Story by Vandalier (tenchimod@yahoo.com) Proofreading by Gabriela Davila Web: http://www.geocities.com/tenchimod Chronicles of the Goddess -Chapter 1: "Mysterious World"- A stranger crashes on Earth and develops amnesia...what omen is this? Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and all likenesses are property of AIC and Pioneer. This story is to promote Tenchi Muyo, and is not a cash cow. Characters from Excelsior are property of me, but feel free to use them, with permission. Author's Notes: The plotline is based following the last episode of the OAV series, roughly a month after "Here Comes Jurai!". This is an x-over between Tenchi and Excelsior: The Shadow Project. For more information about Excelsior, please visit http://www.geocities.com/excelsiortheshadowproject ***************************************************** Opening Theme "Through The Never" By Metallica : Metallica All that is, was and will be Universe much too big to see Time and space never ending Disturbing thoughts, questions pending Limitations of human understanding Too quick to criticize Obligation to survive We hunger to be alive All that is, ever Ever was Will be ever Twisting Turning Through the never In the dark, see past our eyes Pursuit of truth no matter where it lies Gazing up to the breeze of the heavens On a quest, meaning, reason Came to be, how it begun All alone in the family of the sun Curiosity teasing everyone On our home, third stone from the sun All that is, ever Ever was Will be ever Twisting Turning Through the never On through the never We must go On through the never Out of the Edge of forever We must go On through the never The never comes All that is, ever Ever was Will be ever Who we are Ask forever Twisting Turning Through the never Never ******************************************* Snoring peacefully in his tree, Kusanagi's slumber was rudely interrupted as an explosion rocked the woods around him. Following "What the hell!" with an "Aaaahhhh!" and a thud, he landed ass-first into the shrubs below his tree. Groaning as he gathered his wits, he lept out of the brush and narrowly avoided getting blown to pieces by a blast of energy. After getting a safe distance away from ground zero, he caught his breath and calmed his jumping heart. Brushing himself off of dirt and stems, Kusanagi scanned the area, his eyes glowering. He knew who it was almost immediately... This was going to be a very long day, Kusanagi decided right then and there. "Dammit, what the hell are those two doing?!" he roared, referring to Princess Ayeka and Ryoko, the demon girl. A few dozen yards away, he could hear the two girls going at it---again. "Do they ever stop fighting with each other?" he mused. The reason they fought, or so he had gathered, was because of that kid, Tenchi. Although Tenchi's father and grandfather were both widowers, they are much older than the girls would like. Thus being the only eligible bachelor in the house, the girls (mainly Ayeka and Ryoko) would constantly bicker over him. This lead to many disasters, such as the one right now. "Katsuhito's gonna be pissed...especially if they get near the shrine." Kusanagi had heard of the old man's strength, but had not seen it first hand. Shaking his head, he jumped into the trees above him, tracking the girls (not very difficult, considering the noise they made). After a few moments of his George of the Jungle impressions, Kusanagi found them: they were duking it out by the large tree in the middle of a small pond. What was that tree? Funaho or something like that? He didn't bother trying to remember, as he had to keep an eye out for rouge attacks. "RYOKO!!! What were you doing in Tenchi's room this morning?!" Ayeka's accented voice echoed through the clearing. She was very pissed off, it seemed. Kusanagi noted the presence of her force field, and quickly checked to see if Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum were around. Nope. This suited Kusanagi fine. He smirked then prepared to intervene, readying his form. He waited, watching them interact below. "What's it matter to you, little girl?" Ryoko was just as angry; her feline eyes had taken that peculiar red glow, reserved for situations that call for extreme hostility. Like right now. She had already gathered energy for another shot at the princess, and without waiting, she let loose. Too bad Ayeka's field deflected it away --- right at Kusanagi. Reacting on instinct, Kusanagi dropped off the tree limb, grabbing the branch and swinging back onto it, the energy bolt crashing into the tree, right above where his body was. Shaking his head, he drew back his arms and launched himself in between the two women just before they collided with one another. He stuck his palms out, and grinned as his intervention worked. They ran right into his hands, face first with a dull thud.. "Bakas..." he said under his breath, lowering his arms. He took a quick look to his sides. Both down for the count, with nosebleeds and dazed faces. "Will you two stop already? You damn near blew up half the forest, and me along with it." He glared at the two unconscious girls, the walked off a few yards. "I've much better things to do than to baby-sit a pair of hormonal girls all day!" They'll get up soon enough, he decided. He looked skyward, noting the sun. 'Bout time I go see the old man, he thought. With that, Kusanagi began walking towards the Masaki shrine. It was only his first week on Earth, he figured. He was found unconscious and barely alive in the rubble of his ship. The ship was of some alien design, not even one of Jurai's or a Galaxy Police shuttle. The only thing that remained of his gear was a travel case that had survived the crash. After being nursed back to health a few days later in Washu's lab, Kusanagi regained consciousness. However, he had lost part of his memory, so he really had no clue about his recent history. Too bad, he thought. The only thing he knew was that he had strange abilities. How he could control them was a mystery, even to Washu. He made his way through the path, taking in the fresh spring air. It's been a week or so and already I'm playing baby-sitter, he thought. Not that he minded, of course. The girls (with the exception of Sasami and Washu) were stunning examples of beauty. That fact that they were so fiercely competitive was surprising, in a way. Ah well, he decided. *May as well make the best of it while I'm here.