GALAXY POLICE ARCHIVES Document no. 05736-G7734A895K-P0005-R PRELIMINARY REPORT: A Re-evaluation of the Events Leading to the Restoration of the Imperial Throne in 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Prepared by the Research Division, Department of Historical Records, Galaxy Police Headquarters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CLASSIFICATION: TOP SECRET ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Introduction It has been over fifty years since the events which led to the restoration of the Jurai royal family to the throne following the interim dictatorship of the person known today only as The Pretender. In all that time, public knowledge of those events has been based almost exclusively on a television documentary issued shortly after the fact, popularly known as "The Tenchi Universe." This documentary was based primarily on police reports filed by then Galaxy Police Detective (First Class) Mihoshi. Unfortunately with the passage of time it has become increasingly evident that although she was a direct participant in the events, Detective Mihoshi introduced a number of major inaccuracies, apparently inadvertantly. In addition, many important factors contributing to the situation were omitted. Worst of all, the reports were written on a tight deadline, with the result that her account of the events following the restoration were sparsely dealt with, with many issues left unresolved. This report, when completed, will ultimately seek to correct the historical record once and for all, and is based on extensive interviews with the surviving participants, most of whom remain in good health. Once it is approved for declassification the public will be able to read, for the first time, the true story of the events as they unfolded. This first preliminary report deals with the final days only, as they suffered the most from Detective Mihoshi's inaccuracies. Later reports will cover the remaining time periods applying to these events. As is currently customary with historical reports of this nature, the usual narrative format has been employed, rather than the dry factual recitation which was the practice in Detective Mihoshi's original reports. Magayo Head Researcher Research Division Department of Historical Records Galaxy Police Headquarters February 11, 2048 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 1 Ryoko, I miss you so... Tenchi's footsteps slowly crunched along the path. School was out for the day, and he was heading home, dressed in his school uniform, a briefcase in his right hand. Questions of literature, calculus and chemistry once again occupied his days. He had been back for about two weeks now. The Masaki house had been returned to the mysteriously vacant lot, and to persistent questioning from their neighbors (fortunately none of them lived too close by) he had responded only that they had been doing some rebuilding. To his classmates at school he had simply had to leave for an emergency for a few weeks, confirmed by a note from his father to the school authorities. His classmates had been mildly curious but soon became diverted by other questions of more import to them. It was strange to just be a schoolboy again, he thought. No empires turned on his ability with the Tenchi sword; no madmen threatened their very lives. He remembered a conversation they had all had in the kitchen aboard Kiyone's Galaxy Police cruiser just before all hell had broken loose once and for all. Sasami had been crying. "Why do you all have to do this?" she had sobbed. "You could all be killed. It's so frightening not knowing what's going to happen next." Yosho had gently reached out his hand and wiped away her tears. "That is the price we pay for having choices, Sasami, and also the reward," he had said gravely. At the time Tenchi had not been quite sure what he meant, but it was painfully clear now. We all made our choices, he thought to himself, and we all paid one price or another. Some paid a much higher price than others, he added sadly, thinking of Ryoko. It had been all too apparent to him how badly she was hurt, and what a terrible risk she was taking in flying them into the palace. It wasn't only Azaka who had seen the blood seeping through her uniform or the agony contorting her face when she thought no one was looking. For her to depart immediately after delivering them must have torn her apart emotionally as well, probably thinking that everyone would see her as deserting them at their worst moment of all. But there was no doubt at all in his mind that she had done it knowing full well how she would have endangered them further in her nearly helpless state had she stayed. That was probably the most courageous thing he had ever seen anyone do, and she paid the price for her choice, he reflected bitterly. He knew now- but let the past be the past, he told himself as he deflected the thought aside. There had been no word of her since her disappearance. No Jurai ship had