Written By: Gary Kendzerski
AKA: Simfreak
Simfreak@mindspring.com
FAN FIC
Episode 1: Tenchi's Trial
It a beautiful summer day at the Masaki household, birds are singing and the sky is free of clouds.
"Is Tenchi home from school yet?"
"No I don't think so Ryoko, why you ask."
"Grown up stuff you wouldn't understand."
"Oh… I think he said he was going to grandpas after school to do chores or something."
"Figures, he's always over there." (sigh).
"Hey Ryoko, can you go get some veg-."
Before Sasami could finish her sentence Ryoko vanished through the wall in the direction of the shrine.
"Now where did she go?"
"Hmm, where could he be?"
Ryoko searches the grounds and finally sneaks up on Tenchi from behind.
"Ten-chi"
"AHHH!!"
Tenchi startled by Ryoko sneaking up on him, trips over himself and lands on the ground facing Ryoko.
"RYOKO! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that!"
"But Tenchi, I want to talk to you."
"Well there are better ways then doing it then sneaking up on me like that, ANYWAY, cant it wait, grandpa wants me clean the shrine yard and I don't want to spend all of summer vacation doing work."
"Summer vacation?"
"Don't tell me you never went to school, (Ryoko has a puzzled look on her face) it's when I don't have school for a few months, like time to unwind. "
Tenchi stands up and brushes the dirt off his pants.
"Oh really! That means we'll be able to spend the entire day together."
"Well I wouldn't say tha-."
"That's fantastic, now we can have some real fun!"
"Hey now, besides grandpa says that I'm going to be doing a lot of training this summer, so I really don't think that I'm going to have a lot of free time."
"Oh, I'm sure there will be enough time to get in some trouble."
Ryoko seductively smiles at Tenchi
"I highly doubt it." (Tenchi says under his voice)
"TENCHI! TEN-CHI!!!"
Grandpa Masaki walks out of the shrine
"Whoops gotta go, we'll talk later"
In a flash Ryoko disappears.
"Just like her, disappearing when ever there's trouble, really dose she have any sense of responsibility, although she is still kinda cute" (sigh). Tenchi says to himself.
"TENCHI, BOY, why have you stopped?!"
"Sorry grandpa, I got distracted."
"Yes, I've noticed that about you lately."
"What do you mean grandpa?"
"You know what I mean; I think those girls are distracting you from your training."
Quietly Tenchi says "Some training, all I do all day is sweep floors and work the fields."
"What was that?"
"Nothing"
"Good, Tenchi I've been thinking, I think that you're old enough to go through the Masaki family trial."
"The Masaki family trial? How come you never told me about such a thing?"
"It's a very personal spiritual journey, and is not meant to be discussed with others."
"Really? Wow, well what do I do, when do I go."
"You go now, drop every thing you are doing and walk 2 mountains beyond the training ground, there you will find a pond and a large willow tree, below that tree is a small cabin, you will stay there for 2 weeks."
"2 mountains!?!?! It'll take me days to get there!"
"Well I didn't say it was going to be easy."
"Right, so should I go pack?"
"Silly boy, you only get to go with the cloths on your back and this sword."
"That's it? No food, no cloths."
"If you're not up to it I will understand, it is no easy task."
"No, I can do it grandpa."
"Good lad, you better get going, otherwise your going to loose the light..."
"Right, as soon as I say good by to every one I'll be on my way."
Grandfather shakes his head no.
"No? Wont the girls be upset?"
"Don't worry about them, I will tell them."
"Ok, I guess."
Tenchi waves good by and starts on his journey.
"REMEMBER, 2 WEEKS."
Tenchi sticks his hand up in the air signaling that he heard grandpa and that he understood.
Finally, maybe now that boy will clear his mind.
Nighttime sets in on the Masaki house, and the family gathers around the table for dinner, which is being served a little bit latter then normal.
"Sorry suppers so late today every one, I had to get the vegetables myself and it took a while."
"Why didn't you just ask one of us Sasami?"
