Tenchi Muyo: The Web of Life
From: "Kai Kerrigan" <kerrigan2001@attbi.com>
Subject: [Tenchi Muyo][FanFic] The Web of Life
X-Original-Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2002 12:59:34 GMT
Tenchi Muyo! is the property of Pioneer and AIC. I've no intention of using this to garner profits of any kind or type, so unless you like to take a poor man's computer away from him, please don't sue me!? Please?
All other characters, depictions, places, and theories that have been put into place are my own creation and have no relevance to Tenchi Muyo in any way except in the ways I've explained. These are my own thoughts and imagination, and any relation to other stories that are not my own are accidental. Honest.
My e-mail is kerrigan2001@attbi.com for any and all feedback. Please, PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK OF ANY KIND!!! Thank you! ^-^
All right, enough talk more action....
Tenchi Muyo: The Web of Life
Chapter 1: Omens and Falling Stars (Rev. 5.5)
The forest seemed alive tonight.
The breeze moved gently up along the trodden path, barely moving the blades of grass and leaves of the trees, giving the impression to a certain black haired young man that the forest was breathing and watching his every move. His face and eyes gave the look of serenity, something that he wasn't able to find anywhere else, if one knew about his home life. Walking slowly through the paths for several minutes, the young man found exactly what he was looking for; a cliff that jutted out over the forest that surrounded the lake near his home. He stood there for several minutes, and straightened out his brown shirt. Brushing off his blue denim jeans he let out a small sigh, and stared contentedly at the view in front of him. The temple sat on the mountain nearby, lit up barely by lights within. The place he called home was lit up also, which shed ample light onto the whole scene. The moon was full and bright and the lake below was rippling, giving a distorted yet comforting reflection of the entire scene. His small pony tail moved in the breeze that came from up behind, and he sighed a second time.
"Tenchi Masaki, for the first time you're actually breathing easy." He smiled to himself. He knew that times like this didn't come easily, or without a price. He would have to make it up to the girls waiting for him to come home, as per their agreement. After the Jurai royal family had left and let the two princesses, Ayeka and Sasami, to remain on Earth with Tenchi and the others, his life seemed to actually mellow out. Several months later, and graduating from his junior year in high school, he was enjoying the first night of freedom away from schoolbooks. He tilted his head to one side, and began to think more heavily.
I'm actually alive, happy and with my family, Tenchi thought, watching the rippling of the lake below. I just wish Mom was here to see me, I wonder what she would say? A single tear slipped through his brown eyes, and found its way toward the ground he stood upon. I miss you, Mom, I really do. Several more tears found their mark on the stone before long and Tenchi's body soon became tense with emotions he tried to hold back. The sheer power of the thoughts rampaging through his body drove Tenchi to his knees, who let the full effect take him.
The roar of what sounded like a screaming train broke Tenchi away from his thoughts. He looked toward the sky to see a shooting star, green light flowing and splaying out into the air. From his viewpoint, it seemed to be heading for the forest below his current location. Time seemed to slow as Tenchi kept gazing at the comet. What first had piqued his interest, had rapidly gained his undivided and awestruck attention.
Tenchi had heard about many comets and falling stars before; his grandfather had told him many a story of omens that followed a falling star, but never before had he see one actually fall to Earth before. As he peered at the comet coming down from the heavens, Tenchi had instinctively began glowing a faint azure, a sign that his innate powers as a royal family member of Jurai were becoming active. Tenchi watched as the comet seemed to fall into focus; first as a ball of green, and then it seemingly zoomed in to about the size of a baseball, then a basketball. As it began to take a solid shape in his eyes, Tenchi's expression went from curiosity, then to amazement, to finally outright panic. Within the ball of green was a humanoid form, barreling toward the ground at an extremely alarming speed. After one or two more seconds, the green ball had blown through the forest canopy and impacted.
THOOOOOOOM!!
The ground vibrated with the force of the impact for a few seconds, which was long enough for Tenchi to wake himself out of his daze and reach inside one of his jean pockets. Pulling out a long band of metal covered with several small buttons, he wrapped it around his wrist and pushed one of the buttons. Almost instantly, a small rectangular view- screen appeared above the wristband, showing a redheaded young girl, dressed in a scientist's smock. After several seconds, she looked at the view-screen and smiled happily, her green eyes shimmering.
"Washu here. What's up, Tenchi?"
"Uh, Little Washu, you probably know that a comet or meteor crashed nearby just a few seconds ago, I'm guessing?" The girl's eyes darted off- screen for a second, then back toward Tenchi.
