Lord of the Demons
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     Disclaimer: I was never a part of the Tenchi Muyo development team, 
Pioneer, AIC or anything. I never touched one hair on this magnificent 
brainchild. I am a simple fan, doing what I do best, writing! So if anyone 
wants to sue then they should know the only thing they'll get out of me is 
a dollar bicracky!
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                 Chapter 6: Lost Memories

     Green forest trees swayed outside of the sleepy village of Hortal. It 
was a day as usual; nothing happening. The men were out either trading in 
the shops or in the forest chopping down trees for wood. The women were 
picking mushrooms and berries in the forest or taking care of the sick or 
their children. 
     Quite a town this was. It was on the planet of Ishtar, one of the four 
moons that circled around Hades. Every year there was a celebration in regard 
to Hades, the lush, green planet that provided everyone for so long. While it 
was still green everyone took to the stars and headed for the moons. Peculiar 
for a civilization that wasn't nomadic but even still. 
     The other moons that were caught by the gravity of this huge monster were 
Cygnus 7, another green planet full of life. Fortunas, a battle ravaged planet. 
No one knows what they fight for but Fortunas was banned by the Juraian military. 
And finally Regal, a rundown place, it was the first planet to be settled and 
ruined by all who came from Hades. It is also a well known hideout for bounty heads. 
     But, returning to our planet, Ishtar, there were many towns and villages 
scattered around the planet. Some consisting of the Beast people, others of men. But 
no matter, it was a very peaceful planet where nothing exciting ever happened.

     Inside of a house in the village a young man lay resting in his bed. His dark 
hair stuck up in a manner that no one on the planet could explain. No one on the 
planet had hair like him but they thought nothing of it. He groaned and moaned in 
his bed as he twisted and turned. He soon opened his eyes slowly and looked around 
before closing them again. He rubbed his sleep-ridden eyes and blinked in an attempt 
to adjust.
     He lifted himself up and rubbed his head. He got out of bed and walked to the 
kitchen only to find no one inside. Putting his hands to his side he noticed he was 
wearing a green tunic with long underwear underneath and a belt around his waist. He 
walked to the door and found his old, worn-out boots. He slipped them on and walked 
out into the bright sun light. 

     After stepping out from the house he looked around for a bit. He then walked toward 
a giant windmill that was placed in the center of the town to provide it with power. 
Nobody, however, has never been inside of the windmill itself. But it was not of anyone's 
concern as the humble town went on. 
     The man soon scratched his head and decided to return to his house. He walked up to 
the steps and opened the door. He was then hit with a rush of the smell of chicken. A 
smile crossed his face as he stepped inside.
     
     As he walked in he removed his boots and crept into the kitchen. He saw a woman
standing at a counter chopping away at some vegetables. Her purple hair waved as she 
collected a potato to cut from her right. He slowly came behind her and grabbed her 
shoulders.
     "Boo!" he yelled and she screamed at the top of her lungs and spun around with 
the knife. She was breathing heavily and her light red eyes were as wide as can be. 
She finally let out one big breath of air and calmed down.
     "Don't ever do that again Tenchi!" she barked as Tenchi backed up a little.
     "Sorry honey, just joking with you," he said and gave her a hug. 
     "How's your bump?"
     "It's okay, I think I'll live."
     "You need to be more careful you know. Many people have gotten concussions from
falling branches."
     "Oh Ayeka, leave it to you to worry over my problems."
     "Hm, well I put it as one of my wifely duties," she responded and smiled at him. 
Tenchi gazed into her eyes and smiled back.
     "You're just so beautiful." She blushed and Tenchi brought her close to him. They 
held each other until the door opened.
     "Mommy, Daddy, I'm home!" a little girl called. Her blue hair was tied in two long
pig-tails and her eyes were the same color as Ayekas'. She walked into the kitchen and ran 
to her mom first and hugged her and her dad picked her up and put her on his shoulder. She 
cried with joy as Ayeka started to laugh.
     "Tenchi don't do that, you'll hurt yourself!" she said worriedly but Tenchi just 
laughed and replied.
     "Don't worry, I haven't seen my little girl in awhile so I have to do this." 
     "I'm glad you're okay daddy, I missed you."
     "I missed you too, little Sasami."
     "Oh my! I almost forgot about dinner!" Ayeka called out. Tenchi set Sasami down and 
ran to the stove.
     "I'll get it!" Sasami left the kitchen and walked to a window. The sun was going down and
Fortunas was showing up to the east. Sasami felt almost a bond to the poor planet, as she did 
with the other planets that orbited Hades. She soon sighed and left the window to go to the 
kitchen. It was almost dinner time after all, and to the people on Ishtar, it meant a good time 
with the family.

     A wind swept through a cold, lonely, dark crater. The entire surface was bare and wasted.
Markers lined a few of the craters. They marked the dead. A lone figure in dark red drab stood 
on a hill. The tail of the durka it wore whipped through the wind. Two yellow eyes stared out, 
cold and heartless, at the horizon. A bolt of lightning came down and a small unit could be 
seen running. The figure chuckled and stood it's ground.
     The unit soon swarmed the hill and pointed large blasters at the darkened figure. 
Lightning flashed again and the figure stood calm. after the flash died out the screams of men 
could be heard. As soon as the lightning flashed again all of the soldiers in the small unit 
had been slaughtered. Each had their throats cut. The figure was no where to be seen. 

