Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Tenchi characters Pioneer does. Matt is my character however and if you would like to use him please obtain my permission first.

Things Left Untold

He stepped lightly onto the bridge standing still for a moment while the effects of the transport wore off. Looking around the dome shaped bridge he grinned in satisfaction, this was going to be too easy. Walking over to the main control console he danced his fingers across the controls resetting the course. Locking in the heading changes the shadowy figure produced a glimmering purple crystal from the folds of his clothing and placed it above the console. It flashed briefly before shattering silently into dust that drifted softly onto the console. Within the darkness of his hood the emissary smiled wickedly, his mistress would have her desire, and he would get his.

He was about to leave the ship when it occurred to him he had never seen her before. In all this time and with all his training he had never gotten the chance to simply gaze upon her in person. He knew better than anyone else possibly could, after all he had spent the past two years studying her. Now was the perfect opportunity to finally see her.

"Ryoko," he whispered to the empty bridge before padding silently down the corridor.

The door slid open at his command revealing her quarters beyond. The room was sparsely furnished, the only concession to comfort was the large bed heaped with blankets and pillows. He stopped at the door as a wave of power rolled over him, holding his ground before it he redirected the energy away from him masking his presence from the Gems. He cocked his head as he felt another powerful force with in the room not born of the Gems yet still somehow familiar. Shrugging the cloaked figure stepped into the room and swept his gaze across the huge bed.

His eyes opened wide in shock at the sight before him. He felt himself begin to sweat as he moved closer to get a better look. There she was in all her glory stretched naked above the covers laying face down on a single pillow. The perfection of her form kept him from drawing a breathe as he studied the sensuous curves of her flesh. He was fascinated by her hair, was that wild shock of cyan hair really as soft as it looked? Unable to help himself he reached his hand out to touche knowing this was against orders. Just as his finger tips brushed an absent strand she shifted in her sleep causing the dark figure to quickly retract his hand.

"Matt," she mumbled in her troubled sleep and hugged the pillow tightly to her chest. Shaken at his lack of control the figure stepped away from the bed and looked around trying to find something else divert his attention. He caught it out of the corner of his eye as he turned away from the sleeping demon. Walking across the darkened room he knelt down to inspect the marvelous weapon. A snarling dragon carved out of gold formed the tip of hilt which was wrapped in rich red scales. The guard was shaped into two serpents locked in mortal combat. The scabbard also contained embossed detail, his sharp eyes found the small knife hidden within scroll work.

He ran his hand along scabbard in sincere admiration, a weapon like this was worth a fortune. But what was she doing with it, he though looking over his shoulder to the sleeping figure on the bed. He knew she needed no physical weapon with the power of Gems at her command. No she didn't need so fine a weapon. Grinning in satisfaction he picked the sword up and slid it into his belt. Without a sound she swiftly moved from the room back to the bridge where he could teleport back to his ship. Still armed with a cocky smile he faded from view leaving Ryoko to her fate.

Washu was ascending the stairs towards the shrine when she heard the muffled grunts followed by a rather colorful curse spoken in Jurain. Ever curious the diminutive scientist veered off into the trees to see what was going on. The scene that greeted her was rather shocking. There sat Yosho sitting on his rump in the dirt of his and Tenchi's sparing area his boken several yards away looking somehow forlorn laying in a settling cloud of dust. More shocking though was the elder prince's appearance. His outfit was the only thing Washu recognized, gone was his mustache and glasses along with most of his wrinkles. His long hair was a lustrous black shinning in the morning light that filtered through the canopy of leaves above.

Washu ducked behind a bush as the disgruntled priest rose to his feet and brushed off his pants irritably. The genius watched as he went over to a nearby stump and sat down heavily. He reached into a small pack beside him and drew out an object Washu instantly identified, the scroll Matt had given him before leaving. He grumbled as he studied the document for several minutes occasionally moving his hands trying to mimic the movements detailed on the scroll. Finally he stood up and took his boken in hand once more. Yosho took up a stance and with an unsteady hand went through the described routine again. He did this several more times before deciding to try it again at full speed. Suddenly he exploded into motion putting his wooden blade through impossible movements with utter precision. Then neat the end of the technique he slipped up and again came crashing to the ground. Washu couldn't suppress a giggle at the sight, he looked so much like Tenchi did when he failed during practice.

"Who's there," Yosho called out in his elderly voice, "I know your there."

"It's just me lord Kahtsuhito," Washu admitted, caught she walked openly into the clearing.

