Subject: Tenchi Muyo!: Shifter Date: Thu, 03 Jun 1999 09:16:56 CDT From: Brian Burke To: gensao@geocities.com Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! is owned by Pioneer. I'm just having a little fun. That's all. Claimer: Shifter and the Crystal Warriors are MINE! Author's notes: I know you're going to be confused. "Who's Shifter?" Well, to find out, e-mail me and I'll be happy to tell you. First of all, I can show you what the crystals will look like. Make an "L" shape with both your thumb and first fingers. Now, connect the tips of said fingers. The shape you see is the size and shape of the crystals. ==-==-== Tenchi Muyo!: Shifter Brian Burke Tenchii@hotmail.com http://members.xoom.com/Tenchiii/Homepage.htm ==-==-== Kneeling on the floor, Tonya is motionless. Her mind is concentrating on keeping out all other voices but her own. But, as usual, it's not easy. Kathryn is sitting in front of her, as usual, with her crystal again growing brightly. Her eyes closed, she tries to keep her concentration. This time, Tel is guiding her. She wouldn't have done this if Kathryn couldn't concentrate with an extra voice in her mind. Tel says to her. "Yes. I can. It's such a mess in here. Shifter really did a number on you." "Probably to keep me in line." Finally, Kathryn breaks the connection. Holding her forehead, "sorry, I'm getting a headache. I'm not used to doing this." Tel says to her. "No objections here." "Any luck?" Amanda says behind her. "Not really. I've been doing this for two weeks, and I still can't see why Tonya can't keep control. She should be able to push all those voices back, but it's not working that way." Tonya stands and looks at Amanda. "It's as if I'm just one mind of many. But, they all could have equal control." "But," Kathryn says, standing, "you will be able to keep control for a few hours." "Well, that's something," Casie says, entering. "A few hours is better than none. Especially in her condition." "Well, I hope we can find an answer soon," Kathryn says to the others. "The new semester at my school starts next week." "You will be able to get here from time to time," Tonya asks, "won't you?" "I'll try. But, I'm going to be pretty busy." "You're not giving up, are you?" "Tonya!" Amanda shouts. "I'm not giving up. I will help, but there's more to this. I'm not on call. I can't just show up every time there's a problem. I mean, Minneapolis is a long way from my school." "Fine," Tonya says, walking away. Hopping onto the window sill, "I'll find my own help." Growing wings on her back, she jumps out. Celestia is about to go after her, but is stopped by Casie. "Let her go. She's really confused right now." "All the more reason to go after her. If she starts shifting again, we might lose her." "No, we won't. She'll be in control for a few hours. I say we let her be." Celestia looks towards the rest of the group, who merely nod in agreement. "Alright." "Besides, where else does she have to go?" ==-==-== Tonya sets down and uses her crystal to disappear into the earth. Moving across the ground at unthinkable speeds, she doesn't care where she ends up. Finally, she reappears in a forested area. "I just need to disappear for awhile. So I can think." Looking around, she can see a three story house nearby. Looking around again, she sees no other houses in the area. This one seems to be isolated. "THIS is a house! I wonder who lives here?" Out of the corner of her eye, she can see a young man walking out of the house with a large basket on his back. "I must be in Japan." Shifting into his form, he walks into the house. Looking at his hand, he sees the topaz gem still exposed. A second later, he corrects that. As he enters, he sees two women sitting on the couch. One of them has cyan spiked hair and what appears to be golden cat-like eyes. The other has violet colored hair and red eyes. As Shifter enters the room, the one with the cyan hair floats over to him. "Tenchi, did you come back for me?" she says, wrapping her arms around him. "Ryoko!" the other yells, walking over to the first. "Get your hands off of him!" Shifter can do nothing else but turn red. But, a thought occurs to him. Putting the crystal to her back, he actually stores information about her inside it. "Ryoko!" the other says, pushing Ryoko away. Taking Tenchi's right