No Guts; No Glory

By: Sophie5

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to any of these characters except Aine, Akito, Ranmaru, Nagara and Kyoshiro. All others are the property of Pioneer, AIC, and FUNimation Entertainment. Original story/concept for the OVA's are credited to Masaki Kajishima and Hiroki Hayashi. Thank you.

Chapter Three

The Empty Seat

December 3, 2019 ~ Early Morning

Tenchi woke up early the next day just as the sun's rays began to peek over the horizon. He turned over on his side to face the large windows of the room, his hand touching the sheets of the bed. This was where his wife once slept so close beside him. A sad smile formed on his lips as he stroked the soft cotton sheets; the place Ryoko had once occupied. But now, the king-sized, four poster canopy bed felt so large and empty without her lithe frame beside him.

Today, she would finally be put to rest.

"Ryoko. I never once wanted to believe that you had really gone from us," he said, brown eyes narrowing in his anguish. "But now I know it's time to let you rest. You would like that, wouldn't you?"

Tenchi then sat up and gazed around the room. His father, Nobuyuki Masaki, after gaining enough work experience and funds, started his own architectural firm and was able to take the time out to add a few more rooms into the house. The room he currently slept in was a present given to Tenchi and Ryoko after their one year anniversary. Ryoko had been pregnant with the twins, so Nobuyuki thought it best to move Tenchi and Ryoko out of Tenchi's old bedroom and into a bigger bedroom. Up until the twins were about twelve years-old, they occupied Tenchi's old room. Nobuyuki had soon started busying himself with building an additional bedroom for Akito. Aine had insisted upon staying in her father's old room.

Tenchi willed himself out of bed and stretched, fixed the comforter on the bed and made his way down the hall to where the bathroom was. After washing up and doing his business, Tenchi exited the restroom and started heading downstairs. He assumed Washu was down in her lab working on God knows what. He was about to knock on her door and check up on her, when a familiar scent filled his nose. It was miso soup.

Hmm. Dad's at work and I'm almost positive that Grandpa's at the shrine preparing for Ryoko's funeral,
thought Tenchi, a new idea dawning on him. Then that means…

Tenchi entered the kitchen and saw the familiar sky blue hair of a woman he dearly missed. She was clad in the more casual attire for the Juraians, an apron wrapped around her shoulders and waist. A pot of boiling soup was on the eye of the stove and she was chopping vegetables, humming happily. A brief image of the young woman as a little girl overlaid her and Tenchi saw those familiar pigtails.

Sasami… he thought, a smile forming on his face.

Suddenly, the woman turned and smiled at him, her beautiful pink eyes sparkling with an unnameable joy. Her bangs were hidden by a white bandanna and her two, olive green circles indicating her Jurai power were in plain view. She was a Goddess after all, and could control Light Hawk Wings but not to the degree of how Tenchi and Ryoko could. Tsunami. Sasami.

"Good morning Tenchi. Breakfast time," she said, just like she always had for so many years before and even after losing Ryoko.

"H-How did you-?" he stammered, then chuckled and shook his head. "I keep forgetting you're a Goddess, Tsunami."

She laughed and shoved the vegetables off of the chopping board and into the miso soup. "I told you that you don't have to call me Tsunami, Tenchi. I'm still the same Sasami and always will be."

"Right. Sorry."

"Have the twins gotten up yet?" Sasami pulled out a frying pan.

"I doubt it, seriously," replied Tenchi as he made his way beside her. "They were up late with Mihoshi last night. I checked on them before going to bed and they were asleep in the room where we had Ryoko's Wake."

Sasami sighed, a sad light crossing her features. "Poor things. I'm guessing they didn't want to believe it until the very end, huh?"

Tenchi looked away. "Yeah."

"DAD!"

Tenchi cried out in fright and toppled over the kitchen table. After getting his wits about him, he looked up and saw his daughter, Aine, still clad in her kimono. Her cyan hair was unkempt and part of the white garb was slightly disheveled. The desperation in her eyes, as well as surprise, reminded him so much of Ryoko and a sad emotion gripped his heart. Ryo-Ohki, his wife's "spaceship," was perched on his daughter's shoulder, meowing happily.

