AUTHOR'S NOTES: Ostensibly, this story is inflicting itself upon the
continuity of the TV series, or some similar continuity. Otherwise, just
accept this as another continuity to add to the mix. Who'll notice?

Galaxy Police Headquarters was in complete disarray. Detectives and patrol
officers alike scrambled about frantically, alarm klaxons blared, and the
sounds of dozens of laser pistols arming punctuated the cacophony of
running feet and shouting voices.

One detective skidded to a halt as he spied a massive, armored figure which
did not belong. "HALT!" he yelled, training his weapon on the eerily silent
intruder. "Under section 2576 of the Galaxy Code of Law, I hereby place you
under arrest!"

The armored form turned, a dark blue light flashing from within its visor.
Without a sound, the intruder placed a bundle on the floor, turned around,
and with a faint hiss of propulsion jets, floated down the corridor.

"H--HEY! Come back here! You're under arrest, I said!" the detective called
out. He ran after the armored intruder, rounding the corner, ready to
fire...

There was no sign of him. The adjoining corridor was completely empty.

Sighing and holstering his blaster, he walked back down the corridor and
turned his attention to the bundle the mysterious figure had dropped. It
was wrapped in dark velvet, and tied with cords of blue silk. With a sense
of dread, he removed a small sonic knife from his uniform pocket, and cut
the silken cords, carefully unrolling the bundle. His eyes widened, and he
bolted down the corridor, shouting "LIEUTENANT!"

******

Several moments later, the alarms had been turned off, and an eerie calm
had settled over the headquarters. The section lieutenant arrived in the
corridor where the intruder had been spotted, flanked by the officer who
had discovered him and three other patrol officers. "Alright, what--" He
stopped, staring. He moved closer to the bundle, leaning in to examine its
contents. He then shook his head, and turned away. "Damn," he said softly.

Lying amid the velvet bundle was a young woman with fair skin and long teal
hair. She was naked, and someone had painted words across her stomach:
"Your detective is as imperfect and unworthy as the rest of them. I banish
her from the stars."

"Cover her up and get her to the infirmary," the lieutenant snapped. With a
sigh, he added, "and contact the chief. He's not going to be thrilled about
this in the least."

-PERFECT STAR-
A Tenchi-Muyou! fanfic
Tenchi-Muyou! property of AIC, Pioneer; used without permission.
This fic contains mature material. Reader discretion advised.

PART ONE: No Need for a Mystery

"Same as the others?"

"Exactly the same. She's in a coma...we can't find any reason. No injury,
no drugs in her bloodstream, no apparent trauma of any kind, no genetic
damage, no introduction of malicious organisms...she's simply in a coma."

The chief, the lieutenant, and the GP medical examiner stood around a
biobed upon which lay detective first class Kiyone. She was tightly wrapped
in thermal sheets, with sensors attached to her forehead and more beneath
the covers. Readouts monitoring her vital signs flashed silently on a
screen above the bed. "Was she--?" the chief asked.

The doctor shook her head. "Not as far as I can tell. If this bastard did
anything to her, he didn't leave a single trace of evidence." She sighed.
"Same as with all the others." She paused to make a note on a data pad.
"Even the message follows the same pattern as the others."

"Dammit...how long is this going to go on?" the chief asked. "This makes
fifteen victims, and we don't even have any information..."

"Actually," the examiner said, "we do now." She walked across the room, and
removed a small, sealed bag from a locked cabinet. Inside was a recording
chip.

The lieutenant blinked. "Where'd that come from?"

"You don't want to know," the examiner said. "Suffice it to say Detective
Kiyone's reputation is well deserved."

The chief took the data chip from the doctor, choosing to ignore the
probable method by which it had been obtained. "Remind me to give Kiyone a
commendation...if she ever wakes up," he said grimly. "Thank you, Doctor.
If you'll excuse me, I need to examine this data immediately." With that,
the chief left, followed by the lieutenant.

******

The young maiden carefully wrapped the long, narrow strip of linen around
her bare torso, pulling the cloth taut and smoothing out every crease,
neatly overlapping the layers of fabric in the time-honored tradition of
her people. To perform this task with anything short of perfection would be
to disgrace her family, to make herself unworthy of the man she was to
marry when her transport vessel arrived at its destination.

The ship suddenly bucked violently, causing her to twist the cloth in her
hands, ruining the perfect, uncreased layers she had spent the last three
hours creating. Angrily, she stood, preparing to march up to the bridge and
demand an explanation.

The sudden appearance of a massive figure in black power armor made any
explanation a moot point.