hand, she inadvertently and unknowingly touches the crystal. Then, her information is stored as well. "Ayeka! How dare you!" Ryoko yells, creating a beam sword. "Haven't you got it through your thick skull that Tenchi is mine?" Ayeka releases Tenchi and summons a group of small floating logs. "Tenchi is not yours, and he never will be." Shifter sees the exchange and runs upstairs. Exposing the crystal, Shifting into Ayeka, she attempts to learn more about the girl. As the knowledge floods in, she sees a planet covered with trees. She also sees Tenchi appear many times. "Well, that explains the incident earlier." Seeing the other girl, Shifter notices that some thoughts of her are in painful situations. Another girl appears by the name of Sasami. This one has long blue hair in a pair of tails. Finally, Shifter changes back into Tonya. Holding her forehead, "what have I gotten into?" Hearing some footsteps on the stairs, she shifts back into Tenchi. Looking back, he sees Sasami coming up the stairs. "Tenchi? I thought you left." Realizing he doesn't know what his voice sounds like, he searches Ayeka's memories. Finding the right vocals, "I did, but I forgot something. So, I had to come back." Passing her on the stairs, he touches the back of his right hand to her back. Walking down the stairs, he heads outside. Finding an area of solitude, Shifter changes into Sasami and learns all she can. However, she got more than she bargained for. Not only does she find out everything about the little girl, she also finds that she's connected to a very powerful being. Shocked, she turns back into her original form. "This is starting to get interesting. These are incredible people." As she's going over her new information, she notices that the new personalities aren't trying to make her shift. Noticing the other voices, "no. Not now!" Giving in, she chooses one of the new personalities and shifts. Changing into Ryoko, the other voices quiet themselves. "That helped." As her mind floods with new information, one person comes to mind. "Washu? If I can find her, maybe she can do something." Looking in the window, she sees Sasami isn't around. Shifting into her, she walks inside. Opening the door, she steps in. "Washu?" she calls out. "Are you here?" The mad scientist walks up to her, "what can I do for you, Sasami?" "This may sound strange, but I need your help." "Sasami, you know strange things are a part of life here. Now, what do you need?" "Well," she says, exposing the crystal on her hand, "do you know anything about this?" "The Crystal Star! I can't believe it!" "The what?" "The Crystal Star contained five of these. If they're on Earth, we have to find them." "Washu-" "Those crystals each contain an entity with power in them." "Washu!" "Well, I'll look for them right away." "WASHU!" "What? Is something wrong?" "Yes. They've all been found. That's not the problem." "Then what is it?" Shifting into her original form, "sorry for the deception. I had to use the forms of others to get to you." "I understand. So, why are you here?" Tonya holds her hand to her head as she fights yet another shift. "There's a problem I need help with." "Shifter," Washu says almost coldly. "I know you too well." "Washu, Shifter's gone. We beat him." "That wasn't wise. He's the one that controls your power. Without him, you will shift uncontrollably." "I know. That's not the problem either. To control me, he implanted several personalities. I'm having trouble keeping them back, now that he's gone." "You say you found the others? Why not have Tel help you?" "I have been. But, she won't be able to help for long. You see, Tel is attached to a college student. And, she's going back soon." "That is a problem. Well, I'll see what I can do. Why don't you come with me?" Washu walks over to an open area of her lab and types in a sequence on her laptop. A moment later, a table appears with an elaborate headpiece. "Lye down." Tonya hops onto the table, and puts her head into the machine. "Is this thing safe?" "Of course it is." Typing, "I'm just going to scan you, that's all." "I've been able to copy a few personalities. It seems they aren't trying to make me shift like the others." "Well, that's something. Maybe Shifter implanted those other personalities for that reason." Typing on her keyboard, Washu