reported shooting down Ryo- ohki, and one of Ayeka's first moves as Empress had been to order a massive search for the pair. But no trace of them had ever been found, nor had Washu been able to make any kind of telepathic contact with her daughter. Washu herself had held out no hope. "Her recovery system was definitely shut down," she had said in her coldly analytical way, but there was a deep sadness in her voice. "Without outside help, she simply couldn't have lived more than another day or two." And she said no more about Ryoko, her second lost child. As the path wound into the forest, Tenchi absently savored the way the muted industrial roar of late- twentieth century civilization faded into quiet forest sounds. Only the soft crunching of his footsteps on the path mixed with the various birdsongs and rustlings. At one point a shadow passed unexpectedly overhead and Tenchi thought he heard an oddly familiar noise and his heart skipped a beat, but a moment later the sound of a distant jet broke momentarily broke through the canopy and quickly faded. He sighed and continued on. Tenchi continued down the path and tried to direct his thoughts to the evening's homework. Unexpectedly his reverie was broken by a familiar sound behind him. Miyaa! He turned to see a familiar creature sitting on a rock, ears cocked at the usual angle. "Ryo-ohki!?" Then the image faded, to be replaced by one of the many stray cats that lived in the area. The animal licked itself in an indelicate place and vanished into the greenery along the path. He shook his head. That was strange, he thought, feeling distinctly unsettled. For a moment he hesitated, finally concluding that the forest sounds had tricked him with an unusual combination and triggered an overactive imagination. He turned and continued down the path. Then Ryoko faded into view in front of him, hovering a foot or so over one of the many boulders lining the way, hands cocked on her hips. Fighting a knot in his stomach, he stared as she faded away after a few seconds. I must be coming down with something, he thought, and his pace quickened. Ryoko, I miss you so... "Tenchi," said a familiar voice behind him as he froze. Slowly he turned around to again see Ryoko, now standing a few feet behind him. He waited for a few seconds for the image to fade, but it didn't. She stood there smiling mischeviously. "Tenchi, it really is me this time," she said finally. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist an opportunity for a little fun." She laughed delightedly, the sound like soft bells in the air. His attempt to speak resulted instead in a strangled gulp. "Tenchi, I missed you," she added quietly. "Ryoko? Is it really you?" he finally managed. In response she shot gracefully into the air about twenty feet, spun around several times and dive-bombed him, landing on her feet just inches short of a painful collision and treating him to a friendly hug that nearly squeezed the breath from him. "Yes, I'm real," she whispered into his ear. His briefcase dropped to the ground, school forgotten, as she lifted him off his feet and whirled him around. And then he kissed her square on the lips. Neither was prepared for what happened next. For a moment they stood there, lips pressed together, and then Ryoko pushed him away with such force that he stumbled backwards. Her eyes blazed bright red with anger for a moment and then sadly faded back to their normal golden yellow. Tenchi watched in dismay as she turned away from him, obviously fighting to regain control of herself, her hands clenching convulsively. Finally she turned back to him and spoke, her face pale, her voice now just a hoarse whisper. "Tenchi, I didn't think I could ever say this, but I have to." She hesitated. "Please don't ever do that again--unless you really mean it." For what seemed an eternity they stared at each other. Then Ryoko seemed to deflate as she sat down heavily on a nearby boulder and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, Tenchi," she murmered in a flat tone. "I guess this was a bad idea. With Ayeka and you--" "Ryoko." She looked up at him, her face now a picture of utter dejection. "Ryoko, there are two things you need to know," he said quietly. "The first is that before I left Jurai I had a long talk with Ayeka. I told her how much she meant to me, how much I cared for her." He paused and took her hands in his, gently lifting her back to her feet. "I also told her that I was in love with someone else." He let that sink in. Ryoko looked confused. Finally, almost inaudibly, she said, "And the second thing?" "That someone else is you, Ryoko. And I do really, really mean it." Very slowly this time he took her in her arms and kissed her again. This is the price we pay for having choices, Yosho had said, and also the reward, she thought just before she stopped thinking altogether, the tears running unashamedly down her cheeks. When Tenchi finally released her, she seemed to have gone into a trance, her