Author's note: In case you haven't figured it out yet, this story uses the
traditional Japanese form of names (surname first, given name last) and
introduces minors and the Operative (who is disguised as a minor when
introduced) by their first name.


(Tenchi Muyo in Love alternative universe tale #2)

                    =Operative A=

                    "Continuance"


    The Operative cried out in defiance and agony as Kain's acid-lava began
to envelop him.
    Then, suddenly, Kain himself cried out, forgetting his murderous attack
on the Operative, and dropping him.
    The Operative snarled, pain giving way to anger, and lunged at Kain.
    Kain grabbed him with an energy line from one hand. As he was drawn
into Washuu's vortex, he saw Achika and grabbed her. Nobuyuki grabbed onto
Achika, but despite his courage, and Tenchi's best efforts, Nobuyuki, Achika,
and the Operative were pulled into alternate space along with Kain.

    Nobuyuki had never seen anyone who looked even remotely like the
Operative before. "Who... what are you?"
    "I'm a special operative working with the Galaxy Police." the Operative
repliad. "I tried to warn you before, but I was being followed."
    Nobuyuki looked at the Operative's severed arm. "Do you have the rest
of that arm? I might be able to fix it. I'm very good at that."
    The Operative shook his head. "Kain destroyed it."
    "I'll make you another one if we get out of this mess." Nobuyuki
promised. "Please, help me save Achika."
    "Thanks." the Operative repliad. "And I will help you."
    Nobuyuki suddenly realized who he was. "You're the one who that blue
haired girl was chasing."
    The Operative nodded.
    Nobuyuki blushed a little. "Don't worry." He admitted, confidentially,
"between the two of us, I know what its like to be chased by a girl."
    They were approaching Kain as they chatted.
    Suddenly, Kain lashed out and grabbed both of them. He threw them both
down, hard.
    Achika cried out... "Nobuyuki!!" and broke free, running to his side.
    Then, it happened, as Nobuyuki and Achika gazed into each other's eyes,
the danger of the moment, the realization of their mortality, became the
catalyst that sealed their love.
    The Operative saw this and, despite the agony he was suffering, laughed.
    "Kain! You fool!" His laughter was clear and bright despite his pain.
"You've caused the very thing you hoped to prevent! Had you *not* come here,
they may very well have simply spent the rest of their lives flirting, each
too shy to admit their true feelings, but now... this brush with mortality,
has caused them to act much differently."
    Kain howled with rage. The Operative *couldn't* be right! He, Kain,
couldn't have been responsible for the love between Tenchi's parents!
    "No!" He bellowed. "It isn't possible!"
    Tenchi, Aeka, and Ryoko arrived a few minutes later. With their help,
Achika destroyed Kain. Then, they all returned back to 1970 Tokyo.
    As he promised, Nobuyuki made a new arm for the Operative, who had given
him a set of blueprints of the old one. The Operative tried it out and found
it worked beautifully. As he fired a few energy bolts from it at a series of
random bottles and cans, Nobuyuki watched proudly.
    The next day, the Operative was nowhere to be found.
    Tenchi and his group returned to 1996 a few days later.
    They were so happy to be safely home, that none of them gave the
Operative a second thought.
    The following Monday, Nobuyuki and Achika returned to school. They
chatted in the hall, playfully, as if nothing had happened, laughing and
happy to be alive. They walked into the classroom and waved to all their
friends.
    Then, they spotted a familiar face at one of the desks two rows back.
    This time, he smiled to them.
    A new teacher, Mrs. Tanaka, walked in along with a brand new student.
    "Everyone," she said, "this is Nozomi. She's just transfered from
Okinawa."
    "Hello, Nozomi." The whole class said, politely.
    "Hello, all of you." Nozomi repliad, to the entire class.  As she
scanned the class, looking at each new face, they all seemed the same, black
eyes and black hair, and... No! Wait! Her eyes focused on the dark reddish
brown hair and pale golden eyes of the Operative. She winked at him.
    His mask worked on much the same principal as the mood rings of the late
1970s, so he actually appeared to be blushing.
    Nozomi smiled.

    He was walking to his next class when Nozomi caught up with him. As it
turned out, she had the same class as him, so she walked to class with him.
    "What is your name?" She asked him.
    He lowered his gaze and turned, shyly, from her. In truth, he hadn't
given himself a human name yet, and his own name was not pronounceable in
any human tongue.
    Nozomi smiled. "Its okay to be shy." She told him.

    He returned to the makeshift campsite he was living at after school a
few weeks later, as he'd been wont to do since he'd arrived. He was
beginning to get changed and had already removed the constricting mask, he
heard a voice behind him.
    "What are you doing?" Nozomi asked.
    He didn't have time to put his mask back on so he kept his face turned
from her.
    "Nothing." He repliad.
    "Look at me." She told him.
    "No." He told her.
    Nozomi went up to him and put her arms around his waist. "What's the
matter?" She asked.
    "Nothing." He told her.
    "Then look at me." She told him.
    "I can't." He told her.
    "Why?" She demanded, starting to cry. "Am I ugly? I am! That's it. I'm
plain and ugly."
    "No, you're not." He told her. "I just can't let you see me."
    "I've seen you all day in school." Nozomi pointed out.
    "No." He told her. "All you've seen is a mask. A fake face. You haven't
seen *me*.  You saw a false image I wear to fit in."
    "Then let me see you." Nozomi told him. "Let me see the face of the man
I love. Of the person I love. Even if you're a *woman* let me see your face."
    The Operative nodded. "Very well." He said. He knew what would happen
when he turned. She'd run away screaming and never talk to him again. A part
of him regretted that, and he felt a sharp pain in his soul. Still, the more
rational part of him explained, it was for the best. He couldn't fall in love
with a woman from the seventies. It just wouldn't work out.
    The Operative turned and faced her with his true face.
    "What the..." she gasped.
    "Now you understand why I couldn't look at you." He told her.
    Nozomi's next move took the Galaxy Police's best agent completely by
surprise. She took his muzzle in her hands and kissed him, lovingly, on the
mouth.
    "Why did you..." he asked.
    "I told you before," she repliad. "I love you."
    The Operative could hardly beliave what he was hearing. He blinked at
Nozomi in astonishment. "You..."
    Nozomi smiled and kissed his muzzle, again. "I'd like to take you home
to meet my family."
    "Great idea." The Operative's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "I can
just see their response. 'Dear, we really can't afford to let you keep a
pet right now. I'm sorry. Here, let us call the humane society!' Thanks, but
no."
    "You can wear the disguise until they get used to you." Nozomi
suggested. "Please?!"

    "How did I let her talk me into this?" The Operative asked Nobuyuki the
next day.
    "I take it things are going well with Nozomi?" Nobuyuki noted.
    "She's taking me to meet her family tonight." The Operative told him.
    "Good luck." Nobuyuki told him.

Continued to next message

 * SLMR 2.1a * K + A + I + N     L + O + C + K    O + F + F