Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original characters, places, or events from 
the Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OAV's or Manatsu No Eve. These are the property of AIC 
and Pioneer. I do own all new events, characters, and places that have occurred 
during and after Tenchi Muyo! Will of the Goddesses.


Tenchi Muyo! Shadows of a Forgotten Sin


"Trade Off"


	"ETA in ten minutes," came Mastir's voice over the ship's intercom.

	Mayuka took a deep, steadying breath. Kiyone entered the rear of the small 
cruiser. She, just like the rest of the strike team, was dressed like a Juraian 
soldier. "How're you holding up, kiddo?" 

	"I'm a little nervous," replied the young woman. "You do this kind of 
thing all the time. Is it ever any less scary?"

	The teal haired GP smiled and shook her head. "Sorry. No matter how hard 
you try, fear is just something you have to live with. Hell, if you weren't 
afraid then I'd be worried." Her smile vanished to be replaced by a serious 
look. "Fear is the thing that keeps us alive down there. It raises the 
instincts."

	Mayuka picked up Tenchi-ken and stared at it for a moment. "I hope Gerin 
got our message in time. What do we do if he's not ready for us?"

	Kiyone tied her hair into a small bun and placed a helmet on her head. She 
lowered the dark visor as she responded. "Go to plan B."

	"What's plan B?" asked Mayuka as she placed a helmet on her own head.

	"Run in blindly and hope for the best."

_____ 

	Gabriel paced at the foot of his throne while staring at his four minions. 
Rashoch, Zorin, Ashra, and Timerra stood before their master with their heads 
bowed, well all except for Rashoch. The entity stopped pacing and gazed 
displeasingly at them.

	"With the exception of Timerra, each one of you has failed in the tasks I 
gave you," he rumbled. 

	He stopped in front of Ashra. The lithe man lifted his face, which was now 
covered in a blank, gray facemask with only slots for his eyes and nose. "You, 
bested by a mere Galaxy Police Officer." 

	Next he looked to Zorin. "Beaten by a boy."

	Finally he stopped in front of Rashoch. "And you. I reveal your heritage 
to you so that you can have to upper hand against Ryoko, and what happens? You 
still lose."

	Rashoch glared at him. "I had her!" he shouted. "I would have killed her, 
too, if he hadn't lost to that kid!" he added with a thumb jerk to Zorin. 

	Gabriel huffed. "Be that as it may, Ryoko Masaki is still at large along 
with her son and the gangster Ukarit."

	The doors to the throne room opened and a messenger slipped inside. He ran 
up to Gabriel holding a data pad. "I have a message for you, your Majesty."

	"Speak," he commanded.

	The messenger bowed quickly. "Scanners have picked up indications of a 
fleet heading towards the planet, sire."

	Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "Markers?"

	"Juraian, sire."

	"The rebels," chuckled Gabriel. "It is about time." He looked to Timerra. 
"Bring Ayeka to me."

_____ 

	Verka grunted as he sat in his cell with Nunar. They'd been here for 
several weeks now, and not once had an opportunity to escape presented itself. 
He rose from his bed and started pacing.

	"Pacing will not do any good," Nunar told him in his whispering voice. 

	"Something is about to happen, Nunar," replied the large knight. "I can 
feel it."

	The sound of the cell door unlocking caused both knights to look over. The 
door slid aside to reveal three soldiers. Nunar stood and walked over to stand 
beside his friend. Two of the soldiers entered the cell with their force lances 
raised. Both Verka and Nunar jumped back as the third one suddenly fired his 
lance into the backs of his fellows.

	The third soldier stepped over the downed ones and removed his helmet. 
"Hey, guys," said Gerin with a broad smile. "I've got us passage booked out of 
this place. Wanna go?"

_____ 

	Ayeka carefully inserted three forks into her glove. After a little more 
work, the forks were secured to her make shift gauntlet. The next time someone 
came to take her out for a "walk" she would give them a punch they would never 
forget. She lifted her head and looked out the window. Down below the tower, she 
could a lot of activity going on. Next she looked to the sky to see several 
battleships rising into space.

	"Something is happening," she whispered. No sooner had those words left 
her mouth, then did she hear the sound of her door unlocking. As fast as she 
could manage, the Empress pulled her "gauntlet" on to her right hand.

