Disclaimer: All of these
characters are mine. They were my idea and AIC and Pioneer are using
them without my permission! Oh wait a minute, that's backwards.
I have absolutely no claim to these characters, although all characters
introduced within this series are my own creations. Oh, and go ahead
try and sue me! It won't work, because I don't have any money!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Um, on second thought, if it's all the same, I'd
rather not be sued. It's not like I'm making any money off of this.

A couple of quick notes. First of all, for older readers, on 4/16/01,
I did an update. I never liked the way I introduced Derai, and I
finally managed to fix it. So if you haven't already, you should
probably go re-read the end of chapter 2, which is the only big change,
otherwise, the first scene isn't going to make any sense. Chapters
3 and 4 were changed only slightly to keep continuity straight,
and you won't miss anything if you don't read them.

Secondly, I forgot to thank Lita, Lesell, Criks, and MarvelBoy (a.k.a.
Kyoi Adidas) for letting me use their names for some of the background
characters.

I'd also like to thank Big D, Battousai Kawaii, Drakstern, J`than,
Jocko, Kyokki, Little Masa-ouki, Rowdoser, and Zel-ouki, my prereaders.
Despite that list, I was able to find very few still around to look at
the final version, so any suggestions for improvement will be very much
appreciated.

Send comments and criticism to bkuhn@ucsd.edu

Last Chapter: When Kiyone receives an alert of the Yukinojo's
destruction, Tenchi and the gang rush off to the rescue. Meanwhile,
Aeka dreams of gods and goddesses, and wakes to find herself on the
Jeweled Heart, an ancient ship floating outside the Forbidden Zone.
Her saviors are the Rats, outcasts of the galaxy that inhabit the
Heart. Among these poor souls are Je'ko and his brother Vell, children
of one of Aeka's old friends.

Aeka starts to find a home here, when Vell is abducted for unknown
reasons. The Yagami shows up just in time to help the Rats rescue
Vell, but they are too late. Orachi Kuroki, the man behind the
kidnapping, discovers that Vell is not the child he was looking for,
and kills him. Vell's dying scream for Aeka triggers an unexpected
response. Aeka summons FIVE Light Hawk Wings, and rips through the
ship.

As Aeka sings her grief over Vell's body, the others watch in silence.
Nobody knows what to say or do, except for Derai. He alone knows the
pain of losing a child, and he plays a funeral dirge for Vell. When
Aeka and Derai's song finishes, Suzaku emerges, and reveals that Vell
is the reincarnation of Vallo. With his and Sasami's help, the soul
of Vallo, which lay hidden in Derai's arm, is restored to Vell's body,
and both god and child are reborn.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenchi Muyo!
To Love and to Hate
by Brook Kuhn

Episode 5:
Enduring

"Isn't anyone trying to find me? Won't somebody come take me home? It's
a damn cold night, Trying to figure out this life. Won't you take me by
the hand, take me somewhere new? I don't know who you are, but I'm...
I'm with you."
- "I'm with You" Avril Lavigne


"Bye!" Kanako called out to Nobuyuki as she ran out the door.

"Don't stay out too late!" Nobuyuki yelled after her, before returning
to the painting he was working on. It was based off of the sketch
he had made three weeks ago, and he was hoping to have it finished
before Tenchi and the others returned. Wryly, he noted that the only
one in the painting who was still around was Katsuhito.

It had been a rather odd week. In the last three years, Nobuyuki
had gotten accustomed to the rather large household, and now that it
was just Kanako and him, the house seemed very much empty. Not that
he really minded, though. It was a nice change of pace, and Kanako
was a nice girl, when she wasn't complaining, at least. Nobuyuki
had always wanted a daughter.

The sound of the front door opening distracted him from his thoughts.

"That was quick," he said, coming down the stairs, "Did you forget..."
He trailed off. The figure standing in the doorway wasn't Kanako.
It was an ugly, twisted looking creature, with pale gray skin, and
evil, yellow eyes. Judging from the broken claws on his right arm,
Nobuyuki could only guess that this was the assassin, B'ganarr,
that had come after Tenchi.

He turned to run, but the creature was far too fast. Nobuyuki could
feel the sheared bits of metal pressing against the back of his neck
as the assassin grabbed him by the collar. He threw Nobuyuki with
great force into one of the chairs, and bent over him, his flat, ugly
face right in front of Nobuyuki's.

"Tell me, mammal," he hissed, its warm, putrid breath washing over
Nobuyuki's face, "Where are the membersss of the royal family?"
Nobuyuki was too scared to answer. "Tell me!" he yelled.

"I-I don't know," Nobuyuki exclaimed, "Aeka ran off, and everyone
went after her. I'm the only one here!"

B'ganarr backhanded Nobuyuki across the face, the tips of his claws
leaving tiny cuts on his face. "You mammalsss and your filthy
untruthsss. The princsse would not allow it. He isss sssmarter
than that. Who hasss he left behind?"

"No one!" Nobuyuki cried out, "I swear!"

The Velgrin was silent for a moment. "Wasss it Sssasssami?"
It took Nobuyuki a second to realize he had said Sasami's name and not
merely hissed.

"Yes!" Nobuyuki said, thinking quickly, "He left her behind, but she
snuck on after him! So they're all gone!"

"Are you unable to ssspeak without lying?" he asked, angrily.

"It's the truth! She left!"

"But there isss another one here, isss there not?"

"No," Nobuyuki told him, "There isn't." For a moment, there was
absolute silence. Then Nobuyuki screamed as B'ganarr's claws drove
through his shoulder.

"Do not LIE to me, mammal!" he hissed, "If you lie again, I will cut
out your tongue, underssstood?" Sweating, Nobuyuki nodded, afraid
to speak. "Now, who elssse isss here?" But Nobuyuki didn't answer.
"Ssstuborn, aren't you?"

The Velgrin stepped back and looked at him. "It doesss not matter,"
he hissed, "You mammalsss are ssso easssy to read." He studied
Nobuyuki for a moment. "It isss the other girl, isssn't it? The
othersss are ssstrong. You would not worry ssso much about them."
Nobuyuki pressed as far back against the now bloody chair, as the
assassin leapt up to him again. "Where isss she?" he demanded.

"Like I'm going to tell you!" Nobuyuki said, trying to put as much
courage as he had, which unfortunately wasn't very much, into his
voice.

"Oh, you WILL tell me," B'ganarr said with a grin that made Nobuyuki's
blood freeze, "I will enjoy making you tell me." He brought his left
hand up to Nobuyuki's face, the claws lightly touching his cheek.
Nobuyuki screamed as energy ran down the claws and into his body.

After a minute, an incredibly long, painful minute, he pulled his claws
away. "Where isss she?" B'ganarr demanded. Nobuyuki gasped for
breath. It felt as if his lungs were on fire. B'ganarr scowled at
him, and lifted his hand again.

"I'll talk!" Nobuyuki coughed, tears flowing down his cheeks, "She's...
she's out with a friend. They're at the karaoke bar."

"Ssso, you can tell the truth, after all," the assassin smiled.

"What... What are you going to with me?" Nobuyuki asked.

"It would be beneath me to wassste my time killing one asss pathetic
asss you," he hissed, "Besssidesss, I have a messssage for you to
deliver to Palfin." He grabbed Nobuyuki's right arm, and pulled it
away from his body. Nobuyuki closed his eyes in expectation of what
was to come. He felt a sharp pain in his wrist, then a strange
numbness. When he opened his eyes, B'ganarr had gone. He turned to
look at his hand, but it wasn't there. His arm ended in a bloody stump
at the wrist.

With the imminent threat gone, Nobuyuki began to realize what he had
done: he had sold Kanako out. That monster was heading for her, and it
was all his fault. He felt disgusted with himself. He wanted to curl
up and die, but there was something he had to do first.

Staggering from the loss of blood, Nobuyuki managed to make his way to
the phone. It was awkward, with only one hand, but he had to hurry.

"Come on," he gasped, as the phone rang, "Pick up!"

"Hello?" Katsuhito's voice came over the phone.

"Father! Bigenar, or whatever his name is... he's after Kanako...
at the karaoke bar... you gotta stop him!" There was no response,
but Nobuyuki heard the sound of the phone hitting the floor, and he had
to hope that Katsuhito was on his way.

Panting for breath, he hung up the phone, then picked it up again and
hit the emergency speed dial.

