Sasami hummed as she cooked. Mari came in and sat down at the table.
"You do the cooking huh? Must be hard work with a faimly like this." she said.
"I guess. But it's fun. Must be hard work being on the run."
"Naw, it's alright. I get shot a few times, but anything for money." she said. "So, how long have
you and Ayeka been here?" she asked.
"Oh for quite a while."
"Aren't your parents worried. I would imagine the King would have sent out a million troops to
bring back his daughters."
"You know?" asked Sasami.
Mari laughed. "I know people. So I know who all of you are. I feel bad about what happened
earlier, but I'm going to be staying here. I feel I need to watch Tenchi's back. He was like a
brother to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah... I remember one time, I had really liked this one guy. He ended up breaking my heart.
Tenchi saw me crying and I told him what happened. The little angel went off and tried to talk
some remorse into the guy, make him come and apologize. He's such a sweetie."
"Aw! He really did that? Sounds like our Tenchi." Sasami said.
"Yeah... it's been so long since I last saw him. He's grown so much. If I hadn't known him for
such a long time, I might want to marry him, like all of you girls."
Sasami gasped. "You know that too?"
"Oh yeah. It's so obvious in the way you look at him."
"What did you mean 'if you hadn't known him for so long'"asked Sasami.
"Well, I've known him for so long, he's more like just another part of me. Also I wouldn't want to
drag an angel like him into the battle feild I call life." she said laughing.
"Tenchi never mentioned you before..." Sasami said.
"Oh, that's alright. Painfull memories. I ran away on the anniversary of his mother's death."
Sasami looked worried. "Poor Tenchi..." she said.
"I didn't realize it at the time... but now I feel horrible."
"Ryoko would you calm down?!" asked Washu. They were in Washu's lab along with Ayeka.
"I know that girl! I know her! From when Tenchi was growing up!" Ryoko screamed.
"What?!" asked Ayeka and Washu.
Calming down Ryoko explained. "She was his best friend, his only friend. She has so many
secrets though... If she had stayed, Tenchi would have married her. I just know it. When she ran
away, it was on the anniversary of his mother's death. Poor thing felt he had lost everything."
Ryoko said.
The girls looked at each other.
"That's so sad..." said Washu.
"Now do you see why I want to kill her?" asked Ryoko.
"Yes. But Ryoko, try and see, if you kill her, Tenchi will hate you forever." Ayeka said.
"But..."
"No buts Ryoko, she's right." Washu interrupted.
Tenchi walked up the steps to his Grandfather's Shrine. His father was there too. When he got
there, they were standing in the yard.
"Hello Tenchi." said his Grandfather, Yosho.
"Hey there, my boy!" said his father.
"Why are you so happy?" asked his Grandfather. "It's not natural to smile that much."
"Mari's back!"
The kitchen door swung open. Mari and Sasami looked at them in surprise.
"Hello Mariko. It's nice to have you with us again."
"Nice to be back Yosho." she said.
Tenchi's dad walked up to her, took her hand in his and kissed it.
"Hello Father." she said, surpressing a giggle.
"Father?" asked Sasami.
"He used to insist I call him that." Mari replied.
"Tenchi said you were back, but it was hard to believe. You've been away for so long." said
Father. Yosho nodded.
"Seems like everyone was pretty close..." said Sasami.
"Yeah. We were. We were like faimly." Tenchi said. "Kind of like how it is now, with you girls."
Mari smiled and wrapped her arm around Tenchi's waist.
"You came just in time." Sasami said as she set the dishes out on the table. "Dinner's ready."
Ryoko heard the call.
"Dinners ready!"
She teleported into the kitchen. To her surprise she saw Mari with her arm around Tenchi.
Ayeka and Washu walked in. They froze at what they saw.
"Come on, sit down." said Sasami, sencing the hostility in the air.
Mari sat down on the left side of Tenchi while Sasami sat on the right. Father and Yosho sat
next to Mari. Ayeka sat next to Yosho, with Ryoko on her other side. Washu sat next to her and
then there was Sasami. They ate in silence except for a "This is delicous!" from Mari.
After dinner Mari and Tenchi left for a walk. Ryoko drowned her worries in alcohol, Ayeka went to
sleep early and Washu went into her lab to do whatever it was she did. Yosho and Father
headed off to the shrine while Sasami cleaned.
"It's a beautiful night." Mari said. "Look at the stars. Aren't they pretty? I love stars." she said.
"Yeah..."
"I forgotten how peacefull it is here." she said.
"It's been a long time." he replied, still looking at the sky as they walked on.
"I'm sorry... I just couldn't stay." she said.
They stopped walking and turned to look at each other.
"Why?" he asked.
"I can't tell you."
"Once upon a time you could tell me anything."
"Once upon a time..." she echoed.
They started to walk again.
"I'm so sorry."
Tenchi pulled her close and held her hand as they walked on.
