Why won't they leave me alone?
     It's a question that plagues my soul day in and day out.  I never
asked for any of this.  I never raised my hand and said, "Hey!  Can I
please have four women hanging off of me?".
     I realize there are many guys out there who would kill to be in my
place.  I'd be happy to switch with them.
     In fact, I wish I could switch with them.  Any one of them... to
have a normal life.  It's all I ask.
     Throughout life we make many wishes.  Thousands... millions...
billions.  Dreams that are never to be, unless we stop asking the
unknown, get off our asses, and make them happen ourselves.  
     Well, once and a while a wish gets fulfilled.  One plea gets
answered.  Some great power looks down, points its finger, and
proclaims, "That one.  That one shall get what he wants."
     I found that great power has a name.  Yggdrasil.  Some tree from
Norse mythology, that turnes out, isn't such a myth.  That power chose
me, Masaki Tenchi.  It chose me to get what I want.
     What did I want?
     Let me tell you the story....

PM Productions Presents
A Phillip Masters Fanfic
Wishing A Conscience
Part One

     "Tenchi!"  Ryoko cried, flying down the flight of stairs.  She
instantly latched on to the unsuspecting young man at the bottom.
     "Ryoko."  He stated, resigned to the fact that she wouldn't let go
of her own volition.  
     As fate and the universe would have it, this is the moment Crown
Princess Ayeka of Jurai decided to walk around the nearby corner.  It
took her a moment to register what was happening at the stariwell, but
once she did all hell broke loose.
     Tenchi was already slipping away as the first energy blast was
being built up.  Sometimes he wondered if they truly liked him, or just
enjoyed fighting one another.  They seemed to loose all interest in him
once they got it in their minds to destroy each other.  
     He slipped up the stairs and into his room.  He leaned against the
wall and sighed.  They did this all the time.  Day in and day out.  Only
stopping for food or sake.  
     Tenchi walked over to his bed and sat on it.  He hung his head
slightly, thinking of the destruction being reaped downstairs.  He could
hear as well as feel the rumbles in the floor.  He wondered if it would
all be over for him, if the floor would collapse and release him from
his crazy existance.  Free him from his indecision.  Something had to,
and soon, or he might actually lose it.  
     Everyone thought he was the steady one, the unshakable Tenchi.  He
was expected to bear the burden of surprise after surprise, fight after
fight.  He felt like blowing up half the time, like just screaming out
and ending it all.  Yet, he never did, and never does.  He just swallows
it, time after time.
     He fell back onto his mattress with a strong sigh.  His life had to
change, somehow.
     A light caught his eye.  He tilted his head to the right,
involuntarily searching for the source of the unknown illumination.  He
found himself looking at his bottle he used to water his plants with.
He had just filled it that morning, and it seemed fine at the time.
Now, it was glowing.
     Tenchi furrowed his brow and moved up onto his elbows.  He thought
the phenomenon might have been a trick of the light, but his moving
disproved that theory.  The glow had only intensified.
     Then, the bottle exploded.  Tenchi's eyes widened as bits of bottle
and water flew about him.  It was a muffled boom, and the noise from
downstairs covered it quite well.  He was still a little upset about his
water bottle though.  Thing is, when the bottle went, something else
took its place.  A girl, more appropriately, a young woman.  She was
dressed in large, but somehow functional robes.  They were billowy and
white, yet formed a recognizable shirt and pants.  She wore red,
fingerless gloves on each hand, and matching boots adorned her feet.
She had dark blue eyes and pale skin, with luxurious black hair flowing
almost to the floor. 
     All in all, she was downright gorgeous.  In fact, Tenchi found her
to be *very* attractive, even the oval markings on her face were cute.
However, she did just burst out of his water bottle, and he expected an
explanation.  He just needed to rediscover the capacity to speak.  
     As Tenchi watched, trying to form cognitive thought, the girl
looked about the room curiously.  Then, her eyes fell on him.  She
brightened considerably, much to Tenchi's secret pleasure.  "Hello!"
She said cheerfully, "Are you Misaki Tenchi?"
     Tenchi could only nod in response.  
     The girl smiled, "Good!  I'm Skuld, from the Goddess Relief
