Author's note: Okay, stupid question. I should kick myself for asking such an obvious question. HERE IS THE ALTERNATE ENDING!!!
In this most quiet hour, Burt Li occupied himself with sweeping the stairs of the Masaki Shrine. The broom in his hands was handmade, a rarity in such a modern world--but then again, Shinto shrines were also becoming harder to come by nowadays. Even the beautiful, unadulterated world around him was being stuffed away by the advancement of technology.
Dust and leaves scattered as the straws swept clean the stairs, and Burt Li took a deep sigh as he ceased his actions. The day was warm, and awfully hard on his wool vest and dress shirt. Always a man of impeccable taste, Burt Li was wearing cream-colored khakis that day, with brown leather shoes and a dark sleeveless vest over his pure-white dress shirt. He was hot enough as he was, and the crop of light-brown hair on his head didn't help things at all.
As Burt sighed, he gazed up at the sky, clear as crystal. He smiled, and took in a deep breath of fresh air. His curiosity was sparked as a tiny speck became visible to him, and as he watched, the speck slowly grew larger and larger and larger still. Burt's brown eyes widened as he saw the object draw closer, and with a shiver, he mumbled something out weakly.
"Haha… she's here…" He smiled, too stunned to do anything else, and continued muttering. "Ha… she's here. She's really here…" Suddenly, the dam broke, and Burt yelled out to the silence as loud as he possibly knew how.
"Mihoshi, get over here! She's back!! She's back!! Kiyone, Washu, Mr. Masaki! Everyone! She's here, she's back!! She's come back!! Get over here, now!!!"
No Woman is an Island: Alternate Ending
Gathered around anxiously were a small group of people, only five of them were genuinely native to planet Earth, though nearly everybody present called this place their home. There were three police officers in the group, but one of them was a male visiting from America; a half-crazed scientist, an aged Shinto priest, two young lovers and their child, and an eager-looking designer were also among the crowds. Anxiety bubbled up like lava in a volcano.
Slowly, the vessel descended, sending wind and leaves flying as it touched down. Hearts began beating wildly, as each and every single one of the people standing there waited for the results. Slowly, the hatch opened up, and a familiar face quietly walked from her ship to the ground. The only sound that was made were her boots as they clapped against the metallic ramp.
"Nagi…" whispered the scientist. "Did you…?" A thick pause hung in the air. Nagi gazed at the crowd, trying her very best to keep a straight face. Only a keen eye would be able to detect the hidden glee in her eyes. Slowly, she released her grasp on impassiveness and let a smile grow on her lips.
"I found them," she said, and at once a great and mighty cheer erupted from the crowd. Nagi's smile grew as everyone, even the oldest among them, whooped and hollered in joy. Even she was happy--but it was perfectly acceptable to be so.
As the cheering calmed down, another blanket of silence prepared the way for the next two guests. Slowly, almost shyly, two women emerged from the craft, walking as slowly as possible as they revealed themselves. They squinted just barely as the sun hit their eyes, and a gasp of pure joy erupted out of the crowd. Both women, the princess and the pirate, gazed at the crowd that had been waiting for them, and cried with joy.
"We're… we're home, everyone…" croaked Ayeka. The crowd of people cried too, even the toughest among them.
"…We know," whispered one of the female police officers. Ayeka shivered, and suddenly dashed forward to fling her arms around the closest person. She let out a yelp as she embraced Kiyone, and the two women cried joyfully.
"Kiyone!!!"
"Lady Ayeka!!" Ryoko smiled warmly, placing a single hand on her hip in typical Ryoko fashion. She was suddenly assaulted by a squealing blonde police officer, who was crying more than anyone out there.
"Oh, Ryoko!" wailed Mihoshi. "We missed you so much!!" Ryoko smiled, and to everyone's surprise, she returned the hug with equal (if not greater) fervor.
"I know… I missed you too, Mihoshi." Mihoshi wailed out and soaked Ryoko's clothes with her tears, and soon everybody was crowding around one of the two girls. Mihoshi tackled Ayeka next and blubbered her eyes out, and even Kiyone shed a tear as she embraced a one-time criminal. Nobuyuki hugged both girls in a powerful embrace, and cried as much as Mihoshi; Katsuhito, in all his Shinto stoicism, could not suppress his happiness over seeing the girls alive and well.
