Mr.Santos (latinvenom2k1@aol.com) 
Regular 
Shogun Muyo: Chapter 4- Blueprint of a Burning Soul, part 2 
The most dangerous weapon has always been the mind. 
 
Disclaimer- I do not own Tenchi Muyo or any of its characters. The only profit 
I gain in writing this is the knowledge that this may be read by the internet 
community, and fellow Tenchi Muyo fans. As I've said before, I've incorporated 
elements from the TV series as well as the OAV's. If you see something that you 
think doesn't fit, just roll with it. 
 
Shogun Muyo: Chapter 4 - Blueprint of a Burning Soul, part 2 
                          

 
They sat neatly in semicircle formation, Tenchi sat at the left end of the 
semicircle, followed by Ryoko, then Sasami and finally Daimyo. They sat behind 
desks while Washu stood in front of them behind a podium. She was wearing a 
black robe with a matching black hat that looked similar to the ones that 
American graduates would wear. In the background hung a large blank screen. 

Tenchi found the scene reminiscent of a high school science lesson, but shook 
that thought out of his head. The last thing he wanted to think about was 
school.

He looked around and saw Sasami sitting with her hands clasped neatly on her lap 
while a tired Ryo-Ohki sat on her head. She still hadn't found the cause of her 
friends ailment, but right now, sitting next to Daimyo, she found it harder than 
usual to think of her furry friend. Ryoko sat with her arms crossed and prepared 
herself for another one of her mother's antics. She knew exactly how eccentric 
the genius could get.

"All right students, time to begin the first lesson of the day," she said, 
tapping the podium with a ruler. Washu cleared her throat while the lights 
dimmed to better view the blank screen behind her. "We have recently been 
plagued with several puzzling dilemmas that have seemingly to appear without 
warning. To be more specific, the disappearance of our own miss Ayeka and the 
appearance of Mr. Daimyo sitting right over there. Now there are several 
questions that must be addressed if we are to solve this problem. Number one, 
where has Ayeka disappeared to?  Number two, what connection does Daimyo have to 
this event? And finally how do we get her back?"

Ryoko took advantage of the dimmed lights and stealthily leaned over to Sasami, 
who was listening intently, and whispered something into her ear.

"Gee, they should rename her to 'Washu master of the obvious!'" She was careful 
to talk at a barely audible level.

Immediately, a flower pot landed square on her head.         

"Something to add miss Ryoko?" 

" Uhhhh. N-no." She managed to yelp.
                                                                                                                             
*Strange Earth customs.* Thought Daimyo. Tenchi just shook his head.


"To continue," added Washu, I have spent tireless hours finding out the answers 
to these questions and have come to several theories that may be able to explain 
what happened. But first, we must understand why this phenomena occurred in the 
first place so that it will not be repeated."

Tenchi raised his hand and patiently waited to be called upon, knowing full well 
the consequences of doing otherwise. 

"Ah a question. Yes Tenchi?"

He stood, and mentally prepared for the worst. "Um, I'm sorry if I sound rude 
Washu but...."

"Ahem, Professor Washu" she corrected, clearing her throat.

"Err, yeah professor Washu, but in all due respect can you please leave out the 
needless details and just tell us how to get Ayeka back?" 

The genius controlled herself, realizing that Tenchi only wanted to be helpful. 
"There is no such thing as a needless detail. Now, unless you have another 
question of how I should run my class, please take a seat."

"Yes, professor." Tenchi said with a sigh, sitting back down.

"Now as I was saying," at these words the once blank screen lit up. Images of a 
chibi version of Washu working diligently on some sort of machinery popped up, 
the cartoon like figure looked a lot like one of her miniature Washu dolls. "For 
the last several weeks, I have been working on the reconstruction of the 
dimensional tuner. I'm sure you all know what remember what happened the last 
time we used that piece of machinery." Miniature versions of Ayeka, Tenchi and 
Ryoko appeared on the screen, re-enacting the events of the demon of rashomon 
fiasco. Shortly after that, a Chibi-Mihoshi was shown with Tenchi as her 
husband.