Nervously, she backed away, voice quavering as she asked, "W-what do you
w-want? W-who are you?"

Silently, the armored figure advanced on her. A dark blue tracking light
chased across the visor of his helmet. The light pulsed violet, then
magenta, then orange, repeating the cycle. The girl's eyes were transfixed
by the light. Her body felt numb, limp, and she sank to her knees. The
lights of the visor flashed more urgently, and the young maiden
involuntarily began unwrapping the wedding cloth from her body.

The armored figure knelt in front of her, examining her intently. The
pattern of the tracking light changed abruptly, strobing blue and red. The
girl slumped to the ground, unconscious. The visor resumed its normal dark
blue glow.

The intruder touched a control on his wrist, and removed the right gauntlet
of his armor. Gently, he touched her forehead, caressing her face with his
bare hand, then guiding his hand slowly down her body. As he reached her
thigh, he withdrew his hand, and stood. Replacing his guantlet, he scooped
her up in his arms. The air shimmered as a force bubble formed around them,
and with barely a whisper of sound, the armored intruder and his captive
vanished.

******

//Alright, you, don't move. I'm placing you under arrest.//

//Didn't you hear me? I said STOP! I'm warning you...//

On the audio playback, the chief heard Kiyone fire her gun several times.
There was no other sound.

//Wha--what? H--halt...Gal...ax...y...po...lice...//

There was silence for a moment, then the sound of rustling cloth. After
another moment, the dull thud of a body hitting the floor. And finally, a
faint whisper of sound.

The chief paled. "This is very unsettling." He sat in silence for a long
time, not bothering to stop the playback.

He was startled out of his reverie by the sound of magnetic bolts
unlocking. An unfamiliar male voice, somewhat raspy and with an
unidentifiable accent, came from the speakers of the data reader.

//Pity, that the ignoble fools that dare decree themselves to be master of
order among the stars should be so base as to willfully endanger such a
lovely specimen of womanhood. Indeed, a disgraceful act committed by
disgraceful fiends.

//Protector of the vastness of the heavens, I am he who is called Soragoe
Kagaboshi. Tell me, lovely one, of thine name and origin, that I may
determine your worthiness to remain among the stars.//

Kiyone's voice, subdued and emotionless, responded, //Makibi Kiyone, Galaxy
Police detective first class.//

//Noble detective, what dreams fuel thine just pursuits?//

//Promotion.//

The male voice registered surprise. //Certainly, there are other desires
which burn in thine heart.//

//Yes.//

//Excellent. Please, impart upon me thine fiercest burning desire.//

//I want to get away from Mihoshi forever.//

The chief blinked.

The male voice seemed to verbally blink as well. //Mihoshi?//

//My partner. She is ruining my career.//

There was a long pause.

//Though fair you are, noble and brave Makibi Kiyone, you lack perfection.
Though your beauty shines, it is eclipsed by the impurities of your soul.
You are, alas, unworthy to remain among the stars. I banish thee back to
thine mundane establishment of order, never to return to the heavens until
your heart shines as does the most perfect star.//

The chief sat lost in thought for a long moment. His musings were
interrupted by the insistent beeping of his comm screen. He activated it.
"Yes, what is it?" he asked tersely.

//I thought you'd want to know, sir...another girl has turned up, same as
all the rest,// said the young dispatch officer.

The chief frowned. "I want a meeting with the commissioner and all section
chiefs, as soon as possible."

//Relaying the message, sir.// The comm screen winked off.

PART TWO: No Need For Detectives

The mood in the women's bath at the Masaki residence was festive. Generous
amounts of sake rested near the bath proper, and three of the women present
were enjoying the beverage to the best of their abilities. Sasami sat at
the edge of the bath, pouring the sake whenever someone passed her their
cup.

They were celebrating because a friend who had been off-planet for three
months had returned for a visit.

The one they were celebrating for, however, wasn't in a partying mood at
all. Even the sake wasn't helping.

"So, Mihoshi," Ryouko asked, "Kiyone isn't with you? Why's that?"

The blond, blue-eyed Galaxy Police detective tossed back a respectable
amount of sake, leaned her head back against the rim of the bath, and
sighed. "She was supposed to come along, but headquarters recalled her to
go on a solo mission. Some kind of undercover thing, or something, I think.
She was gone before I woke up." Her eyes held sadness. "I hope she isn't
gone too long."

"Isn't that rather unusual? To send detectives out on missions without
their partners?" Ayeka asked.

Mihoshi nodded. "Yeah, I mean I think so. I don't know why they didn't want
us both to do it."

