(Author's note: The owners of the Tenchi franchise have often placed this ensemble of characters in new situations without regard to previous continuities. In the first TV series, Washu invents a device that hurls them all into several different worlds where the faces are the same, but the relationships and stories are very different. Consider this to be a chronicle of one of those worlds -- which we viewers never got to see.)

Tenchi Muyo!: Witch World

Episode One: "Moving In"

They could now see it from inside the car as they approached it.

It was Tenchi and Kiyone's dream come true. A large, beautiful house out in the Japanese countryside. But the real estate agent, one Mr. Amagasaki, had qualms about showing it to them a few days ago. They had to insist that he give them a tour of it, before he reluctantly acquiesced.

"I'll admit it is a little larger than a family of three needs," remarked Tenchi, in the back seat, as he took in the impressive sight. "But a growing family can never have too many rooms, right?"

"And I love the spacious grounds," added Kiyone, rubbing up beside him. "One's neighbor's should be at a comfortable distance."

"Be that as it may, are you sure you wouldn't want to look at the other nice properties I told you about?" asked Amagasaki, as he shifted nervously in the driver's seat, clearly trying one more time to steer them away from visiting this house.

And Tenchi wanted to know why. "You know, I get the feeling there's something about the place that you're reluctant to tell us. If so, I wish you'd just come out with it."

Amagasaki looked very uncomfortable as he parked the car near the front entrance, on the white gravelly driveway which encirled the house the happy couple were interested in.

He turned to face the two of them. "My boss would kill me for telling you this, but you seem like nice people. The truth is, Mr. Masaki, this house has a bit of a bad history with our agency. We have sold it many times, because every time we do, the new occupants very soon become very anxious to move elsewhere. I'd just as soon not go through that again."

"So what seems to be the problem with it?" asked Kiyone.

"I want you to understand that I'm not trying to be funny," began Amagasaki, "but the majority of the former owners seem to agree that it is a haunted house."

Kiyone lit up like a light bulb. She couldn't have been more relieved -- or intrigued. "You mean it actually has a resident ghost? Tenchi, you hear that?"

Tenchi nodded, returning her smile. "I've never met a real ghost, before."

Amagasaki frowned at them. "The others took it just as lightly as first, too, before they learned how unpleasant it can be to share a home with a spirit who doesn't want you there. Then my headaches begin all over again."

"Well, I, for one, would love to meet this spirit," said Kiyone. "Think we'll bump into him or her today?"

"I've never witnessed anything supernatural, myself, you understand," admitted Amagasaki. "But even so, there's no denying that something is driving people away from living here."

vvv

Inside the house, the ghost watched them from a second story window with her arms folded and a mischievous smile on her face. She saw three people get out of the car and make their way to the front door.

"Well," she muttered to herself, "it looks as though another pair of idiots are planning to take up residence here. When are these jokers ever gonna learn that this is my place?"

vvv

Amagasaki unlocked the door and allowed the happy couple to enter first.

"Wow!" was all Kiyone could say at the sight of the spacious living room. It was flanked on the left with a staircase which led up to a balcony that overlooked the living area and led to the second floor rooms as well.

"Yes," agreed Amagasaki, grudgingly admitting that but for the spook, this would have been a nice place for anyone to live. "This way, please."

He showed them into the adjoining room. "Here is the dining area. As you can see, it is designed with a larger family in mind."

Tenchi and Kiyone looked at one another and smiled.

"We'll see what we can do to fill it up,' said Tenchi

Amagasaki cleared his throat uncomfortably. He really didn't feel like going there.

"Tenchi and I are party animals," explained Kiyone. "When we decide to celebrate something...everyone's invited!"

"Oh," Amagasaki chided himself for having his mind in the gutter. "And over here, we have the kitchen..."

No one noticed Ryoko's face peering down from the ceiling. But the ghost sure got a close look at the strangers as they marched into her kitchen.

