"Does the (snicker) depth of my speech frighten you?"

Diclaimer: This story features Superman, which is a trademark of DC Comics, and the cast of the Tenchi Muyo! OAV series, which is a trademark of AIC/Pioneer LDC, Inc. This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made off this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don't archive it without my permission. Don't be shy.

Continuity Note: This story takes place between ACTION COMICS #773 and SUPERMAN v. 2 #165. And it also takes place some time after OAV Episode #13.

Once More: Missed a Chapter?
https://www.angelfire.com/md2/firebird308/fanfics/crossovers/theinhcon/theinhcon.html

Or just e-mail me, because the URL got messed up the last time I tried to put it up.


Original Tenchi Muyo! concept by Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi
Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster


The Inhuman Condition: 19
KOMOREBI: THE MAN OF STEEL

by Mike Smith


In space, no one could hear you scream.

A ridiculous statement, after all, no matter how successful a slogan it made for promoting movies. For one thing, while it was true that outer space only carried an average of one molecule of hydrogen for every cubic centimeter of volume, there were still pockets of higher concentrations located throughout the universe. Dust clouds, thick with ammonia and other gases, and of course tiny starships carrying entire atmospheres of pressurized gas to support a crew indefinitely. Yes, in MOST of space, no one could hear you scream. But by that condition, you'd have to be floating in a high vaccuum suffocating to death anyway. If you weren't too busy freezing, at any rate. What good was screaming? You'd be a dead man the second you wound up in such a place.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM THIS INSTANT!"

"Back off, Princess! I'll tell you all the sordid details later... after I've shared it with Tenchi first..."

"Er, I'm not sure this is the time or place for this..."

"It most certainly IS NOT--"

"You wanna go, Ayeka? You wanna go?"

"Ooooohhhh, please don't start a fight NOW. Please?"

Aboard a prototype spaceship of his own design, he sulked over the controls as he tried to ignore the noise in the rear seats. This was Steel. They were his allies in a search for his friend and partner. They meant well, but listening to them fuss and whine made a strong argument for working solo.

"See, we were on Ayeka's ship, the Ryu-Oh," Ryoko cooed. From what Steel had gathered, she began life as a sentient weapon, a being possessed of great power and precious little maturity when it came to using it. The only reason she hadn't plundered the Earth for all its material treasures was probably because she was too infatuated with the young man sitting next to her to think about her career. "Y'know, before I blew it up? Anyway, we were getting married, Tenchi. You and me."

"That's a laugh!" Ayeka scoffed. "As if Lord Tenchi would consent to be wed to a monster like you!" She was a princess of another world, supposedly a blood relation to the boy, and she had a thing for him as well. Romeo and Juliet meets "Three's Company", although that didn't quite cover the dynamic here. He was never very good with pop culture references.

"Hmmph. Shows what you know, Ayeka. The best part of it was that since you were the captain of the ship, that gave you the power to marry us off! Oh, what cruel irony...!" Ryoko teased.

"But what about me and Mihoshi?" Sasami asked. Ayeka's younger sister, she was referring to the Galaxy Police detective assigned to a sector of space including the planet Earth. When Steel had found them, they, along with Ryoko and her alien pet Ryo-Oh-Ki, had been trapped inside a device that manipulated their unconscious minds, forcing them to live out a common dream sequence together. Apparently, Sasami's memory of that experience had faded away. "All I remember was a scary monster, and I did something, and you seemed pretty happy about it..."

"Huh? Yeah, you were great, kid," Ryoko said cheerfully. "I mean it. We'd have all been done in if you hadn't joined the fight at the last minute. Gal of the hour, tower of power, too sweet to be sour! Sasami!"

The child giggled in delight at Ryoko's endorsement.

"But like I was saying," Ryoko continued, "the best part was when I married Tenchi right in Ayeka's old maid face! It was classic! It was a thing of beauty! It was--"

"Ah-ahhh-ahhhhhhBULLCRAP!" Washuu shouted in an attempt to disguise her commentary as a sneeze. Somehow Steel didn't think subtlty was her strong point. The diminutive scientist had introduced herself to the human race by invading his hometown of Metropolis and altering the skin color of the entire populace. Superman put a stop to her, of course, but given her admittedly vast intelligence, Steel imagined it must have been a close call indeed.

