~*~I do not own either Tenchi Muyo or Dragon Ball Z. I get no money from this, 
though I wish I did (!) . I do however lay claim to any characters, etc. of my 
own creation.~*~

Hi there! Hope you like this one! Remember to visit my web page at 
www.geocities.com/flobobs - and send me some feedback, y'all!
I so need some ego boosters right now! Tee hee! That is if you want me to finish 
this fic... Bwa ha ha ha ha! *Jana cackles in glee as she slowly tortures her 
small audience with vague threats and sardonic laughter*
I mean it, too! So- e-mail me at j_delight@hotmail.com !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
By the Way- this is gonna be dark and SCARY! *boo!* I hope you don't pee your 
pants!
***Also- I've noticed that my .txt files on TMFFA aren't very readable because 
of the line breaks! I don't exactly know how to fix it- since the .txt shows up 
just fine on my computer, but I'll try to tinker with them all, and maybe resend 
them when I figure out how to fix it. In the meantime- my fic is perfectly 
readable at my website if you're having trouble with these.***
Well- enjoy!


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Masaki Ball Z!
Part Four: No Need for Misery
By: J.D. Freeman


The small child pranced idly among the tall wildflowers. The multicolored 
blossoms reached almost up to the boy's shoulders. The child seemed to be on the 
verge of his eighth year, though his unruly mop of jet-black hair and crumpled 
school uniform made him seem much younger. He heard a small snap among the 
bushes. His blue eyes searched for the little girl he had been chasing. 
"Mona, come out now! I'm tired of this stuff. I wanna go home for dinner."
"Aw, you're no fun!" squealed a small blonde girl as she popped up from the 
brush at his left.
"Why do you always want to play this stupid game? I have better things to do 
than play with dumb girls, anyway."
"Hey! At least I don't eat all the time!" the girl giggled and waltzed up to the 
boy, a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Yeah, well I don't wanna play anymore!"
"Fine! Then go home! I don't care!" The girl crossed her arms and turned her 
back on the boy.
"Fine!" the boy started running in the direction of town, leaving a startled and 
slightly hurt girl all alone.
He rounded a small hill, excited at the prospect of dinner, only to run right 
into someone very knobby and tall. He fell on his behind, and stared up into the 
most terrifying eyes he had ever seen. The old man who stood before him had a 
long white beard, braided halfway down its length. His head was balding, and his 
dirty clothes seemed to hang from his skeletal form. His eyes were red.

Bulma heard a scream; it seemed to wrench through the ship like a bullet.
"What the heck was that!?!" cried Bulma as she scanned the room around her.
The wall she had come through only moments before had become hard and 
impenetrable. Bulma now stood in what seemed to be a small bedroom. There was a 
cot in one corner and a very old wooden dresser in the other. There were several 
doorways around the room, leading to more white metallic halls. Bulma sighed.
'Well, might as well explore some more, nothing else to do.'

The child sat in his dark chair, his red eyes pulsing slightly. The controls 
around him flashed and made beeping sounds. The boy struggled to breathe, his 
head swimming with visions. 
"I will not remember... I must fight it... not me... not me!"
His face contorted, and his hands twitched. Slowly, he regained control of his 
mind and body. 
Panting, the boy cried out, "Ah, the stone! It must be destroyed..."

Trunks landed next to Gohan, who was trembling slightly.
"Gohan, what is it?"
"Trunks, I'm sorry..."
"What? What's going on?"
Tenchi walked up to the two Saiyans, he clasped and unclasped his hands 
nervously.
"Trunks, Bulma... she..."
"What about her? Where is she?" Trunks frantically grabbed Tenchi, his eyes wide 
with fear.
"We think... she went into the ship..." gulped Tenchi as Trunks let go of him, 
shock and fear in his eyes.
"Oh, God..."

