Andrew "Claudius" McCormick (anmcco43@hotmail.com)
The Prince and the Sorceress- Part V: "No Need for a Darkchylde"
Multi-part X-Over
The turning point of the Tenchi Muyo/New Mutants Crossover

	Sorry if this took too long. I've got a senior thesis to work on. Anyway,
I do not own the copyright to either Tenchi Muyo or the New Mutants.
================================================================================
	       Dani/ Psyche     Sam/ Cannonball    Roberto/ Sunspot 
	Rahne/ Wolfsbane   Amara/ Magma     Illyana/ Magik     Doug/ Cypher 
================================================================================
	There was something Illyana dreaded as much as the evil within her. It
was the fear that that evil would infect people she cared about. People she 
loved. That vision of Tenchi showed that fear in all its intensity.
	"NO!"
	Her scream broke Psyche's concentration, banishing the final apparation. 
That was a relief to everyone. Illyana then ran out of the room. Tenchi went 
after her.
	"Tenchi, wait!" cried Sasami. With concern, the little Princess ran
from the comfort of her sister's embrace toward the door. Ayeka followed; 
there was going to be a reckoning, thought the older Princess. She was 
right to be suspicious of Illyana from the start.
===	
	"Come back!" cried Tenchi. He knew there had to be a reason for those 
images, and Illyana had the answer.
	Illyana skipped down the stairs. She knew Tenchi was right on her 
trail, but that wouldn't do; she had to run away...from him.
	Suddenly, she remembered her powers. At the bottom step, Illyana called 
upon a stepping disc. Tenchi saw this from the top step. Using all the training 
he learned from his Grandfather, the boy jumped off the stairs, throwing his 
body into the portal. 
	"No!" cried Illyana as she saw Tenchi join her.
	He was through the portal seconds before it vanished.
	Ayeka and Sasami had by now made their appearance, seeing none of the 
incident. Their instant deduction was that Tenchi and Illyana had run out the 
door.
===
	Psyche sat pondering in the room. Once again she was given signs of 
warning from the future. What was its meaning, she asked to herself, and what 
did Tenchi have to do with it? Why do these things happen to her? If only 
the Professor was here. 
	Dani realized this was no time to feel sorry for herself. With the 
future massacre evident, Illyana's runaway would jeopradize everything. Using 
her cane, the Indian slowly got to her feet. Since she herself was in no 
condition to scamper off with the Princesses, the best thing to do was to try 
to contact Rahne. Here's hoping Illyana hadn't 'ported to Li- 
	Somebody headlocked Psyche. As she realized what was happening, the 
captor spoke in a cold masculine voice.
	"Though I find this manner a bit below myself, it is effective."
	"We'll see about that!" cried Dani. With all her strength, the mutant 
used her opponent's weight to her advantage. She threw him over her back into
a corner. The effort forced Dani to her knees, where she got to see her 
opponent's identity.
	"Ryoko!"
	The pirate rose before her, glaring with murderous eyes. Well, 
Dani thought, she was right about an inside job. Too late to find out why. 
She had to get out of there. The Indian tried to stand up, only to find her 
legs fail her. 
	Of all the times for them to go out, screamed Dani in her mind. 
She had barely survived a violent encounter with the Demon Bear, and it was 
only through the power of the Morlock Healer that saved Dani from being 
crippled for life. Her legs hadn't completely healed, and the strain of 
flipping Ryoko stunned them. 
	"Nice manuever..." said Ryoko, walking toward Dani. "For a child."
	Survival was definitely first in the mutant's mind. Physically, she 
was no match for Ryoko, but there were other tactics. Thinking carefully, 
Psyche showed Ryoko an image of what she feared most. The Indian was 
confused by the illusion: it took the form of Tenchi, dressed in some shiny 
garment, brandishing a sword. 
	But at least it worked, the image's false realism forced fear 
in Ryoko's face, causing a slow retreat. HE would not face him in that form,
thought the pirate. Not yet. 
	This was Dani's moment. Feeling her legs again, the girl stood up 
with a strain. Slowly she limped out the door. Which way should she go? Being 
here only once, Psyche had no clue on which hallway led to the stairs. Losing 
balance, the Indian fell against a door facing the Princesses' room. Her 
pressure forced the door to slide open. Looking inside, she glimpsed a body. 
