NOTE: All characters original to the "Tenchi Muyo! TV1" series portrayed
in
this story are the sole property of AIC and Pioneer Animation. Any
appearance of them in actual life is purely coincidental. Tenchi Muyo!
material and paraphernalia listed within is Copyright Pioneer Animation
1997 (c). Kyoto Minamoto, Muriyaki Kushiragi, Chisako, Chi-Ohki, and all

other related characters are the sole property of R&C Books and appear
through their permission.











                                 Episode 2:

                          No Need for Another Me!











Two weeks have passed since Kyoto's unwelcome arrival on Earth. To
everyone�s surprise, things have been peaceful. He's even been helping
out
with the chores and only making occasional passes at Ryoko.

One evening, Kyoto is sweeping the hallway. He is about to turn the
corner
and go into the living room when he sees Kiyone and Mihoshi go into the
bathroom together. "..Maybe that's why Kiyone puts up with Mihoshi...."
he
muses. Attempting to sneak a peek at them, he walks over to the bathroom

door and tugs on the handle. The door slides open to reveal.... nothing.

"What in Hell...?!" Kyoto is dumbfounded until a stray thought hits him.

"Hmm... Since Washu lives here...." Focusing his will, he takes on the
form
of Sasami. S/he closes the door and then reopens it. Now inside the
bathroom is a large hot spring or resort style communal bath, complete
with
palm trees and a large, decorative fountain in the center. Lounging in
the
steaming water are Mihoshi and Kiyone, their clothes neatly folded on a
near-by bench. Mihoshi is the first to notice Sasami/Kyoto's entrance.
"Hi,
Sasami!"

Kyoto opens his mouth to respond when he suddenly realizes that his
voice
would come out. So he settles for a smile and a wave. S/he then takes
off
his/her clothing and lowers him/herself into the warm water. Mihoshi and

Kiyone are relaxing, almost asleep, that they do not notice
Sasami/Kyoto's
lustful eyes on them. They also do not notice how many times
Sasami/Kyoto
smacks him/herself on the head in an attempt to sustain concentration.

The door slides open again, and Ryoko walks in. Her robe can barely hold

her in, and she discards it with a flourish. Kyoto's eyes go wide open!
However, it is at that moment that Ayeka and the real Sasami enter.
There
are a few minutes of confusion as the ladies start to realize that there
is
one more Sasami than usual. However, it only takes a few minutes to
decipher who the fake Sasami is.

Tenchi is heading to the bathroom when the door is flung violently open
and
Kyoto dashes out holding a towel wrapped loosely around his mid-section.

The ladies, all wrapped in towels or robes quickly follow him, chasing
after him swinging whatever heavy objects they can find. Tenchi stands
blinking for a minute as this strange procession rumbles past, then he
yells, "Kiyone, don't use the laser in the house!" She must not have
heard
him, for he sees several blue bolts slice through a window.

Despite his pursuers' dogged persistence, Kyoto manages to escape.

By now the girls are fully dried and dressed, but no less angry. Ayeka
in
particular is fuming. "I cannot stand that horrible, horrible man!
Always
making a mess of things, always trying to see us naked, and always
trying
to touch us.... I cannot take it anymore!"

She takes a pad and pencil, and scribbles a terse phrase. She then hands

the piece of paper to Kiyone. "Kiyone, could you have Yagami send this
out
by microburst to the nearest Juraian outpost?"

Kiyone looks over the contents of the paper. "Isn't this a little
drastic?"
The look on Ayeka's face gives her answer quite clearly, and Kiyone
sighs
and leaves for her ship.

A few days later, Kyoto is lounging on his space station's control deck.

All of a sudden alarms start blaring and sensor screens start popping
into
appearance. On the screen, a fleet of Jurai battleships have surrounded
the
space station. A second later on another screen, the face of a Juraian
admiral appears. "Kyoto Minamoto, by order of Princess Ayeka and the
Galaxy
Police, you are here by placed under arrest, and you damn well already
know
the charges!"

Kyoto merely smiles. "Come and get me!"

The Juraian admiral's face turns red with anger. "All ships lock onto
his
position and fire! Maximum gun aperture!" The Juraian dreadnoughts
release
a hail storm of bluish-white fire on the space station. Just about any
other structure, natural or artificial, would have wilted under such a
furious broadside.

However, Kyoto's space station isn't any other structure. And as always,

Kyoto still has a few cards left to play....

On Earth, the Masaki house and everyone in it starts to vanish. They
find
themselves remanifesting aboard Kyoto's station. The princesses
instantaneously find themselves on the bridge next to Kyoto. Kyoto opens
a
channel to the flagship and enjoys the startled expression on the
Juraian
admiral's face. "My dear Admiral, I would suggest you stop firing, lest
you
harm the princesses. Or before I am forced to." He extracts his sword
from
its sheath and dances the sharp edge of the blade across both of their
throats.

On the screen, the Admiral looks like he is about to wet his pants.
"I-I-I-"

His stuttering is drowned out when Sasami begins to cry. "Ayeka! I'm
scared!"

At that, Kyoto's lazy smile turns malicious. "Or maybe I won't kill
them...
They're both awfully pretty...." With that he rests his hand on Ayeka's
rump and squeezes.

Ayeka jumps.

"And I certainly can go for little girls. After all, they all become big

girls eventually...." He squeezes Sasami's shoulders, bringing more
tears
out of the girl's eyes.

On the screen, the Admiral looks like he has wet his pants. "Alright!
Alright!" he turns to his chief gunnery officer. "Have all ships stand
down
from combat status. With- draw to extreme firing range."

Kyoto smiles. "That's just what I was waiting to hear."

He then spins his sword in the air above him and sends the blade
slamming
down into a fitting slot in the floor. The blade instantly begins to
glow a
brilliant blue as the exterior of the station starts to sprout gun
batteries. These gun batteries start to spit out red and blue beams of
death.

Hundreds of ships are immediately caught off guard as this barrage
begins
to immolate their brethren. They don't, however, remain speechless for
very
long as their gun ports start to return the favor. However, they find
themselves shooting at empty space.

