Disclaimer
Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC. I don't own any rights to them. Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.
*****
Newlyweds
Chapter 2
Adventures on the Beach
*****
Ryo-ohki sped through space, approaching their first destination; a resort planet purported to have pristine beaches and plenty for the odd (or not so odd) tourist to do. Ayeka had heard of this place long ago, but had never been there. The Jurai royal family did own some prime beachfront property (meaning several large islands) there though, along with a "small" beach house of about 60,000 sq. ft, complete with serving staff, on one of the major land masses.
"So, tell us about this planet princess. What's the native life like? The weather and such?" Ryoko asked.
Ayeka cleared her throat. "Ahem. The planet Panalon. Well, it's basically one big resort. The planet is mostly very shallow sea with two small continents and a lot of little islands scattered about. The weather is pretty consistent as there is little axial tilt, thus mild seasonal changes. Overall, the average temperature is sub-tropical. This planet's native life is fairly standard as far as plants and small animals, but the single native intelligent species; although humanoid, mammalian and air breathing; lives in the water, much like dolphins and whales on Earth. The planet is a Jurai protectorate, but isn't isolated like the Earth. We'll see many different species here."
"Jeez Ayeka, that's pretty good. You actually remembered all of that?"
The princess produced a computer printout from inside her robes and glanced at it. "Not really, I had Miss Washu look it up for me before we left."
*****
The Juraian compound had a private shuttle port and this is where Ryo-ohki set them down. They were greeted by a small group of planetary officials and Tenchi and Ryoko got their first look at a native. They were definitely humanoid and mammalian, but there was webbing between the digits of their hands and feet, with the fingers and toes being slightly longer than a human's. Both males and females had short, dark hair and a light pink skin tone.
The princess whispered to her two spouses. "Normally the natives don't wear clothing, but when out of the water for long periods they do. It's specially designed to help keep their skin from drying out. It's uncomfortable for them here in the bright sun though, so we'd best hurry with the formalities."
The alien that appeared to be in charge spoke up, in accentless Juraian. "Welcome Princess Ayeka. We hope you and your friends enjoy your stay on our beautiful world. My name is unpronounceable in your language, so you may call me Melna, I am the planetary liaison for Juraian interests here and I will be attending to all your needs. The woman to my left is Wafun; she is in charge of the Juraian properties and is my wife. The gentleman on my right is Rugnet. He is from our Bureau of Tourism. And last is Hedri. She is our Customs and Immigration agent here at the Juraian compound."
Each bowed deeply as they were introduced.
Ayeka smiled and nodded in response. "Allow me to introduce my companions. This gentleman is Crown Prince Tenchi, my husband. And the other lady is Ryoko, the prince's second wife."
Ryoko grumbled at the title "second wife", but otherwise kept her mouth shut.
The customs inspector, Hedri, looked closely at the ex-pirate. "Ryoko? There was an infamous pirate by that name running loose near here several centuries ago. But she's probably long dead by now. It's for certain you're not her."
Ryoko gave her a feral grin, exposing her fangs. "Nope, that wasn't me. Really."
Hedri turned to the princess, "We will need to inspect your ship and crew…"
Ryo-ohki jumped up to perch on Tenchi's head.
"Oh, I didn't know you brought a pet with you. Has it had all it's immunizations? Wait! Where did your ship go? It was there a minute ago…" Hedri looked confused.
"Oh, they had some other errands to run, they'll be back for us when we call. And I personally guarantee that the cabbit is up-to-date on its shots." Tenchi said quickly.
"Miya!" Ryo-ohki agreed.
Melna stood grinning and shaking his head in disbelief. Unlike the others, he had seen Ryo-ohki transform and guessed correctly about Ryoko. But if the princess wasn't going to mention it, he wasn't going to either. He caught the princess looking at him. She smiled and nodded, then turned back to Ryoko and Hedri.
"Well, this is highly irregular…" the agent began.
Ryoko interrupted her, "Look Headache, or whatever your name is. Can we hurry this up? It's been a long trip, I'm tired and you look uncomfortable as hell standing there in the sun."