Getting closer, Dani saw it was Nobiyuki. 
	From the looks of it, he was out cold. That certainly made things 
worse, decided Dani. She was not in any strength to take the unconscious 
with her. That illusion wasn't going to last long, but she just couldn't 
abandon Tenchi's dad to Ryoko.
	She had no choice but to stand her ground. Make a defense, though 
not a good one. She had the blood of her Cheyenne people. Dani decided to 
honor her heritage.
	And hope Rahne is making contact.   
===
	He was back HERE again.
	Tenchi wandered through the dark. He had returned to Limbo. In a 
second view it looked worse than the last time. Before it was spooky but 
with a sense of dazzlement. Now the dazzle was gone, its lack emphasizing the 
realm's more serious elements: dark, barren, and definitely scary. Tenchi 
couldn't believe that he never noticed these details before.
	It gave him all the more reason to think about its ruler. It is said
that one knows a person by its habitat. Tenchi wondered if this was true about 
Illyana. That apparition from Dani was horrible; the image of Illyana was 
beastly, without any heart or feeling. It resembled that side of her Tenchi 
saw on his last trip here. At first willing to learn the truth, fear was 
whittling down his determination. 
	Dani's last vision was a testament to that growing fear. Tenchi 
pondered its significance, not at all cheery about it. That third demonic 
figure looked just like him! What did it mean? Would he become a monster? 
This idea gave a greater understanding to what the mutants had told him 
about people hating his kind. Could his own normal classmates think that 
of him if they knew? What about those who did know, like Dad? 
	Then came an even more frightening idea: could HE have murdered his 
family in that form? 
	NO! Don't think of it, Tenchi thought to himself. He couldn't be. 
Never. There must be a better answer, and Illyana had the key to discover it. 
	Only problem was, where is Illyana? When Tenchi fell through that 
portal, the impact of hitting the ground had knocked him cold. Tenchi had 
no clue how long he was unconscious, but when he awoke, he was alone. He 
had to find Illyana. He needed her.
	Once again did a girl become a part of his world. In his early life, 
Tenchi's contact with the opposite sex was pretty distant after his mother 
died. Then he suddenly got close to all these girls from outer space: Ryoko, 
Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Washu. Now Illyana joined the list. The Sorceress 
had become as close a friend to Tenchi as the Princess and the Pirate.   
	But she was just a friend, reminded Tenchi. He was only a teenager; 
too young to consider that kind of a relationship. However, how could he 
explain the things he did for Ayeka and Ryoko? He rescued Ryoko from Kagato, 
literally putting his life on the line. Could he have done that just for 
friendship, or was there more to it? And if there was, why has he never 
displayed it? Tenchi had never responded to Ayeka and Ryoko's feelings for 
him. Was this because he really had no deep feelings to disclose, or was 
there some restraint that kept him from showing it?
	Enough of this, Tenchi gathered to himself. There was no time examining
any unsure thoughts at this moment. He was sure of this though: Illyana was 
his friend. How deep that bond was he didn't really know, but she stood by him 
before, and he was certainly going to return the favor. 
	Suddenly, a step caused a reaction that glowed before him. It was 
another one of those portals Illyana seemed to create. Only this time, the 
teleporter was absent. As usual, it was too late for Tenchi to get off these 
things, so he might as well accept the trip; it may lead him to Illyana.
	The disc raised itself over the boy. Once it passed his head, Tenchi 
found himself in a different place. The walls were shaped with irregularly 
formed pillars and ribs; almost like he was inside a skeleton. Shadows 
decorated everything with its black colors.
	Voices were heard. Tenchi found it came from an opening at the end of 
the cavern. Walking ever closer, Tenchi overheard words being spoken. Sounded
like English. It was a good thing the Professor gave him that mental lesson 
on the language. 
	Moving closer to the opening, the sentences became more decipherable. 
One sounded like "-bey me, thing els, half eniority."* Reaching the end, 
Tenchi looked through the opening to see who the company was.
	Looking around, he saw a large hallway. A throne was on one part, a 
large crystal in another. The inhabitants were huddled together in a group. 