Flashbacks of how he and Ryoko were wanted criminals rushed back into Tenchi's 
head. He remembered how Ryoko gave up her perfect world for him. He looked over 
at her, and concluded that she was thinking of it too, as she gave him a warm 
smile. Now that he thought about it, she really did look pretty, despite the 
flower pot firmly resting on her head.

"Now, analyzing what went wrong, I realized that its defect was that there were 
too many variables to consider when making the users vision of a perfect world. 
The margin for error was too great and the CPU glitched. Keeping this in mind, I 
reprogrammed it so that instead of creating a perfect world, it would seek out 
and locate these dimensions."

"How does that relate to Ayeka's disappearance you might ask. Well, let me take 
you back to the day in question. The morning of this fateful occurrence, Ryoko 
was involved in a huge scuffle with her," the screen showed miniature versions 
of Ayeka and Ryoko shooting lasers at each other with their teeth shaped like 
daggers. A chibi Sasami was in the background crying what looked like waterfalls 
from each eye. The image would have been humorous, except that Ryoko cringed as 
she remembered every word and every blow that was thrown on that day. 

".....the battle found it's way into my lab, and without realizing it, Ayeka 
entered random coordinates into the control panel in all the confusion." Ryoko 
remembered how Ayeka had to regain her composure on one of Washu's machines, but 
didn't think anything of it until now. "My theory is that she was transferred to 
wherever these coordinates were placed to go. But before you ask, no these 
coordinates are not there anymore, they have apparently been erased from the 
CPU's memory. Any questions so far?"

Sasami raised a small hand in the air. 

"Yes Sasami?"
 
"But how does that explain how Daimyo got here?" 

"Finally, an excellent question, and one that I was just about to address." The 
screen showed a miniature Ayeka standing on what was supposed to be the Earth 
while a smaller version of Daimyo stood on an unknown planet. "It seems to me 
that wherever these coordinates were placed to go, Daimyo was standing at the 
exact same area. As unlikely as that is, call it blind luck I suppose. And you 
see Sasami, according to the laws of physics, no two bodies of mass can occupy 
the exact same place at the exact same time. So the tuner probably got confused 
and exchanged these two bodies, namely Ayeka and Daimyo." The miniature 
cartoonish figures were exchanged through a small tunnel on the screen. "That's 
where you come in sir."

He raised an eyebrow at her implications. "I have come to the conclusion that 
there are two ways in which to retrieve our lost friend. One would be to 
systematically go through each dimension one by one until I found her, but that 
would take approximately," she pulled out an illustrious looking calculator that 
was bigger than both her hands, "10,568 years." After the initial shock, the 
scientist continued. "The other way is to study every aspect of our new visitor.

"What would this accomplish? Daimyo spoke, in a deep tone. She resisted the urge 
to send a flower pot in his direction for calling out in class. "It's quite 
simple really. Just as a bloodhound can seek a person out through his or her 
scent, I can track down this specific planet, provided that I have this 
dimensions scent, if you will. And you're the closest thing I have to a sweat-
sock if you catch my drift. So to conclude this session, just remember that the 
greatest scientific mind in the universe is handling this, so try not too worry 
too much. Especially you Sasami." 

The lights came back on and the screen went blank once again, marking the end of 
Professor Washu's session. "That is all for today. If there are any further 
questions, you may see me after class. You're dismissed."

*Well, I guess that's that.*

Readjusting his vision, Tenchi left to resume his daily chores. Daimyo sought a 
quiet place to meditate. Sasami decided it was best if she went to her room, it 
had after all, been a long day. Washu typed some commands into her holotop to 
reorganize her lab. The desks and tables that once occupied this space 
disappeared into holes on he floor that led to different dimensions. Ryoko 
watched and hesitantly considered whether or not to follow up with her earlier 
plans.

Would the scientist think her mad? Was she being selfish? After all, Washu still 
hadn't located the princess, and as times consuming as that is, a request like 
this might send her into overload. Even though Ryoko was enjoying life without 
her, she couldn't stand to see the look on Sasami's face at the mention of her 
sister's dilemma. But without Washu's help, all of her plans would go up in 
smoke. It was now or never.