"Well I asked Ryoko but she disappeared."
"Oohhh that's just like you Ryoko."
"Well where were you today little princes."
"You know very well that I went to town to buy groceries."
"And that took you all day?"
"Well they were heavy and I stopped to rest… why am I explaing this to you, what did you do all day!"
"Now ladies, lets not argue at the dinner table."
"Sorry grandpa" they both said in unison.
"Hey, where's Tenchi, dinner is getting cold."
"I'll go look for him-said Ryoko."
"Its, no good, he went on the Masaki family trial."
"Masaki family trial?" they all said.
"Father how come I nev-"
Grandpa leans over and whispers into Nobuyuki year,
"Shut up you bone head and play a long, ill explain it latter."
"Ohhh! Right! The Masaki family trial, hehehe how could I forget such a thing…."
"What's this trial, like some kind of test?"
"Well that normally what a trail is, kettle head."
(Ryoko turns towards Ayeka pissed as hell) "WHAT DID YOU SAY!"
"Ehhmm" (Grandpa clears his throght, causing Ryoko to turn her head back towards Grandpa and sit back down at the table) "The Masaki family trial is a spiritual journey that all of us Masaki's take when we are of age."
"What is involved in this trail?" asked Ayeka.
(Ryoko looks down and starts picking at her food)
"Well, it is a test of endurance and spiritual discovery and that's why it's important that no one interferes with his training."
"Oh that shouldn't be a problem" said Ayeka.
Ryoko looks up "So how long is this thing couple of days?"
"Well if all goes well, 3 weeks."
"3 WEEKS" both Ayeka and Ryoko scream.
Grandpa nods, "And I want both of you to promise that you will let him be. This is something he chose to do this on his own; any disturbance could disrupt his trial."
"Yes, but three weeks, isn't that a bit long brother?"
"It will take Tenchi as long as it takes him to find himself, believe me it will be for the best."
"Then I guess I can wait" replayed Ayeka.
"Ryoko"
"Yea, I guess, I can wait…" (Ryoko says with a smile on her face).
"Ryoko, let me see your hands."
"There's nothing to see." She replies with a startled look on her face.
"Ryoko!"
"Fine"
"Just as I thought, you had your figures crossed!" yelled Ayeka.
"Damn it! fine I promise not to bother Tenchi."
(Grandpa stands up) "Good, now if you excuse me I must be getting back to the shrine, Nobuyuki, care to walk me home."
"Well father I really don't see the need to."
(Grandpa gives him a quick kick to the ribs)
"Oh right! hehe, ok, excuse me ladies, you know these old men, they have trouble seeing in the dark, haha."
"Ehhem" (Grandpa clears his throught again and gives a look to Nobuyuki).
Both Nobuyuki and Grandpa leave the house on the way to she shrine.
"I don't trust them!"
"What do you mean Ryoko, you heard grandpa."
"Yea, but that Nobuyuki is a terrible liar, I'm going to follow them."
Ryoko stands up and disappears after the two.
"That Ryoko women, she's so untrusting, come Sasami, lets bring Washu her dinner."
"Right."
Nobuyuki and Grandfather are walking towards the shrine, neither of them are aware that Ryoko is hovering 20 ft above them listening in on their conversation.
"Now father, what's this all about, how come I never had a trial was I not a worthy son?"
"You bone head, I sent Tenchi off by him self to get away form all the girls, they have really been pressuring him lately to choose among them and he dosnt know what to do."
"So what's sending him off going to do, he's just going to have to come back to the same thing again."
"Yes, but I'm hoping that by not seeing any of them for such a long time that he will realize which one he's interested in, with all these distractions around here it would be hard for any man to make up their mind."
"Very clever father, but are you sure he will be okay by himself out there in the woods all alone?"
"Don't worry, the pond he is camped by has plenty of fish, and he has the sword for protection, I have faith in Tenchi."
"Well, ok father you know best, I just hope that he will be all right."