activates the device. "So, who else has crystals?" "As I said, Tel found a college student. She's tried to help me, but gets wore out in the process. Celestia found a police officer. But, an incident occurred and she can no longer live a normal life." "What happened?" "Someone put a spear through her. She was able to transform, but that's it. The spear disappeared, but if she ever powers down, she'll die." "Poor girl." "En-Ja is attached to a girl with a lot of financial power. It seems she inherited a company. She seems to be having fun with it, too." "Always good to have fun." "The last one, Ferona, is attached to someone from the military. I don't know much about her." Finishing her typing, "so, who did you copy into the crystal?" "Ayeka, Ryoko, and Sasami." "Be careful who you copy. Ayeka and Ryoko aren't the best ones to be put in the crystal. I mean, those two are enough." "It seems you know a lot about the Crystal Warriors." "Well, I have been searching for them for a long time. I wanted to put Shifter where he belongs." "Did you know him?" "A long time ago, I did. But, when the Crystal Warriors came, he was imprisoned in the crystal. I had hoped that was the end of him." Feeling a shift approaching, "no, not again!" "Calm down, and concentrate." Tonya shifts into a short dark skinned girl and runs off. Heading out the door, she only wants to escape. "Stop! Come back!" ==-==-== Hearing the lab door slam open, Ayeka and Ryoko are stunned to see a little girl run out of it. "Who was that?" Ryoko asks. Washu appears a second later. "Where did she go?" Ryoko points out the door, confusingly. "Washu, what's going on?" "She's a shapeshifter, and she's out of control. Get the others. We need to find her." ==-==-== Minutes later, Washu has Ayeka, Ryoko, Sasami, and Ryo-Ohki together in the living room. "She has one of the crystals from the Crystal Star. A being named Shifter implanted several personalities into her to keep in control. If you see anyone, ask to see her right hand. There's a crystal imbedded in it." Scattering, the group goes in search of the girl. ==-==-== Walking home from the bus stop, Mihoshi is carrying a week's supply of groceries. Or, so she hopes. Along the path, she sees a dark-skinned girl sitting against a tree. "Hello? Are you alright?" Looking away, "leave me alone." Kneeling, she sets down her bags. "Where's your parents?" "I don't know." "Well, this area can be dangerous sometimes." Seeing her right hand, "that's a pretty stone. Where'd you get it?" "Never mind. Go away." "Hey! I'm just trying to help." Looking at her, "Fine." Holding out her right hand, "can you take me home?" Gripping her hand, and the stone, "sure." Standing, she shifts into Mihoshi's form. "Thank you, Mihoshi." "Who are you?" she says, shocked. "You." Using the crystal, she creates a swirl of sand around Mihoshi's legs and waist that hardens into rock. "Hey! What are you doing?" "Keeping you here, for now." She then turns and runs down the road. "Hey! Come back HERE!" Mihoshi shouts. "Let me go!" But, her cries are unheeded. ==-==-== As 'Mihoshi' is running away, she runs into another person. "Ryoko! What are you doing out here?" "Have you seen a little girl running around here?" "Uh, no. Haven't seen anyone in awhile." Looking to her hand, she sees a crystal attached to it. An odd thing. Yellow on the outside, blue on the inside. "Shifter." Backing away, "leave me alone!" "Just come back and we'll help you." Changing into Sasami, she runs into the nearby shrubbery, disappearing completely. "Damn." ==-==-== Walking through the woods, Sasami finds an interesting sight. Herself sitting against a tree. "Hi there!" she says. Standing, she starts to back away. "Just leave me alone." "Why? What's wrong?" "I can't control my powers. I keep shifting and shifting. I'm not normal anymore." "Sure you are. You're normal for you." "Oh, that helps." "Maybe Washu can help you." "No. She can't." "Shifter!" a voice shouts from above. Both blue haired girls look to the air to see Celestia floating above them. "Go away!" Standing, she runs off again. "Wait!" Sasami shouts. ==-==-== As Sasami runs, she manages to hide the blue/pink crystal from sight. Running, she finds a wide open space ahead of her. Also ahead of her is the tender of the field. Running up the