Brief Introduction and Disclaimer

Well, here it is. Part Two of the Dying Tree. I'll be completely honest - since none of Part One was actually pre-planned before it was written and since 90 of the story kind of just happened as the characters went along, it might take me a while to get my head around Part Two.

First disclaimer - this story introduces a brand new character to the Tenchi Universe. I'm not going to say too much about her, just that this story was actually in the back of my head to write before I even began Dark Heart, so I've decided to do it and mix it all up in the Dying Tree saga. I know how some people feel about new character introductions and I admit myself I'm not keen on new star roles being thrown into the mix, so I hope this is going to work out. It's all experimental - but I'm hopeful that it will be all right in the end :)

Second disclaimer - as I've said before, my Tenchi-verse is a mish-mash of the OVA and the Tenchi Universe canons. There are a lot of OVA ideas shoved into what is basically a Universe timeline (with some aforementioned amendments to the Jurai Royal Family Tree, just to make it all make sense and gel together into something logical). In truth, the more I write, the more I realise how much of the OVA makes perfect sense in a Universe setting. And this story is no exception. There is one major OVA theme to come in this story - but I need to go back to my disks first to make sure I've got the details straight!

Third disclaimer - If you're not a fan of Tenchi x Ryoko, then you might not like this story. I am not keen on forcing romantic interludes or situations where they don't fit, but to me the suggested conclusion to the Tenchi Universe sphere is a Ryoko and Tenchi pairing. If you're a fan of other characters, please rest assured that it's also not my policy to unduly smear or twist the personality of another character - and that I like to keep them as true to the show as I can. Just because Tenchi ends up with Ryoko in my writing, therefore, it does not mean Ayeka has turned into a small minded little demon . Please note that Washu and Sasami both will play (if the story goes anything like I think it will!) fairly major roles in this story alongside Tenchi and Ryoko and a few other bits and pieces.

Well, it will be interesting to see how this works out, for me as much as for anyone else. :) Thanks again to anyone who takes the time to read and review my work - and I hope that this one won't disappoint!

SYNOPSIS

Sasami's prophesy for the future is grim. Haunted by dark images, she has no idea that they are coming real more quickly than she could ever have realised. Kagato's spirit sleeps inside his tree, waiting for the time that he will be awakened - but can even the Goddess herself stand up to such tremendous malevolent power?

Ryoko and Tenchi have returned to Earth, taking life slowly despite the warnings of Washu and the impending danger posed by Souja's tree. Ryoko's discoveries at the Science Academy have been pushed into the background - but can the space pirate discover her true destiny in among her search for a happy, peaceful life with the man she loves?

Life is rarely so simple or so clear cut, as she realises that there is far more at stake than her life and her happiness. Will she have to make the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the future, or will her lack of discipline or training mean that her magic will prove her destruction?

Forced into assimilation with Sasami too soon, Tsunami's power is waning and in a last ditch attempt to save her world, she flings a young soul back to the past, placing all her trust in the girl she so aptly named 'Hope'.

But is it already too late to break Kagato's dark spell?

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THE DYING TREE: PART TWO
A TENCHI MUYO! Fanfiction
by
VraieEsprit

Chapter One

A strange silence had settled over the ground surrounding the Tree that morning.

Gathered there beneath his twisted branches, several hooded figures settled themselves on the ground, mere inches from the seeping red stains that marked the land as tainted. From her position at the back of the ensemble, the small girl stood up on tiptoes, craning her neck to see past them to the gnarled Tree itself. This tree was full of wonder, she knew that. Hadn't her father told her as much? That inside this Tree beat the heart of a true prince - a leader who would return from the darkness and set his people free from the tyranny of Imperial rule.

She did not understand all of those things yet, she told herself, as she returned to her lonely seat on the ground. But she knew better than to argue with her father, for he was an angry man and she had no mind to receive a beating for her disloyalty. She sat quietly, trying to pretend she wasn't frightened by the solemnity of the day. Her father was one of the chosen, clustered around the Tree's trunk as offerings and prayers were given up for the safety of the prince's soul. Nobody took any notice of her, sat huddled in her corner as she was most times she came to the Tree. Just another unnoticed child, waiting for her father to take her home.

And yet, somehow today seemed to be different.

She glanced up at the sky, taking in the brassy blueness and the eerie glint of the sun as it climbed above the heavens. This was a chosen day, she had heard her father say so to his companions as they had arrived, and he had sent her a meaningful look. Try as she might, the girl could not find solace in her father's sudden attention. Somehow she knew that she was not just there to make up numbers today. She had heard the word 'destiny' whispered around the house for several days beforehand and she knew instinctively that it was her destiny they were discussing. She was not quite twelve years old, and yet she understood more than a little bit the importance of portents and prophesies. The Tree loomed large and bleak, like a monster from one of her dreams, and she shivered, drawing her cloak more tightly around her. Whatever it meant, she didn't like it.

