Whilst I wait for a response to Episode one, I'll present Episode two. Enjoy!

[Insert Standard Disclaimer]

21st Century Wolf vaguely Presents
A Wild Hunt Production
 
The Oh! My Goddess cast
The Tenchi crew
&
Christopher Wiseman as
 
CROSSWISE
By Thomas "Hunter" Maund.
 
" " signifies speech (Japanese)
' ' siginfies speech (Other language, ususally English)
* * signifies thought
< >signifies telepathy
 
* * *
Episode 2: Reconstitution
 
Prologue
 
He was on his hands and knees, crawling forward through the sand. The heat
was intense, a great burning beast that tried to devour him, to take over
his entire being. It would have been so easy just to let go, to give up
and slide into oblivion. 
 
But somehow he went on, sustained now only by pure will. It was a will that
could have moved mountains. If it wasn't, then - little as he knows it - he
wouldn't even _be_ here to feel this horribly uncomfortable. As it is, he's
lucky enough to have arrived in time for one of the hottest days of the year,
and the heat is - rather literally - eating him alive.
 
I wonder how long'll it'll be before he notices he isn't thirsty?
 
Oh no, hold your horses there. I didn't say he didn't need liquid. But if
he stops feeling unwell and pauses to think for a second, he'll realise
that what he's feeling isn't thirst.
 
Of course, if you were him, you'd have serious trouble thinking straight right
now too. What with trying to keep it together in this, with so little
experience of how to do so.
 
It'll all become clear in time. Trust me.

Stop looking at me like that!!!!!
 
* * *
[Opening Credits]
* * *
 
Well, here we are at the circular plain again. And here comes Belldandy,
sliding up out of the reflective surface that is the glass, Keichii holding 
one hand and a glass of water in the other. A moment later, Skuld pops out of 
the cup, carrying a small portable TV, from which Urd emerges.
 
I wonder what you're average citizen of Zaire would say if he saw a 
television way out here?

And here, right on cue, comes Ryo-Ohki, a little less silently than before.
 
"Myaaaa! Meow mreow myaaaaaa!"
 
I've always found her very eloquent myself. That's quite poetic...
 
The bad news is that, while the goddesses can all see her, she can't see them
thanks to the illusion spell.
 
Yet.
 
Ah well, let's sit back, wait, and enjoy the fireworks, shall we?
 
* * *
 
Keichii Morisato had seen quite few weird things in his time. The large
spiky...
 
Spiky....
 
Spiky whatever-it-was hovering above them was definitely new.
 
"What _is_ it, Belldandy?"
 
"It looks like a spaceship to me. Perhaps they've come to visit somebody
here."
 
"Out here in the middle of nowhere?" *hangonasec....* "Did you say _space_
ship Bell?"
 
Belldandy nodded. Urd and Skuld walked over and joined them. Skuld stuck 
her tongue out at him. "I thought _everyone_ knew about spaceships."
 
Somehow, after all Keichii had seen, he wasn't all that surprised. He was
curious, though. "You never mentioned spaceships before."
 
"You didn't ask." replied Urd sucinctly. She squinted up at Ryo-Ohki. "I don't
recognise the design, though."
 
Skuld was beginning to look a bit spaced out. "It's... amazing..." Keichii
waved his hand in front of her eyes to no effect.
 
Belldandy shook her head. "There's something familiar about it nonetheless"
 
Urd nodded. "Yeah... it's on the tip of my tongue." she looked harder. "I 
think it's alive Belldandy!"
 
With two Norns deep in contemplation and one entranced, only Keichii
noticed the girl who teleported in out of thin air, carrying a rather
reluctant-looking youth with her.
 
"Ryouko!"
 
"Oh, but Tenchi, it's the quickest way down- Hey! Where'd the desert go? 
And where'd that lot come from?"
 
That got the Norns' attention. Well, except for Skuld.
 
"Kawaii spaceship..."
 
Ah, well, Mihoshi'll snap her out of it in a little while. You know how it is.
Unsuspecting scientific genius+Mihoshi=natural disaster. 
 
"Urm... hello?" asked Keichii. For aliens, he thought they looked remarkably
human. Even the ones now teleporting down from the spaceship. And since 
when did aliens speak Japanese?

"RYOUKO!" How dare you lay hands upon the noble person of Lord Tenchi!
Kidnapper!"
 
"Trust me Princess, he's all for the laying on of hands. Well, my hands
anyway."
 