eyes slightly glazed over. "Ryoko, are you all right?" "Mm-hmm," she mumbled. "Are you sure?" "Mm-hmm." "Let's go home," he said. "Mm-hmm." He noticed that she was floating several inches above the ground. And I thought that was a figure of speech, mused Tenchi, as he gently took her by one hand and his briefcase in the other and towed her down the path toward the Masaki residence like a child's helium balloon. When they reached the house, to Tenchi's further astonishment Mihoshi came running out to greet them, followed a moment later by Kiyone. "Tenchi!" she squealed in delight. "And--Ryoko? Wow!" "Is she all right?" asked Kiyone, seeing the blank look on Ryoko's face. "I'm not sure," Tenchi answered. "She's been this way for the past ten minutes. Ryoko?" Ryoko mumbled something unintelligible and proceeded to alarm all concerned by slithering to the ground, her unseeing eyes still open. "She'll be fine," said a wry voice behind them as everyone clustered around anxiously. They turned to see Washu watching the tableaux with amusement. "A good night's sleep and she'll be as feisty as ever. Did you know she's been up for three days straight?" Tenchi heard Ryoko mutter something about not reading her mind again, then she closed her eyes and went limp. "I better put her to bed then," Tenchi said anxiously as he lifted her in his arms and carried her through the doorway and up the stairs to her old room. A few minutes later she was snoring contentedly, Ryo-ohki curled up by her shoulder. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 2 "So they gave me this wonderful promotion," Kiyone was saying to the group assembled in the kitchen, "and it turned out that other than having that awful Mitsuki person serve me tea and grovel every chance she could get, there wasn't anything else for me to do. I was going nuts! I finally asked to be reassigned back to the Earth patrol even if it meant a demotion." "And as soon as I heard about it," Mihoshi broke in delightedly, "I asked if I could go along as her partner. So now we're partners again! Isn't that great? We even got our old apartment back." She looked adoringly at Kiyone, who retorted, "So now my career is in the toilet again. I must be crazy, I guess," but she had a hard time stifling a grin as she said it. Conversation next turned to Washu, who after regaling them with several hysterically funny stories about personalities in the Science Academy let slip that she had already been booted out (after just three weeks of respectability) for working on "a little invention," which turned out to be an innocent trifle capable of wiping out a galaxy at a time (patent pending). With the dark shadow of Ryoko's loss now lifted, they gaily relived the events of the past months for the next few hours, with the festivities finally breaking up in the wee hours of the morning amid general hilarity. Tenchi slipped into Ryoko's darkened room, as he had every half hour or so all evening, but this time he settled himself onto the floor in a seated position beside the sleeping figure and sat quietly watching over her as the hours passed. Ryoko, I missed you so, he thought to himself. Is it really you? Occasionally he leaned over to look at the familiar face, so unpredictable in wakefulness, so innocent in sleep, as though to reassure himself of her reality. Once he felt a presence next to him and turned to see Yosho regarding him thoughtfully. "I'm glad you told her, Tenchi. She is right for you." He spoke quietly so as not to wake the sleeper. "Thanks, Grandpa. You know, it still feels strange to think that this is the same Ryoko you fought and imprisoned 700 years ago. Doesn't it ever bother you?" "I imprisoned a terrifying monster in that cave, Tenchi. Sleeping before us is a very brave young woman. I am proud to have fought beside her. And beside you as well." He rose to his feet and left silently. Tenchi was leaning over her again when she suddenly opened her eyes. Dust motes were dancing in the late morning sunlight that streamed through the window. She gave a startled gasp and sat up in alarm, startling Ryo-ohki who darted away through a solid wall. "Ryoko, it's all right," Tenchi said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. "It's only me." Ryoko shook the sleep from her eyes and looked around blearily. Comprehension dawned. "Tenchi," she said and stretched, reminding him of nothing so much as a lazy cat. "Is it morning already?" Then a sudden cloud passed over her face as memory returned. For a moment she seemed to be debating whether or not to do something dangerous, then hesitantly asked, "Tenchi, did I... yesterday. Did what I think... Did you really..." In response he bent over and kissed her again. She sighed happily and settled back onto her pillow, looking more catlike than ever. Tenchi was suddenly reminded of the night so long ago when he came home from a terrifying battle with a freed demon and--found her waiting for him in his bed. Then she started to laugh