*Well, I guess now is a good a time as any.* Thought Ryoko. Floating next to her 
creator. Washu had already restarted her research. Ryoko looked at the screen 
the scientist was working on and couldn't bring herself to understand what was 
on it. Then again, she could never exactly figure out her mother either. 

"Uh hey Washu I need...a favor."

"Oh wait a sec," said Washu, interrupting her daughter, "Ryoko, could you please 
pass me that backscratcher over there? I have this itch that just won't go 
away." She pointed to the other side of the room. A little frustrated and 
confused, Ryoko floated to a corner of the lab and picked up a brightly colored 
Popsicle, complete with a rounded end, a ribbed shaft and power grip handle. She 
found it odd that it was also specifically designed to move in five speeds. 

She went back to her creator and as Washu turned to look at what her daughter 
was carrying, her eyes bulged out and abruptly took it away from her. She tried 
her best to hide it behind her back.

"My, my, how did that get there?" said Washu as a sweatdrop fell from the back 
of both of their heads. "Well a girl has to have her fun too you know!"

Ryoko gave her mother a confused look, having no idea what she was talking 
about. "Uh, yeah, whatever."

"So anyway you had something to ask me?"

"Like I said, I need a favor." She stated simply.

"A favor huh...I do way too many of those. Forget it."

A tinge of anger crossed Ryoko's face before it turned into an expression of 
defeat. How could she become stronger now? How could she protect Tenchi if the 
need arrived? There was only so much she could do by herself. Well, at least she 
tried. 

She hung her head, and prepared to leave.

"That's what I would have said, but because it's you, I'll make an exception" 
said Washu just as Ryoko was about to phase out of the room. Her face brightened 
and she was overcome with relief.

"Really? Great!"

"Buuuuuuuuuuut" 

"But what?"

"I'll only do it under one condition." Said Washu as she turned her back.

"Ah, ok what?"


"You call me MOM!!"

Ryoko recovered from her face-vault just in time so that Washu didn't notice it. 
The vibration from her head hitting the floor seemed not to register in the 
genius' mind.                          

"Now let me take a wild guess here...your having doubts about your power and 
want my help to get stronger. Is that right?"

Ryoko stood with her mouth open and wondered how anyone found out about her 
intentions, *Did she hear me on the roof?*

"How did you..."

"Have you forgotten already?" said Washu, pointing to her temple. " I'm linked 
to you remember? You can't keep anything from your dear mother. Now, what 
suggestions do you have about how we should go about this?"

Ryoko scratched her head, she wasn't very good at planning ahead and depended on 
others to fill in that detail. "Uh, well, I just thought you'd give me a pill 
or something that could make me  super-strong." She said, flexing her biceps and 
giving a wink.  Washu sighed and placed her hand over her face. How naive kids 
were sometimes. 

"Do I look like a genie? Did I come out of a magic lamp and offer you three 
wishes?? No, you know why? Cause I'm a scientist, not a genie! Now, how about 
the old fashioned way, you know, actually training??"

"I've thought of that already! Relax, your gonna blow a vein or something. 
Anyway I don't really have that good of a sparring partner right now." She 
inwardly apologized to Tenchi for calling him weak. 

"Well how about that Daimyo? I'm sure he can keep up with you if you get 
serious. He seems to have a plentiful amount of experience in the battlefield, 
and besides, he looks good when he's all sweaty."

"Are you kidding? I can't even stand watching him train, let alone think about 
training with him."

"What? You actually watch him?"

"Hell no, nothing like that, just when he's with Tenchi. To make sure he doesn't 
push him too hard. But just throw that idea out the window."

Washu sat and pondered over Ryoko's problem. She knew her daughter was serious, 
but she couldn't simply abandon her search for Ayeka. If it was up to her, she'd 
design an entire planet for her daughter to play with, but that would consume 
too much time, a luxury they couldn't afford these days. Somewhere out there, a 
princess was crying out for her friends.   
        
"Ryoko, listen up. There's something that I didn't want to say in front of 
Sasami, but it's something you should understand to grasp the severity of all of 
this."

