For those of you who are following my other fiction- "The Pirate and the Princess" I promise I'll have the sequel up soon – I just needed a break.

This fiction is in the Tenchi in Tokyo series, after the Yugi incident.  I haven't seen the movie – Tenchi Forever – yet, so pretend all that never happened.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi Muyo, or any of the characters.

Everyone was gathered on the porch when he appeared.  Only his silhouette could be seen in the darkening twilight, but there was no doubt that it was he.  Sasami was the first one to see him, and she jumped up, shouting his name and running towards him.  Nevertheless, with her amazing transporting abilities, Ryoko was the first to arrive at the scene.  She stood a couple feet from him, gazing at him with only emptiness in her eyes.  The others – Ayeka, Washu, Yosho, Nobuyuki, Sasami, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Ryo-ohki – had all since arrived, but even Ayeka dared not step between the two.  When she finally spoke to him, dead words fell from her lips.

            "Ho Tenchi.  Welcome back."  Ryoko had grown gaunt during his absence, her cheeks sunk in, and bones prominent.  She looked like a woman who had faced death and lost, but was denied heaven.  He was also worn, but wisdom and clarity filled his eyes.  Now, there was sorrow too.

            "Ryoko, I – "

            "We waited a long time for you.  Did you find what you were looking for?  You must be tired, you should get some rest then talk in the morning."  She spoke in a monotone with barely a pause in between her sentences.

            "No I'd rather talk now," he said sharply, eyes narrowed.  "What's happened to you Ryoko?"

            "I don't know what you mean.  I'm perfectly alright."  Her voice grew louder, but held its flat tone.

            "Well, for one thing, the Ryoko I left never said things like 'I'm perfectly alright', or 'get some rest then talk in the morning'.  The old Ryoko would not be standing two feet away from me, speaking so coldly."

            "As you say, you left that Ryoko behind six months ago!"  Now she was angry.  Color flushed to her pale cheeks and her eyes sparkled a little.  She jerked forward a step and brought her hand up, slapping Tenchi.  The sound, as loud as a gunshot, seemed to hang in the air and pause time.  Tenchi held perfectly still, continuing to hold Ryoko's gaze.  Sasami gasped softly and Ayeka was too engrossed to cover her eyes.  Kiyone looked at them worriedly.  For once, Mihoshi remained silent, watching closely.  Washu shifted her gaze from Ryoko to Tenchi and back to Ryoko again.  Ryoko's anger faded and she let out a strangled sob, lifting the offending hand to gaze at it in horror, looking as if she wanted to cut it off.  She stumbled backwards, but Tenchi reached out and grabbed her wrist.

            "Ryoko," he said softly, "It's okay you have a right to be angry.  I understand, do you hear me Ryoko?"  She was almost hyperventilating; her breath was so ragged and short.  She tugged weakly, desperately, against Tenchi hold and seemed to be using all of her strength. 

            "Let go…Let go Tenchi, I'm poison, don't you see, can't you?  I always feel him…haunting me!  You left because of me, don't deny it!  You left because you could see him in me.  That's the reason…you had to get away from him…and me."  Tenchi grabbed her other wrist and shook her.

            "Stop it!  You're not making any sense.  You're just tired.  Come on Ryoko, let's go inside."  She stopped struggling and stood still.  Suddenly she was in his arms, sobbing and clutching at him with a desperation he had never seen in her before.  He lifted her with ease and strode towards the house.  The rest of the family followed suit.  Tenchi walked upstairs to Ryoko's bedroom and laid the now sleeping space pirate on her mattress.  He turned and quietly made his way across the room out into the hallway.  The Masaki family was assembled quietly, and Tenchi smiled, a spark of happiness and relief in his gentle eyes.

            "It's so great to see you all," he said softly.

            "It seems you have grown Tenchi," Yosho commented calmly.

            "Yes," he said simply, without a trace of pride or boasting.  "However the story will have to wait until tomorrow.  It is getting late, and I would prefer to tell it when everyone is assembled."  Sasami smiled brightly and dashed over to give him a hug. 

"It's great to have you back, Tenchi.  I'll make a big breakfast tomorrow morning!"

Tenchi smiled back at her and she skipped to her room giggling.  Ayeka, looking relieved at the normalcy of things, stepped up and smiled warmly.

            "I, too, am glad that you have found your way home safely, Lord Tenchi.  Until the morning, then."  Tenchi nodded and smiled.

            "Goodnight then, my son."

            "You may skip your chores tomorrow, Tenchi, just this once."  Only Washu, Kiyone, and Mihoshi remained, and Mihoshi had fallen asleep against the wall, snoring slightly.

            "Mihoshi wake up!"  Kiyone shouted.

            "What?  Oh, well Tenchi I'm beat, see you in the morning!"

            "Bye Mihoshi."

            "Glad you're home, Tenchi."

            "Thanks Kiyone."

            Mihoshi stumbled down the hallway, mumbling 'owie' every once and a while.  Kiyone trailed behind the blond, rolling her eyes in exasperation.  Washu turned her attention to Tenchi.

