Oscillations of Life

I don't own, nor claim to own, any of the intellectual properties used in this article of fan fiction. Said properties are owned by AIC Animation and I think Pioneer.

Fool's Notes: A bit of a delay for this section. In short, school sucks and I needed to think. Its for good though, this one is longer then the others.

Plans

Young Kagato was sitting at a workstation, researching a few small items that Washu asked him to look into. He knew this was merely busy work that the eccentric professor gave him to do while she was off on one of her crazy searches for this or that. Kagato didn't really know where she was, since she hadn't managed to say a coherent thought the entire time she was preparing to leave. The only thing she did manage to say was to stay out of her private lab and to get the work she assigned him done.

Now as he sat at his workstation half-heartily finishing his assigned tasks, he started to think off in tangents, away from researching meaningless things in the nooks and crannies of the vast databases that the Academy housed. He was far more interested in what was in her private lab. She expressly told him to stay out, and that was exactly why he wanted in.

Normally Kagato listened to what Washu told him to do, sometimes even on maters where Washu treated him almost like a son. Ever since she took him on as an assistant, she started to change. After having her family torn away from her, she started to crumble away mentally. When things started to seem bleak for the scientist, Kagato came along and provided the change she needed to rebound.

Kagato stood up as he watched the workstation close down. "I really wish that she would simply get to the point and tell me what she is up to," he thought to himself on the mater of Washu's plans. Kagato walked from his workstation over the cot that was his bed, he was out before you could even hear the complaints of the cot's springs.

Normally when he dreams, it's the usually stuff you would except from a male with great expectations. The occasional dream involving various females he sees on campus, maybe even the oddball dream centering around the professor her self. There were always the occasional dreams of him being praised by the top people in their fields of the scientific community for his achievements. Lately he started having stranger and darker dreams, ones that are of him controlling people, hurting people, even killing them in order to get what he wanted. The more he had these dreams, the more he started to like this feeling. He started to crave the power he felt when he controlled someone to do what he wanted. At the current time though, he merely pushed these thoughts in the back of his head. He thought that they were merely wild fantasies, up there with the fantasies of him sleeping with certain females on campus.

Tonight marked a change though, the catalyst of his downward spiral seemed to finally reveal it's self to him in his latest dream. He was hearing a voice that he couldn't put a face to. The voice never even mentioned his name, or its own. The voice just seemed to suggest to him what to do. The spoken message was simple, "Use Washu to find the secrets of Jurai, to find Tsunami."

Kagato didn't know what this was supposed to mean. He only had a slight understanding of what Tsunami was, and that was simply that Tsunami was the Jurian Tree of Life. He also didn't understand how he was supposed to use Washu, so for the time he decided to just keep a close eye on her.

After that night's dream, Kagato decided that he would have him self a peak into the professors private lab and see just what it was she was working on. He knew it wouldn't be long until she returned from her search for whatever she was sputtering on about before she left, so he decided better look sooner then later.

He walked down the corridor that connected the sections of Washu's overall lab at the Academy. Her private lab was at the back of the ring that was the corridor that circled the complex. He walked along the corridor, wondering how much further till he reached his ultimate goal.

Washu wasn't stupid enough to just put a simple lock on a simple door; the door to her lab would take some work. Kagato first tried simply entering his access code to the door, and wasn't surprised when he was denied access. Next he tried a few guess at the professor's code. Every attempt failed. Next he attempted to try and bypass the console and trick the computer into unlocking the door. His attempts at guessing Washu's access code got him further then this. Last was brute force. His curiosity and testicles got ahead of his good sense and head as he took the blaster he had picked up few years ago when he took a hobby in target shooting, a hobby that died fast. With careful precision he took aim at the lock mechanism and fired. The blaster seemed to make quick work of the lock, thus solving his small dilemma. Well it seems that the number one genius in the universe isn't that easy to out do.

