Sarah: in at work on a saturday... Have you no life?

Eric: who the hell are you to be judging me? You just sitting at the
stupid chair in my cubicle-

Cubicle: Ahem... i am owned by no one

Eric: -errr... anyways you have no life either so go bug.

Sarah: lets read fanfics.

Eric: fine.

-----Original Message-----
From: Trakal <Trakal@map.com>
To: fanfic@fanfic.com <fanfic@fanfic.com>
Date: Thursday, December 25, 1997 11:26 PM
Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][TMiL] "The Operative & the Schoolgirl"

TMiL: "The Operative and the Schoolgirl"

Eric: A sordid tale which has been banned in 49 countries.

Sarah: except here on the ML which gives us the chance to really
experience neato stuff like this.

-CHAPTER 1-

Sarah: this being our first Tenchi fic, well... you know.

Eric: actually i have no clue could you give me a hand with what you
know is?

Sarah: umm... no not really

  He was cute.

Eric: why thank you!

Sarah: actually its a typo, it reads SHE was cute and he's obviously
referring to me.

Eric: obviously.

  That was the first thing Tanaka had thought when a young man
with chestnut brown hair walked into the classroom for the first
time. His eyes were a pale shade of silver. A ray of sunlight had
come into the classroom and shone in his eyes, turning the

surprisingly

reflective pupils a soft shade of golden yellow. The effect was
breathtaking.

Sarah: too bad he's a dog.

Eric: arent you guessing a bit far in advance.

Sarah: we'll see.

  The bus stopped to pick up a few more students, but Tanaka took
no notice of this, she was too busy contemplating the new student who
had so intrigued her and had stolen her heart so easily.

Sarah: slut.

Eric: rude. jeez... so judgemental and so young.

  The other students had their own opinions of their new classmate.
  "Spooky." Some said.

Sarah: in unison?

  "Creepy." Others agreed.

Eric: the future Fox Mulder

  "His eyes are weird." One elucidated. "His pupils are slitted."

Sarah: see told you its the dog.  Its a romance doomed to death already.

  "Like an animal's eyes." Another pointed out.

Sarah: thats cuz he's a dog.

Eric: do most animals have slitted eyes?

  It was clear that the new student was feeling self-conscious
about all this talk. He hdad taken to keeping to himself, sitting

quietly,

not raising his hand in class, even taking lunch in solitude.

Eric: all hte while spying on Aycheka (sp?)

  Tanaka could sense deep sadness in him, sadness he tried desparately
to hide behind a facade of stoicism. Or perhaps he was in shock, she

told

herself.

Sarah: or perhaps he really doesnt like being stared at by an odd girl
who he doesnt know.

Eric: thats right he wants to be the one.  I tell you, in the movie he
was checking out Ryoko not Aycheka(sp?).

  But why? She wondered. People just didn't wander around in shock for
no good reason, did they? So what had happened to him? She thought

Sarah: sure they do.

of

asking the teacher, but the regular teacher was out and the new

substitute

seemed to have been picked from the bottom of the barrel. She was

fairly

good, but she got frazzled easily and seemed jittery in the way a

bunny in

a fox's den would be.

Eric: Mihoshi described as good!?

Sarah: this cant be Mihoshi.  Boring, insipid and incompetent are the
only words to describe her.

Eric: either the author has a soft spot for morons or its not Mihoshi.

  The sound of the bus coming to a stop pulled Tanaka's mind back to

the

present.

Eric: After tasting the shrooms last night her mind had been wandering
around the past, visiting dead relatives.

She stepped off, cheerfully, and made her way into the

crowd on

the school lawn. She could see the young boy in one of the nearby rows

and

she smiled to herself.

Sarah: yes plotting how to seduce the young dogboy with her vile charms

  The morning was pretty much the same as always at first, Then
Tanaka remembered that she still had a magazine she had borrowed from
her friend Achika.  Achika... her confidante, and one of the finest
people she had ever known. And, who just happened, Tanaka smiled to
herself, to be in the same homeroom as the young man she'd fallen in
love with.

Sarah: oh well there you go... but who are we talking about here
anyways?  Its a tiny bit confusing.  Achika is homeroom with the dogboy
or the boy achika is in love with?

