NOTE: All characters original to the Tenchi-Muyo! TV1 series
portrayed in this story, as well as all those from the 
Tenchi-Muyo! Ryo-Ohki OVA series, are the sole property of AIC
and Pioneer Animation. Any appearance of them in actual life is
purely coincidental. Tenchi-Muyo! material and paraphernalia
listed within is copyright Pioneer Animation 1997. Kyoto 
Minamoto, Muriyaki Kushiragi, Chisako, Chi-Ohki, and all other
related characters are the sole property of R&C Books and appear
through permission from R&C Books. If you would like to use any
of these characters in your work, please contact the licensing
department at RCBooks@hotmail.com or visit our website at 
www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Bay/1375.





Send all C&C to muriyaki@hotmail.com (for storyline and fight
scenes) and/or keiichi_dono@hotmail.com (for intercharacter
relationships and continuity). Thanks for reading!





Keiichi Morisato, Belldandy, Megumi Morisato, and all related
characters, establishments, and events are the property of 
Kousuke Fujishima, Kodansha, Ltd., KSS Films, and TBS (Tokyo
Broadcasting System--I think).



Makoto Mizuhara, Nanami Jinnai, Masamichi Fujisawa, Shinonome
High, and all related characters, establishments, and situations
are the property of Pioneer Animation and AIC.



Ranma Saotome, Akane Tendo, and all related characters,
establishments, and situations are the property of Rumiko 
Takahashi and Viz Communications.











"Ring of Love (Tenchi and Kiyone's Theme)"

Lyrics by Tenchi Masaki

Music by Tenchi Masaki, Nobuyuki Masaki, and Washu Hakubi

Arrangement by Tenchi Masaki and Washu Hakubi

Performed by Sagami Yashikara and Mihoshi Kuramitsu (initially;
all subsequent performances by Tenchi and Kiyone Masaki)





"Forevermore"

Lyrics by Kiyone Masaki

Music by Kiyone Masaki, Nobuyuki Masaki, and Washu Hakubi

Arrangement by Kiyone Masaki and Washu Hakubi

Performed by Kiyone Masaki



"Sleeping Beauty on the Balcony"

Lyrics by Ryoe Tsukimura (English lyrics/translation
provided by Miyoko Miura)

Music and Arrangement by Seikou Nagaoka

Performed by Kiyone Masaki and Mihoshi Kuramitsu



"Police Magic!"

Lyrics by Natsuko Kodou

Music by Seikou Nagaoka/Narimitsu

Arrangement by Seikou Nagaoka/Narimitsu

Performed by Kiyone Masaki and Mihoshi Kuramitsu



Timeline Note: The episode takes place from January 20, 1997 
(the day that they started dimension-hopping) to April 4, the 
day of Kyoto and Ryoko's wedding and one week after Tenchi and
Kiyone's wedding.



Note: The standard Japanese school year is year-round,
with periodic breaks. The school "year" ends in late March and
starts again in early April. The schedule for Shinonome High as
depicted here is a modified version of the annual schedules
of Murasakino High School in Kyoto and Tokyo Metropolitan
Kokusai High School. Thank God for the Internet and the courtesy
of the students and faculty of these two schools.



Correctional notice: In the preview for this episode, I said 
that this episode would cover five months. Unfortunately,
I mistakenly assumed that Japan's high schools were on a 
schedule similar to our. This episode will in actuality cover
roughly two months and a week. My apologies for the inaccuracy.



Yet another note: My apologies for the long wait. This is what
happens when you start an episode just before spring break 
starts and have no access to a computer for over a week. Add to
this marginal grades (deplorable in Kagato’s case), 
responsibilities added to my position on the college newspaper
staff, software glitches in every computer lab on campus, my 
discovery of a dedicated lemon fanfic archive (yeah, yeah, I 
know, I’m a hentai), and the worst case of writer's block I've
ever had, and you have what is known as a clusterf***.
I hope this episode is worth the long wait.

--Lord Yosho/Keiichi-dono



This episode is dedicated to all who still believe in "the right
one," and who, like myself and Stephen Bishop, persist in 
tossing up our hearts to see where they land.



"Something's telling me it might be you

Something's telling me it must be you

And I'm feeling it'll just be you

All of my life..."



-Stephen Bishop, "It Might Be You"



                                Episode #12:

                           No Need For A Wedding!





The manager of the Happy Burger in downtown Okayama is reaching
for the phone when the door slides open and his quarry walk in.
For once, the middle-aged man is happy to see Kiyone and 
Mihoshi. "Oh, Kiyone, Mihoshi, there you are. Good. I--" He 
suddenly finds himself with a faceful of clothing. Pulling
it away from his face, he finds that it's Kiyone's work uniform.
He looks at her--and his jaw drops open.

She's smiling.

Oh, he's seen her smile many times before, but not like this.
This is a full-bore grin, from ear to ear. Gone is the cloud
of muffled despondency, the one that floated around her like a 
malign spirit. In its place is an air of peace and happiness
and--

"I quit," she says simply, and she turns on her heel and strides
out the door.

Mihoshi nervously pushes her own uniform into the manager's
hands. "Th-th-thank you for not firing us..." She scurries
out the door after Kiyone.

The manager is staring open-mouthed at the door. He can't make
any sense of what just happened--although he would later 
remember that he saw what looked like an engagement ring on 
Kiyone's left ring finger...



Tenchi grins as Kiyone and Mihoshi pile into the back seat of 
his friend Keiichi's Toyota station wagon. "How'd it go?" he 
asks.

"I don't think we'll be covering any more triple-shifts,"
replies Kiyone. She leans over and kisses Tenchi's cheek. "Thank
you, Tenchi-yon."

"Anything for my yoni," he tells her.

"Hey!" scolds Sasami from. "Don't be naughty! Remember what the
goddesses said, Mommy!"

Kiyone sighs theatrically. "I remember, Sami-cha'ya."
She turns to her husband. "Shouldn't we be meeting your dad 
about now?"

"Right." Tenchi looks over at his friend. "Thanks a lot, Kei."

The shorter, ruffled-haired young man grins. He had been 
Tenchi’s first sempai, or social mentor, at Shinonome High, and
the two had quickly become good friends. This was partially
due to the fact that Keiichi was among the few guys in his class
who could think about more than just getting drunk and getting
laid. "No problem. Belldandy and her sisters are out of town for
the weekend, and I'm here visiting my parents, so why not?" He 
shifts into drive and points the Corolla in the direction
of Kiyone and Mihoshi's apartment.

Nobuyuki and Kyoto are already waiting at the apartment with a 
large van. As the Corolla pulls up, Kyoto has finished paying
the landlord, who grunts in approval and stalks back into his 
apartment.

"How much in late rent did we owe?" asks Kiyone as she gets out
of the car.

Nobuyuki thinks for a moment. "Well, Kyoto paid double not to 
prosecute... about ninety thousand."

Tenchi's jaw falls to the floor. "Ninety thousand yen?!"

"Give or take an extra thousand," says Kyoto airily. "Don't
worry; Tenchi can pay me back later." Before Tenchi can respond,
he changes the subject. "We have everything boxed up and ready
to go upstairs."

Kiyone nods. "Let's do it."

As they move the boxes down and to the cars Mihoshi keeps 
looking around the emptying apartment with eyes that grow ever
sadder. When the studio apartment is finally empty, she presses
herself against the wall and starts bawling. "Good-bye,
apartment! We'll miss you!"

Tenchi and Kiyone gently pry her off the wall. "It's all right,
Mihoshi," soothes Kiyone. "The apartment will be fine. Besides,
now we get to go back to the Masaki house, remember?"

Mihoshi suddenly brightens. "That's right!" She triumphantly
picks up the last box and marches out the door.

Kiyone sighs in exasperated amusement. She takes a last look 
around the now-empty room and sighs. "Hard to believe...I'm
actually going..."

Tenchi wraps an arm around her shoulders. "Ready?"

She looks up at him and smiles. This is my future, and this is 
my home. "Yes, Tenchi-yon. Let's go home."



* * * * * * * * * * *



It's nearly ten P.M. when they get everything put away. Keiichi
had left some time ago, after consenting to joining them for a 
meal. He had commented that Sasami was as good a cook as 
Belldandy, and the young princess had blushed. Tenchi is glad
that he let Washu talk him into creating more dimensional
portals around the house. Now everyone has their own room. He 
stretches and yawns. "Man, I'm tired."

Kiyone yawns in agreement. "I am, too." She looks at her 
husband. "Ready to go to bed, Tenchi-yon?"

He nods. "Okay, so, g'night everyone."

"Good-night, Tenchi, good-night, Kiyone," says Nobuyuki.
"Get some sleep, Tenchi, you've gotta go to school tomorrow."

Tenchi groans. "I know."

"That's right!" scolds Sasami. "So you and Mommy c--" Her 
admonitions fall flat when Tenchi picks her up and hugs her. 
"Nighty-night, Sami-cha'ya."

"Good-night, Daddy," whispers Sasami. "Can you tuck me in?"

"We both will," offers Kiyone. As she and Tenchi carry Sasami
up to bed she meets Washu's eyes. The scientist nods almost
imperceptibly.

After reading Sasami a bedtime story and kissing her good-night,
Tenchi carries Kiyone to their bedroom. He sets her down gently
and falls back on the bed, already too tired to move. He barely
notices when she crawls onto the bed and pulls the covers over
them, barely notices when she snuggles up to him.

Kiyone is on the verge of falling asleep herself when she hears
Tenchi murmur, "I don' wanna go." Not wishing to make any noise,
she links her mind to his and inquires, Where don't you wanna
go, Tenchi-yon?

"School," he murmurs. "Don' wanna be wit'out you...it's
hell wit'out you, K'yone-yoni..." His breathing shallows out 
again, the brief moment of wakefulness gone.

Kiyone sighs contentedly and leans back against Tenchi. Don't
worry, Tenchi-yon. You won't be without me...



Sasami smiles brightly as she sees Tenchi come down the stairs.
"Daddy! You look great!"

Tenchi smiles. "Thanks, Sasami." In recent months, his school
had instituted an alternate uniform. For the male students
it was a dark blue, almost purple, suit with matching tie and 
white shirt. For the girls, an goldenrod blazer and olive 
pleated skirt with dark tie and white blouse (I assume that you
readers are now starting to see why I included a disclaimer
for El-Hazard in the opening credits). And the future Jurai 
Emperor does look quite dapper in his suit. "I'm glad you like
it."

"I like it too, Tenchi-yon," puts in Kiyone, coming down the 
stairs in shorts and a light gray T-shirt reading GALAXY POLICE
ACADEMY--CLASS OF ‘678 on it in lime-green Jurai script. She 
wraps her arms around his waist and kisses his neck. "Are you 
sure you wanna go to school today?" she adds in her most 
seductive voice.

Tenchi sighs, trying not enjoy the sensation of Kiyone’s pert
breasts being pressed into his back too much. "I wish I could
stay home today, Kiyone-yoni, but I really have to go."

"I don't get that either, Daddy," puts in Sasami as she joins
Kiyone in hugging Tenchi. "If you've already decided to become
Emperor, why are you still doing this?"

He picks her up and hugs her. "Oh, Sami-cha'ya, it's kinda hard
to explain. I guess the best way to say it is that this is the
best way of closing this chapter of my life, so I can face what
is to come. So I can fully concentrate on Jurai...and you two."
He hugs both girls again. "So let's eat."

"Good idea! I'm hungry!" chirps Mihoshi as she comes down the 
stairs.

Breakfast passes quickly, considering that half the house's
population is still unconscious. Tenchi is so caught up in the
conversation that when he looks at his watch, he yelps and jumps
out off of his cushion. "Ohmigod! I'm late!" He rushes out the
door--and rushes back in a moment later, a chagrined expression
on his face. "Uh, heh heh heh...I forgot my bag...and shoes..."
He retrieves these items, blows kisses to Kiyone and Sasami,
and bolts again.

Once the door has slammed shut, Kiyone sighs. "Time for me to 
get ready, too." She turns to Washu. "You have them?"

Washu nods and passes a sheaf of documents across the table.
"They've been signed by your ‘father.’" She shoots a wry 
expression at Nobuyuki. "Don't worry, they'll never know it's
your signature."

Sasami laughs. "Daddy's gonna be so happy to see you, Mommy!"

Nobuyuki stands up. "As soon as you're ready, I'll take you into
town."

Kiyone smiles and takes Sasami's hand. "Can you help me get 
beautiful for your father, Sami-cha'ya?"

Laughing happily, Sasami leads Kiyone to the bathroom. "We'll
make you perfect for him, Mommy!"



* * * * * * * * * * *



The bus pulls to a stop in front of Shinonome High School,
and Tenchi joins the throng of students disembarking,
becoming lost in a sea of students. Some are dressed like him in
the business suit-like alternate uniforms, others in the regular
black pants and jacket (for guys), or plaid skirt with 
forest-green jacket and matching vest, white blouse, and string
tie (for girls), of regular uniforms.

As he gathers in the courtyard with the rest of the student
body for the principal's morning speech, and afterwards
as he heads back to his homeroom, Tenchi is moving on autopilot,
his mind back at home with his heart. One of these days, he 
muses, I'm gonna ask Dad, "How difficult it was for him to go to
work and be away from Mom all day?" Was it anything like the way
I feel right now? Does it get easier with time? I hope so, 
‘cause being away from her is--

He gives himself a swift mental kick. What the hell are you 
bitching about?! Only a couple more months, and you two’ll never
have to be apart again! And it’s your choice to put yourself
through this!

He walks into his homeroom, heading towards his locker. He pulls
it open and remembers something that he had made sure to bring
with him. From his jacket he pulls a picture of Kiyone and him,
on the beach on some planet from their travels. She has her arms
around his neck and is winking while grinning lustfully at the
camera, and his arms are around her waist. She’s in his lap. 
Smiling, he produces a roll of tape from the locker and tapes
up the picture. I’ve been waiting so long to be able to do 
that...

"Hey, Tenchi!"

Tenchi whips around, wondering if someone saw his dreamy gaze
at the picture, and his lips curve upward in a smile. "Makoto!
Nanami!"

Standing before him are two students, seniors like him, both 
dressed in the alternate uniforms. The young man is about his 
height, with an open, honest face and hair with ruffled bangs
a la Keiichi Morisato. The young lady, slightly shorter than her
companion, has reddish-blond hair and a mischievous grin on her
face.

Makoto Mizuhara and Nanami Jinnai.

(All right, you El-Hazard fans who think I’m going over the line
now can send your death threats to 
mephisto_lord_of_destruction@juno.com.)

These two have been close friends of Tenchi’s since childhood,
even though the divergent interest have led them down different
paths. While Tenchi has risen to fame as the kendo club 
vice-president and the prefecture champion, Makoto is head of 
the school’s science club. Nanami is the student council 
president, having taken over the position after her older 
brother had had something of a nervous breakdown.

Katsuhiko had always been something of a power freak, but 
apparently during a weekend trip he, Nanami, and Makoto took 
with Mr. Fujisawa, he went completely unhinged. The bought-votes
scandal had caused him to start claiming that he was the 
conqueror of someplace called El-Hazard.

The other three kept their mouths shut, but Tenchi did notice
that almost immediately after their return, a girl named Ifurita
became a student at Shinonome (she and Makoto seemed to be quite
close, something that apparently Nanami didn’t mind). Almost
simultaneously, Fujisawa had announced his marriage. The woman,
yet another girl with an unearthly hair color, became a teacher.

He shakes his head. "How was your weekend, you guys?"

Makoto shrugs. "Same old, same old." I mean, how do you tell 
your friends that you’re a big shot in another time and place?

Tenchi is thinking the same thing, and he also decides not to 
pursue it. "Me, too."

"Hey!" Tenchi suddenly becomes aware of Nanami looking at his 
locker. She edges in closer. "Who’s the girl?"

My wife, Tenchi thinks. But then he catches himself. "Well...I
met someone a while ago..."

Nanami looks very interested. "And? And?"

"Well...now we’re...a couple." As soon as he says the words,
he thinks, Now, why the hell didn’t I want to tell them?

"Wow!" Makoto looks impressed. "Congratulations,
Tenchi!"

Nanami looks almost ecstatic, as if she can already see herself
as the maid of honor (or Japanese equivalent). "Tenchi! That's
wonderful! What's her name?"

Despite himself, Tenchi finds himself excited at being able to 
talk about her. "Her name is Kiyone. I--" He is interrupted
by the bell. With an apologetic smile and an 
"all-the-news-later" look in their direction, he rushes for his
seat. The class is fully seated and quieted just as Masamichi
Fujisawa comes into the room. Privately, Tenchi is convinced
that a razor would do little to rid his face of that omnipresent
stubble.

The teacher looks around the room. "Good morning. Nice to see 
you're all here." He smiles wryly. "Now, we have a new student
starting today, and I want you all to try to make her feel 
welcome." He turns to the door, and says softly. "All right,
Miss Makibi, you can come in now." He is looking out the open
door, and so does not see Tenchi sit up in his seat rather 
violently.

A split-second before his beloved walked through the door, 
Tenchi heard her voice in his head. I told you that you wouldn't
be without me, Tenchi-yon...

Kiyone walks in the door. She is dressed in her schoolgirl's
outfit, which is similar to the regular uniform except for her
skirt, which is a bit shorter. She has her hair darkened till
it looks almost black, done up in a single ponytail, and swept
over her left shoulder, and her headband is missing. Sasami
did a good job this morning. Her mother does look almost perfect
(although as far as Tenchi is concerned, she always does...).

Evidently the rest of the guys in the classroom agree, for 
they're all leaning forward, and Tenchi thinks he can see some
drool dripping from several lips. Makoto is gulping while Nanami
is shooting him evil glares.

Fujisawa starts talking again. "This is Kiyone Makibi, a 
senior-year student. She's just arrived from Hawaii." He motions
to the empty desk in front of Tenchi. "Miss Makibi, there's
an empty desk right in front of Mr. Masaki."

"Yes, Mr. Fujisawa," says Kiyone cheerfully, walking over and 
sitting in front of Tenchi. Her husband's heart and mind are 
racing. Oh my god, my Kiyone-yoni's here, she's here...

Aren't you glad to see me, Daddy? Her voice, and the girlish
giggle accompanying it in her mental communiqué, makes him gulp.
God in heaven yes he's glad to see her, but he can just see his
studies going out the window now. He wrenches his attention
back to the present just as Fujisawa calls out, "Tenchi!"

He sits up even straighter. "Ah, yes, Mr. Fujisawa?"

"Mr. Masaki, I want you to watch after Miss Makibi, show her 
around, introduce her to people, basically just help her get 
settled in. Take good care of her; I don't think it would do the
vice-president of the kendo club any good for his charge to be 
maligned." Snickers run around the classroom at this.

Oh, god. My wife is enrolled as a student here. My teacher
is giving me carte blanche to be alone with her on a regular
basis. And now she has an excuse to wear that schoolgirl's
outfit. This is a wonderfully real dream, but now how the hell
am I gonna graduate?

He winces slightly as something pokes his arm. A note from 
Nanami reading, "Is that the Kiyone you were talking about?"

Sighing, he shoots a look at her and nods.

Nanami responds with a grin. The smile clearly reads, "Hope you
can control yourself." He rolls his eyes at the lame joke, since
he is considered to be one of the most chivalrous students
in the school, even known to get nosebleeds when seeing a girl
half-undressed. Oh, if only she knew how much had changed this
weekend... Fortunately, Fujisawa has started sketching on the 
board, and he is grateful for the chance to lose himself in 
algebraic formulae.

Lunchtime is the first moment Tenchi and Kiyone actually get to
have some private time, and now Tenchi gets an explanation.
He was not at all surprised to see that her class schedule
was identical to his, or that she had been assigned as his 
partner in every lab class. "So...you got Washu and my dad to 
help you with this?"

Kiyone nods. "Yep. The papers and stuff are as genuine as they
get." She smiles at Tenchi. "You are glad to see me, aren't
you, Tenchi-yon?"

Tenchi smiles and covers his wife's hand with his. "Of course
I am, Kiyone-yoni. I'm just afraid that, with you here, I won't
be able to concentrate on my schoolwork."

Kiyone blushes slightly. "T-T-Tenchi-yon..."

"And also," adds Tenchi, "did you get a look at the response
when you walked in the door?"

Kiyone shakes her head. "What kind of response was it?"

Tenchi gives her a wry look. "The floors were slick with drool,
and when you sat down, it was like the whole classroom was 
holding its breath."

"Are you afraid someone's gonna throw me over his shoulder
and run off?" teases Kiyone. "Tenchi, you don't have to worry
about that. I married you, and I'm not gonna be seduced by one
of your classmates."

"I know," assures Tenchi, who in spite of himself looks a little
bit relieved. "Actually, I'm more concerned about what you'd
do to someone who tries to change your mind."

Kiyone smiles sweetly. "I promise, Tenchi, I won't kill anyone."

Tenchi is about to respond when he sees Nanami and Makoto coming
toward them. "Oh, here come my friends Nanami, Makoto, and 
Ifurita."

"Invite them to eat with us," suggests Kiyone. "I want to meet
all your friends here, Tenchi."

Tenchi squeezes her hand and motions the two students over. 
"Come on and sit with us!" As the three sit down, he makes 
introductions.

"How long have you two known each other?" asks Nanami.

Mr. and Mrs. Masaki exchange loving looks. "It... it feels like
a lifetime," Kiyone says quietly.

Makoto chuckles. "Look at you two. It's almost like you're 
married."

If only he knew... thinks Tenchi dryly.

"So, Kiyone," asks Ifurita, having wandered in from her 
classroom for lunch and twirling an ice-blue lock around one 
finger, "are you planning to join any of the clubs?"

"Maybe," answers Kiyone shyly. "Is there a volleyball club?"
To Tenchi's mind, she sends the following thought: Here's your
chance to see me in a volleyball uniform, Tenchi-yon, whaddya
think?

And I thought I was too young to have a stroke, he quips.



The rest of Kiyone's first day back in high school goes fairly
smoothly, and both of them get a lot of envious looks as they
board the bus. They worsen on the bus, where Tenchi can be 
watched with his arm around her and Kiyone snuggled in close.

As they approach the house, they can clearly hear the sounds
of combat, explosions and yelling. Tenchi groans. "I thought
they said they'd stop..."

"I'm surprised that they lasted this long," replies Kiyone.
"Let's hurry and see if we can play damage control.

Surprising, they see there is no need. What had happened was 
that Ayeka and Ryoko were playing video games with Azaka and 
Kamidake and had turned the volume all the way.

The explosion came from when the TV exploded--they had 
everything turned up to the max, and the poor device gave up the
ghost.

Not surprisingly, all four of them were looking rather worried
when Tenchi and Kiyone rushed into the house, and were even more
worried when Tenchi fell down on the floor laughing insanely
and looking incredibly relieved.

"You know, Tenchi," says Ryoko timidly, "if it'll make you 
laugh, we can blow up the fridge too..."

Still laughing and tears running down his face, Tenchi gets up.
"No, no, Ryoko, that's not necessary. We just heard the 
explosions and were afraid that you and Ayeka were fighting
again."

Ryoko and Ayeka both look at him with mock-hurt expressions.
"Lord Tenchi," huffs Ayeka, "do you really think so little of 
our promises?"

Tenchi raises an eyebrow.

After a long moment, both girls cry out, "Well, we weren't
fighting!"

"I know, and I'm glad." Tenchi looks at Azaka and Kamidake.
"Not that I'm angry, but dare I ask about the TV?"

After hesitating a moment, both knights point at Ayeka and 
Ryoko.

"No problem!" Washu suddenly appears from her lab, carrying
a briefcase.

"Uh, Washu, what do you mean, ‘no problem'?" asks Tenchi.

"I mean, no problem!" Washu sets her briefcase down next to the
burnt piece of carpet that used to contain the television,
opens it, and pulls out a giant-screen model, complete with VCR,
DVD player, a Web TV keyboard, surround-sound speakers, and what
appears to be an old bunny ears-type antenna.

Tenchi's eyes are wide. "Th-than-thanks, Washu. Just one 
question: what's with the antenna?"

"This is no antenna!" laughs Washu. "This is a transgalactic
modem! This will allow you to pick up any signal in the galaxy!
Let me demonstrate." She picks up the new remote control--which
looks like a cellular phone--and points it at the TV. Even 
though not yet plugged in, the screen goes on and they find 
themselves looking at a Galaxy Nightly News report.

"All right!" cheers Ryoko, snatching the remote away from Washu
and tapping in a new channel. On this one is a soap opera, the
one that, in all these months, Ryoko and Ayeka have still never
seen the end of. In this scene, the grocery delivery boy is 
seducing the housewife. "You know you want this," he tells her
in such a serious tone that it sounds hilarious.

"No! No, I can't..." she responds in the most unconvincing
voice Tenchi has every heard. By now, Ryoko and Ayeka are 
sitting on the couch, leaning forward with looks of anticipation
on their faces. Azaka and Kamidake, still standing, are looking
back and forth from the girls to the TV and back again, wearing
expressions of confusion.

The grocery boy takes the housewife's hands in his, leans in for
a kiss. Her head tips back, her eyes already closing. Their lips
touch...

...and the scene is replaced by a commercial, some new idol 
singer hawking a new brand of soda. Both princess and pirate
slump in disappointment.

"You know," comments Washu, "you could have asked me if you 
wanted to know how that scene ended. I found that out back in 
June." She continues eating as she ignores the evil looks and 
throw pillows being thrown by the princess and pirate.

Tenchi grins. "Somehow, that ending doesn’t surprise me." He 
squeezes Kiyone’s right shoulder. "Kiyone-yoni, I’m going 
upstairs to change. Grandpa probably wants to practice."
He disappears up the stairs.

Kiyone sighs, sounding like a young girl who’s been kissed for
the first time. It’s probably just as well that Ayeka and Ryoko
are still sobbing over their disappointment, for then she would
become the object of fierce teasing.

She is at any rate. Sasami comes down the stairs and, with a 
huge grin on her face, almost barrels Kiyone over as she rushes
up to embrace her. "Mommy!"

Kiyone gives the adorable little princess--her adopted 
daughter--a big hug. "Hi, Sami-cha’ya! What have you been up to
today?"

"Nothing special," laughs Sasami. "So, did you and Daddy have
a good day at school?" Her smile becomes teasing. "Were you and
Daddy naughty at school?"

Kiyone laughs. "Sami-cha’ya, your father and I aren’t that bad.
Yes, we had a good day, and no, we weren’t naughty."

"Hey, Sami-cha’ya, I just told you that!" chides Tenchi as he 
comes down the stairs. He has changed from his school uniform
into jeans and a T-shirt with an RX-78 GP01 Gundam on it, and a 
tattered light-blue buttondown shirt over it.

"Well, I don’t believe you!" shoots back Sasami playfully.
"I bet you were trying to be naughty with Mommy all day!"

"Well, I wasn’t." He gives Sasami a quick hug, eliciting
a delighted giggle, and gives a not-so-quick hug to Kiyone.
"I’ll be back in an hour or so."

"Promise?" Kiyone murmurs, still clinging to Tenchi. Sasami,
calling them "naughty," has gone into the kitchen to start on 
dinner.

"Promise." He reluctantly breaks away from her and heads for the
door. As he stands in the doorway, he turns to see Kiyone 
blowing him a kiss. He catches the kiss and slips it into his 
shirt pocket. Kiyone fake-swoons at this, causing Washu to roll
her eyes. (Ayeka and Ryoko are still sobbing over the soap.)
Once Tenchi leaves the room, Washu casts a wry look at Kiyone.
"Very sweet. Seems to run pretty close to saccharine."

Kiyone smiles at Washu. It's one of those annoyingly happy 
smiles that people in love wear--the kind that piss the rest of
us off. "Haven't you ever been in love, Washu?" To her surprise,
Washu nods. "Yes. I don't recall it being that sweet though."
She sighs, cursing herself for even this small showing of 
weakness.

Kiyone, the smile mellowing, winces. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," says the scientist briskly. "My love is
my research, and it has never failed me. I hope--I believe--that
Tenchi will be the same for you." With that, she leaves the 
living room.

Kiyone stands there for a moment, trying to ponder any hidden
meaning from Washu's words, until finally shelving the thought
for later. She decides to take a walk before dinner. Maybe I'll
run into Tenchi-yon, she thinks hopefully.



In the woods, Tenchi is soundly kicking Katsuhito's ass. Since
the battle with Kagato--in fact, since he had proved that being
a mere student of Yosho's meant he was a better fighter that 
just about everyone else--his practices with his grandfather
had been going more and more in his favor. He had been winning
more and more, and it was becoming easier and easier for him to
anticipate Katsuhito's moves. Right now he has just dodged under
a lightning-quick succession of cuts from his grandfather's
bokken, and he ducks behind him, slips his own wooden sword on 
over against Katsuhito's jugular, and now he pulls back 
viciously, rolling himself off to one side.

As Katsuhito's vision comes back into focus, the first thing
he becomes aware of is that Tenchi's foot is planted firmly
on his chest, and that the tip of his grandson's sword is at his
throat.

Tenchi is grinning. "How ’bout that, Grandpa?" He sets down his
sword and helps his grandfather to his feet. "You okay?"

Katsuhito nods, then laughs and claps his grandson on the 
shoulder. "Very good, Tenchi. Very good, indeed. Not only have
you beaten me every time today, but that last one was less than
two minutes into it." He sighs. "I guess I must be losing my 
touch."

Tenchi shrugs. "I don't think so, Grandpa." He picks up his 
bokken and kisses it. "It's the sword. I finally named it."

Katsuhito looks surprised. "Really? What did you name it?"

"Kiyoneken."

Katsuhito nods in approval. "Good, good. It is said that there
is little difference between a woman and a sword, and a weapon
named after your beloved can never betray you."

"Exactly," agreed Tenchi. "Besides, you should have seen the 
look on her face when I told her. She looked so happy..."
His own face is lighting up at the pleasant memory. He doesn't
notice Katsuhito sneaking around behind him, preparing to exact
vengeance for the ignominy heaped upon him by his grandson.
The older man raises his bokken, starts to bring it down on 
Tenchi's head...and is extremely shocked by Tenchi's quick 
pivot-and-block.

After a few minutes of struggle, Tenchi forces Katsuhito
into a fencing-style duel, finally circling his blade with his
own and sweeping the entire weapon up into the air. The wooden
sword grounds with a thump! several meters from Katsuhito,
who can't move in any case because Tenchi's blade is at his 
throat again.

Now the look on Katsuhito's face is one of chagrin. "Damn. Next
thing I know, your father will beat me."

"Let's hope not, for your self-esteem's sake," laughs Tenchi.
"Almost dinnertime, I--"

"Tenchi-yon!"

Tenchi's head whips around to see his Kiyone standing there,
the wind blowing in her hair, looking absolutely adorable.
A big grin appears on his face. "Kiyone-yoni!" He starts to walk
towards her, whips around momentarily to knock Katsuhito's
bokken out of his hands again, and hugs his wife. "My 
Kiyone-yoni!"

"Tenchi-yon," she says happily, resting her head on his 
shoulder. They walk down the steps towards the house, stopping
every so often to defeat Katsuhito again. They get to the house
just in time to see Nobuyuki's Corolla pull up. He gets out of 
the car with an excited expression on his face.

"Tenchi! There's something in the back that I need you to help
me get out!"

"Dad! Did you bring another high school girl home?"

"Huh?" Kiyone has a confused expression on her face as she looks
from Nobuyuki to Tenchi and back to Nobuyuki once again. 
"Tenchi, has your dad been bringing girls home for you all 
along?"

"Yes, but I made him drive them all home!" Tenchi glares at his
father. "What's in the car, Dad?"

Nobuyuki is grinning. "It's a surprise!"

"Drive her home, Dad, I'm married, remember?"

"No, silly, it's your computer!"

Tenchi, chagrined and chastened, hangs his head. "Sorry, Dad."

"That's all right, if it had been a girl, it wouldn't have been
for you." Tenchi gives his father a disgusted glare before 
opening the back door of the car and pulling out the large 
boxes.

Sasami looks on with wide eyes, as Tenchi, Nobuyuki, and Kiyone
walk into the house, each one carrying a large box. "Wow, what
is that? Another new TV?"

Nobuyuki has a surprised expression on his face. "Another
new TV? Tenchi, what's been going on while I was at work?"

"Ayeka and Ryoko blew the old one up and Washu made a new one."
Tenchi smiles at Sasami. "Sami-cha'ya, this is our new 
computer."

"We're very lucky to have gotten this one," says Nobuyuki.
"This was the only IBM left, otherwise I would have had to buy
a Mac!"

Kyoto, clad in an olive drab bathrobe, comes down the stairs.
"Oh, a new computer!" He grins knowingly at Tenchi. "So, gonna
do some 'research' on the Net tonight, Tenchi?"

"Actually," replies Tenchi, "this is perfect timing. I have a 
research paper to do, and now I can both write it and research
it."

Sasami giggles. "You're not gonna look up naughty stuff, are 
you, Daddy?"

"Sami-cha'ya..." Tenchi rolls his eyes. "I think I'm gonna take
a bath now. Let's set this sucker up after dinner."

"You need some help, Tenchi-yon?" offers Kiyone.

"That would be nice," agrees Tenchi, and so the two of them head
towards their room, to get clean clothes.

"They're not gonna be naughty, are they, Grandpa Nobuyuki?"
asks Sasami.

"If they are," replies Nobuyuki, "I hope they clean up after
themselves."

Dinner is as lively as ever. The only one not taking part in the
conversation is Katsuhito, who has a black eye and a myriad
of lesser bruises. He is sulking silently while Kiyone and 
Sasami are fawning over Tenchi's sole wound, a small welt on his
right cheek. Kiyone is "kissing it and making it all better"
every few seconds.

"So," asks Nobuyuki, "how was your first day of school, Kiyone?"

"It was pretty good," replies his daughter-in-law.
"I think I'm gonna join the volleyball team."

"That's good," says Nobuyuki in approval. "My wife was on the 
volleyball team there, you know."

"I know." Kiyone turns back to her husband. "By the way, 
Tenchi-yon, do you know how many girls there were watching
you?"

Tenchi shrugs. "Probably just wondering what a vision like you
sees in me."

"You don't know?!" Nobuyuki has a look of shock on his face.
"Tenchi, Kiyone isn't kidding. I've seen girls around you, and
their faces light up when you walk in the room!"

Tenchi smiles. "Nice try, Dad. Even if I believed you, though,
I wouldn't want any other girl." He squeezes Kiyone's hand, and
she giggles happily.

"Well, I just thought you'd like to know." Nobuyuki raises the
cup of tea to his lips and sips. "Wonderful tea, Sasami. You are
a professional, now aren't you?"

Sasami giggles and refills his cup. "Thanks, Grandpa Nobuyuki."

"So, when are we going to put it together?" asks Kyoto, jerking
his thumb in the direction of Tenchi's room.

"Oh, oh, the computer." Tenchi gets up from the table. "Let's
do it now."

"Can I look up porn when you're done?" asks Chi-Ohki. "Cause
I know this great site, it's www.cherry.inter.net."

"I don't think so!" Tenchi, Kyoto, and Nobuyuki carry the boxes
up to Tenchi's room. Once up there, they break open the boxes
and find themselves immediately stumped.

Tenchi has the instructions spread out all over the floor and he
is trying the puzzle some logic out of them. "Insert plug A in 
slot C.... Dad, that's not it!"

Too late.

There is a flash of light and Nobuyuki is sent sailing across
the room. He looks like charcoal and smells of burnt flesh.
He slowly wobbles to his feet, moaning faintly in pain. 
"Ohhhhh.... awk..."

"Maybe if you let your son finish reading the instructions,
you might not continue to have this problem," quips Kyoto as he
changes the leg he's standing on.

"What are you talking about? I've only done it twice."

"That's it exactly, Dad. If you don't wait, you might ruin the
computer, and I-- Hey!" He immediately starts wrestling with 
Ryo-Ohki for the instruction sheet, for she seems to regard
the instruction sheet as a snack. "Give that back, Ryo-Ohki!"

"Mi-ya!" Ryo-Ohki, however, seems to like the taste of paper
with ink on it. Tenchi groans.

"Sasami-cha'ya! Get Ryo-Ohki out of my room! She's trying to eat
the instructions!" No response. All at once, Ryo-Ohki darts out
of the room. Yelping, Tenchi gets to his feet and gives chase.
"Hey! Ryo-Ohki, come back here with those!"

Kyoto rolls his eyes. "I would bet much that Kiyone sent her up
here just to draw Tenchi back down to her." He shrugs. "Ah, 
well. I think we can get this sucker running without 
instructions."

"My thoughts exactly," agrees Nobuyuki. "In fact, I--hey!"
He finds himself being pushed out of Tenchi's room. "Hey! 
Whaddya think you're doing?"

"Saving you money," answers Kyoto. "Bring Tenchi back in here
in thirty minutes." He slams the door shut.

Tenchi has chased Ryo-Ohki all the way down the stairs and is 
now running into the living room. He almost literally slams into
Kiyone. "Sorry, Kiyone-yoni, I--" he blinks as he sees Ryo-Ohki
scampering up to Sasami and laying the instructions at her feet.
Sasami giggles, takes the instructions, and pats Ryo-Ohki
on the head. "Thank you, Ryo-Ohki."

Tenchi has a look of astonishment on his face. "Sami-cha'ya,
Kiyone-yoni, why did you do this?"

Kiyone fakes a pout. "Tenchi-yon, you've been spending too much
time with Kyoto and not enough with us. Daddy's little girls
are lonely."

"Kiyone-yoni, please! Not in front of Sasami!" Much as Tenchi
enjoys hearing his wife calling him that, he really doesn't
want to hear it right now. "I promise I'll spend some time with
you right now."

"Uh, oh. You two are going to be naughty!" chides Sasami. Tenchi
picks her up and hugs her, eliciting a squeal of delight.
"Daddy, are you going to be naughty with me too?"

Tenchi almost drops her. "Cut that out, Sami-cha'ya, your mom 
and I aren't going to be naughty tonight." He pulls Kiyone close
to him and leads the girls over to the couch. "Now, let's see 
what we can get with the cosmic cable box." Sasami and Kiyone
exchange mischievous glances as they sit down on each side of 
Tenchi.

Tenchi picks up the cellular-phone-like remote and clicks a 
button. The TV clicks on and the GNN nightly report is playing.

"...In recent events, the up and coming emperor of Jurai, Tenchi
Masaki, has granted political asylum to the two most wanted
criminals in the universe, the space pirates Ryoko and Kyoto
Minamoto. There is a torrent of rumors flying recently that the
allegedly depraved duo, one of the most widely spoken of is 
their up and coming wedding. Reasons for their political
asylum remain unknown, although it is rumored that they had a 
hand in assisting Lord Tenchi and other legitimate members
of the Jurai royal family in ousting the usurper, Kagato, from
the throne last year. We have been unable to reach Lord Tenchi
at this--"

Tenchi raises the remote.

Click!

Now on the screen is Police Magic! This is a popular sitcom
about two female police officers, one a twit and the other a 
genius.

"It seems someone made a comedy out of your life story, 
Kiyone-yoni," comments Tenchi.

"Uh huh." She gives Tenchi's arm a light squeeze and drops into
mental link mode. Do you want someone to make a TV show about
this part of our life?

I'm afraid it would receive a quadruple X rating, my love.

"You're thinking naughty things, aren't you?" teases Sasami.
Tenchi and Kiyone exchange an exasperated glance and hang their
heads. "You were! I knew it, I knew it! You're thinking naughty,
you're thinking naughty!"

"Sami-cha'ya, could you please leave your mother and I alone?
You know, some private time?" asks Tenchi pointedly, almost
too pointedly.

"Ohhhhh... okay, g'night Mommy, g'night Daddy." Still laughing,
Sasami heads off to find something else to do. Tenchi and Kiyone
snuggle closer to each other, and Tenchi flips the channel
again, this time to a romantic movie.

Kiyone sits up in delight. "Crossing A Star! I love this movie!
It's one of the best romantic movies every made!"

Tenchi pulls his wife closer to him. "Well then, Kiyone-yoni,
we're just gonna have to watch it, aren't we?" She sighs in 
contentment as he kisses her gently, and they settle back to 
watch the pair of lovers sneak aboard a starship, their ticket
to freedom. "Isn't this better than that silly computer?"
she asks.

"Much," he tells her.

Suddenly the screen shifts, and they're watching Police Magic!
again. A moment later, they hear Mihoshi and Sasami cheering
and laughing.

Tenchi turns around and gives the two girls an exasperated
look. "Hey, we were watching something."

"But this is more interesting than some dumb old love story!"
argues Sasami.

Mihoshi pulls Kiyone to her feet. "Come one, Kiyone, help me 
sing the theme song!"

"I don't want to, Mihoshi! Can't you and Sasami go upstairs
and watch this on Kyoto's portable TV?"