Though from afar, Tenchi recognized the people from the photo Illyana showed 
him. It was the X-Men! There was the white haired black woman, holding up 
an amulet with devotion. There was the blue-skinned elf and the short and dark 
guy. There was also a girl about Illyana's age, wearing a school uniform, and 
trying very hard to be brave. Beside her was a huge man clad in metal. Though 
this person's back was in his view, Tenchi guessed that this might be Illyana's 
brother. When this person turned around, he revealed a little blond girl in 
his arms. Who she was Tenchi did not know.
	"Guys, will it help if I chant 'There's no place like home'?"* said 
the girl.
	"Ha-flamin'-ha, Kiddo. Here we go."* said the short person grimly. At 
that moment a bright disc developed underneath them. Unlike the other portals, 
this one grew larger, covering up the entire group in light, its brightness 
causing them to become less visible.
	And then Tenchi saw the devil. It appeared before the glowing X-Men.
He had horns, evil eyes, red skin, all the usual descriptions. The boy also 
noticed something familiar in that devil's features; the shadow from the fire 
pillar in Dani's mirage had a similarly shaped head. Even more disturbing 
was that those images of Illyana and himself resembled the devil's face!
	Tenchi saw the devil throw his arm into the light of the portal. 
He pulled the little girl halfway out of it. From the light, a name was 
called out: 
	"Illyana!"
	Tenchi didn't know what to make of this. That girl was Illyana? But 
she was younger than Sasami! As he tried to think of this further, his 
attention was taken with the ghastly sight of that devil grabbing the girl. 
After a moment, the demon succeded in pulling the child free from the light.
A second later, the portal instantly vanished, leaving no trace of the X-Men 
(though this revealed to Tenchi an old woman in the background). The devil 
then ran away with his new captive.
	Tenchi couldn't stay in his place any longer. He must save that girl. 
With determination, he started to run out of his hiding place. Suddenly, a 
flash of light appeared under Tenchi's feet.
	Not this time! Tenchi had crossed another stepping disc. It was 
too late to get out, but he had to rescue the girl! Before the portal was 
halfway through, Tenchi could see the devil head into the darkness. To his
dismay, he saw the frightened girl pathetically let out her hand for assistance 
before the shadows engulfed her.  
	As the portal swallowed him up, Tenchi heard the girl scream; he would 
never forget it as long as he lived. As the disc vanished, Tenchi cowered to 
the floor of his new location. 
	"NO!" the boy yelled in anger, slamming his fist on the floor. He had 
failed.
	Looking up reluctantly, Tenchi saw that he was in the very same hall 
as before. This time, however, there was only one other inhabitant. On the 
throne was someone. The shadows were decorating the occupant, shielded from 
a clear perspective by Tenchi.
	Tenchi stood up, his face filled with confusion and grief. Words
came stuttering out of his mouth. 
	"W-who a-are you...Illyana?" 
	The enthroned figure spoke in a voice devoid of warmth.
	"I have a story to tell you, Tenchi."
===
	The New Mutants were starting to settle down. According to Rahne, the 
scream had been only a false alarm. All was tranquil...
	Until Rahne screamed, standing up straight. It woke everybody, each 
asking what was the matter. Rahne didn't answer; she had quickly felt a brief 
burst of pain, and then nothing more. She was in human form, and yet she felt 
it. It was a sign. Dani!
	Frantically, the girl leapt into the forest, her running form changing 
into a racing wolf. Sam called out for her to stop, but in vain. Though he was 
confused, the boy quickly realized the reason.
	"Warlock!"
===
	Aboard Azaka, Ayeka searched the woods for Tenchi and Illyana. Kamidake 
followed with Sasami and Ryo-okhi on board. Illyana may have been a teleporter, 
thought the Princess, but there was nowhere that demon could hide from her 
wrath. She was evil, and was planning to have Tenchi join her, or so she 
imagined. To think she almost thought of Illyana as a friend.
	Suddenly, an object burst from the forest like a rocket. It flew in 
great speed, spouting smoke from its end. It then blasted past the entourage
as quickly as it appeared. 
	"Sister," cried Sasami, "Wasn't that Sam?"