Tenchi squirmed free of Ryouko and backed away. "Guys..."
 
"I sincerely doubt it Ryouko. He might catch something." Ayeka sneered at 
her rival. She does that well, as I'm sure you've noticed.
 
Urd was watching the trio with interest. Fortunately for them, Belldandy was
watching her.
 
"No, sister."
 
"What?"
 
"I have seen that look before. No."
 
Urd looked annoyed. "Oh, alright. No." *No, I couldn't possibly leave them to
sort this out without my proffessional assitance...*

Keichii was trying to establish a line of communication. "Excuse me? Hello?"
 
Now, following a well-established pattern, Ayeka and Ryouko's little
discussion has deteriorated to that point again. You know, the bit where
Ryouko tells Ayeka she's asked for it-
 
"All right Princess, you asked for it!"
 
See? And the bit where Ayeka zaps back, and the blasts meet in the middle,
where Tenchi is being so careful _not_ to stand. Oh, and the bit where Keichii
is about to stand in an effort to get their attention.
 
Oh well, that's the way the engie crumbles...
 
"Look I hate to break this up, but-"
 
"Catch _this_, Princess!"
 
"I shall punish you for your impudence, vile harridan!"
 
"Look out!" Tenchi barrelled in to to Keichii like a miniature bullet
train, knocking him clear even as Belldandy acted. She stepped over and
threw up a force-field around all three, shielding them from the combinded
blast as the energies of the angry pair met halfway. Unfortunately, she
didn't shield the protagonists. The resulting explosion left them both
black, smouldering and swaying slightly.
 
"Are you alright Keichii?"
 
I'm fine Bell, thanks to..."
 
"Tenchi. Misaki Tenchi." he scratched his head as he helped Keichii up, an
odly Ranma-like gesture, I thought. "Sorry about all this."
 
I'm afraid I didn't do anything as interesting as facefaulting. Nothing really
surprises me anymore.
 
It's about now that things get interesting. So, obviously, we'll leave it here
and return to our friend in the desert.
 
Well, even I'm allowed to be nasty _occaisionally_.
 
Yes, I am sporting an Evil Grin (tm). Why do you ask?
 
* * *
 
He wasn't moving any more. Just lying in the sand. It was all finally
slipping away in to oblivion, the heat gaining presedence over every other
feeling, even the air in his lungs and the earth beneath him. There was
hardly any water at all.
 
No, he still hasn't realised. I mean, he doesn't even _have_ lungs, for
goodness sake. Well, not as such. Just spaces for gaseous intake.
 
Tell you? And give away half the plot? That'll be the day...
 
The water didn't seem so very far away. Beneath him somewhere, under the
sand. That made sense, the water would be very deep down, here in the
desert. Yes, deep down. The earth was in the way, but it wasn't so hard to
reach down. Or it wouldn't have been if he hadn't felt so weak.
 
If he thinks he feels weak now, just wait until he starts to go insubstantial
in a few minutes.
 
The water wasn't far, but he couldn't quite reach. *Too much heat. Thoughts
all hot now. Energy but heat energy. Need different energy to reach water 
need to push out hot energy need _other_ energy...*
 
It was like trying to push a rock up a steep hill, or trying to breath at
the top of a very high mountain. In fact, _exactly_ like both of those.
His conciousness was flowing away like a river, but he needed a river. He
would _not_ lose. He _pulled_ and the heat seemed to receed slightly. Then
something reacted, and the heat flared away, and it
hurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurthurt-
 
But somehow, it was enough.
 
He reached down, and the water was there, so easy to reach that he
laughed. As he reached, he released another hold slightly, and the pain
receeded. There was still heat, but not too much now, just enough, and if
he concentrated just _so_ he could make it stay that way, he thought as
his conciousness thundered back to him.
 
He blinked. He was lying face-down, naked in the desert sand. He felt
stiff again, and he was intensly aware of the presence of every grain of
sand against his skin. Pushing that thought away, he forced limbs that
felt like stone to move, wincing at the cracking sounds they made. 
 
If he knew how close to the truth that metaphor he just made was, he'd be
distinctly worried. And that's putting it mildly. Mind you, he was - in a 
very previous sense - only a human, what do you expect.

Well, he's on his feet again, walking forwards once more. He might make it
out of the desert now, he seems to be containing himself better. I-
 
Hold on, something's caught my attention.
 
* * *
 
SO, NO BEST TWO OUT OF THREE, THEN?
 
