm.... Well, you three can stay here tonight. I'll pull your ship into the hanger here Morgen.... I'm taking off in the late afternoon tomarrow." "I'll stay with you... if you don't mind losing me that is..." Barbus turned to Morgen, who looked lost in thought. "I think I'll stay on as well... I'm no Jurian, but I know this is a cause that has to be fought for... I really don't want the Universe destroyed..." Morgen nodded his head. "I guess that means I'm in too." Tan said happily, "Now where do you keep the food on this ship?" They had been in the lounge (a new feature Hiro was especially impressed by) while Barbus had been telling them his story. Hiro smiled, "Lowrider, point Tan to the mess hall. Also, upload command prompts from all three of these men, Clearance Level Beta." he smiled at all of them, "Now I have some work to do... Lowrider will send one of you to come get me at this time tomarrow... I'll see you then." "What are you going to do? Can we help?" Morgen was more then happy to jump into this. Hiro laughed as he walked to the door, "I'm going to train. Tenchi and the others have twelve years on me, and I'm not letting them get that far ahead. I just happen to know how to get twelve years of training in a day... so I'll see you guys then." and he left. At that time the next day, Morgen and Tan were waiting outside the time chamber when it went off with a 'bing!' They looked on with awe written on their faces as the door slid open and Hiro stepped out. He had aged very little. The genes he shared with Ryoko and Washu made sure of that. He looked like a different man though. His straight, black, hair dropped down past his shoulders, which had broadened and now rippled with muscle. His frame was much heavier, his muscle's having been pushed to the limit and back so many times in the fifteen years he had spent in the chamber. His clothing was in tatters, and his skin looked slightly darker. The eyes that stared out from his head though, were the major difference. Morgen noted that, while they had been green before, they now had vertical pupils, and seemed to glow all the time. A faint aura of power was radiating from him, but it vanished quickly. Morgen and Tan stood under Hiro's gaze, which had hardened in the day since they'd seen him. They were starting to feel quite nervous until a smile split Hiro's face. Tan sighed and wiped sweat from his brow, but Morgen wasn't sure which look frightened him more... the one of intense seriousness, or the haunting smile that had none of Hiro's usual warmth and friendly nature behind it. It was cold, and it worried him. The Lowrider Mark II flew into orbit one hour latter and Hiro preformed a surface scan of the Earth. He growled at what he found. "Clay turned it into a factory..." he said softly as Barbus looked over his shoulder. "Well, maybe we should let Tenchi know of our location... or at least give him an idea..." "Sounds like plan. You think you can fly her?" Hiro stood up from his Captain's chair. "I think so. She's a helpful ship." "Indeed." Hiro turned to Morgen and Tan, "I'm going back to the planet's surface." a map popped up behind him, "Here." he pointed to a spot in Eastern Europe, "That's where the planetary control capital is. I'm going to take that out. Your job up here will be to destroy all space stations, transmitters, or defense systems you can find. Then start destroying the major control areas on the surface. I'll do what I can as well when I'm done with the central control area." "You sure we can do it?" Tan looked nervous. "This ship can do just about anything. And so can I...." Hiro trailed off, then brightened up as he spoke again, "Don't worry. This is just a backwater industrial planet... it wont be heavily defended." Norbin was the High Minister of the Terra Industrial World. His job was to make sure the Earth slaves did what they were told. It was a backwater, dead end job. He hated it. As he sat in his chair at the top of the forty story high rise he ruled from, he spun himself about and looked out his huge wall window. There was a young man floating outside. Norbin jumped up and hit the security alarm. He turned back to the young man and saw him still there but with his hand extended forward. What was he doing? Hiro blew the top five stories off the building in one blast. He flew up into the sky, a few miles above the city and lazily hacked apart the droids that came after him with his sword. Fifteen years of training had done much to improve his skills. He hardly needed the Gem any more, finding his own power to be stronger then anything it could put out. He looked down at the city below him. Well, everyone there was either an off-worlder sent here by Clay, or Earthlings who'd turned their backs on their own people to live easier lives. A person couldn't blame them for that.... But Hiro still did. He held his hand out again at the next wave of droids and let loose with his power. The green flame blazed around him and the light from the blast was visable from space. When it was over, a new lake, nine miles across, sat in the middle of Eastern Europe. Hiro flew off to find the nearest city that held a control force. Lowrider made short work of the orbiting defenses, then pinpointed several controlling cities around the globe and decimated the State buildings. Morgen, Tan, and Barbus finished the grim task and waited for Hiro's return. When he did show up he looked bored. "Well, I did enjoy that for a while, but it got old after I blew up Madrid..." the three other men stifled laughs. Hiro had cut his hair back to it's usual length, and he had a commanding air about him now, "Barbus? What's our heading?" "Already entered in." the former pirate replied, "A little planet in the Grevdor System called Haven." Haven... Hiro pondered that. It sounded like a place Tenchi would set up camp. "Lord Tenchi!" a knight ran up behind him as he led Ayeka down the hall of the underground facility they had been living in for the past two years. They were just about to go out for a night of dancing after a long hard fight only two Systems away... they hadn't been making very good progress, but Clay was strong, and the Agents seemed to block them everywhere. It was safe on Haven, due to Tsunami's influence, but outside the planet's atmosphere Clay's killer drones still roamed about in small numbers. Ayeka was miffed at being delayed, but Tenchi calmed her with a hand on her shoulder, "What is it Peat?" The Knight Petra had earned the knick name from Tenchi after a particularly brutal fight. They had stood back to back then fighting with all their might to keep one another alive. Since then Peat had been one of Tenchi's closest advisors and comrades. "We just got a report in that I think you might want to read!" "What is it?" Tenchi asked, taking the data pad from the Knight. "It's Earth, your Highness... someone liberated the Earth." Ayeka gasped and Tenchi read the report quickly. He looked back up at Peat. "Thank you for bringing this to me quickly..." he handed it back, "We'll be out on the town tonight." they turned to go, but Tenchi stopped at the stair case and looked back at Peat, "And take heart friend... that report may well be the first sign that the end is near. Keep me informed of any further developments." "Yes Sir!" Peat replied with a smile. As Tenchi led her down the street of the city they resided in (they lived in an apartment building, just like the rest of the freedom fighters) Ayeka looked up at him and saw something she hadn't seen in quite some time. A real smile splayed across his face. His Jurian blood had given him a longer life then a normal human, and the power of the Lighthawk Wings lengthened his life all the more. He had hardly changed the past twelve years, save the worry lines that creased his face at the corners of his eyes and on his forehead. Now however, he seemed to have some of that spirit that had been crushed so long ago back in him. "Tenchi..." Ayeka asked him softly. He looked down at her, still grinning. "Yes, Ayeka?" "Was it..." she couldn't even choke out the words. It had been so long, and they had been fighting so hard. It didn't seem like it could be real. "Yeah, it sounded like Hiro... go in, blow up the power structure, leave." he shook his head and stopped. A full belly laugh burst up out of his gut and he grabbed Ayeka about the waist, lifting her into the air and spinning her around. She cried out in delight as he pulled her back down to him and kissed her. He whispered in her ear then, "That and the reports of blinding green energy blasts are a dead give away...." Ayeka clung to him then and tears formed in both their eyes. On lookers wondered why they were so happy, and one chanced a question. "Lord Tenchi? Lady Ayeka? What's up?" Tenchi turned and saw the speaker. He knew each one of the freedom fighters by name, as he had taken many of them on himself. This man was a Galaxy Police Officer, in Mihoshi's squad, named Quinn. "Ah, that's a secret... I don't want to get anyone's hopes up just yet... just a good report..." Tenchi smiled at everyone around them, "They're so few and far between lately!" he said with a laugh. Everyone joined him and started to move on. "Gods