"Gosuckit," Ryoko said quickly in response. "I mean, 'Geshundheit'. Excuse me."

"Not that dreams carry a tremendous amount of practical meaning, Miss Ayeka," Washuu explained, "but if it puts your regal mind at ease, Ryoko is pulling your leg, adapting a nightmare of her own, but with the players reversed."

"Why THANK you, Miss Washuu," Ayeka said pleasantly.

Of course, Washuu probably wouldn't have come along on this mission at all, if not for the fact that Ryoko had been among the missing individuals. She had been kidnapped on Earth by bounty hunters, and Superman had flown off to get her back. After a while, Washuu got nervous, and sought out Steel for help. She was arrogant, conceited, and perhaps even a bit sadistic, but she truly did love Ryoko--as a daughter, not just as an invention. Of course, it was irksome that she had to be so cryptic about admitting it, but it was obvious once you knew how to look for it.

"You don't see me spoiling YOUR fun, do you?" Ryoko snarled.

"Pfah! I was doing just fine cleaning toilets on Earth until you had to go and get lost in space," Washuu shot back. "Had to come all this way just to find you sleeping your life away--breasts sagging more with each second--and NOW I have to come along on your stupid little trip to save my worst enemy! You're just lucky I discovered such a promising young apprentice in Dr. Irons, or this whole trip would be a complete waste of time, crazy girl!"

"Yeah, Captain Doctorman up there really does take after you, I gotta admit," Ryoko smirked. Steel tried to focus on flying the ship instead of reacting to this. "Why, he's like the son you never had! Oh, wait, that was a sensitive subject. I forgot."

"At least HE has an appreciation for the beauty of the physical universe," Washuu replied. "You could stand to be more like him, y'know?"

"Sure, you could strap HIM into your stupid machine and then leave him alone in the dark for five or ten minutes," Ryoko suggested. "Then we'd have all sorts of things in common..."

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

The cabin suddenly fell silent as Tenchi started breathing heavily through his nose in followup to his outburst. "Look, whatever is eating you two is none of my business, and maybe I don't even understand what you're feeling right now. But whatever it is, you'll have plenty of time to work it out when we get back to Earth! We still have a job to do, and until we find Superman and bring him back home we're all stuck together on this ship. So let's at least pretend to get along for a little while longer, OK?"

Steel turned around to see what was going on back there. He found Tenchi standing in the middle of the cabin pointing an accusing finger between Ryoko and Washuu. The others all simply stared at him in amazement, except for Cogito, who was busily scribbling notes onto a pad of paper. He'd invented the psychoactive technology that had been used on Ryoko and the others, and he had agreed to accompany them in their search, but he still gave Steel the creeps. Then again, he looked to the passenger side front seat and found Mihoshi still sleeping as peacefully as she had been since they took off, despite all the chatter and arguing. He wondered if all these aliens were just as confused by him as he was by them...

"OK..." Ryoko finally said quietly.

"Thanks," Tenchi said, and silence reigned once more. At least for a few minutes.

"'Mommy? Mommy? It's dark and I'm afraid, mommy!'" Washuu muttered under her breath. "Oh, wait that's a sensitive subject. I forgo-o-ot..."

Steel heard a loud growl like an old outboard motor, and he decided that was all he could stand. "Little Washuu?" he called.

"Why, yes, what is it, apprentice?" Washuu sang.

"I had a question," Steel said calmly. "You said that dreams had no significant practical meaning. I was wondering if you've tested the veracity of that statement among the human species."

"Weeellll, I would have looked into that eventually if not for that accursed Superman," Washuu answered. "However, I've found human beings to be similar to several other species I've examined, and my conclusions with them were that their dreams were nothing more than a subconsious attempt to interpret random flashes of neural patterns. It might be an intriguing reflection of the dreamer's own secret hopes and fears, but little more."

"I see," Steel nodded. "And those other species, would that research group inclue your own kind as well?"