in her low, merry voice. For a moment Tenchi thought of calling for Washu, in case Ryoko was in worse shape than he thought, then she stopped and between gasps said, "Do you remember how you used to wake up and find me floating over you? I guess turnabout is fair play, after all." At that, Tenchi caught the joke and joined in. "Do you have any idea what you looked like after doing that all night long? How would you like to find a demon with bloodshot eyes staring down at you the moment you woke up?" "I just did," she retorted, "go look in a mirror," and they both howled until a worried Nobuyuki looked in the door to see what was going on. Later that morning Tenchi asked the question that had nagged at him ever since her miraculous reappearance. "Ryoko, we thought you were-- well, we thought you were dead," he said finally, still tripping over the word. "What happened out there? No-one could contact you, not even Washu, and the Jurai forces couldn't find any trace of you." "You know, Tenchi, my memory is really hazy on that," she said a bit too easily. "Ask me again when I can remember it better myself." And she steered the conversation to other topics. But I do remember, she thought. It's not something I could forget. Not that I would ever want to. She had slowly opened her eyes. For a few minutes her surroundings had baffled her, as she had been dreaming of a familiar mix of a little house, a cool refreshing lake, trees with red leaves, and a door under a stairway. Then the events of the recent days, in particular the pain, began to flood back into her mind. Where was the pain? She sat up. "Ow!" she gasped involuntarily as it stabbed through her side. Oh, yes, there's the pain. But it was now the kind of pain one feels in an injury mostly healed, and she sat up anyways. So I've cheated death again she thought, albeit with a tinge of bitterness. My recovery system must have finally kicked in. Wonder how the others made out. Ryo-ohki, she asked, did we do it? We did. We got them to the palace. I know that, answered Ryoko a bit irritably. But then? Tenchi defeated and destroyed the pretender. Ayeka is on the throne. Ayeka? Why? Not Tenchi? Tenchi preferred to go home. And the others? Sasami stayed with Ayeka on Jurai. Mihoshi and Kiyone went back to the Galaxy Police. Washu was elected to the Academy of Sciences. The others went home with Tenchi. Good work, Mom, Ryoko thought sardonically. Not that I'd ever admit using that word to her. Hold on a minute. Just how the hell long have I been here, Ryo-ohki? It has been three weeks and two days. Three weeks, she thought disbelievingly. That couldn't be right. How do you know about all this? she demanded. Ken-ohki told me. At first that made no sense to Ryoko. Ken-ohki? Then it hit her as she looked down at herself, and saw the bandages around her waist and the medical supplies on the nearby cart and remembered again the terrible pain. Who did this, Ryo-ohki? Nagi. What the hell!!?? Did nothing make sense any more? she thought in disbelief. Show me, she commanded. One of Ryo-ohki's crystals floated before her and in a moment images began to appear on its gleaming surface. Images of Nagi looking down at Ryoko's seemingly lifeless body slumped in the navigator's chair over a pool of blood. Of her gently carrying Ryoko to the sleeping mat in the corner, of her cutting away Ryoko's blood-soaked clothing, dressing her wound, sponging her face with cool water. Of her sitting by Ryoko's bedside for what seemed to be days, even weeks, watching over her. And, at the end, of Nagi gently running her hand over Ryoko's drawn pale face, passing her fingers tenderly through the cyan hair. Of tears running down Nagi's face as she turned away and headed for the connecting tube for the last time. She loves you, you know. Many times on earth, after her release from the cave, Ryoko had returned there unbeknownst to the others when she felt utterly overwhelmed by her experiences. She would have resisted to the death any renewed attempt to imprison her there, but when she went of her own volition it seemed a safe, familiar refuge where in the darkness she could attempt to untangle her confused feelings. Only in the cave could she drop the self-confident, hard-nosed persona she had adopted as a defense for her vulnerability. Many tears had been shed in the cave, unbeknownst to the others. She suddenly longed for it again, with everything around her now a distraction. Lights, Ryo-ohki. Obediently the ship darkened, until only the stars gleamed through the dome. The stars, too, please, she thought, and the stars faded out as the dome became opaque. The blackness was utter. "She loves you, you know." Somebody loves me? she thought. She had of course replayed in her mind a thousand times scenes of Tenchi with words of endearment on his lips, scenes which were only fantasies, in which in effect Tenchi was a marionette acting out her wishes as she pulled the strings. But it had never occurred to her that