Tenchi Muyo! Exile #6
"Avatar of the Goddess"
-----------------------------------


"NO!!!"  Makiya screamed with a voice that was riddled with pain. She fell into Sarnd's 
arms, sobbing. Her heart broken. "No." she said again, more weakly. She pushed him away 
and slapped him. "How could you send him on that damned mission!" She screamed. "It's all
your fault! YOU KILLED HIM! MURDERER!" She spat in Sarnd's face then turned and ran
out of the room.
Sarnd watched her go, then lowered his face, not even bothering to wipe the offensive
matter from his muzzle. "I'm sorry." he said to the now empty room.

Misaki saw her running and stopped her. "Makiya? What's wrong?" she asked.
Makiya looked up at Misaki with pain-laden eyes. "He's..." she sobbed. But she could
say no more.

Misaki  had always lived on Jurai, a world were all wounds were mendable and death barely 
a whisper. She could not comprehend Makiya's grief, but she hugged the griefstricken 
young mother-to-be anyhow.

Funaho walked into the hallway and saw Misaki holding the distraught young woman.
"Sis'?" she asked.
"I don't know what's wrong." Misaki said, worriedly. She repeated Makiya's words to her
sister.
'Something must have happened to Naoki.', Funaho thought to herself. "Makiya," she said,
gently taking her hands, "what happened?"
"Naoki..." Makiya sobbed. "Why him? WHY?!"
Then the floodgates burst open, and Makiya was too incoherent to speak. But her tears
spoke volumes, so no words were neccessary.

***

"You are familiar with Washu?" Tokimi asked as she smiled coldly down at the confused
Draalthi.
"Yes." He snarled. "Of course I am. She made me human so I could marry Makiya. Now,
I demand you change me back to a human and send me home!"
"I just brought you back to life and you repay me with challenges. Make demands upon
me in my own dwelling. How very impolite of you."
The Draalthi considered this for a moment, then bowed. "You are correct. My apologies. I
don't like being confused and vulnerable. It's not a very good position for a Galaxy 
Police Operative to be in."
"You are no longer a Galaxy Police Operative." Tokimi pointed out. "Your new task is of
far greater importance."
The Draalthi finished examining himself and focused his full attention on Lady Tokimi.
"I will *never* betray the Galaxy Police." He vowed.
"You task has nothing to do with betraying the Galaxy Police."Tokimi promised. "You are
simply to become my avatar."
"Your avatar?" The Draalthi asked.
"You needn't be afraid." Tokimi reassured him. "The transfiguration will not harm you."
The Draalthi looked up at her in anticipation.
Tokimi's gem glowed softly for a moment, then the glow coalesced into a narrow beam
which connected with the Draalthi's forehead.
"Trakal..." Tokimi told him.
"Naoki..." He insisted as everything went back around him.
Tokimi smiled as she left him on the road between the carrot patch and the Masaki home.
For a moment the mark on his forehead glowed brilliantly, then it faded, leaving only a 
small diamond-shaped patch of white fur.