Kyoto's station has vanished.

For whatever consolation it is, Kyoto's not exactly having a picnic,
either. By now, Tenchi and company have made their way up onto the
bridge
and are generally causing havoc. When they first appeared, Sasami ran to

Tenchi and is now clinging to him like a rock to the ground. Kiyone has
her
pistol out and is training it on Kyoto, keeping him still while Ayeka is

kicking at him. She is being held back by Ryoko who wants the first
punch.
Washu is looking around the bridge to see if she can find anything of
importance, Nobuyuki is looking around for the naked women, and Grandpa
is
merely looking around with a bored expression. "Well, here we go again."

No one notices what Mihoshi is doing until they hear her voice squeal,
"What's this do?" Everyone's heads flip around to see Mihoshi tapping
random keys on one of the translucent computers hovering above Kyoto's
glowing sword. Kyoto's face darkens with horror.

"What in the hell are you doing? Don't touch that!" He grabs her and
pushes
her away from the console. He scans the display with growing dismay.
"What
did you do?!"

Kiyone casts a glare at her partner, who seems to wilt under the harsh
gaze. "This happens more than you might think." Anyone else's speaking
is
canceled out by the sudden revving of the main engines.

Washu rushes up to the main console and takes a long look at Mihoshi's
handy work. "If anyone could do it..... She's overloaded the main
drive."
All of a sudden the station's revving turns to a rumbling and starts
shaking, throwing the people off and around.

Washu scrambles back to the control board, this time taking more time to

take a closer look at the display. Tenchi asks, "Washu, what's going
on?!"

Washu turns back to him and says, "I don't know!" All of a sudden the
station's shaking stops abruptly and without warning every member of the

group is overcome with the sensation of dislocation with their bodies.
Tenchi thinks that he can see several dozen alternate versions of
himself
float past his eyes. Without warning, the world suddenly snaps back into

focus.

Floating in front of them except empty star studded space is a planet.
The
planet is turquoise and white, surrounded by two delicate, almost
imperceptible rings that intersect. Ayeka stands up. "Is that Jurai?"

Before anyone can respond, however, the station is suddenly rocked
again,
threat screens start appearing once again and Kyoto leaps to his command

chair as he sees vicious-looking attack ships.

"If they are from Jurai, they've certainly undergone an overhaul!"
Before
anyone else can speak, a large Juraian battleship shows up looking much
the
same as a normal one, except being painted black and red, and having a
skull engraved on the bow. A moment later a communications screen
materializes in the center of the bridge.

The image is of.... Ryoko, except dressed in Juraian clothing, much to
the
style Ayeka wears. This person says, "I am Princess Ryoko of the planet
Jurai."

Ayeka's mouth drops open and she starts spouting, "What do you mean
you're
the princess, I am the princess!" The Princess Ryoko's eyes fly wide
open.
"What?!... You're harboring the space criminal Ayeka and her daughter
Sasami!" Ayeka's mouth drops open a little farther this time as she and
Sasami exchange confused glances.

Kiyone steps forward. "This is Detective Sergeant Kiyone Makibi of the
Galaxy Police. I demand to know what is going on here!"

All at once, Princess Ryoko's expression softens. "Ah, GP Director
General
Kiyone, I trust you and your husband are well. She then sees Mihoshi.
"Oh,
President Mihoshi!" By now, the Princess Ryoko's expression has softened

considerably. "I'm sorry, I had no idea! I assumed that you were in
cahoots
with her, but now I see that you were returning her to Jurai for trial.
Very well, I shall meet you in the spaceport."

Kyoto's station orbits in a geosynch over Jurai, and a modified space
yacht
of his docks at the Jurai spaceport. Princess Ryoko, with her consort
the
Lord Kyoto, is there to greet them with warmth and courtesy.

Ryoko bows to Kiyone. "Director General Kiyone."

And then she bows to Tenchi. "And you Sir, how are you? Are your and
Kiyone's children doing well?"

Ryoko and Ayeka whip around to look at Kiyone, disbelief and anger in
their
expressions. She meets their gaze with a "don't get mad at me for this,
it's out of my control" look, the kind she typically has when dealing
with
Mihoshi.

By now, Princess Ryoko has moved on to Mihoshi. "Ah, Madame President.
So
good to see you again. I do hope we'll be able to discuss quantum theory

again."

"Uhhhh�" Mihoshi looks completely lost.

Princess Kiyone then spots Washu. "Ah, Professor, I highly enjoyed your
last lecture at the Academy. I'm so interested in the idea of alternate
universes."

In retrospect, she would wonder why they all had rather dumbfounded
expressions on their faces.

As they leave the space port, they pass an older beggar who happens to
have
what looks like a dark brown cabbit next to him. The beggar looks up and

asks, "Can anyone spare some change?" On impulse, Tenchi reaches into
his
pocket and pulls out a two thousand Yen note from his pocket and places
it
in the beggar�s soiled hand. They walk past to a hover limo and get in.
Once they are gone, Kyoto and Ryoko reappear.

"What was that?!" asks Ryoko, feeling disconcerted at the thought of
being
a princess of Jurai and nauseated at the thought of being married to
Kyoto.

"Whatever it is, I like it!" says Kyoto. "This is going to get weird. I
don't know how to undo what Mihoshi has done, we'll need Washu for that.
In
the meantime, we might as well lay low."

Ryoko shoots a look at him. "Don't you dare think about that! Besides,
how
are we going to go around? Lay low? We look just like the ruling couple
of
the planet."

Kyoto smiles at that. "I can change my form at will, as for you, well,
Muriyaki and her daughters can help."



Meanwhile, at the Palace of Jurai, Tenchi and company find themselves
the
welcome guests of a large and ornate banquet. Many a toast is made for
his
and Kiyone's continued health and happiness. Many a question is asked of

President Mihoshi, how she plans to solve the galactic debt, what's her
policy on intergalactic communications and other topics of high
political
importance. Fortunately, she has the presence of mind to repeatedly say,

"No comment."