"Hello?" the operator on the phone said, but it was too late. His
strength had run out.


***

"Give a reason for life," Kanako and Hitomi sang, "Todoketai!"
The crowd burst into applause. Hitomi blushed. She didn't really
like all that attention.

Kanako loved it. These people weren't just being polite. They didn't
know she was a princess. They cheered because they liked her singing.
Having spent her entire life surrounded by sycophants who only cared
about her title, this was a new sensation for her. She wanted more.

She pulled on Hitomi's sleeve. "Let's sign up for another song!" she
said eagerly.

"You really like singing, don't you?" Hitomi smiled.

"Yeah!" the young princess nodded, "Let's..." She trailed off. Her
brother was making his way through the crowds towards them. "Yosho?
What are you doing here? Don't tell me you like to sing, too." She
smiled at him. He didn't return it.

"We have to go," he told her. He grabbed her arm and started pulling
her towards the exit. "Now!"

"No way!" Kanako said, pulling out of his grip. "I just got here!"

"Kanako," Yosho said softly, tapping the bracelet on her arm, "You
can't stay here." That bracelet was her key. Like Aeka's crown, it
amplified her powers and connected her to her tree in the nursery
on Jurai. Kanako got the hint.

Hitomi was still in the dark. "Um... what's going on?"

Yosho turned to look at her. "You should come with us, Hitomi.
There's no time to explain right now." He pulled the two girls out of
the bar to the street. Kanako climbed into her brother's car, and
Hitomi, very confused by this point, followed. Yosho was about to get
in, when he stopped staring at something in the dark alley across the
street. A moment passed, and he sat down and they drove off.

***

2nd Day, 9th Month, 9368 G.S.

Well, I'm back on the Jeweled Heart. It's hard to believe yesterday
was real, and not some strange nightmare. I can't believe I almost
lost Vell. The entire thing has made me a nervous wreck. Even while
I'm writing this, I can't go five seconds without checking to make sure
he's still there. I don't know what I would have done if Tsunami
and Suzaku hadn't been there.

It's surprising how close I've gotten to him in such a short amount
of time. It's almost as if he was what I was searching for my entire
life. Maybe I can make it up to Criks by taking care of her son. Or
perhaps she's already forgiven me, and this is her way of telling
me.

I haven't spoken to anyone yet. They probably think I'm still asleep.
There will be so many questions asked. Questions I don't know the
answer to myself. I have questions to ask myself, but I'm in no hurry.
I don't think I'm ready to face him again, but I'm not sure I can avoid
it now.


Aeka put the pen down, and slipped the journal into a drawer in the
desk.

"Ka Sha?" Vell murmured, turning restlessly in his sleep, "Ka Sha!"
Aeka frowned. He had been fitful all night, and he kept calling out
'Ka Sha.' Aeka didn't know what it meant, but it sounded similar
to the terms he used for Je'ko, and Dr. Balin.

"Shhh," Aeka whispered, laying a hand on Vell's shoulder. He calmed
down immediately. "It's okay," she told the sleeping child, "I'm here,
Vell. I won't let anything happen to you."

Vell latched tightly onto Aeka's arm. "Ka Sha," he said, calmly,
this time. Aeka smiled, placing her other arm around Vell.

***

Katsuhito pulled up in front of the Masaki's house as the police were
getting ready to leave. He spoke briefly with one of the officers.
The police left, and Katsuhito hastily lead the girls inside.

"What's going on?" Hitomi asked, for the hundredth time that night,
"Why are..." she trailed off as she saw the living room. Her eyes
focused on the chair with heavy bloodstains on it.

"By Tsunami's tit," Kanako cried out, grabbing her brother's arm for
support, "Is Nobuyuki..." she couldn't finish the question.

No," Katsuhito told her. "I spoke with the police officer said he's
been taken to the hospital. He's hurt, but he'll be okay." He turned
to look at Hitomi. "I think you need to explain to your friend what's
happening."

Kanako nodded glumly, and turned to face her friend. Hitomi just
stared at her.

"Hitomi..." Kanako began.

"What's going on?!" Hitomi practically shrieked. Truth be told, Hitomi
was the type of person who usually fainted at the sight of blood, and
the only thing that had kept her conscious this long was a pressing
need for an explanation.

"Hitomi..." Kanako started again, "We're friends, right? If I tell you
a secret, you won't tell anyone, would you?" Kanako swallowed
nervously. Hitomi was her friend, her only friend. Kanako knew that
Hitomi spent time with her because they were friends, as Hitomi simply
didn't know that she was with a princess. But it was a double edged
sword; if Hitomi left, Kanako couldn't order her to return, not without
destroying everything they had together.

"Kanako, just tell me what's happening," the young girl pleaded.

"I... I... I'm not from this world," she finally blurted out, "I'm a
princess, from a planet called Jurai." She looked around at the bloody
living room. "And as far as I can tell, someone came and tortured
Nobuyuki to find out where I was."

"Oh," Hitomi said, in a distant voice, "Is that all?" And she
proceeded to faint.

***

Tenchi attracted many stares as he walked down the hallways of the
Jeweled Heart. Part of it may have been the fact that he was a Juraian
Prince, or perhaps they recognized him from the stories Aeka had told.
The most likely reason, however, was because he was talking to himself.

"Aeka, I'm sorry about what happened... No, I shouldn't start off with
something so depressing. Hi, Aeka, how have you been?... Ugh, that's
just corny." At this point, he realized he had no idea where on the
ship Aeka was. Or where he was, either, for that matter.

A group of men came by, hauling various pieces of machinery. He
recognized the one in front to be Daeroth, who had led the Rats in the
battle last night. "Um... excuse me," he said, embarrassedly
as they came up to him, "Do you know where I could find Princess
Aeka?"

"Hold up guys!" Daeroth yelled out. Tenchi was rather impressed
by his ability to keep the cigar stub in his mouth while he did this.
"Aeka?" he asked, "Hey, Daerta! Take his highness to Aeka's room."

"But father!" a young man, about thirteen years old, Tenchi guessed,
in the middle of the procession protested, "We've got more important
things to take care of." Tenchi was surprised to hear that these two
were related; it seemed like they had nothing in common. Daeroth
was a large man with hardened skin, and dark, wiry hair pulled back in
his ponytail, while Daerta was much smaller, with a light complexion,
and tawny hair, cropped off at about chin level.

Daeroth put down the equipment he had been carrying, and walked over
to his son. They started talking, although Tenchi couldn't hear what
they were saying. Finally, Daeroth struck his son on the back of the
head. Daerta gave the mechanic an angry glare, but he stormed over to
Tenchi.

"This way, Your Highness," he said in a neutral tone. He started
down a hallway, not even bothering to check if Tenchi was following
him. They went down the hallways in complete silence, which Tenchi
found rather uncomfortable.

"So you're name's Daerta?" he said, trying to pick up a conversation.

"Yes, Your Highness," Daerta replied simply.

"Rather similar to your father's name, isn't it?" Tenchi commented.

Daerta didn't turn to look at Tenchi. "My father is Daeroth, my mother
was Shenta. So I'm Daerta. It's how Pottidan names work."

"It's... interesting," Tenchi said.

"It's practical," was Daerta's response, "When children're born, you
don't know nothin' about 'em. How're you s'posed to name something
you don't know. The only thing you DO know is the mother and the
father, so you name 'em after that."

"Makes sense," Tenchi agreed.

Daerta suddenly turned down a side passage. "This way, Your Highness."

Tenchi had to run to catch up with the Pottidan. "You can just call
me Tenchi, if you want."

"I'd rather not, Your Highness." The next few minutes passed in
silence.

"Do you like working with your father?" Tenchi said, making another
stab at conversation.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Tenchi shrugged. "I don't know. I thought maybe he's extra hard on
you at times or something, because you're his son."

Daerta stiffened. "Aeka's room is down that hall," he said, coldly,
much more so than before, "Just take a right at that garden, her's is
the third room on the right. With your permission, Your Highness,
I have things to attend to."

Tenchi blinked in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?" Daerta
didn't answer. "I'm sorry if my comment about working with your father
offended you. I don't have much experience with people off of Earth."
Still no response. "Daerta, I know you don't like me, but tell me
what's wrong."