Ryo-Ohki hopped up to the sleeping form in the road and sniffed him, curiously.
The figure's ear twitched, and he slowly pulled his head up until he was muzzle to
muzzle with Ryo-Ohki.
"MIYA!" She miya'ed happily. She hopped quickly down the road to Tenchi, who
was approaching, then back to the Draalthi.
"Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi asked.
"Miya! Miya! Miya!"
Ryo-Ohki hopped toward the Draalthi again. She nosebumped his muzzle and licked
him. "Miya! Miya!"
Tenchi ran over to see what Ryo-Ohki was so excited about. When he reached her
location, he found himself looking down at the Draalthi who was just starting to come
to his senses.
"Naoki?" He Tenchi asked.
"Makiya." Naoki replied.
"She's inside. I"ll take you to her."
They started back to the house.
"Commander Sarnd is here." Tenchi mentioned. "He says you're dead. What happened?"
"I'll tell you later." Naoki concluded as they reached the house.
Tenchi and Naoki walked in and closed the door.
Makiya walked into the hallway. "Tenchi," she began, "dinner is..." Her eyes went wide
and her jaw fell open. "NAOKI!" she cried. She ran to him and hugged him, tightly. "My
god! I thought you were dead!"
Sarnd hurried into the hallway when he heard the Makiya's cry of joy. When he saw
his former operative, he was overwhelmed with relief. A moment later, once his initial
happiness had abated a little, it dawned on him that something was wrong.
"You're a Draalthi." He said, cautiously. "You're not Trakal."
"I am so Trakal!" the retired operative protested. "And my name is Nao..."
" Trakal was made human a few months ago when he was married." Sarnd cut him off "Nice
try, but I'm afraid you should've updated your information before you attempted to take 
his place. Still, your Draalthi disguise is almost perfect, except for that patch of 
white fur on your forehead. Trakal didn't have any marks."
"Someone named To..."
"Yes, he did." Ryoko told him, ignoring the Draalthi. "He had patches around his eyes.
I saw them when he and I were fighting on the beach back in 1970."
"Must've been Jurai Marks." Washu shrugged. She took out her holoputer, made a few
scans with it, then put it away. "Well, he's most definitely Trakal." She finally 
concluded.
"I told you," the Draalthi scoffed.
"How's that possible?" Sarnd asked. "He was human when he passed through that
anomaly. Did the anomaly change him back?"
Washu shook her head. "There are some changes in his physical and astral patterns," she
explained. She pulled a device out of subspace and pressed it against the new patch of
white fur on Trakal's forehead. "Hmmm." She decided. "I think I'd better run a few more
tests." She grabbed Trakal by the ear and began to drag him toward her lab.
"I'm glad I'm not the one being tested." Tenchi told no one.
"That's what you think!" Washu said as she grabbed Tenchi's ear with her other hand.
"Miss Washu..." Tenchi pleaded.
"I need a comparison subject."  Washu explained.
"MOTHER!" Ryoko screamed at her.
Washu chuckled as she, Tenchi, and the former operative vanished into her lab.
"I can't believe he's alive." Makiya sniffled as she wiped a joyful tear from her face. 
"I hope Washu doesn't keep him long. I'm going to kiss him all over when he gets out of 
her lab." "She'd better not try anything with Tenchi." Ryoko grumbled.
"Speaking of which," Funaho smiled, "we really need to talk, Ryoko."
"Um, we do?"
"Yes." Funaho replied. "About how you feel about Tenchi marrying Ayeka."
"Oh. Sure. I... Hey! Wait a minute!" Ryoko looked mad. "Tenchi's married to me! If you 
think I'm going to give him up so that..."
"I was thinking you two girls could share Tenchi. He is half-Juraian, after all, so he 
*could* have *two* wives."
Ryoko perked up. "Sounds good to me." She grinned at Ayeka. 'So, Princess, you wanna 
share?"
"Share Tenchi with a monster?!" Ayeka scorned. "Ha! That'll be the day."
"Selfish little brat, isn't she?" Ryoko confided to Funaho. "I offer to share, but 
*noooooo*, she wants everything for herself. She's so spoiled. I really feel sorry for 
Sasami, having to grow up with her."
Sasami made an uncomfortable little "I'd rather not be involved in this" noise as a large 
bead of sweat dangled in her hair.

Sasami wasn't the only one sweating. Despite no longer being a virgin, Tenchi still felt
uncomfortable having Washu examine him. He looked over at the Draalthi who, in the 
interests of modesty, despite also being married, had simply chosen to pass out as soon 
as he was bound.
"Um, don't you think you should do something for him?"
"Oh, he's just having a flashback about being strangled by Kain." Washu shrugged.
"What?! Washu, he must be terrified!  Do something for him!" Tenchi didn't bother to ask 
Washu how she knew what Trakal was dreaming about. As the number one genius scientist in 
the Universe, she probably had worked out based on some theory she had regarding 
psychology. "I am." Washu replied. "I'm letting him get through it on his own so he can 
get it out of his system.
Now open wide, Tenchi."
"Aaaah!" Tenchi obeyed.