	Ayeka stood, wearing a purple and white kimono with a dark blue sash, just 
as Timerra walked into the room. "Your presence is requested, Lady Ayeka."

	"What does your master wish with me this time?" she questioned while 
slowly walking towards the woman. Ayeka kept her hands behind her back.

	"My Lord Gabriel simply wants you to watch as your pathetic followers try 
to rescue you," replied Timerra. She was about to say something else, when a 
commotion from outside the room caused her to pause. 

	Both Ayeka and Timerra looked around just as two guards came running into 
the room. They were trying to say something to Timerra, but a several shots from 
a force lance followed inside, dropping them. Soon three other guards came 
running into the room with powered up force lances. The moment they saw Timerra, 
the three of them opened fire at her. The force shots rebounded harmlessly off 
of a shield that suddenly appeared in front of her. Ayeka felt a rush of wind as 
Timerra waved her hand and sent the three guards flying across the room into the 
wall.

	"Fools," she spat venomously.

	Seeing what could be her only chance, Ayeka rushed her captor. 
Unfortunately, as she raised her forked glove to strike, the forks fell from 
their slots to the floor. Ayeka stopped two feet from Timerra with her right 
fist raised. Timerra turned around and looked the Empress up and down.

	"And just what were you planning to do with those?" she asked with a smirk 
and a look from the forks to Ayeka's raised fist.

	Ayeka looked from Timerra to her right fist once. Then, before the other 
woman could react, she brought her left fist around in a hook that connected 
with Timerra's jaw. Gabriel's minion teetered to her left, and Ayeka quickly 
followed up with a right upper cut that left Timerra sprawled out on her back 
unconscious. The three guards slowly got back to their feet and made their way 
over to Ayeka. They each removed their helmets to reveal that they were in fact 
Gerin, Verka, and Nunar.

	"Wow," commented Gerin. "Nice hook." The three knights quickly went to 
attention and saluted the Empress. "Royal Guard Escort Service here to take you 
on a one way trip off of planet Jurai," the red headed knight informed her.

	The Empress gave them a favorable grin. "Excellent work, gentlemen. When 
does our ride arrive?"

	"It should be here momentarily, Ma'am," replied Gerin.

	Ayeka looked down at Timerra once and headed for the exit. "Then let us 
not be late." She stopped to grab a force lance from one of prone guards before 
taking the point.

_____ 

	Admiral Judroa sat pensively in his command chair on the Royal Pride. 
"Getting some readings from the target location, sir," informed one of the 
bridge officers.

	Judroa punched up a screen in front of him that displayed the readings. 
"Just as we expected. A sizeable portion of the opposing fleet is there."

	The view screen vanished, and the Admiral opened up a COM channel to the 
fleet. "This is Admiral Judroa to the fleet. Preliminary scans show a large 
enemy fleet waiting for us at Jurai. I know this battle will be a tough one, and 
that many of us will not survive the day. Despite this, know that I have the 
utmost belief in your abilities as soldiers who are loyal to Her Majesty. Good 
luck, and may Tsunami be with you."

	"Ready to come out of hyperspace at your command, sir."

	Judroa tapped his right index finger twice. "Now."

_____ 

	Once again in its long history, the space around the planet of Jurai 
became awash with the fires of hell. The two Juraian fleets, both well aware of 
the other, clashed with the might of two titans. Battleship armaments traded 
fire with all their power. The death toll was already sky rocketing moments into 
the conflict. The first generation battleships on both sides dealt out death to 
weaker ships, while the second and third gen ships simply tried to survive 
against the hellish onslaught.

	It took everything Mastir had as a pilot to steer the small cruiser 
through the chaos without getting himself and his companions turned to ash. It 
was even harder since, at the moment, their ship was showing up as an enemy blip 
to both sides. 

	"Look out!"

	"No wait! Don't go there!"

	"Ahhhh! Turn! Turn!"

	"Mihoshi!" he shouted. "Will you stop doing that!"

	The blond cringed into the copilot's seat. "Sorry."

	"Thank you," he breathed. "Kiyone! Start up the program!"

	"Gotcha!" shouted his wife from the rear. "We're running red!" she 
announced seconds later.

	Almost immediately the amount of blasts aimed a the cruiser halved. "Much 
better," commented Mastir. "Okay, send the first signal!"

