----
 
 Watch commander Jessic suppressed a yawn as he scanned the open field around 
 him. The Stairway to the Sky stood behind him. Hovering above lay the Eye 
 of God. Ever since the Phantoms easily took the stairway only six months 
 before, the Royalty decried that it would be more heavily guarded.
 
 He glanced towards the East. The sun would be up in a couple hours.....
 
 *chie-chnk* *chie-chnk* 
 
 "We're under attack!" He shouted recognizing the sound instantly. Two of 
 his sentries slumped to the ground as cross-bow bolts struck them between 
the 
 eyes. Reacting instantly, the guards fell back by ranks towards the entrance 
 of the structure unleashing a thick spray of gunfire. Once all of them were 
 in the only doorway in, the phantoms would have no choice but to attack head 
 on into them. 
 
 A phantom fell, then another, caught in the storm of bullets. "Terrily, 
 send the runners! Get reinforcem...."
 Watch commander Jessic's words were cut off as  grenades exploded all 
 around him and his men. The last thing he saw before the darkness was his 
 troops screaming in agony. The last thing he thought before the coming 
 darkness was of his failure.
 
 ------
 
 Miz slowly awoke to hear voices coming before behind the door to her 
 chambers. Weariness crept towards her mind. Moaning softly, she rolled over 
 trying to go back to sleep.
 
 "Four hours and the phantoms are still holding?"
 
 "...must be....secure...first...Nahato...key..."
 
 All traces of weariness vanished from her body. She rose just as the doors 
 opened. Afura and Sheyla entered false smiles on their faces.
 
 "Hey, look who's up."
 
 "Bugs can't keep old you down...." Their words died seeing the look on Miz'
 s face.
 
 "How bad is it?" She asked.
 
 "Real bad, the phantoms have taken the Stairway. The army has been trying 
 to dislodge them, but the main force is still on the borders and the miltias 
 securing the cities," Afura confessed.
 
 "Small unit stuff has been going on for four hours, mainly Royal Guardsmen 
 and Varic's personal cadre...it doesn't look good for them. The council 
 thinks this is a feint for an invasion and Rune can't get more troops..."
 
 Miz nodded. "When are you two leaving with the others?"
 
 "Ten minutes. We came by to say good-bye," Sheyla said with a wry smile, "
 it was Afura's idea to try to trick you."
 
 "Don't say it," Miz said abruptly, "No good-byes. You two are coming back 
 even if I have to drag this whole bed onto the battlefield."
 
 The two others could only smile, "We're sisters-in-spirit, nothing is going 
 to drag us apart."
 
 ----------
 
 Rune looked over the assembled group. It seemed like years had passed since 
 they first arrived on El-Hazard. First, Makoto and his school friends, then 
 the Jurians.....She wondered when visitors would not signal tragedy for her 
 world.
 
 "As you know, the phantoms have pushed back our troops to the outer 
 perimeter of the Stairway. It is clear that it must be taken back before 
 Nahato can arrive with the Key. The guardsmen are too fatigued to join you 
 in the battle, and the council still refuses to send reinforcements."
 
 The solemn looks softened for a moment when Ryoko spoke up, "Don't worry 
 your highness, they'd just get in the way anyhow."
 
 Rune smiled softly, "Yes, i would think they would....I wish you all good 
 luck. Your escort transports will arrive in ten minutes..." The others 
 nodded knowing what lay ahead.
 
 ------------
The dull whine of the skimmer's engine filled the atmosphere�. 


Ura thrashed about in his hands, complaining loudly as he handed her to 
Alliele.

"Ura Go Too!!! Protect Makoto!" She cried piteously as Alliele wrapped both 
hands around the big cat.

"Ura, I need you to keep an eye on Alliele for me. She is still hurt from the 
fight with Nahato and needs to be protected." The cat stopped fighting for a 
second, and looked at him closely. He leaned forward and whispered in the 
small girl's ear. "Could you take care of her for me? Just don't feed her too 
much, I'm afraid that I have spoiled her and she's getting a little fat." The 
cat's sharp ears picked up the last few words.

"Ura not fat, Ura strong!!" She protested. Makoto smiled and ruffled the 
cat's mohawk before turning and walking to the door. He turned and looked at 
them again.

