Tenchi Muyo:

No Need For Magic Girls

4-Sep-02

    I had been reading a number of Tenchi fanfics when I started the thought process on this one. I already choose the characters and the basic plot, but I still needed a bad guy. I didn't want to recycle my robots or badguys. I got a start and was still pretty much stuck. Then the answer came to me from an unusual source: Rurouni Kenshin. I just got the first disk of Season 4. In it was a female badguy whose voice sounded familiar. I couldn't place it it until I watched the credits. It listed Chisa Yokoyama as the voice. Then came to me, read on to find out.

    Now for the legal junk. All borrowed characters copyright their original owners. All original characters copyright me, Joe Pullin. This fanfic may be posted on other sites in whole only. This fanfic may also be MySTed in part or whole. Tell me about it and I might post it on my site.

AEKA: “There you are, Ryouko, trying to get out of helping out around here, as usual.”

RYOUKO: “Leave me alone, Aeka, I’m tired.”

AEKA: “Come down out of those cross beams and do the laundry.”

RYOUKO: “Alright, alright, only if it gets you off my back.”

Ryouko just laid up there for several moments, looked from side to side and then jumped off and landed deftly on her feet. Aeka handed her a basket of laundry and walked away. Ryouko made a face because of the smell. She then stood there for a second, looked around some more and walked to the back of the house where the washing machine was kept. She set the basket down and picked up the soap and poured too much in. She looked at the instructions on the box.

RYOUKO Thinking: “Let’s see, I have to let the soap dissolve before I put the clothes in.”

            That evening, as everybody was sitting down to eat super, Sasami was the first to notice.

SASAMI: “Where’s Ryouko?”

TENCHI: “I haven’t seen her all day.”

AEKA: “I sent her to do the laundry hours ago.”

WASHU thinking out loud: “That’s not like her.”

TENCHI: “Not like Ryouko to miss a meal.”

WASHU: “Actually, It’s not like her to do what Aeka tells her to do.”

Everybody else does a simultaneous face fault on the dinner table. Tenchi stands up.

TENCHI: “I’ll go look for her.”

AEKA: “Don’t concern yourself with that animal woman. She probably snuck out to get some sake.”

TENCHI: “She doesn’t have any money.”

AEKA: “Since when has that stopped her before?”

TENCHI: “I guess you’re right.”

            As Tenchi started to sit back down, he noticed Ryo-ouki by his feet. She grabbed the cuff of his pants leg with her teeth and tugs on it. Tenchi being slightly clueless just stared at her. Ryo-ouki hopped down the hall, and then hopped back to Tenchi. She once again grabbed Tenchi’s pants leg and dragged him down the hall. Everybody looked back and forth at each other for a while. Then they got up to see what happened. Before they even get to the hallway, Ryo-ouki reappeared in her girl form arms outstretched trying to block the way.

SASAMI: “What’s the matter, Ryo-chan?”

            All she got was a stern resolute look.

            Tenchi sat up holding a tender spot on his head where it bounced off the floor. He was outside the house. It is now getting quite dark. He stood up and dusted himself off. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the shadowed form of Ryouko. She was standing in front of the washing machine, the lid is open and the basket of dirty laundry is still sitting by her feet.

TENCHI: “Ryouko?”

            Ryouko flinched, picked up the basket and dumped it in the washer. She closed the lid starting the cycle. She turned around and saw Tenchi.

RYOUKO: “TENCHI! How sweet of you to help me with all this work.”

            She stood there; a concerned look crossed her face. She shrugged her shoulders and ran over to Tenchi hugging up to him.

TENCHI: “Knock it off, Ryouko! I came to get you for dinner.”

            Ryouko looked surprised.

RYOUKO: “Dinner? It’s only…”

            She looked around and saw that the sun had gone down. She handed the basket to Tenchi.

RYOUKO: “Be a dear and finish this for me, I’m worn out.”

            She walked back into the house leaving Tenchi with a giant question mark hanging over his head.

            At the dinner table, everybody’s head turned when Ryouko came back in. She gently pushed Ryo-ouki aside and walked until she was underneath the ceiling beam she usually sleeps on. She looked up at it for awhile. Then went over to the couch and laid down on it. As soon as her head touched the arm rest, she was knocked out.

            Ryo-ouki morphed back into her cabbit form and hopped over to Ryouko. She jumped up on the couch and stared forlornly at Ryouko. Washu got up from the table and also went over to Ryouko. She rubbed Ryouko’s shoulder and got no response. Washu then picked up Ryouko and carried her into her lab.

            When Tenchi got back, he only saw Sasami and Aeka eating quietly.

*

1-Sep-02

            The next afternoon, Aeka answered a knock at the front door.

AEKA: “FUNAHOU! What are you doing here? If you’re here, then…”

            Funahou slightly shook her head no.

FUNAHOU: “I was hoping, but I knew she wasn’t here.”

AEKA: “You mean Misaki?”

FUNAHOU: “Is there a place we can talk privately?”

AEKA: “Let me tell Sasami where…”

            Funahou grabs Aeka’s hand and again shakes her head no. Aeka took the hint and lead her other ‘mother’ away from the house and up the stairway to the shrine. Halfway up the stairs is a resting spot, they stopped there.

AEKA: “Something’s wrong, isn’t there?”

FUNAHOU: “I’m sorry, Aeka, but your mother has disappeared. She went on trading mission in a nearby system and decided to stop by and see you. That was the last transmission we received. Her ship never made it to its destination. I had this feeling that she wasn’t here, but I had to see for myself.”

            As Funahou talked, she noticed Aeka’s expression go from shocked, to concern, and then to sadness. She sniffed a few times and tried to hold back her tears. Funahou held out her arms to embrace Aeka, but she brushed past Funahou and started back down the steps. She was taken aback by Aeka’s behavior, but said nothing. She decided to see her son, Yosho. She was almost to the top when she heard Tenchi’s desperate yelling.

*

            Only a few minutes after Aeka and Funahou left, Sasami came out into the living room.

SASAMI: “I could have sworn I just heard Aeka talking to someone.”

            As she turned back around, her eyes focused on the couch.

SASAMI: “Gee, for some reason I’m tired all off the sudden.”

            Sasami walked over to the couch and laid down on it. The first thing she saw in her dream was her mother Misaki. She was sitting on a bench that swung down from a wall. Between Sasami and her mother, Tsunami appeared.

SASAMI: “Tsunami, Mother, what’s wrong?”

            Sasami noticed that Tsunami looked different. Her clothes were gray shaded. At first Sasami thought she was dreaming in black and white, but Misaki was in full colour. A closer look at Tsunami revealed her head and hair were in colour. Tsunami’s eyebrows furrowed and a cage door slammed shut between her and Misaki. Misaki reached between the bars yelling at Sasami but no sound was heard. Sasami tried to run to her mother but Tsunami blocked the way. Sasami looked up and they met eye to eye. Sasami became real scared and cringed as Tsunami smiled.

*

            Ryo-ouki met up with Aeka at the back gate of the house. Aeka could tell something was wrong just by the look on her face. Then she heard her little sister screaming. She ran to the back door and into the house. She was at the stairs when the door to Washu’s lab opened up and hit her square in the face and she fell back on her butt. Washu stepped out and saw Sasami thrashing on the couch and two girls trying to hold her down. Washu held out her hand and a hypo-spray appeared. She then rushed over and grabbed one of Sasami’s arms and held it against her skin. A whooshing sound was heard and a second later Sasami calmed down.

WASHU: “It must have been some nightmare, I heard all the way in my lab.”

AEKA: “How is she, Washu?”

WASHU: “The sedative I gave her is working; she’ll wake up in about two days.”

            Washu noticed blood coming from Aeka’s nose. She immediately guessed what caused it.

WASHU: “I’m sorry, Aeka. Let me get you something for your nose.”

            Aeka felt her nose and held up her hand and saw the blood. She tilted her head back.

GIRL 1: “You should pinch the bridge of your nose and tilt your head forward.”

GIRL 2: “I have a handkerchief you can use.”

WASHU: “Who are you two?”

            Aeka sat down on the couch and cradled Sasami’s head in her lap. She took the handkerchief and held it up to her nose. She then pointed to the first girl.

AEKA with a nasal tone: “These are Sasami’s friends she met the other day; this is Rouruko.”

            Rouruko bowed politely. She appeared to be Sasami’s age and height. She had long curly red hair and had dark green eyes.

ROURUKO: “Konichiwa, Masaki-san, Hakubi-san.”

AEKA: “And this is Touki.”

            Touki also bowed politely. She too appeared similar to Sasami in age and height. Her hair was straight blonde and very short. Her eyes were the same shade as Rouruko’s. They both had on the sailor fuku of the local school district: short sleeved white top and blue skirt and cape.

TOUKI: “Konichiwa Masaki-san, Hakubi-san.”

WASHU: “I have one rule: call me Washu-chan.”

ROURUKO: “But you are older than us!”

TOUKI: “Washu-chan, Little Washu!”

ROURUKO: “Touki! Mind your manners; Gomen nasai, Hakubi-san.”

            Washu reached into the hip pocket of her shorts and pulled out a multi-barreled shoulder mounted phased particle cannon and pointed it at Rouruko. She went pale and Touki had a nonchalant smile on her face.

WASHU: “Your sister has the right idea.”

ROURUKO: “Little Washu, check.”

AEKA: “Put the squirt gun away before somebody gets their eye poked out.”

            When Washu pulled out the gun, Aeka got real nervous because she was afraid that might reveal to the two girls that everybody at the house were aliens.

Touki: “It is illegal to saw off the accelerator barrel…OUCH!”

            Rouruko stepped on Touki’s foot. Nobody saw because they were standing behind the coffee table.

ROURUKO: “How did you guess we were sisters, Washu-chan?”

WASHU: “That’s better. It was easy for the greatest scientific genius in the univ…”

AEKA: “AHEM!”

WASHU: “…in Japan.”

            She was not happy with having to make the substitution. Meanwhile Ryo-ouki came into the room and hopped over to Sasami.

WASHU: “I could tell because your facial features and build are exactly alike. I would say you are twins.”

ROURUKO Thinking: “She is good, too good.”

Touki: “Were fraternal twins as you can tell by our hair.”

WASHU: “I thought you dyed your hair.”

Touki: “THIS IS NATURAL!”

*14-Sep-02

WASHU: “I can also tell that you are not from around here.”

ROURUKO nervously: “What makes you say that?”

WASHU: “You’re still wearing your shoes.”

            Rouruko looked at her feet and sees her shoes on. She thought about it for a second then bows at a ninety degree angle.

ROURUKO: “Gomen nasai.”

TOUKI: “Huh, what about our shoes?”

            Rouruko again stepped on Touki’s foot.

AEKA: “Washu, that was impolite, they probably heard Sasami screaming and rushed in. It’s not the first time somebody left their shoes on inside the house in an emergency.”

WASHU: “Okay, you got me there.”

AEKA: “What brought you girls over today?”

ROURUKO: “Sasami invited us to dinner, but I think we should go home now.”

WASHU: “Before you go, I want to know what you were doing to Sasami. You shouldn’t try to restrain someone when they are thrashing unconscious like that.”

ROURUKO: “We were not. We were trying to keep her on the couch and turned on her side. Our brother was epileptic and we have had to help him whenever he had a seizure.”

AEKA: “Thank you, for all our help.”

            Rouruko turned to leave and soon realized that Touki wasn’t following. She looked back around and saw her sister hugging Ryo-ouki; and Ryo-ouki loved every second of the attention.

TOUKI: “SHE IS JUST SO KAWAI-I! I have always wanted a rabbit.”

RYO-OUKI: “MEOW!”

            Touki’s expression went blank. She looked down at Ryo-ouki, the cabbit smiled back.

Touki: “Did this rabbit just…”

            Rouruko picked Ryo-ouki out of Touki’s arms and set her down next to Sasami. Then lead Touki out the door by the arm.

*

4-Sep-02

            Funahou rushed to the top of the stone steps of the shrine. She saw Tenchi kneeling beside her son Yosho who was laying flat on the ground. Tenchi didn’t notice her and was startled when she spoke.

FUNAHOU: “What happened, Tenchi?”

TENCHI: “HUH? Oh Funahou, thank goodness you’re here! Grandpa just collapsed and he won’t wake up!”

            Funahou could sense the great worry within Tenchi and could see he was flustered, so she took charge.

FUNAHOU: “Did he hit his head?”

TENCHI: “I don’t think so.”

FUNAHOU: “Good, now pick him up and carry him over to his room.”

            Tenchi did as he was instructed. He struggled a bit under Yosho’s weight but didn’t complain. They got him to his room off to the side off the shrine, placed him on his bed and Tenchi got a damp clothe to put on Yosho’s head. His eyes fluttered open.

YOSHO Very weakly: “Funaho.”

TENCHI: “She’s right here, Grandpa.”

YOSHO: “Must see Funaho.”

TENCHI: “He must be delirious.”

FUNAHOU: “Would you please wait here with him?”

TENCHI: “Where are you going?”

            Funahou left and soon after Yosho fell unconscious again.

*

7-Sep-02

AEKA: “TWO DAYS!”

WASHU: “SORRY!  All my other tranquilizers are set up to shoot Mihoshi if she gets into my lab.”

AEKA: “Is it safe to give her something to wake her up?”

WASHU: “Only if you want her in a reverse coma.”

            Aeka didn’t have any idea what that meant and decided not to ask, besides, you never could tell with Washu’s inventions. She picked Sasami up and carried her up the stairs, she spoke as she walked. Ryo-ouki followed them.

AEKA: “I think Sasami has more than earned a couple of days off. I’ll finish dinner after putting her to bed.”

WASHU: “I think I’ll work on that antidote.”

*

14-Sep-02

            Across the lake two girls were looking at the Masaki house. They wore a uniform similar to a schools girl’s except both had a skirt that barely came below their hips, knee high boots, cape, and elbow length gloves. The first girl’s was light yellow the same colour as her short blonde hair. If you were to look closely, you would see that fur is what made up the material. She also had on a white sleeveless leotard and white halter top. On her forehead was a golden tiara with a red jewel in the center.

            The other girl was dressed in a similar fashion except that her boots, gloves, skirt, and cape were made from dark brown suede leather which highlighted her blood red hair. The other differences were minor: no halter top but leather suspenders that went from her skirt in front and crossed in back. She too had a golden tiara on her forehead with a red jewel in the center.

GIRL 1: “I was really getting to like this place before we ran into her.”

GIRL 2: “Your big mouth nearly gave us away.”

GIRL 1: “So what, they are aliens too. We should have done her in right there.”

GIRL 2: “We need to wait for conformation; we do not need another mistake. Now we have all these ships buzzing around.”

GIRL 1: “You saw that thing on her head glowing; it looked exactly like Tsunami’s. She even cried out to her. Why they put up with her…”

GIRL 2: “I have no doubt she is the one. I wish I could have been her friend but fate has sealed us.”

            A beeping sound is heard from the second girl’s wrist. She looked at her watch.

GIRL 2: “It is time to test out the powers granted to us by the heavenly signs of this world. Are you ready Sailor Leo?”

SAILOR LEO: “I’m ready, Sailor Orion.”

            They hug each other for a second. Then face towards the house.