"Whaddaya think is wrong?" Daerta snapped, turning to face Tenchi.
Tenchi could see tears in her eyes. He did a double-take. HER eyes?
Now that he really looked at her, it seemed obvious. It showed in her
eyes and cheeks, and he could just barely make out her bust through
her thick shirt.

Daerta saw him stare at her, and suddenly realized what she had done.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she said, "I didn't mean to yell." She
turned and ran off down the hallway.

"Great going, Tenchi," he muttered to himself, "You really have a knack
for making girls cry, don't you?" He sighed and started heading down
the corridor Daerta had pointed out to him. He turned at the garden,
and saw Derai, sitting against the wall, right before the third room
on the right. What really got Tenchi's attention was the large, black
wolf that lay with its front paws and head resting on the Servant's
leg.

They both appeared to be asleep, so Tenchi started to softly step past
them. He hadn't taken more than one step, however, when the wolf
growled.

"Nice doggy," Tenchi said, nervously, edging around the far wall.

"Aeka doesn'a want t' see ye," Derai said, not opening his eyes.

Tenchi's blood ran cold at the sound of those words. "What?" Tenchi
asked.

"I said, she doesn'a want t' see ye," Derai repeated.

Tenchi blinked in disbelief. Was she still that upset? It had been
an entire month. "She said that?"

"No," Derai said, "Blaze picked it up from her."

"Your dog?" Tenchi asked, raising an eyebrow incredulously.

Derai lay a hand on the wolf's head. "Blaze here's an empath," he
explained, "He kin feel other people's emotions. An' right now, he
doesn'a think ye should see th' princess jus' yet."

"But I have to talk to her," Tenchi protested.

"She's not goin' anywhere jus' now, ye know? She's been through a lot.
Give th' lass some time t' recover from all this, 'fore ye dump e'en
more on her."

He couldn't believe this. "Look, I have the right to see her."

"Ye want t' challenge me, then?" Derai asked. He slowly stood up,
picking his sword off the ground next to him as he did. He stood in
front of Tenchi, towering over him.

Blaze watched this curiously for a minute, then yawned and lay back
down. Tenchi and Derai both looked at him, then at each other, and
then they started to laugh.

"Sorry," they said simultaneously. There was a quiet pause.

"Look, Tenchi," Derai said, "I know ye want t' see her, but don'a rush
things. When she's ready, she'll come t' ye."

Tenchi sighed. "All right, I guess." He started down the hallway,
but stopped shortly. "If she asks for me, get me right away, all
right?" Derai nodded, and Tenchi continued past the garden and out of
sight.

"Is someone there?" a voice called out. Aeka poked her head out the
door and looked around until she saw the Trenan. Her throat caught,
suddenly. This was HIM! This man was the one who had dispelled
Yosho's illusion, initiating her exodus. He had comforted her when
Vell was dead, reaching out to her when she felt so alone. And it was
it was he who had brought Vallo's spirit to resurrect Vell. She fell
to her knees, bowing deeply to him, deeper than she had ever bowed
before.

Derai took a step back, caught off guard by such a reaction.
"Wh-what's this, lass? Ye shouldn'a be bowin' t' me." He took her
hand and lifted her back to her feet.

"I should," Aeka insisted, not daring to meet his face. There were
tears in her eyes, but she made no move to wipe them away. "You've
done so much for me, and I don't even know your name."

"If it helps, th' name's Derai, Derai Palfin," he said, sheepishly,
"An' I haven'a done anythin' for ye. Lord Vallo commands us t' help
those who be needin' us. I didn'a do anythin' special."

"You gave me truth, comfort, and hope," she told him. There was a
long, awkward pause.

"I'll be goin' then," Derai said, finally, "Good luck, princess."

***

"Mr. Masaki? Good, you're awake."

Nobuyuki smiled at the cute nurse. At least there was one nice thing
about being in the hospital.

"Um..." she said nervously, "There's a police man here to see you. He
says he wants to ask you some questions about the attack."

Nobuyuki grimaced. So far, whenever a question about his odd injuries
had come up, he had managed to change the subject. The doctors were
too nice to press the issue as long as he was healing up fine. He knew
the police wouldn't be so easy to evade.

But what could he tell them? An alien assassin interrogated
him for the location of an Imperial princess? He doubted they'd buy
that. He had been trying to come up with some plausible story, but how
do you explain someone coming to a remote house to stab, electrocute,
and cut the hand off of an architect.

He frowned as he looked at the bandaged stump at the end of his right
arm. How was he supposed to be an architect without his right hand?

"Um... Mr. Masaki?" the nurse asked, shaking Nobuyuki from his
thoughts.

"Oh, right," he said, "Yeah, send him in." He sighed. He might as
well get this over with. The nurse quickly left, and a police officer
entered the room.

"Mr. Masaki," he said, holding up his badge, "I'm Officer Saito, of the
Kurashiki police department. I'd like to ask you a few questions
about last night."

"All right," Nobuyuki replied, cautiously.

"Rather unusual attack," Saito commented, "Any idea why you were
targeted?"

"No," Nobuyuki said quickly.

The officer looked at him for a moment, before writing something
down on his notepad. "I see. You've never encountered your attacker
prior to that evening?"

"That's enough, Officer," a female voice said from behind him, "I'll
take it from here." A woman in a dark suit stood in the doorway.

"And you are?" he asked.

"Agent Umi," she told him, showing her badge to both him and Nobuyuki,
"From the Special Defense Force. I'll take over this investigation
now. You can leave."

The officer looked warily at the badge. "Why is the SDF concerned
with a random attack?" he asked.

"I'm afraid that information is classified," she said, returning
her badge to her breast pocket, "I'd like to speak to Mr. Masaki alone,
now." The police man glared at her, but he left the room. Agent Umi
waited until he was a good distance away before she closed the door and
turned to Nobuyuki. "I think you'd be a little more interested
in THIS badge," she said, drawing what looked like a thick pen out of
her pocket. She pressed the top of it, and a clear screen slid out.
It flickered once before an image appeared on it. The letters 'S.I.S.'
were printed largely at the top, and in the corner was a picture of the
woman who stood before him. "Juraian Secret Intelligence Service,"
she explained, "I just have a couple of quick questions to ask, and
I'll let you get back to your rest."

"All right," Nobuyuki nodded.

"What the hell happened?" she asked. This caught Nobuyuki off guard.
He had been expecting her to be all 'by the book,' like she had been
before, but apparently that was an act for the officer.

"Um..." Nobuyuki thought about how to phrase this. He ultimately
decided to just spill it. "An assassin came and tortured me for
Kanako's location."

Umi's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Don't worry," Nobuyuki assured her quickly, "I called father and told
him what happened. They called shortly after I woke up here to tell
me everything was all right."

Umi raised a hand to her forehead. "Thank Tsunami for small miracles.
Lady Funaho's still going to chew me out for letting this happened."
She paused, then looked up at Nobuyuki. "Where are the others?

Nobuyuki took a deep breath and told her about what had happened
in the last month. She listened quietly, only interrupting once or
twice to ask a question.

"Great," she said, sitting down on the bed, "Just great. I finally
get an important assignment, and what happens? I blow it completely."

"Oh, come on," Nobuyuki said reassuringly, "It couldn't be that bad."

Umi didn't seem comforted. "Four out of five heirs are gone, one
presumably dead, an assassin on the loose, and a collateral attack.
How could it be worse? I'm doomed. They'll never give me an important
assignment again! I'll spend the rest of my career monitoring
mining colonies!"

"Don't worry," he said, forcing a smile, "With all those people on that
ship, there's nothing to worry about. They could probably win this war
all by themselves. Kanako will be safe with my father, and..." Umi
was staring at him through her teary eyes. "And I'm sure Aeka's all
right, too. She's too tough to just disappear in that Mysterious
Zone, or whatever it is. It'll all be okay. Really, it will."

She nodded. "Thanks. I'd better go file a report." She stood up,
straightened her uniform, and marched out of the room. Nobuyuki
smiled.

***

"Hey!" Ryoko called out, "There you are. I want to talk to you."

The red-haired scientist looked up at her daughter. "So, now you
actually WANT my advice?" she asked skeptically.

"I don't need advice," Ryoko said, disappearing and reappearing
next to Washuu, "I need answers."

"Oh?"

"What in the universe was that thing Aeka did last night?" the demoness
demanded, "How could she summon the Light Hawk Wings? What was that
yellow gem that appeared on her neck? Is it like mine? Are there more
gems than just my three?"