* Looking up, he realized where he was. He has made it to the front of the shrine, without even realizing it. Clapping his hands respectfully, he entered the shrine proper to look for Katsuhito. He found him in the office, sipping his tea as usual. Bowing respectfully (Dammit, I learn too quick, Kusanagi mused) he took a seat on the floor in front of the old man. "What was all that noise about, Kusanagi?" The old man had always been up front with him, it seems. His expression was the same; serene, calm, but curious. "Heh, funny you should ask..." Kusanagi's hand shot behind his head, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "The girls had a little scuffle this morning, that's all." Nodding his head sagely, the old priest took a sip of his tea, his eyes closed. "Very well." After a short pause, he opened his eyes, peering through his spectacles at Kusanagi. "Shall we begin the training process?" A smile appeared on the young man's face. "I thought you'd never ask, old man." Katsuhito frowned at him slightly, then cleared his throat lightly. "Err, sorry, jiichan." A friendly nod. "You have much to learn, you realize..." The old man smirked, then stood up, motioning for Kusanagi to do the same. The two went outside, where the elder took a deep breath. Producing two bokken from somewhere, he tossed one two Kusanagi, keeping the other for himself. Readying his battle stance, the old master allowed Kusanagi to adjust to his fighting style, sword held in front, feet apart and balanced. He had not held a sword before in his life, so much that his memory had known, but almost instinctively he held it gracefully, smoothly. "Now then, don't hold back, I want to see what you know, Kusanagi..." "Errr, I'll try not to." *I've never held a sword in my life, as far as I can remember, that is. This should be good...* He frowned, having seen Tenchi spar with him. The old man had gone easy with his grandson, how would he fight with a practical stranger? His mind wandered, coming back to reality when the wooden bokken came smashing down on his head. Reacting on instinct, Kusanagi shifted his weight to his right foot, narrowly missing a smarting. Dancing back quickly, he watched Katsuhito, his hands gripping the bokken tightly. The sunlight streaked down, filtering through the trees. A reflection from the priest's glasses. A feign to the right, then a charge straight ahead. He lunged forward, aiming to parry his opponents' blow, his movements getting smoother. He parried Katsuhito's bokken off to the side, swinging back up to try and score a hit to his side. As lucky as Kusanagi was, it wasn't his day. The old man had seen through the parry, strafing to the right and back, coming up with the bokken at Kusanagi's arm. Having been caught off-guard, Kusanagi barely had time to move his arm before it got hit. He backed off a few yards, waiting for his opponent's next move. Katsuhito kicked it into overdrive, turning into a veritable hurricane of slices and dices, the bokken a blur of wood. Backing up rather hastily, Kusanagi didn't happen to see where he was going. A rather large knot from a tree was sticking out from the ground, and it fitted into a nice hook around Kusanagi's heel. This resulted in Kusanagi falling on his ass, the breath knocked out of him. The inevitable occurred as Katsuhito's bokken lightly touching him on the chest, scoring a killing blow. "Ugh...You win." *Dammit, that sucked, I can't believe I TRIPPED!* Kusanagi kept his temper in check, as he knew the old man was going to catch anything he put out. He looked up, and saw the old man offering him a hand up. He took it gratefully, dusting himself off. After a few moments, Katsuhito spoke to him. "You weren't too bad...better than Tenchi when he spars. I was actually trying with you, my boy." He smirked, the sunlight glinting off of his eyeglasses. This took Kusanagi a bit by surprise. "You need more practice, but it's there." "Ahhh, thanks, I guess." His hand shot behind his head again, closing his eyes for a moment. "Tomorrow I want to see you and Tenchi spar, then we shall continue the evaluation, alright?" "Sure, what time?" "Same time." "Right." "Go back on to the house, I have things to be doing now." With that, Katsuhito took the bokken and walked back to the shrine. Kusanagi watched, then began walking down the path to the house. He stopped by where Ryoko and Ayeka had been fighting. "Oh good, so they woke up. I'm gonna hear about this later, I bet..." Sighing, he looked over to Funaho. The giant tree loomed ominously over him, but filled his mind with a peaceful feeling. He smiled a bit, then began walking to the house again. *Such a nice day...if only they didn't fight so much...* ******* Back at the ranch, Ayeka and Ryoko were nursing their wounded faces and pride in the kitchen. An open bottle of sake sat between them, half empty. They drank in silence, still having hostility to each other. *That Ayeka! Grrr...interfering with me when I was about to...* Ryoko had almost gotten in with Tenchi that morning, if snootypants wasn't around, listening. *How the hell did Kusanagi...? He's almost as bad as the old man sometimes. Still...is kinda cute.* She giggled without thinking, thinking of something. "Now what are you planning, Ryoko?" Ayeka raised an eyebrow, already suspicious of her rival. *She's up to no good, I can smell it.* Her nose was still smarting from when she hit something hard...what was it? All she remembered was waking up next to Ryoko with a sore and bleeding nose. "Hmmmm? Ohh, nothing, princess, nothing at all." She hid her grin behind her sake cup. After taking a few sips, she blushed a bright red. "I'm sure," Ayeka retorted, glaring. They were interrupted by Sasami, who had come in with Ryo-Ohki sitting on her head. She was clad in her apron, the one with the carrot on the front. "Sis, Ryoko, *what* are you doing? It's not even lunchtime yet, and you're *already* drinking sake?" She tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, and grabbed the bottle, capping it and putting it back in the cabinet. "I'll be making lunch in a minute, so please hold on!" *Oooohhh, they must've been fighting again...poor Tenchi...* Sasami began making lunch, whipping out the various seasonings and ingredients. She hummed along as she prepared food at a quick pace, chopping up carrots (the ones that Ryo-Ohki didn't steal) and other things to go into a stir-fry. Looking at one another, Ryoko and Ayeka silently agreed to help out the younger girl make food. Sighing, they both got up and began taking orders from Sasami the Chef, speeding the process up some. Sasami smiled to herself, thinking. *Well, that got them to help me, at least...* She giggled quietly, her knife going on autopilot. Within minutes, she was frying up the vegetables and shrimp for her stir-fry. ******* In the field, Tenchi had been hard at work toiling with the vegetables he planted. Now he lay on his back next to his garden hoe, basking in the noon sun. *Whew, I bet it's almost time for lunch, better get going...