	"I think," said Ayeka in a puzzled tone. From what she knew, all the 
guests had powers. Chances were those other mutants were close by. As if she 
were psychic, a huge shape came out of the forest. It looked like a glowing flat 
animal gliding in the air. In its arms were Amara and those two other boys.
	"Halt, in the name of Jurai!" cried Azaka. The declaration reached the 
creature's notice. It hovered toward the entourage.
	"Princess!" cried Amara. "What are you doing here?"
	"Where is Illyana!?" shouted Ayeka with fury. "What has she done to my 
Tenchi?!"
	"We have not seen either of them." cried Amara. 
	"Chances are they may be at the house," hurried Roberto. "We have to 
get there!"
      	"Fly us there, 'Locke!" said Doug.
	"Who's 'Locke'?" said Ayeka. Before an answer could be made, the giant
shape flew past her party, heading for the house.
	"Something must have happened at home!" shouted Sasami. Ayeka realized 
she might have made a horrible mistake.
	"Guardians!" she ordered. "To the house!" With that, the party turned 
around, closely following the mutants.    
===	
	Tenchi finally learned the truth. He wished he hadn't.
	The devil he saw was Limbo's former ruler, a demon wizard named Belasco. 
When Illyana was a little girl, Belasco kidnapped her to this dimension. The 
X-Men followed and rescued her. But as Tenchi had just seen, although the group 
made an escape, Illyana was recaptured. 
	It got worse. Seems Belasco was planning to conquer Earth. He saw 
Illyana as the means to that goal. The demon taught the little girl the black 
arts of magic, corrupting her soul to evil. 
	"He did...horrible things," related Illyana, her voice showing an 
emotion that broke from the cold manner she had been telling the story. "I
did...bad things...and part of me LOVED it. You have no idea how terrible my 
childhood was."
	Tenchi could relate. He was probably Illyana's age when his own 
childhood took a tragic turn. "How...did you escape?" he meekly asked.
	"Eventually, I had had enough. With my rage I projected all my dark 
magiks and forged a soulsword." This weapon appeared before Illyana. Although 
the sword glowed, its light did not reveal anything more of the girl in the 
shadows. 
	"I fought Belasco in a duel and defeated him. I could have killed him, 
Tenchi, but I was merciful; I spared the demon's life and banished him from 
Limbo. I was now its new ruler, but I missed my home. So I returned...seven 
years older."
	"But that picture you showed me," said Tenchi. "The X-Men I saw here 
in Limbo hardly looked any younger than they did in that photo."
	"Time has no meaning in Limbo." answered Illyana coldly. "While I spent
seven years here, only a few seconds had passed on Earth. It must have been
a shock for my brother and friends. A little girl one moment, a teenager next."
	That sentence appeared to be a joke. The person who said it wasn't 
joking. 
	"So I stayed at the school, joining the New Mutants, fighting alongside 
them. I thought that by doing some good I could forsake my evil legacy. Now I see 
what a sick joke that was."
	"Now wait a minute, Illyana!" cried Tenchi with courage. "You comforted 
me in my grief, promising me aid. WAS THAT ALL A JOKE!?"
	"No..." spoke Illyana. "I thought I could help. Maybe I still can...if 
that image of you has any meaning."
	"No, that can't be-"
	"DON'T FUCK WITH ME, BOY!" roared Illyana. She broke from the shadows, 
revealing her ghastly appearance. Her face was cold and haggard, with glowing 
red eyes and fangs. Two large horns were affixed to her forehead. Her chest 
and left arm were covered with armor. That pretty much was the clothing, 
except for a drape worn from the waist down. It hardly hid her legs, if one 
could call them that: Hairy and twisted, with hooves instead of feet. She 
also had a tail. By sheer horror, this definitely topped all the earlier 
incarnations Tenchi had seen.
	"Like what you see, Tenchi?" grinned Illyana. "I am the Darkchylde! 
Created to bring Earth to its final damnation!...and you to yours!" 
	Despite the evil face, Illyana was full of sorrow. She never wanted to
hurt Tenchi. She never wanted the boy to see her like this! But now things had 
gotten out of hand; she had to save him.
	Illyana then raised her sword arm, holding the blade aggressively.