"Ah, but that's what makes me so vastly superior to everyone else, Apprentice!" Washuu gloated. "You see, unlike other humanoid lifeforms, I've altered my biochemical makeup so I don't HAVE to sleep. And I'd remain in total control of my person if I did, so there'd be no way to perform a fair test."

"Unless someone got the drop on you and forced your mind to enter a state of REM sleep, like Cogito when he ambushed us before," Steel offered.

"Hardly a proper experimental procedure," Washuu scolded. "Why, there wasn't even a record of what happened."

"Actually," Steel said, "my armor keeps a log of everything that happens when I use it in the field. Computer, isolate log 18:34-18:45 and play back audio feed on external speakers."

"What?" Washuu asked.

His onboard computer completed the task in less time than it took to give the order, and once he verified that he had the right segment of data, he authorized the plaback by cybernetic command, and Washuu's voice rang out from the armor's internal speakers.

"...whazza... no... don't take her 'way from me. She's all I got left... don't take my baby away. Can't hear her in my head... all alone... no... bring'er back... please! RYOKO--!"

"Looks like she's waking up..."

"Gaaah! What happened?"

The cabin was quiet after Steel ended the playback, save for the soft gasps of shock from Washuu, followed almost at once by several giggles from the other passengers.

Ryoko soon outstripped them all with a raucous laugh. "And you... BWAHHH-HA-HAAAAAAA! You mean to tell me you've got this on TAPE?"

"Well, it's actually recorded on a miniature reverse-engineered Kryptonian data crystal, but I always transfer the interesting stuff to video for my home theater system," Steel shrugged. "Why? You want a copy?"

Ryoko put her hands on her face as if trying to contain an explosion. She failed. "Haa-haa-haaaaaaah! No, I don't want A copy, I want SIXTY copies! One to be buried in the backyard so future generations can enjoy it! That was... CLASSIC!"

"I think we're making a bit much of this, aren't we?" Washuu glowered.

"Oh, most certainly well done, my dear Apprentice!" Ryoko snickered in her best impression of Washuu's voice. "You're such a good influence on Little Ryoko... who's (sniff) ALL I HAVE LEFT! Ahhh-hahahahahahaaaaa!"

"I'll see that armor destroyed before it gets back to Earth, Apprentice," Washuu snarled. "You just made the list, right below Superman..."

"Hah!" Ryoko laughed. "Like it's his fault you talk in your sleep."

"It's been my experience," Steel said casually, "that smart people often make the mistake of assuming that other people aren't. The same might be said of anyone with a somewhat twisted sense of humor. Besides, you started it. I'm just following in your footsteps, Mentor."

"In size 15 rocket boots, no less," Washuu smirked. "Very well, she wins this round, I suppose..."

And with that, the backbiting and bickering died down and gave way to more casual conversation. He'd been keeping the peace like this for several hours, Steel considered. Not that he resented them so much, but Tenchi and his friends were a close-knit group, which meant that even in a moment like this they would express their joy at being reunited with constant in-fighting. He'd seen it before, and he'd even participated in that sort of thing in his day, but being the outsider looking in just showed how irritating it really was. His only hope was that they could find Superman soon and he could go back to the relative peace and quiet of his lab and forget this ever happened.

"I TOLD you once before, Ryoko! Take your hands OFF him!"

Steel sighed and shook his head. Now that he thought about it, it might not have been such a coincidence that Superman had become so scarce all of a sudden...


"NO!"

He sat up from his bed and gasped in horror, then brought his hands up to defend himself from whatever it was he was afraid of. There was nothing there for him to fear, however, and other than the sharp clang of a metal tray he'd knocked over from his violent motions, complete tranquility was the only thing around him.

"It's all right, now. You're here in the sickbay. Nothing to be upset about. It was all a dream."

Komorebi shook his head and rubbed his hands over his face as the anxiety died down within him. "The dream... it happened again. I'd figured I would be used to it by now--"

"Komorebi, what you've been through is a very deep and serious trauma," the man in the black suit told him. "This isn't something you 'get used to'. We'll work through it. Just like all the progress you've made so far."

