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 permission from R&C Books. If you would like to use
any of these characters in your work, please contact the 
licensing department at RCBooks@hotmail.com
or visit our website at www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/1375.



AUTHOR'S NOTE: This episode is the most graphic of the 
normal series episodes so far. Please be aware that this
episode does contains some graphic sexuality. Reader's
discretion is advised.







                                 Episode #7

                       No Need for a Second World War









"Beep... Beep... Beep..." goes the radar screen. During
the midnight to six a.m. shift at the radar watch, things
tend to get boring, so a seasoned radar operator generally
brings along a book... or two... or three... to keep him or
herself awake and alert.

This radar operator in particular has been having trouble
staying up during these shifts, so he has brought in a very
large stack of manga. He is just starting to thumb through
the latest issue of Gigantor, when suddenly his screen
starts pinging furiously. He straightens up, takes a look
at the screen, double checks, triple checks, just to make
sure that he isn't going blind or crazy, and then 
hesitantly picks up his phone. "Captain Nobuyuki, this is 
Kagato at radar screen four-twenty-seven, we're picking
up this really huge sucker coming down maybe five hundred
klicks from Kyushu's shore."

"I'll be right down," responds the captain.

A few minutes later, Captain Nobuyuki of the Japan air 
guard steps into the radar room. "Okay, Sergeant, what is 
it, let's see this." He looks at the screen. "Okay, 
Sergeant, you were right. I'll put out a call to the air 
wing commander." He picks up the phone. "Colonel Tenchi,
Please."

"This is Colonel Tenchi," replies a tired sounding voice.

"Colonel, we have a very large bogie heading for a splash
down in the Sea of Japan about... five hundred klicks off
Kyushu's shore. We recommend that you dispatch someone
to see it."

"Alright, alright, I'll go out myself. Just give me a few
minutes to get myself moving." The phone on the other end
clicks off.



* * *



"Tell me why again, we're splashing down now that we've
found out that this isn't the Earth we're after?" Tenchi,
as always, is trying to find a logical answer.

"The engines overheated again," says Kyoto. He casts a mild
glare at Washu. "Evidently, Professor, your engineering
skills have atrophied since I was last your student."

"Don't get on my back, Kyoto," she warns. "At least I got
this old wreck of yours running again, didn't I?"

"Tell me, Kyoto, what makes you so sure that we won't get
ourselves shot down?.... Kyoto?.... Kyoto?"

"He just left," observes Ryoko. "He told me that he had to
take care of something before we splashed down."

The ship splashes down about five minutes later with little
jarring. And everyone is standing around, wondering
what to do when Kyoto walks back in, with an old World War
II Japanese flag draped over one shoulder.

"Why'd you pull that old flag out of your closet?" asks 
Nobuyuki.

"Do you remember the observations I made upon our arrival
in orbit? That there were no satellites and the only kind
of radio transmissions we could detect were the kind that
were prevalent during World War II?"

"Yes."

"Well, I have a hunch that we may have ended up on a planet
that is still in the middle of that conflict. And if we 
have, I just chose sides."

"But weren't you going to ask the rest of us which sides
we wanted?" asks Tenchi.

"Look at it this way," muses Kyoto. "Think about our names,
our mannerisms, everything about us. Whether or not we look
Japanese or act Japanese, they see us as Japanese and 
you've read the history, they weren't exactly kind to our
people, not even the ones who were innocent. Now, granted,
what the Japanese government did deserved censure and such,
but anyway, I'm putting us on the side likeliest to treat
us well during the war and God willing, we'll be out of 
here long before it's over. Now, who's going to help me 
raise this thing on top?"

Katsuhito straightens up. "I was a medic during that war,
I'll help you."

Kiyone leans over to Tenchi and whispers, "Wow, you're
Grandpa is something else. A prince of Jurai who was also
a shrine priest and an army medic."

"Yep, Grandpa's had a colorful history," remarks Tenchi.
"And these have been a colorful five months."

Kiyone nods. It has been five months since they left the 
dimension where they helped to overthrow an interstellar
dictatorship, and each dimensional fold they make seems
to take them further and further from home. She giggles.
"Remember the last dimension we visited, Tenchi?"

Tenchi does, all too well. In the previous universe,
Kiyone was the empress of a planet-- and he was her sex 
slave. Normally, he wouldn't mind. However, on this world,
he was also a girl. The thought of having.... himself
trying to come on to him sends shivers running up and down
his spine. Kiyone, for her part, spent most of that 
adventure laughing as he was chased around the palace by 
Tenko. She stopped laughing when the other Kiyone started
getting interested in both him and her. "Let's hope this
doesn't happen, again."

Kiyone giggles childishly, and rests her head on his 
shoulder. "Don't worry, Tenchi, I won't let any 
nymphomaniac princesses come and carry my daddy away."

Tenchi turns a brilliant shade of crimson and whispers
in her ear, "Kiyone, not now...."

This prompts Sasami to look over at them and to say, "You
two are being naughty, aren't you?"

* * *



"Colonel Tenchi, I've got sight of them. Um....about
nine o'clock low, about ten klicks to the east."

"I roger that. Good eye, Sasami," adds Tenchi.

There comes a giggle from the speaker. "Thanks, big 
brother."

Tenchi shakes his head ruefully at himself. He should never
have sponsored Sasami to go up for her pilot's wings. But,
no, no, she had to look up at him with those puppy-dog
eyes and damn whatever their parents said, and if she got
herself shot down, he knew that his mom and dad would never
forgive him. So, he asked for her to be his second in his
squadron. Both so that he could keep an eye on her, and 
watch his own back.

"Colonel," returns her voice.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"We've got-- Oh, geez! That's incredible.... Colonel,
Colonel, they're flying our colors!"

Now Tenchi is surprised. "They're flying Japanese colors?
Are you sure this isn't some kind of American or British
trick?"

"I'm checking, Sir, and.... No, it's definitely one of 
ours. I think they see me Sir, and they're saluting me!"

"Well, if it's a fake, it sounds like one of the best fakes
I've ever heard of. I'm banking in to join you, Lieutenant,
return to base."

Colonel Tenchi's instructions to Sasami were unwarranted,
for even as the two men start to wave at her, a runway
starts to manifest itself. On a lark, she decides to bring
her plane in and manages a perfect landing.