"Those little sneakers", said Ryoko, "Oh well, now's my chance to get Tenchi while he is a lone hehehehe."
"Did you hear something father?"
"Ohoopse gotta go" she said to herself.
And Ryoko vanished back to the house.
"Must have been my imagination, oh well; I guess I will see you tomorrow, good night father."
"Good night."
Back in the house Ayeka and Sasami stand at Washu's door
(knock knock) "Ms. Washu?"
"I'm not opening until your call me Little WASHU!"
"Right, little Washu, this is getting kind of old" Ayeka said to herself. "Little Washu, we brought you some dinner."
"Excellent bring it on im starving!"
The door opens and Ayeka walks in, but the door closes before Sasami can enter, but Ayeka is to shocked to notice, before her is an immense machine, with thousands of blinking lights and cables snaking around in and out of control panels filled with buttons and levers.
"Oh my, what's this?"
"Oh you noticed my new invention."
"Noticed, how could I not, it's the size of the house!" Ayeka said to her self, "Yes, tell me what is it?"
"It's a thermal nuclear tacion beam assimilator with an electromagnetic constrictor and of course madder rearranger."
"Ahhhhhh, what dose it do."
"Well that's simple; it can either destroy a planet or transfer a small amount of Jurai energy from one person to another."
"You mean your not sure."
"Well, a genius like me always leave a small margin of error, just in case, which reminds me, have you scene Tenchi?"
"No, he left on some sort of spiritual trial, he wont be back for three weeks."
"Hmm, that's not good; the radioactive half-life of juraium 232 is only 7 days, hey Ayeka" Washu turns eyes towards her and starts to giggle.
"Oh no you don't, don't even think about using me for one of your, ahhhh!" In an instant Ayeka was restrained on a large table with a giant beam cannon pointed at her.
"Stop wining you'll be fine, in fact this Juraium 232 isotope that I created should make you a little bit stronger."
"I'M NOT WINEING AND IM HAPPY THE WAY I AM THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
"You really don't want to do it that bad?"
"YES!"
"Fine you can go, if you don't mind, can you ask Ryoko to come in here for me please." Washu has a huge grin on her face.
"It'll be my pleasure, so long as its not me hehehe."
Ayeka leaves the lab and finds Ryoko laying back up in one of the house rafters with a cup of sake in one hand and a smile across her face.
"Oh Ryoko, Washu says she withes to see you."
"Really, what about?"
"Oh, I don't know, something about your breasts sagging or some thing like that."
"WHAT! I'll get that little pipsqueak!"
Ryoko transports to the door of the lab and walks in with the door closeing behind her.
"WHATS WRONG WITH MY!" You can hear the voices from the other side.
"WHATS THE MEAING OF THIS, STOP IT, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THAT, NO DON'T!!!"
All the sudden the window on the doors starts flashing green and screams are heard from inside, a few seconds later Ryoko emerges burnt to a crisp and still smoldering. She looks at Ayeka who has her hand up around her mouth and giggling,
"You Bit."
Ryoko falls flat on her face before she has the opportunity to finish the sentence, exhausted from the energy transfer, immediatly after, Washu emerges.
"Success, you should now be 5% stronger Ryoko, Ryoko? Where did she go?"
"Ayeka starts laughing even harder, as Washu looks down to see Ryoko passed out."
"Hmm according to my calculations you shouldn't have passed for another 3 seconds of exposure, must be the Sake, come on lets get you into bed, better not put you back up their, you'll probly fall, come on ill put you in Tenchi's bed, he's not using it." Washu picks up Ryoko and starts carrying her up stairs,
Sigh
'Life as a mom never ends, and when you wake up were going to have to talk about your weight, your putting on a few pounds."
Washu carries Ryoko up to Tenchi's room and lays her to rest in her bed,
There you go, sleep well; tomorrow we go for 10% heheheh.
"Oh man, what a head ach, damn that Washu."
Ryoko tosses and turns in bed before finally getting up and heads downstairs when Sasami is making lunch.
