09/30/00	

            (Standard disclaimer begging for mercy)

         Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and the characters are
    not mine. They are owned by Pioneer/AIC (I think). I
    found them, and I'm just having a little fun with
    them. I'm not trying to make any money with them. This
    is simply for my own entertainment. Well, I hope it
    entertains a few others also, possibly. But please, 
    don't sue me. OK? Pretty please?
	  
      (This is and updated version. I fixed a few errors.
       If you notice any more feel free to point them out.
       I can't fix the story though, it is what it is.)






                 "The Prince and the Pirate"
                           -Part 2-



	Pitch blackness. Suddenly a million motes of light
 filled his vision like a shower of stars. He felt himself
 tumbling in the torrent, voices too quiet to be heard whisper to
 him from all sides. He strained to hear, but frustratingly, every
 time tried to focused on one voice it immediately stopped. Was
 someone playing a joke on him? 'Stop it!', he tried to yell, but
 he had no voice, or if he did he couldn't hear it. Suddenly the
 voices became clear. "On day you will be king, Yosho. You must
 learn to rule.", the voice of his father chided. "It's
 ridiculous, the offspring of an off-worlder savage, King? Jurai
 will never stand for it, the council will never allow that, I
 tell you.", a voice whispered, sounding as loud as a shout.
 "Sometimes I miss the Earth, life was so much simpler there. But
 if I had never come to Jurai I would never have had you, Yosho.",
 his mother's soothing voice said. "Why do they hate me so much?",
 Yosho was surprised to hear himself say. His voice sounded so
 much younger. "They fear what's different, they fear change. You
 must be strong Yosho. We both must be strong.", his mother said,
 her voice now harsh. "It has been decided, you are to marry Ayeka
 when she comes of age. Do not defy me, Yosho. This must be
 done.", his father ordered. Shades of color began to fill his
 vision. "The king believes that the council will not accept you
 as his heir, but if you marry Ayeka you will join the family's
 bloodlines. They will have no chose but to accept you then!",
 anger filled his mother's words. 
      He suddenly found himself standing in a field. A small figure
 was running towards him, he reached down to pick up the child. "One
 day I will be your bride.", Ayeka said, suddenly growing in his
 arms, becoming too lager to hold, changing. She spun free of his
 grasp, away from him. "Won't I Yosho?", the voice was Ryoko's.
 Her flaming eyes stared back at him, a sickly out of place smile
 on her face, her sword arcing down at him. "One day," his sad voice
 replied in the twisted memory. "When you are older." As the sword
 struck home, everything went black.
 




	Something warm and wet touched his face. With a start he
 opened his eyes, shaking away the nightmare. A startled young
 woman knelt beside him, her hand clutching a wash cloth. She
 reared back as he came awake. 
	He lay on a mat, covered by several sheets, a basin sat next 
 to his bed. The room he was in appeared to be illuminated by light
 coming through the walls. 
	
	"He's awake!", the dark haired woman gasped to herself in
 surprise. She spoke in a Juraian dialect, her accent was strange
 but Yosho could understand her well enough.

	"You're awake?", she asked, addressing him now. She put a
 hand on his shoulder, holding him down when he tried to rise.
 She laid the wash cloth down on the edge of the basin. 
	"You were very badly injured, you should rest.", she said,
 her voice warm and soothing.

	"Where am I?", he said, surprised at how weak his voice
 sounded. "Who are you?"

	She seemed shocked to find that he could speak her language.

	 "Please, wait here. I will get my father.", she said. "He
 can explain."

	Rising, she walked to what he had thought to be a wall.
 Sliding a panel away revealed a cleverly disguised door. She
 stepped through sliding the door shutting it behind her. He
 heard her quietly hurried footfalls fade with distance. 

	He lay back, collecting himself. Where was he? Had his
 father sent someone to find him after all? But the woman hadn't
 sounded like a Juraian native, and her manner of dress had been
 somewhat odd.
	He pulled back the sheets and tried to sit up, groaning with
 the effort he fell back. It felt as if someone had beaten every
 inch of him with a hammer, every muscle in his body felt cramped
 and sore. Trying a different method he rolled onto his side,
 pushing himself to his knees, he discovered a sling on his aching
 left arm. Looking about for his clothes he found them washed and
 neatly folded beside the bed, Tenchi-ken placed carefully atop
 them. He grab hold of the sword and his robe, painfully rising to
 his feet. Tottering for a moment he slung the robe about him
 using his good arm and made his way to the hidden doorway. 

	Pulling that door aside revealed a larger central room, with
 a pair of ornately carved doors off to his left. Holding his robe
 with his slinged left arm he shambled to the set of wooden doors.
 These lead outside, to a walkway covered by a simple, but
 beautifully decorated arched roof. A similar walk could be seen
 leading to a small structure on his right. Moving slowly, he
 followed the walkway to the main building of the complex.
	Pulling back a large sliding door he entered the strangely
 designed building. To his left he saw what must be a shrine of
 some type, straight ahead were a large pair of sliding doors. As
 he made his way to the new doorway he heard a door slide aside
 on his far right.

	An old man entered, followed closely by the woman who had
 tended to him. She gasped upon seeing him. The man smiled and
 strode up to him, while the woman hung back.
	"Awake at last are you, my boy?", he said as he drew close.
 His voice was much firmer than his frail appearance would have
 suggested. He struck a stiff bow, inclining his head toward
 Yosho. "I am Hatori Masaki, I am the priest of this shrine."

	The man wore white robes and blue slacks tied at the waist 
 with a braided belt. His features were dominated by an immense 
 gray mustache beneath his sharply shaped nose. His piercing eyes, 
 dark as coal, looked out from under his bushy eyebrows. His long 
 gray hair tied back.

	"A priest that wears a sword?", Yosho said, indicating the 
 strange item he had notice amongst the old man's wardrobe. The  
 man's eyes widened when he spoke, a smile spread across his face.

	"A momento from a previous life", he said with a chuckle,
 his hand dropping to it's hilt. "But never far from my side."

	With a blurred motion, the old man pulled the sword from its
 sheath, performing a breath takingly executed routine. Yosho, his
 eyes going wide, took a step back. Did this man plan to attack
 him? But the display was over almost before it had begun, the
 click of the scabbard signaling its completion. Hatori stood
 laughing at his reaction, a hand scratching the back of his head.
 The man's daughter cringed, her hands balled up before her face.

	"Father!", she cried, aghast.