Several professor types try to attach themselves to Washu, although for
discussions of scientific importance or just a simple "big bang", one's
not
sure.

(Meanwhile, Ayeka, her daughter Sasami, and her husband Nobuyuki are
languishing in jail or what passes for jail on Jurai. In actuality, the
holding facility is really quite nice. About the equivalent of a Holiday

Inn on Earth, except you can't go down to the lobby or to the
restaurant.
Naturally, Ayeka finds it beneath her.)

Meanwhile, back at the banquet hall a hush falls over the crowd, for the

Empress of Jurai has entered. People start to bow or curtsy, as the case

may be.

Tenchi and Kiyone's mouths drop open as the Empress comes up to them.
Ryoko, of course, is oblivious to this. "Director General Kiyone and her

husband Tenchi, I'd like you to meet my mother, Nagi, the Empress of
Jurai."

Somehow, Tenchi and Kiyone manage to keep from making fools of
themselves,
but as soon as Nagi, the Empress, has moved past and Ryoko and Kyoto
have
had their attention moved, Kiyone whispers to Tenchi, "That's it! This
has
definitely got to be an alternate universe! There's no way in hell a
bounty
hunter like Nagi could be a Empress in our universe!"

Tenchi shrugs, "With all the stuff that happens to us, this does not
surprise me much." He smiles wryly at Kiyone, and her cheeks flush
slightly
as she returns the smile.

Just then Mihoshi leans over to Kiyone. "Kiyone, what's a tax deficit?"

With all the dignitaries and such at this banquet, no one notices three
strikingly beautiful young women walking through the door accompanied by

two floating logs- Azaka and Kamidake. One is Muriyaki Kushiragi, who we

already know. The second has soft, blue hair falling down her back and
gathered in a loose ponytail-Ryoko totally made over. The third bears a
striking resemblance to what Sasami might look like when she's twenty
only
with long, forest green hair done up in a simple ponytail running down
her
back to her posterior. This is Kyoto's female form of the day.

By now, Tenchi and Kiyone are starting to enjoy themselves as best they
can
in such an odd setting. The two of them have managed to pry half of a
rack
of ribs away from Mihoshi, who has naturally disposed of the other half
by
herself. Kiyone is about to bite into her portion when she suddenly
feels
someone pinching her butt. She jumps five feet out of her chair and
lands
on her feet--to find half the room staring at her. Forcing herself to
giggle, she says, "Honey, not in public!" This manages to save her some
face, although this noticeably embarrasses Tenchi.

Once Kiyone has sat back down, Tenchi leans over to her and says, "Uh,
Kiyone, that wasn't me!" He keeps himself from commenting about how
tempted
he was, and Kiyone hides her disappointment that is wasn't him.

"He's right, it was me," says a familiar voice.

Kiyone whips around to her right to see a beautiful young lady who looks

like a grown-up Sasami, save for the hair color. She starts to sputter
uncontrollably when the young lady slides a folded note over to her. The

note reads: "It's me." At the bottom is scribbled: "P.S. Hey, what's
wrong
with a friendly squeeze?" That leaves absolutely no question as to who
this
person's true identity is! Kiyone's mouth drops open.

Tenchi is about to ask "What's wrong?" when his own arm is tugged on. He

turns to see..... "Ryoko?!"

Meanwhile, this universe's Kyoto, who is known to have a roving eye (If
not
necessarily roving hands) has just settled his sights on the gorgeous
new
arrival sitting next to Kiyone. Kiyone catches sight of this. "Oh, my
Lord.... "

Tenchi follows her gaze and sees the reason for her discomfort. "Um,
Kyoto,
I think you'd better leave..."

The female Kyoto looks at Tenchi with a quizzical expression, but then
feels someone's eyes on his/her back and is shocked to see that.... "Oh,
my
god, I want me!"

However, s/he waves back and smiles.

Mihoshi suddenly reappears, holding a thick envelope in her hand.
"Kiyone,
look! Someone just gave me some money for saying that nuclear power
isn't
outdated! And he said that if I said so to the media, he'd give me some
hefty 'campaign contributions'! Isn't that great?!"

Kiyone buries her face in her hands, and Tenchi signals for a stiff
drink.
"Um, on second thought, check, please."



Fortunately, the evening does wind down. Everyone retires, either to
their
assigned rooms in the palace or to their own homes. Kiyone and Tenchi go
to
their own chambers, ignoring angry glares from Ryoko.

Washu and Muriyaki return to the station to effect repair work. The
female
Kyoto is in the bar, taking as many free drinks as he can. This Kyoto is
so
drunk that s/he doesn't notice the male Kyoto coming up behind him/her.
The
female Kyoto is very startled when the male Kyoto grabs him/her by the
shoulders.

"How would you like to see the royal scepter?" The male Kyoto's left
hand
travels down the female Kyoto's neck.

He is equally drunk, and does not notice that he has his left hand on a
man's chest until a deep voice says, "No sir, I would not like to see
the
royal scepter." The male Kyoto realizes what he has done and starts
backing
away out the door.

The formerly female Kyoto releases a sigh of relief, a new sense of
clarity
rushing through his head. That was a close call, he thinks. I was
almost.... by me!

"Kyoto..."

He spins around to see the princess Ryoko wobbling towards him. She is
obviously inebriated. "Honey, let's go to bed..." She collapses onto his

shoulders, her arms draped loosely around his neck. Suddenly he realizes

that he has her right where he wants her. There'll never be a better
time.... He scoops her up in his arms and carries her to the bedroom.



Meanwhile, in their bedroom, Tenchi and Kiyone are still deliberating
over
who gets the bed. Overcome with exhaustion, the two of them finally
collapse onto the bed. "Talk about your strange situations," mutters
Tenchi. "Yeah, I know," echoes Kiyone. "Who would have thought there
would
be...." She leans over to look in his eyes and-and-"....a universe where

we-" She shakes her head sharply. "It's so impossible...."