"Ahh lady Washu," he said the illusion of old age returned as he stood up, "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to speak with you about a few things," Washu stated stopping in front of him and looking up at the elder prince knowingly.

"Please go on," Yosho responded uncomfortable with her probing stare.

"Lord Kahtsuhito I came to ask you why you lied to him about knowing nothing about his powers," Washu said in rush still keeping her eyes locked on his, "You know something, I've been tracking both Matt and Ryoko through space. They are heading for Jurai. Why?"

"Come Lady Washu," he said motioning for her to follow him as he rolled up the ancient scroll of the Weapon's masters, "It's best not to talk here, let us return to the house."

"As you wish," she said following him trying to keep patient as they made their way back to the house.

It had been quiet in around here for the first time in almost three years. With Ayeka returned home along with Sasami and Tenchi in tow. Ryoko had gone off in pursuit of the ever mysterious traveler, even Mihoshi was gone returning to headquarters for mandatory training. The only people left was herself along with Noboyuki and Lord Kahtsuhito. Now there was a mystery, the prince who had abdicated the galactic throne who came the Earth in pursuit of Ryoko and subsequently built a life here a Shinto priest. There was more to him than meets the eye, as demonstrated by his startling appearance earlier, he was also connected to Tsunami through an unexplained bond and also knew many of the Juraian Royal family secrets. The scientific genius knew he had knowledge of why Matt was headed towards Jurai, now she just had to pry it out of him. Finally he returned with a tray containing a pot of tea and too steaming cups.

"Lady Washu ," he began seriously, "What I am about to tell you must never pass your lips. I am only telling you because you have a right as Ryoko's mother to know about the man she is chasing. When you first told me that Matt had gone into space I desperately wished that Funaho could still fly."

"Why is that," Washu asked now starting to get worried, "Is Matt dangerous to my daughter."

"You already know the answer to that miss Washu," he said letting her weigh his words before continuing, "When Matt first came here I suspected what he was particularly after his first fight with Tenchi."

"What is he then," Washu pressed, "And why didn't you tell him when he was here if you knew."

"At the time I was only speculating but now I know," the prince frowned pushing his glasses up, "He is a Guardian."

"A what," Washu asked confused.

"In the time before my father was king my great grandfather was slain at the hand of an assassin sent be a pretender to the throne," Yosho began the tale thinking back to his lessons in history on Jurai, "My grandfather uncovered the plot and avoided a similar fate. After that he went to Tsunami asked her how he could better protect his family. You must understand Washu that although we wield great power the royal family is not without its' weaknesses, we are connected to our trees and reliant on them to keep us alive. Tsunami told my grandfather to find a warrior he thought was worthy to become guardian to the royal family. He scoured the galaxy to find a person with qualifications he deemed necessary to become protector of his family. Finally he found a man who he believed was capable of the job."

"Now there got to be more to it than that," Washu interrupted, "He didn't just hold interviews looking for this person, what really happened?"

"It's not important to the story," Yosho trailed off avoiding the question he returned to his tale, "Once my grandfather found his candidate he returned to Tsunami and presented his choice to her. Tsunami approved and granted the powers she believed necessary to protect her children. Although a gift from the Space Trees these powers were unlike ours in that the Guardian didn't rely on one source of for power but could draw it out of almost anything. Along limited mental powers the first Guardian served with honor for many years. However it was discovered that his life could not be extended as that of the royal family, he would grow old and die. My grandfather was angry at Tsunami for not granting his protector an equal life span. For his part the Guardian was not upset, he had lived a fulfilling life. In time he married and had a son, It was then discovered that the powers were passed on to the next generation."

"Wait stop for a moment," Washu interrupted again, "Why wouldn't Tsunami grant him longevity?"

"It is unknown ," Yosho said simply but Washu knew a lie when she heard it, still he continued "The son of the first Guardian took up his fathers' mantle when he passed away and began a tradition that lasted for neatly six thousand years. However as time passed and the family of Guardians grew we learned that their power was finite, the larger the family became the more thinly spread the power was. As a result my grandfather forbade the Guardian family to grow larger. As time went the Guardians grew bitter and jealous of the people they were sworn to protect."

"Let me guess," Washu cut in catching on, "They rebelled and turned on the royal family but were too weak to defeat Tsunami and your kin."

"You are correct," Yosho nodded, "By this time my father had been born and named heir, Azusa wanted to have them all executed but my grandfather took pity on them in the name of the first Guardian. He exiled them to the far ends of the galaxy, to a remote planet known as Earth. Before they left however the eldest of the Guardian clan gave a prophesy before the royal family. She said that some day the last of her descendants would return and he would be more powerful than any before and the Jurai Royal Family would be forced to deal with him as he would have life span equal to theirs."

