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


"Shattered Hopes"


	Hiro waited until just the last second before sliding to his left to avoid 
Rei's energy bo. He quickly jumped high into the air while raining energy blasts 
down at his sister. Rei expanded her bo into a shield that absorbed all the 
blasts. When the barrage ended, she summoned a new bo and launched herself into 
the air at him. Hiro easily teleported back to the ground, but instead of just 
reappearing he split himself into two. Both Hiros took up opposite positions and 
laid down a cross fire at Rei.

	"No fair!" she shouted down at them. "I didn't know you could do that!"

	"Tough!" they both said without stopping their attacks. 

	"Fine!" the raven haired teen yelled. "Try this on for size." She nimbly 
dove towards the ground avoiding the never ending stream of green blasts.

	The twins were sparring just outside the city limits in an open field 
where there was no chance of destroying Imperial property. Each one was dressed 
in a white training gi, although Hiro had discarded his top. Rei landed 
gracefully and drove her hands into the ground. Seconds later, a pair of 
gigantic earthen hands rose up behind the two Hiros. Hiro A managed to teleport 
away, but Hiro B was swatted aside like an insect. He crashed against a tree and 
promptly vanished rejoining with Hiro A.

	"Damn!" whistled Hiro. "When did you learn to do this?" he asked while 
jumping away from one of the giant fists.

	"Just now!" bragged Rei. "Figured why the hell not." When it was apparent 
that Hiro was too fast to be captured by either fist, she pulled her hands free 
and took to the air.

	Hiro watched warily as his twin circled him in the air above. "Looks like 
it's going to come down to a straight brawl," he told himself.

	To his surprise, though, Rei landed ten feet away without attacking. "I 
give," she announced.

	The cyan haired teen eased out of his defensive stance and walked over to 
her. "Why? We were just getting warmed up?"

	Rei shrugged. "I keep thinking about Mayuka. I can't imagine what she's 
going through."

	"I know what you mean," agreed Hiro. He teleported over to his gi top and 
picked it up. "Dad told me what it was like on the prison planet, but I don't 
think that's what's happening to May. I haven't actually seen Gabriel since he 
attacked the house, but after what Grandma and Aunt Sasami told us I'm..."

	"Afraid for her," Rei finished for him. He nodded. "Me too." A brave smile 
appeared on her face. "I'm sure dad and the others will come up with some way to 
save her, though. I'm sure of it."

	Hiro couldn't help but smile at her optimism. "Yeah." He pulled the rest 
of his gi on, leaving the front open. "Come on. Let's get back."

	They started walking back to Cylrya. Neither spoke for the first few 
minutes. "So," Rei said breaking the silence. "What's up with you and that Leah 
babe?" 

	Hiro snapped his head around to see her attempting to suppress a grin. 
"Nothing, why?"

	"Your blushing tells me otherwise, Romeo," she teased. "I never thought 
you the type to go for an older woman."

	"She's only a couple of years older," Hiro replied defensively. "Not that 
that means anything."

	"Uh huh," said Rei with a now obvious grin. "Mom was right."

	"Right about what?" asked Hiro with a confused look. He didn't like where 
this conversation was heading. 

	"That all Masaki men have the fatal flaw of denial," she answered. 
"According to her, the male Masaki has a serious problem with admitting feelings 
for the opposite sex."

	Hiro turned his head away and started looking at the ground. "What does 
that have to do with anything?"

	"Everything!" laughed Rei. "Please, Hiro, give me a little credit. We're 
twins. I can read you like a book. You like her."

	"I..."

	"Don't try to deny it, pal," she persisted. "You like her, and it scares 
the hell out of you."

	Seeing no way around her accusations, Hiro relented. "Okay, fine. So what 
if I do? I can't do anything about it, though."

	"You can say something to her," Rei prompted. "It's obvious that she's at 
least somewhat interested in you."

	"Really?" Hiro said with surprise. "How can you tell?"

	Rei folded her hands behind her back. "Well, she always goes to you first 
when she enters a room. She does tease you ever so slightly. And then there is 
the obvious fact that she does put up with your idiocy." Hiro tried to punch her 
left shoulder, but Rei leapt into the air out of his reach. "Come on, bro. Can't 
you think of any real hints?"

	"Well," he started to say. "There was that one time she kissed me."

	Rei landed in front of him and slapped her forehead. "She kissed you?" He 
nodded. "Ugh! Men are so dense!" she groaned. The raven haired teen launched 
into a rant about the thickness of the male head as they continued their walk 
back to the city.

_____ 

	Tenchi knocked on the door and waited for an answer. "What is it? I'm 
busy!"

	"It's Tenchi, Washu," he called through the door. "Can I come in?"

	"Yeah, sure!" The door suddenly swung open revealing darkness beyond. 

	Old fears leaped into his mind, but Tenchi fought them back and stepped 
inside. Somehow, he was not surprised to find himself in Washu's lab once he was 
all the way through. A quick glance at the flashing lights and strange noises 
all around him confirmed that he was in her workshop. Keeping his nerves steady, 
and a wary eye for roaming bionic arms, Tenchi walked over to the working 
genius.

	Washu, dressed in her green lab dress with the puffy sleeved white blouse, 
was busily tinkering with what looked like an engine of some sort. "Washu? How 
did you get your lab over here?"

	"You forget, Tenchi, that it's in subspace," she replied without looking 
up. "I can make a door anywhere I want." The scientist pulled herself up 
smiling. "What's on your mind?"

	"I wanted to talk to you," he said. "I've been thinking about soemthing 
since yesterday."

	Washu started wiping her hands on a cloth rag that suddenly appeared. 
"What's the matter?"

	"Well, I need to know one thing about Gabriel that you didn't say before," 
he told her. "Can we beat him?"

	A hole appeared near her right shoulder, and Washu threw the rag into it. 
"Do you want the truth?" He nodded. "No. As of right now, Gabriel is virtually 
invincible."

	Tenchi sighed and slumped slightly in his uniform. "That's not what I was 
hoping to hear."

	"Wait a second," Washu chimed with her right index finger raised. "I said 
as of right now. I've also been thinking about this. Have a seat." She snapped 
her fingers, and Tenchi suddenly found himself sitting in a floating red chair. 
"If you or any of the others faced Gabriel, he has two advantages going for him 
right now."

	"He's using Azusa as a shield," Tenchi said quickly.

	"Right," agreed Washu. "He knows that as long as he has Azusa under his 
power, we won't kill the body. That means we have to get him out of that shell."

	"How do we do that?" asked Tenchi.

	Washu gave him an unsure look. "That's part of the other problem. Getting 
him out will be tough enough without hurting Azusa too much. Unfortunately, once 
out Gabriel will really be a handful. From what I've been able to gather so far, 
I can make a couple of theories about why Gabriel took Azusa over in the first 
place."

	A view screen appeared with full body image of Azusa. Washu pulled a 
pointer out from her sleeve and touched the screen. "As I told you all 
yesterday, Gabriel is pure energy for all intents and purposes. For a time, he 
can be extremely powerful in his true form. What I think he's hiding, though, is 
that the longer he goes without a physical body the weaker he becomes. That was 
why we were able to trap him that first time. The battle had lasted so long, 
that he was not able to perform at his peak."

	"So," Tenchi interrupted, "that means he can be weakened enough to be 
destroyed."

	Washu shook her head. "Laws of physics, Tenchi. Energy can neither be 
created nor destroyed. As long as he is in his true state, Gabriel cannot be 
killed, only contained."

	Tenchi grimaced. "Then what do we do? How can we stop him? I don't think 
he will allow himself to be trapped again."

	"You're right," she said. "So here's my plan. I think there is a way to 
put him down for good. First we have to get him out of Azusa. Then you will have 
to survive long enough to drain his power. At this point Gabriel will realize 
that he is vulnerable to capture and will once again seek a body for shelter. 

	Tenchi watched the view screen as she spoke. The screen changed into a 
black background with a figure representing Azusa. Next one representing him 
using the Light Hawk Wings appeared. Then a white blur rose out of the digital 
Azusa and started attacking the digital Tenchi. Bit by bit, the blur that 
represented Gabriel became smaller.

	"When Gabriel goes into the new body, that will be our chance," continued 
Washu. "I am almost positive that once he is inside a body, Gabriel has to 
completely merge in order to replenish himself. Once this assimilation is 
complete he is as vulnerable as the body he is in."

	"Then once he has infested someone, we kill them," Tenchi finished 
somberly. "I think you know my next question."

	She nodded. "The body will not be a problem because it will be mine."

	Tenchi jumped off his chair. "Washu, that's insane!" he cried. "I won't 
let you sacrifice yourself."

	Washu slowly walked over to him and placed a hand on each of his 
shoulders. "This is not your decision to make, Tenchi," she told him in a warm 
voice. "At this point of the battle, I will be his only option. You and anyone 
else with Light Hawk Wings will be uninhabitable because yours and his powers 
are like opposite poles. Azusa will not be a choice because of his weakened 
condition. Plus with me there, he will see it as a sort of poetic justice."