"There you are Ryoko, are you ok, you've been sleeping for a long time."
Moans in pain "How long have I've been sleeping?"
"Three days! We thought you would never wake up!"
"3 DAYS! Oh no, that means Tenchi is probly their by now, well better get going if I want to see him by dark." she says to her self.
"Ryoko, aren't you hungry?"
"No thanks, ill be back later, ummm, just ell every one I went into town to buy some Sake."
"Your going for more Sake? After sleeping so long? You older people, I don't get it."
After saying the last part of the sentence Ryoko throws Sasami a dirty look before transporting out of view. Ryoko reappears at the training grounds.
"Well, this is far as I can go the easy way. I'm going to have to hurry if I want to make it by dark." From there Ryoko takes off and starts flying down the path.
(Giggles) "I cant wait to see Tenchi, I can just see it now, I show up and he's happy to see me," smiles. "Oh Ryoko! I didn't expect to see you here, you must have come a long way." she says in Tenchi voice. "Oh yes I have, tell me Tenchi are you happy to see me?"
"Well of course Ryoko come here and give me a hug, I've missed you these last couple of days."
"Ha ha ha perfect."
A four hours pass and Ryoko is still on her way to find Tenchi, not realizing she really doesn't know where he is, she keeps her eye out for a pond that grandpa talked about to Nobuyuki. Finally just over the second mountain she see it, a small shack on a point and there was Tenchi sitting on a rock leaning back using his shoe laces as fishing line. All an all he look very peaceful and relaxed, just enjoying the sun that just now beginning to set making the sky a pinkish hue, in the background clouds were starting to roll in and a breeze began to pick up.
"There he is, hmm, better not sneak up on him this time, he got pretty mad the last time I did that."
Ryoko lands on a rock several feet from Tenchi and just stands there looking at him, so peaceful and calm, she just can't help but to smile. Tenchi then cracks his eyes open just a little as the sun rays are blocked by the on coming clouds and out of the corner of his eye he catches a glimpse of Ryoko standing there on the rock, looking down on him smiling. Startled he stands up dropping his fishing line.
"RYOKO! What are you doing here! Your not supposed to be here!"
"I just couldn't bear not seeing you Tenchi."
"God did any one see you, If grandpa finds out he going to kill me."
"No, no one saw me; they all think I went into town to buy more Sake"
"Ryoko don't take this personally, but I want you to leave."
"What? Aren't you happy to see me?"
"It's only been three days."
Just then a fish comes up and grabs the fishing line Tenchi was using and disappears back under the water. Shocked Tenchi falls to his knees searching hoping to see the fish or the line.
"OH GREAT!" Stands up "Now look what you've done; now I'm not going to have any thing to eat tonight but lousy tasting berries. Why don't you just go home!"
"But Tenchi"
"NO BUTS! JUST GO."
Tenchi has a very stern look on his face and is pointing his hand in the direction home. Ryoko's eyes start to water like she is going to cry and her chin drops as she turns around and starts walking, very slowly, heart broken. Tenchi realizes that maybe he was too hard on her, his face turns from a stern mean on, to a confused concerned one and his hand that was once pointing towards home falls to his side.
"Ryoko" Ryoko stops in her tracks, but didn't turn towards Tenchi.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."
"But that's just it Tenchi, you always yell at me, or scold me, I'm the only one that you treat like that, I've never scene you scold Ayeka or any of the other girls."
Ryoko then turns towards Tenchi with a tear streaming down her right cheek, but still looking down at the ground. Tenchi walks over to her and lifts her head with one finger looking her straight in the eyes.
"I'm sorry, I had no idea." He then takes his finger off her chin and tries her tears with it. In the background a giant thunderclap could be heard and the wind had picked up considerably.
"I guess I better get going." She says in a very solemn voice
"But it's going to rain, I don't want you catching cold, why don't you stay here for the night."
Immediately Ryoko's eyes brighten and a smile peaks across her face. "You mean it! She jumps and wraps her arms around his neck in an embrace."
