After Yugi had finished hugging Sasami, there had been a group hug. Everyone had seemed to try and talk at once, all of them smiling and laughing. Yugi, perhaps the greatest evil ever to face the Masaki family, smiled. She'd just been accepted into it. There was a flurry of questions and answers as Yugi caught up on the way down to the house. Once there, a "welcome back" party was held. It struck Yugi as funny, since the only times she'd been here was when she was trying to destroy the place. It was Tenchi who pointed out that she'd been there just as many times and had played with Sasami or at the end before she took her long sleep. Those were fond memories, memories she was going over again and again at the end of the party, adding it to the list.
"So, Yugi, what are your plans?" Grandfather took a sip of the saki Ryoko had brought from Tokyo.
The welcome back party was winding down. Ryoko was drunk and had fallen asleep with Mayuka in her arms. Noboyuki, Tench's father, had helped get the sleeping pair into their shared room before turning in himself. There were plans for a new house due in the morning and he had wanted to go in early to finish up. Tenchi, Grandfather, Sasami and Yugi sat around the long table that dinner had been served on. Each sipped their respective drinks and seemed lost in thought.
"I don't know, but being in Washu's chamber wasn't helping me develop."
"What do you mean?" Tenchi inquired. He'd been quiet after the initial excitement.
"I was aging but nothing else." Yugi looked at her hands, flexing her fingers absently. "Can- can I ask you something?"
"Sure, of course you can."
"You married Ryoko."
"As in 'not Ayeka'?" There was a moment of silence as Tenchi thoughtfully sipped his drink. "As in 'not Sakuya'."
"Oh, I didn't mean it that-" Her words died in her throat as Tenchi caught and held her eyes.
"There would never be a time that Sakuya, you, would be old enough or me young enough to ever have that kind of relationship together. And Ayeka... Ayeka lost her memories. I wasn't on Jurai when it happened, and the royal family won't talk to me about it. Even Azaka and Kamidake won't talk to me. Wash tried to reconstruct her memories, but... that was years ago."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know." Yugi looked to Sasami but the young princess wore a blank expression, an impassive mask that Yugi shuddered away from. Strangely, to Yugi anyway, Grandfather wore a similar one.
"She's come back to herself." Sasami spoke up. "For the most part anyway. She knows who all of us are, but she doesn't feel anything for us. She looks at us like we're strangers who're claiming to be her friends."
"It might have fallen this way anyway." Grandfather intoned. "She was always different after Ryoko saved Tenchi from Haruna's universe."
"Haruna?"
"I'll tell you some other time." Sasami whispered. Both Tenchi and Grandfather seemed lost in memory.
Tenchi shook himself out of it first, "Do you guys here that?"
"Hmm...." Grandfather frowned. "Sounds like an incoming ship. Ryo-Ohki if I'm not mistaken." He set his drink on the table and turned to Tenchi. "Better go get Washu."
"Right." Tenchi stood, jogging over to the broom closet.
"What's wrong?" Yugi suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on her. Memories of the Jurai tomb flashing in her minds eye.
"It's Ryo-Ohki. She's coming in much too fast for a casual visit."
Washu's head came into view from around the open door. "I've been monitoring Ryo-Ohki since she entered the system. She hasn't slowed down yet. Ken-Ohki is following close behind."
"Washu," Tenchi absently felt for his sword, "can you tell how long till they get in?"
"Oh, I'd say right about-" there was a loud explosion outside. "Now."
The front door flew open, revealing the rather haggard looking form of Kiyone. "It's Nagi, she's been shot."