08.13.07 - This chapter was written and posted in July of 2003. Since then, the story and the chapters have drizzled out over the past 4 years. I beseech new readers to understand that these early chapters were written when I was 15 and that the writing gets better (hopefully, haha) as the story goes on! I hope everyone enjoys the following story as much as I have enjoyed writing it thus far. x's and o's, Astrael

This is 5 years after Tenchi in Tokyo.
R&R is great! Enjoy!

I don't own Tenchi Muyo or any related characters ect ect. Plot IS mine though! No takies!
--------------------

She sat alone in the darkness of her room. There was no light from outside her window except for a single star, shining at her from thousands of miles away. Its light glittered in her teardrops. This was the Dark Zone. Here there were no stars for miles, and it was easy to get lost. But the light of this solitary star, probably about to die in a decade, was the marker she had used in her exploration. When even her crew had lost hope, they had found their way back to that star.

Now the star glowed red, reminding her of adventures when she was a few years younger. When she was wild and adventurous. Now the fire she'd had was gone. And if one lives in the dark they shrivel and die.

There were three beeps from the door across the room, the person on the other side of the soundproof doorway requesting permission to come in.

"Come in," she said. Her voice was soft and wary, and yet still hard with an intricate past few knew. The door slid open.

"Captain?" A woman stood in the entrance. She was clad in a red and black body suit, with a small red cap on her head and three gold badges on the left breast of the suit. She had a stern face and dark, almost black hair.

A flash of amber eyes, a swipe of her hand and the droplets that had been sliding down her cheeks were gone.

"Lieutenant. How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Captain. Just Ryoko." The young Lieutenant saluted her commander and nodded.

"Yes Cap-er, Ryoko. We are now exiting the Dark Zone. Major Makoto will take over your shift and direct the ship to headquarters." Standing from her seat in the window, Ryoko walked across the shadowy room, into the glow of the hallway.

As her leader does this, the Lieutenant does not see her as Ryoko, the notorious space pirate. This woman is taller, with sad amber eyes and long, soft blue hair. It normally falls in a cerulean waterfall down her back, but today it's been pulled back to keep it out of her eyes. The pictures do not compare, nor do the smiles. Wide toothy grins have been replaced with cheerless, reserved twitches of her lip.

It was hard to think this woman, who had done so much, had once been so destructive! She was well known and appreciated all throughout the universe. She had even been honored with several awards from one of the strongest and most respected planets, Jurai, due to her advances in science and space travel! Once her enemies, she befriended Queen Ayeka and Queen Sasami, along with their husband Kibishii, whom had hosted several different banquets in her honor over the years. She, along with the galaxy, had moved on from her past.

"Is that all you have to tell me Lieutenant?" Ryoko asked, leaning on the frame of the door and staring down the empty hall.

"No," her Lieutenant replied sheepishly. "You have a transmission waiting in the radio room." This seemed to spark Ryoko's curiosity. A trace of interest appeared in her voice.

"Oh? From where?"

"Earth."

The simple word brought back so many memories. They conquered Ryoko quickly, like a wave over a swimmer at the beach, and caused her to take off at a run down the hall, dismissing her Lieutenant with a call over her shoulder.

On the ship that Ryoko was traveling on, Shiki, there was a radio transmission room on every deck that had officer quarters so the officers on the ship could send messages home. So, it didn't take Ryoko long to get to one. She was relieved to find it empty and shut and locked the door. Then she turned out the lights and sat in front of the small computer screen across from the door.

She stared at the snowstorm on the screen before stating her identification number aloud. A small blinking envelope with wings appeared on the screen and with trembling hands she reached up and pressed it. There was a small beep and a smaller black screen appeared.

"Play." Ryoko stated, a tremor in her normally emotionless voice.

A woman appeared on the screen. She was tall, with jade hair cut to her shoulders and bluish-violet eyes. Clad in a red and gray Galaxy Police uniform, she stood at attention before saluting and stating:

"Captain Ryoko of the ship Shiki. I am detective first class Kiyone of the galaxy police. We- AURG!!" Kiyone was suddenly pushed aside by another woman who came into the picture. Like Kiyone, Ryoko recognized her right away. She was very tan, with blonde hair and baby blue eyes. She wore the same suit as Kiyone. Ryoko couldn't help but laugh at the assumed fact that they where still partners.

"RYOKO! RYOKO!" The woman cried, covering her eyes with her hands and jumping around for a moment before grinning and clasping her hands together in front of her. "Ryoko! It's me! Mihoshi! Ryoko! I'm so happy! Wow! I'm so proud! I can't beli-Wahhh!" This time Kiyone, who looked slightly ruffled, and very angry, pushed Mihoshi out of view.

"Ryoko. We visited Tenchi on Earth last week, and have a video footage for you from him. He-"

"Stop!" The footage stopped half way through Kiyone's sentence, and Ryoko, realizing how tense she was, covered her eyes.

He remembers me, she thought, in both delight and fear He remembers. Leaning forward in her chair and resting her elbows on her knees, Ryoko mumbled, "Rewind."

She watched the backwards motion of the footage, until she found the spot she wanted and requested the computer to play.

". . .Tenchi on earth last week and have a video footage for you from him. Here you go! Hope to see you soon!" Again Kiyone saluted, and their section of the message was over. Then there was a brief buzzing and another clip began. Sitting now in front of her, was a man. His face was tanned from long days outside and his hair as a midnight black color. Tenchi.