Kagato opened the door to find yet another one staring him in the face. This door had a large picture of a crab on it and a message that said, "Didn't I tell you to keep out of my lab!" This angered Kagato greatly as he gave the door a good kick. Well with the insult of this door incident, combined with the pain his foot was now feeling, Kagato was feeling rather rotten. In defeat, he headed back to his room and decided to look in the other aspects of last night's dream that confused him.

His first thought was to find more out about Tsunami. As far as his knowledge went was that Tsunami was the tree that all of Jurai's space trees originate from. What he was surprised to find out was that there is more to the story then that. There was an old story that Tsunami was really a goddess that watched over the Juraians and protected them. The space trees are how she is accomplishing this. He then read about the great power the tree ships have, including the Light Hawk Wings. There were other details included in the report he was reading, but many lines where blacked out. This only pushed him on more to find out about this. He didn't know why, but he knew this was important.

- - -

"KAGATO! You had better get out here now and explain why I had to fix my door!" screamed an angry Washu who had just returned from her journey searching for a vital component of her next set of experiments.

Kagato, who just a moment prior had been blissfully sleeping, sat up too fast and ended up falling to the floor. When he looked up he saw a rather angry looking adolescent holding a hunk of metal in her hand.

"Professor, I am so sorry. I did not realize what I was doing before I had already done it. My curiosity merely got the better of me," Kagato coolly explained to the professor as if it would make the issue go away.

"What do you mean your curiosity got the better of you, I expressly told you to keep out. What is there not to understand about that?" Washu said, already starting to calm down.

"What are you yelling at me for professor, I was merely acting on that emotion all scientists have? To yell at me for being curious as to what was in there would be hypocritical," came Kagato's calm and well worded retort.

"I see your point. That still doesn't mean you should have shot the lock with your blaster. Now go down there and fix it. I was going to let you in there soon to help me with some major experiments, but now I don't know."

At this Kagato quickly got up and started to put something more then his boxers on. He wasn't going to piss the professor off anymore then she was already. "I am sorry professor, I will fix the door right away," said Kagato as he took his toolbox out of his closet and headed for the door.

As Washu watched Kagato walk down the corridor towards the lab door, she started to think to her self. Would have this been what raising her own son would have been like? It was times like this that she felt that Kagato was like her own son. Deep down though she knew that he wasn't and never would be. Besides, she thought, if all goes to plan she will have something else in her life. Only time would tell.

- - -

"What exactly is this stuff, it looks like lumps of mud that can swim. Is this what you wasted that whole month doing?" asked Kagato as he closely inspected the contents of a tank in Washu's private lab.

Earlier that day, Washu decided it was time to let him in and see what the inner workings of her lab was all about. When he walked in and saw it was merely a workstation and some tanks, his excitement seemed to die down fast. Washu never mentioned to him that that was merely one section of her lab. She wasn't prepared to let him see some of the stuff she had hidden in her lab.

"This is some of the most amazing stuff I have every came across. It just may be the answer to harnessing the power of those gems of mine."

"That still doesn't answer my question professor, what is it?"

Washu pushed Kagato back into a seat that wasn't there a second ago and prepared to give him a full lecture on the substance that she had just spent a month trying to wrangle.

"This here is an entity called The Mass. It is a simple creature with a simple genetic structure. Although he has a great potential for controlling and even producing energy. Just by its simple nature, it can not only be molded into just about anything, but it can also control many forms of energy!" Washu was starting to get ahead of her self with just what the mass could do.

"The mass is made up of several individual pieces that are controlled by a dominating piece. What ever piece has the most power will influence and control the others. That is how my tank controls them."

"And what is it you plan to do with these creatures professor. It sounded like you were on to something a moment ago" came Kagato's dry response.

"Don't you see? With these, I can create beings that can control the vast power of my gems. They can be whatever I like! These blobs in this tank are like clay. I can mold them to what ever I see fit!" Washu was growing hysterical with excitement; she even let out a laugh that would make any evil genius green with envy.