The Draalthi looked up at the white face hovering above him. It was Kain, but it wasn't 
Kain. Its features were softer somehow, and yet crueler. Its sneer was one of pure hate. 
But the hate was directed at him as well as the House of Jurai.
"You were there," the female voice hissed. "You were there when they murdered my son."
Trakal felt a dull prodding at his shoulder and the nightmarish image dissolved, to be 
replaced by Washu's lab a moment later.

"Time to eat." Washu told Trakal as she unbound him and he crumpled to the
floor. "Hmmm. That's strange. How do you feel?"
"Like a walking corpse." Trakal grumbled.
"Now there's a nice image." Tenchi muttered.
"Of course you realize all of this is your fault, right?" Trakal asked Tenchi.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tenchi demanded. He wondered why he
had been getting so edgy all of a sudden. Screaming Ryoko just before they
were married. Snapping at Trakal today. The Draalthi hadn't done anything to
him really. But Tenchi found himself on edge for some reason he didn't understand.
"Tenchi?" Washu asked in a tone that suggested that his tone bothered her.
Tenchi understood and turned to Trakal. He lowered his head. "I'm sorry." he
told him.
"I understand." Trakal replied. "That dream left me pretty shaken up, too."
"What dream?" Tenchi asked.
"Well, there was a woman in it..."
Tenchi raised an eyebrow.
"Tenchi, you have a dirty mind." Trakal remarked as he combed his hair, which was
sticking up in places from Washu's static electricity checks on him.
"You're the one dreaming about a woman." Tenchi pointed out.
"Believe me," Trakal pointed out, "I have no intentions of running off with Kain's 
mother."
"You saw Kain's mother?"
"That's whom she claimed to be at least." Trakal nodded.
"Then you're not sure."
"Almost sure, though." Trakal told Tenchi. He followed Tenchi out to the dining room.

"Is there any more gyoza?" Makiya asked, as she worked on her rice.
"There sure is." Sasami happily served it to her.
"Tokimi wants to see you." Trakal told Washu, out of the blue..
Everyone stared at him. Especially Washu.
"Does she?" She asked.  She wasn't sure who Tokimi was, though the name was
familiar now that she thought about.  If she was going to get to the bottom of this
mystery, she had to find out who Lady Tokimi was and why she was so desperate to
meet her. "Did she say why?"
"No." Trakal shrugged. "Maybe she wants to adopt a cabbit from you?"
Ryoko rolled her eyes.
"Look, there's no danger." Trakal noted. "She can't come here, but she'll be happy to
meet you on Tsunami."
"Then she's after Tsunami, too." Washu mused.  Could this Tokimi be a female Kagato
or something equally ominous? "Hmmm."
"She didn't seem to be interested in Tsunami." Trakal noted.
"How much do you know about this Tokimi?" Washu asked.
"Trakal pointed to the white patch on his forehead. "I only know that this was her 
doing."
He admitted.
"Oh!" Washu laughed. "Of course. I see. She does weird fur illustrations for bored 
aliens."
Everyone laughed.
Except Trakal.
"FINE!" he shouted, suddenly, his voice louder and more powerful than it had ever been.
"When she comes, *you* can deal with Kain's mother ALONE!" he stood up angrily.
So did Yosho.
"Sit down." Yosho instructed, quietly.
Trakal sat down, seething.
"So." Yosho told him. "Tell us about Kain's mother."
Trakal glared at Yosho. "I'm not crazy." He started to get up again.
Yosho pushed him back down. "Just tell us."
"She looks like her son and she's mad at me. That's all I know." Trakal ate a few pieces
of gyoza.
"How do you know?" Ryoko asked with her mouthful. Marriage hadn't improved her
manners.
The same could be said for Trakal, who was lickgrooming his muzzle.
"I wish the two of you would learn better manners." Ayeka scoffed at them. "Still, I
suppose one can't expect too much from monsters."
Both 'monsters' glared at Ayeka in a way that suggested that if they had really been
monsters, she might end up their next meal.
A circle of logs appeared around both Ryoko's and Trakal's heads.
"Ayeka." Funaho told her. "Calm down or they'll be no television for you tonight."
"What?!" Ayeka yelped. "But my favorite show is on tonight! You can't!"
"Ayeka." Funaho said, firmly.
"Very well." Ayeka sighed as she relaxed and the logs disappeared.
"You still haven't answered Ryoko's question." Yosho pointed out to Trakal.
"I saw her in my dream." Trakal replied.
"How come you're dreaming about Kain's mom and not your wife?" Ryoko teased.
"I didn't ask to dream about Kain's mom." Trakal replied. "She just popped in there."
"Strange thing to just pop in there." Ayeka pointed out. "I'll bet she's the one who
healed you after that crash Sarnd told us about."
"Look, Little Princess, Tokimi..."
"You're working for Kain's mother, aren't you?" Ayeka accused out of the blue.. "You
probably freed Kain, too."
"Ayeka!" Funaho exclaimed.
"I did no such thing!" Trakal argued. Something was wrong here, but he couldn't put his
finger on it. He was too angry to think straight. "And I won't stand for it! You 
apologize
to me at once."
"Why should I apologize to a murderer." Ayeka accused.
"Because I said so." Yosho said, glaring at Ayeka.
Something in Ayeka's bearing and demeanor changed. She seemed smaller, meeker.
She blinked and sat down, looking as if she didn't know how or why she was standing
up.