"You forgot one important question," Washuu said calmly, sitting down
on a bench and motioning for Ryoko to sit beside her.

She didn't accept the invitation. "What?"

"Where are your gems?"

"I know where my gems are," she snapped, "I've got one on my wrist,
and the other two are still in the Master..." Ryoko broke off as the
realization struck her. The Master Key was gone. Tenchi had destroyed
it. There was a long pause before she finally asked, "Where ARE my
gems?"

Washuu shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder if you really are my
daughter," she said, "It's been a full month, and you've just realized
that two of the gems are missing."

"So where are they?" Ryoko asked, curtly.

"Damned if I know," the scientist replied, "I've been looking, but
without much success. There have been some faint traces back on Earth,
but that could just be residue from the 700 years they've been there.
We might have found one of them last night."

"It couldn't be," Ryoko insisted.

"Why not?" Washuu asked.

"It's the wrong color," Ryoko replied.

"Anything else?"

Ryoko thought for a moment. "How could it have gotten all the way out
here? And the powers don't match up right. The gems really just allow
me to focus my energy techniques, and supply me with an endless energy
supply. A gem needs something to enhance. If it's by itself it's
worthless."

Washuu looked up at her daughter. "Good, you're starting to sound like
a scientist. Maybe there's hope for you yet. Go on."

Ryoko gave Washuu a confused look. Was that actually praise from the
enigmatic scientist? She dragged her mind back to the current
discussion. "It would be one thing if Aeka was using stronger blasts
and shields. If she had a gem with her, she could probably produce
a shield as strong as a Light Hawk Wing. But all those electrical
attacks, and the Light Hawk Wings... she definitely didn't have those
before, and if that gem's anything like mine, it just wouldn't give her
that kind of stuff."

"Very good, Ryoko," Washuu said, "So either the gem is supplying
Aeka with new abilities, or she's getting them somewhere else."

"The last one, more likely," Ryoko said absently, as she continued
to ponder the mysterious yellow gem. Finally, she sighed, and turned
back to Washuu. "I don't have any more answers," she admitted.

"A good scientist needs questions just as much as answers," Washuu
told her, "What questions does this gem raise?"

"Where did she get those powers for starters," Ryoko said.

"Forget that for now," Washuu suggested, "It's an unknown factor,
and until we can run some tests on Aeka, anything we come up with about
those powers will only be conjecture. Let's assume that they're not
connected to the gem for now, just to keep things simple."

"All right," Ryoko replied, "Now what?"

Washuu smiled at her. "Now ask some questions."

"Okay, questions," Ryoko said, pacing back and forth, "Ignoring
the powers, that gem might be like mine. It might even be mine."

"Those aren't questions, little Ryoko," Washuu pointed out with an
impish grin.

"Sorry!" Ryoko snapped, "Okay, how could one of my gems gotten here?
Why did it change colors? Why didn't it appear on Aeka until just now?
Why Aeka in the first place? If it was going to go to someone, why not
go to Tenchi, he was closer, or it could have returned to me. Why
would MY gem go to Aeka? Is it even my gem? Are any of them mine to
begin with?"

"Good, good," Washuu said, "Now that we have some questions, we can try
to answer them. Let's start with your first one: how could one of your
gems get here?"

Ryoko was silent for a moment. "Maybe it teleported here."

"How?" Washuu asked.

"I don't know!" she screamed at the child-like figure. Washuu merely
sat there, watching Ryoko expectantly. "All right, all right. Maybe
it picked it up from me. I've teleported with them lots of times.
Maybe it can record techniques or something."

"Interesting theory," Washuu commented, "To be honest, I never thought
of that. We'll have to run some tests on that later. For now, let's
move on. Why would it change colors?"

"I don't know," Ryoko admitted, sullenly.

"Why did it just show up?" Washuu asked.

"I don't know."

"Why did it choose Aeka?"

"I don't know!"

"Why didn't it return to you?"

"You're the scientist!" Ryoko yelled, "You tell me!"

Washuu frowned. "You were doing well, Ryoko."

"All I'm doing is guessing!" Ryoko snapped, "How am I supposed to know
any of this stuff?!"

"I guess I was pushing too hard," Washuu said, "I haven't been able to
figure out the gems myself, despite the centuries I've spent studying
them. It wasn't fair of me to expect you to come up with answers
in a matter of minutes. I'm sorry, Ryoko."

"Your turn," Ryoko said, "I came up with the questions like you wanted,
now I want the answers."

"I don't know the answers myself," Washuu said softly. It wasn't very
easy for the self-proclaimed 'greatest scientific mind in the universe'
to keep admitting there were things she didn't know and hadn't thought
of. "It's likely that the gem was dormant INSIDE Aeka for some reason
or another, and came out in response to the high levels of stress she
was feeling."

"But why would it go to Aeka in the first place?" Ryoko asked. She was
wondering how stupid it had been to come to Washuu in the first place.
All the petite scientist had done was make Ryoko start to feel good
about herself, then make her feel like an idiot.

"Well, she was the last one with the sword before Tenchi," Washuu said,
"Maybe-"

"Forget it," Ryoko cut her off, "If you can't give me any solid
answers, then I'm just wasting my time." She lifted off the ground,
and leaned forward to fly off.

"Ryoko, wait," Washuu said, "I'm sorry. I've always seen a lot of
potential in you, but you ignore it most of the time. I finally saw
you start to use your brain, and you were doing really good. I guess
I got excited. I went too far, and I'm sorry."

"Yeah, whatever," Ryoko said, as she started down the corridor.

"I'm going to be running some tests," Washuu called after her fleeing
daughter, "If you want to help..." Ryoko turned a corner and
disappeared from sight. "... just drop by." Washuu finished sadly.

She had been close, so close. She had finally taken a step in the
right direction, but she messed it up. She never could leave well
enough alone.

***

Hitomi opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh morning light. At
first, she couldn't figure out where she was, but once she realized
it, the events of the past night came flooding back.

"Hitomi!" Kanako exclaimed, seeing her friend rouse, "I'm glad you're
all right."

The brunette blushed slightly. "Y-yes, Your Majesty," she stammered.
Kanako frowned.

"Don't do this to me, Hitomi," she said, "We're friends, aren't we?
Nothing's changed."

"But you're... you're a princess!" Hitomi blurted out.

"Yeah, but I was a princess before, you just didn't know that," Kanako
replied waving a hand. Her tone was dismissive, but inside, her
stomach was doing flips.

Hitomi fidgeted with her fingers. "I.. I'm not going to ask you why
you didn't tell me, but you can't expect me to just ignore this!"

"I can ask you to, though, Hitomi," she said earnestly, "These past few
weeks have been the best in my entire life, and I'm not just saying
that. You're the only real friend I've ever had, and I don't want to
lose you just because I'm fifth or sixth in line for the throne!"
Technically speaking, she was actually fourth in line for the throne,
right after Sasami. Kanako knew, however, that if things ever got that
bad, Yosho or Tenchi would probably be called to take the throne before
she was.

"But Your... err... Kana... Princess..." Hitomi stumbled, unsure of
what to call the raven-haired girl in front of her.

"Kanako!" she practically shouted, "My... name... is... KANAKO! At the
Juraian courts, all the girls care about is rank. It's always 'Your
Majesty,' or 'Your Highness,' or 'Princess.' Even with the girls who
pretend to be close enough friends to just call me 'Kanako,'...
I can still hear them saying the titles in their mind. You have no
idea how great it is to hear you say 'Kanako' and just mean 'Kanako.'"

"I don't know what to say," Hitomi replied, looking up at Kanako.
Her eyes, however, told Kanako everything she needed to know.

"That's a lie," Kanako smiled, "You're Hitomi, you ALWAYS have
something to say. I'll bet you've got a million questions you want to
ask."

Hitomi laughed, and things were suddenly back the way they had been
before. Kanako wasn't mistaken about Hitomi's questions, and they
chattered on for an hour, before Katsuhito came in.

"You should have something to eat, Hitomi," he told her, "We wouldn't
want you to faint again."

"Oh my God!" Hitomi suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands to her
mouth, "I didn't come home last night! My parents must be worried
sick!"

"Don't worry," Katsuhito said, waving a hand dismissively, "I called
them and told them you would be staying the night."