"Er, I suppose that without anything to inspect, you're all free to come and go as you please. Welcome to Panalon."
"Great, let's all go into the house and get something cool to drink." Ryoko walked up to Rugnet and took his arm, startling him. "So tell me," she said to him as they walked away, "just what is there for a girl to do around here anyway?"
Tenchi sighed as he and the others followed the two.
*****
"A topless beach?" Ayeka's mouth fell open. "There is no way that I will ever be seen in public at that sort of place."
Ryoko turned to the princess, "Listen, I've seen you naked remember? Even though you're not exactly well-endowed, you've got nothing to be ashamed of either. Come on, it'll be fun!"
"No! Absolutely not! Never! No way!"
Tenchi spoke up. "Uh, Ryoko? I'll have to side with Ayeka on this. I don't think it'd be proper for two Juraian princesses to be seen parading around half-naked on a public beach."
"Two?" Ryoko was puzzled. "Oh, right. I guess I'm a princess now too. I keep forgetting." She got a grumpy look on her face, then suddenly brightened. "Hey! If we can't go around half-naked, there's a totally nude beach a little farther down along the coast…"
"NO!" Tenchi and Ayeka yelled in unison.
Ryoko pouted, "Damn. You guys are no fun."
*****
Ryoko lay back on the sand and watched as Tenchi and Ayeka splashed each other in the shallow water, then kissed. She could get used to this she thought, as she took another sip of some mildly alcoholic drink a beach vendor had concocted for her. Being the only occupants of the Juraian residence had gotten old real fast, so they had started visiting the public beaches. So far, no one had recognized either her or Ayeka. Which was fine with both of them, it allowed them to mingle with the public and pretend like they were normal tourists.
A shadow fell over her as two rather large men in uniform approached. The rest of the beach crowd suddenly expressed an interest in anything but her. She lowered her sunglasses onto the end of her nose and looked up at them. "May I help you officers?"
"Are you Ryoko?" the smaller of the two (although not by much) asked.
"That's my name, yes."
"Space Pirate Ryoko?" this from the larger one.
Uh, oh. Ryoko thought, then answered, "No, I think that person died a long time ago. I'm not her."
"That remains to be seen. If you'll come with us there are some people at the station who would like to talk to you. Please." The last word was spoken through gritted teeth.
Shit. Someone recognized me. "Certainly officer. May I tell my friends where I'm going?" she asked, gesturing toward Tenchi and Ayeka.
"I don't think that would be a good idea. Stand up please." A set of handcuffs appeared.
Tenchi, we have a small problem here, she beamed at her husband, hoping that the inconsistent mental link she'd been forming with him was working this once. She stood up and brushed a little bit of sand off her legs and backside.
"Excuse me, what seems to be the problem? Has my wife done something wrong?"
Tenchi! Ryoko turned around and sure enough, both Tenchi and Ayeka were standing there. Ayeka had her arms crossed and a really pissed-off look was on her face. Ryoko grinned.
The smaller man turned to Tenchi. "If you're her husband, you'd better come with us too," he said, producing another pair of handcuffs.
"What have we done?" Tenchi asked.
"This is the Space Pirate Ryoko. She's wanted for various crimes all over Juraian space," was the reply.
"I suggest you two leave immediately," Ayeka said very quietly, the air beginning to shimmer around her head.
"Little lady, I suggest you stay out of this. Now stand back please. These two are under arrest."
That did it. Ayeka's power logs popped into existence and surrounded the group, energy crackling between them. People on the beach began to back quickly away.
"Do you know who you're dealing with?" Ayeka quietly asked the larger of the two.
His eyes darted wildly around as he tried to keep control of the situation. "No, nor do I care. I think you should probably come along too."
"I think not. I am Ayeka, First Princess of the House of Jurai. This is my husband Tenchi, Crown Prince of that House and as you have indeed surmised, this is the Space Pirate Ryoko, now a Princess of Jurai herself. If you feel that you are strong enough to handle all of us, then by all means please try. I haven't had a good fight in weeks."
"Ayeka…" Tenchi begged.