"Hmmm..." Washuu said. Calling up one of her subspace terminals, she began
typing rapidly. After a moment, she said, "It might have something to do
with the fact that they sent Kiyone out to be abducted."

"WHAT!?" the others chorused.

Washuu brought up a large screen with a detailed mission briefing on it.
Mihoshi stared, wide-eyed. "How--wait--Washuu, how'd you get that?"

"I hacked into the Galaxy Police network," Washuu said simply.

"Umm..I'm pretty sure that's illegal or something," the blond noted.

Washuu shrugged. "Do you wanna know where your partner is or not?"

"Hey..." Ryouko said. "Take a look at that..."

The girls all inched closer to the screen Washuu had brought up. "Let's
see...detective first class Kiyone, assigned special investigation...a
kidnapper?" Ayeka read aloud.

"Oh no!" Mihoshi wailed. "Poor Kiyone...I hope she's alright...I'm really
worried about her. What if something happens to her, what'll I do?" She
slumped lower into the bath, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Cheer up, Mihoshi," Sasami said, passing the detective another cup of
sake. "I'm sure Kiyone will be just fine. She's a really good detective,
right?"

"I just don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to her," Mihoshi
said, sniffling.

******

"For the last time, NO!"

"Commissioner...you must understand. There is simply no other alternative."
The chief fidgeted with hard copies of the data gathered on Kagaboshi.

"He's right," one of the section chiefs said. "We've got to bring this
Kagaboshi character in, so we can find out just what the hell he *did* to
those girls."

"None of our regular patrols can find him," added another. "We had a patrol
ship right on top of the last victim's ship, and we didn't see any trace of
this nutcase. The only way we're gonna get hold of him is--"

"Surely there must be another alternative," the commissioner said. "Another
detective..."

"There's nobody else with the qualifications," the chief said. "Kagaboshi
outclassed one of the top detectives in the Galaxy Police force. There's no
other female detectives approaching her level...except her partner."

"It's the only option left," a section chief said grimly.

The commissioner sat silently for a long moment, then sighed. "Very
well...but if anything, I mean *anything* goes wrong..." he turned to the
chief and fixed him with a stern glare. "I'm holding you personally
responsible."

The chief grimaced. "Understood, Commissioner."

******

In the depths of space, a man stood in a room done in deep indigo tones,
looking out at the stars through a curved viewing port. He wore a simple
yet elegant navy blue uniform; the only adornment was the dark velvet cape
draped from his broad shoulders. His dark blue eyes gazed out into the
darkness, filled with longing, sorrow, and a trace of mania. Twin coils of
silvery hair framed a lightly tanned, chiseled face which could be
described as handsome. The rest of his mane of silver hair was pulled
tightly back into a braid which fell almost halfway down his back.

The man sighed mournfully, then addressed the audience of an empty room in
a somewhat raspy voice. "Six and ten have I brought to the court of the
heavens, and six and ten have I examined and judged. And of six and ten,
not one has been unflawed, not one has been of the most pure beauty. I grow
fearful now that I might never unveil before mine eyes the true, perfect
star, the one with which I long to shine in the vast curtain of night for
all time. Shall I never have her, she who is pure and beautiful of form,
she who is pure and beautiful of mind, she who is pure and beautiful of
spirit? Shall I never witness her shine, to which to join mine own? Oh vast
heavens, the great velvet sea upon which I sail, I beseech thee, guide me
towards that one perfect star."

He fell silent once again, and merely stared out into space for over half
an hour. Then, turning away from the viewport, he crossed the room,
silently stepping into a large black powersuit. As the armor closed around
him, he knelt to retrieve the suit's gauntlets, and after attaching them,
he picked up the heavy, black helmet, sealing it over his head. The entire
process was silent, save for the sharp report of the helmet's magnetic
bolts. Once the helmet was secure, its visor emitted a dark blue tracking
light. The armored man quietly phased through the door of the large, empty
room.

******

"Hmm...this is odd," Washuu muttered to herself. "What the hell kind of
encryption did they put on this thing? I must really be out of practice if
I can't even crack a simple high-security police file..." On the screen
above her, an endless series of code characters tumbled, with the words
'File Encrypted' flashing in the background.

"Wah! Stop doing that, Washuu!" a voice piped up from behind her.

The scientist spun around, somehow managing to contain her surprise at
Mihoshi's intrusion. *Better add five more dimensional locks to the
entrance,* she thought to herself. "Didn't we go through this once
already?" she asked.

"If...if K-Kiyone were here, she'd...she wouldn't want you to do that..."
Mihoshi sobbed. Tears began streaming from her eyes, and she sank to her
knees. "K-Kiyone..."