anyone else might ever actually love her. She had been impressed and surprised at Nagi's role in the final battle, and anticipated less than ever the duel that the bounty hunter apparently lived for. But she didn't love Nagi, she was sure of that at least. Otherwise, confusion seemed to reign supreme in her mind. Dammit, let's start over, she thought. I love Tenchi. Tenchi doesn't love me. (I'm miserable.) Nagi loves me. I don't love Nagi. She turned the short phrases over and over in her mind, reflecting on her dejection. "This is the price we pay for having choices, and also the reward," Yosho had said. Ryoko puzzled over that. Being miserable is a reward? She replayed the phrases again. Nagi loves me. I don't love her. And she added a new one: But I know how she feels. And then it hit her with the force of one of her own lightning bolts. I KNOW HOW SHE FEELS. I've lived 2000 years, she thought. For 1300 years I was Kagato's helpless servant. In all that time I felt nothing, although I remember what I did all too well. Then for 700 years I was a prisoner in the cave. Without Kagato's control, I learned to feel there. I watched generations grow up, live, and die, and I started to experience emotions for the first time. I watched Tenchi grow up, and I learned what love is. But I only knew what I felt inside. I never imagined what others felt; it never occurred to me to think about other people having their own emotions. I just reacted to their actions. They have always been apart from me. People called me selfish, but I couldn't help it. That's all I knew how to be. But now I KNOW HOW NAGI FEELS. And then, to her shock, seemingly of its own volition, came the inevitable syllogism: AND TENCHI FEELS ABOUT ME LIKE I DO ABOUT NAGI. I KNOW NOW HOW TENCHI FEELS. I UNDERSTAND NOW. And as the universe around her seemed to open in every direction, as the walls around her dropped away, she found herself simultaneously laughing and crying uncontrollably, the tears streaming down her face, and the final piece of Washu's handiwork fell into place. Without quite realizing it, Ryoko had at last become fully human. Let's go home, Ryo-ohki. Miyaa! answered Ryo-ohki as she powered up and set a course straight for Earth. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 3 "We're going to have company, by the way," said Washu to Tenchi and Ryoko between mouthfuls. It was only the three of them for breakfast, as Nobuyuki had left for work and Yosho was up at the shrine. Washu had spent a good portion of the meal taunting Tenchi about how late they were (it was almost eleven), in spite of Tenchi's protests that "they hadn't done anything except talk." Ryoko had not exactly been a big help either, draping herself over his shoulder at every opportunity. But this time Tenchi made no effort to push her away. "It seems the Princess Ayeka is playing hooky again," Washu continued. "She borrowed a shuttle several days ago and headed for here. Sasami is with her too. They should be here in, let me see, about twenty minutes if my calculations are correct." Ryoko looked alarmed. "I took the liberty of telling her you were here, Ryoko. She's had enough sudden shocks lately, don't you think?" "I think that's probably just as well," said Tenchi. "Thanks, Washu." Ryoko seemed to be thinking hard, and even stopped eating for a few minutes. "Tenchi?" she said finally. "Maybe I should stay out of sight while she's here. This has to be pretty hard on her." Both Tenchi and Washu stared at her in surprise. She really has changed, Tenchi realized. "Ryoko," he said, "I don't want you to hide from anyone, least of all Ayeka. Just be reasonable, OK?" Ryoko smiled sweetly. Uh-oh, Tenchi thought to himself. Sure enough, shortly after eleven a bright star appeared in the noonday sky and quickly became identifiable as a small Jurai ship as it descended over the Masaki property. Soon it had settled onto the surface of the lake and two more familiar figures had teleported out to the shore. "Tenchi! Washu! and Ryoko!" shrieked Sasami delightedly as she raced up the path. Another figure followed behind hesitantly as Tenchi raced to meet her. "Ayeka," he said, "it's so good to see you again," and gave her a restrained hug. For a moment she seemed to freeze, then threw royal dignity to the winds and hugged him back. Then she spotted Ryoko standing on the shore watching them. "Hey, Princess," Ryoko said quietly. "Hello, Ryoko," Ayeka answered carefully. "They told me you had returned. I am glad to hear you are in good health again. Jurai owes you a great debt." She stopped for a moment, searching for the right words. "I owe you a great debt also," she finally continued. "All of us here do." "Forget it," said Ryoko lightly. "We all had our little parts to play." There was another awkward pause, broken this time by Ryoko. "Listen, Princess, I don't know about you, but I could use a hot bath. How about a soak?" To everyone's surprise Ayeka agreed, and once the necessary unpacking