Disclaimer: Do not own Tenchi in any sense or form...

Author's Note: This is a new story I've been working on which has distracted me from the Space Pirate Tales to a great degree. Hopefully they don't bring too much conflict to one another. However, I hope all my readers will find just as much enjoyment in this fanfic as they did in SPT! I'll be experimenting with my OC and Ryoko...sorry you Tenchi/Ryoko fans (I admire the couple as well, but I always had the feeling that Ryoko deserved better.) Read on and review so I may improve ^_-

Chapter One

The Forgotten

There was nothing like a nice, delectable round of sake in the wee hours of the morning; Ryoko grinned, hardly was she ever up this early, but surely this refreshment would make it all worthwhile. The sun was barely on the verge of the edge of the world, rising slowly and casting shades of orange and red in the sky. It was different than her many nights spent in space—an abyss of utter darkness. Though there were the occasional beauties; Ryoko had fallen in love with stars at a distance and comets. They were the light in the darkness—existing in a place that contrasted them so deeply. Ryoko sighed, what was it about sake that made her so damn melancholic?

'Hehe I guess it winds me down to the point where I really have no reserves.' Ryoko thought wryly in her head. 'I'd be damned if anyone else could hear what I'm thinking; they'd think I was a fool.'

'Not true my Little Ryoko!' A shrill, childish voice broke her tranquility.

'God damn you Washu! I told you not to tap in unless it was an emergency.' Ryoko blasted at the scientist who made it a point to be a thorn in her side through this link they shared.

'Don't get mad now, I can't help but respond to your more negative thoughts because not only am I the greatest genius in the universe, I am your mother!' Washu chided in triumph.

Ryoko scoffed. 'Mother my ass! Just bug off ok.' She was in no mood for Washu's little mind games, and would rather spend the rest of the morning watching the sun rise…alone.

Washu cut off the link immediately; her stone heart could only take so many explosions at once. The scientist sighed in grievance; she would never be the person she wished she could be. She was extraordinarily adept in creating the most useful gadgets and gizmos in the world, seemingly able to defy the laws of science, but when it came to matters of the heart she was the greatest failure ever. She wanted Ryoko to come back to her, to remember what they had been so long ago, but all these hopes felt to be in vain.

"Ryoko…you've forgotten so much of your past." Washu reminisced to a time that almost seemed unimaginable now. "How can you hope to go on to your future with no clue to who you once were?"

Washu hopped off her lab chair and decided some fresh air would do her a world of good for her. The tiny, pink-haired scientist made her way out of the Masaki household and grinned at the brisk morning air.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" She said to no one particularly while stretching her limbs out.

Within a matter of seconds the sound of a ship throttling towards the Earth's atmosphere could be heard.

"Huh? It can't be!" Washu's mouth opened wide as she saw Mihoshi's and Kiyone's ship heading straight towards the lake. "That fool! Hasn't she crash landed enough times?" Her brows furrowed in frustration; it would be up to her to fix that blonde-ditz's mistake! "No…hold on a second…" Washu caught the sight of another ship. "Whose ship is that?"

Washu drew up her halo-graphic laptop and began an analysis on the ship's identity. It looked vaguely familiar, with its blaring green outer shine; a serious eye sore if you asked her. She pushed the distasteful color from her mind and focused on the more serious problem at hand. Most likely this ship was not a friend to Mihoshi or Kiyone, and would have to be dealt with in a violent manner.

"What the hell?" Ryoko commented as she phased into Washu's peripheral view. "Any clue on who it is?"

"Not yet…but it does seem vaguely familiar. I swear I've seen that ship before." Washu pondered and drew an annoyed glance from the space pirate.

"It's obviously not friendly; I think I'll go greet our new visitor." Ryoko smirked as she floated off towards the ship. "And it was turning out to be quite a beautiful morning…" She sighed as she approached ever closer to the brilliant green ship.

Mihoshi's ship had collided with the lakes surface and threatened to cast a tsunami over the Masaki Shrine. Fortunately, Washu had learned from past instances that putting up a shield would be the wisest thing she ever did while Mihoshi was in existence. She watched Ryoko intently, making sure she was in no immediate danger, and more than curious to figure out who was piloting that hideously painted, yet beautifully engineered spacecraft.

"Hey!" Ryoko yelled at the vessel. "Why don't you come out, I'm sure I'm more than enough to be your welcoming party."

"You, I'm not here for you…" A boy phased into her view.

Strangely enough Ryoko felt a sudden lunge in her heart.

'What the hell!' Ryoko growled at her sudden shift. "I'm all you're gonna get!" Ryoko ignored her inner feelings and charged for the man with a blood curdling yell.

"So be it." The boy drew a blade out of thin air and blocked Ryoko's own energy saber. His eyes widened slightly 'She's powerful…' he thought before he phased away from her ferocious attacks. "You're a strong fighter." He whispered in her ear as he reappeared behind her.

"Argh!" She tensed at the sudden nearness of the stranger. "I don't need to be told that!" She lashed out but cleaved nothing but air.