"It's so wonderful," sniveled Nobuyuki. "So very wonderful to see both of you come back to us after so long!"
"Yes!" whimpered Ayeka. "It's so wonderfully back to be here!"
"Lady Ayeka! Lady Ayeka!" The princess broke her hug with the senior Masaki and gazed at the man who had called her name out. In one hand he was holding a beautiful young lady with long golden hair and a fair face; in the other, a little girl, who was probably no older than two.
"Whad iz it, daddy?" squeaked the girl. The man smiled and hoisted his daughter up in the air.
"No, silly," he sang. "I meant her. Her name is Ayeka too! Did you know that I named you after her?"
"Nooo!" squeaked the girl. Ayeka's mouth opened in a blissful gasp, and she suddenly knew who these people were.
"Oh, my! Quincy and Farrah Onahan! It can't be, it can't be!"
"HA, she recognized us!" exclaimed Quin. "Isn't that great, hon?! She recognized us!!"
"Wonderful!" smiled his wife. The golden-haired beauty performed a curtsy, and received a powerful hug from Ayeka.
"Dear, dear friends!" wailed the princess. "I'm… I'm so happy for you! I'm so happy that you're both okay! …And doing rather well, I see!!" Ayeka smiled, too happy to do anything else, and gazed at the cute little girl riding on Quin's shoulders. She smiled and reached for the young girl's outstretched hand.
"…You really did name your daughter after me," she whispered.
"Of course!" winked Quin. "She'd never have been born if it weren't for you!" Ayeka smiled proudly, and held the infant's hands in her own. The baby was just too precious!
"So… little Ayeka, eh?"
"Yes, isn't she a gem?" said Farrah. A pause, and her fair face blushed. "We, ah… were thinking of naming our next child Ryoko, if that's okay with you?"
"Huh, what's that?" came the ex-pirate's voice. In a flash, Ryoko had teleported over and poked her head into things. "Oh, hey, I remember you guys! You were the ones who, ah, helped everyone out of that boat! So this is what you've been doing with your time!"
"It's good to see you too, Lady Ryoko," smiled Farrah. "…We were wondering if we could have your permission to name our daughter after you." Ryoko jerked back slightly, her cheeks rosy with honor.
"……Eh, sure," she managed. Too stunned to speak, Ryoko felt like sitting down, so overwhelming were these people's love and respect. Mihoshi tackled her again, still blubbering her eyes out, and Ayeka had to wonder whether the girl was still "smart" or not.
"Oh, Mihoshi?"
"(sniffle) Yes?"
"Can you give me an estimation for pi?"
"Huh? Oh, are we having pie? Get me coconut cream, my favorite!" The golden-haired girl smiled that same ditzy smile, leaving Ayeka's eyes twitching. Kiyone calmly stepped forward, and clarified on the matter.
"That intelligence potion that Washu made wore off right around the time we got back home," she explained. Ayeka sighed and gave the officer a sad look.
"Oh, I'm so sorry. You must not be feeling very happy about that." Kiyone smiled warmly, and put an arm around Mihoshi's waist.
"Actually," she said, "I couldn't be happier. Believe it or not, but I've finally learned to accept Mihoshi for who she was. I wouldn't change a thing about her. Officer Li taught me that."
"Who?" Kiyone smiled awkwardly, and summoned a foreign face into the crowd. The young man, who resembled a yuppie, chuckled weakly and scratched his neck.
"…Burt Li, ma'am," he said, shaking the princess' hand. "I'm here on vacation from America. I, uh, might actually stay a little while longer than expected… if you know what I mean?"
"Oh," squealed Ryoko mischievously, "are you and Kiyone…?"
"Actually, he's with me!" said Mihoshi, hugging onto Burt's arm. The handsome foreigner smiled warmly, and patted Mihoshi's back.
"Isn't she the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" he said. "I know she's a little clumsy, but I can't help but love her. She really is a sweet woman." Ryoko and Ayeka stared at the doomed young man in horror, but tried their very hardest to look happy.
