Well, seeing as I haven't released a new Tenchi-related fan fic for nearly two years, I figured it was time to get back into the game. Oh, and since I'm also writing Gundam Wing fan fiction these days, I thought it would be fun to try a Tenchi Muyo/Gundam Wing crossover. Whee! By the way, even though I usually follow the Tenchi OAV continuity in my fics, for this one I used the TV series (Tenchi Universe). Just so you know. Heh.

Legal disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are property of Pioneer and AIC. Gundam Wing and its characters are property of Sunrise, Sotsu Agency, TV Asahi, Bandai, and anyone I may have forgotten. This story, however, is mine. Please don't sue me, because I'm just writing this for fun. (Which is another way of saying that I have no life, and no money either.)

You're Not Alone

by Literary Eagle

Mihoshi was dying.

I felt so isolated and powerless, seated at my comatose partner's bedside. Gently stroking her hand, which in the past few minutes had become quite cold, I said in a choked whisper, "Mihoshi? It's me, Kiyone. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

There was no response. I wasn't expecting one. With her golden hair spread out on the pristine pillow like a halo caressed by white clouds, Mihoshi looked as if she had already died and become an angel. A very pessimistic description, perhaps, but I wasn't going to fool myself into thinking that everything was going to be alright. Things would never be okay again, and for that I had no one to blame but myself.

The death of a partner is something that happens to many Galaxy Police officers, but even still, I never could have imagined the life that was in store for me when I became a GP officer. At the beginning, I had been their rising star, and I had thought that there was a bright future of promotions and accolades ahead of me... But then Mihoshi became my partner, and that dream fell apart. As countless promotions slipped through my grasp, I cursed the day I had met her, I called her an idiot and other demeaning names, and I yelled at her whenever something went wrong, even if sometimes it actually wasn't her fault.

Then, one day, she disappeared. She had been pursuing the space pirate Ryoko, and then we had lost contact with her. Eventually, she was officially presumed dead, and I am ashamed to say that at the time, I had considered it the happiest day of my life. And when it was discovered that she was still alive, I had thought it was the worst day in all of existence. But still I was not aware of what fate had in mind for us.

At any rate, we were reunited on Earth and became partners again. What followed were several years of wild unpredictability: going through countless jobs on Earth, madcap adventures with Tenchi and the rest of his household, thwarting the plans of Kagato and KAIN. And through it all, Mihoshi would happily say, "You're my best friend, Kiyone! You'll always be my best friend."

But I never said the same to her. After all, she had ruined my career and my life, right? I hated her, didn't I? She wasn't my friend.

Or was she?

I was so career-driven that I had never made any friends in the Galaxy Police. Nobody knew me very well... they all seemed to think that I was cold, unapproachable. All of them except Mihoshi. Whenever I was feeling lonely, she took me to the karaoke bar or the bathhouses. Of course I always protested because we didn't have the money for such luxuries, but in the end, I always relented. She knew how much I needed it, and deep down I knew how right she was. So when I was lonely, we sang. When I cried, she would hold me. When I wanted to talk, she was always there. Without a doubt, she knew me better than anyone.

And I knew her better than anyone, because even though I frequently denied it, I knew she wasn't really just some bimbo like most assumed. She valued all living things and consequently loved people too much... Seeing the horrible crimes people committed against each other was slowly killing her mind, bit by bit. Her large innocent blue eyes were deceptive, because she wasn't really that untainted, not anymore. She had seen too much pain and suffering, but still she continued doing what she did, because she wanted to protect others from that anguish. I, on the other hand, had let the career become everything. I had cared about promotions more than I had worried about the people I was supposed to protect.

Every action Mihoshi took was done with heart, and slowly but surely I think my heart remembered how to live that way too. And I looked out for her, because despite all she had been through, sometimes she was still too naïve and innocent for her own good. So yes, we were best friends. But I never told her. And now, it was too late. It seems unthinkable that, after facing the likes of Kagato and KAIN, the one to bring Mihoshi down would be a drunken pilot that we had arrested while on patrol.