* He stood up, brushing the dirt from his clothes. He planted the garden hoe in the ground, and walked toward the house, whistling to himself peacefully. "Funny, ever since our other guest arrived, it's been a little quieter around here..." Tenchi remembered when Kusanagi arrived in their home. No more than 19 or 20, by his looks. Tenchi was eternally grateful that it *wasn't* another woman. Five women, six if you count Ryo-Ohki's human form. The worst, he figured, was Washu. She was always scheming to get him down in her lab by himself, so she could perform some *experiments*. He shuddered as he thought about it. "Maybe I should just grow a spine, Kusanagi doesn't fear these girls." he let his mind wander as he walked to the house, eventually thinking about the first day Kusanagi arrived. ******* It had been a day much like this one, only a week or so ago. There had been fighting, as usual. Miscommunication between Ayeka and Ryoko developed into another duel. Washu was holed up in her lab, cooking up some wacky invention. Mihoshi had gotten a call from Headquarters regarding a strange pair of craft flying in space around Earth. "I'll be back in a bit, duty calls!" Mihoshi was never in a bad mood, so it seemed. Yukinojo greeted her as she entered her GP scout craft. "Mihoshi, you are late again! This is a very urgent call from Headquarters!" Mihoshi's metallic companion was always worried about some detail, he acted like her guardian angel sometimes. Someone had to keep an eye on the Grand Marshal's daughter, and Yukinojo was that someone. "I'm sorry, Yukinojo, I really am!" She was in her Galaxy Police uniform, gun in holster and contraband Control Cube on her side. The Cube looked to be standard issue, however, her grandfather had gotten this one off the black market. This one was special, and it saved Mihoshi's life (along with many others) many times over. Freeing Washu from Kagato's prison was one such event. "Alright, Mihoshi. I will open the transmission from HQ for you now." In the cockpit, a screen popped up, with her commander's face staring rather plaintively at her. He was more bored than anything, and made no attempt to hide it. "Detective, the scanners in your region have picked up a pair of alien craft, unknown to even our files, are flying around this solar system, towards Earth. I ask that you simply fly around out there and try and find the craft. Then relay what you see back to us, we'll handle it from there. Got it?" Mihoshi, always willing to prove herself, nodded her head quickly and saluted. "Yes sir, Detective First Class Mihoshi is on the case! I will fly out there and track down the craft, and send it back to Headquarters!" For once, the commander was slightly happy that she understood her mission correctly. "Very good, Mihoshi. Remember to report back to us when you're done with the investigation." "Detective First Class Mihoshi signing off!" With that, the screen went blank and fizzled out. Mihoshi looked at Yukinojo and sat down in the cockpit, getting ready to fly off. She started the scout ship and gave Yukinojo the order. "Let's go Yukinojo!" "...Yes ma'am." Thus began Mihoshi's journey of discovery. Upon breaching the atmosphere and careening into outer space, the ships' sensors went wild with data. Within the range of the moon, two ships were dogfighting each other, swerving crazily. Smoke billowed out of the lead craft, a direct hit to the rear engines. She couldn't see the pilots, but they were definately in battle. The chase ship was unleasing a salvo of laser blasts, following through with a barrage of SRMs that were kept in the hull. Mihoshi had never seen any craft like these before. Both had a sleek design, resembling each other: gray with black trim, tinted cockpit windows, boosters in the back, blue flame scorching anything behind it, And a lot of weapons: two lasers in the nose, with a pair on each wing, a pair of missile launchers on either wing tip. Scanners could detect a shield device, weak, but one none the less. "Yukinojo, what do you make of this?" "They are neither of Juraian or Galaxy Police make. Possibly a small scout ship from the local populace." "But, you know Earthlings don't have this technology yet!" "True. You should record this and send it to HQ, Mihoshi." No response from her. "Mihoshi?" Nothing. He swiveled to look at her; she was staring at the dogfight that was getting closer to her. "MIHOSHI!" "Huh? What?" "Mihoshi, send this data to Headquarters so we can get out of the fight area before we get shot at!" "Ohhhhhh....right." Mihoshi pressed a few buttons, getting the recorded data from the computers, and sent it via hyperlink to HQ. "Ok, are we done? I wanna watch this!" "Mihoshi, we *should* be getting out the way!" Almost on cue, a barrage of lasers raked across the scout craft, rocking it violently, tossing Mihoshi around a bit. She looked wild-eyed around, scrambling back into her seat, grabbing the controls. With a stroke of luck only this GP detecive has, she madly began pressing buttons and turning the controls, getting the craft out of the way. Two seconds later, another barrage blasted by. Screaming loudly and clenching her eyes shut, the detective careened back and forth, getting the hell out of the way of the two fighters. "Fire! Fire! Fire!" Mihoshi yelled, the ship corkscrewing around, plasma cannons discharging in the direction of the two craft. After nearly a minute, she opened her eyes, on the verge of tears, lips trembling. Her ship floated lazily in space, silent. Little did she know, her shots scored a direct hit (by luck, most likely). The engines of the chase craft were destroyed, thick blueish smoke billowed out as the craft went out of control, spiralling towards the blue sphere of Earth. In a haze of smoke and electrical discharges, the craft plummeted towards Okayama's countryside. The front ship was in about as good condition. Without any good engines, gravity had begun to tug and pull at the helpless craft. With just enough power left to steer one final time, it made a weak dogleg to the northwest before the engines finally gave out. Both dissapeared as the entered the atmosphere, punching through the clouds. "Mihoshi?" Yukinojo sounded a little more than worried. "Mihoshi, we are fine. The ship wasn't damaged at all..." He trailed off, his scanners registering that the two ships were now defunct somewhere in Japan. "Mihoshi?" She sniffled, looking up as she heard her name being called. She wiped her eyes with her shirt. "Y-yes?" "Mihoshi, you shot down the two ships, well, one at least." "W-what? Really? Wow Yukinojo, I didn't mean to, I mean, I mean..." The blonde had suddenly become excited, back to her bouncy self. She looked about, trying to find where the ships had gone. "Uhm...Yukinojo, where'd they go?" "Mihoshi, the two craft fell to different parts of Earth, most likely around Japan." "Well, let's go investigate, Yukinojo!" "...Yes ma'am." With that, Mihoshi and Yukinojo shot off towards Earth, in the direction of the first craft... Meanwhile, craft number two had been nosediving toward the countryside. The pilot was locked in his seat, sweat pouring from his body as he tried thinking of a way out of this. *C'mon...c'mon...I don't wanna die!