Washu grabbed Sasami, falling on top of the squirming girl.
"You can't go out there, Sasami! You'll get hurt!"
"Let go of me, Washu! I have to help them! We can't just wait around here 
forever!"
"Sasami, help me in the lab! You're more help there than with the others. You'll 
only be a burden t them!"
Washu let Sasami up, and led her to the sofa. She forced Sasami to sit, and 
patted her hand.
"Listen, Sasami, if we go out there, there's nothing we could do. You can't 
fight, and even if you could you couldn't fight this. The only way we can beat 
this is with brainpower. Now, are you gonna help me, or get yourself hurt?"
Sasami sniffled, and rose from the sofa.
"I just..." Sasami looked at her feet, choking back the tears that threatened to 
destroy the last of her composure, "I'll help... What do I have to do?"

Aeka watched Trunks fling himself at the black ship, amazed at his 
determination. Yet Trunks couldn't actually get to the ship. It seemed the 
harder he pushed, the farther he was thrown from the ship by some sort of 
shield. Aeka sighed. The craft had done little after Ryoko had been injured, and 
just standing in front of the dreadful thing was becoming tedious. It seemed 
that whatever was in the ship had plenty of time to plan and prepare for 
whatever it wished to do. The only person who had been able to pass its defenses 
was too weak to pose much of a threat to the ship's occupant. Poor Bulma, Aeka 
felt truly sorry for the woman. She regretted that baby Trunks would have no 
mother... 
'Wait a moment... if Miss Bulma is not able to take care of her child, perhaps I 
could be its caretaker... but only for a while. Just think of how much more 
Tenchi would desire to be with me when he sees how well I treat children! How 
could he NOT marry a woman with as great a maternal instinct as mine? Oh, but I 
won't wish for anything bad to happen to Miss Bulma, she is after all Tenchi's 
guest, and such thoughts are very unlady-like and improper. I'll just keep this 
in mind in case something were to happen to her. It would be a great honor, for 
her son to be raised by Jurai! Yes! I will honor the great lady's memory by 
adopting her poor orphaned son!'
Aeka had been so caught up with her internal monologue and crazy giggles that 
she was entirely oblivious to the fact that Trunks's continual pounding on the 
black orb's defenses had caused a reaction, much to the horror of all present. 
Pulses of brilliant and blinding white light poured from the craft, filling the 
entire valley. Trunks staggered back, the blinding light seemed to push him, 
until he was thrown back toward the others. Tenchi gaped, his eyes wide as 
saucers. Aeka gripped his arm in fear. Trunks and Gohan tried to force 
themselves forward, only causing the craft to push the entire group farther 
away. Katsuhito's face was a mask, but he was ready to drop his Earthly disguise 
if needed. 
Aeka tried to protect the group with her shield, only to be thrown like a leaf 
by the craft. She rolled down a small embankment, getting jarred and bruised. A 
tree trunk stopped her descent with a sickening thud. 
"Aeka!" screamed Tenchi as he practically flew to her aid.
The craft dulled, and a throbbing hum began to pound against the group's ears.

The boy was angry. He could not find the location of the stone while having to 
defend himself against the pitiful creatures continually battering his ship. He 
had decided to push them away. Killing all of them would be a waste of his time 
due to the fact that their life spans were short anyway. He laughed as he 
thought that at the most some of them could hope to live a few thousand years. 
"I won't waste my time anymore. I think I'll give them a good soaking." He 
giggled and pressed several buttons simultaneously.

Blue electricity coursed off of the black ship's hull and reached like a 
skeletal arm towards the group. They had no time to react. They were all 
transported instantaneously above the nearby lake. While Tenchi, Katsuhito, and 
the very unconscious Aeka could do nothing, Trunks and Gohan could fly. After 
getting over the shock at being moved miles in mere seconds with no warning, 
each grabbed whoever was closest to them and tried to get to dry land. Trunks 
managed to grab Katsuhito and Tenchi, while Gohan was left with Aeka hanging 
limply in his arms. The group thought they were safe, but as soon as Trunks and 
Gohan had begun jetting towards Tenchi's home, the ship sent another blinding 
pulse at the group, rendering both Gohan and Trunks nearly powerless. 
They could only stare in horror as the dark water rushed up towards the group. 