About five minutes later, Colonel Tenchi swoops in and 
elects to join her. The first thing that he sees, aside
from Sasami, is two men saluting him. One appears to be 
well into his later years, but is still trim and well kept.
He has a droopy mustache and a pair of glasses, but his old
eyes are still alert. He is dressed in the robes of a 
shrine priest. The other is wearing the uniform of an 
Imperial Navy Captain. His eyes are amber, almost a brass
shade, and his hair drawn back in a braid is... It must be
black, because it looks like forest green, but that's most
likely a trick of the light or something drawn up to...
well he can't think of a reason why someone would, but 
still. Realizing that the men are still holding their 
salutes, he returns them. "Good morning! My name is Colonel
Tenchi, I'm the commander of the 134 Tactical Defense
Wing based at the Nagasaki Aerodrome. I see you've already
met Lieutenant Sasami. And you gentlemen are?"

Katsuhito draws himself up to full attention. "Staff 
Sergeant Katsuhito Masaki, a former medic with the 127 
Civil Defense Brigade, sir!"

"How formerly?" asks Colonel Tenchi, with an air of benign
amusement.

"Not, so long, sir."

"Well, at ease, Sergeant. And you, Captain, are?"

"Kyoto Minamoto, captain of this here ship, the Chisako."

Colonel Tenchi nods. "Wasn't really able to make out the 
shape, lot of fog, and there must be something wrong with
your running lights, but still, I can swear that I haven't
seen something like this before."

This guy, Kyoto, his smile turns a bit strange for a split
second. "Oh, we'll get to that in due time. Why don't you
come down stairs with us in the mean time? We just put some
hot tea on."

"Oh, I think I'd like that. Anyway, what kind of ship is 
this?"

This guy, Kyoto laughs. "You wouldn't believe me if I told
you."

Tenchi laughs. "Okay, let's go downstairs and get that 
tea."

"Oh, by the way, which way is the harbor?"

Colonel Tenchi gives him a quizzical look. "Shouldn't
you know?"

Kyoto has the grace to look a bit sheepish. "I suppose
I should know, Colonel, but I spent most of my career with
the detachment at Okinawa and this is my first command
and I've really never been off shore before."

"Really?" An iciness seeps into Tenchi's voice. "And how 
exactly did you manage to get command of a ship like this
with no sea time?"

"Did I say off shore?" Kyoto grins. "I meant in the 
vicinity of Japan. I've spent most of my career all over
the southern Pacific. Been to Bali four times, Midway,
Guam, even Taiwan once or twice."

"Oh, oh, I see." Colonel Tenchi relaxes some. "Now, about
that tea?"

"Oh, certainly. Come on down." And they head down. 
Katsuhito and Kyoto lead him to the kitchen or what they
say is a kitchen. Instead, it's a semi-open area with 
several desks loaded with all sorts of electronics
gear and chairs in front of them --comfortable chairs by 
the look of them-- and a semi-circular console in the 
middle of the room. Also circling the room is a semi-round,
hollow table. Around these tables is a small grouping
of people.

"Where's the tea?" asks Colonel Tenchi.

"Right over here." Kyoto leads him to a food processor.
"What kind of tea would you like?"

"Um... green tea, hot." A minute later, green tea appears
in front of him. Colonel Tenchi looks around, his right
hand on the butt of his pistol.

"No tricks, no magic," explains Kyoto. "Just drink it. Or 
if you'd rather, you could have Lieutenant Sasami here try
it?"

"No!" he snaps. Looking at the looks of surprise this 
vehemence has caused, he says more gently, "No, no, that's
alright, I'll try it." Picking up the flask and tipping
it back gently to his lips he takes a slow drink. "It's
green tea, alright. Hot too, it's very good. Um, would I be
asking a bad thing if I asked where it came from?"

"No, you wouldn't. It will be explained all in good time.
I feel that I should introduce you to the rest of our 
group. Well, we might as well start with what we call....
well.... your analogs. Tenchi, come on up here."

Colonel Tenchi is, to say the least, shocked when he sees
a younger version of himself dressed in casual clothing
come up with a beautiful young lady leaning on his arm. 
"This is Tenchi Masaki, Katsuhito's grandson and the next
one in line to become the Emperor of Jurai--we'll
explain about Jurai in a little while. This lovely lady on
his arm is his fianceé, Kiyone Makibi, a detective sergeant
with the Galaxy Police."

"Galaxy Police?" repeats Colonel Tenchi, his face taking
on an expression of incredulity. "But, this is--"

"Yes, yes, we're aware what year this is, we'll explain
where we come from in due course. Next here, we have Ryoko,
a former... how shall I put it.... free trader."

This Ryoko character is tall and slender and attractive.
Her amber eyes go from affection to piercing to mocking
to anger within the click of a second. Her pale, blue hair
is pulled up in an ascending and descending series of 
spikes. Both she and Kiyone remind Tenchi of a couple of 
friends of his, German pilots at the air base at Sapporo.

"...And here we have Princesses Ayeka and Sasami, the other
members of the Royal family of Jurai." Ayeka has two long,
twin tails of deep lavender hair and a shoulder length
bowl-like cut of similar color. Her purple eyes and regal
bearing add up to an attractive, if not passionately
ignitive, combination. And Sasami is....

Colonel Tenchi bends down. "Sasami?"

"Yeah, that's me." Confusedly, Tenchi looks back and forth
between this Sasami and his Lieutenant Sasami, his little
sister.

"Like I said," says Kyoto. "We'll explain this all in a 
little while. Next, we have here Mihoshi Kuramitsu,
Kiyone's partner and another detective with the Galaxy--"

"Mihoshi?!" The look on Colonel Tenchi's face is 
unmistakable, the kind of look one reserves for a close
friend, or a child, or a parent, or a lover, or a spouse.
"Mihoshi... I.. I..."

"What is it, Tenchi?"

Colonel Tenchi shakes his head. There is something missing
in this Mihoshi that's ever present in his wife--namely,
intelligence. "And, uh... the rest of your crew?"

"Next we have Nobuyuki Masaki."

"That's odd. You look like one of the radar operators
at the base."

"I do?" While described as the old man's apparent son, this
Nobuyuki character looks in rather worse shape than 
Katsuhito. Later, he finds out that this was due to the 
loss of his wife, which he can understand.

"... And finally, we have here Professor Washu, one of the
universe's greatest minds--"

"The universe's greatest mind!" yells Washu. This lady 
looks very young, the hair style is similar to Ryoko's,
but faces in a different direction and is cotton-candy
pink. The light in her green, smoldering eyes is one of 
intelligence and creativity, and an unlimited amount of 
mischief. One look at her assures Colonel Tenchi that he 
would not want to be on the wrong side in case she got into
an argument with someone, and at that, his side would most
likely be the one she was arguing against.

"Okay, I've had all your introductions and you all seem 
like very nice people, but I think I need an explanation
now."

And so Kyoto and Katsuhito explain it to him.