   After asking politely to be excused, Tanaka rushed to get to the
classroom where Achika and that wonderful boy were attending. She

raced in

and saw him leaning on the window. He was gazing, intently, at Achika,

and

for a moment Tanaka thought her heart would shatter. Was this young

man in

  love with Achika? Then Tanaka realized that it wasn't love she saw

in the

young man's eyes, but fierce protectiveness, not the protectiveness of

a

lover, but of a self-appointed bodyguard.

Sarah: and we all thought throughout the whole movie he was a spy...

Eric: acutally for a large part of the movie i htought he was kain.

"Achika," she called hoarsely. She was, after all, just recovering
from a sore throat.  She had only seen the new boy on the first day

he'd

arrived.  "I'm...returning your magazine"

Eric: sorethroat?

Sarah: i hope this has some relevance later.

"I haven't seen you for days, Tanaka." Achika replied, then smiled.
and asked, "How's your cold?"
"I still have a sore throat, but I've got a test, too." Tanaka
explained.

Sarah: a sore throat and a test... deadly combo.

Nobuyuki blushed as Achika paused by his desk and waved to him.

Eric: wimp.

Sarah: thats right the proper response to an atractive women speaking to
you is fainting right off.

Eric: thats right.... umm never mind.

Tanaka could see that he was in love with her and wished that the new

boy

would love her just as much as they loved each other.  "Achika, are

you

listening to me?"

Sarah: god alreayd planning the wedding and everything.

"Yes." Achika turned away from Nobuyuki for the moment and went
over to her friend.
The two discussed the articles Tanaka had read while the boy
Tanaka was so deeply infatuated with gazed over in their direction.
Tanaka wished he was looking at her with love in his eyes, but she

knew

it was Achika he was looking at. He's being protective again, she told
herself.

Eric: ahh well jealous already.

She smiled to herself, then frowned. Why was he being so
protective of Achika? He wasn't in love with her, just protective.

Sarah; boy this girl is intuitive can tell all this from one galnce.

Tanaka

wondered if he knew of some danger Achika was in. If so, why hadn't he
told the teachers? Or hadn't he? He did seem a bit more mature than

the

other students. Maybe he really was a secret service man, or some

Eric: Secret... Agent Man... Secret Agent Man...

Sarah: a song created in the era paranoia known as the 50's and 60's

kind of

secret agent, she thought, maybe he's here to stop something awful

from

happening to Achika.

Sarah: this girl has an uncanny ability to discern the truth.

Eric: she's more observant then any of hte Tenchi characters, especially
Ryoko who thought this guy was evil.

That's when Tanaka noticed a girl with outragiously spiked blue
hair.  She was looking at the chestnut haired boy with a gaze of

bitter

mistrust.  He noticed this and quickly turned to look out the

Sarah: speak of the devil.

Eric: this poor girl must think the oddest thing is going on.

window."

Achika, who hadn't noticed that he was watching her, returned to her
seat while Tanaka blew the chestnut haired boy a kiss. He must have

Eric: and FORWARD... sheez... this is the kinda woman i need to meet.

caught what she'd done out the corner of his eye, because Tanaka

fancied

she caught a hint of a blush on the boy's alabaster cheeks. She

blushed a

little, too, at her own forwardness, then rushed back to her own

homeroom.

Sarah: you hussy.

'Naoki' had noticed that the blue haired girl was not the only one who
had been watching him in the classroom. Achika hadn't noticed him

watching

her, or perhaps she'd thought that he was simply a shy boy who thought

she

was pretty, which, he had to admit to himself, she was, but couldn't

bring

himself to tell her or was trying to gather up the courage to do so.

Eric: uh? what?  What happened.

Sarah: ahh i get it.

'Naoki' laughed in his mind. Him trying to gather up courage was like

a

cherry blossom trying to gather up beauty. He didn't need any more.

Eric: an interesting analogy.

In

fact, the people he'd lived with before he'd come here felt quite the
opposite was true. They called him reckless, foolhardy, daring.

Sarah: oh well... you know those things will get you killed.

Eric: or torn limb from limb.

Bravery

was on adjective which described the boy very well. But here, in this

place,

people thought of him with only two adjectives... quiet and shy.