Washu's lab alarm system beeped. She had set it to detect objects falling into 
the nearby lake. She had done this in order to have time to Mihoshi-proof her 
lab in case the ditsy policewoman decided to visit. Washu became slightly 
annoyed.
"What the heck is that? It can't be that bimbo policewoman; she's supposed to be 
on the other side of the solar system! Wait... those are people! But they're 
miles above the water, they'll get killed... My equipment is sensing Juraian 
power among them... it can't be..."
"Washu, what is it?" Sasami stared nervously at the perplexed scientist.
Washu began typing frantically on her holo computer.
"Hmm... let's see... open a small portal underneath them... that should work. 
But I have to time it perfectly or there's a possibility of cellular 
degradation... just have to do this... wait, yes... hmmm... Interesting! And, TA 
DA!"
Washu dramatically punched one last key, causing a hole to open to her left, 
several feet above the lab's hard floor. Several seconds later, Tenchi, Aeka, 
Trunks, Gohan, and Katsuhito were dumped unceremoniously from the black opening. 
The few still conscious members of the group looked confusedly around the lab, 
realization slowly dawning on them. 
"Well, well! Look what the interdimensional transwarpal conduit dragged in!" 
Washu laughed, tears forming in her eyes, at her joke. She didn't even notice 
the looks everyone was giving her. When she finally stopped laughing, the 
confusion on numerous scratched and drained faces annoyed Washu.
"Well, I thought it was funny! Hmmph. So, are you guys gonna thank me for saving 
your lives?"
"Oh, thanks Washu!" Tenchi said.
Washu ignored the fact that the others only stared at her, and began raving 
about her genius.
"Um, Washu? I think they're hurt," Sasami's eyes started to glisten with tears, 
"Could you please help them?"
Washu was snapped out of her self-congratulatory mantra by some very loud sobs 
from a certain blue haired girl.
"All right, all right! Let's get 'em taken care of!"

Ryoko levitated above a field, watching two children play. She sighed in 
contentment. The sun shone just bright enough, and the breeze was just cool 
enough. Crossing her arms behind her head and letting herself drift off, she 
didn't notice the children splitting up, or the fact that a very scary old man 
was confronting one of them. Hearing the child scream, Ryoko was shaken from her 
catnap. Looking to the small hill the scream had come from, her curiosity was 
piqued.
"Those noisy kids! Don't they know I was sleeping? Well, I guess I could see 
what they're up to..."
 She floated towards the outcropping, only to see the most terrifying thing she 
had ever witnessed. The child, obviously a boy, was being held by a gnarled old 
man. Long bloody tentacles shot out from the old man's eyes. Curling themselves 
around the boy's throat, they pulsed and quivered like rotten jellified meat. 
The child's screams were cut off as a mass of flesh was expelled from the old 
man's mouth, attaching itself to the boy's face. Ryoko stared in horror as the 
old man seemed to wilt, his essence flowing through the tentacles coming from 
his eyes into the small child. Ryoko quickly formed her sword, only to find she 
could not move. It felt as though she were extremely weak, unable even to move 
towards or away from the horrible spectacle before her.
The old man shrank into a sack of skin and bone, the tentacles coming from his 
eyes unwrapping themselves from the immobile child's throat. The old man fell, 
leaving the child with the mass still attached to his face. The boy shook, blood 
from his face flowing down his bruised neck, soiling his school uniform. The 
mass of flesh on his face slowly disappeared as it forced itself down the 
child's throat. The boy's face became slack. A single tear rolled down his 
cheek, and the life vanished from his glazed eyes. 
Ryoko was in tears. She shook with rage at what had just happened. More 
innocence killed by evil... Just like her innocence had been slaughtered by 
Kagato.
"No no no no no!" She wailed, holding herself, still unable to save the boy. 
The meadow went black; she was alone in nothingness. 