Washuu's expression softened. *Poor kid.* Moving over to the crying
detective, Washuu knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Look, Mihoshi...you want to find out if Kiyone's okay, right?"

Mihoshi sniffled. "Y-yeah..."

"Well, if I get into this locked file, maybe we can find out how she's
doing."

The detective wiped her face with her sleeve, and smiled. "Thank you,
Washuu," she said. She stood, and was about to move to hug the scientist,
when her foot slipped out from under her. "Waa--aaa--aaa!" she cried,
pinwheeling her arms as she fought to regain her balance. It was a lost
cause, and she crashed forward...right through Washuu's floating keyboard.

"GAH!" Washuu uttered.

The keyboard began flashing and beeping rapidly, keys lighting up and going
dark at random. Suddenly, the screen stopped flashing, code characters
resolving into readable data. 'File Decoded and Open' flashed in the corner
of the display.

Washuu blinked. Mihoshi sat up with a grunt, and beamed. "Hooray! You did
it, Washuu!"

"Yeah, something like that," Washuu muttered. The two moved in to examine
the file.

GP FILE 4097861-554397E
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION ALPHA

SUSPECT: SORAGOE KAGABOSHI
--NO KNOWN INFORMATION--

CASE HISTORY
14 ABDUCTIONS OF FEMALES FROM TRANSPORT AND COMMERCIAL SPACE VESSELS IN
ZONE 718
ABDUCTEES RETURNED TO HOMEWORLDS UNHARMED BUT COMATOSE
PATROL UNITS UNABLE TO LOCATE OR VISUALLY IDENTIFY PERPETRATOR
UNDERCOVER OPERATION INITIATED - ASSIGNED OFFICER: DETECTIVE FIRST CLASS
KIYONE
DETECTIVE KIYONE CONFIRMED MIA BY ASSIGNED PATROL VESSEL - GP CRUISER
YAGAMI TOWED TO HQ

GPHQ SECURITY BREACHED, SUSPECT KAGABOSHI BELIEVED TO BE RESPONSIBLE
DETECTIVE KIYONE FOUND IN GPHQ - CONDITION: COMA
1 FURTHER ABDUCTION REPORTED SINCE RECOVERY OF DETECTIVE KIYONE

CASE STATUS: OPEN, TOP PRIORITY
CASE CURRENT ACTION: INITIATING SECOND UNDERCOVER OPERATION - ASSIGNED
OFFICER: DETECTIVE FIRST CLASS MIHOSHI
OPERATION STATUS: ATTEMPTING TO CONTACT DETECTIVE MIHOSHI FOR ASSIGNMENT

Mihoshi sank to her knees. "Kiyone..."

Washuu closed the file and shook her head. "Boy, this Kagaboshi character
sounds like a real piece of work." She looked sadly at the silently weeping
blond. "Mihoshi...I'm sorry about Kiyone. I hope she's going to be
alright."

Tears streamed down Mihoshi's cheeks. "She's in a coma...my dear
Kiyone's..."

Gently, Washuu lifted Mihoshi to her feet, and walked her out of the lab.
"Come on, Mihoshi. They want you up there to catch that guy, ya know..."

******

Several hours later, the Masaki household assembled somberly to say goodbye
to Mihoshi once again. The normally cheerful detective looked like hell.
Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and tear tracks were all too
visible on her cheeks. She was trembling slightly, obviously fighting to
keep control.

Tenchi stepped forward, and took her hands in his. "She'll be alright,
Mihoshi. I know she will. Kiyone's tough, right?"

The others stepped a little closer. "Tenchi is right, Mihoshi," Ayeka said.
"I am certain Kiyone will pull through. Right now she would want you to
worry about your duty, and not about her, am I right?"

"Yeah, Mihoshi," Ryouko said. "Get up there and kick that guy's ass for
Kiyone." The entire group murmured assent.

Forcing a small smile, Mihoshi said, "Thank you everyone. I'll see you all
again when Kiyone gets better, and she'll be with me, alright?" And with
that, she boarded her patrol shuttle.

Once inside, with the door locked behind her, she slumped against the
bulkhead, drawing her knees up to her chest. "I'm scared," she said,
weeping softly.

The autopilot controls on the shuttle engaged, taking it up out of Earth's
atmosphere, laying in a course for the supposed whereabouts of Kagaboshi.

Curled up against the bulkhead, Mihoshi cried herself to sleep.

PART THREE: No Need for Searching

"A vision doth impress itself upon my mind, a vision granted by the
heavens, to be certain."