"That's good for now," Kanako said, "But how are we going to explain
it when she doesn't go home tonight, or go to school tomorrow."

Hitomi blinked. "Why won't I be going home?" she asked.

"I don't want that B'ganarr guy kidnapping you to get to me," Kanako
said, "You need to stay here, where it's safe."

"But I can't just abandon school," Hitomi protested.

"Let's handle this one thing at a time," Katsuhito told her, staring
intently out the window, "For now, we'll tell your parents that Kanako
fell ill, and you are helping me take care of her."

"What are you looking at?" Kanako asked.

"He's out there, somewhere," her brother replied, "But I can't find
him."

"He-he-he's still there?" Hitomi asked, nervously.

Katsuhito nodded. "He's waiting for a chance to attack. He wants to
kill Kanako while the others are still away."

***

Aeka's day had started out quietly enough. Vell had been asleep,
so she took the time to mend one of his shirts, until Je'ko arrived.
Other than a bandage wrapped around his head, he looked none the worse
for his injury last night.

"Oh, Je'ko," Aeka said, looking up from the shirt she was working
on, "I'm glad to see you've recovered."

"Is he all right?" Je'ko asked quickly, "Grandfather said he-"

"He's just fine, Je'ko," Aeka said calmly. She pointed at Vell, who
was snoring on her bed.

You could see the tension wash away from the young man's face. "Is it
true that my brother is... that he's..."

"I believe he is," Aeka said, looking at the slumbering child. Turning
back to Je'ko, she noticed a strange look on the young man's face.
There was a pensiveness to it, as if he was going over something
in his mind. Whatever it was, it suddenly went away, as Vell woke.
Wordlessly, he climbed out of the bed, rubbing sleepily at his eyes.
Aeka put down her sewing and lifted the child onto her lap.

"Good morning, Vell," Aeka said, cheerfully, "Did you sleep well?"
Vell nodded.

"Hey, scamp," Je'ko smiled, sitting down on the now empty bed. He
reached out a hand and messed up his brother's hair. "I heard you were
real tough last night." Vell beamed at the complement.

"Aw," an all too familiar voice said, "How sweet." Ryoko appeared
in the middle of the room, floating just above the floor for a second
before landing. "And how have YOU been, princess?"

"Well," Aeka replied, "I must be coming down with something, because
I'm actually happy to see you."

"Really?" Ryoko said in mock-concern, "Must be pretty bad." She looked
at Vell, curled up in Aeka's arms. "So, this is the little guy, huh?
Aren't you a cute one." She smiled. Vell buried his face in Aeka's
shoulder. "Gee, grateful little tike, aren't you?" she said,
sarcastically.

"He's shy," Aeka explained as an apology, "Come on, Vell. Ryoko helped
us rescue you. You should thank her."

Vell looked up at Ryoko. "Thankyoumiss," he blurted out, before hiding
his face again.

"How sweet," Ryoko said wryly.

Je'ko, who had been sitting quietly until now, suddenly stood up.
"Considering what happened last time strangers came on our ship, I
wouldn't blame him!"

"Hey," Ryoko snapped back, "In case you haven't heard, I'm one of the
good guys here."

"Stop it, both of you," Aeka snapped, "You're both my friends, so can't
you at least TRY to get along?"

"Fine," Ryoko said with a shrug. Je'ko just looked away. "Anyway,
I've got some questions for you, princess."

Aeka nodded. "There are some things I'd like to ask you as well. You
go first."

She pointed at the yellow gem that was embedded in Aeka's neck.
"What's up with the gem? Is it one of mine?"

Aeka pursed her lips in thought. "I... I think it is... sort of. It's
one of the gems from the sword, I think, but... I don't know... it
feels like it belongs to me... like it's always supposed to have been
here."

Ryoko frowned. "But HOW did it get there?"

"I don't know," Aeka replied, "I'm not sure how I got it, or these
powers. Maybe when I..." She trailed off.

"When you what?" Ryoko pressed.

Aeka shook her head. "Forget it."

Ryoko decided not to press the issue. "All right, what did you want
to ask?"

Aeka blushed slightly. "I don't know how to ask this," she stammered,
"It's... it's about Tenchi."

"Is Tenchi the guy from the stories?" Vell suddenly asked, "The one
with the Lie Hawk Wings?"

"Yes, Vell," Aeka told him, patting his head, "But it's the LIGHT Hawk
Wings."

"Oh, okay."

"Je'ko," Aeka said, turning to the brooding half-breed, "I need to talk
with Ryoko alone. Could you take your brother somewhere?"

"All right," Je'ko said, standing up, "Come on, scamp."

Vell looked up at Aeka. "Do I hafta?" he asked, looking up at her with
pleading eyes.

Aeka laughed. "It's just for a little bit, Vell. I'll catch up with
you as soon as I'm done talking with Ryoko."

"Okay," Vell said, as Je'ko took his hand and lead him out of the room.
Right before they turned down the hall he looked back and waved. "Bye,
Ka Sha!"

"What does 'Ka Sha' mean?" Ryoko asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," Aeka admitted, "I'm going to have to ask Je'ko next
chance I get." There was a pause, before Aeka spoke again. "About
Tenchi... Is he... Does... How is he doing?" she finally said.

Ryoko blinked. "He hasn't been to see you?" she asked, "That's funny.
He hasn't been able to think of anything else since the distress
call." Aeka looked down. It wasn't exactly the reaction Ryoko had
been expecting. "Are you all right, princess?"

Aeka ignored the question. "It must have been difficult for you,
then."

Ryoko sat down in midair. "Yes and no. I mean, yeah, I wanted him to
be thinking of me, but... Tenchi's at his best when he's helping
someone. You know what I mean?"

Aeka didn't meet Ryoko's eyes. "Has he... have you..." She trailed
off, going very red in the face.

Ryoko laughed. "Are you asking what I think you're asking, princess?"

"If... if he has..." Aeka's face became redder and redder, "I... I
won't get in your way."

Ryoko blinked in surprise. "You... you would?" Aeka nodded. For a
long time, neither of them said anything.

"We didn't," Ryoko admitted.

Aeka stood up, not meeting Ryoko's gaze. "I should go find Vell,"
she said, hurrying out of the room.

Ryoko let out a heavy sigh, before teleporting away.

***

Daerta was in a pretty foul mood by the time she reached the hangar.
It was bad enough that she had to guide that idiot to Aeka's room, when
she could be helping install the new parts they had salvaged from the
battle. She hadn't liked Tenchi to begin with. She saw the way he
avoided eye contact with the Rats. She was used to it, of course.
Everybody looked down on the Rats, she hardly expected Juraian royalty
to be any different, but he could have been a little more... diplomatic
about it, while he was on their own ship!

Then to say what he said to her! It made her want to punch something
- preferably Tenchi. Since Tenchi wasn't around, she settled for
hitting Toshio, who was inspecting his ship for damage.

"Hey!" the pale-skinned Juraian exclaimed, rubbing his arm, "What was
that for."

"For bein' a Juraian," she said, leaning against the two-man fighter.

Toshio looked at her for a second and shrugged. "Fair enough," he
said, leaning over to tighten an armor plate. Like most of the ships
in the hangar, its armor had been patched up with various pieces of
metal so many times that it resembled a patchwork quilt.

His casual response caught the Pottidan girl off guard. "You don't
even wanna know why?" she asked.

"Not really," he replied, "I'm sure you have a reason - move over a
bit, would ya?" She took a step to the side, so he could start
smoothing out a dent where she had been leaning. "If I knew what the
reason was, I might disagree with it, and I don't feel like getting
hit again."

"Hey, lovebirds," Je'ko said, approaching the other teenagers,
Vell perched on his shoulders. Daerta frowned at the comment, while
Toshio put on an insulted look that only a Juraian could manage. Je'ko
merely laughed as he dropped Vell into the cockpit of the ship, and
slid under it. "So, what did you do to my ship?"

"YOUR ship?" Toshio demanded, "It's MY ship; I'm the pilot!"

"Fine, fine," Je'ko said, "But the Nav and aiming systems are mine,
then, along with the guns and missiles. Oh great, the ventral plate's
come loose." He rolled out from under the ship. "Daerta, hand me that
plasma welder, would ya?" Daerta knelt down and handed him the
requested tool. "You know," Je'ko said, grinning broadly up at Daerta,
"This would be a lot more fun if you wore a skirt like most girls."
He quickly slid back under the ship to avoid Daerta's retribution.