"Yeah, but it's a normal occurrence on Earth." He nodded, and gave a worried look.
"I don't remember too many humanoids that fall to Earth, though." She gave Tenchi a bemused look, and her eyes darted off-screen a second time.
"Hmm. I'll be right out to double check your findings. But are you sure that there was someone, not just something, in that meteor?" He gave a muffled response, and she looked back at the view- screen toward Tenchi.
"Okay, but I'm bringing Ryoko along as a security measure. We don't want or need any unnecessary bloodshed going on, so be careful. Don't get closer than the edge of the crash site, and we'll meet you there. Washu out." The view-screen winked out just as quickly as it had appeared, and Tenchi peered over the ledge he stood upon. The ground below was about 60 feet down, and there didn't seem to be any way to get there quickly, with the only path toward the forest below was back behind him. That would take too long, Tenchi surmised, and the young man positioned himself at the edge.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered, and hopped off of the ledge.
Initially, gravity had a strong hold, which kept Tenchi from focusing the way he should. After several feet, his training had kicked in, and the freefalling young man began to glow a faint blue yet again. He slowed his decent into a float, and landed on the ground without incident. Tenchi smiled faintly, gave himself a mental pat on the back and began running toward the crash site, hoping that whoever landed there was still alive.
~~~~~~
Inside the Masaki house, it was peaceful. Two beautiful, teenage women sat across from each other in an engaging game of checkers, while a young girl, another young woman and what looked to be a brown cat sat on the couch watching television. For the most part, it was quiet and pristine.
One of the two women playing checkers, a quiet looking girl with long purple hair, sighed in frustration. She had worn a simple evening kimono, a deep blue with crimson red needlework of dragons and kanji. Her red eyes were focused on the board before her, and she furrowed her brow in thought. Meanwhile, the other woman simply observed the first with catlike golden eyes, feinting interest. She watched the other while playing with a lock of her spiky cyan hair in one hand, and holding her chin with the other. Her eveningwear was a simple red summer dress that hung to her knees, with a black windbreaker jacket that covered her shoulders. She yawned and rolled her eyes before speaking.
"C'mon, Ayeka! Are you intending to drag this game into eternity, or just extend the inevitable?" The purple haired girl looked up from the board with a glower for a moment, and back down toward the checkerboard. She had hovered one hand above her black checkerboard piece, considering her next move. After several more seconds, she grabbed a nearby piece and jumped two of the red pieces nearest to it. She looked up at the cyan-haired woman, who had a raised eyebrow at the recent turn of events in the game. Shrugging her shoulders, Ayeka smiled confidently at her opponent and sat back in her seat.
"Your turn, Ryoko." The cyan haired woman raised an eyebrow at the statement, gazed at her opponent with a bored look, and quickly smiled.
"Ah, well, better now than the turn of the century."
"Considering your age, I figured you wouldn't mind the wait." Ryoko's confidence faded quickly into a glower.
"Keep it up, and we'll see who lives past the end of the night." Ayeka began her turn at a confident smile.
"Perhaps, but first you have a turn to play, and a game to lose."
"Right. And who was it who lost the first game tonight?"
"Don't get cocky, pirate. I was getting a feel for your playing skill and, now that I have you weighed and measured, I will beat you." Ryoko chuckled warmly, and studied the checkerboard for a few moments. Both girls had taken an equal number of pieces from their opponent's, and considering that both girls won a game each, they were at a stalemate of sorts. Scooping up several of Ayeka's checker pieces she had taken earlier in their game, Ryoko toyed with them while deep in her own thoughts. She grumbled, wondering why exactly she had agreed not to completely pummel Ayeka's retorts and replies right out of her head. She sighed, and a very faint blush snuck over Ryoko's face; Tenchi was so cute when he was serious, especially when he talked about not blowing up the living room one more time. Ah well, she thought, better to beat Ayeka at her favorite games than to sleep in that damned cave.
An earthshaking rumble shook the house, and the checkerboard shook its pieces off as if they were a nuisance. Ayeka sat up straight, and stared at the closet door behind Ryoko, then at Ryoko. The cyan haired pirate didn't move or budge from her spot for several minutes.
"Should we check up on her?" Ayeka asked, concerned.
"Nope, she'll be out in just a couple of seconds...."