After dinner was over and the chores were done, Trakal ignored Ayeka's requests for
TV remote.  When she tried to change the channel manually, Trakal flipped it back.
"What is your problem?"
"You didn't apologize."
"What are you talking about?"
"You accused me of freeing Kain. Said I murdered the Galaxy Police."
Ayeka was aghast. "I said no such thing!"
"Fine." Trakal threw the remote at her, hitting her in the back of the head with it. "I'm
leaving. I don't want to live in the same household as you. First you insult my 
integrity,
then you lie to me." He walked out and slammed the door hard enough to make the
house rattle.
"Thanks a lot!" Makiya told Ayeka as she followed her husband.
Ayeka was genuinely confused. Why was everyone mad at her? "Tenchi?" She asked.
"Why don't you just apologize to him?" Tenchi asked.
"Because I didn't do anything!" Ayeka screamed in exasperation as she stormed off to
bed.

Trakal turned to Makiya. "I overreacted again, didn't I?" he asked, now that he'd calmed
down a little.
She nodded, quietly.
"I just get so angry when someone accuses me of hurting the Galaxy Police."
"I know." Makiya told him.
"I mean, she just called me a murderer out of the blue. For no reason."
"Trakal, relax." Makiya told him.
"Look, why are you following me?" Trakal suddenly demanded.
"I'm your wife, Trakal." Makiya told him.
"I must've been either drunk or desparate." Trakal shot back.
Makiya was stunned. "Trakal! How can you say that? We've been so happy. The
baby..."
"Get rid of it." Trakal snarled, baring his teeth.
Makiya went from stunned to devastated. "I HATE YOU!" She sobbed as she ran back
to the house.
Trakal stood there, blinking, wondering what had just happened and why Makiya had
just yelled that she hated him.  He ran after her.
"Makiya," he told her. "Wait. What's wrong?"
"I'm leaving you." She told him as she packed.
He grabbed her wrist, "Makiya, let's talk about this."
She slapped him. "Let me go!" She ordered. "We've got nothing to talk about. I thought
you loved me. You just prove you don't though. How *dare* you order me to get an
abortion."
"What are you talking about?" Trakal was horrified. "Makiya. I love you and I love our
baby. I would *never* order you to have an abortion."
"You said you had to be drunk or desparate to marry me, then you told me to get rid
of the baby. Now let me finish packing."
"Makiya, I didn't..."
But she was no longer listening to him.
	Trakal lay prone upon his bed with his muzzle buried in the pillow. He was
sobbing. His heart had been broken. Why was Makiya saying these things about
him? What had happened. He remembered walking with her, discussing his argument
with Ayeka, and then she was crying, accusing him of ordering her to get an abortion.
He wouldn't have... couldn't have. He shook his head against the pillow.