"Are you saying Matt is going to Jurai to destroy the royal family," Washu asked now truly worried.

"I have no idea Lady Washu ," Yosho admitted, "The prophesy only states that Matt will return to Jurai not what he will do once he gets there."

"Does Ayeka know about this," Washu asked.

"No, she is not old enough to know about the Guardians," Yosho shook his head, "Only my father, my mother, and Misaki know besides myself. But now you can understand why I was hesitant to tell Matt what I knew. However I never lied to him, I told him his answers were not at Masaki shrine."

Washu sat there in silence for a few moments processing everything she had just learned. She knew Matt was powerful before hearing this so that was no surprise. His connection to the royal family was intriguing as was the source of his powers. What was bothering her though were the obvious hole left in Yosho's story, like how his grandfather met the first Guardian and why they're life spans were so short compared to the royalty they protected. Washu sipped her tea and looked out the glass doors towards the sky. Ryoko be safe, she thought.

Matt stood there rubbing the stubble on his chin trying to decide how he felt at that moment. Before him hanging in space was a beautiful purple tinged world surrounded by rings of ice, the scanners showed the atmosphere was similar to Earth's and that like Earth it supported life. Of course Matt knew that already owing to the fact his ship had been made on this world. Somewhere on the surface of that planet were the answers he had sought most of his adult life and yet something was missing. Matt shook off his trepidation and gave Salvation permission to land. The ship began to shake as it hit the dense atmosphere forcing Matt to take a seat in command chair on the bridge.

Salvation broke through the clouds moments later as the shaking stopped revealing the landscape below. Fields of grass dotted by occasional clumps of trees made up the land for as far as the eye could see. The ship entered a stable altitude and began to fly swiftly through the quiet setting. Matt rose to his feet in shock several minutes later as the massive structure came into view. Made entirely of wood it stretched for several miles across the empty parries and rose more than a mile into the sky. Matt, with Ses on his shoulder, ordered Salvation to fly higher above the structure to allow him a better view of the layout. Matt's awe shifted to shock as the ship rose over the palace. The magnificent structure was burning.

Salvation magnified a view of the center of the colossal hole that had punched into the center of the palace. The hole cut deep into structure of the building like a massive object had impacted with this place. However there was no sign of what had done it. Smoke rose form the gaping wound and as the picture became clearer Matt saw dozens of charred bodies. Matt grimaced at the thought of so many lives lost. However he noted several people moving in the ruble however flames and smoke from the fires kept ground rescuers from reaching those still alive. Coming up with a hasty plan Matt ordered Salvation to down into the plumes of smoke and flame.

You're not going to do what I think your going to do are you, Ses imparted getting off his host's shoulder and began to hover in air next Matt his wings beating slowly.

"We have to clear a path through the flames so the rescuers can get to the wounded," Matt explained even though Ses already read the plan through the link the two shared, "The only way I can think of is to land and open both the front and rear cargo bays allowing the rescue teams to move through the ship, it should work."

Wait a minute your not going out there, Ses protested after Matt set Salvation on auto pilot and moved towards the door.

"Of course I'm going," Matt turned towards his friend before running out of the bridge and down the corridor, "I can help them find the survivors faster."

Ses was left there hovering when a face came up on the communications terminal and began to ask questions about where the ship had come from. Ses flew over to ten console and sat down before the screen and stared blankly at the confused human beyond. Unable to communicate verbally Ses cocked his head to one side and yawned. When would these bipedal creatures learn telepathic communication was so much more efficient. He could only hope his host would come back alive, Ses had no desire to go back into cold sleep.

Matt was standing there as the massive bay door swung open before the disbelieving eyes of over a hundred rescue workers. Quickly Matt pointed towards the other end of the ship where a similar door was opening. The soot covered people quickly caught on and followed Matt as he ran through the empty bay and into the hell beyond. As Matt stepped into the ankle deep ash he stopped and concentrated for a moment trying to detect any signs of life. He reached out with his power trying to find the essence of others still alive. Sensing more signals than he thought he pointed directions to the crews as they entered the devastation.

Matt attached himself to one group of determined looking men and women leading them past the dead to the survivors. The split into pairs as they become upon the wounded and began treating them. Matt noticed that they seemed to be carrying very little in the way of medical gear until he saw one of the rescuers reach into his robes and pull out a small wooden object which he pointed at a victim. A soft glow emanated from the tool and enveloped the wounded man, in a moment the man disappeared. Catching on Matt understood why the rescuers needed little equipment, armed with the teleportation devices they could send the wounded straight to better medical attention.