	"Y-you're going to kill me?" stuttered Tenchi with fear.
	"I WANT TO!" yelled Illyana like a madwoman. "Better you dead than 
becoming a monster like me!"
	This sight should have broken Tenchi's mind. In fact, the events from
the last few months were enough to destroy anybody's sound mind. However, 
either due to dumb luck or some strong alloy in the Masaki brain tissue, 
Tenchi's sanity refused to snap. Too much depended on him to crack up now. 
Sure, he was scared, but he believed that beneath that demon was someone who 
cared about him, as he cared about her.
	 "I-I don't believe this is really you!" he shouted. "B-but if you 
think killing me is the right thing to do, then I won't stop you!"
	Illyana raised the soulsword higher, ready to strike.
	Tenchi closed his eyes. "But promise me you will do whatever you can 
to save my family!"
	The Darkchylde screamed. The soulsword fell with unrestrained force. 
However, if one foresaw a slaying, there was going to be disappointment. 
Instead of a corpse stood a living Tenchi. The blade was above his head, a 
few inches away from contact. 
	The wielder then turned away. 
	"I'll never forgive you for this," Illyana grimly said. In a flash,  
her appearance changed from demonic to normal.
	"Thank you," Tenchi slowly smiled. He then held out his hand to her.
	Illyana paused grimly at this token. She cursed Tenchi. The jerk now
knew her secrets. The fool talked her out of 'saving' him. But most of all, 
Illyana cursed the boy for facing THAT side of her, and still asking her for 
help. That action removed all the doubts she desperately tried to believe. 
	Whatever the future, she now loved Tenchi with all her heart. 
	With a smile, Illyana grabbed Tenchi's hand. With a wave of her other 
arm, a stepping disc appeared...
===
	The duo reappeared in the living room. It was dark and empty. Tenchi 
asked Illyana if any time passed in their absence.
	"Don't worry, Tenchi," calmly toned Illyana. "We've probably 
been gone for a few minutes."
	Tenchi noticed that they were the only two people present. "They must 
be outside looking for us."
	"I hope my little episode didn't ruin things," said Illyana. As if to 
coincide with this remark, Ryoko came into view on the stairs.
	"Ryoko!" Tenchi cried with relief. He started up the steps. "You're 
all right!"
	"I got better." spoke Ryoko in a masculine tone. Tenchi stopped, a cold 
chill creeping on him. He knew THAT VOICE. He suddenly remembered Dani's visions 
of the spiky-head shadow and the silhouette with the circular eyes. The answers 
had come together. 
	"So you recognize me, boy!" grinned Ryoko. "So much the better."
	Illyana charged passed Tenchi. "Stay back, my love!" she cried out 
without thinking. Conjuring up her soulsword, Magik swung it through the pirate. 
Ryoko paused, then batted Magik with one swing of 'her' arm. The force threw the 
girl off the stairs, sending her crashing to the dining table.
	"Illyana!" cried Tenchi as he saw the girl lying there. Facing Ryoko 
again, Tenchi was ready to fight.
	"Damn you! Let Ryoko go!"
	"Affectionate with this useless mass?" Ryoko calmly smiled, pointing to 
'herself'. "That of course would mean you wouldn't want to harm HER, correct?"
	Tenchi stood still. His stern posture shrinking.
	"Correct?" demanded Ryoko.
	Tenchi backed away. No, he couldn't hurt Ryoko. He got off the stairs 
to his fallen friend. Thankfully, Illyana slowly rose from the wreckage. She had 
armor on her back. 
	"Illyana, are you all right?"
	"Yes," moaned Illyana. Her armor took most of the impact. Unfortunately 
that wouldn't stop Ryoko, who was now levitating with a glowing sword. With
a cry, the pirate swooped down for the kill.
	A door opened. From it, a human comet rushed forward, smashing the 
pirate against the wall. The comet then landed before Tenchi and Illyana, who 
instantly recognized it as Sam in a school uniform. 
	"Y'all right?" shouted Sam in seriousness.
	"A bit shaken," said Illyana as she rose to her feet. "But OK."
	"B'fore anything else happens," commanded Cannonball, "'port us 
outside."  