Unlike Kiyone and Mihoshi, she could barely recognize him. His rat-tail had grown out into a wave of hair that fell over his shoulders and down along his back. Though his eyes were still chocolate brown, they seemed much more serious. His once lanky frame was now muscular.

The look of anticipation in his eyes caused Ryoko to lean forward in her chair so much that she over balanced and toppled, still staring at the screen. For a moment, she sat there, holding back tears of joy, before lifting her hand up to the manual play button, unable to speak, and pressed down, causing the footage to start.

"Is this on?" Were his first words, as he looked off to his right. There was the sound of another replying, and then Tenchi looked back into the camera, eyes focused on a spot that seemed to be right above her.

"Ryoko… Ryoko." His voice was wistful with past memories. He smiled. "Hi! Kiyone and Mihoshi are here this week, and, well, I wanted to make this for you. Congratulations on your ship. I know you've been out in the Dark Zone or whatever it's called, for almost two years now, but I know you're out there! Wow… so much has happened. You left what? 5 years ago? Were you the last one to leave? I don't remember." A light blush crept across his face for a moment before he regained his composure and started again.

"Ayeka and Sasami are both Queens now huh? I always thought that their marriage system was just a little weird," He itched right below his eye, and was silent of a moment "but, if they're happy, so am I! I know about Kiyone and Mihoshi, and nobody knows about Washu, so I'm. . . I'm really glad you're still out there somewhere in the universe. A scientist huh? Well, I've only got a minute left on this transmission." He laughed, "It was the biggest one I could afford! But, I'd like to let you know that I miss you and it would be great if you could come and visit us here on earth. I still live at Grandpa's house, though he passed away last winter. Please come and visit. Well, Goodbye Ryoko." Again, Tenchi smiled and waved a little. Then the screen went blank.

"Tenchi…" Ryoko whispered leaning back till her head was resting in the chair "You haven't forgotten me… or when I left."

She smiled warmly at the memory, staring at the dark ceiling. Yes. She had been the last to leave. It was in spring, when the cherry blossoms were in bloom and the snow was gone, and it's just warm enough to wear a summer yukata. That's what she had been in: a soft pastel purple yukata, with an indigo sash. She'd skipped dinner to go down to the lake and think. It was hard to believe that so much had happened within that month.

It had started with Washu disappearing. Her lab had been there one morning and was gone the next, along with Yugi's body from the Masaki shrine. No message, no sign, nothing. Then, Kiyone and Mihoshi where called away to another section of the galaxy as a promotion. Kiyone was crying tears of joy and sorrow when they left. Mihoshi was just crying period.

Then, a ship from Jurai came one night. Ayeka and Sasami were dragged away during dinner by royal command so they could be wed. For a week, Ryoko was in confusion about where they'd gone? Why then? At first she thought being alone with Tenchi would be great, but it wasn't the same without them.

It had been unnaturally warm that evening. The waters of the lake where still lukewarm from the sunbeams, and was warmer than the night air. As the last colors of the sunset were disappearing under a velvet blanket of dusk, Ryoko became aware of someone behind her. Longing company, she'd patted the dock beside her and found Tenchi, quietly staring out at the lake with her. They sat in silence.

"Where'd it all go?" she'd suddenly asked, the edge in her voice catching both off guard. Tenchi shrugged in reply, and stared at her for a moment, before asking

"What are you thinking?"

"How I have to leave now too, and that I don't want to." He'd nodded, confirming what he knew was true. Silence again, before a soft sobbing disturbed the hush.

"Ryoko?"

"I-I don't wanna go. . ."

He had made no move to comfort her. She just sat there, holding back tears that pushed past her eyelids and streamed down her face; Tenchi, looking away, unsure what to do. When the silence finally returned, Ryoko stood, and turned away. Tenchi stood to join her.

"Ryoko."

"I'm leaving now-"

"What?! Now? You're Serious?"

"Tenchi…"

"Yes?"

She turned suddenly, throwing her arms around him and pulling Tenchi into a loving kiss. He was shocked, but made no effort to pull away. Ryoko was at ease just having his lips against hers; so soft, so gentle, making her aware of how rough and forceful her own lips were. She felt the threat of tears once again and pulled away.

The two stared at each other, incapable to say even a word. She turned away and ran towards the forest where her ship was waiting. As she ran, she looked down to her wrist and stared at the crystal hanging by some thread. If he ever needed her it would glow, and she would protect him. Slightly comforted by this thought, she ran till she got to the space ship she'd prepared, and within moments, was flying away over the lake. Looking down, she still saw Tenchi down at the dock, staring out at the water.

"But that was years ago!" She was still in the radio room, and Tenchi was still so very far away on earth. "And we were young!" She felt her throat tighten at the thought it had happened only 5 years in the past.

She got up, transferred the file to her personal folder and left the room to return to her quarters and sit in her window again. In the silence, she watched the pulsing red star at the edge of the Dark Zone come closer and closer, and heard the letter replay over and over in her head. He wanted her to visit.

"I will go," She stated aloud. Too long she'd lived in darkness, alone from this she truly cared for. With a small smile, she felt the fire deep within rekindle.

-------------------- END CHAPTER 1