"Party animals, eh?" Ryoko said to herself. "Then you should have a blast at the welcoming party I have in store for you!"

vvv

Amagasaki showed them the rooms of the second floor, then he took his clients back outside to the car, after making sure he relocked the door to the house.

"We'll take it," said Kiyone and Tenchi at the same time.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

"No way," they said .

"Fine. It's your decision. I'll take you back to the office and we can get everything squared away so you can start moving in on Monday."

"Great!" the happy couple re-entered the car.

"And I'll keep the other paperwork on standby for when you'll want to move out again on Friday," he grumbled to himself, hopping back into the driver's seat.

vvv

The moving van was already there on Monday afternoon, when the family car arrived.

"Cheer up, Sasami," said Kiyone to her daughter, who was in the back seat and couldn't have looked more morose if she tried. "You'll be getting a much bigger room. And think of all the new friends you're going to make!"

"I don't wanna new room. I liked my old one. And I liked my old friends, too."

"Hey, it doesn't have to be goodbye, y'know," said her father, also trying to sound upbeat. "You can invite them over any time you want. And there's no reason why you couldn't visit them once in a while, too!"

Sasami looked at her dad with hopeful eyes. "Really?"

"Absolutely," said Tenchi.

The car came to a halt, and the family piled out. While Tenchi unlocked the house, Kiyone took charge of the moving men.

vvv

A little way down the road from this scene, in the window of the neighbor's house, a curtain moved aside to reveal a pair of peeping eyes.

"Nobuyuki!" exclaimed Ayeka. "Did you know there are people moving into the Kobayashi house, again?"

"You don't say?" answered her husband. He was in his favorite easy chair, reading the newspaper. "How long do you figure they'll last?"

She turned an annoyed look to him. "How should I know? I've never even met them!"

"Maybe we should go over and introduce ourselves."

"Don't be silly. They clearly have their hands full now, we would only be in the way. These things have to be done properly or not at all!"

"Hmm," conceded her husband, returning his attention to the paper.

"It looks like there's only three of them -- husband, wife...and a little girl."

"The last pair didn't have any children, did they?"

"No. And that's what I liked about them. No little brats running around, getting into mischief."

"Well, if she's a girl, it's not likely she'll be causing us any trouble, right?"

"Oh, you can be so clueless, sometimes."

vvv

"Hey, Lady! Where'd'ya want this stuff?" asked a mover carrying a stack of three cardboard boxes.

Kiyone turned to point to a bedroom closet, which had a sliding door. "You can put those in there, for now." Then she resumed directing two other fellows who were lugging in a heavy headboard from a king-sized bed.

The mover put the boxes down beside the closet to slide open the door. He did not expect the sight that greeted him inside of it. A skeleton with bulging bloodshot eyes and wild white hair around the skull grinned frighteningly at him.

Panicking, he quickly slid the door shut, spinning around and clutching his chest.

"What's the matter?" asked Kiyone, coming over.

"Lady, if that was supposed to be a joke, it ain't very funny!"

Kiyone slid the door open, but she didn't see anything inside. She thought he must have seen a spider or something. "It's an old house, and it hasn't been lived in for a while. I guess you gotta expect some surprises."

vvv

Tenchi and Sasami were taking a walk on the grounds. Sasami's mood had not improved much since the trip to get here. Her father sympathized; he was not unfamiliar with what she was going through. He knew that she'd eventually grow to love their new home, but for now, he really felt he needed to say something to her to cheer her up.

"Lotsa room here," he said to her. "You know what I think? It could really use something right here. Like a nice big swing set with a slide and a see-saw. What do you think?"

Sasami smiled at her dad. He was trying so hard. Sure a swing set would be fun. But she was more concerned with her immediate future. How long was she going to be alone and friendless in a strange place? Would the kids at her new school accept her or shun her?

Her parents seemed to think she would make new friends easily. But what if it didn't work out that way? She remembered how a new kid at her last school had such a difficult a time finding a group to fall in with. Now she was going to be "the new kid." And every time she thought about that, it depressed her.