"But Ki-yo-ne! Ryoko and Ayeka are hogging it!" She tugs on 
Kiyone's arm. "Come on, Kiyone, show Tenchi how good you can 
sing!" Kiyone sighs and hangs her head.

"Only if it will make you happy," replies Kiyone dryly.

"Don't worry, Kiyone-yoni, you'll do great," assures Tenchi.

Smiling in thanks, Kiyone stands up next to Mihoshi, and they
start to sing just as the music starts.



Where did you go? Wait a minute, Mr. Criminal.

If you hide, I can't arrest you.

Oh dear, because of my missiles that missed,

the whole city is full of holes, isn't it.



The moon has waned,

I wonder if it's also because I shot it.



It's a POLICE MAGIC!

If you wanna see me,

You can whistle whenever you want!

A written apology, good heavens!

Write it with me?



What kind of crime did you commit?

'Cause I really don't know very well, but...

It's okay. The crime is not major or minor

not pine nor bamboo nor plum

[not worst nor worse nor bad]*.



I'll also chase

the cat with the fish in its mouth**.



It's a POLICE MAGIC!

If you gonna need me,

You can whistle whenever you want!

What, oh dear, I can't stop.

I've been overtaken. Wait up!



Well, well, a screw in a place like this.

One came off, oh dear.

Although I am on the job

for the sake of interstellar peace...



O.K. POLICE MAGIC! If you wanna see me...

I've lost sight of him.

I'll leave it to the wind, to search him out.

A wind in space... is there any such thing?...



POLICE MAGIC!

If you wanna see me,

You can whistle whenever you want!

If you leave it to me,

I'll resolve it soon! All right!*





Tenchi stands up and starts clapping. "That was wonderful,
Kiyone-yoni, you should have become a professional singer."

Sasami cheers. "You sing great, Mommy! Sing another song!"

Kiyone smiles. "Sorry, little lady, no more songs for you 
tonight. It's way past your bedtime!"

Sasami pouts. "Daddy, do I have to go to bed?"

"Yes, little miss, it's way past all little princesses'
bedtime." He picks her up and hugs her. "Do you want us to tuck
you in?"

Sasami nods. "Okay." She then looks at Mihoshi. "Auntie Mihoshi,
could you make sure that Mommy and Daddy don't get naughty
while I'm asleep!"

"All right!" Mihoshi looks at Tenchi and Kiyone. "Now, don't
you two get naughty!"

Tenchi and Kiyone roll their eyes as they carry Sasami back up 
the stairs. "She is still chiding them. "Now remember, Mommy
and Daddy, since I'm a goddess..." Mihoshi wanders in the 
kitchen to get a snack.



Upstairs, Kyoto has just finished assembling the computer.
"Yes! Yes! It's done! I am the god! I am the god!" He regards
his creation and nods in satisfaction. "Now, let's see if it 
works as advertised..." He plugs in the phone cord, sticks it in
one of the wall's double-sockets, enables the dialer program,
and clicks on Netscape. Thinking for a moment, he clicks on the
address box and types in the string of numbers and letters.

He yowls in satisfaction as he sees a giant bottle of saké 
appear on the screen. Stenciled beneath it in both kanji and 
English are the words "Worldwide Booze Links." A cackle escapes
from his lips. "Oh, yeah! Here we go!"

"Hey, Kyoto, you got it up and running! Thanks!" Tenchi and 
Kiyone, hand in hand, come into their room. Kiyone looks at the
screen in curiosity. "Kyoto, why is there a big bottle of saké
on the screen?"

"I’m trying to look up alcohol distributors," explains Kyoto.
"You know, for my restaurant idea...?" He sighs in satisfaction
as the other two nod. "If I gotta go straight..."

"You do if you want that pardon," replies Tenchi firmly.

"All right. I’m not a bad cook, and I think I could make a 
living off of it. After all, Tenchi, I don’t want to impose
on you guys forever."

"Well," says Kiyone pointedly. "You’re kinda imposing on us now,
no offense, so if you would please excuse us..." She and Tenchi
exchange a look that makes Kyoto groan. "I know you guys are 
having a hard time controlling yourselves, but unless you want
Sasami to have a little brother or sister before you get on the
throne..."

"We’ll control ourselves," assures Tenchi. "We just have a 
little homework we need to do before bed."

"I’ll bet. Well, I’ll stay to make sure you do your homework
instead of each other." He laughs as Tenchi and Kiyone groan.

Much to his surprise, the two of them actually do have some 
homework, and they manage to finish it with only a minimum
of kissing and touching. Maybe they have more self-control
than I though, Kyoto muses.

Kiyone stretches and yawns. "All done."

Tenchi nods. "Kyoto..."

"Okay, I’m on my way out," agrees Kyoto. "Anyway, I think I'll
leave you two alone to sleep...or whatever." He steps out the 
door, closing it behind him. The last thing he sees before 
closing the door is Tenchi stretching and yawning, and Kiyone
snuggling close for warmth. They’ll be sleeping in their clothes
tonight, he muses.

Once he reaches the downstairs, he finds that Sasami is defying
her bedtime. She is channel-surfing with Ryo-Ohki sitting atop
her head, mi-yaing in approval and disapproval of the 
programming. She looks up with a guilty expression as Kyoto sits
down next to her. "Uh-oh."

"Don't worry, Sasami," assures Kyoto. "I won't tell your 
parents."

Sasami sighs in relief, then asks, "What are they doing 
upstairs?"

"I think they're trying to sleep," answers Kyoto.

Sasami flashes a lighthearted grin. "They're being naughty,
aren't they? And soon I'm gonna have a little brother or 
sister!"

Kyoto shakes his head. "Not necessarily. There are ways of being
naughty without running the risk of getting pregnant--divine
intervention or no."

"Oh." Sasami looks very inquisitive. "Like what?"

Kyoto blushes for the second time that day. "Um. Er. Ah. Well,
you should probably ask your parents--but not right now," he 
adds hastily. "Whatcha watching?" Taking a closer look at the 
screen, he answers his own question. "Oh, I see."

The young princess nods in excitement. "Yeah! It's a documentary
on Ohkis! Ryo-Ohki wants to watch it 'cause she thinks she'll
see some relatives!" Out of nowhere they hear a loud giggle
and what sounds like Kiyone's voice moaning in pleasure.
Sasami looks up at Kyoto. "Are they doing something naughty
now, Kyoto?"

Kyoto nods. "They probably are." Unnoticed by either of them,
who settle back to watch the documentary, Chi-Ohki listens
to this information. His mind starts to plot what he can do to 
the future Emperor and Empress of Jurai...



* * * * * * * * * * * *



Tenchi slowly comes to. He's feeling really weird, like he's 
slumped across a support beam or something. He starts to roll
over, expecting to find Kiyone next to him. What he does find
next to him is a vertical support beam. He looks down and his 
eyes go wide as he finds himself slumped across a support beam.

Fortunately it's not too far a drop for him, so he just lets 
himself fall and he lands in a crouch. He starts to look around
when he realizes something. He's not wearing his pajamas.

In fact, he's not wearing his underwear.

He's in someone else's.

Someone else's leopard-skin bikini briefs.

Tenchi is now completely freaked. He's looking around for 
something to cover himself with when he notices that the porch
door is open. Moving toward it, he slides it all the way open
to find--

Kiyone, wearing nothing but a silky G-string and a smile. She is
shifting in her sleep and moaning. "Oh, Tenchi-yon...
you're so good.... more, daddy, give your little girl a little
more..."

Her words set off enjoyable impulses in Tenchi's body, but he 
knows that this not the time to give into them. He leans down
and gently picks her up in his arms. "Kiyone-yoni...
wake up, Kiyone-yoni...."

Her eyes slowly flutter open and she smiles up at Tenchi. 
"Morning, daddy, your little girl was dreaming about you."

Tenchi brushes back his urges. "Kiyone-yoni, what are you doing
on the porch? And why are you wearing someone else's underwear?
Those aren't your panties."

Now, Kiyone comes fully awake. Her eyes snap open completely,
and she looks around. "Tenchi, what are we doing on the porch?"
She looks down. "And whose briefs are those?" She smiles, 
slowly. "Not that I don't like them..."

Tenchi groans. "Come on, sweetie, we better get back into the 
house before someone sees us." He carries her back into the 
living room, to see Sasami in her carrot pajamas, looking at 
them mischievously.

"You two were naughty!" she says in an accusatory tone, masking
the playful aura around her.

Tenchi shakes his head quickly. "No, Sasami-cha'ya,
we weren't naughty."

"Yes, you were! You're naughty, you're naughty!" she chides,
doing a little jig around the center of the living room. The 
door to the storage unit flips open and Nobuyuki and Washu step
out.

"Hey," says Nobuyuki, "why did I wake up in here?"

"I don't know!" shoots back Washu. "What am I doing in Kiyone's
underwear?!" She gestures down at the sports bra and bikini
panties with the little bow on the waistband.

Nobuyuki, in a pair of boxers --which look strangely familiar--
looks at Tenchi and his eyes go wide. "Tenchi! What are you 
doing in my underwear?!"

Tenchi's jaw drops open. "Your underwear?!"

Kiyone looks ill. "Tenchi, why are you wearing your father's
underwear?"

"Why are you wearing my underwear?!" cries out Washu. Tenchi
and Kiyone look at each other, scream, and run up the stairs
to his room. A few minutes later, they come out, wrapped in 
kimonos. They deposit the borrowed undergarments in front of 
their owners, and walk to the bath.

Sasami looks patently ill. "Uhhh... I'm not feeling well..."

Washu looks up at Nobuyuki with a wry expression on her face.
"Was it good for you too?"

"That's not funny, Washu," responds Nobuyuki.



* * *



In the bath, Tenchi and Kiyone are taking turns washing each 
other's backs, taking time out to thoroughly clean certain
regions of each other's bodies. They are so caught up in this
and so caught up in making sure that they don't go too far, that
they don't notice a fat, eye-patched Ohki sitting in a floating
bleacher, cackling as he snaps off roll after roll of Polaroids.

"I'm going to be rich, I'm going to be rich!" he chortles.

Tenchi is kissing around Kiyone's navel and is about to work 
downward, when the door opens and Kyoto and Ryoko, wrapped
in robes step in. They stop in their tracks and stare wide-eyed
at the future emperor and empress of Jurai.

"Tenchi, Kiyone, what do you think you're doing?!" screams
Ryoko.

"He's washing me," moans Kiyone.

Kyoto's jaw is under the water. "Um, Kiyone, the soap is over
there, its not soap he's washing you with, it's his tongue."

Kiyone nods. "I know, I like it better that way." Ryoko rolls
her eyes and hangs her head.

"Don't you two remember what the goddesses said, you two can't
have sex because you'll have babies!"

"Is that a bad thing?" whimpers Kiyone.

"Technically, no. But when it's under the scrutiny of the public
eye and you two aren't married yet, yes."

"We're already married," murmurs Tenchi, reluctantly removing
his tongue from Kiyone's belly button.

"Yes, but this wedding has not be recognized by the Jurai royal
council or by the Galaxy Federation, has it?" counters Kyoto.
"Now, everyone would expect you two to have sex, yes, but a 
baby? That's a little, um... not expected. Besides--" He jerks
a thumb at the door. "--we were going to take a bath, so..."
He raises his eyebrows. "If you two would please..."

Grumbling, Tenchi picks Kiyone up and carries her out of the 
pool. The two don their robes, grab their towels and walk out of
the room.

Once they're gone, Kyoto and Ryoko look at each other hungrily,
tear off each other's robes and fall under the water. No one 
notices the fat Ohki bouncing out right behind Tenchi and 
Kiyone.

* * *



At the breakfast table, Sasami notes with disappointment
that Tenchi and Kiyone aren't eating much. "Mommy, Daddy, what's
wrong with breakfast? It's good, isn't it? I made it especially
for you."

"It's wonderful, Sami-cha'ya," consoles Tenchi, "we're just not
hungry this morning after what happened right after we woke up."

Sasami grins. "Oh, the naughty thing..."

Tenchi rolls his eyes. "Sami-cha'ya, please, nothing naughty
happened, just something sick happened."

"I'll say!" puts in Nobuyuki. "Tenchi, I don't ever want to see
you in my underwear again!"

"That's right!" agrees Washu. "And Kiyone, stay out of my 
panties!"

Sasami's face has gone almost the color of her forehead marking.
"Uh..." She quietly excuses herself from the table.

"Dad! People are trying to eat!" yells Tenchi. "Besides,
I woke up wearing those. Someone must have switched ours on me 
last night!"

Nobuyuki starts to respond when they smell something obnoxious
coming from the porch. The group slowly rises, wanders over,
edges open the door, and see Chi-Ohki with a giant platter
of baked beans and Spam, with a giant carrot in the middle.
And they realize immediately what the smell was.

He looks up. "Oh, good. You guys want some?"

"Chi-Ohki, what in the hell are you eating?!" yells Tenchi.

"Beans and Spam," responds the Ohki cheerily.

Kyoto rolls his eyes and groans. "Chi-Ohki, you promised not to
eat that anymore..."

"Yeah, well that was after we finally got some money!"

"We're not poor now!" puts in Kyoto.

"Yeah, but I'm a little sick of straight carrots right now, and
I need something to spice them up a little bit. And nothing
spices things up like good ol' beans and Spam." He picks up a 
brown bottle. "And nothing like good ol' whiskey." He takes a 
big swig. "Ah... Now, the only thing left to complete this 
experience is--" He digs a large Havana cigar out of the inside
of his wide-brimmed hat and produces an equally large lighter.
He is about to light the cigar when Tenchi snatches his lighter
away. "Oh, no you don't!"

Chi-okhi looks at him weird. "What? It's not that flammable!"
He snatches the lighter back. "Now, go away son, you're 
bothering me."

Tenchi's eyes are wide with fear and he literally pushes 
everyone else back into the house and slams the door shut a 
second before Chi-Ohki lights the lighter. He flicks the wheel,
the flame comes into existence... and there is a small explosion
on the porch. After waiting for the smoke to clear, they push
the door back open.

Sitting on the porch is Chi-Ohki, looking cooked, 
Cajun-style--that is, blackened. He's wobbling slightly on his
hind paws. "Ohh... it hurts."

Tenchi slams the door shut and grabs Kiyone's hand.

"Um, Kiyone and I gotta go now, bye!" Grabbing their school
bags, they rush out the door. They just step out the door when
the TV cable box starts blinking on and off.

Washu looks over. "Hmm, that's odd-- Oh, I see! The TV's acting
in phone mode!" She picks up the remote, points it at the TV and
hits the phone key. Immediately the face of a Juraian official
appears on the screen. "Oh, hello. What can I do for you?"

"Err, um, good morning. Is Lord Tenchi there?"

"Sure, I'll go get them!" Washu rushes out of the house. 
"Tenchi, Tenchi! Kiyone, Kiyone! Jurai's calling!"

Tenchi has a pained expression on his face. "Uh, how important
is it, Washu, I mean we have to get to school, the bus will be 
down there in a few minutes!"

"Hmm, let me check." Washu produces a hololaptop, taps in a 
sequence, and the official's face appears on it.

"Ah, good, Lord Tenchi, there you are. Um, we need you on Jurai
today. "

"At what time today?" asks Tenchi.

"At about one P.M. The Council will convene at eight tomorrow
morning."

Tenchi's eyes go wide. "One P.M!! Uh.. ah, I'm sorry, but I have
to go to school today!"

The official has a surprised expression on his face. "Ah, um, 
I'm sorry Lord Tenchi, um, there must be something wrong with
this transmission, I could have sworn you said that you had to 
go to school today."

"Um, I did," says Tenchi slowly.

"Um...um...okay...um...well, Lord Tenchi, isn't there 
anyway...um...you could...um...skip classes today? Actually,
it would have to be for the rest of the week, but is there 
anyway you could find to skip those?"

Tenchi's brow furrows. "Um...yeah, yeah, I'll find a way out of
it, but how am I going to get there?"

"Galaxy Police Detective First Class Mitsuki is due to arrive
in the Sol system within the hour," explains the official,
"she will escort you to the boundaries of the Sol system where
we'll have a task force of warships waiting for you."

"A task force, isn't that a bit much?" asks Tenchi slowly.
"And by the way, why has the Council meeting been pushed up to 
today?"

"Not to protect the emperor, or prospective emperor," responds
the official firmly.

"They'll be waiting there at 10:30 a.m., local solar time. And
as for the accelerated schedule, I don't know. All I can do is 
give my apologies for this." The official bows once again. "I 
look forward to meeting you in person, Lord Tenchi." The 
official's image fades from the screen and Tenchi sighs.

"Oh great, now how are we going to handle school?"

"Don't worry," puts in Kyoto, who has just walked up the path
behind them, "I'll handle it." He concentrates for a moment
and then splits into two Kyotos, and then the two Kyotos change
into a Tenchi and Kiyone, the spitting image of the real Tenchi
and Kiyone. "See," says the Tenchi/Kyoto in Tenchi's voice,
"we'll go to school in your place, they'll never be able to tell
the difference."

"That's right," echoes the Kiyone/Kyoto, snuggling into the 
Tenchi/Kyoto's embrace. "Come on, Tenchi-yon, give your little
girl a kiss, please daddy, give your little girl a kiss..."

"Wow!" says Washu, "Tenchi, Kiyone, they are exactly like you!"

"Aren't they a little too affectionate?" observes Kiyone. The 
Tenchi/Kyoto has both his hands up the Kiyone/Kyoto's
skirt and is fondling her buttocks and the Kiyone/Kyoto
is moaning loudly in pleasure.

"Actually... it's a perfect duplicate of you two," says Washu
dryly. "You two are exactly like that."

"We're not that bad!" protests Tenchi.

"I have proof of the otherwise," grins Washu. "This!" She pulls
up a video and the screen is lit up with Tenchi and Kiyone 
copulating in a rather exotic position.

Kiyone's cheeks flush red with embarrassment and desire, and she
shakes her head viciously, as if that will drive her desires
away. "Washu, turn that off!"

"Alright." Washu turns it off.

Tenchi looks at the two Kyotos who are now advancing along their
path. "And Kyoto, turn yourself off."

"Alright." The Tenchi/Kyoto and Kiyone/Kyoto immediately
separate. "There is a point that I will not go to and that is 
myself," says the Tenchi/Kyoto.

"Ditto," agrees the Kiyone/Kyoto. "So, if you'll just give us 
your bags," The two Kyoto's snatch Tenchi and Kiyone's school
bags, "we'll be off. Have a good time on Jurai --oh, Kiyone,
you'll probably want to take this opportunity to take your 
papers into Prime Center yourself, you know?"

"Good idea," agrees Kiyone. She looks at Tenchi. "Maybe we can
spend a couple of days on Prime Center, I'll show you around."

Tenchi smiles. "That sounds like fun."

Washu rolls her eyes. "Just make sure that you two don't do 
anything, okay? ‘Cause even I couldn’t reverse the effects
of that." And suddenly, they smell something very foul in the 
air and Chi-okhi pops up, holding open a large can of baked 
beans with chunks of carrots and Spam floating in it.

"Hey, want some beans and Spam?" The three humans scream and run
back to the house.



* * *



Meanwhile, Sasami has just finished cleaning her mouth off and
giving herself a drink of water, when she sees Ryo-Ohki,
looking somewhat green, slump through the door, crawl over to 
the toilet and do something that she has never seen an Ohki do:
puke.

"Ryo-ohki!" she gasps. "Are you all right?" She picks the now 
purged Ohki up and moves her over to the sink. The cool water
helps the cabbit revive, and she looks up weakly and gives an 
equally weak mi-ya.

Sasami blinks. "Chi-ohki did what?!"

"Mi-ya! Mi-ya, mi-ya!"

"Beans and Spam?" Sasami looks ill again, and she leans back 
over the toilet.

***

"...and that’s it," declares Tenchi/Kyoto, scribbling in the 
last equation with a flourish. Mr. Fujisawa had asked him to 
solve an equation using the quadratic formula.

Instead, he had solved the problem to fourteen decimal points
and written the solution in a standard Science Academy symbolic
pattern. Unfortunately, the pattern is written in Kotamian
(thanks and apologies to Sir Ewen Cluney), leaving all but the
number indiscernible to the rest of the class, who, except the
Kiyone/Kyoto, are staring at him wide eyed, their jaws open.

Finally, Fujisawa manages to speak. "Mr. Masaki... that's....
that's very impressive, just one thing, why didn't you use the
quadratic formula?!"

"Why bother with the quadratic formula, when there's Muyako's
Equilibrium Principle of X?" responds Tenchi/Kyoto. Fujisawa
takes a few minutes to real his jaw back into place, clamps
it shut, and then sits down heavily in his chair.

"Alright... uh... everyone, you're excused for the rest of the
day. Just tell all your teachers that you're excused for the 
rest of the day."

"Why, Mr. Fujisawa?" asks Tenchi/Kyoto.

"I need to go back to school --we all need to go back to school.
Now, go on." He gestures at the door. Cheering, all the students
file out. As they do, they're carrying Tenchi/Kyoto on their
shoulders and chanting, "Tenchi! Tenchi!" Finally, they drop him
off at the end of the hall and Kiyone/Kyoto rushes up to him.

"Oh, my Tenchi!" she coos, "you're so smart!"

"And you're so perfect," he tells her, gathering her up in his
arms and giving her a big kiss.

***

Meanwhile, back at the Masaki house, in the lake, a spaceship
is landing. It is a Yukinojo-class light patrol ship, somewhat
like the small patrol shuttle that Mihoshi had been chasing
Ryoko with when the entire thing had started (see also, 
Mihoshi's ship from the OVAs). It sets down in the lake, and a 
moment later a young, redheaded lady appears on the doorstep
of the Masaki house, dressed in a GP uniform. She knocks on the
door. The door slides open and.... it's Mihoshi, dressed in 
khakis and a cotton candy pink sweater --her normal casual 
outfit.

"Mitsuki, there you are!" She hugs Mitsuki very tightly, almost
cutting off circulation.

"Mi-ho-shi..." manages Mitsuki. "I...can't...breathe!"

"Oops, sorry!" Mihoshi abruptly lets go and Mitsuki almost 
tumbles to the ground. "Anyway, I'm so glad to see you, you're
my new partner!"

Mitsuki forces a smile--inwardly she is thinking, Oh my god, I 
am screwed-I am screwed-I am screwed!

"Err, really? You're my partner, Mihoshi?"

Mihoshi nods. "Uh huh, I'm going to be your new partner!"

"But, what about Kiyone? Isn't she your partner?"

Mihoshi shakes her head. "Not anymore, she's going to be 
resigning from the Galaxy Police."

"Why is she resigning from the Galaxy Police?"

"She's getting married!" The next thing Mitsuki feels is Mihoshi
gently slapping her face. "Mitsuki, wake up, Mitsuki, you passed
out!"

"I'm sorry, Mihoshi," she murmurs, "I thought you said that 
Kiyone was getting married?"

Mihoshi nods. "Uh, huh, she is--Mitsuki! Wake up, Mitsuki!"

"Did you just say 'Kiyone's getting married', Mihoshi?"

"Uh huh."

"Who's she marrying?"

"Tenchi Masaki. He's going to be the new emperor of Jurai and 
she's going to be his new empre--Mitsuki, Mitsuki! This is 
getting annoying, Mitsuki!" Suddenly, Mitsuki feels water being
splashed in her face.

"Ugh! Okay, I'm up, I'm up! So, Kiyone's going to be the new 
empress of Jurai?!"

Mihoshi nods happily. "Uh, huh. Isn't that great?"

Mitsuki has a doomed expression on her face. Oh, god, I'm a dead
woman, I am so dead.

As if meant to unsettle her even further, they hear what sounds
like giggling come from upstairs, giggling and low moaning.
The voice is female and almost certainly Kiyone's. A young man's
voice responds a moment later in loving tones. And so goes the
unseen conversation, sounding like two people commenting
on an especially good meal. Later on, Mitsuki would even swear
that she heard the word "Daddy" murmured.

Mitsuki looks ill. "Mihoshi, Mihoshi, where's the bathroom?
Where's the bathroom?"

Mihoshi points in the direction.

"Thank you!" Mitsuki rushes to it, pushes the door open, and 
quickly realizes that it was not the bathroom she was expecting.
"Mihoshi, where's the regular bathroom?"

"Oh, you need a guy to get to that one," explains Mihoshi.
Groaning, Mitsuki rushes into the kitchen and over to the sink.
Mihoshi watches her lose her breakfast and clean herself up. 
"Wow, Mitsuki, I didn't know you were bulimic!" Mitsuki groans
and heaves herself upright.

"What are they doing up there?"

"It sounds like they're eating snacks," comments Mihoshi.
"Funny, though, Kiyone's never been that enthusiastic
about food before."

They hear a door sliding open, upstairs, and a moment later,
Tenchi and Kiyone, clad in matching his and hers bathrobes
and carrying neatly folded clothing, come down the stairs,
looking extremely satisfied. Tenchi is carrying Kiyone in his 
arms like a bride across the threshold. Kiyone is giggling
like a school-girl and peppering his face with kisses.

Mitsuki moans and hangs her head.

Tenchi smiles as his feet hit the ground floor. "Oh, you must
be the Detective Sergeant that they sent out to escort us. 
Welcome to Earth."

Mitsuki quickly recovers her composure. "Uh, thank you, Lord 
Tenchi, but I'm only a Detective First Class."

"I'll see what I can do about that," he promises. "I believe
you already know my fiancée, Kiyone Makibi."

Mitsuki nods her head. "Congratulations, Kiyone, I always knew
you'd find the perfect man."

"Don't worry, Mitsuki, I'm sure there'll be a guy out there for
you too," comforts Kiyone.

Just then Sasami, dressed in a princess's formal wear and 
looking as adorable as ever, bounces down the stairs, with a 
Levi backpack slung over one shoulder. "Hi everyone, I'm ready
to go!"

Tenchi sets Kiyone down and picks Sasami up in his arms and hugs
her tightly. "I'm sure you are, Sami-cha'ya, but your mommy and
I still need to take a bath and get dressed."

"Yeah, because you two were naughty!" The little princess
laughs as Tenchi sets her down, and then turns to Mitsuki.
"Oh, hi, Mitsuki!! Are you Mihoshi's new partner?"

All Mitsuki can do is nod, wearily. She watches Tenchi carrying
Kiyone into the bathroom and sliding the door shut. She thinks,
How did Kiyone get that lucky? She's going to be the empress
of Jurai now, she's marrying the galaxy's most eligible 
bachelor, she's adopting a little girl, AND I'M STILL A 
DETECTIVE FIRST CLASS AND STILL SINGLE!! She shakes her head and
sighs.

Tenchi and Kiyone spend ninety minutes in the bathroom, during
which Sasami makes quite a lot of naughty jokes. Finally they
emerge, cleaned and dressed, and looking very happy. Tenchi's
wearing his formal Juraian royal court outfit, and Kiyone is 
clad in a long, lavender kimono, with her hair tied back into
a ponytail and swept over one shoulder. It is held together
by a bright red ribbon.

"Wow!! You look great, mommy!" cries out Sasami happily. "You
look just like an empress!"

"Oh, wow!! You look like you've been touched by a goddess!"
comments Mihoshi.

Mitsuki is speechless. Finally, words come to her mind. "Well,
we better get going. Are all of you packed?"

Tenchi nods and jerks his head in the direction of the 
Guardians, who are toting several suitcases. He suddenly 
remembers something. "Oh, wait, the Knights!" He rushes back up
the stairs and opens the door to their room, to find both 
knights kneeling in front of the TV, controllers gripped in 
their hands. Their eyes are strained and bloodshot, and large,
purple bags are under their eyes. Kamidake's right cheek is 
twitching uncontrollably.

Tenchi rests a tentative hand on Azaka's shoulder, causing
the knight to leap five meters in the air. He spins around,
a battle-ready expression on his face. Once he sees that it is 
Tenchi, he relaxes. "Oh, Lord Tenchi, what is it?"

"The Supreme Council is convening on Jurai. The meeting isn't
till six tonight, but they want us there right away."

A worried expression drapes across Azaka's face. "Now? It wasn't
supposed to be for another two weeks!"

"I know, but something must have come up." Tenchi eyes the two
knights concernedly. "You guys feeling up to going?"

Kamidake nods, hoisting himself to his feet with the help of his
fighting staff. "Yes, Lord Tenchi, I--" He almost falls over 
before catching himself, and he starts using his staff as a 
crutch. "We're fine."

"Okay," says Tenchi slowly. "Do you need to pack anything?"
The two knights shake their heads, and he nods in satisfaction.
"Right, let's go."

Soon Mitsuki's ship, the Yokinja, rises from the lake with a 
full load of passengers and cargo. Mitsuki takes a quick look
around the cabin as she prepares to kick in the main sublight
drive. Tenchi and Kiyone are sitting in the back, hugging Sasami
between them. The young girl seems quite content with this. The
two knights have controller pads hooked up to the holoscreens
on the consoles in front of them and have called up some video
game or another. The two Guardians are resting in the very back
of the main cabin, their receptor "eyes" dark (they've gone into
"sleep" mode). Mihoshi, beside her at the copilot's station,
is snoring gently. Shrugging, Mitsuki flips on the sublight
engines and advances the throttle. The small ship surges 
forward, travelling at .75c towards Pluto.

As she locks the Yokinja onto autopilot, she looks back at 
Tenchi. Sasami is sound asleep and he's looking fondly at her.
Kiyone is also asleep, now snuggled up on his other side. At 
first glance, he had seemed a friendly enough boy, with maturity
far outstripping that of his peers, but still only a boy. Now,
however, while barely eighteen, he carries the maturity and 
calmness of a man twice his age. He's only eighteen, not even
out of high school, and he's on his way to becoming the ruler
of the universe. He'll have a wife and little girl to take care
of, and he won't even be twenty. Even more shocking, I think
he'll be ready for it. What was I thinking about when I was his
age?

The Yokinja makes transit in record time, arriving in Plutonian
orbit just in time to see the Juraian ships emerge from 
wormholes. Tenchi is staring wide-eyed at the number of 
warships. "Oh my god! How many ships are there?"

Mitsuki checks Yukinja's scanners. "Looks like...forty-five
heavy cruisers..."

Tenchi looks taken aback. "What?! Isn't that a bit much?"

"Hey, it's Jurai," shrugs Mitsuki. "They can afford to do things
like this. Anyway, that's forty-five heavy cruisers, ten 
battleships, and five dreadnaughts. And we're receiving a signal
from that dreadnaught over there...says it's the Yosho. Must be
the flagship." She punches in the clear-code, and the face of a 
Juraian admiral appears on a holoscreen.

"Greetings, Lord Tenchi. We await your arrival. We're engaging
tractor beams now." The admiral's face disappears from the 
screen, and Yokinja jolts slightly as it is drawn toward's
the dreadnaught's docking bay.

"Wow... I haven't seen this many ships in a long time!" Kiyone
looks amazed.

Soon, Mitsuki's ship is resting in the pressurized hanger bay.
The hatch slides open and the ramp rolls down. At the bottom
of the ramp is a long, plush red carpet, with a line of 
beauracrats and military officers lining each side. At the sight
of Tenchi, the drop to one knee and bow their heads.

Looking somewhat uncomfortable, Tenchi walks down the long 
carpet, followed by the rest of the group. At the end of the 
carpet are two identical magenta-haired girls, clad in white
kimonos with gold embroidering. Each one is holding a crown in 
their hands. Once Tenchi reaches the end of the carpet, the left
girl places the larger, more ornate crown atop his head and then
assumes a following position on his left side. As Kiyone 
approaches, the remaining girl places the smaller crown atop her
head and assumes a following position on her right. As one, the
bowing assembly rises to their feet and gives another bow from
the waist. They then disperse, save for a man of average height,
with dark blue, almost black hair that is starting to recede.
Tenchi immediately recognizes him as the official that he spoke
to that morning.

"Greetings, Lord Tenchi. I have been waiting for the moment
to met you in person."

Tenchi blushes a little and shifts his weight. "Uh... thanks.
I don't believe I caught your name?"

"I am Hikita, of the Diplomatic Corps. I have been assigned
to oversee your journey to Jurai." He looks curiously at Kiyone.
"Um... my lady, I'm afraid that the council failed to brief me 
as to your name and what branch family you belong to."

"That's alright," says Kiyone. "My name is Kiyone Makibi, of the
house Makibi of Megami."

The official almost doubles over backward. "Megami?!" He turns
to Tenchi. "Lord Tenchi, she's joking, right?"

"She's quite serious. Is there a problem?" Tenchi's voice now 
contains a note of ice.

"No-no-no-no. It's just that... well, you know that Megami and
Jurai haven't been the best of friends."

Tenchi smiles. "Well, maybe if she becomes empress, relations
will become less strained. Besides, we love each other, and I 
don't want to marry anyone else. And finally, as Emperor I have
the right to choose my own Empress, correct?"

"Quite so, it's just that..." The official looks somewhat
abashed. "The assumption was that you were going to marry 
Ayeka."

Tenchi looks almost appalled. "I'm sorry, but no."

To their surprise, the official smiles. "Well, none of us blame
you for that, Lord Tenchi."

"Are you just going to ignore me, Uncle Hikita? Or am I not your
favorite niece anymore?"

Hikita catches himself, turns around and gives Sasami a bear 
hug. "Hello, my Sami-kai'ya*, no I'm not ignoring you, I just
didn't see you there with Lord Tenchi." He smiles down at her.
"Are you going to become the second empress?"

"No, silly! Tenchi's my new daddy!"

Hikita's face faults. "Your...new...daddy?" Hikita turns to 
Tenchi, a startled expression on his face. "Is she telling
the truth?"

Tenchi nods. "Yup, we decided to make her our first daughter.
As soon as we're married, there'll be a second little one on the
way."

"Ah, I see." Hikita nods and gestures down the corridor.
"Now, if you'll follow me."



* * *



Mihoshi and Mitsuki watch the last of the Juraian ships vanish
into the wormholes. "Oh, wow! I didn't know that Jurai ships
could use wormholes."

Mitsuki nods. "Rumor has it that their engines can generate
artificial wormholes. That can take them to any place in the 
galaxy just like that." She snaps her fingers.

"Oh, wow! That's amazing! I wonder who invented it?"

"It was developed by some crack-pot scientist just before the 
Megami-Jurai war. His name was Hojo Wantanabe, a genius, but a 
total schizoid. I heard that he started the war by selling
Juraian weapons technology to Megami."

Mihoshi's eyes go wide. "We both come from Megami, so how come
I haven't heard any of this?"

"Probably because the emperor had it covered up, like the 
thousands of sex scandals that happen in the Forbidden City."

Mihoshi suddenly looks very interested. "Oh, have there been any
new ones?"

Mitsuki smiles and nods. "There's a brand new one. Apparently,
the emperor slept with one of his interns."

The blonde detective suddenly gets a look of recognition
on her face. "Oh-oh-oh! Wasn't that the one named Monica 
Lowinsky?"

Mitsuki is about to say yes when Yokinja is sent spinning
on it's axis. Alarms are blaring and Mitsuki curses as she paws
her way back into her chair. "What the hell was that?!"



"Hey boss? What the f--k are you doin'?! Youy just buzzed a 
f--kin' GP ship!" The pilot ignores the mildly hispanic voice.

"Continue on course, we have a job to do."



"What was that?" asks Mihoshi, scrabbling her way back into her
chair.

Mitsuki is checking the scanner. "I don't know, but whatever
it was, it's gone now." She stretches and yawns. "So, Mihoshi,
where do we stay on Earth?"

"At the Masaki house," answers Mihoshi, locking the acceleration
restraints into place. While inertial compensators will normally
keep the ship's internal gravity from fluctuating like it just
did, she's not taking any more chances.

Mitsuki toolks rather surprised. "They don't mind?"

Mihoshi shakes her head. "No! In fact, Mr. Masaki likes having
all of us stay there! He says it's good for Tenchi."

Mitsuki smirks. She met Tenchi's father once before, and she 
could sense just why he liked having so many girls around the 
house. "I'm sure."



Tenchi is looking with childlike awe at the large collection
of ships orbiting Jurai. The sight is as impressive as is the 
turquoise- and amethyst-splashed sphere, flanked by a pair of 
intersecting rings, that is at the center of the mustering.
"Wow," he murmurs. "There must be a thousand ships!"

"Probably," agrees Hikita. "The representatives of the major
branch families, as well as the rulers of the most important
worlds in the Republic, are all coming for the Supreme Council
meeting."

Tenchi looks a little green. "All of them. Hikita, exactly
how many people are on the Supreme Council?"

Hikita takes a moment to think. "Well...around a thousand."
At Tenchi's look of fear, he quickly adds, "But don't worry,
Lord Tenchi. On a normal basis, you'll only have to deal with
the Council's Executive Committee. There are only twenty-five
people on that."

Tenchi releases a sigh of relief. "I just have another couple
of questions, Hikita."

"Ask away, Lord Tenchi."

"Well, first the small one. I noticed that we used a wormhole
to get here..."

Hikita smiles proudly. "Yes. That, Lord Tenchi, is the heart
of Jurai's naval superiority in the galaxy. Our ships can 
generate wormholes, allowing us to transit almost 
instantaneously from one point to another. This, coupled with
the firepower our ships mount, is almost unbeatable."

Tenchi's eyes have widened slightly. "Wow..."

"I'm sure the captain would be happy to give you a tour, Lord
Tenchi."

"Ah, thanks, perhaps later." He looks around the plush quarters
that he, Kiyone, and Sasami have been given. Sasami has gone 
back to her nap and Kiyone is doing likewise. "Second thing,
what's the rush? You said the meeting's not until tomorrow,
and we can get here instantly, so why the rush?"

"Well, we got you here early so you could relax and unwind,
get a little used to the Palace. And as for why the meeting
has been pushed up...it has to do with Det--er, I mean, Lady 
Kiyone's homeworld."

Tenchi fixes him with a mild stare. "Go on."

"Well..." At least Hikita has the good grace to look a little
embarrassed. "Fifty-five hundred years ago, Megami and Jurai
were at war with each other. The war was long and bloody and 
ended in a stalemate. Since then we've been at peace, but 
relations still aren't the best. In fact, the war was largely
responsible for the creation of the GF and Prime Center."

"I understand that, but what does that have to do with the 
Council meeting being moved up?"

"Well, after the peace treaty was initially signed, it was 
agreed that the treaty would be renewed every five centuries,
and be signed by each nation's emperor. It was also agreed that
if one nation did not have a ruler at the time of the signing,
that nation would be incorporated into the other's empire."

Tenchi looks a little disgusted. "Why in hell did we agree to 
that?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," admits Hikita. "After
all, none of us were expecting the upheaval of the past century.
No one was expecting your great-grandfather Kaichi to 
effectively kill himself to imprison Kain, or your grandfather
to disappear for a hundred years, or Ayeka and Sasami's parents
to get themselves killed during that terrorist bombing on 
Freeport Center, or Kagato to take Yosho's place and make a 
successful coup. Both Jurai and Megami were trying to prevent
another war, and this seemed like a good incentive."

Tenchi holds up his hands. "All right, I think I see now. So 
when do I sign this thing?"

"Day after tomorrow."

"Okay...and if they don't let me in as Emperor?"

"If they don't want you, they'll put you on the throne just long
enough to sign the papers, and then they'll give you your own 
little star system as a consolation prize. But don't worry,
Lord Tenchi." Hikita smiles the smile that people who are higher
up than they let on tend to. "You're the only real contender
for the throne, and your timing is perfect. In all honesty,
the Council is running scared. Whatever you ask, they're almost
certain to give you."

"Well, that's a relief," says Tenchi dryly. "When do we, ah, 
land?"

"Soon," assures Hikita. "We'll be taking a shuttle down. Perhaps
we should awaken the ladies now?"

Tenchi nods. "Yeah, you're probably right." He looks around
the room. "Where did you say Azaka and Kamidake were again?"

"Well, the Guardians are in sleep mode in the other room. The 
knights..." Hikita shrugs. "The younger knights are flocking
around them like birds to seed. Last I saw, they were actually
signing autographs!"

Tenchi laughs. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me." Stretching
and yawning, he rises from the plush, super-comfortable
recliner where he has been sitting. Hikita rises from a similar
chair. "Let's go." He shakes his head, as if trying to clear
something away. "Funny, though. I can't shake this feeling
that we've forgotten something..."



* * * * * * * * * * *



Back in the Masaki house on Earth, Katsuhito, Murasaki, 
Muriyaki, and Washu are watching GNN. The young anchor is 
reading off a special bulletin. "And this just in. The 
semi-annual convening of the Republic of Jurai's Supreme Council
has been pushed up from two weeks in the future to today. The 
probable reason for this is to have an emperor in time for the
signing of the Jurai-Megami Peace Treaty. This treaty is renewed
every five centuries and--"

Katsuhito clicks the remote and a menu bar appears. He hesitates
for a moment before hitting on the SPACE CRIME bar. The picture
on-screen immediately changes to the newsroom, same anchor.
"In other news, Amarube and Yura, the self-proclaimed
'delinquent duo of space,' were arrested today while attempting
to hijack a Galaxy Police patro--"

Washu grabs the remote, ups the volume, and starts laughing.
"That's them! They're the ones that hijacked Yagami that one 
time!"