Tenchi leans in closer to her. "What's so impossible?"

"This...." She hands him a framed picture sitting on the nightstand. The

two of them, in wedding garb, looking happy and carefree, as if time
would
always be so kind...."Don't you see it?! Don't you....." Inexplicably,
the
career Galaxy Police officer, the best of the best, the one who never
let
anything--or anyone--through to her, starts to cry. Almost as if by
instinct, Tenchi wraps his arms around her and holds her close, her sobs

shaking their bodies and tears soaking his shirt. Slowly the sobs
subside
and she looks up, letting Tenchi wipe the tears from her eyes. "Sorry."

Kiyone looks up into Tenchi's face and sees--can it?--he--he--

"It's all right. Don't worry." He smiles down at her, and she suddenly
starts to feel lightheaded.

Instinctively she curls up against him. "Tenchi, I....you don't have to,

but could you just....hold me for a little while?"

He enfolds her in his arms again. "As long as you want, Kiyone. As long
as
you want."



* * *



"...It's another Tequila Sunrise... And this old world still looks the
same... Another frame...." Washu can hear Kyoto before she can see him.
Although he doesn't have a bad singing voice, the slurring of the words
implies that he is not entirely sober. She stands up to greet him. "I'm
not
sure Don Henley would approve, Kyoto." Kyoto is obviously drunk and he
spins around to slur at Washu, "And who do you think gave him the words
to
this song?!" He then collapses face first on the floor.



* * * *



The hours pass slowly for Tenchi, as he still holds Kiyone close. At the

moment, she is dozing quietly, and he regards her with quiet affection.
He
sighs. "Kiyone? Kiyone, you awake?" He listens for a few minutes with no

response. "I....I....oh, hell, I can't even say this when you're asleep.
Do
you know how wonderful you look when your asleep?" He sighs again. "You
look so peaceful, a peace I rarely see when you're awake and dealing
with
Mihoshi. How many times I've seen you on the verge of tears and wanted
to....hold you, I guess, just do something to bring back your beautiful
smile...." Unbeknownst to Tenchi, Kiyone quietly awakens, but hearing
his
words, decides to feign sleep. "I'm not quite sure when your smile
started
meaning the world to me. Maybe it was the night of the carnival, you
looked
so cute in that outfit, and the smile on your face when you gave Sasami
the
cotton candy....I guess what I....oh, hell, Kiyone, I think I've fallen
in
love with you." He sighs yet again, as he gently strokes the back of her

neck. "Now if only I could find a way to tell you this when you're
awake."
He closes his eyes and settles his head on the pillow. He feel shifting
around on top of him but figure she's just moving in her sleep.

"I love you too, Tenchi."

He suddenly sits up to find Kiyone, already sitting up, looking at him
and
smiling

shyly. "Did you just....." He prays that he wasn't just dreaming that.

"Oh Tenchi....." She scoots over next to him and lays her head on his
shoulder. "I did say that I love you, Tenchi. I heard everything." She
shifts around again, snuggling up to him. "My Tenchi....I do love
you...."

Tenchi's eyes go wide. He'd never thought that....but now.... "I'm
sorry, I
should have--" She cuts him off with a kiss. "Tenchi, it's alright." She

links her arms around his neck, kisses him again. "It'll be alright from

now on....."



Morning breaks on Jurai with the same insensitivity that it does on
Earth.
However, the gentle sunlight shining through the window in Tenchi and
Kiyone's bedroom is a far sight softer. Tenchi is sacked out in one of
the
chamber's recliners, while Kiyone is stretched out on the bed. Kiyone is

the first to awaken, and her features soften with an affectionate smile
as
she watches Tenchi snoring away in the chair.

She remembers being snuggled up to him as the talked earnestly and
affectionately into the night.

And she remembers the confessions: she had kept her feelings hidden, for

she had felt that, with all the girls vying for his attention, he
wouldn�t
even look her way. For his part, Tenchi had kept his mouth shut, afraid
that he might force her to choose between him or her career--and that
her
career would win.

At the moment, however, she feels as giddy as a schoolgirl, and she�d
follow him to the ends of the cosmos and back, and she senses that the
feeling is mutual. She is about to arise from the bed and wake him up
when
Mihoshi bursts through the door.

"Ki-yo-ne! It's time to get up!! You too, Tenchi!"

Tenchi jumps out of his chair, whips out his light-sword, and is about
to
light it up when he sees that it is only Mihoshi who's burst through the

door. "Mihoshi, what is it?!"

Mihoshi has a great big grin on her face. "It's breakfast!"

Kiyone looks like she is about to kill her partner, but Tenchi pushes
Mihoshi out the door. "We'll be down in a minute, Mihoshi!"

Once Mihoshi is gone, Tenchi steps over to the bed and helps Kiyone to
her
feet. She looks down at her rumpled clothing and makes a face. "I must
be a
mess."

Tenchi shakes his head and smiles. "You look wonderful."

She blushes slightly. "This may get a little complicated .... although
mostly for you...."

Tenchi takes her hands in his. "I think you�re worth it."

Her heart melting, she shifts into his arms. After a few minutes of
bliss,
they kiss briefly and head out the door, hand in hand.



Unbeknownst to them, Mihoshi had not closed the door all the way on her
way
out. She had peeked in to watch Tenchi and Kiyone, and she smiles as she

sees the two of them kiss. "Good for you, Kiyone," she whispers. "I knew

it�all you had to do was tell him�"

She straightens up as they come out of the room, her smile resetting to
its
default mindlessly cheerful. "Come on! We've got to hurry!"

Kiyone smiles indulgently at her partner. "Calm down, Mihoshi."

"Yeah," agrees Tenchi, his eyes seeking out Kiyone's. "We've got plenty
of
time�"

Their eyes meet, and they smile slowly at the same time. Mihoshi ends up

having to push them into the elevator.

"Kyoto!! Wake up!" Having tried everything else (that she dares to),
Washu
throws a bucket of cold water into Kyoto's face. However, he still
continues to sing old Eagles songs off key. Horribly off key!