	"But what about-" 
	"Now!" Sam shouted. Ryoko was getting to 'her' feet. Following orders,
Magik called a disc, transporting the three outside, near the pond.
	"Now wait here for the others." said Cannonball. Sure enough, Tenchi
could see a group approaching from afar.
	"Hey fearless leader," snapped Illyana. "Dani's still in there!"
	Oh, man! Cannonball realized his blunder. Dani was the reason he came 
to the house in the first place. He arrived in time to rescue his friends, only 
to completely ignore Dani in all the excitement. As deputy leader, he blew it
by not being on guard for any messages from Rahne. Now in trying to make things
up he screwed up again. The mutant knew that the next thing to do was to fly 
back to the house and rescue Psyche. 
	Instantly he jumped into the air, his lower body exploding like the 
ignition of a rocket. Flying, Sam saw the front of the house erupt with fire. 
Out came Ryoko flying at him in the opposing direction. Cannonball refused 
to buckle. He was about to make contact when Ryoko vanished. Before Sam could 
understand this, he felt a great force hit his back. It didn't hurt, but the 
sheer impact broke his concentration, ending his flight and throwing him to 
the ground. Then a hand grabbed his collar. It pulled Sam up so he could face 
who the hand belonged to. Smiling, the pirate threw a fist that sent the mutant 
a distance away.
	Before Ryoko could try anything aggressive, 'she' was rammed in the 
back by a tree, getting entangled in its branches. The other end of the tree 
was held by a humanoid in black, with energy crackling around him.
	"I have you, milady!" greeted Sunspot to his beautiful captive. The 
latter smiled at this. Suddenly Sunspot felt the tree start to shake; before
him the branches went flying. Then the tree came ripping apart, with Ryoko 
coming through it like a peg.
	"Blessed Madonna!" Sunspot was unready for this suprise. Ryoko grabbed 
him by the shirt. The lad threw a fist, but the pirate gently catched it. 'She' 
started to crush it. Sunspot felt himself weakening; his powers, dependent on 
sunlight, were fading.
	"It was through luck that you managed to catch me by suprise, boy." 
spoke Ryoko with murder in 'her' eyes. Hearing sounds, 'she' turned to see the 
rocketeer flying straight ahead.
	"Let my pal go!" charged Cannonball.
	Ryoko threw Sunspot at Cannonball. The two mutants hit each other with 
great impact, both falling to the ground. Sam chose to stop blasting seconds
before collision so he wouldn't injure his friend; his decision knocked them 
both out.
	Ryoko conjured 'her' blade. She flew to the body pile, ready for the 
kill. A sword then nicked the pirate's side, stopping 'her'. Turning around, 
'she' looked at her new opponent. It was Tenchi.
	"I'm sorry about this," shouted Tenchi, his own sword flashing. "But 
I can't let you hurt my friends." The pirate appeared scared but reacted
nonetheless. 'She' thrust 'her' blade, parrying with the boy's. 
	"Tenchi, look out!" cried Magik from afar. She thought the boy looked 
cool, fighting bravely and all, but he needed help. If only her sorcery could 
work on Earth!
	The two held their own, waiting for an advantage, with one hoping 
reluctantly. Tenchi wished not to attack before, but the situation was now 
going out of control. The boy thought he was dead, but the villain had 
returned like a ghost to haunt him.
	Suddenly, Ryoko retreated screaming. Now was the time to stop HIM, 
thought Tenchi. His sword raised, the boy charged. He would cut off Ryoko's 
hand as before, neutralizing 'her' power. His sword was ready to hit when 
the pirate's wails changed to a more feminine sound. Tenchi paused the attack. 
Ryoko cried out:
	"Tenchi...Run!"
	Tenchi backed away. It was Ryoko's voice! She had regained control, 
albiet temporarily. He had not the heart to fight her now.
