Bizarre opening? I should say so. Perhaps. it was unclear. However, 
this, the first part, should do well to begin to explain what exactly 
is going on. I hope you enjoy it and please keep in mind that I do not 
own Tenchi in Tokyo or any of its affiliated characters. Also, I'd like 
to make it known that because of the generally lackluster backgrounds 
afforded to the Tenchi Muyo characters in Shin Tenchi I will be using 
their OAV backgrounds. I know it isn't proper, but it may just make for 
a better story. You be the judge. Please enjoy.

Days of Future Passed: Chapter One
Dawn is a Feeling


	She had seen it, seen it with her own two eyes. He had kissed 
her. He had shown that girl more attention, more love, than her and the 
others combined. He'd know that girl for less than a few months. It was 
too much to bear. She had to get away. Just run. That was her only 
escape, to run away from everything. She paused in the park center. Was 
she catching her breath, or did she truly not want to leave? Exhausted, 
she sat down upon a nearby bench and buried her face in her hands.
	"Damn you Tenchi." Ryoko whimpered. "Damn you for making me love 
you." 
	She had just come into Tokyo to see him. Not to just pop in 
through his bed, but to actually be invited in off his doorstep. She 
wanted him to see that she was everything he wanted. And if that 
everything meant to be a little meek, then she knew she could do that. 
But then, she saw him walking off with that girl. 
Sakuya. The name curled Ryoko's lips into a horrible sneer. If 
anyone deserved her hatred, it was that girl. But why did she hate 
Sakuya? If it had been Sasami or Mihoshi, even Washu or Ayeka, then, 
maybe, she might have been happy that Tenchi had chosen whom he loved. 
But, this Sakuya, she was different. It just wasn't right for Tenchi to 
love her. Unexplainably, it wasn't right. 
"I'm so confused." She said, rising to her feet. "I can't tell 
any of what's going on. People coming and going, lives changing all 
around me." Ryoko looked up to the stars. At least it was a clear 
night. "It's too complicated for me. I don't belong here, not at all."
"Excuse me."
Ryoko turned to see who had spoken to her. She saw the silhouette 
of a longhaired man, leaning against one of the park lampposts. 
"Who are you?" Ryoko asked suspiciously. She heard a laugh, a 
strange laugh, like one of Ayeka's polite giggles only in a slightly 
deeper voice, and the man flipped his hair back over his shoulders and 
walked towards her. His head was tilted down, masking his features in 
shadow.
"I'm hardly qualified to answer that." He said in a voice that, 
for lack of a better word, sounded dainty to her. "What should concern 
you more is why I am speaking to you."
"I don't really care." Ryoko replied off-handedly. "I'm going to 
be out of here soon anyway." 
"You won't even stay for the dawn?" he asked. His tone was gentle 
and faraway. 
"I've seen enough sunrises to last me a lifetime, mister." Ryoko 
said dispassionately. Her companion tilted his head up towards the 
light, giving Ryoko her first look at his face. He was pale, incredibly 
pale, in fact nearly white, and his features were slender and soft to 
the point of being ghost-like. His eyebrows were perfectly arched, as 
if freshly drawn in, and his eyes were a radiant green. But his lips, 
his lips were deep red, the red make-up artists wished to replicate, 
and those lips were distinctly feminine. They could just have easily 
have been her own as they were this man's. Framing this grotesquely 
beautiful face was a long straight mass of shining black hair that 
flowed down to the man's waist.
"Not the sunrise, the dawn." The man corrected her and began to 
walk away. Ryoko watched his listless gait as he walked out of sight. 
He wasn't even looking at her. Then, he paused and turned around. His 
long coat's open front swirled around him as he shifted on his feet to 
look at her. She was shivering slightly in the autumn wind.
"I don't think you are from Tokyo." He stated slowly. 
"So?" Ryoko asked sharply.
"If you are indeed set upon leaving, then it may be for your 
best. But, if you'd like to reconsider." he looked down to his feet as 
if trying to remember the words. ".I can offer you free board at my 
apartment."
It was a reasonable offer. And the man's apparently gentle nature 
was encouraging, but still, Ryoko could see no reason to trust him.
"How do I know I can trust you?" she asked warily.
"You can't." he replied simply. "And I won't ask you to either." 
Ryoko was taken aback. In some ways, his answer was comforting to her. 
She stood up and walked over to him, her arms were folded across her 
chest as she tried to keep herself warm. The man removed his coat and 
gently placed it around her shoulders. Wordlessly, he took her by the 
hand and hailed a taxi.