Hiro..." Tenchi thought, staring off into the night sky, "If you're out there, come to us quickly..." "Why did we drop out of sub-space?" Hiro asked as he walked onto the bridge. Barbus was flying the ship into the atmosphere of a planet, "We're not there already are we?" "Nope." Barbus replied with a lightness to his voice that Hiro hadn't ever heard before, "This is just a stop we're making." "Why?" "You'll see. Don't worry, this planet is a secret rebel hide out. It's ruled by Clay, but almost all of the population is on our side." "Whatever. Let's just not dawdle too long. I want to get to Tenchi as soon as I can." "Right." Barbus smiled. If he only knew... Hiro stepped off the Lowrider and paid the docking fee to the droid that came to take it from him. Morgen had let Hiro use his accounts to pay for anything they needed, and Hiro swore he would be paid back tenfold. The old Captain had brushed off Hiro's comments with a smile and a nod. Now Hiro, a dark brown cloak covering his body, and Barbus, a black cape hanging from his shoulders, made their way into the huge mega-city they had landed in. The planet was small, and this city took up almost a third of it. Only the super fast mass transit system kept the city running. "Where are we going?" Hiro asked Barbus. "The Hole. It's a nice way of saying the twenty square kilometers of town where all the poor people and the criminals hang out." was the former pirates reply. Hiro figured that was better then being surrounded by Clay's drones, so he went along to the mass transit system. It was like a subway, only it was faster (much faster) and it wasn't always underground. They pushed through the crowds of people and made steady progress for the train. Hiro was a few thousand times stronger then everyone else around him, so the going was easy. About halfway there, Hiro ran into someone who barely came up to his chest. Looking down he saw a pretty face that looked quite like someone he seemed to remember. Blond curls danced about her head, and wide blue eyes stared up at him in awe. "Gee Mister!" she said in a cute and innocent voice, "You're tall!" "Not that tall, kid. You lost?" "Nope!" She held up a card that had been in Hiro's pocket a moment earlier, "I just needed this! Thanks!" "Hey!" Hiro took off after her as she started to weave through the crowd. Barbus yelled that he'd meet Hiro on Platform 34H in the Hole, and Hiro shouted back in reply. The kid was moving ahead of him to quickly. He wasn't about to lose the money Morgen had given him to some punk pick pocket. He needed to catch up to her fast. "Oh well..." he said aloud, "So much for being stealthy!" he started shoving people out of his way, and they stumbled and fell about in all directions, until finally, they started just jumping out of the way. A path was cleared to the little pickpocket and Hiro had her by the scruff of the neck in an instant. He lifted her off the ground and turned her about to face him. She started to punch and kick at him screaming everything from rape to murder. The people around them saw Hiro pluck his card from her hand and stick it back in his own pocket, so they turned and walked away. "You dirty rat bastard piece of shit! Let me go you fuck headed little cock gobbler! You-" "Hey!" Hiro bellowed in her face. She shut up. "Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?" He glanced over her shoulder and saw an enforcer drone moving towards them and frowned. He didn't want the kid to get smeared by one of Clay's little toys. He pointed one finger at the drone and a little dart of green energy hit it. It was a spherical hovering robot with four arms and a single large eye, which was promptly shattered. The thing fell to the ground, a smoking hunk of trash. Hiro rushed for the next train, the girl under his arm as he went. She yelled at him the whole way, but a quick hissed explination in her ear shut her up. When they were safely on the train and moving, he set her down and sat next to her. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded of him. "I'd kind of like to know the same thing about you." he said point blank. She looked up at him with a look that reminded him so much of... "My name is Kiyone Kuramitsu." she said shortly. "K-Kiyone?" he stammered, "Kuramitsu? But that's not right... Kiyone's last name is Makibi... Kuramitsu.... that's.... Mihoshi's?" he whispered the names, and the girls eyes grew wide as she looked up at him. She did look like Mihoshi now that he thought about it. She had Brice's ears though... the old dog... Hiro found himself smiling. "Oh Great Tsunami... you're not one of the Agents are you?" she sounded terrified. Hiro laughed out loud, "Hey," he leaned down and winked at her, "I'm not... just a friend of your mom's... and I'll promise you right now, if any of those Agents come after you, I'll kill them myself." "No one can kill an Agent." she said bluntly, "Not even Uncle Tenchi." "Don't be so sure about that..." Hiro said softly. He smiled and she smiled back. "Took you long enough." Barbus complained as they walked down a far less populated street. The buildings in this part of town were run down and falling apart. Gangs of thugs hung out of the street corners, looking for easy pickings from passer-bys. One glare from Hiro stopped most of them in their tracks if they made any moves to follow the group. "Who's the kid?" Barbus asked. "The daughter of an old friend. She said her dad was at this bar you were talking about..." "So she's a special one huh?" Barbus smiled, "Didn't mention that did I? Yeah, I think some of your old chums had some kids..." "So Mihoshi named you after her best friend huh?" Hiro asked the eleven year old. "Uh huh." she replied, then, "Who are you?" "Can you keep a secret?" Hiro asked her, looking around. "Yeah! I keep lots of 'em!" "Good..." he lifted her off the ground and whispered in her ear, "My name is Hiro Yehmi. I'm back, I'm bad, and I'm ready to kick some Tokimi flavored ass." "Aunt Kiyone talks about you all the time!" the little girl said in awe, "She says that you saved her from one of Clay's planet destroying rays once... that you just blasted it back at him..." "Yeah, I did that." Hiro nodded. "Wow." was all she could say for a while then she almost exploded. Hiro was still holding her off the ground and her squirming almost caused him to drop her. He set her down and she dashed a little ways ahead of him. She looked back up at him, walking backwards as they continued down the street, "You're Ryoko's guy!" "Yeah, that's me too." he smiled at her. "Oh man!" she looked at Barbus and saw his warning look. She smiled and looked back at Hiro, "She says you could fuck all night and not even be tiered in the morning!" "WHAT?" Hiro stopped dead and looked in open mouthed horror at the little girl before him. What was Ryoko doing telling THAT to an eleven year old? "Damn..." Barbus let out a low whistle, "You must be popular with the ladies!" "Wha.... I.... Ryoko..." he stammered. Barbus and Kiyone walked on ahead and he caught up a moment latter. They looked at him and laughed long and hard. Hiro blushed a deep red, and his hair seemed to droop a bit. Barbus pushed into the rough looking bar a few minutes latter and Kiyone darted in behind him, winding her way across the room then up a flight of stairs in the back. Hiro followed her in, keeping his hood pulled up. The former pirate walked across the room and bumped right into a girl who was serving food in a white blouse and a light blue dress, thread bare with use. Her feet were bare, but she seemed to be in a wonderful mood. Her spiky cyan hair shown in the soft golden light of the room and her yellow feline eyes laughed merrily. When she turned to see who had just run into her, an insult snarling on her lips, the girl smiled and threw her arms around Barbus's neck. He hugged her back for a moment, then she pushed him to arms length and took him in. "Barbus, it's been ages!" "Ryoko! Radiant as ever!" he laughed and she slapped his shoulder. Hiro stood stock still. It was her. His Ryoko... she was still alive... but could she still want him? Did she? What would he say? He had thought she'd be on Haven with Tenchi... but she was here instead.... a bar maid? Hiro was so over run with emotion and confusion that he couldn't even move. Barbus was talking to Ryoko, "So things are still going good around here? You've got a full house tonight, that's a good sign..." "Hey, the freedom fighters need somewhere in this part of the Galaxy to feel safe!" Hiro understood now. She was holding down the fort here. Doing her part. Shouldn't she be fighting on the front lines though? Or maybe she was waiting for him? Could that be it? "Ryoko..." Barbus grew somber and he looked at her with soft eyes, "I've got news for you..." "Really? This doesn't look good..." she bit her lip. "No, no, it's good... it's just choking me up a little... damn... I'm such a wuss... I brought someone here to see you... an old friend..." he stepped aside and she looked upon the hooded form behind him. Hiro reached up and pulled back his hood. The whole bar grew silent as he took a few steps forward. Ryoko dropped the tray full of dishes to her side and her hands extended