I changed the name of Tenchi Muyo Universal continues to "Tenchi Muyo the Universal Continues: The Evil Within." Here is chapter 2. I hope you like it. Sincerely, Kevin "Locknear" Smith Disclaimer: The characters in this fan fic are property of AIC and Pioneer. This is the continuation of the Universal series. I know it seems that the plot is the same as Ryoko's Precious Secret, but that will change in this episode. Enjoy. Tenchi Muyo Universal Continues: The Evil Within Episode 2: The Pain of the Truth "It has been two weeks since Ryoko's nightmare, but somehow she is changing. I noticed it yesterday when I was coming back from the fields. Ryoko came to give me a hug, but she jumped back as she wrapped her arms around me. She looked at her arms with fear and teleported out of sight. I haven't seen her since." Tenchi spoke telling his grandfather the story. "I see." Katsihito said and took a sip of his tea. "She will be back. She has done this before and has always returned." He said and put his hand on Tenchi's shoulder. "Dinner is probably almost ready. Why don't you go back to the house, and I will be there in a minute." He said and gave Tenchi a warm smile. "Okay, Grandpa." He said and leaped to his feet and turned to face Katsihito. "Oh, Grandpa." "Yes." "Thanks." Tenchi said and ran out of the shrine. Ayeka sat cross-legged on her futon. "Tonight is the night. I shall confront Tenchi again." She said with a big smile on her face. She got to her feet and straightened her Jurian robes and walked out to meet her love at the door. She walked down the staircase and noticed Tenchi just walking into the house. "Lord Tenchi may I have a word with you?" She asked in embarrassment. Her face began turning red. "Of course, Ayeka." Tenchi said and followed the Jurai Princess outside. Tenchi stood in front of Ayeka waiting for her to speak. "I know you and I had this talk on Jurai, but I am willing to compromise to be with you for the rest of my life." Ayeka spoke, as her eyes were watery. "What is wrong Ayeka?" Tenchi said and took a step toward her. Ayeka looked at her feet and tried to hold back her anxiety. She looked up at Tenchi and could not hold it back anymore. "Tenchi, I love you." She called and jumped into his arms. "I know Ayeka. You told me on Jurai." Tenchi said smoothly holding Ayeka in his arms. "No, you don't. I am willing to give up the throne to be with you. Will you love me, Tenchi?" She asked looking into his eyes. She turned her head afraid to hear the answer. "I always have, Ayeka." He said, but was interrupted with a kiss as Ayeka forced herself to him. Tenchi felt warm inside. He didn't know what to do. He wrapped his arms around her. He was rubbing her backside. She wrapped her arms around him. They felt their warmth, and didn't want to break. The two embraced lost in their own love. In front of the embracing couple stood Ryoko. Her appearance was indeed different. Her hair was out of place and her golden loving eyes were ice. She looked insane. She watched as Tenchi and Ayeka kissed. "I hate myself." She said with her hands glowing and sparks of the energy flashing in between her hands. She raised her hands above her head. "I came here to get help. Only to be abandoned by the one I love. Goodbye, this is the only way to end my misery." Ryoko said as tears fell down her face. Tenchi heard sparks and looked to his left to see Ryoko about to fire at them. He broke the kiss and shouted at Ryoko. "Ryoko, wait let me explain." "You don't understand. If I can't trust someone to love me, than this is the only way." She shouted in rage. "Ayeka get down." Tenchi screamed and pushed her to the ground. A loud explosion erupted. Tenchi got to his feet. "What happened? We should be dead or injured." He looked back at Ryoko. She was not there only smoke. "Ryoko." He screamed and ran toward the smoke. "Tenchi." Ayeka called running after him. Tenchi ran into the smoke to see a burned Ryoko lying on the ground. "Ryoko!" He shouted and ran to her side. He rolled her on her back. Rubbing his hand on her forehead he felt for a pulse with the other. There was a slight pulse. "Ten...ch...i." Ryoko said weakly and began to cough out blood. "Why?" Tenchi asked with a tear falling down his cheek. "You love Ayeka, and I wanted your love, but I did not win. I needed your love to help me cope with this change. I am so scared." She said and began to cry. "It is after me. I thought I could handle it, but I could not. I had nowhere to turn to. You and Ayeka were