"You are so immature," Daerta said. She winked at Toshio as she kicked
a wrench under the ship resulting in a rewarding string of expletives
from her peer. "Please, Je'ko, not in front of your brother."

***

Katsuhito stood by the window, staring into the woods. B'ganarr
was out there somewhere. Sooner or later, he would find some weakness,
and strike. It would be far better to take the battle to him, first,
but in order to do that, Katsuhito had to figure out where the assassin
was hiding. He gripped the hilt of the katana he had with him. It was
a waiting game, one he fully intended to win.

A soft music reached his ears. He forced himself to ignore it. He
needed all his senses focused on finding B'ganarr.

Katsuhito blinked suddenly. He thought he had seen something purple
dash behind a tree.

"Can't catch me, brother!" It was Aeka's voice. It sounded odd, as if
it was coming from a long way away.

"Aeka!" he called out, rushing towards the woods. His mind was empty
of all thoughts save one: he had to find Aeka before B'ganarr did.

***

"Where is he going?" Hitomi asked as she looked out the window. She
couldn't figure out why Katsuhito would suddenly run off like that.
Had he seen the assassin? She trembled slightly. "And where is that
music coming from?"

Kanako didn't respond to the questions. She was staring, transfixed,
into the woods. "Akito?" she whispered.

Hitomi blinked. "Your brother? I thought Mr. Masaki said they
wouldn't be back for at least another week."

"No," Kanako said, a smile forming on her face, "He's here! He's
back!" She stood up and started towards the door, but Hitomi grabbed
her by the arm.

"You can't go out there!" she protested, "He's still waiting!"

A small voice in the back of Kanako's mind screamed at her to listen
to Hitomi, but it was drowned out. The strange music flooded her mind.
It was impossible to concentrate. All she could think about was her
brother.

"Let me go!" she said, wrenching her arm out of Hitomi's grasp.

"Please, Kanako, don't go!" she begged. Why wasn't Kanako listening
to her? She struggled to think of something she could say to make her
stop, but she couldn't concentrate with that odd music playing.

A sudden thought occurred to her. She almost dismissed it without
even considering it. It didn't make any sense, but she was dealing
with princesses and assassins and aliens, so maybe it made more sense
than she realized.

She turned on the princess's stereo, twisting the volume knob all the
way to the right. The sound of the Hummingbird's latest album blasted
through the room, causing both girls to cover their ears. Hitomi
lowered the volume to a tolerable level, but kept loud enough so that
the other music couldn't be heard.

"Hitomi!" Kanako yelled over the music, "What are you doing?"

"It was the music!" she exclaimed, "That's what was making you think
your brother was out there!"

Kanako stared at her friend for a moment, then suddenly ran to her
closet and started digging around through mess of clothes and bags she
had piled there.

"Turn down the music a bit, will you?" she asked, returning with a
wooden box in her hands. When Hitomi hesitated, she added, "You can
always turn it up again if I start acting funny." Hitomi lowered
the volume further. The strange melody was barely audible over the
voice of Sasaki Toreshi, and Kanako seemed unaffected. She opened
the box she held, and a large, round, red jewel flew out.

"Princess!" it scolded, "I shall report this to your mother. You are
now four weeks behind in your lessons."

Hitomi giggled. "What is it?" she asked.

It flew over to inspect Hitomi. "I am Jiiro," it informed her, "A
robot designed to take care of children and their education while on
trips."

"It's annoying," Kanako said, rolling her eyes, "That's why I locked
it up. Anyways, Jiiro, I want you to access the Military Database.
Give me any information you can on music-based attacks, with an
emphasis on Velgrin technology and tactics."

"That is not on your scheduled lessons, Your Highness," Jiiro replied.
Kanako let out an exasperated sigh.

"Override three-seven-two-four," Kanako told the machine, "Now spit out
the information, and hurry!"

"You are most likely referring to the 'Kimtralda Veryin ge,' which
translates to 'Hymn of Chaos.' This song was given to the Velgrin
by M'ndrar, also known as Shennaly, a minor deity worshipped by the
Velgrin, as well as several outer races such as the-"

"Skip it," Kanako ordered, "Describe this Hymn of Chaos."

"The Hymn of Chaos is a psychological attack. It fills the mind of
anyone listening with thoughts of whatever they desire most, but do not
have, rendering them unable to make intelligent decisions. Many
believe this attack to be hypocritical of the Velgrin, as they claim
themselves to be above lies and deceit. Velgrin philosophers
argue that since the victims of the song are the source of the
deception-"

"That's enough, Jiiro," Kanako said, waving a hand dismissively.
She turned to look at Hitomi. "Fortunately, it doesn't seem to affect
you."

This didn't comfort Hitomi very much. "What do we do?" she asked in a
whisper that could barely be heard over the sounds of the Toreshi
sisters. She clutched her purse, nervously fingering at the clasp.

"First things first," the princess said, peering out through her door.
"We get out of here."

***

"So," Je'ko asked as they finished their inspection of the fighter
craft, "What do you think of the new faces?"

"I wouldn't want to oppose them," Toshio laughed, "That's for sure.
Tsunami, they're powerful."

Daerta frowned. "I don't like that Tenchi guy," she said, "I don't
know what Aeka sees in him."

Toshio shrugged. "Doesn't seem like a bad guy to me."

"It's the way he looks at us," Daerta insisted, "Or doesn't look at us,
I should say."

"No one looks at a Rat if they can avoid it," Toshio smiled, "It's part
of our charm. They can hold all the cards, but they'll still feel
uncomfortable dealing with us. It gives us a small advantage."

Je'ko shrugged. "We're Rats, they're Tsunami's chosen," he said,
sourly, "Why would you expect it to be any different?"

"Aeka doesn't act like that," the Pottidan girl pointed out, "Neither
does the Prince." She looked over to the far end of the hangar. Her
father was leading a team of mechanics as they fixed the Arrow, the
flagship that Daeroth flew, and the largest ship in the Jeweled Heart.
None of the crane's could reach the Arrow's engine compartment,
so the new hyper-engine they were installing had to be lifted by
old-fashioned manpower. Surprisingly enough, Akito was in the front
of the line.

"Pull!" he shouted, and they all took a step back, leaning with all
their might.

He shouted again, "Pull!" And the engine lifted even higher.

"It's weird having him around," Je'ko said, "I mean, from what I've
heard, he's next in line for the throne, yet he treats us like equals."

"Tsunami chose the Juraian royal family to lead the empire because
of two things," Sasami said, appearing suddenly behind the trio. Je'ko
jumped, banging his head against the open cockpit. Sasami giggled
and went on. "The mercy they showed their friends, and the
ruthlessness they showed their enemies."

"Hey, watch the language," Toshio advised Je'ko, who was swearing
as he rubbed a large lump on his head, "If Aeka hears you saying things
like that in front of her sister, she'll skin you alive."
"So what brings the young princess here?" Daerta said. She had made
up her mind on Aeka, Tenchi, and Akito, but she had yet to decide
whether she liked Sasami or not.

"I'm bored," she admitted, "I couldn't find any kids my age, so I was
wondering if I could hang out with you guys." Sasami looked nervously
at the older children. They were all fourteen, although none of them
quite looked it. Toshio was very tall, which made him look older than
he really was. Daerta's light frame had the opposite effect, making
her look barely older than Sasami. As for Je'ko, his eyes did not
belong to a fourteen-year old boy.

Toshio lifted Vell from the cockpit and placed him in Sasami's arms.
"Hey, scamp, distract the princess while we have a conference,"
he said with a smile. The three of them ducked down on the far side
of the ship. Sasami strained to listen to the whispered conversation
that would determine her fate.

"What's that on your head?" Vell asked, his normally silent demeanor
thrown aside at the sight of something foreign to the ship.

"This is Ryo-ouki," Sasami said. The cabbit hopped down to Sasami's
shoulder, so Vell could pet her. "She's a cabbit." Vell stared at the
cabbit for a moment.

"I like her," he decided. Ryo-ohki miya'd in reply.

Sasami looked over at the far end of the hangar, where Kiyone and Akito
were talking. "Hey, Vell," she said, smiling mischievously,
"want to see something funny?"

***

"It's really sweet of you to help them out like this," Kiyone smiled
at Akito.

