Tenchi Muyo! Altiverse
 
                    Tale #1: Hello, Trakal
 
    Trakal 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 Trakal, and dropping him.
    Trakal 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 Trakal 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." Trakal
 replied. "I tried to warn you before, but I was being followed."
    Nobuyuki looked at Trakal's severed arm. "Do you have the rest
 of that arm? I might be able to fix it. I'm very good at that."
    Trakal 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." Trakal replied. "And I will help you."
    Nobuyuki suddenly realized who he was. "You're the one who that blue
 haired girl was chasing."
    Trakal 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.
    Trakal 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. Trakal 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. 
    Tenchi and his group returned to 1996 a few days later, Washuu 
teleporting Trakal to the present at the same time.
    The following Monday, Tenchi returned to school, which had finally
been rebuilt along with Ryoko and Aeka. Ryoko had refused to let Tenchi
go without her and Aeka wasn't about to let Ryoko get Tenchi alone.
    "Welcome back, Tenchi." The Principal told him.  "I see you have two
friends with you. You'll have to go to the office and register for classes."
Ryoko and Aeka headed to the principal's office while Tenchi headed off to
class.
    They were waiting for their new teacher to arrive when Trakal, once again
in his human disguise, walked in and, finding no other seat available, sat
next to Ryoko.
    Ryoko wasn't about to forgive him for the incident back in 1970 tied the
laces of his sneakers together when he wasn't looking. 
    Trakal still hadn't forgiven Ryoko for blowing his assignment and slipped 
a pair of binders onto her ankles.
    Aeka sat primly and ignored both of them.
    "Ryoko Masaki, Aeka Jurai, Trakal Onmitsu?"
    Aeka glared at Ryoko.  "Masaki indeed."
    "Come with me." The Principal told them.
    Ryoko and Trakal both fell over the minute they tried to walk.
    Aeka primly stifled a giggle and followed the Principal into his office
while Trakal and Ryoko glared at each other from the floor.
    "Hurry up you two, or you'll be able to glare at each other all you
want in detention."
    "Yes, sir." Ryoko and Trakal both replied.