"You do the cooking huh? Must be hard work with a faimly like this." she said.
"I guess. But it's fun. Must be hard work being on the run."
"Naw, it's alright. I get shot a few times, but anything for money." she said. "So, how long have
you and Ayeka been here?" she asked.
"Oh for quite a while."
"Aren't your parents worried. I would imagine the King would have sent out a million troops to
bring back his daughters."
"You know?" asked Sasami.
Mari laughed. "I know people. So I know who all of you are. I feel bad about what happened
earlier, but I'm going to be staying here. I feel I need to watch Tenchi's back. He was like a
brother to me."
"Really?"
"Yeah... I remember one time, I had really liked this one guy. He ended up breaking my heart.
Tenchi saw me crying and I told him what happened. The little angel went off and tried to talk
some remorse into the guy, make him come and apologize. He's such a sweetie."
"Aw! He really did that? Sounds like our Tenchi." Sasami said.
"Yeah... it's been so long since I last saw him. He's grown so much. If I hadn't known him for
such a long time, I might want to marry him, like all of you girls."
Sasami gasped. "You know that too?"
"Oh yeah. It's so obvious in the way you look at him."
"What did you mean 'if you hadn't known him for so long'"asked Sasami.
"Well, I've known him for so long, he's more like just another part of me. Also I wouldn't want to
drag an angel like him into the battle feild I call life." she said laughing.
"Tenchi never mentioned you before..." Sasami said.
"Oh, that's alright. Painfull memories. I ran away on the anniversary of his mother's death."
Sasami looked worried. "Poor Tenchi..." she said.
"I didn't realize it at the time... but now I feel horrible."
"Ryoko would you calm down?!" asked Washu. They were in Washu's lab along with Ayeka.
"I know that girl! I know her! From when Tenchi was growing up!" Ryoko screamed.
"What?!" asked Ayeka and Washu.
Calming down Ryoko explained. "She was his best friend, his only friend. She has so many
secrets though... If she had stayed, Tenchi would have married her. I just know it. When she ran
away, it was on the anniversary of his mother's death. Poor thing felt he had lost everything."
Ryoko said.
The girls looked at each other.
"That's so sad..." said Washu.
"Now do you see why I want to kill her?" asked Ryoko.
"Yes. But Ryoko, try and see, if you kill her, Tenchi will hate you forever." Ayeka said.
"But..."
"No buts Ryoko, she's right." Washu interrupted.
Tenchi walked up the steps to his Grandfather's Shrine. His father was there too. When he got
there, they were standing in the yard.
"Hello Tenchi." said his Grandfather, Yosho.
"Hey there, my boy!" said his father.
"Why are you so happy?" asked his Grandfather. "It's not natural to smile that much."
"Mari's back!"
The kitchen door swung open. Mari and Sasami looked at them in surprise.
"Hello Mariko. It's nice to have you with us again."
"Nice to be back Yosho." she said.
Tenchi's dad walked up to her, took her hand in his and kissed it.
"Hello Father." she said, surpressing a giggle.
"Father?" asked Sasami.
"He used to insist I call him that." Mari replied.
"Tenchi said you were back, but it was hard to believe. You've been away for so long." said
Father. Yosho nodded.
"Seems like everyone was pretty close..." said Sasami.
"Yeah. We were. We were like faimly." Tenchi said. "Kind of like how it is now, with you girls."
Mari smiled and wrapped her arm around Tenchi's waist.
"You came just in time." Sasami said as she set the dishes out on the table. "Dinner's ready."
Ryoko heard the call.
"Dinners ready!"
She teleported into the kitchen. To her surprise she saw Mari with her arm around Tenchi.
Ayeka and Washu walked in. They froze at what they saw.
"Come on, sit down." said Sasami, sencing the hostility in the air.
Mari sat down on the left side of Tenchi while Sasami sat on the right. Father and Yosho sat
next to Mari. Ayeka sat next to Yosho, with Ryoko on her other side. Washu sat next to her and
then there was Sasami. They ate in silence except for a "This is delicous!" from Mari.
After dinner Mari and Tenchi left for a walk. Ryoko drowned her worries in alcohol, Ayeka went to
sleep early and Washu went into her lab to do whatever it was she did. Yosho and Father
headed off to the shrine while Sasami cleaned.
"It's a beautiful night." Mari said. "Look at the stars. Aren't they pretty? I love stars." she said.
"Yeah..."
"I forgotten how peacefull it is here." she said.
"It's been a long time." he replied, still looking at the sky as they walked on.
"I'm sorry... I just couldn't stay." she said.
They stopped walking and turned to look at each other.
"Why?" he asked.
"I can't tell you."
"Once upon a time you could tell me anything."
"Once upon a time..." she echoed.
They started to walk again.
"I'm so sorry."
Tenchi pulled her close and held her hand as they walked on.