"Only if there is a greater prize to be gained."
 
Hmm. What have we here?
 
SUIT YOURSELF. VERY WELL, YOU MAY HAVE THE PRIZE YOU WISHED FOR. I WOULD
SUGGEST-
 
Oh. It's _him_.
 
"I don't really care. I have won. Send me back."
 
Hah! At last! It's about time you lost again, you old-
 
And I find myself looking in to the eyes of THE END.
 
THERE'S NO NEED TO BE IMPOLITE. LIKE YOU, I'M SIMPLY DOING MY JOB.
 
I shudder. Even now, he could end it all. I wonder if the reason I hate him so
much is because he, of all people, still scares me. I glance over at whoever
it is that's beaten him. He is, of course, unware of our exchange.
 
"Well? Where will I arrive?"
 
WHERE YOU DIED. THAT IS PART OF THE AGREEMENT.
 
He smiles, a smile that once, in a past that is unimaginably distant from now
and yet so close to me, would have chilled me. Now I recognise it. I've seen
it before and again, ad infinitum.
 
"Good. I have some... unfinished business there."
 
Well, looks like things are about to get _lively_. Time to get back to
reality. Well, the reality we're interested in anyway...
 
* * *
 
"...so we came here, looking for whatever caused Washuu's 'disturbance'."
Tenchi shrugged. "I'm not sure why she cut off contact like that when she saw
you guys on the vid-comm. It was really rude of her, sorry about that."

"I'm sure it was just the gremlins misbehaving." Belldandy smiled, that
way she does. You know, the one that makes you think, 'of course person X
wouldn't do that, people aren't like that, people are nice'.

I suppose that's one of the many things for which I envy her. Her ability to
see  and bring out only the best in people.
 
The sun was rolling on towards the horizon over the Great Circle. Skuld
and Sasami were playing with Ryo-Ohki. The trio seemed to have taken to
each other after the youngest goddess had been disuaded from dismantling
Ryo-Ohki to see how he worked. Urd was chatting with Ryouko whilst eyeing
the obvious love triangle around her, and Ayeka was sitting with
Belldandy, Keichii and Tenchi. She was - in a major victory over the
unusually inattentive Ryouko - actually sitting beside Tenchi.
 
Keichii stretched. "Erm, guys? I checked my watch, and it's actually quite 
late back home. I've got *yawn* classes tomorrow, so could we find what we're 
looking for and pack up, please?" 
 
Ayeka looked reluctant. "Well, we were only supposed to set up the
equipment for Washuu-chan. We don't actually _know_ how to use it. She was
supposed to operate it by remote control."
 
"That's okay! I can work it out!" Skuld seemed to have picked up some of 
Sasami's
sunny disposition. "Where is it?" 
 
"Look, little girl, I appreciate the offer, but unless you happen to be a
paramount scientific genius-" 
 
Skuld looked insufferably smug. "As it just so happens, I am."
 
Keichii whispered something to Tenchi, and the most reasonable member of
the Misaki party announced that he'd show her the stuff, it couldn't hurt. 
Ryo-Ohki popped back in to ship-form, and opened a hatch leading inside.
As the two dissappeared up the ramp, something occured to Keichii.
 
"Urm, Miss Ayeka? Where's that blonde-haired girl who was with you?"
 
"You mean Mihoshi. Oh dear, she must have wandered off somewhere!"
 
* * *
 
"It's not possible! It's not physically possible, I tell you! It can't be
happening!!!"
 
"Anou... Washuu-san, why are you packing to leave? Where are you going?"
 
"ARRRRRRRRRRGGHHHH!!!!!!!!"
 
* * *
 
The desert is an awfully easy place to become lost in, even if it's a small
one. When you're not delerious, keeping track of the sun usually works.
 
Otherwise, it's easy to get turned around. _Very_ easy.
 
He had been wandering for quite some time since his collapse, and he was
beginning to feel tired and dizzy again. How much further could it be? There
had to be an oasis or a landmark _somewhere_...
 
There was something about the desert up ahead, at the top of the ridge. It 
was so hard to climb the ridge, much easier to go around, but he took 
strength from the
earth beneath him and ploughed on.
 
You know, his metaphors are getting _way_ too literal.
 
He had a bad feeling about this. It was too familiar. The man stared hard at
the desert before him. It seemed somehow _wrong_.
 