Something in his expression seemed to comfort him when he said this. Komorebi took a deep breath and lay back down on the cot. "You're right of course, Fudou," he said. "I'm sorry if I caused any trouble."

"You've nothing to apologize for," Fudou assured him. "After all, I had you brought here so you could recover. And other than the gaps in your memory, you seem to have made an excellent comeback at that. Why else would I be bringing you all the way out here to reintegrate you with your society?"

"You mean our society, don't you?" Komorebi asked. "After all, the other people on this ship, they all tell me that you're the only other Jurai on board besides me--"

"Yes, well that's a point of contention depending on whom you ask," Fudou shrugged. He took Komorebi's hand and sat down in a chair next to his bed. "But we're not here to talk about me. The dream. Was it any different from before?"

"I... I don't think it was, no," Komorebi answered. "I can't seem to remember it now. Like it's fading away now that I've been awake for a few minutes."

"Perfectly natural," Fudou replied. "I've forgotten every dream I've had for the last seven hundred years or so. Initially, I'd assumed yours were hints of lost memories struggling to resurface in your subconsciousness, but perhaps it's just a psychological manifestation of the shipwreck. Confronted by menacing figures from all sides, trapped in a maze with no way out--it could mean a great many things. We'll ferret out the interpretation when the time is right."

"I think I've been ready for a long time now," Komorebi muttered. "It's frustrating just lying here like this, trying to figure out who I am. The only thing to take my mind off that is this little homecoming you've set up. Do you really think this is a good idea, Fudou?"

"It's the only idea, my boy," Fudou nodded. A smile grew from beneath his black beard, and his dark eyes softened. "Look around you. This is a R'nagg vessel, manned with a R'nagg crew. I myself am half R'nagg, and my knowledge of Juraian psychology is fairly limited because of that. You're lucky that this ship was the one to find you, as another doctor probably wouldn't have known how to help you. No, the solution is to drop you off with a Juraian vessel, where you can be treated properly, among your own kind. For all we know, you may very well run into a few familiar faces, Komorebi. I understand your apprehension, but trust me when I say that this will do you a world of good."

"But won't you be coming with me?" Komorebi asked. "I mean, whatever happens, you're the only person I actually know right now. I'm going to be lost enough as it is among the people of Jurai. I could use someone to help me with this."

Fudou's green skin seemed to darken at this proposal. He frowned and stroked the edge of his beard in consideration. "It has been... a long time since I have been among my mother's people," he said. "I'm not sure if that's something I wish to experience again. Still, I see no harm in asking if there's room for one more when we rendevous with the Jurai representative later on. Let's call it a 'maybe' for the moment, all right?"

"Great," Komorebi smiled. "After all, if it's good for me, then it might be good for you, too, right? 'Physician, heal thyself,' as they say."

"Is that a Juraian proverb?" Fudou asked. "I'm afraid I've never heard that one before."

The man in the cot frowned and rolled his eyes in deep thought. "I'm not sure," Komorebi mused. "It just...came to me all of a sudden. Of course, if what we've learned about me is true, there's any number of worlds where I could have picked that up."

"It's a good sign," Fudou noted. "But don't try to force it. You'll have plenty of time to remember when you're safe at home." He stood up and headed for the way out. "We'll be meeting the Jurai in about an hour. I'll let you know when it's time. For now, just try to relax."

Komorebi lay back and put his hands together over his chest. It was a strange thing, really. A world he knew nothing about being called 'home'. He hoped he was prepared for the experience.


The true measure of a ruler was in his patience. The simple unyielding constant of the universe was that anything worth having took time to achieve.

For Asuza, Head of the Jurai Royal Family, and Supreme Emperor of the Planet Jurai And All Of Its Territories, waiting was something he had become very good at in the last two thousand years. His family was evidence of that. His son had left Jurai seven hundred years ago to stop an invader from ravaging the planet. Asuza waited, and he never returned. His daughters left Jurai to seek him out, and in time they found him. They hadn't returned either, and when he confronted his children on their newfound world... this "Earth" of theirs, they demonstrated that they had no intention of returning. Reluctantly, he left them to their new lives--for the time being--and he continued to wait.