After about an hour, Colonel Tenchi is, if not firmly 
convinced that these guys are telling the truth, that he is
at least convinced that they are not not telling the truth.
Lieutenant Sasami, of course, with her gentle, child-like
heart and ability to discern the true hearts of people,
has immediately taken to them. In fact, she is already
playing with the small, cat/rabbit-like creature pet that
they have dubbed Ryo-ohki.

"That thing is funny." he remarks. "It looks like a 
combination of a cat and a rabbit, it eats carrots, it 
meows, and you say it transforms into a space ship?"

"That's right," says Tenchi(a) --for reference purposes,
we'll be referring to our universe's characters as (a) and
the one's from this planet (b). "A very mean spaceship,
if you're on the receiving end."

Tenchi(b) chuckles. "I can imagine."

Kyoto(a) emerges from the pilot's chair which he had been
at for the past hour or so. "Okay, we're under way. We 
should be at Nagasaki harbor by morning."

"By morning?!" says Kiyone(a), taken by surprise.

"Listen, this sucker's been shot to hell and back, and even
as it was, its top underwater speed wasn't that high. We'll
be lucky if we pull ten knots." He turns to Colonel Tenchi
and Lieutenant Sasami. "You two are welcome to stay with
us the night. We promise we won't do anything to you." And
a ripple of laughter runs through the crowd. The two of 
them nod and since they're staying the night, they're
obviously staying for dinner. And, since it appear that 
they have honored guests, the dinner is a veritable
feast. During the dinner, Kiyone(a) asks Colonel Tenchi
what his wife is like.

"Here, I've got a picture of her in my wallet." He pulls
out his wallet, flips it open, and pulls out her picture.
Inside is a picture of him in his uniform, back when he was
just a major, and.... Mihoshi?!

"Your wife's name is Mihoshi?" says Tenchi(a), surprised.
Colonel Tenchi looks up, equally surprised.

"Yeah, we've been married about eight years now."

"And, what does she do for a living?" asks Kiyone(a),
as if totally shocked by this.

"Oh, she's a housewife, but she's really bright! Before
we married, she was a schoolteacher." The rest of the group
is shocked, to say the least.

Kyoto's predictions were right. The Chisako, largely 
submerged and floating under the cover of a rather large
fishing trawler, docks in Nagasaki at that time the next
morning.

"After I check in at the base, I'll be on leave for a few
days. Some of you guys are welcome to stay at our house,
we don't have a lot of room, but we can offer some good 
hospitality," offers Tenchi(b).

"What about me, big brother?" chirps Lieutenant Sasami.

"Oh, Sasami." He runs an affectionate hand through her head
of hair. In the end, it is Tenchi, Kiyone, Kyoto and Ryoko,
who elect to go with Tenchi(b) and Sasami(b) to Tenchi(b)
and Mihoshi(b)'s house. The rest decided to stay aboard
the station, except for Katsuhito(a), who plans to wander
the town, being of whatever help he can to anyone.

After stopping at the base to sign over the aircraft,
which Kyoto was helpful in returning, and dropping 
Sasami(b) off at their parents, Colonel Tenchi finally
makes his way back to his home.

Knocking on the door, he calls out, "Honey, I'm home!"

"Tenchi, is that you? You're back already?" Mihoshi(b)
comes rushing up, dressed in a simple kimono and a smile.
Throwing her arms around Colonel Tenchi, she showers his 
face with kisses. "Why didn't you call in last night? You
were supposed to be home last night, where were you?"

"Um... it was official business."

She gives him a mock glare. "Sure it was. I know all about
you pilots and your playboy lives. A girl in every port--"

"That may be true for other pilots," counters Colonel
Tenchi with a grin, "but you're the only lady this flyboy
wants."

She smiles lovingly. "You always did know how to sweet-talk
me." They kiss again, and Tenchi(a) could swear that he 
sees some tongue action.

Already, the guests are thrown off balance by this total
un-Mihoshi Mihoshi.

"And, who are these guest yo-- My goodness, Tenchi, this
one here looks almost exactly like you!"

"It's a family resemblance, Ma'am," says the guest. "I'm
Tenchi's.... second cousin, Hikaru."

"His second cousin? I wasn't aware that you had any male
second cousins?"

"Well... uh... you see dear, Hikaru has been abroad. He's
been away on business for a long time now, and he's just
come back."

"Oh, well, welcome back to Japan, Hikaru. I take it that
this is your wife?"

"Yes, ma'am, this is my wife, Kiyone and these are our 
friends, Kyoto, and his wife, Ryoko. If it's okay with you
ma'am--"

"Oh, please," interrupts Mihoshi with a smile, "Call me 
Mihoshi. We get visitors so rarely, I enjoy entertaining.
You were saying?"

"Ah, yes ma'am-- I mean, Mihoshi, I was hoping that you'd
be kind enough to put us up for a little while until we 
could find work of our own. You see, I'm an engineer
by trade and Kyoto, here, is an architect, and we're hoping
that we'll be able to find jobs here in Nagasaki."

"Well, I'm sure that there'll be plenty of jobs open for 
men like you. Please, sit down, I'll get you some tea or 
some saké. Dinner will be ready shortly." Mihoshi scurries
back off into the kitchen.

As everyone removes their shoes, Colonel Tenchi removes
his jacket and cap, and loosens his tie. "I think I'll go 
into the kitchen and help Mihoshi tonight. Everyone just
relax, dinner will be out soon."



Kyoto is the first to sit down and he pats his lap. "Come
on, Ryoko," he says, "There's plenty of room for you right
here."

The Ryoko that Tenchi and Kiyone know would be likely to 
lash out with an epithet or a physical action that might
result in Kyoto becoming castrated. However, this one just
looks at him and says, "Won't they object?"

"I'm sure they won't, now, come on."

"Oh, very well, Master, your wish is my command, Master,"
she says, jokingly. But, she does sit down next to him.

"What's happened these past five months between them?"
whispers Kiyone.

"Don't complain! I think it's good for both of them," 
returns Tenchi. Naturally, they don't need bantering
or bad jokes. Kiyone automatically fits in Tenchi's lap.

From time to time they hear stifled noises from the 
kitchen, usually Mihoshi moaning or whimpering happily.
Being polite guests, however, they keep their mouths shut.

A minute later, Colonel Tenchi comes out with a tray of 
cigars and pipe tobacco, as well as several small saucers
and a large bottle of saké.

"I broke out the special saké just for your occasion,"
he explains.

Kyoto squints at the brand label. "That's a good label,
Kyoto city brand, they make good saké." Both he and Ryoko
accept the saké.

"I think Kiyone and I will put off the saké until later,
in the mean time, could we have some of that tea?" asks 
Tenchi(a).