     A few miles away in a tent a man dressed in dark red drab sat at a rickety table writing
something when the figure from before walked in and dropped a blood-soaked bag on his desk.
     "Thirteen," it said as it removed the durka. The man stood up and smiled.
     "Good job Ryoko," he said with joy. He picked up the bag and opened it up. Dog tags
mixed with blood dumped out and all over the table. 
     "Yeah, whatever," she said and brushed her blue hair back with her hand. 
     "Do you know what that means?"
     "No, and I don't care either," she stated and kept walking. The man sighed and sat back
down.
     "Best damned soldier to ever live and she turns out to be a smart aleck, wonderful."

     Outside the tent Ryoko walked to a ledge. She watched small explosions go off and her
eyes grew narrow. She then put her hands on her head and collapsed. She grunted and began to
break out into a sweat. 
     'I . . . it's happening again!' she yelled inside her head as she lay on the red dirt. 
She began to breath heavily as the pain died and she got up. 
     "Its like someone is trying to contact me!" she said in confusion. She made her way 
to a tent and threw herself on the rickety cot. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
She slept the rest of the night having weird dreams that made no sense. 

     A silver car stopped outside of a dirty bar. The street corner it sat on was filthy and 
rats crawled around the sewage covers. A woman in an overcoat stepped out and entered the bar. 
A hat covered her head but a little bit of blonde hair stuck out. She stepped inside and 
looked around. The place was filled with the smell of cologne and cheap liquor. Everyone's 
eyes inside the bar traveled toward the new arrival. One of them got up and pulled out a 
knife. The woman sighed and dodged as the man thrust the knife forward. 
     He fell to his knees and hit the ground hard; the woman had kneed him in the stomach. A
larger man came up behind her and put her in a head lock, she balled up her fist and smacked 
him in the face. He reeled back holding his bleeding nose as he was grabbed by the shirt and 
flung across the room. Another man held a gun up and was shaking. The woman jumped into the 
air and landed behind him. He started firing until he noticed that she was no longer in front 
of him. He hit the ground almost immediately as she chopped at his neck.
     The bartender came out from behind the bar and ran at her. She ran toward him also and
jumped up in front of him. She made a triple kick in the air and put the bartender down. She
landed as sirens were heard outside. The police started to arrive and she removed her hat. 
     "Good work detective Mihoshi!" the commander said as he walked in. She smiled and
saluted him promptly.
     "It was nothing sir," she said with a smile.
     "So how long are you going to be on the force?"
     "I do believe I'm going to be sticking around for a good while . . ."
She suddenly disappeared. The police commander looked around as the planet was absorbed and
the surface turned into a musky dark jungle. The entire city was gone!

     "Thank god," Washu said. She was sitting at her computer surrounded by heavy
equipment. She typed on her computer with Ryo-Ohki resting on her head. A large glass cylinder
sat in front of her. It began to glow a yellow color and a bright flash of light flooded the 
darkness Washu was surrounded by. 
     Mihoshi appeared inside the tube and looked around. She banged on the glass angrily and
pulled her weapon out. She fired at it but it didn't shatter. Washu sighed and got off of her
floating pillow. She walked to the cylinder and pressed a button on a panel. Mihoshi banged 
and thrashed about as a pink gas came out of the floor inside the tube. She soon fell over
in a slump and began gasping and coughing. Washu watched and waited until finally she opened 
the door to the cylinder and brought Mihoshi out. 
     She coughed and gagged as Washu helped her out into the air. The pink gas flooded the
floor and Mihoshi finally regained control of her legs. She stumbled forward until she stood 
up straight. She tried to focus her eyes and blinked them many times before she finally 
focused her eyes on Washu.
     "Oh, Miss Washu, I don't know what happened I was in a town a while ago and I just
don't know," she managed to get out.
     "Tell me Mihoshi, would this just happen to be the town?" she asked and pointed to a
screen. It showed the exact filth-ridden town from before. 
     "Yes, that's it!"
     "Mihoshi, this is going to shock you but please try to understand, that town, isn't real."
     "What are you talking about? I was just there!"
     "That town is wool that Atmos pulled over your eyes."
     "What?"
     "It was never real, he created new memories for you and the others."
     "Oh my, where are the others, what about them?"
     "They're still in the dream world, and since they aren't as bubble-headed as you are it 
will be difficult to bring them to see the truth."
     "I wouldn't blame them, I find it difficult as it is!" Mihoshi stressed. Ryo-Ohki hopped 
off of Washu's head and onto Mihoshi's shoulder. She giggled as the little animal started to 
purr and rub up against her chin. Washu smiled and cleared her throat.
     "Alright Mihoshi, listen up, I'm gonna need your help in getting the others back here 
to my lab. Can you help me?"
     "Certainly Miss Washu, I'll do anything I can to help, First Class Detective Mihoshi 
is here to serve!" she said and saluted.
     "Good, now I think we should go after Ryoko first, that way we have a power on our side
that can keep Ayeka busy while I get Lord Tenchi. I'm going to have you talk to Sasami since 
you have some type of way with children okay?" Mihoshi paused and looked around for a bit 
until she looked back at Washu.
     "Now what again?"
     "Its gonna be a long day!" Washu said and started to explain her plans again to Mihoshi.

                    To be continued. . .
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     Next Chapter: Washu and Mihoshi travel to the "fantasy dimension" to save the other
heros from being stuck there. And we see a mother/daughter fight of epic proportions as Washu
and Ryoko go head to head and maybe even get a little closer to each other (nah). All this and
more on the next chapter: Chapter 7: Returning to the Past
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