Behind Ryoko, the closet door swung open wildly and crashed against the wall with a heavy thud. All of the girls in the room, surprised by the suddenness of the explosion and the closet door, turned toward the door to see a young redheaded girl step out. She wore a red paramedic's outfit, complete with stethoscope and adhesive bandages bulging out of her breast pockets. She gave a quick glance around the room, and stopped on Ryoko, who had turned around to look at the scientist.
"You rang?"
"Just the girl I wanted to see. Tenchi needs us outside, right away." Washu explained. Ryoko's ears perked up at Tenchi's mention. Ayeka leaned forward, eager to hear what the childlike scientist had to say that involved the young man as well. One of the girls, with her blue hair trailing behind her in long pigtails, eyed Washu. She had been wearing a very long sleepwear shirt with a carrot embroidered onto the front, and gave a wide-eyed stare at the scientist.
"What's wrong? Is Tenchi hurt? What's going on?" The little girl became teary, thinking nothing but bad things were happening to one of her best friends. Ryoko shot out of her chair, and gave a confused look at Washu. The scientist held her hand up to calm Ryoko down, and gave both girls a comforting smile.
"No, Sasami, nothing's wrong with Tenchi. But he needs Ryoko and me to come out and help him with someone who's been hurt." Washu walked over to the young girl and patted her head. Sasami sighed relief, her worried face relaxing a great deal. She gave a frown again, and looked up at Washu a second time.
"Someone was hurt?" Washu nodded, and Ayeka stood up quickly. She walked over next to Ryoko's left, and bit her lower lip.
"Does Tenchi wish my assistance as well?" Washu eyed the Juraian princess for a moment, and her eyes brightened up with recognition.
"Yes, actually. He needed you to prepare a room for whoever might be hurt, so that if we need to keep them here for the night, they'll have a place to sleep." Ayeka nodded, and turned toward Ryoko.
"We don't have any additional rooms available. Ryoko, would you be willing to sleep in our room for the evening while the guest sleeps in your room?" Ayeka asked. The pirate gave a level eyed glare toward Ayeka.
"Why do I have to give up my room?" She quit arguing when she saw all three girls giving her daggers for eyes. She slumped her shoulders, and nodded her approval.
"Thank you, Ryoko. I will move all of your personal belongings into our room," Ayeka spoke, gesturing toward Sasami and herself, "and prepare the room for the guest. You both better make haste, if we are to make sure that our injured guest's life can be saved."
The young woman beside Sasami kept watching television, her blond hair wrapped tightly on her head and wearing a green sweater and baggy tan cargo pants. Completely oblivious to the entire situation that had just happened, she seemed focused instead on the show displayed on the television.
Ryoko stood up and walked to Washu, who was already at the front door waiting patiently. Her evening dress and windbreaker seemed to liquefy and flow around her as she walked, transforming into a skintight battle suit, with black arms and red legs. Her right cheek and forehead blackened, giving her a very formidable look. The pirate beauty gave herself a once-over before clutching her hands tightly. She tossed an object at Ayeka, who caught it in midair. Looking down, the princess viewed the fused remains of several checker pieces. She looked up at Ryoko, who had a cocky smile on her face.
"Next time, I choose the game we play. Fair?" Ayeka gave her a smirk, and nodded her agreement. She made her way up the stairs toward Ryoko's room, quickly placing the fused plastic on the arm of the couch as she walked past. Sasami hopped down, and grabbed the brown cat-like creature off of the couch. It opened its eyes and meowed in a half sleepy tone.
"C'mon, Ryo-Ohki! We're gonna have guests, so let's go help Ayeka set up their room!" Sasami beamed. The cabbit jumped out of her hands and, in a puff of smoke, transformed into a small child. Wearing a simple pink sundress and bow, the cabbit girl quickly hurried up the stairs right along with Sasami and Ayeka. Ryoko scooped up Washu in her arms, and flew up toward the high end of the house. They faded out of sight, with the only person remaining being the blonde haired girl sitting on the couch alone. She sighed, and stood up to look around the room. She closed her blue eyes, and bent over the couch to pick up the fused checkers pieces.
"Sometimes, Mihoshi, it's best when you don't do anything at all." she muttered, and smiled at the fused pieces. Turning them over in her hand, she giggled slightly.
"Glad to see that some things don't change around here. I may as well go see if Ayeka needs me to help with the room." Mihoshi said quietly and, putting the fused pieces in one of her pockets, walked up the stairs to Ryoko's room.