	She laughed lightly and stepped back. "Gabriel blames me the most for his 
imprisonment. Since I was the oldest, he saw me as the leader and, therefore, 
responsible for his fate. He will be more than happy to take over my body." She 
looked up at Tenchi with determination in her eyes. "Once he is in my body you 
will have to kill me Tenchi. You will be the only one who can do it. I cannot 
ask Ryoko, and the twins are too young to have such a burden on their 
shoulders."

	Tenchi could not believe what he was hearing. Washu, someone, who despite 
her weird ways, had almost been like a mother to him for the past twenty years. 
He looked down, not trusting himself to look her in the eyes. "There has to be 
another way," he said quietly.

	A slender hand touched the tip of his chin and raised his head back up. 
Washu smiled at him lovingly. "Tenchi. There is no other way. I started this, 
and I have to finish it. Only you can help me fix my mistake once and for all. 
Only you have a heart and a will strong enough to do what needs to be done."

	A tear fell from Tenchi's right eye and trickled down his face. He finally 
reached out and pulled Washu into a hug. The former goddess wrapped her arms 
around him and returned the embrace. "You're the greatest, Washu," he whispered. 

_____ 

	Ryoko and Kiyone were sitting on a bench in a promenade within Cylrya. 
Both mothers were watching Achika and Conner playing on a small patch of grass 
twenty feet away. Ryoko was wearing a sea blue, sleeveless dress open on the 
sides of her lower body revealing a pair of black leggings and boots. She had on 
a high collared black vest closed up the center with blue buttons the same color 
as the dress. Kiyone had on a pair of white slacks with a short sleeved brown 
blouse. Tucked into the waistline of her slacks was a blaster.

	"I don't blame you," Ryoko was saying to Kiyone. 

	"I was in charge of the mission," replied the captain. "She was my 
responsibility."

	Ryoko was quiet for a moment. Only Achika's laughter filled the air. The 
youngest of the Masaki children had stolen Conner's handheld computer. Kiyone's 
son was doing his best to get it back from the cyan haired little girl, but 
Achika just kept teleporting away whenever he got close enough.

	"Yeah you were," Ryoko said finally. "But...Mayuka is also a grown woman, 
capable of making her own decisions. I have to accept the fact that she screwed 
up and no one else."

	Kiyone looked over at her friend and smiled with relief. "Thanks, Ryoko."

	The pirate slapped her lightly on the knee. "I already told you not to 
worry about it." She huffed out a laugh. "You know I tend to overreact 
sometimes."

	"I think the term is over emotional," corrected Kiyone with a chuckle. 
"So, where's Tenchi? Off at the war council?"

	Ryoko shook her head. "Nope. I think he went to see Washu about 
something." She looked for him over their link to confirm that. "Yup. I can 
barely feel him, which means he's in her lab. Why? Do you think we should be at 
the council?"

	"No," Kiyone said without hesitation. "You and I both know that we're 
about to go off to war. We might not come back from this one, and I want to 
spend as much time with my family as possible."

	They watched as Conner finally got wise to Achika's teleportation pattern 
and grabbed her as she reappeared jest a foot behind him. Completely shocked by 
his actions, Achika did what only came natural to her. In an attempt to escape 
his grasp, she started to levitate off the ground. Conner cried out in surprise 
as they were suddenly several feet off in the air.

	Ryoko smiled pleasantly at the scene before them. "I couldn't agree with 
you more."

_____ 

	Time was a precious thing. 

	It was already running out for Gabriel on all levels. The dimensional 
layers of the universe were strengthening themselves again with every passing 
moment. Soon his window of opportunity to return to the Eye of the Universe 
would disappear forever, and he would be cursed with his imperfection for 
eternity. And then there was this body he was inhabiting. After years of 
captivity, he was finally back at full strength. But now that he had achieved 
his full power again, Azusa's body was withering away.

	"You look vexed, my Lord," observed Timerra. 

	Gabriel looked away from the window he was staring out of to his servant. 
"Time is of the essence, Timerra. This body cannot sustain me for much longer, 
and my chance to reach the Eye will disappear if I do not act soon."

	"Then I have good news for you," she announced. "Our special forces have 
been assembled, and the Ark has been completed."

	The entity spun around and marched for the door of his office. "Then it is 
time to move," he told her.

	Timerra fell into step behind him as he strode down the halls of the 
Palace. A mental summons brought Zorin and Ashra running to his side as well. 
Gabriel and his servants walked until they reached the special training grounds 
behind the Palace. Gabriel smiled at the scene before him.

	"What do you want now?" demanded Rashoch as he came walking up to them.

	"The time has come, my boy," Gabriel told the madman. "It is time to 
obtain the final piece to my puzzle." 

	Rashoch raised the eyebrow over his green eye. "Oh really? Have you 
magically discovered where the Loyalists are hiding?"

	"Yes I have," replied the entity. "I'm sure that Washu would truly be 
aghast to realize that even though his disease was dead within her, Doctor Clay 
was still able to track it across the galaxy. Our quarry is on Barella III."

	"Right under our noses," hissed Rashoch. He suddenly started giggling. 
"Nothing will keep me from Masaki now."

	"Forget Masaki for the time being," ordered Gabriel. "I want you to deal 
with another problem that has developed."

_____
	
The war council was only four strong. Ayeka, Shoytal, Yosho, and Admiral Judroa 
were all sitting at the end of the oval conference table. Each one was dressed 
in a white Juraian military uniform with appropriate coloring rank on the lapels 
of their jackets. Data pads were strewn about between them detailing the current 
status of the Loyalist forces in comparison to the enemy.

	"After the rescue operation, our fleets are almost identical in size and 
strength," informed Judroa. "Each one is roughly twenty thousand ships strong, 
give or take a few hundred. Our fleet, however, has only four first generation 
ships. The enemy has ten."

	"That could end up making the difference in a space battle," commented 
Shoytal. "A first generation battleship is worth a thousand third generation 
ones."

	Ayeka remained silent while they spoke. Yosho looked over at her and 
raised an eyebrow. "Ayeka? Do you have anything to say?"

	"We cannot kill our own," she said quietly.

	All three men looked at her questioningly. "What, Majesty?" asked Judroa. 

	She looked each of them in the eyes. "We cannot allow Juraian to fight 
Juraian." The Empress leaned forward and placed her hands flat on the table. 
"You heard what Washu said. They have not really turned against me. It has all 
been the doing of Gabriel."

	"Ayeka, there is no other way at this point," Shoytal tried to explain. 
"Lady Washu told us that they will die to serve him. There is nothing we can 
do."

	The Empress's eyes thinned. "If we kill Gabriel, then they will be freed."

	Admiral Judroa sighed. "The question is can it be done? From what we now 
know, this is not a likely thing."

	"No!" shouted Ayeka as she slammed her fists on the table. She rose, anger 
blazing in her dark pink eyes. "I have worked too hard over the years to rebuild 
the Empire after the Goddess War. Damned will I be for eternity if I willfully 
shed the blood of innocent Juraians, whom are not in control of their own 
actions! We will not kill our own. That is an order."

	"Then what do you propose we do?" posed Yosho. "In order to get to Gabriel 
we will undoubtedly have to get past his fleet."

	"I do not know," Ayeka admitted. "But I will find a way." She walked 
around the end of the table and towards the door.

	"Majesty, where are you going?" asked Judroa.

	The Empress stopped and looked over her shoulder at the old Admiral. "I'm 
going to get that answer from our resident problem solver...Washu."

	Without another word, she left the conference room. The Royal Guard 
immediately fell into step behind her without any questions. Soldiers and 
officers alike made haste to get out of Ayeka's way as she and her guards walked 
through the halls of the base. The Empress's thoughts revolved around her 
dilemma. What could she do against the Touch? Her subjects were being controlled 
by something beyond science, and no matter what she could say to them, they 
would kill her on sight with so much as a gesture from Gabriel.

	Washu would find a way to deal with it. Ayeka was sure of it. They turned 
a corner only to run into Sasami, dressed in a long white dress with a dark blue 
vet over it, and Riley. "Oh, Ayeka! I was just coming to see you."

	Ayeka gave her a small smile. "Can it wait? I really need to go an speak 
with Washu right now." Before her sister could answer, the Empress continued 
down the hall. 

	Her group was walking through the entrance hall of the base, when Sasami 
caught up with them again. "Ayeka, wait!"

	She stopped and turned to face her younger sister. "Sasami, this will have 
to wait until I've spoken with Washu."

	Sasami was shaking her head. "No, this cannot wait, Ay..." Her sentence 
was cut off when her eyes suddenly fluttered, and the princess wavered on her 
feet.

	Riley was there instantly to keep her up. "Sasami? Are you okay?"

	She nodded lightly. "Y...yeah. I just felt a little light headed."

	Ayeka was about to say something when a thunderclap shook the entire base. 
"What on Jurai?" she started to say. "There is not supposed to be any rain 
today. The weather control system was set for a calm, sunny day."

	Curious, she broke from the group and ran for the doors that lead to the 
courtyard outside the base. Ayeka was completely shocked when she found the sky 
overcast with gray clouds. Juraians walking about in front of the base started 
to mill about in confusion. Some even took shelter under the space trees lining 
the center of the courtyard. There was a white flash all around, and twenty foot 
white circles were suddenly everywhere.

	"Portals," hissed the Empress.

