DISCLAIMER: I do not own, in any way, any of the original characters or orginal plot of Tenchi Muyo.

--Authors' note--

Moonsway here! Just wanted to let you know that it will take a while for another chapter to be posted for this particular fan fic. Yes, I know that is rather frustrating to hear from an author, but I'm just being honest with you all. I would appreciate it if you review; I love feedback. Ah yes well that us begin with the tale, now shall we?

Tenchi Muyo

Space Pirate Tales

Tenchi's household was never a place of peace and tranquility; ironic since it was the Masaki shrine. However, ever since that fateful day when Tenchi let curiosity get the better half of his senses, and Ryoko was set free, his life was forever altered.

"Tenchi!" Ryoko's whining voice was heard by everyone. "Where has he gone?" She floated in mid-air with her hand placed on her brow in search of the boy.

"Would you please be quiet Ryoko! Tenchi is studying in his room." Ayeka, as usual, came in and scolded the loud-mouthed pirate.

"Oh is he now!" Ryoko's malicious grin spread from ear to ear.

"Yes he is…now go away." Ayeka was easily peeved.

"I think he'd like my company." Ryoko phased out of the princess's view.

"RYOKO!!" Ayeka's yell reverberated throughout the household. (Teh heh let's leave the little princess with herself why don't we. )

Tenchi Masaki the only young man of the household, scanned furiously through the pages of his textbook. Why did he have to do all this work? The fields, the school, and alien women after him. Well, he thought, the alien women aren't so bad, but they did keep him pretty busy. His pencil tapped nonchalantly against his desk, he really couldn't focus.

"This is my perfect opportunity to be with Tenchi!" Ryoko exclaimed triumphantly.

"I'm afraid not missy."

"Huh?" Ryoko turned sideways to find her mad scientist mother beside her. "Whoa!" Ryoko flipped backwards. "Where'd you come from?"

"Oh little Ryoko, you know I always know where you are!" She smiled and pinched her daughter's cheeks, which greatly annoyed the space pirate. "I knew you would try to bother Tenchi during his study hours, so I placed a barrier that won't allow you to phase through. Ain't I a genius?" Washu smirked, made her way downstairs, and left her astonished daughter hopeless.

"Washu! I'm going to kill you" Ryoko muttered as she phased out of the hallway.

Ryoko teleported to the nearby woods that encompassed the Masaki household. It was turning out to be a beautiful fall. Leaves turning from red to orange, orange to yellow, and twirling about the autumn air. Ryoko's eyes softened at the beauty of nature.

"Now what am I supposed to do today?" She spoke out loud as she floated amongst the trees. "I really wanted to see Tenchi."

She continued to float about, losing herself in the trees. She sighed but a small smile still prevailed on her lips.

"It really is beautiful out here." She stopped when she came to the cave. "There are so many memories I'll never forget about this cave." She leaned on the stone near the entrance.

This was the place where she and Tenchi had first met, but of course, he knew nothing of this. As a little boy, Tenchi always came to the cave. For some reason he was always attracted to the cave. He came to her in times of joy, sadness, triumph, and defeat. She had loved him before any of the other girls had come to the house.

"Oh Tenchi…" She sighed. "When will you see how much I really do love you?"

She remained near the cave in tranquility until a strange sound caught her attention.

"Huh?" She looked forward into the cave; she had heard something.

'It sounds like crying.' She mentally said to herself as she walked forward.

"Hey who's in here?" No one answered. "Answer me or I'll blow you up!" Ryoko was never one for comfort.

The crying continued; it was a child's wailing or at least that's what it sounded like. She walked farther into the midnight blackness of the cave. Luckily for Ryoko, she wasn't human and could see in such darkness.

'Who's that?'

Ryoko found a small girl, with cerulean blue hair, with over-alls, crying in the corner of the cave. The space pirate continued to observe the girl with keen curiosity.

"Hey what are you doing here?" Ryoko's voice was rough and just a notch grouchy.

The girl ceased crying and sniffled as she looked at Ryoko. Her golden eyes met with Ryoko's own and she immediately ran towards her. The child was small, Ryoko guessed her age to be 1 or so. The child would've reached Ryoko if she hadn't tripped and fell flat on her face.

Ryoko, on the verge of a laugh, held the urge back and walked towards the girl's aid.

"You alright?" the not all too happy Ryoko asked.

The teary eyed child looked up at the space pirate and clutched on to her.

"Hey, hey now!" Ryoko tried jumping back from the girl. "Let go of me!" Ryoko phased outside, but the girl still held tightly onto to Ryoko's neck.

"No Mama." The little girl spoke.

"WHAT did you call me?!" Ryoko grabbed the little girl by the back collar of her shirt.

"Mama!" The little girl smiled and widened her arms out as if expecting an embrace.

"I am not your Mama twerp!" Ryoko left the little girl on the floor as she floated in the air.

"MAMA!" The little girl's arms were raised in the air. "Come get Rio!" She kept on grabbing the air above her head.

"Rio?" Is that her name? Ryoko thought.

"Mama!" Rio began to cry again as Ryoko refused to go back down and get her.

"I'm not your Mama!" Ryoko shouted back to the girl.