* He pulled frantically at the controls, trying to get enough juice to at least soften the landing. The computer guiding him was going haywire, klaxons resounding throughout the cockpit, a red warning light flashing at nearly every control and sensor. *WARNING* *WARNING* *HIGH RATE OF VELOCITY* *TIME TO IMPACT ON SURFACE: 20 SECONDS* With a quick-fingered agilty, the pilot typed madly at the controls, hoping to at least jettison a capsule with his gear in it. He was rewarded with a loud hiss as the capsule exploded from the main hull, a parachute opening to soften the landing. *Now it's my turn...* *WARNING* *WARNING* *TIME TO IMPACT: T-10, 9, 8, 7...* Frantically pulling levers and switches, he felt a sudden backlash as a trio of emergency parachutes opened on top of the craft. Pulling up and slowling down drastically, he could see the ground rushing to meet him. Struggling with the controls, he hopelessly tried to avoid slamming into a mountain. His descent made his landing point a thatch of trees a few miles wide. *...6...5...4...* "NOOOOO!!!" *...3...2...1...0* The ship skipped across the trees, clipping most of them as it went down into the ground, making a huge crater where he finally landed, trees falling on top of his ship. As he stopped suddenly, his body snapped foward, tearing him from the ship as he sailed through the now-busted cockpit. He landed about a few dozen yards away, into a tree. With his last conscious action, he lifted his head and coughed up blood onto the ground. His head fell limp against the tree, unmoving. Moments later, his craft, still sizzling with re-entry heat, exploded in a humongous fireball, sending flaming debris into the sky, showering the area with wreckage. Elsewhere, the mysterious first craft had regained some some glide control, and began a descent to Mount Fuji. *ACTIVATING GLIDE MECHANISM* *PARACHUTES OPEN* *RATE OF VELOCITY LOW* *ETA TO SITE: 30 SECONDS* The pilot grinned, even as the ship was smouldering from the laser blasts. He had thus far eluded his hunter, that much was certain. As the craft autopilot began working, he pondered about his battle above this planet. "I will have to remain here while I can figure out a way off this planet, and complete my mission..." He rubbed his chin with his hand, thinking about what he saw. "What was that craft watching us? I didn't think Earth had that technology yet..." Within moments, the white-capped top of Fuji loomed ahead. The man frowned, looking around. He strapped himself in tighter, readying for the impact. *WARNING* *IMPACT IMMINENT* *WARNING* The nose of the craft dove into the deep snow, plowing through and burying itself into the thick white blanket. Careening and fishtailing for several hundred yards, the ship came to a halt near a cave, melting most of the snow from the re-entry heat and kicking up a huge cloud of snow and ice. After a few minutes, the cockpit hissed as the hydraulics opened up the main door. A figure stepped out into the cold air, boots crunching the remaining snow. He took a breath of cold air, exhaling it in a billow of steam. He looked about, his eyes cold and hard. He saw a cliff above him, and smiled. "Time to go check out the local area," he said, his voice deep, full of unseen anger. With nothing more than a thought, the man floated from his position to the top of Mt. Fuji along the rim. His gaze wandered, seeing a large city to the southeast. Mountains and plains to the north. An ocean to the south; he could smell the salty sea air. The man looked over this new territory, his eyes filling with an idea. "Warrior, you are out there. I can sense your lifeforce...the hunter has turned into the hunted. You brought me down here, and now I will track you down. My mission has not changed. You shall be the first to be sacrificed..." Deep, evil laughter echoed throughout the land... At that same time, Mihoshi's scout ship was cruising the vicinity of where the first craft had been spotted around Mt. Fuji. Mihoshi had become bored, having been on the lookout for nearly an hour now. "Mihoshi, it appears that the ships have been lost on our scanning devices." "Yeah, it does...let's head back, Yukinojo. We'll be on call if we need to do anymore *yawn* investigating." "Very well, Mihoshi." Yukinojo turned the craft around, and shot towards Okayama in a streak of exhaust. The trip was relatively short, from their speed. However, Yukinojo picked up something from his sensors, and alerted Mihoshi. "Mihoshi, I have a reading from one of the ships! It appears to have crashed within 10 miles of Lord Tenchi's place of residence!" "Oh, ok. I guess we should...go fly down and check it out?" "Very well, Mihoshi." With that, the ship slowed down enough to see the crash site. Trees cut in half from where the craft descended, and a large crater where the impact point was. Flaming wreckage marked the remains of the craft...and what was that dot in the tree line? Looks like a humanoid figure... "Mihoshi, there appears to be a figure down below. Perhaps this is the pilot?" "We should go investigate it, Yukinojo." "Yes ma'am..." Slowing down to a crawl, the ship lowered down into the clearing that was created by the explosion. The retro-landing thusters turned on, sending light debris flying everywhere, creating a safer landing zone. Leaves whipped about as Mihoshi's ship touched down. Within moments, the bubble-headed blonde jumped out of the cockpit, gun drawn, ready for any hostiles. She gasped as she saw what had happened. The pilot, so she figured, was flat on his stomach, unconscious. Covered on his own blood, with shrapnel having cut up his suit. She looked over at the wreckage, making out what happened. Her comlink beeped on, with Yukinojo's voice emitting from it. "Mihoshi, what is the condition of the pilot?" "Well...not good..." Mihoshi bent over, checking to see if he was alive ot not. She was very squeemish, not wanting to touch the blood. "I think he's alive." Mihoshi sighed, trying to think of something she could do. "What the hell is this?!" The young police detective jumped about ten feet in the air. When she landed on her rear, she turned around, realizing that Washu was almost directly behind her, smirking. Her smirk flipped into a frown as the red-headed goddess surveyed the scene before her. "Well, so *this* was the cause of that energy spike I detected...friend of yours, Mishoshi?" "Uhmmm, not really, he crashed here a while ago." "Uh-huh..." Washu closed her eyes, sighing. She didn't feel like going into the details of how this guy crashed on Earth. The man was injured, and most likely dead. *May as well help...it's what Tenchi'd do.