"Moriko!"

Her father's voice broke through her troubled thoughts and she raised her head, meeting his gaze with a trepidant one of her own. He raised a hand, beckoning to her with one long, pale finger and she got to her feet, walking slowly across the ground to join the centre circle. Around her, people whispered and nudged one another, as if seeing her with new eyes, but she did her best to block it out, focusing only on where she was going. Though fear coursed through her veins, she would not disobey her father. Not here. Not when it might anger the very soul their lives had been dedicated to placating.

"Here you are." Her father took her by the hand, getting to his feet and leading her step by step towards the trunk of the Tree. "Today is a special day, Moriko-chan. Today is the day you fulfil your purpose in life - by awakening the great spirit that sleeps within Souja's Tree. Do you understand, child, the honour bestowed upon you?"

Moriko gazed up at him blankly, swallowing hard as she struggled to remember how she should answer. His grip on her wrist tightened.

"Moriko! Answer me! Do you understand the honour bestowed upon you?"

Moriko bowed her head, fighting the tears that sparked into her amber eyes.

"Yes, Father." She whispered. "The Tree has honoured me with its notice."

"That's better." The grip relaxed slightly, but before Moriko could draw a breath of relief, she felt another hand grasp her around the other wrist. This hand was hard and coarse, littered with scars and she stared up in fear, meeting the gaze of the Overseer, the wisened, dark old man who was in charge of the Tree's ceremonies of faith. He was a terrible sight, in his blood red gown and cape, and he held in his hand a long, thin-bladed knife, sharpened and gleaming in the summer sun. Despite herself, Moriko shrank back, shaking her head.

"No." She whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "No, Honoured One. Please...please don't hurt me!"

The man sent her a look of derision, then pulled her hand aloft so that the assembled congregation could see it.

"Behold the Blood of the Lord Prince Kagato!" He exclaimed, and there was a murmur from the crowd.

"Please!" Moriko begged. "Please let me go! Please!"

"Silence yourself, child." Now her father was glaring at her in the same way he glared when she was about to get a heavy beating, and she bit her lip, struggling to contain her emotions. "You are honoured. Have the sense to keep silent in the presence of the Tree and the Overseer."

From somewhere else in the centre circle, a young woman came forth bearing a silver dish, and Moriko closed her eyes tight, wishing as hard as she could that something - anything - could take her from this place and whatever they were about to do to her. The glint in the Overseer's eyes had unnerved her, and the tears spilled down her cheeks, falling to the barren landscape with a soft hiss as they met the reddish stains left by the Tree's dark sap.

There was a sudden, sharp jolt of pain, as the knife was drawn quickly across her arm, and then the soft, warm sensation of dripping blood as it ran free from the wound. The gash stung and she let out a gasp, opening her eyes in time to see the woman bearing the dish lower it to catch the falling droplets. Moriko had never seen so much blood, and despite herself, she began to feel dizzy and strange as the red liquid pooled at the bottom of the dish. Then, at a gesture from the Overseer, her father pulled her away, grabbing her injured arm and wrapping it roughly in a white bandage. She drew a shaky breath into her lungs, struggling to comprehend what was going on. The first impulse that flooded through her head was that she was still alive, but the brief moment of relief was soon quieted by the strangeness of the atmosphere around her.

The Overseer held the silver dish high above his head.

"Behold the Blood of the Lord Prince Kagato!" He repeated, to great acclaim from the crowd. "Behold, as he rises again from his deep sleep!"

With a deft movement, he drew a brush through the scarlet liquid, spraying droplets of it across the trunk of the Tree. Souja seemed to sigh and creak in the sudden wind, and, bit by bit, the clouds overhead began to draw together as the sky grew darker and darker. Lightning split across it, and Moriko stared upwards in fright as the sun disappeared behind a wall of blackness. A strange energy seemed to draw forth from the tree, dancing and growing with every second and, as the Overseer repeated his ritual, the surroundings grew ever darker, till Moriko could barely see her hand in front of her face.

"It has been done!" Through the confusion, Moriko heard the roar of his voice. "The Lord Prince Kagato awakes!"

Moriko felt her father's grip loosen as he dropped down to the floor in obeissance and, fear overwhelming her common sense, the young girl took her chance, pulling her hand away and darting into the gloom as fast as her legs would carry her. Her father's voice called her name but she blocked it out, drawing hurried, gasping breaths into her lungs as she ran helter-skelter through the dying forest. She did not know where she was going, only that it was somewhere away from that place, and away from whatever monster had risen from within the Tree.

Overhead, the sky of Jurai continued to darken as the risen spirit grew in strength and stature, eclipsing the sun ever further with every moment. Her arm ached and stung, blood seeping through the white cloth that bound it, turning it red as the ground beneath Souja's branches but she ran on, regardless.

As she fled, one thought burned through her brain.

The end of the world was upon them...and it had been all her fault.