Whatever floats your boat, pal, thought Ryoko.
Dead man walking, muttered Ayeka mentally. The group all had a good laugh, when suddenly, a half-crazed scientist latched onto the both of them.
"Ryoko-dear! Ayeka-sweetie! So good to have you back!"
"It's… nice seeing you too, Little Washu," smiled Ayeka, who was actually quite genuine.
"Yeah, it's--" A dead pause.
"Yeeeeees?" sang Washu innocently. Ryoko twitched, and glared at the short woman. She snarled, and suddenly roared out in a rage.
"You!!!!"
"Yeah, it's me," muttered Washu.
"YOU!!" spat Ryoko a second time. "What in the universe have you been up to, Washu?! Why didn't you rescue us, huh?! Were you just too frickin' lazy to get off of your pasty butt and help us out?! HUH?? If you're the so-called 'Greatest Genius in the Universe', then WHY DIDN'T WE GET RESCUED SOONER, HUH? Or did you leave us there to rot on that island for three freaking years just to conduct a frickin' experiment?!?!?! HUH?! TALK, you little witch!!!!!!" A haunting pause.
"(Model citizen,)" mumbled Quin to his wife. Washu put a lot of effort into making her best smile, and waved her hands in the air in a hopeless gesture of defense.
"Calm down now, little Ryoko!" chuckled Washu weakly. "There's a perfectly logical explanation for everything."
"THERE'D BETTER BE, YOU LITTLE FREAK!!!!" screamed the ex-pirate. Ayeka rolled her eyes, and placed a pacifying hand on her friend's shoulder. Not even Tenchi could have calmed the enraged woman.
"Easy now, easy," muttered Washu. "I can explain everything to you if you just calm down." Ryoko roared out barbarically, and lurched at the woman before being restrained by Ayeka. The princess chuckled weakly and shrugged.
"Ahehehe… gotta love her!" Clenching her teeth, Ayeka hissed a warning to her friend under her breath. "(Behave yourself, Ryoko!)"
"(Hmph, sorry…)" The former pirate sneered, and calmed down enough to talk like a civilized woman (the crowd didn't know which was more surprising: the fact that Ayeka could calm Ryoko down, or the fact that she could talk like a civil woman).
"I'm so sorry for my outburst, little Washu," muttered Ryoko in a dead monotone voice. "Won't you please explain to us why you were unable to orchestrate our rescue." A pause.
"Hehhh, right. Anyway, there's actually a very good explanation for it all. You see, it took us awhile to get settled after the storm. Once everybody was found and the excitement died down to a reasonable level, a month had already passed."
"Okay, but we were stuck on that island for three years," insisted Ryoko. Washu grunted in irritation.
"I'm getting to that! Anyway, Quin and Farrah here, being related to the captain of the ship, sent out a whole lot of search parties. They were able to find a few stragglers, dead or alive, but nobody managed to find either of you. They kept on insisting that you two should be found, even while they were getting married, but time flew by and there still weren't any results. The search parties eventually gave up looking for you after about six months."
"So what about you?" asked Ryoko. "You've got a hundred gadgets and gizmos lying around. Surely one of them coulda found us!" Ignoring the wild woman's surprising skills in eloquence, Washu resumed her explanation.
"This is true," she pointed out. "At first, I did send out all my inventions. And believe me, Ryoko, with the princess of Jurai missing, I had little choice other than to send out all my inventions."
"So why didn't you find us?!" roared Ryoko. Ayeka sighed, and gently rubbed her friend's shoulders until she calmed down (this action surprised just about everybody).
"Have you ever heard of a thing called a 'hurricane'?" pointed Washu. "Well, when I say that I sent out all my scouts, I never said they came back home. They were all blown away by a great big storm! What a pity!"
"That's absolutely right!" blurted a high-pitched voice. Ryoko's eye twitched as one of Washu's ever present cheerleading "dolls" suddenly perched on her shoulder.
"It was such a pity!" blurted the other.
"All the inventions gone to waste!" whined A.
"Destroyed so unfairly!" whined B. Ryoko stared at the two golems in amazement.
"Hey, what the…?"