LEO/ORION: “LET’S GO!”

07-Sep-02

            Ryouko came out of the lab just as Washu was about to enter.

RYOUKO yawns as she speaks: “You should get a bug screen for your lab, I got bit by a dozen or so mosquitoes, my back is itching like crazy.”

            Ryouko was trying to scratch her back but couldn’t reach. Washu looked and saw a dozen or so hypodermic needles sticking in her back. She pulled them out in one bunch.

RYOUKO: “OUCH!”

WASHU: “You’re not asleep yet? There goes that theory on solving our hyperactive Ryouko problem.”

RYOUKO: “What does that that mean? And where’s my gem?”

            Ryouko held out her arm but Washu walked into her lab and closed the door.

RYOUKO: “What’s going on around here? I wonder if dinner is ready, I’m starved.”

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw two girls standing on the porch in front of the glass doors. She didn’t recognize them.

RYOUKO: “Must be Sasami’s friends.”

            She was going to let them in, but the girl with long hair cocked her arm back and thrust it forward. Her fist struck the glass shattering it. Ryouko tried to activate her sword but couldn’t without her gem. So she tried a new tactic:

RYOUKO: “What do you want?”

GIRLS: “We want the fiend of destruction!”

RYOUKO: “I’m right here. What do you half pints think you can do to me?”

            Both got blank looks on their faces. They turned their heads towards each other.

GIRL 1: “Who is she?”

GIRL 2: “I have no idea.”

RYOUKO: “My reputation has taken a real hit in the past 700 years. I’m the Space Pirate Ryouko.”

GIRL 2: “Ryouko?”

GIRL 1: “Never heard of her.”

            Ryouko was looking a bit peeved.

RYOUKO: “That doesn’t matter anyway, I’m retired. Now who are you two and what do you want? ”

GIRL 1: “I am Sailor Orion.”

GIRL 2: “And I am Sailor Leo. What we want is Tsunami, hand her over.”

RYOUKO: “Girl, you are on the wrong planet.”

9-Sep-2002

            Ryouko disappeared.

Orion: “What the …”

LEO: “Where did she go?”

            Both girls felt themselves being picked up off the ground. They turned their heads and saw Ryouko holding Orion by her suspenders and Leo by her halter. They tried to struggle lose but to no avail. Ryouko held them out at arms length to avoid any blows.

AEKA: “What is all this commotion?”

            As Aeka came down the stairs she saw Ryouko holding Orion and Leo.

AEKA: “Old friends of yours?”

LEO: “TIME CLAW!”

            Leo swung her arm from down to up. Ryouko flinched but nothing happened.

RYOUKO: “What was that about? They ain’t no friends of mine; though I think Sasami might know them.”

AEKA: “What do you mean?”

RYOUKO: “Get this: they want Tsunami.”

AEKA: “Tsunami, what ever for?”

            Ryouko took a couple of steps forward. She dropped her captives and grabbed her face and fell down.

RYOUKO: “AAAAAARRRGH!!!”

            When they landed they immediately sprung into action. Both ran to and then up the stairs. And then they bounced off Aeka’s shield.

LEO: “What the hell was that?”

ORION: “It must be some kind of shield. I’m sure we can punch through.”

            Tenchi entered through the smashed windows and finds Ryouko lying on the floor. He lifts her into a sitting position.

TENCHI: “Ryouko, are you okay?”

RYOUKO: “That little bitch is so lucky I don’t have my gem.”

            They hear static charges going off up stairs. Tenchi looks up and sees two girls fighting Aeka’s shield. He thought they were doing some crazy motions.

RYOUKO: “I’ll be fine in a minute, help Aeka.”

            Tenchi ran over to the stairs and looked up.

AEKA: “Thank goodness, these girls are tougher than they look.”

            Tenchi just stood there looking up the stairs.

AEKA: “Lord Tenchi, what’s wrong?”

ORION: “What is he looking at, Leo?”

            Sailor Leo was giving Tenchi a flirtatious smile. Sailor Orion realized what was going on.

ORION: “ETCHI! He is looking up our skirts!”

TENCHI: “WHAT no no no!

AEKA: “Lord Tenchi how could you!?”

11-Sep-02

TENCHI: “I…I…wasn’t…”

ORION: “LEO, new plan: take the low road.”

            In unison they jumped over the side of the stairs and landed on the floor below. Sailor Leo landed so she was facing Tenchi and Sailor Orion held up her left arm and a bow appeared. Then she reached with her right hand behind her back and from nowhere produced and arrow. She placed it in the bow, aimed straight up, pulled back and released.

            Aeka saw a blur shoot past her face. She looked up in the direction it went and an arrow sticking out of the ceiling. She got that ‘what the heck’ look on her face and looked down. There was a hole in the floor. Then several more formed. Aeka jumped back and up the second flight of stairs. A bunch more arrows went though the same spot.

            Tenchi balled up his fists and was readying a running charge at Sailor Leo when Ryouko put her hand on his shoulder.

RYOUKO: “Use your sword; don’t fight her hand to hand.”

TENCHI: “I can’t, it’s in my room. Can you get it for me?”

RYOUKO: “That shot from her weakened me too much to teleport.”

TENCHI: “Do what you can to cover me.”

RYOUKO: “What?”

            Tenchi took off running. Leo was watching what he was doing; she went into a feline-like crouching position. Ryouko new she was waiting to pounce on Tenchi, but she beat Leo to the punch. She tackled Leo picked her up and dashed into Washu’s lab. Tenchi saw continuous line of blurs coming up through the floor. He squeezed himself against the wall and shimmied towards the stairs. The blurs stopped and Aeka came running back down the stairs while being followed by another stream of arrows so fast the only thing that stopped her was the guard rail. The floor exploded as Sailor Orion flew through it. The shock sent Aeka over but she held on to the rail. Tenchi ran over to her and grabbed her hand.

12-Sep-2002

ORION: “Give me your other hand.”

            Aeka and Tenchi looked at Orion in disbelief.

ORION: “I do not believe in unnecessary violence.”

AEKA: “Then what was that coming up through the floor all about?”

ORION: “I miscalculated your position.”

            Azaka and Kamidake entered the house and Azaka came up below Aeka. Both Tenchi and Sailor Orion saw that Aeka is now safe. Orion turned and ran up the stairs and Tenchi gave chase.

AEKA: “Azaka, Kamidake, protect Sasami!”

GUARDIANS: “Yes Ma’am.”

LEO: “NOT SO FAST!”

            Sailor Leo’s hands were now paws and she looked slightly worse for wear. She jumped over and unsheathed claws and sunk them into the guardians. They floated up anyway pulling Leo with them. She hooked her legs on the rail and held them back.

14-Sep-02

            Sailor Orion turned out to be a little faster up the stairs and she spun around and kicked Tenchi in the face sending back down. She ran to the first door and it turned out to be the bathroom. The next one was the closet; door number three Ryo-ouki jumped in her face. Orion grabbed her and pulled; Ryo-ouki and her claws dug in and scratched six bloody lines across Orion’s cheek bones, three on each side. She set her down and went into the room and left a second later. The next room she lucked out just a little too late: Tenchi in his battle armor had made it back up the steps with sword in hand. Ryo-ouki had retrieved it for him. He tried to activate it but nothing. It wasn’t the first time so he just chalked it up to bad timing.

TENCHI: “Stop right there!”

            Sailor Orion fired an arrow but aimed low. Tenchi used his Light Hawk Wing to block. Orion looked absolutely shocked; she shook it off and went inside Aeka and Sasami’s room. Tenchi ran inside but all he saw was a few sparkles in mid air as they faded.

*

            Downstairs Washu and Ryouko were climbing out of the door to Washu’s lab. Both were in the door jam so Washu put her hand on Ryouko’s head to push herself out which shoved Ryouko back in. Both looked as if they came out on the losing end of a cat fight. Washu heard static charges going off in mid air. She looked up and saw Azaka and Kamidake on either side of spherical shield encasing Sailor Leo. Leo was trying everything to get out: punching, kicking, clawing, and even chewing. Aeka was floating in mid air as well in her battle armor

AEKA: “Give it up. Nobody escapes from a Royal Shield.”

WASHU: “HEY YOU, CAT GIRL!”

            Both Aeka and Leo looked at Washu.

AEKA: “What did you call me?”

WASHU: “Not you. I thought so, remove her tiara.”

            Aeka reached inside and Leo grabbed it and bit down.

AEKA: “OUCH!”

WASHU: “Hey, Ryouko, help Aeka.”

            Ryouko had crawled back up beside Washu.

RYOUKO: “I’m beat, literally. You help her.”

WASHU: “I can’t fly.”

RYOUKO: “I’m out of energy.”

WASHU: “Totally?”

            Ryouko rubbed her hand on the carpet and shocked Washu.

RYOUKO: “Now I am.”

AEKA: “That doesn’t matter, Azaka, Kamidake!”

            The shield shrunk preventing Sailor Leo from moving; though she had a very defiant look on her face. Aeka reached through the shield and pulled Leo’s tiara from her forehead. The shield returned to its normal size and Leo continued struggling but now she was beginning to get tired. Eventually the claws faded back to gloves and her kicks and punches came slower and slower until she collapsed in a heap breathing hard.

*

17-Sep-02

YOSHO: "I thought you would be here, Mother."

FUNAHOU: "Are you feeling better now?"

YOSHO: "Yes, thank you."

            Yosho sat down next to his mother. They were at his tree, Funaho.

YOSHO: "This doesn't look good at all."

FUNAHOU: "Do you have any idea how?"

YOSHO: "It would seem that the gems are running out of power."

FUNAHOU: “I have connected your tree with mine to provide it with power.”

YOSHO: “That only temporarily fixes the problem.”

FUNAHOU: “The first obvious fix is to sever the connection with Ryouko’s Gems.”

YOSHO: “Then it will lose its will and become a normal tree.”

FUNAHOU: “Not to mention what will happen to you. I already have my staff working on transplanting Funaho. You are welcome to oversee the whole process.”

            Yosho immediately caught on to what his mother said.

YOSHO: “Ironic isn’t it?”

FUNAHOU: “What’s ironic? We don’t like losing Royal Trees.”

YOSHO: “Ironic that the son feels more attached to a place his mother was born.”

FUNAHOU: “I see. Yosho?”

YOSHO: “Yes, mother?”

FUNAHOU: “May I have some tea, please?”

YOSHO: “I have some brewing back at the shrine.”

            Yosho helped his mother up but before they started walking he picked up a handful of Funaho’s blackened leaves off the ground.

*

14-Sep-02

            Tenchi walked slowly down the stairs. Aeka heard him and spun around, all Tenchi could do is look away from her.

AEKA: “Lord Tenchi, what happened?”

TENCHI: “I’m sorry, Aeka. They took Sasami.”

            Aeka eyes widened, and then tears streamed down her face.

SAILOR LEO: “Good, Orion accomplished the mission.”

AEKA: “Mission? Mission? MISSION!”

            In a rage Aeka reached in the shield and grabbed Leo by her neck.

TENCHI: “AEKA STOP! Hurting her will not get Sasami back.”

            Aeka let go and floated back down to the guard rail and just sat down on it and stared at the floor.

VOICE: “I would appreciate you not hurting and returning Sailor Leo to me.”

            All but Aeka looked at where the glass doors used to be. Standing there was a man about six and a half feet tall. He wore futuristic white battle armor that was trimmed in black and red. His helmet covered his entire head. The only body feature visible was his red eyes.

RYOUKO: “Is there a Power Rangers Convention in town?”

            He and Sailor Leo conversed in a strange language.

LEO: (“PAPA!”)

PAPA: (“Are you okay?”)

LEO: (“I am fine, just beat up a bit. Orion made it.”)

PAPA: (“I know. She wanted to come back but I made her stay. I should have made you two wait for me.”)

LEO: (“We wanted to see if these gems worked and they did.”)

PAPA: (“Where is yours?”)

LEO: (“Aeka took it.”)

            Nobody had any clue what was being said. They did pick up people’s name and Tenchi reflexively moved towards Aeka when her name was mentioned. She was still staring at the floor. Ryouko and Washu had gotten up and taken defensive postures in front of and below Azaka and Kamidake. Sailor Leo and the man continued.

PAPA: (“Do not worry, I will save you now.”)

LEO: (“Do not worry about me, Papa. Besides, even with the gem, I barely escaped from Washu. You do not stand a chance against all of them.”)

PAPA: (“I do not care. I will die trying to save you, my daughter. Besides, the others can dispose of Tsunami.”)

            Everybody’s, even Aeka’s, head canted at the mention of Tsunami.

LEO: (“I will not let you.”)

            Sailor Leo reached behind her back and under her halter; pulled out a blue and red pill. She placed it in her mouth and between her teeth. She looked at her father with sadden eyes.

PAPA: (“Alright. You are much too young for this.”)

            He started speaking in Terran.

MAN: “If any harm should come to her, I will reveal that this house is full of aliens.”

            He disappeared in a silver stream of glitter. Sailor Leo started chewing. Most had guessed that it was a suicide pill. Then Leo blew a bubble. Everybody else face faulted.

*

17-Sep-02

            In the aftermath of the battle everybody did what they could to pick up. Washu moved the captive Sailor Leo in to her lab for study. Aeka finished dinner which Tenchi and Ryouko ate out of pity. Washu ate ramien in her lab. Tenchi picked up the large pieces of debris and swept up the glass. Then he called a cousin who worked at a home hard ware store. The employees there had a running joke of being able to retire early off the Masaki House.

            Saying that everybody helped out was an exaggeration; Ryouko snuck off to the floating sauna after dinner. The next morning:

RYOUKO: “Great, I fell asleep and now I’m all wrinkled.”

            Ryouko stood up and grabbed a towel to dry herself off. Her thoughts wandered to last night’s battle. She felt shamed at being severely beaten up by a ten year old kid. Even Washu, who has more powerful than Ryouko, was defeated in battle. She still had no idea why Washu removed the gem from her arm; though for some reason Ryouko felt energetic without it. She couldn’t use her sword or create energy blasts without the gem, but she could still use her other powers.

            Ryo-ouki had come into the sauna in cabbit form. She was at the edge of the water; swishing first one paw and then the other. She licked them and made a sour face. Ryouko chuckled at this, and then it hit her: very strong smell. Her sense of smell was just as good as any dog. It was the smell of human blood mixed with something else she couldn’t identify. Ryouko immediately traced it to Ryo-ouki. She walked over to the animal and picked her up by the scruff of her neck and took a close up sniff. Ryouko turned Ryo-ouki this way and that looking for a wound but found none.

RYOUKO: “Why do you smell like blood? You don’t even have any blood to begin with.”

            Ryouko spied some redness at the very end of the fingers of Ryo-ouki’s paws. She brought her nose in close and sniffed, that was the strongest area.

RYOUKO: “Did you get in a fight with someone?”

            Ryouko then received a telepathic message from Ryo-ouki: it was the cabbit’s eye view of her jumping on Sailor Orion’s face and then being pulled from and raking her claws across Orion’s cheeks.

*

            Yosho and Funahou were walking to the house when Ryouko appeared back turned and naked holding Ryo-ouki and ran into the house.

FUNAHOU: “Never a dull moment when she’s around?”

YOSHO: “…mmm…”

*

18-Sep-02

WASHU: “So you feel like talking to me this morning?”