Trunks and Gohan lay on metal examining tables, looking very tired and 
uncomfortable. Many small electrodes were attached to their skin, and monitors 
beeped and pulsed nearby. Katsuhito had elected to see to his shrine, leaving 
the others to their thoughts. He had much to think on. Aeka slept soundly on a 
bed, Tenchi and Sasami watching over her. 
"I still don't know how it managed to suck out all of your energy. I've heard of 
such phenomena, but only theoretically..." Washu placed a small device on 
Trunks's skull.
"Oh, well, there was a scientist on our world that could do it," Trunks's voice 
wavered with fatigue, "I'm not really sure how- but I do know it's possible."
"Hmmmm... Yes, draining energy gradually isn't all that amazing- but this thing 
took yours in a matter of nanoseconds... That's what baffles me! But, I am the 
greatest scientific genius in the whole universe, so it shouldn't be a problem 
to figure it all out!"
Tenchi nodded and smiled out of habit, then turned back to Aeka's prone form. 
"Will Aeka be okay, Washu?"
"Yes, Tenchi. It was just a little bump on the head, don't worry! Nothing a 
little rest won't take care of!"
"Tenchi, I'm so scared!" Sasami grabbed Tenchi around the waist and wailed. 
Tenchi tried to comfort her.
No one noticed that the small monitor attached to Ryoko's pod began to pulse 
erratically, or that Ryoko's face became a mask of horror. The dream repeated in 
her mind, each time even more disturbing and gross than the last. There was no 
escape. The child died, and then died again. The only solace was the dark 
between the dreams. Ryoko came to love the dark in those few hours. After years 
of fearing the lonely cold darkness of the cave, she came to need it, to want 
it. There was no escape. She clawed and panted. There would be no escape.

Bulma strode down a hallway, her mind racing. 
'Could this be true? It's so simple... I can't believe how simple... Gosh! All 
we need is some time!'
After having spent several hours rummaging through drawers and searching 
hallways, Bulma found what she had been looking for all along, a weakness. They 
could win, she knew it.
Walking mindlessly, Bulma bumped into a wall. Or perhaps it bumped into her. The 
once seemingly endless hallway ended in more white metal paneling. There was 
something on the wall...
'Hmmm... this looks very familiar- a panel, just like the one on the bottom of 
the ship. Hmmm... maybe it'll take me back out? Well, I think I've seen enough 
here. Let's go!'
Bulma dramatically touched the panel, and found herself once more underneath the 
black metal ship. Scrambling away on all fours, Bulma exhaled in relief. 
"Boy, that place was spooky!"
After clearing the area, Bulma set off towards the Masaki house at a dead run.

The flowers turned red, dripping with the thick clotted blood of countless 
children. It stained her hands, she waded knee deep in it, and it was 
everywhere. The faces, she couldn't stop seeing them... Millions of children... 
raped of their innocence in this way. What creature was this? 
"You cannot escape me, never!" screamed a voice, a familiar voice...
'Kagato...'
"I will live in you forever, Ryoko..." The dark figure before her dissolved into 
the endless sea of blood to the fading melody of a pipe organ.
"I am that which you will become..."
A new figure coalesced to Ryoko's right. She spun on it, prepared to defend 
herself.
The figure which stared back was herself, but not... There was no passion in 
those eyes, no life, no love... Only hate, cold and pure hatred for all things. 
"He doesn't love you... he never will... You don't even love yourself! You're 
worthless..." The phantom dissolved into itself, its face smeared with derision.
"Ryoko, what's wrong?"
There, a light! Hope... Ryoko staggered to the illuminated figure, her stomach 
heaving at the smell of blood.
'Help me... I..."
"What is it Ryoko?"
There stood Tenchi, his face mask-like and unemotional. 
"If I can do anything, let me know."
'Tenchi... what...' Ryoko tried to touch him, desperation plain on her face.
"Hey! Stop! I have to go Ryoko! Let me go!"
He was gone... just like that... gone. 
'He... left... me... '