_____ 

	Ryoko acted instantly when a portal appeared right behind the children. 
She teleported between them and the portal just as something from a nightmare 
came charging out of the it. An eight foot Ssl'na with black dreadlocks and 
bronze scales lunged right for the kids. Ryoko wasn't going to have any of that. 
The creature cried out in surprise as the pirate suddenly grabbed it by the arm, 
spun it around once, and threw it into a nearby tree. 

	Another reptile came out of the portal, but several yellow blasts from 
Kiyone's gun nailed it in the head. That gave Ryoko just enough time to drive an 
energy sword into its chest and then grab the kids. She teleported over to 
Kiyone and dropped the small pair. "Take them and run!" she ordered.

	"What about you?" asked the GP as more of the aliens started to pour out 
of the portal. 

	Red energy washed over Ryoko, transforming her clothes into her red and 
black battle suit. "I'll cover you."

	"Mommy?" asked Achika in a fear filled voice. "What's going on?"

	Ryoko summoned an energy sword in each hand. "Nothing Mommy can't handle 
sweetie. Just go with Kiyone, and everything'll be fine."

	Kiyone started herding the kids away. "We'll be heading for the base."

	Ryoko nodded as several of the aliens started to move for her. "I'll be 
right behind you."

	As Kiyone and the children broke into a dead run, the reptiles attacked. 
Ryoko roared with rage and threw herself at them. She took the first one's head 
off with a single slash and brought her other sword up just in time to parry the 
fiery blade of another. A third one came at her from behind with claws of fire, 
but the pirate only phased backwards threw the beast completely. Ryoko became 
solid, put her hands together, and released a cone of red power that 
disintegrated the aliens. 

	The cyan haired warrior took a quick moment to take in what exactly was 
going on around her. White portals could be seen all over the place with Ssl'na 
charging out of them wielding weapons of fire and laying waste to the surprised 
Juraians. "Why does this seem familiar?" she asked herself. 

	Without wasting another moment, Ryoko took off in the direction Kiyone and 
the kids had gone. Some of the Juraians were fighting back, but the initial 
surprise of the attack had already taken its toll on the city. Buildings were 
already in flames, and dead bodies were littering the streets. Ryoko spotted 
three soldiers more than out numbered by ten of the aliens.

	The pirate dropped out of the sky like an avenging angel. She grabbed two 
of the Ssl'na by their dreadlocks and threw them away like they were nothing. 
One of the reptiles turned around only to receive an energy sword between the 
eyes. The pirate back flipped over another one, stopped in mid air, and drove 
her foot so far into the back of its head that the skull cracked. With the 
distraction of her attack, the Juraian soldiers managed to take down the 
remaining aliens with sustained fire from their weapons.

	"Get to the base!" ordered Ryoko. "Get together as many men as you can!"

	"Yes, Highness!" they all replied.

	Ryoko didn't wait to watch them leave. She shot off into the sky in 
pursuit of Kiyone and the kids. She finally spotted them along with five 
soldiers with at least a dozen of the aliens chasing them down the street. 
Despite the severity of the situation, a large grin appeared on Ryoko's face.

	"All right you son's a bitches!" she growled. "I'll teach you to mess with 
my friends and family!" A series of energy discs left her hands as she dove at 
the aliens.

_____ 

	Tenchi and Washu both looked up from the computer terminal at the same 
time. "Gabriel!" they said in unison.

	They exited the lab only to be greeted by chaos. Tenchi summoned his five 
Light Hawk Wings as a Ssl'na lunged at them with a flaming weapon. The reptile 
rebounded off of the five Wings and landed hard on the ground. Tenchi didn't 
even pause to think before he had one of the Wings turn and impale the alien. 
Roars split the air as two more Ssl'na charged them from the sides. Tenchi threw 
out his hands, and both reptiles were surrounded in blue glows and thrown into 
the walls.

	"We have to get to the others," Tenchi said quickly. 

	"No argument here!" agreed Washu. A black hole appeared next to the 
genius, and she pulled out a plasma rifle. She clicked the power switch, 
eliciting a hum from the weapon. She smiled wickedly at Tenchi. "Let's go."

	Tenchi created a Light Hawk Sword in his right hand and lead them down the 
hall in search of the others. With Tsunami's Knight leading the way, they didn't 
have any problems creating a path through the raging battle. It had not been his 
intention, but Tenchi soon found himself gathering a small force behind him. 
Juraian soldiers were soon rallying to the side of the First Crown Prince. 
Eventually, Tenchi and Washu had led a small force of several hundred outside 
the base to engage the rampaging Ssl'na.

	"I though we were going to find the others?" reminded Washu with a smile.

	Tenchi shrugged as he created his Light Hawk Armor. "It seems that certain 
things need to be done first." He turned to watch as at least a thousand Ssl'na 
started to stream out of the alleys from across the street. 

	Tsunami's Knight created an energy ribbon in his left hand. "Ready!" he 
shouted. The Juraians all raised their weapons and shouted back in response. 

"Chaaaarrrrggge!" roared Tenchi as he threw the ribbon at the reptiles and 
charged them himself sword first.

_____ 

	Rei and Hiro were just inside the city limits when the sky became gray. 
The use of Light Hawk Power made both twins go on alert. "I don't like this," 
said Rei quietly.

	"Me either," agreed Hiro. He grabbed her left arm and started running down 
the street. "Come on, I think there's definitely trouble."

	"Oh you have no idea," came a voice from their right. 

	Both twins stopped short and turned to face an alley just fifteen feet 
away. Footsteps echoed out into the street as someone began to walk out from the 
shadows. Hiro went stiff when Rashoch stepped completely out into the street. 
The madman grinned evilly at them and tilted his head to the right.

	"Hey there kids," he purred. "Want to play a game with me?" He threw his 
head back and started laughing maniacally.

	Green energy started crackling around Hiro's body. Rashoch ceased laughing 
and focused on the cyan haired teen. "Come on, Hiro. Let's dance," he taunted.

	Hiro roared in anger and charged the madman. The green energy rolled over 
his body as he ran, creating a green and black battle suit similar to his 
mother's except only the upper portion of his face was covered in black. He 
threw punch at Rashoch, which the other man caught easily. The madman quickly 
drove his right knee into Hiro's stomach, forcing all the air from lungs.

	"Hiro!" screamed Rei as her own purple and black battle suit formed on her 
body, and she charged.

	Rashoch tossed Hiro aside and blocked Rei's combination of punches and 
kicks. Rei threw a right roundhouse at his head, but Rashoch spun around the 
kick and drove his right elbow into the back of her head. Rei lurched forward 
only to be driven to the ground by a kick to her lower back. Rashoch was about 
to stomp on the back of her neck, when Hiro appeared out of nowhere and drove 
his shoulder into the crazed one's left side. 

	Both Hiro and Rashoch slammed into the side of a building, sending chunks 
of marble everywhere. Hiro tried to drive his foe deeper into the building, but 
his attack was stopped as Rashoch turned within his grip and picked the teen up 
over his head. Hiro cried out as Rashoch threw him away. The teen flew wildly 
through the air and managed to flip himself around just in time to plant his 
feet against the side of another building and vault back at his enemy. 

	Hiro's feet touched the ground only briefly as he attacked again. He dove 
right at Rashoch's legs, which the madman easily jumped over. Thinking he had 
avoided the attack, Rashoch turned in mid air and powered up a blast to throw at 
Hiro. It was then that Rei attacked. Her booted feet connected with the right 
side of his midsection, sending Rashoch skidding across the ground. To the 
amazement of both twins, the madman halted his skid by sticking out his left 
hand and turning it into a cartwheel.

	Half a second after landing upright again, Rashoch released two black 
beams from his hands. Hiro teleported away, and Rei launched herself into the 
air over the energy blasts. The raven haired teen created an energy bo and dove 
at her crazed foe. Rashoch only laughed wildly as he dodged Rei's swipes. Rei 
made a combination attack at his legs, which he somehow managed to jump around 
and step over. The young woman reversed her last attack and brought her bo up at 
Rashoch's crotch.

	She could only watch in horror as the madman jumped and flipped over her 
head. Before she could even react, Rashoch had grabbed a hand full of her hair. 
As he landed, he threw Rei over his shoulders and down to the street with 
tremendous force. Rashoch looked up just as Hiro charged him with an energy 
sword. He jumped back to avoid Hiro's downward slash. Ginning all the time, the 
madman spread his hands out and released a pair of black globes that impacted 
directly on the teen's chest. 

	Hiro hit the street with his back. A pair of arms was suddenly there, 
helping him back to his feet. He opened his eyes find Rei by his side. "We're 
not doing so well," he admitted.

	"Take you this many hits to figure that one out?" she responded tartly.

	Rashoch's insane laughter caused both twins to look in his direction. "I 
expected a bit more from you, kids. But I guess you're just going to wait around 
for mommy and daddy to come and wipe your asses for you." He broke into a new 
fit of laughter.

	The twins both straightened with thin eyes. "Let's show this clown who 
he's dealing with," growled Rei. 

	"Mind if I go first?" asked Hiro.

	Rei dropped into a loose fighting stance. "By all means, bro. Lead the 
way."