            "We all missed you, Tenchi, but Ryoko took it hardest of all.  She wouldn't eat, wouldn't sleep…something was eating away at her, something was killing her!  I still don't understand it, but tonight is the first she's shown any emotion since you left."  Tenchi raked a hand through his hair in frustration.

            "I never meant to hurt anybody, it was just something I needed to do!"  Washu nodded.

            "Well, I hope it was worth it."  She turned and walked downstairs to her lab.  Tenchi sighed and glanced at Ryoko.

            "I hope you're having sweet dreams, Ryoko."  He wearily climbed the stairs to his room.

*    *    *    *

"You don't have to go, you know."

            "Yes I do.  I have to clear my head, sort out my life."  Ryoko paced about the room agitatedly.

            "No, you don't!" She insisted and snatched the knapsack away from Tenchi.

            "Hey!  Give that back Ryoko."  She backed up, clutching it to her chest.

            "No, I won't!"

            "This is stupid, Ryoko, I'm going!"  She dogged his attempt to grab it away from her.

            "Then let me come, I promise I won't cause any trouble!"

"No I have to do this alone."  She threw the knapsack at him, the weight causing him to fall backwards onto the bed.  Ryoko leapt on top of him and leaned forward.  Tenchi cringed and tried to use the knapsack as a shield.

            "Tenchi, this is a bad idea, you leaving.  Just stay here in Okayama, where it's safe!"

            "No."

            "Let me come with you, then."

            "No."

            "Take Azaka and Kamidake, I'm sure Ayeka won't mind."

            "No."

            "Take Ayeka then, goddammit!"  He stared at her.

            "Ryoko!  What's the matter with you?  No!  I am going by myself!"  He struggled to sit up and Ryoko floated up off of him, then back down to the spot he vacated.  He crossed the room to the dresser and began pulling out clothes.  "What brought on this paranoia, anyway?"  Tenchi turned around and started at the empty room.  "Now where did she go?"

            Ryoko sat on the limb of her favorite tree and gazed at the stars, sake bottle in hand.  She had skipped dinner – Tenchi's last meal before the trip.  He would be leaving before breakfast early next morning.  Sighing, Ryoko gazed at the crystal dangling from her wrist.

            "The bond, the bond between Tenchi and I," she murmured absently.

            She phased into his room, pausing for a moment to watch his chest rise and fall steadily.  Ryoko stealthily floated to his pack and knelt beside it.  She paused briefly, lightly running her fingers over the perfectly crystalline shape of her gem, before deftly sliding it off her wrist.  She carefully tucked it into a side pocket of the knapsack, glancing surreptitiously at Tenchi.  She stood up slowly, painfully aware of the absence of her gem. 

            "I hope that somehow, this will help to protect you against the coming evil," she murmured to the sleeping boy.  He looked so vulnerable, just lying there, still as death.  She pulled his desk chair over to the foot of his bed.  One last night to protect him, to protect my Tenchi.  But those bottles of saki were taking their toll, and Ryoko soon drifted off.  Again, the dream haunted her. 

Tenchi was walking away from her, knapsack on.  But as he turned to wave goodbye, a dark shadow crept up behind him and lifted its blood red sword.  Usually Ryoko woke up at this point, sweating and overwhelmed by a sense of impending doom.  Now she watched in horror as the blade came down, splitting Tenchi's head open.  She dropped to her knees and screamed.  Despair and disbelief flooded her senses.  The shadow figure glanced over at her, and flashed white teeth, eyes glowing eerily.  He stepped into the light, a familiar face, someone she once thought that she could trust.  Hotsuma.  Then a hand clamped over her mouth and she opened her eyes.  Tenchi was looking at her with annoyance and concern.

            "You okay?  You shouldn't be here Ryoko."  She immediately jumped up.

            "Tenchi…I can't let you go."  He sighed.

            "I don't want to get into this, Ryoko.  I am going.  Now."  He grabbed his pack and slung it over his shoulder.  "I'll only be gone a few weeks.  A month at the most."  Ryoko trailed him down the stairs and outside.

            "Do me one last favor, Tenchi," she said quietly when they reached the patio.  He turned and looked at her.

            "What's that?"

            "Don't look back."

            "Ryoko," Tenchi sighed, "This isn't one of your silly soap operas, you know.  I never knew you were so melodramatic!"

            "I mean it Tenchi!"

            "Okay, fine!"  Ryoko swallowed hard, looking to one side.

            "Bye Tenchi.  Keep safe."  Tenchi looked at her in surprise.

            "You too, Ryoko."  He backed away hesitantly, then straightened his shoulders and turned and walked away.  Ryoko gazed at his retreating back, waiting in agony for that black shadow of her dreams to strike.  But nothing happened, and Tenchi's slim figure soon disappeared into the green mass of trees.

So…..did you guys like it?  Should I continue?  Please review and give me some feed back!!!  PLEASE!!!