"When was this?" asks Katsuhito. "I don't remember that 
happening."

"I'm not surprised," retorts Washu. "You and Nobuyuki were 
playing chess the whole time!"

Anything the old prince of Jurai might have said becomes 
academic, for a loud noise chooses that moment to make itself
heard. The four TV-watchers rush out of the house to find a GP 
light patrol ship crashed nose-first in the lake. It seems to be
mostly undamaged. Standing on the shore, in waterlogged
uniforms, are Mihoshi and Mitsuki. The two of them are crying
their eyes out and clinging to each other.

"What happened here?"asks Katsuhito.

"T-th-the ship just went out of control," sputters Mitsuki.
"It j-ju-just crashed." She lapses into sobs again. "My poor,
poor Yokinja!"

Washu looks up at the ship. "Hmm. A Yukinojo-class light patrol
ship. These were being phased out when I was at the Academy."
She produces a hololaptop and taps a string of characters
into it.

The Yokinja blows up.

Mitsuki screams and passes out.

Washu has a sheepish expression on her face. "Heh heh 
heh...sorry."

Murasaki smiles. "Here, allow me." She closes her eyes, 
stretches out her arms, and points them at the lake. Translucent
coils of green-white energy seem to stream forth from her hands
and envelop the wreckage of the spacecraft. The shattered
hull and its pieces rise out of the lake and literally knit 
themselves back together in midair. Soon the Yokinja is hanging
sedately in midair, looking as if she were fresh from the 
shipyards.

Mihoshi is staring up in amazement. "Wow, Murasaki, that's so 
cool! It's like you're a goddess or something!"

Washu and Murasaki groan, Katsuhito maintains his straight
face (does the man have any other expressions?!), and Murasaki
smiles. "Why, dear Mihoshi, don't you remember? I am a goddess."

"Oh, yeah!" Mihoshi has a look of understanding on her face as 
she helps Mitsuki to her feet. "Wake up, Mitsuki! Look! The 
goddess Murasaki fixed your ship!"

Mitsuki, still somewhat groggy, looks over at the woman in the
simple but stately robes, who is smiling gently at her. 
Mihoshi's words finally sink in, and she gapes at the woman--who
does indeed remind her of a goddess. "Are you...are you really
a goddess?"

Murasaki nods. "Yes, I am, Mitsuki Koyashibara. And I am not the
only one. I have two sisters, also goddesses."

"Really?" asks Mitsuki, now captivated. "Where are they?"

As if on cue (the writer's cue, anyway), two columns of light
appear next to Murasaki. Out step Tsunami and Tokimi, fresh from
their trip to Tokyo.

Mitsuki faints again. Mihoshi looks tired. "Oh, my! I wish she'd
stop doing that!"

Katsuhito steps over. "If you'll get her arms, I'll get her 
feet. We can put her on the couch." He nods at the two new 
arrivals. "Welcome back. Have fun in Tokyo?"

Tsunami nods enthusiastically. "Oh, yes! And look what we 
brought!" She holds up several large shopping bags full of 
souvenirs, and Tokimi does likewise. "We brought gifts!"

The group makes their way into the house and set Mitsuki on the
couch, and then the goddesses start handing out the gifts. 
Mihoshi is delighted to recieve a bagful of Tokyo Tower 
paraphernalia. "Oh, wow!" She holds up a postcard. "It's a 
picture from their cool observation deck!"

Katsuhito is looking with confusion at the Tenchiken-lookalike
in his hand. "So this is just a remote control for the TV?"

Tsunami nods. "That's right, Yosho." She smiles wryly. "Try if 
you like, but I don't think you'll get a light blade from it."
She pulls a plush Totoro doll from another bag. "Is Sasami here?
I remember watching this movie with her and her saying that she
wanted one of these." She hugs the doll. "It's so cute."

"She's gone," answers Katsuhito. "She, Tenchi, and Kiyone were
picked up by a Jurai task force this morning. They moved the 
Council meeting up."

Tsunami looks up in alarm, sudden realization showing through
on her face. "What?" She slumps, groaning. "Oh, no. The treaty.
I'd forgotten about that. Did Ayeka go with them."

Katsuhito shakes his head. "No. Why w--" A rare look of shock
surface on his countanence. "Oh, no. I forgot. She has to 
represent her branch family, or--"

"Or Sasami will have to do it," finishes Tokimi, looking grim.
"And she's way too young to. She's not at all prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Everyone turns to see Ayeka walikng down
the stairs, a confused expression on her face. "Where is 
Sasami?"

"Ayeka," says Katsuhito, "the Council meeting got moved up. It's
tomorrow and Tenchi, Kiyone, and Sasami left for Jurai just this
morning."

The confusion on the elder princess' face gives way to fear.
"What?! B-b-but I have to represent our branch family! Otherwise
little Sasami will have to, and--"

"Exactly," finishes Katsuhito firmly. He looks at Tsunami.
"Lady Tsunami, is there any way you could transport us to 
Jurai?"

Tsunami shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Yosho. We don't have the 
power for long-range teleportation anymore, not across millions
of light-years."

"We could take Yagami," voulnteers Mihoshi.

"Thank you, Mihoshi, but the Council meeting is at eight A.M.
tomorrow. The Yagami would not make it there in time." Katsuhito
sighs. "It appears that we can do nothing."

"Wait," says Murasaki slowly, rising from her chair. She looks
at Katsuhito with desperation in her eyes. "Where is your tree?"

The old priest immediately grasps her meaning. "Wait. Lady 
Murasaki, I have tried many times and--"

"Never underestimate a goddess, Yosho," she chides gently.
A look is passed between her and the two other goddesses,
and the dining room is suddenly replaced by a small grove of 
trees. They are standing in the center of it, around a tiny pond
with an abnormally large tree with abnormally large roots. All
around it in the tiny, shallow "pond" are walking stones. Ayeka
looks up at the tree. "I knew it. It is Funaho."

Mihoshi, as always, looks confused. "What's that?"

"This is Yosho's tree-ship, the one he took with him when he 
left Jurai." She looks over at Katsuhito, who stares back 
mildly.

"She cannot become a ship anymore," whispers the old man 
regretfully. "She has been rooted far too long."

The goddesses aren't listening, however. They each have a hand
resting on the trunk and they are chanting something in what 
sounds like Old High Juraian . As they chant the tree starts
to glow and so do they. A coil-like ribbon of blue light rises
around them and coils like a snake wrapping around its prey,
eventually obscuring goddess and tree from sight. Finally the 
collected power blowtorches upward. As it does so, a shape 
starts to form in its path. The shape is that of a Juraian
tree-ship like Ayeka's Ryu-oh but of a different design. The 
ship has four batlike wings arranged like a four-bladed
propeller (or a plus sign) in the front with a dark gray "main
hull" pod mounted behind them. (BTW, when I get my hands on the
people that gave that ship such a stupid and 
hard-to-describe-in-words design...)

Katsuhito looks up at his ship, fully alive again after so long.
"Incredible."

The light fades from around the tree's original resting place,
and the goddesses are visible once more. "I told you to never
doubt a goddess," chides Murasaki playfully.

"Funaho, bring us up!" orders Katsuhito. The entire group 
suddenly finds themselves on the ship's bridge, which looks 
exactly like Ryu-oh's bridge.

"Chairs," says Katsuhito. Immediately floating easy chairs pop
up behind each of the people on the bridge and move forward
slightly, nudging the people into them. Mihoshi giggles. "That's
so cool! Grandpa, the ship does whatever you tell it to?"

"Usually," agrees Katsuhito, patting the arm of the chair. 
"Funaho, take us up." A viewscreen appears and denotes the 
tree-ship's ascent through the atmosphere. He looks around.
"Are we forgetting anyone?"

Mihoshi cries out "Mitsuki!" at the same time that Washu says
"Digital Washu!"

Katsuhito nods. "Funaho, you heard the ladies. If you would be 
so kind..." The two prodigals appear in two new floating 
recliners in a sparkle of cerulean light. Mitsuki passes out 
again while Digital Washu looks around in approval. "Cool! I've
never been on a ship of the Royal Family before!"

"Thank you, Funaho," says Katsuhito. "Anything else we need to 
do?"

"We might want to leave a note telling everyone else where we 
went," advises Ayeka. "I somehow don't think Mr. Masaki would
just assume that we all went to Jurai."

"Already on it," reports Murasaki, scribbling a letter on a pad
of paper that wasn't there a moment before. She finishes with
a flourish and taps the notepad, which disappears in flash of 
light. "There. It'll be waiting for him on the foyer table."

"Good. Thank you, Murasaki." Katsuhito clears his throat. 
"Funaho, set course for Jurai. Initiate wormhole at your 
discretion." The trees on the bridge shoot out sparking tracers
of rainbow light, bringing a slight smile to the old man's face.
"Yes, I know. Just like the old days."

Funaho surges forward into the wormhole and vanishes from the 
Sol system. In the place that the tree had occupied now stands
an identical tree save for one feature: it is constructed
entirely of a bright green crystal, almost like jade but glowing
with its own inner power.



If there is one thing that Tenchi has never been especially
comfortable with, it is lots of fanfare.

Naturally, that is exactly what he gets when his shuttle 
grounds.

He recognizes the palace's landing pad from the near-fatal
insertion he, Ryoko, Azaka, and Kamidake had made just prior
to his duel with Kagato. The difference this time, aside from
not being attacked by killer laser or missile satellites,
is the large number of dignitaries awaiting his arrival. That,
however, is not what bothers him so much.

The thing that gets to him is the red carpet that precedes
him, Kiyone, and Sasami everywhere they go. Well, that and 
everyone bowing when they come into sight. "How do I tell them
to stop?" he hisses in Hikita's direction.

The Diplomatic Corps official laughs. "Good luck, Lord Tenchi.
They'll stop whenever you tell them to, but they'll always bow
whenever you come into the room."

Sighing, Tenchi looks around at the bowing officials. "Okay,
okay, that's enough, you can stand up now." They all do so. 
Tenchi smiles as he recognizes a couple of friendly faces. 
"Sagami! Uncle Kenichi!" Laughing, he shakes the hands of the 
two nobles who had assisted in the escape from the checkpoint
satellite. "What are you two doing here?"

Kenichi, Ayeka and Sasami's uncle, smiles. "Well, Lord Tenchi,
shouldn't the Lord Chancellor of the Supreme Council be present
to greet his Emperor?"

"Wow! Congratulations!" As Lord Chancellor, Kenichi will be in 
charge of the Council and second only to the Emperor and 
Empress.

"Thank you. And Sagami here--" Kenichi pats the younger, 
brown-haired man on the shoulder. "--is being groomed to take
my place when I retire, which won't be that far in the future."
He looks down at Sasami, who cries out in delight and hugs her
uncle. "Sasami-cha'ya, I'm glad to see you too." He then sees
Kiyone and bows from the waist. "Lady Kiyone. Welcome to Jurai."

Kiyone smiles and returns the bow. "Thank you, Lord Chancellor
Kenichi. I'm a little surprised to see that I was expected."

"Lord Hikita informed us when he met you. And besides, your 
mother is a friend of mine. Don't worry. The Council meeting
is little more than a formality, so I think that it is safe to 
call you..." He bows his head again. "...Lady Empress Kiyone."
Sagami and the rest of the Executive Committee (who are 
conveniently gathered in this reception hall) bow. Kenichi
then turns to Tenchi. "And, Lord Emperor Tenchi." Again, the 
Executive Committee bows.

Tenchi nods in return and bades them rise. He and Kiyone then
go through the introductions. Fortunately there are only 
twenty-five Executive Committee members and the intros move 
swiftly. As each Councilor is introduced, they leave the room,
apparently to attend to last-minute duties before the next day's
meeting. The last person they meet is...Hikita. Tenchi looks
surprised. "You're on the Executive Committee?"

The official nods. "I'm head of the DipCorps, so naturally
I'm on the Executive Committee."

"I knew that!" says Sasami cheerfully.

"So why didn't you say something?" asks Kiyone.

"You never asked."

Smiling in spite of himself, Tenchi sighs. "So, we have...how
long till the meeting?"

Hikita checks his watch. "About eighteen hours. You're welcome
to go anywhere in the palace or even to venture out to the 
capital city--with guards, of course."

"We will watch after them," states Azaka. He and Kamidake
have been standing off to one side through the introductions.

"All right then." Hikita bows a last time and follows his 
compatriots out the door.

Tenchi stretches and yawns. Looking at his wife and daughter,
he inquires, "Well, what do you two wanna do?"

"Let's go into the city!" says Sasami excitedly.

Is that all right with you, Kiyone-yoni? asks Tenchi.

Yes, Tenchi-yon, it's all right. I'd like to see what Jurai's
capital looks like, too. In the air, the planet hardly looks
inhabited.

Soon, the five of them are walking down a busy street in Jurai's
capital city, Yachika. As Kiyone said, the planet looks almost
deserted from the air or from orbit. It comes as little surprise
to find that all of Jurai's cities--of which there are many,
and all are large--are hidden underneath the endless carpet
of green. Many of the buildings are built into the trunks of the
large trees. In addition, there is a large area of greenery
that will roll back to reveal a large, modern spaceport.

Almost the first thing that Tenchi and Kiyone notice is the 
ubiquity of Guardians. Both in the palace and on the city 
streets, Guradians of all shapes, sizes, and colors are floating
along on various errands. Some are short and squat with 
bassinets built in, and have stroller-style handlebars for the
parents to push them along while the Guardian itself soothes
or entertains the baby. Others are lugging groceries or shopping
bags on shelves or antigrav platforms. Still others are floating
vending machines (dispensing pop or beer cans that look 
like--you guessed it, miniature Guardians) or newspaper 
dispensers. One is crying out in a voice that sounds like Azaka
(the Guardian): "Read all about it! Read all about it! Space
pirates getting married!"

Tenchi groans. "Great. Just great. At least the galaxy at large
doesn't know where Earth is."

Private, huh, Tenchi-yon? teases Kiyone.

Sasami looks up at them from her place between her adoptive
parents. "Cut that out!"

"At least we just look like a normal noble family," soothes
Kiyone.

"Except for us," reminds Azaka.

Fortunately for the Emperor and Empress, the sidewalk is so 
crowded, and their dress is so casual, that no one is paying
attention to them. Even the presence of the two most famous
knights ever to serve Jurai goes unnoticed.

The next several hours are spent wandering the city, in and out
of shops. Still they go unnoticed, and Tenchi is devoutly
grateful. "This is probably my last day as a private citizen,"
he mutters.

Soon they find themselves headed back in the direction of the 
palace, primarily because their anonimity seems to be wearing
thin. One thing that Hikita had failed to warn Tenchi about was
that he seemed to have developed a "pin-up" popularity--that
is, girls would pin up posters of him on their walls and gaze
longingly at him. This was a fact that Kiyone had also 
conveniently forgotten during her brief tour-of-duty at GP 
Headquarters. Consequently, once it started dawning on people
just who that strikingly handsome young man walking with two 
knights, a young princess, and one of the most famous GPs in 
history was, they attract a following.

The part that worries Tenchi is that the following is primarily
made up of sixteen- to thirty-year-old women, each of them 
wearing a star-struck look in their eyes not unlike the ones 
that Kiyone usually directs at him.

As they draw closer to the gateway to the palace, they actually
are running.

Finally they lurch through the gateway and Tenchi leans against
a tree, his heart thudding like a piledriver. "Now...I 
know...what...celebrities...feel...like,"
he states between gasps.

"No...kidding...Tenchi-yon," pants Kiyone. She recovers her 
breath first and moves over to support her husband. "You okay?"

He nods and loops an arm around her shoulders. "Yeah. Thanks,
Kiyone-yoni."

Sasami is not winded at all. "That was fun!" She starts tugging
on Tenchi's arm. "Let's do it again, Daddy!"

"Maybe later, Sami-cha'ya," he moans. He then notices Azaka and
Kamidake heading towards an almost-invisible path. "Hey, where
are you guys going?"

The two knights seem not to hear. They continue walking down the
path. After a moment, Tenchi follows after them. Kiyone and 
Sasami are right behind.

The path is long and winding. Finally they reach the end of it,
and what they find makes them gasp. It is a grassy field filled
with extremely lifelike statues made of a jade-colored
crystal. Each of the statues bear a Juraian fighting staff 
identical to the ones that Azaka and Kamidake carry. They can 
see the two knights kneeling in front of certain statues.
Kamidake is chanting a prayer in front of a statue of a female
knight--apparently his lover or wife--while Azaka is kneeling
between two statues, both young boys who bear a striking 
resemblance to him.

The three stand at the edge of the field for a long moment,
lacking words but not the discretion to stay silent. Finally,
wiping tears from their eyes, the two old warriors rise and 
slowly make their way back to the waiting members of the Royal
Family. Azaka inclines his head. "My apologies, Lord Tenchi,
for not stopping to explain ourselves."

Tenchi shakes his head. "No need for apologies. " He shivers
slightly. "So...this is..."

"Yes," answers Kamidake solemnly. "This is where all the knights
of Jurai rest."

Kiyone starts to speak several times. She finally pushes the 
words out. "I...I'm sorry to ask this, but...those statues,
they look...almost..."

"Lifelike?" complete Azaka dryly. "They are. When they...passed
on, their body were encased in Juraianite, a liquid version
of Jurai power which hardens into crystal. They were then 
mounted on those pedestals. One day, Kamidake and I will take
our place among them."

The other three are silent for a long moment. Finally, Tenchi
mutters, "If you want, we can find our way back to the palace
ourselves..."

Kamidake shakes his head, wiping away another tear. "Thank you,
Lord Tenchi. But we can only stand to be here ourselves for a 
few minutes." He casts a last look back at the woman's statue,
then starts down the path. Azaka falls into step alongside
him, and Tenchi leads the girls along.

Soon they are climbing the steps onto the wooden balcony-like
walkway that will take them into the palace proper. Tenchi looks
like he has something to ask, but he doesn't know quite how to 
phrase it. Sasami notices this and inquires, "What is it, 
Daddy?"

"I, uh...I was wondering...if that's where the knights are 
buried, then where are the emperor and empresses buried?"

Sasami shrugs. "We don't know."

Kiyone raises an eyebrow. "Sami-cha'ya, what do you mean you 
don't know where they're buried?"

"Neither do we," agrees Azaka. "In fact, I don't recall there
ever being a funeral for an emperor or empress, except when the
death was quite obvious. After a millenia or two on the throne,
they would just disappear."

Kamidake nods in agreement. "It's very strange. There are lots
of legends about what happens to them. Some say that they become
one with their trees and continue to guide Jurai's destiny.
Others say that they take on new identities and live out normal
lives as nobles or as regular people." He manages a dry smile.
"It is even said that Jurai secretly controls thousands of 
galaxies and that the old emperors and empresses live in those
galaxies. If that's true, then maybe even Yosho, the very first
Emperor, and Achiko, his Empress, are still alive out there!"

Tenchi chuckles at that. "Well, if I ever find out, I'll be sure
to tell you guys." He releases Kiyone's hand just long enough
to look at his watch. "Hmm. It's almost five-thirty. What time
is dinner?"

"About eight-thirty," answers Sasami. She yawns loudly. "I'm 
tired, Daddy."

Smiling, Tenchi kneels down and looks his adopted daughter
in the eye. "What do you want, Sami-cha'ya?"

Before he can react, Sasami has scurried around and climbed
onto Tenchi's back. "Piggy-back ride!" she cries out happily.

Kiyone bursts out in laughter. "Sami-cha'ya! You should ask your
daddy first!"

"It's all right, Kiyone-yoni," assures Tenchi. Groaning 
slightly, he rises to his feet, not an especially easy feat when
you have an eleven-going-on-twelve-year-old
girl on your back. Sasami cheers and hugs Tenchi's neck. "Thank
you, Daddy," she says happily. "Now you and Mommy can't be 
naughty!"

Rolling his eyes in annoyed amusement, he starts off walking,
Kiyone hanging behind him to make sure that he doesn't drop 
Sasami. They make their way back into the palace, to find their
Guradians making small talk with several other Guardians.
Sasami walks up to Azaka and taps on his side. "Azaka?"

The blue-marked Guardian pivots to look down at this mistress.
"Yes, Princess Sasami?"

"I need the key," the young princess explains.

"Oh, the key!" The Guardian hovers still for a moment, then a 
small panel flips open and a small robotic arm exetends,
offering a key made entirely of amethyst to the young princess.
She takes it and hugs the large floating log. "Thank you."

The knights look somewhat shaken at the appearance of the key.
"What's wrong?" asks Kiyone.

"T-t-that is the k-k-key to the emperor and empress's special
chambers," sputters Azaka.

"I-i-it's forbidden for anyone outside the Royal Family to even
see it!" stammers Kamidake.

Tenchi rolls his eyes. "Well, I won't tell if you won't." He 
pretends not to see the deep sighs of relief that the two 
warriors heave.

"Do you want to see it, Mommy and Daddy?" asks Sasami 
cheerfully.

Kiyone and Tenchi exchange a glance, and Tenchi nods. "All 
right, Sami-cha'ya, let's go." Azaka and Kamidake quickly excuse
themselves.

Sasami leads her adoptive parents to a large set of double doors
that are sealed with a large dish-like lock over the center
of the break. She presses the key into the center and gives it a
quarter turn. The doors slide apart and she leads them through.

Inside is a totally different world. As they go, they see 
exercise rooms and hot springs and saunas and even bedrooms
with beds larger than Tenchi and Kiyone's entire room. They also
find that they are not alone. Wandering throughout the dozens
of levels are people clad in featureless, androgenous robes with
the hoods pulled up. The only features of their faces visible
are the glowing red eyes.

They find themselves descending deeper and deeper into the 
planet until finally coming upon a large, open chamber. It looks
like a much more elaborate version of the girls' bathroom
back in the Masaki house, only with a lot more trees. In the 
very center of the giant pool is a small island with a giant
tree, about twenty times larger than Ryu-oh's tree.

Tenchi and Kiyone look up at it in awe. On instinct, they both
drop to their knees and bow their heads. The tree responds
by shooting beams of rainbow light in every direction. After
a moment the beams cease and they rise to their feet. "What is 
it, Sasami?" asks Tenchi, looking as if he just saw the future.

Maybe he did.

"This is Tsunami, the First Tree of Jurai," explains Sasami.
"Do you remember the one on Megamikai? Well, Tsunami told me 
that they were created at the same time."

"So, why isn't the throne down here?" asks Kiyone. "Or, why 
isn't it up in the throne room?"

"It's safe here," replies Sasami. "This tree generates the bulk
of Jurai energy in the Republic. If something were to happen
to it, the Republic would fall in an instant. Besides, it plays
a very important role in the coronation process."

Tenchi opens his mouth to ask what when one of the "monks"
appears from nowhere. It taps its staff sharply on the ground,
and the central tree lets loose a fusillade of multicolored
luminescence. It takes only a moment for the beams to cohere
into a large holographic projection.

The image is of a man who is identical to Yosho in his youth,
apparently an emperor from sometime in Jurai's past. He is 
dressed in a simple white yukata and is being escorted into the
chamber. Already standing at the edge of the pool are a priest
and a girl who looks very much like Achika. She is dressed
in a white kimono. The apparent priest taps (prseumably)
his staff on the ground between them. The two embrace and kiss,
once, on the lips, and step back, allowing two other priests
to remove their robes. Apparently now married and "blessed,"
the couple step into the pool and start to--fortunately,
the home movies stop playing at this point.

The priest hands both Tenchi and Kiyone a peachlike fruit and 
steps back. It then vanishes, as if never there.

The fruit is delicious and they make short work of it. Kiyone
turns to thank the priest and finds them alone in the chamber.
"Wha--where'd he go?" she wonders aloud.

"Good question," agrees Tenchi. "Sami-cha'ya, have you ever,
uh, seen anything like that, uh, holo before?"

Sasami shakes her head. "No, but I know all about it. That's
s'posed to be the first time that the Emperor and Empress 
ever...do that." The serious look on her face vanishes and is 
replace by a playful one. "But I know it's not you and Mommy's
first time! You two are naughty!"

Tenchi groans loudly and smirks. "You want to go for a dip in 
the pool, Sasami?" he says in a mock-menacing voice.

"Yeah," says Kiyone playfully. "Let's go for a swim!" She makes
as if to push Tenchi into the pool, but he steps to the side and
pulls her with him. "Let's go get dinner instead. I'm starved."

The three of them make their way up out of the sealed precincts,
Sasami teasing her parents from time to time about being 
naughty. Finally they walk back through the doors, Sasami 
lingering behind to lock them shut again. She hands the key to 
Kiyone. "Here, Mommy," she says in mock solemnness. "Keep this."

Kiyone tucks the key into the sash of her kimono and hugs 
Sasami. "Why, thank you, sweetie."

"Lord Tenchi! Lady Kiyone! There you are!" Ayeka, Mitsuki,
and Mihoshi are running up the corridor towards them. Katsuhito,
the goddesses, and the Washus are following behind at a less 
hurried pace.

Tenchi looks genuinely shocked. "Grandpa! Ayeka! What are all of
you doing here?"

Ayeka is leaning against a pillar, catching her second wind.
When it's finally caught, she answers, "We came...so I...could
represent...Sasami and I's...branch family...at the...Council
meeting...tomorrow." Mihoshi is collapsed at her feet, asleep.
Mitsuki, for her part, is looking around with awe at the 
opulence of the palace.

"And Digital Washu and I came so you wouldn't look like an idiot
when asking the Council for Kyoto and Ryoko's pardon," declares
Washu.

"And everyone else?" asks Kiyone.

"We've never seen a Supreme Council meeting before," says 
Murasaki.

"I've never been in the Palace before," responds Mitsuki.

"I heard the Palace has really good food!" confides Mihoshi,
stretching and yawning as she awakes.

"And I was bored," puts in Katsuhito.

Dinner and the rest of the evening passes smoothly, although
Tenchi seems a little uncomfortable with the twelve-course
meal, a feast that gives even Mihoshi's prodigious appetite
pause. "Isn't this a bit too ostentatious?" he whispers to 
Sasami.

"Actually," responds Sasami, "this is a modest meal."

"Somehow I just knew you were gonna say that," he murmurs.
She giggles in response.

It took him a few minutes to get used to it, but he found the 
meal so good that the twelve courses did seem a little scanty.
However, that feeling of discomfort was about to return full 
force. It arrives about the time when Tenchi and Kiyone have 
settled into their quarters. "This is the royal suite," the 
steward had said. And the bed makes the ones in the underground
levels look small.

That, however, is not what disturbs him.

What disturbs him are the two naked girls lounging atop the 
sheets. The back of his mind recognizes them as the two girls
that had crowned he and Kiyone earlier that day. They look up at
him inquisitively. "Good evening to you, Lord Tenchi," says the
one on the left. "My name is Yumi, and this is my sister Sumi."

"Uh...uh..." Tenchi is shading his eyes. "Uh, hi. Um, what are
you doing in my bed?"

Sumi looks surprised. "Why, Lord Tenchi, we are yours tonight."

Tenchi starts sweating, trying to ignore the shocked look Kiyone
has on her face. "You what?"

"We are yours tonight to do with as you wish, Lord Tenchi,"
repeats Yumi.

"Anything?" Tenchi pretends not to notice Kiyone's shock 
deepening.

The two girls incline their heads. "Anything you wish, Lord 
Tenchi."

"Well, then, I wish for you two to..." He stops to think for a 
moment, then nods in decision. "I wish for the both of you 
to...put on some clothes, go down to the kitchen, get something
to eat, and go to bed."

The girls look quite surprised, but Tenchi believes that he sees
some barely-hidden relief in their eyes. "A-a-are you sure, Lord
Tenchi?" asks Sumi, hope warring with logic.

Tenchi flashes a reassuring grin. "Trust me, ladies, the only
girl I share a bed with is my wi--er, fiancée."

Bobbing their heads in thanks, the two girls quickly dress and
head for the door. They are halfway out the door when they hear
Tenchi say, "Just one more thing."

The girls, along with a relieved Kiyone, turn to look at Tenchi.
"Yes, Lord Tenchi?"

"Tell the other girls in the...tell the other girls not to 
worry. You'll never have to worry about...stuff like that 
anymore."

The two girls look very happy, and they drop to their knees and
start bowing at Tenchi's feet. Grimacing, he reaches down and 
pulls each girl gently to her feet. "There is, however, a job I 
would like you girls to consider in lieu of that...stuff.
How good are you with kids?"

It takes him only a few minutes to talk them into becoming
babysitters instead of harem girls. They leave the room happy.
Tenchi sighs. Kiyone has already changed into shorts and a 
midriff top for bed, and is smiling at her husband. "That was 
very kind of you, Tenchi-yon."

"Don't worry about it," he tells her. "You are the only woman
who I'll share a bed with, Kiyone-yoni." He smiles wryly. 
"Unless Sasami has a nightmare, of course."

"I knew it?" says Kiyone playfully. "You do want to be naughty
with her, don't you?"

"I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer," he tells her as he
heads into the bathroom. He emerges a moment later in his 
pajamas. "Right now what I want to do is sleep." Walking over
to the bed, he trips himself and lands face-down on the 
incredibly soft and comfortable mattress. "Mmm...that's
soft."

Laughing, Kiyone pulls her husband completely onto the bed and
turns him over so he's looking up at the canopy. "So are you.
Lights!" The room immediately dims. Tenchi is already asleep,
and Kiyone watches him lovingly in the dark for a long moment
before pulling the covers out and over the both of them.



Breakfast is every bit as large and delicious as dinner was the
night before. Tenchi is about to grab another helping of Juraian
sausage when his eyes fall on the clock. "Oh my god! It's 
seven-thirty!" He looks down at himself, grateful that he is not
a sloppy eater. "Kiyone-yoni, we gotta get ready!"

Kiyone nods in agreement. "Sami-cha'ya?"

"Uh-huh!" Fortunately for them, the royal suite has a small 
kitchenette and dining room in it, like most of the nobles'
apartments. Sasami leads her mother into the bathroom, along
with Ayeka and Mihoshi, while jokingly chiding her father not to
watch. Tenchi is too busy getting himself dressed to at any 
rate. Finally he settles the last garment into place and looks
at himself in the mirror. The outfit he now wears is almost
identical to the khaki, dark blue, and orange one that he would
wear as everyday clothes (See Tenchi Universe, episode 26, "No
Need For A Conclusion!", for the full description). The main 
difference is the color scheme--jade, white, and cerulean--and
the fact that the heather-gray cape reaches down to his ankles.
Tenchiken fits snugly into a small loop on his belt. Patting
down a stray hair, he turns to look at Katsuhito and the 
goddesses, who have been watching him. "How do I look?"

"Like an emperor," Katsuhito answers.

"Very handsome, very dignified," comments Murasaki.

The door to the bathroom slides open, and Kiyone comes out.

At least...they think it's Kiyone.

Tenchi's wife is dressed in a long, flowing pale turquoise
kimono with golden epaulets on the shoulders and a long, 
lavender cape. Instead of being in its usual fashion, with the
long tail of it falling over her right shoulder, Kiyone's
hair is pulled back into a single, long ponytail falling down
to her waist. Hanging in front of each ear is a long lock of her
hair, secured with tiny fluorescent bows. For once, her 
signature headband is missing. Behind her mother, Sasami, also
dressed up, is smiling. "Doesn't she look great, Daddy?"

Tenchi nods enthusiastically. "Kiyone-yoni, I thought it was 
impossible to make you look any more perfect. I was wrong."

"Thank you, Tenchi-yon," coos Kiyone. "I was thinking the same
thing about you."

"What about me?" asks Sasami in a fake-pouting voice.

Tenchi hugs Sasami to him. "Oh, Sami-cha'ya, you're always 
beautiful. Now, do you promise to behave yourself with the other
princesses and not get in any trouble?"

"Only if you and Mommy promise not to be naughty at the Council
meeting," she replies, pulling Kiyone over to her. After hugging
them both for a long moment, she walks out the door, flanked
by the Guardians and with Ryo-ohki on her head. Tenchi sighs.
"You sure she'll be all right?"

Katsuhito nods sagely. "She will be with many other princesses
her age. They tend to be a close-knit family, in spite of their
parents' constant jockeying for favor. They'll be fine." He 
gestures at the door. "In the mean time, shall we go, Lord 
Emperor Tenchi?"

Tenchi grimaces. "Please don't call me that, Grandpa."



The Council chamber is three levels down, and has to be the 
largest enclosed space--with the exception of the throne room,
which could hold several battleships--Tenchi has ever seen. 
There is arena-style seating around the circular chamber,
with a large, round table at the very center of the room, set on
a raised platform. At the apparent head of the table is a 
throne-like chair, obviously reserved for the emperor.

Tenchi gulps as he looks around the cavernous room. It is 
already three-quarters filled, and will soon reach max capacity.
In the special visitors' viewing gallery--where Katsuhito,
Mihoshi, Mitsuki, and the goddesses will be watching from--it
is already SRO. "Is it too late to say I want to back out?"

Ayeka laughs. "Very funny, Lord Tenchi. Don't worry, you have
nothing to worry about. Uncle Kenichi and Sagami are already
on your side, and the Council is desperate. They'll do whatever
you want."

Deciding not to comment, Tenchi nods and gives his tunic a last
downward tug. "Let's do it." He, Kiyone, and Ayeka walk into the
room and up to the central table. Sagami is already waiting
for them with a smile. He motions Ayeka to her seat several
down from the throne.

Tenchi looks a little confused. "Um, do I, ah, sit in the...or
not?"

"Not quite yet," chuckles Sagami. "Lord Tenchi, you sit in the
seat on the left of the throne, and Lady Kiyone, you sit to his
left." They settle themselves into the chairs just as Kenichi,
dressed in full Lord Chancellor's regalia, walks into the 
chamber, followed by the last dozen or so stragglers. The 
gathered assembly immediately quiets, and the sound of the 
massive oak doors swinging shut echoes unnaturally through
the chamber. He climbs the steps to the center table and pull
his chair out, the one on the right of the throne.

Reaching into the folds of his tunic, he draws out a light sword
similar to Tenchi’s, except with a compass-like star at the 
bottom of the hilt. He closes his eyes and a deep cerulean
blade erupts from the tuning fork-like projecting end. At this,
everyone else in the chamber (with the exception of Tenchi and
Kiyone, who don't know what to do, and Ayeka, who doesn't have
a light sword) rise to their feet, produce light swords, and 
ignite their blades. Many are turquoise or cerulean, like 
Tenchi's and Kenichi's. Others are jade- or lime-green.
Still others are purple or red or gold or even pure white. If 
the electricity in the Palace failed at this moment, the chamber
what be very well lit by the thousand blades of Jurai energy.

Kenichi sweeps the room with his gaze, then intones, "Long live
the Republic."

"Long live the Republic," answer back the gathered Councilors.

Nodding in approval, Kenichi extinguishes his blade and seats
himself. "As Lord Chancellor of the Supreme Council, and as 
senior regent in the absence of an Emperor, I hereby call the 
session of the Council to order. You may be seated." soft 
rustling fills the chamber as the Council sits down.

Kenichi shuffles through his papers, then sets his hilt in front
of the throne. "Any old business?" He checks the screen and 
keypad inset in front of him; if someone had anything to say,
it would show up on his screen. Satisfied, he continues,
"All right then. New business. First and foremost on the agenda,
the bid of Tenchi Masaki, of the Masaki line, for the throne."
He smiles at Tenchi; the previous night before bed, he, Sagami,
Tenchi, and Kiyone ran the entire process through. "Lord Tenchi,
there is no one more qualified for the throne. You are of the 
direct line of descent, and you have proven yourself worthy.
Therefore, we are prepared to offer you whatever you want if you
will take the throne."

Tenchi nods in thanks. "Thank you, Lord Chancellor Kenichi.
I only have a few requests." He gives Kiyone's hand a squeeze.
"Most important is the matter of my empress. This is my fiancée,
Kiyone Makibi. I wish for her to be my empress."

There is an initial shocked silence, then hushed whispers
start to bounce around the chamber. Kenichi holds up his hand
for silence and looks at Tenchi. "Not that we're saying no, Lord
Tenchi, but would you like to state why, for the record?"

Tenchi grins inwardly. They had rehearsed this last night. 
"Well, first of all, I love her and she loves me. Number two,
if it hadn't been for her and her partner, the Council would
still be answering to Kagato." He suppresses a wicked grin as a 
fearful murmur at the usurper's name floats around for a few 
moments. "And finally, it is my understanding that an emperor
has the right to choose who he wants as his empress, and vice
versa."

Kenichi nods sagely. "That is true, Lord Tenchi." He starts
to say something else when the doors to the chamber fly open and
a man, dressed in garb similar to Tenchi’s but far more ornate,
strides into the room. He is tall and muscular, and has hair of
a length and style similar to young Yosho, but it is purple
in color, and he has a mustache and braided beard. There are a 
half-dozen soldiers in dress uniforms flanking him, each one 
carrying a wicked-looking laser rifle.

Both Kenichi and Kiyone lean froward to peer at him, shocked
looks on their faces. "What is he doing here?" mutters Kenichi.

Tenchi just looks confused. "What, who is he?"

Kiyone gulps. "That is Azusa, the Emperor of the Megami 
Alliance."

Before Tenchi can say anything else, Azusa has climbed onto the
raised platform and is stepping over to the lecturn behind the
Executive Committee table. Tapping the mike impatiently,
he asks formally, "Lord Chancellor Kenichi, I request permission
to address the Supreme Council of the Republic of Jurai."

Kenichi looks slightly flabbergasted, but he also has a canny
look in his eyes, as if he knows what Azusa is here for. "By all
means, Your Majesty."

Azusa nods in thanks, then takes a long look around the chamber.
The expression on his face is overloaded with wry humor. "This
is a day I bet many of you thought you would never see. A 
Megamian girl being considered for your Empress?" He chuckles.
"Oh, I know she'll probably be voted in, if only to appease
your emperor--" He nods in approval at Tenchi. "--but I would
imagine that some of you are rather...let's say reluctant.
That's a more polite word."

He sighs theatrically. "I suppose it wouldn't mean much to 
remind you that this young lady was instrumental in ousting
Kagato from your throne? How about the fact that her mother
is the Alliance's senior representative to the Galactic High 
Council? What about how extraordinary she must be to win the 
heart of a Juraian prince?" He laughs in dry humor. "All right,
here is something that I daresay will matter.

"She's a princess."

The mutters and whispers that seem to congregate in the chamber
cut off abruptly. The only people in the chamber unsurprised
by the news are Sagami, Kenichi, and Kiyone. Even Tenchi looks
astonished. "Kiyone-yoni...you're a princess?"

Kiyone nods happily. "That's right, Tenchi-yon. I'm third in 
line for Megami's throne."

Azusa has an amused smirk on his face. "Well, now, I would say
that you have no choice but to make her your empress now, do 
you?"

Kenichi, smiling as if he already knew, nods. "Well said, Lord
Azusa. Shall we vote?" He has to repeat the phrase several
times before the Council's hearing kicks back in.

Sagami is grinning broadly. "Lord Chancellor Kenichi, I move 
that the Council recognize Princess Kiyone as Lord Tenchi's
empress."

Kenichi, not bothering to hide his grin anymore, nods. "Do I 
hear a second?"

"I second it." This comes from Seiryo, a pink-haired fop who is
on the Executive Committee in charge of arts and culture.
"It's perfect, like the Yuki-cha'ya* story in real life."

"All right, then. All votes in favor, light your swords and 
stand up." The vast majority of the Council stands up, their
blades glowing. Tenchi counts at least eight hundred fifty ("I
think," he later said). What impresses him is that everyone
at the central table stands up, even Ayeka, who clutches a 
shortsword of lime-green Jurai energy in her right hand. He 
notes with amusement that Seiryo's sword is built into a folding
fan he carries and brandishes like a coquettish noblewoman,
but the rose-colored blade rising from the projecting end still
looks deadly.

"All opposed, same sign." A much smaller number rises, and most
of them are looking with hate at Kiyone. The apparent leader
stands up, a short, squat man, with a receding hairline and a 
scowl on his face. "I protest this, Lord Chancellor Kenichi!
Surely you won’t--"

"The Council has voted, Lord Sato," replies Kenichi coldly.

Sato has a look of horror and disgust etched into his features.
"I cannot believe you are sanctioning this! Allowing an 
non-Juraian--and a Megamian, at that!--to become our Empress--"

"Didn’t you hear me, Sato?" Even though it’s only nine-thirty
by now, Kenichi looks like he’s had a long and grueling day. 
Evidently this is not the first time he and Sato have dueled
with words and votes. "The Council has voted. Live with it."

Sato is ignoring the Lord Chancellor. "Lord Tenchi, I can offer
you far better than that Megamian slut!" He pushes a button
on his keypad, and the image of a beautiful woman appears over
the Executive Committee’s table. "This is my daughter Jueiko,
one of the most beautiful women of the upper classes. She would
be the ideal--"

"No thank you." Tenchi’s tone is icy. "I want Kiyone as my 
Empress, and no one else."

