FOREWORD:  What follows is the three part pilot episode of
Shadows Under Starlight.  The three parts have no relation
themselves and will not even crossover in the slightest bit.
But they are setup episodes for the real series that begins
with episode 4.
                             ***

                   Shadows Under Starlight
                              
                          Episode 1
                              
                      "Tragedy Part I"

By Adam Christopher Leigh
Distributed by Tempest Creations

A Crossover of Epic Proportions

                             ***

     Makoto stood, looking up into the sky, clutching the
only possession he retained of his love, Ifurita, the Power
Key Staff.  He hardly ever let go of the object anymore, not
since he'd begun his search to discover how the Eye Of God
worked, but it had long since stopped comforting him by
filling the void in his life where Ifurita had been.  Now he
kept it around more out of habit than of any effect to his
mental well being.  It had been too long ago that she'd
flown into the Eye and not returned to him.

     He clutched the staff closer to his chest and turned
slightly so he could see the large planet-like device,
hanging in low orbit, that was the Eye of God.  He wouldn't
forget, he *couldn't*.  He was so close to an answer, but he
mustn't lose sight of his goal.  If he were to become
lifeless in his attempt to get to Ifurita, what would have
been the point?

     A pawing at his feet brought Makoto out of his reverie
and he looked down to see Ura.  The long tailed cat meowed
and looked back at him.  "Makoto," Ura announced itself.

     Makoto bent down to pick up Ura, cradling the feline in
his arms.  "Hello, Ura," he said rather softly, keeping a
rather stolid look on his face.

     "Come see Rune!" Ura announced happily.

     Makoto nodded.  It was getting late and he knew that
Princess Rune Venus only dealt with personal matters over
dinner.  He knew his request would ruffle a few feathers
across the Alliance, but he couldn't help but make it
eventually.  Thankfully, Rune understood the situation and
chose not to bring up the matter before the counsel earlier
in the day, rather, choosing to discuss it privately.

     If all went well, the counsel would never hear from him
again anyway.

     "Okay, Ura," Makoto said.  "Lets go."

     Ura jumped down from his arms, walked forward a few
feet, and glanced back to make sure Makoto was following.
In the starlight, Ura's eyes looked like they were glowing
and Makoto shivered once, before setting off after the cat.

                             ***

     "I understand, your highness," Makoto explained calmly.
"I was in agreement with that directive when you made it,
but I have no intention of using the Eye of God for military
purposes, surely you of all people understand that."

     "I do understand your position," Rune tried to
construe.  "But as the leader of the alliance, I can't do
something as dangerous as that without their unanimous
permission, something I can guarantee you won't get."  She
sighed once and bowed her head.  "And honestly, Makoto, I
can't even imagine bringing the issue up before the Alliance
without some proof that this is worth the risk."

     "But I can't get proof," sighed Makoto.  "The Eye was
never designed to act as a transporter between dimensions so
how would I get documentation to prove it can without
relying on the information gathered by the Phantom Tribe
which I know no one will believe?"

     "I don't know," said Rune, then repeated, "I don't
know.  I can't tell you if it exists out there but I can
tell you what I'll need to have the Eye of God unsealed, and
that's written, documented, proof, gathered from someplace
other than the Phantom Tribe."

     "That's impossible," announced Makoto.

     "Then why do you want to do this so badly if you're not
even sure the Eye won't turn around and decide to kill you?"

     "Because I'm sure I can get it to work, the Phantom
Tribe left behind databases full of--"

     "I don't care what they left," Rune cut him off.  "All
their research was directed towards destroying this world
merely to get back to their own.  I don't understand how any
of that can be of use unless you are planning on sacrificing
this world just to get to Ifurita."

     "No! I'm not I'm..." he trailed off.  "You are right,
but just because that was their goal, doesn't mean they
didn't find something else in the intern.  They were angry
and they didn't want to find any information that would lead
to their peaceful and silent departure.  They *wanted*
terror and destruction, but the also found other things
about the Eye.  I'm sure I can turn their research into a
method of sending me back to Earth, if you just let me try
it out on the Eye!"

     "I'm sorry, I can't, there can be no further discussion
about this."  Rune turned away from Makoto.

     "I'm sorry too," Makoto murmured before standing up and
walking out of the room.  When she heard the door close,
Rune turned back and broke into tears.

                             ***

     The tower loomed above him.  In the night sky, it
appeared as ominous as the Bugrom citadel had when he'd gone
in to save Fatora so long ago.  Back then, Makoto'd been
about to risk his life simply to save the sister of the
Princess, since he didn't really know Fatora at all save
that he and she shared the same face.  Now, he wondered how
much he was risking, for the faceless hunch he'd gotten
after looking through the tomes of the Phantom Tribe.