Sarah: or peeping tom with an eye for sixteen year jurian princess.1

If those he'd lived with had heard him described those ways, they

would

have been amazed. But then he had come her unprepared, torn from his

home,

and from those he'd called his family. His heart ached as he thought

of

them, the nightmare vision he'd seen forever etched upon his soul.

That

nightmare had a name. A name he hated with the very essence of his

being.

The name belonged to a creature that those he'd cared about had, in

their

own arrogance, thought they could contain forever in their devices.

And,

for a hundred years, they had. But now it was free, and its first act

of

freedom had been to slaughter those around him, as it fled. Not all of

them

were massacred by the evil that had escaped their strongest prison.

But he

knew that those who had been there had perished. He had seen it

happen, the

demon's energy slamming through the station, electrocuting and

executing

all in its path. And while it had attacked, the creature had been

building

up another energy wave, the one that would take it back to 1970 where

it

would destroy, once and for all, the only people who could stand

against

it. And then, the creature had made a mistake. One that had saved the

boy's

life. When it had reached out with energy to destroy him as it had

those

around him, it had lashed out the *wrong* energy at him, transporting

him

in an instant back to 1970. At first, he'd been dazed, unable recall

who

he was or where he was from. Then something in his mind, which he

later

realized was a memory recall device in his internal computer, switched

on

and he remembered who he was. He also remembered the nightmare he'd

seen,

and he remembered its name.

Eric: get to the creatures name already!

Sarah: blah blah blah... all terribly interesting, well i suppose you do
give background to a secondary character as well as motivation.1

It's name was Kain.

Eric: ahh the legacy of kain.

He was sitting alone at lunch, as he always did, and Tanaka almost
sat with him. Almost. As she reached his table, she could have sworn

she

heard him growl at her, or maybe he was arguing with a tough bit of

meat.

Sarah: dog boy strikes again.

He didn't have the best table manners in the world, she'd noticed, but

a

boy as cute as he was could afford to be impolite now and again.

Eric: humph cuteness strkes again.

After

all, she told herself, everyone was entitled to one or two faults. He
had brought his own meal, not that anyone blamed him, school lunches

are

notorious for tasting horrible, which consisted of spareribs and some
teriyaki steak, it was a lot of meat for a Japanese meal, but he was

an

exchange student... and was tearing at them, growling with each bite,

like

Eric: i'm surprised that more people arent staring at him.

Sarah: woof woof.

some wild animal enjoying its meal and warning off scavengers. The

growl

was frightening and Tanaka told herself he was obvious not in the mood

for

company, so she sat at a nearby table, keeping her eye on him. When he

was

finished, he licked the teriyaki sauce from his hands and then

lickgroomed

his face to clean off any teriyaki sauce that might have got there.

Sarah: hell i'm surprised the whole cafeteria isnt watching htis
spectacle.

He

quickly finished and took a sip of his milk. A moment later, he

Sarah: what he didnt lap it down?

crushed

the small carton in his hand as if he'd suddenly realized what he'd

done

and was angry at himself for such a major slip-up. He got up and

walked

over to the door with an amazing amount of dignity considering how

he'd

been acting during lunch, slipping a hand into a pocket so he appeared
almost regal, then tossed his milk carton into the trash as he left

the

room.

Eric: a growing boy must eat his meat.

"You know," a student observed, walking into bathroom and lighting up

a

cigarette, "you're never going to win her over with this shy routine.

If I

were you, I'd stop moping about and go after her."
"And if I were you, I'd put that damned thing out before I shove it

Eric: humm ahh the ever helpful sidekick of moronic statements.

down your throat." His enhanced senses had their drawbacks and one of

them

was the smell of cigarette smoke. He had nothing against smokers, or

their

habit, and to be fair he had spent more than his share of time in the
proverbial smoke-filled room, that was inevitable in his line of work.

But

today, he wasn't in a very accomodating mood. Already he'd had managed

to

embarrass himself at lunch, and he was sure he'd been recognized by

that

damned blue-haired girl. Why couldn't she keep her mind on what she

was

doing and just leave him alone. She was going to blow it, he knew, and

it

irritated him. And now this mere boy was presuming to try to give

*him*

advice like he was an idiot.