field, "Tenchi!" she shouts. "Sasami? What's up?" "Did you see me run through here?" "Come again?" "There's a shapeshifter on the loose. She looks like us. Ryoko, me, you. Whoever. She has a crystal on her right hand. That's how you can tell the difference." "No. I haven't seen anyone except you. Why? Is she in trouble?" "I guess." "Tenchi!" a similar voice calls from nearby. "She's a fake!" Tenchi looks from one Sasami to the other. However, the other Sasami has Washu, Ryoko, and Ayeka behind her. Mihoshi walks up to the scene, and sees two Sasamis. "Two Sasamis?" "How did you get free?" Catching herself, "whoops!" Everyone looks to the Sasami next to Tenchi and start to walk closer. As she backs away, "leave me alone!" "Are you ready to come home, Shifter?" a new voice says. Appearing nearby, Celestia walks slowly towards her. "Fun's over, Shifter. It's time to come home." "NO!" she shouts. Her crystal appears, and she starts another shift. "Can't you see you're not helping?" Her shift starts to overtake her, as her arms bulk up. "Maybe I need to show you," a dark voice says. The crystal grows black as the transformation continues. "What is that?" Ryoko shouts. Her, or actually his hands sharpen into claws, and his skin becomes darker. "We have to stop him!" Celestia says. "Don't hurt him too badly, but try to knock him out. Ryoko takes flight and summons her beam sword while Ayeka shields the innocent bystanders. Tenchi takes out Sword Tenchi, and Celestia glows a bit as she raises her power level. "Go away!" Shifter shouts. "I just want to be alone!" The first strike is for Celestia, due to her familiarity. Catching the fist, "we're trying to help you! You're not making it easy by running off!" Shifter punches Celestia in the gut and tosses her away. "Then why am I still out of control?" Tenchi charges with his sword, and makes a slash in his back. Unfortunately, the slash is immediately healed by his shape shifting power. "Ow," he responds, backhanding him halfway down the field. "Tenchi!" Ryoko shouts. Summoning her power, she blasts a massive shot at him. However, he moves out of the way and grabs her ankle. Before Ryoko knows it, Shifter slams her into the ground. Celestia stands up again, "Shifter! Settle down!" Engulfing her hands in golden energy, "don't make me get rough!" "Oh, you're going to kill me? Is that it?" "Shifter!" another, younger voice shouts from above. As everyone looks up, another girl drops from the sky. "Stop!" Dropping to the ground, "stop this!" "Another one?" Ryoko asks. Tel holds up her hand, "time for something drastic." Tel is not one to make drastic moves. So, when she does, look out! Running at her friend, she leaps up and behind and drops onto his shoulders. "Get off me!" he orders. Tel ignores him, and drives her crystal encrusted hand into his head. While it looks painful, Shifter seems to be showing no sign of injury. Slowly, an effect is gained as Shifter shrinks. His, or her arms lose their bulk, and Tel hops away. Shifter completely changes into her original form and passes out. Tel looks around to see the various people standing about. Besides herself and her teammates, there seems to be five girls nearby. A young man approaches the group, sighing in relief. "I'm glad that's over," he says. "Is everyone alright?" Tel looks to him with interest. "I sure am!" Walking to him, "so, what's your name?" "I'm Tenchi Masaki. And yours?" "You can call me Tel." "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" the Cyan haired one asks. Tel looks to her innocently, "introducing myself? Why? Is there something wrong?" "Sorry, girl. He's taken," Ryoko states. "So?" Tel responds. "Can I help it if I think he's cute?" "Now, you're asking for it," Ryoko says. "Ryoko!" Tenchi shouts. "Enough!" "Tel, I don't think this is a wise idea. We should go." The unconscious Tonya is put in a bubble, as Celestia starts to float. Taking off, the silent act encourages Tel to hurry up. "I guess. Bye, Tenchi," she finishes, taking off. Not long after, she catches up to her partner. "I didn't mean to start a war." "Don't worry. They'll get over it. Nice move, by the way. Quick way to bring Shifter down." "Shifter will be fine after we get her home." "Will she ever have control, though?" "I don't know... I'll give it my best effort, though." -End-