            Sailor Leo gave Washu the Bronx Cheer. She was tied up in Washu’s manacles still surrounded by the force field being generated by Azaka and Kamidake. Whenever Washu was around she put a disgruntled look on her face. Washu, of course, couldn’t resist teasing her.

WASHU: “Your face will freeze like that. First order of business: breakfast. With Aeka cooking I’d better fire up the mini stove.”

            Washu went over to a com panel that had a hot plate sitting on it. In the matter of minutes she had a bowl of ramien ready to eat. She was about to slurp up a bunch of noodles when she looked at her captive. Leo was salivating.

WASHU: “Hungry? When was the last time you ate?”

            Leo turned her head away but her eye was still on the bowl.

WASHU: “As long as you promise not to make an escape, (like you really can) I’ll loosen your bindings. Azaka, Kamidake.”

AZAKA: “Is that wise, ma’am?”

WASHU: “I’ll be okay; she doesn’t have anywhere near as much power without the gem.”

            The shield blinked out and Washu handed Leo the bowl of ramien. After Washu got herself another bowl she noticed that Leo hadn’t touched her bowl. She was poking the noodles with the chopsticks.

WASHU: “I’m going through all this trouble to avoid Aeka’s cooking, you should at least try it.”

            Sailor Leo dropped the chopsticks and drank the noodles down in one gulp. Washu was a bit miffed. She picked them up and took the bowl.

WASHU: “It’s not very often someone lets you use their personal set.”

            Leo shrugged and returned to the disgruntled look.

WASHU: “Maybe now you will be in a more talkative mood. Where did you get this gem?”

            Washu held up the tiara. All she got was daggers. She set her untouched bowl down.

WASHU: “The less you talk the more personal I’ll get. Now, according to these scans, you seem to weigh quite a bit for someone your height. You don’t look fat.”

            Leo heard the italics and got pissed, but kept silent.

WASHU: “You’re good, not even Sasami would have stayed silent.”

            Washu walked over to a floating cushion; sat down on it and held up her hands. A holographic computer screen and keyboard appeared; she began typing on it.

WASHU: “Speaking of which, if you wanted Tsunami, why did your comrade take Sasami?”

            Leo grinned.

WASHU: “How about I tell you what I know, and you tell me what you know? I only know about three gems still in existence. The others were destroyed by Tenchi’s sword or lost when the Soujya exploded. I also know that Sasami and Tsunami are connected spiritually, but if you want Tsunami herself, you need to go to Jurai. Plus I know that you are an alien because no human has the kind of powers you demonstrated. Now it is your turn.”

            Sailor Leo pulled down her cheek with her pinky and stuck her tongue out. It was Washu’s turn to get frustrated. She pushed a button and the manacles tightened back up. Jerking Leo's arms back into a T.

RYOUKO her voice gets louder as she walks up: “Hey, Washu, you need to look at this.”

            Ryouko was standing there naked.

WASHU: “Is Tenchi not doing it for you any more?”

RYOUKO: “YOU PERVERT! NO THIS!”

            She pointed at Ryo-ouki.

RYOUKO: “Ryo-ouki scratched that other girl and has some of her blood on her paws.”

            Washu takes Ryo-ouki and set her down on the cushion. Then Ryouko sees Sailor Leo.

RYOUKO: “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!? Why does she get to keep her clothes on?”

WASHU: “Jealous? Don’t worry; I make Tenchi undress as well.”

RYOUKO: “WHHAAAAAT!?!?!?!?”

            Washu pushed Ryouko towards the inter-dimensional doorway.

WASHU: “I don’t have time for this. Now leave and eat the breakfast that Aeka is slaving to make.”

RYOUKO: “Aeka? Breakfast?”

            As she is being pushed past the hot plate she grabs the bowl of noodles Washu made for herself earlier and slurped it down, wiped her mouth and let out a loud belch. Then Washu shoved her out as Yosho and Funahou enter.

WASHU: “Lord Yosho and Lady Funahou, what an honor, but I’m at a sensitive moment in my experiments.”

YOSHO: “Well, when you have more time; could you please study these leaves that fell from Funaho?”

            Washu took the leaves when Yosho handed them to her. She immediately understood the significance. Yosho turned and left, though Funahou stayed.

WASHU: “Please excuse me, Lady Funahou.”

FUNAHOU: “No, excuse me, Little Washu. I just want to help the greatest scientific genius in the universe.”

            She knew exactly which ones of Washu’s buttons to push.

WASHU: “Just keep an eye out for Mihoshi, please.”

            Funahou walked over to the machine holding Sailor Leo while Washu set the leaves on another counter and went over and picked up Ryo-ouki on the cushion and set her back down on the computer and started typing on the keyboard. Funahou looked at Sailor Leo then back to Washu.

FUNAHOU: “You and Misaki are real lucky, to have had daughters.”

WASHU: “Hmmm?”

            Washu was taken a little off guard, but didn’t say anything and kept typing.

FUNAHOU: “Don’t get me wrong, I love my Yosho more than anything else. But, I have always wanted more children, especially a daughter. Aeka and Sasami have always considered me as a mother, but I could never think of them as more than nieces; Misaki’s girls. My mental picture hasn’t changed at all in 700 years. We would do all the mother/daughter things: comb each other’s hair, fight over growing pains, gossip about boys she met at school, go shopping for dresses, teach me how to cook, pierce her ears and paint finger nails, help her with home work, and look disapprovingly at any guy taking her on a date.”

            All the while Sailor Leo’s expression softened.

WASHU: “Do you have a name for her?”

FUNAHOU: “I’ve always liked the name…

            Funahou turned to look directly at Leo

FUNAHOU: “…Toki.”

            Leo looked totally surprised and then she tightened up her face trying to hold back. Funahou went over to her.

FUNAHOU: “It is never healthy to hold it in.”

            Leo burst out in loud crying sobs. Funahou embraced her.

LEO: “Forgive me, Mother, for killing you.”

*

25-Sep-02

MAN: “Sorry it has taken me so long to see you, Rouruko.”

            Rouruko was sitting on a table in sick bay while a doctor was removing bandages from her face. She was in her Sailor Orion uniform.

ROURUKO: “That is okay, father. I know you are very busy.”

FATHER: “That is no excuse for not seeing my daughter. How are her wounds, Doc?”

DOC: “She will be fine; though she may have some scarring on her cheeks. The auto healer can only do so much.”

FATHER: “Do you feel up to giving me your report now?”

ROURUKO: “I already sent you one.”

FATHER: “I read it, but I want to hear it from you.”

ROURUKO: “Dr Edger, could you please leave us?”

DOC: “Yes, Ma’am.”

            After Dr. Edger left the room; Rouruko put her hand to her face and stifled a sob.

FATHER: “Rouruko, are your wounds hurting?”

ROURUKO: “No, it is Touki; I never knew she felt so much pain.”

FATHER: “Are they torturing her?”

ROURUKO: “It is not your fault, Sister. Mother’s body could not even take the stress of giving birth to Densuke. We just took too much out of her.”

            Her father put his hands on her shoulders.

FATHER: “Are you talking to her?”

ROURUKO: “She felt the entire amount of pain mother went through. How she kept that hidden for so long…”

FATHER: “Females of our race usually have such close psychic bonds; usually amongst mothers, daughters, and sisters. It surprises me she held it in without you knowing.”

ROURUKO: “I will be fine now, well, the gems perform beyond our expectations. We did not run out of energy at all. Something about the transformation prevented them from recognizing us. Our inexperience shone through. I miscalculated and nearly harmed the wrong person. We should have waited for you because the occupants were much more powerful than we suspected. When are we going back in to rescue Touki?”

FATHER: “Soon. Right now it is time for you to get some rest."

8-Nov-02.

FATHER: "I have one question: why did you two take suicide pills?"

ROURUKO: "'Suicide pills.'"

FATHER: "Blue and red, about this big."

            He held up his hand indicating distance.

ROURUKO: "OH!"

            She reached down the front of her uniform and pulled out a pack and handed it to her father.

FATHER: "All American Gum?"

            Rouruko blew a bubble and her father rolled his eyes.

25-Sep-02

            He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. He carried her to her room. Tucked her into bed, and then left. She never fell asleep. She thought about what she didn’t say in her reports: that the man she fought used the same weapon she had been told destroy her father’s home world.

*

WOMAN: “You are back so soon, Jesse?”

            She stood up when he entered his private office.

JESSE: “I decided any planning or studying can be done here this morning, Samantha.”

            Samantha was tall enough so that the top of her head reached Jesse’s jaw. She had long, brown highlighted, blonde hair. The irises of her eyes were so dark it blended in with her pupils.

            Jesse sat down at his desk. The computer screen automatically blinked on. He just stared at for awhile and only occasionally pushed a key. Samantha was doing her own work at another computer and didn’t notice. After about an hour she stood up and stretched her back. She looked over at Jesse and saw that he was transfixed at the screen. Samantha normally doesn’t nose her way into Jesse’s work, but she could tell something was wrong. She walked over to him and he didn’t notice her. She could now see the screen and it was the screen saver. She tapped the mouse and the desk top appeared, no programs were running.

27-Sep-02

She decided to try something. She went behind Jesse and leaned over and placed her head as close as she could without touching his. She closed her eyes and focused her will on what it was he was thinking about. It hit her like a brick, a mis-mash of memories of what he went through with his deceased wife Jeimi.

*

JEIMI: “I went to see Dr. Edger today, I’m pregnant!”

JESSE: “No, no, please no.”

JEIMI: “What’s wrong?”

JESSE: “End it. You barely survived Densuke.”

JEIMI: “I won’t, I do not believe in doing that.”

JESSE: “Our two races are just genetically incompatible.”

            Several more scenes similar to the previous one played out. Then one with Jeimi in sickbay with a cast on her arm came into focus. She was lying on an examination table. Jesse and Dr. Edger were talking.

DR EDGER: “Same thing as before, only worse this time. They are taking after your side, unlike Densuke who was more similar to Jeimi.”

            Amazing how people can pick up on one word in a sentence.

JESSE: “’They?’”

JEIMI: “I’m going to have twins! Twin girls too. I’ve always wanted a girl, I’ll have two. We’ll do all the mother/daughter things: comb each other’s hair, gossip, fight over growing pains, teach them to cook…”

            She saw the pained look on Jesse’s face.

JESSE: “I beg you, end it.”

DR EDGER: “I concur; they are taking too much out of you. That is the reason why your arm broke. Your bones are getting weaker. Our bone structure is much denser than humans.”

JEIMI: “SHUT UP! What would have happened if my mother gave up after a couple difficulties? I’m having these children!”

            Nothing more was ever said. The scene shifts to the delivery room.

JEIMI very weakly: “Please, let me hold them.”

JESSE: “Doctor.”

            After the newborns were cleaned and wrapped in towels, they were placed in the crooks of her arms.

JEIMI: “They’ll be heartbreakers when they grow up. Today is my birthday, this is the best present I have ever received. Much more, they are my gifts from me to you and your people.”

            Her eyes closed, her breathing stopped and her body relaxed. Jesse walked out of sickbay and back to his room. He went to every picture; they were digital displays, and erased every one that had a picture of Jeimi in it. Except one, he took it with him over to the couch, sat down.

            He had no idea how long it had been, but Dr Edger was standing over him holding the two girls.

DR EDGER: “We have had a rash of colds come into sickbay, we are packed, here.”

            He handed them over to Jesse then left. Jesse looked at were the doctor was standing, slacked jawed. Then he felt something grabbing at his shirt. He looked down and saw them for the first time. One had blonde hair and the other red. Both had their mother’s green eyes. He forgot his pain and went out to introduce them to whoever happened by as he walked to Samantha's room; who was babysitting Densuke.

*

            The contact was broken and Samantha stumbled back.

SAMANTHA: “I am so sorry.”

JESSE: “So you saw it?”

SAMANTHA: “I did not mean to pry.”

JESSE: “Yes you did.”

            He stood up and stepped over to Samantha. She looked down to avoid his gaze. She gasped when he gently grabbed her hand and held it in both of his. She looked up into his eyes and saw a sincere kindness.

JESSE: “Thank you. Like Touki, I held it in and suppressed my sorrow. Thank you for showing me how much you love me, I was too blind to see it.”

SAMANTHA: “What do you mean by that, Mr. St. James?”

JESSE: “Don’t try and hide behind titles, Miss O’Conner, you could have read my thoughts only if you had a strong attachment to me.”

SAMANTHA: “I am only your secretary and former baby sitter.”

JESSE: “You are more; you are the mother to my children.”

            He leaned in and just as his nose was next to hers, she put her index finger on his lips.

SAMANTHA: “What about Jeimi?”

JESSE: “Jeimi is Jeimi, you are Samantha. I have and will always love Jeimi, but I have now discovered; I love you.”

            Samantha dropped all resistance and they kissed.

*

30-Sep-02

            The chopsticks crossed and the carrot went flying. Ryo-ouki jumped up and caught it in her mouth. Sailor Leo sighed and looked down in embarrassment.

FUNAHOU: “You’re getting better, don’t exert so much force.”

            Sailor Leo, Funahou, and Ryo-ouki were sitting at a table in Washu’s lab. Washu herself was typing on her computer. Leo tried again on some beef strips. She had better luck. Ryo-ouki looked disappointed. A little later they finished eating.

FUNAHOU: “When was the last time you took a bath?”

            Leo shrugged and Funahou grimaced a little.

WASHU: “Easy, I’ll have a bath tub materialized in a minute.”

FUNAHOU: “That long? Anyway, I want to try out that flying sauna.”

WASHU: “I knew you would, Lady Funahou. Before you go, I need to put this on her.”

            Washu walked over and held up a short leather strap with a small box on it.

WASHU: “This will inhibit her powers.”

            Washu tried to put it on Leo but it was smacked out of her hand. Funahou caught it.

FUNAHOU: “Hold still.”

            Leo did as she was told and Funahou put it on her neck.

FUNAHOU: “There, that looks good on you. Are you ready?”

            Leo shook her head no and took both her thumbs and index fingers, placed them in the middle of her forehead. She made a back and forth motion to her temples. Funahou had no idea what it meant.

WASHU: “She wants this.”

            Washu held out the tiara and Leo grabbed it. She looked at it, held it up and pointed to the center where the gem used to be.

WASHU: “I’m keeping the gem. Deal with it.”

            Sailor Leo sighed and placed the tiara on her head. Then she walked out of the lab with Funahou and into the living room. Ryouko and Aeka saw and jumped into defensive postures. One sharp look from Funahou sat them back down. They continued to walk out of the house with Ryo-ouki following them. Aeka then went into the lab to talk to Washu and Ryouko secretly followed Funahou and Sailor Leo.

*

1-Oct-02

AEKA: “What is Funahou doing with that girl at a time like this?”

WASHU: “They’re going to take a bath.”

AEKA: “WHAT!?”

WASHU: “I said they’re going to take a bath. Now could you get Tenchi for me? Have him bring his sword as well. I also need to talk to Yosho as well.”

            A little while later Tenchi, Aeka, and Yosho gathered in Washu’s lab.

3-Oct-02

WASHU: “Glad you are all here. Tenchi, do you have your sword?”

TENCHI: “Right here.”