"Uhhhhhhhhhh..." Finally Kyoto's eyes start to slowly open. "Little
Washu?....God, I had a weird dream las'night....I dreamed that I was
comin'
on......to me!

Y' got anythin' for a hangover?" Too late does he realize just what he
asked and just who.

"Uh, on second thought...."

Before he can withdraw his request, he finds himself bound and fastened
to
one of Washu's patented research devices. His body is literally covered
with hundreds of sensors and probes. "Washu, is all this really
necessary?!"

Washu giggles as she hunches over her translucent computer. "No." She
giggles again. "I just want to see if you've let yourself go downhill
through the years." She giggles yet again. "Aside from a bit of a
pot-belly, you're not doing badly."

Kyoto groans. "Does this experiment entail any other embarrassments?"

Washu giggles yet again and then turns to stare at him with a devilish
smile.

Kyoto recognizes the look on her face and sends up a desperate prayer to

whatever gods there may be. "Anyway, how are the repairs on the fold
drive
going?"

Drawn back to her original priority, Washu strikes a thoughtful pose.
"Slowly. The damage isn't irreparable, but it's extensive. And even when
we
get it fixed, there's no telling if we'll be able to get back to our
dimension. Mihoshi gave that engine a thorough going over. Whatever she
touches...."

Kyoto thinks for a minute. "Any parts need replacing?"

Washu snorts. "Any?! Try at least half ! Where in hell did you get this
thing? I've worked with a lot of FTL drives in my time, and this is
nothing
like I've ever seen."

Kyoto wiggles a bit. "Lemme out this thing, and I'll tell you."

Washu's face darkens a bit. "Only if you promise never to call me
'Little
Washu' ever again."

Kyoto nods, and Washu taps a couple of keys. Her creation starts to fold
in
on itself, freeing him. Once he has made sure that he is not missing
anything (For one never knows when dealing with one of Washu's devices),
he
settles himself into a comfortable chair and gestures for Washu to do
likewise.

"I found this station in the old mothball yards off Anopon Prime. I
remember it just like it was yesterday......"

"No!" Washu throws another glass of cold water in his face. "Don't you
dare
go into a flashback on me!"

"Alright, alright! Don't wet your pants! Or mine for that matter.
Anyway, I
discovered it drifting powerless in the shadow of that planet's moon. I
bought it from the yard boss for 63,000 yen and the trade in of my old
cargo liner. This, my dear Little Washu, was where I first met Muriyaki.

But that has nothing to do with it. Anyway, at that time the station was

still manually operated. So, being the genius that I am, I redesigned
the
station's control mechanism so that my sword must be inserted in order
to
operate any of the functions. When I did this I discovered the fold
mechanism buried deep within the station's systems. How it operates or
for
that matter what makes it operate has left me dumbfounded. All I know is

how to operate it. Nothing more, nothing less."

The tool in Washu's right hand is slowly starting to bend as the
pressure
she is exerting on it increases. "I thought I told you never to call me
Little Washu!!!" The anger fades away when she remembers what else Kyoto

has told her. "You know nothing about it?!"

Kyoto shrugs. "I've told you all I know. The only thing I can think of
to
do is to travel to Anopon Prime and try to find this dimension's
analogue
of this station. You and I could take Ryo-"

"Hold it!" snaps Washu. "What makes you think that I'll go anywhere
alone
with you?"

"Well, we really don't have much choice, now do we?" Kyoto shoots back.
"B'sides, we can take Muriyaki if you-:"

"I'll take Ryo-ohki alone, thank you very much," Washu returns, "Just to
be
on the safe side. Now Ryo-ohki's fast, but it'll take us a while to get
out
there and back-figure maybe two weeks-"

"Remember that we need to break Ayeka, Sasami, and Nobuyuki outta jail,
and
our people on-surface will need to get outta there in a hurry," points
out
Kyoto. "If you could maybe work some of your magic on the station's
conventional translight drive-"

Washu nods. "In conventional supralight, this sucker pulls about half a
Yagami-class patrol ship's flank speed, right?" At Kyoto's nod, she
continues, "How 'bout I give you a Juraian first-generation
dreadnought's
max emergency speed? Lord knows you've got the firepower to be one."



Meanwhile, Tenchi and Kiyone have joined Mihoshi for breakfast. Before
they
stop to eat breakfast, Kiyone checks her watch and then turns a small
dial
on the rim. This small dial will produce a blanketing effect that will
effectively jam any listening devices and to anyone in the room who
happens
to be trying to eavesdrop it will make the conversation sound mere small

talk. Naturally, it is not. As she and Tenchi sit down Mihoshi watches
them.

"Boy, you two are acting just like you're married!" she observes
brilliantly. Tenchi and Kiyone exchange exasperated glances at this, as
they usually do when ever she opens her mouth. Mihoshi pushes a folded
newspaper across the table to breakfast companions. "Look at the front
page."

On the front is a picture of Ayeka, Sasami, and Nobuyuki. The headline
says, "Notorious Criminal Trio captured. Trial date set for two weeks.
Guilty verdict and capital punishment expected."

Tenchi's face takes on a thoughtful expression. "Two weeks, that gives
us
quite a little breathing room to think of a good plan to get them out."

"Yes, it does." agrees Kiyone.

The two of them deliberately avoid looking at each other while Mihoshi
is
around, fearful that they might....well, you know! However, their hands
are
still clasped tightly together.

Just then, a very nondescript looking person wearing the neutral-colored

garb of a palace bureaucrat sits down in the seat next to Mihoshi.
Mustering the most polite expression she can, Kiyone says, "Um, excuse
me,
Sir, but this is a private table. Reserved for--"

"A high school kid and two Galaxy Police detectives?" says the man. He
doesn't look at all familiar to them, but they all recognize the voice.

"Kyoto! What are you doing here?!" hisses Tenchi.

"Pretty much the same thing you are. Planning how to get our friends out
of
jail."

While Kiyone and Tenchi bristle at this guys calling of their friends
his
friends they figure they can use all the help they can get.