	"Done!" came Kiyone's voice again. "Proceeding with self inflicted 
damage!" There was the sound of a console exploding from the back. "We're 
damaged! Take us down!"

	"Strap in, then! We're going down." Mastir checked the coordinates for the 
capital city and turned the ship towards the planet. 

_____ 

	"Signal coming in, sir. It's from Lord Mastir."

	Judroa steepled his hands in front of his face. "Tell the fleet to start 
the fall back. Once we regroup at the point 02458, we await the second signal."

	"Yes, sir."

	The Admiral nodded to himself. Now was the hardest part of any plan...the 
wait.

_____ 

	The cruiser settled down in one of the hangers located near the Palace. 
Mayuka watched as Mastir and Kiyone prepared to disembark and, hopefully, meet 
up with Gerin. "Now, I want you two to stay inside the ship no matter what," 
Mastir was telling them. "As soon as we find Gerin and the Empress, we'll need 
to get out of here immediately."

	"Once we've made contact with them, I'll send you the signal to recall the 
fleet," added Kiyone. "Just have the engines running when we get back."

	"No problem, Kiyone," replied Mihoshi cheerily.

	"You can count on us," agreed Mayuka.

	The Segreys each picked up a plasma rifle, powered them up, and looked 
over at their comrades once more. Kiyone looked like she was about to say 
something, but shook her head and headed for the exit instead. Mastir nodded at 
the other two once more.

	"Just be careful, you two," he told them before following his wife.

	Mayuka followed them to the exit hatch. Once they were gone, she closed 
and locked it from within. She sighed wistfully as the lock panel blinked at her 
confirming the door was secure.

	"I hate being on the bench," she whined to herself.

_____ 

	Gabriel watched carefully as the rebel fleet broke off and escaped into 
hyperspace. "I want reports on all damages suffered during the attack," he 
ordered the aides around him. "First find out if the Ark suffered any damage."

	"Yes, Emperor!" they said in unison. 

	As two of the aides left, a third one ran up to the entity waving a data 
pad. "Your Majesty!"

	The aide was just running past Rashoch, when the madman's right hand shot 
out to grab him by the back of the head. It only took a small snap to break the 
Juraian's neck. As the body fell to the ground, Rashoch took the data pad. 
"Interesting," he said with a light chuckle. "It appears we have a small 
insurrection within the Palace."

	Gabriel turned to him. "What?"

	"A small band of Palace guards appears to have already killed several 
people in an attempt to get out of the Palace," replied the madman. "And you're 
going to love this next part. Witnesses say that Ayeka is leading them."

	Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but stopped mid breath. A smile 
slowly spread across his face. "Very unexpected."

	Rashoch stepped up waving the pad. "What do you want to do about that 
purple haired bitch?"

	"Leave her for now," answered Gabriel with a wave of his hand. He turned 
his pupil less gaze to his minion. "I've just found a better bargaining chip." 
The entity moved past him towards the doors. "Come. We have a guest to greet."

_____ 

	Ayeka and her three companions came running around the bend of a hall with 
force blasts following close behind. "Really great idea, Gerin!" shouted Verka. 
"Let's cut through kitchen. No one will notice us going through there!"

	"Hey!" the red headed knight shouted back. "Lunch just ended! I thought 
they would be too busy cleaning up to notice us going through."

	"Quiet, both of you!" ordered Ayeka. "We'll quibble about this later. 
Right now we need to get out of here alive." More blasts flashed by her head. 
The Empress reached up to tug at the ring around her neck. "If only I could get 
this damned ring off."

	They came upon an intersection in the hall, but thought better of taking 
that path when two soldiers spotted them and started running in their direction. 
"Keep going!" warned Ayeka. She fired a quick shot from her force lance without 
looking back.

	More blasts answered her single shot. "Gerin!" she shouted. "Do you have 
any idea where we are supposed to go?"

	The knight fired a couple shots over his shoulder. "Sort of!"

	"Great," she muttered. "Just great. They might as well have sent Mihoshi 
to rescue me."