Washu typed furiously at her holo computer. 
"This is impossible! Ryoko shouldn't be aware at all! I've managed to end 
whatever dreams she was having, but I still don't know what caused them... 
Hmmm..."
"What is it, Washu?" Tenchi stood next to her, trying very hard not to look at 
Ryoko's nude body.
"Well, there seems to be some kind of anomaly within her gem... it seems as 
though someone else's mental imprint was downloaded through that, causing her to 
experience one of their memories. I can only guess that whatever took over her 
body earlier today caused this. Who knows what she's just been through... After 
that initial prod, her mind must have cycled through all of her negative 
feelings and thoughts."
"Uh, Washu, could you say that in plain Japanese?" Tenchi looked rather 
flustered and confused. Washu rolled her eyes.
"Ryoko's just relived that thing's memories and a few of her own, making her 
very sad. The gem on her wrist let this thing get in her mind." Washu was not in 
the mood to play teacher, as much as she usually enjoyed it.
"Oh... will she be okay?"
Washu sighed, but didn't answer.
 	"It's all my fault..." Trunks squinted at Ryoko, his vision slightly 
blurred.
Washu had told him that he and Gohan would be recovered in a matter of hours. 
The truth was, Washu didn't know if they would ever be the same again, and now 
Ryoko was half dead because of mental feedback. Bulma was nowhere to be found, 
and Aeka had overused her Juraian shield. Aeka was lucky that she hadn't 
permanently damaged herself.
The group grew silent, each blaming themselves for what had just happened.
Bulma chose that very moment to saunter into Washu's lab. 

Bulma sat rocking little Trunks, slowly explaining all she had seen while inside 
the vessel. Washu took notes on her holo computer, occasionally squeaking in 
surprise. Trunks and Gohan had been helped to sit up, and those still able to 
move on their own had gathered around the two. After making sure future Trunks 
would live, Bulma told the group about the panels which allowed admittance to 
and from the ship. She explained that the hallways wound over and under each 
other in a labyrinth of white metal, and that the walls were like doorways. She 
then began to lay out her plan. After having left the small bedroom-like 
chamber, Bulma had found herself in what appeared to be a minor control room. 
Keying into the system, she had been able to access parts of the vessel's 
extensive library. There she had learned the basic workings of the ship and had 
discovered a few weaknesses.
"Well, the ship runs on this interdimensonal drive thing that lets it pass 
between lots of different dimensions. It sends ripples out in the dimensional 
loop thingy that all dimensions are in- at least that's what the computer said. 
That drive makes little holes and tears in space that the ship can go through. 
That's how we ended up here, and how we'll get home, too."
"Um, that's a good thing, right?" Tenchi scratched the back of his head and 
laughed nervously. He didn't want Bulma to think he was stupid, but he really 
had no idea what she was talking about.
"Yeah, it means we can go home- and we can destroy that thing, too."
"Hmmm... Interesting. So you found out all this on that thing's computer?" Washu 
asked.
"Oh, no! I came up with the plan on my own! I am the greatest technical genius 
ever, you know!" Bulma was teasing Washu.
Washu turned slightly red, then laughed somewhat nervously.
"But how is any of that stuff going to destroy the ship?" Tenchi asked.
"Well, if I can rig up something to bounce the same frequency that ship is using 
back to it, then that should cause an implosion. I just need some time."
"Well, it seems as if we have plenty of that. That thing just sits there." 
Trunks said in a hoarse voice.
"Yeah, it's not as if it's going anywhere anytime soon. I think it wants 
something here." Gohan sat on his bed, a worried Sasami fussing over him.
"But what could that be?" Tenchi looked at Bulma, expecting her to tell him, 
which irritated Washu immensely.
"Well, I don't really know..." Bulma giggled and tried to shrug, which was hard 
considering she was holding a very squirmy baby.
"So what happened after you looked at the computer?" Sasami stared wide-eyed at 
Bulma, always impressed by a good adventure story.
"Well, I pretty much just wandered around until I found another panel. It was 
weird, but nobody else seemed to be on the ship... except for this time when I 
heard a really loud scream. But, other than that there was no one, so I just 
walked until I found a way out."
"It sounds boring to me!" Tenchi laughed in his little frog-like voice, a slight 
blush on his cheeks.
"Yeah, it does!" Sasami joined Tenchi in laughter, causing the others to sweat 
drop.
"Um, yeah, I guess. But anyway! So that's the most direct way to do it. You guys 
couldn't come along, though. There's another way... but it would be too risky." 
Bulma scratched her ear in thought.
"What do you mean? A way we all could go?" Tenchi perked up. He was starting to 
really respect the others, and didn't want to lose their friendship so soon.
"Yeah, but... it would be too risky, when there's a much easier way to do it. I 
mean, it would be better, but I can't ask you guys to go into so much danger!"
"No, please tell us, Bulma! I'll miss Little Trunks and... and Gohan if you guys 
leave." Sasami blushed and twiddled her fingers, peeking at Gohan every so 
often.
"Bulma, if there's a way that we can all go together, I'll do whatever I can to 
help!" Gohan said, a slight blush also on his cheeks as he looked towards 
Sasami.
A very red-faced Washu sat in the corner typing, angry that Bulma was getting 
all the attention. 
'I'm the greatest scientific genius in the universe! They should be asking me 
all these questions!' Washu thought, she was getting very angry.
"Well, well! I think that Bulma and I should talk about some options, while you 
guys go get some rest! Don't worry! The greatest scientific genius in the 
universe is on the case!"
"Um, okay Washu, I guess it is pretty late, and we've all had a hard day." 
Tenchi stood up and stretched.
"Oh, and Tenchi? Could you take Aeka to her room, I think it would be better if 
she woke up there, okay?"
"Sure Washu."
Tenchi picked up the slumbering Aeka and left through the dimensional doorway.
"Sasami, you go to bed, too. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. As for you 
boys, you're stuck here until you regain some power! I just can't wait to start 
test- I mean observing you... He he he..."