	"I'm sorry," he apologized, a mischievous grin on his
 weathered face. "I couldn't resist."
	"A fine weapon," he patted the sword at his hip. " but
 nowhere as remarkable as your own, my friend." Again bowed, stiff
 and formal. "It is truly an honor to meet a Samurai such as
 yourself."
	
	"A Samurai?", Yosho asked the surprising old man.

	"A warrior.", the man said, his eyes narrowing slightly.
 "You are not from around here, are you young man? You speak our
 language though. I must say your pronunciation is a little odd."
	"May I know your name, and where from you came ?", the
 priest asked.
	
	Without a second thought Yosho drew himself up, and bowed as
 well as he could.

	"I am Prince Yosho, of Jurai.", he told the man.

	"A Prince?", Hatori said, his furry eyebrows rising in
 surprise. "Jurai...? I have not heard of this land. Where exactly
 is Jurai?"

	First contact; these people where still alone in the
 universe as far as they knew, he had to tread lightly. It was
 considered a crime of the highest magnitude to interfere with
 developing planets, even ones within Jurai's own jurisdiction. He
 quickly tried to recall the map of the surrounding region he had
 seen aboard Funaho.

	"It is a land far to the south, I have never travel so far
 northward before. But I was in pursuit of a vicious criminal that
 had attacked our land, injuring and killing many of my people.",
 he said, trying to weave the truth into his lie. "I finally
 caught up to her here."

	The priest listened to his story, absently rubbing a finger
 below his bottom lip, his penetrating gaze upon Yosho. His
 eyebrows knit for a moment before he turned to the woman behind
 him.
 
	"May I introduce my daughter in law?",  he asked, his
 expressive eyebrows rising as he extended a hand towards her.
 "This is Yogami."
	She quickly stepped forward, her multi-colored robes
 shuffling as she crossed the polished wooden floor. Stopping
 before him, she dropped into a low bow. 
	Yogami was a handsome woman, her long dark brown hair nearly
 reaching to the floor, her brown eyes striking, her features
 delicate.

	"I am very pleased to meet you.", she said, a shy smile upon
 her face.

	"I'm very pleased to meet you too.", he said in reply. "I'd
 like to thank you for taking care of me while I was injured."

	"Oh, it was my honor, sir.", she said, her face becoming
 concerned. "Are you in pain? Is there anything I could get you?"

	"No, I'm all right. Just a little stiff",  he said with a
 smile, reassuring the woman. "Thank you anyway."

	"Yogami", Hatori spoke up. "Could you get us some tea,
 please?"

	"Of course father.", she replied, bowing again.

	"The prince and I will take it on the verandah.", he said,
 taking Yosho by the arm and guiding him to the front doors of the
 shrine. "Thank you, Yogami."

	She hurried off as Hatori ushered Yosho outside onto the
 porch of the building, and steered him into the shade.

	"Do you need any help getting seated?", the elderly priest
 asked as the pair reached a likely spot.

	"I think I can manage, though I might need some help getting
 up again.", he said with a wry smile, as he lowered himself to
 the ground.

	"That makes two of us.", the old man said, with a grunt as
 he took a seat.

	Yosho chuckled in reply. He sat quietly with Hatori
 surveying the countryside. It was a truly beautiful land indeed.
 Woodlands and fields, stretched out before them, the smell of
 flowers in the air. But another familiar smell came in on the
 wind, drawing him back reality, back to the reason for his
 presence here. The smell of smoke lingered.

	Hatori took a deep breath, exhaling loudly as he stretched
 out his arms. Resting his hands on his knees he leaned close to
 Yosho.

	"So...", he asked pausing, an eyebrow aching, fixing Yosho
 with a wry eye. "Do you have many flying ships and demons down
 south in Jurai?"

	Yosho, at a loss for words, didn't reply. But his expression
 told the old man everything he needed to know.

	"My boy,", he said, with a laugh at Yosho's reaction. "As a
 young man I traveled quite a bit. I've been just about
 everywhere, seen just about everything there is to be seen. But
 in all my journeys, I've never witnessed anything like I
 witnessed here two days ago!"

	'Two days ago?', Yosho wondered in surprise. Had he been
 unconscious so long?

	"I know you must have your reasons for lying to me," Hatori
 continued, his tone even, his expression earnest. "But whatever
 your secrets might be, I assure you, you can trust me to keep
 them."

	Yosho bowed his head considering the man's words.

	"Yosho, I'm an old man. I don't know how much time I have
 left on this earth. Would you force me to go to my grave never
 knowing the reason for the amazing events I witnessed?", the man
 asked, shamelessly playing upon Yosho's conscious.
	
	"And there is the small matter of my saving your life.",
 Hatori said, with a sigh and a quick glance in his direction.
 "But don't let that affect your decision."
	
	With a small smile on his face Yosho shook his head at the
 audacity of the man. Hatori returned the smile when he saw his
 resolve waning. He cocking one of his extremely mobile brows,
 his expression eager.
	Well, he supposed, Hatori did deserved to know, he had
 apparently saved his life. What harm could it do, telling one man
 his story?

	"All right," he said, finally giving in. Hatori's face lit
 up like a child's. "I'll tell you the truth. But I doubt you'll
 believe me."
 

	He told Hatori of planet Jurai, of the palace, and of the
 attack by Ryoko. He explained about his ship, Funaho, the chase
 that had led him to Earth, and of his battle with Ryo-Ohki. Yosho
 went on to tell about his fight with the deadly pirate Ryoko.
 Hatori sat chin in hand through out the tale's telling, his
 expression unreadable. 


	"Ah yes... the girl.", he muttered to himself as Yosho
 finished. He sat back pulling on his mustache, mulling over the
 information Yosho had imparted. He cast his eyes skyward, before
 looking back to Yosho.

	Yosho regarded him curiously, pondering just what the man
 might be thinking.

	"Ships that sail the sea of stars?", he wonder aloud, awe in
 coloring his voice. "Other worlds, empires of the stars?"
	"Why, this tale is even less believable than the previous
 one!", he exclaimed, a look of exasperation on his face.

 	Yosho shook his head, he had told him that he wouldn't
 believe it. Perhaps it was for the best, anyway. Hatori turned to
 him, a knowing grin on his face. He reached out and placed a hand
 on Yosho's knee.
	
 	"Which is precisely why I believe it.", he said
 reassuringly. "Thank you for being honest with me."
	"I can't say I understand it all, but it was a wondrous
 tale," he said, seemingly distracted, his gaze falling on the
 shrine's door. "...and completed just in time, I see."
	 