"But, Lord Tenchi! I could have my daughter change her 
appearance to look like...her! Why not choose a noble girl of 
Jurai instead of--"

"I said, no thank you." Tenchi’s voice has gotten icier. "Lord
Sato, if you wanted your daughter to get a good job or 
something, you could have just told me. I would have seen to it.
Is love a foreign concept to you?" A low chuckle runs around
the room as Tenchi maintains his icy demeanor. What he wants
to do to that bastard is tack him to the wall and use him as a 
punching or slicing bag in retribution for his insults to his 
beloved, but he will not give the other man the satisfaction
of seeing him give in.

"The Council vote is in favor of Lady--I, I, I mean, Princess
Kiyone," announces Kenichi firmly. He streches a hand out to 
Kiyone, which she take and shakes. "Congratulations,
Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Lord Chancellor Kenichi," replies Kiyone formally.
She smiles at Azusa. "Thanks, Uncle Azusa."

The Megamian emperor bows with a flourish and leaves the 
chamber, his bodyguards following close behind. The door to the
chamber swings shut with a thunk, and Tenchi releases a breath
he didn't know he was holding. So my Kiyone-yoni's a princess...

That's right, I'm your little princess, aren't I, Daddy? she 
chirps mentally.

That you are, Kiyone-yoni, but we should talk about that later.
They pull their minds back to the meeting. Kenichi is asking,
"What is your second request, Lord Tenchi?"

"Second, I want my homeworld of Earth removed from any and all
charts of galactic expansion and colonization, be it Juraian
or otherwise. I want the Council to make it a special 
protectorate, and to bring it into the GF when it is ready."

"That sounds fair," comments Ryutaro, the Lord Admiral of the 
Navy. He is a dark-haired, bearded man who, ironically,
had been the captain of the Juraian cruiser that had attempted
to arrest Ayeka and Sasami. After that incident, he and his crew
had secretly joined the resistance that Kenichi had headed.
"I move that it be done."

"Do I hear a second?" asks Kenichi again.

"I second that." This comes from Lady Midoriyama. The beautiful,
raven-haired woman is the Councilor in charge of finance and 
economics, and one of the few women on the Executive Committee.

The vote is much the same as the last one. Again Tenchi notices
the handful of naysayers glaring at Kiyone, as if her presence
has tainted the ground she walks on, and he gives her hand a 
reassuring squeeze.

"Third?"

Tenchi takes a deep breath. Kiyone was most important to him,
and had him the most worried, but this ran a very close second.
"Third, I wish for pardons for Kyoto Minamoto and Ryoko."

Now the Council dissolves into an uproar. Even Kenichi and 
Sagami, who had listened to the testimony of Kiyone, Tenchi,
and the two Washus the night before, wince.

"Lord Tenchi, why?" The pained look on Sagami's face is very 
close to real.

"If it wasn't for them, Kagato would still be--" begins Tenchi,
wearing an almost-real indignant expression.

"Ryoko, certainly," interrupts Ryutaro. Although not present
at the pre-meeting meeting the previous night, he seems to have
caught on to the game, and has started playing. "We will 
certainly grant her a pardon. But to the best of my knowledge,
Kyoto had nothing to do with the defeat of the usurper. Do you
have any proof that would con--"

The entire Council looks up in surprise as the doors to the 
chamber bang open for the second time that day. The surprise
is replaced by fear as they see who it is. Granted, the 
intruder's stature is not nearly as imposing as Azusa, but they
never had to worry about Azusa turning them into a water 
sprite...

Two Washus, dressed in matching Science Academy dress uniforms,
stride into the chamber. Tenchi would later be convinced
that he saw some Councillors cowering under their chairs. Now 
that is perfect timing, he reflects.

Kenichi's face flickers slightly, then drops into a stern set,
the likes of which an actor would applaud. "What is the meaning
of this?"

"Very simple, really," answers the Washu with pink hair. "We 
have proof that Kyoto Minamoto is deserving of a pardon."

Toshiyuki, the Lord Marshal of the Army, leans forward. His 
tanned face and green eyes reflect curiousity. "Really? What 
kind of proof?"

The white-haired Washu holds up a double-A battery-sized
cylinder. "The holographic kind." She climbs the steps and takes
the lecturn that Azusa had just vacated. Once there, she finds
that she can barely see over the top of it and she produces
a hololaptop. Her fast typing produces a small stepladder
that she climbs onto. Now she is towering over everyone,
and everyone in the room has broken out into a nervous sweat.
She slides the info cylinder into an I/O port on the lecturn's
comp-pad and hits the PLAY button. A holographic sphere appears
right over the Executive Committee table, and the face inside
is that of...

Kagato.

Sort of.

It is Kagato in the holo-sphere, but his face and expression
are far different. There is no naked lust for power, no seething
anger barely held in check. In its place is a sheepish grin and
a pair of eyes sparkling with humor. The fact that he is wearing
a GP executive-rank officer's uniform with the 
starburst-and-star of Director General gleaming on his collar
is not lost on the assembled nobles. "Is this thing on?" he asks
in a nervous voice. They hear Washu's voice giving confirmation,
and he nods. "Okay. My name is Kagato Yasaki, and I'm the GP 
DirGe--I mean, the Galaxy Police Director General in this 
universe. I don't know why he needs it, but I've been asked to 
give testimony on behalf of Kyoto Minamoto."

"What in the hell--" begins someone in the first tier of 
Councillors, but Kenichi makes a silencing motion with his right
hand.

The holo-image pauses. "Washu told me that my testimony would
make the most impact. Again, I'm in the dark as to why, but that
happens to me a lot. At any rate, I have only known Kyoto 
Minamoto for a short time, but that was long enough for me to 
make up my mind as to what kind of man he is.

"In my opinion, he is an honorable one."

The image of the alternate-universe Kagato is easily the most
calm face in the Council chamber--that is, aside from the 
Executive Committee table.

Kagato continues speaking calmly, unaware of the consternation
his words are causing. By the time he is finished with his 
testimony, the Council is speechless.

And then the goddesses start with their testimony. The Council
is not sure which is more disturbing: the fact that the 
legendary creator of their world is real, or that she is 
speaking on behalf of the man who was second only to Kain on the
A1-class Criminal List. It is finally decided that Kyoto being
the son of Murasaki is the most nerve-shattering fact of all.

Finally, one lone soul finds his voice. "H-h-how do we know this
is real?"

The Washus turn there gaze upon the speaker, who immediately
starts cowering under his chair again. The real Washu sighs.
"Trust us, this is very real."

Kenichi clears his throat. "Um...uh...ah." He fixes Tenchi with
a wry expression. "Lord Tenchi, can you promise to keep a tight
rein on him?"

Tenchi nods. "That shouldn’t be a problem."

"Then he and Ryoko have their pardons. Any other requests,
Lord Tenchi?" He ignores the gasps of some Councillors.

"Just one more. I wish for the wedding to be held on Earth."

Kenichi heaves a very loud sigh of relief. He had seriously
been expecting something a lot more controversial. "Done."
He notes with amusement that this is the second time in as many
minutes that he had invoked the Chancellor’s Override. "The 
wedding will be held on Earth in--how long?"

"Two months," answers Tenchi. He is praying that no one will ask
what the need for the two months is. Fortunately for his sake,
no one does.

Kenichi nods, satisfied. "Then, if that’s everything..."
He looks around. The silence in the chamber. "All right, then."
He presses a key on his keypad and a dark-haired girl in the 
garb of a Juraian knight-in-training enters the chamber. As she
climbs the steps to the Executive Committee’s table, one can see
the box she holds in her hands.

It’s the perfect size for a sword.

The young lady approaches Kiyone and places the box on the table
in front of her. Mystifed, Kiyone undoes the latch and throws
back the lid. A gasp of surprise flies from her lips as she sees
the sword hilt inside. It is almost identical to Tenchi’s,
but the spike-like protrusion in the center of the bottom of the
hilt is blunter, and the patterns on the hilt proper are more
intricate. She gingerly wraps her fingers around it and slowly
pulls it out of the box.

The realization that she is on her feet comes without warning.

So does the fact that she is being swallowed up by a spout of 
green-white fire.

Tenchi shoots up out of his chair, ready to pull his Kiyone-yoni
from the flame, but Kenichi places a hand on his wrist. "Don’t
worry, Lord Tenchi. Lady Kiyone will not be harmed in any way.
In fact..." He lets his voice trail off as the emerald fires
die down. Kiyone is standing there, completely intact. There
is only one small, insignificant difference.

The marking on her forehead, the kind that only members of the
Royal Family wear.

It is similar to the ones that she and Tenchi had sported when
generating the Light Hawk Wings, but the two flanking triangles
are pointed upward. Her eyes are closed and the marking is 
glowing as she brings the sword into a two-handed grip. There
is a wash of white energy and blade the color of Kiyone’s
hair is hanging a scant centimeter above the sword’s projecting
end. After a long moment the blade disappears and the triangles
cease glowing.

Kiyone is blinking her eyes, a look of wonder on her face. 
"Wha...what just happened?" She looks down at the sword in her
hands. "Tenchi-yon, why am I holding your sword?"

"That is your sword, Lady Kiyone," corrects Kenichi gently.
"That is Reiken. In Juraian, it is called chya’kichi. It is the
Spirit Sword, second only in power to the Tenchiken, and it is 
the sword of the Empress." He watches the realization sink in,
and smiles as Tenchi hurriedly moves over to her and helps her
into her chair. "All in favor for installing Lord Tenchi as our
Emperor, light your swords now and stand."

The vote is over nine hundred in favor.

"Lord Tenchi--or, rather, Lord Emperor Tenchi--the throne is 
yours," announces Kenichi formally.

It takes a moment for Tenchi to get himself moving. He slowly
rise from his chair and settles himself into the throne. Kiyone
moves over one so that she is on his left.

As Tenchi relaxes into the throne, the dais from which the known
universe is ruled, his first thought is, Big chair. Comfortable,
too.* He draws Tenchiken from its loop/holster and places it 
before him. "So...I guess...my first decree as Emperor is...

that we all take the rest of the day off."

Laughter and cheers greet this suggestion. Kiyone giggles and 
covers Tenchi’s hand with hers. It is the most she will allow
herself to do, considering that her impulses are to pounce on 
her husband and show him just how easy and quick a girl can get
out of an Empress’ kimono. We did it, Tenchi-yon, we actually
did it, she thinks.

We certainly did, Kiyone-yoni, he agrees. So tell me, when were
you going to tell me that you were a princess?

On our wedding night, she teases. I was gonna be a good little
princess for my daddy...

He laughs as he tucks his sword back into its holster. How 
sweet, yoni. Much better than what Dad’s gonna get us.

Now, Tenchi-yon, what’s wrong with a big brass bed? Kiyone asks.

Nothing, except the fact that’s it’s gonna take up the whole
freakin’ room. Tenchi offers a hand up to his wife. Kiyone 
accepts and literally catapults herself out of the chair, 
landing full force in his arms. The impact forces him to stagger
back, but he doesn’t mind. He hugs her as tightly as he can, and
she sighs in contentment. "I love you, Tenchi-yon."

"You know I love you, Kiyone-yoni," whispers Tenchi.

"Ayeka was right, you two just never stop," teases Sagami 
lightly. He offers his hand to Tenchi, who shakes it, and then
he kisses Kiyone’s hand. "My Emperor and Empress." He backs away
slowly and starts to bow, but Tenchi pulls him upright. "Cut 
that out, for God’s sake. I haven’t been coronated yet."

Sagami grins wickedly. "That’s right, you still two months of 
high school left, don’t you?"

Tenchi shrugs.

"Lord Tenchi, Lady Kiyone." The newly-minted (though 
uncoronated) Emperor and Empress turn to see Ayeka standing
next to the pink-haired man whose hairstyle is almost identical
to Mihoshi’s--Seiryo, remembers Tenchi. He offers his hand to 
the Councilor. "Thank you for your support, Lord Seiryo."

Much to his surprise, Seiryo shrugs--and then flashes a very 
masculine grin. "No problem, Lord Tenchi." The handshake
is firm and manly, nothing like what he expected. Is it 
possi--no, no, he’s just trying to put Kiyone and I at ease.

Kiyone has already noticed that Ayeka and Seiryo seem rather
comfortable with each other, almost like brother and sister.
She is expecting him to start giving her a noogie any 
minute...She pulls her attention back to the present, for Seiryo
is saying something. "...come on up to my quarters for lunch?
I may not be as good a cook as Sasami-kai’ya, but I can hold my
own in the kitchen..."

Tenchi nods. "That’s a good idea. Speaking of Sasami-cha’ya..."
He taps Kiyone on the shoulder. "Kiyone-yoni, hadn’t we better
get our daughter?"

"Bring her up with you," suggests Seiryo. "Yusuke!"

A Guardian, identical to Azaka and Kamidake but with yellow
Jurai script painted on the front under the receptor eye, floats
up. "Yes, Lord Seiryo?"

"Please go with Lord Tenchi and Lady Kiyone to pick up Princess
Sasami, then show them the way to my quarters."

"Yes, Lord Seiryo." The Guardian floats toward the door. "This
way, please. I will take you to the Royal Playroom."

As they walk, Tenchi muses, "I wonder what’s going on Earth..."



It’s nine-thirty A.M. in Okayama, and the students in Masamichi
Fujisawa’s homeroom are starting to get a little worried.
He’s never been this late before, not even when drunk, or when
busy with Mrs. Fuji--

Mrs. Fujisawa (a.k.a., Miz Mishtal) comes into the room. The 
beautiful, lavender-haired priestess-turned-teacher
smiles her brightest smile at her husband’s class. "Good 
morning! My hus--er, Mr. Fujisawa isn’t feeling very well 
today..."

Isn’t that an understatement, she thinks dryly. Masamichi
had spent the entire previous day trying to figure out just what
young Mr. Masaki had done. "He’s good with math, but not this
good!" he kept repeating over and over. Finally, he gave up and
called a friend of his who taught at Nekomi Tech. "If anyone
can figure this out, he can," he had told her.

His friend had even less of a clue to what had been done. "It 
would take years to just begin to figure out this formula!"
he had cried. The only comfort he had been able to give was that
he had had similar unexplainable experiences with a couple of 
his students.

This did Masamichi no good. After hanging up, he had stared
at the paper onto which he had copied Tenchi’s work for a long
moment...and fainted. Now he is at home with a damp washcloth
laid across his forehead, moaning "I wanna teach history 
again...don’t wanna teach math no more..."

Being the loving wife that she was, Miz had volunteered
to teach his classes for him that day, not having any of her 
own. "And so, I will be covering his classes today! So, where
did we leave off?"

"Uh, Mr. Fujisawa dismissed us when he couldn’t figure out what
Tenchi did on the board," answers Kenji (Tenchi’s clown-faced
friend from OVA#1).

Miz suppresses a grimace. "Uhh...okay." She shifts her gaze 
towards Tenchi/Kyoto. "Tenchi, what exactly did you do on the 
board?"

"Allow me to demonstrate, Mrs. Fujisawa." "Tenchi" rises from
his chair and repeats the mathematical ballet.

Masamichi Fujisawa, once a math major, was completely baffled.

Miz Mishtal-Fujisawa, barely knowing enough basic algebra to 
draw a graph, is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 
"Uhh...uhh...uhh..." She immediately starts gathering up her 
papers. "C-cl-class is dismissed." She staggers out the door.



Sasami and Ayeka are not the only princesses of the Jurai Royal
Family. There are, as Ayeka has previously stated, many branch
families, and most of them have princesses. So, while Ayeka and
the other adult members of the various branch families are at 
the Supreme Council meeting, Sasami and those her age (which
are many) are in a playroom of sorts, a large chamber filled
with trees, toys, snacks, and (of course) Ohkis. Most of these
princesses are Sasami's age, and are equally sweet, adorable,
and irresistible (a room full of Sasamis--a dream come true!).

Right now Sasami is playing with some of her friends and their
Ohkis (yes, Ryo-ohki is there too). Suddenly an attendant
appears next to Sasami. "Princess Sasami, a call for you."

"Oh! Thank you, Miss Tomi!" Sasami lets the attendant lead her
over to a private phone set into the wall. She picks it up, 
listens to the headset for a few minutes, and, smiling broadly,
hangs up.

"Good news, Sasami?" asks Yuggi, a flaxen-haired sprite that is
an old friend of Sasami's.

Sasami nods enthusiastically. "Mm-hmm! The Council meeting
is over, and my daddy is Emperor now!"

Dark-haired Misao looks with confusion at her favorite cousin.
"Sasami, aren't your parents."

"Yes, but I'm talking about my new parents!" enthuses Sasami.
"Would you like to see a picture of them?" At this Sasami's
friends and a few of the older princesses cluster around.

Sasami pulls a picture of Tenchi and Kiyone, taken on a tropical
world, from her pocket. Tenchi is in shorts and a half-buttoned
tropical-print shirt, Kiyone in shorts and a bikini top. The 
grin they are gracing the camera with give Sasami's a run for 
their money.

"Oh, it's Prince Tenchi!" sighs Kumiko, one of the older 
princesses. "I have a picture of him at home. He's so kawaii."

All the girls, including Sasami, nod in agreement.

"And he's adopting you?" asks Yuggi. Sasami nods.

"Who's the girl with him?" asks Misao.

"That's my new mother, his fiancée Kiyone," explains Sasami.
"She's a detective with the Galaxy Police."

All the other princesses look mildly shocked. "Can a prince
marry a detective?" queries Kyoko, an amethyst-haired
beauty.

"Well, the Council just made him Emperor, and he wouldn't
have accepted the throne unless she could be his Empress,
so I guess he can," answers Sasami decisively.

"She's so pretty," sighs Kumiko.

"Yeah, she is!" echoes Misao. "She looks really sweet, too!"

"She is," smiles Sasami.

"Where's she from?" asks Kyoko.

"Megami."

The real thing replaces the mild shock. "She's from Megami?"
whispers Yoko, the littlest and cutest princess in the room.
"B-b-but, aren't Meagamians really bad people?"

"Maybe not," comments Chie, a mahogany-tressed princess.
"My older sister is the Jurai ambassador to Megami, and she says
most of the people there are just like us."

"Well, I don't know about other Megamians," replies Sasami,
"but Kiyone is one of the kindest, most loving people I know.
She would never try to hurt anyone."

"Really?" asks Misao, looking a little afraid.

Sasami nods. "Really." She then proceeds to tell her friends
what life with Tenchi and Kiyone is like. Soon they are all 
giggling at Sasami's description of their "naughtiness."

The door to the chamber slides open, and Tenchi and Kiyone step
through. They walk over to where Sasami and her friends are 
talking. Tenchi waits till he is sure she hasn't seen him, and
then he picks her up and hugs her. "Guess who."

"Daddy!" she cries out happily, wrapping her arms around his 
neck. After a moment he sets her down and Kiyone hugs the young
princess. "Hello, Sami-cha'ya. Having fun?"

Sasami nods. "Uh-huh!" She introduces Kiyone and Tenchi around
to all her friends, who are amazed that this woman is every bit
like Sasami had described her. By the time introductions
are finished, they adore her as much as Sasami and Tenchi do.

Of course, they already adore Tenchi. He has achieved something
of a "pin-up" popularity among the girls of the Royal Family's
branches. All of them are taking turns hugging him and kissing
him on the cheek, though none of them go for the lips, not 
wanting to incur Kiyone's anger.

Look at all these little girls for you, daddy, teases Kiyone.

Kiyone-yoni, cut that out, chides Tenchi. "Ready to go, 
Sami-cha'ya?"

"Go?" Sasami looks up at Tenchi. "Are we leaving now, Daddy?"
She hugs him again. "Can we please stay a while longer, Daddy?"

Kiyone smiles. "Yes, sweetie, we're staying for another couple
of days. Your father and I were just going to get some lunch,
and we wondered if you wanted to come with us."

"If it's all right, Mommy, I'd like to stay awhile with my 
friends here." Sasami turns her most irresistible smile on 
Kiyone. "Is that okay, Mommy?"

"Of course, darling." Kiyone takes Tenchi's hand. "We'll be 
eating with Ayeka and Seiryo. If you need us, just call."

"Okay, Mommy." Sasami gives Kiyone and Tenchi each a last hug 
before letting them go. "Now don't you be naughty!" she chides
as they approach the door. This sends the rest of the girls into
spasms of laughter.

Tenchi blushes. "What exactly did she tell them?"

"Perhaps it's better if we don't know," suggests Kiyone. "Come
on, they're waiting for us."

Ayeka and Seiryo are indeed waiting in Seiryo's apartment,
in the Supreme Council wing of the Palace. "What took so long?"
asks Ayeka as Tenchi and Kiyone come through the door.

"Sasami wants to stay with her friends for a while," answers
Tenchi, seating Kiyone at the table. "It's so rare that she gets
any time with girls her own age, so I figure it's a good idea."

"Probably," agrees Seiryo, dressed in Earth-style casual 
clothes--slacks and a button-down shirt--and an apron. One of 
the first things Tenchi and Kiyone had noticed was that when in
private, the effeminate air disappeared and was replaced by a 
nonchalant, happy-go-lucky, and very masculine persona. Even the
lisp in his voice disappears. He is carrying a tray with what
looks like four miniature Guardians, right down to the AG 
apparatus on the underside, resting on it. "Here are some 
drinks."

Tenchi reaches out and takes two, handing one to Kiyone. He eyes
the object dubiously. "Is this a can of pop?"

Seiryo nods. "Yes. It's Jurai Cola. I have some beer in the 
fridge, if you'd

prefer."

Kiyone shakes her head. "This is fine, thanks." She and Tenchi
both pop of the resealable caps and take sips.

Tenchi's eyes widen as the taste hits home. "That's good!" he 
comments, as he takes another drink. "What is this?"

"It's ki’ni'chi punch," answers Ayeka. "It's Jurai's equivalent
of Earth's peaches."

"Quite good," agrees Kiyone.

The food follows quickly, cooked by Seiryo himself, and it is 
equally good. Conversation shifts back and forth between various
topics (Tenchi and Kiyone were very surprised to learn that 
Seiryo and Ayeka were old friends), with a large portion of it 
concentrating on the Council meeting.

Seiryo leans back in his chair. "That was very good, the way you
handled Lord Sato in there. You presented yourself as reasonable
while making him out to be an idiot--which he is." He takes 
another sip of his drink. "Thank god for self-cooling
cans. Anyway, you made a lot of friends today on the Council.
However you made him mad. Now he'll give you no support 
whatsoever."

"Do I really need his support?" asks Tenchi.

"Not really," assures Ayeka. "No one on the Council likes him,
and you should have little trouble from him directly. However,
he does have friends in the private sector that may be convinced
that you may encroach on them now. Tread lightly, Lord 
Tenchi--at least for a few years, until you are fully 
established on the throne."

"Speaking of making friends," laughs Kiyone, "the other 
princesses seemed to be quite fond of Tenchi, especially
that one...what's her name? Oh, yeah, Kumiko." She smiles at her
husband. "So, Tenchi-yon, you're calling her ‘Kumi-kai'ya'
now."

"And she's calling me ‘uncle Tenchi.' So what's your point?"
quips Tenchi.

Seiryo chuckles. "Ah, Kumiko. She's the president of the Tenchi
Masaki Fan Club."

"I have a fan club?" laments Tenchi.

"That’s hardly surprising, Tenchi-yon," laughs Kiyone. "Remember
all the girls who were following us around yesterday?"

Ayeka giggles. "Really?"

"It’ll be even worse tonight," snickers Seiryo. "There’s a party
tonight, for the new Emperor and Empress. Most of the 
Council--and their families--will be there. And so will most of
the branch families. And all of them have at least a couple
of daughters of marriageable age."

Tenchi looks very frightened. "Oh, no..."

"But after today," Seiryo continues in a casual tone, "everyone
will know better than to press the issue--of marriage, that is.
The girls will probably still cling to you, Tenchi. And since
you will be their ‘uncle Tenchi’..."

"They’ll all want to sit in their uncle Tenchi’s lap," finishes
Kiyone with a laugh. After a moment, Ayeka and Seiryo join in.
Tenchi sighs and takes another bite of his food.



Kyoto, now back in his own form, slaps Tenchi’s math book shut
with a flourish. "There! All done!"

"You finish Tenchi’s homework for tonight?" asks Ryoko, poking
her head into Tenchi’s room.

"Nope--for the rest of the year," replies Kyoto.

Ryoko looks impressed. "Wow!" She steps into the room, and Kyoto
realizes that she is wearing one of Kiyone’s schoolgirl
uniforms. It is very tight on her, and this fact is not lost on
him as she settles herself in his lap.

She grins at him with undisguised lust, and then manages a 
surprisingly convincing innocent voice. "Come on, sensei, I need
some tutoring..."

They kiss.

In another time and place, a world where a large Death Star-like
weapon hangs in orbit above a tall tower and cats are living
armor, an older man looks over a paper full of equations
and shakes his head. "And you say that your friend, a young man
no older than yourself, did this?!"

Makoto nods. "That’s about the size of it, Doctor."

"We were just as surprised as you were," adds Nanami. "I mean,
we knew Tenchi was good at math, but..."

"This is very unnatural," completes Miz, still a little shaken
herself. "Masa--er, Mr. Fujisawa is still recovering. This 
morning, he was talking about giving up teaching and relocating
back here permanently." She shrugs. "Not that that would be so 
bad, but he was talking a little hut on the summit." Her eyes
reflect the fear she feels. "A little hut on the summit!"

"Hmm." Dr. Shtalubaugh walks over to a cabinet, rummages around
for a moment, and draws forth a vial containing a dark green
liquid. "Give this to him. Two small sips three times a day, and
Miz, I would suggest that you take some as well."

Miz gratefully takes the vial.

Makoto checks his watch. "We’d better get going. I still haven’t
quite perfected control of the Eye of God yet, and if we don’t
keep on a tight schedule, we may end up in a totally different
world."

"Right." Miz and Nanami follow him to the door, and Miz calls
back, "Thank you, Doctor! Tell Shayla and Afura that we’ll be 
back this weekend!"

In a small but neat house on the grounds of a temple, just a few
kilometers from the Nekomi Institute of Technology, Keiichi
Morisato and his housemates are trying to puzzle out a paperful
of equations.

"And your friend Tenchi did this?" repeats Belldandy, her eyes
wide with amazement.

Keiichi nods. "I can’t believe it either. He’s good at math,
but not like this." He passes the sheet over to Urd, who looks
at it for one second and passes it to Skuld.

The youngest goddess stares at the paper for a long time, and 
then sighs. "I understand it, but just barely. No way an 
ordinary mortal could understand it, let alone do it!"

"Now, now," chides Belldandy. "Tenchi’s not that ordinary,
remember?"

"It’s not like this matters," cuts in Urd, sounding bored--but
then, Urd always sounds bored. "When’s dinner going to be ready,
Belldandy?"



Kiyone’s prediction is right-on.

The moment she and Tenchi step into the reception hall, every
girl between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one is snuggled
up against him, hugging him tightly--a little too tightly for 
Kiyone’s taste, but she knows her Tenchi-yon won’t do 
anything--and begging him for a dance. He acquiesces graciously,
giving each of the star-struck girls a dance, but Kiyone still
manages to get the first and last dances.

The other members of their group, dressed like everyone else at
the party in formal gowns and tuxes, are less interested
in the dancing than they are in the goings-on around the dance
floor. Mihoshi is making short work of the buffet table. Mitsuki
is looking around the room in awe; to her, the Palace is one 
opulent surprise after another. Katsuhito is regaling a tableful
of young nobles with stories of his youthful exploits. The 
goddesses are having the time of their lives being wined and 
dined. In fact, they wear out their dancing partners more often
than vice versa. And Ayeka and Seiryo are talking at an empty
table near the door.

The party finally wears down, and one by one the people trickle
out the door. Tenchi and Kiyone are among the last ones out. 
Still a little buzzed from the relatively light amount of 
consumed ki’ni’chi wine, they are waltzing (or Juraian 
equivalent) all the way up to their room. Once inside, Tenchi
collapses on the bed, after stripping off his clothing and 
piling it on a nearby chair. Fighting against the pleasantly
drowsy feeling the wine has hit him with, he pushes himself
to a sitting position, noting that Kiyone is not joining him on
the bed. "K’yone-yoni?"

The green-haired princess-turned-detective-turned-empress
smiles at her beloved. "Just gotta make myself more comfortable,
Tenchi-yon." She disappears into the bathroom and closes the 
door. It slides open a minute later to reveal her clad in short
lime-green shorts and a half-tank top cut off just below the 
lower curve of her breasts. She has a feline smile on her face
that widens as she watches Tenchi sit bolt upright. Now, this
is typical nightwear for her, something that he has seen her in
many times, but this is the first time he’s ever seen an empress
wear such skimpy clothing to bed...

What do you think, Daddy? Kiyone asks in her most little-girlish
mental voice. She fingers the plunging neckline of the top, 
elated by Tenchi’s reactions. D’ya think this is appropriate
nightwear for an empress?

For my empress, responds Tenchi. He reaches up as she walks 
toward the bed and pulls her down on top of him. She releases
a sigh of contentment and relaxes against him. Ready for bed,
Tenchi-yon? she inquires.

Yes, I am. Funny, though, I can’t shake the feeling that we’re
forge--He sits upright again, almost throwing Kiyone off of him.
"Sasami!"

Kiyone looks confused for a second, but then it hits her. 
"You’re right! We forgot all about Sami-cha’ya!" She rushes
into the bathroom and returns with two kimonos, one of which
she throws to Tenchi while donning the other. The two of them
throw the door open, ready to go charging down the hall--

--only to find Sasami curled up in front of the door, dozing.
She is still in her clothes, and Ryo-ohki is cuddled close to 
her, purring softly.

Kiyone’s mothering instincts take over. "Ohhh..."

Tenchi smiles and picks Sasami up. "I guess the bed will have
three in it tonight."

"You mean four," laughs Kiyone, picking up Ryo-ohki.

As they carry her into their bedroom, Sasami starts to stir.
She looks up happily, if drowsily, at Tenchi. "Daddy?"

"That’s right, Sami-cha’ya," whispers Tenchi. "Your mother and
I are putting you to bed."

She smiles. "Okay. Don’t be naughty with me."



Ayeka and Seiryo are once again in his quarters. They had 
retired from the party early, seeking some relative quiet. The
bottle of ki’ni’chi wine he had broken out upon their arrival
is now almost empty.

Ayeka yawns loudly. "It’s been a..." She takes a long moment
to think about her words, then plunges on. "It’s been...a
long time since the last time we did this, Seiryo."

The pink-haired man nods. "Yes, it has been." He smiles. "Who
would have ever thought that a Supreme Councilor..."
He reaches out and takes Ayeka’s hand in his. "...and the First
Crown Princess of Jurai..."

Ayeka nods. Their affair had started when she was sixteen.
He was hardly a decade older. It was helpful that few nobles
were virgins on their wedding nights, not even princesses.

That affair was not so much passionate as it was emotional.
Seiryo had been her best friend--maybe her only real 
friend--since she was a child, and there was no one else that
she could even have imagined losing her virginity to. At the end
of it, they were convinced that they were in love. Tentative
plans for their wedding were made, but she still had to make a 
few token marriage meetings, for honor’s sake.

She had been on the last of them when she had come to 
Earth...and met Tenchi.

Seiryo had accepted the news amicably--they were still friends.
But his feelings had never died. He still loved her.

That piece of knowledge is running through Ayeka’s mind right
now.

Their eyes meet and lock for a long moment. Seiryo breaks the 
ice. "Do you still love him?"

Ayeka is surprised by the question, but she takes a moment to 
think it over. Finally, "...No. I still care for him as a 
friend, and as family, but...I don’t love him that way anymore."

Seiryo nods. "I’m sorry."

To his surprise, she smiles. "Don’t be. He’s happy, and I’m 
happy he’s happy."

"You know I’ll always be here for you." That pops out before
Seiryo’s mind realizes it, and he slaps a hand over his mouth.
"Uhhh...sorry."

The smile is lingering on her face. "I know. And..." She seems
to come to a decision. "Could we try again? I-I mean, I’m not 
settling for you because you’re the second prize." Her eyes bore
deep into his. "I...I think I had it right the first time. 
Nothing against Tenchi, but I see how perfectly he and Kiyone
fit together, and I think I had the right person the first 
time."

Part of Seiryo wants to rail at her, but he knows that he’s 
never been able to deny her anything. Besides, what does he have
to complain about now? "Yeah, I think we can do that."

She sighs in relief and gets up from her chair. He stifles
a laugh as she settles into his lap. "Well, it has been a long
time."

She gives him a slightly twisted grin. "Yes, and you seem glad
to see me!" She wraps her arms around his neck and lowers her 
lips onto his.

The signing ceremony the next morning passes surprisingly
smoothly. While the conference room is packed full of 
dignitaries and press, they are relatively well-behaved--Maybe
the paparazzi in space is better behaved, Tenchi thinks--and
they don’t interfere. Thus, he has scribbled his signature
on the paper almost before he knows what he’s done. He then 
finds himself standing up and shaking Azusa’s hand and grinning
at the camera.

As the press and bureaucrats file out, Azusa makes a slight
bow to Tenchi. "Congratulations, Lord Tenchi. May your reign
be a long and prosperous one."

He then embraces Kiyone, and Tenchi would later swear that he 
was holding her a moment longer than a normal uncle would. 
"Goodbye, little Kiyone." He does the same to Sasami, and the 
young girl’s eyes go wide as if he had touched her someplace
he shouldn’t have. He finally sweeps out of the room.

Kiyone shivers a little bit. "Umph..."

"Kiyone-yoni?" asks Tenchi worriedly. "What was that all about?"

"Well, he..." Kiyone sighs. "He’s not a bad person, he just 
can’t keep it in his pants."

Sasami has a more succinct way of putting it. "He’s icky!"

Tenchi shivers himself. "Well...don’t worry. I’ll keep the two
of you safe." He hugs both Kiyone and Sasami. "Are we ready?"

"Just about." Kiyone turns to see Azaka and Kamidake toting
their luggage, with the knights of the same name right behind.
"You guys ready to go?"

The two knights bow their heads in assent.

Tenchi’s attention turns to his grandfather, the goddesses,
the Washus, Mihoshi, and Mitsuki. All of them have their luggage
being carried by Hiei, a white-marked Guardian that Yosho found
pressed upon himself to take. "Tell Dad and the rest that we’ll
be back by Sunday night, okay?"

Katsuhito nods. "It has been many years since I myself visited
Prime Center. Have fun."

"Yeah, have fun!" gushes Mihoshi. "Kiyone, say hi to all of our
friends!"

Kiyone nods. "I will!" This morning, she is wearing her hair in
its normal fashion, as she plans to do from now on except for 
court functions. "Get Mitsuki settled in and take her out. Do 
karaoke or something."

"I’ll take good care of her!" Mitsuki, for her part, looks 
frightened by Mihoshi’s pronouncement. Before she can say 
anything, she and the rest of the group disappear in a flash
of electric blue light.

Tenchi’s gaze shifts to Seiryo. "You promise to get Ayeka back
to Earth by Sunday night?"

The pink-haired Supreme Councilor smiles. "I give you my word,
Lord Emperor Tenchi." He is holding Ayeka’s hand, prompting
a smile to form on Tenchi’s lips. At least she’ll be okay now,
he thinks. He turns to his own little entourage. "So, we ready
to go?"



Twenty Juraian ships sail out of a wormhole. This is a much 
smaller group than the sixty-ship escort that had accompanied
Tenchi and company to Jurai, but all twenty of these ships are
Tenchiken-class dreadnoughts, the largest and most powerful
ships in the Jurai Navy. Among these is the Yosho, which will
be serving as Tenchi’s personal ship until his and Kiyone’s
coronation, when they will be given tree-ships of their own.

Such thoughts are in the back of Tenchi’s mind as he sees the 
awesome sight lying before him.

Prime Center, the administrative and command center for the 
entire Galaxy Federation.

Kiyone and Mihoshi had often told him about this mammoth complex
that dwarfed even Galaxy Police Headquarters, but he had never
expected it to be this big...

Easily the size of Sol (or maybe even bigger!), Prime Center
is a complex of disks and pods, each one the size of a large
planet, interlocking and orbiting around a gigantic vertical
cylinder like spokes around a hub. At the bottom of the cylinder
is a spherical pod with several rings around it. On the top of 
the cylinder is a semi-flat disk with a large cluster of towers
and communication antennae on the flattened apex. This is an 
architectural and engineering marvel, and he resolves to bring
his dad back some pictures, at least. Dad would flip over 
this...

Surrounding this awesome sight are more spaceships than Tenchi
knew even existed. "There must be a million of them," he wonders
aloud.

"Probably more like a hundred million," corrects Kiyone gently.
"That’s about how many ships leave and arrive each day." She 
comes up behind Tenchi and wraps her arms around his waist.
He smiles and turns around so he can embrace her. As she 
snuggles closer to him, she continues, "Also, at least a hundred
billion people are permanent residents here, and about five 
times that pass through here."

"Incredible." Tenchi is still a little dazed (then again, 
wouldn’t you if you’d just been thrust headfirst into the 
spotlight of cosmic politics?). It takes him a moment to notice
that Kiyone is wearing her full-dress GP uniform, complete
with the little cap that Mihoshi usually wears with her regular
uniform. His lips curve upward in a smile. "You look so cute,
Kiyone-yoni!"

Kiyone blushes. "Tenchi-yon..." She tips her head back and 
purses her lips. He leans in and touches his to her, his eyes
widening briefly as he feels her tongue inside his mouth. The 
self-control they try so damned hard to maintain is starting
to fade, so it would probably be a good time to let Sasami come
in. I think I’ll do just that...

"Stop being naughty!" chides the galaxy’s most adorable princess
as she walks into Tenchi and Kiyone’s bedroom.

"Just gathering a little courage for facing our public, 
Sami-cha’ya," assures Tenchi. He loosens his arms around Kiyone
just enough to make room for Sasami. The young girl snuggles
in, intentionally coming between her adoptive parents. "You 
can’t be naughty with me between you two!"

"We don’t have time to, anyway," sighs Tenchi, reluctantly
letting go of the two girls. He gives his tunic-jacket
a straightening tug. "I hope there’s not a big fuss."

Kiyone and Sasami exchange glances and burst out laughing.



Now, being the galaxy’s de facto capital means that you get a 
large daily influx of dignitaries of varied rank and stature.
Even so, the arrival of the Emperor and Empress of Jurai--even
if they haven’t been officially coronated yet--is nothing that
can be ignored. In addition to the crowds of gawkers and 
lookers-on, there is a small greeting party comprised of several
members of the Galactic High Council. The tallest of them, a man
with cerulean hair and a mustache and beard of a slightly
darker shade, steps forward. The eyes are the same color as 
Kiyone’s, and Tenchi’s willing to bet that he is also from 
Megami. "Lord Tenchi, Lady Kiyone, I am Ryoichi Kiyasu, 
vice-president of the Galactic High Council. Welcome to Prime
Center."

Tenchi smiles and shakes the proffered hand. The back of his 
mind registers the thousands of cameras pointing at the two of 
them. "Thank you, Mr. Vice-president. You didn’t have to go to 
all this trouble to greet me." He looks around at all the 
gawking observers. "I mean, you really didn’t have to do 
this..."

Ryoichi laughs. "I don’t blame you one bit, but you get used to
it. More or less." He bows to Kiyone. "Princess Kiyone--or
perhaps, Lady Empress Kiyone, it is good to see you again. I am
sorry your mother could not be here, but she and the president,
along with most of the Council, are on Kotami at the Science
Academy, attending a dimensional weapons conference."

The vice-president of the galaxy steps back and gestures at the
others in his group. "The Director General of the Galaxy Police,
Hideki Kuramitsu." A tall, tanned, blond, bearded man in a GP 
executive-rank officer’s uniform steps forward and bows. For a 
split-second Tenchi is reminded of someone...but he pushes the
thought aside for later.

"Our director of finance and economics, Yonya Ka’en." A figure,
humanoid but with a head and features strongly resembling
a tiger (see GP Commander, OVAs), also inclines her head.

"Our director of science and research, Yasha Akubi." The woman
is almost identical to Washu, except she wears a grown-up
body and has hair the color of a lime.

"And Riko Koshin, director of the Federal Intelligence
and Investigative Agency." The man has to be the most 
nondescript individual Tenchi’s ever seen, but then, that’s
what they pay him for.

Ryoichi is speaking again. "May I escort you to your quarters?
We have arranged for you to stay at the best hotel on Prime 
Center..."

"Actually," interrupts Kiyone, "I have to get to the GP 
headquarters on-station..."

"Could you show our daughter and our staff to the hotel?" asks
Tenchi. He kneels down to look Sasami in the eye. "Sami-cha’ya,
we’ll be back soon, okay?"

