Hey, hope ya'all like this. If not...well 'ptthhbbb!!!' to you too!

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo does NOT belong to me in any way at all!!!


Redemption by Crystal Rose

~ Part 2 ~

Tenchi

The name flashed across her mind, a dull pain in the back of her mind. Cold. It was so cold. Darkness surrounded her. She felt so...alone.

Then...strange noises...no, voices...strangely distorted voices...

Tenchi...I'm scared

Then, a strange blanket of warmth swept over her, reminding her of what it had felt like to be loved, what she had thought it felt like to be loved. Loved by...loved by...she could no longer remember, but barely gave it a thought. It was unimportant...wasn't it? She smiled as she felt strangely unburdened and...happy? Yes, she was happy. So happy, she thought as she drifted weightlessly, her mind enveloped by a world of black.

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The morning air was fresh and crisp. Trees swayed slightly in the mild summer breeze, their leaves rustling softly as birds chirped happily in the sun. All around, people were bustling about their business, talking, laughing, all of them happily at work. The village was filled with life. Inside a particular straw hut, a young woman lay in bed, her hair shining like silver in the sunlight.

Red. The first thought to enter her mind upon consciousness was that she was seeing red. No, she wasn't particularly angry about anything. She couldn't remember the last time she was ever truly angry about something. In fact, she couldn't remember ever being angry in the past at all... but she was literally seeing red.

Slowly, she opened her heavy eyelids a crack, but regretted that immediately as a bright beam of sunlight shined down into her eyes. She winced in pain and squinted her eyes against the harsh sunlight, her hands coming up to shield her face as her eyes adjusted the brightness of day. Sitting up stiffly, she kept a hand up to her face, shielding her eyes as she took in her surroundings.

A small, yet quaint setting greeted her. Many small tapestries hung from the walls, as well as an abundance of charms and decorations. Just beside the bed, a small table sat, accompanied by two small chairs. She froze suddenly as a large shadow loomed over her, blocking out the sunlight streaming in from the window. Whipping her head around, she turned to stare out the empty window, her brow furrowing in confusion. She was contemplating getting up to get a better look when a deep voice commented from behind her.

"So, I see you've finally awaken."

Her voice caught in her throat as she took in her visitor's appearance. Standing tall, his lean muscular frame was outlined by golden beams of sunlight, his skin darkened from exposure to the sun. His hair, dark as midnight, fell to his shoulders, giving him a wild, unkempt look. She stared wide-eyed for a moment, before looking down in embarassment.

God, I probably look like an idiot...In fact, I don't even know what I look like. Do I have brown eyes, or blue? And my hair? Oh geez, I'm probably just the ugliest thing in the world! And here I've been staring at this gorgeous guy for the past eon and...Oh I just knew I was right! He's so disgusted he can't speak! I am ugly!!!

During her one-sided conversation, she'd unconsciously been blushing as red as a tomato, not to mention holding her face in obvious distress. The man had respectfully stayed quiet, thinking that he should allow her the time to gather her thoughts to reply, but now, just as it looked as if she was on the verge of tears, he thought he had better speak up soon.

"Ahem," She snapped back to attention immediately, staring up at him with wide frightened eyes.

"Uh...Who are you ...and where am I?"

"They call me Akuma and you are currently in the village of the Ryotsaki tribe, though if you want to get specific, you're sitting on my bed in my house."

She flushed once more, "I-I'm sorry."

"Hey, no problem. A pretty little girl like you can share my bed anytime," He smiled devilishly, making her heart skip a beat. After a moment of silence, he spoke again, no longer as carefree as before.

"So, care to tell me what happened?"

"What...What do you mean?" He sighed.

"Look, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. It's just that-"

"I...I don't understand. I don't even remember what happened last night, or..."

She began to cry in earnest covering her face in shame as she wept miserably. He blinked, shocked that she would react so strongly. Kneeling down beside the bed, he gently took her hands away from her face.

"Hey, it's alright," he soothed, "What's your name?"

"I...I don't know," She sobbed. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I can't...even remember what I look like!"