"Oh, certainly!" Colonel Tenchi pours them two cups of it 
and they take them gratefully. Soon after the drinks and 
smokes arrive, Mihoshi comes out bearing dinner on a 
platter.

Dinner passes smoothly and pleasantly, with plenty of jokes
and stories, and the drinks flow quite freely. After the 
second bottle of saké has been emptied, everyone starts
to notice a certain gleam in the eyes of Kyoto and Ryoko.

Colonel Tenchi leans to Tenchi and whispers, "They are 
married, aren't they?"

Tenchi(a) fights to keep down a snicker. "If they're not,
they sure fight like it."

Mihoshi suddenly glances up at the clock. "Oh, my, look at
the time!"

Tenchi(a) looks at the clock. "But, it's only eight!"

"Well, we have to get ready for.... an early day tomorrow,
don't we dear?"

Colonel Tenchi catches the look in her eyes. "Uh... um, yes
dear, we certainly do. I'll help you clear the dishes away.
Uh.. guys.. um, girls, just wait here a minute. As soon as
we're finished, um.. we'll get you set up for the night
and see if we can find you some clothes for tomorrow."
Before their guests can respond, the two of them disappear
into the kitchen and soon the loud clattering of dishes
and the low hiss of water combine to make a pleasant
background noise.

"Wonder what they're in a hurry for?" smirks Tenchi(a).

"Oh, probably the same thing that Kyoto and Ryoko are up 
for," whispers Kiyone.

"Nice choice of words," returns Tenchi and Kiyone elbows
him. "Didn't they do that just before dinner?"

Just then, Mihoshi and Colonel Tenchi erupt from the 
kitchen, looking slightly more disheveled than they were.
Mihoshi is beaming. A half-chewed away cigarette is 
dangling from the edges of Tenchi(b)'s lips. Mihoshi's
make-up is slightly smudged and her kimono is done up 
crooked.

"Um... come on, we'll see if we can find you some 
nightclothes for the... night!" As is warranted, Mihoshi
takes the girls takes the girls into her bathroom after
gathering up an armful of night clothes, while Colonel
Tenchi lets the guys pick out what clothes of his they can
fit into in the bedroom.

Soon enough, they emerge. Kiyone is the first. Her long,
dark hair swept back and around over one shoulder and 
wearing a large, blue oversized workshirt of Colonel 
Tenchi's. While this shirt is rather large, it only falls
down to about halfway down to her knees. Tenchi(a),
clad in black pajama pants and a lime green T-shirt,
looks Kiyone up and down several times, finishing with the
phrase, "I like."

Kiyone blushes and sticks her tongue out at him. She then
walks over to him and gives him a long kiss. "That's a 
preview of tonight, Daddy," she whispers.

The only thing that Ryoko was able to fit into was a 
translucent, silk chemise. While you can't directly see 
anything, if the light hits it just right... well, you get
the picture.

Kyoto looks up and stands up. He's wearing nothing but a 
pair of boxers and a tank top. "I also like!" he says. 
"Very much!" Ryoko smiles and takes him by the hand. The 
two couples leave the room and then Mihoshi, emerges from
the bathroom, wearing a silk shorty-robe that only comes
down to her knees. The last thing they see before they 
close the door is Mihoshi straddling her Tenchi, and his 
hands starting to pull loose the sash.

"Well, people, we've come down to a choice," observes
Tenchi(a). "You gets the old American bed, and who gets the
futon?"

"How 'bout we flip for it?" suggests Kyoto.

"How about you ask your girlfriends how they feel about
it?!" snaps Ryoko.

"Actually, I'm Tenchi's fianceé," comments Kiyone.

"Yeah, but you're still his girlfriend," quips Ryoko.

Kyoto turns to Ryoko with a surprised expression.
"You mean you're actually admitting that we're a couple
now?"

"Oh, no, you're not getting that out of me!" snaps Ryoko,
but everyone can see the truth in her eyes.

"Well," says Tenchi(a), turning to Kiyone. "What do you 
want, Kiyone?"

"What kind of mattress does it have?" asks Kiyone.

"The bed has a futon mattress under the covers. This is 
what she told me, anyway," says Ryoko.

"Oh, we'll take the bed, if you guys want the normal 
futon?"

"Alright, that's fine by us," says Kyoto, a wolf-like
grin on his face. "I don't have much experience in anything
other than futons."

"Alright, then."

Ryoko and Kyoto head into the spare room with the folding
futon on the floor, and the door snakes shut behind them.
Out of curiosity, Tenchi and Kiyone watch for a minute.
They watch the light of a candle in the room play shadows
off the rice-paper doors. They can see the silhouettes
of Kyoto and Ryoko as they begin to kiss, and intertwine,
and they begin to move together in a pulsating rhythm until
the lights go out.

"Well, that was very instructive," muses Tenchi. "Shall
we go to bed?.... Kiyone?" Kiyone is still staring 
transfixed at the rice paper door. "Kiyone, come on."

"Wha-- oh, okay." Kiyone follows him into the bedroom
and shuts the door behind her.

"Well, which side do you want?" asks Tenchi, stretching
and yawning.

She sits down next to him. "Whichever side you're on."

"That's good," he says lightly, lowering her onto the bed.

She reaches up and draws his face down to hers. When their
lips are less than a centimeter away from each other, she
whispers, "Can we please play a little, daddy? I've been
a good girl."

"Yes, you have," he agrees. In the five months since they
left the dimension of the Fourth Reich, they've only lapsed
six or seven times. And since everyone else in the house
seems to have forgotten the meaning of the word 
"self-control"...."All right, darling, let's play."

"Goody," she whispers. And their lips touch.

His hand travels up her thigh, up under the short and light
material of the workshirt, and one finger hooks under the
waistband of her pink cotton bikini panties. Another hand
moves upward across her nightshirt to cup a breast. Kiyone
suppresses a moan of pleasure as his lips begin to travel
downward. The one hand cupping a breast slowly begins to 
unbutton the buttons of the workshirt. His lips follow
down slowly afterward--

"Hey, you two, cut it out in there!" yells Ryoko. "People
can hear you all across the neighborhood!"

Of course this is an outright lie, which Kyoto yells at her
in a spilt-second afterwards, but this is enough to jolt
Kiyone and Tenchi out of the mood.

Chortling and chuckling to themselves, Tenchi helps Kiyone
re-button her shirt, and then they kiss, say "I love you,"
and she snuggles up against him for the night as he kills
the lights.



"Did you really have to do that to them?" asks Kyoto in an
annoyed voice.