	The door opened and a smiling Yogami appeared, carrying a
 tray. 

	"Where have you been, Yogami?", he chided her. "Prince Yosho
 and I thought we were going to perish from thirst."

	"Father!", she exclaimed, scandalized by his comment. 

	"I was only joking!", he chuckled at her discomfort, holding
 up a hand to ward off her wrath. Yogami knelt setting the tray
 down.

	"Father, really!", she gasped, shocked at his behavior. "We
 have company." 

	Yosho watched the exchange in amusement, sympathizing with
 the young woman. He could imaging how difficult for her it must
 be for her, having to deal with this cantankerous man day in and
 day out. She set about pouring tea for the two men, offering
 Yosho a cup first.

	"Thank you.", he said accepting it, she smiled sweetly in
 return.
 
	Then she handed a cup to the priest, a disapproving
 expression on her face. Demurely she stood, retreating to the
 door. Pausing to shoot Hatori one last look, she stepped through,
 closing the door behind her. The old man chuckled as she left. He
 turned to Yosho, taking a sip of tea.
	
	"She really is the best daughter in law.", he said,
 honestly. "My son is very lucky to have married such a woman." He
 turned to regard the door again.
	"But I can't resist teasing her sometimes.", he said,
 turning back, a mischievous grin on his face. Yosho
 chuckled at the man's temerity.

	"Where is your son?", Yosho asked, after taking a couple of
 sips of the tea. It was delicious, he'd never had anything quite
 like it before.
	
	"Kanida?", he replied. "Oh, he's out tending the fields.
 You'll get the chance to meet him this evening, when he returns."
	
	The sun rose high in the sky while they chatted, the heat of
 the day was coming on. Soon they would have to move, as the shade
 of the porch drifted away. 
      Hatori sat quietly for a moment, obviously deep in thought.
 He turned to regard Yosho his expression serious.
 
	"There is one thing I need to know.", he said, his words
 weighty, as he poured another cup of tea for Yosho and himself.

	"I need you tell me about this dem...", he began, before
 rephrasing his question. "This pirate of yours, Ryoko. It's a
 strange name, "Spirit Caller". "

	Yosho sat for a moment thinking. Startled, he realized that
 he really didn't know that much about her. He knew her crimes,
 but they were common knowledge. Her age and her origins were a
 complete mystery. Apart from the fact that she was thought to
 operate with another pirate called Kagato, uncounted years of
 investigation by the Galaxy Police had yielded almost nothing. 
	She had suddenly appeared, several thousand years ago,
 cutting a swath of terror and destruction through the galaxy. She
 was (had been) immensely powerful, a fact to which he could
 testify. She would attack and plunder planets, seemingly at
 random. The strange thing was, she often stole things of no
 practical value. Historical relics, and the like. Priceless, but
 nearly impossible to resell. It didn't make sense, and it was
 only one of the many puzzling things about her. 
	He pulled Tenchi-ken from it's hiding place in the sleeve of
 his robe to regard the jewels in its pommel. They sparkled as the
 light hit them, red as blood. He stroked one of the gems with his
 thumb, it was cool to the touch and smooth as glass. 
	Why had Tenchi-ken done this? For that matter, how had
 Tenchi-ken done this; incorporated her gems into itself?

	Occasionally sipping his tea, Hatori sat patiently waiting,
 watching as Yosho contemplated his sword.

	"It's strange," Yosho said after several minutes. "I know as
 much as anyone knows about her." He raised Tenchi-ken, and
 glanced over to the priest. "Maybe more than anyone else, but it
 still adds up to almost nothing."

	"She was a pirate, one of the most wanted in the galaxy.
 Physically she appeared young, but her real age was anyone's
 guess. She had some exceptional powers. I guess you saw that for
 yourself though. She attacked many planets over the years. She
 was responsible for a lot of destruction and quite a few deaths.
 It was just her bad fortune to attack planet Jurai while I was
 there. If she hadn't, our paths probably never would have
 crossed.", he paused, gazing off into the distance.
	"It was my duty, to catch her, to destroy her. Such an
 offense to Jurai, to the throne, was unforgivable. It could not
 be allowed to stand. If the palace of Jurai was not safe from
 her, no one was safe. She had to be stopped.", he said, his voice
 hard.

	"So I tracked her here.", he muttered, distantly. "Tracked
 her here, and killed her."

	Stopping, he reached for his cup, quickly taking a sip. His
 mouth had gone dry.

	Hatori quietly sipped his own tea, one eye on Yosho, as he
 digested what the man had said. Setting down his cup he turned to
 Yosho.

	"Wanted to test your sword out on the 'ultimate' opponent,
 did you?", he said, seeing through Yosho's words, cutting to the
 heart of the matter. Surprised, Yosho met his gaze. A long moment
 passed before he dropped his eyes and looked away.
	"Never killed a man in combat before, had you?", Hatori
 said, taking a sip of tea. He looked over at the young prince,
 whose eye were locked on his sword. 
	"It's not like you thought it would be, is it?", he said,
 understandingly. "There was no glory in taking a life, was there?
 Even when it needed to be done?" Yosho gave no sign that he was
 even listening. "There was no pleasure, just relief. Relief that
 it was finally over."  
	
	With a sigh Hatori paused to refill his cup. Reaching out he
 collected Yosho cup, refilling it also and setting back down
 before the unmoving man.
	"Perhaps I should have asked Yogami to fetch Sake instead.",
 he said sadly, holding the cup before him, downing it in a gulp.
	He reached out, resting a comforting hand on Yosho's
 shoulder.
	"It never gets any easier, my boy.", he said quietly, giving
 his shoulder a squeeze before releasing him. "Pray that it
 doesn't."

	"Let me tell you a little about myself. After all you've
 told me, it seem only fair.", he said as he looked out across the
 valley.