Eric: humm so the one thing that always caught me about hte movie is if
he's concerned about Ryoko keeping her mind on the business at hand why
doesnt he approach Tenchi and Co. so that they can sorta work together.

Sarah: cuz he's a hate filled dog boy.

Within a few seconds of the boy's rather expected comeback of "I'd

like

to see you try it.", 'Naoki' was on his way back to class while the

other boy

was lying sprawled out on the floor of the boys' room.

Sarah: never wait for the comeback.

In her next class, Tanaka found herself seated next to the boy who
she had been daydreaming of all day. With him so close, she found it
difficult to concentrate on her studies. He was very handsome, she
reasoned, that's why she couldn't keep her mind on her schoolwork, and
she was falling in love with him. She blushed at the thought, knowing
that he would've blushed, too, if he could've read it.

Eric: teen romance and bestiality all mixed into one fic.

Something, perhaps the latent maternal instinct in all women,

Sarah: oh sexism!  *flares bright green* I am SOOOOOOOO offended.

told her that he had clearly faced more than his share of traumas.
Despite this, she was sure that he was as pure as she was.

Eric: ooooooooohkay.

"That might be a problem on our wedding night." she remarked,
not realizing at first that she'd spoken aloud.

Sarah: humm ohhhhhhhhhhhhhkay.

He looked over at her with a bewildered expression on his face and
his head cocked to one side in puzzlement.

Eric: woof?

Tanaka realized she'd spoken out and blushed, deeply, turning red
all over.
She looked totally flustered. "Oh my!" she gasped, in a state

Sarah: its a young Kasumi

of near-panic. "Oh dear..." The boy put a hand onto hers, meaning to
soothe her and ease her mind. Instead, the act had just the opposite
effect. Her heart leaped up into her throat and the butterflies that
were in her stomach began to dance the minute waltz. Then he looked at
her and she saw the twin slits of his pupils up close for the first
time. Those eyes, entrancing, exotic... They held her spellbound

Sarah: dogs often hypnotize.

for a

moment and she gazed back up into them, Her own eyes shone with love
and admiration, and perhaps just a twinge of fear. He leaned forward

and

she wondered if he was going to kiss her. The butterflies gave up the
minute waltz in favor of mimicking the combat of her favorite anime
series' mecha and she thought she would faint.

Sarah: damn forward boy.

Eric: humph. well doesnt he just have courage.

Just then, the schoolbell rang.
"Damn," she though to herself, though she was too polite to say
the word aloud.
The boy pulled away and started off for the next class on his
schedule and Tanaka did likewise. As it happened, they were down the
hall from each other, a fact that Tanaka made note of as they entered
their classrooms. She wondered if she could get herself transfered

into

his class. But what reason would she give the teachers? She surely

could

not tell them she wanted to attend the class because she was in love
with this student.

Sarah: love is such ... a strong word, perhaps INFATUATED

She politely asked to be excused, lying about having to use the
facilities, and quietly made her way down the hall. She knew it was

wrong

but she could not get his hypnotic eyes out of her mind. She had to

see

him again. She stopped at the door of his classroom and peeked through

Eric: these two are perfect for each other, little spies to the end.

the small window atop the door, she was a little too short to do it on
her own and needed to stand on a chair.
The new janitress joined her and she stumbled back in surprise,
falling off the chair. The woman caught her with surprising ease and
Tanaka thought she must be a Martial Arts student, a brown belt at the
very least, probably in Judo.

Eric: mmmm Kiyone.

Sarah: its inevitable that theres one in every series, Ukyou, Kiyone,
Nanami, sheez.

"Is this what they mean by falling in love?" the janitress
kidded her.

Sarah: Kiyone reveals her true side as a lesbian.