	Hiro focused on the laughing maniac with determined eyes. Without even a 
battle cry, he charged his foe. Rashoch's laughing ceased instantly. Feet from 
his target, Hiro vanished and reappeared at Rashoch's flanks as two. Rashoch 
threw his arms up in defense, but the Hiros didn't attack. Instead, they each 
grabbed the madman's arms and pulled them out, opening up his chest. That was 
when Rei swooped in. The raven haired teen started with a simple punch to 
Rashoch's gut, which caused him to exhale strongly. She followed up with 
repeated punches to the stomach and chest, causing Rashoch to lurch back and 
forth within the grasps of Hiro. Rei snapped two kicks out that buckled her 
target's knees. Finally, the teen back flipped away, landing a flip kick with 
both her feet on Rashoch's chin.

	To close up the double team, the Hiros released Rashoch's arms, spun 
around, and landed roundhouse kicks in his chest. The maniac huffed out a cry as 
he went flying through the air to crash into a building. The Hiros disappeared 
to reform into the original, and Rei touched down next to her brother. The pair 
didn't have long to catch their breaths. The building whose side Rashoch had 
penetrated was suddenly surrounded in a black pillar of power and vaporized 
completely.

	The Masaki twins either teleported or flew away as the pillar started to 
lessen in power, but center around its source. Five fiery Light Hawk Wings open 
in front of him, Rashoch glared angrily at his two opponents. The black flames 
flew back, creating the former Champion of Tokimi's Light Hawk Armor. "Play time 
is over, children," he growled. "Time to die."

	Hiro didn't hesitate one moment before summoning his Light Hawk Wings. His 
two green Wings appeared and passed over him, creating Armor. Rei looked at him 
once before bringing her own Wings to bear and readying for the next round. The 
twins stepped forward, creating their respective weapons in their hands. A 
sickening smile crossed Rashoch's lips as he walked out of the rubble towards 
the two teenagers. A black bladed sword appeared in his right hand. He stopped 
several feet from them and started patting the flat of his blade on his left 
hand.

	The battle resumed at a furious rate. Hiro launched himself at Rashoch, 
his feet barely touching the ground. Light Hawk Swords clashed, sending colored 
sparks everywhere. Rashoch whipped his blade around Hiro's, parried it to the 
right, and quickly brought his weapon back to meet Rei's. He parried her high 
and low attacks easily and followed up by slamming the guard of his Sword into 
her face. As Rei was falling back, Rashoch spun around to reengage Hiro. 

	Hiro made a pair of quick thrusts at his midsection. Rashoch batted the 
second thrust to Hiro's right and roared as he slashed high at Hiro's head. The 
young Light Hawk Warrior phased right through the attack. Because of their 
closeness, he couldn't bring his Sword around for an attack. So instead, Hiro 
threw out a head butt that succeeded in rocking his foe backwards. Rashoch 
stumbled back a couple of feet only to have Rei's Bo crack him in the lower 
back. Hiro was quick to slap Rashoch's blade aside and score a slash across his 
chest.

	The madman cried out in pain and responded in kind to the attacks. A 
sphere of darkness exploded out from him, forcing both twins to take to the air 
to get away. Everything touched by the sphere disappeared, destroyed by its 
power. Hiro transformed his Sword into a green ribbon and threw it at the 
expanding sphere, but the growing black globe absorbed it without stopping.

	"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" they heard Rashoch roar 
from within the sphere.

	The madman suddenly exploded out from the sphere and attacked Rei. Like a 
raging beast, he leveled powerful slashes at the raven haired teen. Taken by 
surprise and barely able to stand against his insane strength, Rei frantically 
weaved her Bo in a defensive pattern. Continually backing away from his attacks, 
she batted one of his slashes down with the center of her Bo. She was about 
throw her Bo into a spin to knock his Sword away, but before she could Rashoch 
forced her block back upwards with sheer brute strength. Rei's eyes went wide 
with fear as her torso became undefended. Rashoch flashed her an insane grin 
before driving the tip of his Sword into her abdomen. 

	Hiro, flying as fast as he could towards the fighting, blanched at the 
sight of his sister being impaled by Rashoch. "RRRRRREEEEEEEEEIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"

	Rashoch pulled his weapon free and turned to cross parry Hiro's downward 
slash. Rei, semiconscious, plummeted to the devastated street below. The 
fighters pushed off one another, and Hiro immediately thrust for Rashoch's 
heart. Reading the attack completely, the madman moved ever so slightly to the 
right. Instead of piercing Rashoch's breastplate, the thrust instead encountered 
only air. Rashoch's left hand shot out, grabbed Hiro's wrists, and pulled the 
teen along with the momentum of his attack. The air was forced from Hiro's lungs 
as the maniac brought his left knee up into his stomach. The force of the knee 
thrust was powerful enough so that Hiro's Armor didn't absorb any of its force.

	A choked grunt escape the cyan haired teen's throat when his insane foe 
followed up the knee thrust by driving the pommel of his sword into the back of 
Hiro's head. The young Light Hawk Warrior soon found himself falling end over 
end towards the fast rising street. With every flip, he was able to watch 
helplessly as Rashoch opened his hands and released a series of black energy 
streams. Hiro couldn't even find the breath to scream as the streams pelted him 
from all angles and drove him into the pock marked pavement below.

_____ 

	Tenchi jumped to the side to avoid a flame saber. He made a quick dash 
forward, slicing the Ssl'na before him in half. The battle within the city was 
nothing but a brawl. The Ssl'na fought as though they were possessed with the 
spirit of war. No matter how many you would cut or shoot down, ten more would 
charge you eagerly. Tenchi readied himself for his next opponent, but suddenly 
realized that the reptiles were actually backing off. Spurred on by the retreat, 
the Juraians doubled their fighting efforts. Tenchi, though, was skeptical. The 
Ssl'na still held the numbers advantage. Why were they pulling back?

	"Their heading for the base," said Washu as she came up beside him. The 
sleeves of her blouse were completely gone, and a red light was flashing 
repeatedly on her gun. 

	Tenchi was about to grab Washu and fly them there, when a gigantic sphere 
of black erupted from the edge of the city. The Ssl'na forgotten, Tsunami's 
Knight focused on the source of the black sphere. "Rashoch," he breathed. 
Without so much as another word, he lifted off at full speed towards his enemy.

	"Tenchi!" he heard Washu call after him. 

	Air whistled as Tenchi flew through the city. It was only moments later 
when he arrived at the scene. His eyes widened at the sight of Rashoch pummeling 
two of his children. Rei was already falling to the ground, and Hiro was soon 
joining her in a plummet of his own. Rashoch's laughter was clear as he released 
several streams of black energy that impacted on Hiro from all sides, driving 
him even faster towards the street below. 

	"NNNNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!" screamed Tenchi.

	Rashoch's head snapped in his direction, insane smile clearly visible. 
Tenchi didn't even wait for the madman to taunt him. Blue power trailed off him 
as he charged across the sky. Rashoch obliged him by charging as well. Their 
Swords clashed, creating a thunderclap that echoed across the city. The weapons 
clashed repeatedly, sending a shower of sparks raining down to the streets 
below. They crossed swords once more, and both warriors pushed away. Tenchi and 
Rashoch were now hovering ten feet apart from one another.

	The madman grinned maniacally. "You have no idea how much I would love to 
stay and pull your entrails out from your nose, Masaki, but I really must be 
going." He started giggling. "Just a little bit longer, and then we will settle 
this once and for all." Black flames surrounded him as he teleported away.

	Tenchi instantly forgot about the maniac and dove for the devastated 
street below towards his children. He landed closest to Hiro, but the cyan 
haired teen was already rising under his own power. He was bleeding and beaten, 
but he seemed coherent. "Go to Rei," he wheezed. "She's been stabbed."

	The worried father heeded his son's words and rushed to side of Rei. She 
had long ago released her Light Hawk Wings and was in her fighting suit. Tenchi 
paled when he saw the open wound in her abdomen. 

	"Daddy?" she whispered weakly. 

	Tenchi was by her side, cradling her head. "I'm here, honey." He carefully 
picked her up. "Just hang on. I'll get you to Washu."

	She gave him a frail smile. "Okay, dad," whispered the teenager. A quick 
breath escaped her lips, and Rei went limp in his arms.

	"Rei!" Tenchi cried at her face. There was no response. "Hang on, 
sweetie." He looked up and saw Hiro hobbling over to them. "Can you fly?" 

	Hiro shook his head. "Half my ribs are broken. I can barely breath let 
alone...walk."

	Tenchi nodded. His forehead rune flashed, and Hiro was suddenly in the 
center of a blue sphere. "Just do your best to stay awake," commanded the 
father. Hiro gave him a short nod. Without wasting another moment, Tenchi, with 
Rei in his arms and Hiro following behind, flew off towards the base.

_____  

	Ayeka watched from behind her force field as the reptilian aliens started 
to withdraw from the halls of the base. Shoytal, covered in bleeding wounds but 
still standing strong with both ends of his sword blazing, looked at her 
questioningly.

	"This is wrong," he observed. "They still have numbers on us."

	The Empress nodded at her husband. "I agree. I think I know what this 
means, though." She raised her right hand to get the attention of everyone. "We 
are going outside. Everyone be on guard and wait for my signal before taking any 
form of action."