But she didn't want to keep showing her dad a pessimistic face. He could only be happy if she was happy. So, for his benefit, she drummed up some enthusiasm for his thought. Even though she was far from certain that even a new swing set would bring any fun into her life for some time yet to come.

"Sounds great!" she said.

Tenchi was no fool. What she was doing couldn't be more obvious to him. What Sasami needed right now was a diversion to take her mind off of her current troubles. It was time to bring out the big guns.

"Sasami, can you keep a secret?"

"A secret? About what?"

"Well-l-l-l, I haven't discussed telling you this with your mother, yet, but I think as a member of this family you have a right to know, so-o-o, I'm going to let you in on it. It seems that this house has a little bit of a...haunted...reputation."

"Haunted? You mean there's ghosts in there?"

"At least one, according to the guy who sold it to us. 'Course that may have been just a story in order to persuade us not to buy it."

"Why wouldn't he want you to buy it?"

Tenchi shrugged. "Who knows? But in case it turns out to be true, I didn't want you to get scared if you saw something weird or inexplicable happening."

This got the reaction Tenchi had been hoping for.

Sasami had burst out laughing!

"Oh, Daddy, that's so silly! You know there's no such things as ghosts!"

"Oh? Are you sure about that?

She looked at him strangely. "Aren't you?"

"Not really. I've never met an Eskimo, but they exist. So, just because I've never met a ghost, that's no guarantee that they don't exist. And if we meet one living in our new home, that would clear up all doubt, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," agreed Sasami, suddenly quite intrigued. "That would be so cool!"

Just then, there was the sound of men screaming from the front side of the house.

"Sasami, stay here!" Tenchi ran off towards the source of the din.

Sasami watched her father dash off, her gaze turning toward the house that was now her home, like it or not. And saw what appeared to be a laughing woman with white spikey hair in one of the second story windows. That's when Sasami gasped, covering her mouth with both hands.

vvv

"But you can't just leave our stuff on the lawn!" argued Tenchi.

"You're lucky we didn't just drive off with it," snapped one of the movers.

"Look, I'm not paying you to do only half a job."

"This job isn't supposed to have anyhing to do with my men getting heart attacks," said the boss. "Let's make a gentlemen's agreement, okay? You don't sue us for leaving the job unfinished, and we won't sue you for your recklessly sick practical jokes. Deal?"

The movers didn't wait for any reply from Tenchi. They started up their van and practically flew down the road away from the property.

Tenchi watched them disappear into the distance with a flabbergasted look on his face. Presently, Kiyone joined him.

"What the heck was that all about?" he asked her.

"Beats me," she said. "Those guys have been seeing things almost from the moment they started to bring the stuff inside. And each time I investigated, I didn't see anything unusual."

"Look at all this stuff out here," he complained. "Without some help, we're gonna be busy all night just getting it into the house, nevermind putting it where it needs to go."

vvv

Ryoko moved to a better vantage point to better appreciate what she had wrought upon the little family -- a window overlooking the front yard.

"Ha! Serves you right! Look at it this way, exhaustion makes you sleep better. If I decide to let you sleep in peace, that is," she chuckled.

A floorboard creaked behind her, causing her to turn away from the window. There was a little girl with her blue hair done up in two long ponytails standing at the entrance to the room.

The kid stared at Ryoko with big round unblinking pink eyes. Ryoko stared back, not quite sure what to do. Ryoko had gotten to be quite good at sneaking up on others, but this was the first time any mortal had gotten the drop on her!

"Are...are you a real ghost?" asked Sasami.

Ryoko saw no harm in answering her question. "That's right, kid. I'm Ryoko, a real ghost, in the flesh. Or, actually, the lack of it. Whatever. The point is, you people are in my house, and I don't like it. So for every day you invade my privacy, I'm gonna invade yours -- until you've had enough and get out."