Ryoko wasn't used to her mother using this tone of voice, so she decided to 
listen intently as the genius spoke spoke. "While it is true that the exact 
coordinates of where Ayeka has gone too have been erased, I managed to look at 
thirty percent of the information that was still left. When inputting the data 
of the world you want to look for, not only do you have to placee in the 
coordinates, but you also have to put in a balanced amount of feedback. I won't 
go into any 'needless detail' like Tenchi would say, but this is a critical 
element in deciding where you would end up. 

"Yeah, so?"

"Now, the negative feedback was more than three times the amount of the positive 
feedback necessary to counter balance each others effect. These settings had to 
be inputted correctly in order to narrow the machines search. Do you understand 
what this means?"

"Not at all." Said Ryoko in a flat tone.  

"Ugh. What this means is, while I'm not certain, I'm pretty sure that Ayeka 
would have been transferred to an area that was the opposite of what she 
considered a perfect world. Sort of like living in a nightmare. Meaning that 
somewhere out there, that girl is suffering and can't understand why her friends 
aren't there to help her. So you see now my main concern in bringing her back." 

Ryoko briefly thought of her idea of a nightmare world. Her early experiences in 
life were nothing but a nightmare. No love, no warmth, no friends, no Tenchi. 
Just Kagato laughing at her, endlessly. She was his puppet for so long she 
almost accepted her fate. She knew all too well how hell must feel. Being forced 
to kill innocent people including wives, and children. Their pleas for mercy 
falling on the deaf ear of a power-mad villain. The feeling was dreadful indeed, 
and even though her and the princess have never seen eye to eye, she wished that 
fate on no one.

"But I'll tell you what, if you're really serious about this, then you'll need 
to have the best equipment. It would only take a day or two to make, but since I 
have to do it in between pinpointing Ayeka's location, it'll probably take a 
little bit longer."

"Well uh, mom, it just has to be enough so I can get back to how I was. I mean, 
if I'm going to bodyguard Tenchi, I have to be ready for anything. But thanks. 
It would really mean a lot to me."

"Well, I hardly think he needs a bodyguard. Just make sure you don't 
get in the habit of asking me for favors like this. Now get out of here, I need 
to get back to work."

Smiling, Ryoko phased in front of the doorway separating Washu's lab from the 
house. With Ayeka gone, she needed something to keep her mind occupied. Although 
she'd never admit it, things weren't as lively around the house as it usually is 
without her around. *Maybe I'll go tease Tenchi a little.*

Before exiting the lab, she turned to Washu who was sitting at her station, 
typing away as usual. She was so quiet, and seemed so withdrawn. It had just 
occurred to Ryoko that this was how her creator, her mother, spent most, if not 
all, her time. Cooped up in a lab, like a bird in a cage, while the others flew 
freely around the house. She thought of her own time locked away in that cave, 
how cold it felt, how lonely she was. Then she thought of how Washu herself must 
have felt, imprisoned on that bastard's ship for so long. 

She floated to her mother's side and planted a quick kiss on her cheeks. "See 
you later mom." Washu, a little shocked, took a few seconds to comprehend what 
had just happened. Ryoko had already phased out of the room before she could 
turn around. Her instincts told her to follow, but she was paralyzed with joy. 
After all this time, Ryoko had at least acknowledged Washu as her mother. She 
reminded herself that long journeys begin with a single step, and this had been 
a jog, a leap and a bus ride in the right direction.

"I love you too, my daughter." She allowed herself a few moments of reflection, 
letting  a single teardrop roll down her cheek. "Well, time to get back to 
work."

******************************************************************

Sasami sat in her room. After making her futon and sweeping the floor, she 
immersed herself in her thoughts. She couldn't help but blush and giggle at 
herself. All the while, her shadow grew and changed into that of a woman, her 
future self, Tsunami. 

"My, my aren't we cheerful tonight." She said with a warm smile. "May I ask 
what's the occasion?"

Sasami tried to make up a lie to conceal her feelings, but that was a skill that 
was not as developed as her sister's.

"Oh I just, uh had a lot of candy that's all..."

"Sasami?," she crossed her arms, "you know better than to lie to me."