     He swallowed deeply and moved forward to place his hand
against the door to open the Stairway to the Sky.  Sweat
formed on his fingertips.  He hoped that the door would
open, it was an old enough technology, he should be able to
interface with it.  If not, this whole operation would have
been for nothing.

     His hand was millimeters from the door when he heard a
sudden sound of machinery and the door split down the
middle, sliding off to either side.  A gust of air blew into
Makoto's face and he quickly retracted his hand to hold it
in front of his face, taking a step backwards.

     "Makoto," a soft voice said that forced him to look up.

     Shayla.

     "I was told that you would try this," she said
ominously.  "I can only think of one reason why they sent me
to guard it, though."

     Makoto blinked as Shayla stood to the side and bowed
her head, diverting her eyes from his.  "We all know how
much she means to you," she swallowed.  "I admit that I
would have preferred it been me, but I do understand what
place she holds in your heart.  No one wants to see you
suffer anymore, so I think that's why the told me to come
here, not to stop you, but to help you."

     "Shayla--" started Makoto.

     "I only ask you one thing," she interrupted.
"Please... take me with you."  She looked up and saw the
somewhat surprised, somewhat saddened expression on his
face.  "There's nothing I want here anymore," she continued,
the lump in her throat growing.  "I understand your earth is
a nice place, without any demons or Eyes of God or ch--
childhood destinies..."  She looked away suddenly, trying to
hide the tears on her face.  She felt herself falling apart,
she wanted nothing more than to have him, to be able to hold
him in her arms and feel safe...

     And suddenly she was.  Makoto held her gently, he was
looking straight ahead, but cradling her in his arms.  She
softly cried into his chest, silently reveling in his
warmth, his *presence*.

     Makoto felt very unsure about himself.  He wondered who
he was to go chasing after women off in another dimension
when he had so many who loved him and cared for him here.
He looked at the staff hooked in his arm.  Was he wrong to
go to Ifurita?

     *No*, he told himself, he mustn't forget her.  She may
be far away now, but if all went well, he be with her
tomorrow morning.  She had given everything for him, and he
for her, that was the ultimate love.

     He felt something wet on his cheek and for a moment he
thought he was crying.  For who? his mind asked itself in
terror.  The drop of water that fell on the back of his hand
alerted him to the situation.  He looked up to see a few
black clouds gathering around the Eye of God.  It was
starting to rain.

     "Come on, Shayla-Shayla," Makoto said softly into her
ear.  "We need to go into the Stairway now."  He moved her
back to her feet and walked with her through the doorway
into the center of the tower.  The ground glowed white and
he felt himself being lifted upwards.

                             ***

     The clouds were either rejoicing or warning Makoto of
his decision, he couldn't decide which one.  As he and
Shayla stood on the surface of the Eye the clouds around
them traded blows of lightning, giving the whole area a
thick ozone smell.  They were above the rain, but were in
danger from the lightning and the deafening thunder.  It
seemed every step of Makoto's journey came with great risk,
was it all an attempt to ward him of, or make sure he's
sincere about his feelings?

     Either way, he knew he was in great danger as he looked
down the long and deep ventaliation shaft that headed
towards the core of the Eye.  Over a year ago, Ifurita had
willfully fell down this shaft to synchronize with the Eye.
Now, Makoto hoped to repeat that event in the hopes of
ending up in the same place she did.

     "This is the shaft," Shayla assured him.  "Goes right
to the center."

     "It looks awfully deep," Makoto commented.

     "The Eye is awfully big."

     "Are you sure you want to do this?"

     Shayla stared dumbfounded at him.  "Shouldn't that be
my question?"

     "From what I've found," Makoto said, shaking his head.
"This is a one way ticket.  Earth or bust."

     "I'm sure, Makoto," she softly replied.  "I've been
sure for a long time now."

     He nodded and tightened his grip on the Staff, peering
down the hole again.  "Then lets go, before we get hit by
lightning."

     Silently, Shayla moved up next to Makoto and put an arm
around his waist while she generated the sphere of fire
around the two of them.  When the red-blue field had
surrounded them completely, she lifted off the ground and
dove in down into the Eye.

                             ***

     "Princess!" Londs' voice urgently woke Rune Venus from
her sleep.  She got up suddenly and looked to Londs' face
with look of surprise, despite the fact that she knew
exactly what had happened.

     "What is it Londs?" she said trying to wipe the sleepys
from her eyes.

     "Something is wrong with the Eye of God!" he yelled in
his coarse voice.

     "What's wrong?" Rune asked, playing along.  Londs
motioned to the balcony.

     "Come see for yourself, Princess."