	All the soldiers in the room nodded and raised their weapons. The Royal 
Guard took up flanking positions around her. Sasami, with a battle worn Riley 
standing in front of her, nodded. There was a shimmer of a force field around 
the pair as they followed the small force outside. Once back out in the 
courtyard, Ayeka grimaced at what she had expected to see. 

	Gabriel, with his three Light Hawk Warriors, was standing before the 
writhing mass of reptilian aliens. Ayeka stopped at the top of the steps leading 
into the base and stared the entity in her father's body down. "Leave this place 
now, Gabriel. You seek only death if you remain here."

	The entity threw his head back and laughed. "My, what a picture you have 
painted for yourself, Ayeka. Do you truly think your people can survive this 
battle if it continues?"

	"We have our ways of dealing with scum such as yourself," countered Ayeka. 

	Gabriel gave her a half smile. "If you are referring to the Masaki family, 
then I am afraid you are greatly mistaken. The twins have already been taken out 
of the game, Tenchi is occupied at the moment, and Ryoko has been kept busy by 
my Ssl'na through out the city. Your greatest warriors cannot help you now."

	A hole started to form in Ayeka's stomach. She took a deep breath and 
thinned her eyes. "A plasma blast will kill your people just as easily as a 
Light Hawk Weapon."

	"Humph," huffed Gabriel. "Stop trying to buy yourself time, Empress. I'm 
going to give you one chance to save your pathetic people." He raised his right 
hand and pointed past her. "Give me the Princess Sasami, and I will let the rest 
of you live out what's left of your existence."

	"Over my dead body!" shouted Riley.

	"Suit yourself," replied Gabriel. He nodded once and his three servants 
started walking towards the Juraians. "Just to make it sporting, I'll leave the 
Ssl'na out of this." Portals opened up behind him, which the reptilian aliens 
began to exit through. "Now you just have to deal with us," he finished as he 
also started walking towards them.

	Zorin, Ashra, and Timerra raised their hands and opened fire on the mass 
of Juraians. Energy blasts flew from all their hands, seeking to lay waste to 
anyone without the ability to protect themselves with shields. Seconds before 
the blasts were to make contact, a large set of four red Light Hawk Wings opened 
up in front of the Juraian force, absorbing everything. Ryoko, forehead rune 
shining brightly, touched down in front of her Wing shield.

	She flashed the enemy a sly grin. "Mind if I join the party?"

	Gabriel's eyes thinned. "Zorin, Timerra, deal with Mrs. Masaki."

	"Yes, my Lord," they both replied in unison. Each one summoned their Light 
Hawk Wings and charged Ryoko.

	The Daughter of Washu was instantly in her Armor with a red bladed Light 
Hawk Sword in each hand. She teleported straight up into the air, drawing Zorin 
and Timerra after her. Ayeka smiled at her friend's tactics. She quickly 
returned her attention to Riley. 

	"Get Sasami out of here!" she ordered.  The GP nodded once, grabbed the 
princess by the right arm, and started running the opposite direction of 
Gabriel.

	Without even an order, Ashra shot off in pursuit. Juraian soldiers opened 
fire on the wiry man, but his speed more than outmatched their accuracy. Ayeka 
silently wished her sister and Riley luck before returning her attention towards 
the greatest threat, Gabriel. The entity was still slowly walking towards them, 
intent on getting to Sasami even if it meant going through a small army.

	Ayeka raised her right hand and brought it down quickly. All at once, the 
Juraians opened fire on Gabriel. A white barrier appeared in front of the 
target, absorbing every single shot. From behind the barrier, Gabriel made a 
sweeping gesture with his right hand. At the same moment, more than half of the 
Juraian force was picked up off the ground and blown aside by a telekenetic 
force. The remaining soldiers continued to fire at him, but Gabriel responded by 
thrusting his right hand out. This time all the remaining soldiers were thrown 
back into the walls of the base. 

	The Royal Guard didn't even wait for and order to attack. Lead by Shoytal, 
the five knights charged Gabriel with their tree weapons blazing. Gerin reached 
him first and leapt spear first. Gabriel halted his attack inches from his body 
and knocked the red headed knight aside with a psychic blast. Nunar reached him 
next and attacked low. Gabriel blocked his low slash by placing a well aimed 
kick at the small knight's wrists. Nunar lost the grip on his axe and stumbled 
forward enough for Gabriel to kick him in the head. Verka roared as he thrust 
his clawed fists at the entity's chest. The attack proved useless as Gabriel 
caught Verka's right fist with one hand, squeezed to break the tree weapon, and 
finally tossed the large knight aside as though he were nothing. 

	Mastir charged in next weaving his silver blades in a deadly dance of 
death. A pearly white Light Hawk Sword appeared in Gabriel's right hand, and he 
proceeded to parry every one of the knight's slashes. Gabriel suddenly went on 
the offensive with a pair of head aimed slashes, followed by a thrust to the 
chest. Mastir succeeded in parry each slash and stopping the thrust by pinning 
the Light Hawk Sword between his blades. Before he could counter, Gabriel pulled 
his sword up, along with Mastir's, and drove his knee into the knight's chest. 
As Mastir fell to the ground, Shoytal made his attack run. 

	Ayeka watched with concern as her husband went toe to toe with what could 
be the most powerful being in the galaxy. The Juraian Lord actually put on an 
impressive offensive demonstration. In fact, he was able to go long enough so 
that his companions could recover and rejoin him in battling Gabriel. The 
Empress had to control herself from cheering as all five knights attacked 
Gabriel from all sides. Things seemed to be turning in their favor, until 
Gabriel obviously became board with the dual. 

	The entity roared once, sending off a white blast of power that sent all 
five men flying away. With her Royal Guard down, Ayeka steadied herself as the 
last line of defense. Gabriel strode over the fallen men towards her. Ayeka's 
force field shimmered to life and blue energy began to gather in her hands. 

	Gabriel laughed. "Please, Ayeka. Stop deluding yourself. You cannot even 
hope to scratch me."

	"She's got help," came a new voice from the right.

	Both the Empress and the entity turned to see Washu standing at the edge 
of the courtyard holding a plasma gun in her hands. "My dear, Lady Washu," 
greeted Gabriel with mock politeness. "I was wondering where you had gotten off 
to?"

	Washu dropped the gun and started walking towards them. "I've been right 
here the whole time, Gabriel. Do *you* think you can take me on?"

	"Ha!" he barked. "You are not a goddess anymore, Washu! I can crush you 
with a thought!"

	She stopped several feet from him and smiled sweetly. "Then why don't you 
give it a try?"

	Gabriel raised his Sword to cut the genius down, but he was stopped 
suddenly as five blue Light Hawk Wings appeared between him and Washu. Everyone, 
except Washu, looked up to see Tenchi hovering in the air with Rei in his arms 
and Hiro being held in a blue sphere.

	"Back away, Gabriel!" commanded the Knight of Tsunami. He slowly lowered 
himself until he was between Ayeka and the entity. Tenchi, his armor smeared 
with his daughter's blood, turned to Ayeka and handed her Rei. "Take care of 
her," he whispered. 

	Ayeka noticed a brief look pass between Tenchi and Washu before the Knight 
turned back to Gabriel. "This ends now," he said. His Light Hawk Sword appeared 
in his right hand to emphasize the point.

	Gabriel took several steps back, smiling all the time. "Very well, Masaki. 
Come and see just how weak you truly are."

_____ 

	Sasami let Riley pull her along as they ran down the streets of Cylrya. 
Their flight was suddenly stopped as Ashra landed ten feet in front of them. The 
masked man fired a dark red blast from his right hand that sent Riley and Sasami 
flying in opposite directions. Sasami raised her head just in time to see Riley 
jump back to his feet, pull his guns, and start firing at their wiry attacker. 
Ashra, however, dodged each blast as he dashed towards the detective. He slipped 
right between the firing pistols and landed a punch directly in the center of 
Riley's chest.

	Riley grunted as he was knocked back, dropping his guns in the process. 
Ashra pressed his attack with a flurry of kicks. Breath regained, Riley managed 
to block most of the kicks, before one of them caught him in the chest, audibly 
cracking several ribs. The GP skidded across the ground until he hit the side of 
a building.

	"Pathetic nortal," hissed Ashra from behind his mask. "Did you really 
think you could sthand up to ne?" He reached up and yanked the gray mask off to 
reveal his disfigured face. "Look what you did to ne!"

	The lower half of Ashra's face wasn't even that any more. Where his nose 
had once been, there was only an open cavity, now. He had no lower lip, clearly 
showing off his blackened teeth. The sides of his face were still there, but 
they were scarred heavily. The crazed man lunged forward and grabbed Riley by 
the front of his jacket. 

	"You got lucky that phirst tine, cop!" he yelled. "This tine, I'n going to 
peal you, one layer of sthkin at a tine!" An energy dagger appeared in his left 
hand, and he started to go for Riley's face.

	Fear raced through Sasami. She had to do something, but what? The dark red 
blade started to sear Riley's left cheek, causing him to scream out in pain. 
Before she knew it, Sasami was on her feet crying out.

	"Nnnnnoooooo!" she screamed with her arms outstretched. Without a 
conscious effort, the princess released a force wave that slammed into Ashra, 
causing him to drop Riley.