The cab dropped them off in front of a small apartment complex. 
The man ushered her into its lobby. He paused only for a moment as he 
heard her sneeze. Quickly, he led her up a few flights of stairs to a 
single, metal door.
"My home." He said quietly, indicating the door. He produced a 
key from his trouser pocket and unlocked the door. Pushing it open, the 
man escorted her into his parlor and shut it behind her. 
"Please, make yourself comfortable." He said, pointing to a pair 
of black leather chairs sitting opposite a white marble fireplace with 
a low glass coffee table between them. She sat down upon one as he left 
the room. From where she sat, she heard the clatter of pots and pans 
followed by the sound of rushing water. Her host reappeared and slipped 
his coat from her shoulders, replacing it with a large, white, woolen 
comforter. 
"Thank you." She said, slightly surprised at his hospitality. He 
silently nodded and turned back to the room he had just come out of. 
Ryoko heard a teakettle whistling. She smiled to herself. The man was 
being quite considerate. She sneezed again and cursed to herself. She 
had probably spent a more than a couple hours out in the cold. Of all 
the things her 'mother' had to leave unmodified from a standard 
humanoid it was her resistance to the cold. 
"I hope that chamomile isn't displeasing to you." The man said as 
he returned to the parlor, carrying a pair of teacups. She took one for 
herself and he placed his atop the fireplace, then he turned on the one 
single light in the parlor, a modern freestanding fluorescent lamp that 
clashed horribly with the older style chairs.
With the light on, she got her first good look at the man who was 
being so kind to her. For starters, he was incredibly thin. His white 
satin shirt hung loosely from his frail frame. The lace at its cuffs 
rested upon his pale slender fingers, each of which had upon it a 
delicately filed nail painted a crimson that matched his lips. His legs 
were probably just as slim as the rest of his body, but it was hard to 
tell as her host's black trousers seemed to dangle from his body. She 
sipped at her tea then placed it on the coffee table. 
 "I'm glad that you want to see the dawn." Her host said gently. 
"It may help you get what you want." Ryoko chuckled sardonically at his 
remarks.
"What I want someone else already has." She said. "But it doesn't 
matter anymore. I'm going to put it all behind me." Her host shot her a 
concerned look.
"In that case, you may use all the time you wish while here to do 
so." He began. "But, I have found in my experience that trying to 
forget is never the best course of action. I will leave it up to you to 
decide what to do, however." The man crossed the room and began to open 
a door in a small hallway. "I will bid you good night now. Your room is 
on the other side of the kitchen. I hope it is to your liking." Ryoko 
nodded as she finished her tea. Then, it occurred to her that she 
didn't know the name of her host. 
"Hey!" she shouted. He turned a heavy-lidded, almost sullen face 
to her. "My name's Ryoko." He nodded, thought a moment, and then turned 
to face her fully.
"You may call me Daika. Daika Tomei." He said it quietly and 
closed his door behind him, leaving Ryoko alone in the apartment.
	"What a weird guy." Ryoko remarked to herself. "Though I have to 
admit, he's pretty nice." She pulled the comforter tightly around 
herself and looked at her surroundings. 
The apartment was almost as odd in appearance as Daika was. The 
walls were finished in alternating whites and blacks, with red trim. 
Each wall had a different repeating pattern. It made her slightly dizzy 
to just stare at them. Then, there was the furniture. Again, the 
contrasting white and black motif repeated itself, but there was also a 
wild contrast in styles. Baroque chairs flanked an Art Deco table that 
sat on a white tiled floor. The fireplace was distinctly classical in 
its appearance, and, from what she could see, in the kitchen, that 
wasn't the case. Instead, the kitchen looked like something from a 
1950's Sears & Roebuck catalog, except for the old stone countertops 
and Victorian breakfast table. In short, nothing in the apartment fit 
with anything else.
"Some decorator." She mused. Ryoko looked down the hall he had 
said her room was on. There was only one door down the hall. She yawned 
and decided to see what sort of interior she'd be sleeping in. When she 
opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised. 
The walls were a soft cream color. The carpet was thick and dark 
blue in color. There was a small mahogany sitting-table next to an old 
rocking chair. She sat down upon the bed and practically sank into its 
plush mattress. It was an old four posted type, and very comfortable to 
boot. She lay back upon it and smiled.
"I could get used to this." She said to herself drowsily as she 
quickly fell asleep.