Akito blushed at the comment. "It's nothing," he stammered.

"No," Kiyone said, "It's something special. I've met noblemen who
wouldn't lift a finger to help people like the Rats, unless there was
something in it for them."

Akito looked at the Rats who were still working on various ships.
"When I was young, Aunt Funaho told me that a king is the greatest
servant of all. She told me that just like the butlers and valets
look after the members of the royal family, we look after everyone
in our empire. That stuck with me, all my life."

"I think you'll be a good emperor, someday," Kiyone told him, leaning
forward to kiss him on the cheek. She made a face. "A sweaty
emperor," she laughed, "but a good one, anyway."

Akito chuckled lightly, then got very serious. "Kiyone," he said,
swallowing nervously, "There's... there's something I need to tell
you... I..."

"Ack!" Kiyone suddenly exclaimed. She lifted up the hem of her shirt
and reached under with her free hand. A second later, she had pulled
a small cabbit out. "What do you think you're doing there?" she
demanded, giving the cabbit a shake.

There was a puff of smoke as Ryo-ohki shifted to her humanoid form.
"Carrot?" she asked, holding her hands out hopefully.

"Why would I be keeping carrots in my bra?" she asked, angrily.
Ryo-ohki scrunched up her face, tears collecting in the corners of her
eyes. Kiyone sighed. "Go find the kitchen, maybe they'll have some
carrots for you there." She dropped Ryo-ouki, who popped into her
cabbit form and went racing out of the hangar.

"I'm sorry, Akito, what were you saying?"

Akito had turned away from her, holding a hand up to his nose to keep
it from bleeding. "It's nothing."

"Now that," Toshio said, watching from the other side of the hangar,
"was priceless. I think I like you, princess."

***

"It's clear," Kanako said, peering around the corner. "Let's go!" She
grabbed Hitomi's hand and dragged her into the hall. As quickly as
possible, they darted across into Tenchi's room. It wasn't very far,
but they were that much closer to the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Hitomi asked, in barely more than a whisper.

"We're going..." She paused for a second. "Right, we're going to
Washuu's lab." She was really starting to hate this musical attack.
It made it so hard to think about anything other than her brother.
"B'ganarr won't be able to get inside." Would they be able to get
inside? she wondered. She shook her head. She didn't have time to
worry about that. If Washuu's lab didn't let them in, they were dead,
but if they stayed here, it was only a matter of time before B'ganarr
hunted them down.

The stairs looked empty. She grabbed Hitomi and pulled her forward.
Halfway down, she motioned for Hitomi to stay still, and flipped over
the railing, landing silently next to the door that led to Washuu's
lab. Her hand trembling, she reached for the doorknob. She suddenly
noticed that the Hymn of Chaos had stopped.

"Look out!" Kanako threw herself to the side before Hitomi had
finished her warning. She crashed into the corner, just as a set of
metal claws thrust into the wooden door. Energy crackled down the
claws, highlighting the Velgrin's form as he writhed in pain.

"I'm sorry," said a small robotic Washuu from the viewport, "But the
great, magnificent Washuu is not in right now. Please direct all
questions to her automatic defense system."

Kanako could smell the charred flesh as B'ganarr ripped his claw out
from the door. His silhouette crouched, ready to pounce. Kanako was
trapped in the corner. Pulling up her shields, she wished she had
worked on those abilities more. Suddenly everything went white. She
heard B'ganarr hiss in pain at the sudden burst of light.

Hitomi had flipped on the lights. Wasting no time, Kanako used the
distraction to dart past the assassin. The Velgrin recovered too
quickly, however, and his claw bit deeply into her leg.

"Leave her alone!" Hitomi cried, throwing herself into B'ganarr.
Unfortunately, her weight was not enough to knock him over.

"Foolish mammal," he hissed, as he grabbed her by the throat and threw
her to the side. There was a crash as her body slammed into the wall,
followed by a heavy clunk as her purse fell to the ground next to her.

"Don't you dare hurt her!" Kanako said between clenched teeth. She
tried to get to her feet, but the pain in her leg flared, and she fell
back to the floor. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was going to die
here.

That thought caused something to burn inside of her. She would not
die, cowering on the floor. She gritted her teeth, and stood. If she
was going to die, she'd die fighting. If she did that... maybe Akito
would finally be proud of her.

B'ganarr turned his attention back to her. She had a plan. Drawing
all of her energy, she formed a shield in front of her. The moment
he struck the shield, she'd throw it forward, hitting him with all of
her energy. If it didn't kill him, she'd be completely vulnerable,
but she couldn't last any longer like this. She had to get him with
one attack.

B'ganarr's lipless mouth twisted into a grotesque smile. Then, quite
suddenly, he looked as if he was going to be sick. He vomited a pale,
foul-smelling goo, that hissed loudly as it ate through the floor.

"Will your shieldsss ssstop thisss?" he asked with a grin. Kanako
went pale. Her shields were good for solid objects, but liquids would
go right through them. What a disgusting way to die! Still, he'd be
vulnerable when he did that. She'd die, but she could take him with
her. She'd show him the might of the Juraian Empire before she died.

She gritted her teeth, holding her shield still as she waited for the
attack. B'ganarr began to cough up his foul acid again.

BANG!

Something bounced harmlessly off of Kanako's shield... something
solid. She looked at B'ganarr, who's eyes had gone wide, as acid
dribbled out of his mouth. There was another bang, and another,
and another. Each time, B'ganarr jerked, and something struck off of
Kanako's shield. Finally, the Velgrin fell to the floor.

Behind him was Hitomi. Her eyes were wide with fear, and she clutched
a gun with trembling hands. She lowered it to point at B'ganarr's
inert form, and fired, causing the gun to jump in Hitomi's hands. She
fired two more shots before the gun ran out of ammo. After several
ineffectual clicks, she dropped the gun and threw herself sobbing
at Kanako. Kanako winced as she collided, but wrapped a comforting
arm around her friend.

***

Aeka was one of the first ones to dinner. She liked to arrive early,
to avoid the hassle of finding a table among the crowds. Not
surprisingly, the teenagers were already there, consuming the massive
amounts of food they needed to supply their growing bodies. The
Trenan, Derai, was sitting with them, discussing something with Je'ko.
Sasami was entertaining Daerta and Toshio with an apparently amusing
story. Both conversations broke off as Aeka approached.

"Where's Vell?" Je'ko said.

"Asleep," Aeka replied, smiling as she sat down. Blaze, who was under
the table, put his head in her lap, looking up at her with his warm
green eyes. "He wore himself out playing with Ryo-ohki all day. The
two of them passed out on the floor. It was very sweet."

Je'ko smiled and turned back to Derai. "So when can we start?"

The Trenan thought for a moment. "Well, I promised Daeroth I'd help
reforge some armor plates tomorrow, but I kin lend ye some books, if
ye'd like."

Je'ko bowed his head. "Thank you, Ke Ja."

"That reminds me," Aeka said, "Vell's been calling me 'Ka Sha.' I
was wondering if you could tell me what that means."

There was a mixed reaction around the table. Toshio gagged on a piece
of food, until Daerta hit him on the back. Je'ko suddenly found his
plate to be very interesting, while Derai looked at Aeka. Sasami
looked around the table, curious at the responses a simple question
had evoked.

"Well?" Aeka asked.

"It's a Trenan name for respect," Je'ko said, not looking up. Aeka
could see his face flush. "Like how he calls Grandfather Balin 'Ta
Ja.' 'Ta' means grandparent, and 'Ja' means male, so 'Ta Ja' means
grandfather. 'Sa Ja' means brother, and 'Ke Ja' means teacher. Vell's
always been big on Trenan address, ever since I told him about it."

"So what does 'Ka Sha' mean?" Sasami asked, eagerly.

Je'ko's cheeks went redder. "Well, 'Sha' is female. 'Sa Sha' would
be a sister, for example."

"And 'Ka'?" Sasami pressed.

"'Ka' means parent," Je'ko replied, although he spoke to Aeka, not
Sasami. "So when he calls you 'Ka Sha,' he's calling you his mother."
There was a longing in his voice, as he doubtless remembered his own
'Ka Sha.' Aeka blushed, and Sasami giggled.

"Well good for him!" Daerta exclaimed. "The kid deserves a mother.
Haven't seen him happier than when he's with you, Aeka."