	Sasami raced to the detective's side with tears in her eyes. "Riley," she 
whispered. "Are you all right?"

	He coughed a couple of times, but managed to flash her a cocky smile. 
"Could be better." 

	She had just started to laugh when something grabbed a handful of her hair 
and pulled her back. Ashra, madness clear in his eyes, threw her to the ground 
behind him. A circled X rune appeared on his forehead, as a dark red Light Hawk 
Sword also formed in his right hand. "You are lucky Lord Gabriel needs you 
alive, bitch." His single lip turned up in an attempt to smile. "Well, he only 
needs you physically alive. He never said anything about your spirit."

	Sasami watched in stunned horror as Ashra suddenly spun around and drove 
his Sword deep into Riley's stomach. 

	"Aaaaaahhhhhhh!" the detective cried out in pain. 

	"Riley!" Sasami screamed. She lunged for him, but Ashra was faster.

	The wiry man appeared behind and grabbed her. He sent a jolt of power 
through her body, causing all her muscles to weaken. Sasami slumped in his arms, 
unable to move. "Ri...ley," she mumbled before falling into unconsciousness.

_____ 

	Ryoko released a pair of spinning red discs left and right. One succeeded 
in catching Zorin on the left shoulder, thus sending him spinning off course. 
Timerra dodged the disc aimed for her and came at Ryoko with her orange Sword. 
The pirate grinned as she caught Timerra's Sword between two of her own in an X. 
Both of Ryoko's Swords burst into red flames, and the Daughter of Washu 
scissored her opponent's blade, snapping it in half.

	"That's what happens when you play with the big kids, honey," taunted 
Ryoko just before she backhanded Timerra in the face with the pommel of the 
Sword in her right hand. 

	Instincts flared, and Ryoko teleported to the right to avoid an energy 
ribbon. When she rematerialized, Zorin was flying up towards her with an energy 
ribbon in each hand. The large man threw them at Ryoko, who easily dodged both. 
He reached her and tried to pummel the nimble woman with glowing fists. Ryoko, 
grinning the entire time, almost yawned as she ducked each of Zorin's mighty 
swipes. Finally bored, she blocked first a left and a right with her forearms. 
Then she quickly grabbed each of his wrists, twisted his arms outwards eliciting 
cracks, and double kicked him in the chest. Next she flew over his head, 
continuing to twist his shoulders around, and drove both her knees into his 
lower back.

	Ryoko released her hold on Zorin and let the man fall away. Timerra was 
suddenly there to catch her falling comrade. "Geez," said Ryoko with a whistle. 
"I thought you guys were supposed to be tougher than this?"

	Surprise registered on Ryoko's face when Timerra smiled up at her. "We can 
be, Daughter of Washu, but to fight you was not our job. We only needed to keep 
you busy. We have done just that." The pair quickly turned away from Ryoko and 
started flying back towards the base.

	"Keep me busy?" She followed them with her eyes for a moment to the base. 
The pirate was forced to shield her eyes from a white blast of power. Ryoko 
cursed once dove after them at full speed. "Gabriel," she hissed.

	Wind peeling her cyan locks back, Ryoko descended upon the courtyard of 
the base suddenly fearing the worst. Her fears were warranted as she came to a 
stop in the air above the yard. The first thing she saw was Tenchi battling what 
could only be Gabriel. She had arrived just in time to see her husband take the 
full brunt of a white Light Hawk Power blast directly in the chest. He cried out 
while he flew through the air and into the side of the base itself. Tenchi's 
body went slack as he dropped from his self made indentation in the wall and 
fell to the ground in a heap. 

	That alone would have sent Ryoko into a rage, but then her eyes fell on 
two of her children. Hiro was lying on the steps in front of the base beaten, 
bloody, and broken. Her heart threatened to burst when she saw Rei. Her little 
girl was barely clinging to life with a stab wound oozing blood from her 
abdomen. Washu and Ayeka were standing over her raven haired daughter doing the 
best they could to keep her alive.

	Zorin and Timerra touched down beside their master and pointed in Ryoko's 
direction. One teleportation later, Ryoko was standing between Gabriel and her 
family. A Sword materialized in her hands. "So, you're Gabriel?" 

	"Ryoko Masaki," replied the entity within Azusa. "We meet in person at 
last. Rashoch has told me so much about you." He began to tighten his brown 
gloves. "I wish that we would could go a couple of rounds, but it seems that I 
have what I came for." He gestured upward with his head as Ashra, with an 
unconscious Sasami in his arms, landed among them.

	"Sasami!" cried Ryoko. "You can't run from me, Gabriel! As soon as you go 
through that portal, I'm coming in right after you. Your goons are no match for 
me, so it'll just be us."

	A single portal opened up behind Gabriel and his servants. "I do not think 
so, my dear," he said as something started to come out of the portal.

	Ryoko tensed when she saw Rashoch, who was carrying a large stasis 
cylinder. Behind her mad brother was another familiar face. Dr. Clay smiled 
evilly as Rashoch placed the cylinder down. The small scientist began inputting 
commands to the cylinder's computer.

	"You are going to be too busy to follow us at this time, Ryoko," added 
Gabriel. He nodded once to her. "Till our next meeting." Gabriel and his retinue 
started to walk through the portal just as the cylinder opened. Rashoch made a 
kissing face just before disappearing into the white light.

	Steam poured out of the cylinder door, obscuring whatever was inside. 
Ryoko thinned her eyes when she sensed a wave of chaos emanating from whatever 
was inside. Suddenly, the entire cylinder exploded in a pillar of black power. 
The pillar faded, and Ryoko got her first look at its source. Her skin paled.

	"Oh my god," she breathed. "Mayuka..."

	Her eldest daughter, or what had once been Mayuka, reared its head back 
and roared with animalistic rage. Most of her skin was gone, replaced by purple 
fur and black scales. Her hair was perpetually standing up from the amount of 
power rolling off her being. Fangs gleaming, Mayuka launched herself into the 
air. As she ascended, the demon girl released blast after blast of dark energy 
out into the surrounding city. Buildings exploded, streets were set aflame, and 
renewed cries of horror echoed through out Cylrya. 

	Ryoko could only watch the horror with tear filled eyes. "Oh, my baby," 
she wept quietly to herself. A mother's heart was broken as she witnessed her 
beloved child become the thing she had always feared most for all her children. 

	Transformation aside, Gabriel had somehow turned Mayuka into a killing 
machine. She was nothing but a tool of destruction, just as her mother had once 
been ages ago. There was movement beside Ryoko as Washu walked over.

	"Rei's stable for the moment," she announced. Her eyes followed Ryoko's to 
Mayuka. "It's her demon half. Somehow, Gabriel brought it out in her."

	Ryoko sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Gabriel will pay for this. Even *when* 
I get Mayuka back, she will have to live with this for the rest of her life. She 
will always remember the beast within that was only satisfied by the shedding of 
blood. He will pay for damning her innocence like this." She glanced quickly at 
her mother. "Look after Tenchi, Rei, and Hiro." Before the genius could respond, 
her daughter was already soaring up towards Mayuka.

	Blood was pounding in Ryoko's ears. The closer she came to her raging 
daughter, the more she wondered exactly what she was going to do? "How on Earth 
do I reach her?"

	Mayuka was raining destruction down on the city without stopping to even 
watch. Black blasts of power continually pounded Cylrya. Ryoko stopped when she 
was directly across from her. "Mayuka!"

	The demon ceased her attacks and focused her red eyes on the cyan haired 
woman. Her pause was only brief, for she suddenly teleported right in front of 
Ryoko and began slashing with her claws. Ryoko quickly batted each slash aside 
while back peddling. One thing was for sure, she was not going to strike her 
daughter. Until she could come up with some way to reach Mayuka, Ryoko was on 
the defensive.

	Mayuka flew straight up and released a blast of black fire. Ryoko 
teleported back and up twenty feet to avoid the flames. The retreat, though, 
only seemed to spur Mayuka on. She roared and charged her mother fiercely. It 
took everything Ryoko had to either block or dodge each attack. Mayuka did a 
double teleport, first to Ryoko's left and then right. The pirate barely phased 
through Mayuka's kick to her head. She became solid again and retaliated for the 
first time. Before the demon girl could retract her right leg Ryoko grabbed it, 
spun her around several times, and threw her away several hundred yards.

	"Damn she's fast," said Ryoko between heavy breaths. 

	Two black energy cones suddenly came screaming across the distance between 
mother and daughter. Ryoko reacted by creating a Light Hawk Shield for defense. 
The energies parted around the Shield, forcing Ryoko to pull herself in tightly 
to avoid being clipped. The Shield rocked as Mayuka began physically throwing 
herself at it. A single thought had the Wing Shield expand and trap the demon 
girl inside a red sphere. Mayuka's rage intensified at her being caged. She 
began to repeatedly pound on the sphere wall.

	Ryoko floated over to the sphere to observe her captive daughter. "Don't 
worry, sweetie," she said in the most soothing tone possible. "We'll find a way 
to get you back to normal."