            Tenchi held it up for Washu to see.

WASHU: “Try to activate it.”

            Tenchi held it with both hands a look of extreme concentration crossed his face, but the blade didn’t appear.

TENCHI: “Same thing happened the other night. I figured I need more training.”

AEKA: “Maybe Yosho could.”

YOSHO: “No, once I gave it to Tenchi, I lost any ability to activate it as a weapon.”

WASHU: “It’s the gems in the hilt. They are being drained of power.”

            Tenchi and Aeka gasped and Yosho kept a straight face. Washu walked over to a counter where a couple of gems and some leaves were sitting. She picked up one gem.

WASHU: “This is the gem I took from Ryouko. It’s not only losing its own power, but was taking Ryouko’s as well.”

            Aeka swings her head from side to side.

AEKA: “Where is Ryouko?”

WASHU: “Taking a chapter out of Noboyuki's book. Now watch this:”

            Two screens appeared on the counter top. Washu placed the gem she was holding in front of the left. The screen then displayed a full status bar. The other had an empty status bar. Washu placed the index finger of her right hand on the other gem and held out her left hand. A sword similar to Ryouko’s materialized. The empty status bar filled up on the right while the full on left emptied. Yosho grabbed his stomach and collapsed.

TENCHI: “GRANDPA!”

AEKA: “BROTHER YOSHO!”

            Washu deactivated her sword and Yosho seemed to recover.

WASHU: “I’m sorry, Lord Katsuhito, I really didn’t know it would have such an effect on you.”

YOSHO: “I’ll be okay, Lady Washu.”

            Tenchi helped him back up.

TENCHI: “What did you do, Washu?”

WASHU: “It’s this gem; I got it from Sailor Leo’s tiara.”

            Washu held up the gem.

AEKA: “It looks exactly like the gems in Tenchi’s sword.”

WASHU: “Because it is. Something is causing this gem to draw power from the other gems. That is why Funaho Tree is dieing. The gems in Tenchi’s sword have been supporting Funaho, now they are killing it.”

            Washu pointed to where the blacked leaves were the counter, they had become a pile of dust.

AEKA: “Where did Sailor Leo get this gem?”

WASHU: “I had assumed that all the other existing gems had been destroyed in the Soujya explosion. I was wrong; which explains Funahou’s appearance here.”

AEKA: “She came here looking for Misaki.”

TENCHI: “What happened to Misaki?”

WASHU: “She disappeared looking for the gems.”

AEKA: “Funahou said she was on a trade mission.”

WASHU: “That was just a cover that Misaki didn’t even know about. I just happened to over hear Funahou asking for an update from her ship. I hacked into Jurai Net. Misaki was on a trade mission and her ship’s flight path went straight through the area the Soujya was destroyed. That is the area believed she disappeared in. There is more bad news; I hacked into the Galaxy Police network as well. An officer also has gone missing in the same area: Mihoshi.”

TENCHI: “We have to go there and look for them.”

WASHU: “Be patient. Right now we need to gather more information on our new adversaries. Funahou seems to be the only one who can do that right now.”

*

            Funahou was about to unbutton her slip when Sailor Leo got red in the face and turned around.

LEO: “You are not seriously going to go nude in front of me?”

FUNAHOU: “It is a tradition for a family to bathe together.”

LEO: “I have washed myself since I was old enough. Besides, we are not in any way related.”

FUNAHOU: “We could pretend.”

LEO: “No.”

            Leo expression went blank and she just stared out in space. Funahou waved a hand in front of Leo’s face and got no response. What Leo saw was a vision of her mother as a child having fun playing with soap bubbles with her mother and father. Leo shook off the image.

LEO: “Well, this uniform is starting to itch.”

            She crossed her arms over her chest and murmured something. Her uniform glowed and then faded leaving her naked except for the tiara and Washu’s collar. She looked down at Ryo-ouki. Ryo-ouki shrugged.

RYO-OUKI: “Mya?”

LEO thinking: “Good, it worked.”

            As Funahou removed her last garment, she looked over Leo. She looked like any other ten year girl, except her curves seemed much older.

FUNAHOU: “How old are you?”

LEO: “Thirty Earth years.”

            Funahou looked quite shocked.

LEO: “How old are you?”

FUNAHOU: “…err 750, Earth years.”

LEO: “So how does this tradition of communal bath work?”

FUNAHOU starting off slightly flustered: “Well, uhm, first we clean ourselves with soap.”

            Funahou handed her a bucket with a bar of soap and a washcloth. Leo took the bucket and filled it full of water and started lathering herself up. Funahou did the same with her own bucket as well.

FUNAHOU: “Why did you take Sasami?”

LEO: “I should not tell you, but it is not any big secret. She destroyed my world 500 years ago.”

            Funahou was put in total shock by that statement, the soap she was holding dropped from her hands.

FUNAHOU: “That’s impossible, Sasami was on Jurai then.”

LEO: “I have seen the video a thousand times. A ship shielded by the Ten Wings of the Light Hawk appeared in orbit. A single person as its crew, her name was Tsunami. With a wave of her hand, Provovia was turned into rubble.”

            Leo had said it in such a haunting voice that it intimidated Funahou. She examined Leo real close. She seemed to be hiding a secret, something that not even the darkest part of her tortured soul knew. Funahou decided that the best tact was to change the subject.

FUNAHOU: “You look so young for your age.”

LEO: “My people grow slow, except that on Earth we tend grow much faster. I have grown two inches since coming here. I am half human, so parts of me have matured quicker.”

FUNAHOU: “What parts specifically?”

LEO: “The fun ones.”

            Leo continued soaping herself, but couldn’t quite reach her back. Funahou went over and helped her out.

LEO: “Would it have been like this with my mother?”

FUNAHOU: “I don’t know. Was she human by chance?”

LEO: “That is why I killed her.”

FUNAHOU: “Why must you blame yourself?”

LEO: “If I had not been conceived, she would have lived. I know; I felt the pain her body felt carrying two. Provovian bone structure is much denser than a human’s. One was too much, I…I…”

            Leo broke down again. Funahou hugged her from behind.

FUNAHOU thinking: "This poor girl. How can she blame herself for something that's not her fault? Wait...she said that Tsunami destroyed her world, then why did she attack Sasami?"

*

WASHU: “Do any of you what this is?”

            Washu pointed to another screen.

TENCHI: “That looks like a strand of Human DNA.”

WASHU: “You are two thirds right. It’s DNA, it’s human, and it’s what ever species Sailor Orion is.”

            Three more screens appeared with a strand of DNA on each one.

AEKA: “So what’s the point?”

WASHU: “You don’t recognize your own DNA?”

            Yosho’s, Tenchi’s, and Aeka’s names appeared below.

WASHU: “I needed to look at pure DNA, no offense Lord Katsuhito.”

YOSHO: “None taken what so ever, Lady Washu.”

WASHU: “What I need is a basis of comparison; which has been difficult to obtain. Juraian and Human DNA are very close, there are tell tale differences. These differences show up even in Tenchi’s.

7-Oct-02

WASHU: “The major differences come from environmental factors; which I was able to factor them out with a sample from Funahou.”

AEKA frustrated: “SO WHAT’S YOUR POINT!?”

WASHU: “Anyway, the point is that I’m trying to determine where our attackers came from and I can’t. There is no trickery involved; it’s not being hidden at all. I have millions of DNA on file here, not a clue. Jurai, Galaxy Police, Science Academy don’t have any idea either. As much as I pains me to say this, I’m stumped.”

            Tenchi and Aeka look at each other.

TENCHI: “Now I’m worried.”

AEKA: “The universe’s greatest scientist is stumped.”

WASHU: “Hey you don’t have to rub it in.”

YOSHO: “Lady Washu, do you have anything to go on?”

WASHU: “I’m going to install metal detectors all over the place. These people have enough heavy elements as their genetic make up to kill a normal human several times over. I’m talking nickel, calcium, even lead shows up in large quantities.”

            Aeka and Tenchi let out a slow whistle.

YOSHO: “My curiosity has gotten to me, Lady Washu, but did you ever think to get a blood sample of Sailor Leo?”

WASHU: “Oh I wanted too, hell I want GIVE her some samples. Like a sample of my knuckles; but they know we are not what we appear to be and I didn’t want to give them any incentive to let the rest of the world know.”

TENCHI: “So we’re at a stale mate right now, who ever can get back their hostages back first will have the advantage.”

*

20-Oct-2002

            Rouruko was walking down the hallway in her school uniform to Jesse’s office. It was her habit to stop by and talk to her father before going to school. Normally he was waiting at the door to give her a hug. Today, he wasn’t there. She stepped inside and swung her head from side to side looking around. She didn’t see him. Then she heard his voice coming from around the corner. She couldn’t make out what was being said at first, but swore she heard her mother’s name a few times. She thought that was odd, she never heard her father talk about her mother to anybody else. She decided to follow the sound of his voice. As she got closer, she could now hear Samantha’s voice as well. She rounded a corner and found them. Her jaw dropped open; they were sitting on a couch. Samantha was naked sitting between Jesse’s legs; Samantha’s light skin contrasting with Jesse’s darker skin tone. He was naked as well: he had his arms around her abdomen. He was holding what looked like a picture display. They looked up when she entered the room.

SAMANTHA: “Rouruko?”

JESSE: “It is time for school, I forgot all about that.”

            He started to get up, which prompted Samantha to get up as well. She began to put her clothes on; he went over to Rouruko, knelt down and hugged her. She was in such a state of shock she didn’t return it. Samantha squeezed by.

SAMANTHA: “I will be back as soon as I get a shower, dear.”

            Jesse let go of Rouruko and stood up. He kissed Samantha real quick before she left.

JESSE: “You are not going to make it on time if you just stand there.”

            Rouruko shakily brought her hand up pointing in the general direction Samantha left in. Jesse was putting his clothes back on.

ROURUKO: “You and her?”

JESSE: “I just wish I had figured it out earlier. All this time, I had no idea.”

            Rouruko just stood there still pointing.

JESSE: “I want you to continue your normal routine at school. I will e-mail a note to Touki’s teachers saying she has a cold and will not make it today. I do not want you to stop at the Masaki house, not until we have more information.

ROURUKO: “You…”

JESSE: “I am going to interrogate Tsunami, or try to at least. The grown version has proven to be quite resistance, I hope the young one will provide some answers.”

ROURUKO: “…and her?”

JESSE: “She wants an Earth Style wedding. Totally unnecessary, the tradition amongst my people is just to profess our love, we mate for life. I guess living on Earth has influenced our culture to such an extent. It is a good thing if we want to survive.”

            Rouruko fainted.

JESSE: “I do not remember raising her to be such a prude.”

*

MISAKI: “You’ve shown me that video a hundred times, I don’t know what to tell you.”

            Queen Misaki Jurai was not in her usual dress, today she was wearing black coveralls in the style of the crew of the ship she was on. She was not in a place she liked being in: a detention cell in the brig. The room was ten by ten feet, a bed was against one wall while a toilet and a sink was the opposite wall. There were no bars, but an invisible force field kept her inside. Another thing that irritated her was the fact her hair pin was also taken so her hair was down and not in her traditional ponytail. She had it hanging loose behind her back.

JESSE: “Why do you bare an uncanny resemblance to Tsunami?”

            He was holding a flat panel screen; on it was a still of the ship that had destroyed his home world. The image focused on the bridge, as it got larger, a solitary figure became visible in a window. The first time she saw it, she looked back and forth at the mirror and the screen. At first she swore it was a twin sister or something, but in the subsequent viewings she picked up on a couple of differences. The first one she noticed was that the woman’s clothes were in the style that Tsunami wore, but were various shades of gray; the next was the emblem on her forehead. Misaki’s was two dots while her twin’s were the same; but a triangle split in half in between the two dots. The final one she noticed was the colour of her eyes: Misaki’s were deep red while this picture depicted pink eyes.

JESSE: “We have recently salvaged this bit of video from some space junk found where we captured you.”

            The screen changed, it was a little fuzzy, and it showed the same ship as before. Like in the other video, the image enlarged on the bridge until a figure was visible. This time it was the exact image of Tsunami that Misaki had seen only a few times before.

21-oct-2002

Tsunami was standing in front of a tree planted on an island surrounded by water. The video froze on that scene. Then the image focused not on Tsunami, but on her reflection in the water. Misaki’s eyebrows furrowed.

MISAKI: “Just what is the meaning of this?”

JESSE: “I do not know. I will ask her, looks like she is finally waking up.”

            He pointed to the cell next to Misaki’s. Misaki looked in that direction, but couldn’t see. She did hear a yawn that was very familiar to her.

MISAKI: “Sasami?”

SASAMI through another yawn: “Mommy?”

MISAKI: “If you so much have put one finger on my Little Sasami…”

            Jesse hit a button that muted the audio from Misaki’s cell. Jesse walked in front of Sasami’s cell. He was surprised at how much Sasami looked like the woman in the next cell. The only two differences were that her eyes were pink and the ornament on her head was a triangle divided in half. Sasami too wore a pair of coveralls and had hair hanging loose. Jesse looked back and forth between the two for a few seconds, and then held up the screen for Sasami to see.

JESSE: “Could you explain this to me?”

            Sasami walked over to the screen, the images played as they did for Misaki. After the first set that showed the planetary destruction, Sasami reacted.

SASAMI: “That’s a lie! Tsunami would never do something so sad!”

JESSE: “Oh? Now how about this?”

            The screen showed the close up of Tsunami from the salvaged footage.

SASAMI: “Did you show that to my Mommy?

JESSE: “Is she your mother?”

            He hit the audio switch to Misaki’s cell.

JESSE: “Say something?”

MISAKI: “Sasami, are you okay?”

SASAMI: “NNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

            She grabbed the sides of her head on knelt down crying hysterically. Misaki began punching at the force field. Jesse hit the total mute button on both cells. Sasami had gone into a fetal position sobbing. Misaki had given up on the field and began striking the wall to Sasami’s cell. Jesse signaled the guard at the main control panel and gas filled Misaki’s cell knocking her out.

VOICE: “Don’t think you’ll get away with this. Tenchi will rescue us!”

            It came from a cell across from the other two. In it was a tall woman with long blonde hair and permanent tan. She too wore the black coveralls of the crew.

JESSE: “Miss Kuramitsu, is it? I take no pleasure in what has just happened. All I ever desired was to live with my family; but I can’t because of what Tsunami did to us.”

MIHOSHI: “What did Tsunami do?”

JESSE: “You have not…here watch this.”

            He tossed the screen into Mihoshi’s cell. The field let objects into the cell, but not back out. Jesse then left and Mihoshi watched the video clips. When it was over, she looked at Misaki’s and Sasami’s cells: a guard was placing Misaki on the bed, and Sasami was in one corner crying.

*

23-nov-02

            Tenchi was out working the carrot fields; he needed to because he had a lot of frustration to work off. He was angry with himself for not being able to prevent Sasami from being taken. He had already worked halfway through a one acre section. Tenchi wanted to go and rescue Sasami, Misaki, and Mihoshi, but couldn’t because he had no idea where they were. He had yet to notice the corrugates between the rows were now over a foot deep. Tenchi also wanted to wring more information out of Sailor Leo but couldn’t because of the armored man’s warning of him being descended from aliens would be leaked to the press. The wooden handle of the hoe above the metal piece binding the head to the handle was now cracked.