Aeka tried to stammer out some form of response, but she couldn't
think of what to say. Vell couldn't just declare her his mother,
but she couldn't bring herself to deny it, either.

"Yay!" Sasami said with glee, "I have a nephew!" Her eyes went wide,
and she turned to Derai. "Hey, What's the term for a nephew?"

Derai laughed. "In your case, it would be 'Sa Sha do Cha Ja,' meaning
son of my sister, but you can call him 'Sa Cha' for short. Sibling's
child. And he'd call you 'Ka Sa' for parent's sibling."

"Sasami!" Aeka said, trying to sound stern, but unable to keep herself
from laughing. "Don't you dare encourage- Oh no!" She cut off, and
lowered her head.

Tenchi surveyed the dining hall. He hadn't realized how many Rats
lived on this ship. They were normally scattered about, each one busy
with his or her own tasks, but at the moment, they were all here, and
the room was packed to bursting.

Having gotten lost on the way, Tenchi was one of the last people here,
which meant the line to get food was rather short. His tray in hand,
he looked about for some familiar face to sit with. Finally, he caught
sight of a long trail of purple hair. Aeka was sitting at a smaller
table with Sasami, Derai, and the trio of teenage Rats. There was an
empty seat next to Aeka, so he quickly made his way over.

As he sat down, he heard the sound of a chair scraping the floor. He
looked to his right to see Daerta standing up.

"Please don't go," he said. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"I've lost my appetite," Daerta replied, coldly. She turned on her
heel, and walked off.

Tenchi sighed, and turned to his left. Another empty chair greeted
him; Aeka had left while he was distracted by Daerta.

"I guess she's not ready fer ye, Tenchi," Derai said, softly. He stood
up, as if to go after her, but he suddenly stopped, and sat back down,
glancing down at Blaze.

"Nice going, Tenchi" Toshio said, mocking an angry tone, "You chased
off all our women!"

"Hey!" Sasami said, slapping Toshio in the back of the head.

Toshio laughed. "I think Daerta's a bad influence on you, princess."
Sasami responded by sticking out her tongue at him.

Meanwhile, at a two person table, the First Prince of Jurai, Akito,
and First-Class Detective Kiyone were enjoying a quiet meal together.

"Wow!" Kiyone said, swallowing a mouthful of pasta. "They certainly
know how to cook on this ship!"

"Indeed," Akito agreed, after trying some of his. "I'd ask for the
recipe, but I don't think the royal chefs would think highly of being
taught how to cook by a Rat."

Kiyone looked around the hall. "It's amazing, isn't it?" she said.
"People always make the Rats sound like little more than criminals,
but this place is just so..." She trailed off, unable to find words
to describe it.

"It's certainly been a learning experience for me," Akito said. "I
guess it's easy to look down at people that are trying their hardest
to scrape by, so you don't have to care about them. But having met
them... It's such an honest life. They don't live for money, or power,
or anything like that. It's just about helping each other make it
through to the next day... I think if more people could live like
this, the galaxy would be a better place."

"I'm part of the Galaxy Police," Kiyone reminded him, "You don't have
to tell me how much nicer the world would be if people were more
honest."

"That reminds me," Akito said. There was something sad about his voice
that made Kiyone worried. "I don't know how to..." He stopped short,
as Aeka ran past their table and out of the hall.

Akito stared at the doorway his sister had left through. He glanced
back to Kiyone, and said, in a torn voice, "I should see if she's
okay."

"Go," Kiyone said. Akito bowed apologetically, and ran off. Kiyone
poked at her food, thinking angry thoughts about what she would do to
Tenchi if this was his fault.

***

Aeka ran down the halls, fighting back the tears. Why did she run?
Why couldn't she face him? Why did he have to come here in the first
place? She just wanted to leave him behind forever, but if it were
that simple, why couldn't she face him?

The hallways blurred as tears came to her eyes. She couldn't stop
running, but where was she going? The only people she wanted to run to
– Blaze, and Je'ko, and Derai – were back the way she came, with HIM.

She heard something rush past her, and suddenly she crashed into Akito.
Two strong arms wrapped around her, and she found herself putting
her own arms around him and sobbing uncontrollably into his robes.
Gradually, her sobs began to subside. She remembered holding Je'ko
like this, when he told her about his mother's death.

"Are you all right, Aeka?" he said, softly, although he continued
to hold her. She looked up at him, suddenly aware of how very tall he
was. He looked down with the eyes of their parents: their father's
strength, and their mother's love.

"I... I don't know," Aeka stammered. "I just saw him, and, suddenly...
I remembered the pain, the loneliness, the uncertainty... I don't want
to go back to all of that, but... I can't avoid him. I don't WANT to
avoid him. But the last time I saw him... I almost died back then."

Akito pulled her closer to him. "You'll be ready when you're ready.
And I'll be here whenever you need me, Aeka." He wasn't sure how long
he held her like that, but finally, she fell asleep in his arms, and he
carried her to her room.

***

It was late. At least, it was late according to the Jeweled Heart,
who's computers simulated a day's passing with the hall and garden
lights. And the inhabitants of the ship found that to be good enough
for them.

Washuu was working, as she so often was, even late at night. It was
difficult, not having access to the near-infinite databases she kept
in her lab. But that was light-years away, and she didn't have time
to set up an access point.

A dozen screens floated around her, and she made use of all of them.
Her hands grabbing an equation from one, or data from another, or
entering in even more information on her keyboard.

It had been a while since she had felt this driven on any project,
but she was determined to figure out the mystery of Aeka's yellow gem.
If she could just make some progress, enough to answer a few of Ryoko's
questions, then maybe she could undo the damage she had done earlier.
Maybe, in a few days, she could have her daughter by her side, helping
her unravel this enigmatic question.

" DATA INSUFFICIENT"

"Dammit!" Washuu said, glaring at the screen. No matter which way she
approached the problem, she always came up short on information.
She had cross-referenced everything she knew about Ryoko's gems, and
all she had discovered was how little she really knew about them.

"I'm going to have to ask Aeka to help me run a few tests, after all,"
she murmured to herself. She hadn't spoken to Aeka at any length since
their arrival. Washuu didn't want to make the princess's life any more
complicated than it was already, and she had a tendency to complicate
even the simplest of things.

"Might as well turn in for the night," she yawned. She was going to
shut down her computer system, when she noticed that she had been
surrounded by stasis logs, which began to spin. She sprang from her
sitting position, flipping over the logs to land outside the circle.
Her screens flickered into non-existence, as the energy that sustained
them was disrupted.

Her victory was short-lived, as somebody grabbed her, pinning her arms
to her side with one arm, and covering her mouth with the other.

"It's been a long time, sister," said Aeka's voice, right behind
Washuu's ear. But while it was certainly Aeka's voice, it lacked
Aeka's inflection and mannerisms. Struggling as hard as she could,
Washuu simply couldn't break free.

"Aeka?" a sleepy voice asked. Washuu's captor spun around, and Washuu
could see Sasami, standing in the hallway. "What are you doing?"

"YOU forced my hand, sister," 'Aeka' replied, coldly. "You never
should have questioned me. I am the possessor of the prophecies.
I alone can glimpse at that which is yet to come."

Sasami frowned in concentration, as if trying to remember something
long ago. "I only wanted what was best for them." Her voice seemed
older than a moment ago.

"A noble ambition, Tsunami," was the haughty reply. "But a foolish
one, and futile. You tried to spare my Sword her troubles, but look
at what her life has become. The Contention grows near, and if not for
the actions I took, she would not be ready. I had to hurt her, yes,
but these are pains that could not be avoided, only delayed. Better,
I think, to get them over with, and face life anew. Only my Sword is
complete. Yours still needs his Power, and her's..." She shook Washuu
to indicate her. "Still needs her Kiss. Would you face the Contention
with two incomplete Swords, and your sister not knowing who she is?"

"I won't let you do this!" Sasami said.

"Look what happened last time you interfered. Your beloved would have
died, never to be born again, if I had not brought you and the Servant
here, and summoned Suzaku. Do not try to stop me, Tsunami. Your are
not strong enough to fight my Sword. I will return both your sister,
and our sister shortly."

Aeka, or whoever she was, lifted off the ground, and flew past Sasami.
The last thing Washuu could remember before losing consciousness,
was Sasami whispering as they passed her.

"Please," she had whispered, "Don't do this,