lost in your own love; I thought I would be in the way. "Ryoko don't you ever think like that." He said sadly stroking her cyan hair. Ryoko spoke like she didn't hear him. "I had to go to the next step. I had to...kill...myself. I don't want to change." She began to cough violently. "I wish you two the best of luuucck." She whispered and fell into a deep sleep. "Someone help us. Help!" Tenchi yelled. "Don't leave me Ryoko. You hear me don't leave me. I am sorry for what you saw, but I do have feelings for Ayeka." He cried into her chest and looked at her face. "I..." He mumbled, but was interrupted by a woman's voice. "Tenchi." Ayeka called running to Tenchi. "Help me, Ayeka. Ryoko tried to kill herself. I will explain later." He said looking into her eyes. Ayeka looked into his and was about to call her a demon and liar, but his eyes told a different story. "This is not a plot." She whispered to herself. "I will get Washu. Can you carry Ryoko to the lab?" She asked with concern. "I will be fine. Go." He ordered. She ran to the house as Tenchi gathered Ryoko into his arms. She was shaking. "I know the burns hurt Ryoko, but we will heal you. Just wait and see. I promise." He said and walked carefully to the house. Minutes later, Tenchi walked into the house and saw everyone looking at him. "Washu, she needs help." Tenchi said looking at the small scientist. "Bring her into my lab." She ordered and walked toward her lab door. "Tenchi." Ayeka said. He turned to look at her. She had tears in her eyes. "We will talk later. I know it was not your fault." He said and gave her a smile to show he was not angry. They walked into Washu's lab. Tenchi watched as Washu connected her life support machine to Ryoko. He watched Washu work on her keyboard for hours. "That should do it. She is stabilized Tenchi. Now, we just wait for the machine to heal her." Washu said and got up and walked toward the door. "I am hungry. I will get you and me some supper. I will be back." Washu said and left the lab. Tenchi looked back at Ryoko. She was awake her eyes filled with tears. Tenchi was happy that she was awake. "Ryoko, thank God your alive." He cheered and gave her a hug. "Why?" She asked him with pain in her voice. "Because this family will fall apart with you leaving us. And..." He said placing his hand on her cheek, but was interrupted by Ryoko. "It is over anyway." She cried looking at the ceiling above them. She was gasping as the air traveled slowly to her lungs. "Ryoko, what do you mean?" He asked softly. "I tried to tell you. I am dying anyway. It is only a matter of time. I don't know what will happen, but I am scared." She explained trying not to cry in front of the one she loved, but was shaking violently in fear. "I will not let anything happen to you." Tenchi said calmly trying to relax her. He knew she was petrified, but he was determined to let nothing happen to her. "Nor will I." A man's voice echoed behind Tenchi. He turned around to see a man in black Jurian armor. His silver eyes filled with emptiness. His white hair tied in a ponytail behind him by a crimson hair band. "Who are you?" Tenchi asked in worry. The cold eyes of the man frightened him. "I am..." The man spoke, but was interrupted by the cry of Azaka. "Varnus! How could you still be alive?" He said wiping the sweat off his brow at the sight of his old rival. "It doesn't matter. You have a lot of crimes to pay for." "I knew you two were alive, but where is the other one?" He asked with no worry in his gay voice. "Right here. Stay behind me, Lord Tenchi." Kamadaki said grinding his teeth and appeared right in front of Tenchi. "You are Tenchi. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, but I have to make it short." He said politely as he took a bow. "If you will excuse me.." He said and vanished. Then, reappeared at Ryoko's bedside. He placed his head on her forehead. A black light surrounded his hand. "Good. It looks like it only a matter of time." He smiled and turned to the men behind him. "Do you love her?" "We all love her." Tenchi said pulling out his sword tenchi. "Ahhh. That is even better. So, you defeated Kain and Kagato. Pathetic! Kain is dead, but you left Kagato alive." He said scratching his chin. "What do you mean? What do you want?" Tenchi yelled and took a step forward. "No, no, no, no, noooo." Varnus said nervously waving his index finger at Tenchi. "Another step and no more Ryoko." He said smiling. Tenchi and the others didn't move. "To answer your questions. Kagato was