Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Tenchi Muyo characters, they belong to their creator. I do own all other characters featured in this story.
Chapter 1: Arrival
In the dark depths of space, thousands of miles from Earth, a small, sleek ship rocketed past the stars. Its hull was badly damaged and burned. Out of the cracks poured smoke and what appeared to be water. Inside the ship's cockpit sat the pilot, keeping the ship stable and coughing harshly.
"Crap, there's a leak. The water level is dropping fast." There was a loud explosion behind him. "Now the aerator is busted. I need to land this thing fast." The monitor blinked, showing a star map of the nearest planets.
"All of these planets are deserted. Damn it, there has to be some place with moisture. Huh?" The monitor blinked again, showing a planet on the outmost edge of the star map. "The readings say this one has moisture. Whoa, over seventy percent? I guess it's my lucky day." Another explosion rocked the ship. "I just hope I can get there before I suffocate." The pilot typed in the coordinates and began heading for the small blue planet.
Tenchi Masaki awoke to the smell of the breakfast Sasami had prepared. He sat up, stretching and yawning. Tenchi quickly threw on a shirt and some pants before heading downstairs. Sasami had served bacon and eggs this morning. Ryo-Ohki was perched on her shoulder. Grandfather was already eating.
"Good morning Tenchi." Sasami said sweetly as she placed another plate for Tenchi on the table. "You're up later than usual."
"Hey, thanks Sasami. Morning grandpa." Tenchi took a seat and began eating. "I get to sleep in now that it's summer vacation." Grandfather looked over at Tenchi.
"Well then, we'll have to do something about that, Tenchi. We're having morning sessions now, understand?" Tenchi groaned and swallowed another bite.
"Aw come on grandpa. Hey Sasami, where is everyone?" Sasami paused to think for a moment.
"Ayeka went for a walk around the lake, Kiyone and Mihoshi are at work, and Ryoko…" Tenchi nearly choked on his food when two arms wrapped around him.
"Is right here." Ryoko giggled and loosened her hold on Tenchi to give him some air. "Morning Tenchi, sleep well?" Tenchi managed to get his food down and sighed with relief.
"Ryoko, don't surprise me like that, I almost choked. And yeah, I did sleep well." Ryoko smiled. She grabbed a plate and began wolfing down her meal. "I suppose Washu is in her lab."
"I gave her a plate a plate earlier." Sasami said as she sat down at the table. Ryo-Ohki sat in the floor next to her and nibbled on a carrot. "If she doesn't come out of that lab once in a while, she's going to starve to death."
Meanwhile, Washu sat in her lab and typed away at her keyboard. Her empty plate sat on a platform next to the wall. Washu sat in the aquarium portion of her lab. The gigantic species of alien fish swam by her. The aquarium always helped her relax. The gentle beat of the fins and the vibrant colors of the scales could sooth anyone as busy as her.
Washu's typing was interrupted when a window popped up on her screen. On it was a damaged ship entering the Earth's atmosphere. Red letters flashed across the screen.
"WARNING: COLLISSION IMINENT." Washu groaned.
"Great, better chock this up to Mihoshi and Kiyone's score. Wait a minute" Washu took a closer look at the ship. "That's not their ship. Wonder who it could be. Well, better form a welcoming party." Washu snickered as she headed for the exit.
Outside, Ayeka sat in the grass at the edge of the lake, staring up at the clouds.
"Ah, what a beautiful summer day. So full of life." Ayeka sighed. "Things have been rather quiet lately. I suppose I should be grateful for that." She lay down on her back and soaked in the sun's rays for a few moments. "I should have brought Tenchi out here with me, and then it would be perfect. I think I'll do that right now." Ayeka got up and was about to head back when she heard a whistling sound from above.
"What in the world?" She looked up at the sky to see a red ball of fire hurtling towards her. Ayeka screamed and ran for cover.
In the Masaki house, everyone had finished breakfast and was about to sit down when Washu burst into the room.
"Everyone, stop what you're doing and come with me!" Washu grabbed Tenchi and Sasami and dragged them outside. Ryoko and Grandfather followed the mad scientist.
"Hey, just what is going on?" Tenchi asked as he was led towards the lake.
"And why do you have to drag Tenchi around?" Ryoko pulled Tenchi away and frowned at Washu. Washu turned her head around to the others.
"Oh you'll see." They followed Washu to a spot at the edge of the lake and waited.
"Washu, what are we waiting for?" Sasami asked impatiently. Seconds later, they heard Ayeka screaming and saw her running towards them. The princess took cover behind Tenchi.