     Rune swung her legs out of the bed and stood, quickly
composing herself as she always did when she stood, and
moved out to the balcony to look up at the Eye of God.  She
was surprised to see that it had lowered it's orbit and was
nearly touching the Stairway to the Sky, that and the
crimson bolts of energy that kept shooting off of the
spherical weapon of destruction.

     "What is going on?" she wondered aloud.  It didn't look
like it was going to fire, at least not in any way that
she'd seen the Eye used before.  She looked to Londs with a
silent question.

     "I've sent for the Priestesses of Mount Muldoon," Londs
replied.  "They're on their way except they can't find
Shayla-Shayla.  She appears to be missing."

     Rune nodded and looked back up the Eye.  It was sending
out pulses of yellow light now that would expand out in a
circle from the Eye to cover the sky in a sandy color.  The
black clouds that were once around the Eye had been
dispersed by the pulses leaving a clear sky that was
strangely colored purple.  Rune closed her eyes and said a
silent prayer.

     /Good luck, Makoto./

                             ***

     <Who are you?> asked Makoto.

     *I am the Eye of God,* came the response.

     <The Eye of God?>

     *I am the consciousness inside the Eye of God,
installed by my creators.*

     <Why?>

     *To control the firing procedures given to me from the
Stairway to the Sky.*

     <You control the Eye?>

     *I am the Eye of God.*

     <Oh.>

     *You are only the second visitor I've ever had, and the
first told me that you would eventually come.  You are
Makoto.*

     <That's right.  I'm Makoto, I'm looking for Ifurita.  I
need to go to her.>

     *I cannot take you to her.*

     <Why not?>

     *Because I do not have the coordinates for your Earth.*

     <Where did you send Ifurita, then?>

     *Away.*

     <Away?>

     *Just like she asked.*

     <But *I've* been to Earth! Can you read the coordinates
from me?>

     *Barely.  They are being obstructed by another.*

     <Another?>

     *Who is this woman with you?  Ifurita described someone
named Shayla-Shayla who thought like her.*

     <She is Shayla.>

     *Her thoughts obstruct the coordinates.  She had not
been to Earth.*

     <No, she wants to come.>

     *It will be difficult to send you both without proper
coordinates.*

     <Can you try?>

     *I can.  With a reasonable degree of success.*

     <How much?>

     *Seventy-eight point six percent.  A three-fourths
chance of success, much better than Ifurita's, of whom I
only had images to work with.*

     <She already got to Earth.>

     *Did she?*

     <Yes.>

     *How long?*

     <Huh?>

     *How long did it take her?*

     <Twelve thousand years, I think.>

     *You will not survive that long.*

     <I thought you said my chances were better.>

     *They are, by at least seventy percent.*

     <Then I won't need to survive that long.>

     *Hopefully not.*

     <Then send me.  I need to go after her.>

     *As you wish.  Thank you for talking to me instead of
just sending orders.  My creators did not intend me to
develop sentience, and it's many very long and uneventful
years.  Good bye.*

     <You're welcome.>

     *Transmitting.*

                             ***

     The Eye of God quelled itself, lifting higher up into
orbit and allowing the clouds to drift back.  Everything was
silent for a long time afterwards before a voice broke the
calm.

     "It has stopped," Londs confirmed Rune's observation.
"What could have caused it?"

     "Princess."

     Rune and Londs turned around to see the Priestess Miz
standing in the Princesses doorway.  "What is it, Miz?" Rune
asked.

     "It's Shayla," she said solemnly.  "She's gone."

     "I know," Rune said with a nod and a slight smile.

     "No, you don't," Miz said urgently.  "She *gone*."

     Rune's smile slowly faded.  "You mean she's not at--"

     "No."

     "Do you think she went with him?" Rune said, eyes wide
now.

     "Yes," Miz said so quietly she could barely hear
herself.  But Rune heard, and she turned back around to look
at the Eye of God.

     "Gone," Rune repeated to the daemonic eye.  It simply
stared at her in response.

                       -End Chapter 1-

Authors Notes:
     I think it's possible that the ancient people of El-
Hazard put an intelligence in their Eye of God.  They put
one in their other ultimate weapon, Ifurita, why not put one
in the Eye?  Not that *I* necessarily would build a giant
weapon of mass destruction then give it the ability to think
and feel and love, the concept is crazy to me, but if they
did it once, why not do it again?

     `El-Hazard: The Magnificent World' was created by
Hiroki Hayashi and Ryoe Tsukimura and is copyright c1995 by
AIC and Pioneer Entertainment (USA/JP) L.P.  Manufactured
for, distributed, and dubbed by Pioneer Entertainment (USA)
L.P.  While this story contains characters and situations
from this anime and used without permission, this work is
c1999 Adam Leigh.  Not for sale or trade. All Rights
Reserved.

Adam Christopher Leigh
Omicron@sprynet.com
http://dogbert.simplenet.com/shadows