Aeka sat in a small dark room. The walls were the living wood of a Jurai space 
tree, and the ceiling was a mass of dark green leaves. She sat on a jeweled 
chair, throne like but dainty. Her clothing was heavy and proper, weighing her 
down in odd places. 
"Where am I? Could I be dreaming? What is this place?"
"Welcome Lady Aeka... I've brought you here because I need your help." A tall, 
blue haired woman seemed to pull herself from the wood, as if she had been born 
of it.
"Tsunami, is that you?"
"Yes, I have something important to tell you. I can no longer hold back my power 
from Sasami. She needs my help, and I cannot ignore that any longer."
"What? Sasami? Is she in trouble? Send me to her! I can't let her get hurt!"
"No- no. Sasami is fine right now. She is sleeping next to you quite soundly at 
this very moment. I am just afraid that she will hurt herself next time..."
"Next time what, Lady Tsunami?"
"Today she almost left to help you at the dark ship. We were lucky that Washu 
was able to restrain her. But next time... We cannot be sure that she will not 
harm herself."
"I see. So what would you have me do?"
"I will give Sasami the ability to use two of the light hawk wings, something I 
had thought was dangerous for her small body to handle. There is no other 
choice, now... I would have you help her learn to use them, so that she will not 
harm herself..."
"I see... But I know little or nothing about handling the light hawk wings... 
What can I possibly do?"
"You will know... at the right time... you will know..."
The room faded, and Aeka slipped back into the darkness of her dreams.



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Thank you for reading this! I hope you like where I'm going with it. If you have 
any suggestions, comments, critisizms, or just plain flattery- then e-mail me or 
post a message on my message board. I'd really like it if you'd all visit my 
page at:
http://www.geocities.com/flobobs
You most likely won't be bored, and if you like my page well enough, perhaps you 
could submit some of your own work to it ^.^ !!!
I'm tired of finding stupid quotes that go along with what I'm writing so there 
won't be any more of those quotes of the day thingies. He he, I doubt anyone 
will miss em!

Contact me at: j_delight@hotmail.com