"Goodbye Alliele and Ura." The he was gone to join the others as they got 
ready to move out. Ura looked at Alliele.

"Alliele Ura's new owner?" The cat asked quietly.

"No Ura, I'm just taking care of you till Makoto gets back."

"Makoto not come back, Ura knows." The cat said with an air of sad certainy. 
Alliele looked down at the cat in her arms, and didn't doubt the words.

"How do you know that Ura?"

"Makoto say goodbye when he leave. Makoto never say goodbye before, always 
know returning. Makoto know not returning." replied the cat sadly, she looked 
up at Alliele before continuing, "Ura will miss Makoto. Never forget Makoto."

Alliele watched as the two teams leave for their respective areas.

"Goodbye Makoto, please come back to us."

 ------------
 
 Rune watched the transports leave. She was alone once more. The winds 
 swept the balcony chilling her to the bone. She let go; tears were shed 
 unashamedly as the emotions of the past three days welled up inside of her.
 
 "You've accepted that some would not come back."
 
 "Yes, Harbringer," Rune whispered to the figure that had silently appeared 
 behind her.
 
 "Very well, it shall make the transition easier upon you."
 
 "Transition?"
 
 "It's time to heal the lands child... time for a true and lasting peace to 
 be made. But life must spring from death as must death spring from life."
 
 "You're talking about sacrificing lives" Rune said in shock.
 
 "No, I am saying that you must accept that others will die in the hope that 
 you will do the right thing..."
 
 Rune wiped away her tear stained face only to see Harbinger fade once 
 more from sight.
 -------
"I can't fail now!" Jinnai said through gritted teeth as he pulled on his 
hair. -Too many enemies and too little material and troops to meet them with. 
I have to regain control of the situation or I will never regain favor with 
Deva. - Without her, he knew that his plans for the eventual conquest of El 
Hazard were doomed to failure.

"And I have to find a way to pay back Nahto." He still seethed at the ease 
with which the phantom boy had stolen the Key. It was a move worthy of him. 
He had seriously underestimated the boy. He heard a slight sigh of wind and 
turned around, his bodyguard turning with him. A tall woman, wrapped in 
shadows, stepped into the circle of light around his planning table. "Who the 
hell are you?"

"I go by many names, Katsuhiko Jinnai. To the Rostarians I am Harbinger, the 
Jurai call me the Great Guardian, the Bugrom merely acknowledge my power, and 
the phantoms tell the tale of how I ended the Great War in a single day and 
guided them to the warrens that are their homeland. You have a destiny 
Jinnai, are you ready to face it?"

"Of course," he replied automatically, "I know what I am destined for!" 
Harbinger smiled wryly.

"Are you so sure of yourself? Are you ready to face your greatest enemy with 
only this solitary bugrom warrior?" She spread her arms out and the lights 
dimmed, Jinnai lurched forward as a bout of vertigo washed over him.

When he looked up, he was no longer in his war room but on the familiar 
surface of the Eye of God. Harbinger's voice whispered in his ear as if from 
a great distance.

"Prepare yourself Jinnai. Makoto is coming." Jinnai smiled as the picture of 
his hated foe dead at his hands came to mind. It was a good picture.
-------
The skies seemed to blacken as the Eye of God moved lower to the surface. The 
occasional bolt of lightning would streak from the sky, dancing around the 
artificial moon. Feelings of dread seemed to permeate the air around them all.

"No matter how many times, I see it, the fear never goes away." Makoto 
muttered as all the others eyed the moonlet nervously. Each person in the 
group agreed silently.

No words were spoken, just a common consensus. Afura reached out and Sheyla 
gently touched Makoto on the shoulder. It was time. He met Tenchi's gaze and 
nodded, then stepped into Sheyla's and Afura's waiting arms. Afura closed her 
eyes and reached into the sky with her mind, lifting the threesome high into 
the sky. Seconds later, they were gone from sight swallowed by the clouds 
below the Eye of God.

"Never had a chance to say good luck." Ayeka said and turned to Tenchi, "What 
was that look that he gave you?" Tenchi looked up into the sky long seconds 
before answering, saddened by the relazation of what Makoto planned.

"Makoto was saying goodbye." Ayeka's next question was cut off by an 
impatient Ryoko.

"Come on, the Key is waiting." She led the way to entrance to the Stairway to 
the Sky. 

---