"Ok ok. Well he.... he apologized!! He called me a young lady! And, and, then 
he said I had a strong will!!" She bounced up and down all over the room as her 
cheers grew louder.

Tsunami tried her best to imitate an Earth song she overheard children singing 
one day. "Sasami and Daimyo sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love, 
then comes marriage, then comes Sasami with a baby-carriage!" she sang.

"Oh stop it, I'm much to young for that." Said Sasami, throwing a pillow at her 
future self. She couldn't stop her face from turning beat red. 

"Sasami, I have come to inform you of something." 

"Huh? What is it?"

Tsunami placed an arm over Sasami's shoulders and looked out into the vastness 
of the universe and saw what only the eyes of a goddess may see. 

"The time is near, little one."

Sasami realized her exact meaning with no further questions.. "Already? But I 
thought it would take much longer.."

"Why do you appear so sad little one? It's merely an assimilation, nothing 
more."

"But that's just it. Afterwards, I...I won't be me....I'll be you..." she 
brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, seemingly 
trying to comfort herself.

"Nonsense. Your forgetting one important detail, you and me are the same. We'll 
share one mind, one being. We won't be two separate people, just one being.  
You'll see it won't be so bad. You'll see."

"But what about my family? Father, mommy and mommy Funaho, and Tenchi and Ryoko 
and....Ayeka.." she looked into the space that usually occupied her sister 
whenever they slept together and almost let her negative thoughts get back into 
her mind.

One of the pros of being a goddess is that you can come up with countless ways 
to avoid directly answering a question. 

"You worry too much Sasami. No one will deny you see your family, provided 
you.." she caught herself in mid sentence, but quickly rebounded, changing 
subjects, "I have an idea. Why don't you talk to that Daimyo fellow?" The sound 
of his name cheered up the pigtailed princess almost instantly. "Maybe you can 
help him to open up to everyone." 

"Well, he's probably busy right now..."

"Sasami, you can't hide your feelings from me. Go talk to him. Maybe you two can 
be good friends after all. Besides, it'll take your mind off of all of this, at 
least for a little while."

"Sasami are you talking to someone?" said Ryoko as her head phased through the 
wall. She was somewhat relieved to find Sasami standing by herself in front of a 
mirror. 

"Oh sorry Ryoko, I guess I was thinking out loud."

"Oh well, all right. Good night kiddo."

"Good night." Said Sasami. 

After Ryoko had phased out of the room, Sasami stood biting the thumbnail of one 
of her small hands. Her face full of determination, she walked on shaky legs 
down the stairs, out the house, and towards her destiny. 

********************************************************************************   

Outside, Tenchi stood just through the doorway and stared straight up into the 
moon. It's light seemingly beckoning him to let it wash over his body and soothe 
all his worries away. It had only been the second time today he truly felt at 
peace. His tranquility ruined only by the nagging thought in his head that he 
was somehow being selfish. There he was, safe and with his family, while one of 
his dearest friends was lost somewhere. He pushed those thoughts out, 
remembering that the princess didn't survive so many battles with Ryoko by being 
a pushover. He closed his eyes, accepting the night into his being. 

He didn't get nervous when Ryoko phased behind him. Nor did he protest when she 
placed both arms around his waist. Only after resting her head on his back did 
she notice his strange behavior. 

"Beautiful night out here, isn't it Tenchi?"

" Yeah, sure is, Ayeka."

*What?!?*
                               
Like a flash, it all came staggeringly clear why Tenchi stood stargazing in the 
middle of the night. Why he didn't even flinch at her touch like he normally 
would. When she saw his face looking so.. peaceful, deep down she had hoped it 
was because he was thinking of her. She had been so sure, after that glance in 
Washu's lab. But no, he was thinking of another. It was another woman's face, 
another woman's name, that brought this peace and serenity to his world. 

He never thought of her that way.She figured that all she ever was to him was 
that demon woman that chased him and almost fried him at his own school. Could 
she blame him? The princess was always so pure, so elegant....she could never be 
that. The thorn in her side that she could never pick out was Ayeka. The only 
obstacle stopping Tenchi's love for her, was Ayeka. But now, she realized, there 
wasn't ever any need for these obstacles, for there wasn't a love to be given to 
her in the first place. 