and room arrangements had been made the two headed off for the floating bath with a basket of towels and refreshments. After a warning glance from Ryoko, Tenchi managed to keep Sasami tactfully occupied with her favorite pastime of preparing dinner while Washu (no fool) found a project urgently needing work in her inter-dimensional laboratory under the stairs. For a while Tenchi stole glances in the direction of the enclosed pool, half- expecting to see shattered glass raining down at any moment, but all remained quiet for the next few hours. It was nearly 3 o'clock when Tenchi heard raised voices and dashed out to minimize the carnage, but to his amazement saw two disreputable-looking figures staggering back towards the house, bathrobes in disarray, arms around each other's shoulders, bellowing bawdy songs at the top of their lungs. "Hey, Tenshi," yelled Ayeka, "you gotta hear thish one. `There wash a young woman from Venush...' Wait a mint. Thash too undiginfied, ishnt it. After all, I'm'n Emprish now." She drew herself up to her full height, adopting a regal pose. Then she hiccuped and both women broke into uncontrollable howls of laughter. Tenchi shook his head sadly as he helped them into the house. "Sasami! Strong tea! Please!" By suppertime the two had sobered up enough to eat, aided by liberal helpings of tea. To everyone's amazement the usual bantering between them remained good-natured, without the usual shouting matches and cutting comments (not to mention high energy discharges). What's going on here? thought Tenchi to himself. This certainly isn't going to last. Tenchi especially feared that Ayeka would blame Ryoko for allowing her to be seen in such a riotous state a few hours earlier, and cringed when halfway through the meal Mihoshi commented cheerfully that "You sure were blitzed this afternoon, Ayeka." Tension crackled momentarily as Ayeka slowly rose to her feet and announced haughtily, "I am Empress of Jurai and I am on holiday." "And if while on holiday I choose to become royally `pissed' I will do so," she added with a mock glare, bringing down the house. There was no more tension in the air after that. Tenchi was even more astonished when after dinner Ayeka confronted him in a corner of the garden. "Tenchi," she began, "There is something I need to say to you. I know this has all been very hard on you, with the two of us competing for your affections in the way we have." She stopped for a moment. "You know I will always care for you." "Ayeka--" Tenchi began. "We both spoke our hearts to each other when you left Jurai, and that is the end of that. But I will always be your friend, and I hope you will always be mine." "You know I always will be your friend, Ayeka," said Tenchi softly. "What I wanted to tell you most of all," she continued, barely holding strong emotions in check behind her awkwardly formal manner, "is that I truly wish you and Ryoko all happiness. She is a much different woman than the Ryoko I first knew, Tenchi. If you are to love anyone other than me I am glad it will be her. That's all I wanted to say," and she abruptly turned and walked away. Tenchi stood speechless for several moments before he started to follow but stopped when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Yosho standing behind him. "Let her go," he said quietly. "She is also a very courageous woman, Tenchi." It was a beautiful evening, featuring a spectacular sunset in greens and golds, and eventually everyone found their way outdoors to enjoy the cool air. Conversations were unusually subdued as the light faded. The Jurai ship rocked almost imperceptably on the quiet lake. It was late twilight when another unnaturally bright star appeared overhead, accompanied by a crescendo of sound building to an all-too-familiar catlike howl, and Ken-ohki settled down near the house, spikes digging into the ground. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part 4 "Ryoko, we have unfinished business," snapped Nagi. In her hand was a long, lethal-looking weapon. With the exception of Ryoko and Tenchi, everyone involuntarily ducked for cover. Tenchi angrily drew himself up next to Ryoko and took her hand in his, inwardly raging at the thought that after all they had gone through he might lose Ryoko now to something as idiotic as this. A moment later Ayeka stepped to Ryoko's other side and took her free hand in hers. All three glared at the bounty hunter. "Nagi, you'll have to fight us too," Tenchi said grimly. "Ow!" He stared in astonishment at Ryoko, who had just given him a discreet but painful kick in the shin. "Leave this to me, Tenchi," she said softly. "But Ryoko--" he began. "Trust me," she interrupted. "I'll be fine." Then, gently disengaging her hands from Tenchi and Ayeka, she stepped forward a few paces and said in a firm voice, "Nagi, we don't need to do this." "Ryoko," snapped Nagi, with an odd edge to her voice, "You--" "Nagi, you fooled me. But you can't fool Ken-ohki, and Ken-ohki talks to