	"Everything is turning upside down." Funaho told Yosho as they sat together
in the shrine. Mother and son were enjoying a cup of tea and, as was his custom, Yosho
had shed his disguise while he was alone with Funaho.
	"You look so much nicer this way." Funaho smiled. "Of course, the aged look
does make you seem more dignified. And ..."
	The door flew open and Ayeka, uncharacteristically, ran in. "Come quick!" She
shouted. "Tenchi needs..." she fell silent when she saw her brother. Not an old man,
bent and frail with age, but young and handsome. He was the same as he had been when
she had seen him on Jurai.  Her lips trembled and her eyes smoldered as she realized that
he had been hiding the truth from her. But why would he hide it from her? What reason ...
then a reason dawned on her. He didn't want her. She'd loved him all her life and now she
knew he'd been lying to her ever since she came to this backwater planet.
	"If you didn't love me all you had to do was say so." She drew her hand back and
slapped Yosho as hard as she could. Then she ran all the way to the house and didn't stop
until she was in her room.
	Yosho finished his tea and went to speak to his younger and beloved sister. He
was on the steps of the shrine when Washu stopped him.
	"Don't go after her." She warned.
	"I must apologize." He told her.
	"Lord Katsuhito," Washu warned, "listen to me. If you go after her now, the two
of you will get into a terrible fight. I don't know how, yet, but somehow Kain's mother
has been getting into our minds, causing us to turn on each other."
	"Divide and conquer, eh?" Yosho remarked.
	Washu nodded. "Right now, there's a danger that Ayeka may be under her
influence."
	"But Ayeka has Jurai blood." Yosho pointed out. "How could..."
	"Even the Jurai cannot defend themselves if they don't know an attack is coming."
Washu reminded him.
	"Tenchi!" Yosho gasped, recalling Ayeka's reason for bursting in on him.
	"I took care of it." Washu shrugged.
	
	Trakal dragged himself out of bed and trudged into the kitchen. There was plenty
of food, but he didn't find any of it appealing. He closed the pantry and wandered out of
kitchen. In the hall, he ran into Makiya.
	"Makiya," he tried to speak to her.
	She didn't reply.
	"Makiya," he said, again, "I don't recall saying anything like you claimed I did."
	Makiya walked away. She didn't want to talk to him anymore. She had loved
him and he had betrayed that love. She would never forgive him. She hated him now. As
much as she'd loved him before.
	Trakal turned away and walked off in the opposite direction. He had almost made
it to the front door when a portal opened up and a hand pulled him through.

	Makiya walked into the kitchen. At least, that was the room she was aiming for.
However, as she crossed the threshold, a portal of light appeared and she was pulled in.

	Ayeka decided to take a bath and wash herself clean of all the day's events. It
had not been a good day and she wanted to forget that it had happened. First the incident
with Trakal, then finding out that her brother had been lying to her about his 
appearance.
She wondered if she could envoke Juraian law and declare that the whole day had never
happened. She took off her kimono and set them on the bench. As she stepped into the
warm waters of the onsen, a portal opened up and she, like the others, was pulled in.

	They were held down in their chairs by a powerful forcefield. This was fortunate
since most of them were in bad moods and various fights seemed in danger of breaking
out. Makiya was glaring at Trakal. Trakal was snarling at Ayeka. Ayeka was, in turn,
something about Yosho.