Sasami nods. "Okay, Daddy. Don’t take too long." Ryo-ohki
mi-yas in agreement.



The Galaxy Police have an entire cluster of towers to themselves
in the central hub of the complex. Kiyone’s superior, a 
detective lieutenant, has his office on the fortieth floor of 
one of the smaller towers. His secretary, a young detective
right out of the Academy, is humming to herself when the door
slides open. "Detective Lieutenant Kinjo’s office, may I--"

Her words catch in her throat as she sees who just walked in the
door. This woman is well known among her colleagues, both for 
exemplary service as a detective and for having just been made
the queen of the universe’s most powerful planet...

She shoots out of her chair and snaps to attention, her right
hand gluing itself to her brow in salute. "D-D-Detective
Sergeant Kiyone!"

"At ease." Kiyone has a relaxed smile on her face as she returns
the salute, exhibiting a jauntiness the secretary wasn't aware
she possessed. "Is the L.T. in?"

"Y-Y-Yes, he is," stammers the young novice. "J-J-Just let me 
buzz you in..." Her hand gropes around on the desk for the 
better part of a minute before finding the proper control.
She swats at it, and the electronic lock’s light shifts from red
to green. "G-G-Go right in, Sergeant." She is even more shocked
when she sees a dark-haired young man in the garb of Juraian
royalty walk into the room, a sheepish expression on his face.
He slides the door shut behind him and collapses into the sole
couch. "Hi," he says in a nervous but friendly voice.

Smiling her thanks, Kiyone walks up to the door. It slides open
at her approach and she walks nonchalantly into her boss’ 
office. The lean, mustached man has all his attention on the 
computer screen in front of him. "Yes, what is it?"

Kiyone brings herself to attention and snaps off a sharp salute.
"Detective Sergeant Kiyone Makibi, reporting, sir."

He looks up with a bored expression and returns her salute with
a languid wave. "Oh, Sergeant. What can I do for you?" His eyes
go wide as he sees her reach into her jacket’s breast pocket,
pull out her I.D. pen, and drop it on the desk. "Sergeant,
what are you doing?"

"I’m resigning, sir." Kiyone reaches her hand into another
of her jacket’s pockets and pulls out a folded-up sheet of 
hardcopy. She drops it on the desk next to the pen. Finally,
she undoes her jacket and takes it off. The Yanachi Arms 
large-caliber laser pistol with shoulder rig thunks onto the 
desk, joining its comrades. The last items she removes are her
force cuffs and combat yo-yo.

The lieutenant picks up the sheet of paper with trembling
hands. "W-why are you resigning?"

She gives him a smile. "I’m in love, sir." She shows him her 
ring finger. "And I’m engaged, too."

The lieutenant is dumbstruck. As far as he had known, Kiyone
was only in love with her job...but then, this would explain
why she had put aside her plum assignment to the regional
GP headquarters station (just as well, seeing what had happened
to it) and taken that Sol system patrol post again. "Well...
congratulations, Kiyone. Who’s the lucky man?"

"Tenchi Masaki," announces Kiyone happily.

The lieutenant has a blank look on his face.

"You don’t know who Tenchi Masaki is?" asks the secretary,
poking her head in the door.

"No....."

The secretary sighs in exasperation. "Don’t you watch the news?
Tenchi Masaki was confirmed as Jurai’s new emperor yesterday."
She smiles at Kiyone. "And our Sergeant Kiyone was confirmed
as his empress. In fact..."

She motions out the door, and Tenchi pokes his head into the 
room. He has a nervous grin on his face. "Uh, hi."

The lieutenant passes out.

Kiyone shakes her head. "How he made L.T. rank with reactions
like that, I’ll never know."

Tenchi looks down at the unconscious man. "Um, okay." He shifts
his gaze to Kiyone. "Ready to go, Kiyone-yoni?"

"He still hasn’t approved my resignation, though," murmurs
Kiyone.

"Don’t worry," replies the secretary. She unfolds the sheet that
has Kiyone’s resignation on it and applies an "APPROVED"
stamp to the paper just under Kiyone’s signature. "Now it’s 
approved."

Kiyone gives the secretary a hug. "Thank you, Naya." She pulls
her jacket back on, realizes something, and pulls the Detective
Sergeant’s insignia from her collar. Dropping it into Naya’s
hand, she says, "You’re the one who keeps things running.
Kinjo’s so absent-minded, he wouldn’t notice if the entire squad
gave themselves promotions to Detective Captain."

"And we have been tempted," laughs Naya. "Congratulations,
Kiyone--or should I call you ‘Lady Empress Kiyone’ now?"

"Not quite yet," says Kiyone, a smile on her face. "The 
coronation isn’t for two months." She snuggles into her place
in Tenchi’s arms. "The wedding will be just before it."

"And you’re invited," adds Tenchi.

They leave the office about two hours later, having stayed for
coffee. Naya had been asking Kiyone the usual questions,
and there had been a lot of girlish giggling that Tenchi had 
done his best to ignore. That had only increased when more of 
Kiyone’s friends had stopped by.

Kiyone guides Tenchi over to a monorail tube and they climb into
the car. Fortunately for them, the car is empty, sparing them
the necessity of having to face

any press or crowds. Kiyone steps over to the keypad and 
programs a course for the hotel where they’ll be staying.
She tosses a smile at her husband. "The Galaxy Police maintains
a series of direct-passage transit tubes to the larger towers
on-station. We can get to the hotel without having to stop."

Tenchi returns Kiyone’s smile with a wink. "Yet another 
advantage of having a GP as a wife." He wraps his arms around
her waist and kisses her on the forehead. She sighs and leans
against him as the car starts moving.

When they step into their room--much to Tenchi’s dismay, they
had been given the most extensive of the hotel’s penthouse
suites--they find Azaka and Kamidake sitting in front of the 
big-screen HV*, game controller units in hand. Shaking his head,
Tenchi says, "Sorry to interrupt you guys, but where’s Sasami?"

"She and the other two ladies are in her bedroom," answers
Kamidake without taking his eyes off the screen. Azaka, his eyes
still on the holo-display, jerks a head in the direction
of a specific room.

Shrugging, Kiyone steps over to it and pulls the door open. She
looks in, laughs, and motions Tenchi over to join her. He walks
over and releases a chuckle of his own. Sitting inside are 
Sasami, Sumi, and Yumi, sitting around a table.

They’re having a tea party.

"Mommy! Daddy! You’re just in time!" laughs Sasami. She holds
up a cup of steaming, Japanese-style tea. "Want some?"

Kiyone nods, a wide grin on her face and seats herself next to 
Sasami. "Yes, I would, Sami-cha’ya." She accepts the cup and 
tastes it. "Excellent." She reaches an arm out and wraps it 
around Sasami’s shoulders. "You’re a pro, right?" Sasami giggles
happily.

"I think I’ll take some too," Tenchi replies. He seats himself
at the end of the table, holding up his hand to forestall
the two ladies-in-waiting from giving him their seats. "It’s
all right." Accepting the cup of proffered tea, he takes a long
drink and sighs in approval. "Thank you two for watching after
Sasami."

Sumi smiles and bows her head slightly. "It is our pleasure,
Lord Tenchi."

"Agreed," adds Yumi. "This is far preferable to our...previous
duties."

Kiyone shifts a little on her cushion. "Would you two mind, ah,
watching after her again tonight?"

Sasami looks up in surprise. "Are you two going out again?"

Kiyone nods. "I want to show your father around Prime Center."
Her grin carries an unmistakable glint of mischief. "And I’m 
sorry, Sami-cha’ya, but you’re still a little...too young to go
along with us."

"Why not?" demands Sasami, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Because you need to be of legal age to get into the places
I’m taking your father," replies Kiyone smoothly.

Sumi giggles. "You two are gonna be naughty, aren’t you?" Her 
giggle gives way to a full-fledged belly laugh, one that is 
quickly joined by Sasami and Yumi.

Tenchi gapes at Sasami. "Sami-cha’ya, what did you tell them?"

"Just what the two of you do, Daddy," chuckles Sasami.

"You know, Lady Kiyone," suggests Yumi, the hilarity starting
to subside, "if you two are planning to go out, you may have to
do something about your appearance. Not that you two don’t look
good, but it’ll be a little hard to go unnoticed."

"Already planned for," answers Tenchi.

They see what he was talking about an hour later when he and 
Kiyone come out of their room. Tenchi’s ponytail is still 
present, but his hair is now midnight-blue. Contact lenses have
changed the color of his eyes to a deep sky blue, and a pair of
mirrored aviator-style shades is pushed up on his forehead.
He is wearing a heather-gray suit with black shoes and a jade
silk shirt. The top two buttons of the shirt are loose.

Sasami laughs in approval. "Daddy! You look good!"

Sumi has an appraising look on her face. "Not bad. At least no 
one will recognize you. At most, some may say that you look a 
little like...you." She smiles. "Where is Lady Kiyone?"

"Right here." A lovely, dark-haired woman steps out of Tenchi
and Kiyone’s bedroom. Normally a deep, lustrous teal, Mrs. 
Masaki’s hair is now blue-black. The omnipresent red-orange
headband is absent, and she has some skin-tone makeup rubbed
over the Juraian forehead marking. The outfit she has chosen
is flattering but not exhibitionistic: a light-blue blouse,
a knee-length pleated skirt that is just a shade darker than the
blouse, and white, patent-leather mid-heels. Her hair is pulled
into a long, lush tail, secured by a bright red ribbon and 
resting on her left shoulder. A white purse is slung over one 
shoulder. "Ready to go, Tenchi-yon?"

"Any time you are, Kiyone-yoni." Tenchi is mentally thanking
the powers-that-be that he had been able to talk his wife out of
her original choice of eveningwear: the tight, short, blue silk
tank dress with the Mariana-deep neckline, the spaghetti-thin
straps, and the hemline that barely hides her panties (oh, by 
the way, for those who care, Kiyone always wears white cotton
string bikini panties with little pink roses dotted across them.
God, how I would love to see Kiyone in her skivvies...).

What’s wrong, Tenchi-yon? she asks in her little girl’s voice.
Doesn’t my daddy like me dressing up like that?

Yes, darling, but I don’t like the thought of every man on this
station trying to jump you.

Now, Tenchi-yon, you know you don’t have to worry about that.
You’re the only man I’ll let jump me, assures Kiyone. And just
in case, you have your sword, don’t you?

Of course, he responds.

I’m not defenseless either, she reminds him. I have Reiken in my
purse.

You’re right, yoni, Tenchi tells her. He starts for the door 
when he realizes something. Chuckling self-effacingly,
he mutters, "I guess the restaurants here won’t take yen, will
they?"

Sumi smiles. "We anticipated this, so..." She produces a large
wad of Jurai bills from a box marked "Petty Cash." Handing
it to Tenchi, she says, "Have fun."

"Don’t stay out too late!" reminds Sasami. "You promised to take
me to Interstar Fun World tomorrow, remember?"

"We will," promises Tenchi. The door slides open, and he and 
Kiyone step through.

A transit tube takes them to another cluster of towers, this one
a giant shopping and recreation complex larger than all four of
Japan’s main islands put together. Tenchi has a wide-eyed
expression of wonder on his face. "This...it’s incredible.
This one tower is the size of my entire country!"

Kiyone nods and draws closer to him. "I know. It is amazing,
isn’t it?" She smiles. "After a while, I started accepting
things like this as normal, but..." She tightens her grip on his
arm. "Seeing your amazement at this makes me feel like I’m 
seeing it for the first time."

Tenchi slips his arm out from her hands, and wraps it around
her shoulders. "Tell me, my love, are there any other amazing
things here?"

Kiyone’s smile widens. "All in good time, Tenchi-yon. But we 
still need to eat first." She leads her husband to her favorite
restaurant on the station: Yoshi’s, a Megamian restaurant.
"Go ahead and do the ordering," he tells her. "Whatever you 
want." He releases a dry chuckle. "After all, we can afford
it now."

Her eyes sparkling, Kiyone leafs through the menu. Finally
she makes her choice. "Tenchi-yon, how does steak sound to you?"

Tenchi smiles in approval and she signals for a waitress.

The dinner is not the cheapest Tenchi has ever seen, but the 
food and drink are excellent, and it’s worth it to see the 
delighted smile on Kiyone’s face as she watches him enjoy his 
food. He places the listed amount--plus a generous tip; an 
emperor can afford to throw money around--on the table and gets
up. Helping his beloved to her feet to her feet, he asks, "Where
to next?"

"Out on the town, Tenchi-yon," she answers sweetly as she leads
him out the door.

Six hours, three dance clubs, one all-night diner, and a 
ninety-minute "semi-naughtiness" session in a secluded park 
later (hell, this night on Prime Center would take an entire
side-story of its own!), a slightly-more disheveled Tenchi and
Kiyone stumble through the doors of their room. They start to 
dance across the foyer but end up stumbling to the ground 
halfway in. This awakens Kamidake, who is sprawled across the 
couch, video game controller still in hand. He blearily brings
himself upright. "Lord Tenchi. Lady Kiyo--" He abruptly topples
over again, unconscious once more.

Tenchi smiles and picks up Kiyone. As they approach their 
bedroom, she giggles, "Tenchi-yon, isn’t it a little early for
you to be carrying me across the threshold?"

"I don’t think so," he tells her. Once inside, he sets her on 
the bed and falls next to her.

The next few days are some of the most fun-filled Tenchi has 
ever had before or since. The day after their night on the town,
Tenchi and Kiyone take Sasami to Interstar Fun Center, the 
galaxy’s equivalent of Disney World--complete with its own 
mascot, Mac-ohki, a fat-but-jolly Ohki in a sailor suit!

Needless to say, they leave the fun park with several armfuls
of Mac-ohki merchandise.

Kiyone also spends her time at Prime Center looking up friends
of hers and Mihoshi’s. They are all very happy for her, and 
Tenchi is shown off quite a bit.

They go back several times, and on Saturday (Earth-relative)
they hit the beach. In the very center of Prime Center is a 
small, artificial sun, or singularity. In addition to providing
power to the mammoth complex, it is an ideal setup for 24-hour
beach resort, so Tenchi and company are just three out of more
than a billion sunbathers.



Sunday finally arrives, and the Yosho makes a parking orbit 
around Earth around 5 P.M., JST. Nobuyuki is in the middle of a 
mid-afternoon nap when a flash of blue light awakens him. 
Thinking that Death has come for him, he rolls off the couch
and starts groping around for something to defend himself with.
"You’re not taking me wi--Tenchi?"

Tenchi, dressed in Jurai-style casual clothes (again, see TV 
series, eps. 26, for this outfit), grins at his father. "Hey,
Dad!" He pushes a bagful of souvenirs at Nobuyuki. "Here you 
go."

Nobuyuki shakily takes the bag and starts looking through it. He
pulls out a large, board game box-sized carton. "What is this?"
He opens it, and a scale model of Prime Center floats out. His
eyes go wide. "What the hell is it?"

"That’s Prime Center," answers Kiyone, dressed in Earth-style
casual clothes (see TV series, episode 7; the shorts with shrine
tunic). She leans up and kisses Nobuyuki on the cheek. "Hi, 
Dad."

Nobuyuki barely notices. "Hi, Kiyone." He is looking at the 
specifications and schematics included in the box. "This is 
amazing! How big is it in real life?"

"About the size of the sun," replies Tenchi. "When’s dinner?"

Nobuyuki is still looking at the schematics. "Incredible.
Kyoto’s getting take-out."

"And I’m back with it," calls out Kyoto, stepping through the 
door. He holds up several plastic bags with Styrofoam food 
containers inside. "Who wants Chinese?"

Over dinner, Tenchi and Kiyone tell the rest of the "family"
about their trip to Prime Center. Nobuyuki, still a little 
disconcerted that his son will soon be the ruler of the 
universe’s most powerful planet, is understandably shocked
to find that his daughter-in- law is also a princess--as
is everyone else at the table, except Mihoshi and Mitsuki.
"We already knew that," they explain, going on to say that 
they’re also Megamian nobility. Both of them are glad to hear
that their and Kiyone’s friends are doing well and that they 
sent their regards. She is also glad that Sasami brought her 
back a large, plush Mac-ohki doll. Sasami is equally glad to 
receive the stuffed Totoro.

In return, Kyoto tells them what has gone on at school since
they left.

Tenchi spits out his tea. "You what?!"

Kyoto smiles. "I just introduced him to eighth-dimensional
omniratic algebra."

Washu looks up from her kung pao chicken, scowls, and sends a 
rice bowl crashing down on Kyoto’s head. "Idiot! Do you know 
what kind of damage you could do to this planet’s natural 
development?"

Kyoto shrugs.

Tenchi has a more immediate worry on his mind. "So what happened
the next day?" he asks with a sinking feeling.

Kyoto gives yet another shrug. "The faculty took the rest of the
week off to study the equations."

Tenchi slumps in his chair. "Oh no." The look on his face is 
that of a stagehand being told that he has to sing the lead in 
tonight’s musical. "I’m dead."



As Tenchi and Kiyone stride into the school the next morning,
they notice that people are watching them.

Kiyone looks around quizzically. "Why are they all looking
at us?"

Tenchi manages a light laugh. "You’re that pretty, Kiyone."

Why thank you, daddy, replies Kiyone on their mental wavelength.
Out loud she says, "Actually, I think they’re all looking at 
you."

They finally walk into their homeroom, to find it empty except
for Makoto, Nanami, Ifurita, and Mr. and Mrs. Fujisawa. Mr. 
Fujisawa is sitting at his desk and has his head cradled in his
arms. Makoto is the first to see them come into the room. 
"Tenchi."

Mr. Fujisawa looks up, and groans.

Miz shakes her head. "I’d better be getting to my class. Coming,
Ifurita?"

"Er, yes, Mrs. Fujisawa." Ifurita follows Miz out the door. At 
the doorway, she turns back and says, "Hope you feel better
soon, sensei."

Tenchi shifts his gaze back to Mr. Fujisawa, who has buried
his face in his hands again. Finally, the teacher raises his 
head, looks blearily up at Tenchi, and scribbles a jumble of 
numbers, letters, and mathematical symbols on a sheet of paper.
"Tenchi, use the quadratic formula."

Tenchi takes a good look at the paper, and steps over to the 
board. It takes him a little while, but he soon has the equation
sketched out. Fujisawa takes an appraising look at the board.
"Good, good. Is there anything you’d care to add?"

Tenchi gives him a blank look. "There’s more to add?"

Now Fujisawa is the one with the blank look. "Huh?" He rises
from his chair, looking almost hopeful. "Y-y-you have nothing
to add? No Equilibrium Principle of X?"

Tenchi’s look of confusion would fool an acting coach. 
"‘Equilibrium Principle of X?’ What the heck is that?"

"Yes!" cries out Fujisawa. Realizing that his students are 
looking at him in confusion, he seats himself in his chair.
"Err, I mean, all right then. Mr. Masaki, you may sit down now."
He faces the rest of the class. "After the incident last week,
I talked with the principal, and he agreed..."

The class looks up at him, far from sure what he’s talking
about.

"...now, I trust that you will all keep quiet about this, so..."

The students, now intrigued, lean forward as one.

"...effective today, for this term only, all math classes are 
suspended. All grades will be listed as passing or good."

And as one, the class falls out of their desks.

Once they recover, they spend the rest of the period carrying
Tenchi (and Kiyone, of course) around the school on their 
shoulders chanting "Ten-chi! Ten-chi! Ten-chi!"

At lunchtime, Makoto keeps giving Tenchi weird looks. Finally,
Tenchi sighs and says, "Okay, Makoto, out with it. What’s up?"

"I know you, Tenchi," says Makoto firmly. "You’re good at math,
but not good enough to use a system that hasn’t even been 
invented yet--on this planet. Then, over one weekend, you 
suddenly forget how to do it. You tell me what’s up."

Tenchi meets his eyes. "You really want to know?"

Makoto nods firmly. Beside him, Nanami and Ifurita look a little
guilty. Kiyone gives them a reassuring smile. "It’s nothing
bad." She turns her smile to her husband. "Tenchi-yon?"

Tenchi exhales heavily and nods. "Okay. Here’s the story. You 
see, there’s this planet named Jurai..." He has just finished
the condensed version of his and Kiyone’s adventures when a 
junior-year girl from the volleyball team appears at his arm.
"Tenchi, Mrs. Fujisawa wants to see you."

"Lunch is almost over," agrees Kiyone. She rests her hand atop
Tenchi’s. "See you at gym?"

He nods. "Yeah. Wonder what Mrs. Fujisawa wants..."

"Mrs. Fujisawa?"

Miz looks up at the door. "Oh, come in, Tenchi." She gives the
senior boy a smile as he shuffles in. "As you know, the 
volleyball team has made it to the finals, and we’re going to 
need a lot of help in the next few weeks."

"Sure," replies Tenchi. "I’d be glad to help."

"I know, Tenchi." She crosses over to a cabinet behind her desk
and begins to rummage through it.

"So, what do you want me to do?" asks Tenchi. "Scorekeeper?
Equipment manager?" He suddenly feels something land in his 
arms. He holds it up--to see that it’s a girl’s volleyball
uniform.

Miz smiles innocently up at him. "Star center."

"Huh?" This was something Kyoto hadn’t warned him about!

Her smile is replaced by a dry chuckle. "Just kidding. What I 
really need is an assistant coach."

"Oh! Okay." Tenchi looks extremely relieved. "So, what do I do?"

"Basically, everything you just said. Also, I’ll need you to 
spend a lot of time going over the plays with the team captain."

Warning bells start going off in the back of Tenchi’s head. 
"Ohh...Yasuki?", referring to a winsome, raven-haired
junior.

Miz shakes her head reassuringly. "No, I’m afraid that she had
a skiing accident this weekend. But, there is a promising
transfer student who the girls decided would be perfect for the
position..."

"Mrs. Fujisawa?" Kiyone steps into the office, clad in a 
gymsuit. She smiles at Tenchi. "So he’s our new assistant
coach..."

Tenchi finds himself returning the smile. I could learn to like
this...

Miz stifles a snort of amusement. Up till a week ago, she would
have sworn that Tenchi Masaki didn’t have a lustful bone in his
body. Now, the look that he gives Kiyone shows that he can 
barely keep himself from pouncing on her. Less amazing (in light
of the fact that every girl at Shinonome High, aside from Nanami
and Ifurita, would jump him in a minute) is the look that Kiyone
is directing at him, one carrying even greater lust. She can 
almost hear the unspoken dirty talk. She clears her throat.
"Ready to start, Tenchi?"



Tenchi yawns and stretches, not noticing all the girls sighing
as he does so. "Okay, that’s enough for the moment. Take a 
ten-minute break." He walks over to the bleachers and smiles
up at Sasami. "You okay up there, Sami-cha’ya?"

Sasami nods. "Uh huh, Uncle Tenchi!" She has taken to calling
Tenchi and Kiyone her uncle and aunt on the occasions when she
visits the school, since "Mommy" and "Daddy" would take too many
explanations. Since Tenchi had taken the assistant coach 
position three weeks ago, he and Kiyone had almost never gotten
home till around seven or eight at night (it would have been 
shorter, but Tenchi also had kendo club. To make thing more 
efficient, he would wear his kendo outfit to the volleyball
practice). Consequently, Sasami had taken it upon herself to 
deliver a late dinner to them, and inevitably the other students
would beg for some, and then Tenchi jokingly recommended
that she start charging them, and soon the eleven-year-old
princess had a thriving meal service. She opens the large 
basket--a micro-Guardian that can move itself, since otherwise
it would be too heavy for her--and starts to rummage around
inside when she feels a presence beside her.

She looks up to see an immaculately groomed young man, with pale
skin and death-black hair. She gives him her most dazzling
smile, even as the look of...of...she doesn’t even want to know
what that look means. "Hi!" A sweet bean paste cake is drawn
from the basket. "Do you want one?"

He scoots over next to her, and she suddenly realizes that his
arms have slipped around her shoulders. "You’re cute," he says
in a disturbing voice.

"Uh, thank you..." manages Sasami, trying to inch away from this
strange fellow. "Umm, why are you hugging me?"

"So...very...cute..." he whispers, leaning down and brushing
his lips across Sasami’s forehead.

Now Sasami is trying to meter away from him. "Mister..."
she gulps, you’re scari--" And then she realizes that his right
hand has shifted position.

It’s no longer on her shoulder.

It’s on her right breast.

She tips her head back and screams.

The attention of everyone else in the gym is torn from whatever
they were doing--and is riveted on the student fondling Sasami.
Tenchi’s face goes from confusion to horror to rage in the blink
of an eye. "Jinnai!" he roars. "What in the hell do you think
you’re doing?"

Katsuhiko Jinnai looks disconcerted. "What?"

"What do you think you’re doing to my niece?" growls Tenchi,
exhibiting a fury that no one in the school had though he 
possessed.

Jinnai’s face still looks nonplussed, as if not sure what all 
the fuss is about. "What? She’s seventeen...isn’t
she?"

"She’s eleven," says Tenchi, his face and voice suddenly 
glacially calm.

Katsuhiko Jinnai goes paler than anyone ever thought possible.
Releasing Sasami’s budding young bosom, he stumbles across the
bleachers and bolts out the door.

Tenchi makes no move to follow him. Instead, he moves over to 
Sasami’s side. Kiyone is already hugging the girl, and he takes
up a place on the other side and hugs her. "Are you all right,
Sami-cha’ya?"

Sasami is sniffling and redder-eyed than usual. "I...I think
so, Daddy." She hugs him tighter. After a long moment, Tenchi
gently pulls away and pats her on the shoulder. He takes 
Kiyone’s free hand. "Kiyone-yoni, take her home." He turns to 
Shoji, one of his kendo club cohorts. "Shoji, fetch me my bokken
and school bag."

"Sir?"

"Do it." There is a cold authority in Tenchi’s voice. "Kaji--"
as he turns to another fencer "--follow Jinnai, see where he 
goes." The second boy nods and scampers after the offender
just as the first arrives with Kiyoneken and Tenchi’s school
bag. "Thank you." He sips the wooden sword into a belt loop and
opens his bag. Tenchiken goes into one of his tunic’s pockets.

"Tenchi?"

Tenchi turns back to his beloved. "Don’t worry, Kiyone, I’m not
gonna do anything violent--too violent, that is."

"Tenchi!" Kaji burst back into the gym, looking slightly winded.
"Jinnai...he’s...headed...for...the...shinkansen*...station..."
He collapses to the floor.

"Alright. Thanks" Tenchi jerks a thumb at the unconscious
boy, and several other fencers come up and carry him to the 
locker room. He gives Kiyone a quick hug. "Now, take Sasami
home, and call my friend Keiichi--remember him?"

Kiyone nods quickly. "Yes, he’s the one who’s married to a 
goddess, isn’t she?" Keiichi and Belldandy had had dinner at the
Masaki house a week before (they had been in town visiting
Kei’s folks). Tsunami and Tokimi had been present at the dinner,
and the three goddesses had immediately recognized each other.
They had spent the rest of the evening catching up on past 
events.

"Brilliant as always, and yes," smiles Tenchi. Despite the 
seriousness of the situation, Kiyone feels herself blush. 
"Anyway, ask him--or Belldandy, if you get her--to have his Auto
Club be waiting at the Shinjuku station. That’s my best guess
as to where Jinnai’s headed." He turns to face the rest of his
club, which has by now collected in the gym. "People, I’m sorry,
but practice is cancelled today. I have to--"

"What are you talking about, Mr. Vice-president?"
interrupts Yoshi, a senior-year student who is just slightly
taller than Tenchi.

"Yeah, Tenchi-sempai," agrees Reiko, a red-haired junior who is
one of the few girls in the club. "We all saw what that pervert
did to your niece. We want to help you!"

Tenchi sweeps the rest of the club with his gaze. "Do they speak
for all of you?"

As one, the entire Shinonome High School kendo club (save for 
the president, Naoki Miyazaki, who rarely comes to meetings--but
he is still a slightly better swordsman than Tenchi, so he 
retains the presidency) nods.

Tenchi sighs and smiles wryly. "Thanks." His beloved Kiyone-yoni
shifts back to the center of his vision again. "My love, I must
take leave of you..."

"Shut up and kiss me," she mock-growls, as she steps forward,
throws her arms around his neck, and presses her lips to his.
The gym is filled with a profound silence, finally broken by the
two lovers’ mouths separating with a quiet pop!

Tenchi, ignoring the looks of amazement, gives Sasami a hug. 
"Don’t worry, darling, Mommy’s gonna take you home where you’ll
be safe, okay?" She looks up at him and nods. Gently breaking
away from her, Tenchi grips his bokken resolutely and strides
quickly out the door. His clubmates, carrying their bokken or 
shinai*, follow quickly behind.



In Mr. Fujisawa’s classroom, he and Miz are visiting with Shayla
and Afura, who decided to visit Earth. Mr. Fujisawa is about
to go to get some more tea when he sees Tenchi, in his kendo
clothes, leading the rest of the club down the corridor.
The sight is made disconcerting by the fact that each member
is carrying a sword. He steps into their path. "Tenchi! Why 
aren’t you guys in the gym?"

"We’re going after Jinnai," replies Tenchi grimly. "He tried
to cop a feel on my niece."

Shayla and Afura had come to the door just in time to hear this
part. Afura recoils in horror while Shayla leans forward,
murder in her eye. "That bastard did what?!" she spits. "You 
need some help tracking him?"

Tenchi nods, recognizing her. Makoto and Nanami had told him 
about their "other lives," and privately he is beginning
to wonder if there’s anyone at his school with a normal home 
life. "Sure, thanks."

The doors of Shinonome High burst open, and Tenchi leads his 
patchwork army towards the bus stop. "All right, everyone.
Make sure you have enough fare for the bus and the--"

"I’m broke!" someone cries out.

"Me too!" echoes another voice.

Tenchi squelches an inward groan. Great. And just how are we 
supposed to catch--

"Hey, Tenchi!" A city bus squeals to a stop right in front of 
him, and the door flies open to reveal Kyoto in the driver’s
seat. He grins down at Tenchi. "What are you waiting for? This
charter’s going one way, and that’s after Katsuhiko Jinnai!"

Too surprised to say no, Tenchi climbs on, followed by the rest
of his followers. Dropping into the chair right behind the 
driver, he says, "Thanks a lot, Kyoto. You wouldn’t happen to--"

"Have any yen? I sure would." Kyoto reaches underneath his seat
with one hand while steering with the other and hands Tenchi
a cigar box. Tenchi opens it to find ¥10,000,000 inside. After
a few false starts, he manages, "Well, this takes care of the 
fare problem...could you swing back around to--"

"Pick up Kiyone and Sasami? No sweat. Now, hang on!" Kyoto 
floors the accelerator, and the city bus leaps forward at a very
unnatural rate of speed.



The phone in the Morisato household rings. Belldandy, who has 
just finished the dishes, steps out of the kitchen and picks
it up. "Hello, Morisato residence."

"Belldandy? Hi, it’s Kiyone Masaki."

Belldandy smiles. "Oh, hello, Kiyone! It’s so nice to hear from
you!"

"Thank you. Is Keiichi there--I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s
kind of important."

"Well, no, he--oh, here he is!" Belldandy smiles sweetly at her
husband. "Kei, it’s Tenchi’s wife."

"Thank you, Belle," he responds giving her a quick hug before
taking the receiver. "Hello, Kiyone...yes, we’re all 
fine...what’s up?" As he listens, his brow starts to furrow
and his eyes start to darken with anger. "That bastard did 
what?!" He takes a minute to recollect himself, then speaks
again. "Yeah, sure, of course. We’ll be waiting. Pass my 
sympathies on to Sasami. Yes, I’ll say hi to Tenchi when I see
him...no problem at all. Bye-bye." He sets down the receiver
and sighs. "You remember that guy Tenchi and I knew in high 
school?"

"You mean that Jinnai fellow?" asks Belldandy.

"Right, him. Anyway, apparently today he tried to cop a feel on
Sasami--"

Belldandy gasps. "Oh, my!"

"Exactly. He’s on the next shinkansen to Tokyo, at the Shinjuku
station. Kiyone passed along word for me to have the Auto Club
waiting for him. Tenchi and his crew will be on the same train,
chasing him up and down the cars." Keiichi sighs, then grabs
his windbreaker from the coat rack. "Belle, I’m going back to 
the college. It’ll be no problem to talk the Auto Club into this
role. In spite of everything, they’re good people, and they 
would almost certainly help."

"All right, Kei," answers Belldandy. "Is there anything you want
me to do?"

"No, Belle, I--wait, yeah, there is." He pulls an address book
out from behind the phone and flips through it till he finds
the number he was looking for. "Belle, could you--"

"Call the Tendo Dojo? Of course." Belldandy leans up and kisses
Keiichi on the cheek. "Be careful."

"For your sake, always." Keiichi darts out the door, and 
Belldandy picks up the phone, a determined set to her delicate
features.



BRRING! BRRING! BRRI--"Hello, Tendo Dojo, this is Kasumi,"
answers a sweet, motherly voice.

"Hello, Kasumi, it’s Belldandy Morisato."

"Oh, hello, Belldandy!" There are times, Belldandy reflects,
when this lady gives even my cheerfulness a run for its money.
"What can I do for you?"

"Is Ranma or Akane there?"

"No, they’re over at Ukyo’s restaurant."

"I hate to be a bother, but could you pass a message along for
me?"

"Oh, certainly, that’s no problem! What do you want me to tell
them?"

The phone at Ucchan’s rings. The pretty, brown-haired
girl behind the grill with a giant spatula picks up the 
receiver. "Ucchan’s, this is Ukyo." She listens for a moment,
then "Oh, hi, Kasumi. Yeah, he’s right here...just a moment..."
She taps the shoulder of the dark-haired boy with a pigtail
and a taste for Chinese-style garb. "Ranma, it’s for you."

"Thanks, Ukyo." Ranma picks up the receiver. "H’lo, Kasumi,
what’s up?" He listens for a moment, then frowns. "The Shinjuku
station in an hour? Why?" As he listens, a look of horror 
crosses his face. "He did what?! Yeah, I’ll be there! 
Okay...Keiichi Morisa--say, does that mean that Tenchi Masaki’s
involved?...Oh, I see...so he’ll be there too...yeah, okay. 
Thanks." He hands the receiver back to Ukyo. "Thanks for the 
snack, I gotta run."

"What now?" sighs Akane.

"You remember Tenchi Masaki?"

"Of course." Two years ago, Tenchi Masaki had been his 
prefecture’s high school kendo champion, and had gone to the 
finals in Tokyo. There he had faced off against the best their
school had to offer: Tatewaki Kuno. Tenchi had mopped the floor
with him. Impressed by this, Ranma had taken the trouble to 
strike up a conversation with him, and then a friendship.
Thus, whenever Tenchi visited Tokyo, he had two 
homes-away-from-home: the Tendo Dojo, and the Morisato house.
"What about him?"

"He’s headed to Tokyo with a bunch of his buddies. They’re
chasing down some guy who tried to rape his eleven-year-old
niece." He waits for the gasps of shock to dies down, then 
continues. "Keiichi Morisato and his Auto Club are already
gathering at the Shinjuku station." He sighs. "From what Kasumi
said, it sounds like he’s out for blood."

Ukyo looks a little surprised. "Tenchi out for blood? That 
doesn’t sound like him."

"No, it doesn’t," agrees Ranma. "But this niece of his...they’re
really close. He and his fiancée--"

Akane sucks in a disbelieving breath. "He’s engaged?! Last I 
checked, he barely look at a girl without getting a nosebleed!"

"Well, last time Keiichi came over, he told me this," Ukyo 
concurs, "and I believe it. According to him, this girl has 
worked one hell of a change on Tenchi." She fixes Ranma with a 
wry expression. "Well, are we gonna stand here all day, or are
we gonna go?"

"We’re gonna go," answers Ranma, heading for the door. After
a moment, Akane and Ukyo follow him, Ukyo hanging behind just
long enough to hang a CLOSED sign on the door. As they step into
the street, they bump into Ryoga, who’s looking at a map of 
Chicago. "Ah, excuse me, sir, could you--"

Ranma yanks the map down. "You’re back in Nerima, Ryoga. Come
on." He grabs Ryoga by the wrist and starts dragging him down
the street.

"Hey! Where are we going?" protests Ryoga.

"We’re going to help Tenchi track down the guy who tried to rape
his niece."

Ryoga stops protesting. "Tenchi always gives me a place to stay
when I end up in Okayama. Sure, I’ll help."

Along the way to Shinjuku, the rest of the cast from Ranma 1/2
is gathered.



The bullet train has barely pulled to a stop when Katsuhiko
Jinnai is jumping out the door onto the platform. He is feeling
extremely winded. Spending over an hour being chased up and down
a train by two dozen angry people is hardly conducive to a 
healthy life. At least now I’m safe, he thinks.

That is, until he sees the dozen or so unkempt-looking
individuals standing right in front of him. In the front, 
however, is the most disturbing. Jinnai immediately recognizes
him. "Morisato?" I’m dead. He and Tenchi and are the best of 
friends...

Deciding not to wait for an answer--after all, Tenchi and 
company are disembarking right behind him--he takes off running.
Tenchi and Keiichi yell "Get ‘im!", and their two groups surge
forward. Everyone else in the train terminal parts like the Red
Sea as the avengers charge into the street.

Jinnai has just turned the corner and is leaning against the 
wall, heaving and panting. Suddenly he hears a voice ask 
"Katsuhiko Jinnai?"

"Yeah," he answers automatically.

"Get him!" He suddenly sees another group chasing after him. 
Yelping in fear, he bolts out into the crowd.

For the next several hours, the would-be conqueror of El-Hazard
is chased throughout Tokyo. Jinnai is running as fast as he can,
as would I if I was chased by twenty angry high school kendo
enthusiasts, three element-wielding priestesses, a high school
teacher with superhuman strength, a college motor club, and a 
group of marital artists who make Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee look
like bumbling amateurs.

None of them are as frightening, however, as the young man in 
the lead, the one wielding the bokken as if an extension
of his own body.

The chase finally ends in front of the Tendo dojo. Jinnai is 
slumped against the wall, his shirt and tie plastered to his 
skin by sweat, the jacket long since discarded. He is also 
somewhat bruised. Tenchi’s bokken has connected on more than one
occasion with his body. Tenchi is in the lead as they close in 
on him. The look in his eyes is one of cold fury.

Jinnai sees the sweep of the bokken long before it connects.
A howl of pain flies from his lips as he falls to the ground.

Tenchi is glaring down at him. "Damn you." His right foot flies
out, catching Jinnai in the gut. He moans in pain. Tenchi 
repeats the process several times, each time eliciting the same
response. As he does this, the rest of the group starts to get
worried. They never suspected that Tenchi might have a sadistic
side...

Keiichi and Ranma step up on either side of Tenchi, concerned
looks on their faces. Keiichi is the first to speak. "Ten--"
The wind is suddenly knocked out of him as he feels something
slamming into his chest. He looks down to see...Tenchi’s
bokken. "Huh?"

"Kei, hold that," says Tenchi coldly. He steps forward, still
glowering down at Jinnai, and reaches into the folds of his 
tunic. Out comes Tenchiken. As the blue-white blade snaps into
being, Tenchi’s ragtag army backs away, looks of fear on their
faces.

Tenchi raises the blade high over his head, making several
practice arcs. Finally, he brings the blade back, preparing
for the final cut. He looks down at Jinnai one last time...

And stops.

Instead of seeing Jinnai cowering on the ground, he sees Sasami,
kneeling before him, looking up at him with pleading eyes. 
Please, Daddy, don’t do this, he hears her voice pleading.
Don’t hurt him, not for my sake... It occurs to Tenchi that,
if he killed Jinnai, Sasami would blame herself for his death.
Angry as he is with this man, he could not bear to put such 
guilt, however unwarranted, on his Sami-cha’ya’s shoulders.

Jinnai has his eyes closed, waiting for the blade to cleave
him lengthwise. He hears a crackle-hiss, tenses, and--he opens
his eyes to see that Tenchi has extinguished his blade.

Tenchi shoves Tenchiken back into his tunic, leans down, and 
roughly pulls Jinnai to his feet. "Wake up, you."

Jinnai’s expression is filled with relief and confusion.

Tenchi is still glaring at him, but no longer with as murderous
an attitude. "Now, what should we do with you?"

"Hey, Tenchi!" Tenchi turns to look at Ranma, who has a strange
smile on his face. "I’ve got an idea..."

An hour later, Tenchi and Ranma are standing back and inspecting
their handiwork. Tenchi is laughing. "And it’s good!" He and 
Ranma exchange a high-five as everyone else is laughing.

Standing before them, in the main dining room at Ucchan’s,
is Katsuhiko Jinnai...dressed in one of Shampoo’s chong-sams*--a
nice pink one--and wearing makeup and a geisha’s wig.

Ootaki, this blond-mohawked guy form Keiichi’s Auto Club, picks
up Jinnai and throws him over one shoulder. "I’m gonna drop this
guy off downtown--in the red district." Laughter ripples around
the room.