Tanaka blushed, deeply. Was it really that obvious? She tried
to make a witty comeback, but it died in her throat. She had fallen
in love. There was no denying it. But who was he? She realized she
had no idea of this and it took her by surprise. She'd heard a few
rumors in the locker room. One of these suggested that his parents

Eric: the BOYS locker room of course, she was spying through the peep
hole.

had

abandonned him at birth because of his strange eyes. Another rymor

said

that they were both dead, A third combined the first two, saying

they'd

killed themselves because they'd believed they'd brought a demon or
monster into the world. The first and third of these made Tanaka very
angry. She could not believe anyone could abandon a boy as handsome as
he was. She wanted to marry him, to give him a family and perhaps let
him take her last name if he didn't have one of his own. If this boy
had spent his entire life unloved, she wanted to be the one to give

him

all the love he'd missed, to make sure he was never without it again.
"Don't worry," the janitress smiled, "your secret's safe with me.
So, which one do you like?"
"The chestnut haired boy." Tanaka whispered back.
"'Naoki'?" the janitress asked.

Eric: well i guess Kiyone knows more than she's letting on.

Sarah: maybe she knows the fella.

"'Naoki'." Tanaka whispered, mostly to herself, saying the name with
the love and reverence people usually reserved for the supreme being

of

their choice. "Is it true that he was abandonned because of his eyes?"
she asked.
"His eyes?" the janitress asked. She looked at the boy in question
and soon saw what Tanaka was referring to. Eyes of pale silver,

turning

pale gold when the light hit them just right, pupils slitted like

those

of an animal. She'd seen those eyes before, she realized, but in a

much

different face. If only she could remember...  "I see what you

Sarah: oh come on Kiyone is much smarter than that... i;m sure theres an
entire race of them out there.

mean." she

said aloud. "I think he's an orphan." she said, getting it right but

not

realizing it. "My name's Kiyone."

Eric: mmm Kiyone.

"Tanaka." Tanaka replied.
"I'm pleased to meet you, Tanaka."
Tanaka turned her gaze back to the boy in the classroom and
Kiyone returned to her janitorial duties, wondering where she'd seen

eyes

like that before.
The schoolbell rang and Tanaka barely made it off the chair and
out of the way before a horde of students ran out of the door she'd
been standing in front of. She stood there panting as they rushed by,

Sarah: panting like a dog in heat... sheez.

then a horrible realization took her. She'd missed her entire third
period class, staring at a boy she knew nothing about. The teacher

would

be livid when she saw her the next day! Tanaka hurried to her next

class

and took her seat. As it happened, 'Naoki' was in this class with her,
too, and again she was seated next to him.

Eric: its an emotional roller coaster ride.

'Naoki' sighed and slumped over his desk. His posture usually varied
between two favorite poses, slumped over, or rigidly upright with his
arms folded in front of him. On occasion he wore an expression of

fierce

rage, as if a bitter memory had surfaced, but most times his face

looked

like all the sorrow in the universe had decided that his soul was a

nice

place to live. He'd never smiled in all the time Tanaka had seen him,

his

lips always either noncommittally straight or set in a frown.
He put his face in his hands and Tanaka thought he was going to cry.

She

hadn't seen him do this yet, but given his general mood, she was sure
tears weren't far away. Tanaka reached over and patted his head,

kindly.

Eric: oh my god she patted his head!!!!!!!

Sarah: whats next give him a bone for good luck?

"Don't worry," she told him, her voice kind, "it'll be all right."
He grunted derisively, as if to say "nothing will ever be all right
again." and didn't look up at her.
She knew it was early to say this, but she thought it might cheer him
up a bit, so she told him: "I think I love you."

Eric: christ why cant I meet a girl like this?!

Sarah: but you have me....

Eric: errr....

"And I know that you don't." he replied, bitterly, with an edge
to his voice that would've cut diamonds.

Eric: oh cold.

Tanaka was rather taken aback by this and blinked away tears.
He's just acting this way because he's upset, she told herself. Out

loud

she said, "No, you don't know that."
"Yes, I do." He snapped. "And if you do love me, you'd be better off

if

you didn't."

Eric: humph... well arent we just the bitter little lonely boy.  If you
had the presence of mind to think through your rage you might not be
torn limb from limb.

Sarah: yeah and then kain might have killed tenchi and Achika.

"I find that hard to believe." Tanaka told him. "And if you're trying

to

stop me from loving you, I don't think you'll be able to."
"Suit yourself." The boy told her. "If you want to throw your life

away,

that's fine with me."

Eric: well... arent we full of ourselves

That remark confused Tanaka? What did loving him have to do with
throwing her life away? She asked and got a startling answer;
"Everyone I ever love dies." He warned. "I loved my parents and they
died. I loved the people who took me in when I was orphanned and now
they're dead, too. Now, please, stop loving me. Your life depends on

it."