"I don't like this," Funaho said. "Coming all the way out here like this to meet with a veritable hermit. How can we trust this man, dear?"

"Oh, we needed to get out of that stuffy castle for a few days anyway, sis!" Misaki said. "Besides, according to the Royal Geneology, Komerebi was the son of a noble family on Jurai before the invasion. He was such an adorable baby seven hundred years ago. It'll be good to see how he's doing after all this time. And Lord Fudou isn't much different. No one's seen him since he left Jurai to live with his father's people. I think it'll do them both a lot of good to be reunited with their own kind, and to set foot on home soil again, don't you?"

"In principle, I suppose," Funaho answered. "Of course, personally, I think relocation isn't such a bad thing for a person. Earth certainly isn't the same world that I left two millennia ago. And that's my point about Fudou. No one on Jurai has heard from him in centuries. Who knows what's changed about him during that time. And Komerebi... there's no telling how well he can recover from what he's been through. I just think that it would be better if someone else met with Fudou and made a formal report to the throne. The decision can be made just as easily on Jurai as it can here."

"Yes, and the decision WAS made, Funaho," Asuza grumbled. As far as patience, being married to Funaho and Misaki had prepared him all too well. To have two wives was to BE patience cast in flesh and blood. "The decision that I come here and witness this personally. Fudou's message was brief but clear. This Komerebi is not only alive, but a noble of Jurai. That entitles him to certain privileges, like the opportunity to return home. Not to mention that his safe return would close the book on the bloodiest moment in our planet's recent history. And from what Fudou told us about him, he may yet be a great boon to the empire..."

They both smirked at him knowingly. He'd been married to them for ages--literally. There was no point in trying to hide his motives from them. He'd learned that long ago. Just as he had known from the beginning that they supported their children's decisions to remain on that farflung world. He looked at both of his wives and he could see the faces of his son and daughters in them. Yosho, Ayeka, Sasami.

Tenchi.

It was Tenchi that bound them to the Earth. He was Yosho's grandson, the result of seven hundred years of living among the planet's people as one of them. Ayeka seemed to fancy him a potential husband, thanks to what little royal blood Yosho had given him. And Sasami... she cooked for them. He still hadn't worked that out. It might have had something to do with that little animal that followed her around. Surely he could get her a puppy or something and she'd be willing to come home. His baby had left him and he still didn't see why. Well, if Fudou delivered on his promises, he wouldn't have to wonder for much longer.

At last, Fudou entered the room. He stood at attention and lowered his upper body with a brisk motion, never taking his dark eyes off him. "Your Majesty, please allow this humble servant to enter your presence," he said reverently. "I apologize if I am lacking in noble protocol, but I've been out of practice since--"

Asuza waved his hand at him to silence the man. "Never mind that, Fudou. Is he ready? Can we see him now?"

"Yes, Sire," he answered. "I have spent many days examining him, and I am convinced that he's fully awakened from his stasis. Of course, I would prefer to look him over with Jurai equipment more suited for his physiology, just to be safe, but for now--"

"You will take us to him, then," Asuza declared. Fudou closed his mouth and held out a hand to show the king and queens the way.

"Lord Fudou," Funaho said as they walked down the hall to the sickbay, "It's good to see you again. We haven't heard from you since you were about Ayeka's age--what's the matter?"

"Hmm? Oh, I apologize, m'lady," he mumbled. "It's just that I haven't been adressed as "Lord Anything" in seven hundred years. R'Nagg culture has no such title. Besides, being the only multicentennial specimen among my people has provided me with a far more enduring distinction than any noble rank ever could. It caught me off guard. Nothing more."

"I understand," Funaho said reverently. "It must be difficult being so far from home, no real family left. Are you happy living among the R'Nagg?"

"I am... accustomed to it," he answered after a moment of contemplation. "Seven hundred years is a long time, after all. It's given me time to settle in. Time to think. Put the past behind me."