Kagaboshi paced before his viewing window, lost in thought, conversing idly
with himself. "What vision is this? What occupies my mind so, that I search
not now for the perfect star?

"I envision a young woman, pure and beautiful like none other. She holds
deep concern for one most dear to her; her mind is innocent as a child's.
Her spirit knows no burden, for she is content with her place in the
universe.

"It is a sign, surely, from the velvet night. I must find this one, for as
certain as I am the predestined voice of the endless heavens, then
certainly, if none other, this shall be the perfect star I seek."

Kagaboshi sat in a lotus position before his viewing window, and closed his
eyes, breathing deeply. Within five minutes, he began emanating soft
snores.

******

Mihoshi made a vain attempt to compose herself as a call came in from the
section chief. "Detective Mihoshi here, sir," she said, her voice holding
none of its usual cheer.

"Mihoshi...I just wanted to give you a briefing on the specifics of this
assignment. We're going to have a full squadron of patrol ships waiting
just outside the corridor where Kagaboshi usually appears. You're to patrol
that area until something happens. If you're boarded, or spot something
unusual, signal the squadron, and they'll close in on you. Don't worry,
detective. We're not going to let this nutcase take you right out from
under our noses."

Mihoshi nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Don't try to do anything foolish, and don't engage him in combat unless
you have to defend yourself. We don't know what this guy's capable of."

Mihoshi nodded, gulping almost audibly.

When the chief closed the connection, Mihoshi sighed deeply. "I don't want
to do this...but I have to. For Kiyone."

******

"So, do you have any good news for me today?" the chief of the Galaxy
Police asked his aide as he entered his office.

"Actually, yes, and no," the junior officer said. "We're getting updates on
most of the girls who were abducted by Kagaboshi. They're starting to wake
up."

"That *is* good news," the chief said.

"There's a downside, though," the aide informed him. "Of the five that have
fully regained consciousness, none of them can remember anything that
happened to them. Two have total amnesia, and the other three have
developed a fear of space travel."

"Well, that's understandable, given what happened to them," the chief
commented.

"Two of them were commercial space pilots," the aide added. The chief
grimaced.

******

Mihoshi had been patrolling the area of space where Kagaboshi abducted his
victims for two days when she received a communique from headquarters.
//Detective Kiyone has awakened. She has amnesia, but her memory is
returning already, and she is expected to make a complete recovery.

//The Kagaboshi case is no longer top priority. As he has not seriously
harmed anyone, has stolen nothing, and has caused no appreciable property
damage, the case is being turned over to standard patrol for the time
being. Your orders are to return to headquarters pending reassignment.//

For the first time since leaving Earth again, Mihoshi felt relieved. "Oh
Kiyone," she said quietly, "thank goodness you're alright." Setting the
autopilot to take her back to HQ, she headed off to get some sleep.

******

Kagaboshi paced furiously about the command room of his vessel. He was in
such a distraught mood at present, he had not bothered to either gaze out
into the stars, or to deactivate his powersuit.

After returning the seventeenth girl to be judged unworthy of remaining
among the stars to her homeworld, he discovered a sizable fleet of Galaxy
Police patrol vessels in his usual search area. He was about to set course
for new territory, when some sense told him he must not leave. There was
something in this zone he needed to remain near. However, to do so would be
to risk detection by the patrol ships...

Struggling with the decision, he chose to remain, believing that the stars
themselves were telling him to hold his ground. However, it would take a
great deal of effort to maintain the Curtain, that barrier of the night's
own velvet which concealed him from the unworthy and their instruments,
against so many ships at once. He would have difficulty searching for
anything so long as he held a Curtain that powerful, and would most
certainly be detected if he attempted to collect another lovely young woman
for examination.

If this was the will of the stars, so be it.

Now, after well over a day, he had yet to locate that which the stars had
bid him find here. The police fleet was beginning to move off, dispersing
out into the other lanes of the heavens. With great relief, he released his
tight grip on the Curtain, allowing it to diminish to levels he could
manage without strain. There were no longer enough ships left in this
region of space that the Curtain was neccessary, at any rate. Positioning
his vessel at the edge of the entry corridor for the zone, where the rim of
a nearby nebula would camouflage him from passive scans, he sank to his
knees, mentally and physically exhausted.

******

After a short nap and a snack, Mihoshi headed back to the cockpit of her
ship. Almost immediately, she noticed that something seemed wrong. "That's
funny," she told herself, "there ought to be more stars out here than
this..." After a few moments, she realized she was in the shadow of
something enormous. "What...? Is that a ship?" she wondered. Whatever it
was, its hull was the color of the night sky on Earth. From what she could
tell, it was shaped vaguely like a karaoke microphone.