"Ryoko are you all right?"

Trying to keep her heart from exploding in her chest, Ryoko spoke with a mask 
over her feelings that would make any Jurian noble proud. "Oh, n-nothing, I 
just, ahh, forgot something inside." She said before fading out as fast as body 
could.

"I wonder what's her problem?" Tenchi said, scratching the back of his head.

He stayed for a few minutes longer, thanking the moon for their time spent 
together, and retired for the day.     
                                                         
*****************************************************************************
                                                         
"RRAHH!"

The rumble of Earth frightened the sleeping birds out of their nests. 

"KYAHH!"

The sound of exploding tree bark carried itself through the surroundings. The 
sounds of fists and feet slicing through air told the nocturnal hunters that 
prey would have to be sought elsewhere.

*The air on this planet is a little thick. Maybe I shouldn't push myself so hard 
tonight.* He took of his shirt, the humidity finally getting to him. 

*So, just because you're on a different planet that gives you the right to get 
lazy?*

*.....No, of course not.*

He moved like a machine with a predetermined course. All movements were precise 
and calculated, done a million times over in his mind. 

*Wide stance. No, not that wide. Elbows at 90 degrees, slight bend at knees, no, 
too much. Chin down. Eyes up. Speed from legs. Power from waist.* 

Thoughts that were all too familiar in his head. Every step, every breath, was 
spent towards reaching one ultimate goal, victory.

So simple it was back home. Power rules all. This was the one constant that 
filled his childhood, if one could consider his a childhood at all. His 
playgrounds were the military installations of the royal court. His playmates, 
the hordes of armies that sought to claim his land. Everyday, a new challenge 
had to be overcome, anything less would mean death before puberty. 

He launched his fist forward, feeling the strength surge from shoulder, to arm, 
to fist and to target. A feeling he reveled in. Faint sounds of cracking twigs 
registered in his ears. It was too distinct and rhythmic to belong to an animal, 
but who would come to him here? In the middle of the night? 

*No...Had they followed me here?*

"Um, hello Mr. Daimyo." Came the voice that belonged to Sasami. She appeared 
through a small gathering of bushes. He relaxed somewhat, relieved that his 
premonition hadn't come true. 

"Sasami? Oh it's just you."

Those words dug their way into her mind. She began to feel foolish now, coming 
from her warm and secure house, walking through pitch-black fields in the middle 
of the night, and for what? 'Oh it's you.'

"I just wanted to check up on you. Well I guess your ok." She lowered her head 
and decided it best just to return home.

"So tell me, what's a pretty face like yours doing all the way out here?" His 
voice sang to her.

Her eyes almost popped out of her head and her heart filled itself with renewed 
hope. It was probably best that it was so dark, so he couldn't see how red her 
cheeks became. 

"Oh, I, um, well, you see...I wanted to say I'm sorry for that whole dinner 
thing."

The image of a crusty black squid rushed in his head. "It's all right. I 
probably deserved it anyway."

"Yeah, you sure did. You were just so mean earlier. But you apologized so I 
guess it's ok now. And Mr. Daimyo...."

"Please, just call me Daimyo, if I hear someone call me "Mr" one more time I 
swear I'll do something drastic."

She laughed a little, while he placed a small smile on his face. His first since 
jumping into every one's lives.

"Well, that's what I was going to ask you about. Your so harsh towards everyone, 
but no one can be that much of a blockhead. So why is it so hard to at least try 
to be nice to everyone? I mean if you just try it, you'll see how good having 
close friends are."

*Blockhead? That's a first.* 

"Sasami, I don't belong here. For me to just walk in through those doors and 
expect everyone to accept me is a distortion of reality."

"Oh come on. With a little effort you'll see how a great family we really are. 
And besides, your not the first stranger to just drop in. 

*Yeah like that one time with Mihoshi.*

"Hm, well don't get me wrong, but I'm not big on the trust thing. I'm 
comfortable where I am and I don't see why I need to change anything. *I've 
managed to live this long haven't I?*

"Hm....I guess your lonely, huh?"