"Just remember, Ootaki," yells Keiichi, "that’s a guy under the
dress!" More laughter.

Ukyo emerges from behind the counter. "Food--on the house!"
she announces. And she gestures at the plattersful of 
okonomiyaki on the counter.

"Party time!" calls out Ranma, and the laughter is replaced
by cheering.



"Our top story this morning, an Okayama high school student
was arrested for cross-dressing in the ‘red-light’ district
of downtown Tokyo." The reporter’s face is briefly replaced
by that of Katsuhiko Jinnai, still in drag and holding up a 
number sign. "Identified as Katsuhiko Jinnai, the young man 
claims that students from his high school dragged him to Tokyo
and--"

Tenchi grabs the remote from Ayeka and changes the channel.
"Let’s see if there’s something else on."

"You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that news story,
would you, Tenchi?" asks Nobuyuki dryly. Tenchi shakes his head
innocently. The two men understand each other.

Kiyone smiles at her husband. "Well, Tenchi-yon, it was very 
gallant of you to chase him all the way to Tokyo." She leans
over and kisses his cheek.

Sasami nods in agreement. "Thank you for doing that for me, 
Daddy." She kisses Tenchi’s other cheek.

However, things are not meant to be peaceful for very long. The
first part of the day passes rather peacefully, if one can 
ignore Nanami laughing about her brother not being able to sit
down for a week. That changes as Kiyone is doing stretching
exercises for volleyball practice (all right, boys, think with
me now: "Kiyone in a volleyball uniform...mmmm...").
She has just stood up from her toe-touches when she felt a warm,
male body pressing against her, and a pair of hands gently 
resting on each thigh. Grinning, thinking that it’s her 
Tenchi-yon, she starts to rub herself back against him.

That’s when she hears the voice say, "I like a girl who’s a fast
mover."

That’s not Tenchi’s voice...

She whips around and out of his hands, and takes a good look at
this man. He is tall, taller than Tenchi, and more muscular.
His hair is shaggy and dark-brown, and his skin is slightly
paler than Jinnai’s. His kendo clothing, baggy though it is, 
does little to hide his magnificent physique, the kind built
for high school girls to sigh and giggle over.

It’s not doing a damned thing for Kiyone. "Who the hell are 
you?"

The man smiles and bows. "Oh, where are my manners? Naoki 
Miyazaki, vice-president of the Student Council, president
of the kendo club, at your service."

Kiyone smiles politely, resisting the urge to wipe that smug 
grin off his face. "Kiyone Makibi."

"Ah. Kiyone Makibi." The voice is smooth--More like slick as 
oil, thinks Kiyone. "You are a very beautiful girl. Might I have
the honor of your company to the party Yoshiko is hosting 
Saturday night?"

When hell freezes, you-- "I’m sorry," replies Kiyone sweetly.
"You see, I’m already seeing someone, and we’re quite serious.
In fact, we’re engaged to be married."

"Oh?" Naoki has a disbelieving expression on his face. "And who
might this be?"

"Tenchi Masaki," answers Kiyone proudly.

Naoki sniffs, obviously unimpressed. "Tenchi Masaki? 
That...unworthy fellow? He is a fool."

"Vice-president of the kendo club, chief senior-class
delegate to the Student Council, the Japanese equivalent
of a 3.5 GPA...he’s hardly a fool," shoots back Kiyone.

Naoki smirks. "Tenchi Masaki...I spoke too harshly. He is a good
swordsman, and a good leader. But he is hardly worthy of such
magnificence as yours."

Five minutes. Just five minutes alone with him and my 
blaster--"Regardless of what you think, I love Tenchi and he 
loves me." She looks Naoki up and down. "You shouldn’t have any
trouble getting dates, so don’t pick up on other guy’s 
girlfriends." She sees Tenchi enter the room, and a smile 
blossoms on her face. He runs up to her and picks her up in his
arms.

Naoki smirks as he watches this. "Very un-Japanese, Masaki,"
he mutters under his breath. "No matter, I shall win this Kiyone
away from that pompous fool, Tenchi, without even breaking
a sweat."

The events of the next few weeks prove him wrong. Every attempt
Naoki makes to sway Kiyone away from Tenchi fails utterly.
Naoki cannot fathom why she is so devoted to him. Everyone
else can, however: the two of them are in love. Big time.

Finally, his lust for the forbidden fruit turns to a bad case
of "sour grapes." Consequently, rumors start wafting through
the halls of Shinonome High. Rumors about Kiyone being...
inexpensive.

Most students disregard these rumors, believing in the depth
of Kiyone and Tenchi's mutual devotion. Some of the more 
hormonally driven and less intelligent students, however,
take them seriously. These students start making a practice
of deliberately passing by Kiyone when she's bending over or in
gym clothes and "copping-a-feel."

These students quickly learned that Kiyone is well versed in 
hand-to-hand combat.

When Tenchi found out about these incidents he was incensed,
and could be seen chasing students up and down the hall, 
swinging his bokken and screaming curses at them in some unknown
language. Kiyone, of course, knows that he was cursing in 
Juraian, but she can't tell any of the other students that.

Events finally come to a head one day at lunch. Tenchi and 
Kiyone are seated at her desk, facing each other with 
dreamy-looks in their eyes as they consume their food. Next to 
them, their friends are giving them a little good-natured
ribbing. Kiyone is laughing at a joke that Nanami had told when
their desk is over-shadowed by a tall figure. The two lovers
and their companions look up to see Naoki, a look of absolute
disgust painted across his features.

"So, Masaki," he sneers, "How much has she cost you this month?
I hear that her type charge rather exorbitant fees."

"I don't like the tone of your voice, Miyazaki," says Tenchi,
his voice riddled with icy irritation.

Naoki shakes his head in a mock-pitying gesture. "Poor, poor 
Masaki. Can't even get a Japanese girl, so he has to settle
for this gaijin slut."

The other students, hearing Naoki's rather loud proclamations,
start to back away from the center of conflict. Fujisawa and Miz
look up from their tempura lunch, looks of worry starting
to cross their faces.

"Naoki, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from 
insulting Kiyone." Tenchi says this in an almost calm voice.
He slowly reaches underneath his desk and brings up his bokken.
He sets it on the desk with a loud thump.

This scares the heck out of everyone in the room. Everyone,
except Kiyone, who is slowly reaching for her school bag, where
she has Reiken safely tucked.

"Ahh-hah-hah-ah! Going to strike me with your little wooden
sword, Tenchi Masaki? Let me show you a real sword!" Narrowing
his eyes slightly and raising his right hand above his head,
Naoki concentrates his mind. After a moment, a ball of 
green-white energy appears in his right hand. He squeezes
his hand shut around it, and it elongates into a broadsword
of energy--identical to Kyoto's.

Tenchi looks up in shock --and he realizes where he has seen it
before. "Impossible," he whispers, "so you must be..."

"Three centuries back, our family name was... Minamoto!"
Naoki levels the sword, pointing the blade at Tenchi. "Come,
let us go some place more... secluded."

Tenchi barks a harsh laugh and stands up. He holds out his right
hand and a ball of blue energy appears in it. It flashes,
and Tenchi is holding a long, curved katana of blue Jurai 
energy.

"Ah, so I was right in my assumptions! The blood of Jurai does
flow through your veins! Come, I shall test you!" Naoki does a 
small hop and he teleports off, followed by Tenchi a second
later.

Kiyone, a determined look on her face, throws open the flap on 
her book bag and pulls out Reiken. She holds it out in front
of her, and the teal blade materializes above the projecting
end. "Hang on, Tenchi-yon!! I'm coming!!" She sprints out the 
door.

Meanwhile, far atop the vacant roof of the gym, the forms of two
individuals manifest. Tenchi is blinking and looking around.
He looks at Naoki, who's still glaring at him. Naoki's attire
has converted to a combat outfit similar to Kyoto's, his cheeks
streaked with red war paint, and black cross slashes under his
eyes. Narrowing his eyes, Tenchi reappears in his own Juraian
combat outfit.

Naoki smirks, and releases a semi-maniacal laugh. "Let's see how
good your noble blood is to you when it is no longer inside
your body!!" Roaring a fierce war cry, he charges at Tenchi.
Tenchi barely manages to step out of the way in time.

"Why are you doing this?!" he yells.

"The Jurai will die!" yells Naoki bringing his sword around
again for Tenchi. Tenchi brings his up and blocks Naoki's with
it. Tenchi almost loses his grip on his sword at the force of 
impact. Oh shit, he has his ancestor's strength as well...
Tenchi spins himself to the side, panting heavily.

"You still haven't answered my question, Naoki! Why are you 
doing this?!"

"The mother of our family vowed on her husband's grave that she
would take revenge on the Juraian who ended her beloved's
life! Our family has continued this vow to destroy the Jurai
at any cost!"

Tenchi is tempted to tell him that his "dead ancestor" is still
much alive. However, he thinks that it will just do more harm
right now. "Naoki, don't do this!!"

"Silence, swine, you shall not escape me!" Naoki sends a pair
of energy bolts at Tenchi. Acting on instinct, Tenchi knocks
them from the air with his sword.

"Not bad at all, Masaki, but I will have my revenge!" Naoki 
lands on the roof across from Tenchi. He then holds his blade
out in front of him, as if assuming a fighting pose. A second
later, small bolts of greenish-white energy begin to funnel
in towards a point in front of the extended sword. Within 
seconds, there is a small ball of green energy floating in front
of them. Grinning, Naoki lifts his blade in the air above his 
head and the ball of energy transmogrifies into a large, 
mythical dragon. As he brings the blade arcing back down, he 
cries, "Go now!!" The dragon leaps forward and aims itself at 
Tenchi.

Tenchi leaps into the air just a second before the dragon 
impacts with the spot in which he had been standing. The dragon
crashes through the roof and comes racing back out the gym a 
second later through a wall, giving Tenchi as chance to land on
the far roof of the main school building. Intent on its purpose,
the dragon continues to crash through the building as it 
attempts to hit its target. The resulting impacts of the dragon
causes heavy damage to the high school itself and buries several
students under mountains of shattered concrete and metal. Having
thoroughly demolished the top floor of Shinonome High, the 
dragon arcs through the air and comes to hover above Naoki's
head.

"The Dragon Sword, my family's trademark attack! This was only
a small sampling of its power, now, let me give you a true 
demonstration!" He is about to order his dragon to attack once
more; however, this action never takes place for a split second
before he is about to send his dragon at Tenchi again, a teal
blade of energy comes spinning through the air and neatly 
removes Naoki's right hand. The impact of this sudden attack
is enough to send Naoki toppling off the roof and his dragon
back to the chaotic energies that it had come from. Surprised
by his rescuer's sudden move, Tenchi glances around to find...

Kiyone! She is on the school volleyball court, clad in her 
Juraian combat attire. Reiken neatly sails back into her hands
and the blade extinguishes. She then turns her gaze up to 
Tenchi.

How'd I do, Tenchi-yon? Did daddy's little girl make her daddy
proud? Tenchi moans to himself slightly at the last part of 
this.

Yes you did, Kiyone-yoni, but please don't talk like that right
now! We still have Naoki to deal with--

"Yes," rumbles Naoki's voice, "you still have me to deal with."
A second later, a large beam of green energy crashes into Kiyone
and sends her smashing through several layers of reinforced
concrete wall. She then slumps to the ground, unconscious.
Tenchi looks down, rage burning in his eyes to see Naoki 
standing by the side of the gym, energy wafting off of his 
person. He grins maliciously up at Tenchi as second before he 
releases a similar beam of energy at him. Tenchi leaps out of 
the way a second before the beam immolates the spot that he had
been.

He soon finds himself in a precarious pirouette around the 
innumerable blasts of energy being directed at him. He is about
to sigh in relief when he sees Naoki charging him with is sword.
Tenchi sidesteps Naoki's main blow; however, he still does not
escape without injury. Naoki manages to slash him across the 
arm. Tenchi soon finds himself being slashed across the body 
from all directions. Naoki moving too fast for him to strike
at. Surrounded in pain and confusion he desperately opens his 
mind and hears.... Kiyone's voice. It's weak and dripping
with pain, but very determined.

Tenchi-yon, you must concentrate. I can see Naoki even as he 
teleports at high speed around you... listen, my Tenchi, you 
mustn't strike at just any of him-- she stops for a moment to 
hack up a small quantity of blood --wait until he is above you,
my Tenchi-yon, you must wait... wait... wait... Her voice slowly
fades away, leaving Tenchi once more in his envelope of pain and
confusion. However, while the world around him is bathed in 
chaos, his mind is ever so concentrated. He has his sword lit 
and in front of him, each of his muscles tensing, his ears and
heart straining to track his evasive adversary, waiting...
waiting... waiting...

"Aagghh!!!" Naoki howls as Tenchi's blade pierces through his 
chest and out his back, splattering Naoki's blood all over both
the surrounding area and staining Tenchi's khaki and navy 
garments. As Naoki's body slumps into unconsciousness,
Tenchi slowly lowers his sword to the ground and drops Naoki's
body. He lets the blade extinguish and his attire revert to his
normal school clothes before making his way over to Kiyone.

She is slumped against the dented concrete wall, her body 
puddled like a sack of clothes. It is not her unconsciousness
that worries Tenchi, but the large pool of blood around her. 
Tears welling in his eyes, he kneels down beside her and takes
his limp body in his arms and begins to sob into her bosom.
He is sure that she is dead-- until he feels one of her hands
slowly wrap around the back of his neck.

"Oh... my... Tenchi-yon, you... were... so... brave, 
thank...you... for... protecting... me...." Her body goes limp
once more. Tears streaming down his eyes, Tenchi turns to the 
group of on-lookers that are starting to gather around them and
Naoki.

"Don't just stand there!" he barks. "Call an ambulance!"



* * *



The next six hours finds Tenchi nervously pacing back and forth
in the Okayama hospital's waiting room. Kiyone has been in the
emergency room for a majority of this time and for a large 
portion of it, the doctors were unsure that she was going to 
make it. Tenchi looks half inebriated, disheveled, and extremely
nervous. He has drunken the better part of a bottle of Daiginjo
saké and can barely stay on his feet. He is about to throw it 
all to the wind and burst right into the operating room to find
out what is going on, when one of the doctors, a very large 
smile on his face, walks out of the swinging doors leading
to the ER.

"She's going to make it," he says in a jolly, heartwarming
voice. Tenchi almost melts into a puddle right then and there.
The doctor has to hold him up in order to tell him the rest of 
the news. "Your...friend...is recovering in one of the upstairs
wards, he'll be out for a while. Whatever cut through him from
that explosion must have been red hot, because that hole in him
looked like it had been made with a laser or something...
Miss Makibi should be strong enough to see you tomorrow,
so my suggestion is to go home with your father and get some 
rest. There's nothing more that you can really do here now, 
anyway."

"Thank you, Doctor. Make sure that she makes it through the 
night, I want my wif--uh, I mean, fiancée to be here when I come
back." The doctor catches Tenchi's stumble in his speech, but 
figures that since the two of them are engaged, it's merely
exhaustion mingled with relief. Katsuhito is a friend of his and
told him about it all one day when the two of them were out at 
the driving range. If his wife had pulled through after 
something like this, he'd feel more than a little wobbly 
himself. Tenchi pumps the doctor’s hand once more and then walks
out of the building. He meets up with his father in the parking
lot and the two of them drive home in relative silence.

When Tenchi walks into his house, he finds Kyoto setting up the
table for a late dinner and Ryoko busy working in the kitchen.
This is something very unlike Ryoko.

"Oh, Tenchi!! You're home earlier than I expected! Don't worry,
we'll have dinner ready in a second!" says Kyoto as he finishes
setting the table. Dinner is rather quiet, seeing that it is 
only the four of them, the others having made themselves
dinner earlier and long since gone to bed, and most of it is in
silence. It is towards the end of dinner when Tenchi finally
finds the energy to speak.

"So, Kyoto, it seems I've found one your relatives. Tell me, 
exactly when did you start that family?"

Tenchi's question catches Kyoto halfway into slurping up a 
mouthful of noodles and, and the subject of questioning
ends up having to choke down the rest before responding.
Finally, he manages one word: "Huh?"

"Ever heard of a kid called Naoki Miyazaki?"

Kyoto thinks for a minute, then his eyes go wide as he realizes.
"Oh, my..."

"Yes, oh my," replies Tenchi. For all his powers and skills,
he still has a hard time hiding his anger. "That son of a 
bitch--"

"His mother was never a bitch," interrupts Kyoto.

"All right then, that...hothead...attacked
me today, tried to kill me. Instead, he almost killed Kiyone.
She’s at the hospital right now."

Ryoko gasps. "She’s at the hospital? I thought she was...well,
I have no idea where she would have been, but..."

"She’ll be all right, but she has to stay overnight."

"And Naoki?"

Tenchi sighs. "He’s still alive. But if Kiyone were dead..."
The cold look in his eyes tells everyone that, had Mrs. Masaki
passed on that day, Naoki Miyazaki would have quickly followed.
(Come to think of it, Tenchi probably would have, too.)

After struggling for a moment to get his emotions under control,
Tenchi faces Kyoto with a noncommittal look that an actor could
not have bettered. "So?"

"Well, Tenchi, seeing as this is inadvertently my fault, I'll
tell you. I married Aki Yoshiboto in the year 1643. We were a 
happily married couple for 17 years before a Juraian scout ship
discovered me. One of their agents attacked in the night. In 
order to keep from arousing suspicion as to what I really was 
--the people in those times would have thought that I was a 
kappa and consequentially killed any relations of mine-- so, I 
played the part of a mortal and died. For 156 years after that
Jurai thought that I was dead, that was until one fine day I 
came and destroyed both of the twin star cities on the southern
continent in relation for what they did that evening--but
I digress. I had no idea that my wife would swear an oath to 
kill every Juraian, no matter how long it took and what was the
cost. Apparently, that ."

Tenchi takes a minute to take a sip from his tea. "That still
doesn't explain how Naoki inherited your powers! Do all of your
descendants have your abilities?"

"Naoki was a select case. It was only with Aki that I remained
in my true form, hence why all of our children inherited
my powers, because my actual DNA contains the elements required
to generate those abilities. For some reason, though, the 
ability to transmogrify never seems to transfer. I still fail
to understand exactly why that strand in my DNA code does not 
transfer with the others when I have... well, I think you know."

"What still confuses me, Kyoto, is that he said his family name
was Minamoto. How could that be possible? Traditionally
in Japan, the man takes on the wife's last name, not 
vice-versa."

"That's pretty easy to explain, Tenchi. In those times the wife
took on the husbands' last name because the family wanted to 
gain power generally when they had their daughters marry. That's
the only reason my name has carried through the generations."

"So why did she change it?" asks Nobuyuki as he helps himself
to another fish patty.

"Probably to keep the Galaxy Police or Jurai from finding them,"
answers Kyoto. "If they knew that I had a family, they would
have questioned them, maybe even arrested them."

The phone rings. Tenchi is across the room and has the receiver
in hand before the first ring ends. "Hello, Masaki residence..."
His face lights up in a smile. "Kiyone-yoni! You’re awake!"
After listening for a moment, he blushes. "Kiyone-yoni,
maybe you shouldn’t be...ahhh...ummm..." He stands still for a 
moment, then heads upstairs, the receiver still pressed against
his ear. As he leaves earshot, he can be heard to say, "So, now
what does Daddy’s girl want to do?"

Kyoto sighs. "Sounds like everything’s gonna be back to normal."

Kiyone spends another couple of nights in the hospital. Since
the details surrounding her and Naoki’s admittance qualify
as "extenuating circumstances," Tenchi receives permission
to spend his time at the hospital. He and Sasami stay way past
visiting hours, and Kiyone finds herself entertaining
many other visitors, besides.

Naoki receives a few, as well. First, the kendo club, to inform
him that they have replaced him with Tenchi, and have ejected
him from the club altogether. Second, the principal, who tells
him not to hurry his recovery--he’s expelled. To assuage his 
ego, the harem of adorers he maintains stops by every day to 
give him gifts--while on their way to giggle and sigh with 
Kiyone.

The minute Tenchi carries Kiyone through the door of the house
(he had insisted on it), he takes her to Washu’s lab, to make
sure she’s all right. The doctor’s verdict: "She’s just fine!"
The former GP then gets carried up to her and Tenchi’s room,
where she is the recipient of a full-body massage. Sasami’s
verdict: "They’re being naughty!"

Kiyone’s speedy recovery enables her to reclaim her place on the
volleyball team, and she leads her team through the finals and
to the championship game with ease. The victory party back in 
Okayama is big and noisy--which is okay, considering that it 
takes place at the Masaki house. The karaoke machine is brought
back to life, and is kept going all night. Tenchi and Makoto
christen it in with their take on Tetsuya Iwanaga’s "The 
Adventure," which is followed by Nanami and her interpretation
of Rio Natsuki’s "Zeni No Hana," which is followed by Miz with
Saeko Shimazu’s "Yama No Ana," and then by Ifurita and her 
rendition of Yuri Amano’s "Chiisana Hana," and it goes on and on
and on...

Near the end of the party (four-thirty a.m.), Kiyone and 
Mihoshi, who have been on-and-off monopolizing the karaoke
machine, take the makeshift stage one last time, for their 
signature song, "Sleeping Beauty on the Balcony":



I float and sway, as I sail on

This slumberland, caressed in the sun

Forget the things to do and sit on the balcony



It’s nice and warm, it’s all right

The cat beside me is dozing off

Oh, prince, don’t you kiss me, oh no not yet, oooh yeah



I float, I sway, in my sleep

Over this slumberland, you know, the happiness lies

You see, you should never disturb

The happy princess in slumber on the balcony



I float and sway, as I doze off

Caressed in the sun, so gentle and warm

Forget all your worries, sleep on the balcony



It’s nice and warm, it’s all right

The cat beside me is fast asleep

I’m now the happiest princess

Lost in the wonderland, oh yeah



I float and sway in my dreams

Happy is the world of slumber, yeah

You see, you should never disturb

‘Cause I’m a princess in slumber on the balcony



I float and sway as I go

The road of happy slumber, yeah

All I want is to keep dreaming on

‘Cause I’m a princess in slumber on the balcony...



Amid the laughter and cheers, and even the big kiss and hug that
she receives from her Tenchi, Kiyone does not notices the 
thoughtful look in her husband’s eye.

Washu and Nobuyuki, however, do later. Tenchi has carried Kiyone
up to bed and come back downstairs, promising her that he’ll
be up soon. Once down, he faces his father and Washu. "I need
to ask you two for a favor."

"Go ahead," says Nobuyuki.

"What do you need?" inquires Washu.

"Dad, you used to be pretty good with a piano." "Well, yes, I 
did," admits Nobuyuki. "But I haven’t touched one since..."
He leaves the sentence hanging.

"And Washu. As a genius, I assume that you can play at least
one instrument."

"Yes. Why?"

"I need you two to help me write a song for our wedding...for
Kiyone."

Both Nobuyuki and Washu look a little surprised. Finally,
Nobuyuki asks, "Why?"

"As the emperor of Jurai, I can give her anything. But...it’s
just money, just things. This would be from the heart." Tenchi
looks a little embarrassed at having to admit this, but he 
presses on. "Please?"

Nobuyuki and Washu immediately nod.



After watching Tenchi disappear into Washu’s lab every night
after dinner for a couple weeks, Kiyone starts to wonder what’s
going on. So, one night when Tenchi is upstairs reading, she 
walks into the lab, to find Washu and Nobuyuki looking over a 
sheaf of papers with lyrics and musical notes on them.

"You know, Nobuyuki, you’re excellent with that piano," comments
Washu. "I can’t understand why you didn’t pursue a career in 
music."

Nobuyuki blushes a little. "Thanks. It was just a hobby, though.
I haven’t touched a keyboard since Achika..." He closes his eyes
for a moment, then starts speaking in forced joviality.
"Well, it appears that Tenchi has developed some skill in 
wordsmithing. These lyrics..." He holds up the sheet. 
"...they’re excellent. His mother could have been a writer 
if..." Once again he lapses into silence. "Anyway, you...I
know this’ll sound silly, seeing as you are a genius, but you’re
really good with that--" He suddenly notices Kiyone standing
behind them. "Kiyone!"

Kiyone has an amused--and relieved--expression
on her face. "So this is what Tenchi’s been doing in here these
past few weeks!"

Nobuyuki’s blush fades and is replaced by a proud grin. "This
is your wedding present!" He holds the sheaf of papers up to 
Kiyone. "Tenchi asked us to help him write a song for your 
wedding!"

Kiyone’s amused expression quickly becomes one of 
sentimentality. "Ohhh...how sweet!" An idea forms in the back
of her head. After all, all princesses have some skill in 
music... "Dad, Washu, could you help me do the same?"



And so the last weeks of Tenchi Masaki’s last year of high 
school pass quickly.

For about a month, the only real worry is the various offworld
media organizations that seem to keep descending on the Masaki
house. Be it a distinguished news organization like Galaxy News
Network, or a trash rag like The Galactic Interrogator,
all of them descend on Okayama like vultures on a fresh carcass.
Allow a typical interview:

6:30 a.m.: A ship from The Jurai Times lands in the lake. Tenchi
and Kiyone, grumbling, come out of the house, swords in hand,
ready to kill, but they find that it’s just the press. Grumbling
even louder, they stumble back into the house.

7:15 a.m.: The reporters and camera crew are finally let into
the house after pounding on the door for 45 minutes. Tenchi
lays out the ground rules: interview time after school, and no 
sneaking into the school to get quotes or comments from other
students. Most news crews agree to this rule; the ones that do 
not are held in a stasis bubble until Tenchi and Kiyone return
from school.

11:30 a.m.: The "well-behaved" news crews send at least one 
member over to the school to try to get the scoop. The 
directions provided to them by Kyoto, however, always lead 
through the girls’ locker room. The hapless reporter ends up 
being chased out of the building by a dozen angry girls.

5:30 p.m.: Tenchi and Kiyone return from school. The interview
is given, interrupted halfway through by dinner, and then 
finished after dinner.

9:30: The news crew leaves.

Finally, the last week of Tenchi’s senior year arrives.

It gets off to rather unauspicious start Sunday night.

Tenchi and Kiyone are walking in an Okayama park on Sunday 
night, neither one noticing how much they look like Nobuyuki
and Achika of a quarter-century past. As they cut through the 
center of the park, headed for the bus stop, they come across
a small playground with a swing set. Kiyone releases a childlike
giggle of delight and immediately rushes towards them. Tenchi
follows close behind, the smile of a doting father on his face.

Kiyone seats herself in the first swing and starts to push 
herself back and forth, laughing delight as the swaying motion
takes hold. Tenchi steps up behind her and, placing his hands
on her upper back, gives her a gentle push. They spend the next
hour doing this, luxuriating in the bliss of setting aside adult
worries.

That peace is shattered around one a.m. Tenchi is jolted out of
a dream about being a Valkyrie pilot on the Macross by feeling
his pajama pants being tugged down. He groggily opens his eyes
and sees Kiyone pushing his pants down and starting to do the 
same with his boxers. "K-K-Kiyone-yoni?" he manages.

It’s only a moment later that he realizes that she’s naked.

Oh god. Tenchi knows Kiyone’s body quite well, has seen it 
scantily clad and completely nude on many occasions. And, he has
to admit, their period of "official engagement" has not been 
entirely celibate. At least several times a day she demonstrates
physical affection (beyond mere hugging and kissing) that 
radiates love, longing, or pure lust.

She is not radiating any of those things right now.

In fact, Tenchi is reading...franticness.

Kiyone has now pulled down his boxers and is holding him in her
hands. She starts to rub gently, and Tenchi feels a moan of 
pleasure escape his lips.

Kiyone starts to run her thumb over his tip, and it’s all Tenchi
can do to keep himself from losing control--all over her hands.
With a tremendous effort of will, he slowly moves her hands away
from him and clasps her gently but firmly. He smiles 
reassuringly at her and asks, What’s up, Kiyone-yoni?

Daddy...I need you... She pushes him down on the bed and starts
to kiss him.

Tenchi’s self-control is faltering, but he manages to push 
himself upright.

Kiyone looks at him, a hurt expression on her face. What’s 
wrong, Tenchi-yon? She tries to nuzzle him. Don’t I turn my 
daddy on anymore? She is trying to radiate a seductive air, but
Tenchi can sense the tears running down her cheeks. Taking care
not to rub together any parts that might dissolve his willpower
completely, he takes his wife in his arms and hugs her tight.
Abruptly, Kiyone buries her face in his shoulder and starts
sobbing.

It’s okay, Kiyone-yoni, I’m here, I’m not gonna leave, he 
soothes. What happened? Can I do anything to help?

Tenchi-yon, she sniffles, her tears carrying over into her 
mental voice, I...I dreamed that you hated me.

Tenchi is visibly shocked, and he hugs Kiyone closer to him. 
Darling, I could never hate you, you know that.

I know, Tenchi-yon, I know, she answers. B-b-but it was so 
real... Kiyone’s tears, both physical and mental, are starting
to subside now, and her mental voice is clearer, stronger.
In this dream, you were married to...

Who was I married to? Tenchi presses gently.

Ayeka. Kiyone looks up a moment later to see her husband 
laughing--quietly, so as not to wake up the rest of the Masaki
house, but laughing nonetheless. Feeling somewhat confused,
she asks aloud, "What’s so funny, Tenchi-yon?"

"Me...marry Ayeka?!" The grin on his face is infectious,
and Kiyone finds herself smiling too. "I guess it is rather
funny."

Tenchi’s chuckling dies down, and he looks tenderly at Kiyone.
"Kiyone-yoni, you know I could never want anyone else." He 
gently strokes the back of her neck. "My guardian angel, the one
who keeps me sane."

"I know, Tenchi," she whispers. She then notes that something
is rubbing against her. She looks down and her eyes brighten.
Does daddy wanna play with his little girl? It sure looks like
he wants to...

Tenchi realizes something, looks down--Ohmigod. He quickly
starts fumbling for the sheets, and Kiyone laughs softly. 
"Sorry...daddy."

Tenchi snorts. Just you wait another week, Kiyone-yoni.

I know. Tenchi-yon, she agrees as she pulls her panties back on.
She is trying to ignore Tenchi replacing his boxers. I’m gonna
make sure my daddy doesn’t get any sleep for a year!

And I look forward to it, he laughs. He lies back down, and she
snuggles up to him. In spite of the happy note, she can’t get 
back to sleep right away, but he happily sweet-talks her until
exhaustion takes over.



"Tenchi-yon! Tenchi-yon, wake up!"

Tenchi feels Kiyone shaking him, and he reluctantly opens his 
eyes. He smiles up at her. "Morning, Kiyone-yoni." A quick flip,
and he’s lying on top of his wife, whose incredible body is 
encased in just a pair of panties. "Does my little girl wanna
play a little with daddy?"

Kiyone groans, trying to ignore her self-control going south.
"Mmmm...that sounds good, daddy, but we have to go!"

Tenchi’s brow wrinkles, and he slowly rolls off of her. "Okay,
what time is it?"

"7:45."

"Oh my god!" Tenchi is out the door before Kiyone can say 
anything else.

He’s back in their room before a minute has passed, his face 
red. Standing next to him is Sasami, adorable yet again in 
carrot pajamas. She has a teasing expression on her face. 
"Mommy, why are you and Daddy still in your underwear?"

"We overslept," answers Kiyone, pulling on her pajama shorts.
After looking for a moment, she finds Tenchi’s bathrobe and 
throws it at him. They rush out of their room, headed for the 
bathroom.

In the end, they are only a half-hour late, but they receive
a lot of razzing nonetheless. One of Tenchi’s friends, a 
clown-faced boy named Kenji, makes the mistake of asking if 
Tenchi was busy getting some. He finds himself pressed up 
against the wall, Tenchi’s bokken pressing uncomfortably
against his Adam’s apple. "Got any other brilliant questions,
bright boy?" he growls.

The other students start to back away. They have never known
Tenchi to initiate a fight before, although he has proven 
himself very capable of ending one. Still, they should have 
guessed that Tenchi would be just a little touchy if someone
said anything about his Kiyone...

Speaking of whom, she comes up and places a hand on her 
husband’s shoulder. "Ten-chan," she says mildly, "calm down..."

And all at once, Tenchi’s normal, easygoing persona reasserts
itself. "Ohhh..." He smiles at his beloved. "Thank you, 
Kiyo-chan."

During the rest of the day, and into the evening, he watches
his wife very closely. She seems to be completely recovered
from the incident early that morning, but it bothers him. He had
always known that there was a side to the strong young lady that
was as fragile as a China doll, and that needed constant 
reassurances of love and affection, and was more than willing
to give the same. He’s okay with that. But he still wants to do
something to demonstrate how much he loves her. While practicing
with Grandpa (by now, he can easily defeat the old prince 
without even keeping his mind on what he’s doing), it hits him
(no, not Katsuhito’s sword, you idiots!)

"I’ll make her dinner!" he announces triumphantly, flinging
his arms back and accidentally (or was it?) knocking Katsuhito
to the ground. Realizing what he’s done, he spins around and 
pulls his grandfather to his feet. "Sorry, Grandpa, just 
thinking out loud."

"It’s all right," replies Katsuhito. He eyes his grandson
carefully. "Were you even trying today, Tenchi?"

Tenchi has the good grace to looks sheepish. "Sorry, Grandpa,
my thoughts were..."

"I see," mutters Katsuhito. "And you still manage to beat me."
He shrugs. "You have surpassed me far faster and by a much 
greater margin than I thought possible, Tenchi."

"Thanks, Grandpa. Listen, could you and Dad help--"

Katsuhito holds up his hands. "Already done. We’ll have everyone
out of the house on--what night?"

"Wednesday would be perfect."

"Wednesday it is."

And yet, as one might expect, nothing goes as planned.

Originally, Sasami and Tenchi had prepared dinner Tuesday 
afternoon while Mihoshi, Ryoko, and Mitsuki took Kiyone out to 
the Quad-Cluster Shopping Center at Altair. Unfortunately,
Washu had come out of her lab, and, finding the elegant 
traditional Japanese meal wrapped in foil in the fridge, and not
having had anything to eat for twelve hours straight, disposes
of it straightaway. (On the plus side, Kiyone did come back with
a lot of skimpy panties and lingerie for their honeymoon.)
Naturally, Tenchi and Sasami are not pleased. Since Sasami will
be going out with everyone else that night--and thus cannot
stay behind to play cook for her parents, much as she wants 
to--she leaves behind the recipes in Tenchi’s hands, who she 
knows can cook. So far, so good.

Problem number two: Tuesday night, Tenchi had purchased Kiyone’s
favorite brand of saké, Daiginjo. Two bottles, in fact. Not that
he had planned on the two of them getting blitzed, or one 
getting her drunk and having his way with her--one thing their
sex life has never needed was stimulation by alcohol--but
he wanted to make this night special. Naturally, in the morning
he finds both bottles missing from the cabinet he’d stowed them
in. "I know where they went," he mutters as he storms up the 
stairs and bangs open his father’s bedroom. Sure enough, the two
expensive bottles of rice wine lie empty on the floor, and his
dad is sprawled across the bed, still dressed, a thin trickle
of drool dribbling from the corner of his mouth. If it had not
been for Kiyone coming out of there room and asking Tenchi if he
wanted to take a bath with her, he probably would have been 
picked up for first-degree murder.

Problem number three: Flowers. He had also ordered a dozen of 
her favorite Earth flowers to be delivered before they got home
from school. The delivery guy apparently was a relative of 
Ryoga’s, for he got lost three times before getting to the 
house, and had left the flowers sitting in his passenger’s
seat--and it was a sunny day. You guessed it. Wilt city.

To top it all off, while Tenchi and Kiyone were at school,
Mitsuki and Mihoshi came down with a sudden attack of the 
munchies and ate most of the food that Tenchi had put aside for
preparing that night’s dinner. The little Post-it Notes he had
affixed to the dishes saying "Don’t touch! For Tenchi and 
Kiyone!" had gone unnoticed. Since Kiyone was unaware of what
Tenchi’s trying to do--he wanted it to be a surprise--she
had no idea why, when seeing the fridge a few dishes light,
he stormed out and up the steps to the shrine. For the next 
half-hour, everyone in the house heard what sounded like falling
trees, then Tenchi strolled back in, looking considerably
calmer. He headed for the bathroom, where he tended to keep a 
fresh change of clothes, and took a bath.

It is just after he has emerged that he catches Kyoto’s eye. 
Having been informed of this--as has everyone but Kiyone--he
yells out, "Time to go!" As if on cue, everyone in the house
heads for the door, pulling on shoes and jackets as they go.

Kiyone looks up in confusion. "Huh? Where’re you all going?"

"Out for dinner," answers Katsuhito.

Tenchi makes as if to go get his coat, but Katsuhito shakes
his head. "No, no. You do have your exams to study for. Sasami
made you some dinner earlier, it’s in the refrigerator.
We’ll be home before midnight."

"So don’t be naughty!" teases Sasami. And with that, everyone
but Tenchi and Kiyone leave the house. Tenchi stretches.
"Well, I’m gonna go see what there is to eat." He walks into the
kitchen, looks in the fridge, and sighs. "What am I gonna do?"
he sighs. He looks around. The wilted flowers are on the 
counter, the Daiginjo has been replaced with Suntory, which he 
is not fond of, and the elaborate meal he and Sasami had 
prepared is in ruins.

Surveying what he has to work with, Tenchi comes to a decision.
"Stir-fry." He sighs. "It’s all I can do." He drags the rarely
used wok out of a cupboard, gives it a quick rinse-and-dry,
and sets it on the stove. A little oil goes in, and then some
noodles, and finally what’s left of the beef and vegetables.
As he stirs the contents around in the wok, Tenchi begins to 
relax. Maybe tonight won’t go so bad after all...

"Tenchi-yon..."

Tenchi straightens up as he hears her calling. She has a slight
lilt to her voice, the kind she likes to adopt when she’s 
playing Daddy’s little girl. "Daddy...come on out and spend some
time with your little girl..."

Tenchi gulps. He can feel himself getting hard just at the sound
of his Kiyone-yoni’s voice. A quick look at the stove tells him
that the stir-fry is well on its way. He turns the knob down a 
bit, so as not to spark a fire, and he slowly makes his way into
the living room. Kiyone, still in her school uniform, is 
stretched out on the couch. Her plaid skirt, shorter than the 
other girls’, is hiked up around her waist, showing her white
cotton panties. She is shifting around, as if in bed and trying
to make herself comfort able. When she sees him, she smiles
slowly and seductively. "Hi, daddy."

Tenchi gulps. "Kiyone-yoni?"

Her smile widens. "Daddy...come and sit down with me."

Tenchi does so, and suddenly finds her in his lap. He is quickly
on his back on the couch and she is kissing him fiercely,
deftly unbuttoning his shirt. Kiyone-yoni? he queries.

Mmm...daddy tastes so good, she sends back. C’mon, daddy, be 
naughty with me.

But what about...?

She never gets to answer, for the smoke alarm in the kitchen
starts blaring.

Tenchi pushes Kiyone back onto the couch and sprints into the 
kitchen, and stares in horror as the stir-fry--and its 
wok--start to burn. His shoulders slump. "Oh no."

Kiyone bursts into the kitchen. "Tenchi-yon, wha--oh, my." She
grabs a small kitchen fire extinguisher from atop the fridge
and turns it on the stove. The flaming stir-fry dies in a cloud
of white foam, and Tenchi gingerly kills the burner.

Kiyone replaces the extinguisher, and looks over at her husband.
"Tenchi, maybe next time--" The look of defeat on his face 
silences her for a moment. She approaches him and rests a 
tentative hand on his shoulder. "Tenchi-yon?"

As Kiyone looks closer, she is shocked to see silent tears 
running down his face. The sardonic, self-mocking smile on his
face is even more shocking. When he speaks, it’s in a voice of 
self-chagrin. "I’m sorry, Kiyone-yoni. I had Dad and Kyoto get
everyone out of the house so I could make you a romantic 
dinner."

Kiyone looks up at Tenchi, understanding on her face. Tenchi
had been secretive the past few days, as if planning something.
She had been curious, but she had never guessed..."Oh,
Tenchi..." She reaches up, wipes away his tears, and hugs him.
"Thank you."

He hugs her back. "Thank you, Kiyone-yoni. None of this went the
way it was s’posed to, though."

"Really?" Kiyone asks.

Tenchi nods. "Not a single thing. Sasami had helped me make a 
fancy meal last night--"

"So that’s why you were late coming up to study with me," 
reflects Kiyone.

"Yup. But this morning, we found that Washu had eaten it--"

Kiyone giggles. "She ate it all?"

"Most of it. I was gonna make a new one, but Mitsuki and Mihoshi
ate most of the leftovers--"

"And that’s why you were mad this afternoon? I though I might
have done something."