	"Before I settled here and took a wife, I roamed far and
 wide. I was a sword for hire, a man of war. As a young man I
 craved adventure, but as a commoner all the adventure I was ever
 likely to see was the summer harvest, and the muddy fields of the
 rice paddies. But one day I chanced to meet a wandering
 swordsman, a "Ronin". Daigoro, his name was, the master swordsman
 of a defeated clan. When he passed though my village I set out in
 pursuit of him, and never looked back. I had to follow him for
 almost a year before he finally agreed to teach me, probably just
 to get me to stop. After many years under his tutelage, and many
 adventures together, I took my leave of him and set out to make
 my own way in the world. Selling my sword to the highest bidder,
 I quickly gained the reputation of a master. As a commoner I
 would never be deemed a true Samurai, but my blade was respected
 across the land none the less.", he said, his hand falling to the
 sword still at his waist. His eyes were far away, reliving the
 events of the past. The man's words drew Yosho out of his dark
 contemplations, his head rose as he regarded the old man.
	"I fought a hundred battles, but there was always another
 one in the making, and always someone willing to pay for my
 expertise.", his voice became quieter. "I've killed more men than
 I care to remember. Some who deserved it, to be sure. Other who
 probably didn't, but that's the nature of war."
	His head dropped down as he examined his hands, his eyes
 weary.
	"But warfare is the occupation of a young man, as I grew
 older I grew tired of the endless intrigue, the endless killing.
 I decided to retire, but where ever I went a Samurai was sure to
 follow, to challenge me."

	"One day a voice called to me from outside my house,
 challenging me to a duel. I found a boy standing there, he
 couldn't have been more than fifteen. He was a cocky one, full of
 piss and vinegar, his chest swelled out like a rooster's. Fifteen
 is old enough to be considered a man in this land. I had killed
 ones younger than even he, in battle in the past. He had come to
 prove himself, to gain a reputation. He'll never know just how
 close he came to death. But looking into his face that day, I
 realized the pointlessness of it all. I realized it would never
 end so long as I was alive."
 
	"So Masaki, 'The Sword of the East', came out of retirement
 one final time, to take part in one last battle.", he said,
 pulling his sword from it's sheath, holding it before him.
	"Where he fell,", he said, bring the sword down in emphasis.
 "honorably in combat." 
 
	Sheathing the well worn sword he turned to regard an
 entranced Yosho.

	"They never did find his head or his sword, they were
 probably taken as trophies by the opposing army.", he paused,
 glancing away. "Not long after that, a new priest arrived at a
 dilapidated shrine in the mountains of Okayama." 

	"And here I've lived ever since.", he said, with a wave of
 his hand.

	"Twenty five years have pasted now, I've tried to live a
 pious life. Perhaps to make up for the carnage I caused in my
 youth, perhaps to convince myself that I'm not the same man that
 did those things.", he looked back to Yosho, his eyes troubled.
 "But not a day goes by that I don't see them in my mind, an
 endless parade of dead men. All with my name on their lips, an
 accusatory look in their eye, haunting me." he muttered, his
 voice tailing off.

	Finishing his tale, he refilled his cup, gulping the
 contents. Yosho looked on in astonishment at the man's story. His
 respect for the old priest growing immeasurably.

	"Yes, I defiantly should have had Yogami bring Sake.", he
 sighed sadly, looking at the now empty cup.
	He looked over, he studied Yosho intensely for a moment.
 
	"Anyway, I hope you'll never have to experience what I have
 over the years.", he said, eyeing Yosho, obviously pondering some
 thought.

	"Here, come with me," he said with a grunt, beginning to
 rise to his feet. "I have something to show you." Getting up, he
 offered a hand to Yosho, helping him to his feet.

	Together they walked back through the shrine, and out
 through it's rear exit to the covered walk. Hatori led him back
 to the building he had originally come from. Entering the
 building he moved to the door on the far left, the door opposite
 from Yosho's room. He waited for the young man to join him before
 quietly sliding it aside.

	The room, very similar to his own, was dimly lit. It took
 several moments for his eye to adjust, but in a short while Yosho
 recognized the figure lying on the floor, bound head to toe with
 rope. He stood in shocked disbelief.
	"She...lives?", he whispered, stunned, unable to take his
 eyes from the woman on the floor.

	"Yes.", Hatori agreed with a little consternation. "I was
 surprised myself, especially since I saw you put your sword
 through her throat with my own eyes, but..."

	"There wasn't a mark on her, not a single wound." he said,
 his arms crossed, stroking his mustache with one hand. "It's the
 damnedest thing I've ever seen."

	They both stood looking at their captive, each lost in their
 own thoughts.

	"I suppose I should have killed her on the spot, while she
 was helpless.", Hatori said his voice quiet. "But I couldn't
 bring myself to do it. She's just a girl." 
	"Well,", he said, glancing to the silent Yosho, remembering
 what he had said. "She looks just like a girl anyway."

	Yosho didn't respond and they stood quietly for a moment in
 the doorway.

	"What are we to do with her?", Hatori finally asked, turning
 to meet Yosho's eyes, hoping that Yosho could make the decision
 he hadn't wanted to.

	"Kill me.", a voice whispered. 
	Both men turned in surprise to the unmoving figure on the
 floor, their hands flying to their weapons. Hatori stared in
 shock, the whole time she had been here she'd never moved, never
 batted an eye, let alone spoken. He had assumed she'd been
 unconscious the entire time. Yosho stood holding Tenchi-ken
 before him, ready.

	"What?", Hatori asked in astonishment. Again the voice
 spoke, this time stronger.

	"Kill me.", she said, sadly. "Please."

	Yosho and Hatori turned questioningly to one another, then
 back to the girl that lay in the room.

	"Why would you want us to do that?", Yosho asked, genuinely
 curious. 

	"I...He'll...", she said, her voice faltering. "Just do it.
 Quickly. Please."

	Both men looked at one another, knowing the other's
 thoughts. It was one thing to kill an opponent in the heat of
 battle, but quite another to kill someone who was asking you to
 do it. Neither of them thought they were capable of that. After
 a moment Yosho stepped carefully into the room and stopped within
 a couple feet of her, crouching down. Hatori came up behind him.
  
	"Ryoko?", he asked, his sword at the ready, just in case.
 The woman still lay face down on the ground, her arms tied behind
 her. She turned her head in his direction, looking up at him, her
 expression pitiful.
	Yosho met her eyes. Yellow, not the burning red he had seen
 before. Her eyes were golden, they seem to plead with him.

	"I know you could have easily escaped," he said, looking
 over her bindings. They were woefully inadequate to hold a
 creature of her power. "Why haven't you?"

	She lay quietly for several moments before speaking.

	"Where would I go?", she asked dejectedly.  
	"You've taken my gems, you've...", she said quietly, her
 voice thick with emotion. "destroyed Ryo-Ohki."
	"Where would I go?", she asked again, her eyes haunted,
 distant.
 