Kagato just looked at her with no emotion on his face. He was starting to understand where she was headed with this, but still failed to see the overall practicality.

"What is it that you are going to do first with this 'mass' professor?" asked Kagato, showing his annoyance with the professor's latest plan

"I am going to keep it simple first. I plan to try and create simple creatures that can draw from the gems. Eventually I plan to work up to a fully capable person born of the mass, but that is a long way down the road." Washu was saying before the impact of her last statement hit Kagato's brain.

"Excuse me professor, are you implying that you want to create a humanoid from this stuff? By this I mean, a fully sentient human being?" Kagato said trying to fathom what that would be like.

"Yes, that is exactly what I want to do. I think it would be an interesting experiment. The mass is already fully sentient; I would simply be giving it human characteristics. So don't look so shocked," was Washu's mater-of-fact response.

"Well that this is basically what I plan to start working on, for now I need to take care of a few things. Why don't you go back to your room, I will have a list of subjects for you to research for me. Tomorrow we will start working with the mass, so don't work too late. Understand?"

The only response Kagato had for her was a simple "Yes professor". He then turned and left the room. The concept that Washu was working towards making a human out of the mass was on his mind. Something about it was bugging him. She said she wanted to try and use it to control the gems. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. This person she is going to create with the mass will be able to tap the power of these gems. As facts started to come together, Kagato started to have an epiphany.

He slowly went over the situation in his head. This being would be able to fully channel the power of her gems. This being would also be fully sentient like any other person. This simply idea drove Kagato wild. The thought that it wouldn't be a machine controlling such vast power, but a person. It was then Kagato knew he must take control of this being, for this must be what he is supposed to do.

- - -

Washu sat in her room and thought to her self. She told Kagato that this whole thing was an experiment, and it was to a certain level. To Washu though it was more then that. What she was trying to create was the perfect child. Ever since her first child was taken away, she wanted desperately to make it so it could never happen again. Her time with Kagato just helped egg on the feeling inside her that yearned to be a mother again. She wanted nothing more then to guide a youth through life. The prospect that she could create a child with the mass that would be hers and hers only excited Washu.

This had been on the backburners of her research for a long time until she came across the mass. After realizing the true potential the simple blobs had, she immediately started performing simulations and research. She was almost certain she had the methods she would use figured out too.

Before she could move on to them though, she would have to first gain experience working with the mass, which is what her first experiments would be. She was going to simply create a few simple life forms, maybe give them a special ability or two to maybe warrant some use to them. In the end she still had the one ultimate goal in mind; the prefect child.

Washu had already figured out how to use her own genetic code to influence the genetic structure of the mass. Instead of forcing the mass to mold its self into a humanoid shape, she was going to have them grow into it like how a human grows. The reason behind this was simple; she only had so much of the mass to work with. If she could cause the mass to grow like a human grows, have its cells divide, then she could grow her child like any other.

She knew that this was pushing many of science's moral boundaries, but she didn't care. Many may have a hard time accepting this child, but she knew that she would and that others would too. She never gave any thought to what this child could do with the gems. She was too wrapped up in the thought of having her own child to begin with. The errors of shortsightedness would show them selves later.

- - -

Kagato was finding that the clearer things got, the more powerful his dreams became. After the realization he had reached that night, he wasn't sure what he was in store for that night.

"What, what is this?" Kagato could see that he was sitting in a seat that could put some thrones to shame. The seat was at the end of a rather large and ornate hall.

"Where am I?" He rose to his feet and took a look around. He could tell he was on a space ship from the view he received from the vast windows that made up the ceiling and far wall of the hall he was in.

"What am I doing here?"

Just as he asked, he witnessed the planet in front of him engulf its self in flames.

"What is causing this? Where am I? Someone tell me now! I demand it!" Kagato was starting to get restless; he just witnessed the destruction of a whole planet and started to wonder if he was the cause.

"Kagato," came a soft voice that seemed to come from all around him.