Office."  She stated this as though it would instantly answer all
possible questions.  
     Well, it would, if one had any clue as to what she was talking
about.  Tenchi didn't.  "Huh?"  He managed, though his brain was still
working through a few over-used defense mechanisms dealing with sudden
shocks.
     "I understand your concern.  I assure you, I am not here to harm
you.  I am here to help you.  I am allowed to grant you one wish,
anything you like."  While saying this, Skuld came over next to Tenchi
and sat down on the bed as well.
     Tenchi finally regained all his faculties, and he mulled over what
was just said for a second.  Then, he replied, "Anything?"
     Skuld nodded, "Yes, absolutely.  This is your wish.  Though we do
frown upon stuff like world destruction or domination, you wouldn't have
been chosen if you were the type to want that."
     He nodded, that made sense.  He pondered for a moment, not for a
second thinking the person might be lying.  He had wittnessed enough in
his day to just accept things as they came to him.  If he wished and she
didn't grant it, then he wasn't any better or worse off for having
tried.  With this in mind, the thing he wanted most came to him in a
flash of inspiration.  He looked at Skuld and declared, "I wish I could
have a normal relationship with the girl I find most attractive."  He
left it open, seeing as he couldn't decide for himself who he liked the
most.  He'd leave it up to a higher power, more capable of the decision.
     Skuld closed her eyes and looked to the ceiling.  A beam of light
burst forth from the symbol on her forehead, piercing the roof without
causing damage.  A wind picked up inside the room, throwing around some
of Tenchi's manga, much to his chagrin.  However, it only lasted a few
seconds, and everything settled down once more, the light vanishing from
her.  
     Skuld opened her eyes again and looked at Tenchi with a smile.
"Wish granted."  She stated simply.
     Tenchi blinked a few times.  Though he had accepted what Skuld had
said, he was still surprised it was actually true.  "Seriously?"  He
asked.
     She nodded, obviously completely sure of herself.  
     Tenchi sat up fully and looked around the room.  He patted himself
a few times.  "I don't feel any different... what happened?"
     Skuld frowed a bit.  "I'm not sure.  The wish was accepted,
therefor it becomes bound by contract.  You are now romantically
involved with the girl you found most attractive at the time of the
granting, in a normal relationship by the standards of Japanese
culture."
     Tenchi smiled a little, though something was nagging at him.  He
concentrated a bit, feeling it as an important something.  Then, it
dawned on him, and he stood up so suddenly Skuld almost fell off the
bed.  
      "What's wrong?"  She asked, a little indignant.
     "The person I found most attractive when I made the wish?"  He
wondered out loud.
     Though it was rhetorical, Skuld still nodded affirmatively.  
     "Oh, hell."  He turned and looked at Skuld, who was looking
confused now, "I thought you were the most attractive at that time."
     It seemed to take a moment for the information to sink into Skuld's
conscience.  When it did, however, her eyes widened considerably.  She
hopped up from the bed and asked where the nearest phone was.
     Though confused by the request, Tenchi pointed the way to his
father's bedroom.  He didn't want her going downstairs into the lion's
den.  He followed closely, wondering who she was going to call.  It
turned out to be Kami Himself, much to his surprise.  The day just
seemed full of surprises.  He was trying to figure out how his situation
was supposed to be improved.
    After a brief chat with the Lord, Skuld hung up the phone.  She
turned to Tenchi with a look he couldn't decifer.  "He says the contract
is perfectly good.  I am now your girlfriend, for better or worse, till
death do we part."  She looked ready to cry.
     Tenchi felt like crying.
END PART ONE...
Okay, this little story is going to be written whenever I get blocked up
on the two other stories I'm working on.  It's more a fun thing, not
meant to be too serious, though I don't know wha it'll turn into down
the road.  Please send comments, especially if you want it to go in a
certain direction, or continue at all for that matter.  Thanks for
reading.
PMasters

"I'm only holding back the rain.  So many raindrops, so many pains.  I
want to find my train someday.  As seasons go past the station." - Tokyo
Babylon OVA 1
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