Asuza stifled in his royal robes at this. Fudou was part of the legacy of the two greatest periods of disharmony in his long reign as King. First, he had instituted a policy favoring interspecies marriages among the Jurai, a plan he felt would strengthen their insular people and broaden their horizons as they continued to expand as a galactic power. Some embraced the idea, spurred on by Asuza's own marriage to the Earthling Funaho. But the majority of the people rejected it from the start, and when a generation of half-Juraians began to lay claim to their parents' noble standing and estates, predjudice threatened to tear his subjects apart. As time went on, Asuza was forced to backpedal on his previous platform of tolerance, and he'd spent the rest of his rule up to now realizing just how foolish a decision he had made all those centuries ago. Would that the ramifications of that decision had been so easily reversed.

"How are the Princesses, if I may ask?" Fudou queried, perhaps trying to change the subject.

"Oh, they're doing very well!" Misaki answered with unbridled enthusiasm. She never passed up a chance to talk about her children, and if Fudou hadn't raised the point she probably would have segued into it on her own. "So MUCH has happened since you left Jurai, you know. Ayeka and Sasami went looking for Yosho and they FOUND him. He's been living on Earth all this time, and he's even got a grandson and he's the spitting image of--"

"Earth?" Fudou asked. "I don't believe I've heard of it."

"Colonial Planet #0315," Asuza muttered.

"The Three-one-five-ese call it 'Earth'," Funaho smiled.

It was still a mild point of contention between them after all this time, Asuza realized. That was the tightrope he had to walk as he tried to waffle on his stance against Juraian xenophobia without estranging his wife in the process. Step One was to lay official claim to her birthworld and declare it a Colonial Territory of Jurai. Step Two was to declare it a non-interference preserve so Juraians would actually go there and colonize it at the expense of the indiginous people. Step Three was to request Galaxy Police assistance in patrolling the surounding area because that way if someone managed to stumble upon the truth about Earth it would most likely be an outworlder who wouldn't care. In bereaucratic terms, this was the equivalent to putting the entire planet in the back of the file cabinet far enough that it eventually fell out of the drawer and worked its way down to the bottom of the cabinet.

And it worked for the most part, as Funaho's alien heritage became less and less clear, because no one could be sure if she was a NATIVE of another planet, or just a Jurian from a far flung colony in the sticks that no one had actually been to. Oh, people still KNEW she was an alien, but they were less likely to raise a fuss because it was less apparent this way. Of course, Funaho found the whole rigamorale foolish, and more than a little dehumanizing (whatever that word meant), but he was a patient man, and in time she came to understand his reasoning. Besides, it kept her home planet isolated and pristine.

But there was only so much he could do, and the resentment against half-Juraians (and in later years, quarter and eighth Jurians) continued to mount. Then the second great disharmony happened, when a powerful alien invader broke through Jurai's planetary defenses and wreaked havoc across the surface of the world. And that was when his son decided to fight off the invader single-handed and never be heard from again. He was proud of Yosho for displaying such heroism, but in truth he had to admit that Yosho had also seen the writing on the wall. As strongly opposed as Juraians were to the idea of a half-alien taking the throne, an alien invader would only make things worse. So he chose that opportunity to leave Jurai forever, taking the monster with him.

And if that had been his reasoning, he would have been right. Xenophobic attitudes DID reach a fever pitch after the Ryoko incident, and shortly afterward many families like Fudou's chose to leave Jurai for fear of more overt persecution. And in spite of the bitter taste of the entire situation, Asuza couldn't say he was sorry to see them go. And given Fudou's cool reaction to him and his wives, he didn't seem to regret leaving.

At last Fudou stopped at a door and signaled the rest of them that this was the place. "As I explained in the message I sent you, Your Majesty, my ship discovered him floating about in the wreckage of a Turennian freighter orbiting a star in R'Nagg territory. The investigative team was shocked to learn that not only was he still alive but from what we've been able to piece together he was actually OUTSIDE the ship when its main reactor exploded. Ironically, that may have saved his life, impossible as it sounds."