badly injured as well were his guards. You see they were my men. All of them, including Kain, who had great promise defeating the emperor of Jurai. Kagato and his men did not return to me because they know the punishment for failure, and are now being hunted down like animals." He said with disgust. "You, more powerful than Kain, but that is almost impossible." Tenchi said shaking with fear. "There are forces out there more powerful than the emperor of Jurai. You just have to know where to look." He smiled. "Why do you need Ryoko? Can't you see she is injured? Let her go." Tenchi yelled. "Did she try to kill herself?" He said with a wry smile. "What?" Tenchi freaked. "How did you know?" Tenchi asked. "I know her better than any of you." He said and began to laugh. "Foolish girl, you cannot stop the change. After all, that is why that fool Kagato could not kill you. He will have to die a slow and painful death for striking you." He said his voice lowering to a hiss. "What?" Tenchi gasped as Azaka and Kamadaki moved to his side waiting for the order to attack. "She cannot die. The wound Kagato gave her would kill any mortal, but not her. The change would heal her instantly. That is why she is alive to this day." He smirked. "I will kill you Varnus." Kamadaki said in anger. "My puppet. I will have to bring you back to us, but at a later date. I will leave you with Til...Ryoko." He gasped. "Enjoy her while you can." He said and laughed maniacally. The man vanished leaving the echo of his laugh. "Who was that?" Tenchi asked turning toward Azaka. "My lord, that is Varnus. He led the invading army that many years ago." Azaka replied kneeling at Tenchi's feet. Tenchi looked at Kamadaki, a worried expression was on his face. "Kamadaki." "Uh, yes my Lord." He said and kneeled before Tenchi. "What is troubling you?" Tenchi asked and signaled for the knight to stand. "My lord, I need to speak with Ryoko, alone. I will explain to you what is going on, but it must be with Ryoko's permission and to do so she must know the truth." He said looking at the floor. "What do you mean?" Tenchi asked. "I know what is happening to Ryoko, and there is nothing that can be done to save her. Varnus already casted the black light over her forehead. Please, my lord Tenchi, for Ryoko's sake. Let me talk to her alone." "Kamadaki, I am not your master. You may talk to Ryoko. Then, give us the explanation as soon as possible." Tenchi said and followed Azaka out of the lab. Kamadaki waited for the door to close behind them. He walked to Ryoko and placed his hand on her head. The same black light emitted from his hand. "Awaken Ryoko. I summon you back." He said with a tear falling down his cheek. Ryoko's eyes opened slowly. She looked over at Kamadaki in fear. "It is okay, Ryoko. It is I, Kamadaki. I know you think I am one of Varnus's minions because I used the black light to speak to you. I do use the dark powers given to me those many years ago only for desperate situations. This was desperate. He summoned the real you back to life." He said as Ryoko's facial expression changed from fear to confusion. "My real self?" She asked in a whisper because of the pain. Her eyes were heavy. She was weakening in strength. "Yes, your real name is Tilana. You are the true empress of the dark army that tried to takeover the universe. You would have succeeded, if the emperor of Jurai didn't seal your evil spirit inside of him. You were passed down the royal bloodline to each emperor hoping that the pureness of the Jurai energy would heal your evil. Instead, you created yourself inside a woman's womb. But, because of the Jurai power you were not yourself. It would only take a matter of time before you became Tilana. That time is now. I am sorry that I cannot help you, but I can put your spirit to rest. You will still be in the body, but you will not be tormented or see what your other self will do." He said holding back his tears. "I underst..and." She said closing her eyes in pain. "Shall I begin?" He asked. "It will end your suffering and leave your body here spiritless until the change is complete than Tilana will be in control." He said looking at his feet. The sight of her was worse than when Kagato injured her. "Help me." Ryoko said and then convulsed. Kamadaki placed his left hand on her forehead, and the other over the chest. "Ryoko, with your permission, shall I tell the others the truth? I didn't want to tell anyone because I wasn't sure if this was the change, and I didn't have your permission