"My name is Sasami," said Sasami, bowing slightly. "We didn't mean to trespass. We didn't even know there really were such things as ghosts. To tell you the truth, I wish we never left our old house. I was happy there."

"So, what are you doing here, anyway? If you don't mind me asking?"

"It was my mother's idea. She kept saying we needed a bigger place to live, and my father just always goes along with whatever she wants. Ryoko, I'm sure my folks would leave your house if you just ask them. You don't need to scare us away."

Ryoko's eyes crossed. It never occurred to her that all she had to do was ask. Still, that was never her style.

vvv

"Hi there, neighbors!"

Tenchi and Kiyone had been struggling with a heavy box at the front door, when they were approached by a man wearing glasses and a woman with dark purple hair who was, no doubt, his wife.

"We're from next door," the man continued. "I'm Nobuyuki Jurai and this is my wife, Ayeka."

"Pleased to meet you," said Ayeka with a polite smile and slight bow. "We couldn't help but notice the situation those men left you in, and came right over to offer our assistance."

"Gosh, that's really nice of you," said Tenchi. "I'm Tenchi Masaki, and this is my wife, Kiyone."

"Hi," Kiyone managed to say, despite imagining her hair was a mess, and not really prepared for visitors.

"Tell ya what, Tenchi," offered Nobuyuki. "How about us he-men handle the heavy items, while the ladies take care of the rest?"

"Sounds good to me," said Kiyone, eagerly abandoning her post beside the heavy box and towing Ayeka rather suddenly by the hand (sudden enough to cause a slight cry to erupt from her) to a nearby pile of smaller items.

As evening fell, the Masakis were elated to finally get everything inside the house. There would be plenty of time to find the proper places for all of it later. Kiyone unpacked a table and some plates, while Tenchi called a local restaurant to order some hot food for themselves and their new friends.

During dinner, Ayeka brought up the long history behind the house the Masakis were now living in.

"I assume someone must have told you about the legend of Ryoko Kobayashi?" she asked.

Upon hearing Ryoko's name mentioned, Sasami's chopsticks fell from her fingers.

"What's wrong, Sasami?" asked Kiyone. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well-l-l-l, now that you mention it," answered Sasami, "I've not only seen Ryoko -- I've talked with her, too."

"Are you serious, Sasami?" asked Tenchi.

Sasami nodded solemnly. "She scared the moving men away...and the other people who wanted to live here. She says this is her house, and we are invading her privacy. I got her to promise not to scare us for a week. But we have to be ready to leave by the end of it."

Tenchi turned to Ayeka. "What can you tell us about this ghost?"

Ayeka sighed. "The legend has it that the woman who haunts this house came from a long line of practitioners of black magic. But she used her powers once too often to make the townspeople miserable, so they called in a professional witch hunter, who was able to capture her and render her powerless long enough to be tried, convicted, and executed for her crimes. Ryoko's mother had her daughter's remains brought back to this house, although no one has ever located where she hid them. But since ghosts cannot stray very far from their remains, they must still be somewhere inside the house. Ryoko's spirit, it is said, has never forgiven the locals for what they did to her, so she does not want them in her house. Nobuyuki and I have seen a parade of would-be neighbors come and go, and all of them blamed the intolerable goings-on in the house as their reason for leaving."

Kiyone was unimpressed. "Well, ghost or not, houses belong to the living, not the dead. Nobody threatens my family or gives us ultimatums. I'm perfectly happy to share this house with her as long as she behaves. But if she thinks she can drive me or mine out, she's got another thing coming."

At that moment, Ryoko's voice reverberated throughout the living room.

"I gave Sasami my word that I would bide my time for one week, and I intend to honor my word. But if you aren't ready to leave by this time next week, I will make you regret the day you ever set foot in this house."

Ayeka and Nobuyuki's hair stood on end. They bolted screaming out the door, and didn't stop running until they were safely back inside their own home.


TO BE CONTINUED