"And yet you sent us a genetic profile, which our offices have confirmed belongs to a child who was killed seven hundred years ago," Asuza added. "I don't think I should have to remind you, Lord Fudou, that Jurians are not capable of such things. Not full-blooded Juraians, at any rate, and that was what Komorebi was before he died."

Fudou raised an eyebrow at this, and ran a hand across his straight black hair that he'd bound into a ponytail at about shoulder-length. "Tell me, Lady Misaki, you've seen Ayeka recently, yes? Does she still wear her hair as she did before I left Jurai?"

Misaki nodded with a smile. "I'm glad to hear it," Fudou said. "Straight and dark, utilizing her father's recessive genes to look more like her half-brother. I always liked the look. I know she changed it more out of her infatuation with Yosho, but I always appreciated it. Made me feel less out of place among Juraians. Of course, by now I'd imagine she keeps it that way out of habit more than anything else. Same reason I wear mine in the functional Juraian fashion."

"Your point, Fudou?" Asuza groused.

"That there is precious little that the people of Jurai cannot do, Sire," Fudou replied. You're surely aware of genetic experimentation that went on long before you took the throne. The Yugi Project... Yakage's research... Today it's a fairly simple matter for a young lady to undergo procedures to mutate herself for cosmetic purposes. And that research still goes on today. And while the gentic profile I sent you no doubt conclusively identifies my charge as Komorebi, I would suggest a more in-depth examination would reveal that there are several marked differences in his DNA structure. Changes that I believe are the result of numerous gene-factor conversions performed before Komorebi disappeared from Jurai."

"His father," Asuza concluded.

"It was hardly a secret that he was a renowned scientist in the Juraian Empire," Fudou nodded. "Some said he was on the level of the old Galactic Academy, particularly when it came to genetic engineering."

"But why would he experiment on his own son?" Misaki asked.

"Why did Yosho try to fight off Ryoko all by himself?" Fudou countered. "Why did his sisters search for him in spite of the very likely possibility that he didn't survive the battle? Even before the invasion, those were dangerous times on Jurai. Maybe he was concerned that outworlders would take over the planet through intermarriage, or maybe he thought a revolt was imminent, or perhaps he even knew that Ryoko was coming before the rest of us. In any case, I suggest that his motivation was to make his son powerful, even more powerful than the body fortifications used by the Royal Family. And when Ryoko touched down on Jurai, he must have realized his home would be in the line of fire, so he placed his infant son in a small space-tree and sent it into space, hoping those genetic modifications would be enough to sustain him in the unknown."

"An interesting hypothesis," Funaho mused. "Of course, the only to be certain of this would be to talk to Komorebi's parents, and they were killed in the fracas."

"And did anyone ever locate the remains of their son?" Fudou asked.

"We wouldn't be here at all if someone had," Asuza snorted. "It is not that we doubt your story, or the evidence you've presented to us so far, Lord Fudou... however you can see that it is almost too fantastic to be believed."

"I agree," Fudou nodded. "That is why I wanted to prepare you ahead of time before meeting him." He pushed open the door and the four of them entered the sickbay. The room was like a ghost town.

"It's strange," Misaki observed, "I haven't seen a single R'Nagg since we boarded. What happened to your crew, Fudou?"

"Fear, m'lady," he said. "Caught between an indestructible man and the King of the most powerful nation in this part of space, it's only natural for them to give us a wide berth. The only reason they've resisted their fear of me is because they have to trust the immortal R'Nagg to see them through this. This way, please."

He led them into a section lined with beds, and only one of them was occupied. Asuza stared long and hard at this man. His hair was bright blue, like Misaki's, and when he looked up to see who had come in, Asuza saw a pair of purple eyes staring back at him. His skin was a pale shade of pink, and overall he seemed to carry every physical quality that would allow him to pass for a Juraian.

"Komorebi," Fudou announced, "I present to you the King and Queens of Jurai."

Komorebi rose from his bed and began to extend his hand out to him, but then he stopped in mid-motion and put it behind his back. "I'm, uh... I'm not sure what to do, sir," he said. "To be honest, I still can't quite believe you came all this way just to see me."