Eric: well arent we a bitter young puppy.

That shook her pretty badly, but wasn't enough to deter her.
"I'll die eventually anyhow without loving you." She told him, "So I
might as well love you while I can."

Sarah: oh this is to sad.

"Have it your way." He snorted at her. But within him, his heart
ached more than ever. True love was, at last, in his grasp, but he

dared

not reach out for it. He was right about the ones he loved dying. He'd
seen it on a far off world, when a madman had killed his parents and

his

people, and again in a distant place where an escaped supercriminal

had

murdered his friends and colleagues. Now that supercriminal was on its
way to this planet and he was the planet's... the universe's... only
hope. He had watched the others, and he knew they had enough power

Sarah: well the only hope aside from Tenchi, Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami,
Kiyone, Washu and oh yes the irreplaceable Mihoshi.

to

stop Kain if they knew how to harness it, but Ryoko and Ayeka were

always

fighting and he was sure that they didn't have the discipline or the
ability to work together that would be needed to do the job. No, he

told

himself, it's up to me. I have to stop him, even if it means I myself

must

die.

Eric: see the arrogance is going to get you killed.

The teacher ahemed loudly and Tanaka returned her attention to the
front of the classroom. The teacher ahemed, again, this one meant for
'Naoki'. In his mind, 'Naoki' considered ignoring the teacher. It

didn't

matter whether he passed or failed this class, after all he was only
there to bide time until he confronted his foe. When his enemy had

been

vanquished, he'd return to his own ... he remembered, then, that he

had

no place to return to and he sank even deeper into a state of

depression.

Sarah: why go back?  stick around live it up with the 16yr old at your
side.

Anger boiled in him and rage came, once again, into his eyes. Well, he
reasoned to himself, in a few days his enemy would be dead, and

chances

were so would he. He didn't care about that, however. All that he

cared

about was destroying the vile demon and avenging the brave men and

women

it had slain.

-Chapter 2-

The ride to Tokyo had not been uneventful. During the trip there had
been a malfunction on one of the cars. At least, that's what the

students

had been told. However, the truth of the matter was, 'Naoki' knew full

well,

that his classmates Ryoko and Ayeka had gotten into a fight and that

the

resulting power surge had shorted out the train. He had toyed with the

idea

of teleporting to Tokyo, but Tanaka had seated herself next to him and

would

not take her eyes off of him, and so it had been impossible to

teleport

without being seen. He had tried to distract her many times with ploys

such

as "Those flowers over there look very nice" but she would simply

reply "Not

as nice as you." and continue looking at him. Then she had rested her

head

on his shoulder and had fallen asleep. He'd been about to teleport

when two

things happened in rapid succession. Tanaka, jostled when he moved his

arm,

woke up, and the train started moving again. He gave up on the idea of

using

his teleport and pretended to go to sleep. To his chagrin, he felt

Tanaka

snuggle up to him, place her head on his shoulder again, and fall back

to

sleep herself.

Eric: great Dogboy has better luck with women than i do.

'Naoki' had still been sleeping when Tanaka had woke. He was far from

at

peace, however. His hands were gripping the arms of the seat and his

head

was lolling from side to side. Oddly, there was none of the sweat

usually

associated with nightmares on his brow. His head turned so that he was
facing her and then moaned, fitfully, in his sleep.

Tanaka shook him, gently, trying to rouse him, but he took her wrist
suddenly, still locked in his nightmare, and his grip was as strong as

that

of a steel claw.
"'Naoki'! WAKE UP!" she screamed in pain.
'Naoki''s exotic eyes flew open and he released her wrist, spinning

his

face away from the glaring sunlight that was pouring through the

train's

window, signaling the morning.
"'Naoki'?" Tanaka asked, concerned.
"My eyes." 'Naoki' explained, sounding less closed-off than before.

"The

sun hurts them."
"Because of the shape of your pupils." Tanaka realized.
"Yes." 'Naoki' admitted. He took her hand, gently this time, and

studied

the deepening bruise on her wrist. "I'm sorry." he told her.
"It's okay." She reassured him for the second time. This time she took
him in her arms and rocked him. And in the arms of this student,

'Naoki' found

at last the tenderness and compassion his life had lacked.