"Where am I?" Ryoko cried out. 
She sat up in her bed with a start and looked around. Slowly, the 
events of last night came back to her. The room. Daika. Tenchi.
"Oh Tenchi? Why'd did you this to me?" she whimpered. She covered 
her eyes with her hands to try and stop the tears. "Why that girl? 
Why?"
"Ryoko?" she turned and saw Daika standing in the doorway.
"What do you want?" she asked acidly. He was unfazed. Instead, he 
turned his back to her, carefully averting his eyes. 
"I came to tell you that breakfast is served. You may come and 
eat when you are ready." He acted as if he had seen nothing. Something 
Ryoko was appreciative of.
"Thanks. I'll be there in a moment." She replied. "What time is 
it?"
"Past noon." He answered calmly. She chuckled.
"I guess I missed the dawn." She said. 
"No. The dawn is not a time, Ryoko." Daika replied solemnly. "I 
have already eaten and I have much to attend to today. I will be 
departing your company until this evening now."
"What am I supposed to do?" Ryoko asked, somewhat confused. 
"I'm not qualified to answer that. But, if you choose to stay, 
I'm afraid that I cannot afford food for two. We artists are often 
times penniless. You may need to seek employment." 
Ryoko simply snorted in disgust. Her last few attempts at holding 
a job had been relative failures. Apparently, Daika noticed her 
distaste at the suggestion.
"We can discuss it further when I return. For now, my home is 
yours." With that, Daika turned and left her doorway.
"An artist; that explains everything." Ryoko muttered. 
 
	Sakuya was in bliss. Last night with Tenchi had been so 
wonderful. Now, here she was, walking down an avenue, hanging off his 
arm, life was so beautiful. She couldn't help but smile as she looked 
at him. He looked so satisfied, so happy, she hoped it was herself that 
was making him so happy. 
	A chill ran over her as she and Tenchi crossed through the park. 
She didn't know why, but she felt as if there was someone, something, 
unfriendly very nearby. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man in 
a long black cloak, glaring at her.
	"Tenchi! Look!" she cried, pointing at where she saw the man. She 
shut her eyes and hid behind him.
	"What do you see, Sakuya?" he asked blithely. The girl opened her 
eyes. There was no one there. She was stunned. "Are you okay?" Tenchi 
asked her. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Sakuya only smiled 
weakly.
	"That's probably just what it is." She said. "Probably just some 
ghost." The couple laughed and continued walking. Sakuya looked over 
her shoulder to see whatever she'd seen before again. All she saw was 
an empty space. But still, it unnerved her.
	"Well, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow." Tenchi said 
shyly as they stopped at his apartment.
	"Yeah. I'll look forward to it." Sakuya stated. Both were still a 
bit shaken by the incident in the park. 
	"Tenchi?" Sakuya started.
	"Yes?"
	"Do you think.do you think I'm going insane?" she asked, all in 
one breath. He smiled. 
	"No. You've just been studying too hard." He quipped. "I mean, 
with all those old stories we've been reading in class it's no wonder 
you're seeing ghosts." Sakuya laughed. Tenchi always could comfort her. 
He was good at that, making people feel better about their selves. 
	"Thanks Tenchi. I mean it." She hugged him lightly. "You're so 
good to me. I don't even know why."
	"I can't see myself treating people badly, and I like to see your 
smile." Tenchi said simply. "Goodbye for now." She stood and watched as 
he climbed the steps to his apartment.
	"Goodbye Tenchi." She whispered sadly as she turned to walk away. 