	All four of them began to crouch run as the sound of heavy plasma fire 
echoed down the hall from behind. However, Ayeka was the first to realize that 
while the fire continued to be heard, not a single shot seemed to be aimed at 
them. Ayeka and her guards turned around to see the two soldiers who had just 
spotted them leveling an unrelenting wave of plasma fire at the pursuing guards. 
When the firefight was over, the two soldiers turned and ran towards Ayeka and 
the others. Each one warily aimed their force lance.

	"Whoa!" said one of the soldiers from within his helmet. They both raised 
their still smoking guns to signify peace. "We're here to help."

	Ayeka nodded, and her three knights lowered their lances. "So, there are 
still some loyal to me within these walls," she said carefully. 

	One of the soldiers removed his helmet. "I have always been loyal to you, 
Empress," said Mastir with a smile and a bow. "Now, and forever."

	"Well if it isn't Ambassador Mastir Segrey," chimed Gerin with a huge 
grin. "Politics get too boring?"

	"Joke later, Gerin," snapped the other soldier as he...or rather she 
removed her helmet. Kiyone tossed her helmet aside and replaced the clip in her 
gun. "You couldn't have waited for us?"

	"Hey!" Gerin chirped defensively. "They were about to take Her Majesty to 
the Emperor. We had to move before it was too late."

Ayeka, overjoyed at seeing Kiyone and Mastir, waved a shushing hand at Gerin. 
"It's all right, Gerin. The important thing is that we are all together, now." 
She flashed Kiyone a smile and nodded. "I believe you have a car waiting for 
us?"

	Kiyone powered up her fresh clip with a savage grin. "Right this way, 
Empress."

	They were all about to move on, when Mastir quickly stopped Ayeka. "Allow 
me, Majesty," he said as he suddenly ignited his silver bladed sword and made a 
slice at her neck.

	Ayeka only gasped lightly as the two haves of the collar fell to the 
ground. Her following breath was sweetest one she had taken in weeks. The power 
of the Royal family swelled within her body like a spring of fresh water. There 
was a shimmer as her force field came to life around her.

	"Now," she said confidently, "let us proceed."

_____ 

	"Sir. We've just received the second signal from the rescue team."

	Judroa rose from his chair and walked to the edge of the command platform. 
"Order the fleet to take up positions and prepare to return to Jurai. Then send 
the signal to our ship at Druz to begin the jail break."

_____

	*Mayuka...*

	Mayuka's head shot up at the sound of the voice. 

	*Come to me, Mayuka...*

	Before she knew what she was doing, the young woman was opening the exit 
hatch and walking out into the hanger.

	"Mayuka?" called Mihoshi from within. "Mayuka, where are you going?"

	But she was already on the move. Not a single soldier paid her any mind 
while she ran through the busy hanger. There was some sort of fight going on in 
the distance, and they were all running towards it. Something deep inside told 
Mayuka that the she needed to pay attention to the outcome of that fight, but 
the urge to go to the voice was stronger. She exited the hanger and found 
herself running down an outdoors hall with pillars in place of walls. More 
soldiers ran past her towards the hanger, but again they didn't pay the running 
woman a moment's notice.

	Mayuka followed a path through the pillared hall until she found herself 
standing in a courtyard. Outlined with green grass, flowers, with paved paths 
making a cross through the center, and a gushing fountain in the middle, the 
courtyard would have been a nice place to have a picnic any other day. Now, 
though, Mayuka suddenly had a bad feeling about her situation. That sudden urge 
to find the voice vanished almost immediately upon arriving in the yard. 
Instinctively, she gripped Tenchi-ken tightly in her right hand.

	"At last we meet face to face, Mayuka Masaki," came a deep voice from in 
front of her.

	"Who's there?" she asked while taking a step back. 

	She tensed even more when Azusa stepped out from the shadows at the other 
end of the yard. Just behind him was the man Rashoch. "It is a pleasure to meet 
you, Mayuka," greeted the Emperor. "I have been awaiting this moment for quite 
some time."

	Mayuka watched both men warily. She was about to respond, when she took a 
closer look at Azusa's eyes. They were all white. "You're not Azusa, are you?"

	He laughed. "Very perceptive of you, child. No, I am not Azusa. My name is 
Gabriel, and I am merely borrowing his body for the time being."

	Something started to boil within Mayuka. "Why have you done all of this?" 
she asked while taking several bold steps forward. "Why have you destroyed my 
family?"