(Gulp) "Uh huh, just don't try anything funny, and you have to leave in the morning."
"Ok, sure, no problem, you wont even notice that im here." She says with a huge smile on her face.
Tenchi wiggles out of her tight grasp Ryoko has on his neck and heads towards the shack as the first few drops being to fall. Ryoko is close behind him, still with a big smile on her face. They both enter the shack where there is a small fire going in the middle. The floors are made of dirt and a pile of leaves in the corner for a bed.
"Boy this place sure is a dump."
"What did you expect, a four star resort?"
"No, but even you have to admit that this is pretty bad."
"Yes, it is, but it is only temporary, are you hungry? I have some berries if you would like."
"No thanks, Tenchi? How come you don't like me?"
"What do you mean, I like you."
"Then how come every time I try to play with you, you reject me?"
"Well…"
"Come on you can tell me, were alone."
The storm outside has started to pick up and the wind is howling.
"Well…. Umm" Tenchi has an embarrassed look on his face and pushes his fingers together nervously. "You make me nervous…. I mean you must admit that we didn't meet under the best of circumstances; you tried to kill me, twice! And your so spontaneous, I don't know what your going to do next."
"I wasn't really trying to kill you, besides how would feel after 700 years for being locked in a dark, cold, cave? Pretty cranky huh?"
"I guess"
"I'd never hurt you, tell you the truth, I really just want to have fun."
"Why is that, you always want to play?"
"You know why, I guess you just haven't realized it yet."
"What are you talking about?"
"Were linked, destiny has brought use together." Ryoko scoots closer to Tenchi, and Tenchi flashes a look back at her.
"Huh?"
"Don't tell me that you never felt anything, even when you were small you came to me many times, it wasn't just curiosity Tenchi, it was fate."
"How did you know that I used to come to your cave?"
"Because I was there."
"But you were a mummy! How could you possibly be there?"
"My spirit was there, watching over you, watching you play in the field, catching dragon flies, cooking hot potatos. I was there, I was there even when."
"When"
"When your grandmother died. You came to me, and I was there by your side as you cried."
"You?"
"Yea, I was" she says with a smile on her face. "I stayed by your side all day until you finally fell asleep."
"I…" Tenchi's eyes water. "You were there, always?"
"I watched you grow up from that cave. And your mother."
"You knew my mother?"
"I didn't really know her, but she was like you, a lot like you. She would be proud to see you all grown up like this."
The storm outside is now raging and the rain is pouring through the roof onto the fire, putting it out causing it to go completely dark.
"Tenchi you still there?"
"I'm here, don't worry."
"Its dark, and cold, please don't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere." In the dark Tenchi reaches over and holds Ryoko's hand, and in return she moves over and rests her head on his shoulder.
"Tenchi?"
"Yes?"
"I, I"
"I know, just try to get some sleep."
The storm raged through the night but eventually gave way to daylight. The sun rose early that day lighting up the landscape and peaking its way into the shack and wakening Tenchi, but when he did, Ryoko had gone once, again leaving him alone.
Three days would pass, Ayeka is down by the lake doing laundry, Sasami is cooking dinner, and Ryoko is laying on the roof the shrine gazing into the sky, when a figure appears far down the path walking towards the shrine.
Grandfather emerges from shrine office and sees the figure from down the path and just stands there staring at it, not moving like a rock. Eventually the figure begins to take shape and come into view. Eventually it emerges.
"Tenchi, Boy, why have you returned against my orders, I thought I told you two weeks." Ryoko sits up with a surprised look on her face.
"Yes grandfather, but" Tenchi turns his eyes up towards Ryoko with a little smile on his face. "I found what I was looking for."
"Oh, I see."
"Now if you excuse me, its been a week since I had a bath and a change of cloths, and I'm starving!"
Tenchi takes off down the path to the house and slowly stats disappearing down the steps. The whole time Ryoko staired at him with a small smile on her face.
END PART 1