	Mayuka stopped her thrashing for a moment focused her red eyes on Ryoko. 
She leaned forward and tilted her head slightly to the left. Ryoko couldn't help 
but smile at what seemed to be a sign of her daughter recognizing her. That hope 
was shattered when the demon girl reared back and actually succeeded in punching 
a hole in the sphere. The punch connected with Ryoko's nose, sending her 
hurtling several feet backwards. Mayuka easily tore through the rest of the 
sphere and continued her attack.

	She banked left and right and finally teleported behind Ryoko. Sensing 
danger, Ryoko threw back her arms and blocked the kick aimed for the back of her 
head. The pirate spun around to block several more slashes and kicks. At one 
point she was able to block and grab Mayuka's wrists. Ryoko locked their arms 
and pulled Mayuka as close to her as she dared.

	"Mayuka, listen to me!" she pleaded. "It's me! Just listen to my voice! I 
know you remember who I am!" The demon girl only responded by snapping at her 
mother's face with spittle covered fangs.

	Ryoko frowned and disengaged their grapple. Mayuka made a frontal attack 
again. First she charged Ryoko head on, who readied herself defensively to block 
the already familiar combinations. To the pirate's surprise, the demon girl 
phased through her instead of attacking. Before Ryoko could respond to the 
change in tactics, Mayuka had already planted a kick to her lower back. Ryoko 
lurched forward in the air, only to be knocked back by a series of punches from 
Mayuka. She tried to defend herself, but Mayuka's strength was too much. Her 
feeble blocks were slapped aside, and Mayuka scored a pair of slashes that tore 
right through Ryoko's armor.

	"Aaaahhhh!" screamed Ryoko, her head shooting up in the process. 

	Mayuka responded with a roar of her own and a vicious raking across her 
mother's face. Ryoko felt the claws tear deep gashes in the left side of her 
face, creating small rivers of blood that ran down her cheek and neck. Next, 
Mayuka grabbed a hand full of her hair, spun her around twice, and then released 
her at the ground below. Ryoko could barely keep a conscious thought while 
plummeting towards the street below. Feet from the ground, she opened her eyes 
just in time to witness Mayuka drive a knee into her chest. The added force from 
the demon girl's knee drop drove Ryoko into the pavement causing a tremendous 
explosion of rock, dust, and dirt.

_____ 

	The beast reared her head back and roared in victory. The battle had been 
won with vicious efficiency. The dust cleared, and the demon looked down at her 
opponent. The cyan haired woman twitched slightly, so the beast drove both her 
feet into her chest just for good measure. The woman loosed a strangled cry 
followed by a cough of blood that continued to trickle down the sides of her 
mouth. Blood pumping from the fight, the demon reach down and lifted her 
defeated foe into the air. 

	She huffed once and threw her back to the ground hard. Next, she walked 
over, making sure to step on and break the woman's left hand. A satisfied growl 
escaped the demon's throat. Finally, the beast dropped to her left knee, grabbed 
the front of the woman's garment with her left claw, and ripped it away until 
her neck was bare. A red gem flickered back at her, highlighting the paleness of 
the skin. The demon raised her right claw to finish the woman once and for all, 
when her golden eyes cracked for a moment to look directly into the soul of the 
monster.

	"M...ay...u...ka," she wheezed before going limp. There was a faint red 
glow as her Armor changed into red and black suit. 

	That single word was like a lightening bolt striking the brain. From 
somewhere deep inside the beast, Mayuka Masaki clawed her way back to the 
surface. Eyes slowly became brown, and purple black hair drifted back down to 
rest on her shoulders. 

	Mayuka couldn't believe what she had been about to do. Tears started 
pouring from her eyes. She started frantically shaking her mother's body. "Mom!" 
she cried. "Mom, wake up! Oh god, please!" There was no response. She couldn't 
even tell if her mother was breathing.

	"Nnooo!" sobbed Mayuka. She bent over and hugged Ryoko's motionless body. 
"I'm so sorry!" she balled. "Please wake up, Mommy! Please!" She threw her head 
back and screamed.

	"PLEASE!!!!!!"

_____ 

	The battle was over.

	The war continued, and the Loyalist movement behind Ayeka was worse for 
wear. With one stroke, the enemy had defeated their strongest warriors. Talk of 
surrender could be heard whispered between citizens and soldiers alike. It was 
things like this that Tenchi picked up as he walked down the halls of the base 
to the make shift hospital ward. The real hospital had been destroyed during the 
attack, so Washu and the surviving doctors were doing the best they could. Of 
course, the best Washu could do was usually far greater than anything any one 
person could ever hope to match.

	Tenchi's brown uniform coat billowed around his ankles as he strode 
through the halls. He finally reached the triage center and tapped a panel to 
open the door. What had once been an auditorium was now something much more. As 
expected, Washu had done the impossible. The genius had obviously tweaked the 
natural space within the room, making it ten times as large. Tenchi found 
himself looking at a three story, mini hospital. Hover stretchers were 
continuously going in and out of what was the emergency room. Tenchi, after 
taking a deep breath, moved on and entered Washu's latest creation.

	The wounded were littered all over the place inside. The less critical 
were bandaged with medical patches over their wounds and either sitting around 
or helping out any way they could. In almost every examination room, some doctor 
or medical professional was performing some sort of procedure. It only took 
Tenchi a few questions to find out where Washu was. He quickly made his way to 
the third floor surgical ward. Just as he exited the stairwell, Washu, wearing 
green surgical scrubs, came out of a door marked "Doctor's and Genius only."

	They both shared a weary smile. "Hi, Tenchi," greeted the red head. "How 
you feeling?"

	"Considering the general public, I guess I'm fine physically," he 
answered. There was slight hesitation before he continued. "Washu...how are 
they?"

	The genius took him by the arm and started walking down the hall. "So far 
so good. Rei's surgery was a success. Her regenerative abilities were the only 
thing that saved her. Any normal person would have died from the amount of blood 
loss she suffered. Anyways, I've repaired what damage I could, and her own 
system should finish the job just fine. Hiro just needs a little bed rest. The 
worst he suffered was a concussion and five broken ribs. As with Rei, his system 
will fix everything within a day or so if he just takes it easy."

	Tenchi was afraid of what was coming. "What about Ryoko?"

	Washu sighed before answering. "Ryoko took a real beating. From what I got 
out of Mayuka, she refused to attack. Eventually, Mayuka got the better of her 
and literally beat her into unconsciousness."

	"What does this mean, Washu?"

	"Ryoko's healing abilities are even more advanced than the what the twins 
have," she said. "With a little help from me, she's been stabilized. During the 
process, however, Ryoko's body put her into a self induced coma."

	Tenchi swallowed hard. "A coma? Will she wake up?"

	Washu nodded, causing Tenchi to sigh with relief. "It's not the type of 
coma you're familiar with. Her body had to divert all its energy into the 
healing process. So, it basically turned off all other functions to do so."

	Tenchi was smiling with relief. "So, when will she wake up?"

	Washu raised a halting hand. "I said she would wake up, the when is the 
problem. Her system will keep her mind shut down until the body is completely 
healed. She was pretty bad, Tenchi. It could be a while."

	They stopped at a pair of glass doors labeled "Recovery Room A." 
"Everyone's in here," Washu told him. "I'll be back in a while. There are a few 
more patients I need to check on." She left, and Tenchi pushed the doors open.

	The blue walled room was divided into two sections. On one side were Hiro 
and Rei. The other side was surrounded by blue curtains, with only the sounds of 
machines beeping to be heard from within. Hiro, in a white hospital gown, looked 
up from the magazine he was reading and smiled broadly.

	"Hey, dad," he called out. 

	Tenchi walked over and laid a hand his son's shoulder. "How are you 
doing?"

	Hiro shrugged. "Hurts to breathe, walk, talk, and move in general, but 
Grandma said I should be fine by tomorrow."

	"Good," said Tenchi with a soft pat. "Just follow the doctor's orders, for 
once." Hiro laughed lightly, but grimaced as a result. Tenchi rubbed the top of 
his head and turned to the bed at his right.

	Rei, also in a hospital gown, was sleeping peacefully. Her monitors beeped 
rhythmically with her breathing. Tenchi smiled softly down at her and brushed 
the side of her face tenderly. Her brown feline eyes suddenly fluttered open. 
She focused on his face and smiled. "Hi, dad," she said weakly.

	"Hey, kitten," he answered quietly. "How do you feel?"

	"Like crap," she replied in a whisper. Her eyes closed again, evidence of 
her need for sleep.

	Tenchi leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Go back to sleep. 
We'll talk some more when you're better."

	"Okay, dad," she whispered before falling back into slumber. 

	He turned back to Hiro. "Keep an eye on her." 

	"Don't worry, dad," Hiro said with a grin. "She's taken harder hits from 
me in practice."

	Tenchi grinned briefly before looking across the room to the curtained off 
section. "Mayuka's with her," informed Hiro.

	His father nodded once and slowly walked towards the curtains. His hand 
paused in the air momentarily before pulling them aside. Mayuka's head shot up, 
tears still visible running down her face. She had once again reverted to her 
natural, human state. She had borrowed some of Rei's clothes, a pair of black 
jeans, a long sleeved purple shirt, and a black vest to be exact. 