Tenchi nods, "Alright, what do you have to contribute?"

Kyoto grins, "What do you mean, what do I have to contribute? I can
shift
form and shape at will! I could disguise myself as anybody and get into
that prison and get them out! What you guys need to do is get
transportation ready and run interference."

"You mean we're being reduced to mere diversions?!" snaps Kiyone, rather

pissed off at being considered a mere bit player.

"As much as I wish I could hand you a starring role, my dear, this is
hardly the time or place to be worrying about what might look good on
your
resume," shoots back Kyoto with equal coldness.

Just then they see the expression on Mihoshi's face, one of amazement
and
terror.

They follow her gaze to see.... themselves walking into the room!

Naturally, there are subtle differences.

This universe's President Mihoshi is dressed in a smartly tailored
business
suit and has a pair of tinted spectacles perched on her nose. Underneath

her arm she is carrying a thick leather binder.

Kiyone is wearing the full dress uniform of a Director General of Galaxy

Police, complete with full decoration jacket and skirt.

Tenchi is dressed in a black suit with a pair of black, Ray-Ban
sunglasses
in front of his eyes. Plugged into his right ear is a small earphone
whose
cord runs down the back of his neck and into the jacket. A diminutive
name
tag clipped to his jacket's left breast pocket flap denotes his position
as
the Chief of the Federal Intelligence and Investigation Authority (the
F.I.I.A.), and the bulge of a pistol is visible under his arm. He looks
like a typical Secret Service Agent from Earth.

All three of them seem to be rather young to have obtained their current

positions, yet it is known throughout this universe that they are the
very
best at what they do.

Kyoto takes his first sip and regrettably his last sip of an iced
cappuccino. "...But, this time I think I'll run interference, while you
guys make the escape. I'll meet you guys at this address in two hours."

He hands them the address of a local shopping center. Before their very
eyes, and yet, quite unobtrusively, he shifts form and transforms
himself
into....himself, only in full royal regalia as Crown Prince Kyoto, heir
to
the throne of Jurai. "Madame President! Madame President! Police Chief
Kiyone, Security Chief Tenchi, can I speak to you here for a second?"

Everyone in the room is shocked as they see the heir and prince suddenly

appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

Tenchi, Kiyone, and Mihoshi quickly slip through the door while their
counterparts of this universe are talking. Kiyone was the last to leave
the
room and for a brief second she caught the eye of the other Kiyone.
Curious
to this sighting, the Kiyone of this universe attempts to free herself
from
the conversation in order to pursue her quarry, but finds herself
unsuccessful.



Meanwhile, at the holding complex.....

"I don't know, this is all rather irregular!" The uniformed guard at the

admissions desk at the local holding facility is noticeably disturbed
about
the visitors requesting to see the newest arrivals. You see, they are
two
powerful-looking men, dressed in ancient Juraian warrior garb. One has
long, dark purple-blue hair and a beard; the other reddish hair in a
complicated arrangement atop his head. Both of them are carrying
nasty-looking fighting pikes.

Blue Hair says, "But we really must see them! It's a matter of life and
death!"

"And, who are you?" asks the official, gathering a little bit more
courage.
Red Hair says, "We are--"

"Their attorneys!" interrupts Blue Hair. "Yes, that's right, we are
their
attorneys!"

"And can I see some I.D, like your bar association card?" asks the
official, putting more sarcasm than necessary into the voice.

"Of course." The two men--who we know to be Azaka and Kamidake--slide
their
identification across the counter. The guard finds nothing strange about

Kamidake's, but Azaka's--"You were a black Marine in 1968?!?!"

Azaka goes pale. "Uh, well, y'see, that belong to a good friend of mine,

died in the war, only thing left of him...." He fumbles around in his
pocket and produces two other items. "I believe these are what you want
to
see." The guard looks down at Azaka's bar card and--"What is this?!"

Kamidake shrugs. "What, never seen a five hundred Jurai bill before?"


Evidently not, for the guard looks like he's about to go into cardiac
arrest. After a long few moments, he pockets the bill and pushes the bar

card back across the counter. He hits a key and the inner door swings
open.
"Twenty minutes, no more."

The two Guardians walk quickly down the corridor, only to find that
they've
been beaten to the draw. Prince Kyoto is already in the cell, with two
gorgeous women, one with long blue hair and the other with long red
hair--this universe's Azaka and Kamidake.

Azaka, in a tiny little French maid's outfit, has Nobuyuki pinned on the

floor in a very compromising position. He couldn't move if he wanted to
(and he doesn't!). Kamidake, in a long trenchcoat, has gently sedated
Sasami, who is stretched out on the couch. For his part, Prince Kyoto is

attempting to seduce Ayeka. He's not having much luck.

"....But it would be such a small sacrifice! For your life, for your
freedom, for the lives of your husband and daughter....It's not so much
to
give up, why do you insist on denying me?" He is standing right behind
her,
has himself pressed up against her, is reaching between her legs with
one
hand and roughly cupping a breast in the other.

"Uh, excuse us?" Everyone turns to see the two knights in the doorway.
Kyoto suddenly realizes what his position looks like and roughly pushes
Ayeka away. "I gave specific orders to be undisturbed!"

The two knights arch their eyebrows. "We can see why."

Kyoto's face flushes with horror. "No, no, that's no it at all! I
was....merely....imploring this hardened criminal to....to.... to plead
guilty! Yes, to plead guilty! For the sake of her family and her soul!"

Kamidake snorts. "Looked more like an attempted rape to me....your
highness."

Ayeka's face brightens at the sudden appearance of her guardians.
"Azaka!
Kamidake!" She rushes to the nearest one--Azaka--and clutches him
tightly.
"Oh, thank God for the both of you."

The girls Azaka and Kamidake look rather confused. Kyoto just looks
pissed.

"I will not allow any more interruptions! You two leave! Now."

Another figure steps through the open doorway, a nondescript individual
in
a FedEx uniform steps through. "FedEx, gotta package for some guy
named....
Prince Kyoto or somethin'."