to tell the truth without dishonoring your name." He asked as tears stream down his cheek. He took a deep breath to hold back the tears. Ryoko could only nod her head slightly. She was too weak to do anything else. "Sleep, Ryoko. Do not worry about us. I will make sure everyone will be safe. I promise." He said closing his eyes as the black light surrounded the space pirate. Ryoko convulsed violently, then closed her eyes and ceased to breathe. Kamadaki opened his eyes as tears of bitterness ran down his face. He looked at her stiff body. "Good night, Ryoko. Hopefully, if you ever awaken again, you will be with us." He said gripping a black gem that formed in his hand after he put her to sleep. He turned away and walked for the exit. Leaving the sleeping body of Ryoko. Kamadaki opened the door to see everyone waiting in front of him. He took a deep breath and signaled them to the table. They moved as he walked toward the table. "Please, sit." Kamadaki insisted. Everyone sat down except for Kamadaki. "Ryoko is the cause of the war that happened those many years ago. She was the evil spirit that the emperor sealed in himself. It was passed down until she created a body for herself. But, the Jurai power blocked her evil. Now the evil is winning and will be reborn. I put her to a deep sleep, so don't worry if she is not breathing. I did it because she was in pain. You will never know what she went through like I do. I was under her control those many years ago. She will awaken soon, but as Tilana, empress of the dark army." He finished looking at everyone's faces. "What do we do?" Ayeka asked hesitantly. "We have two options. Kill the body before the evil awakens, or let her live and defend the universe against her. Which I am afraid could end in death for her, or us. Either way, the war that will come and will not end pleasantly. The choice is yours." He said. "We have to save her. I promised her a trip in space and I am not going to break that promise." Tenchi said. His eyes shined with the same determination he had against Kagato and Kain. "I agree." Ayeka said squeezing Tenchi's hand. "As do I." Azaka said. "It sounds fun." Washu said with a big grin. "Count us in." A woman's voice said from behind. Everyone turned to see Kiyone and Mihoshi walking into the living room. "We got back from our mission and met three interesting characters, but before you jump. Let them explain their story." Kiyone demanded. "Come in." She yelled at the door. Three figures stepped in. Two were in black Jurai armor and one was in Jurai imperial robes. Tenchi reached for his sword tenchi. "I am sorry for the setup. There is nothing that I can say or do to make up for it. There is something else I must apologize for. If I weren't under Varnus's control, none of this would have happened. I am afraid I am to blame for Ryoko's morphing into Tilana. I never met her, but serving Varnus I learned about her. Then, I attacked Ryoko and gave her a fatal wound, which activated the healing powers of Tilana's darkness. I caused all of this. Forgive me." Kagato said as tears of sorrow fell down his cheeks. "We also apologize." Said Tetta and both knights kneeled before Tenchi. "We are here to serve." Said Tessei. Tenchi bit his bottom lip in discouragement. He could not believe he was forming an alliance with the man that ruined his life. He knew that to beat Varnus and this Tilana, if she revives into Ryoko's body, they needed all the help they can get. "I forgive all of you. Please sit and tell us everything you know about the dark army. Then, I would like to hear about your memories of the dark army, Kamadaki." Tenchi said. "We buried your bodies. How could all of you be alive?" Ayeka jumped in anger. "The dark power that revives Tilana is inside of us as well." Kagato replied looking down at the floor. "Besides, don't always believe with what you see. That is how illusions can be created. You will all need to know this, if you plan to rebel against the dark army." He said looking back at Ayeka's eyes. "Who is the dark army? They must have a name." Kiyone asked. "They do." Tessei said glaring back at Kiyone. "They call themselves Khan-lin de. That is Jurian for..." Tessei said, but was interrupted by Katsihito. "God's Shadows." Yosho said straightening his glasses. "You have heard of them Grandpa?" Tenchi said giving his grandfather a questioning look. "Yes. They were a race of people that separated from Jurai near the beginning of time itself. They found a leader to guide them, and