VOICE: “Oha, Masaki-san!”

            Right at that moment the Tenchi struck the hoe on a buried rock and the head went flying off in the direction of the voice. The man caught it in time before it struck him in the face. Tenchi recognized as the owner of the home repair shop he always has to contact. Today he wore jeans and a black t-shirt. He wore a ball cap to shade his eyes.

TENCHI: “Oh my God, are you okay, Mr. St. James?”

JESSE: “We are having a sale on hoes tomorrow.”

            A small sweat drop forms on the side of Tenchi’s head

TENCHI: “Thanks, I’m sorry. Well, it must be time for lunch.”

            They walked over to a large tree that was on its side. Tenchi sat down and reached behind him and pulled up a lunchbox and thermos. He sat them down in his lap and then clapped his hands twice, held them together for a second.

JESSE: “Do you not pray after a meal?”

TENCHI: “Aeka made my lunch today.”

            Jesse looked as if he didn’t get it.

TENCHI: “You’ve never tried Aeka’s cooking?”

JESSE: “I get it now. Do you mind if I sit down?”

TENCHI: “No, go ahead.”

*

24-nov-2002

                        Back in the sauna, Funahou and Sailor Leo had finished bathing and were now combing each others hair. Funahou did Leo’s first. Her hair was so short it didn’t take long to brush out the water. Funahou sat down on the stool and instructed Leo to use the comb first. Leo picked up the one with the long pointed handle. Her wrist was grabbed by Ryouko.

RYOUKO: “You just hold on there.”

            Leo angrily stared Ryouko right in her eyes.

FUNAHOU: “Patience, Ryouko, you can have turn after me. As a matter of fact, you can take a bath because it takes awhile to comb out all the tangles in my hair.”

RYOUKO: “Have it your way.”

            Ryouko vanished.

FUNAHOU: “Now, Leo, it is much easier to use that comb if you hold it by the handle.”

*

25-Nov-02

JESSE: “I have always wondered something, Mr. Masaki…”

TENCHI: “Please, call me Tenchi.”

JESSE: “That would be very rude, besides, after all this time I think I have earned that right to call you mister.”

TENCHI: “Whatever.”

            Tenchi started to sip his tea.

JESSE: “Do you believe there is the possibility that there is alien life out there?”

            He had said it in a sly manner, even if he had used a tone of wonderment, Tenchi would have reacted in the same way: spitting out and choking on his tea. He coughed furiously and Jesse patted him on the back. After a minute it cleared up.

TENCHI hesitantly: “Well…it is an awfully big universe.”

JESSE: “I probably listen to entirely too much late night talk radio. I need to get over to your house and make sure the guys I sent aren’t being lazy or ogling all those girls.”

TENCHI: “I need to get back to the house as well to get another hoe.”

JESSE: “From the looks of things, the crop would be better off if you used the one you got now.”

            Tenchi looked over at where he worked and saw the rows slowly disintegrating due to lack of support on either side. Tenchi got a little sweat drop on the back of his head.

TENCHI: “I guess I got a little carried away.”

JESSE: “Working off some frustration?”

TENCHI: “You could say that.”

JESSE: “With so many women around, how could you that frustrated?”

TENCHI: “Huh?”

JESSE: “Never mind. Say, what do you do with all these carrots?”

TENCHI: “We feed them to Ryo-ouki.”

JESSE: “Who?”

TENCHI: “Our pet rabbit.”

            Jesse had a puzzled look as he scanned the acres of carrot fields. Tenchi’s sweat drop got bigger, much bigger.

TENCHI: “She eats, a lot.”

*

            Tenchi and Jesse were walking along the main road that ran by the house. Tenchi felt as if he was being studied. Once in a while he would glance out of the corner of his eye but never could catch Jesse

TENCHI: “You don’t look like you’re from around here.”

JESSE: “No, I am from Kyoto.”

TENCHI: “Oh, uhm.”

JESSE: “My parents were in the US Army stationed here in Japan. They liked it so much they decided to stay.”

JESSE: “This has been bothering me some time now: I have lived here all my life, I don’t seem to remember your house being built.”

            Tenchi got a sweat drop behind his head.

TENCHI: “Well, the original house had been here for generations. It had been added on to over time. Then that meteor destroyed it awhile back.”

            They turned off the road and started walking up the path to the house.

*

6-Jan-2003

AEKA: "HOW DARE YOU LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!"

            When Tenchi entered the house through the missing glass doors, Aeka ran over to him.

AEKA: "Lord Tenchi these men are barbarians! They either sit around and do nothing or just ogle me."

            Tenchi looked around at the employees from the hardware store: four were in the dinning area holding their stomachs and two others were at the top of the stairs hammering nails into the new wood flooring. The all wore black coveralls and ball caps.

JESSE: "Let me handle this, Mr. Masaki."

            Jesse came through the same way as Tenchi and went over the group sitting down.

JESSE: "You were not hired to loaf around."

CARPENTER weakly: "Her...cooking..."

            Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cylindrical package and tossed it over to the one he spoke two. He opened it to reveal many little white disks; he put one in his mouth and handed it off to the others.

CARPENTER: "Blessed relief."

AEKA under her breath: "Barbarians."

            Tenchi rolled his eyes.

JESSE: "Now, who was it...?”

            Another one of carpenters pointed up to the two on the balcony.

JESSE: "Which one?"

            They stopped hammering and looked at Jesse, then pointed at each other. Jesse got a sweat drop on the side of his head.

JESSE nervously: "Well, keep it to yourselves, please."

AEKA: "That's it?"

JESSE: "Ms. Masaki, have you ever heard the joke about the lesbian construction company?"

            Aeka whispered into Tenchi's ear.

AEKA: "What's a lesbian?"

            Tenchi sighed and whispered back into Aeka's ear. She then bright red in the face and then ran off into the kitchen.

WOMAN 1: "Did you tell her the punch line?"

WOMAN 2: "Or did you tell her about the birds and the bees?"

            It was Tenchi's turn to blush bright red.

JESSE: "I love those two, my best employees, unlike some others..."

CARPENTER: "We're feeling better now, sir."

            As they got up, everybody's attention was turned to the front door when the fire alarm went off. Underneath it holding their ears were Funahou and Sailor Leo. Washu came out of her lab and pointed a remote at it and turned it off.

JESSE: "A remote controlled fire alarm? Do we sell that?"

TENCHI: "Little Washu and her wacky inventions."

7-Jan-2003

JESSE: "Wait...is that not the cleaning closet?"

WASHU: "It's a big closet. Lord Tenchi, I've finally figured out this gem."

            Washu held up the gem, and then realized there were a lot of people in the room who should not have seen it. Funahou made the save.

FUNAHOU: "That looks like red pearl, very rare. Where did you get it?"

            It was Funahou's turn to get a sweat drop; she caught herself too late in asking a question that would only get them in deeper. Only one person noticed Sailor Leo's eyebrows furrow.

JESSE: "I think I found one while at the beach a few years ago. I finally had it tested, it was just a marble. So, what did you find out about yours, Hakubi-san?"

            Many more sweat drops formed on the back of Washu's head.

WASHU: "Glass, just glass."

JESSE: "So, did you use a chemistry lab? In the closet there?"

WASHU: "It's a really big closet. That's Washu-chan!"

JESSE: "But you are older...too bad about the fake gem. The other reason for my visit was too see Sasami. My daughters told me she wasn't well. She had a seizure, did she not?"

WASHU: "High fever, it's down now, she's upstairs resting, and she’ll be in bed for another couple of days. Your daughters: Rouruko and Touki?"

JESSE: "They were very concerned, Densuke, their brother, had epilepsy. No amount of medication seemed to help. We all had to be on guard 24/7. Then for a year he had no attacks and we relaxed; right when we were on vacation in America, he had a major one. He died a week later from complications."

            Jesse glanced over at Sailor Leo and realized he shouldn't have said so much. Funahou had her hands on Leo's shoulders; she could feel the young girl tense up and tremble. Funahou knelt behind Leo and placed her arms around her.

FUNAHOU quietly: "What's the matter, little one?"

JESSE: "There seems to be some people missing, Mr. Masaki."

TENCHI: "Huh?"

JESSE: "As I recall, Aeka and Sasami are...your...cousins?"

TENCHI: "Right."

JESSE: "Little Washu is your...?"

TENCHI: "Cousin."

WASHU at the same time as Tenchi: "Niece."

            Both at the same time:

TENCHI: "Niece."

WASHU: "Cousin."

JESSE: "A niece of your cousin?"

TENCHI/WASHU: "YES!"

JESSE: "Ryouko?"

TENCHI: "Cousin."

11-Jan-2003

            Jesse walked over and whispered in Tenchi's ear and nudged him with his elbow.

JESSE slyly: "Come one, you can tell me, they are not really your cousins; it is just a cover up to advert suspicion."

TENCHI thinking: "If he only knew."

11jun03

JESSE: Ryouko! That’s who is missing. Where is she?

AEKA from the kitchen: “Passed out drunk at her rock, no doubt.”

TENCHI muttering to himself: “Aeka.”

FUNAHOU: “I last saw her in the sauna.”

AEKA still in kitchen: “That would be my second guess.”

JESSE: “Sauna? That is the floating thing out there?”

            Tenchi puts his hand to his face.

TENCHI thinking: “What is this, ‘let’s blab about us being aliens day?’

JESSE: “Cousins? More like sisters.”

TENCHI: Huh? What as that?”

JESSE: “Ryouko and Aeka. They remind me of sisters. Always fighting, but I bet they are pretty close.”

            Everybody but the working carpenters stare at him in disbelief.

JESSE: “Rouruko and Touki will fight over simple things, but they are inseparable.”

            He gave a sidelong glance at Sailor Leo.

FUNAHOU: “So, Washu, what is your take?”

WASHU: “Huh?”

 

FUNAHOU: “Are Aeka and Ryouko really sisters?”

WASHU: “I don’t think so.”

            Something caused Washu to jerk her head to the side.

WASHU: “Well, what do you know? I found Ryouko.

TENCHI: “Where?”

WASHU: “FLYING THIS WAY AT A 100 KPH!”

            Washu pointed and everybody turned to look. The first thing they saw was Ryouko’s back getting bigger and bigger. Then Tenchi pushed Jesse out of the way and activated his Light Hawk Wing as a shield. Ryouko went through the empty sliding glass and hit the shield. Sending both her and Tenchi into the staircase which created a shower of splinters. Everybody who didn’t have a personal shield ducked for cover Which were the carpenters and Jesse. Funahou activated her shield to keep out the storm. She figured that Leo would stay inside, but no. Leo took advantage of the distraction and ran out of the protective sphere and into the dust. Tearing the control box off and tossing it to the side.

FUNAHOU: “So much for that theory.”

Washu had her shield up as well but didn’t see Sailor Leo until it was too late. Leo had activated her claw attack and sunk it into the invisible barrier. Washu just stood there amazed at the raw power displayed the young woman. Leo strained and the shield shattered. Washu coughed when she breathed in some of the dust of the crash. Leo used a regular fist to punch Washu across the jaw and took the gem. She ran blinded by the dust, hoping she was going in the direction Jesse ducked down in. A splinter went into her eye. Leo reflexively closed both her eyes and then ran into something. It was solid underneath a layer of what felt like feathers on her face. She reached around with her free hand. The feathery sensation stopped right above her hair line, It was like the material of her body suit. She reached higher and felt a protrusion, just to her right, another. Then someone grabbed her hand and gently pulled it away.

VOICE: “Not now.”

LEO: “Who are you?”

VOICE: “Do you not recognize my voice.”

LEO: “Never heard it before.”

VOICE: “I thought so, I did not know who you really were the first time I saw you like this. Now, where is your father?”

LEO: “I lost him in the attack.”

TENCHI: “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?”

            The attacker looked over where Tenchi was. He was sitting in a crater of what was left of the bottom portion of the stairs. Dusty blood covered his face. Ryouko was lying against him; her back to his chest, unconscious and Tenchi had activated his energy sword and was holding it around in front of Ryouko.

SAILOR PHOENIX: “I am Sailor Phoenix. Was that the Light Hawk Wings you just used?”

TENCHI: “What if they were?”

            Phoenix knelt down behind Sailor Leo. She took off her glove and removed a bracelet. She put it Leo’s hand and Leo disappeared. Phoenix put her glove back on. And held both hands out towards Tenchi and Ryouko.

            Jesse saw most of what was going on. He was mesmerized by the woman dressed as his daughters were. Only her accessories were a base yellow with what looked like continually ruffling red feathers.

PHOENIX: “FLAME GATTLING!”

            Her hands moved so fast they looked like they were spinning. Bolts of fire spewed out. None of which hit her intended targets because Aeka, Azaka, and Kamidake rushed in and raised a shield to protect them. Phoenix saw that her attack was having no effect. Then aimed lower and tore the floor to shreds creating another dust cloud. This didn’t have the desired effect either; Tenchi jumped out of the cloud and in front of Phoenix. He swung his sword but Phoenix jumped back.

SAILOR PHOENIX: “PYRO SABER!”

            A sword of flame appeared in her hand just in time to parry a thrust made by Tenchi. She backed up some more. They were halfway across the deck over the lake. Phoenix was doing her best, but was clearly outmatched by Tenchi. So she decided to rely more upon her other training. When she was within a few centimeters from the edge of the deck, she jumped straight up and then went higher by kicking off of Tenchi’s head. This surprised him and caused him to fall in the lake.

When Phoenix landed she spied Jesse standing in front of the former doors. She ran over to him, grabbed a hold of his lapels.

PHOENIX: “CHAOS WING!”

            Wings unfurled from her back and they both flew up into the air. They were pretty high up when Jesse finally spoke up.

JESSE: “Sailor, Phoenix?”

PHOENIX: “Yes?”

JESSE: “Do I know you from somewhere?”

PHOENIX sighing: “I should just drop you.”

JESSE: “That is a good idea. Do it.

PHOENIX: “What?”

JESSE: “Obviously you can breathe up here, I cannot. I can take care of that if let me go.”

PHOENIX: “Damn, I should have given you the emergency transport beacon. Leo can breathe up here.”

            To her surprise, Jesse grabbed her arms and forced them apart, he dropped like a rock. Phoenix’s eyes bugged out. Then a bright light encased him and then he was in his battle armor. A jet pack kicked on and he quickly caught back up to her.

PHOENIX: “How fast is that thing?”

JESSE: “It can get me back to my ship in about and hour.”

PHOENIX: “So it is not faster than Ryo-ouki?”

JESSE: “I do not know.”

PHOENIX: “Ryo-ouki is about a couple of hundred kilometers behind us and gaining.

            Jesse looked back.

JESSE: “DAMN! This is as fast as I can go. I take it you can go faster?”

PHOENIX: “Yes, now hold on.”

18-Jun-03

            Jesse put his arms around Phoenix and they took off in a flash. From the bridge of Ryo-ouki, Tenchi, Aeka, Washu, and a very pissed Ryouko watched their intended targets get away.

RYOUKO: “DAMN IT!”

TENCHI: “Wow, that’s amazing.”

AEKA: “How can one person have so much power?”