"I guess not," admits Ryoko, "but it's still so hard for me
to think of Tenchi..... you know!.... with Kiyone! And I 
was shocked when Sasami produced those pictures from their
beach trip!? I swear, Kyoto, the way they look at each 
other, if he asked her to hop up on the dinner table and 
spread her legs for him..... Not only would she do so 
enthusiastically, she'd have multiple orgasms." She grins.
"In fact, when I've heard them before, I think she does on
a regular basis."

"And why have you been listening in on them?" he asks.

"Because," she responds teasingly, "that's as close as I 
could be to you for these five months." Her expression
becomes pensive. "Kyoto, are you're.... ready for this?"
Kyoto nods. "I am. I'm sorry to have made you wait so long,
Ryoko."

"It's alright," she whispers. "I think it'll be worth the
wait." She pulls down the straps of her chemise and lets
it puddle around her waist. She is totally naked 
underneath. Kyoto sucks in a ragged breath and she smiles.
"Tell me, Kyoto, aren't you glad you waited for me to grow
up this time?"

"Y-y-y-es." He pushes it completely off of her body and 
brings her down on top of him.

She rips his T-shirt off-- literally -- and pushes his 
boxers down around his knees. She looks down and smiles.
"I see that you want me." She settles herself over his 
mid-section and moans as her body engulfs him. "Ohhh.....
I want you too...."



* * *



Azaka, rubbing sleep from his eyes, almost bumps into the
doorway as he walks onto the dimly-lit command deck. 
Kamidake is seated at the main consoles hovering around
Edgatho, hitting the advance key every so often. On one of
the three large view screens floating at the far end of the
bridge, pages of newspapers clip past, one after the other.

"It's a bit early in the morning to be doing history 
homework, isn't it, Kamidake?" asks the older knight.

"He would be, if I hadn't asked him to." The older knight
squints into the darkness surrounding the control center
of the command deck and spots the faint glow of one red 
eye. "The thing is, these paws of mine are horrid when it 
comes to keypads."

"Chi-ohki? What are you doing up this late?" asks Azaka.

"Well, I don't know my Earth history like I should, 
however, I do remember that something catastrophic
happened in Nagasaki in our universe around the end of 
World War II. I'm having Kamidake, here, help me scroll
through the newspapers so that I can find out what." The 
fat Ohki turns his gaze back to the alternating newspaper
images on the screen. "Okay, Kamidake, try stopping at...
that one." He indicates the New York Times front page from
August 10, 1945.

All three sentient life-forms on the command deck stare
in horror up at the headline. Azaka is the first to find
his voice. "But.... I think...."

"Chisako, give me the local date and time, include the 
year," barks Chi-ohki to seemingly no one.

They hear a brief hum and a second later a mechanically
female-sounding voice responds. "Current date and time is 
August 9, 1945, 06:23:56 hours." A collective gasp is 
issued by the surrounding group.

"Chi-ohki, exactly when did they drop the bomb?" asks 
Kamidake.

Chi-ohki frowns. "The paper is too faded to read the exact
time. All I can read is the headline."

"Couldn't you have it enhanced or something?" asks Azaka,
becoming filled with dread.

"If this was an actual holo-image, I could. However,
we are looking at an actual copy of the newspaper.
Kyoto keeps them sealed in a glass display case twelve
decks down. The only reason we can see them at all is 
because the deck has a specialized camera system." He says
the last part more to himself than to the knights. "That
damned fool should have listened to me when I said we 
needed to use a preservative on those things. Where are the
girls? If they're going into town tomorrow, they can take
this message in to Kyoto and the others."

Kamidake shakes his head. "I'm afraid they've already
left for town."

* * *



Tenchi is hard-put to think of a more pleasant (non-sexual)
sensation than waking up with Kiyone snuggled up under him.
Smiling tenderly down at his still-dozing wife, he gently
kisses the top of her head. A moment later, her eyes 
flutter open and she smiles sleepily up at her husband.

"Morning, Tenchi-yon," she chirps. Her arms slide gingerly
around his neck, pulling their two bodies tighter together.
"Did my Tenchi-yon sleep okay?"

"Yeah, I slept okay." He kisses the top of her head again.
"Actually, I think I've been sleeping a lot better since
you and I.... started sharing a bed."

"So have I, Tenchi-yon. I like having you around to keep
me warm at night. You feel like a giant comforter that I 
just want to wrap around my body and never let go." She 
strokes Tenchi's chin with her hand. "Speaking of wrapping
you around me, don't we have a little unfinished business
from last night, Tenchi-yon?"

"Yes, Kiyone-yoni, I think we do." His hands move up her 
back to grasp her shoulders from behind. He then begins
to kiss down her face, down her neck, down onto her 
collarbone. One hand moves from her back to start 
unbuttoning her nightshirt again. His tongue slowly traces
down onto her breasts, dancing around the lacy edges of the
satin bra. The hand still on her back slowly slides down
to grasp the clasp on her bra and in a lightning motion
unhooks it, letting the silky fabric puddle in her lap.

Her bosom now unencumbered, he slowly kisses his way down
her left breast, his tongue dancing along the edges of the
nipple. He smiles in delight as he watches the normally
soft skin of the nipple tightens and becomes erect. Slowly,
tantalizingly, he slides his lips over the erect nipple
and gently begins to suck. Kiyone arches her back and tips
her head back in ecstasy, her moans growing ever louder
as Tenchi begins to heighten the level of his movements.

Her panties are dangling around one ankle now and she can
feel his warmth dancing along her skin. She lets out a tiny
scream as she feels his flesh penetrate her own. Already,
she can feel her body explode in pleasure, flooding her 
entire being with a wash of intoxicating heat. Their bodies
begin to move together in a pulsating rhythm---

"Lord Tenchi, Lady Kiyone, I've brought you a change of 
clot-- Eeek!" Their heads snap to one side to see Ayeka
standing in the doorway with a bewildered expression
on her face. The clothes fall from her hands and she runs
out the door a second later, not bothering to close it.

Sasami sticks her head in the doorway and grins a impish
grin. "Naughty, naughty! Caught you in the act!"

She then pulls a small camera from inside of one sleeve
and snaps off several pictures before bolting. In the 
distance they can hear, "I can't wait to show these to 
everybody!" Kiyone and Tenchi exchange a hasty look before
pulling on what clothing they can and cannonballing
out the door after her.

Morning comes too quickly for Kyoto and Ryoko. One minute
they are happily dozing, the next they find themselves
waking up next to... each other?

Kyoto is the first to awaken and he awakens with Ryoko 
sprawled atop him, her breasts resting on his chest. He 
likes the feeling, however, this means he cannot move 
without her waking up. And when he shifts position,
it awakens her.