Tenchi rushed out to the scene, seemingly half-awake as he was still in his pajamas.

"Hey, what's going on?" He looked up at the two battling fighters. "Ryoko?" A knot tightened in his stomach as he realized she might be in some kind of danger.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko eyed the stranger to see if he would attack the boy she held dear to her.

Washu watched the boy who had challenged her daughter—why did he seem so familiar? She could have sworn that she had seen his face somewhere before. If only she could just remember! She looked to the edge of the lake and saw the two galaxy police officers crawl out to the surface.

"Oh god, I thought we were done for that time!" Kiyone gasped as she plopped herself on the grass. She looked sideways to her partner only to find her completely dazed.

"What have you got there, Kiyone?" Washu asked curiously as she examined the black box from a distance.

"This is the Science Academy's property, that pirate up there had stolen it." She sneered as she saw him and Ryoko sparring.

"That is a lie." He spoke with confidence. "That technology belongs to me and my family; I am Aeon Hawke, son to Vincent Hawke. That black box is mine." He said so with a calmness not expected of someone who had been sparring with another space pirate.

"Hawke! Now I remember!" Washu smiled triumphantly with a finger in the air.

"I have no choice but to destroy whoever stands in my way." He looked towards Ryoko regretfully, but quickly changed his glance to one of murderous intents.

"Now, now Aeon, it's not nice to kill your wading pool partner, now is it?" Washu laughed lightly as she realized who had graced their presence.

"What?" He looked down at the crazy, pink-haired woman.

"Oh come on, you didn't forget all about the Hakubi's did you? How could you, if I recall you even had a little crush on my Little Ryoko!" Washu squealed at the last part, squeezing her face with jesting embarrassment.

"What the hell are you talking about Washu!" Ryoko growled at her mother's crazy talk but when she looked at Aeon his eyes had widened in recognition of her mother.

"Professor Hakubi?" He went down to greet the scientist. "You are very…young?"

"Such a flatterer!" She whacked him hard enough to knock him to the floor as she laughed hysterically.

He groaned in pain but quickly recovered and approached her more cautiously. "What are you doing on this planet?"

"What am I doing here? What are YOU doing here? Last I heard, your father was still working on his harmonics…not the kind of work scientists usually do." Washu turned to a more serious tone. "Is that black box truly yours?"

"Yes, my father finished his work and the Academy stripped him of it immediately once they realized its power." His jaw slightly tightened as he recalled the events that had passed as of late.

"What's going on here?" Ryoko phased into view, still with her energy saber drawn and with Tenchi close behind.

"This is…Ryoko?" Aeon looked at the woman with a slight blush. "You look…very different as well."

"I don't know you…" Ryoko muttered as she stared unwillingly at the boy. He had midnight black hair that slightly spiked forward, his eyes were the color of the silver moon and his clothing blatantly screamed 'I'm a space pirate'. The style was hers but tailored for a male; she smirked at the similarities.

"Ryoko doesn't remember much after being captured by Kagato." Washu said bluntly.

"I see…that's unfortunate; you were quite the partner." The boy smiled and something within Ryoko snapped.

Her face began to turn red and this everyone began to notice. Panic began to fill her bosom as she realized this was not the way she usually reacted to other males besides Tenchi. She turned away and resumed her gaze on the floor; hoping that no one would notice her strange behavior.

"So there's no need to fight right?" Tenchi finally spoke up after the awkward silence.

"I just want my technology back." Aeon sighed as he looked at the hostile galaxy police officer who remained conscious unlike her partner.

"I can't give it back to you." She spoke with the authority she had been trained to have.

"You must give it back to me; if not you'll suffer more than you realize." He said so with absolute certainty and remorse. "Right now, what you hold could very well split the fabric of time, but it is contained. However it will not remain that way for much longer. I needed to return it to my equalizer but in pursuing you my ship sustained some damage…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kiyone gasped as she now warily held the object in her hands.

"It's no longer of any use. Though, if Washu is here, no doubt there is a lab somewhere nearby."

"How right you are, clever boy." Washu grinned and nodded. "I'll take care of it for now." She motioned for Kiyone to hand her the black box, and got it without complaint from the officer.

"Thank you Washu, my father and I are truly in your debt…once more." He bowed respectfully to her.

"Now why couldn't my sweet little Ryoko turn out like you?" Washu whined as she looked at her menacing daughter who was currently growling at her. "Now, now Ryoko, you know I'll always love you…even if you do remain as animalistic as you are now."

"Earthling, I presume you are the owner of this house." Aeon made sure to escape the cross fire that was sure to ensue between mother and daughter and addressed Tenchi.

"Something like that, this is actually my grandfather's shrine. I'm Tenchi Masaki, nice to meet you…as long as you don't blow up anything." He grinned and scratched the back of his head.

"Tenchi, I must ask for your permission to dock my ship here and take shelter here as well. I'm Aeon Hawke…current occupation space pirate." He smirked and watched as the boy nervously shook his hand.

"Ah great another one, I guess it's ok." Tenchi really couldn't refuse.