WASHU: “I actually don’t know. I didn’t get that far in my studies of Sailor Leo. I know thus far is that they are tapping into the powers of the gems somehow.”

RYOUKO: “How about using some of that genius to find out where they went.”

            Washu pointed at the view screen. Everybody looked and saw the obvious.

RYOUKO: “I get it; but where on the Moon?”

AEKA: “I think I see it. There, right at the North Pole. It looks all fuzzy.”

WASHU: “Ryo-ouki, give us a close up and a horizontal view. Thanks. Now rotate until a mountain comes up behind.”

            The stars and the ground moved for quite awhile. Then a mountain appeared from the left. As it came to the center, Tenchi was the first to notice.

TENCHI: “Stop! Look at that. The peak is now ahead of the base. Like a pencil in a glass of water.”

WASHU: “A cloaking device. Just like water it bends light around an object. That distortion is hiding something much bigger than Ryo-ouki. I’ll bet that’s where they are going. Even at full speed it will take us a few minutes to get there, which should be enough time for Ryouko to tell us how she got her butt kicked.”

RYOUKO: “If I had my gem it would have been different. After checking on Funahou and that Sailor Girl, I was flying over the lake and saw something glinting in the woods. I transported over and found a woman spying with a pair of binoculars on the house. I confronted her and then she shouted something like Phoenix Soul Power Make up and I was blinded by a bright flash. I couldn’t see long enough for her to get behind me and get in the first hit.”

AEKA: “Let me guess: all it took was one hit.”

RYOUKO: “Let’s find out how many hits it takes to shut…”

WASHU: “Enough you two.”

TENCHI: “Ryo-ouki, can you focus tighter on that bright light that just appeared?”

RYO-OUKI: “MIYA!”

            The view screen was filled with an illuminated hallway. Two figures could be seen, but no details.

WASHU: “Ryo-ouki, home in on that spot. That is probably an air lock.”

            The light disappeared but that didn’t deter Ryo-ouki. She was there in a few moments. An umbilical reached out from her hull and attached itself to what appeared to be nothing.

*

JESSE: “Thank you for the rescue…?”

            Jesse turned around and nobody was there. He deactivated his armor and from around the corner Samantha came running.

*

WASHU: “Even this close we still can’t see whatever it is. The cloaking field must be tight up against what ever it is hiding.”

            They all walked out into the hallway. A second later Ryo-ouki in cabbit form popped through the doorway and the door shut closed.

TENCHI: “Any guesses as to which way we should go?”

AEKA: “How about that way?”

RYOUKO: “Why that way?”

AEKA: “Because it is in the opposite direction of the guards coming at us!”

            This time nobody looked; they all just started running; Ryouko and Ryo-ouki bringing up the rear. This insured that when Ryo-ouki turned down anther hallway and Ryouko followed, they went unnoticed for quite awhile. Ryo-ouki stopped in front of a door and it opened up. She went inside and Ryouko followed. Soon they heard voices. Ryouko recognized them.

ROURUKO: “Why the hell the emergency transporter sent you to the engine room…hold still, there.

SAILOR LEO: “God that feels so much better. I can see again.”

            Leo threw her arms around her sister.

LEO: “I missed you so much.”

ORION: “I know.”

30-Dec-04

RYOUKO: “Get away from that girl, Sailor Moon!”

SAILOR LEO: “LEO! Sailor LEO!”

ROURUKO: “Thank you so much!”

            Rouruko pushed Leo away and started running towards Ryouko. At first Leo was absolutely stunned, but caught on. So did Ryo-ouki, she started bristling and hissing. Ryouko looked down at her quite shocked, then at the girl coming at her. The scent in the room seemed familiar, and then Ryouko took a really good look at Rouruko’s face and saw faint scars on her cheekbones.

18-Jun-03

            She cracked her knuckles and then reached behind her back and pulled out a Galaxy Police Issued Phaser.

RYOUKO: “Having the both of you here saves me the trouble of tracking you down separately.”

*

This would have been a big help to Tenchi. His group ran into several guards and his sword refused to activate.

TENCHI: “Damn it! It was working fine earlier!”

AEKA: “Let’s try in here!”

            They ran into a small room. They figured it was an elevator of some sort. Washu found the control panel and pushed a button. The doors closed and a humming sound commenced

AEKA: “Do you even have any idea what that does?”

WASHU: “No, just seeing what would happen.”

AEKA: “You would do something so unscientific?”

WASHU: “It’s called random experimentation.”

            The humming stopped and the doors opened. Tenchi poked his head out.

TENCHI: “It’s all clear.”

            They exited the elevator and walked down the hallway.

02-dec-2002

            As they walked down the hallway, Aeka came to an abrupt halt in front of a set of double doors. Tenchi and Washu stopped a moment later.

TENCHI: “What’s wrong, Aeka?”

AEKA: “They’re here.”

            She turned and the doors opened, she stepped through and her personal shield snapped on absorbing a phaser blast. Tenchi began to rush in but was restrained by Washu. She smiled and held up her hand and her own sword materialized.

WASHU: “Sorry, Lord Tenchi, but you can’t use your sword yet.”

            She walked in and deflected the random blasts with her sword. It was just one person firing, but he was good, he was able to keep Washu and Aeka from advancing long enough for reinforcements to arrive via an access hatch behind the com panel. In the momentary confusion of figuring out who goes where; Washu fired her own phaser beam from the palm of her hand. It hit the podium causing it to short circuit. Almost immediately Misaki joined Aeka and combined her Jurai powers with her daughter’s. The shield grew to encompass all three in the room and was more than a match for the defenders weapons. Washu was now able to pick off the guards one by one. After the battle, Washu went over to the computer and started typing on it, and Aeka braced herself for a bear hug. It never came; instead her overly loving mother was standing slightly off to the side of a cell. Mihoshi was with her. Aeka cautiously went over to see what was going on.

WASHU: “Tenchi, come inside.”

            When he did the doors shut and a shield activated.

WASHU: “That should keep anybody from coming in that way for awhile. Could you help me put our friends here into these cells; for their protection?”

            Sasami was sitting in a corner of her cell sobbing quietly.

MIHOSHI: “She’s been like that for quite a while now.”

MISAKI: “That white haired man showed her a video and then I heard her cry. He will pay for that.”

AEKA: “Video?”

MIHOSHI: “This one.”

            Mihoshi ran back to her cell and grabbed up the video PADD. Tenchi was dragging a guard by when Mihoshi ran back out of the cell and tripped on the guard’s legs. The PADD went flying, Aeka caught it.

WASHU: “So much for that theory.”

            Aeka looked over the device trying to figure it out. She guessed that the large glass looking pane was a view screen. There was a row of buttons, the symbols seemed familiar. Misaki looked over Aeka’s shoulder, then reached around and pushed a button. The video that played was the video of the Space Ship Tsunami destroying a planet.

AEKA: “This can’t be right.”

            The video continued to show a close up of the bridge, Tsunami was clearly visible in a window. Then it blinked and went fuzzy. The next image that played was the same ship and the imaged was enhanced to show the bridge. Tsunami was visible as was her reflection in the water that surrounded her. The reflection was that of Sasami.

AEKA: “She never told you?”

MISAKI: “Told me what?”

MIHOSHI: “How she and Tsunami…”

            Aeka put her hand over Mihoshi’s mouth.

AEKA: “We can’t, it is up to Sasami.”

            Sasami sobbed a couple of more times wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her jump suit. She stood up, turned towards the group, head bowed.

SASAMI: “Lady Misaki, forgive me, I am not your daughter Sasami.”

            Sasami then recited the time seven hundred years ago when Ryouko attacked Jurai. Sasami was just a little girl and had wandered into the tower of trees. The tower was shaken and Sasami fell off a causeway and dropped a long ways. The next memory she had was looking up from the pool of water at the physical form of Tsunami.

It took intervention on Tsunami’s part to get Sasami to tell her sister Aeka. Sasami had been relieved beyond description when Aeka and Tenchi accepted her. But something in the back of her mind kept bugging her, gnawing. In the seven hundred years since the incident, Sasami never attempted to tell her parents. She was that afraid. Now she braced herself for the moment she had forever dreaded.

MISAKI: “If you ever...

            Sasami flinched.

 MISAKI: "...call me ‘Lady Misaki’ again…”

            Sasami slowly looked up and saw her mother on her knees holding out her arms. She had that ‘you’d better give me a hug look on her face.’

7-Dec-02

SASAMI: “MOTHER!”

 

            Sasami ran right by her mother and hugged Tenchi who was walking by at the time. Misaki looked bewildered, Aeka covered her mouth to stifle a chuckle, and Mihoshi was being Mihoshi.

WASHU: “Is everybody clear of these cells?”

            Tenchi looked around.

TENCHI: “Yes we are.”

            The retaining fields blinked on trapping the unconscious guards.

WASHU: “WE HAVE TO HURRY!”

AEKA: “More guards?”

WASHU: “No, I just received a psychic blast from Ryo-ouki, she and Ryouko are under attack by the Sailor Twins.”

TENCHI: Where are they at now?”

WASHU: “Give me a minute.”

            Washu spent an entire minute pushing buttons on the Brig Control Panel. Aeka and Tenchi went over to Washu while Misaki, Sasami (who had finally let Tenchi go and was now holding her mother’s hand,) and Mihoshi rummaged through what ever door they could open.

AEKA: “This lettering looks familiar. I know I’ve seen it before.”

WASHU: “You should know, you were taught it in school.”

            Misaki poked her head over Washu’s shoulder.

MISAKI: “That’s Ancient Juraian. You haven’t been keeping up with your studies, have you Little Aeka?”

            Aeka looking chagrinned.

AEKA: “No, Mother.”

WASHU: “I remember having to study it at the academy. Stuff is actually older than me.”

TENCHI: “Is this ship that old?”

WASHU sourly: "No, just by looking, I’d say it is about 1600 years old.”

AEKA: “How could you tell that just by looking at that computer?”

WASHU: “By looking at this data plate.”

9-Dec-02

            Washu pointed to a spot underneath the panel. Tenchi naturally followed where indicated and crouched down. He saw what she meant: a brass square riveted to the underside of the panel.

TENCHI: “I can’t read it.”

WASHU: “’Computer Panel, Prison. Manufactured 21,063. Warranty good for 18 months or 18 light years after installation.’”

TENCHI: “Really.”

WASHU: “You doubt my genius?”

TENCHI: “Well…uhm…no.”

WASHU: “You are just too sweet, Lord Tenchi. Just for you, I guessed at the age, I assumed they are using the same calendar as Jurai.

AEKA: “21063? That’s about 1100 years before Ryouko attacked Jurai.”

WASHU: “Enough of this, I found them, they’re in the engine room.”

TENCHI: “Can you find us a quick way to get there with that thing?”

WASHU: “Yes, unfortunately we have to go back the way we came and down a few more decks.”

TENCHI: “Washu, can you teleport, like Ryouko?”

WASHU: “I can do it better than Ryouko.”

TENCHI: “Take Sasami and Lady Misaki…”

MISAKI: “No! You need my defensive shield. Plus I need to make sure my Little Aeka is safe.”

AEKA: “Mother!”

TENCHI: “Take Sasami…”

SASAMI: “No.”

TENCHI: “What…?”

MISAKI: “Sasami, you must…”

SASAMI: “I said no, I need to rescue Touki.”

AEKA: “But she's on Earth.”

SASAMI: “She's here.”

WASHU: “Don’t argue, we need to get moving. Mihoshi, just what are you looking for?”

MIHOSHI: “I found them, our clothes.”

MISAKI: “Is my hair pin in there?”

MIHOSHI: “Yes Ma’am, and my control cube.”

MISAKI: “Just call me Auntie Misaki. This uniform itches.”

TENCHI: “Lady Misaki…”

MISAKI: “You can call me Auntie Misaki as well.”

TENCHI: “Auntie Misaki, could you please stay in that uniform…”

WASHU: “So you like what you see, eh Lord Tenchi?”

            Tenchi and Misaki both went ‘huh?’ Aeka turned red with anger and steam visibly came out her ears. Washu and Sasami chuckled; and Mihoshi was being Mihoshi.

            Five minutes later Sasami, Misaki, and Mihoshi left the brig while being escorted by Tenchi and Aeka dressed as guards. Nobody bothered them, not even a squad of soldiers who had been alerted to the brig. When those soldiers got there, nobody was there. One soldier checked out the com panel.

SOLDIER: “Here is the problem, somebody must have left this wrench on the top edge and it fell and hit the test switch. Move out, we need to find those intruders.”

            When they left, Washu appeared and went to a cell and detached and extra box. The unconscious guards reappeared.

WASHU: “Better take this; never know when I might need it again.”

            She then disappeared. Tenchi’s group was having good luck until they came to the first lift, the doors opened and out walked Jesse and Samantha.

*

17-dec-2002

            Ryouko was sitting behind a computer panel. She would poke her head up and then duck in time as an arrow shot by. Sailor Leo and Orion were crouched down behind a large cylinder with a section of opaque glass that wrapped all the way around. Ryouko had yet to fire a single shot herself.

RYOUKO: "I hate this, if I could only...Washu, is that you? Where are you?"

WASHU: "I'm right here, can't you see me? My cloaking field is at a minimum."

RYOUKO: "You can do that?"

WASHU: "Of course, where do you think you got your powers from?"

RYOUKO: "Then why do I need to use the gems?"

WASHU: "Later, where's Ryo-ouki? Huh?"

            An arrow went by inches from her face. Another ricocheted off the ground through her feet. She looked over at the adversaries. Sailor Orion was partially exposed over the top of the large machine readying another arrow. Washu held up her right hand and an arrow went through her palm. Washu looked closer and saw that Orion was wearing a red tinted visor that was attached below her tiara.

RYOUKO: "I don't know, she just took off, what's wrong?"

WASHU: "She is good. Well, as long as I'm invisible to you at least she won't be able to hit me. Why don't you use that blaster you 'barrowed' from Mihoshi’s room?"

RYOUKO sighing: "I can't believe the universe's greatest genius overlooked what they are standing behind."

            Washu turned to look and found Ryo-ouki.

WASHU: "NO DON"T!"

            Ryo-ouki was crouched on another computer above and behind the sisters in cabbit form and jumped, but she was just a second too slow. Sailor Orion had released another arrow when Ryo-ouki landed on her and was clawing and scratching. Washu screamed out in pain and faded back into existence. The arrow was lodged all the way through her right shoulder. She fell to her knees and Ryouko grabbed and dragged Washu behind the consol and laid her upper body across her lap.

RYOUKO: "MOTHER!"

WASHU: "Don't worry, I'll be fine. She was able to change the phase variance to match mine and got me. Do me a favor, what does the tip look like?"

RYOUKO: "No head, just a pointed end of the shaft."

            Washu grabbed the arrow and pulled it out. She gritted her teeth the whole time.

RYOUKO: "You should have left that in...oh."

            Ryouko saw the wound close up. Washu reached up and held her hand to Ryouko's cheek.

WASHU: "First that engine core and a tid bit of first aide. You are definitely my daughter."

            Washu lifted herself up off of Ryouko's lap and sat up beside her.

WASHU: "I really liked it when you called me 'mother.'"

RYOUKO: "Not now, take this and teleport over there."

            Ryouko tossed the pistol to Washu.