~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Tenchi was moving and jumping through the forest with a grace and skill that few people got to witness and fewer to survive from. Deftly moving under branches, over rocks and crevices, and moving with a practiced speed, the young Masaki moved so quietly that even the rabbits that he ran past were in awe of him. Following the scent of burnt wood and earth, Tenchi quickly found the crash site of the falling star. The crater was around twenty feet wide and one hundred feet long. Smoke and several very small fires could be seen from within the crater, which hindered the young man's vision from where he stood. The smell of scorched earth was nearly burned into Tenchi's nostrils as he walked the edge of the crater. He skimmed the edge for a couple of minutes until he made up his mind finally.
"I'm sorry, Washu, but I can't wait any longer." He muttered nervously, and stepped into the crater. A voice from above drew his attention skyward.
"You won't have to, Tenchi." He looked up to see Ryoko gliding down from above with Washu clutched in her arms. Ryoko set Washu down gently, and kept herself floating above the ground by several inches. She cocked her head at Tenchi, who was still red-eyed from crying and smoke.
"You okay, Tenchi? You look like you've been crying." She hovered in closer, inspecting Tenchi's face more closely. Tenchi gently pushed her away, smiling faintly and trying to hide the near truth behind her words.
"It's alright, Ryoko, it's just the smoke in my eyes. Let's check up on if there's somebody we need to help." Ryoko nodded in agreement, and they began to enter the more densely smoked area of the crater. Washu brought up a small silver sphere, and pushed a small round button on its side. A small view screen appeared above the sphere, with a readout of what seemed to display the crater and surrounding forest. Three small yellow blips blinked brightly, with a very faint green blip in a direction straight ahead of the first three. The view screen suddenly vanished and the sphere jumped out of Washu's hand, speeding off toward the direction of the green blip. Washu ran behind the sphere, motioning Tenchi and Ryoko to follow.
"It's found something! Come on, you two!" Ryoko swung around behind Tenchi, and scooped him up into her arms. She began to hover quickly behind the running Washu, who was cackling gleefully and grinning the entire time. Tenchi shuffled his weight to keep blood running in his arms, and Ryoko accommodated the young man as best she could. Tenchi looked up at his current mode of transportation, and smiled.
"Thanks, Ryoko." She looked down and smiled warmly back.
"No problem, cutie." Tenchi's face went red quickly, and Ryoko giggled to herself as they finally made it to their destination. At the opposite end of the crater that they had started in, Washu was looking over a prone form on the ground. Kneeling down, she used the silver sphere to analyze the form's current health and status. Waving it over the form, the other two began to get curious and moved closer to see what Washu was checking out. Washu put a hand up and looked back at Tenchi and Ryoko as they attempted to get closer.
"Unless you really want to know what burnt flesh smells like, I'd suggest staying over there. This one's suffered burns over 85... 80... what in the hell?" Washu stared at the readouts that her spherical analyzer was giving her, confused and in wonder of what she was seeing. Tenchi's curiosity got the better of him, and he walked over to the opposite side of the form, and looked down at the figure on the ground. Complete shock froze his gaze on what he saw.
The figure had almost no clothes on save boxers, having most of them burned off while coming into the atmosphere. His chest and face was covered with burns, giving Tenchi the impression he was looking at someone who was wearing a suit of half- cooked, blackened and still bloody steaks. Ryoko had taken a quick glance at the body lying on the ground and turned away, grimacing at the sight. Washu had been right; the scent of burnt skin and hair was pretty evident in the air, and it didn't seem to fade in the slightest. As he watched, however, the scarring and burnt skin seemed to dry and slough off revealing normal skin beneath. Inch by inch, minute by minute, the burnt form seemed to transform into something that looked humanoid. Tufts of white hair sprouted from the form's cranium slowly at first, and grew more quickly as time passed. Portions of scab tissue fell away from the form's body while the three watched. Ryoko looked back at the form again, and blinked twice. Instead of a burnt form a slim, athletic young man lay prone on the ground in front of the three rescuers. Bright white hair spread out underneath his head, in torso-length sprawls. His eyes were closed tightly, as the man's body seemingly kept regenerating from the immense damage done to it. Washu stopped gazing at her analyzer for a moment and kneeled down beside the prostrate man.
"Zero percent burn damage. Not a trace of chemical or physiological scarring on him. Simply amazing." She pocketed the analyzer, and reached into a portal that had opened near her knees. Pulling out a gun like syringe, she quickly stabbed the young man in the buttock. Thick and dark red fluid quickly filled the syringe, and the body twitched for a moment from the pain. Pulling the gun-syringe out of the young man after several seconds, Washu eyed it for a moment and put it back into the portal, which closed quickly afterward. Tenchi gave her a quizzical look, and she replied with a smile.