	"Fight him Ryoko!" he advised. At first it looked like his advice was 
taking effect, as Ryoko was wiggling and twitching. But once 'her' head faced 
Tenchi, that hope was gone. Breathing heavily but with eyes once more resolute, 
Ryoko raised 'her' arm, ready to fire. Tenchi was unready for this tactic, 
unable to escape-
	Suddenly, a geyser of lava erupted under the space pirate, covering 
'her' totally in fire. Tenchi didn't know what to make of this, but an answer
came when he saw little logs surrounding him. To his right, he saw Azaka and 
Kamidake lifting up Roberto and Sam. It had to be Ayeka. She was projecting 
a shield around him while transmitting a field through the Guardians. Tenchi 
looked around. To the left he spotted Ayeka and an unrecognizable glowing 
girl. 
	"Stop it!" cried Tenchi to them. "You might kill her!"
	He was wrong. Ryoko came out of the lava, smoking and charred, but 
none the worse. 'She' fired at the Princess. Naturally, Ayeka put up a 
shield, but the effort of stretching out her power in so many positions 
weakened this personal defense. The force of the blast threw Ayeka and the 
girl back. Instantly, Tenchi saw both the geyser and his own field disappear. 
Then he saw Ryoko's fist...
===
	There was fire, but that did not stop her. Furiously, the wolf 
charged up the steps, the friend's scent her guidance. In moments she 
scampered through hallways and corners, until the sight of Danielle Moonstar 
was seen. Morphing to a lupine, Wolfsbane studied her friend physically. 
Except for some bruises, there was no real injury.
	The environment was full of scents. One led her to the unconscious 
Nobiyuki, lying nearby. It was also through smell that enabled Wolfsbane to 
almost recognize the one who attacked her friend. That is, it was Ryoko, but 
some alien scent was also apparent.
	The smoke was coming to the area. Rescue was in order, thought the 
wolf-girl. Then revenge.   
===
	Ryoko was above the air, holding Tenchi's neck. His head and side 
hurting, his consciousness failing, the boy was unable to make a defense. 
Still, he was able to feel himself fall when Ryoko let go. Before he hit
the ground, Tenchi stopped. He saw a metal tentacle around him, gently 
elevating him down. He looked up, viewing more tentacles wrapping around 
the pirate, bounding 'her'. A familiar head popped beside Ryoko.
	"Self- WILL- not- PERMIT- harm- TO- selfFRIEND!" cried Warlock. 
Tenchi heard this. As the boy touched the ground, the tentacle released him. 
A bit overwhelmed, Tenchi almost dropped to the ground when Illyana grabbed 
him as support. She enjoyed the intimacy. If only the situation...
	"Get your hands off Tenchi!" screamed Ayeka. She came out of nowhere 
with Amara, followed by Cypher and Sasami. Like a possessed woman, the 
Princess flung herself between the boy and the girl. "Oh, Lord Tenchi," 
she softly purred, giving Illyana the cold shoulder. Although pissed, the 
latter said nothing.	
	They watched as Warlock landed like a helicopter with his/its 
captive. "Self- WILL- stop- YOU!" corresponded the techno-being to Ryoko. His 
circuits started glowing. Like water filling a maze, this circuitry spread 
veins onto the pirate.
	"'Locke don't!" cried Cypher.
	"What's happening?" asked Tenchi.
	"Locke's gonna put a transmode virus on her," shouted Cypher, without 
even looking at Tenchi. "It'll turn her into a techno-being."
	Tenchi was horrified at the idea of Ryoko looking like that monster. 
The group ran to the scene. Meanwhile, the transmode veins on Ryoko glowed 
brighter. Suddenly, the lights started reversing themselves, going back 
to Warlock's tentacles. As his/its arms glowed brighter and brighter, Tenchi 
and Cypher saw Warlock's face going into a spaz.
	"ALARM!- RECEIVING- energy. OVER- load! DANG-"	
	The arms blew up. The aftershock threw everybody to the ground. A bit
winded, Cypher saw smoke where his friend was. Screaming out Warlock's name, 
he would have run to the scene if Tenchi hadn't restrained him.
	"Let me go!" Cypher yelled, trying to free himself. Tenchi now 
realized how close Doug was to that creature...who just saved his life.
	When the smoke cleared, they saw Ryoko standing, picking off the 
circuitry on 'her.' Warlock, however, lay on the ground, his/its broken arms 
wiggling and smoking like torches.