* Summoning her universial computer, her fingers went wild on the keyboard, buttons flashing as data popped up. Her emerald eyes tracked the data faster than a normal person ever could. Within seconds she had the material she needed. A portal to her subspace lab appeared from nowhere, opening up automatically. Reaching to a smaller subspace door, she produced what looked like a flat stretcher. She looked over to Mihoshi and jerked her thumb towards the door. "Help me lug him inside, willya?" Cracking her knuckles, she sent her computer away and grabbed ahold of the man's arms. Mihoshi took his legs. "On three. One, two, three...lift!" Grunting a bit, the goddess and her blonde friend lifted the heavy pilot onto the now hovering stretcher. Washu began pulling the hoverstretcher through the door. Mihoshi looked at her comlink and told Yukinojo to go back to the where she usually parks. "Yes ma'am." was his reply, the thrusters igniting and the craft soaring into the sky. Once inside her lab, Washu began typing at her computer again, controlling the hovering stretcher to a medical facility that was installed after the Zero Incident. Once her patient was placed in the facility, she turned to Mihoshi. "Not a word. Don't mention this to anyone, understand?" The genius had suddenly become very stern and serious. Mihoshi raised an eyebrow, her mind filling with questions. But Washu would have none of it. She put her finger to her lips and shook her head no. "I'll tell you later. Right now, forget about what you saw. I have my reasons, Mihoshi..." Despite all her better judgement, a bit of common sense kicked in Mihoshi's absentminded brain. She saw the look on Washu's face, and understood right then and there. "Can I check up on him once and a while?" Mihoshi had her puppy-dog look in her eyes. She had seen what his face looked like, adn thought he was kinda cute, except for being all bloody and stuff. Washu looked at her for several moments, studying her. She sighed, knowing she couldn't break Mihoshi's resolve. Besides, it would offer her an incentive to keep her trap shut about it. "Fine. Don't let anyone catch you down here, especially Tenchi, got it?" "I promise Miss Washu!" "Alright..." Mishoshi smiled the way a child does when they open up their Christmas gifts, giving Washu a back-breaking hug. Her eyes bugged out as she gasped for air, clawing at the blonde's back. "I-Icant-bweeth!" "Oops, sorry Miss Washu!" Letting go of the scientist, Mihoshi stepped back a few feet. Collapsing into a pile on the floor, Washu got back up after a few moments, brushing the wrinkles out of her uniform. She looked at Mihoshi, and pointed to the door. "Go. I have work to do now." "Uhm, okay. Let me know if you need anything, Miss Washu!" Under her breath, Washu snarled, "Don't worry, I just need you to leave..." Looking up, she smiled and waved at Mihoshi. "Ahhh, ok. Don't worry about a thing..." Washu sighed relief as Mihoshi exited her lab, the door sealing shut behind her. She glanced over at the pilot, who was in a stasis tank. The monitor was humming quietly, lines of data and vital stats rising and falling rythmically. "So...looks like we'll have another guest soon. What does this mean? The that ship design, or what was left of it, I've never seen a design like that...too primitive for Jurai of the Galaxy Police; too well made for a pirate or bounty hunter craft..." She made her mind up: she would find out where this ship had come from, and why. But first, there were other matters to attend to. The pilot, who was still unconscious, needed her attention for the time being. Once he was recovering, she could work on her other objective. Cracking her knuckles, her nurse's uniform phased onto her. She grinned slightly, then remembered this wasn't Tenchi she was working with. *Another time, perhaps. Tenchi, I will get what I need from you!* "But for now, time to get to work!" Within the confines of her lab, childish giggling echoed throughout... Within his stasis chamber, Washu's patient was in a deep slumber. His eyes moved about in REM, closed. Slowly, his dreams faded away...lost in a sea of the unknown. Miles away, the man with the black cape set foot outside of Tokyo. He stopped, looking upwards at the exspansive skyscrapers and buildings. Cars screamed past him, boing back and forth from work. Another day in the city. "Pitiful, really. Earthlings have no sense of style or taste. Not that it matters, it will all be rubble in the end." He stepped foward, his boots crunching on the gravel as he approached the city. He followed the traffic, leading into the city proper. Though the city was large, the man was unimpressed. He passed by corporate headquarters of major companies, as well as a few hundred fast food restaurants. He also saw many shrines of differering religious factors. He made his way to a green park, and smirked slightly. *This is what is left of the natural beauty? Even so, it is indeed man made. Wasteful humans.* Taking a seat on a nearby bench, he closed his eyes for a meditation. Lowering his head and placing his fingers together, he began comtemplating for a plan. "I will stay here, for now. This city will serve well for my plot, until I can locate and destroy the Warrior. My masters, you will be revived! By the word of Mikail Kanard, I swear it!" His meditation was broken as he heard snickering from behind him. His eyes opened, flaring from anger. He remained seated, a growl escaping from his lips. He saw the cause; two thugs, dressed in street clothes, chains wrapped around their fists. Mikail smirked, even as they moved around him. He raised his head to look at each of them. Thrusting a fist menacingly in the air, the one to the left sneered at Mikail, holding a knife in his other hand. "Gimme all yer cash, and mebbe we'll let ya walk away!" The second piped up, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. "Whatcha wearing a cape for, ya freak? What you tryin' to be, Dracula?" Mikail actually thought this was