"Research, Tenchi. I want to know exactly what race of being he is, and a blood sample will give me that information the fastest. I know how you are about tests, but we can't afford not knowing what we have here; friend, or otherwise." Tenchi nodded and shrugged.
"Fair enough, Washu. But still, I think you should have waited for him to agree to that." Washu took her turn to shrug and went back to studying the young man more carefully. Ryoko stood behind Tenchi, eyeing the unconscious young man with a reserved and stoic look on her face, a face that Washu couldn't help but notice.
"I don't think we should bring him to the house. I could understand the temple, but not the house." Ryoko stated flatly, eyeing the young man with a cautious eye. Washu gave her daughter a confused look.
"Well, lemme look at who you're going to plop on Katsuhito's doorstep, alright?" Grasping the young man's face gently in both hands, Washu turned his head toward her. His face was youthful looking but, from what Washu saw as she studied his face, well worn with experience. Her eyes went wide with shock as she kept staring into the young man's face.
Memories.
Washu witnessed a young white-haired boy, stepping out of a tube and taking his first steps toward another much older man. Is that his father?
She again saw a young white-haired boy playing on a small hill near his beloved home. Why is that hill so familiar?
Memories flooded into Washu's mind as her eyes became saucers. Memories that she knew were hers, but from where? When?
Ryoko grabbed her mother and shook her several times until the scientist finally snapped out of her trancelike state. Washu pulled her hands away slowly, furrowing her eyebrows in vague recollection and frustration.
"Washu! Washu! Are you okay?! Washu!" Concern was thick in Ryoko's voice as Washu turned to look up at her.
"He's not a threat, Ryoko." Ryoko dropped her gaze first on the body next to Washu, and then at Washu herself. She puckered up her lips in stubbornness.
"You weren't responding to me, not even telepathically. Now you're going to tell me that he isn't a threat? You can't be serious." Ryoko growled, stooping to point first at Washu and then at the body next to her. Washu's eyes narrowed on her daughter, but the pirate continued with her explanation heedless of that fact.
"The man's just survived atmospheric burn-in. I can't believe that someone who just falls from the sky, and regenerates MASSIVE damage in minutes can just be dismissed as simply non-threatening. I may be a bit stubborn with certain things," Washu's eyes shot open at the honesty that Ryoko had just shown to the two other people in the crater, and watched Ryoko point again at the unconscious young man, "But I'm not going to just let someone like that into the house without a second thought." Washu gave her a quiet look, and sighed deeply. Ryoko took her turn to give a confused look, wondering exactly what her mother was planning this time. The young scientist looked over her shoulder at the young man, and then toward Tenchi.
"Tenchi." Tenchi was staring absently at the young man, amazed with what he had just witnessed earlier. Shaking his head rapidly, he focused on the two girls kneeling across from the prone form between them. He scratched his head, and bunched his lips in thought for a moment.
"While I can understand Ryoko's desire to keep the family safe, I'm the one who found him. I can't leave him out here in the cold. Besides, there's no real place that he can get the care he needs in the temple or to keep an accurate eye on him, either. I'll keep watch over him while he sleeps in the house." Tenchi said finally. Ryoko gave Tenchi a pleading look, not surprised that he would do something like this.
"Tenchi, are you sure? We don't know this guy, and he could be more dangerous than anyone we've ever found or fought." Tenchi nodded his insistence at the decision, and Ryoko sighed.
"I will care for him while he sleeps, Tenchi. I'll also set up several force fields around the room that Ayeka and Sasami have prepared, to retain him, if he proves to be a threat. Will that suffice, Ryoko?" Washu offered, standing up slowly and brushing off her uniform, never taking her eyes off of Ryoko. The pirate rolled her eyes and stood up slowly. Ryoko motioned to Washu to move further away from the body, which the young scientist did with a faint smile on her face.
"Thank you, Ryoko." Washu beamed, and Ryoko gave her a slightly resolute look out of the corner of her eye as she gently picked up and cradled the young man in her arms. She gave the form in her arms one last look, and gave one more look at Tenchi. He nodded his approval, and smiled broadly at Ryoko. She gave him a faint smile in return.