Ryo-ohki, and Ryo-ohki talks to me." Nagi seemed to freeze for several seconds, then flushed a deep red and tossed her weapon to the ground as she turned away. "We should talk," continued Ryoko, and without hesitation she walked up to Nagi and spoke to her for several minutes out of earshot of the others. Ryoko turned back to the group. ""I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. Trust me, Tenchi," she added earnestly over her shoulder as Nagi picked up the discarded weapon by the barrel and the two walked off towards Nagi's ship. Tenchi called after Ryoko, but she just gave him a jaunty wave and continued on. A moment later they entered Ken-ohki. As the ship lifted off, instead of heading skyward it set a northward course a few hundred feet above the ground. For the rest of the evening, the encounter was the talk of the group, with speculation rife about where the duel was to be held and what Ryoko had in mind. "I hope she's going to be okay," said Sasami, her eyes overflowing. Even Ayeka looked mildly worried. Only Tenchi seemed unconcerned. "She gave me her word she'd be okay, and I believe her," doing his best to radiate confidence, but in his own mind he remained uneasy and spent a mostly sleepless night interrupted by hideous dreams of Nagi wreaking her revenge on Ryoko in various gruesome ways. He finally climbed out of bed shortly before dawn, threw on his trousers and headed downstairs, intending to walk off some of his anxiety. To his surprise and relief he found Ryoko sprawled on her back on the living room couch, snoring loudly, her mouth wide open in a ludicrous pose. There was an odd odor comprised of sake and (he thought) scorched wood surrounding her. Reassured, if bemused, he headed back upstairs and promptly fell into a dreamless sleep. He awoke to Sasami's cheery breakfast call. Ryoko was already at the breakfast table along with the others. Mihoshi and Kiyone had also stopped by on their way to their newest (and probably as usual short-lived) part-time job. Nobuyuki had the television news on in the background. "Ryoko, what happened last night?" Tenchi demanded. "We were all worried sick about you. We thought maybe Nagi had--" "And your clothes have a burnt smell, too," accused Sasami. "Ryoko!" exclaimed Tenchi. "You didn't--" "I'm fine. So is Nagi," answered Ryoko casually between noisy gulps of rice. "The feud's over. Don't worry about it. She left early this morning. In fact, she offered me a job on her next bounty hunt. I might take her up on that," she added partly to herself, "it's probably about time I helped with some of the bills around here." (Ayeka snorted noisily in a most un-princesslike manner.) None of their entreaties would induce her to say anything further on the subject, though Washu had an oddly puzzled look on her face. Finally the conversation turned to Ryoko's mysterious reappearance. "I still want to know how you survived," said Tenchi. "Did you know Ayeka had half the Jurai fleet looking for you? Ouch!" This time it was Ayeka who had kicked him from under the table. Ryoko seemed to be mentally debating something, and finally answered "All right. I guess I can tell you now. It was Nagi that saved my butt." The resulting chorus of exclamations echoed her own reaction back on Ryo-ohki. When the babble finally subsided, Ryoko continued in a matter of fact voice, "I really thought I was done for. When I started slipping away I assumed that was the end. It was quite a surprise to wake up again. I asked Ryo-ohki to show me what happened, and found that Nagi had been taking care of me," and her voice shook slightly for a moment, "for over three weeks. She apparently sat by my side for almost the entire time," she added with a tinge of admiration. "Actually," she continued after a pause, "her medical skills were pretty useless on me. After all, I'm not quite put together like the rest of you. But her being there made it possible for me to recover." Washu broke in at this point, now in full lecture mode. "You see, Ryoko's recovery system was damaged, and couldn't restart because her energy levels were so low. Her energy source ultimately comes from all living things around her, and alone on the ship she had nothing to draw on except Ryo-ohki, who needed her energy in turn. Nagi's presence enabled her to recharge sufficiently for her recovery system to finally activate." "I understand now," exclaimed Tenchi. "Like in the cave. After 700 years in the cave your energy was so low you had deteriorated into a mummy, but within a day after I accidentally freed you you were back up to your normal appearance." "And a lucky thing that turned out to be for Jurai," added Ayeka. Seeing the astonished glances turned in her direction she blushed and covered her mouth. Ryoko grinned shamelessly. "But didn't you leave the cave many times?" asked Mihoshi, puzzled. "That was just her projection," replied Washu. "She can't absorb energy in her astral form alone. She has to physically be