"What is this? Show your selves!"

"It is almost time Kagato," came the voice again, this time louder and stronger.

"Time for what? What is it you want of me? What is this place?"

"This is what could be. Feel within your self, do you feel the power you can control? Do you wish to feel this power?"

As the voice spoke, Kagato could feel deep within himself, a presence starting to show. It felt as though his body was coming alive, like he could do anything. "Yes, I can feel it. What is this, what can I do to get more of this?" As he asked, the power started to die down again. Kagato was starting to feel the pain that a heroin addict feels after coming down from a high and he needed more.

"Use Washu's creation to bring me Tsunami. Don't worry about how. If you bring me Tsunami, you will receive more power then you could ever imagine."

Kagato didn't know how to respond, he just knew he needed to feel that power again. He just nodded, hoping that he could feel the power again. Just then his world started to glow around him. "No, let me feel it again. I have to feel it again!" He was starting to panic; he would do anything to have that feeling again.

"In due time, please be patient. Just bring me Tsunami and you can have all the power you want." With that he awoke suddenly in his room, drenched in sweat. His dream was fading fast from his memory; the only thing that was still clear in his mind was the feeling of power. Deep in his mind he knew exactly what he would need to do to get it. He laid back down on to his cot letting sleep find its way back into him.

Kagato awoke next morning still feeling exhausted. He sat up in his cot and rubbed his eyes trying hard to remember his dream. Walking by the mirror that was in his room, he noticed something different about him. He looked all over him self trying to figure out what changed. After a minute of looking him self over, he gave up and headed out of his room.

- -

Up on the display screen was a crude rendering of what looked like a dog mixed with a cat. Washu thought the idea of blending the features of a cat and a dog was ingenious. This was going to be the first being she would attempt to create with the mass.

"Why does the computer keep saying that this won't work? Why can't I combine the genetic code of a dog and a cat?" Washu was growing increasingly frustrated at the constant failings of this attempt.

"The answer is easy professor, dogs and cats are not meant to be together." Washu jumped suddenly upon hearing the voice of her young assistant as he walked into the room.

"Kagato, you scared me half to death, and what did you do to your eyes. I'm not saying that it looks bad, but I think red would have looked better." Washu was saying as she eyed up the new tint that his eyes had taken on. "And what do you mean dogs and cats can't be together, there is no reason why I can't genetically combine them into one animal is there?"

"Professor, you problem is that you need to realize that there are sometimes fundamental rules you can't even change. One of them is that a dog and a cat fight. Even their genes will fight," Kagato was saying to her almost as if he was the teacher and she was the student, "I don't know what happened to my eyes, I woke up and noticed that something was different. Don't even ask me to make it red, I dread the color red."

"What, how can you dread the color red? And what makes you think you can tell me what I can and can not do. There is no real reason that I can't do this. Unless you have some other suggestions?"

"I don't know professor, why not something like a rabbit. I don't think I could handle something like a dog running around here disturbing me."

"A rabbit? Of course! That would be so simple, just think how small and cute such a thing would be!" Washu was bubbling over at the concept of a cat mixed with a rabbit. "Say Kagato, what as been with you lately, you seem to be gloomier. Cheer up and start to enjoy life a bit. Now if you don't mind, head down to biology wing and get a blood sample from a rabbit."

Kagato seemed melancholy as he replied "Yes ma'am" and turned to walk out.

"I wonder what has gotten into him. It's probably nothing, girl troubles or something." She pushed the rest of her thoughts on the matter to the side as she started getting her equipment ready. "No one will be able to resist the site of a cute little creature with long legs that meows."

Another segment killed. The next segment will focus on the birth of Ryoko, maybe Kagato making his move. There are also thoughts of focusing on Yosho's life before Ryoko's attack along with some other happenings on Jurai. If you have comments to make, the review button works. If it's a pressing issue like I somehow kicked your dog by writing this and need to have a few words with me, email works too ( ).