WASHU: "I can't. Like you I only have so much energy, even with a gem. That arrow and healing myself drained me."

RYOUKO: "Our only hope is that Tenchi gets here and soon."

WASHU: "He was on his way when I left."

            Ryo-ouki went sailing over their heads and landed a few yards away. Ryouko prostrated herself and slithered over and grabbed Ryo-ouki by her hind leg as a couple of arrows bounced off the ground. Ryouko sat back up next to Washu and put Ryo-ouki in her lap. She was very bruised and battered.

RYOUKO: "You were very brave."

RYO-OUKI: "Burp."

            She coughed up a tiara. Both Washu's and Ryouko's eyes bugged out and their jaws dropped.

21-Dec-2002

RYOUKO: "Did you eat one of those girls?"

            Washu Reached inside Ryo-ouki's mouth up to her elbow.

RYOUKO: "What are you doing, and how are you doing that?"

WASHU: "The how is easy: cartoon mechanics. If one of them has been eaten, I need to rescue her before...Huh? What's this?"

            Washu pulled out a mirror.

RYOUKO: "That frame looks like the same design as Tenchi's sword and Aeka's head band."

            Washu held the mirror up and angled it so she could see behind her. She saw both Sailor Orion and Leo. Orion didn't have her tiara.

WASHU: "Good job, Ryo-ouki! Ryouko, take this gem."

            Ryouko took the tiara in her left hand and held out her right. The gem started to glow but Washu snatched it back.

RYOUKO: What the...!

WASHU: "You can't use this gem like that. Here..."

            Washu bent out the corners of the tiara and slapped it on Ryouko's forehead. Ryouko felt as if the golden bands conformed to the shape of her head and then she felt power welling up inside of her. She jumped up over the com panel and activated her sword and used it to blocked several arrows. Sailor Leo screamed out in pain and blue bolts of electricity coursed over her body. Her uniform faded back to her school girl outfit and she collapsed behind the engine core.

WASHU: "TOUKI!?"

            She had been watching in the mirror. Next she saw Ryouko disappear and then reappear behind Sailor Orion and slash her with the sword.

WASHU: "RYOUKO, NO!"

RYOUKO: "Don't worry, it was set for stun. I don't kill anymore, it would upset Tenchi...err..."

WASHU: "That's a good girl."

            Washu got up from around the panel carrying Ryo-ouki and the mirror. As she walked over to Ryouko, Sailor Orion's uniform faded back to her school girl outfit as well.

WASHU: "After seeing Touki, I guessed that would be her sister, Rouruko."

RYOUKO: "Who?"

WASHU: "I thought they were friends of Sasami, but they sure have a funny way of showing it."

24-Dec-2002.

RYOUKO: "So what do we do with these two here?"

WASHU: "Stand guard over them until Tenchi arrives."

RYOUKO: "TENCHI! I need to help him."

WASHU: "Wait, Tenchi will be here in a few. We need to recharge ourselves."

RYOUKO: "Speak for yourself. I'm raring to go!"

            Washu went over to Ryouko, jumped up and grabbed the tiara from her head. Ryouko's eyes rolled up and she fell to her knees.

RYOUKO: "Bitch!"

WASHU: "That's the reason why I couldn't allow you to absorb the gem into your arm like usual. This was one of the gems used by Kagato to steal yours and Sword Tenchi's powers. These people must have found then used them to create those sailor girls. When Leo escaped, she grabbed your gem instead of Kagato's."

ROURUKO weakly: "Actually, the Sailor Powers were ours to begin with. The gems just augmented them."

            Ryouko tried to get up but just fell forward.

RYOUKO: "Give me that gem before..."

ROURUKO: "Heh...I can barely move. Since Washu-chan can move, she is the winner."

WASHU: "There are no winners in this game."

            Rouruko was lying across the top of the warp core; she pushed herself and slid down the back. She reappeared on the right end where her sister was laid out. She got on her knees and leaned over Touki. Ryo-ouki struggled out of Washu's arms and hopped over to the sisters.

ROURUKO: "After all this, you are concerned for her?"

RYO-OUKI: "MIYA!"

            Ryo-ouki crawled over and licked Touki's cheek.

ROURUKO: "Silly thing, don't you know we are your enemies."

            Ryouko had been making her way over to the engine core.

WASHU: "I don't think so. Someone has gone through a lot of trouble to try and make us enemies."

ROURUKO: "Probably Tsunami."

WASHU: "I've seen the videos, I'm sure that wasn't Tsunami who destroyed your world."

RYOUKO thinking: "Why do I feel all my power coming back to me?"

            Ryouko was now leaning against the engine core.

ROURUKO: "I have seen that video a million times."

WASHU: "Tsk...All this advance hardware and you guys didn't do a simple spectral analysis?"

            Washu walked over to the girls and sat down next to them. Washu activated her holo-computer and played the videos of Tsunami. She then pushed a button and the first video replayed nothing different. The second, however, Tsunami's ship disappeared. Where the camera focused, only Sasami could be seen. Washu released the button and the whole ship reappeared. Then pressed it again, only Sasami. She invited Rouruko to do the same. Rouruko pushed the filter button many times.

ROURUKO: "Nani?"

WASHU: "Tsunami can't physically manifest herself like that yet. She is a tree on Jurai. In order to even project an image, Sasami must be close by. Whoever destroyed your world was for whatever reason impersonating Tsunami. Though I am curious as to how they knew what Tsunami looked like."

TOUKI: "Because I am."

            She opened her eyes and instead of the dark green, they were pink.

*

JESSE: "Good thinking, we need to move the pris...TENCHI!"

MISAKI: "YOU!"

TENCHI: "You're safe, Mr. St James...Lady Misaki, WAIT!"

            Misaki had been at the end of the procession headed by Tenchi. She moved so fast that nobody saw her. She placed her hands on his throat.

MASAKI: "You hurt my Little Sasami, NOW I"M GOING TO HURT YOU!"

            Jesse's arms were still free so he suckered punched Misaki which caused her to stumble back and then Samantha sabot kicked her in the face. Misaki fell back onto the group causing them to fall into a heap. Jesse and Samantha ducked back into the lift and the doors closed before Misaki could get back there. That didn't stop her for long. She jammed her finger tips into the seem between the doors and applied her strength. The doors flew open, first she looked up and then down. The she jumped down the open shaft. She landed on top of the car and punched her way into the interior and then through the doors.

TENCHI: "QUICK! WE HAVE TO STOP MISAKI FROM KILLING MY NEIGHBOR!"

MIHOSHI: "Uhm...Tenchi?"

TENCHI: "Yes, Mihoshi?"

MIHOSHI: "Your neighbor is the one who kidnapped us."

TENCHI: "What?"

            He looked at Sasami, she shook her head yes.

*

SAMANTHA: "JESSE, IN HERE!"

            The sight that greeted them was extraordinary: Touki was in her Sailor Leo uniform and Ryouko had just jumped at her from the top of the engine core. Leo also jumped and grabbed Ryouko. As they landed, Leo slammed Ryouko into the floor so hard she bounced up in the air and landed over by Jesse and Samantha.

WASHU: "GET OUT OF HERE!"

            Washu had an arm around Rouruko and she was carrying Ryo-Ouki. Rouruko let go of Washu and hugged her father.

ROURUKO: "Father it is horrible, Touki has been possessed by Tsunami."

JESSE: "Say what?"

WASHU: "Hang in there, Ryouko! I can't use this gem, I need the one Touki has!"

SAMANTHA: "I can help. PHOENIX SOUL POWER, MAKE UP!"

JESSE: "That was you!?"

            Sailor Phoenix knelt beside Ryouko.

PHOENIX: "Stand back. HEALING PYRE!"

            The two women were engulfed in flames for a few seconds. When it dissipated, Ryouko opened her eyes.

RYOUKO: "God I have a splitting headache."

PHOENIX: "I am afraid you will need some aspirin for that."

JESSE: "Samantha?"

PHOENIX: "Later, right now we have bigger problems!"

MISAKI: "You certainly do."

            She cracked her knuckles.

JESSE: "Would a simple 'I am sorry' suffice for now?"

MISAKI: "SURE!"

            She threw her arms around him and hugged tightly. At the moment everybody else arrived.

TENCHI: "Is she..."

PHOENIX: "Is she that forgiving?"

 

AEKA: "Yes."

JESSE: "Excuse me, Queen Jurai?"

MISAKI: "You can call me Auntie Misaki."

            Everybody face faulted.

JESSE: "I have a problem; your tree has possessed my daughter."

            He pointed over to Sailor Leo who was pushing a bunch of buttons on the engine core's com panel.

SASAMI: "Tsunami?"

            Leo turned around and Sasami was shocked to be looking into eyes the same exact colour as hers. Jesse and Phoenix were quite shocked too.

LEO: "Hello, Tsunami, been a while, over 25,000 years."

ROURUKO: "FIGHT IT, TOUKI."

            Leo grabbed the sides of her head and screamed out in pain. Her eyes faded back to green.

LEO: "I don't know how long I can fight it."

            Leo then seemed to say the next line to herself.

LEO: "Please, Let me be with my sister one last time. Thank you."

            Rouruko ran over to Leo and they embraced; then they kissed.

TENCHI: "Uuhhhhh...."

JESSE: "Our culture considers the kiss to be shared only amongst those who have truly deep feelings with each other."

PHOENIX: "Psychic bonds between sisters are so strong, they can share thoughts from great distances, touching is very personal. If they kiss, they are sharing something that I can't describe in Earth Languages."

            They all turned to look and saw Leo raise her right arm, the hand formed into a paw and claws were unsheaved. Before anybody could react, Leo plunged them into Rouruko's back. She withdrew the claws and Rouruko collapsed, dead.

PHOENIX: "CHAOS WING!"

            She jumped up and wings of flame sprung from her back and then flew straight at Leo. Leo picked up the mirror and swung like a bat striking Phoenix across the jaw sending her back to the group. Jesse caught her and her wings disappeared.

JESSE: "SAMANTHA!"

PHOENIX: "That mirror, it belonged to my grandmother."

            Jesse looked at Leo and saw the mirror. He instantly recognized it.

JESSE: "That looks like Queen Misao's. It disappeared 800 years ago. Where did she get it?"

WASHU: "I did, from Ryo-ouki. She ate it."

RYOUKO: "I remember now! I stole it on some obscure planet...I can't remember the name."

JESSE: "Provovia?"

RYOUKO: "Yeah, it looked like a Jurai Royal Key."

            Tenchi and Aeka looked at the mirror, then Tenchi examined his sword and Aeka felt her headband.

 RYOUKO: "I spent weeks trying to find the Royal Tree, but the planetary defense eventually drove me off. I guess Ryo-ouki was hungry and ate it."

RYO-OUKI: "MEOW!"

WASHU: "You were just saving it?"

            Nobody paid any attention. Jesse had realized what Phoenix had said.

JESSE: "That was your grandmother's?"

PHOENIX: "Yep, Queen Misao. My mother was Princess Rebecca."

            Jesse immediately fell to one knee and bowed.

JESSE: "Forgive me for treating you so shamefully"

            Phoenix knelt down and lifted his chin with her hand so they looked each other in the eyes.

PHOENIX: "It is not your fault I snuck on board your ship and fell in love with you. Now forget this fealty crap, we have a much bigger problem."

*

NOW THAT THE LONG WINDED EXPOSITION IS OVER,

HERE'S MORE.

JESSE: "Stand aside."

            Everybody did so. Jesse touched a button on his watch and in a blinding white light he was encased in his battle armor. Sailor Phoenix was the first to attack. This time she dashed forward but stopped out side of Sailor Leo's reached. Held up her arms and shouted:

PHOENIX: "FULL STRENTGH: FLAME GATTLING!"

            Phoenix aimed her hands at Sailor Leo and let fly with rapid bursts of fire. Leo was engulfed in fire. When Phoenix had expended her energy, she fell to her knees, when the smoke cleared, Leo was unharmed. She simply walked over to Phoenix, placed one arm on her shoulder and another on her jaw and shoved. Phoenix's neck snapped. Her body crumpled to the floor.

JESSE: "PRINCESS! TOUKI!"

            Then he made the next mistake of charging in. Leo held up her hand and he merely froze in place. Blue crackles of energy course over her body. She leaned to one side to see that Ryouko was wearing Orion's tiara and forming a giant energy ball.

LEO: "I guess I should really get rid of this stupid thing."

            She removed her tiara revealing two dots with a triangle split in half between the dots. The electrical burst stopped. She placed the tiara on the frozen form of Jesse. His battle suit was drained of all power. Ryouko dissipated the energy she collected seeing as how it did no good.

JESSE: "Touki, you fought back once, I'm sure you can do it again."

LEO: "Look real close."

            She pointed to some gashes in her chest.

LEO: "When I disposed of Rouruko, I did in Touki as well. It makes it easier to control this body. What the...!?"

            Through sheer will, Jesse broke the invisible bonds, fell to his knees and reached around Leo. His armor started to glow.

LEO: “What do you think you’re doing?”

JESSE: “The reserve power should be enough stop you.”

            Jesse’s armor turned bright red and exploded. Everybody shielded their eyes from the bright flash. When they could see again, what was left of his body fell back away from Leo, she was unharmed.

LEO: “’Should.’”

JESSE: “Huh?”

            He looked up to see Leo intact, then fell through her and onto his face.

JESSE: “What did you do to me?”

            Leo turned toward him and pointed at his body.

LEO: “You did. Good, even in this form you'll still get to see what I'm going to do to your fallen family."

            To everybody else, it looked as if Leo was talking to air. She then went back over to the opaque glass portion of the engine core. She opened it revealing a small round crystal with countless facets. She picked it up and held it over her head. The bodies of Rouruko and Samantha glowed white and crystals floated up from them. The crystals had twelve facets that ended at two points. They were absorbed into the round crystal

LEO: "There's another, quit fighting."

            Another crystal emerged from Samantha’s body. Instead of being absorbed it zoomed over to Jesse’s spirit. An image of a girl with short white hair formed.

JESSE: "Are you...?"

GIRL: "Yes, you have given me so much, I want to repay you."

JESSE: "But, you..."

GIRL: "Whether it is a few hours, or a few years, I treasured every second. Are you ready?"

JESSE: "What about..."

GIRL: "They will be alright; Tsunami will take care of us all."

            The girl took his hand and they floated over to the crystal

JESSE: "What is your name?"

GIRL: "I do not know, it was too soon for Mother to know she had me."

JESSE: "You look like Queen Misao."

GIRL: "When we are reborn, I will be Misao."

*

Leo’s body then grew to adult size, her clothing was replaced to that of Tsunami’s but it was gray shaded, and her hair grew out long and the same shade of blue as Sasami's. Except for two inches at the tips that were still blond. The last crystal came from Leo herself, it too was absorbed into the round crystal.

LEO: "I have no quarrel with the rest of you, just her."

            She pointed to Sasami.

LEO: "Leave now if you want to live."

            Nobody moved.

LEO: "Fine, but if you interfere, Earth will be the first to go. Now as for you, time to settle the score."

27-Dec-2002

SASAMI: "Score?"

TSUNAMI: "Yes, it was 25,000 years ago; at the dawn of the Jurai Dynasty."

            As Tsunami spoke, she became visible to everyone.