Ryoko had sadly remarked that perhaps Mihoshi's legendary luck had finally run out, but I knew that it was really my fault. The lack of action in our sector in recent times had made me complacent, and I hadn't checked the pilot for hidden weapons as carefully as I should have. Mihoshi had leapt in the way when the man tried to take a shot at me. So now, here she was, dying in a cold hospital bed, a testament to my foolishness and selfishness.

"Mihoshi... I was so stupid! And I'm so sorry that I never told you!" I cried, wringing her limp hand, "You are my best friend! I never said it before, but you are! You were always my best friend..."

But my best friend had already stopped breathing.

"No! You can't... Not yet... You never heard me tell you... You have to let me tell you!" I shouted, not caring how pathetic I sounded to Tenchi and the others waiting out in the hall. They had wanted to let us have a moment of privacy, but at the moment I didn't care if the whole bloody universe heard me.

"You're my best friend, Mihoshi! Damn it, you have to hear me! MIHOSHI!" I stood and beat my fists into the side of her bed, crying and screaming like a madwoman, until at last I sank back into my chair, whimpering at the hopelessness and grim finality of it all.

Moments later, I burst into fresh tears upon realizing that I had just yelled at her yet again, and mere moments after her death at that. I was a horrible, horrible friend. "I'm so sorry, Mihoshi..."

"I'm so sorry, Quatre..."

And here we were again. The situation was so familiar it was like some sort of sick joke. Quatre even had blond hair and large blue eyes, like Mihoshi. It was probably just a coincidence... certainly I, Trowa, didn't look much like Kiyone at all. But even if it was only a coincidence, it was a cruel one.

At first, I hadn't been aware of my past life as Kiyone, and I hadn't remembered Mihoshi. I had merely been a friendless, nameless mercenary who eventually became Trowa Barton, Gundam pilot. Then, I met Quatre. At the time, I could scarcely believe that this fragile-looking, innocent little boy was a Gundam pilot. I think I had even looked at him with some disdain. But then I heard him play the violin, and it was as if something had been awakened in me. Before I even had time to question what I was doing, I found that I had picked up a flute, and the next moment we were playing a beautiful duet. That had been my first clue. It had revived a vague memory of Mihoshi asking me to sing with her at the karaoke bar. I never could refuse her when it came to music.

But that was it, until we met a second time, in San Francisco. Quatre had approached me with that kind smile of his, and said, "Hi! So we meet again!"

Disregarding the strange tugging at my heart that those words ignited, I had scowled at him and told him that I didn't want his help. I felt that I could not afford to let anyone distract me from my mission, not even a fellow Gundam pilot. But he followed me anyway. Despite my best efforts to make it clear that I was ignoring him, he stayed by my side that day. His words "So we meet again" continued to echo through my mind, until they became the key that unlocked all my memories of my life as Kiyone. I began to remember everything, and my soul sang with recognition every time I glanced at Quatre.

It was incredible. Mihoshi and I had been reincarnated, reunited. But I hadn't the foggiest idea what to do about it. However, it soon occurred to me that Quatre was not saying anything about our past lives, so I thought that perhaps he didn't know. I decided not to bring it up. I tolerated his presence, but other than that I did nothing to encourage a new friendship to grow between us. I told myself that it would be bad for the mission.

However, some time later, Heero told me that the best way for me to live my life was to follow my emotions, and I realized that he was right. By failing to acknowledge Quatre, I was in danger of being Kiyone all over again, repeating her mistakes. And so, I gave in to the desire to be Quatre's best friend, found myself longing to see him again. I decided to follow my feelings, and they were telling me not to push him away any longer.

During Quatre's rampage in the Wing Zero, I thought that I had finally found the reason behind our rebirth. Witnessing the cruelties of the universe had caused Mihoshi's mental state to regress, but more often than not, I had chosen to yell at her rather than show any sympathy. So when gentle Quatre had been driven mad by the Zero system and grief for his father, I knew that I had to do whatever I could to heal him, even if it meant my death. It was the least I could do, to repay my debt to Mihoshi. She had died for me, so it was my turn.