Tenchi gives his wife a loving smile. "Never you, Kiyone-yoni.
And Dad drunk all the Daiginjo I bought you--"

"Tenchi, that’s my favor--" She gasps. "Tenchi! That’s so 
expensive--"

"It’s not important anymore. And the flowers I ordered you--"
he gestures at the counter. "--I think the driver was related
to a friend of mine."

"Who?"

"Ryoga--the guy with no sense of direction?"

"Ohhh..." Kiyone hugs Tenchi tighter. "Oh, Tenchi-yon,
that’s so sweet..." She gives him a kiss. "Thank you." They 
start to kiss more passionately, but the sudden and simultaneous
rumblings of their stomachs stop them. The mood of passion
is replaced by laughter, and finally lingering looks of 
affection. Kiyone smiles lovingly at her husband. "I’ll call 
take-out."

The passing of an hour finds them sitting together on the porch,
watching the clear night sky and the millions of stars overhead.
Tenchi has an arm around Kiyone’s shoulders, and she is snuggled
as close to him as she can get without being in his lap. The 
remains of Chinese take-out sit off to one side.

"So, how did you like my dinner?" asks Tenchi wryly.

Kiyone graces him with a tender smile. "Most wonderful,
my love." She sighs as she watches the moonlight play off the 
water of the lake. "So beautiful...so wonderful."

"Shouldn’t we go in and study?" he asks

"In a little while, in a little while..."



8:20 a.m., the next morning. Makoto, Nanami, and Ifurita are 
waiting outside the school, waiting for Tenchi and Kiyone to 
show up. This is the morning of the dreaded final placement
exams. Every senior-class student has to take these. The better
your scores, the likelier you are to get into the college or 
university of your choice. If you don’t do well...take
a look at Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikukko (although I think he 
came out all right in the end).

Finally their bus pulls up, and Mr. and Mrs. Masaki disembark.

However, Kiyone is the only one awake. She has Tenchi’s right
arm draped across her shoulders, and is acting as a human crutch
for him. Tenchi appears to be barely conscious.

Makoto gulps. "Tenchi?" He looks worriedly at Kiyone. "Kiyone,
is he all right?"

Kiyone nods. "Yeah. He was just up till two-thirty this morning
studying."

"Two-thirty a.m?!" This comes from an incredulous Nanami. "I was
only up till eleven!"

"Who was up till two-thirty?" asks Kenji, yawning as he walks
up to the group. He quickly takes note of Tenchi’s condition.
"Oh, it must have been him..."

Kiyone nods, and plants a gentle kiss on the unconscious
emperor’s forehead. "Poor baby spent the whole evening making
me dinner." She carefully omits what happened to the dinner.

Nanami and Ifurita immediately get "oh, how sweet"-type
expressions on their face. Ifurita is the first to speak as she
nudges Makoto playfully. "Hey, Makoto, how come you never make
me or Nanami dinner?"

Nanami laughs. "Because he’d burn the kitchen down!"

Makoto sports a self-effacing grin. "All too true, I’m afraid."
They have stopped outside their classroom by now, and Ifurita
quickly excuses herself to go to hers. Makoto looks around and
sees Kenji looking intently at Tenchi. "Kenji, what on Earth--"

"Tenchi..." Kenji gently slaps Tenchi on the face. "Come on, 
buddy, wake up..." Kiyone glares at him. "What the hell do you
think you’re doing?"

"He promised to go over an algebraic formula with me."

Kiyone and Nanami groan. Makoto rolls his eyes in disgust.
"Kenji, you idiot! The poor guy’s completely blitzed!"

"Not for long." Kenji starts shaking Tenchi. "Tenchi! Tenchi!"

Tenchi starts to stir.

"Oh, good. Now, I just need to know one thing..."

"You could have asked one of us, Kenji," reminds Nanami.

"Tenchi’s the only one I trust with math. Now, Tenchi, what’s
the Pythagorean Theorem?"

Kiyone’s eyes blaze. "Kenji, if you don’t let go o’ him right
now, I swear--"

Tenchi’s voice begins to answer, albeit weakly. "It’s 
C-squared..."

Kenji produces a small notebook and scribbles Tenchi’s word 
down, while still managing to hold him up. "Yeah? Yeah?"

"...equals..."

"Yeah? Yeah?"

"...A-squared..."

"Okay, go on..."

"...plus..."

"Uh-huh? Uh-huh?"

"...B-squared...unh." Tenchi collapses to the ground, what 
little energy he had now spent.

Kiyone glares daggers at Kenji as she and Makoto kneel down to 
lift Tenchi back up. "You moron. He needed that energy to take
his tests!" She knows that in the long run it won’t really 
matter, seeing as he already has a throne waiting for him, but
she also knows that her husband really wanted to graduate
with good marks. I’m sorry, Tenchi-yon, I really am...

Makoto drapes Tenchi’s left are across his shoulders, while 
Kiyone does the same on Tenchi’s right side, and they carry him
into the classroom, a disgusted-faced Nanami and an 
abashed-looking Kenji following behind. The rest of the class
is busy going over last-minute preparations, and they look up in
alarm as they see the slumbering Tenchi being carried in. The 
girls, in particular, look put out, and they give Kiyone envious
looks.

Makoto and Kiyone seat Tenchi behind his desk, and settle 
themselves in just as Fujisawa strides through the door. Halfway
into the room, he stretches and yawns, and they hear his muscles
crackle. Evidently, Mrs. Fujisawa was feeling frisky the other
night. Once seated, he opens his briefcase and pulls out a thick
stack of paper.. "Good morning, class. As you know, today we 
will take the final placement exams. I don’t have to stress
to you the importance of scoring well on these--"

His voice trails off as he sees Tenchi. The young man is resting
his head on the desk and is quite obviously unconscious.
How the hell did--and his gaze falls on Kiyone, who is doing
her best to look innocent. Ah, youth. Well, a few minutes to get
awake won’t hurt. Funny, though, I never thought Principal
Shibata’s speeches were that bad...

Clearing his throat, Fujisawa continues. "Ahh, anyway, you have
fifteen minutes for last-minute preparations. If there is 
anything that you need to get done--like waking up--do it now."
He casts a weary smile in the direction of Tenchi. "Miss Makibi,
Mr. Mizuhara, you might want to wake Mr. Masaki up."

"Yes, sensei." Makoto and Kiyone rise from behind their desks
and carry Tenchi out of the room. Makoto starts to head in the
direction of the boys’ bathroom, but Kiyone shakes her head and
pulls Tenchi towards the girls’ locker room. "And just why are
we taking Tenchi to the girls bathroom?"

Kiyone smiles hungrily. "I know some things that will definitely
wake Tenchi up." The very thoughts are starting to make her 
vision hazy.

From out of nowhere they hear a voice say, "I’m sure Tenchi
would enjoy that, Kiyone, but perhaps it would be better if you
held off on that."

They turn around to see...another Tenchi.

"Kyoto?" says Kiyone in surprise.

"In the flesh," Tenchi/Kyoto grins. He stretches out a hand to 
Makoto. "Hi, Kyoto Minamoto, I think you remember me from the 
victory party about a month ago?"

Makoto thinks, then smiles as he remembers. "Oh, yeah! You were
the guy who was doing all the party tricks!"

"The same." He taps the unconscious Tenchi on the head. "Poor
guy. Kiyone, exactly what did you do to him?"

Kiyone’s face flushes with indignation and guilt. "Nothing!
He was up till two-thirty last night studying!"

"And why aren’t you out like a light?"

"Galaxy Police, remember? I’m trained to stay awake and alert
for up to thirty-six hours. Besides--" she sighs in guilt "--I
went to bed at twelve-thirty."

"Oh. Well, no worries." He turns around and calls out softly,
"Ryoko dear?"

Ryoko, dressed in a schoolgirl’s outfit, appears. "Yes, Kyoto?"

"I think you can see what condition Tenchi’s in. Be a darling
and take him home, would you?"

Kiyone and Makoto lower Tenchi into Ryoko’s arms. "Now, Ryoko,"
teases Kiyone, don’t you dare do anything to my Tenchi, okay?"

Ryoko laughs. "Don’t worry, Kiyone. He loves you, and besides,
I’m nowhere near as good at playing Daddy’s little girl as you
are!" Still giggling, she disappears with Tenchi.

Makoto looks like a sudden revelation has hit him. "Ohh...so
that’s why you call him ‘daddy’ sometimes?"

Kiyone blushes a little, but nods.

"Hey, you guys!" They turn to see Nanami sticking her head out
of their classroom. "Come on, it’s almost time!"

Tenchi/Kyoto smiles at Makoto and Kiyone. "Shall we?"

Late afternoon, back at the Masaki house.

Tenchi is slowly stirring, as if fighting consciousness.
Finally, he pushes his eyes open--and finds himself very glad.
Kiyone is smiling down at him, now dressed in shorts and a 
T-shirt. She leans down and kisses him. "Morning, sleepyhead,"
she chirps in a playful voice.

Tenchi returns her smile and kiss. "Morning. Hadn’t we be--"
His eyes fall upon the clock.

4:45.

P.M.

Ohimgod, ohmigod, I missed my tests, ohmi--He starts to rise off
the bed but Kiyone stops him. He looks at her with disbelief.
"Kiyone-yoni, I have to get to the school! Maybe it’s not too 
late, mayb--" He can’t talk anymore, not when Kiyone has her 
lips on his. Finally she pulls away. "Tenchi-yon, don’t worry.
It’s all right."

"Huh?"

"We came to the school earlier. You were completely out of it.
But luckily, Kyoto showed up and took your place."

Tenchi looks at her with a mixture of relief and guilt. On the
one hand, he is glad that someone was willing to cover for him,
but on the other hand, he feels guilty for passing off someone
else’s work as his own--

Kiyone gives him a reassuring smile. "It’s okay, he didn’t 
mind."

What’s past is past, and so Tenchi just sighs in relief. 
"Ohhh...whew..." Out of nowhere, a possibility occurs to him.
"Hmmm...I wonder..."

Kiyone looks at him quizzically. "What, what is it?"

Tenchi grins. "I wonder exactly what he did on my exams?"



The next day holds the answer to that question. During the lunch
hour, the exam results are posted up next to the school office,
and Tenchi and company literally have to fight their way to the
front of the pack to see their scores.

Makoto is the first to spot his. "Yes!" he shouts. "I hit the 
ninety-fifth percentile!" He also becomes the recipient of a 
high-five from Kenji and Tenchi, and hugs from the girls.

And so they scan for their scores. Nanami makes the ninetieth
percentile, Kenji the eighty-seventh, and Ifurita matches 
Makoto. Now Kiyone hunts for hers, she sees it and... "Yay! The
ninety-seventh!" She spins and throws herself into Tenchi’s
arms, and gives him a big kiss. He returns it in full, ignoring
the cheers and catcalls. Finally comes his turn. "Okay, where
the hell am--oh, there I am, and my score is--" He abruptly
stops speaking, staring at the posted scores as if they are a 
3-D painting. His lips finally whisper, "Oh dear god."

Kiyone follows his gaze, and sees his score.

A gasp escapes her lips.

Slowly, the rest of the class look up, see Tenchi’s score, and
fall silent.

You see, had Tenchi been fully awake--or maybe just awake--the
previous day, he would have received about the same score as 
Makoto, or maybe a little higher. A wonderful score, sure to let
him into any college he wanted to attend.

He was not, though. Kyoto took his tests for him. Now, Kyoto
did hold himself back, realizing that a score too high might
draw some unwarranted attention. But the experience and 
knowledge gleaned in his long life shines through.

And that is how Tenchi Masaki became the first student at 
Shinonome High, in Okayama, Japan, to place in the 
one-hundred-first percentile.

As one, the looks of amazement shift from the posted score to 
Tenchi.

Tenchi meets their collective gaze squarely. After a moment,
he laughs, although it sounds a little forced. "What?" He laughs
again. "It’s not like this is anything special, right?" 
Mentally, he is praying, oh, dear god, please don’t let them 
make a big deal out of this...



"...and now, a special award for our Student of the Year, the 
first student in the history of Shinonome High to rank in the 
one-hundred-first percentile, Tenchi Masaki!"

The crowd goes wild. Tenchi, who is mentally strangling
his principal, pastes on his best smile and steps forward to 
accept yet another award. He doesn’t want to think about how 
many awards he’s gotten in the hour since this graduation
ceremony began. At this rate, he thinks, I’ll have to give half
of them away just to be able to walk!

Uh oh. The principal is motioning to him again. Mentally 
steeling himself against whatever’s to come next, Tenchi walks
back up to beside the principal, adjusting his robe and 
mortarboard as he settles into place.

The principal starts droning again. "For his academic 
achievements alone, Tenchi Masaki is someone to be looked up to.
But he is more than merely intellectual. He is also an 
accomplished kendo artist, a respected student leader, and 
someone who helps those in need. For this, we have saved the 
most momentous award for last."

Tenchi groans inwardly. He’s glad people think that about 
him--although he’s not sure he sees it himself--but he isn’t
looking forward to yet another award. What next, a bust of my 
head? Or are they gonna hang my picture up in the hall for 
future generations to see?

He pulls himself back to the matter at hand and resettles
his plastic smile.

"...Tenchi Masaki, many colleges want you, that’s why you have
received so many scholarships today, but this last one is 
perhaps the most significant of all..."

Great, another scholarship I don’t need. Why doesn’t he give 
this to someone else?

"...you have been chosen to be the first, and so far only, male
student at Bishojo* University!"

The crowd gasps as one. They are a few seconds behind Tenchi
himself.

He can already see the looks on his classmates’ faces.

The guys: "Yeah, Tenchi! Go, Tenchi!"

The girls: "Tenchi (sniff sniff), don’t leave us (sniff sniff)!
We’re (sniff sniff) transferring to (sniff sniff) Bishojo to 
(sniff sniff) be with you..."

Kiyone.

She’s giggling.

Look, daddy, look at all the little girls who want to play with
you!

Indeed, the girls representing the college seem to be entranced
by him.

He is in a daze as he and his class walk through the line and 
accept their diplomas. It’s only as the sheepskin hits his hands
that reality returns. My god. Did I get through it? But then he
turns, and sees his precious Kiyone smiling at him, and he 
smiles back and thinks, Yeah, I guess I did.

The reception is far more enjoyable than the ceremony. He is 
able to break the sad news to the group from Bishojo about his
impending marriage (true), and his plans to attend college
in the States (lie, although, if time as an emperor permits,
he wouldn’t mind going back to school). Their response is 
tearful, but hopeful: "We understand, Tenchi...but if you ever
change your mind, all you have to do is show up, and we’ll have
a room waiting for you!"

Once back at the house, Tenchi changes into jeans and a T-shirt
and collapses on the bed. A lustful smile plays across his face
as he watches Kiyone shuck off her dress and pull on shorts
and a button-down shirt. She returns the smile in full as she 
lies down next to him. They start to kiss--

(yeah, yeah, I know, gratuitous interruption #4760-alpha...)

--and the door flies open. Kyoto strides into the room, and taps
Tenchi on the shoulder. "Come on, Tenchi, we gotta go."

Tenchi looks up, annoyed. "Go? Where?"

"Silly, your bachelor party!"

Tenchi’s eyes go wide with fear. He remembers the events of 
Keiichi’s bachelor party; while nothing happened--really--he
had decided to just forgo the ritual in place of nice, simple
dinner with his best friends. "Hey! Kyoto, I--"

Kyoto pulls him off the bed and onto his feet. "Don’t worry!
You’ll have lots of fun!"

"I don’t want a bachelor party? I want to just have a quiet 
dinner with Kiyo--"

Ryoko suddenly appears in the room and starts tugging Kiyone
into a sitting position. "Come on, Kiyone! You don’t want to be
late for your bachelorette party, do you?"

Kiyone and Tenchi exchange glances. So much for a nice, quiet
evening, quips Tenchi.

Oh, well, replies Kiyone. I guess we’ll have plenty of 
opportunities for those.

Kyoto is going through Tenchi and Kiyone’s closet, hunting
for clothes. "I swear, don’t you two know what to wear to a 
party..." He pulls out a blue silk shirt and throws it at 
Tenchi. "Lose the T-shirt and wear this." Ryoko is already
tugging Kiyone out of the room. "Come on! I just got this new 
dress you’re just going to love!..." Kiyone barely manages
to throw Tenchi a kiss before disappearing.

The place for Tenchi’s bachelor party turns out to be an old,
dilapidated space station just outside the Orion Arm. Called
the Black Whole, it has a reputation for being a place of 
uninhibited debauchery.

It must be true, thinks Tenchi. He isn’t quite sure what is 
swinging his opinion in that direction, but it might have 
something to do with the topless dancer swinging her 
impressive--but probably not natural--breasts in his face.

He looks around the bar that Kyoto has commandeered for this 
party. While most of those present are Kyoto’s old space pirate
buddies, most of Tenchi’s friends are there, and many of them
are looking as ill at ease as he is. Makoto is finding his water
very interesting, seeing as he refuses to look up from it. Ranma
keeps smacking himself on the head every few minutes. Keiichi
is apparently chanting a prayer for protection and forgiveness,
while Ryoga is repeatedly dabbing at his nose. He has already
gone through five handkerchiefs, and the blood does not appear
to be in any hurry to let up.

"I though Ukyo cured that for you?" teases Ranma. Apparently,
Tenchi’s engagement had provided the impetus for Ranma to 
finally tell Akane how he felt. Now, the engagement is 
completely solid, because the two people getting married know
they’re in love. This had also sparked a "getting-on-with-life"
movement among those who were in love with the two, one which
had ultimately led to other couples forming. Some, like Ryoga
and Ukyo, were not unexpected. Others, like Mousse and Kodachi,
had surprised everyone. And still others, such as Shampoo and 
Kuno, are just plain...disturbing.

At the sound of Ukyo’s name, Ryoga’s nosebleed seems to 
immediately dry up. He gives his nose a last dab and chuckles.
"Yeah. Mostly, though, it just won’t bleed around her!" He 
shakes his head. "God, I hope she doesn’t find out about 
this..."



In another bar on another level of the station, Kiyone is 
pointedly ignoring the male dancer gyrating in front of her. The
other girls at her table are not so self-controlled.

As the beefcake in the G-string starts to dance in front of her,
Mihoshi murmurs, "Oh, my!" She rummages around in her wallet
till she finds a ten Jurai bill, and she carefully tucks it in 
his waistband.

Belldandy’s face is the color of a tomato. "‘Oh my’ is right,"
she murmurs. Beside her, Akane has already passed out.

Ryoko notes Kiyone's expression--a very glum one--and nudges
her. "Hey, what’s wrong, Kiyone?" She pushes a bottle of saké
in her direction. "C’mon, have a drink or two."

Kiyone accepts the bottle and pours herself a generous portion.
After swigging down half of it, she asks (in a completely
sober voice), "Are you sure you don’t know where Tenchi is?"

Ryoko rolls her eyes and sighs. She had snuck out about an hour
ago to meet with Kyoto, and he had reported that Tenchi was 
asking the same thing. Somehow, I guess I shouldn’t be 
surprised. You could lock the two of them up on a desert island
for ten years, and when you came back for them, they’d still
be acting like they’re on a honeymoon...

To Kiyone, she replies, "Would it make you feel better if I told
you Tenchi’s probably just as miserable as you are right now?"

The Juraian empress cracks a smile. "A little..." Her gaze falls
upon Ukyo, who has a napkin pressed to her nose. From time to 
time, she replaces the napkin with a freshly moistened one. "Are
you all right, Ukyo?" she asks concernedly.

The okonomiyaki cook has an embarrassed smile on her face. 
"Sorry, I..." She gestures up at her nose. "Guess I musta picked
this up from Ryoga. I hope he doesn’t find out about this..."



Several hours pass, and the partiers wear themselves down until
everyone--including the bartenders and the exotic dancers--are
sprawled, unconscious, across the floors and tables. (Yes, this
includes Kyoto. He’s passed out with a lampshade on his head.)
The only ones still awake are Tenchi, Keiichi. Ranma, Ryoga,
and Makoto.

Keiichi has a look of relief on his face. He’s not sure if it 
was the alcohol or not (he hopes so), but several of the dancers
were starting to favor him. "Well, now what do we do?"

Ranma opens his mouth to respond, but his stomach beats him to 
the punch, rumbling loudly. The four other guys look at him, and
he finds himself blushing. After a few minutes to regain 
equilibrium, he inquires, "Anything left to eat?"

Ryoga laughs. "Your stomach is bottomless."

Ranma shoots him an empty glare. "If I was just a bit hungrier,
I’d dump water on you and fry you!"

"And then Ukyo would flatten you with her spatula," shoots back
Ryoga lightheartedly. The enmity between these two, once 
comparable to that of Ayeka and Ryoko, has now gone the way of 
that hatred. Any bickering now is more playful than anything
else.

Makoto straightens his jacket. "Well, I’ll check, although
I think those guys--" he indicates a sleeping pile of pirates
who look like space-age Hell’s Angels "--ate everything."

Ranma makes a face. "Damn."

Tenchi stretches and yawns. "Well, you guys sort it out. I’m 
gonna go relieve myself."

Keiichi starts to ask what’s wrong with the bathroom in the bar,
remembers where they are, and snaps his mouth back shut.

Tenchi grins. "Exactly." He walks out the door. "Be back soon."

Tenchi quickly finds that the main public restroom on his level
is closed "for repairs"--considering the nature of the station,
he doesn’t want to know what broke, and he doubts they will be 
running again anytime soon--but that the bathrooms on the next
level up are open and running. Crossing his fingers, he takes
the lift up.

To his relief, the men's’ restroom is clean and working. He 
comes out of it, whistling, and, as he starts to head back 
toward the lift, he feels something collide with his legs. He 
looks down, and smiles. "Ryo-ohki!"

"Mi-ya!" responds the happy Ohki.

Tenchi picks Ryo-ohki up and looks at her. "Hmm. Kyoto brought
us here on Chi-ohki, and Chi-ohki’s passed out in the bar 
downstairs, so--" He blinks as Ryo-ohki bounces out of his arms
and scampers off. "Hey, wait!" he yells as he starts running
after the cabbit.

Ryo-ohki leads him to a small observation area, with trees and
flowers and a small bench--very out of place on this station.
Curled up on the bench, dozing lightly, is Kiyone, who has a 
slight smile on her face.

At once, the annoyed mood that Tenchi had been holding in check
the entire evening dissipates like the morning mist. He gets 
down on one knee next to the bench and gently kisses Kiyone’s
forehead.

As if the kiss were a trigger, Kiyone’s eyes slowly open. As she
sees who’s kneeling in front of her, the slight smile goes 
wider. "Hi, Tenchi-yon," she says shyly.

"Hi, Kiyone-yoni," he responds, pulling her up to a sitting
position and sitting next to her. She snuggles in under his left
arm.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

"This is where Ryoko brought me for my bachelorette party,"
Kiyone answers. She smiles and rises to her feet. "Let me show
you."

The condition of the bar that hosted Kiyone’s party is identical
to that of the other bar. Aside from Belldandy, Akane, Ifurita
(Nanami is at home), Mihoshi, and Ukyo, everyone else is passed
out. (Even Ayeka--she and Ryoko were having a chugging contest.
Neither won.).

Tenchi leads the girls down to the other bar, where Ryoga and 
Keiichi have fire extinguishers aimed at a fire. Apparently,
Ranma had tried to use what he thought was a microwave,
but was really a trash disintegrator. Once the fire is 
extinguished, the girls run to their boyfriends. Particularly
amusing are Ryoga and Ukyo, who seem determined to conceive
their first child up against the doorway.

Ryo-ohki carves her mi-yaing way across the stars, bound for the
Sol system. The couples are snuggled up in love seat-sized
floating chairs, while the sole single--Mihoshi--is
snoring.

The insistent, high-pitched beeping of an incoming com signal
shatters the peaceful atmosphere. Tenchi reluctantly disengages
his lips from Kiyone’s, and looks around in confusion. 
"Ryo-ohki, what’s going on?"

The cabbit-starship mi-yas, and a rear-view screen pops up. 
Right on their tail is a Galaxy Police patrol ship.

Kiyone, who was starting to fall asleep, stares up incredulously
at the screen. "The Galaxy Police? What do they want?"

"Uhh, did we do anything to piss someone off?" inquires Ranma.

"Not that I know of," replies Kiyone. "Ryo-ohki, are you running
full ID?" The spaceship mi-yas in confirmation. "Well, then,
I can’t think of--"

The insistent beeping is replaced by a shrill, ear-splitting
wail that makes everyone wince and cover his or her ears. A 
voice suddenly booms out of the speakers. "Spaceship Ryo-ohki,
pull over!" Ryo-ohki suddenly jolts violently to a stop. The 
bridge disappears, and they find themselves in a holding cell.



"So, tell me again, why were you traveling in Ryo-ohki, the 
spaceship of the dread pirate Ryoko?"

Tenchi is resisting the urge to produce a Jurai energy sword
and cleave his questioner in half. "The last time I checked,
Ryoko received a pardon."

"Perhaps, but her spaceship has not!"

Beside Tenchi, Kiyone groans. It has been like this ever since
they were brought back to the GP station in the Sirius system.
The sole bright point of this affair is that their friends,
still back in a holding cell several levels down, have not been
mistreated. When they had been brought before a Detective
Sergeant, they had hoped that they would be able to clear things
up and leave--fast.

It quickly became apparent, however, that this Sergeant was not
the most open-minded officer in the Galaxy Police. He keeps 
questioning why they aren’t carrying any identification,
but he refuses to let them take a DNA test to prove their 
identity. "Why should I let criminals manufacture extenuating
evidence?" he keeps saying in a haughty voice. Even worse, he 
must not watch the news, for he does recognizes neither of 
them--not even Kiyone, who is perhaps the most famous GP in the
galaxy!

By sheer luck, his secretary comes in to bring him some criminal
reports. One look at the two people in her boss’ office is all
she needs. "Sarge, do you know who these two are?"

"They’re criminals, and that’s all I need to know," he replies
self-confidently.

"Try again." She has a copy of The Jurai Times under her arm.
On the front page is a picture of Tenchi and Kiyone, announcing
their upcoming wedding.

The sergeant reads the front page several times, as if trying
not to miss any details, but more likely not wanting to face the
Emperor and Empress of Jurai.

As is the case in many places, the secretary is one step ahead
of her boss. She produces a release waiver, all the spaces but
the dotted line filled in. "I believe you’ll want this, boss?"



Around midnight, Ryo-ohki arrives back on Earth. The guests
are dropped off at the Okayama hotel where they are staying
(most of Tenchi’s out-of-town friends will be present for the 
wedding), and then Tenchi and company head home. The night,
however, is not yet over. As soon as they step through the door,
they see the red light blinking on the TV-mounted transgalactic
modem, signaling an incoming phone call.

Tenchi, tired and not in the mood to deal with anything till 
morning, is grumbling as he picks up the remote and hits the 
phone key. He is even less happy to see the face on the screen.
"Kyoto, where the hell are you?"

The ex-space pirate, for once, looks almost penitent. "Heh heh
heh...Tenchi, I need you to come and bail me, Ryoko, and Ayeka
out of jail. Oh, yeah, and Chi-ohki too."

Kiyone steps into view of the pickup. "Bail you out?"

Kyoto nods desperately. "Yes, please."

Tenchi shoots Kiyone a look, and she scurries up the stairs,
returning a moment later with Tenchi’s wallet. He kisses her on
the cheek and starts rifling through the wallet, thanking
God that he still has some Jurai left. "Okay, Kyoto. Three 
questions. One, what did you do."

"Nothing! We were just speeding!"

"And you were going..."

"Uhhh...125 c in a 100 c zone?"

Tenchi shrugs. "Next question, where are you?"

"The GP station at Sirius."

Kiyone squeezes Tenchi’s shoulder. "Hear that, Tenchi-yon?
We might not even need to pay bail!"

Tenchi returns the smile. "I hope you’re right, Kiyone-yoni."
His gaze returns to the screen. "Last question. How much is the
bail?"

"Just five hundred Jurai apiece for me and the girls, two fifty
for Chi-ohki."

Tenchi checks his wallet again...twenty-five hundred Jurai.
So far, so good. "Okay, Kyoto, we’ll be there in a little 
while."

The passing of two hours finds Ryo-ohki returning to Earth yet
again, this time with four extra passengers. Once in the Masaki
house, everyone turns in, since the events of the next day are
to begin around ten a.m.

Of course, who says anything goes exactly as planned?



The first of the guests arrive about 10:30. Tenchi has just 
gotten up from the breakfast table when he hears the doorbell
ring. He looks at the clock, shrugs, and walks to the door.

He slides the door open to find himself faced with two 
guardians, one marked with green and the other marked in orange,
standing before him. They bow to him and float into the house,
swerving around him and cutting in behind. Now standing before
him is a beautiful, black-haired woman, dressed in a light blue
dress suit and sporting a hairstyle similar to Murasaki’s.
Her dark brown eyes--Just like my mother’s, he muses--are
sparkling with humor. Abruptly, he realizes that she is speaking
to him.

"Well, young man," she says in an amused voice, "why are 
you...staring at me?"

Tenchi suppresses the blush and smiles in equal humor. "Sorry
about that," he replies, "but I tend to stare when strange
women accompanied by floating logs show up on my doorstep.
May I ask your name?"

The unidentified lady bows her head, as if to say "Touché."
"My name is Funaho. I am the president of the Galaxy 
Federation." She extends her hand. "My apologies for not being
present at your visit to Prime Center, Lord Tenchi."

Tenchi shakes his head. He doesn’t know why, but he finds 
himself liking this woman. "Don’t worry about it, Madam 
President. I’m honored that you came for my wedding."

"To miss the wedding of the new Juraian emperor?" Funaho’s
voice is rich with amusement. "That is damage my reputation
can do without. Besides, I have a personal reason for being 
here. You see--"

"Tenchi!" It’s Katsuhito’s voice, coming up behind his grandson.
"Aren’t you going to show our guest i--" As his eyes fall upon
the identity of the guest, his normally implacable calm is 
visibly disturbed. Finally, he bows his head and says, "Mother."

It is now Tenchi’s turn to look disturbed. He looks from 
Katsuhito...to Funaho...and back again and back again and...He
finally stops himself. The first words to come out of his mouth
are, "She’s your mother?" Although, he thinks, this explains
the dot on her forehead...

Funaho smiles and nods. "Yes, Tenchi, so I am your 
great-grandmother."

"Tenchi-yon?" Kiyone’s voice now. "Tenchi-yon, who--" Her hands
fly to her face as she sees the first guest. "Auntie Funaho!"
With a delighted, girlish smile on her face, she runs up and 
hugs Funaho, who returns the hug in full. Neither of them 
notices that Kiyone is still in her shorts and tank top. "Oh,
Auntie Funaho, thank you for coming!"

"I could never miss my favorite goddaughter’s wedding," says 
Funaho.

"Oh, I see…" Tenchi nods in understanding. Kiyone had told him
that her mother and the president were good friends. Katsuhito
shows Funaho into the house and introduces her around, and then
takes her up to the shrine, so they can talk about events in 
privacy. Tenchi and Kiyone head upstairs to get dressed.

Ryoko is sitting in the living room, going over the guest list
with Ayeka. This particular list is extremely long: in addition
to Tenchi’s friends from Earth and their families, the entire
Supreme Council will be present, along with their families,
all of Kiyone and Mihoshi’s friends from the Galaxy Police and
their families, most of the Galactic High Council and their 
families...you start to get the idea. Suddenly the doorbell
rings for the second time in thirty minutes. Shrugging,
she opens the door--

--and finds her swept up in a bonecrushing embrace. Her eyes bug
out and she starts clawing at her captor. It’s useless. Ryoko
doesn’t need to breathe, but that doesn’t lessen the effects
of this killer hug.

The person squeezing Ryoko like a plush Ohki is a tall, fetching
lady dressed in a conservative dress who doesn’t look too much
older than Ryoko herself. Her wide, cherry-colored eyes and 
long, turquoise hair, just a shade or two darker than Sasami's,
highlight her features. And she is blubbering, "Oh Kiyone oh 
Kiyone I’ve missed you so much Kiyone!"

Ryoko is desperately but gently trying to extricate herself
from this woman’s grasp. "Uh, lady, I’m not Kiyone..." This 
prove no good, so after several seconds of rational pleading
she finally shouts, "I’m not Kiyone!"

The woman, her eyes shut in bliss, suddenly goes rigid. Her eyes
snap open, and she pulls away from Ryoko, regarding her 
carefully. Satisfied that she has made herself clear, Ryoko 
begins, "My name is Ry--"

"You’ve changed so much, Kiyone!" wails the woman, causing
Ryoko to facefault. Without warning she grabs Ryoko by the hair
and starts sobbing. "Your hair! It used to be so soft and 
pretty; now you’ve dyed it, and it’s all hard and pointy!"
She yanks Ryoko up to eye level and abruptly grabs her cheeks,
pulling them apart till the ex-pirate’s eyes narrow into thin
lines. "And your eyes! They look so mean and vicious!"

Ryoko has had enough. She tears herself away from the woman and
screams, "My eyes are none of your business!"

Instead of alerting the woman to the fact that there’s something
wrong, it merely makes her go into full-bore mother mode. Her 
eyes switching to "my poor baby"-setting, she hugs Ryoko again.
"I’m sorry, Kiyone," she whispers. "My poor, poor Kiyone. Life
in the Galaxy Police must have been very, very tough for you.
I just hope this love hasn’t come too late..." Ryoko has almost
given up. Weakly, she croaks, "Lady...like I said...I’m
not Kiyone..." Idly, she wonders where Ayeka has gone. I hope
she went to get Kiyone...

Ayeka has indeed gone to get Kiyone and Tenchi, who are now 
dressed in casual clothes and watching from the top of the 
stairs. Mrs. Masaki has a frightened look on her face. "Oh, no,"
she whimpers.

"Who is it, Kiyone-yoni?" asks Tenchi, giving his wife a hug.

"My mother, Misaki."

Tenchi now looks a little apprehensive. "She’s your mother?!"

Kiyone nods. Right then and there, they resolve to visit only
a few times a year.

Ayeka is looking down the stairs in concern. "Shouldn’t
we get down there? It looks like Ryoko’s about to pass out!"

Tenchi looks pleadingly at his beloved. After a long moment,
Kiyone sighs and starts down the stairs, Tenchi and Ayeka right
behind.

The woman is still smothering Ryoko, who has ceased struggling
for her own good, when she sees a familiar figure coming down
the stairs. The hair is still the same color, if a bit longer,
the sapphire eyes are sparkling with happiness, and the 
clincher--the omnipresent red-orange headband--is wrapped snugly
around her forehead. The woman looks at this girl, and at the 
one she is clutching, and drops the girl she is holding. Or, 
rather, flings the girl into the nearest wall. (Tenchi and Ayeka
wince in sympathy, and Ayeka rushes up to help her friend to her
feet.)

For her part, the new guest is looking almost entranced by the
girl’s entrance. "Kiyone?" She gets a very motherly expression
on her face. "Is that my little Kiyone?"

Kiyone appreciates the displays of affection by her mother,
but believes that she stopped acknowledging her growth when she
turned fourteen. Well, maybe it’ll work this time... A genuine
smile on her face, she says, "Mom! It’s so good to see you 
again!"

Her mother gets a quizzical expression on her face.

"Ah heh heh heh..." Kiyone’s eyes start pleading.

Now her mother’s eyes are radiating a dangerous anger, looking
much like a vampire’s eyes.

Kiyone gives up. Tenchi-yon, you know what I have to do, don’t
you?

I know, Kiyone-yoni, he reassures her. Go right ahead.

All right... Kiyone lets her face fall into a little girl’s
expression and calls out in her very best eight-year-old’s
voice, "My Mommy!"

Ayeka and Ryoko’s jaws hit the floor at the same time. Tenchi
is wearing an impassive expression on his face, looking very 
much like his grandfather.

Misaki looks delighted. "My little Kiyone!"

"Oh Mommy!" Kiyone scuttles forward and throws herself into her
mother’s arms. The detached part of her mind notes with dry 
satisfaction that she almost knocks her over.

Tenchi watches this with a small smile. He is a discreet and 
loving enough husband to conveniently forget he ever saw Kiyone
do this.

Ryoko, however, is not so tactful. Any animosity she might have
harbored towards Kiyone for getting Tenchi has long since died,
and she is more than happy with her Kyoto. Still, this is too 
good an opportunity for teasing to pass up. "S-sh-she,"
she stutters merrily, "sh-she’s calling her....mommy!"

The laugh, however, dies stillborn on her lips as Kiyone’s
mother is in front of her, her face looking eerily like a 
vampire. Ryoko abruptly finds herself being lifted off the 
ground, the older woman’s hands clutching her shoulders and 
shaking her like a little doll. In a voice like the grave, she
says, "Nobody mocks my little Kiyone. Are you understanding
me?"

"Uhhh...I....think...so..." Through the haze of pain, Ryoko can
see Kiyone scribbling something on a sheet of paper and holding
it up. She can also see Kiyone mouthing the words "Read it out
loud."

"Uhhh...I’m...sorry...pretty...young...lady...?"
she manages.

The look of anger vanishes from Misaki’s face, and is replaced
by a placid one. "Oh. That’s much better." The motherly look 
returns. "Come to me!" She pulls Ryoko into an embrace again.
The space pirate is too weak to resist.

"Mi-ya! Mi-ya!" Kiyone’s attention switches from her mother
smothering the unfortunate Ryoko--again--to the teal Ohki--in
fact, the same shade as her hair--scampering through the door.
An "oh, how sweet"-expression on her face, she drops to one knee
and holds out her arms. "Chana-ohki!"

"Mi-ya!" The Ohki happily catapults herself into Kiyone’s
arms. After nuzzling her owner for a moment, she climbs onto 
Kiyone’s head, settles herself into the thick, lush mane of 
teal, and disappears. Kiyone smiles at Tenchi. "Tenchi-yon,
meet Chana-ohki. She’s--" She feels around the top of her head
for a moment. "Well, she’s somewhere up there." In agreement,
a muffled mi-ya sounds from atop Kiyone’s head.

Sasami rushes into the living room. "Did I just hear an Ohki?"

In response, Chana-ohki surfaces from Kiyone’s hair, and climbs
onto her shoulder. Sasami looks up in delight. "Mommy, another
Ohki?"

Kiyone nods and gently strokes Chana-ohki’s back. "That’s right,
Sami-cha’ya. This is Chana-ohki."

Chana-ohki looks down at Sasami for a minute, mi-yas in 
approval, and hops down onto Sasami’s head. Needless to say, the
young princess has no objections.

Tenchi is chuckling when Misaki suddenly appears in front of 
him. Startled, he takes an involuntary step (or five) back.

Misaki looks approvingly at him. "Well, well, well, now. You 
must be Tenchi."

Before Tenchi can think of a response, she has him in a 
bonecrushing hug. "Thank you for taking such good care of my 
Kiyone!" she sobs blissfully. "Where’s your mother? I want to 
thank her for raising such a wonderful young man!"

"Well..." Tenchi, having watched Kiyone and Ryoko, is forgoing
any resistance whatsoever, and is merely waiting for it to end.
"My mother...passed away a long time ago."

"Ohhh..." Misaki’s countenance shifts again, now wearing the "my
poor baby" look again. The hug tightens, causing Tenchi to 
nearly pass out. "Poor baby! Well, don’t worry. I’ll be your 
mother! Call me mommy!"

What can you say to that? Tenchi tries, "T-th-thank you, Mrs.
Makibi--"

"Call me mommy!" The hug tightens slightly.

"M-m-mom?"

"Mommy!" Tenchi does not so much hear this as he does feel it,
like an earthquake.

Fine, I give up. "Mommy." He immediately feels color and air 
returning, and Kiyone rushes forward to catch him.

The next few hours pass swiftly. The rest of the guests arrive,
dressed in their best (yes, that includes the Nerima gang. We 
even see Ryoga and Ukyo dressed up; she in a beautiful red 
kimono, he in a dapper black suit--but still with the bandanna.
Oh, well...) The offworlders arrive to, and as the young and 
adorable princesses--with Ohkis on their shoulders, of 
course--come into view, the single men present start to lament,
"Oh, god, if only they were just a little older..."

Nobuyuki takes Misaki on a personal tour of the grounds. They
find that they have much in common--both of them being 
widowers--and they make plans to get together for coffee or 
something sometime after the wedding.

Katsuhito and Funaho spend some time catching up on the others’
lives. Katsuhito is more than a little surprised to see that his
mother, once an empress of Jurai, sits in the President’s
Office on Prime Center (this had happened after he left Jurai).
For her part, Funaho is bemused at her son settling down as a 
shrine priest on a backwater world--but glad that her 
great-grandson is taking the throne--and that he and his bride
have demonstrated the ability to project Light Hawk Wings.

(She is also glad that her son has dropped his disguise as an 
old man for her. The Fountain of Life*--one of the powers of 
Jurai, a water, flowing from Tsunami, that slows down the aging
process to the point where a person ages only one year for every
thousand lived--would keep him alive for many centuries,
and the old man’s appearance he projects is merely a shell to 
hide the young Yosho--who, in reality, looks almost exactly
like he did in his "youth.")