"Huh... uh... come on, Mom, let me sleep another five 
minutes...." she mumbles.

"Sorry, it is time to get up," says Kyoto, gently.

Ryoko's eyes snap open. "Kyoto! What am I--" Her eyes then
fall on the empty saké bottle on the floor and then back
onto him, and then she notices that neither of them are 
wearing anything other than the bed clothes.

"Oh, Kyoto," she whispers, snuggling even closer. "Do we 
have to get out of bed?" Now, Kyoto is very shocked,
but of course he's not going to pass this up.

"No, of course we don't have to get out of bed." They kiss
and begin to do what they did last night, only sober, when
they freeze in position just as Ayeka opens the door.

"Ryoko, Kyoto, I-- Uh!" Ayeka is standing there with her 
jaw on the floor.

"Ayeka, what-- Oh." Tenchi(a) and Kiyone, dressed as they
were last night and their arms around each other, come into
the doorway and see what Ayeka's staring at.

"Go away nosy Princess, shoo, shoo!" barks Ryoko lightly,
fanning one of her hands in Ayeka's direction. "Unless
you care to join us?"

"Well, I never!" Huffing and puffing, she spins on her heel
and leaves the room as Kyoto pulls the sheets over him and
Ryoko.

"Close the door on your way out, would ya', Tenchi?"
His voice is somewhat muffled by the sheets or other 
things.

"Um, sure." Kiyone and Tenchi, now dressed in the clean
clothes that Ayeka had brought them and dropped in her 
haste, hurry out of the room and close the door quickly
behind them.

Tenchi holds up Sasami's small camera in his right hand.
He had managed to retrieve it from her after promising
to let her have all the Ohkis sleep in her room at the 
Palace. Last they saw of her, she and this universe's
Mihoshi had been chatting away happily in the kitchen
while fixing breakfast.

Somewhat later, Ryoko and Kyoto, wearing the fresh clothes
that Ayeka had dropped when she was scurrying out of their
room, come to the breakfast table. Everyone is waiting
for them there.

"Well, I trust you two had a pleasant evening?" says 
Colonel Tenchi, jovially.

"You might say that," says Ryoko before Kyoto can open his
mouth. Just then, their is a knock at the door.

"I wonder who that could be?" says Mihoshi(b) as she 
scurries off to answer it. She arrives back a moment later
with Washu, who is carrying a folder under her arm. "Oh,
you must be Washu," says Mihoshi(b). "We've heard so many
things about you!"

"They're all lies, I assure you," says Washu. "Oh, Ryoko,
Kyoto, just the people I wanted to see!"

"Why?" asks Kyoto, wearily.

"Because I have something of yours, silly!" She hands Kyoto
the folder and he begins to flip through it. "Oh, my! 
Um.... Ryoko, look at this."

Ryoko flips through them. "Ah... oh, so that's what that
looked like."

She turns smugly to Tenchi and Kiyone. "Would you two like
to see?"

"No! No-no-no-no-no!" responds Tenchi.

"Well, actually--," begins Kiyone. "Ow!" She shoots a glare
at Tenchi(a) while she's rubbing her elbow.

"That's okay," says Washu, a gigantic grin on her face,
"Because I have this giant poster-size one! Hang on a 
second..."

Her holographic laptop appears in mid-air and she begins
to tap into it. After about a minute of furious typing,
a portal into another dimension opens and Washu pulls out
a giant poster-sized image of Kyoto and Ryoko copulating.
Looking at the picture, no one notices Ryoko and Kyoto 
making a quiet, fast exit.

"Well, no wonder we could hear them until two or three,"
muses Tenchi(a).

"He certainly looks athletic," observes Kiyone. She 
snuggles up to Tenchi(a) and comments, "Didn't we try that
one once?"

"I think.... 'course--" and he looks at her hungrily.
"--we'll have to try it again just to be sure."

Kiyone flushes slightly. "When we get home, Ten-- Err, 
Hikaru."

Meanwhile, Kyoto is leading Ryoko on a walking tour of the
city. After about a half-hour of walking, she says, "Okay,
Kyoto, this is all very interesting, but where are we 
going?"

"I'm searching for myself," he says. Now, she looks 
confused.

"This isn't one of those finding your own path or getting
in touch with your inner child things, is it?"

"Not at all," responds Kyoto, good-naturedly.
"You see, when I was on Earth during World War II, I was a 
Shinto priest in the Nagasaki area. I'm hoping to literally
walk into myself one of these days and today might as well
be the day."

"Oh, by the way," he says, casually, almost too casually.
"You don't think Mihoshi would miss that chemise, do you?"
Ryoko's face goes as red as a cherry.

"Well, maybe if you're a good little Kyoto I'll bring it 
with us," she says teasingly. However, Kyoto is not 
listening right now. "There it is." He points to a small
shrine off to one side on the road. Taking Ryoko's hand,
he leads her onto the path to the shrine. They then walk
up the steps to the small wooden building next to the 
shrine and knock on the door.

"Yes, who is it?" comes a voice that is strangely like 
Katsuhito's.

"Um... we would like to talk with the shrine priest, 
please?" says Kyoto.

"Alright, come in." The door slides open and Kyoto finds
himself face-to-face with a much older version of himself.
Kyoto and Ryoko kneel down in front of the priest.

"So, tell me young travelers, why have you come here?"

"I wish to speak with the shrine priest of my childhood."
He looks into the other Kyoto's eyes and a connection
is made.

"Go on," says Kyoto(b).

"With me is the woman I love and we wish to start a family
together, I wish for my priest's blessing."

"So..." says Kyoto the priest, nodding sagely. "Very well,
you have my blessing. Would you please, stay for a minute?
I have something I would like to share with you."

Almost immediately, the form of the old man dissolves
and is replaced with that of Kyoto.

Kyoto the priest smiles, and says in Kyoto's voice, "I had
heard that if you traveled or lived long enough you would
run into yourself. I never thought I would live long enough
to see that come true. But, I need your help right now so,
we have little time to talk over cross-dimensional
pathways and such. Tell me, do you have a space station?"

Kyoto(a) can only nod dumbly.

"Good. I, like you, am a space traveler, capable to shift
forms at will." He reaches into a desk draw and pulls out
some charts. On this chart is an area of sea 700 kilometers
off the coast of Hokkaido is marked a red X.

"Your station...." breathes Kyoto(a).

"That's right. It's down about ten thousand kilometers,
undisturbed."

"But, if it's undisturbed, why are you telling us this?"
asks Ryoko.

"Because, several days ago, an American frigate sweeping
that area of sea picked it up on their sonar. I hear that
they are dispatching a large task force to investigate
and confiscate whatever it is they find." He looks each of
them in the eye. "I need you to keep this from happening."