"Well that was fun. Now let's-" Ryoko was about to walk back when she was cut off by Washu.
"Look! Up there." Washu pointed at the red ball of fire falling from the sky. They all gazed in awe as it came closer. The outline and features of a ship were seen. In mere moments, the ship hit the lake and slid across its surface. In the ship's wake was a trail of steam, created by the contact of the water and the heated metal. The ship slowed down and soon hit land, grinding over the dirt. It then hit the edge of the forest before finally halting. Tenchi and his family ran over to the ship to see what it was.
"Well, it's not Kiyone and Mihoshi this time." Ryoko commented. Tenchi took a few steps forward.
"Washu, what kind of ship is this?" Tenchi asked.
"I'm not entirely sure. I haven't seen a design like this in a while. It almost looks aquatic." Washu said as she observed the space ship. "Looks pretty banged up."
A hiss of air came from the ship. Everyone stepped back to see a hatch in the side opening. It slid open, and out from it poured several hundred gallons of dark, polluted water. Footsteps could be heard coming from inside, splashing every pace. It was too dark too see what was coming. Then, a hand appeared from the darkness, grasping the outside of the ship. It was light blue, and covered in scales. On the tips of the fingers were sharp, blue nails.
Sasami grabbed her sister's hand in fright. "W-What is it Ayeka?" Ayeka was silent as she watched the arm attached to the hand emerge. It was blue and scaly, just like the hand. On the elbow was a fin, made up of long bony rays, like those of a fish.
"I, I don't know." Ayeka responded. Ryoko readied her energy sword and placed herself in front of the group as the rest of the creature came into the light. It resembled a young man, but he was had the features of a fish. The pale green scales on his bare chest reflected in the sun. From head to toe he was covered in scales, light blue in most places, but pale green in some spots. The only clothing he wore was a pair of dark shorts with a silver crescent moon symbol plastered on one of the legs. Dark blue splotches dotted his back and shoulders.
The alien lifted his head and stared at the humans with bright, reflective eyes. They were almost completely gold, save for the dark pupils in the middle. Wet bangs fell over his face. His hair was a bright green, the color of sea weed. The alien had pointy ears that resembled fins. On each of his bare legs were large fins located behind the knees. His toes were webbed, and had sharp nails like his fingers.
The alien stared back at the humans for a few moments. On his ribs were gills that opened and closed with each breath that he made. The alien suddenly coughed and fell to the ground. He squirmed and tried to get back up. The humans stared at the alien as he writhed on the ground before Sasami worked up the courage to approach him.
"Hey, be careful Sasami." Ryoko warned the princess. Sasami slowly stretched her arm out and touched the scaled alien on the shoulder.
"Hey, are you ok?" The alien grabbed Sasami's wrist and got up on one knee. Ryoko steadied her weapon and Tenchi and Ayeka prepared for an attack. The alien turned his head up and looked at Sasami with his gold eyes. He gasped for breath, and in a dry, raspy voice, he spoke.
"I…need…water…" He moaned and managed to stand up. His eyes locked on to the lake. Immediately he tried to run towards it, but he was too sluggish and tripped, landing on his side. The alien growled and vainly scrambled over the ground.
"Come on, we've got to help him." Tenchi said as he ran over to the alien and helped him up. Tenchi had a hard time getting a grip, the alien felt just like a fish. Washu quickly followed Tenchi and began helping him. She turned her head back to look at Ryoko and Ayeka.
"Don't just stand there, give us a hand! This guy is heavy." Both nodded and ran over to the distressed man. Ryoko was hesitant at first, but decided it couldn't hurt. With their effort they were able to bring the alien to the lake. He dragged himself into the water and submerged himself. He breathed the fresh water in deeply, letting it pass over his gills as he exhaled. The alien slowly swam to the top and floated on his back.
"Washu, what is that thing? Some kind of fish man?" Ryoko asked as she observed the alien.
"Looks like it. I've never seen a specimen like this before." Grandfather walked over to the group and took a closer look at the fish alien.
"Very peculiar. It seems as though we'll be having a guest tonight. Sasami, be sure to cook for one more."
Sasami could only gaze with fascination at the merman as he floated closer to the shore. Ayeka was not sure what to make of him.
"Well, we should all try to be polite to him."
"I just hope he doesn't stink up the place." Ryoko said dryly.
"Ryoko, try to be nice, he's just survived a crash." Tenchi said to her. But, the aquatic alien couldn't hear a word any of them were saying. All he could think about was how relieving it was to be alive. He soon gave in to fatigue a drifted to sleep.