	"Revenge, my dear," he admitted. "A great wrong was done to me a long time 
ago. I am merely seeing that justice is served."

	Power surged through Mayuka, and she ignited Tenchi-ken. The blue blade 
snapped to life, giving off a soft hum. "Justice? I'll show you justice by 
putting an end to your plans right now!" she cried and charged him.

	Using the power of Jurai to enhance her abilities, Mayuka made it to him 
in several strides. She lashed out with precise slashes, but Gabriel was some 
how able to side step each attack. She threw out a series of roundhouse kicks 
followed up by a combination attack at his stomach. Halfway through her first 
slash of the combination Gabriel merely gestured with his right hand, and Mayuka 
was thrown back through the air twenty feet.

	"You are really going to have to better than Juraian parlor tricks if you 
even hope to stand against me, child," he taunted.

	"Just let me kill her," snapped Rashoch. "I'd love to see the look on 
Masaki's face when I tell him I killed one of his little girls." He started 
giggling wildly.

	Gabriel took several steps towards Mayuka. "No, Rashoch. I will handle 
this myself." He leveled his pupil less gaze on her and smiled. "Come, Mayuka. 
Attack me again."

	The eldest of the Masaki children jumped back to her feet to attack again. 
She feinted twice at his shoulders and finally lunged for his chest. Gabriel 
merely stepped back and waved his hand, sending Mayuka soaring through the air 
into one of the pillars. 

	"I told you, Mayuka. Your Juraian tricks are no match for me." His smile 
grew thin. "You know what you have to do if you even want to stand a chance."

	Mayuka struggled back to her feet. "What are you talking about?" she 
growled.

	"Can't you feel it deep inside you?" asked Gabriel. "The raw power begging 
to be released. Look deep inside yourself, child. Remember what you really are."

	His words seemed to pierce her flesh and go right for the soul. All at 
once, Mayuka understood him. "No," she gasped. 

	It churned deep within.

	Mayuka lifted her eyes to him. "I will never let it out."

	Gabriel laughed lightly. "You have to, Mayuka. It is the only way to beat 
me. Embrace the power."

	It surged against her soul.

	"NO!" screamed Mayuka. "I am not a demon! I am a human being!"

	"Ha!" he barked. "Do you really believe that? You are a combination of 
Light and Dark. The Darkness is as much a part of you as the Light. It is and 
always will be. Your parents may have told you that the Light is stronger within 
you, but that was a lie. The Darkness is just as strong, and maybe even 
stronger. It thrives on your emotions. It grows in strength the more you feed 
it."

	Tenchi-ken's blade disappeared as Mayuka grabbed her head with both hands. 
"NO! That's not true! I'm not a demon! I'm not a demon!" Tears were now running 
freely down her cheeks.

	"Yes you are, Mayuka," purred Gabriel. "All you have to do is accept it, 
and the power will be yours."  He flicked his right wrist, and she was lifted 
into the air and slammed down on the ground repeatedly. "All you have to do is 
embrace it, Mayuka."

	The air was expelled from her lungs with every hit. Every breath was a 
struggle. Eventually, Mayuka realized she wasn't taking time to breathe at all. 
That was when she felt the Darkness call out to her. It promised the power to 
defend herself against this attacker. It promised the power to save her family 
and the universe. All she had to do was accept it.

	So she did.

_____ 

	The sudden explosion was even enough to force Gabriel to cover his eyes. 
When the light was gone, he smiled with satisfaction at the results. Hovering 
twenty feet away from him was the new and improved Mayuka Masaki. The Juraian 
soldier uniform she had been wearing had been vaporized by the sheer amount of 
power expressed by her transformation. The flesh on her face was ash gray, and 
her bluish black hair was longer and standing on end. Her brown eyes were now 
entirely red, and her mouth was home to a set of fangs. Her body was now a mass 
of black scales covered in purple fur with sharp claws for hands.

	"Bravo, child," complimented the entity. "Bravo."

	The demon roared and released a black cone of power at him in response. 
Rashoch teleported to safety, but Gabriel just raised his right hand to block. 
The power blast parted around him, and succeeded in decimating everything behind 
him for at least two miles. She roared again and flew at him in a berserk rage. 
Gabriel, smiling all the while, easily side stepped the demon's deadly claws 
time and again. He was, however, caught off guard when she teleported behind him 
and landed a kick in his back. 