Prince Kyoto draws himself up to his full height. "I am Crown Prince
Kyoto
of the Jurai Royal Family, heir to the throne of the universe's most
powerful planet. You have something for me, vermin?"

"Yeah, right here." A moment later, the prince finds himself staring
down
the barrel of a GP-issue laser pistol, the larger, more powerful caliber

that Kiyone carries. "Okay, princy-boy, just stand there while my
friends
and I leave." The FedEx man motions to Kamidake, who steps over to the
couch and picks up the still-sleeping Sasami. Azaka, after Ayeka has
released him, pries the female Azaka off of Nobuyuki and drags him to
his
feet. They and Ayeka file out of the room, even Nobuyuki, who can't
understand why he's being dragged away from such a great girl....

Once his friends have left, the FedEx guy aims his gun at the prince.
"Now,
buddy, if I were you, I'd forget I was ever here, capisce? This would
not
look good in the papers, now, would it?" Prince Kyoto can do little but
nod, dumbfounded. The FedEx guy leaves the room--and the prince�s eyes
bug
out a moment later as his own head appears in the doorway, grinning.
"Oh,
and by the way, princy, your wife is one great piece of tail. Yum, yum!"

The head disappears. That had snapped the prince out of his shock.
Roaring,
he rips his own laser out of his jacket and rushes out of the room and
into
the corridor.

Meanwhile, Tenchi and Kiyone have entered the lobby. Both of them are
dressed in midnight-black business suits (the only difference is, she�s
wearing a skirt) and white button-down shirts with black ties. Kiyone�s
Ray-Bans are pushed up on her forehead, while Tenchi has his tinted
aviators down over his eyes and a scowl on his face. Kiyone produces
identification. "Agent Kumi, F.I.I.A. This is Agent Takeshi. We�re here
to
escort Ayeka and her family to the secure facility at the spaceport."

The clerk/guard is flipping through his records. "Uh, I don�t see any
records of--"

"Of course you don�t, idiot!" snarls Tenchi, doing a passable imitation
of
the brutish G-man. "This relocation is classified up the yin-yang. D�ya
think that you would have been forwarded records of it?!"

The guard wilts under this harshness. "Alright, Agents, but you�ll have
to
wait. You see--" He stops as Kiyone levels her large pistol in his face.

Tenchi has borrowed Mihoshi�s snub-nosed blaster, and he has it out now.

"Take us to them now, or--"

The inner doors burst open. First out is Kamidake, running as fast he
can
and still carry Sasami safely. Next is Azaka, dragging the
still-protesting
Nobuyuki with him. Ayeka quickly follows, holding up her skirt enough to

really run. Kyoto, dressed like his royal counterpart, is last man out,
still firing his laser down the hall. He turns to the guard. "Quick,
close
the doors! A dangerous criminal has escaped; I can barely hold him off!"

"Y-yes, your highness!" cries the guard, hitting the closedown switch.
The
giant blast door slaps down, effectively sealing the "dangerous
criminal"
in. Kyoto shakes the guard�s hand. "Thank you, Lieutenant, you will be
rewarded. These agents and I will take over now."

Waiting outside is a parked hovervan, with Mihoshi at the wheel (she
really
is a good driver). She hops out and helps everyone in, then slides back
behind the wheel.

Kiyone drops into Tenchi�s lap--the van is too crowded for anything
else--and looks at Mihoshi. "Program the autopilot for the spaceport,
Mihoshi."

"Which file?" the blonde detective inquires.

"It should be listed under �spaceport1.apt�." Kiyone curls up against
Tenchi, and draws his arms around her. Somehow, both of them are unaware
of
Ayeka�s scathing glare. The hovervan starts to move, and she closes her
eyes, feeling strangely satisfied.

That feeling lasts for a few blocks, until she hears Mihoshi whimpering.

Tenchi�s reassuring voice asks, "What is it, Mihoshi?" Kiyone snaps into

consciousness as Mihoshi wails, "Roadblock!"

Mihoshi is right. Ahead of them is a blockade consisting of a half-dozen

squad cars, a couple of armed SWAT vans, and maybe thirty GP officers,
all
training their weapons on the approaching van.

"How the hell did this happen?" asks Tenchi, his eyes the size of
satellite
dishes.

Kiyone reluctantly rises from his lap and climbs into the shotgun slot
next
to Mihoshi. Her eyes are also large. "Oh lord, look who�s in charge."

Tenchi and Mihoshi follow her outstretched finger to see.....the other
Kiyone! Dressed in a regular duty uniform, the Chief of the Galaxy
Police
raises a megaphone. "Attention van, cut your engines and pull over now.
If
you do not comply we will be forced to open fire on you."

"What�s up?" Tenchi and Kiyone turn to look at Kyoto, who is staring out

the window with a blank expression.

Tenchi sighs points out the windshield. "That�s what�s up. They�ve
thrown
up a fricking roadblock."

Kiyone shakes her head. "I don�t know how they knew, but...." She sighs,

and Tenchi rests a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

They look up at Kyoto to see him looking a little sheepish. They don�t
know
what surprises them more, that he has such an expression or that he�s
capable of wearing one. "What is it?"

Kyoto speaks in a small voice. "Do you guys recall the �dangerous
criminal�
routine in the holding facility?" When they nod, he sighs. "The thing
is, I
had the guard....sorta, kinda, lock the other Kyoto in there."

Tenchi groans. "Oh, great. And now he�s sicced the GPs on us. What now?"

"Don�t worry," reassures Kyoto. As they glare up at him he explains.
"Kiyone, does this heap have a top hatch?"

Kiyone nods, and he wipes the sweat from his brow. "Okay, this is all
gonna
hinge on Washu�s expertise as a mechanic. He pulls a cell-phone-like
device
from his pocket, flips it open, and taps in a number. "Washu, you better

have that engine fixed!"

"Barely!" she snaps back, her voice sounding slightly tinny through the
speaker.