"Oh, these?" giggled Washu. "It seems I accidentally left them behind during our vacation! They helped Azaka and Kamidake look out for the place, though!"
"That's absolutely right, Washu!" sang A.
"We sure did a great job!" sang B.
"But not as great as you, Miss Washu!" they cheered together. She smiled and coughed.
"Anyway," she resumed, "to conclude my story, I was so distraught over the loss of my inventions that I just up and quit looking for you! It really would have been a waste to remake them all, anyway. It sounds unbelievable, but not even I could have found you out there. You must have been hidden pretty well!"
"That's right, Washu!" cheered A.
"They were hiding well!" cheered B.
"Poor Washu couldn't find them!" cried A.
"Not even the universe's greatest genius!" wailed B. Washu shrugged, and gave Ryoko an apologetic look.
"I never said I was a perfect scientific genius," she concluded. A dramatic pause, and then the inevitable, "Just the GREATEST!!!!"
"The greatest!" shouted her dolls, waving Japanese fans. "The greatest!"
"Oh, boy…" sighed Ayeka. "I think I'm starting to miss the island."
"Now don't say that, Lady Ayeka!" smiled Quin. "We're all so very glad to see you back!" She smiled, and admitted to missing even the brownnosing dolls of Washu. Suddenly, a high-pitched squealing sound came from behind the crowd, and a familiar meaowing sound followed. Both Ayeka and Ryoko gasped in awe as Sasami and Ryo-ohki ran towards them.
"AYEKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" Sasami wailed out the name of her long lost sister; Ayeka shrieked out for joy.
"SASAMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!" The two sisters leaped into each other's arms, and hugged so tightly that not even light could have passed through.
"Ayeka!" wailed Sasami, tears streaming down her face.
"Oh, Sasami! You… oh, I've missed you so much!" Ayeka smiled in rapture, and kissed her sister on the forehead. "Oh, my dear Sasami… you've grown up without me…"
"And… (sniffle)… you look more mature as well," sniffled Sasami. Ayeka blubbered, and broke down again as she held her sister. Ryoko stood watching them, her hand on her hip and Ryo-ohki cuddling up next to her ankle.
"Yes, I missed you very much, Ryo-ohki," smiled Ryoko. The cute cabbit let out a feline mreaow, and bounced up in the woman's arms. Sasami, sniveling uncontrollably, ran over to hug Ryoko, and the littlest princess got embraced right back.
"Ryoko!"
"Hey, squirt," smiled Ryoko. "I missed you a lot." The entire gang smiled, and scrunched together for a gigantic group hug. Ayeka noticed that one was missing, however, and asked the question that was on both her and Ryoko's minds.
"Oh… where's Lord Tenchi?" There was a brief silence in the air, and a few heads turned to look. Suddenly, a calm peace overcame the happy reunion, and a young man stepped forward into the open. He paused, and gazed at the group in awe. His mouth hung open just slightly as he caught sight of Ryoko and Ayeka.
The girls inhaled sharply, and for the first time in three long years, they saw Tenchi Masaki. For a long while, both Ryoko and Ayeka gazed at the young man, burning his image into their minds once again. He had not changed at all, except that he now looked three years older. He wore a heavy black shirt that might have passed as a coat, and his hair had recently been cut, but other than that, he was still the same.
"Tenchi…" The girls swallowed, staring fondly at the young man who had been in their dreams for almost every single night. Ayeka, wanting to greet him first, took a slow step forward, smiling warmly. Suddenly, in a flash, Ryoko blazed forward, yelling out the name of the young man as she flung her arms around his neck and locked her lips onto his.
Needless to say, poor Tenchi was taken off guard.
Almost a whole minute passed before Ryoko finally released Tenchi from her kiss, and when she did, her face was more glowing and flushed than it had ever been.
"Whoo! Holy shitake!! Oh, WOW!! It's like kissing a thunderbolt!! Yeowza!!!" Ryoko cackled wildly, and hugged Tenchi close to her; he merely stuttered, too stunned to speak. Calmly, Ayeka stepped forward, two shrewd eyes taking in the "happy" scenario.
