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Ariac sat staring at Washu, speechless. Surely... she could not be serious? Ryoko, Ayeka, Tenchi and the others had told her what a nightmare Kagato was. She had also read up on him during her years with the Galaxy police. There was no way he was her father.

"You're joking."

"I wouldn't joke about something like this." Washu said simply, quietly.

"I'll explain it to you." She turned to the screen and pressed a flashing green button.

Behind her several things ran on their own, bringing up files and pictures.

"There is a legend. It is not of earth, but it is well known throughout the galaxy. When the earth was young and the many other planets were old, a remarkably powerful tyrant plagued the solar system, destroying planets and entire galaxies. Eventually he took a wife and had a son, but abandoned them at the promise of ruling the universe. His former wife named their son Apollo, and trained him in the art of fighting, so one day he would fight this terrible beast. Many, many years passed, and the beast was challenged by his son. A massive battle ensued, but in the end the wicked beast, Andromeda, was sorely defeated by his own flesh and blood. They say he became a galaxy, and housed planets to apologize for fear Apollo might return to vanquish him forever."

"But what has this got to do with me?" Ariac asked.

"The Apollo project." Washu said. The Galaxy police seal appeared on the screen behind her and in front of it several textboxes, full of text, popped up and began to scroll rapidly. "The Galaxy police were fed up. Secretly, their best scientists obtained a piece of Kagato's DNA. He had been shot at a crime scene and the blood was fresh. They stored it until a police officer; a female one, with the right blood type came along. One did. Bernadette Hijuuo. She died in service. The scientists went to work. Using Bernadette's DNA, they combined the two in order to create a warrior far more powerful than Kagato himself. But the subject appeared to be developing into a feminine form. They didn't think a woman's body could handle the immense power she had been granted before she was born. They abandoned the project, raising the girl with a mesh of lies. That girl was you, Ariac. You were created to rid the universe of Kagato."

Ariac, to put it mildly, was dumbfounded. But the story did not end there.

"The girl was adventurous and headstrong, and they thought she might discover her power accidentally or be detected and hunted down. So they created an android to protect her and be her mentor and friend. I trust Ryoko told you of Zero?"

"Yes."

"Good. Then you understand. The android was in the shape of a cabbit. A black cabbit who could not go into a human form. The cabbit was solid black with a white gem on his forehead. A cabbit named Nat'retak."

Ariac stared straight ahead, her whole world collapsing before her eyes.

"Miya." Came a grim-sounding voice from behind her.

It was Nat. He obviously wasn't happy his secret had been blown. Ariac looked down at her little friend, walked over, and picked him up. Nat didn't struggle. He understood. Washu continued.

"I know this is difficult for you, Ariac. But what I'm about to say is even more important than what I have told you. Do you remember that Drayke?"

Ariac nodded. The screen behind Washu went temporarily blank, then showed a planet and a picture of the Drayke. A textbox appeared beside the planet.

"The Drayke was from a planet called Pterra IIII. It can sense one's hidden power, and it can sense if it is light or dark. The power inside of you contradicts your heart, for it is light, your power is dark. You are directly linked with Kagato; yours rises with his, but strangely it doesn't fall. That Drayke sensed a strong rise in Kagato's dark power on Earth. He came to vanquish it. Do you know what this means, Ariac?"

Ariac shook her head. Nat looked at Washu, surprised. he, again, understood.

"That means Kagato is alive. He is growing in power. At now there is no threat, the Draykes are keeping him from Earth. He can't go anywhere now anyway."

"Why-"

"You shouldn't worry about it." Washu was almost apprehensive that Ariac may become angry with her.

After all, Kagato was-in a sense- her father.

"But we need to get to Pterra IIII. Soon. If we don't, the Drayke attacks will persist, and you will be destroyed. I'm sorry if this is sudden, but the matter is urgent. If the Council of Pterra pieces together your existence and creation... they will waste no time. But we might run into trouble. I mean to train you, Ariac. I mean to train you to form your power into a light sword, and teach you to use it. Sooner or later we will have to tell the others of your lineage. I'm leaving that decision to you."

For a while Ariac sat there, stroking Nat's head. He looked up at her and miya'd.

"I'll do it. I'll train whenever you're ready."

Washu nodded serenely. "First thing tomorrow."

It was both a question and a statement.

"Okay." Ariac said.

Nat looked to Washu.

"Nat, If you'll allow me, I'd like to rewire some of your circuits so that you could speak English.I promise I won't tamper with anything unknown to me, or erase your memory or anything like that. Is that okay with you?"

Nat nodded and set his head on his paws.

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Closing Note: It's gonna be a FF9 and Tenchi M. Crossover!

Tiem to:....think.

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