funny, and waved them off. Though they spoke in rapid Japanese, Mikail understood what they were hinting at. Shifting his gaze between the two, he stood up to his full, towering 6'6" height. "Go away, and go *play* with your *weapons*. I have no time for...street trash." The two thugs took this as a direct challenge, with Mikail waving his hand to send them off. The first one pulled his fist back, and threw a strong punch to Mikail's face. The big man caught it deftly with his left hand, hearing the *thwak* of fists colliding. Without a thought, Mikail closed his hand around the thug's fist and chain. The thug yelped out in pain as his fist was crushed by Mikail's strength, breaking the chain and cutting his flesh. The knife came up from the left, Mikail caught the assailant's arm, closing his grip around the wrist. The thugs's eyes widened as even more pain entered his body, his arm being crushed at the wrist. Mikail let go of his victim, letting him fall into his awaiting knee. A snap and the sound of bone hitting bone was heard as Mikail's knee impacted on the thug's chin. This broke his jaw and sent him flying back against a tree. A sickening thud as he slammed into the tree, breaking his back. The thug slid off and onto his face, dead. Turning his attention to the second thug, Mikail ended his life with a fist to the nose, smashing his face and sending the bone shards into his brain. The thug fell back onto his back, sharing the same fate as his friend. This happened within five seconds of his standing up. Mikail brushed his clothes off, and began walking off. He smirked, walking past a group of frightened tourists. "Foolish humans. They throw their lives away for petty things..." He stopped, looking for the tallest building. Thinking for a moment, he decided to forget walking, and began levitating from the ground high above the city. Onlookers screamed as they saw him go over their heads, and ran off. Mikail paid little attention to them. Soon from his bird's eye view, he searched over the skyline for a suitible base of operations... Back in Okayama, Tenchi had been hard at work in the fields again. It neared noon, and his glance at his watch confirmed it. Tiem to go have lunch, then practice with his grandfather. He sighed, looking at the large expanse of field before him. Most of the crops were carrots, with other vegetables and stuff in another garden. Using his hand to wipe the sweat from his brow, Tenchi felt something furry rub against his leg. Looking down, he saw Ryo-Ohki rubbing happily against him, her eyes closed. He chuckled, picking the cabbit up and holding her in his hands. "Look Ryo-Ohki, the're almost grown. A few more days and you'll have more carrots to eat!" "Mya! Myamyamya!" Ryo-Ohki hopped excitedly up and down, her eyes sparkling. Her one attribute that was undeniable was her love of carrots. And ever since she assimilated with the Masses, she had been hungry for more and more. She had gotten clever enough for midnight raids in her humanoid form, but not enough to get noticed. Besides, she preferred having Sasami or Tenchi get them for her. After drooling with visions of carrots dancing her her mind, she jumped out from Tenchi's arms and hopped along to the house. Smiling warmly at her, Tenchi shook his head and followed after her. The sun was warm on his back, with hardly any clouds in the blue sky. A puffy cloud drifted lazily in the sky, high above. Tenchi thought he heard something like an explosion a few hours ago, but he thought it was just as well not to look. *It must've been one of the girls...* He ticked off several possible reasons in his mind as he walked back to the house. One, Washu was experimenting with explosives again. Two, Mihoshi crashed her ship...again. Three, Ayeka and Ryoko were duking it out in the woods. None of these theories were good, but he kept in mind that stranger stuff *has* happened becuase of his guests. Aside from nearly destroying the house on a weekly basis, Tenchi enjoyed the company of the girls. Partly from his father's goading about his *shyness* around women, and some obligation for his Juraian relatives, he decided to let them stay. Obviously, it was not as simple as Tenchi's descision. By now, Ayeka, Ryoko, Sasami, Washu and Mihoshi had made themselves at home. Of course, each of the girls had thier own reasons for staying. Ryoko and Ayeka stayed because neither of them would let the other be with Tenchi *alone*. Washu stayed behind because she wanted to perfom more experiments on Tenchi, plus being where she was allowed her to conduct her scientific research without other influences. Mihoshi stayed to protect the Princesses and Tenchi, her Galaxy Police influence allowed her to remain in the sector. Sasami stayed instead of going home becuase there was no one else to cook for them, not even Nobuyuki could cook that good. All in all...he was stuck with the five women. Not that he minded too much. The occaisional destruction of property was minimal. He had fun, he admitted to himself many times. *Now Tenchi, would you rather have a boring school life or these advnetures?* Half of him said no, the other half yes. He snapped out of his daydream as he reached the door to the house. Blinking a few times, he turned the knob and walked in. "TENCHI!!" Ryoko phased behind him after he walked in the door, her arms draped over his shoulders. She showered him with quick kisses to the neck, and Tenchi's face flushed red from the space pirate's affection. "Ryoko! What are you doing?!" Ayeka had walked in just as Ryoko planted a big wet one on Tenchi's cheek. The princess's eyebrow twitched in frustration, her mouth turning into a frown. "Aww, c'mon, princess, it was only a wittle kiss..." Ryoko pursed her lips at Ayeka, then grinned mischeviously. She still clung on to Tenchi, but not as tight. "What's the matter? You want me to give you a kiss too?" The reaction on Ayeka's face was a Kodak moment. She sputtered, backing up a few paces when Ryoko said that. He face twisted in a look of pure disgust. "N-not from a hussy like you! How dare you even think for one second that you could kiss me?!" Ayeka realized her mistake as soon as the words left her mouth. Ryoko saw the opportunity, and seized it. "Oh, so you mean you *would* kiss a girl? I'm just not your type, eh, princess?" Ryoko flashed her eyes, the grin creeping across her face. She could barely contain her laughter. She would *definately* have to write *that* one down. Causing Ayeka humiliation and embarrassment on this level was too much fun. Ayeka, however, was at the brink of rage, her eyes tight slits of hatred. When she began growling and balled her hands into