there." Mihoshi nodded in total incomprehension. "But on the ship you were getting worse and worse, Ryoko," said Sasami, her eyes welling as she remembered those awful times, "and there were people all around you." "Between the constant activity and the wound in her side she was draining energy faster than she could replace it," explained Washu. "Battling those gun turrets and piloting Ryo-ohki into the palace nearly finished her off." "All right, fine, but I still want to know why Nagi, of all people, would help you," broke in Kiyone. "I thought she hated you. And how did she find you when no one else could?" "Well," answered Ryoko after another pause, "she took off from the palace before me and apparently waited outside the firing range of the Jurai fleet, which was distracted anyways by the fight in the palace. When I flew out Ken-ohki was still within telepathic reach of Ryo-ohki. Not even Washu could have found me once I'd gone a light-year or two." She paused. "As for why, I guess she's a pretty remarkable person once you get to know her." A distant look appeared on her face as she remembered that moment of self- revelation on Ryo-ohki. There was a soft chuckle, and all eyes turned to Washu as she said quietly, "My little girl has finally grown up." In spite of her grin her eyes were glistening. There was a moment's pause before the explosion. "MOM!!?!? Are you reading my mind again!?!?" "Hey, listen to this," said Nobuyuki, neatly averting impending disaster as he turned up the television set. The interior of a devastated business establishment with windows smashed and scorch marks on splintered furniture appeared on the screen. "--and police are still looking for what appeared to be two female members of a punk-style gang who caused major damage to a Tokyo karaoke bar last night during a fight with a male customer, who remains hospitalized. Severe damage was done with an unidentified weapon that, according to witnesses, `shot lighting bolts at everyone and everything.' A number of minor injuries were also reported. In an unusual side note, the proprieter announced finding a pile of coins afterwards on what was left of the counter with a brief note apologizing for the damage and signed `Nagi.' The coins, which bear markings in an unidentified language, have been determined to be pure platinum and according to the proprieter will leave him a rich man, and because of this he has declined to press charges for the damages. However, police are still seeking the perpetrators because of the unidentified weapon and because the hospitalized victim insisted on pressing charges. One was described as having `green spiky hair' and the other `with triangular black tattoos on her face.' Both are considered armed and dangerous." All eyes turned to Ryoko. "Karaoke?" Yosho murmered. "I don't suppose those `markings in an unidentified language' said `Bank of Jurai,' did they?" added Ayeka. "Hey," Ryoko said, "we were having a good time until that guy started hitting on Nagi and wouldn't take no for an answer. One thing sort of led to another..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Did you know I am a pioneer, I'm out on a secret mission, I travel the galaxy and far beyond... ------------------------------------- I'M A PIONEER c 1997 AIC - Pioneer LDC Inc. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ About this Story... This story was written as a replacement for the last half of the final episode of the Tenchi Universe TV series ("No need for a conclusion!"). Unfortunately, the title proved to be all too apt, and being of a tinkering disposition, I decided to write my own conclusion, which is presented here. While I was at it, I added some additional plot developments which may well not be favored by all, but which I suspect us Ryoko fans might enjoy. I have throughout proceeded under the assumption that the OAV universe is the "real" Tenchi universe, and that the various discrepancies between that and the TV universe are the results of careless reporting by (who else?) Detective Mihoshi (Mihoshi fans, please don't land your ships on my house in retaliation). At all times I was more concerned with the story line than with hair-splitting about such controversial issues as the role of Ryoko's gems, and I accept no responsibility if my interpretations of these differs from yours. Any outright factual errors, on the other hand, I will readily accept blame for as I certainly can't pretend to be an expert on Tenchi trivia. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright This story Copyright (c) 1998 Lamont Downs, and may not be reposted or distributed in writing without the permission of the author. It may be freely linked to. Copyright and trademark for the characters and situations of the OAV and television series is the property of the respective copyright and trademark holders (AIC - Pioneer LDC Inc.). An HTML formatted version of this story is available at http://home.att.net/~Lamont.Downs/Tenchi/intro.html