"Hello, Ryoko," she said, her voice stinging slightly. "Are we enjoying ourselves?" Ryoko grinned maliciously and stuck out her tongue.
"Ha! Not this time, Ayeka! Tenchi is mine!"
"Is that so?" Smiling wickedly, Ayeka pushed Ryoko away with all her strength, sending her friend tumbling (no harm came of it; Ryoko actually enjoyed every minute). With an animalistic look in her eyes, Ayeka grabbed Tenchi, tipped him over, and pressed her mouth to his own in a passionate kiss.
Needless to say, Tenchi was flabbergasted.
"Uh, erm, I'm… glad to see you, too," muttered Tenchi. He smiled weakly, his face somewhat flushed from the kisses that both girls gave him. Ayeka smiled and hugged him close; Ryoko, feigning anger, bolted up to glare at the two people closest to her.
"Hey, that wasn't nice!"
"Sorry, dear. I just thought I'd be aggressive for once," smiled Ayeka. Ryoko returned the smile, and placed her hands on her hips in amusement. She latched onto poor Tenchi, and together the girls sang about how each of them had missed him.
"It's… really great to see you too," he said. "I, uh, missed you both… a lot!"
"Oh, Lord Tenchi, you have no idea how…" Ayeka and Ryoko continued babbling, their whines all but lost to everyone else's ears. Noboyuki sighed warmly, and placed his hand on the shoulder of his father-in-law.
"Well, I guess all's well that ends well, eh?"
"Agreed," nodded Katsuhito. "Although I do feel a little sorry for Tenchi. He's going to be awfully busy from now on."
"Eh? Why's that?" Katsuhito smiled faintly, and placed his hands behind his back.
"Isn't it obvious?" he coughed. Smiling enigmatically, the old priest left the group to wonder. Nobuyuki shrugged to himself, and dashed forward to give Tenchi a bear hug.
"Hey, guys, how bout' we throw a welcome home party for our girls?! Whaddya say, huh?"
"Well, I--"
"Aw, c'mon, Tenchi!" cooed Ryoko. "You haven't seen us in three years! We've got so much to catch up on!"
"Indeed!" agreed Ayeka. "It would seem best if we all got together and celebrated!" Tenchi smiled lightly, and shrugged as he realized that there was no point in arguing with them.
"Sure!" he exclaimed. "We'll have a great time! Everyone's invited!"
"Yaaaaaaaaay!!!" Mihoshi squealed out loud, and pulled on Kiyone and Burt as she followed the foursome; Quin, Farrah, and little Ayeka brought up the rear, leaving Washu and Nagi to cross their arms and smile fondly. The two women waited until everyone was out of earshot before speaking.
"So, I guess the experiment worked," said Nagi. Washu gave the hunter a mischievous smile and nodded her head.
"Mmm-hmm. Of course, what else did you expect from the universe's greatest genius?"
"Nothing but the best!" shouted A.
"The best from Washu, everything else is garbage!" shouted B.
"Washu's the greatest!" they squealed. Washu grinned and heartily agreed; Nagi merely snorted.
"Yes, well, I should thank you. You really did something great, for all of us."
"…Don't mention it," smiled Washu. "Anything for my family. You know, Nagi, you're welcome to join us as a member. I'm sure you'll like it here."
"Nahh," sniffed the hunter, "this isn't my place. Eh, I might stick around for a little while longer. Who knows? But seriously, thanks a lot, Lady Washu. You've really made my life worth living. I don't know how I can ever repay you."
"Just be sure to attend the wedding!" smiled the genius. "I'm sure Tenchi will find some way to hook up with both of them. I mean, I'm not the universe's greatest genius for nothing!"
"Right." Nagi smiled warmly, saluted Washu, and thanked her one final time before walking towards the Masaki house. She stopped herself just long enough to turn around and give Washu one last message.
"Oh, and don't tell Ryoko about any of this. You know she'd kill you for it."
"Yeah, really!" grinned Washu. "I'm not stupid. Later, Nagi."
"Right. So long, little one." And just like that, Nagi vanished in the distance and let herself in the house, leaving Washu to stand in the middle of the Masaki property and chuckle.