a little, shaking as they did. She stumbled forward a little now, sure that if she touched him he would vanish. She wanted him to stay so badly... "Hi....ro....? she gasped out, tears forming in her eyes. Hiro swallowed hard and nodded. "Hey Ryoko... it's.... been a while... sorry I was gone so long... but...." he just shut his mouth and walked up to her then. She ran forward as well and their bodies hit with so much force that it blew the breath from both of them. They didn't care though, because as soon as they were together, they pressed their lips together in a passion filled kiss, both of them wanting to be sure that if this was a dream, they got at least one good one in before it was over. The whole bar exploded with cheers and yells and shouts of joy. Hiro and Ryoko stayed in each other's arms, kissing the whole time, sobbing and not wanting to come apart. Barbus sat down on one of the bar stools and smiled. He'd done good this day. Suddenly there was a tap on one shoulder and Hiro turned his head slightly to take in the man behind him. Brice had cut his hair shorter, and a new scar decorated his left temple, but Hiro still knew him. Ryoko threw out her arms and grabbed him too, and Hiro wrapped them both in a huge huge. Ryoko gasped and looked down at him. "You're so strong! How much time passed when you were gone?" "About a month..." Hiro replied, "But I made a stop by Earth and Washu's lab before I came here... fifteen years in the time chamber really paid off." "Oh..." Ryoko hugged him again, then she stood back to look at him. Brice stood back as well. "It's great to have you back man..." Hiro could see Brice had tears in his eyes as well, "My daughter has had to grow up in this hell... we're gonna' crush it now, right?" Hiro looked around at the rest of the bar. It had fallen silent again, and Brice's question had rang out loud enough for everyone to hear. "They must all be fighting for us..." Hiro realized. He took in every last one of them. All shapes and sizes, races, colors, genders... it didn't seem to matter who you were in this room. They were all united by a single cause. They wanted to save the Universe. "Yeah, we're gonna' kick the shit out of Tokimi, and send Clay to Hell where he fuckin' belongs." Hiro smirked as his response was met with cheers all around and pounding on tables. He looked over at Ryoko, tears still streaming down her face, and smiled. Barbus was pleased to note that the smile didn't look so cold any more. Hiro was back where he belonged. With his family. They talked long into the night. It was a good thing that they didn't really need sleep, because Ryoko and Hiro had much to talk about. There were pauses in their talk from time to time, some of them lasting as long as an hour. In those times moans of passion could be heard coming from behind the door of the room they were in upstairs. Brice shook his head with a grin as he filled Barbus's glass with some more scotch. "They sure do know how to go at it, don't they?" Barbus commented as he nodded a thanks to his host. "Well, they love each other very much, and they have been apart for twelve years..." "Speaking of which, how long now since you've seen your wife?" "Oh... I've had Kiyone with me now since I last saw her, and she was nine then... two years?" Brice winced. "Long time." Barbus said. "Yeah, long time... especially for her..." Brice nodded to where Kiyone was dozing on the bed. "She misses her mom then?" "Very much. I don't blame her... I do too." "Well, Hiro told me that he wants everyone to regroup on Haven... so you'll get to see her soon." "I don't know... Hiro can't just come in here and start mucking with plans we've had set up for almost a year now... I mean, yeah, things have changed now, but still..." "I think he's got something planned. You can tell you know?" "Yeah, when he's up to something? You can see his brain working just by looking at his eyes. He's a bright one..." "So we're going back to Haven then?" Brice sighed, "Knowing Hiro, we wont have too much of a choice..." The next morning, Ryoko emerged from the room she'd been sharing with Hiro and phased silently down to the bar. Most of the patrons were still there, the call having gone out that they would be leaving for Haven in just a day. All active fighting men were to report to the bar. Brice was quick about his orders, that was for damn sure. More were coming in even as she fired up the grills behind the bar to start breakfast. Brice came down a short time latter, followed by a bouncing Kiyone. She wanted to see Hiro again, but Ryoko informed her that Hiro was meditating up in his room, and that he wasn't to be disturbed. "Oh... damn..." Kiyone sat down on a stool next to her father, then looked up again at Ryoko, "Hey! Where'd you get that pretty Gem?" Brice's head snapped up. The third Gem was situated at Ryoko's throat, gleaming in the morning light pouring in through the windows, "Ryoko..." "You are looking at one full fledged Goddess!" Ryoko struck a sexy pose and blew a kiss to him. Several of his men hooted and a few cheered. Ryoko giggled and started making the batter for the pancakes. "So... now, you and Tsunami can... free Washu?" "That's right. Mom will be with us again too. But so will Tokimi. Tsunami has seen that much." Ryoko grew silent and mixed the batter. Hiro appeared them in the middle of the room and shouted, "Hey! Wake up! What kind of troops are you guys! Get up get up get up!" those around the room who were still passed out or asleep woke with a start and started throwing bottles, shoes, chairs, or anything else they could easily lift, until they saw who they were throwing at, then they all woke up quickly. Hiro held a level of revrence in their eyes. He frowned. Appearing next to Ryoko and taking the batter from her, he began to mix, "Hey guys, I'm just the messenger. The one who's going to save the Universe is right here." He shoved Ryoko forward and she flew up into the air a little, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have the great pleasure of presenting you with the latest addition to our growing pantheon, The Goddess Ryoko, Daughter of Washu." The men in the room stared at her for a moment, then they all fell to one knee before her, and bowed their heads. She looked around at them and put her hands on her hips, "Oh get up! I'm still only a Demi-Godess, and I don't want you guys all bowing and stuff! You make me feel like that Princess Ayeka...." there were a few laughs and the men all climbed back into their chairs. Brice jumped the bar and started grabbing food to grill. Kiyone came with him and started helping as well. Ryoko looked back at them, and smiled. "Alright then boys!" she whirled back to the men before her, "How would the bunch of you like your Commander and his daughter, my super powerful husband," Hiro almost dropped his batter at that comment, "and a Goddess to serve you breakfast?" there were cheers and Ryoko floated back to where Hiro was mixing again. "Husband?" he asked. "Well, not in name, but in spirit. That's all that really matters isn't it?" she kissed him, "Now start pouring that stuff on the grill. These guys are hungry and I need to start getting food out to them!" "Yes dear." he smeared a bit of batter on her nose and she danced away, wiping it off. "Ayeka?" the Lady Ayeka looked around for the voice. It was coming from behind her and she turned to face it. Ryoko stood before her. "Am I dreaming again?" Ayeka asked her. They stood in a grassy field. "Yeah." Ryoko walked up to her, wearing a flowing red dress, "How are you, Princess?" "I'm fine. Tenchi's good too... very good if you get the meaning... made me so tiered I'm dreaming...." Ayeka smiled and Ryoko laughed. The cyan haired woman quieted down quickly, then looked up at her with a sly expression. "Yeah, Hiro wasn't too bad last night either!" she almost shouted. Ayeka's eyes grew wide, "Then he is back! Oh! We heard the reports of Earth being liberated, and I just knew it was him! Wait until I tell Tenchi!" she hugged Ryoko then and said, "I'm so happy for you Ryoko... I see he gave you the Gem already." "Yeah... you know, that kind of power influx right at the exact moment you're about too..." she saw the bemused expression on Ayeka's face, "Well let's just say you should have Tenchi try to run a little bit of juice next time he makes you dream!'" they both burst out laughing at that, and when they had calmed, Ryoko went on, "We're coming back. Hiro, me, Brice, Little Kiyone, and the whole unit. All of us. To Haven. Hiro says he has a plan.... I need to talk to your sister any way." "Sasami has been smiling quite a bit lately... she knew what was going on..." "Wanted to keep it a secret... that's the cute little girl shining through..." "Yes... Tsunami shows more of herself every day it seems now... but Sasami is still there, and she's still herself, just like Tsunami told us she would be." "I have to get back..." Ryoko said suddenly, "I still have so much to catch up on with Hiro..." "I understand. Could you wake me please? I want to speak with Tenchi right away." "I'll do that. See you in a few days Ayeka." "I look forward to it." and then she was awake. She sat bolt upright, all