"What....uh, well, Sasami, I'd like to chat about that, but right now I'm in 
the middle of a training session. Come back later and I'll answer everything." 
True, he did want to talkto her. He wasn't completely trusting of everyone he 
met, but he was far from antisocial. However, training came above anything 
besides two things, actual battle, and pride.

"What? Fine." She stormed off into the direction of the house, much like earlier 
in the day. She was frustrated that she wasn't getting the proper respect fitted 
for a princess.

"Checkmate," he whispered to himself. Planting himself in a lotus position, he 
closed his eyes to finish the second part of his training, deep meditation. 

*************************************************************************


*Oh, I'd love to, but I'm busy. Jerk. And he actually expects me to wait?*

*Be patient with him. He'll come around eventually.* said a voice in her head 
sounding very much like Tsunami.

"Well ok, fine. I'll wait for a little while, but then I'm leaving." 

She found a comfortable spot a few yards away.

*************************************************************************        


His semi-conscious state allowed old images to resurface. Images of long ago 
that he thought to be forgotten. A collage of his entire life lay before him. 
Blood, pain, triumph, victory, defeat. They all came at once, like a swarm of 
bees. He saw villages burn while the cries of the people filled the streets, as 
well as their blood. 

He remembered his first real battle, in the training halls of the empire. He was 
very young. He had just finished a few sets of stretching and breathing 
exercises and was just about to start going through the motions of his selected 
technique. Then, a group of young marauders managed to make their way into the 
hall. A platoon was sent to capture them, but then one of the marauders pointed 
at Daimyo and challenged him. They spat out remarks like "Evil one!" and "Go 
back to the pits of despair!"

At the time, the emperor was being escorted to his chambers and overheard the 
exchange. He ordered his men to put down their weapons and allowed the fight to 
begin. He watched as this little boy went through body after body with ease.

Daimyo could still feel the adrenaline take over his body. He was surprised at 
how effective he really was, as these people we're more than twice his size. 
Eventually this boy, who seemed no more than 8 years of age by Earth standards, 
had reserved a place as the lead general of the emperor's armies. As soon as he 
reached adult age, he would have been the second most respected name on his 
planet.  

But then, he returned. The one man he so hated in his life. The one image that 
stared into his mind's eye the longest. Laughing at him, screaming, reminding 
him of how he'll never be as good as the man in his nightmares. He remembered 
how they fought. Like titans among men. He remembered how he lost, how 
completely overwhelmed he was by this man's power.

With is concentration broken, he snapped back into reality. The bird's that were 
perched on his shoulders flew away, slapping their wings together. Looking at 
the stars, he judged that several hours had already passed. 

*Have I been here that long? Its nearly time for that boy's training. I think 
its time he felt stage two.*

He stood and stretched his knotted muscles. Cracking his knuckles and some of 
his joints, he picked up his shirt and made his way to the Masaki home. He 
wondered how he would wake up this "Tenchi" today. He almost stepped on the 
sleeping figure of Sasami, laying down on the ground on top of a spare blanket 
she found inside the house.

*She took me seriously. Has she been here all this time? Waiting for me? Hmpf, 
she looks as cute asleep as she does when she's angry. * 

He gently picked her up in his thick arms carried her the rest of the way home. 
It took longer than he expected, as he took extra precaution not to wake her up. 
Finally returning home, he silently made his way inside. Unsure of where exactly 
she slept, he placed her on the couch. Cursing at himself for forgetting to 
bring the blanket she was laying on, he placed his black sweatshirt over her. It 
had been the perfect size for keeping her from the night breezes. He decided 
that he should give Tenchi a break today, he felt so at peace watching this 
angel sleep that all his urges to train suddenly left him.  With a grin, he made 
his way back outside, to find a comfortable spot on a tree branch to rest for 
the night.

He was greeted by Sasami's pet cabbit Ryo-Ohkie just outside the Masaki home. 
She tried her best to seem polite, but couldn't bring herself to perform the 
proper "Meow."

"Hello little one. Are you ill?"

He picked her up for a closer inspection. She easily fit in the palm of his 
hand. How ironic he found it that the same hands that were seemingly forged for 
destruction were now caring for a helpless animal. Looking around to make 
certain that he wasn't being watched, he placed the cabbit at eye level and 
stared into her eyes. 