	"What are we doing here?" Trakal demanded, angrily.
	"Okay, listen up!" Washu announced. "First off, let's fix Makiya and Trakal's
relationship."
	"We don't have one." Makiya told her. "He wanted me to kill our baby."
	"I never said that!" Trakal protested.
	"You did so!"
	"Actually, he didn't." Washu told them. "I'll explain in a moment. Oh, and by
the way... Ayeka didn't accuse you, Trakal."
	"Yes, she did." Trakal argued.
	"I'll explain in a moment. Ayeka, how did you find out about your brother?"
	"I ran in on him and aunt Funaho in the shrine."
	"But you don't normally run in without knocking, do you?"
	"Tenchi needed help."
	"What did he need help with?" Washu asked.
	"I...  I don't know." Ayeka told her. "I just had this sudden feeling that Tenchi
was in danger. It came out of nowhere."
	"Like someone else was putting thoughts in your head?"
	Ayeka nodded.
	"And that," Washu announced, triumphantly, "brings me to the crux of the
matter. Each one of you has been subjected to a form of long-distance mind-control.
Forced, against your wills, to say things and act in ways that you normally wouldn't.
You each said and done the horrible things you're accused of. But none of you are
the ones who actually said it."
	"I don't understand." Makiya said. "What are you saying, Miss Washu?"
	"Each of you has been taken over, for a short time, used the way a dummy
would be used by a ventriloquist, and then discarded with no memory of the event
once the damage was done."
	"Kain's mother." Trakal realized. "It has to be her."
	"What about Tokimi?" Ayeka asked.
	"It's not Tokimi." Another voice said from a mirror.
	For the first time, now that their focus was no longer on their anger toward
each other, they saw Sasami asleep in front of a large mirror. In the reflection, they
saw Tsunami  standing there in her long Juraian robes.
	"Tsunami," Washu asked, "what do you know of Tokimi?"
	"I know that our sister would not harm us, Lady Washu." Tsunami said.
	"Sister?" Washu asked.
	"You asked me not to tell you this," Tsunami told Washu, "but now we
are faced with a dangerous adversary and we goddesses *must* combine our forces
to defeat her."
		Washu nodded, acceptingly and Tsunami began her tale.
	"Twenty thousand years ago," she related, in much the same way she
has once related the story of her own relationship with Sasami. "That's when it
all really began. Back then, there were three young goddesses. Sisters. One,
Tsunami, loved the trees and the forests and all things in nature. The other,
Tokimi, loved the stars and planets and the pure awesomeness of infinity. The
third sister, Washu, loved the pursuit of knowledge. For her, being a goddess
was a curse rather than a blessing. For it is difficult for a goddess who knows
all instantly to enjoy the pursuit of knowledge."
	Washu nodded, quietly to herself, as old memories, dormant for years,
slowly awakened within her. At the foreground of these were talks she had had
with Tsunami about the very problem that Tsunami was now talking about.
	Tsunami continued the tale:
	"Washu's decided that she would be much happier if she were less
than a goddess." She told them. "But she did not wish to be an ordinary mortal,
for if she had no powers, that would limit what knowledge she could acquire. The
same might be said for having a normal lifespan. So she spoke with her sisters.
And, after much discussion, it was decided that Washu's wish would be granted.
Her powers, and her memory were suppressed. She was given an extended
mortal lifespan so that she would be able to acquire a great deal of knowledge.
She was also given the ability to summon anything she might need through
subspace. Then, her sisters set her down upon the steps of the Royal Science
Academy, where they knew she would be very happy."
	"And I was happy." Washu recalled. "Though that happiness was tinged
with sorrow. I learned about many things I had never dreamed of. Not only did I
learn about science and other scholarly things. I also learned about love, and
family. I learned about having hope and dreams. And," a tear fell from her eye, "I
learned about having these taken from me." She looked Tsunami in the eye. "Why
didn't you tell them who I was?" She asked her. "If they'd known, they wouldn't
have taken my family from me."
	"I'm so sorry, my dear sister." Tsunami told her. "I wanted to tell them.
But you wanted to live as a mortal. If I had told them, you would not have been
able to. Your husband was a kind soul and he loved you very much. But his family
were heartless and greedy. If they'd known you were a goddess, they would've
taken advantage of your love for him."
	"And my son?" Washu asked.
	"Your son was a wonderful man." Tsunami smiled. A moment later,
she frowned. "On the other hand, your grandson..."