fists, Ryoko let off, sensing Ayeka's hostility. Tenchi looked at Ayeka, then Ryoko, then back again, his face showing worry. Suddenly, Ayeka sighed, letting her hands drop back down. "Very well, Ryoko. You won that battle. Feel fortunate that Tenchi is here, or else this would have gotten even worse..." Her voice betrayed her, trembling at the insult to her, and just plain angry at Ryoko. She had stopped herself from attacking her right on the spot due to the fact that Tenchi was directly in the crossfire. Otherwise, the boys would have been busy fixing the house again. She would settle the score later, when Tenchi wasn't around. Behind Tenchi, Ryoko grinned slightly and nodded, accepting Ayeka's challenge silently. She slipped off from Tenchi and phased away, reapearing in the kitchen. She waved to Tenchi, blowing him a kiss. Tenchi blushed, his hand shooting back behind his head nervously. He glanced at Ayeka, who was still standing in front of him. He offered her his hand, she looked up and cautiously took it. "Uhm...sorry about Ryoko...I didn't know that she-" "It's alright, Lord Tenchi. I have learned to move beyond her petty words..." As well as that sounded, Ayeka was still furious with the space pirate. Still, she walked with Tenchi to the dining room, where Sasami had fixed up some food. They saw Mihoshi in there, picking at her food silently, appearing to be drifting off into space. "Ahhh, Mihoshi, I see your back from patrol! How'd that emergency call go?" Practically jumping out of her skin, Mihoshi shot up to attention looking around nervously until she saw Tenchi looking at her funny. She laughed half- heartedly, holding her hand over her mouth. "Ohhh, nothing really happened, just some old lady who broke down near Jupiter, that's all...nothing at all..." Tenchi scratched his head, thinking about what he just heard and saw. He shrugged, then sat down to eat lunch. Mihoshi glanced around the table quickly, darting her eyes to the door to Washu's lab. Then she began eating again. The rest of the afternoon went along normally. Ayeka and Ryoko didn't speak to each other for quite some time, even then it was a remark from Ryoko. Tempers flared again, and subsided. Tenchi thought it was odd that Mihoshi kept sneaking down into Washu's lab, but decided against saying anything. *Must be helping Washu with something...ah well, better her than me, I suppose.* Looking up at the clock, Tenchi realized that it was almost time for his fight practice at the shrine. Before he headed out the door, he tried taking a peek into Washu's lab. No luck, the door was locked. Scratching his head, Tenchi shrugged, then headed out to the shrine. The air was clean, refreshing. Too many thoughts running through his head. A good practice would help, especially if he got whacked on the head...His grandfather never let up on his fight practice, especially after he found out about the Light Hawk Wings. Katsuhito, or, better known as Yosho, had been amazed when it was revealed that Tenchi could summon the Light Hawk Wings in battle. Yosho used this as a tool to goad him into training even harder. If another Kagato or Dr. Clay had shown up, things could get real ugly. The girls were capable fighters, but even so, Tenchi was supposed to be the one fighting, not them. It was times like that when he wondered what his destiny would be like. Would it be guarding the women from each other and threats? Or would he ever have another hand to aid him with his battles? Tenchi shook his head, trying not to think about it too much. He had died once fighting Kagato, and even when he had his second chance, it was by a fluke that he defeated the evil genius. When Zero was running around, and Dr. Clay had set Washu up with the booby-trapped ship, it was by a miracle that he saved himself and the girls. Nonetheless, he was glad that things had turned out the way they did. Zero and Ryoko had fused, making Ryoko far more tolerable and...even opened up a possibility for him. The girls proved how much they loved him when they refused to leave on Azuha's orders. Not even the Emperor of Jurai himself could separate the group. He smiled to himself, going over the adventures he had with the girls. Not all of them were fun, but they were adventures all the same. Without thinking about it, he had reached his grandfather's shrine. Bowing respectfully and clapping his hands, he knocked on the office door. "Grandpa, I'm ready for today's training!" Nothing. No response. "Grandpa?" Again, nothing. Tenchi was getting somewhat worried, and, without thinking, he opened the door and rushed inside, scanning the room quickly. He heard the door close quietly behind him, and before he could turn around, a hard bokken connected with his skull, causing Tenchi to see stars. He staggered, holding his head, wincing painfully. He wheeled around, and saw Yosho standing in front of the door, a sly grin creeping across his face. In his hand was a bokken. "Next time you might not be so lucky, Tenchi. That could have been a real blade. Always be prepared, remember that." Tenchi really hated being surprised like that. These encounters always left him with a new bruise, and a lesson learned. But instead of saying anything rash, Tenchi simply bowed to the old master. He had learned by now to simply accept his grandfather's unorthodox training procedures. "Good. At least I know that you accept my techniques. Shall we begin today's practice?" "Yeah." "Alright, let's go." Tenchi and Yosho walked back outside, to begin their fight practice. Tenchi took a bokken, and Yosho readied his. Taking their stances, the fight began... Within the dark confines of the subspace lab, Washu was hard at work on her patient. The wounds were worse than she had originally thought, and there was internal bleeding. There was one thing she could do: fuse his cells with that of the Mass. It was drastic, but it was all she could do withought attracting attention too early. Luckily, there was still Mass left from when Ryo-Ohki assimilated with the main group. Plus, Washu had some blood samples from Zero-Ryoko that would aid with the healing. *What am I thinking? I don't even know for sure if he is who I think he is. If it was true, that means...Tsunami was right. The great evil has come to Earth. Tenchi will need all the help he can get.