It was at this point where the blue jewel on his forehead began to glow 
slightly, then mildly, and before long it was enough to illuminate the night in 
a blue aura. 

"Your mind is clouded. I can't understand what your trying to say. Here, I'll 
help."

He focused on his energy from his hands. He paid attention to the heat they were 
giving off and slowly guided the energy from the cabbit into his body. He could 
tell that is was somehow trying to be corrupted. The jewel glowed brightly, and 
he communicated with the cabbit.

"How are you little one."

"Oh wow, I feel great. Wait a second, you can understand me!?"                    
                           
"We're talking now right?" he said chuckling.
                
"Uh, well thank you Mr.."

"Just Daimyo, call me Dai.."

He fell to his knees in weakness. He had successfully cured Ryo-Ohkie of her 
unknown ailment, but somehow passed it onto himself. He felt his strength being 
siphoned away by an unseen force. Then, it stopped, as if realizing it had been 
discovered. Daimyo reassured his new companion, who was nudging him in concern.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be ok in a few hours. That always happens when I do 
that." His blue jewel faded in color, breaking his mental link with Ryo-Ohkie. 

With a "meah-meah" she hoped into the house with a vigor she hasn't felt in 
ages. She even phased through the door on her first try. 

"What a strange sensation. I almost felt as if my very soul was trying to be 
stolen."

"Daimyo, I've been looking for you." Said a certain super genius with red hair.  

*What? Washu? Has she been there all this time? * 

"I need you to finish my last string of data. All I need is a certain, sample. 
It should only take a minute, depending on how sensitive you are." She said with 
an evil grin.

Daimyo, like a cow before it knows it's going to be slaughtered, looked up 
blankly and said "Uh, sure."

*********************************************************************

Somewhere. Nowhere. Everywhere. 

Tokimi looked over the universe. How she enjoyed her garden. So diverse, so full 
of energy. She did have her favorite variety of flower, looking over at the 
Earth and Jurai. She enjoyed her small moment of what humans call tranquility 
and wondered why her sisters visited her less often. They both currently resided 
on Earth, the reason why it was one of her favorite roses. Of course, all roses 
had their thorns. The Earth's thorn was Tenchi Masaki and those Light Hawk Wings 
of his. 

Her servant, D3, appeared in front of her, giving the latest report on the 
happenings of Earth. 

"My lady, it seems our plans have been discovered."

"By whom?" replied Tokimi, who seemed unaffected by her servant's words. 

"We believe he may be the Lost Brother."

Only at the mention of Lost Brother did Tokimi seem to react. "What? Quickly, 
show me proof."

Immediately, a huge screen appeared in front of her, rewinding time and 
replaying the last few moments in front of the Masaki household. On the screen 
appeared a young man with a blazing blue jewel on his forehead, seemingly 
healing a small creature.

"Daimyo? I should have known he was the Lost Brother. To think it took so long 
to realize.. And you say he may know of our plan?"

"So we suspect. However, he have confirmation that the gem on the creature known 
as 'Ryo-Ohkie' is not authentic. Meaning we now know that there exists only 
three true gems. Also, both of the brothers are now on one planet. These new 
revelations should make our plans flow that much easier."

"Excellent. Yes, with both of the brothers on one planet our plans should go 
very smoothly. Now tell me, how progresses our experiment with the Jurian 
princess?"

"She showed tremendous possibilities in her last encounter with the one they 
call Ryoko. However, all power has been cut off."

"I see. You serve me well D3, you will be rewarded once I achieve my ultimate 
victory. Continue as planned."   

"Yes my lady." He vanished into nothingness and everything, at the same time.

Earth was now indeed her favorite flower without question. Bringing all the 
essential ingredients in one neat package. "So, the Dragon and the Hawk, 
together at last." 

She smiled a devious smile. Or at least that's how mortal eyes would perceive it 
to be. Slowly, that smile grew into a laugh, a laugh that 
shook the universe to its very foundation.                


Next: Chapter 5: The Princess Diaries