Her eyes flashed at him. "No, my love, these gentlemen have seen fit to insult me, my family and my house. I demand satisfaction."
Both police officers were now shifting from foot to foot, nervously eyeing the small wooden objects circling around them. Sirens could be heard approaching the beach from the city.
Ryoko chuckled. "I really hope that's an ambulance I hear. I think you're going to need one, real soon." Her energy blade hissed into existence.
"Girls, don't hurt them. They're just doing their job." Tenchi tried to reason with his wives.
"We…" said Ryoko.
"Don't…" said Ayeka.
"Care!" said both.
(Somewhere in another reality a small, redheaded woman and a dark-haired bimbo in a leather bikini both sneezed.)
The girls turned back to the policemen, but both officers were already halfway back to their vehicle.
"Azaka! Kamidake!" yelled Ayeka, forgetting that the Guardians were still on Earth with Sasami. "Darn. They got away."
Ryoko's sword and Ayeka's power logs faded away and the two girls sat down heavily on the sand.
Ryoko felt a light tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw a little girl with midnight-blue hair nervously standing there. "Yes?"
"Um, are you… are you really the Space Pirate Ryoko?" the girl squeaked out.
Ryoko sighed. "Yep, but I'm retired now. What can I do for you?"
The little girl gave a tentative smile and held out a piece of paper and a pen. "Can… can I have your autograph?"
Ayeka fell over and began twitching; Tenchi fainted.
*****
Melna interrupted Ayeka's reading, "Lady Ayeka, there are some gentlemen here from the local constabulary to see you. They also wish to see Lady Ryoko and Lord Tenchi. Something about an incident this afternoon."
Ayeka put down her book. "Ah yes. Please show them in, and inform Ryoko and Lord Tenchi."
Melna ushered the four men into Ayeka's presence. Two were obviously official types, while the other two were the officers from that afternoon. Tenchi and Ryoko soon entered as well, drawing sideways looks from the two officers.
"Lady Ayeka, Lady Ryoko, Prince Tenchi," began one if the men in plain clothes, "we are here to offer a formal apology for the actions of these two patrol officers. They acted upon information from a street informant without verifying it first. They didn't know that Ryoko's criminal file had expired. Again, we apologize."
Ayeka looked at the group for a minute before responding. "Apology accepted. But are your officers in the habit of arresting people who have violated no local laws? They were going to arrest Ryoko, then Tenchi for no other reason than they were on a public beach."
The larger officer spoke up, "But Milady, we had no idea. We just knew that Ryoko…"
"You knew nothing. You weren't even sure it was Ryoko at first, but you were going to take her anyway. But that's in the past. I have accepted your apology and assume that it won't happen again. Correct?"
"Yes Lady Ayeka," said one of the officials. "To make amends, and since you are a foreign head of state, we would like to invite you all to a state dinner tomorrow night."
"No," said Ryoko, thinking of the little blue-haired girl she'd met and the other children who had approached her and Ayeka without fear afterwards.
The group turned to look at her.
"No, I think that a parade followed by a picnic in the city's largest park is what we need. Something everyone can come to if they want. They need to see that I'm not a big, bad monster. Hey! Don't look at me like that. It doesn't have to be tomorrow, a couple of days from now is fine."
Ayeka's eyes sparkled. "An excellent idea Ryoko! We will of course cover part of the cost, the city should cover the rest."
The two city officials talked together in low tones, then turned back to the princess. "Ahem. Well, the picnic is ok; we can hold it on the beach in the evening. But I'm afraid the parade is out. We won't have the time for it, nor a place to have it."
Ryoko considered the counter-offer. "All right, but there has to be carnival rides and games for the kids."
More mumbling between the officials. "Agreed."
"And free admission to the event."
Mumble. "Yes."
"Free public transportation to the beach?"
Mumble, mumble. "Don't push it Milady."
Ryoko smiled, "Great, we're all set then. I accept your apology too. Oh, and I want those two to escort us to the party." She pointed to the two nervous officers.