"Hehehehehehehe… I'm so smart sometimes that it scares me!!"
----------
Three years and six months earlier…
Mumbling jargon that only she could understand, Washu hacked away at her computer, nodding her head every once in awhile as a new calculation popped up. It had only been a few hours ago that Nagi paid her a very special (and very discreet) visit, and while the hunter was not exactly loved in the family, Washu welcomed her nevertheless.
Nagi had came to the bizarre genius with a bizarre request. She wanted Washu to pull up a file on her parents; Washu, of course, was a bit baffled at the request, but complied anyway. Nagi had to pluck a strand of hair from her head for Washu to use as a DNA trace, and so ever since then, Washu had been busy pulling up as many close matches as she could.
"Ah!" The red-headed genius squealed victoriously, and smiled as she saw the results. Nagi snapped out of her stare and gazed at the computer. "We have four matches!"
"Four?" said Nagi doubtfully. "I could've sworn that there were only three."
"Oh, have you done this before?" asked Washu. Nagi pursed her lips and silently nodded her head. Washu merely shrugged and continued pulling out data. One of the matches was a 100% similarity, which obviously belonged to Nagi.
"Oh," muttered Washu, gazing at the statistics, "that must be your, ah, real name…" Nagi only shrugged.
"What about my parents?"
"Right, right, I'm on it!" Washu's fingers danced wildly over the terminal, until two other matches were pulled up. Nagi took in a very deep breath as she gazed at the pictures of her parents.
"That's them," she said, a smile on her mouth. "Just print everything out, Washu. I'll digest through it all later."
"Right." Washu keyed in a series of numbers and several sheets of paper with the vital statistics of Nagi's parents were spat out of a printer. Nagi wordlessly collected the sheets and stored them away in a folder.
"Thanks," she smiled. "But I gotta wonder… Who's the fourth match? As far as I know, I was an only child." Washu held no explanation, so instead she decided to open up that one last file. As the data slowly relayed back to her, Nagi's eyes bulged out and her skin turned white as milk.
"Hm, 99% similarity in an unknown female," read Washu. "Planet unknown, system unknown, galaxy unknown. Name of similar match…" Washu stared at the name, a look of horror and doubt on her face as well. Both women gazed at the information emptily, not believing it at all. But, it was true… Washu's computer was absolute… There were no errors!
"Name of similar match…" quivered Washu, swallowing down her nervousness, "…Ryoko."
"The computer doesn't lie," pointed Washu, glaring at an enraged and confused Nagi. "I don't believe it any more than you do, but the fact remains that Ryoko is your sist--"
"Don't say it!!!" roared Nagi viciously. She gave Washu a face so full of horror and anger that even the scientist grew frightened. "Don't you dare say it, Washu!" hissed Nagi darkly. "Ryoko and I are not--"
"Like I said," spat Washu, "my computer is completely error-proof. Ryoko is your sister or else I'm a toad, and there's nothing you can do about it!" Nagi shivered, her face contorted in a grimace of horror and sadness and confusion and rage. Quivering, she slowly began to cry as she fell to the floor.
"No…" she wailed, "that's not true… That's impossible!!"
"…I'm sorry," offered Washu. "That's all I can give you. I'm sorry. Ryoko, well, she doesn't have to know about any of this." A dense pause followed.
"No," croaked Nagi, "you're wrong. …I… may not like it, but… she has to know the truth. One day, I must tell her the truth, and then…… Well…"
"She won't take it very well," warned Washu. "She can barely handle Ayeka. How she'll take it that you're her sister is beyond me."
"Then make her listen!!" spat Nagi. Washu jerked back slightly, gazing at the animalistic woman before her. She felt sympathy for Nagi, and wanted to do something to help……
And then, suddenly, the mad scientist in Washu took over, and the crazy girl began chuckling.
"What the devil is so funny?" growled Nagi darkly. Washu ignored her and continued grinning.
"Hehehehehehehe… I have an idea!" A pause.
"…You do? For what?"
"Well, for a lotta things," replied Washu. "First of all, I myself am getting pretty tired of seeing the two of them fight. Day in and day out, those two are worse than cats and dogs. All they do is cause us pain and misery! Ryoko's not mature enough to handle this news, of that I can guarantee!"