The illusion over the Great Circle wavered and broke, shattered by a force
that knocked him backwards and down. He slid to a halt at the bottom of
the ridge. The world wavered, and he groped for the air that seemed to
escape his desperate attempt to breathe. He gulped at it to no effect.
*No! Come back!*
 
It was an utterly irrational thought, the kind you can only have after
several hours unprotected in the blazing sun. Air exploded through him and
he felt the painpainpainpain that made him let go. He gasped as lights
danced in front of his eyes, and he fought his mind's attempts to slide
away. 
 
"Here! He's over here!"
 
A feminine voice. All at once he was horrified at the thought of being
naked. Still it failed to occur to his addled mind that he should have
died of exposure by now.
 
Twit.
 
*Clothes! Where am I going to get clothes in a desert.* he laughed
suddenly as a thought occured to him. *Maybe Versacci'll walk past
and offer me a suit. It'd be a nice mirage, anyway...*
 
Urd was impressed. Handsome in a wild sort of way, a well-toned body and
good taste in clothes. A Versacci, if she was any judge. "Hey. You okay?"
Of course, what he was doing out in the desert dressed in a suit was
anybody's guess. Maybe she should get him to change in to something more
suitable. 
 
The man looked blearily up at her. "Oh, now _that's_ a mirage. My
mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun." he pulled himself to his feet. 
"Good day, my illusory lady - I mean, you're far too beautiful to be real.
No offence." 
 
Urd favoured him with an ironical smile. "Flattery will get you nowhere.
Although I am flattered." she turned as most of the rest of the group caught
up with her. "He's very charming. Watch out for that silver tongue." she
licked her lips. "Not that I can't think of uses for it, but..."
 
The man blushed. He was too relieved about the clothes to wonder where
they'd come from, but right now the woman in front of him was doing a
_damn_ good job of undressing him with her eyes.
 
Urd's stare suddenly stopped being lazily naughty, and became suspicious,
she grabbed his newly-materialised lapels and pulled him forward, studying
his face. She ran her finger down his cheek, then stared at it. "Earth... 
Belldandy, I think you might want to see this." 
 
The middle Norn looked first at the traces of dirt on Urd's finger, then at
the apparently normal man in front of them.
 
Like he's gonna be normal in _this_ story...
 
She nodded. "It's him. He's causing the disturbance. He's the source of the
problem with the Yggdrasil system."

Skuld ran a little scanner over him. "No bugs. If they turned up around him, 
they've wandered off. It'll take ages to track them all down!" 

The man looked nervously from face to face. "Huh? You know, I didn't know
mirages were supposed to do this." They were _all_ studying him now. "Look
guys, I don't know about any Yggdrasil-" 
 
Only he did. The name tugged at him, a memory of something from before,
irresistably beyond reach. Those stares were making him nervous. When Urd
took a purposeful step forward, he stepped back, nervous about something
he couldn't quite remember.
 
"Who are you?"
 
"I-" the man's shoulders slumped slightly. "can't remember. I can't remember
anything before waking up in that circle over there."
 
"_That_ circle?" Urd followed up on the man's retreat, not seeing Belldandy's
sudden warning gesture.
 
"I think you'd better come with us." she laid a hand on his arm.
 
* * *
 
"I think you'd better come with us." she laid a hand on his arm. 
Attractive as the Linear Enforcer was, he knew she could take him down. He
was out of practice from his time 'in office' as an exec.
 
As they led him away, he only saw the shock on Katherine's face... it was
the second last time that he would see her.
 
* * *
 
For a moment, he glimpsed the past. Then he remembered only that it had
led to the pain, the inconscionable, impossible, unbearable pain of which
today's pain was but an echo. Pain which he didn't want to experience
again, not matter what. Not the way it had burned him inside and out,
destroying him utterly, leaving only that spark-
 
No matter what.
 
"No. NO!" He stepped back again, pulling away from Urd's grip.
 
"Hey, we just want to-"
 
"NO!!" *No matter what!* Instinctively, he lashed out.
 
There was so much of it around, he needed to burn it off somehow anyway.
 
Burn. There we go with metaphors again.
 
The world exploded in flames...
 
[End Credits]
 
Go on! You just hate me for cutting it there, don't you! I do promise at 
least one answer (most likely in the form of a question. ;p) next episode. 
Let me know what you think. Feel free to C&C, MST or (if you absolutely must) 
flame it.

Good hunting, and may the pack be with you.

Honour to the pack,
Hunter.