	Yosho sat contemplating her, tapping Tenchi-ken against his
 chin. He looked over his shoulder to Hatori who raised a curious
 eyebrow in reply. Yosho could detect no deception on her part,
 but she was acting very oddly. This wasn't at all the way he
 would have expected her to act. She was changed somehow. The
 howling beast was gone, it had been replaced by this pitiable
 girl. She *felt* different, in a way he could hardly define. It
 was as if the mask of an actor had been pulled aside, revealing
 their face beneath. But how was this possible? Perhaps there was
 more to Ryoko than just the fighting machine he had battled. But
 what were they going to do with her? 
      An idea came to him unbidden, as if it had whispered in his
 ear. It was crazy, to even think such a thing was an act of
 lunacy. But try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling that
 it was the correct thing to do, that it was something he must do.
   
	"If we were to release you, would you attack us?", he asked,
 after struggling with his conscious for what seemed like an
 eternity. He glanced back to Hatori. The old priest looked
 shocked, though he didn't object.

	"I...I don't know.", she said with apparent honestly, as if
 unsure herself.

	"Do you *want* to attack us?", Yosho asked, trying to figure
 out the strange woman.
	"No.", she replied sincerely, her voice quiet, her eyes
 closed.

	Again Yosho glanced from the woman to Hatori. He raised a
 questioning eyebrow himself this time. Hatori shrugged in reply,
 he was leaving this decision up to him. Yosho knew there wasn't
 much point in keeping her tied as she was. She could escape at
 will, if she wanted to. 
	If they weren't going to kill her, they might as well free
 her, Yosho thought with the slightest trepidation. He couldn't
 believe what he was about to do. 

	"Ryoko, if you give us your word that you won't harm us," he
 said, against his better judgment. "I'll set you free."
	
	"But, I can't! You don't understand. I don't know if
 I'll...", she exclaimed, her eyes opening, meeting Yosho's gaze.

	"Your word.", he reiterated, his gaze steady. She looked
 back at him pleadingly, before turning away. It was a moment
 before she spoke again.

	"You...have my word.", she said, her voice sincere.

	Yosho nodded to Hatori before standing up. 

	"I'll fetch a knife then, it should just take a minute.", he
 said, turning to the door. Yosho placed a hand on his shoulder
 stopping him, Hatori turned questioningly to him.
	"Go on Ryoko.", Yosho said reassuringly. "You're free now."

	She glanced up at him, and a second later her ropes
 collapsed, their captive now gone. She reappeared standing in
 front of them, her eyes downcast and naked as the day she was
 born. Hatori stood in amazement for a moment at what he had seen,
 at what he was seeing. He looked away with an embarrassed cough.

	"I'll see if Yogami has an old Kimono or two she could lend
 you to wear." 
		
      "That's not necessary.", Ryoko said, quietly. Phasing from
 sight she reappeared a moment later fully clothed. Hatori thought
 her garments looked outlandish, but very striking on her. It was
 a improvement at least.

	"Are you hungry?", he said, brightening. "You must be, you
 haven't eaten anything in days. You just wait here and I'll have
 Yogami bring you something to eat and drink." 

	"Please, make yourself comfortable.", he said, with the
 friendliest smile he could muster. He bowed quickly before
 turning with to Yosho, they both moved to the doorway. As they
 exited the room he slid the door shut behind them.


	"Do you really think this is wise?", Hatori asked, stopping
 Yosho after they had put some distance between themselves and the
 door. He glanced back worriedly at the room behind.

	"That's not the same woman I fought.", Yosho tried to
 explain, his brows knitting, deep in thought. "I have a strange
 feeling about her."

	"Not the same?", Hatori asked, confused, an eyebrow going
 up. "She's the same one I brought back from the field that day."

	"She doesn't act the same though. Her voice is different,
 her eyes are different. Something has changed in her.", he said,
 looking down at the jewels in Tenchi-ken curiously. He thought he
 might just know the cause of  that change, even if he didn't know
 it's reason. He glanced back up the old man.

	"I don't believe she's a danger to us, not right now
 anyway."

	"I hope you're right.", Hatori sighed warily. "She'll be in
 contact with my family, my granddaughter..."
	
	"I don't believe we have anything to fear from her. But...",
 Yosho said, his voice firm, the look in his eyes deadly serious.
 "If anything should happen. Believe me, there will not be a
 second chance."
	


	In her room, Ryoko sat staring at the door through which the
 two man had left. She could hear their footsteps fading, their
 voices raised in a conversation she couldn't quite make out.
 After a moment the they continued on, their footfalls dwindling
 in the distance. 

	They were going to let her live.
	'What am I to do now?', she wondered to herself.

	Wait. Wait until...*He* came. He would never let her escape.
 Eventually he would come to claim her once again. He would kill
 the Prince and the others, and take her away. Then they would
 continue with his plans. With his knowledge and her brawn, they
 would capture Tsunami. With the knowledge of the Secret of Jurai,
 and the First Ship, her master would be supreme. He would be all
 powerful, unchallenged in the galaxy. Then he would rule, and she
 would serve him, faithfully.
 
	Forever, and ever, and ever, and ever...

	A shiver swept through her, she jumped to her feet. Pacing
 like a caged animal, she hugged herself, roaming the confines of
 the small room. 

	There was no way to escape it, he would come. He always did.
 Morosely, she sat again. Drawing her knees up, she hugged them,
 making herself small. Small enough to go unnoticed, maybe? The
 silence of the room was deafening.
	She was truly alone now, for the first time in her life.
 Gone was the dark insinuating voice of Kagato, always whispering
 his unquestionable will in the back of her mind. Gone too was the
 voice of Ryo-Ohki, the one who had always been there. The ship
 that wasn't a ship. The nonjudgmental friend whose soft voice had
 comforted her for so many years. 
	The warm voice that had always been with her, finally
 stilled.
 
	She rocked herself slowly. She could picture Ryo-Ohki,
 smashed, smoking, lying at the bottom of a crater. Lying at the
 bottom of a grave. 
	She rose. Closing her eyes she pictured the scene in her
 mind and willed herself to be there. She felt so weak, for a
 moment she thought she might not be able to do it. But a second
 later, light shown red through her eye lids. She opened her eyes
 to a bright blue sky, a quiet expanse of ground, scared black. A
 scene that looked all too familiar to her. Below her, in the
 crater sat Ryo-Ohki, broken. Half submerged, as the waters of a
 nearby marsh slowly seeped in to covered her.

	Ryo-Ohki was an amazing ship, with the power to heal
 herself, if damaged. Even, she'd been told, to reproduce herself,
 if she was damaged beyond repair. But, Ryoko reasoned, she should
 feel something from her. There should some kind of response,
 anything. There was only a chilling silence.