Noticing a round portal just above and to the right of her ship, Mihoshi
decided to go up and investigate. The portal seemed to be unguarded, and
led to a twisting, complex series of tunnels. Navigating them with
surprising ease, Mihoshi headed deeper into the vessel, the exterior lights
of her shuttle playing off the indigo metal.

After a few minutes, she entered a large bay with two landing pads, only
one of which was occupied. The craft there was jet black, and looked like a
dilapidated piece of junk. Setting her shuttle down on the other pad, she
instructed the computer to scan the bay. Satisfied that it was empty, that
it contained an atmosphere, and that there were no active security measures
waiting outside, she locked everything down, grabbed her blaster and
holstered it just in case, picked up a high-powered flashlight, and walked
out into the open bay.

The bay seemed unneccessarily large. Two of the walls were gently sloped,
while the other two, as well as the floor and ceiling, were flat. The room
was featureless except for the landing pads and a single door on each of
the flat walls, Mihoshi noted. The door on the side she'd landed her
shuttle on had no markings of any kind, no controls, nothing. Deciding to
take a closer look at the other door, she walked across the bay.

Oddly enough, there appeared to be a nameplate above the second door.
Craning her neck, she moved her flashlight across the etched metal plate,
reading it one character at a time. "Let's
see...'Ka--ga--bo--shi'...Kagaboshi..." After a moment, her eyes widened in
fear. "KAGABOSHI!?"

******

Kagaboshi rose to his feet, stretching. It was far too brief a rest, but
nevertheless, it had refreshed him, invigorated him, given him the energy
he would need to continue his seemingly endless search.

First, however, the body would need fuel. There was a package of fresh
Juraian sap cakes in the galley; just thinking about them made his mouth
water. Already tasting the warm, sticky sap, he briskly headed for the
lift.

He never noticed the small red light flashing on one of the monitors,
indicating an unauthorized craft in the landing bay.

******

Mihoshi stood stock-still, staring up at the nameplate over the door in
terror. "What should I...what should I do?" she whined. She began backing
slowly away from the door, trying to kick her body into gear to run back to
her shuttle, get out of here, and forget all about it.

*Don't be such a wimp!* a harsh voice scolded in her mind. *You're a Galaxy
Police detective, this guy's a criminal...get your ditzy, spineless ass in
there and cuff him, you idiot!* Definitely Kiyone's voice, no question
about it.

Gathering her resolve, fighting to stop her knees from shaking and her
lower lip from trembling, Mihoshi stalked hesitantly forward, approaching
the door. As she reached it, it slid silently open for her. Blinking, she
hurried through. *No backing out now,* she told herself as the door slid
closed behind her.

Within was a foyer that almost looked like the entrance to a house, aside
from being paneled in cobalt blue deck plating. Open doorways lined the
hall beyond, and she peeked into each curiously. There was a small den
here, a bedroom which looked unused, a library, a kitchen...

Mihoshi's stomach rumbled. Looking around, and seeing no sign of any
dangerous kidnappers who left young women in comas, she snuck into the
kitchen, deciding that it merited a thorough investigation.

"Hmm...let's see...freeze-dried meat, freeze-dried veggies, freeze-dried
ice cream, freeze-dried water...wow, lots of Nova Cola...ooh!" Mihoshi
removed a large box from one cupboard, placing it on the counter. Opening
it, she gave a squeal of delight. "Juraian sap cakes! Lucky!" Removing one
from the box, she began munching on it as she turned to examine the rest of
the kitchen. *Gee, it sure is darker in here all of a sudden,* she thought
to herself.

The massive, black-armored figure standing less than two meters away might
account for the loss of light, she realized a few seconds later.

For a long moment, she continued to nibble the sap cake dangling from her
mouth, staring wide-eyed at the powersuit before her. A dark blue light
tracked calmly across its visor.

The cake fell from her mouth, and she gulped loudly. "Ah...heheheh...hi?
I...ah...err..."

The armor took a step closer to her. Its boot didn't make a sound, even
against the metal deck.

Mihoshi began to wail. "Waaaah! Kiyone! I'm too young to diiiiiiie!"

The armor almost seemed to grow an enormous sweatdrop.

Mihoshi drew her blaster, and put on the most ferocious look she could
muster. "Alright you, back off! I'm a Galaxy Police detective! If you come
one step closer, I'm gonna have to shoot you!"

The tracking light began to pulse, cycling through several different
colors. Mihoshi blinked, lowering her gun slightly. "Pretty lights," she
said. Shaking her head to clear it, she raised her gun again. "I mean it!
I'll really shoot! Back away!"