* Washu watched the healing tank as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Her patient floated in the chamber, wearing nothing but tight shorts. A breathing mask was fitted over his mouth, bubbles of air shot to the top with each weary breath drawn. His eyes were closed, but moving around inside, dreaming. Floating within the tank along with medical drugs was the Mass. It had already begun to absorb into his skin where there were open wounds. A meter on the computer screen showed how much was left to absorb. Once that was down, Washu would begin the infusion of Ryoko's blood and fluids. This would change him...but how much? It would be almost a week for him to awaken, Washu had figured. Already the changes had taken effect. The man's hair, once a dark brown, had turned to a dark green, forming small spikes similiar to Ryoko's cyan hair. His muscles had become more defined, more powerful. His form shuddered violently in the tank, the Mass and the fluids assimilating the rest of his system. Washu was indeed a genius; any other might have botched it and gave him a system shock, thus killing him. A flashing light caught Washu's attention. Glancing at the display, her eyes bugged out as she saw something amazing. Energy readings were off the charts, and they were coming from this kid! Washu shot her head up to the tank, and gasped. His eyes were wide open, they took a feline shape and were colored gold, and staring right at her. His eyes went white, and the energy reading went off the charts again. Then his head fell limp, unconscious again. The readings went back down to normal. Washu backed up in reaction, her mind quickly peicing together what just happened. "Wha-what the hell?! Was that the *Mass* that did that? No, impossible..." She studied the data from the charts, amazed. This man had just generated enough power to rival Tenchi's Light Hawk Wings! More careful analysis would have to be made, Washu decided. In the meantime, he was recovering, and the computer would record any anomolies. Thinking about it, she stepped out from her makeshift infirmary and began typing on her computer, entering more data for her experiments. ******* Nightmares. No end to the horrors that played in his mind. In the darkness, a great evil lurked, his eyes glowing red and sinister. He raced to fight this evil, but every step he took he was pulled backwards by minions of the dead. Bony finger reaching for him, tearing his clothes and drawing blood. He fought them, but they came back for more, skeletal faces grinning at him. It was maddening. Everywhere he looked, people were dead, wounds gaping and bubbling with blood. He heard a voice, laughing at him, mocking his very existance and sanity. "Find me, warrior. Or I shall find you...and sacrafice your soul and complete the prophecy. The Apocalypse will arise once again...from your blood..." Screaming into the night, the Warrior watched in horror as four frightening images came into view. They rode on horses of bone and metal, wearing tattered cloaks. They mocked him, cackling hideously. The image shifted, now he was in a wasteland. A city was destroyed, buildings in ruins. Not a living soul around. The voice echoed through the dead zone, taunting him and delivering a message. "Look...look at what you allowed to happen. Not a single one alive, the world is destroyed. This is what will happen...because of you!" "NOOOO! It can't be true! I won't...I won't let you, Kanard! I will defeat you, and stop the Apocalypse!" A mocking laugh, foreboding. "You have already failed..." The Warrior dropped to his knees, breathing fast, his rage peaking. He clutched his fists tight, his fingernails digging into his palms. His head hung low, his hair falling over his eyes. He tossed his head back, screaming into the darkness. "NOOOOOOO!" A flash. Another image, this one different. A beautiful woman with long blue hair stood before him. Her smile was warming, soothing. She reached out, and touched his forehead. "Do not worry. You have not failed. Your battle will come soon enough, young Warrior." With that, a pulsing blue light came from her hand and melted into the man's mind, soothing it. His eyes went blank, relieved of his nightmares. The woman stepped back, smiling warmly at him. "Don't lose faith. You have come a long way, and you still have a long journey ahead of you. I will watch you...Erick." She dissapeared from the vision, and Erick drifted off into a dreamless sleep... ******* The computer blipped on, activated from a brainwave change on Erick. High levels of stress in the subconscious mind. They peaked, then suddenly dropped down well below normal. Washu studied this, somewhat puzzled. She entered the findings into the computer then went back to work on other experiments. "Odd. Didn't expect that...that looks about right. Hmph. This will take some time..." She continued typing, lost in thought. *********************************************************** End Song "Where the Wild Things Are" By Metallica : ReLoad So wake up sleepy one... It's time to save your world... Steal dreams and give to you Shoplift a thought or two All children touch the sun Burn fingers one by one, by one... Will this earth be good to you Keep you clean or stain through.... So wake up sleepy one... It's time to save your world... You're where the wild things are... Yeah, toy soldiers off to war... Big eyes to open soon Believing all under sun and moon But does heaven know you're here? And did they give you smiles or tears? No, no tears Will this earth be good to you? Keep you clean or stain through.... So wake up sleepy one... It's time to save your world... You're where the wild things are... Yeah, toy soldiers off to war... Solo Backing Vocals: You swing your ass around Call to arms the trumpets sound Toy horses start the charge Robots, chessmen standing guard We shall never surrender Hand puppets storm the base Flags up now cannons rage Hand puppets storm the base Flags up now cannons rage All clowns head for the rear Slingshots fire to the air All clowns head for the rear Slingshots fire to the air Slip into the edge of death Crossfire to the marionettes Slip into the edge of death Crossfire to the marionettes We Shall Never Surrender All children touch the sun Burn your fingers one by one Will this earth be good to you? Keep you clean or stain through.... So wake up sleepy one... It's time to save your world... You're where the wild things are... Yeah, toy soldiers off to war... So close your little eyes... ******************************************************** Author's Note: This is only the beginning. Next episode: * Erick awakens and develops amnesia, becoming Kusanagi! * Mikail starts his empire in Tokyo! * Mihoshi falls for Kusanagi! * Tensions build between the Princess and the Space Pirate! All this and more in Chronicles of the Goddess Chapter Two: "Death and Rebirth" Hope ya liked Chapter 1. Stay Tuned for Chapter 2 soon! ~Vandalier (tenchimod@yahoo.com) *********************************************************