"Fine. I don't like this one bit, but if this is what you want, Tenchi.... so be it. I'll take us to the house, and we'll think of what to do with him after we've got him settled in. But, there is NO way I'm gonna let him have my room after tonight if you decide that he stays, fair enough?" Tenchi nodded happily, and Washu clapped her hands together in finality of the agreement. Tenchi wrapped his arms around Ryoko's waist from behind, and Washu did the same to Tenchi's. Almost as quickly as the three entered the crater, they faded out and away from the crash site without a sound.
~~~~~~
"We're all finished. Now all we have to do is wait for Tenchi and the others to arrive with our new guest, if there is one." Ayeka spoke quietly.
Smoothing out the red and blue quilt that was laid out on the futon, she gave the room one last look around. The futon was set up underneath the window at the far wall, and most of the original decorations were removed. Ryoko's most favored belongings were taken into Ayeka and Sasami's bedroom, leaving simply the futon, some chairs, and a small table in the room. A half-filled water bowl and several small bandages were set next to the futon, and a pitcher of water sat on the table just nearby. Satisfied that the room was properly set for their guest, Ayeka sat in one of the chairs of the room and waited for everyone's arrival. Sasami walked in, with Ryo-Ohki trailing in close behind.
"Are we ready, Ayeka?" Sasami asked her elder sister, curious and worried bleeding through in her voice. Ayeka smiled and nodded. The younger princess put a finger on her chin in thought.
"Where's Mihoshi? I thought that she had brought you the quilt." Ayeka nodded and pointed upstairs.
"She had said that all of this excitement had wore her out, and that she would go to bed for the evening." Sasami nodded her head in response.
"Ah. About what happened earlier; do you know what kind of guest they will be, Ayeka?"
"I do not know, Sasami. We shall have to wait until he or she arrives," Ayeka dropped her head a little for a moment, and sighed heavily. "But I do hope that if it IS a she, that she hasn't already made any lewd or outrageous attempts on Lord Tenchi." Sasami and Ryo-Ohki giggled to each other and sat down in front of the elder princess, who gave them a wondering look.
"And why are you giggling, Sasami?" she questioned, wondering exactly what was on her sister's mind. Sasami beamed a giant smile and looked up at her big sister.
"Oh, nothing. You look like you're happy to be getting some new friends is all!" She blurted out loud, and started to laugh again. Ryo-Ohki meowed in agreement, and transformed back into her cabbit form. Bouncing around and tumbling with glee, she hopped into Sasami's lap where she was greeted with pets and treated to a full body rub. Ayeka simply raised an eyebrow to her little sister and let out an audible smirk. She did finally find a medium point with Ryoko in terms of the man they both loved, and admitting to each other that Tenchi needed space to decide for himself was one of the few things that both girls could agree upon. That and destroying the living room over the television remote brought the decision that she and Ryoko would take their disputes to the training area, again their decision however much aided by Tenchi persuading Ryoko to follow along with the idea. She smiled at the memory, and kept smiling even after Ryoko slowly faded into view in the center of the room. The pirate carried a young man in burnt boxers, with Tenchi hugging Ryoko from behind at the waist, with Washu doing the same to Tenchi. Sasami turned around to see the last portion of the fading-in of the whole group. Ryoko and Washu gave the room a quick look around, and gave a visual look of approval.
"You move quickly, Ayeka. Nice job." Washu commented; Ayeka smiled again, and nodded her appreciation of the compliment. The child scientist let go of Tenchi and walked toward the futon, pulling out a small black orb with a single red button on its side out of a portal underneath her arm as she walked toward the futon, and waited for the new guest. Ryoko stood there for a moment, and turned her head to Tenchi.
"Don't let go of me for a couple of moments." Ryoko asked. She stood there, an expressionless look on her face. Tenchi stood there with a look of confusion on his face.
"Can I ask why?" Ryoko closed her eyes in response.
"Two things; One, I'm feeling a little faint from teleporting four people at once. I haven't done something that draining in a long time, so I'm using what strength and balance I have to keep from dropping your new guest," She smiled at Tenchi for a moment, "And two, well, it's not everyday you get a good hug from a stud." She felt a momentary tightening around her waist, and she gave a bigger smile. Opening her eyes, Ryoko spotted Ayeka's scowl and rolled her eyes.
"Oh, give me a break, Ayeka. You can get a hug in due time, if you'd just ask him, you know." The pirate pulled away from Tenchi and walked toward the futon. Washu pulled the quilt away from the futon, and Ryoko gently placed the young man onto the futon. Backing away, the scientist covered the young man with the blanket, and motioned everyone to step away from the futon.