	"CHAOSbringer- rEsIsTaNCE- to- TRansMODE," pathetically squeaked the 
techno-being. "MAjor- ShoRT- cIRCuit. MInute- TO- ADapt- DaMAGE."
	"That's too bad," smirked Ryoko, placing 'her' hand on Warlock's head. 
"Somehow you escaped your Magus' vendetta. Might as well do the job for-"
	"LEAVE HIM ALONE, YE ACCURSED SLUT!" growled Wolfsbane, throwing 
her claws on the pirate's face. She had carried both Dani and Nobiyuki 
out to safety; the explosion forced her to come to Warlock's aid. Now
it was her turn to cause pain, hungered the wolf. She jumped on the pirate, 
wildly slashing at 'her'. The struggle forced the two away from Warlock.
	Tenchi witnessed this. Where did the animal come from? Looking 
closer he saw it had the form of a man. Then it changed to a complete wolf. 
The final version bit its long mouth into Ryoko's arm.
	"This is becoming a nuisance!" said an impatient Ryoko. 'She' threw 
'her' wolf-mouthed arm all the way, then yanked it back. This thrust Wolfsbane 
a few feet away, making not the smoothest of landings. 
	Illyana saw what might happen next. She called out Magma's name, but 
a large sound drowned out any further commands. What was that sound!
	Tenchi, Ayeka, and Sasami looked up. Ryoko too stood still and watched.
Cypher, Magik, and Magma glanced upward as well. Something was falling from the 
sky!
	She's back, thought Ayeka. She threw up a shield around the group. 
	Suddenly, the object fell into the lake. This made the waters attack 
in a two-way assualt: one in the form of rain, the other a huge tital wave.
Although Ryoko stood like a rock against the onslaught, the rushing waves 
threw Wolfsbane and Warlock away. His/its power restored, Warlock morphed 
into a boat with an arm that pulled the unconscious Rahne to his/its form. 
Luckily, the currents sent the two toward the group. The Guardians and their 
cargo joined them as well.
	When both assaults subsided, Ayeka removed her field.
	"What was that?!" said Magik.
	Someone teleported between the two parties. It was a blonde woman 
in a suit dripping wet.
	"Mihoshi!" cried Tenchi.
	"I'm weettt!" the officer whined. Her ship was wrecked too. Washu would
have to make her a new one. Maybe Ryoko knew where she was?
	The gang saw her walk to the pirate. They screamed at her to watch out.
It was too late: Ryoko's blade passed through Mihoshi.
	That is, the blade passed between Mihoshi's arm and side. Wanting to
know what Tenchi and Ayeka were saying, Mihoshi turned away from an attacking
Ryoko. This last-minute manuever positioned her safely from immediate danger. 
	"What was that, Tenchi?" innocently cried Mihoshi.
	Warlock saw the danger Tenchi's friend was in. Instantly, he/it let
out an arm that wrapped and pulled the police officer to the group. 
	"Magma!" screamed Illyana.
	"I know what to do." predicted Magma. Her body glowing, the mutant
created a volcano near Ryoko, encasing 'her' in lava that cooled into rock.
	"That will not hold her for long." Magma warned. Magik followed her 
lead accordingly. With both leaders out, the team could not win by fighting 
Ryoko one to one. With everyone together, Magik called forth a large stepping 
disc. 
	Meanwhile, the cage started to crack...the disc engulfed Tenchi, Cypher, 
the Princesses, Ryo-ohki, Magik, and Magma...Ryoko's arm broke through...the 
Guardians, Sunspot, Cannonball, Warlock, Wolfsbane, and Mihoshi were engulfed...
Ryoko was halfway out of 'her' prison...the stepping disc was moving slowly; 
Magik had never teleported this many people...Ryoko elevated out of the cage, 
flying for attack...The stepping disc was at everybody's heads...Ryoko conjured 
'her' blade. But the disc had by now completely swallowed up everybody, fading 
away before the pirate could even touch. 
	The pirate stopped at this sudden disappearance. They must have vanished 
in some portal, Ryoko concluded. Looked like there was no way to follow. Still, 
something had caught 'her' sight. Insurance.   	 
================================================================================
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT TIME: Professor X returns!
* Dialogue and incident by Chris Claremont in UNCANNY X-MEN #160.