Eric: humpoh well now i'm glad you die.

Sarah: you are sooo bitter... this is all that Vile Amber's fault isnt
it?

Eric: QUIET YOU!

They spent the following day together, visitting the many museums

which

dotted Ueno Park and enjoying a quiet lunch together. 'Naoki''s

manners were

impeccable, this time, and Tanaka realized that he must've had other

things

on his mind, or maybe he was only that way when he ate tough meats.

Whatever

the case, Tanaka's love for 'Naoki' grew tenfold over the course of

the day.

"When we were in school, I told you I loved you." Tanaka told him as

they

strolled along the path leading to one of the art museums. "Now, I'm

sure of

it."

Eric: dogboys have all the luck

'Naoki' stopped and turned Tanaka toward him. His eyes were full of

deep

sorrow and pain. He gazed into her eyes and spoke, softly.
"I know," he told her genty, "and I think if the circumstances had

been

different that I would have loved you, too. I thank you for your

kindness,

but I cannot return it, nor can I return your love."
"Your lips deny a love that your eyes are screaming." Tanaka replied

as

she pressed her own lips to them. 'Naoki''s own lips remained still,

and

seemed cold, almost lifeless. For a moment, Tanaka wondered if he

might be

a vampire, with his cold lips, alabaster skin, and exotic animal eyes,

but

then she decided that such a thing was silly. There was no such thing

as

vampires or monsters from outer space. This was just a boy with a few

odd

quirks about his appearance. No doubt his skin was easily sunburned,

and he

had explained that the light hurt his eyes. So, he rarely went out

into the

sunlight and its warm never penetrated his skin, that's why it was a

little

cooler than usual.
A disapproving cough caught Tanaka by surprise and she turned to find
one of the teachers standing there, looking sternly at her and tapping

her

foot. "I think we need to have a little talk, young lady." the elderly
Japanese woman said, strictly, as she lead Tanaka away.
"I love you, 'Naoki'." Tanaka called back to him as she was lead away.
'Naoki' watched her go. "I love you, too." he replied, too softly for

her

to hear. "I always will."

Sarah: short chapter.

Eric: and odd... whats next sex on the tokyo tower?

-Chapter 3-

'Naoki' tossed a few breadcrumbs to a flock of doves that surrounded

him.

He gazed down at them, serenely, watching their beauty as they dined

on

the meal he'd given them. The birds seemed to be a family and he found
himself longing for a family of his own. Not the makeshift family he'd

had

for years with his friends and colleagues, but a real family with a

wife

and children of his own.
He smiled to himself as he thought of Tanaka, the pretty young student
who had fallen in love with him.
'Tomorrow,' he told himself, 'after my enemy has been vanquished, I
shall ask her to marry me. I know she'll say yes. I just know it!' He
looked at the doves who were still pecking at the remaining

breadcrumbs,

then sensed that he was being watched. He looked up, his eyes

glistening


Sarah: tomorrow you'll be a smear on top of the tower

Eric: lets hope Tanaka wasnt with Tenchi on that elevator.  I dont think
any of the other students survived.

Sarah: they alll looked frozen.

with happiness, hoping to spot Tanaka. Instead, across the field, he

saw

the blue haired girl glaring at him.
"He's a spy!!" She shouted, as she suddenly sped toward him, floating
slightly off the ground and moving at high speed in his direction. The
bench split in two as she passed through it.
"Exceeding the speed limit, destruction of property, interfering with
a criminal investigation, assaulting a police officer" he thought to
himself, running off a list of charges he could pin on the meddlesome
demoness as he sped down the path. He managed to outrun her, which

Eric: a minor point here, TMiL was I think based off the TV Series,
Kiyone having hardly appeared in the OAV.  Therefore Ryoko wouldnt be a
demoness but a Space Pirate.  *shrug*

surprised

even him since he'd heard she was incredibly fast, but it had all but

worn

him out and eventually he'd resorted to using a cloaking field to hide
himself from her.

'Naoki' and Tanaka were out together that evening, when 'Naoki' turned

to

Tanaka. "Tanaka," he told her, "would you do the honor of becoming my

wife?"