The tracking light froze, then began strobing blue and red.

Mihoshi yelped, shielding her eyes with one hand. She raised her blaster
and began firing. None of her shots even dinged the armor.

The barrage of lights ceased, and Mihoshi lowered her hand. She jumped at
the sound of magnetic bolts unlocking. The armored figure reached up, and
removed its helmet. The face of a handsome man with dark blue eyes and
silver hair gazed curiously at the frightened blond.

"Most curious. Fair detective, tell me thine name, if you please?" the man
said, in a raspy voice with an odd accent.

She blinked in surprise. "I...I'm Mihoshi."

"Mihoshi," the armored man said. "A beautiful star, indeed." He removed the
gauntlets of his armor, setting them aside, and approached her. She backed
up against the counter nervously. "Fear not, beautiful star," the
silver-haired man said gently, eyes twinkling. Dropping to one knee before
her, he reached out, prying one of the detective's hands from her weapon.
Tenderly, he kissed her hand, causing her to blink rapidly. "Thou may
indeed be the one I have long sought after," he said. Clasping her slender
hand in both of his, he continued, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am the
holy guardian of the heavens, the seeker of the most perfect star in all
the galaxy. My name is Soragoe Kagaboshi."

Mihoshi didn't move, speak, or even blink for a long time. Finally, her
voice somewhat mousy and uncertain, she said, "Um...does this mean you'll
go peacefully?"


PART FOUR: No Need for Arrest


"I don't get it," Mihoshi said around a mouthful of sticky sap and pastry.
"Why did you kidnap all those girls? I mean, you didn't do anything to
them, you didn't demand any ransom..."

Across the table, Kagaboshi sat, still wearing his armor. The two of them
were eating Juraian sap cakes and drinking tea, neither fearing the other.
He smiled as he took a sip of tea. "My reasons are above petty plays for
domination or capital gain, beautiful star. What I do, I do not to harm, to
profit, or to gratify."

"So...why *do* you do it?" the blond asked again.

The silver-haired young man sighed, a far-away look entering his dark blue
eyes. "Long have I known that my destiny is to be the holy protector and
voice of the velvet landscape in which we wander. Long have I traversed the
heavens, long have I watched mortal stars take flight in the immortal
night, some shining brightly, others exuding the darkness of the fallen. In
all of this, I have been alone.

"Until one day, recently, as I encroached upon this region of the galaxy.
The heavens then spoke to me, and imparted upon me the knowledge that it is
no longer my destiny to shine in solitude among them. I learned of one, a
perfect star, whose shine would be as one with mine forever more.

"It is then, that I began searching, began removing the most beautiful of
stars from their vessels, began judging their shine. Alas, none have proven
to be the one, the perfect star...their shine is flawed, marred by the
mundanities of a life chained to their native soil. On behalf of the
heavens, which speak through me, I saw fit to banish them from the stars,
until such time as their shine becomes stronger, more pure."

Mihoshi tried to digest all that, blinking several times. "So...why were
they all in comas when you put them back?"

"It is an aftereffect of the holy power through which I pass judgement upon
them," Kagaboshi said.

"Power?" Mihoshi asked.

Kagaboshi's dark blue eyes began to glow slightly, their hue changing in
rapid pulses. After a long moment, they returned to their normal dark blue
shade.

"That's a neat trick," Mihoshi said, drinking her tea.

"What thou referest to as a trick is the holy power by which I judge the
worthiness of the stars I pluck from the vast curtain of night," the
silver-haired man said. "It allows me to see into their souls, to determine
the strength of their shine."

"Wow," Mihoshi said, suitably impressed. "So you did that to Kiyone?"

Kagaboshi looked away slightly. "Thou art the same Mihoshi of which she
spoke, then."

Mihoshi blinked. "What's wrong? What did she say?"

Kagaboshi turned to face her, and smiled slightly. "It matters not. What
does matter, is that my holy power fails to pierce thine soul. I cannot
perceive thy depths, and yet...thy shine is so brilliant I do not need the
inner sight to view it. Certainly, this be a sign from the heavens
themselves, that I have at long last found the perfect star."

"Well, that's great!" Mihoshi enthused. "So you won't be kidnapping anybody
else." She blinked. "Umm...so what exactly is the perfect star?"

Kagaboshi blinked. He reached across the table, and took the blond
detective's hands between his own. "It is thee, Mihoshi. Thou art the
perfect star."

Mihoshi's eyes widened. She looked back and forth between Kagaboshi's eyes,
and his hands upon her own. A faint blush crept onto her cheeks as
understanding set in. "Oh," she said quietly.