As it turned out, I did save Quatre, but I did not die that day. Instead, we wound up saving each other several more times before the war ended, our bond growing stronger with each battle. Alas, I should have known it would not last. Because here we were, in a hospital again. The war was over, but my best friend was dying, because I had been too late to save him from getting stabbed while aboard the Libra. Seated at his bedside, I could only watch helplessly as his complexion, which was already pale on his best days, became whiter, and his breathing became weaker.

Tears formed in my eyes, as guilt burned in my heart. I wondered if we were doomed to go through this woeful routine many times over, our souls endlessly waltzing through lifetime after lifetime, always doomed to have a similar tragic finale. "I'm sorry, Quatre," I said, my voice breaking. While I had avoided many of Kiyone's past mistakes, there was one that I had forgotten. Despite the fact that Quatre and I were quite clearly best friends, I had never said it in words.

One of Quatre's fingers twitched, and I wondered if he was trying to say goodbye. Taking his hand into mine, I squeezed it urgently and whispered, "You'll always be my best friend, Quatre! Always my best friend..."

"Ow," a strained voice murmured, "Yes, Trowa, we're best friends. Please don't squeeze so hard."

"Quatre?!" I exclaimed. Sure enough, his eyes were open, and he was gazing at me with a weak smile. A moment later, his eyes closed again, but a bit of color had returned to his cheeks, and I knew that he was just sleeping. He wasn't going to die after all. And he had heard me say that we were best friends.

Quatre did indeed make a full recovery. And when the Mariemaia incident occurred a year later, I was afraid for him, but he survived that too. When that ended and all mobile suits, including the Gundams, were destroyed, I was elated. We had peace, and my best friend had not died. Mihoshi and I had been given a second chance, and with all my soul I thanked whatever power had made this happen.

In the months that followed, I went back to my job in the circus, and Quatre returned to his duties as head of the company he had inherited from his father. But we kept in touch regularly, and visited each other when we could. We never talked about work, though. Perhaps that was something that would have interested Kiyone, but not Trowa Barton. No, I just wanted to enjoy this beautiful new peacetime, living with Catherine and the rest of my surrogate family at the circus... and treasuring my camaraderie with Quatre. Whenever Quatre said that we were best friends, I was more than happy to voice my agreement.

We decided to go on a vacation together, and Quatre suggested that we go to Japan.

"There's a shrine there that I've always wanted to visit," Quatre explained, his features aglow with excitement, "According to legend, the Masaki shrine is meant to watch over a cave inhabited by a goblin!"

I was barely able to conceal my astonishment from him. I hadn't realized that the Masaki shrine still existed in this era. "Sounds interesting," I said, but did not elaborate. In all this time, I had never mentioned Kiyone and Mihoshi to him. I was ashamed of being Kiyone, and I wanted to leave that past far behind. But I couldn't say no to visiting the Masaki shrine. I just couldn't refuse Quatre.

Upon our arrival at the mountains where the shrine was located, I admitted to myself that I had missed the beauty of this place. A cool breeze made its way through the treetops, causing the bright green leaves to wave as if they were welcoming us back. A dragonfly perched itself atop Quatre's head, and we both chuckled. As we walked, I began to wonder if anyone still lived here, if perhaps there were descendants of the Masaki line still alive today. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even realize that Quatre had led me to the Masaki family's graveyard.

"Quatre?" I said, watching him kneel before one of the tombstones.

I moved to stand behind him, and my eyes watered slightly when I saw whose grave it was.

Mihoshi's.

Brushing his fingertips along the top of the tombstone, Quatre was silent for several minutes. When he turned to look at me, I could see tears in his eyes, but there was also a gentle smile on his face. Standing, he leaned towards me and whispered into my ear, "You can't just deny who you really are. Otherwise you wouldn't be... you. This is goodbye, dear friend."