"How do you expect us to be able to stop the Americans?"
asks Kyoto(a). "And, don't you know, the Americans are 
going to bomb Nagasaki and Hiroshima with A-bombs in a few
days."

The other Kyoto looks up sorrowfully. "A-bombs?"

"Wait, Kyoto," says Ryoko, placing a hand on his arm. 
"That's what they did in our universe, maybe they won't--"

"Would you like to bet?" says Kyoto(a) grimly. "In our 
universe, the United States was a democracy, using the 
atomic bomb as a deterrent to keep the war from dragging
on endlessly. Now, here, where there is an imperial 
government, what do you think they'll do?"

"Actually, they're no the United States," muses Kyoto(b).
"They're called the Imperial States."

"Oh, that makes everything better," moans Kyoto(a).
"But, seriously, what do you expect us to do about it?"

"I need you to destroy the station for me, I would do it 
myself, but I am too old and tired to make the journey.
The truth being that I might not even make it there, I am 
at the end of my people's lifespan and too weak to journey
with you. Take whatever you need or find of value, but I 
want you to promise me you'll destroy the station, leave
nothing for the Americans to find."

Kyoto(a) gulps. "We shall do as you wish."

"Thank you," says Kyoto(b).

"But, what will become of you?" asks Ryoko.

"If, and when, they bomb the city, I will most likely die,"
says Kyoto the priest. "But, I have little regrets and I 
would have died within a month's time anyway. I would 
suggest that you leave now, I have a small matter to attend
to. Perhaps you will be able to find or do something
that will prevent or cushion the effects of what you say is
happening."

He sighs. "I have to say that I'm not happy to see this 
life end. Just earlier this morning, a young girl wandered
in. She was lost and looking for her family, and she had a 
cabbit with her. I made her tea, found that the house she
was looking for belonged to a regular parishioner,
and sent her on her way. That was the reason I became a 
priest, to help those in need."

He smiles, sadly. "You two had better get going before
this old man starts to get too caught up in reminiscing."

As they leave, the priest Kyoto rises from his seated 
position and walks over to a small rack of swords across
the room. As he lifts the bottom most, he unscrews the 
small, metal end, revealing its contents. Inside is a small
mound of powderized herb. He takes the container over to 
the cup of tea he had been drinking and taps the powder
into his drink, mixing it ever so slowly with his spoon.
After a few minutes of tapping and stirring, he seats 
himself once more at his place in front of the table.

Hemlock, at least it will be quick and painless. Kyoto(b)
claps his hands together twice and sits in a form of prayer
for a few minutes. When he is done, he looks around his 
home once more, and then picks up the cup and drinks it.



* * *



Once they stepped out of the shrine office, they took off
at a fast clip towards Colonel Tenchi's house. They know
that he and Mihoshi will be home since Colonel Tenchi had
taken a weeks leave and chances are good that at least 
Kiyone and Tenchi(a) will be there.

However, when they get back to the house they discover
that they have all gone out to lunch. Fortunately,
Kiyone had left the name of the restaurant and its name,
location and phone number.

Kyoto dispatches Ryoko to go after them while he takes off
to arm the self-destruct device. He is clipping along at 
about five hundred kilometers per hour through the air, 
just barely skimming the edge of the water. Do to the high
concentration of moisture in the air, he will likely have
to change clothes when he gets back to Chisako, but he 
knows his mission and will not falter.

He is about two-thirds of the way to his destination
when he finds himself faced with a horrible sight, the 
sight of the American bomber Enola Gay, the first to bear
the nuclear bomb. He wishes he could turn around and stop
it, as he could but, he knows that if he knocked one down,
they would just send another with a nuclear bomb, and 
another, and another, until he could do no more. No, to 
prevent more damage from being inflicted on this world,
he regretfully continues on his mission.

Finally, he reaches his destination and dives down into the
water, boring straight down for his target, the sister
station, Tomoko. Once he's come in, he starts looking
for everything he can salvage from this about-to-die
station. And that's quite a bit; including the replicator
modules since Mihoshi's frequent binges -- where the hell
does she put it?!-- are red-lining it, and the Excalibur
sword from the other Kyoto's weapons locker. After having
made sure this stuff was safely launched on route to his 
Chisako, he goes to the command center.

"Tomoko, activate self-destruct sequence."

"That option is not available, do to water damage to 
destruct relays," says the almost human-sounding
female voice of the computer.

Kyoto curses himself several times as he frantically
wracks his head for a solution. After several intense
moments of thought, it comes to him.

"Tomoko, set a timer for thirty seconds. When the timer
has been exhausted, activate liftoff boosters and execute
a fold to these coordinates when you have reached an 
altitude of seven thousand feet. " Kyoto hastily hammers
a long string of coordinates into the holographic
keypad.

"These coordinates will take us below the surface of the 
moon. Do you wish to proceed?" comes the mechanical
voice.

"Yes, begin countdown on my mark. Mark!" Every screen on 
Tomoko's bridge is filled with the image of a thirty second
counter as it begins to click down. Wasting little time,
Kyoto teleports off the ship and to a location several
thousand kilometers away.

Seconds after he rematerializes at his new location he 
catches sight of Tomoko as it come ripping upward from 
underneath the surface of the ocean and rocketing into the
sky. A second later, the saucers begin to spin in the usual
fashion that one of these ships does when it goes into 
fold. A second later, there is a bright flash of purple
light and it is gone.

Kyoto then turns his attention for his second objective
and races for the Nagasaki harbor, knowing in his heart
that it is already too late for the people of Hiroshima
and that it may already be too late for his friends and 
loved ones in Nagasaki.

Somehow, by some miracle of fate, Kyoto manages to outrun
the damned Enola Gay and get back to the city in time to 
evacuate Tenchi(a), Kiyone, Colonel Tenchi, Mihoshi,
Lieutenant Sasami, her parents Ayeka(b) and Katsuhito(b),
and Katsuhito(a).

"Grab whatever it is you need, or don't want to lose, and
get down to the harbor, now!" he instructs. They're too 
scared not to follow his instructions and pretty soon 
they're all clambering aboard the fishing troller that lays
atop Chisako. Kyoto is the last to board, having 
transported Colonel Tenchi and Mihoshi's house aboard.

Chisako manages to surface and is chugging away from 
Nagasaki harbor when the nuke hits. "Ahhh!" yell both 
Sasamis, clinging to each other. Almost instinctively,
both Tenchis cross themselves as their respective beloveds
cling to them and cry into their shoulders. Kyoto squeezes
his eyes shut and curls his fingers into a fist. "Damn 
them..."