	"I ...had a grandson?" Washu asked.
	"Yes." Tsunami replied. "You met him. But you had no idea you and he
were related."
	Washu had the suspicion that she didn't want to know who he was, and
didn't ask.
	"Why are you telling me all this now?" She asked instead.
	"A few days ago," another voice said from the mirror as the silhouette
of a woman rose up from the ground, "I sensed a sudden surge of psychic
activity from a source that has been dormant for some time."
	"Kain's mother." Washu realized.
	Tokimi was now clearly visible, no longer a mere silhouette.
	"Yes." She told Washu and the others. "It was Kain's mother."
	"But, if she were Kain's mother, then why didn't you destroy her sooner?"
Ayeka asked.
	"If your son were evil, should I kill you?" Tokimi asked.
	Ayeka understood and fell silent.
	"Kain's mother is even more evil than her son." Tokimi admitted. "But
up until recently, she had not done anything ."
	"You could've read her mind." Ayeka pointed out. "Then you would've known."
	"Yes," Tokimi nodded. "But as long as she did not act upon these feelings,
we could do nothing. We cannot execute a being just because we don't like what they're
thinking."
	"But she has acted now." Washu spoke up. "She used her abilities to try to
turn us against each other."
	"Yes." Tokimi replied. "She hates all of you for being involved in her son's
death. And not only is she more evil than Kain, she's also five times as powerful."
	"So, what do we do?" Tenchi asked. "We barely had enough power to destroy
Kain. There's no way we can defeat someone five times as powerful."
	Washu and Tsunami moved over to Tokimi and stood behind her, on either
where their silhouettes had stood for so long.
	"We can defeat her. My sisters and I." Tokimi said, solemnly. "If she were
weakened with Jurai blood, we could defeat her."
	Tenchi and Ayeka both started to speak. Yosho opened his mouth, too.
	Tokimi shook her head. "The Jurai blood in the three of you is powerful enough
to weaken her. But it is also so strong that it would be easily detected. She would never
ingest it."
	"Then, it's hopeless." Tenchi fretted.
	"No." Tokimi replied. "There's one chance. In his current form, Trakal's Jurai blood
is very diluted."
	"NO!" Makiya exclaimed. "You can't ask him to do this! I won't let you take him
from me! I don't care if everyone in the universe dies! You can't take him away!"
	"Makiya," Trakal said, gently, to her. He kissed her, softly, then looked up at
Tokimi. "Tell me what I must do." He said.
	Makiya's tears flowed freely, now. She regretted all that she'd said in her anger.
She couldn't let him go. At least, she couldn't let him go thinking that she hated him.
	"Trakal," she told him. "My dear husband. I'm so sorry I said all those things
earlier."
	"Do you think I'm sacrificing myself because I think you hate me?" Trakal asked.
	"No." Makiya told him. "But I don't want you to die thinking I don't love you."
	"I know you love me." Trakal replied. "And I love you. And our child."
	Makiya threw her arms around him. She held him as if she had no intentions
of ever letting go.
	Trakal held onto her for a long moment, then gently pushed her away. "Let me
look at you." He told her, as he gazed, lovingly, at her.
	Makiya blushed as Trakal's exotic eyes took in every part of her body.
	"Tokimi," Ayeka suggested. "Perhaps I should go instead. I don't have a
spouse, so I wouldn't be missed."
	"You'd be missed by your friends and family." Tokimi pointed out. She added,
with a smile, "Besides, you're not properly dressed for the occasion."
	Ayeka realized, suddenly, that she was dressed in only a towel. She had
completely forgotten! "Oh!" she exclaimed in embarrassment as her face went red.
	"You needn't be embarrassed, Ayeka." Yosho told her "You're quite beautiful."
	"Then why didn't you want me?"
	"Ayeka," Yosho knew it was safe to tell her now. "I told you once before that
I did not wish to return to Jurai. I feared that if you knew I was still as I had been, 
that you would've wanted us to return to Jurai and live there as man and wife."
	"We could've lived as man and wife here." Ayeka replied.
	"We still could," Yosho told her, "if you can forgive me for deceiving you."
	Ayeka trembled. "Yosho!" She cried out as she threw her arms around him.
"But, how can you still love me?" She asked. "I rejected your offer when I thought you
were old."
	"You rejected my proposal," Yosho nodded. "But, you did not reject my love."
	"Um, excuse me?" a  female voice asked meekly. "How did I get here?"
	"Mihoshi," Trakal told him. He handed Makiya to his former colleague. "look
after her for me while I'm gone. Make sure nothing happens to her or our baby."
	"Roger!" Mihoshi saluted him. "Um, where are you going?"
(continued)
Lt. Trakal
Operative of the Galaxy Police SIU