Tenchi Muyo! Exile #6
"Avatar of the Goddess"
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"NO!!!"  Makiya screamed with a voice that was riddled with pain. She fell into Sarnd's
arms, sobbing. Her heart broken. "No." she said again, more weakly. She pushed him away
and slapped him. "How could you send him on that damned mission!" She screamed. "It's all
your fault! YOU KILLED HIM! MURDERER!" She spat in Sarnd's face then turned and ran out of
the room. Sarnd watched her go, then lowered his face, not even bothering to wipe the
offensive matter from his muzzle. "I'm sorry." he said to the now empty room.

Misaki saw her running and stopped her. "Makiya? What's wrong?" she asked.
Makiya looked up at Misaki with pain-laden eyes. "He's..." she sobbed. But she could
say no more.

Misaki  had always lived on Jurai, a world were all wounds were mendable and death barely
a whisper. She could not comprehend Makiya's grief, but she hugged the griefstricken young
mother-to-be anyhow.

Funaho walked into the hallway and saw Misaki holding the distraught young woman.
"Sis'?" she asked.
"I don't know what's wrong." Misaki said, worriedly. She repeated Makiya's words to her
sister. 'Something must have happened to Naoki.', Funaho thought to herself. "Makiya," she
said, gently taking her hands, "what happened?" "Naoki..." Makiya sobbed. "Why him? WHY?!"
Then the floodgates burst open, and Makiya was too incoherent to speak. But her tears
spoke volumes, so no words were neccessary.

***

"You are familiar with Washu?" Tokimi asked as she smiled coldly down at the confused
Draalthi. "Yes." He snarled. "Of course I am. She made me human so I could marry Makiya.
Now, I demand you change me back to a human and send me home!" "I just brought you back to
life and you repay me with challenges. Make demands upon me in my own dwelling. How very
impolite of you." The Draalthi considered this for a moment, then bowed. "You are correct.
My apologies. I don't like being confused and vulnerable. It's not a very good position
for a Galaxy Police Operative to be in." "You are no longer a Galaxy Police Operative."
Tokimi pointed out. "Your new task is of far greater importance." The Draalthi finished
examining himself and focused his full attention on Lady Tokimi. "I will *never* betray
the Galaxy Police." He vowed. "You task has nothing to do with betraying the Galaxy
Police."Tokimi promised. "You are simply to become my avatar." "Your avatar?" The Draalthi
asked. "You needn't be afraid." Tokimi reassured him. "The transfiguration will not harm
you." The Draalthi looked up at her in anticipation. Tokimi's gem glowed softly for a
moment, then the glow coalesced into a narrow beam which connected with the Draalthi's
forehead. "Trakal..." Tokimi told him. "Naoki..." He insisted as everything went back
around him. Tokimi smiled as she left him on the road between the carrot patch and the
Masaki home. For a moment the mark on his forehead glowed brilliantly, then it faded,
leaving only a small diamond-shaped patch of white fur.