He went rigid as she flung herself at him, clinging to his robes as she sobbed. Relaxing somewhat after the initial shock, he patted her back awkwardly. His brow furrowed as she suddenly ceased movement. He smirked slightly and lay her gently back down on his bed. She lay there, a look of sadness painted upon her face even as she slept. He sighed and went out to search for the village elders.

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Waking once again, she found that the sun was almost setting. She sat up in bed with a start when she realized that she wasn't alone.

"W-Who's there!" She cried out, her voice trembling.

"It's just me."

She sighed in relief when she realized it was that guy from before...Akuma was it? She tensed up slightly when the area beside her on the bed sunk down to accommodate the new weight. She looked over shyly and blushed at his intense gaze before bowing her head to stare at the floor. She felt the heat in her cheeks increase dramatically, as the silence stretched on, the only sound between them his soft breathing. Finally, he spoke.

"I have spoken to the village healer..."

"And?" She asked, anxious to know what was wrong with her.

"He has determined that you suffer from some sort of amnesia." Her head snapped up at the statement, a gasp escaping her lips.

"A-Amnesia? Is it...is it permanent?"

"He...can't say for sure," he sighed, "These things are unpredictable, ya know."

"I...I suppose..." she whispered, dejected. He frowned slightly, then grinned wolfishly at her.

"Hey, cheer up! Since you'll be staying here for a while, the first thing we have to do is give you a name."

"Huh?" Her head tilted to the side, her eyes wide and curious.

She's just too adorable...

Thought Akuma, lost in her golden eyes.

Eyes that glitter like the sun...

He blinked himself back to reality and smirked at the clueless look adorning her face.

"Yeah, you know...a name. I mean, I figured you wouldn't like being called 'girl' everywhere you go. Makes it kinda hard to differentiate, too, if you know what I mean."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Well, aren't we soft spoken. You know, you remind me of a lost kitten..." He grinned, "That's it!"

"What?" She was slightly taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm.

"From now on, I'll call you Koneko." She pouted slightly.

"Kitten?"

She looked at him curiously. He simply motioned for her to look backwards. She was in for quite a shock when she realized she had a tail. In fact it quite resembled a cat's tail. Slim and furry, the appendage was curled obediently behind her, its brown fur blending in nicely with the fur of the bed. She tilted her head to the side once more, puzzled. She looked up, even more confused, at the sound of his laughter.

"What's...so funny?" He shook his head, unable to control himself as he gasped for breath.

"And you wonder why I decided on such a name," he shook his head in wonder.

Her cheeks began to color as embarassment sunk in.

"I don't understand," she whispered, her cheeks a flaming crimson now.

"Just look at yourself."

"I...don't know what I look like," she said sadly.

This stopped his laughter immediately. He looked down at her sharply, his eyes intense, searching...searching...until finally they softened with compassion, the dark blue depths of his eyes shadowed in the wake of the setting sun.

"Come with me," he commanded, his voice deep, strong, but most importantly gentle.

Standing, he offered her a hand, which she took hesitantly. Pulling her up beside him, he smiled before motioning for her to follow him. They walked through the village, past fields and houses before entering a deep wood. There, they walked for few more minutes before coming to a clearing. Before them, water trickled down a stream silently. Akuma bekoned her to move on with him, following the small stream as it widened gradually into a wide river. She stared into the crystaline depths, mesmerized by the water's movement. Looking down into her own reflection, she felt as if she faced a stranger. Smooth pale skin...sharp golden eyes and spikey cyan hair. She lowered a hand to her hair, hair that fell just past small, delicate shoulders. She was broken out of her thoughts as he spoke for the first time since they'd started their small journey.

"What?" She stuttered.

"I said, this is where I found you."

She looked up at him thoughtfully, staring at his hard face and unreadable expression before looking down once more. She looked down into her own reflection and smiled sadly.

"Kitten, huh? Well, I guess it's fitting that I gain a new identity where the old one was lost."

She continued staring into the waters, forever moving, moving on to something vast, something great...as day became night.

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Yeah, yeah. I know it's kinda short, but...oh well. I hope to get the next one out soon. No, really! I just couldn't decide how I wanted to write this chapter. ^_^;; Anyway REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please?