"It is destiny," Kagaboshi said. "Long have I sought thee, and at long last
mine search has ended. Wilt thou shine with me among the stars, my
beautiful one? Wilt thou unite thine beautiful shine with mine own, to rule
the velvet night for all time?"

Mihoshi's face grew even redder. "You're not asking me to marry you or
something, are you? I mean..." she trailed off.

"We two are destined to be as one," Kagaboshi said. The adoration in his
eyes threatened to overwhelm the detective.

Mihoshi gently pulled her hands away from Kagaboshi's. "I, um, I mean, I'm
flattered, really, but...I mean, well, you're a wanted criminal and I'm a
police officer...I mean...well...you know..." She paused for breath. "I
mean, I just met you, and..." She bolted to her feet. "I gotta go! I'm so
late!"

Kagaboshi sighed. "I see then. Very well. Remember this, then: our paths
will cross again. I shall await that day."

Mihoshi bowed. "Thank you for the snacks. It was nice talking to you!" She
then bolted for the door.

Kagaboshi smiled sadly to himself. "Yes, my perfect star...our paths will
cross again, and sooner than you might expect. It is fated in the heavens."



BONUS PRESENTATION:


"Looks bad out there," Sasami commented, peeking out the window as she
sipped her tea.

"Mm," Katsuhito nodded. "The spring rains are often like this."

The two sat in the shrine, quietly sipping tea and watching the rain.
Ryo-Ohki nibbled on a carrot nearby. A rather loud party was going on in
the main house; the girl and the cabbit had come out to the shrine for some
peace and quiet. Outside, rain beat down in heavy sheets, the occasional
flash of lightning and rumble of thunder punctuating the rhythm of the
steady rainfall.

There was a sudden flash outside which had nothing to do with lightning.
Ryo-Ohki looked up. "Mya..."

"That...looked like a ship landing," Sasami noted.

Katsuhito nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Now, who would be coming down in
the middle of this weather, I wonder?"

Sasami peeked out the window. "Looks like the Yagami," she said.

******

There was a faint but persistent knock at the front door, barely audible
over the rain and the din of the party. "Tenchi, be a dear and get that,
would you?" Ryouko said between gulps of sake.

"Really, Ryouko," Ayeka scoffed, "it would not kill you to move your lazy
bones once in a while and do something, instead of leaving it all for
others to do."

"Yeah, so? Nobody asked you anyway," Ryouko sniped, punctuating her rude
retort with a long belch. Ayeka turned away with a 'hmph', pointing at the
ceiling with her nose.

Meanwhile, Tenchi opened the front door...and took a step back as a
shivering, dripping wet young woman collapsed into his arms. "H-hey!" he
cried out. Recovering from the shock, he dragged the unconscious woman into
the house. "Someone roll out a futon," he ordered. The others looked up in
mild surprise.

"Who's that?" Ryouko wondered.

"I have no idea," Tenchi said. Ayeka appeared with the futon, and Tenchi
laid the woman upon it. "I think maybe she's Galaxy Police, though," he
commented after a moment.

She appeared to be in her early twenties, and even in her present state of
unconsciousness and dishevelment, she was quite attractive. Strands of her
long, seafoam-green hair were plastered to her face and neck, having
escaped the topknot she wore which was held in place with a simple orange
cloth. Curiously, one lock of hair which trailed down her right cheek was
darker in color, and was intertwined near the temple with a curl of almost
blond hair. Her lightly tanned skin was flushed slightly with fever. She
wore a Galaxy Police uniform, as well as a heavy pair of sweatpants and a
dark blue jacket. "We need to get her out of those clothes and into the
bath," Washuu noted. "She's already running a high fever."

"You're right," Tenchi said. "Can you girls handle it?"

Just then, the woman began coughing, and stirred slightly. Tenchi
unconsciously took hold of her hand, much to the consternation of Ryouko
and Ayeka. "Miss? Are you alright?" he asked softly.

The young lady's eyelids fluttered open, and she focused on Tenchi with
sharp, deep blue eyes. "Ten...chi..." she said hoarsely.

Everyone blinked. "How...how do you know my name? Who are you?" Tenchi
demanded.

The woman's eyes became slightly unfocused. Her voice trembled as she
replied, "Kiyo...no, Miho...that's not right...I don't know," she finished.
"I...I don't know anymore." A pitiful sob racked her frame.

A loud rumble of thunder filled the silence as Tenchi, Ryouko, Ayeka, and
Washuu glanced around at one another uncertainly.