As several more people were pulled from the ruble Matt reached out with is powers hoping to find more people to save. Matt was shocked as he felt a similar essence respond to his probing. Making sure the rescuers would be fine without him Matt ran towards the source of his going fear. Dodging through flames and inhaling great plumes of smoke Matt pressed onward toward the center of the disaster hoping he wasn't too late. Matt grunted as he heaved away the massive beam that was lying on top of her. He knelt down beside her and inspected her wounds. She wasn't breathing as Matt laid his ear to her chest. Cursing Matt pinched her nose and blew a breath into her lungs.

"Come on Ryoko breathe," he encouraged her before giving her another breath of his own air, "I can't heal you unless you breathe Ryoko, now come on."

He leaned in again and pressed his lips to hers willing her the breathe. Finally she coughed and inhaled trying to clear the soot from her lungs. Matt sighed in relief but knew that the worst was yet to come. Steeling himself Matt took a deep breath as he placed his hands on her naked chest. First Matt discovered the extent of her injuries by allowing his essence to flow with hers. Matt grit his teeth in pain discovering the extent of her injuries, broken bones, punctured organs, along with a host severe burns. Clenching his jaw the swordsman prepared himself for what lay ahead. Reaching into himself Matt drew forth the power and allowed it flow into Ryoko.

The backlash of pain assaulted him as Ryoko's wounds began to mend. Taking her pain into himself Matt hoped he was strong enough to endure the pain of her healing and still get them to safety. The blue glow spread from Matt into Ryoko and her many wounds began to heal, several long minutes passed before the glow receded back into it's master leaving Ryoko fully healed. Matt slumped in exhaustion as the last of her pain receded from his mind. Matt brushed a lock of cyan hair away from her face and smiled as she began to open her golden eyes.

"Am I dreaming again Matt," she whispered looking up at teh soot covered swordsman, "Please say your real."

"I'm here for you Ryoko," Matt answered back helping her to sit up.

"Oh thank you," she cried flinging her arms around Matt tears streaming down her dirty face.

"Ryoko," Matt whispered in her ear before pushing her back to arms length, "It's not safe here, we have to get out of here before this place crumbles down around us."

Carefully Matt picked her up and tried to find a balance on the shifting ash. Still to weak to walk let alone use her powers Ryoko clung to her savior as he began to move through the destruction. She wept knowing she was the cause of all this pain and only cried harder into Matt's shirt when she though about Ryo-Ohki. If only she had tried harder she might have been able a avert this tragedy. What said reassuring things to her has they made their way through the ruble towards Salvation. If only he knew she was the cause of all this, would he still have saved her?

Upon reaching his ship Matt dropped to his knees in exhaustion and propped Ryoko up against the hull of the cargo bay. Nearby dozens of other rescue works were busy moving equipment into the zone of devastation to combat the spreading fires. He answered a frantic call from Ses assuring his partner he was unharmed and safe as he asked one the rescue workers for a blanket to cover Ryoko with. Stumbling back to where he left Ryoko Matt covered her unconscious form with the blanket. Slumping down next to her Matt allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as he looked at her peaceful soot covered face.

Matt closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when a rush of boot feet prompted him to look up wearily. Around him stood at least a dozen armed guards dressed in sparkling uniforms that looked out of place with the rest of the soot covered rescue teams. A tall blue haired woman pushed herself through the tight knot of muscle and steel to stand before him. Dressed similarly to the guards Matt noticed she carried no visible weapons but there was no mistaking the stern look on her face or the determination in her ruby eyes.

"Matthew Aaron Carson," she spoke his name with authority, "By the command of Asuza King of the Jurai Empire I, Misaki Jurai, commander of the Royal Bodyguards, hereby place you under arrest."

Authors Note

Don't worry the next chapter will be up soon I won't leave you with that cliff hanger for too long (just long enough hehe). Well we finally have the answers to Matt's past even if he doesn't yet. So what do you think? Anyhow the next chapter will deal with the cause of the disaster and I'll have some more information on the mysterious saboteur. Also keep an eye out for another side story I'll have out in the near future set in the time of the first Guardian to fill in the holes that Yosho omitted from his telling of the tale. And hey take a look at the Together Dreams side story already up I would love to get some more feed back on my first lemon (and thanks to you folks that that already have reviewed it). Please continue to review your support keeps me dreaming up ways to make this tale of mine yet longer, originally it was only supposed to be 8 chapters...oops :-).

Smack54