the sore muscles from the tussle with her lover forgotten, and all sleepiness banished from her body. She shook the gently snoring Tenchi awake. Kiyone Makibi flew the Yagami with such ease that it seemed as if she hardly tried any more. Her small crew was sleeping at the moment, and she was on watch. Ever alert, the GP's highest ranking officer flew her ship with the confidence of someone who'd been over this patrol a few thousand times. Of course, she had been over the patrol she was on a few thousand times, so that was no big shocker. The thing that grabbed her attention was the read out of high energy weapons putting out tons of power. She checked another display. Dimensional fluxes. There was one weapon that Kiyone had gone to all lengths to keep out of Dr. Clay's hands, and that was the Dimensional Disruptors that Washu had invented. Only three ships in the Galaxy were armed with them. Her ship, the Yagami, was one of them. The Yukinojo, Mihoshi's ship, was another. The third ship hadn't been seen in twelve years. It was the Lowrider, Hiro's ship. Now Kiyone knew for a fact that Mihoshi was on Haven at the moment, enjoying some R&R with her troops before they headed out again. The Yagami was several thousand parsecs from Haven, and the scanners didn't ever reach that far. It didn't take a GP with the number of years she had under her belt to guess what ship it was that must be using those guns. The Yagami's full speed was quite fast. The only draw back was that it made the whole ship shake. Soon a rather annoyed looking Mitsuki stumbled onto the bridge wearing sleep shorts and a tank top. "What the hell is going on Kiyone?" the red head asked in a tiered voice. "I've picked up Hiro's ship." Kiyone said sharply, "Get into that chair and man the guns. We're gonna' have to help him if he's using the Dimensional Disruptors on something." Mitsuki was jarred into action by the mention of the man that Kiyone had been talking about for twelve years. She vaulted into the chair and got on the ship's over head. "Attention all hands! Battle stations! Come on you sleepy heads, it's time to kick ass!" Kiyone smiled in spite of herself. She and Mitsuki had fought constantly in the begining, until new young men and woman stepped forward to become the next generation of Galaxy Police. Then it had seemed like the Accdemy again, and they had both gotten some of their girlish bounce back. "Lock and load!" Kiyone yelled as they fell out of subspace. The battle was right in front of them and Mitsuki started pumping off shots. The Lowrider (Kiyone's heart almost jumped out of her mouth when she saw it) seemed invigorated by the apperence of the GP battle ship, and started battling twice as hard. When there was nothing left of Clay's droid ships but scrap, Kiyone opened a vid line to the Lowrider. A screen popped up. "Hiro!" she yelled, but instead got a very different face. Her eyes widened, "Nobuyuki?" "Hey, I'm flattered and all that you thought I was handsome enough to look like Hiro, but it's just me." he flashed her a grin, "It's been awhile Kiyone." "But...." Kiyone smiled in spite of herself, "Where's Hiro?" "I don't know. He made it back with me, that much I'm pretty sure about... but after that..." Nobuyuki shrugged, "I'm sure he'll turn up." Kiyone looked crest fallen. She felt tears starting to form in her eyes. "Hey, Kiyone?" she looked up at Nobuyuki, who suddenly looked much older then he should have, even if he had aged twelve years, "Hiro is a tough kid. I'm sure he's in Ryoko's arms right now, and they're wondering when the hell we're gonna' get to the party." she smiled as he spoke, and nodded, "So where to, Captain?" he asked her. "It's Marshal now, buddy. And we're setting course for Haven." Kiyone smiled as she set the course. It would be great to see everyone at once again. It had been too long. Hiro lay on his back in the bed he'd slept in the night before (he hadn't actually slept that much, but that didn't change his frame of mind) and watched the little gray head of Ryo-Ohki rise and fall as he breathed. The cabbit had been almost as overjoyed as he mistress to see Hiro, and hadn't left him alone since she'd returned from a long night of hunting mice. Now she lay on his chest and slept peacefully. "You must get lonely..." Hiro said softly to her, "being the only member of your species and all... I just came back from a Universe where your kind are numerous. I wonder if Washu will ever make a mate for you... that'd be nice of her." "She does get kind of lonely..." Ryoko fazed in next to him, floating down to a crouch at his side, "But she'll always have me!" the cyan haired woman scooped up the snoozing cabbit and cuddled her. Ryo- Ohki mewed in a bothered sort of way at having been woken up, but snuggled back any way. Hiro sat up and hugged Ryoko, pressing Ryo-Ohki between them. She meyowed. "And now she'll always have me too..." Ryoko laid her head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. "It's time to go." she said after a moment, "Are you going with the main fleet?" "Naw, I'll go on Lowrider. She's a good ship... rebuilding herself and everything. You know how it is... Captains always want to stick with their ships..." "I know how it is..." Ryoko stood up and her clothing changed to the yellow, black and orange dress and top with the exposed mid-drift she used to wear back on Earth. Hiro smiled and stood as well, pulling his dark brown cloak over his normal Earth clothes. Ryoko smirked at him, "You really like that thing don't you?" "It suits me." he smiled back. He was right, she thought. He looked handsome and mysterious without it, but when he wore the cloak, and his eyes glowed green from within it's shadowy depths, he could look imposing and scary, or charismatic and striking. He left the hood down now however, and took her arm in his. "I'll fly back with you on Lowrider I think. Ryo-Ohki needs to be saved if we run into trouble. Then Mommy's cute wittle cabbit pootkins can kick the asses of those mean dwoids that stupid 'ol Dr. Cway aways sends aftwer us, oh yes she can!" Ryoko cuddled the fuzzy animal in question to her face. "Miyow!" Ryo-Ohki responded with glee on her face. The Lowrider joined the rest of the ships at the seventh planet of the system right on time. Hiro called up a com link to Brice. The commander's face popped up on a screen in front of him. "We're feeding you the corridinets now. We'll see you there." "More like I'll see YOU there when your slow asses catch up to us!" Hiro grinned. "Don't get too far ahead..." Brice warned, "Clay's forces can be overwhelming at times. Even a fleet this size could have trouble." "We'll stay close." Ryoko said, leaning over Hiro's shoulder and winking at Brice. "You keep a short leash on that kid Ryoko." Brice grinned as Hiro scowled at him, "I know you Hiro..." the young warrior laughed. Hours passed with no incident. The three man crew and their Captain didn't have to do anything. Lowrider could fly herself just fine. So they all sat around in the lounge area and talked with Ryoko, who, Hiro found, had become quite the genius. She explained it as a reaction to her God-hood. She remembered everything she ever saw, said, did, felt, read... every second she was learning something new and storing it away. Her mental powers didn't end there either. She could recall any of that information on a whim, without thinking about it. "So Washu must have always had that power." Hiro observed. "I think so." Ryoko replied with a nod, "And I think you got a little of that to. You seemed to soak up quite a bit about interstellar flight and the history of the universe as a whole considering you're from a pre-contact world." "That's cool." Hiro nodded. His grades had jumped from B's and C's to all A's right after he got his powers. It seemed to fit. "So if you're such a genius, then why can't you win a card game to save your soul?" Tan asked with a smirk. "Oh, shut up!" Hiro threw a pillow at the young man and everyone burst out laughing. Mitsuki had picked up the distress signal just outside Haven's system only a few minutes before they had reached that parsect. Kiyone had joined her on the bridge when called and now they debated about what to do. "We'll be out of the parsect soon, Kiyone." the red head reminded her. "It could be a trap..." Kiyone bit her lip, "It doesn't feel right... I don't like it." "We'll never know unless we stop and find out, will we?" Mitsuki was determined. Kiyone chewed her lip only a second longer. She had to admit, more often then not, Mitsuki was right about the battles she fought. On the other hand, her own gut feelings were almost never wrong. "I'm just nervous now that things are going in our favor..." she said with a sigh, "Let's drop out of sub-space, and contact Lowrider. Tell Nobuyuki to head for Haven, and tell them what we're doing." "Aye Sir!" Mitsuki nodded and started hitting keys. Kiyone got up to inform the rest of the crew of the upcoming battle, but the red head put a hand on her arm as she was about to leave. "You're doing the right thing Kiyone. Even if it is a trap, we had to stop... just in case..." Kiyone smiled at her and patted her hand. The red head had grown a lot since