"Alright, everyone. Step back and watch a genius at work!" Laying the metal orb in her hand on the ground next to the futon, she pushed the red button, then moved away quickly. A red hue was faintly seen from the orb, and a red beam struck the ceiling. Expanding away from the band, the futon was soon surrounded by a faint red sphere of energy that seemed to twinkle and shimmer. After several seconds, it faded out of visible sight, and the group sighed in relief. Washu walked over to the futon, and flicked the open air. Red light shimmered and twinkled at the contact point, and she smiled gleefully.
"One impenetrable force field brought to you by Washu Hakubi, extraordinaire! Oh, to be the greatest!" she exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. Ryoko simply rolled her eyes, and Ayeka sighed in resignation. Sasami simply stood up and walked toward the door, and turned around before walking through.
"I'm going to bed, Ayeka. This has been really exciting, though! I wonder what he's going to be like?" She smiled and, petting the little cabbit as she went, walked out of the room leaving Ayeka with a wondering look on her face. Tenchi shrugged and yawned loudly.
"I'm going to get myself something to drink from the refrigerator. What shift did you want, Washu?" The scientist tapped a finger on her chin, thinking the question over for a moment.
"I'll take the last shift, Tenchi. I've got to make sure that the lab experiment I'm working on is finished, and then I'll be up to take your place... will that be fine?" Tenchi smiled and nodded.
"That'll be perfect, Washu. You were a better night owl than I, anyway." With that Tenchi walked out of the room to get his drink, leaving the three girls alone in the room with their sleeping guest. Ayeka eyed the young man from her place in the chair, and turned to the other girls.
"So, my guess would be that this is our injured guest." She looked him over more thoroughly, leaning nearly out of her chair to get a better look at his face. "That's rather strange; he doesn't seem injured at all."
"Heh, he was burnt worse than your attempt at steak last month at the family barbeque, Ayeka. He regenerated the damage as if it were a paper cut." Ryoko stated, laughing slightly at her first comment. Ayeka scowled at the pirate, not quite so enthused with the memory.
"Hey, it was not my fault. It was my first time at attempting to cook over an open flame, and with no nearby water I used the only available liquid to attempt to douse the rising flames!" Ryoko took her turn to scowl, and shook a finger at the princess.
"You used my last bottle of my favorite SAKE, Ayeka!" The princess took a slight smile at that memory.
"It's not like it went to waste, Ryoko."
"Whatever," the space pirate huffed and turned away from the princess to face her mother again. "I still can't believe that you're actually letting this guy into the house even after we watched Mr. Pork Chop shrug off burn damage as if he were taking off an extra set of clothes!"
Washu still hadn't gotten over the fact of Ryoko's insistence of leaving the young man at the temple or even simply where he lay. She narrowed her eyes a second time glaring directly in Ryoko's own. Again, Ryoko was heedless of the danger she put herself into and kept talking about dangers unknown; Ayeka, however, was visibly confused.
"I am sorry little Washu, Ryoko. What do you mean, he shrugged off the damage?" Ayeka questioned. Washu sighed a second time, and motioned the girls out into the hallway. Silently, both girls had followed out the young scientist, and Washu resumed speaking after Ayeka had closed the door to the room.
"As in, he regenerated burn damage that had covered over 90 percent of his body. All of it third-degree burns, and I can guarantee that no simple mortal would be able to survive that. So, we know he's from off-world. Now, even off-world beings such as us wouldn't be able to survive the severity of the damage that he had taken. Beings that would be capable of that kind of regeneration would be beings that can regenerate at a sub-cellular level, such as Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki." Ayeka nodded in understanding, and Ryoko simply leaned against the wall with a frustrated look on her face while Washu continued.
"There are species of creature that can regenerate that kind of damage just as fast, but they're not humanoid in form. So whatever that young man is, he's a great deal more than what he looks to be." Ryoko turned to face the two other girls.
"All the more reason to keep him from inside the house, I'd say. I not going to let this family get slaughtered because of some hallucinations of yours!" Ayeka gave a questioning look at Washu, who rolled her eyes at Ryoko's words.
"Hallucinations? What is she talking about, Washu?" Washu shot her daughter an angry glare, which Ryoko finally understood and fell silent. The scientist turned back to Ayeka and resumed her explanation.
"Memories are more an accurate term I would have used, Ayeka." Ryoko huffed and looked toward the stairs, allowing the two girls to continue talking.