	'Ryo-Ohki?', she reached out with her mind, hoping against
 hope for a reply. 'Ryo-Ohki?' 
	'Ryo-Ohki, please! Answer me!', she begged, but there was no
 response. She sat listening, hearing only the wind that blew
 across the clearing. Tears welled in her eyes, her legs trembled.
 She fell to her knees. 

	
	"I'm sorry, Ryo-Ohki!", she cried, tears streaming down her
 face. "I'm so sorry!"
	She doubled over, her head bowed to the ground, her hands to
 her face.
	"Why couldn't it have been me?!", she wailed, her body
 convulsing as she sobbed. "It should have been me!"

	"It should have been me...", she cried, gasping, racked with
 grief for the only innocent she had ever known. 
	



	"She's gone!", Hatori came rushing into Yosho's room, a look
 of misgiving on his weathered face. Yosho replaced the sling on
 his arm, finally having had the chance to get properly dressed.
 He quickly followed the old man out into the central room,
 Ryoko's door was open. A concerned Yogami stood before it, a tray
 lay on the ground beside her.
	"When Yogami came to bring her something to eat, she found
 her room empty.", he said, his brow furrowed, his expression
 worried. "We've searched the shrine for her, she's not here."

	Yosho looked past Yogami into the vacant room beyond. Had he
 been wrong?
	Had he been wrong to trust his intuition? In spite of what
 he had experienced, he had trusted his heart. He had listened to
 the little voice in the back of his mind, it had never lied to
 him before. Even now, the voice seemed to say, 'All is well'.	
	But that voice was no consolation to Hatori and Yogami who
 stood before him. Their anxiety was all too obvious. He was
 merely a visitor, who could leave if he liked, but these people's
 lives and homes were at stake. They had been put in jeopardy by a
 decision he had made. How would he be able to live with himself
 if anything happen to them? Perhaps the harshest course of action
 had been the correct course after all. He'd been so sure though. 
	Ryoko had been right about one thing. Where could she go?
 The only viable ship on Earth was Funaho. She could never get
 inside Funaho, and even if she could the ship would never
 function for her. She was trapped here on Earth.
	Her powers might be diminished now, but she could still
 wreak havoc if she chose to. This planet was unprepared for a
 creature the likes of Ryoko, she could bring chaos the likes of
 which the Earth had never seen.

	Looking into the eyes of his benefactors he felt ashamed of
 his weakness. He shouldn't have trusted a hunch when lives were
 at steak. She had to found, found and dealt with, before it was
 too late, before something terrible happened.

	Even as he thought this, despite his fears, a kernel of hope
 remained. 
	'Please, Ryoko. Prove me wrong.', he silently wished,
 looking down at the sword now in his hand. 

	"I doubt she'll have gone far.", Yosho said aloud to Hatori.
 "The two of us should go and search the surrounding area until
 she's found."

	The old man, noticing his expression and the presence of
 Tenchi-ken in his hand, leaned forward, so as not to be
 overheard.

	"You're having second thoughts about your decision now?", he
 whispered in apprehension. The wrinkles on his face becoming
 deeper with his worry. He glanced over his shoulder to his
 daughter in law.
	"Yogami, where is Miyana?", he asked, trying to sound
 unconcerned.

	Her eyes when wide at the mention of the girl, a hand flying
 to her mouth, but she settled an instant later.

	"She walked down to farmer Manaki's home this morning.", she
 said with obvious relief. The thought of her daughter out there
 all alone, with that creature running around, had scared the life
 out of her. "She was going to play with his son, Yoichi. She
 won't be back until supper time."

	"Thank the Gods,", Hatori said with a sigh, his tension
 easing a bit. "At least she's safely away from here."



	Under the midday sun an apathetic figure lay curled into a
 ball, her spirit broken. She was tired, so tired of this
 existence. For thousands of years it had gone on now, each new
 day bringing new atrocities for her to commit in her master's
 name. She just wanted it to end. Was the universe so cruel? Was
 fate so cruel that it would foil her only chance for peace?
 Finally someone had appeared to stop her, to put an end to it.
 Only to have that man leave her alive to suffer. She should have
 forced him to do it, damned him to his face, spit in his eye and
 laughed at his worthlessness. But the bravado she had always know
 was gone now. The detachment she had always felt had been
 replaced by a self awareness she had never experienced before.
 Frightening new emotions welled within her, emotions she couldn't
 control. 
	As the hand of Kagato, she had only ever experienced the
 emotions he would allow. Rage she knew all too well, and the
 pleasures of destruction, the satisfaction of each new victory,
 the joy of a mission properly completed. But these new emotions
 were all so different, so alien. Grief, fear, despair, apathy,
 even for the briefest of instants, hope. She hated it, she hated
 them, she hated herself. There was always the omnipresent hate.

	"Are you all right?", a tiny voice asked worriedly. With a
 jolt of surprise Ryoko untangled herself, and sat up. She found
 herself face to face with a sprite of a girl. A child that
 couldn't have been much more than three feet tall.
	"What were you doing lying there?", the girl asked, peering
 curiously at her. "It looks like you've been crying. Did you hurt
 yourself? I know I cry when I hurt myself. Like when I did this."
 She stuck her elbow into Ryoko's bewildered face for closer
 examination, there was a large recently healed scab covering it. 
	"I fell down the cement steps at the shine. Well, not all of
 them, that would have *really* hurt. Just the last few, but I
 fell flat on my face and skinned my elbow. See?", she said
 holding her elbow an inch from Ryoko's nose as evidence, so close
 that Ryoko's eyes crossed trying to focus on it. "It hurt so bad,
 it was all bloody and stuff. I was crying like crazy. There was
 snot and everything, it was gross. What's your name?"

	Surprised by the verbal onslaught Ryoko sat blinking dumbly,
 trying to digest what the girl was saying. Suddenly she realized
 the talking had ceased.

	"Ryoko.", she gasped out, sympathetically breathless for the
 girl.