they had first started this fight. "I've detected a distress signal Hiro." the Lowrider prompted her Captain. He looked up. "One of ours?" "It is using the code designated by the Jurian Liberation Front." "Okay... mantain heading." he stood up. "We're just gonna' leave 'em?" Morgen was shocked. "No, Ryoko and I are going to check it out on Ryo-Ohki. She hasn't seen much action in a while, and if I know my woman, she's itching to knock some heads." Ryoko jumped on his back and kissed his cheek, "And people wonder why I love this big lug so much! How about it Ryo-Ohki? You up for a fight?" "Miya!" the cabbit replied and jumped through the bulkhead. Hiro and Ryoko vanished. "Mayday! Mayday!" Kiyone yelled into the com system, "This is the GP battle cruiser Yagami! We are under heavy fire and request assistence! Please! Anyone!" she threw a look at Mitsuki, but saw the red head was busy with her own troubles. Gunning down droid after droid, she didn't have time for talking. Kiyone wiped the blood from her brow as she turned back to the tactical display. The cut was from a bad hit they had taken, which had thrown her into the controls. Mitsuki fared little better, with burns from exploding equipment. The Yagami was in big trouble. "Mitsuki!" Kiyone yelled as she punched in a heading, "We have to follow this heading!" "That's Grevdor 9!" she yelled back as she glanced at the display. Kiyone nodded, "We're going to ditch! We have a better chance on the ground then in space... space droids don't fare well in gravity!" "We're sure there's gravity?" Mitsuki yelled back. "Tsunami used her power to make every Haven planet livable! We just have to miss the ocean!" Mitsuki turned back to her displays, "All we have to do is miss the ocean..." she mimicked Kiyone's voice and blasted some more droids. Ayeka was on a patrol of the Grevdor System's borders when she heard Kiyone's distress signal. She frowned. What had those two gotten into now? They had a crew to think about, damn it, and couldn't be picking fights with every last droid fleet they came across. "Azaka! Kamidake!" she called to the two guardians who still watched over her. "Yes Lady Ayeka?" "We have to go assist Kiyone. Set heading and go. Full speed." "Aye aye." Azaka replied. Kiyone guided the ship into the atmosphere and flipped on the visual as soon as they cleared the clouds. Land, as far as the eye could see. She gritted her teeth. This was going to suck. They hit the trees and started plowing through them like they were grass. A mountain loomed out of no where suddenly and the nose of the ship ran up the side of it before they ground to a rather sudden stop. The restraints kept the Marshal and the Captain from flying through the view port, and they were thrown back into their seats with enough force to blow the wind out of them. "That wasn't so bad..." Kiyone gasped as she and Mitsuki threw the restraints off and jumped up. Mitsuki tossed aside her burnt and bloody uniform top, as did Kiyone and they dashed through the corridors of the ship, checking on every last officer on board. Once they were sure every one was accounted for (and armed if they were still alive) Kiyone gave orders. "It's been six minutes since we crashed. That means in two we can expect some action. Keep your guard up and get as far from the ship as you can. Remember, Tokimi's demons are tough, but they're still organic, and a blaster will take 'em down. The droids are the ones we have to worry about. No one be a hero. Let's just hide out until help shows up. Go." the ten men and the two woman who commanded them all jumped out the hatch and dashed in all directions for the cover of the forest. They had only gone fifty or so yards from the ship when the droids fell on it. At least a hundred robots started blasting and ripping apart the Yagami, and Kiyone saw why a few seconds latter. They were after the Dimensional Disruptors. "Kiyone!" Mitsuki called from the trees. The teal haired Marshal looked back at her, "Come on!" "You go ahead! I'll head North!" Kiyone yelled back. Mitsuki nodded and dashed off. Kiyone pulled the plasma blaster off her back and aimed it at the ships newly exposed energy block. They wouldn't get her secret weapon. And there were a good number of droids there any way... She pulled the trigger once. One shot was all she needed though; her aim had only improved in the past twelve years. The reactor core rumbled for only a second before it blew. She hoped all her men were far enough away that they didn't get caught in the blast. She knew there was no hope for herself, but as long as they didn't get those guns, she was content. She watched the wall of deadly flame rush at her and held her eyes open the whole time. "Goodbye, Yagami." she whispered just before the wall hit. But it didn't hit. A human form wearing a brown cloak floated in front of her, it's back to her. The blast flowed around them, a green energy shield protecting them both from harm. "That was a very brave thing to do, Kiyone." Hiro said, looking back over his shoulder with a smirk, "But it was also pretty stupid." "Hiro!" she screamed and jumped on him. He laughed and lifted her off the ground. The flames still roared around them, but Hiro didn't need to concentrate for the shield to stay active. Kiyone wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him full on the mouth. His eyes went wide. She held him like that for almost a solid minute, and by then the fire storm had died away. When she did pull away, Hiro smirked. "It's great to see you too!" he said. "I've missed you so much... but I never lost faith. I always knew you'd come back to us Hiro. Always." "I'm glad to hear it." he hugged her. "Hey!" a voice shouted from above them. They looked up to see Ryo-Ohki floating there, and Ryoko's voice coming from the ship, "Kiyone, Hiro's been back for less then two days and you're already putting the moves on him again! Will you ever leave my man alone?" "Oh... shove it Ryoko!" Kiyone yelled back. A blast hit one of Ryo-Ohki's spikes then, reminding all of them that they were in a war zone, and jarring them back into action. Ryoko appeared out side her ship and called to it. "Go off and have fun now! I'll be around!" Ryo-Ohki meyowed in reply and flew off after the droid ship that had blasted her. Ryoko flew down to her friends and gave Kiyone a hug, "It's been quite a while Marshal." "Too long." Kiyone agreed. They looked around, "I have to find my crew." she said. "We'll take care of the trash." Hiro nodded. Ryoko grinned. "Alright then. You two..." Kiyone was about to say 'be careful' but then she thought about who she was talking to, "um... have fun I guess." They both grinned and vanished. Kiyone sighed. It was good to have them back on the front. Ayeka tossed aside the lizard thing she had saved the GP officer from. He nodded a thanks to her and took up a guard position on her right side. They continued their trek through the forest, killing the occasional monster or droid, until they came to the edge of the forest where a valley next to the mountain started. Standing in the middle of the field was a dark form. Ayeka steadied herself. "Argon!" she called out. The officer froze. He knew that name. One of the Dark Ten, Tokimi's agents, Argon was called the Dragon Master, for his force of dragons that he could call from Sub-Space. He nodded to Ayeka and held up a hand. A dragon flew from a large black hole that appeared and landed in front of them. It breathed fiery death down at them, and the Jurian noble jumped forward holding her arms out and putting up a shield to block the blast. It was deflected with ease. "Your beasts can't harm me, Argon! You know that!" Ayeka drew a deep breath. She was much stronger now... could she do it? "Why don't you stop hiding and fight me!" "Gladly." the voice behind her said, and she ducked the energy sword as the dragon took to the air. She rolled away and yelled at the GP officer. "Go look for help! I sense some strong powers nearby!" he took off and Argon didn't even spare him a glance. "So you noticed them too?" he asked. Ayeka nodded. She took him in for the fourth time ever. The previous three times she'd seen him, he'd destroyed a planet, wiped out a fleet of Jurian tree ships, and on the last occasion, fought her. She'd have died that time for sure if he hadn't let her go. She wasn't sure why he'd done so, but she knew that this time he wouldn't. "You're going to die this time Argon." she said harshly. "I don't think so. I let you go last time because I wanted to see if you could get stronger. You have, I can tell. But not strong enough. I'll take care of you though, before I find those other two. One is Ryoko..." Ayeka gasped. She had thought so, "but the other is new... I've never felt this power before. Who is it?" Ayeka grinned, "I wouldn't tell you for anything." she held her arms out and drew the power out. Hiro appeared in the air above the two combatants just as Ayeka was powering up. He wondered for a moment where Tenchi was, then saw why he felt Tenchi's power. Ayeka had summoned three Lighthawk Wings. "No way..." he breathed. It must be a power all nobles have, but could only be drawn out with Tsunami's help. Seeing Ayeka