"Goodbye?" I said incredulously, hoping that I had heard wrong, "Quatre, are you saying that you're leaving? Why?"

"Because I'm dead, Kiyone," Quatre said quietly, "You know that."

"No!" I exclaimed, grabbing Quatre's hands, "Mihoshi, we've been given a second chance! We're back together, and we have peace..."

"Kiyone, don't you see?" Quatre asked sadly, "We haven't been reborn. The colonies, the Gundams, the Eve Wars... none of it is real. You're dreaming, Kiyone, and it's time to wake up."

"That's nonsense," I said automatically. But the uncertainty in my voice was painfully obvious.

"Think," said Quatre, "If Trowa is the reincarnation of Kiyone, then how did Kiyone die? Can you remember?"

"I did die! It was shortly after you... after Mihoshi passed away," I said firmly, "I committed suicide."

"No, you TRIED to commit suicide," Quatre said, shaking his head, "Washu managed to save you, but you were in a coma. And you've been in a coma ever since. This existence, the era of the After Colony, is a dream world your subconscious has created out of guilt. You wanted a second chance, so you created a whole new life for you and I... a life where you didn't make the mistake of ignoring your true feelings for too long, a life where I didn't die. But it's not real, Kiyone. You have to let go. It's time to return to the real world."

"No," I said, squeezing Quatre's hands harder, "Not to a life without you, a life where I had treated you so badly! You're my best friend, Mihoshi... Quatre..."

"Kiyone, you're hurting me," Quatre said softly, wincing as my grip on his hands tightened, "And you're hurting yourself. You like being Trowa because he is a dedicated fighter reminiscent of Kiyone, but without her mistakes. But you have to understand that without those mistakes, he's not really you. Don't pretend your past didn't happen, go back to the real world and live by following what you have learned from it. Kiyone, you're a strong person and you have a good heart. You don't need to be Trowa."

"But... I can't leave you!" I shouted. Didn't he understand? "I can't lose you again..."

"We're friends, Kiyone, but you have other friends too," said Quatre, freeing his hands so he could wipe away the tears that I hadn't even realized were sliding down my face, "And Mihoshi will always live on inside you, because your heart carries the lessons you learned from her. So let me... let Mihoshi live on through you, Kiyone, and you will never be alone. Be there to sing karaoke with Ryoko, when she's feeling lonely. Be there to hold Ayeka when she cries. Be there to listen, when Tenchi needs someone to talk to. Be there for all of our friends, Kiyone, and you'll see. You're not alone."

I realized that I could argue no further, even though part of me still wanted to. Quatre was right. Deep down, I knew that. "I'll go back, Mihoshi," I said, quivering with the effort not to break down into sobs as I grabbed Quatre in a tight hug, "I'll go back. I'll be there for all our friends. But... but you'll always be my BEST friend, Mihoshi. Always my best friend!"

"Farewell, dear Trowa... and more importantly, dearest Kiyone," Quatre said in the most compassionate of whispers, as I closed my eyes and buried my face into his shoulder, "My best friend."

I felt him slip out of my arms and step away from me, and I opened my eyes in time to see not Quatre, but Mihoshi standing there. She smiled at me, and with trembling fingers I reached out to touch her... But there was a sudden gust of wind, and she vanished in a flurry of cherry blossoms.

Then everything, the entire world of the After Colony, began to crumble away, breaking up into millions of the small flowers. I let out a startled cry as a whirlwind of petals surrounded me and began to close in, then relaxed as I felt them carrying me towards a warm light...

And so, I awoke. I was Kiyone, the real and true Kiyone.

And I wasn't alone.

Author's notes: An odd little fic, I know. Please don't kill me! ^^;;; I just wanted to experiment with ways to write a crossover without resorting to the typical "an accident in Washu's lab causes characters from Series X to meet characters from Series Y" scenario.

Anyway, if you have any constructive feedback to help me improve my writing, I would really appreciate it. ^_^

Special thanks to AleeN and K'thardin for prereading this story!

-Literary Eagle, 2002