Sarah: oh this is sooo tragic... even more so since we know he dies
horribly.

Eric: I'm telling you she's on the elevator... she's a goner.

Tanaka gazed at him, her eyes full of delight, and nodded. "Yes."
'Naoki''s heart leaped with joy. "Wait here," he told her. "I'll be
right back." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of Tanaka's nose,

then

walked off. He strolled through the crowd toward the young couple he

had

been keeping watch over all week. He had to warn Achika of the

impending

danger, get her out of there before any harm could come to her. But

then,

when he finally reached her, he realized that he had no idea what to

say.

The truth would be simply too unbelievable. But he simply could not

lie to

Lady Achika. That would, in his heart, be unforgivable.
"Um..." he started to say, but nothing else emerged from his lips. He
looked over and saw Ryoko, he had checked on her identity earlier and

now

he knew who she was, heading over to them. Annoyed at her

interference, he

wandered off again.

Eric: why not approach tenchi and crew.

Sarah: well the author did say its a slightly different unisvers

He made his way through the crowds, toward the beach. He slipped into
the shadows and hid, but he knew he would not be able to confront his

foe

until he dealt with this obstacle called Ryoko. As she stood there,
turning her head this way and that, 'Naoki' stepped up behind her and
pressed the tips of his fingers against the small of her back.
"Don't move," he warned her. "Place your hands behind your head nice
and slow."
Ryoko moved her hands into the requested position and asked him what
the heck he was doing there.
"The space pirate Ryoko, case #80812029 I believe?"
Ryoko was astonished. This wasn't Kain after all, but a member of...
"The Galaxy Police!" She gasped. "So, are you working with Kiyone and
Mihoshi?"
"Gimme a break." He sighed, in exasperation. "I must admit Kiyone's

not

half bad, but Mihoshi... puh-lease!"

Eric: Kiyone is more then half good, she's VERY good.

"So, what's the deal then?"
"I'm a special operative assigned to cases involving the most serious

of

the criminals that the Galaxy Police are hired to deal with." He

explained.

"They sent you after Kain?" Ryoko asked.
"No." He replied. "Actually, Kain tried to kill me, but lashed out at
me with a temporal energy blast by mistake."
"Wow!" Ryoko was amazed. "I've never met anyone who time-travelled by
accident before."
"Now, let me ask you something," he scratched her spine, gently, to
remind her that his hand was still pressed against her back. She

laughed,

ticklishly, and squirmed a little. "What are you doing here?"

Eric: well isnt this different from the movie

Sarah: i suppose this is where it diverges.

"We've also come to get Kain away from Achika." Ryoko told him. "Hey,
why don't we team up? We could really use someone with your skill."
"I work alone."  He replied.
"Against Kain?"
"Especially against Kain." He told her. "I've seen too many good

people

die by Kain's hand and I will not risk another person's life."
"But you'll risk your own?"
"I can take him."
"Oh, right! And just who do you think you are anyhow?"
The boy reached up and pulled off the mask he had been wearing.

Beneath

was the bat-like face of a member of a species that was all but

extinct.

Sarah: and shortly will be.

Known throughout the Galaxy, except on this primitive world, for their
speed, stamina, and highly evolved senses, the Draalthi had been a

benign

Eric: the Draalthi?!  the Kilrathi ships that have been in all the wing
commanders and are notoriously easy to destroy?

*super big snip*

Sarah: hummm... so he eventually does join up with the guy.

Eric: wait a second...Trakal?

Sarah: email Trakal.... hey its a semi self insertion fic!

Eric: it did stink of wish fulfillment in a way.

Sarah: Tanaka is a bit ... TOO.. foward.

Eric: anyways Its an interesting story.  I personally like the way you
blend the movie in, its nicely done.

Sarah: Tanaka herself is a sort of lackluster character, the more
interesting nature of the story is foreknowledge of the impending
tragedy, which i fear may be changed since he hooks up with Tenchi and
company.

Eric: which then leads to a dilemna on my part.  Personally i like the
idea of the impending tragedy.  I dunno for these two to live happily
ever after almost seems to be a let down.

Sarah: either way i look forward to the end.

Eric: bye