Disclaimer:  Pioneer owns these characters.  I'm just using them for a
time.  The original idea for this story is owned by JL.  Story used
with permission.

Riko, however, is mine.

==-==-==

Nightmare:  TV side

Brian Burke

Tenchii@hotmail.com

==-==-==

        Awaking with disorientation, the young woman looks around in
confusion.  Dressed only in her undergarments, the blue haired noble
finds nothing else to cover herself with.  The room itself is covered
in a gray tone.  No color, save for the blacks and whites of a
dreamscape.

        Next to her on the soft bed is her sleeping sister of eleven, and
her daughter of three.  "Sasami, Riko," she calls, "wake up!"  But, the
pair simply continue their naps.

        "Meow!"

        Looking to the floor, she sees a brown shape sitting about a meter
from the bed.  As she walks towards the creature, it bounds off.
Reaching the door, it stops, almost as if leading Misa somewhere.

        "Meow..." it calls again.

        Walking towards it, the creature passes through the door
effortlessly.  Opening said portal, the woman finds her cabbit friend
is nowhere to be found.

        Walking into the Great Hall, she is simply shocked at what she
sees ahead of her.  On the couch ahead of her is Yosho, her half
brother, and Nagi, the bounty hunter, both of whom are clotheless in
each other's embrace.

        Disgusted by this sight, she averts her eyes and moves on.
Hearing a faint 'meow' in the distance, she picks up her pace a bit.
Turning a corner, she immediately backtracks at her next sight.
"Mihoshi and Azaka?  Kiyone and Kamidake?"

        She starts back to her room, but feels a severe dizziness as she
walks.  Turning back to her recent direction, it slowly clears.

        "Meow."

        Looking to her feet, she finds her companion has returned to her,
with a devilish smile on her face.  "So, where did you go?"

        "Me-ow..." she blushes.

        "Oh.  You too?  It figures.  If Nagi's here then so is he."

        Walking still, she finds herself in a darkened throne room.
Curiously, she hears whip cracking from above.  Ascending the many
stairs, she finds that they increase in number as she walks.  Running
up them, she finally reaches the top.

        She wishes that she hadn't.  The sight before her eyes is more
than she can handle.  Seated on the throne is Kagato, the Yosho
impersonator from long ago.  Bouncing on his lap is the unmistakable
form of her other sister, Ayeka.  With a grin about her face, the smile
seems to invite Misa.

        Wanting no part of it, the time-displaced noble woman turns and
runs.  However, her footing slips and she tumbles down the stairs,
hearing her beautiful body bruise and crack from the multiple impacts.

        Lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, she does the only
thing she can.

==-==-==

        Jolting into an upright position, Misa finds her daughter sleeping
soundly next to her.  "Riko," she calls softly.  "Wake up."  The little
girl simply mumbles and turns, avoiding her mother.  Looking about the
room, she finds it partially dreary.  The colors are the same, yet a
shade of gray covers them.

        "Meow."

        Standing yet again, she walks calmly out of the room.  Her cabbit
leads the still scantly clad woman to the kitchen.  Upon entering said
room, she finds Sasami cooking breakfast as usual.

        Passing her younger form, she walks into the living room,
following her brown furred companion.  Walking into the room, she sees
a very disturbing sight.  Running outside, she unsuccessfully tries to
vanquish the thought of Ryoko and Noboyuki from her mind.

        "Has everyone gone crazy around here?  Is everyone a hentai?" she
asks herself.  Ahead of her is the Funaho tree.  Not even there can she
find peace as she sees another, if not more, disturbing event.  With
his back to the tree, Azusa firmly holds the unclothed form of Jurai's
matron, Tsunami, as he goes through all too familiar motions with her.

        Running from the scene, she tries desperately to find a way out of
this.  Making her way to the shrine, she pauses to think this through.
However, she is interrupted by giggling in from afar.  Reluctantly, she
looks in the direction to see Mitsuki playing good cop/bad cop with
Tessei, the Dark Knight under Kagato.  Obviously, Mitsuki is playing
bad girl as Tessei "punishes" her for bad behavior.

        Not far away is his partner, Tetta, with his own playperson.  With
him is the adult form of Washu, who seems happy to finally get a
Juraian "sample."

         Running back, she immediately slams into another figure.  Looking
ahead, she finds Tenchi smiling at her.  "T-tenchi.  I'm sorry.  I
didn't see you.  I don't know what's going on."

        Tenchi simply puts a finger to her mouth, silencing her.  Slowly,
he moves closer to her.  With every inch, Misa becomes more nervous.
With each passing second, her heart beats faster.  Finally, he's only a
half inch from her when

-MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--MEEP--
MEEP--MEEP--MEEP-

        Opening her eyes, Misa finds herself in her room, on her usual
futon.  Riko is missing, obviously already downstairs.  As she recalls
that last sweet moment of her dream, she simultaneously realizes how
evilly it was ripped from her by the alarm clock.

        Angry beyond belief, Misa screams in agony, sending a beam of
light to incinerate the violating clock.  Her anger spent, she realizes
that she's really lost the one she loves.

        Curling into a ball, she realizes that she can never be with him
again.  As she cries, she knows she'll never feel his warm caress
again.  She is sure she will never see her love again.  Her Tenchi is
gone for good.  And nothing is more painful than that fact right now.

-end?-