"While I had tended to our young John Doe, several memories of him passed through my mind giving me the distinct impression that I knew him, or still know him. Though for some strange reason I can't pin, however, I can't seem to recall anything additional than basic things. One of those memories being that he's a very kind, gentle person. That's why Tenchi and I had insisted that he be brought back to the house. Another would be that if we had taken him to the temple as Ryoko had suggested, we might not have all of the necessary equipment to treat any additional wounds he may have had, or provide containment had our guest actually prove himself to be a threat." Washu explained.
"Well, the temple would be a much better suited place to keep him. Why not simply move the necessary equipment into one of the temple rooms and keep him under close surveillance there?" Ayeka replied, putting her hands inside the sleeves of her kimono. Ryoko gave a smug look toward her mother, pleased that someone else was thinking along her lines. Washu stopped for a single moment, and then responded.
"One word; Katsuhito. He's the current priest of the Masaki shrine, and the protection of the shrine is high on his list of priorities. Think about it. If someone who you didn't know was sleeping on or near the temple grounds and have the prospects of his or her being a threat looming over your head, what would you choose; safe, or sorry?" Ayeka nodded in agreement, and Ryoko fell silent after listening to the reasoning behind the scientist's words while Washu finished explaining. "And besides, he's not at the temple right now. He had taken a nature trip to a nearby shrine, and wouldn't be back until tomorrow morning; I simply wanted to keep his temple standing and in one piece until he gets back."
Ayeka pondered Washu's words for several moments, while Tenchi appeared from the stairs with four sodas and a hard-cover book cradled in his arms. He passed one soda to each of the girls, who gave him a smile of approval. Tenchi walked toward the door, and smiled toward the girls.
"Well, I'll be in here if any of you need me. Washu, I'll come and get you at about 2:00 a.m. It's about 9:00 p.m. right now, so will five hours give you enough time?" Washu cackled and smiled at Tenchi, who pasted a worried look on his face due to not-so-fond memories of the last time heard that sound.
"More than enough, Tenchi, thank you. I'll be in my lab when it's time." Ayeka yawned faintly, and bowed slightly to everyone in the hall.
"I think that I will retire for the evening. Thank you all for the experience, this has been most rewarding." Ayeka said, and made her way to her room. Ryoko still leaned against the wall next to the door as Ayeka gave her a final look. She stuck out her chin in exasperation.
"Ayeka, I'm not going to do anything with Tenchi. I'm simply going to be outside the door in case of problems. When Washu takes over, I'll be in to sleep as well." Ayeka closed her eyes, sighing heavily.
"Considering the circumstances, I can believe you, Ryoko. I'll make sure that your bed is ready for you when you come in for the night. Good night Ryoko, Washu." Ayeka quietly spoke, as she opened the door to her room and swiftly entered. Washu waved a hand to Ayeka as she closed the door, and smiled. After the princess closed the door, Washu sighed heavily and shrugged as if she were getting something off of her shoulders. Ryoko closed her eyes, and kept silent while keeping her vigil over the two men inside her former room.
"Alright, then. I guess I'll go analyze the blood sample of our John Doe character while Tenchi takes first watch over him. It'll most likely take several hours to get any results out of it, so in the meantime I guess I'll finish up some research while I'm on watch." Washu noted to herself. Ryoko simply raised her eyebrows in response, and opened a single eye to look at Washu. The scientist simply shook her head in defeat, and walked down the stairs to her lab. She stopped at the head of the stairs to glance at Ryoko and spoke.
"You might be right about some things, Ryoko, but just stop to remember one thing. What Tenchi is doing for this "unknown threat" he also did for a well known threat whose name I won't mention." The pirate peered at her mother with an angry look, and quickly turned to gaze at the far wall.
"That was cold." Ryoko whispered.
"You're right. Still, nonetheless, not everything that falls from the sky is going to destroy your new family. If I considered it even remotely dangerous, do you honestly think it would be sleeping in our new home right now?" Ryoko remained silent as Washu spoke, the pirate never taking her eyes off of the far wall. Washu sighed, and traversed the stairs down to her lab. A faint creak and a door closing left the pirate alone in the hallway. She sighed and slid down the wall, closing her eyes and thinking of her family.
"I swear to whatever's listening, that if you threaten my family EVER, that not even heaven or hell will save you from me. That much I promise." Ryoko whispered to her unknown threat. With that the pirate wrapped her arms around her legs, leaned her forehead against her knees, and sat.
End of Chapter 1