called her Mother. She would raise their race to seek vengeance on the universe for their trouble. Unfortunately, using their Jurai power for greed, they destroyed their land. It became known as the Shadow Lands of the universe. The mother was the strongest in power, but according to legend she is not from Jurai. She is the last of her race. They claim she was a Valnet, or guardian of the universe. They were a race that died out in the war of the gods during the creation of mankind. That is our opponent." Katsihito said staring his old friend, but new enemy in the eyes. Kagato noticed the look on Katsihito's face, and spoke. "That is correct. An ancient evil that has thought to be extinct, only to be well alive and powerful. There are beings ten times more powerful than the creature you call Kain. They are the most powerful regiment in the army. They are called Shadow Lancers." Kagato finished and waited for someone else to speak. "Kamadaki?" Tenchi called looking at the knight. "That is as much as I know." He claimed. Tenchi looked at Kagato. His eyes filled with worry and anger. "That is the history of this people. If you want to know where they will strike first, I would guess Jurai would be the reasonable place to attack first." He said looking back at Tenchi. "That sounds good to me. We leave for Jurai in the morning. Until then, I suggest that everyone get some sleep. Good night." Tenchi said and walked to the staircase. "Wait Tenchi." Ayeka called. I need to ask you something." She pleaded and followed him up the staircase. Tenchi had the lights off. He sat on his bed starring at an old photograph of his mother and him. He thought to himself. He looked at the door as he heard some one knock. "Come in." He said sadly. "Lord Tenchi." Ayeka said as she closed the sliding door behind her. She sat next to him and looked at his face. Tenchi looked over at Ayeka. "What can I do for you, Ayeka?" He asked in bitterness. "Tenchi, why should we leave tomorrow? I mean Ryoko will need someone to take care of her." Ayeka spoke in worry, but not for Ryoko. She was worried about him. She knew he feels guilty for Ryoko's fate. "I don't know how to explain it, but it is like when she is not with anyone else, I can predict her fate. I know it sounds strange, but remember when she left to get food, and I claimed she would return." Tenchi said taking Ayeka's hand into his own. Her soft hand was warm. He looked into her pink eyes. "Yeah, but I don't understand what that has to do with Ryoko." She asked hearing her heart beat with guilt for gaining Tenchi's heart from Ryoko. "I have this feeling that Ryoko will not be Ryoko tomorrow. I have this feeling she is leaving us forever. And, I..." He mumbled as tears fell down his face. He cried onto Ayeka's shoulder. "I know. It is okay." Ayeka said in a comforting voice. She slowly rubbed the back of his black hair with her hand. "She forgives you. I know because even though we are so different, we are more alike. And if I can forgive you for doing something similar to me, she can too." She said pulling him back and looking at his damp face. "It will be okay. I will help you bring her back. I promise." She smiled at him. Tenchi looked at her and smiled back, holding back his tears. "Thank you, Ayeka." He said and gave her a warm hug. The two embraced and kissed each other. Both felt their worries vanish, but only for a few seconds. They broke the kiss and kept their embrace around each other. Kagato sat next to Katsihito with everyone else in the room, except for Tenchi, Ayeka, and Nobuyoki. They were discussing plans for tomorrow, until an uninvited echo sounded the room "Greetings, Kagato. This will make killing you all more convenient." Varnus's laugh echoed around them. "Show yourself." Kagato ordered. "You know I am here and that is all you need to know. I will let all of you rot until your so-called Ryoko awakens a new. Then, you all must die. Enjoy your lives while you can." He said laughing maniacally. Everyone remained silent for a few minutes hoping that the owner of the voice was not listening in on their conversation. "Is he gone?" Washu asked. "I think so." Kamadaki replied. "Good, let us begin a plan. We will need one. I will explain it to Tenchi as we leave tomorrow." Kagato ordered. To Be Continued... This is the end of Episode 2. Thank you for reading. For more on info on the story or comments on the story e-mail me at washu@saiyan.com. I enjoy reading your comments. Stay tuned for Episode 3. Thanks again.