TSUNAMI: "Then, the understanding of the power of the Royal Trees was just being studied. A branch of mine was culled and given to a group to settle another planet. But that ship disappeared and I lost contact with that limb."

LEO: "Let me finish. We were attacked by space pirates."

            She glanced over at Ryouko.

RYOUKO: "What are you looking at me for?"

WASHU: "Yeah, I hadn't even been born then.

LEO: "The ship crashed on a planet far from here. The section of the ship that housed me broke apart and landed elsewhere on that planet. They never came looking for me. I took root in the soil and lost my will. As my roots extended into the ground, they found this."

            The crystal from the engine core was floating in front of Leo and it flashed a couple of times.

LEO: "My will was revived."

TSUNAMI: "Yes, I felt you."

LEO: "So I broke contact. I didn't want you meddling. Then someone dug it up. I wasn't about to let it go and transfer myself to it. I was installed in that thing over there as a power source. I figured it was time for some revenge for being abandoned. Destroying an entire world took a lot and I shut down again. When I awoke, I studied the crystal. I found I would need a physical body. Didn't have to look far, found two that had just been conceived."

SASAMI: "You mean...?"

LEO: "I took over one of them and laid dormant. When you were discovered on Earth, I just had to act."

            Leo pointed at Sasami and beams of light shot out of the crystal and exploded around Sasami.

AEKA/MISAKI: "SASAMI!"

            The attack had no effect; Sasami was surrounded by the Ten Wings of the Light Hawk.

LEO: "Defend all you can, but you can't really harm me unless you have a physical form."

TSUNAMI: "Sasami?"

            Sasami bowed her head. She looked back up with a looked of determination.

SASAMI: "Yes."

            Sasami's body glowed a bright white, Tsunami's ghostly formed passed into it and Sasami's passed out. The glow faded and Sasami's body had grown up, still in the prison issue coveralls, Sasami's spirit was floating behind in Tsunami's outfit, both resized to fit.

MISAKI: "Sasami?"

TSUNAMI: "Don't worry, Lady Misaki, I'll return...ACK!"

            Misaki rushed over and grabbed Tsunami by the lapels and leaned in causing Tsunami to lean back.

MISAKI: "What did I say about calling me...?"

TSUNAMI: "Uh...Mother?"

MISAKI: "BETTER!"

            She hugged Tsunami tightly, Tsunami had a very surprised expression, and Sasami sweat dropped.

28-Dec-2002

Misaki let her go and then step over and stood to Tsunami's right. Tsunami was quite puzzled by this.

TSUNAMI: "Uh...Mother?"

MISAKI: "What is it, Little Tsunami?"

TSUNAMI: "You really should leave, that is a very unsafe spot."

MISAKI: "Nonsense, I'll stand and defend my daughters to the very end."

            Tsunami smiled at this and so did Sasami.

AEKA: "Right!"

            She then walked over to Tsunami's left.

SASAMI: "Thank, Sis."

TENCHI: "Ryouko?'

RYOUKO: "You bet!"

            They walked over and took up positions behind Tsunami, Tenchi to her left and Ryouko on the right. Tears came to Sasami's eyes.

SASAMI: "Tenchi, Ryouko."

            Mihoshi got out her control cube and twisted the ends, in the blink of an eye her prison uniform was replaced with her Galaxy Police Battle Suit. She then went over and stood next to Ryouko.

MIHOSHI: "I'm not going to stand in the line of fire of two gods without some protection."

RYO-OUKI: "MIYA!"

            She hopped over and onto Tsunami's head.

TSUNAMI: "I love you too, but that is really a bad spot to be right now."

            Ryo-ouki hopped off and over to Tenchi's head. Everybody but Tsunami glanced at Washu.

WASHU: "Give me a minute, will ya?"

            Her holo-computer materialized and she typed on it. Red klaxons flared and a prerecorded voice in a strange language went over the PA.

WASHU: "That is so annoying."

            She typed some and the klaxon stopped. She walked over and stood next to Tenchi.

TENCHI: "What did you do, Little Washu?"

WASHU: "I created a program that simulates a warp core breach. Just gave the order to abandon ship. I turned it off for this room and put up a scanner shield so no one will come looking for us."

LEO: "Since this is the final battle, I think a tag change is in order."

BLACK TSUNAMI: "I like it. It doesn't matter how many you have on your side, for starters, I have your key."

            She held up the mirror and it reflected the impassive image of Tsunami.

BLACK TSUNAMI: "Why fight you when I can control you?"

            Everybody got really worried.

TSUNAMI: "That key was made from the sap of your tree. I never acknowledged it as my key. Since you destroyed your old body, it can only be used on my progeny."

BLACK TSUNAMI: "I see, you have chosen another."

            She tossed the mirror to the floor and held out her hand and Tenchi's sword materialized. Tenchi looked at his wondering how that happened.

TENCHI: "What the?"

            Black Tsunami held it out and it glowed, but nothing happened. It disappeared to Tsunami's hand, and then she passed it back to Tenchi.

BLACK TSUNAMI: "Well, it doesn't matter how many keys or how many you have standing by you. What could they possibly do to help?"

TENCHI: "The one thing that a mortal can do when two gods battle: pray."

            Tenchi clapped his hands together twice and started murmuring. It dawned and every one else followed suit. Ryo-ouki hopped of Tenchi's head and got next to him, transformed into her girl form. She went to her knees and prayed.

BLACK TSUNAMI: "A LOT OF GOOD THAT'S GOING TO DO!"

            Black Tsunami shot a beam of energy at Tsunami. It was blocked and Tsunami pushed it back a little with her own energy. She was struggling under the pressure and sweating heavily.

BLACK TSUNAMI: "HA! Lot of good you are. In only a matter of mere moments I will take my rightful place!"

            Black Tsunami's beam inched closer.

SASAMI: "TSUNAMI!"

TSUNAMI: "Sasami, I need your help."

SASAMI: "What can I do? You already have my body."

TSUNAMI: "No, search your soul, find your true self."

            Sasami thought about her life with Tsunami. She had been afraid of revealing her relationship with Tsunami for fear of rejection. But Aeka and her Mother had accepted her. Even Tenchi and everybody else. She had always considered herself a creation of Tsunami, and therefore subservient to Tsunami. Then why did Tsunami ask to use her body in this battle? Sasami realized that in her spirit form she could remember every moment of her life. From the second she became self aware in her mother's womb to now. She thought of that time 700 years ago when she fell to her death, but she had not died. She was just inches away from death when Tsunami saved her life, not recreated her. With this Sasami floated down and into Tsunami, their souls merged and the energy beam flashed and pushed Black Tsunami's attack back until it was equal distant between the two goddesses.

BLACK TSUNAMI: "As long as I have this crystal, I have limitless energy. Soon yours will run out. Even with the prayers of your followers, you can't overcome me."

TENCHI: "I'm not praying to her, I'm praying for you."

BLACK TSUNAMI: "I think your priorities are a little screwed up, boy."

TENCHI: "I am praying that you realize what you are doing is wrong and that you can still find salvation."

            Black Tsunami was taken aback by this. She looked in the hearts of everyone present, they all were praying for her. She look to Tsunami, she too was giving of her soul. Black Tsunami dropped her attack and Tsunami's hit her. Touki's body was separated and fell back, Black Tsunami's spirit stood there, she smiled, and then from her feet to her head she dissolved. The crystal dropped to the ground, its shimmer dulled. Tsunami dropped to her knees, her mother was the first to hug her, gently.

MISAKI: "I'm so proud of you, Sasami."

            Washu had gone over and picked up the crystal and mirror.

WASHU: "This looks like nothing more than a lump of glass."

TSUNAMI: "Washu, if you please?"

            Washu handed the crystal and mirror to Tsunami.

WASHU: "Here. Uh oh....OH CRAP!"

TENCHI: "What's wrong?"

 

WASHU: "That blast hit the warp core, there really is going to be a breach!"

MIHOSHI: "That’s bad, isn't it?"

WASHU: "OF COURSE IT IS! UNLESS WE GET OFF THE SHIP, WE'RE GOING TO BE ATOMS!"

MIHOSHI: "We have to save Yukinojo! He's in the shuttle bay!"

            Tsunami waved her hand and a portal opened up. Everybody went in, just before Tsunami went through, someone came into the engine room. It was Touki in her Sailor Leo outfit. Though she was different: grown up with long blond hair. Tsunami commented.

TOUKI: "I was kind of forced to, if I have powers when I am reborn, my hair will be this long. I do not like it, takes forever to dry and just gets in my way. Here, take this."

            Touki handed Tsunami a picture of a young woman with dark hair, she was in a kimono.

TOUKI: "There is one more thing I need to do."

            She vanished and Tsunami went through the portal.

*

YUKINOJO: "Mihoshi, I'm glad to see you!"

MIHOSHI: "We need to get out of here!"

YUKINOJO: "I can't, my thruster power was drained."

            Tsunami came through the portal and it closed.

MIHOSHI: "Then blast the door and the atmospheric pressure will blow us out."

YUKINOJO: "No blaster power and they put docking clamps on me. There is a panel in the control room off to the side of this bay, but someone will have to go there."

            Yukinojo put the image of the control room on his view screen.

MIHOSHI: "If someone goes there, they won't have enough time to get back."

WASHU: "Only someone with enough power to teleport and survive a vacuum."

RYOUKO: "Where’s that other gem?"

WASHU: "Here, it landed over by me when Mr. St James blew himself up. You can place it back in your wrist. Give me that other or they will cancel each other out. When you get over there, increase the air pressure as much as you can before you turn off the shield."

            They switched gems and Ryouko disappeared. She reappeared in the control room. They could see her on the screen. They could also see the large sweat drop that form on the side of her head. Ryouko's voice came over the intercom.

RYOUKO: "I can't read this language."

TOUKI: "I can."

RYOUKO: "HOLY...!"

            She jumped back when Touki appeared. She typed on the panel.

YUKINOJO: "Docking clamps released, bay doors opening, and the air pressure is rising."

TOUKI: "You should get over there, now. This ship will explode in a minute or so."

            Ryouko teleported back to Yukinojo. When the bay door was completely open, Touki touched the switch turning off the atmospheric shield and everything that wasn't tied down was blown in to space. Unfortunately Yukinojo didn't get far outside when the warp core exploded.

WASHU: "EVERYBODY PRAY FOR YOURSELVES THIS TIME!"

            The fireball merely passed around them. They all looked at Tsunami; she had a clueless expression on her face. Then they looked at Tenchi, he was in his full power Jurai Battle Armor. He had his hands in front of his face, fingers interlaced with his index fingers forming an apex.

*

OFFICER: "Your highness, an explosion has just occurred on Earth's Moon."

AZUSA: "Take us in for a closer look."

            The flagship of the Emperor of Jurai moved closer. Another officer activated the holographic view screen and the image of the Moon appeared. A large fiery mushroom cloud was at the north pole just behind the terminator on the dark side. Azusa saw a glint to the left side of the cloud.

AZUSA: "Enlarge and enhance to the left."

            When the view focused on where he indicated, his jaw dropped.

AZUSA: "The Light Hawk Wings...but how?"

            The image was enhanced further, his jaw dropped more.

AZUSA: "A Galaxy Police ship? Impossible!"

            He regained his composure.

AZUSA: "Bring that ship on board and its occupants to me immediately!"

OFFICERS: "Yes, Sir!"

*

            Azusa had his back turned to the room when the people he wanted to see were brought in. He wanted to impress upon them his standing by suddenly turning around and glaring at them. It was very simple, and very effective. Not in this case, what greeted him was someone who looked exactly like his second wife with her hair down. Even the two dots on her forehead were the same. She threw her arms around his neck.

SASAMI: "PAPA!"

AZUSA: "Misaki? Have you been drinking the Earth Sake that Yosho gave you again?"

MISAKI: "Silly, don't you know your own daughter when you see her?"

            Azusa looked over and saw another woman that looked like his wife. He looked back at the woman who was hugging him. She opened her eyes and they were a light shade of pink.

AZUSA: "Sasami?"

SASAMI: "I grew up!"

            She backed away a twirled around.

SASAMI: "Like it, Tenchi does."

            Aeka and Ryouko got real close to Tenchi's face and growled. Tenchi sweat dropped.

KUZUKI: "You were all on that ship?"

WASHU: "Yes, Your Highness, and it was Lord Tenchi who saved us."

TENCHI: "I'm sure we would have been alright anyway."

AZUSA: "Why am I not surprised he was involved? What are you doing, Sasami?"

            Sasami had walked to Tenchi and placed her arms around his neck.

SASAMI: "Don't be so modest; in this form I only have a limited supply of energy. I used it up fighting and teleporting us. I didn't have enough to protect us from that explosion. Thank you."

            She leaned in and touched her forehead to his.

AEAK/RYOUKO: "SASAMI...!"

WASHU: "Hold it you two. One push of this button and I'll rewrite your DNA to water sprites."

            Washu's finger was hovering over her holographic keyboard. They backed off.

SASAMI: "Goodbye, Tenchi."

TENCHI: "Goodbye?"

SASAMI: "I have to go home now. There is work I need to do and I can only do it on Jurai."

TENCHI: "What do you have to do?"

            Sasami held up the inert crystal.

SASAMI: "This doesn't belong here. The rightful owner lives in another universe and I must send it back to her. Plus there are the souls trapped inside I must release. They will be sent to where they belong and can face their own trails and grow."

*

            A month has since passed since the incident. It was late afternoon and Tenchi was upstairs in his room doing high school correspondence. He decided to take a break. He went downstairs to the living room to watch TV. Mihoshi was on the couch sleeping and Ryouko was already watching TV. Ryo-ouki in cabbit form was sitting on the coffee table, a carrot was beside her. It had been barely nibbled on. She had been the most down. When he entered, Ryouko teleported to him and grabbed his arm.

RYOUKO: "You just got to see this story."

            They sat down in front of the TV.

ANCHOR: "The latest image from the American Ravteq Explorer Satellite shows a new crater at the Lunar North Pole. Debate has flared among the scientific community because a prominent group has theorized that the crater is too shallow to have been formed by a meteor big enough to have created the explosion that lit up the upper quarter of the Moon when it was in crescent."

            The whole time Ryouko was snickering, trying to hold in a big laugh. Of course, Ryouko is not very good at holding anything in.

RYOUKO: "BWAAA-HA-HA-HA!!! They are just so clueless!"

TENCHI: "It was nice of the King to invite the survivors back to Jurai."

            Ryouko immediately became down.

RYOUKO: "You miss her?"

TENCHI: "Yes, I do."

AEKA from the kitchen: "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

RYOUKO: "I really miss her cooking."

AEKA: "I HEARD THAT!"

TENCHI: "Now, now, her cooking has improved."

RYO-OUKI: "Miya!"

            Ryo-ouki perked up an instant before the door bell rang.

TENCHI: "I'll get it."

            He went to the front door and Ryo-ouki followed him. He opened it and was greeted by a girl who was about ten years old, her blue hair done up in double pony tails on each side of her head. On her forehead was a triangle that was split in half.

RYO-OUKI: "MIIIYAAA!!!"

SASAMI: "I'M HOME!"

THE END

18-Jul-03 finished.

30-Dec-04 final edit for web site.