	The young woman sniffed once and rose to stand before her father. She 
opened her mouth to say something, but suddenly ran for the doors and out of the 
room, instead. Tenchi started to go after her, but stopped when his eyes fell on 
Ryoko. His beloved wife, surrounded by the best of Washu's monitoring devices, 
lay there as if simply sleeping. The left side of her face was covered in a 
medical patch, but Tenchi could still see the tips of five claw marks sticking 
out. 

	He carefully moved to the side of the bed, bent over, and kissed her on 
the lips ever so gently. Tenchi almost believed that she would awaken because of 
the kiss, but chided himself seconds later for thinking such unrealistic things. 
She barely seemed to be breathing at all, but all of Washu's machines indicated 
that she was in stable condition. Tenchi reached out through their link, hoping 
to at least get some sort of reaction. But just as Washu had told him, Ryoko's 
mind was completely shut down. 

	Finally, he kissed her once more and leaned close to her ear. "Come back 
to me soon. I miss you," he whispered. Tenchi tenderly stroked his wife's hair 
once before exiting the room to go after Mayuka.

	His eldest daughter was leaning up against the white wall opposite the 
doors. She wiped her eyes and looked up as he came out. "I'm sorry, dad," she 
said immediately. "I'm so sorry."

	Tenchi smiled warmly at her. "Mayuka, what happened this afternoon was not 
your fault."

	"Yes it was!" she yelled back. She took two steps towards him with her 
arms outstretched. "I'm the one who nearly killed mom!"

	"Mayuka," he started to say, "it wasn't your fault you transformed into a 
demon. I'm sure Gabriel was the cause."

	Mayuka was shaking her head. "No, you don't understand." Tears started to 
leak from her eyes again. "Yes, Gabriel did bait me, but I didn't have to take 
it. I tried to fight him, but I wasn't strong enough."

	She turned away and hugged herself. "Then he started telling me that I 
could beat him if I used the darkness within me. He...attacked me again. I tried 
to break free, but I wasn't strong enough. So...I...opened myself to the 
darkness."

	Now she was shaking. "I remember...everything. It was like my eyelids were 
tapped open, but my body was strapped down. It was terrible, dad. There was only 
the beast and nothing else. And the only thing that satisfied it was 
destruction." 

	Mayuka looked up, fear and sorrow plain in her eyes. "I finally know what 
mom must have gone through when she was under Kagato's control. You're 
completely helpless, unable to stop even if you wanted to."

	"Don't do this to yourself, sweetie," urged Tenchi. "Gabriel pushed you. 
But it's all okay, now. You pushed the darkness back."

	"No," said Mayuka while shaking her head. "I haven't." The young woman 
opened her right hand, and a small black flame outline in blue appeared. "That 
was our mistake, dad. I know you and mom meant well, but we must accept the 
truth. I am a child of Light and Dark. I may your daughter, but Yuzuha's legacy 
still lives within me." She closed her hand, banishing the flame.

	Tenchi folded his arms. At that moment, he was prouder of Mayuka than he 
ever had been before. "When did you get to be so wise for one so young?" he said 
with a half smile. "I have to ask, though. Now that you have accepted your dark 
side, can you control it?"

	Mayuka looked back at him. "All I have to do is remember mom," she said 
somberly. Tenchi moved close to his child and wrapped her in an embrace. "I want 
to make him pay, dad."

	"He will, sweetie," Tenchi assured her. "I promise you that."

_____ 

	Hiro waited ten minutes before getting out of the bed and changing his 
clothes. He winced as he pulled on his blue jeans and black T-shirt. "Dammit," 
he hissed.

	"What are you doing?" He turned slightly to see Rei looking at him 
sideways with one eye. 

	"I'm getting out of here," he told her as he finished pulling on his T-
shirt. "This bed is too hard. Besides," he added with a glance across the room, 
"I can't just sit and watch mom in a coma. At least you can fall asleep." No 
sooner had he said that last part, than did his twin drift off again.

	In what could be only called a limp/hobble, Hiro made his way over to the 
doors. He slowly phased his head through them and looked around to make sure the 
hall was empty. His dad and Mayuka had left a while ago, so the coast seemed to 
be clear. Despite doctor's orders, the teen phased all the way through the door 
only to teleport outside the hospital completely. Hiro chuckled quietly to 
himself at his escape, although the chuckle made him wince in pain.

	He lifted his head and looked across the battered city. In the distance 
the building housing his room was still in once piece. One shallow breath later, 
he began hobbling his way across the sparsely occupied streets. No one paid him 
any heed, being much too concerned with their own problems. So, Hiro slowly made 
his way through the city, not really thinking about anything in particular. The 
teen took some small solace for this small moment of peace of mind. 

	It was at least an hour later and dark across the land, when Hiro finally 
reached the building. He was just about to open the door, when something stopped 
him. "I had a feeling you would try to make a break for it."

	Hiro looked to his left and saw Leah leaning up against a tree. She was 
wearing a pair of white slacks, a white, sleeveless shirt, and a yellow vest and 
long sleeveless coat. There was also a medical patch on the right side of her 
face.  "Weren't you supposed to stay in bed for at least a day?" she asked him.

	"Maybe," he replied with a smirk. "But since when have you known me to 
follow the rules?"

	"That's why I waited here," she told him. "With everyone else so busy, 
someone has to make sure that you don't kill yourself through some macho 
bullshit." The trouble shooter walked over and took him by the arm. "Come on, 
tough guy. Let's get you upstairs away from the dangers of the world."

	"Hey!" protested Hiro. "I'm not Achika!"

	"Yeah. She's a girl and has a brain," remarked Leah. "Now, come on and 
stop your whining."

	It was a bit of a struggle, but they eventually got to Hiro's room on the 
seventh floor. Leah touched the locking panel, but the door didn't open. "Crap. 
Computer must have shorted out."

	"No problem," announced Hiro. Before she could say anything else, he just 
walked right through the door. Once inside, Hiro unlocked and opened it. "Ta 
da!" 

	Leah was actually stifling a laugh. She walked past him, turning on the 
lights. "I didn't know the Ssl'na got in here?"

	Hiro looked around the living room. Clothes were scattered every where, 
along with plate collections, open beverage containers, and what might have been 
a pillow fort at one time. "No," he said. "Looks the same as when I left it this 
morning."

	"Men," huffed Leah. She carefully made her way around the mess in search 
of she only knew what.

	"Whatever," said Hiro with a shrug. He started to step around his own 
mess, when his right leg suddenly gave out making him collapse like a pile of 
bricks.

	"Hiro!" cried Leah. She was at his side in two strides, helping him back 
up. "That's it, you're going to bed before you hurt yourself anymore."

	The teen groaned as she helped him back up. "Yeah, I think that's a good 
idea." Leaning heavily on her shoulder, Hiro allowed Leah to lead him to the 
bedroom.

	Once they finally made it there, Leah carefully sat him down on the edge 
of the bed. Before Hiro could stop her, she was pulling his sneakers off. "Uh, 
you don't have to do that."

	"Can you bend over far enough to do it?" Hiro didn't reply. "Thought so. 
Just shut up and let me help you for once. You can't always do everything 
yourself, Hiro."

	Hiro swallowed hard. "I can try, can't I?"

	Leah finished pulling off both shoes without another word. She took the 
sneakers and placed them down in front of the closet. "Hiro? Can I ask you 
something?"

	By this point the teen had fallen back on to the bed. "Sure?"

	He heard her turn and lean up against the closet door. "How do you do it?"

	"Do what?"

	"Keep going like this?" she said. "You were nearly killed today, and look 
at you. You're going to go to bed, get up in the morning, and go right back into 
the fire. I understand devotion and courage, but I can't see how after 
everything that keeps happening to your family that you find the will to keeping 
going."

	Hiro rolled on to his side and eventually pulled himself into a sitting 
position. "I have to," he told her. "My family was given a lot of power, and 
with that power comes a lot of responsibility. My parents taught me that. Yeah, 
it's been hard, especially when the people I love get hurt. But my dad also 
taught me that you cannot let anything distract you from your purpose. Emotions 
can be both a strength and a hindrance."

	He lowered his head while continuing to speak. "To fight with vengeance 
clouds the mind and will eventually lead to failure." The young man looked back 
up at the woman standing across from him. "But by fighting to protect those you 
care about, then your emotions are the greatest fuel in the universe." He 
smiled. "That's what keeps me going, Leah. I fight to protect my family and 
those I love because if I don't then no one else will."

	Leah leaned forward off the closet and slowly walked over to him. She 
stopped right in front of him, leaned down, and kissed him. Hiro pulled back 
slightly breaking the kiss. "What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

	She reached up and caressed the left side of his face. "Supporting someone 
I care about." They started kissing again, with Leah slowly pushing him down on 
the bed.


To be continued...


Notes- Now that was a brutal chapter. Some of what I did was probably 
predictable, but I hope that it was at least entertaining. Just to address a 
couple of things, now. First I recommend reading the battle between the twins 
and Rashoch while listening to Disturbed's Down with the Sickness. It's what 
gave me the idea for that fight. It doesn't run the whole fight, but it sure 
makes the blood pump. Also, in regards to Ashra's disfigurement. Since he has no 
lower lip now, I tried my best to write as he would be forced to speak now (ie, 
I tried speaking the dialogue without using my lower lip). I hope it is good 
enough.


All comments please go to Roas1@hotmail.com