Another surprise is that Hideki Kuramitsu, Director General
of the Galaxy Police...is Mihoshi’s grandfather. Kiyone, of 
course, already knew this...and more. "You see," she explains
to a shocked Tenchi and Ryoko, "Mihoshi is a member of a noble
Megamian family...one with close ties to the Royal Family.
I’ve known her our entire lives. So, in effect...she’s
a princess too!" To Ryoko, this explains why Mihoshi has been
able to last in the Galaxy Police.

Finally, the time for the ceremony has arrived. Both bride and
groom have been dressed in separate rooms, despite their 
protests. Now they emerge, dressed very much like they were for
the initial meeting with the Supreme Council. The only 
difference this time is that Kiyone has a GP dress jacket draped
across her shoulders, and a Megamian princess’ cloak over the 
jacket.

Tenchi and Kiyone meet in the living room, join hands, and are
conducted out of the house and onto the lawn. The guests--all
god-only-knows-how-many thousands--are crowded together--after
the front ten rows, it’s SRO. Smiling at each other again, they
break away from one another and head for the two rows of 
warriors with weapons raised and crossed--Juraian
warriors for Tenchi, and GP officers for Kiyone. These two 
columns funnel down into one, like the two prongs of a "Y" 
funnel down into the single support, and the bride and groom
join hands once more as they meet at the junction.

The column they travel down now is made up of both GPs and 
Juraian knights. First, there is a pair of GPs with ceremonial
swords drawn and crossed in the air over the bride and groom’s
heads, and then a pair of Juraian knights with their fighting
staffs crossed likewise, and so on and so on. At the end, making
the last crossed pair, are Azaka and Kamidake, in their roles
as the Commanders of the Royal Bodyguard.

Past them, ahead of Tenchi and Kiyone, are several clusters
of people. To the right are Keiichi, Makoto, Ryoga, Ranma, and
Sagami--the five best men. To the left are Mihoshi, Mitsuki,
Nanami, Belldandy, and Ryoko--the five maids of honor. In the 
center, standing behind a portable altar, is Katsuhito,
in full priestly regalia. He has a calm expression on his face,
and he nods as the couple, still hand-in-hand, comes to a stop
before his altar.

"Tenchi Masaki," he intones, "who is this woman you bring before
me?"

Tenchi bows his head slightly. "Honored elder, this is Kiyone
Makibi, the woman I love."

"Do you vow to love her with all of your heart, forsaking
all other passions, until the day of your death?"

Tenchi doesn’t even need to think about it. "Yes, honored elder.
I do."

"Do you promise to put her needs and desires above and before
your own, to defend her with your very life?"

"Yes, honored elder. I do."

"Do you promise, before the eyes of all gathered here today,
to be a gentle and loving husband, a faithful and generous
husband, a nurturing and supportive husband, until death takes
you?"

"Yes, honored elder. I do."

"Do you promise to do and be the same as a father for any 
children that may come of this union?"

Tenchi inwardly rolls his eyes. He wouldn’t be standing here if
he didn’t intend to. "Yes, honored elder. I do."

Katsuhito nods, satisfied. He shifts his attention to Kiyone.
"Kiyone Makibi, who is this man you bring before me?"

Kiyone mimics Tenchi’s slight bow. "Honored elder, this is 
Tenchi Masaki, the man I love."

"Do you vow to love him with all of your heart, forsaking
all other passions, until the day of your death?"

As Tenchi before her, Kiyone has no need to hesitate. "Yes, 
honored elder. I do."

"Do you promise to put his needs and desires above and before
your own, to defend him with your very life?"

"Yes, honored elder. I do."

"Do you promise, before the eyes of all gathered here today,
to be a gentle and loving wife, a faithful and generous wife,
a nurturing and supportive wife, until death takes you?"

Come on already! Let’s get to the kissing part! Kiyone thinks
fiercely. She says aloud, "Yes, honored elder. I do."

"Do you promise to do and be the same as a mother for any 
children that may come of this union?"

"Yes, honored elder. I do."

Katsuhito nods once again in satisfaction. He motions for the 
two to let go of each other’s hands, then produces a saucer
of saké and hands it to Tenchi. Instead of sipping from it, 
however, he smiles at Kiyone and offers it to her. Ignoring
the surprise from the rest of the onlookers, Kiyone accepts
the saucer and takes a sip. She then hands it back to Tenchi,
who returns her bright smile and sips from the very place her 
lips had touched. The saucer is replaced on the table, and 
Tenchi takes Kiyone in his arms--not very traditional,
but appropriate nonetheless.

Katsuhito clears his throat. "By these words spoken, and your
actions, you have proven yourselves worthy of spending your 
lives together. As the elder presiding over this ceremony,
I pronounce you husband and wife. While it is not required,
it is customary to ki--" He sees that Tenchi has already beaten
him to the punch. He and Kiyone are locked in a passionate
embrace and are kissing as if the other’s mouth were air. The 
crowd cheers, and Katsuhito allows himself a small smile.

He has to hold that smile for the next five minutes, for it 
appears that Tenchi and Kiyone are just fine with using each 
other as breathing apparatus. Finally, they break apart, 
breathing heavily. Katsuhito then remembers something.

"The rings!"

Fortunately, in a Juraian ceremony--such as this--the rings are
exchanged after the vows and kisses. Mihoshi and Keiichi step
forward, each one holding a small, velvet-lined box. Tenchi
removes the 24K gold ring with diamond solitaire from Keiichi’s
box, while Kiyone does the same with the plain gold ring in 
Mihoshi’s box. The rings slide onto the ring fingers easily,
and Tenchi and Kiyone Masaki--now officially so--turn, still
hand-in-hand, to face the crowd of guests.

Katsuhito steps out from behind the altar, stands behind the 
bride and groom, and places a hand on each one’s shoulder.
Speaking into a small, collar-mounted mike, he declares,
"All that are present, know that Tenchi Masaki and Kiyone Makibi
are husband and wife, pledged to each other for the rest of 
time. You are all witnesses to this holy act. This matter is 
settled." He releases Tenchi and Kiyone’s shoulders.

"All right Tenchi!" yells one of his kendo club compatriots.
A cheer rises from the guests yet again, occasionally
by faint sobs from the girls of Shinonome High.

The reception starts almost immediately. Sasami, Belldandy,
Nanami, and Kasumi were kind enough to prepare the refreshment,
and six large buffet tables--Belldandy and Kasumi would later
apologize, much to Tenchi and Kiyone’s shock, for only producing
six tables’ worth of food--hold the results of their toil.

Of more immediate interest is the makeshift stage--complete
with...that’s right, you guessed it, a karaoke machine--and
dance floor. The second the ceremony ended, Kiyone pulled Tenchi
onto the floor with her (not that he was protesting by any 
means). The poor groom spends most of the reception graciously
giving dances to any girl who wants one--and since it’s Tenchi,
one must literally take a number. Finally, he catches Sagami’s
eye, who nods and taps Mihoshi on the shoulder and whispers
in her ear. She looks blank for a moment, but her eyes suddenly
widen with remembrance. She and Sagami move toward the stage.

Tenchi gives them ten minutes, then breaks away from his 
partner, with a promise for a later dance, and climbs onto the
stage. Ranma immediately starts yelling "Speech! Speech!",
and the crowd joins in. Tenchi smiles and raises his hands for
silence. The crowd goes silent. He picks up the mike. "I’d like
to thank you all for coming. This has been a very special day 
for Kiyone and I, and all of you helped make that possible."

The crowd starts cheering again, and he holds up his hand, 
causing them to lapse back into silence. "About six weeks ago,
I noticed all the RSVPs and letters coming in, and all the 
promises of wedding presents. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to hit
you up for more." Laughter. "Anyway, I started trying to think
about what I could give Kiyone. Now, I can give her anything
she wants--and I have every intention of doing so--but I thought
this occasion called for something more personal, something
that came from my heart instead of my wallet. And this is what
I came up with."

He holds up a stapled-together stack of papers with musical
notes and bars on them. The crowd is surprised--but
not too surprised.

Tenchi notes that Kiyone is standing in the very front of the 
crowd, and that she is smiling up at him. He returns it. "I had
a lot of help with this--my dad and Washu, who handle a piano
better than I ever could--but the words are mine, and they come
from the very core of my being. He looks back at Sagami and 
Mihoshi, who are smiling reassuringly at him. Both of them are
holding cordless mikes.

"And so, this is my gift to you, Kiyone-yoni, the first of 
many." Kiyone’s face is the only one that Tenchi sees. "It’s
called ‘Ring of Love.’" He replaces the mike and hops off the 
stage. Offering his hand to Kiyone, he asks, "May I have this
dance?"

The look she gives him in response could teach Kasumi or 
Belldandy something about being sweet. He draws her into his 
arms, and she rests her head on his shoulder. The music--a
piano, backed by the faint sounds of an electric guitar and a 
snare drum--starts to play, and Sagami and Mihoshi step forward.
They start to sing*:



I was such a fool, just standin’ there, watchin’ you

Oh, so many times I wanted to take you in my arms

But I never knew how...



You weren’t the only one holding your feelings in

Watching all the girls around, I started thinkin’,

"How could I compare with them?"; I saw no hope in sight





I’m sorry, shoulda said something before...

...Don’t worry, it’s all right

But at least we’re here now, it don’t matter how

Hold me close through the night...





Whenever you get lost, can’t find your way home

Just call out my name, and I’ll come running to find you

Never gonna let you down

When the rain starts to pour, I’ll be there to cover you

Keep you safe and warm, I’ll wrap you up inside my arms

Hold you tight in our ring of love



I’d given up on love so long ago

When I met you, I tried to run away

My heart was intent on betraying me



Very soon, Kiyone and Tenchi are not the only couple 
slow-dancing on the makeshift dance floor. Even the singles
have grabbed the hand of whoever’s handy and pulled them up.



There never was anyone else that I wanted

From the moment you walked into view

My heart was yours, and the offer still stands





And it’s like a cool wind in summertime...

It’s like a fire in wintertime....

And I want you for all time, whoa-ho-whoa



Whenever you get lost, can’t find your way home

Just call out my name, and I’ll come running to find you

Never gonna let you down

When the rain starts to pour, I’ll be there to cover you

Keep you safe and warm, I’ll wrap you up inside my arms

Hold you tight in our ring of love



And we stand here now, making our vows

Never gonna leave your side...

And we’ll say "I do"...

I promise to, I’ll take you as my bride...



Whenever you get lost, can’t find your way home

Just call out my name, and I’ll come running to find you

Never gonna let you down

When the rain starts to pour, I’ll be there to cover you

Keep you safe and warm, I’ll wrap you up inside my arms

Hold you tight in our ring of love



Whenever you get lost, can’t find your way home

Just call out my name, and I’ll come running to find you

Never gonna let you down

When the rain starts to pour, I’ll be there to cover you

Keep you safe and warm, I’ll wrap you up inside my arms

Hold you tight in our ring of love



When there’s no where to go, when there’s nothing to know

Reach out your hand, I’ll lead you back home, I swear I will

I’ll never let you fall

You know where to find me, standing right beside you

This love is forever, I’m here for good, just wait and see

I’ll wrap you up in our ring of love...



I’ll hold you tight in our ring of love.



As the music dies down and the couples slowly stop dancing,
the silence is replaced by applause. Tenchi whispers in Kiyone’s
ear, "I love you."

She gives him a loving smile. "I love you too." She then gently
pulls away from him and winks. "I have a gift for you too. 
Sami-cha’ya?’

Sasami, with Ryo-ohki on one shoulder and Chana-ohki on the 
other, appears. "Yes, Mommy?"

"Keep your father company." Kiyone winks at her adopted 
daughter. "Now, don’t you two be naughty!" She climbs onto the
stage and takes the mike from Mihoshi. "Thank you, Mihoshi,
Sagami, a wonderful job. Wouldn’t you so say, folks?" The crowd
cheers once again. "I’m afraid, however, that Tenchi isn’t the
only one that wrote a song--with the help of his father and 
Washu, of course--for this wedding." Her eyes lock onto 
Tenchi’s, and those around can feel the love passing between
these two. After a moment, Kiyone resumes speaking. "My gift to
you, on our wedding day, Tenchi-yon. This song. It’s called
‘Forevermore*.’" The music--this time, a soft piano, backed
with a synth drum--begins to play:



Feel the wind, feel the sun

And our new day in paradise has only begun

On the sand, by the sea

It’s a peaceful oasis made for you and for me

Take my hand...



This place was always waiting, this beauty all around us

The air intoxicating, just like the love that found us

Let’s forget who we’ve been, and give in to the dream

Maybe life is a song, that’s how it seems...



And forevermore we’ll hear the music play

Yes forevermore I’ll take you in my arms this way

And forevermore we’ll know the melody

We will sing forevermore, just like the peaceful sea



Once again, the dance floor is packed with dancing couples.
This includes Nobuyuki and Misaki. For Misaki, this dredges
up memories of her beloved Ryoji, dead fifteen years this fall.
How he would have loved to see this day, she muses.

Achika is never far from Nobuyuki’s thoughts, and he sends a 
silent thought to heaven. I hope you’re watching this, love.



Past the clouds, past the sky

We can only imagine what great mysteries lie

Other moons, other stars

Close your eyes and together we’ll go wandering far

Take my hand...

This miracle’s undying, it never will forsake us

We’ll always keep on flying, wherever love may take us

Let’s forget who we’ve been, and give in to the dream

Maybe life is a song, that’s how it seems...



And forevermore we’ll hear the music play

Yes forevermore I’ll take you in my arms this way

And forevermore we’ll know the melody

We will sing forevermore, just like the peaceful sea



Normally, the song would repeat the chorus one last time, but as
she was finishing, Kiyone’s eyes caught Tenchi’s. Letting the 
last strains play out, she hops off the stage and into his arms.



The coronation takes place on Jurai that evening. All the guests
from the wedding--after all, enough of them have strange enough
lives so that they won’t breathe a word of this to anyone--are
present, and, as at the wedding, this is a media frenzy. In 
fact, Tenchi is so worried about things getting out of hand that
he almost doesn’t notice that he and Kiyone have been crowned.
One thing he is fully aware of, however, is the assigning
of his and Kiyone’s tree-ships. The process begins by taking
their swords and nicking their wrists, just enough to draw 
blood, and dripping the blood into a small pitcher of water from
the Fountain of Life. This water is then poured on the roots
of two small saplings, looking a little like Ryu-oh’s 
sapling(that is, one sapling for Kiyone, and one for Tenchi).
The blood and the water of the Fountain of Life combine to 
unlock the saplings’ conversion capabilities. And so, the trees
demonstrate.

Tenchi’s ship looks like a giant-sized Ryu-oh, with the addition
of a long, amethyst crystal bow that is slightly up-hooked
at the end. Also, there are four equidistantly placed "wings"
on the main body that look very much like Light Hawk Wings.
The name he gives it is far from surprising: Kiyone.

Kiyone’s looks like a slightly smaller, more streamlined
version of the ship that is her namesake, with several long fins
placed dorsally and ventrally. The color scheme is like that of
Sasami’s old tree-ship. This ship’s name? Tenchi, natch.

Following the ceremony, the new emperor and empress are 
conducted down to the private chambers they had visited during.
And, under the watchful eyes of the "monks," they consummate
their relationship (though certainly not for the first time).

Now, here is where history repeats itself.

You see, when Tsunami gave Kiyone the one-shot fertility,
she also restored her virginity, which she had been 
enthusiastically relieved of on their wedding night. Normally,
during a woman’s "first time," the "relieving of the virginity"
(thank God for euphemisms; otherwise I might have had to write
something offensive here!) causes pain. However, there are times
when reality fluctuates, when things that never could happen
do, and vice versa. In Kiyone’s case, one of these "reality
lapses" occurred on the very moment of her first penetration.
Time, logic, and pure physics inverted themselves, so, instead
of experiencing pain, she achieved...well, let’s just say she 
experienced the opposite. Neither her nor Tenchi had expected
this, and when Tsunami restored her virginity, Tenchi was 
treating her very much like a China doll, as if afraid that by 
touching her, he would shatter her. They managed to work past
that fear, and Kiyone had steeled herself against her wedding
night.

She did not expect this to happen a second time.

But it did anyway.

In fact, this time, she experienced several.

(Yeah, I know, not the best topic of conversation. So, anyway,
let’s move on...)

Just one more thing. When they left the "pool," Tenchi had one
small addition to his body: an inverted, triangular Juraian
marking in the center of his forehead, flanked by two smaller
ones. (Think Light Hawk marking from the OVAs.)



A week passes. Tenchi and Kiyone have decided to put off their
honeymoon for another week, until after Ryoko and Kyoto’s 
wedding. The entire household throws themselves into the frantic
preparations, even Tenchi and Kiyone--that is, when they’re
not too busy practicing for their honeymoon.

Finally the blessed day arrives.

Morning that day comes far too quickly for the likes of Kyoto.
He is sprawled across his and Ryoko's bed -- a small futon 
rolled out on the floor of Nobuyuki's study-- asleep when the 
first beams of morning light cut through the tiny slits in the
blinds and strikes him in the eyes. The warm sunlight isn't 
painful, but he finds it rather annoying even though this is the
most important day of his and Ryoko's life.

As his vision regains its clarity, Kyoto rolls over on one side
to look at his sleeping bride-to-be. He thinks to himself as he
props his head up on his left arm and strokes her hair with his
right hand, Two hundred centuries and hundreds of wives, yet,
I have never felt on all those days as I do now. She looks so 
innocent right now, so peaceful, it's hard to imagine that only
a year--no, a few months ago she was a space pirate on the run
from the law. Now, she looks as gentle and fragile as a China
doll. He is about to think about more when he notices the door
snick open and Kiyone and Tenchi walk quietly in. Both of them
look extremely tired but equally happy. Since their wedding
a week ago, they’ve been taking full advantage of their 
officially-married status.

"Morning, Kyoto. How do you feel?" says Tenchi, seating himself
in one of his dad's drafting table chairs.

"Like an uneasily stacked house of cards during an earthquake.
Think about it, Tenchi. I've faced perils a thousand fold worse
than anything people could imagine and not even flinched,
yet, on my wedding day I am as frightened as a lost kitten."

Tenchi smiles and pats his friend on the shoulder. "Well, I hate
to ruin this moment of peace, but it is time for you two to 
start getting ready."

Kyoto moans as he reaches down for his boxers and gingerly
pulls them on before following Tenchi out of the room. 
Meanwhile, Kiyone kneels down beside a still sleeping Ryoko.

"Ryoko, honey, come on, it's time to get up."

"Kyoto... I don't wanna get up, I'm tired... just let me sleep,"
she moans, turning her back to Kiyone and burying her head under
her pillow. Kiyone lightly places her hands on Ryoko's shoulders
and begins to shake her.

"Come on, Ryoko. It's your wedding day, remember? It's time to 
get up, the masseuse is already set up and waiting downstairs,
everyone else is off at the shrine getting everything set up. 
Kyoto is down there waiting for you."

This wakes Ryoko up. "Wedding, oh crap..." She immediately
goes into a fit of hysterics and worry, during which all Kiyone
can do is try to restrain her. After several minutes of coaxing,
she manages to finally calm Ryoko down and wrap her in a sarong
and put her hair up in a towel.

Downstairs, the normal living room has been temporarily
converted into a sauna

--courtesy of the two most brilliant minds in the galaxy! In the
center are two white, padded beds for which the bridge and groom
are to be resting during the traditional Japanese pre-marital
massage. Kyoto is already resting on one, a towel laying over
his posterior. Kiyone helps a still nervous Ryoko onto the 
other, then once she is lying down, removes her sarong and 
allows the masseuse to go to work.

Once the couple is alone, aside from the two amethyst-haired
girls massaging them, Ryoko rests her head facing Kyoto. 
"Scared?" she finally asks after a tense moment of silence.

"Uh, huh," Kyoto nods as he closes his eyes to enjoy the 
sensation of his muscles being kneaded into relaxation.

"Me too. I was afraid that this day might never come or if it 
did, that something terrible would happen that would separate
us." Ryoko stops for a moment as a tiny wave of pleasure ripples
through her as she feels the masseuse slowly work some hot oils
into her skin. After a moment she then continues, "Kyoto?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad... I'm glad we finally decided to do this. I've been
waiting for quite a long time for this moment in my life and now
it's finally here and--" Kyoto cuts her off by reaching over and
placing a finger over her lips.

"Shhh... shhh... don't get yourself all worked up, it'll only
make you tense again. Right now, you need to be as relaxed
as possible." Kyoto retracts his hand to kiss the tips of his 
index and pointer fingers before extending them back to her lips
and pressing those fingers against them. Ryoko smiles and slowly
closes her eyes as a light sensation of drowsiness overcomes
her body.



* * *



Kyoto adjusts the collar of his haori-hakama for the fifth time
in front of the mirror. He has never been one for dressing
formal, and on the day of all days, he is especially touchy
about the particulars of his clothes. After having bothered
with the blasted thing for the sixth try --for an outfit that
looks like a cross between a yukata, a karate gi, and 
Katushito's normal priest's clothing, he seems to be having
the damndest of times getting the thing to look just the way he
wants it-- he gives up and settles for this time as being 
perfect. He is about to go back on this decision when he hears
a rap on the door.

"Come in, I'm decent." A second later, the door snicks open and
Tenchi enters, closing the door behind him.

"How are you doing? I just wanted to see if had managed to get
your clothes on right." Kyoto smiles and gives Tenchi a friendly
punch in the arm.

"I've never had a problem dressing myself before. Of course
when Ryoko's involved... I suppose some worry is warranted."
Tenchi smiles and nods his head.

"Yes, I guess it does warrant some worry. But, we should be more
worried about Ryoko, she's just going to pieces. I tell you, 
Kyoto, I've never seen her like this before, you've certainly
worked some changes on that girl."

"Some would say the same of you with Kiyone," comments Kyoto.

Tenchi gestures out the door to Ryoko's room across the hall.
"You ready to go?"

Kyoto nods and then follows him out of the room.

Meanwhile, Kiyone and Ayeka are helping Ryoko into her fourth
under-kimono. She is shaking like a willow in a strong wind with
a half emptied bottle of Daiginjo saké sitting next to her. Her
face is somewhat flushed --more than likely from the saké--
and she can't stop babbling.

"I-I-I-- I'm j-j-j-just s-s-s-so n-n-n-nervous. I-I've never
b-been married before. I just don't want anything to go wrong."
She grunts a little as she dons her fifth under-kimono.
"For God's sake, why did Kyoto have to choose a Shinto wedding?
This outfit is impossible!"

Ayeka smiles as she helps Ryoko, who can barely get her arms up
to shoulder level, tie the sash for this kimono. "Actually,
Ryoko, I think this makes you look rather dignified. I would
be honored if I was in the postion that you're in."

"Getting married to Kyoto?"

"Well-- no. But, I mean the fact that you're getting married
in a very honorable fashion is what I'm implying. And to be 
marrying someone you love, that's wonderful. Now, all I have to
do is wait for Seiryo to propose..." She releases a snort of 
amusement as she picks up the traditional headdress and wig. 
"Well, lets get to work on your hair."

"Why must I wear that thing!" She complains turning her head and
sticking out her tongue. "It looks like an inverted sushi bowl."

"Because," soothes Kiyone, "Kyoto asked for it to be completely
traditional, well at least the ceremony."

Ryoko looks enviously at Kiyone. "I wish Kyoto wanted a Juraian
ceremony, like you and Tenchi had. At least you didn't have to 
wear this stupid wig."

Kiyone's face takes on a small expression of pity. "Be strong,
Ryoko, be strong. In two hours it'll all be over. Then you can
relax and... enjoy your husband's company."

"That's another thing I'm jealous about, Kiyone! All Tenchi
had to do was lift up your skirt and--"

"I think we can save this subject for a later date," interjects
Ayeka.

"Yes, let’s," agrees Kiyone. Her cheeks are starting to burn,
but not from embarrassment.

Ryoko's normally spiked hair is now hanging limp down her back
and around her shoulders, looking something like Kiyone's
usual hairstyle. As Ayeka and Kiyone start her put her hair up 
into a bun, Ryoko reflects on the irony of the situation.
Here she is, she who had been until a few short months ago one
of the galaxy's most wanted criminals, and she is getting 
prepped for her wedding by the Empress of Jurai and a Princess
of Jurai, two of the universe's most powerful women. She is 
considering a quip of some sort, but the combination of them 
working on her hair and the multiple kimonos she's wearing
force her to think otherwise. She's getting rather hot and if it
weren't for them, she might not have even gotten this far. If 
she angers them, they might leave her like this.

After an agonizing twenty minutes of fiddling with her hair,
Ayeka and Kiyone are sucessful in managing to get it into a bun
small enough to fit underneath the traditional wig and 
head-dress. They quickly place these atop her head, eliciting
a moan of discomfort. The wig is rather hot and itchy, combined
with the weight of the head-dress, Ryoko is beginning to wonder
if she can keep her head up through the entire wedding. It isn't
too long after this that Ayeka and Kiyone help her into the 
final piece of her outfit, the uchikake. Ryoko thinks to 
herself, This outfit makes me feel like a sardine in a can! I 
hope this doesn't take too long...



* * *



Meanwhile, in front of the tired-looking Masaki shrine, Kyoto
is waiting near the stairs leading to the shrine. A remarkable
thing has happened to him within the last few hours. He has gone
from the over-confident, lecherous space pirate, to a rather
nervous --not to mention pale-- individual. He is repeatedly
wiping the beeds of sweat on his brow and trying to not swallow
his tongue as he chokes down the third lump that has formed
in his throat. On his right is his mother, the goddess Murasaki,
who --if it is possible-- looks even more divine in an extreme
ornately version of her traditional goddess robes. She is 
looking off towards the skyline peeking over the hills of trees
surrounding the shrine. Standing next to her is Nobuyuki,
who is filling in for his father, who he knows has died well 
over 200 centuries ago.

On his left, just across the walk, Tenchi is standing in Juraian
full formal court wear. Once Ryoko arrives, he and Kiyone--who
will be similarly dressed--will be filling in for her parents,
who are, as far as they know, long dead or missing. Kyoto is 
about to try and strike up a casual conversation --more to relax
his nerves, than for entertainment-- when he hears two sets of 
feet ascending the last steps leading to the shrine. He wrenches
his head around just in time to see Ryoko in her 3uchikake.
To him, she looks breath-taking. She came to a stop standing
next to him, her eyes looking down at the stone path in front
of them. Even though he can't see her face, Kyoto can tell that
she is blushing. It is at this moment, that they hear the sounds
of a Koto and several other oriental sounding instruments
being played.

Kyoto nods. "Well, it sounds like it's time to start." With 
that, he, Ryoko, Tenchi and Kiyone, and Murasaki and Nobuyuki
start a slow, solemn procession towards the temple. As they pass
under the torii and enter the shrine itself, the music slowly
dies away, leaving the group once more in silence. Once through
the doorway, they remove their shoes, then Kyoto and Ryoko 
approach the altar. Katsuhito is already seated in a 
cross-legged position on the opposite side of the altar. The 
couple kneels, then bows to him.

Sasami, off to one side is kneeling, clad in the traditional
garb of a Shinto serving girl and looking indescribably
adorable(so what else is new?). She quickly exchanges looks with
Katsuhito before rising to her feet and walking over to the 
altar. She then places the small carry-table she had been 
carrying, along with the three saucers and a small vessel 
containg the saké. On each of the saucers is a different
emblem: The first is an engraving of a plum, on the second is an
engraving of bamboo, and on the third is an engraving of pine.
Once she has set the tray down, she bows her head in silent
prayer for a handful of seconds, and then returns to a kneeling
position at one side of the tray. Katsuhito then nods and 
unrolls a scroll of faded parchment.

With this, he begins the ceremony of san san ku do. He chants
off several prayers asking the shrine’s patron diety to bless
their wedding, to give them a lifetime of love and devotion,
and that their marriage will be prosperous. After which Sasami
fills the first saucer, the one of the plum, with saké. Kyoto
is first takes the saucer, and takes three ginger sips from it.
It is then refilled with saké and passed to Ryoko who does like
wise. This saucer is then set aside and the second one, the one
of bamboo, is filled and placed before them.

This done, he begins another set of prayers, blessing the 
sacredness of their marriage, may they find joy in their 
marriage, and that the home they build as husband and wife will
be watched upon and guarded. They then repeat the same ritual
with the second saucer as they did with the first.

Once again, Sasami replaces the saucer and fills it, this time
with the final one. Following this comes Katsuhito's third set
of prayers, about peace in their new home, and that all the 
offspring from this holy union may be gifted with good health,
and that those said offspring be prosperous. The ritual is 
repeated once more, and the saucers are taken aside while 
Katushito makes his final prayers.

At this moment, Kyoto stands and turns to face Ryoko, who is 
still bowing before him. "As your husband, I shall forever
keep you in my heart and home. I shall forever protect you and
any children that you bear unto me. I shall be faithful and 
caring to you always and shall expect the same from you toward
me." He then bows, sealing the promises he made. Ryoko, then 
rises to her feet and bows to him. However, quite out of the 
context of a Shinto marriage, they enfold each other and lock
into a long, passionate kiss. During this, Sasami edges her way
over to Katsuhito and whispers in his ear.

"Are they going to be naughty, right now?!"

"Perhaps," intones Katsuhito as he claps his hands in personal
prayer.

The naughtiness, however, will have to wait till later, for the
wind suddenly picks up and a loud shi-ya echoes throughout
the shrine grounds. A dark-blue, bat-winged ship topped with a 
pink dome sweeps into view.

"Ken-ohki!" cries out Sasami, clutching Ryo-ohki close.

Tenchi and Kiyone draw their swords and light the blades. "What
is she doing here?"

"I don’t know," replies Tenchi, "but I’m not sure I want to 
know."

The ship disappears from the sky, and its cabbit form appears
on the ground, at it’s master’s feet.

Tenchi steps in front of the bride and groom, his sword at the
ready. "What do you want? Thses two have been pardoned, their
bounty is canceled."

Nagi meets his gaze calmly, then bows her head. "Lord Tenchi."
She does the same to Kiyone. "Lady Kiyone."

After a moment, as if gathering strength, she raises her head.
"I...I want to apologize for my previous actions. I wish to 
speak with Ryoko."

Tenchi starts to refuse, but is stopped by Kiyone placing a hand
on his shoulder. He looks at her in confusion, and then follows
her gaze to Ryoko, who is stepping forward.

The ex-space pirate looks Nagi in the eye, not with hatred but
with appraisal. "Okay, Nagi, whaddya wanna talk to me about?"

Nagi hesitates, then pulls a thick manila envelope from inside
her cape and hands it to Ryoko. Bemused, Ryoko opens the 
envelope, draws out the papers, and looks them over. As she 
does, her face displays her reactions: shock, disbelief,
confusion, acceptance, and, finally, elation. Tears of happiness
spilling from her amber eyes, she looks at Nagi, and says, in a 
voice choked with emotion,

"Sister."

Nagi, for the first time in Ryoko’s memory, smiles at her, not
with triumph or smugness, but with happiness. In a voice just
as emotion-laden, she whispers, "Little sister," and opens her
arms. Ryoko moves as quickly as she can--considering
that the uchikake she wears is built for neither speed nor 
freedom of movement--and they embrace.



During the small reception, Nagi explains that she had not found
out about their shared blood till only a few weeks before.
A supposed "orphan" like Ryoko, she had spent much of her life
searching for any clues to her past. This information had come
to her via an informant of hers who worked at the Science 
Academy. However, the information did not include the names of 
their parents.

(Unnoticed by the rest of the cast, Washu shifts uncomfortably.)

Nagi also announces that she is retiring as a bounty hunter,
and is taking up the role of an explorer. "The money for 
exploring new galaxies is a lot better than playing GP without
the insurance benefits."

There is, however, another reason she has come to Earth. 
Ken-ohki wishes to retire, and start a family with Ryo-ohki.
The male cabbit signifies this by presenting the object of his
affection with a 24-carrot bundle (apparently, a typical 
engagement present among Ohkis). Blushing, Ryo-ohki accepts.

Nagi watches this with a sad smile, until she feels a familiar
weight in her lap. She looks down to see a small black-and-white
striped Ohki, about the size of a kitten. It nuzzles her hand,
and, smiling, she rubs it under the chin. "Hello, little one,"
she says softly. "Whose are you?"

There is a giggle to Nagi’s side, and she turns to see the 
little blue-haired girl--The one who makes such good tea, she 
recalls--smiling up at her. "That’s Tao-ohki," says the young
girl. "She’s Ryo-ohki’s niece. When she heard that Ryo-ohki
wanted to marry Ken-ohki, she volunteered to take care of you!"

To take care of me? thinks Nagi, a little taken aback at first.
As the thought sinks in, though, she finds that she likes it. 
She gently caresses Tao-ohki’s back, and she purrs. Yes, I 
definitely like the thought, she decides.



Nobuyuki stretches and yawns. Finally, he has the house to 
himself.

It has been two days since Kyoto and Ryoko’s wedding. Tenchi
and Kiyone have finally left on their honeymoon; they’ll be 
staying at Kyoto’s beach house in Bali. The second pair of 
newlyweds are out on the town tonight. Katsuhito has taken 
Sasami, Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Mitsuki out for a movie and dinner.
Nagi and Tao-ohki have left for the Galaxy Exploration
Corps base at Alpha Crucis, to begin training.

For the first time in far too long, this house is empty save for
him. Well, and Washu, but she’ll be in her lab all night.

Nobuyuki starts thinking. When Digital Washu had declared
that they would fall in love and get married, he had tried to 
laugh it off. Still, he found himself able to see it. She was 
the oldest of the girls who lived in his house, and in spite
of her playful nature, she was also the most mature (yes, even
more so than Kiyone), the one who knew the most about love and
how much it hurts to lose love. No, there would be far worse
choices than Washu...

He gives his psyche a violent shake and reminds himself what 
he’s here to do.

No, you idiot! he shouts at himself. You’ve got to stop doing
this to yourself! You call this living? You’re just killing
yourself slowly! If Tenchi was here right now, he’d be telling
you the same--

With practiced ease, he turns the volume down in that part of 
his soul and looks down at the box in his hands. What that side
of his soul said was true. This is far more destructive
than the Suntory, or the cigarettes. Those were just damaging
his body. Not his soul. But, this is the one vice he has never
been able to deny. And so, he doesn’t.

The contents of the box are soon in place. He is ready to begin.

He begins.

The video starts playing. After a few minutes of blue screen,
the image of Achika becomes visible. She is humming to herself
while making breakfast. She is wrapped in that old blue kimono,
her favorite, the one he had bought for her during their 
honeymoon in Sapporo.

A tear starts to run down his right cheek. It is followed
by another, and another, from both eyes, until his shirt is 
becoming soaked. He doesn’t give a damn. He’s thinking back to 
the events of a week ago, the day of Kiyone and Tenchi’s 
wedding.

Misaki.

In ten and a half years of widowerhood, the only time temptation
had won. He has known colleagues who lost their wives, and 
remarried within a year. Many of them were confused why he 
didn’t remarry.

But how do you tell someone than that half of you--the better
half of you--is in the ground, and that any attempts to find it
again are doomed to failure?

He and Kiyone’s mother had parted on good terms, as friends.
He is glad for that. But there is something he wishes had never
happened. He had been showing her around the house, and they had
been in his bedroom--his and Achika’s bedroom--and he had been
showing her pictures of Tenchi growing up, and he still can’t
remember quite what happened, but somewhere along the line she
had started crying, and he had held her, and they had started
kissing, and clothing had started coming off...

He supposes that it wasn’t any easier for her. She had called
out her dead husband’s name in the middle of it, but he had 
called out Achika’s name, so, in a rather

sick way, they were even.

He hopes that she doesn’t blame herself for what happened.
She’s too good a woman for that. He imagines that she is 
thinking the same of him. Still, both know that neither will 
forgive themselves for what happened.

Others might understand, but be confused. Tenchi, who--save
Nobuyuki--was hurt most by Achika’s death, would understand,
but he would insist that it was time for Nobuyuki to move on. 
"Dad, I know you miss Mom, but she wouldn’t want you to spend
the rest of your life pining for her. She would want you to move
on and be happy..."

Let’s see how easy it would be for you to "move on" if Kiyone
died... But that’s something that Nobuyuki hopes that his son 
never understands.

His hand pauses the tape just as Achika turns around to look at
him, so she is smiling over her shoulder at him. This tape was
made on Nov. 22, 1986, just a few days before she...

Nobuyuki finally removes his glasses and buries his face in his
hands. Between sobs, he whimpers, "I’m sorry, Achi-chan,
I’m so sorry, I tried, for so long I tried, but I 
couldn’t...couldn’t control myself...please forgive me..." He 
sobs this over and over, unaware of the silent figure standing
in the shadows, her eyes shut and trickling tears in sympathy.





                                  The End







A last note: This is the result of trying to pack too many ideas
in, and finding that they weren’t as well-formed as we thought
they were. So much for planning an episode months in advance.
We hope the finished product is worth the long wait.



Footnotes:



* Carte blanche: "Blank check." Basically, the right to do as 
you wish concerning a specific matter.



* Trust me, the Japanese version sounds better. Of course,
I've never heard an English version of this.



* C. Scientific and mathematical term for light-speed.



*I have finally worked out the system of Juraian affectionate
address. They are as follows:

-cha'ya: "Beloved daughter." Term of affection for one's 
daughter(s). Also, term of affection for a wife from her 
husband.

-cha'yo: "Beloved son." Term of affection for one's son(s).
Also, term of affection for a husband from his wife.

-kai'ya: "Beloved niece." Term of affection for one's niece(s),
or for the daughter(s) of a friend.

-kai'yo: "Beloved nephew." Term of affection for one's 
nephew(s), or for the son(s) of a friend.

-sha'ya: "Beloved sister." Term of affection for one's 
sister(s), female cousin(s), and close female friend(s).
Also, another term of affection for a wife from her husband.

-sha'yo: "Beloved brother." Term of affection for one's 
brother(s), male cousin(s), or close male friend(s). Also, 
another term of affection for one's husband from his wife.

Expect to see these put to vigorous use in future episodes.



* Oji-chama! Doko nano? See Tenchi Universe eps. 21 for an 
explanation (subtitled, unless you're good at Japanese 
lip-reading.



* You think this was a stupid joke? So do I. But I'm not 
removing it.



* Megamikai: The Goddess World. On the rare occasion we bring
up this planet, that is the name we will use for it. (See MTM!,
eps. 9 and 10.)



* Yuki-cha'ya story: The Juraian equivalent of the Cinderella
story.



* I'm sorry, were you expecting something profound?



* HV: Holo-vison--but I'm sure you already guessed that.



* Shinkansen: The bullet train.



* Shinai: A sword made of bamboo. Shinai and bokken are a 
mainstay of kendo.



* Chong-sam: Those tight, sexy Chinese-style dresses that I 
would kill to see Kiyone in...but I digress.



* Gaijin: A Foreigner.



* And yes, they do have driving ranges in Japan! The things
are just multiple stories tall, so you have people firing off 
golf balls from a couple levels up above your head.



* Kappa: a demon.



* Bishojo: "Pretty girl." It seemed an appropriate name for an 
all-girls college full of winsome young beauties.



* The Fountain of Life: The galaxy at large has antiaging
drugs--are in the twelfth generation of said drugs, in 
fact--that come close to matching this lifespan. The AA drugs
slow aging down to one year for every seven hundred lived. 
Consequently, lifetimes of several thousand years are the norm.
These drugs have been around since the inception of the 
GF--i.e., five thousand years--and are completely safe. (And 
yes, these drugs work just fine on non-humans.) (Final note:
the citizens of the Republic of Jurai have access to a slightly
watered-down version of the Fountain of Life's water, which 
slows aging to one year for every eight hundred.)



* Boldface: The guy's part (usually Tenchi's; in this case, 
Sagami's).

Underlined: The girl's part (usually Kiyone's; in this case,
Mihoshi's).

Plain italics: Both.



* Actual credits: Japanese lyrics by Natsuko Karedo; English
lyrics by Lorraine Feather; Music and Arrangement by Seiko 
Nagaoka. (This is Ryoko's song from TV episode 13.)



* I heard it somewhere on a TLC program about Japanese weddings
that before the wedding there is a traditional massage for 
groom. The bride I'm unsure about. However, the writer can put
whatever he wants, so hah-hah-hah.



* A haori-hakama is the wedding outfit worn by a Japanese
groom. The haori is a type of jacket which is worn in 
combination with the hakama (the long, pant/skirt-like
piece worn around the waist). Underneath this is two

yukata or kimono, depending on your source.



* A large, intricately embroidered over-kimono worn by the 
bride.



* The sacred arch , which helps demarcate the sacred area of the
shrine.



* The Shinto ritual during which the bride and groom each take
three sips of sake from three different saucers, for a total
of nine sips each (san means three, ku means nine, and do means
times).





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