with a Lighthawk sword and armor gave Hiro new hope for this war. They might just stand a chance. He watched as she flew forward, watched as her sword locked with the dark man's blade, and watched as she was thrown back. Not good. "My dragon's would do better killing you." the man called out, and a dragon swooped down at her from above. Hiro vanished. Ayeka watched as the dragon flew at her. Her ribs were cracked, her leg was broken, and her head hurt. She felt the Lighthawk Wings power slipping away. She couldn't control it that well yet... why had she been so stupid? A flash of green light and a resounding thud. Her vision cleared and she felt herself being helped into a sitting position. She saw Hiro's smiling face. "Miss me?" he asked, and kissed her cheek. "Stop smooching on the other girls!" Ryoko appeared next to them. "Hey, get her out of here. I want to chat with this Argon guy." "He's an agent Hiro..." Ryoko warned, "Be careful." "I got it." Hiro smiled and Ryoko looked worried. She scooped up Ayeka and flew to a safe location. "So you're Hiro." Argon said. Hiro nodded as he stood and faced the man before him. Argon was six feet tall, with sharp features and dark black hair. A long black coat swirled in the wind about him, open in the front to reveal his gray and black clothing beneath. There was something different about his eyes though. Soft and brown, they reminded the young warrior more of Tenchi then Tokimi. A sorrowful frown was set on his face, and his brow furrowed when he saw Hiro studying him. "You look sad." Hiro said, walking to within ten feet of the Agent. "I am." Argon replied simply. "Why is that?" "Best me, and maybe I'll tell you." "Fair enough. Let's not play around though. I want to get this over with and see the rest of my friends." "Full power then?" Argon arched an eye brow. "Sure. I can do that." Hiro nodded with a smile. "I don't have too much further to go. I try not to hide my power." Argon smiled as the ground shook and the air swirled around him. Hiro felt his power spike and the Agent started to glow red. "Nice." Hiro nodded. He held his arms out slightly and growled. The ground shook some more, then started to break up. The rocks just exploded and flew away into the sky as Hiro began to yell. His hair stood straight up, turned fully green, and his eyes blazed green. The flame burst up around him, and the whole planet seemed to shake. Argon could see the clouds moving around in the sky. This kid was powering up so much he was disrupting the magnetic poles and causing weather systems to move. The ground split open and Argon was forced to take to the air to avoid falling into the huge crack. He looked down in awe at Hiro and then back up when he didn't see the young warrior. Right in front of him, not a foot away, the green glowing young man frowned. "But how?" Argon was shocked. He hadn't sensed any teleportation, which meant that this kid had just moved that fast, "But no one is that fast!" "I'm that fast." Hiro said in a monotone and head butted Argon in the face. The Agent flew back, but stopped himself in time to block the next blow. He slapped Hiro's arm aside as the punch came in and returned with one of his own. His fist landed squarely in Hiro's gut. Argon smiled. Hiro didn't flinch. Argon frowned. "This is going to hurt, isn't it?" the bemused Agent asked offhandedly. Hiro growled and the fire burned brighter. Ryoko stood back from Ayeka, "How do you feel?" "Better, thank you." the princess stood and inspected herself. The pain and injuries were gone, only a slight soreness remained, "You've learned to heal quite well." "I had to with all the wounded that Brice kept bringing me. You'd think I was running a hospital out there instead of a bar!" "How is he? And little Kiyone?" "Both fine. Kiyone is growing up so fast though... these are hard times to grow up in." "I know... I would have had a child with Tenchi long ago if things had been different." Ayeka frowned. "Well, Hiro's back now, and it'll all be over soon. Then things can be good again..." Ryoko closed her eyes and felt for her lovers power. She found it easily, as it was stronger then the systems star in energy output. She should plug him into the Haven generators when they got there and give them a charge... "Speaking of Hiro... how's he doing against Argon?" Ayeka stood and scanned the sky for the two of them. They had felt the ground shake when Hiro powered up, and Ryoko had assured Ayeka that Hiro was much stronger then Argon now. Ryoko opened her eyes and looked east. "They're over there." she said, just before a bright flash lit the sky. Something flew at them and hit the ground several hundred feet in front of them. It plowed through the trees and right past them, coming to a stop when in slammed into a rock formation. The rocks came down and the dust settled. Hiro appeared next to Ryoko, "He's holding back." the young warrior growled out. "And you're complaining?" Ayeka asked. "You know Hiro..." Ryoko rolled her eyes, "You haven't killed him yet then?" "I want to talk to him." Hiro said just as the rocks exploded. Argon rose into the air, and the ground started to shake, "You two had better clear Kiyone and her crew off the planet. This could get ugly." Hiro vanished again, and Ryoko sighed. "Let's get to work." Ayeka touched her shoulder, "Hiro will be fine, and we'll keep track of his fight from orbit. If it gets nasty, we'll help him." "Okay..." Ryoko looked one last time as the red and green glows slamming into each other a few miles away, then flew off with Ayeka. "Full power!" Hiro yelled as he slammed a fist into Argon for the fifth time since the Agent had pulled himself from the rocks. "No!" the Agent screamed back, and threw an energy bolt at him. Hiro dodged it and came in with his sword. Argon formed his own blade and they clashed. Lightning fast flashes of glowing energy sabers and claps of thunder from the air heating and expanding around them echoed across the planets surface. The two came apart and their swords vanished. "Why not?" Hiro asked as he came down from his powered up stage. His hair returned to black with green tips, and the energy aura vanished. His eyes returned to their normal green color. "Because..." Argon floated a little ways off, "It wouldn't do any good against you... you can go further too, right?" "Well, yeah, but then I'd blow up the planet..." Hiro shrugged, "Not something I want to do." "Me either." Argon replied, "And I could. But you're more powerful then me... how I'm not sure, but you are." he grinned a wicked grin then, "So until we meet again, Hiro..." Argon held up his hands and two portals opened next to him. Two huge Fire Dragons swooped out of them and right for Hiro. The green sword reappeared in the young warriors hand and flame burst up around him again. He flew at one dragon and sliced it from gullet to tail, spilling it's guts to the ground, where it's body joined it. The other dragon breathed fire at him, and he flew through it. The flame didn't even hurt him, and he threw an energy blast down the beast's throat. It exploded in a shower of gore. When the haze of blood had cleared, Hiro looked about for Argon. He didn't see the Agent anywhere, and didn't sense his power either. He powered down until he was a normal human again. He simply floated a mile above the planet's surface for a long time. After what seemed like an hour to Hiro, he looked up at the sky, which was quickly filling with stars. "What did he mean when he said he didn't want to blow up the planet?" he wondered aloud, then vanished. "How'd it go?" Ryoko asked as Hiro walked into the sitting room of the Lowrider. "He got away." Hiro replied. "Did you beat him up?" she asked with a grin. "Yeah..." the young man didn't seem too interested, "I'd rather not talk about it. I need to think about some stuff he said." "Okay..." Ryoko looked concerned for a moment, then brightened up again, "We'll be at Haven in fifteen minutes!" she said, and glomped onto Hiro. He gagged at her strangle hold, but grinned any way. "Can't wait!" he wheezed as she squeezed him tighter. Where night was falling on Grevdor 9, it was mid-afternoon on Haven. Hiro stepped down the Lowrider Mark II's exit walk way, and took in the rather battered Lowrider Mark I. Nobuyuki stood under it, examining one of the gun turrets, and giving instructions to a worker. It looked as if two Lowrider's would be in use soon. When he saw them, the elder Masaki ran over to the new Lowrider and greeted them. Brice had landed a few minutes before, and he showed up soon as well. There were hugs, kisses, greetings and tears all around. Kiyone and Brice stood and discussed the war on their fronts, and Mitsuki joined them. Ryoko excused herself, saying she needed to speak with Tsunami at once. Nobuyuki walked over to Ayeka. "So! I hear you're my new daughter-in-law!" he exclaimed and gave her a hug. For once, she returned his hug and smiled, "I'm glad to have you in my family!" he said through a few tears. "And I'm glad to be part of it." Ayeka smiled at him. She looked over his shoulder and saw Hiro giving orders to the three men who seemed to be the crew of the new Lowrider. He nodded to the older one and moved