Ryoko looked down upon the small girl. She did have the same hair color as her; the same baby blue, cerulean hair. Her eyes were just as gold as hers, but how could she have had a daughter? She couldn't take the kids wailing and teleported herself behind the crying girl.

"Fine, but I'm not your mom, got it kid." Ryoko picked up the sniffling child by the back of her collar once more.

"Mama." The child smiled immediately and hugged Ryoko by the neck.

"Ahh..." Ryoko blushed slightly but still bore that annoyed look. "Stop that now; I don't even know who you are." Ryoko's eyes glanced on the child still tucked in the crevice of her neck. "Geez now I have to take you home…" she grumbled.

Ryoko teleported once more and ended up just a few meters away from the household.

"Alright kid, Rio, if that's your name; I can't go in with you in my arms. You're gonna have to walk by yourself." Ryoko set the girl on the floor. "There come on."

Ryoko walked a few feet ahead of the girl, so she would follow.

"Mama pick up!!" The girl clutched on to Ryoko's leg just as she opened the door to the house.

"Stop that! Let me go!" Ryoko shouted at the infant.

"Pick up! Pick up!"

"No! Okay!" The space pirate phased and ended up on her usual resting spot near the roof of the house. "Stupid kid." She muttered.

The child's wailing began and Ryoko knew someone was bound to hear her. 'Good maybe she'll become someone else's problem.'

"Ryoko what are you….oh who's this?" Ayeka barged in and confronted the child. "Ryoko who is this?"

"Tsh I wouldn't know." She closed her eyes and looked the other way.

"Hello little girl are you lost?" Ayeka tried to pick her up.

"No!" Rio pulled on the princess's hair and ran towards Ryoko.

"You rotten child, how dare you pull the hair of the royal princess of Jurai!" Ayeka pompously stated.

Ryoko burst out in laughter at the treatment Rio had given Ayeka.

"What's going on here?" Washu walked out of her lab. "Ehh who's this?"

"Ryoko brought that monster home." Ayeka glanced at the child who in turn stuck her tongue out.

"Ryoko who is she?"

"Why do you ask me?" Ryoko played innocent.

"Because she looks like you, almost exactly as you did when you were a child." Washu stated in all seriousness.

"MAMA!! Come down!" She clawed up at Ryoko.

"Mama?!" both Washu and Ayeka chided.

"I already told you kid, I'm not your mama!!" Ryoko's eyes glanced back and forth nervously between child and both the princess and scientist.

The child kept at the pole, trying in vain to climb it, but always meeting the ground with her small behind. Washu walked behind the small girl and picked her up in her arms, so that the child would face her.

"Let's see here." Washu was practically inspecting every inch of the girl's face.

"Gwa…ma…" The child's eyes glinted with happiness once more, as she grabbed Washu's cheeks.

"Gwama? You can't possibly mean grandma could you?!" Washu's hair spiked up as beads of sweat formulated on her forehead.

"Ryoko what's the meaning of this?!" Ayeka was obviously flabbergasted.

"How should I know?" Ryoko was beginning to fume.

"Well she only calls YOU her MOTHER, and Washu her grandmother! Ryoko!" Ayeka began to claw up at Ryoko's safe place.

"I found her in the woods ok; that's all there is to it."

"Is it really now?" Washu, still holding the child, looked up at Ryoko. "I need to run some tests." She plucked out a piece of the child's hair.

"Ow!" Rio shouted and was on the verge of tears.

"Now you see what you did!" Ryoko phased down and took the child from Washu's arms.

The child wailed in the crevice of Ryoko's neck, as her tiny arms encircled around the frame of her shoulders.

"Strange…" Washu muttered and headed back towards her lab.

"Washu get back here!" Ryoko shouted at the fleeing mad woman.

"I'll let you know how the tests go!" The scientists laugh echoed even after she disappeared behind her laboratory door.

"Great now I'm stuck with you again." Ryoko muttered as she looked at the child whimpering back at her.

"Gwama's mean!" She sniffled and calmed down after her supposed mother gave her a smile.

"I bet you're hungry right?" Ryoko asked after hearing the child's stomach grumble.

Rio nodded.

"Ryoko?" Ayeka looked questioningly at the space pirate.

"What?" Ryoko's soft glance at the child was broken by the princess's inquisition.

"Nothing….you just…oh well never mind, let's go see if Sasami has prepared dinner." The princess was caught off guard by Ryoko's maternal side.

"Yeah good idea." Ryoko's tummy grumbled. "I'm starving." Then Rio's stomach mimicked her mothers. "She's apparently starving too." Ryoko said with a smirk.

The trio walked into the dining room; Ryoko sighed with relief: no one had arrived yet. She was getting a bit nervous about the little girl who now sat in her lap. What would the others say? How would she explain her to them? She looked down at the girl who was currently playing with her two long locks of cerulean blue hair; Ryoko didn't know whether to growl at the toddler for pulling her hair, or laugh at the notion.

"Oh who's this?" Sasami's pleasant child-like voice filled Ryoko's ears.

"Hi!" Rio greeted Sasami upon her entrance, and stopped playing with Ryoko's hair.