*****
The evening of the beach party came and sure enough, the two patrol officers showed up at the Juraian compound to escort them.
Ryoko immediately latched on to both of them. "Now you boys stay with me. We don't want the big, bad Space Pirate to run amok do we?"
They both shook their heads. The group walked down the beach towards the lights and noise.
*****
"So, what's that thing over there, Tenchi?" Ryoko pointed to a large object filled with some liquid, manned by a very bored operator.
Tenchi look in the direction she was pointing. "Oh, hey! It's a dunk tank. I haven't seen one of those since the school carnival three years ago!"
"How's it work?" Ryoko asked.
"Well, someone sits on that little seat over the water and people pay to throw objects, usually baseballs, at that little target. If one hits, the person in the seat gets dropped into the water."
"Oooh. I wanna try it." She started bouncing up and down, her eyes shining; which reminded Tenchi of Mihoshi in a way.
"Ok, I'll get some baseballs."
The ex-pirate put out a hand to stop him, "No, I wanna sit in the seat and be dunked."
"What? You're joking, right?"
Ryoko laughed. "Think about it, people can take a shot at the Space Pirate Ryoko without anyone actually getting hurt. It'll be great!"
Tenchi left Ryoko at the tank with her two unofficial bodyguards and went looking for Ayeka. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been handing out what looked like cotton candy to a group of children. He had to admit, Ryoko'd come up with a really good idea this time. It seemed the whole city had turned out and everyone looked like they were having fun. He walked through the concession area but was unable to spot his wife, so he headed back to the games. As he neared the dunk tank he heard the crowd cheering. Looking ahead, he saw the line at the tank now snaked all the way through the games area. He noticed Ayeka's purple hair on the platform next to the tank; she was exhorting the current tosser to try harder. He chuckled as he saw the crudely lettered sign that had been hung over the game. It read DUNK THE DEMON, obviously Ayeka's doing. It seemed that his wives were a big hit with the locals.
Tenchi found an empty spot on a bench near the dunk tank and sat down next to an old couple. He leaned back and watched the people trying to drop Ryoko into the water.
"Sure was nice of those snooty off-worlders to put on this party, wasn't it young man?"
Tenchi hadn't realized he'd dozed off. "Eh? What's that?" he asked.
The old man repeated, "I said it was a nice thing for those Juraians to put on this party for the city. We haven't had anything this big in years. Are you having a good time?"
"Yeah. After some of the things I've been through lately, it's nice to just kick back."
"A young man like you should have a date on a night like this."
Tenchi smiled, "I do, over there at the tank."
The old woman had been watching him intently. She whispered something to her husband. He turned back to Tenchi.
"Say young fella, which one is your girl?" he asked suspiciously, peering at the line.
"The one with the purple hair." Tenchi pointed to Ayeka up on the platform.
The man's eyes got wide.
"And the one in the tank. I'm here with both of them. I'm…"
"The Crown Prince of Jurai! I knew it! I saw your picture on the news." the old woman exclaimed.
Tenchi scratched his head, "Well, yeah, kinda. But just call me Tenchi, ok?"
*****
After the party had wound down and the cleanup had started, the three decided it was probably time to move on. Saying goodbye to the household staff, Ryoko called to Ryo-ohki, Ok partner, do it for me.
The cabbit leapt into the air and transformed into her spaceship mode. Then she transported the trio onto the command deck. "Miya?" she said, bringing up a star chart on the big display.
"Well, that was fun," said a still damp Ryoko, looking at a scene of the beach on a smaller display. "Ok, I get to choose where to go next." She closed her eyes and pointed to a spot on Ryo-ohki's projected star chart. "We're going… here! Let's go cabbit or no carrots for you!"
Tenchi's eyes opened wider. "Wait! Ryoko! You mean you don't have any idea where you want to go?"
The girl rested her chin on her fist and thought for a minute. "Nope. I like the random method. Let's move."
Ryo-ohki's thrumming increased in volume and the planet Panalon receded beneath them as they took off on their next adventure.
*****
To be continued
*****
Author's Notes
Hey! This one was fun to write. I wish they were all this easy.