Ryo-Ohki hopped up to the sleeping form in the road and sniffed him, curiously.
The figure's ear twitched, and he slowly pulled his head up until he was muzzle to
muzzle with Ryo-Ohki.
"MIYA!" She miya'ed happily. She hopped quickly down the road to Tenchi, who
was approaching, then back to the Draalthi.
"Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi asked.
"Miya! Miya! Miya!"
Ryo-Ohki hopped toward the Draalthi again. She nosebumped his muzzle and licked
him. "Miya! Miya!"
Tenchi ran over to see what Ryo-Ohki was so excited about. When he reached her
location, he found himself looking down at the Draalthi who was just starting to come to
his senses. "Naoki?" He Tenchi asked. 
"Makiya." Naoki replied. 
"She's inside. I"ll take you to her." 
They started back to the house. "Commander Sarnd is here." Tenchi mentioned. "He says 
you're dead. What happened?" 
"I'll tell you later." Naoki concluded as they reached the house. 
Tenchi and Naoki walked in and closed the door.
Makiya walked into the hallway. "Tenchi," she began, "dinner is..." Her eyes went wide and
her jaw fell open. "NAOKI!" she cried. She ran to him and hugged him, tightly. "My god! I
thought you were dead!" 
Sarnd hurried into the hallway when he heard the Makiya's cry o fjoy. When he saw his 
former operative, he was overwhelmed with relief. A moment later, once his initial 
happiness had abated a little, it dawned on him that something was wrong. "You're a 
Draalthi." He said, cautiously. "You're not Trakal." 
"I am so Trakal!" the retired operative protested. "And my name is Nao..." 
" Trakal was made human a few months ago when he was married." Sarnd cut him off "Nice 
try, but I'm afraid you should've updated your information before you attempted to take 
his place. Still, your Draalthi disguise is almost perfect, except for that patch of 
white fur on your forehead. Trakal didn't have any marks." 
"Someone named To..." 
"Yes, he did." Ryoko told him, ignoring the Draalthi. "He had patches around his eyes. I 
saw them when he and I were fighting on the beach back in 1970." 
"Must've been Jurai Marks." Washu shrugged. She took out her holoputer, made a few scans 
with it, then put it away. "Well, he's most definitely Trakal." She finally concluded. 
"I told you," the Draalthi scoffed. 
"How's that possible?" Sarnd asked. "He was human when he passed through that anomaly.Did 
the anomaly change him back?" 
Washu shook her head. "There are some changes in his physical and astral patterns," she 
explained. She pulled a device out of subspace and pressed it against the new patch of 
white fur on Trakal's forehead. "Hmmm." She decided. "I think I'd better run a few more 
tests." She grabbed Trakal by the ear and began to drag him toward her lab. 
"I'm glad I'm not the one being tested." Tenchi told no one. "That's what you think!" 
Washu said as she grabbed Tenchi's ear with her other hand. 
"Miss Washu..." Tenchi pleaded. 
"I need a comparison subject."  Washu explained. 
"MOTHER!" Ryoko screamed at her. Washu chuckled as she, Tenchi, and the former operative 
vanished into her lab.

"I can't believe he's alive." Makiya sniffled as she wiped a joyful tear from her face. "I
hope Washu doesn't keep him long. I'm going to kiss him all over when he gets out of her
lab." 
"She'd better not try anything with Tenchi." Ryoko grumbled. 
"Speaking of which," Funaho smiled, "we really need to talk, Ryoko." 
"Um, we do?" 
"Yes." Funaho replied. "About how you feel about Tenchi marrying Ayeka." 
"Oh. Sure. I... Hey! Wait a minute!" Ryoko looked mad. "Tenchi's married to me! If you 
think I'm going to give him up so that..." 
"I was thinking you two girls could share Tenchi. He is half-Juraian, after all, so he 
*could* have *two* wives." 
Ryoko perked up. "Sounds good to me." She grinned at Ayeka. 'So, Princess, you wanna 
share?" 
"Share Tenchi with a monster?!" Ayeka scorned. "Ha! That'll be the day." 
"Selfish little brat, isn't she?" Ryoko confided to Funaho. "I offer to share, but 
*noooooo*, she wants everything for herself. She's so spoiled. I really feel sorry for 
Sasami, having to grow up with her." 
Sasami made an uncomfortable little "I'd rather not be involved in this" noise as a large 
bead of sweat dangled in her hair.

Sasami wasn't the only one sweating. Despite no longer being a virgin, Tenchi still felt
uncomfortable having Washu examine him. He looked over at the Draalthi who, in the
interests of modesty, despite also being married, had simply chosen to pass out as soon as
he was bound. 
"Um, don't you think you should do something for him?" 
"Oh, he's just having a flashback about being strangled by Kain." Washu shrugged. 
"What?! Washu, he must be terrified!  Do something for him!" Tenchi didn't bother to ask 
Washu how she knew what Trakal was dreaming about. As the number one genius scientist in 
the Universe, she probably had worked out based on some theory she had regarding 
psychology.
 "I am." Washu replied. "I'm letting him get through it on his own so he can get it out 
of his system. Now open wide, Tenchi." 
"Aaaah!" Tenchi obeyed.

The Draalthi looked up at the white face hovering above him. It was Kain, but it wasn't
Kain. Its features were softer somehow, and yet crueler. Its sneer was one of pure hate.
But the hate was directed at him as well as the House of Jurai. 
"You were there," the female voice hissed. "You were there when they murdered my son." 
Trakal felt a dull prodding at his shoulder and the nightmarish image dissolved, to be 
replaced by Washu's lab a moment later.
Lt. Trakal
Operative of the Galaxy Police SIU