"This is Rio, Sasami." Ryoko explained trying not to sound suspicious.

"Yeah but…where'd she come from?" Sasami was now very curious. "She looks a lot like you Ryoko." Sasami added.

"So I've been told, but I don't even know much about her. Other than that she's hungry, and that her names' Rio, I don't know much." Ryoko sighed hoping Sasami would just set the table and give her some food.

"I see well it's nice to meet you Rio." Sasami plastered on her wonderful smile and brought out the food. "The others should be getting here soon."

"Ah smells good Sasami!" Tenchi's voice rang clearly from the front door.

'Oh no!' Ryoko's heart skipped a beat.

"Sasami it's only going to be 4 of us today. Father and grandpa are staying out in the shrine for a bit, and Kiyone and Mihoshi haven't come back yet." Tenchi walked in, noticing that Ryoko was sitting next to a blanketed bump.

"Uhh Ryoko what's under there?" Tenchi pointed to the now moving and giggling bundle of blankets.

"What are you talking about Tenchi?" Ryoko tried scooting the bundle out of his view.

"Ryoko…you are truly an idiot." Ayeka sneered at Ryoko's attempt to hide the child. "You can't believe Lord Tenchi to be that dumb."

"Mama, let me out!" Rio shouted and grabbed at the covers.

"No twerp, remember we're playing a game." Ryoko whispered frantically to the child under the covers.

"Ryoko?" Tenchi was now standing right in front of her.

"Ah! Tenchi!" Ryoko fumbled with the covers, but to the child's prevail, her head made it out of the covers.

"Mama I'm hungry, stop playing." Rio said and shoved away from the now befuddled Ryoko.

"Mama?" Tenchi said dumbstruck with confusement and pointed to Ryoko. "Ryoko….you?"

"No! Tenchi! I found her in the woods today." Ryoko fumbled with words to explain.

Rio turned to the new guest and bore the greatest smile. She got up, brushed off her lap, and ran towards Tenchi.

"Hey where are you-" Ryoko started off but was left pale by Rio's outburst.

"Daddy!" Rio clung to Tenchi's leg.

"WHAT?!" the princess, cook, ex space pirate, and young boy shouted out.

THAT NIGHT IN WASHU'S LAB

"Well I have the results guys." Washu exclaimed but without her usual preppy response.

"So are we really the things parents?" Ryoko asked while holding the now sleeping child.

"It's not a thing Ryoko." Tenchi sighed and looked at Washu for the answer.

"I'm not quite sure how, but yes…this girl embodies both a set of chromosomes from you Ryoko." Ryoko tensed. "And also a set from you Tenchi." Tenchi sighed and Ryoko noticed.

'He must hate the fact that he's in this situation.' Ryoko frowned on the inside.

"But now we still have to figure out how she came here." Washu concluded, growing uneasy with the growing silence.

"I think I should get her to bed first." Ryoko said and received a questioning eyebrow from her mother. "She's been up all day; it's no wonder she's sleeping like a log."

"You have a point." Washu said, still quite impressed by Ryoko's sudden maternal feelings.

"I'll talk to you some more tomorrow Washu." Ryoko said as she stood to leave.

"I'll help you too." Tenchi stated before Ryoko made an exit.

"You don't need to; I'm pretty sure I can put her to bed by myself."

"She's mine too, in a way." Tenchi threw back and chased after Ryoko.

Ryoko stopped dead in her tracks and looked back to see Tenchi standing right behind her.

"I want to help." Tenchi replied to her questioning eyes.

"Thanks." And with that they exited the room.

Silence blanketed the pair as Ryoko took the child to her room. Ryoko tried her best not to glance at Tenchi ever so often, but the need to was undeniable. What could be going through his mind right now?

Tenchi tried with all his might not to look at the small bundle in Ryoko's arms; was she really his child? He was barely a high school student; how did this happen? Once or twice he caught Ryoko's eyes, but quickly averted.

They finally reached the room and entered it with ease.

"I guess I'll let her use my bed; it's not like I use it much." Ryoko lay the girl under the plentiful covers.

"Though you really should." Tenchi added.

"I've never gotten used to it I suppose." Ryoko tucked her under the covers.

"There she should be fine."

"Ryoko…." Tenchi place his hand on her shoulder; approaching her from behind. "I want you to know that I…"

"It's alright Tenchi, I know you didn't ask to be put in this situation. I hold nothing against you if you don't want to take responsibility because you really don't have to."

"That's not it Ryoko." He paused searching for the right words. "I want to…I want to try. Just let me try to be her father, let me try to be part of your family. That's all I'm asking for."

"You actually want to…but what about…" He placed his finger on her lips; she could've melted in his arms right then and there.

"Don't worry about it; let's just see how it goes. Come one Ryoko, this isn't like you at all." He smiled at her. "I better get to bed too; I'll see you in the morning." He gave her a small hug and left the speechless space pirate behind.

--Authors' Note--

Hope you enjoyed this entry. Any suggestions as to what should come next? Of course I have ideas of my own, but I always have more fun with some input here and there. Thank you for reading, please stop by and review.

Truly,

Arcia Moonsway