"Dad! I saw the Tsunami out back, so does that mean-?" she said, her brown eyes gazing toward the stove area to where Sasami was. Ryo-Ohki leaped across the room and landed on top of the Goddess's head where she belonged. "Aunt Sasami!"

Tenchi smiled as his daughter raced over to Sasami and hugged her happily. Sasami laughed and patted Aine on the top of her head. A gentle, mother-like expression sparkled in her pink eyes. Tenchi stood up and dusted off the backs of his pants carelessly while admiring the scene in front of him. He heard feet shuffling behind him and saw his son, Akito, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Decided to join the land of the living, Akito?" teased Tenchi.

"Who can sleep with all that noise?" he muttered. "I grumbled about the Tsunami being outside and Aine's flying all over the house looking for Aunt Sasami."

Tenchi chuckled. I see…so that's why I couldn't hear her.

Akito scratched the back of his head. "I didn't see Ryu-Oh, Aunt Sasami. Is Aunt Ayeka still on Jurai?"

Sasami smiled, Aine's arms wrapped around the Goddess's waist. "Oh, she's here. Ayeka's just outside of Earth's gravitational field."

"Then why hasn't she landed yet?" questioned Tenchi curiously.

The Goddess looked at the ceiling and then reached behind her to turn down the heat of the pot. "She's dealing with Ranmaru."

Aine pulled away from her Aunt, a blush on her face. "Ranmaru's really coming? Grandma Washu said that he probably wasn't going to be here."

"Ryoko saved his life," said Tenchi. "But Ranmaru was barely three years-old when it happened. Ayeka feels that he owes her the honor of showing up to her funeral to pay his respects."

Sasami nodded. "But you know Ranmaru. He pulled that whole, 'Why should I have to' bit and Ayeka halted the ship completely."

Akito leaned against the entrance-way, arms folded against his chest. "Shooting off his mouth again, eh?" His yellow eyes glittered with intensity as a smirk formed on his lips. "That fool."

Uh-oh, thought Tenchi as a sweat drop formed over his head. I know that look. He and Ranmaru are definitely going to fight…better stress them to wait until after the funeral to resolve their differences.

"Akito," cut in Aine through Tenchi's thoughts. "Your little duel can wait until after Mom's funeral ceremony. Got it?"

So Aine had done it for him. He was grateful for how much she'd matured. Ayeka had helped in that matter and maintained discipline as best she could in Tenchi's absence.

"Who's the older sibling here? Me!" grumbled Akito snappishly.

"By two minutes! You two need to grow up already!"

Aine disappeared from view and Akito sighed, frustrated. Tenchi placed his hand on his son's shoulder and smiled at him. "She has a point. Try and behave yourself. You don't want to deal with your Aunt's wrath, do you?"

"No. Not really."

The sound of a ship descending from Earth's atmosphere split through the kitchen and everyone's eyes went to the window. Ryu-Oh landed gently in the water by the dock near Tenchi's house. The teleportation beam appeared and out came Ayeka clad in her Juraian Royal garments. Her royal purple hair cascaded around her shoulders and a long braid went down her back. A few seconds after, a young man around the age of the twins appeared as well. He wore the white, dark green, black, and blue noble Juraian attire. His arms were folded against his chest, a disgruntled look in his expression as well while his dark blue hair fell across his dark plum eyes. It was Ranmaru.

Tenchi and the others left the kitchen. Washu and Aine were already outside to greet the two. Aine hugged Ayeka happily and the Empress tried her best not to cry. Though Aine looked so much like her old rival, in time, Ryoko and Ayeka had resolved their differences. She adored Aine and Akito like they were her own children.

Ranmaru's eyes spotted Akito and he immediately reached into the inner pocket of his cloak to retrieve his weapon, but Ayeka bopped him on the head. "What did I just get done telling you, Ranmaru?"