	Gabriel stumbled forward, but quickly regained his balance. He took to the 
air as another of the demon's roars echoed around him, followed by random blasts 
of black power in all directions. The entity glanced quickly at the destruction 
being raught by his latest creation. In a mere few seconds of rampage, the city 
was already in flames. Buildings and whole districts were a flame from the 
demon's powerful attacks.

	She roared once more and flew right up at him. Gabriel remained still long 
enough to catch one of her claws. He lifted her easily over his head and threw 
her to the ground like a doll. "Such raw power," he observed. "Beautiful. 
Unfortunately, playtime is over, my new pet. Time for you to take a little nap."

	The demon pulled herself back up to scream at him from the ground. Gabriel 
only pointed his right hand at her. She raged and threw herself at him once 
more. It took no effort for the entity within Azusa to release his counter 
attack. A pair of white beams of power shot from his hand, crossed each other 
once, and arced around once before impacting on the demon from both sides. 
Everything within a mile was momentarily surrounded by the resulting white 
light.

_____ 

	Ayeka led the way, taking most of the blasts with her force field. 
Following Kiyone's directions, it was not long before they were able to make 
their way to the desired hanger bay. Traitorous soldiers fell to her might left 
and right as she flew past with her companions following close behind. Between 
the sheer power of the Empress and the skill of her people, the common soldiers 
and guards were no match. She finally let her force field dissipate when they 
arrived at the open hatch of the cruiser.

	The group made a hasty rush inside the ship, with Kiyone quickly shutting 
the door behind them. "Shields up and get us out of here, Mihoshi!" she called 
up to the front.

	"But..."

	"No buts, just do it!" shouted the teal haired GP.

	Ayeka threw herself into a seat as the cruiser blasted its way out of the 
hanger. There were no other ships to stop its escape because Admiral Judroa's 
fleet had returned right on schedule. The cruiser broke through the atmosphere 
to be greeted by the same firefight it had left earlier that day. Once it was 
behind the Loyalist Fleet's defensive line, the cruiser sent out the "all safe" 
signal to the Royal Pride, and entered hyperspace.

	Everyone on board released a sigh of relief once they were safe. "Phew," 
breathed Gerin. "I thought we weren't going to make there for a while."

	"Well, we did all make it," Ayeka told him. "And now we will..."

	"Wait a minute!" interrupted Kiyone. "Where's Mayuka?"

	Ayeka jumped out of her seat. "What? Mayuka was with you?"

	All heads turned towards the cockpit and Mihoshi. The blond swallowed 
hard. "I tried to tell you guys back in the hanger, but you just told me to get 
out of there. I thought you would have realized that she wasn't on board."

	"But where did she go, Mihoshi?" asked Mastir from the door to the 
cockpit.

	She shrugged. "I dunno. One second she was near the door, and then it was 
open and she was running across the hanger. Then you guys came running in here 
yelling for me to take off." She sniffed once and looked around. "It all 
happened so fast, that I just acted."

	Ayeka dropped back into her seat, pale from the realization of what had 
just transpired. Even though she was no longer a prisoner, they were no better 
off than they had been before. Gabriel still had a bargaining chip to hold over 
their heads. And it was perhaps even stronger than what he had held before. No 
longer was he just holding a prisoner or one of the adults. Now the creature 
held one of their children. 

	The Empress leaned against her seat and sighed sadly. Ryoko was not going 
to take this very well at all. "May Tsunami be with you, Mayuka."

_____ 

	Gabriel touched down next to the body and picked it up with his right 
hand. She was still breathing. "Tough little thing," he commented. 

	Rashoch walked up to him with a sneer on his face. "Ayeka escaped. Want me 
to go get her back?" he asked eagerly.

	"No," answered Gabriel with a shake of his head. "We have something 
better, now."

	"Then what do we do?" asked the madman with obvious impatience.

	Gabriel looked at him coolly. "First, my dear boy, you go and tell Masaki 
what the new rules of our little game are. And after that, we simply wait for 
everything to fall into place before we make our final move."


To be continued...


Notes- Things are starting to heat up. Seems that the good guys are no better 
off than before. All comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com