	"Ryoko? That's a pretty name. My name's Miyana. Why don't
 you get up? You're getting your clothes all dirty." Miyana
 reached out and attempted to haul the much larger woman to her
 feet. Compelled to stand, Ryoko managed to get up despite
 Miyana's help. On her feet now, she towered over the little girl. 
	She was a diminutive elf of a girl, dressed in a blue
 kimono. Her large brown eyes smiled up at Ryoko, her hair pulled
 back in pigtails. The girl busied herself brushing dirt from
 Ryoko's clothes. 
	"Wow, you're tall! Mom 'sez men don't like tall woman, but I
 think you're kinda pretty. I like your eyes, yellow's such a nice
 color, mine are just brown.", she said, making a face and
 sticking her tongue out.
	"I've never met anyone with hair your color before. Were you
 born like that? And your clothes, I've never seen clothes like
 those before either.", she paused, giggling, with a hand over her
 mouth. 
	"You can see your boobs.", she whispered. 

	Befuddled, Ryoko looked down at her chest and back to the
 girl. She though she might have just been insulted, but it was
 hard to tell. How this girl ever managed to stop talking long
 enough to sneak up on her was a complete mystery.
	Miyana turned away from her and walked to the edge of the
 crater, peering down into its depths. 
	"Where'd this come from?", she asked curiously, as if it had
 suddenly appeared next to her. Ryoko stepped up beside to the
 girl to look down on Ryo-Ohki with her. 
	"Ooo, It's kind of pretty, isn't it?", Miyana said, glancing
 up at her before looking back. "All sparkly, and shiny like
 that."

	"Yes, it is." Ryoko agreed, her voice heavy. 

	"But it looks all broken.", Miyana said sadly. "I wonder
 what it was."

	"My only friend.", Ryoko whispered with the hint of a tear
 in the corner of her eye.	
	But the girl hadn't heard her. She walked off around the
 edge of the crater, leaving Ryoko standing alone. Halfway around
 the girl stopped and ran back to her, an excited smile on her
 face. She stopped in front of Ryoko, beaming up at her, her eyes
 twinkling.

	"It's real pretty, but I know something even prettier.",
 Miyana said conspiratorially, with a quick glance around. She
 leaned close to Ryoko, putting a hand up to shield her mouth from
 prying eyes.
	"Do you want me to show you, Ryoko?", she said in a quiet
 voice, her eyes dancing.
	"Do you want to see the most beautiful place in the whole
 world?", she whispered.  "I'll show you, but you have to promise
 not to tell anyone. It'll be our secret, okay?."

	"Come on!", she said as she took hold of Ryoko's hand.
 Without even waiting for the requested promise, she began pulling
 a confounded Ryoko off towards the tree line. 


	Ryoko allowed the girl to lead her away from Ryo-Ohki and
 off into the cool shade of the forest. Miyana seem to know the
 woods like the back of her hand, taking turn after turn as trails
 met and crossed. Soon Ryoko was completely lost, but the little
 girl seem to know exactly where she was going. Before long they
 were on trails that seemed to be not much more than animal runs,
 partially covered with thick vegetation. They continued on,
 pushing their way through, Ryoko having to crouch down to get
 past some of the low hanging plants and branches. Suddenly Miyana
 stopped and turned to her.

	"Now close your eyes.", she said smiling. Her curiosity
 peaked now, Ryoko hesitated. 
	"Come on, Ryoko! I want it to be surprise!", Miyana
 insisted, pouting. "Close your eyes!" 
	Acquiescing, Ryoko finally closed her eyes. Miyana took hold
 of both her hands and lead her the last few feet. 
	"Duck your head. Lower!", she said her voice excited, as
 Ryoko blindly followed her. Finally she stopped, letting go of
 Ryoko's hands.
	"Keep your eyes closed!", Miyana ordered. Ryoko could hear
 her stepping away from her.
	"Okay, you can open your eyes now.", the girl said.

	The sight that greeted Ryoko was overwhelming. It was as if
 every color ever invented had been brought together in one place.
 Miyana stood in the middle of it all, laughing. She threw her
 arms out, spinning like the tiny dancer of some beautiful music
 box. The glade they entered was covered with flowers of every
 conceivable color and description. Floral vines even grew up the
 surrounding trees, stretching themselves out overhead onto the
 limbs to hang down in multi-color streamers. It was as if a
 rainbow had fallen to earth.
	"Isn't it beautiful?", asked Miyana, laughing at the joy of
 it, waist deep in the blossoms. Even if Ryoko had been able to
 reply, she wouldn't have. She didn't want to dispel the magic of
 the moment, she didn't want it to end.
	"Watch this!", Miyana said as she turned to run into a
 thicket of taller plants. Clouds of colors erupted from them as
 the girl brushed past. 
	Ryoko's mouth hung open in amazement. Butterflies of every
 imaginable hue took flight all at once, disturbed by Miyana's
 passage. The beating of their fragile wings filled the air with
 flashing motes of color, filling the small clearing with swirling
 patterns of life. It was the most beautiful thing Ryoko had ever
 seen. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and a smile spread across her
 face as her laughter joined Miyana's. The girl had been right, it
 was the most beautiful place in the world.

	Perhaps it was an old garden, long since abandoned, that had
 found a life on its own. Perhaps it was just a mysterious trick
 of nature. Whatever the reason for its existence, it had been
 Miyana's special place, her place to be alone. She had found it
 long ago on her wanderings and claimed it as her own. She gave it
 to Ryoko now.
	Together they sat under the eaves of their cathedral of
 flowers. Lovely scents perfumed the air as a gentle breeze blew
 through the glade. Miyana had collected several of the flowered
 vines and sat delicately braiding them together for some reason
 or other. She didn't seem to mind the fact that her conversations
 were all one sided, and Ryoko was content to just sit and listen
 as the girl prattled on, just happy to be in a place of such
 beauty.

	"I was playing with Yoichi earlier, but he's a farthead.",
 Miyana said, continuing with the story of her day. While she
 spoke she deftly went about the work of twining the vines
 together, her tiny fingers making quick work of the job.
	"He always wants to play 'You show me yours, I'll show you
 mine'.", she said, her eyes went wide with exasperation. "I've
 already seen his! It was kind of stupid looking, why would I want
 to see it again?"
	"He never wants to do anything fun," she complained,
 irritated. "and he smells. I wish there were some girls around
 here to play with."
	"Say, do you live around here Ryoko?", the girl asked
 hopefully, looking to Ryoko. "Maybe we could play together? I've
 never had a girl friend before."

	Ryoko met her gaze and smiled back. "I...think I'd like
 that, Miyana.", she said to her newfound friend. Ecstatic, Miyana
 leapt to her feet. In her hands she held two floral wreaths, she
 stepped up to Ryoko.