A sweat drop formed over his head. "I know already, yeesh!"

Aine pulled away from her Aunt and looked at Ranmaru, a light blush hitting her cheeks. She bowed. "Hello Ranmaru. I'm glad you decided to come."

Ranmaru let his plum eyes gaze on Aine and a blush touched his cheeks as well. "Yeah well, it's cause I had to—Ow!" Ayeka had hit him on the head again. Aine giggled as he bowed in apology. "It was my pleasure, Aine."

Tenchi watched the scene and smiled. He would have to talk to Ayeka about what kind of future Ranmaru and Aine would have. After last year's incident, the two of them seemed to have grown even fonder of each other. He caught Ayeka's eye and she smiled, nodding in understanding.

"It's good to see you, Empress Ayeka Jurai," piped up Washu from the group.

Ayeka smiled at the scientist with the child's physique. "You as well, Genius Scientist and Goddess Washu."

A sweat drop formed over Washu's brow. "Little Washu, Miss Ayeka," corrected Washu. "In any case, I trust that your trip was well?"

"Yes well," mused Ayeka as she shifted her eyes toward her son and he only shrank back a bit in preparation for getting another smack upon the head. "I could have done well without the sass and more on getting here as quickly as possible. I apologize for missing Ryoko's Wake, Tenchi, but duty calls unfortunately."

Tenchi shook his head and waved his hand lightly from side to side to shoo off the apology. "Don't trouble yourself with apologizing Ayeka. It's not a big deal and the kids are well aware of your obligations back on Jurai. I'm sure she understands as well." Tenchi glanced around Ayeka's shoulder, as if waiting for someone else to arrive. When he saw the curious expression forming on the face of the Queen of Jurai, he only chuckled nervously as he placed a hand behind his head. "Did your husband decide not to tag along, Ayeka? I was so sure he'd be coming this time."

The curiosity melted away as Ayeka smiled, shoving Ranmaru forward. "No, I'm afraid Kyoshiro had other matters to attend to. He said he would try to make it later on this evening at best."

"Ah, I see. Well that's good to hear," replied Tenchi as he gestured for all of them to follow him into the house. "It would be a shame for him not to attend Ryoko's funeral, seeing as how they got along so well."

Ayeka laughed heartily as the children made their way into the house, the adults hanging back just a bit. "If you call unsheathing their swords in order to have an all-out sparring match every time they saw one another getting along, then yes, I suppose you could say they got along tremendously!"

"Now, now Miss Ayeka, let's not go there," chimed in Washu with a smile. "Those two got along well because they were such rivals. Despite how you and Ryoko may have acted like you couldn't stand each other, she was very adamant about making sure that Kyoshiro was, indeed, the right man for you."

"Yes, I know," Ayeka replied with a half sigh. "I'm well aware of how deeply Ryoko cared for everyone in this family. We have all missed her greatly."

The three entered the house, casual banter passing between them, when the smell of a grand breakfast reached their noses just as Sasami was setting the table in the living room area. The many clanking of dishes indicated that the children must have been helping set everything up for breakfast as well. When the three of them made their way toward the meal table, Tenchi couldn't help but feel a deep wave of nostalgia pass over him as they all sat down to have their breakfast. It was as if they were reliving old times, even with their children present. Even now, Ryoko's place at the table across from Tenchi remained empty out of respect for her having gone missing; to keep some hope alive.

However, after today, that place would no longer be acknowledged physically…but in their hearts alone. It was time to move on.

To be continued…


Author's Notes: Okay, so this chapter kinda made me sad in a way that I truly can't even begin to describe. What is it about reunions like these that just, I dunno, get to me? Is it because they all got together to finally put to rest someone they had a hard time admitting was now dead and gone from them? In either case, I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm writing for a Tenchi Fandom. Not that I'm bothered by this, oh no! I'm quite happy I'm still able to adapt the characters in a way that fits them all, especially since they are all so much older than in the OVA. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the next installment of No Guts; No Glory. You won't wanna miss it!