away, "Hiro!" she called after him. He looked back over his shoulder at her with a questioning look, "Where are you going?" "To see Tenchi." he said with a smile, and vanished. Lord Tenchi Masaki of the Jurian Revolutionary Force stood next to a table, going over statistics from a recent battle in a system not to far from Haven. The enemy seemed to be getting closer every day... he hoped Hiro had some plans that would gain them some of the ground they had lost back. "Can you run these to Admiral Kuramitsu?" he asked the knight standing with him. "Yes Sir." the Jurian Knight replied and bowed before he left. Tenchi turned back to the star map before him, rendered in a 3D hologram, and stared at the blue point of light that marked Haven. He sighed. "It's kinda' overwhelming isn't it?" Tenchi lifted his head and looked next to him. Somehow, Hiro just standing there with him, wearing a dark brown cloak didn't seem at all out of place at the moment. He smiled and looked back at the map. "The vastness of space..." Tenchi closed his eyes again and sighed, "It's so wonderful and majestic... we take it for granted to much..." "I know what you mean. I stand and look out the window of my quarters on Lowrider sometimes. For hours at a time. Just looking." "Yeah... I've been planet side for too long... I need to get back into action." "They're getting closer aren't they?" "Yes." "And what are we going to do about that?" "I was hoping you'd have a few plans. We're spread way too thin... fighting a war on four fronts hasn't been easy so far, and we've lost so many men in the past year... Clay is trying to stamp us out." "Well, I do have an idea or two. What are you doing in three days?" "Um..." Tenchi punched a few buttons on the display before him and the hologram of the stars was replaced by an itinerary, "Everything I was going to do has been suspended due to the your return. What did you have in mind?" "Well, I want to relax for a few days, get our wits about us, and make a few more detailed plans, but how's about you, Ryoko, Ayeka, a few of your strongest knights, and myself going out and retaking every planet in every system next to Grevdor?" "That would take armies we don't have, and time we don't have." Tenchi shook his head. "Oh... I'm sure we can do it." "You're confidence is a welcome change, Hiro, but we have to think about the forces Clay has, and the possibility of the Agent's showing up..." "Like that Argon guy?" Tenchi's head snapped back around and he looked at Hiro with fear on his face, "You met Argon?" "I fought him." Hiro smiled. "And you're alive?" Tenchi arched an eyebrow. "I beat him. He said himself that I was stronger then he was, then he ran away." "You should have killed him while you had the chance... he's strong, and he's killed more men they you or I ever will, and every last one of them a good soul." "I don't know..." Hiro frowned, "There's something about him... he's so... sad." "What do you mean?" "I don't know... he seemed to want to tell me, but he wouldn't. I need to talk to him again before I can tell you any more." "Well... I don't know what to say to that, but if I ever see him again, I'll kill him." "Leave him to me." Hiro's eyes flashed green and Tenchi felt the power spike then die down again, "If he wont talk next time, I'll kill him myself." "Okay." Tenchi nodded. The two stepped forward and hugged then, "It's been a long time man." Tenchi said. "Yeah... too damn long..." Hiro squeezed his best friend, and they separated, "Let's go see the others." he said, and they both vanished. When Hiro and Tenchi appeared next to the ships there was a great shout of joy. They turned and Nobuyuki was there, throwing his arms around his son and crying into his shoulder. Tenchi smiled warmly and hugged his father back, before they seperated and looked at each other. "Damn... it's good to see you Dad..." "And you, Son, though I doubt it's been quite as hard on me as it has been on you..." "Tenchi!" Brice slapped his shoulder, "It's been ages! You haven't seen my wife running around have you?" he looked back over his shoulder where both Kiyone's were talking. The little girl was making wild arm movements and shouting something and the older woman was laughing with her, "Little Kiyone wants to see her mother." "She's up at the base. Probobly going over more reports... we told her to meet us here soon, but she gets so wrapped up in her work and everything..." "I know, I know... almost as bad as Kiyone lately... it's been getting harder to see each other, even on vid link." "Well, that's all over now. I think Hiro wants us to take the offensive... and you know what happens when Hiro takes the offensive...." Tenchi trailed off and grinned. He looked around, "Where's Ryoko?" "She went to see Tsunami...." Ayeka replied as she walked up behind them and slid her arms around Tenchi from behind. He leaned back into her and smiled. Brice nodded and walked over to Kiyone and Kiyone. He grabbed up the little girl and the three of them walked off to find Mihoshi. "I've been wanting to see the little brat myself..." Hiro grinned, "I hear she's all grown up now." "I'm not THAT grown up, Hiro." said a lovely voice from behind him. Hiro turned to see a woman almost as tall as Ryoko, with long blue hair and sparkling pink eyes. Her hair was pulled back in the Jurian way, much like Ayeka's and her robes told of her rank as a Goddess. She walked forward with a grin. Not the regal flowing walk of one would normally associate with a Goddess, but a stride with a girlish bounce. Hiro could see when she got closer that she didn't look much older then 20. "You don't look half bad to me..." he breathed out. She was a head turner that was for sure. "I told you to stop hitting on the other girls!" Ryoko appeared above him and gave him a good head rubbing and a head lock. Everyone laughed as Hiro pried her off of him, and then turned to give Sasami a hug. He knew she was Tsunami now, but he still thought of her as Sasami. She looked like she'd just grown up while he was away, not changed into a Goddess. "I'm glad you've come back." she said softly. "Yeah, now we can get Washu and end this fight huh?" "Well, yeah, that too." Hiro stared at her blankly as she grinned, "I just glad that the whole family is back for me to cook for!" Everyone face faulted, except Nobuyuki and Ryoko, who both jumped up in the air and yelled in unison, "Great! When do we eat?" Dinner was, as it always had been, some of the best food Hiro had ever tasted. Sasami, it seemed, had gotten better at cooking in the years he'd been gone. It seemed that everyone had improved their skills. Hiro sat back as he took the last bite of his desert and looked at his family. Ryoko was talking with Tenchi about something that was making both of them laugh. Mihoshi and Little Kiyone were talking away at a rapid pace, while Brice and Big Kiyone watched and shook their heads with broad smiles. Ayeka and Nobuyuki talked about the wedding and where the father of the family could get pictures of it. Ryo-Ohki lapped at her milk and carrots, a happy cabbit grin on her face. A hand on his shoulder brought Hiro back to himself. He looked over and saw Sasami sitting next to him, a smile on her face. She nodded towards the door and she and Hiro got up and walked just outside the small house that served as her living area next to the temple that she stayed at. They looked out at the stars for several minutes before she spoke. "You know, you share genes with Ryoko and Washu, right?" "Yeah, that's how I was able to use the gems." "Right, but did you know that also imparts the essence of Godhood into you as well?" "So I have the potential to be a God as well? Neat." "Sort of. You would need to absorb the gem's power to become a God. As it stands, you're able to cultivate what power you do have and turn that into Divine power. That's how you've grown so strong. You'll never have the ability to create matter, or give life, or even heal, but you can grow very powerful. You can even regenerate now." "So what's the point of telling me all this? You've got to have a reason." "The point is Hiro, that you have the right kind of astral pattern to hurt Tokimi. So do Tenchi, and Ayeka with the Light Hawk Wings." "So you want us to help?" "I don't know. We'll decide that when Washu get's back. What I want you to do is work on defeating Clay. What will it matter if we destroy Tokimi if he's still in power? We need him gone." "I think I can do that. Are you and Ryoko going to go to get Washu soon?" "Actually, Clay set up a fortress around the point in space we need to get to. You'll have to get to that place and destroy the fortress before we can release her." "Let me guess. That's where all the Agents hang out, right?" "Of course." "Great." Hiro mumbled as he looked back at the stars. He sighed. "Okay. Tenchi and I will start to form some detailed plans in the morning." Hiro walked up to the Lowrider Mark II early the next morning, Nobuyuki by his side. They came up to the entrance hatch and met Morgen, Tan, and Barbus as they were coming down. "Morning Captain!" Tan said as they met. "Wrong guy, Tan. Nobuyuki will be your new Captain, on Lowrider I. I'm giving Mark II here to