	As she walked home, many things crossed her mind. Usually, she 
was happy when she was heading home after a day with Tenchi. It gave 
her a chance to remember all the wonderful things he'd said and done 
that day. But, today, it was different. She was thinking about why he 
was so wonderful, questioning that love she held so dear. 
	So engaged was she in this train of thought that she bumped into 
someone on the sidewalk.
	"Oh, I'm so sorry sir." She began to apologize. "I wasn't 
paying." She looked. It was the black-cloaked man. His green eyes 
glared at her angrily, his black hair hung about his head like a lion's 
mane, save for one stray lock that bisected his pale face.
	"Sakuya." He said sharply. "I have long wanted to meet you." The 
girl turned to run. She couldn't. She looked at the people around her. 
All were frozen in place. 
	"They won't be able to help you." The man said slyly. "To them, 
you are as I am; nonexistent." 
	"But how? I don't understand." She asked timidly. The man crossed 
over to her and took her by the hand. 
	"For now, just remember this: I'm looking at myself, reflections 
of my mind. It's just the kind of day to leave myself behind." He said 
then let go of her hand. "You will see me again. I expect you to think 
about what I have told you."
	Just as he had finished speaking, Sakuya found herself in her 
apartment. She looked into her hand. He had given her a piece of paper. 
It read 'investigate reality'. She looked around her; there was no one 
there. She shivered and placed the piece of paper on her table. 
	"Oh Tenchi, maybe I am going crazy." She picked up her picture of 
him and held it against her chest. "Please Tenchi, help me."
 
	"Ryoko. I have returned." Daika's soft voice echoed throughout 
the apartment. She looked over her shoulder to see him standing behind 
her. She was in front of the only locked door in the apartment. 
	"What's in here, Daika?" she asked. The artist noticed her 
curious face and thought a moment. 
	"My thoughts, my emotions, and my dreams." He said methodically, 
producing a key from his trouser pocket and unlocking the door. "Look 
for yourself." Ryoko looked inside the room. What she saw were statues. 
Statues of women, some finished, some unfinished, with tools lying 
around them. She wandered inside of the room, awestruck. 
	"This is what you do?" she asked. "Carve women out of stone?" 
Daika gave her a hurt look. 
	"If I did only that, I would refuse to call myself an artist." He 
said. He took her hand and led her to a marble statue of a woman, 
sitting upon a wall nude and looking away from the viewer. "Tell me, 
what do you think she is thinking."
	Ryoko paused and looked at the statue. True, the woman appeared 
to be almost ashamed of her self, but something seemed wrong in that 
idea. She looked closer.
  	"She's enjoying her self." Ryoko said finally. Daika smiled 
slyly.
	"And do you know why?" he asked gently.
	Ryoko pointed to the woman's chest and smirked.
	"She's throwing her breasts out to where you can see them. She's 
proud of her body and wants the man she loves to see her. I used." 
Ryoko choked on the words. "I used to do that with Tenchi." There was 
an uncomfortable silence. Daika looked away from her as she fought with 
her feelings. Finally, he spoke up.
	"You have the eye of an artist, Ryoko." He said, changing the 
subject. "Perhaps, we could help each other." Ryoko eyed him, intrigued 
at his suggestion.
	"Go on." She said.
	"I have wanted to model the very embodiment of inner turmoil, a 
woman who is constantly at war with herself. I think you may be able to 
do that quite well." Ryoko looked at the nude statue, than cast an 
accusing glare at Daika. 
	"Will I have to take off my clothes?" she asked.
	"I don't know. However, if you do not wish to, that means you 
will not have to." He responded. "I must tell you, the wages of an 
artist's model are quite handsome." 
	Ryoko thought about the deal for a moment. It seemed just as 
reasonable as anything else Daika had suggested. She looked down at her 
body. If Tenchi wouldn't look at her when she was just his, maybe he'd 
see her when she was out on display for the world. Ryoko the 
masterpiece, she liked the sound of that.
	"I'll take the deal, and I don't mind nudes." She said at last. 
Daika nodded. 
	"Perhaps, the dawn isn't as far away as it seems." 


Author's Notes: Well then, I suppose that was interesting. I hope many 
of you are going to enjoy this piece. It's intended to be a bit 
different from my previous works. I hope you keep an eye out for the 
next part in Days of Future Passed, it promises to be a good one.

Tallgeese Forever!
Craeyst Raygal