	"Great! We can play princesses! Here's your crown, I made it
 special for you.", the girl said, holding out a yellow flowered
 wreath and placing it on her head. "It matches your eyes."
	"And this one is mine.", she said, placing a red flowered
 wreath on her head. She stood beaming proudly at her own
 handiwork.

	"So, what exactly do princesses do?", Ryoko asked,
 straightening her crown.

	"Um...well", Miyana started, her eyes scrunched up in
 thought, chewing a nail. "They...uh...sit around all day looking
 beautiful..."

	"I think I can do that.", Ryoko told the girl with a smile.

	"And they marry princes!", Miyana finished with a dreamy
 look on her face, her hands clasped together.

	'Princes?', Ryoko thought uneasily.

	"Yosho.", she said quietly to herself. With one word, her
 brief respite from reality had come to a sudden end.
 
	Yosho, the first person to ever beat her in combat. She
 could picture him in her mind, still dressed in his white formal
 robes, his sword flashing, moving with the grace of a dancer. His
 black hair flying out behind him as he spun, his violet eyes
 filled with loathing for her, his voice cursing her name.  

		
	Someone was speaking to her, the voice of Kagato flared in
 her memory. Like frost moving across a window pane, it's icy
 touch spread, until it engulfed her. She found herself back upon
 his ship.

	"...and finally, Prince Yosho, the first prince of Jurai and
 heir apparent to the throne.", her master said as he slowly paced
 around the last of the holographic likenesses.

	They stood in the vast central hall of Kagato's ship, the
 Souja. It was his temple to ambition, his chapel of egotism,
 complete with a pipe organ, where he would sit and compose hymns
 for the worshippers to come. But time for composition was over,
 now it was time for him to assume his rightful mantle. All that
 remained was for him to locate and acquire the final pieces of
 the puzzle.
 
	Ryoko had been with Kagato almost from the beginning and had
 seen him slowly change. Not in personality, that had always been
 the same, but in form. Once he had been human, or nearly so. The
 creature that stood before her now was barely recognizable as the
 man he once had been. Cloaked in the clothing of a gentleman he
 hid, the monster that was her master. A ghostly face, and
 strangely glowing green eyes peered from beneath a shock of grey
 hair. But she knew it was just an affectation, she had seen what
 he truly was, what he still tried to hide. He was a creature of
 pure power now, insubstantial, a wraith of remembered form. While
 he still wore a face, he did not trifle with his extremities.
 Gloves and long sleeves propagated the myth of hands and arms.
 Clothing concealed the void that had once been a man.

	"Even you might have trouble with this one, Ryoko.", he
 said, one corner of his mouth cocked up in an ever present sneer.
	Arrayed before her stood the Juriain royal family. Possibly
 the most powerful family in the galaxy. King Azusa, his wives,
 Funaho and Masaki, and their children, the princesses, Ayeka and
 Sasami, and the prince, Yosho. Kagato rounded the group of
 holograms, stepping lightly he walked over to her. He stopped
 slightly behind and to one side of her. Standing at attention,
 her eyes fixed on her targets, she could feel his presence
 looming. 
	"Although he is not ranked, rumor has it that he is one of
 the top swordsman in the galaxy. A personal student of old Master
 Nisaki himself, at the Academy.", he said as he contemplated the
 prince. "Nisaki is very traditional when it comes to his
 students. He would never take one who wasn't accomplished, even
 if he was the crown prince."

	"Well, if he gives you any trouble," Kagato said, leaning in
 to whisper in her ear. "You may destroy him. Would you like
 that?" 
	In her mind she could feel the gentle caress of his
 intellect, she shuddered with delight. Pain and pleasure were his
 to dole out, rewards for accomplishments or punishments for
 infractions. The puppet master pulled the strings. He was very
 adept at it now, having had thousands of years of practice to
 perfect his control over her. The gentlest of touches was all
 that was required. If he pushed too hard she struggled, ruining
 her performance. What was required was finesse.	
	"But remember, it is vitally important that we capture at
 least one of the children.", he said warningly. "The royal family
 possesses information on the secret of Tsunami. Once we have
 captured the ship, we are going to need that information to
 control it."
	"Do you understand, Ryoko?", he said, placing his hands on
 her shoulders. Together they stood facing the flickering images.
 Ryoko felt their unseeing gazes boring into her. 
	
	"Yes, Master.", she said obediently.

	"Excellent.", he said, his voice silken. Again in a wave of
 pleasure swept through her, Ryoko gasped at its feel. Kagato
 smiled, kneaded her shoulders ever so gently. He knew she would
 do exactly as she was told, the programming he had given her was
 unbreakable, but he liked to have her say it anyway. However
 meaningless her agreement was, it was always nice to have a
 willing accomplice. "We leave for Jurai tonight."

	"Do not fail me, Ryoko.", he whispered as he turned and
 walked away.

	As he left her eyes locked onto the image of the prince. He
 was beautiful, he smiled back at her. She trembled, her fists
 clenching, rage gripping her. How his smile mocked her, mocked
 her whole hellish existence. With a cry of fury she slashed
 through the flickering hologram with her sword, but still the
 image remained, looking back at her unconcerned. What right did
 he have to look so happy? What right did any of them have? She
 would make them pay for their happiness. They would all pay for
 her misery.

	"Ryoko?", a voice called to her from somewhere out of the
 darkness.

	"Ryoko?", she looked around confused, trying to identify the
 speaker.

	"Ryoko!", the voice pleaded with her, she felt hands
 gripping her shoulders again, small hands. She blinked, shaking
 herself free of the past. The worried face of Miyana came into
 focus before her.

	"Are you all right?", Miyana asked, looking relieved. "You
 had me worried. You were just sitting there, staring, like you
 fell asleep with your eyes open or something. But even when I
 shook you, you didn't wake up." 
	
	Ryoko shivered, glancing about, trying to get her barings.
 It had seemed so real, like she had never left. She'd been
 *home*. 

	"I'm fine, Miyana. Really.", she said, her breath coming in
 pants. The girl gave her a quizzical look, obviously not
 convinced.
	"I'll be fine.", she said again, unsure as to whether she
 was trying to convince the girl or herself.







                        (more to come)
	



     [I'd like to thank Richard Hall, Nik (who needs no last name)
 and John K. Wright for proofreading, giving me advise and helping
 me grammatically. Anything you find disagreeable with the writing
 or story can of course be attributed to them. (I'm kidding, 
 thanks guys!)]		
 

	

	          Questions? Comments? Angry rants? 

			 Contact: Ocristiii@aol.com