someone else." "Oh. Okay." Tan nodded his head. The other two men shrugged and walked forward to shake Nobuyuki's hand. "Come on then boys, I'll show you around the Mark I and we'll upload your voice command levels." "Yes Sir!" they all said in unison and the four men walked off laughing. Hiro smiled after them and floated up into the air. Now to give the new ship to it's new Captain. Kiyone was sunbathing when the shadow dropped over her. She opened one eye and saw Hiro grinning down at her. "Move it, buddy. You're blocking my sun." "We need to talk Kiyone." "'Bout what?" "Your ship." "I blew it up, remember?" "No, your NEW ship." "What? You gonna' build me one?" "Already have one in mind." "Look Hiro, I'm sure the GP ships we have will be more than enough for me. Are you gonna' float there all day, or are you getting out of my sun?" "Come on." Hiro said as he grabber her wrist. They vanished. "Hiro!" Kiyone yelled as they appeared in the lounge, "What are you doing? Where are we?" she stood up and looked about. Hiro admired her lean body, clad only in a bikini. He frowned when he noticed a scar he'd never seen before. It ran from under her left breast, down to her right hip. "How'd you get that?" he pointed at it. "Hmm?" Kiyone was looking about the ship. It looked really familure. "Oh, that was from Jargen. He's another Agent." "You fought an Agent?" Hiro smirked. "Yeah. He had Mihoshi cornered and I jumped him. He just kind of batted me aside and took a swipe with his sword. That's the scar. If it hadn't been for Tenchi showing up just then and scaring him off, we would have been in big trouble." "Well shit. I'll just have to kill the mother fucker now I guess." "Guess so. Where are we?" she grinned. "Your new ship." Hiro smiled. "It looks like Lowrider." "Mark II. Fully upgraded, five decks, expanded weapon systems, faster drive system. The only thing it's not better at is manuverability, but it makes up for that in the shields and armor. It's a battle ship now, that's for sure." "You want me to take the Lowrider Mark II?" she stared at him like he was nuts. "Lowrider?" Hiro smirked at her. "Yes Sir?" "Change call sign to Yagami, Galaxy Police Registration 0977-42- A. Upload Alpha Level Clearance Command to Galaxy Police Marshal Kiyone Makabi." "Done. Should I maintain your Clearance Level Sir?" Hiro arched an eye brow at the dumbfounded Kiyone, "Want me to be able to control your ship as well as you?" "I... uh... sure." she stammered. "Maintain my Clearance Level Yagami. You're a GP ship now, so act like one." "Yes Sir. Uploading all GP files into local memory. Done." "Hiro, I don't know what to say..." "Then don't. The GP needed a new flag ship any way, and this one's the best ship in the Galaxy. I'm sure you'll get along great." "Thanks." "Don't mention it. Or do, actually, so everyone thinks I'm an even greater guy then I am now." he smirked, "Hey, I have to go see Tenchi now. We need a plan or nine to start kicking ass around this quadrant." "Okay. I'll be here if you need me." "Right." Hiro nodded and vanished. Kiyone ran her hand through her hair, and sighed. Her eyes popped open then and she dashed off to the bridge to call Mitsuki and tell her the news. "So what if Argon shows up?" Tenchi asked as he pointed to the planet Ulistir Six, "He could blow that little hunk of rock into little bits, and we'd be the only one's left alive." "I already told you about a thousand times, Tenchi!" Hiro rubbed his temples, "If Argon or any of the other Agents show up, we jump them together, and let Ryoko and Peat take out the trash around us." "I'm not so sure we can take an Agent, even together. And what if more then one shows up? We could all be-" "Tenchi!" Hiro shouted, and the his friend fell silent, "Look, I know there's a lot of risk involved here, and I know you're hesitant to take those risks. We'll have the drop on them though. They wont be expecting an all out offensive after you've been playing it safe for so long. If we can do it in two days, we'll be golden." "Maybe," Tenchi replied, still serious, "but what about holding the planets we take? We don't have armies that can do that?" "I don't think they'll try to take them back." "Why's that?" "Because they want us to get Washu out too. Remember, if we get Washu back, they get Tokimi back. They're far more prepared for this then we are, and if it came down to a war right now, even if we had Washu with us, Tokimi's forces would still over run this whole system in less then a year." "So what's the point then?" "They don't know just how powerful I really am." "How powerful are you?" Tenchi arched an eyebrow. "I could destroy the star in this system with one blast." Hiro said quietly. "What?" the color drained from Tenchi's face. "I read up on sub-dimensional counter-flow in Washu's lab. If I was able to part a rift that large and keep it apart for as long as I did, then I could punch a whole in dimensions, blow up a star.... I might even be able to close a black hole." "Holy shit..." Tenchi breathed. "Now, I don't want to brag. With seven Wings of the Lighthawk, you should be able to do much the same thing." "I don't think so..." Tenchi shook his head. "I didn't say you COULD do the same thing, just something like it. Your power is a direct manifistation of Tsunami's power inside you. MY power comes from me. My genetic structure is just like Ryoko's or Washu's... I have the potential to become.... well, a God I guess." "Hiro... wow." Tenchi shook his head, "I would never have guessed that..." "Me either. Sasami told me." "So you can help Ryoko and Washu battle Tokimi then?" Tenchi's eyes lit up. "No." Hiro shook his head, "I have the potential, not the ability. Maybe if I had 20,000 years to cultivate my power like Washu did, then I could get that kind of ability, but as it stands, I'm not much more powerful then you." "What about Ryoko?" "With all three gems absorbed? She'll be a Goddess." "We'll take Ulistir Six and Seven too." Tenchi nodded and turned back to the star map. "Okay. That it? Four systems?" "I think we can do that in three or four days. The last system might take a little while. They'll be ready for us by then." "Agreed. How about this then," Hiro pointed, "Kiyone and the GP take the Ulistir system with the Tsunami and the Lowrider. Ayeka and I will take the Lumbar system with some knights, and you and Ryoko can take Ves'tala. They have a huge outpost there, right?" "Right, and Lumbar Prime is a known Agent hangout. I think there's a temple or something there." "I'll handle it." Hiro nodded. "Okay..." Tenchi shook his head, "What about the Hephle System?" "We'll converge there after two days and have a nice relaxing time capturing it too." Tenchi face faulted. Little Kiyone pinched her finger in the action of the blaster she was cleaning as it snapped back. She stuck the injured digit in her mouth and sucked on it. "Damnit." she muttered around her finger. "Watch your mouth." Brice said from where he was cleaning his own blaster. Mihoshi sat a little ways away, going over a report. She looked up and laughed. "What?" Brice asked, looking over at her. "You! Telling someone to watch their mouth. You curse almost as much as Ryoko!" Mihoshi giggled. Brice laughed and scratched the back of his head. The door to their quarters slid open then and they all looked up to see who was there. Brices's mouth fell open. Mihoshi stopped giggling and her data pad fell out of her hands. Little Kiyone gasped, then smiled and laughed. Ryoko stood in the door way, decked out in robes and garments that looked much like Tsunami's. She looked down right regal. Like a Goddess. "You look great Ryoko!" Kiyone said as she ran over and hugged her aunt about the knees. "Thanks kid." Ryoko looked up at Mihoshi and Brice with a grin, "You two can pick your jaws up off the ground now. I'm just dressed like a Goddess here... you'd better get used to it... Tsunami say's I'll have to wear this kind of stuff a lot latter on." "You look stunning Ryoko...." Mihoshi said. Brice just nodded. "Tenchi told me to come get you guys. We're having a meeting in a half hour to talk about the new offensive, then dinner. Tsunami assures me it'll be great." "It's ALWAYS great when Sasami cooks it!" Mihoshi said as she jumped up, "Yah! Food!" "Let's get going then." Brice scooped up Kiyone and tossed her on his shoulder, "I want to see what Tenchi and Hiro cooked up for this big offensive." "Well, knowing Hiro," Ryoko said with a glint in her eye, "It'll be fast." She grinned a feral grin, and led her friends off down the hall. Author's Notes: AGRRAAAA!!! Okay, this part ended rather abruptly. Sorry... I wanted to get it done now that classes are over, but then I mauled me hand at work.... typing with one hand is really hard. I wrote the last few sections of this with one hand. Owwww.... pain killers. Look for Part Five after my hand is better. Should be a week or two. Also, I have several fics that I've started, that I don't have the time or energy to finish. They have lot's of room for growth. If you want a fic with a good start to finish, mail me! Any way, as always, questions comments, rants, flames, and anything else are wealcome at Japhith@Juno.com. See ya'll latter.