"Okay, then, bring 'er down, home in on this signal." He hits another
switch on the phone and repockets it. A moment later it rings again. He
flips it open, annoyed. "What now?"

"The ship won�t respond!!" Washu yells.

"What?! That�s impossible, it should be--" Suddenly his face falls. "Oh,

hell,...."

"Now what!" asks an exasperated Kiyone.

"I....accidentally....brought....the control key....with me?"

Tenchi looks up at the ceiling. "And what are we gonna do now?"

"Relax. I always have a plan �B�." Kyoto heads back to the
aforementioned
topside hatch and climbs up the ladder, throwing the hatch open.
Steadying
himself as much as he can, he draws his sword Edgatho and cries out at
the
top of his lungs, "Come to me, my Chisako!"

The sky above them starts to darken, as if the capital was in for a
storm.
Then, with a loud sound like a sonic boom, the mighty station drops into

the atmosphere, the five outer saucers spinning slowly. The
GPs--including
their Director General--scream and run for cover, although a few
brave--or
suicidal--souls fire their popguns up at the looming behemoth. Chisako
comes to a rest several dozen meters above their heads, the central hub
hanging right above the van. A sparkling column of light manifests
itself
where Kyoto is standing. As it envelops him and he fades away, he yells,

"Come on, hurry up, this won�t last forever!"

Ayeka is pushed through first, forestalling any complaining from her.
Kamidake, still holding Sasami, steps through next, followed by Azaka,
and
then Nobuyuki, who has finally stopped complaining, and then Mihoshi,
who
had long since stopped the van and climbed out of the driver�s seat.
Finally Tenchi and Kiyone, hand in hand, step into the beam and
disappear.

When they reappear, they are standing on Chisako�s bridge. Kamidake has
settled Sasami, now awake but still weary, in a chair, and Ryo-ohki
scampers up and jumps into her lap. "Mow, meow, meow!" Ryoko and Ayeka
are
openly glaring at Kiyone, but there is no time for petty bickering now.

Tenchi turns to Kyoto. "Well, Kyoto, let�s get outta here."

"Consider it done. In fact, I--" He cuts himself of with an Anoponese
curse. "Washu, I thought you said you fixed this!"

"I thought I did!" Washu shoots back. "Do you know how many systems I
had
to jury-rig to--whoa!!!! What the hell?!"

She and everyone else had been thrown roughly up into the air and
slammed
back down--hard. Kyoto staggers to his feet and makes his way back to
his
console. "Aggh! We�re losing altitude! The engines have given out
completely!"

          "What!!!" screams Tenchi. Kiyone is clinging tightly to him. A

          moment later Sasami joins her, burying her face in Tenchi�s
          stomach. "Tenchi, I�m scared!"

He wraps his free arm around her. "Shh, shh, don�t worry Sasami, it�s
gonna
be alright, it�s gonna be alright...."

Tenchi brings his eyes up to meet Kiyone�s, and she smiles sadly. If he
had
said something sooner....maybe....I�m sorry, Kiyone, he thinks. I wish
I�d
told you sooner. I....oh, darling, I�m so sorry....

Suddenly in his mind he hears her voice say, Oh, my Tenchi, at least we
had
this time together. It�s all right, love, it�s all right....Sasami would

have made a great daughter, huh?

Tenchi finds himself smiling at Kiyone. He draws both her and Sasami as
tightly to him as he can. And you would have made a wonderful
mother....and
wi--

The thought is cut off as he hears Sasami yell out, "Ryo-ohki, don�t eat

that!" A moment later, a sizzling sound and Ryo-ohki meow-screaming
echoes
through the compartment. "Mi-ya...ow..."

Kyoto shakes his head ruefully. "I knew I should have replaced those
transcapacitors back whe--oh my lord, that�s it! Washu, get over to the
far
wall and pull out a box marked �Emergency Gear�."

Washu returns a moment later with the box. "Okay, whatcha gonna do with
it?"

"Just watch." He pulls the aforementioned transcapacitor--which does
look
like a carrot--out of its slot and replaces it with a conductor cable.
He
then hooks the other end of the cable to the transcapacitor and dangles
the
device in front of Ryo-ohki. "Here, girl, wanna bite?"

Ryo-ohki, not having learned from the last experience, jumps up, clamps
her
teeth down on the transcapacitor. Instead of taking the brunt of the
electrical shock herself this time, however, she channels most of it
into
the transcapacitor and into the cable and into the computer. The lights
suddenly snap back on and they feel Chisako literally skidding to a stop
a
mere hundred meters above the Palace.

"We�ve got an energy surge!" yells Washu. "I don�t know how long it�ll
last
for, but we got it now!"

"Full thrusters, hit FTL once we clear the atmosphere," directs Kyoto.

"You got it!" Washu taps in the directions, and Chisako shoots up
through
the atmosphere. Once in space, the translight drives kick in and they�re
on
their way once more.

"Ahhh..." Tenchi slumps in relief. "That was too close."

Kiyone looks up at him, smiling again. "We got out of it, didn�t we?"

Tenchi nods and smiles back. "Yeah, we did."

Sasami looks back and forth between the two of them. "Are you two
boyfriend
and girlfriend now?"

They both burst out laughing, and look at each other. After a moment.
Kiyone leans up and kisses Tenchi on the cheek; he grins sheepishly.
"Yeah,
Sasami, we are."

Sasami grins broadly. "Can I be the flower girl at your wedding?"

Before either of them can answer, Ryoko is suddenly in their face. "Hey,

hey, hey, what�s goin� on here?! Tenchi, you�re not seri--"

"Yes, I am," says Tenchi firmly. "I�m sorry if this hurts you, but
Kiyone
and I...."

"....we love each other," finishes Kiyone.

Mihoshi starts to cry. "I�m so happy!"

Kyoto groans. "Great, this is just what we need." He leers at Ryoko.
"Come
on over and sit in Santa�s lap, baby, lemme give you some candy."

Ayeka huffs and leaves the room. Sasami is still grinning. "Kiyone and
Tenchi sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g,...."







THE END