In spite of watching this apocalyptic scene, Tenchi(b)
still has a level of determination. "Don't worry, it's not
quite over."

"What are you talking about?" asks Kyoto, surprisedly.

"If this sucker can fly, then, maybe we have a chance of 
taking those suckers down."

"This sucker can fly and fight," says Kyoto proudly.
"Unfortunately, her guns are built for taking out 
battleships than they are taking smaller targets like 
fighter planes. As far as I can see, there is only one 
chance left." Tenchi(b) catches on before Kyoto finishes
talking.

"Alright, then. Are you sure that you have stuff onboard
that will catch up with them?"

"Do I.." For the first time that day, Kyoto has a big, 
sincere smile on his face.

Twenty minutes later, two ME-109's take off from the 
manifestable/demanifestable runway atop Chisako.

"Contact, contact," chants Sasami(b). "We have a American
made B-29 and six P-51s."

"Seven against two," says Tenchi(b), rubbing his hands.
"We'll go easy on them. Lock your guns on the rear most 
planes and fire. They're not going to be expecting us and
our surprise might be the best weapon we have." Colonel
Tenchi is right. The last thing the over-confident
Americans were expecting was a pair of ME-109's streaking
out of the sky and opening up on their formation and 
therefore, the aft-most American pilots died. However,
this element of surprise is now gone and the bad guys, now
aware of their presence now open up on them. Tenchi(b)
and Sasami(b) are amongst the best pilots in Japan and they
manage to reek havoc among the bomber formation, destroying
four of the escort craft and managing to heavily damage
the Enola Gay herself. However, there are still two, 
relatively fresh, Mustangs and the ME-109's are getting
low on fuel and ammo.

Sasami(b) manages to finish off number five, only by 
getting number six on her tail and Tenchi(b) is trying
to help her, but not having much success because of the 
Enola Gay's remaining guns seem to be getting their range
on him.

"Tenchi, help me!" she screams.

"I'm trying, little sis', I'm trying... bank to the left,
now." She banks hard to port, but it does no good, this 
Mustang bastard is good. She can feel his hot tracers
bearing up on her tail and she squeezes her eyes shut, 
preparing for the end--

When she hears the roar of gunfire and expects to feel her
insides cut to shreds. But, she opens her eyes and she 
looks down and she finds herself still intact.

"Hey, Sasami, here comes the cavalry!" yells Tenchi(b),
happily. Out of the sun comes two German made FW-190's,
most likely arriving from the German airbase at Sapporo.
On the radio, appears a familiar voice.

"This is Captain Kiyone to Colonel Tenchi, looked like you
could use a little help, sir." Tenchi(b) begins to laugh
maniacally.

"Thank you, Captain." Tenchi(b) begins to exhale with 
relief when he suddenly catches something out of the corner
of his eye. "Oh, shit. Everyone, stand sharp. We've got 
what looks like an entire formation of Hellcats bearing
down on us! Sasami, see if you can get us some 
reinforcements from--" "No can do, Colonel," reports 
Kiyone(b). "We were the only pilots to survive the bombing
at Sapporo.

"Oh, crap," whispers Tenchi(b). "Are all our forces on the
ground dead?"

"Not quite, Sir," says Major Ryoko. "The first carrier
fleet and the first battleship fleet are still in working
order and the German navy in the Atlantic but, for all 
intents and purposes, Japan is...."

"I know, I know, I know. Alright, alright. Everyone,
just take down these hell cats and we'll decide what to do
afterwards."

"That won't be necessary," comes Kyoto's voice over the 
radio. Already, Tenchi(b) can see Chisako dropping out of 
the clouds, its hull bristling like an unshaven face. A few
seconds later, the air is filled with countless beams of 
energy as Chisako cuts the squadron of Hellcats to minute
fragments. The carnage is over in a few seconds, but when
the smoke clears, everyone can clearly see that the 
American squadron has been annihilated.

"We don't have enough gas to make it back!" yells Ryoko.
"We're going to have to ditch in the middle of the ocean!"

"Don't worry, we've got friends," says Tenchi(b), jerking
his thumb in the direction of the alien ship. Before they
can press him for an answer, Chisako's 
manifestable/demanifestable runway appears.

"What the hell is that?!" yells Kiyone(b). "That's it, I'm
out of here!"

"No, no, Kiyone. Stand down, Captain. It's alright, just
bring 'em in. We'll explain everything when we land." And
they bring them in and the hatch seals behind them.



* * *



Kiyone and Ryoko are somewhat shocked at this turn of 
events, both at the loss of so many of their friends and 
that this arrival aboard what appears to be a very strange
ship. Also, they notice that Tenchi(b) and Sasami(b)
are perfectly at ease here.

"Okay, Colonel, what's going on here?" says Ryoko, putting
her hands on her hips. Just then, the Tenchi, Kiyone,
Sasami, and Ryoko from our universe walk in and the Kiyone
and Ryoko go drop-jawed at this sight. They begin to mutter
in German about sorcery and witchcraft.

"Would you care for some tea?" asks Kyoto as he confidently
strides into the room. "Well, come on, come on."

Soon, everyone is upstairs on the bridge drinking tea and
the Kiyone and Ryoko from this universe are having things
explained to them.

Kyoto concludes, "We're sorry that we couldn't do more for
you two, to stop the bombing and takeover of Japan. But we
can help you settle someplace else. Is there anyplace
else you would like to go?"

"Okinawa," says Tenchi(b) without hesitation. Sasami(b)
looks at him in surprise, but quickly seconds him.

"And you two ladies?" asks Kyoto, turning to the Kiyone
and Ryoko from this universe.

"Okinawa."

Soon, it's pretty much unanimous. The survivors from 
Nagasaki, all decided to settle on Okinawa. They're dropped
off there with food and supplies and enough fuel and ammo
for their four fighters to keep them running for another
five years.

"Thank you for all that you have done for us," says Colonel
Tenchi, his arm around his Mihoshi.

"It's our pleasure," says Tenchi(a), his arm around 
Kiyone(a).

"Are you guys sure you'll be alright here? You know, if you
want to, you can come with us. There's plenty of room. 
Maybe we could find you a world that's better suited for 
you?"

"No, no," says Tenchi(b), shaking his head. "This is as 
good a place as any to rebuild and one day, we will retake
our world. Maybe then, this won't be such a place to visit,
no?"

"I look forward to the day." The two Tenchis shake hands
and soon afterwards, Chisako is lifting for space. Kyoto's
arm is around Ryoko, and she seems quite content with this.

"Okay, people, I'm being the fold... now!" If she'd been
looking a bit more carefully, she might have noticed a 
slight irregularity in the fold flow sequence.





                                  THE END







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