"You have done all that any of us could have asked, Komorebi," Asuza said grimly. "You have survived." Asuza stepped back to take a seat on the adjacent bed, and his foot tapped against something on the floor, sending it rolling out into plain sight. "What is that?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Komorebi said, hopping out of his bed to pick up the object. As he held it up, Asuza could now see that it was a crumpled ball of metal. "Fudou insists on keeping me cooped up down here, and all this boredom is making me fidgety."

"Dinner tray, Sire," Fudou explained. "He's picked up a nasty habit of crushing things in his hands when ennui sets in. And I would appreciate it if he would kindly put it back together like the others...?"

"Of course, of course," Komorebi chuckled. At once he took the ball of metal in one hand and began rolling it around in the other. Suddenly it began to turn red as he worked and Asuza could actually feel the heat from the metal as it started to melt in his hands. He was about to ask where this was coming from, until he noticed that Komorebi's eyes had changed to a bright orange-red color as he stared intently at the slag in his hands.

"How is he--?" Asuza gasped. Fudou put a finger to his green lips and shook his head.

Now Komorebi's hands were moving so fast he could barely keep track of them. In the center of the blur he could just about make out the metal as it slowly cooled while it was flattened and pressed and molded into a different shape. Finally Komorebi took a deep breath and blew on the finished product, and a gust of cool air wafted over Asuza.

"Done!" Komorebi shouted, holding the restored tray in his hand. Not that Asuza knew what it had looked like in the first place, but to see it now one would have no idea that anything had been done to it.

"Oh, Komorebi, that was WONDERFUL!" Misaki cheered, rushing to him to wrap her arms around his neck.

Asuza stood up and took Fudou by the shoulder. "Yes, spledidly done," he agreed, taking the verdant man aside to speak with him privately. "Then that was a demonstration of the powers he possesses?"

"I felt it might illustrate my point," Fudou nodded. "Naturally, I welcome you to scan him for yourself and make certain he's a true son of Jurai. But whether he is or not, the fact remains that he appears to be Juraian, and yet he can do things no other Juraian can do. And what you've seen is merely a sample of what he's capable of. I don't dare measure the full extent of his abilities for fear of compromising the integrity of the hull. In any case, I felt you should be informed."

"And what is your interest in this, Fudou?" Asuza asked. "Unless you intend to hand this man over to me out of an abiding love for your mother's people?"

"I am half-Juraian, Sire," Fudou replied. "He's the first one I've met in seven hundred years, and I can relate to his feelings of isolation and confusion. When he finally recovered from the coma we found him in, he told me he couldn't remember certain details about his life. He didn't know what world he came from or how he wound up floating where we discovered him. I've been working to help him past his amnesia, but if my theory is correct he's never known where he came from. The only reason he knows his own name is probably because it was engraved on the ship that carried him away from Jurai.

"No, the R'Nagg are only interested in getting rid of this man before he turns his great power against them, and in satisfying you in case you take offense somehow and order your vessel to open fire. What I want is to see this boy returned home where he can live in peace. It just so happens those goals are mutaully inclusive."

"It's decided. We're taking Komorebi home with us."

Asuza turned to see Misaki holding Komorebi's arm in her hands and smiling at him. "Is that so?" he asked in an irritated tone.

"That's right," she answered. "And what's more, we're taking Fudou with us so he can see the world of his birth again. Besides, he's Komorebi's only friend out here. And he can help him with his memory loss!"

"Not to mention that a Juraian who can withstand the vacuum of space and shoot fire from his eyes might come in handy at some point, right?" Funaho added with a grin.

"My thoughts exactly," Asuza conceded. "I have no hold over you in this part of space, Fudou, but you remain a citizen of Jurai by our law. You said you contacted us out of pity for Komorebi's plight. Would you be willing to assist him further?"

Fudou stroked his long beard a few times and then smiled. "I suppose my responsibilities on R'Nagg can be set aside for a short while, Sire. Far be it from me to deny such a reasonable request. And as they say on... somewhere, 'Physician, heal thyself.'"


NEXT: KOMOREBI VS. SERIYOU (guess who wins?)

Continue To Chapter Twenty