"…So, what do you have in mind?" asked Nagi. Grinning like the loon she was, Washu held up a proud finger and winked.
"My greatest and most incredible plan ever!" she sang. "It might take some time, and I'm gonna have to break a lot of hearts and tell a lot of lies."
"In other words, it's just a regular day for you, eh?" smiled Nagi. Washu laughed out loud and patted Nagi on the back.
"Hahahahahahaha! You betcha! Okay, here's the plan…"
"…I'm gonna go convince Nobuyuki's boss to give the guy some tickets to a luxury cruise, see? I mean, he needs a holiday and a raise, right? Well, anyway, I'll plant one of my universally-revered Instant Storm Makers somewhere in the path, and when the ship runs into it, WHAM!! Instant shipwreck!!!" A pause.
"……That is the sickest, most twisted idea I have ever heard."
"Thanks," smiled Washu, "but I'm not done! Now, I'm gonna have this Instant Storm Maker somewhere close to an island--probably somewhere deserted. Of course, I'll know where it is and all. Anyway, with some luck, both Ryoko and Ayeka will manage to land on that island. I've plotted several scenarios of this, and the possibility for both of them to be stranded on the same island is almost perfect!"
"I don't get it," said Nagi. "What's the point of marooning them on some island?"
"Elementary, my dear bounty hunter!" exclaimed Washu. "In case it hasn't become obvious, the two of them can't get along. I figured that if I stuck them somewhere by themselves for a period of time, they'd eventually put aside their differences and work together. I couldn't think of anywhere safe to place them, so I decided to go for an island. Don't worry, it's far enough that Ryoko won't be able to fly anywhere, and Ryo-ohki won't be able to communicate either."
"All right," replied Nagi, "that sounds pretty farfetched--I mean, pretty sound." Washu smiled and winked at the hunter. "But one thing bothers me. What if they kill each other? I don't think they'd be able to get along like that."
"My dear Nagi," said Washu gently, "that's just a risk I'm going to have to take. Besides, I don't believe they're that selfish. Trust me on this. Anyway, I'll estimate that it'll take about… oh, three or so years for them to become friends, and by that time, Ryoko will be able to accept you as her sister. I'm sure she'd mature enough by then."
"Ah. But what about the others? Are you going to tell them?"
"Certainly not!!" exclaimed Washu. "They'd lynch me!! I'd be cut up into so many pieces that it'd take a lifetime to find them all! They'd KILL me!"
"But then--"
"Eh, I'll just have to make up some phony excuse," shrugged Washu. "Something like… uh, I dunno… some hurricane destroyed all my efforts to find them. Hey, YEAH, that might work! With my surveillance satellites I'll be able to pinpoint when a hurricane will hit their area, and I can send out some of my insignificant machines accordingly! The hurricane will destroy them and I'll have my excuse!"
"And what about search parties?"
"Trust me," winked Washu. "I've got everything under control. I'm the only one who knows of this island. I'll make sure they get along." Sighing, Nagi merely shrugged and turned her back on the genius.
"Okay," she sang doubtfully, "I just hope you know what you're doing. Now, let me go over this again so I'm not confused. You're going to give Tenchi's father some cruise tickets, and when you're in a certain spot, your machines will create some kind of storm, right?"
"Yup."
"And after that, Ryoko and the princess will be stranded on an island that only you know about--for three years, am I right?"
"Yup."
"And you're going to send some worthless machines to 'rescue' them, but a hurricane will destroy them all so you can have an alibi if anybody ever asks, right?"
"Yup."
"Ah…" Nagi smiled at Washu's genius plan, and had to admit that the perky lady certainly had a few good tricks up her sleeves. "But one question remains. How will they be rescued?"
"Oh, that's easy," pointed Washu. "You're going to rescue them."
"Huh?" Nagi's eyes bulged out slightly, and the hunter froze briefly. "Me?"
"Yeah, sure! Nobody else will know about it, right? I won't be able to do it, so you're gonna have to pull off everything. Will that be a problem?" Nagi snorted, and smiled coolly as she closed her eyes.
"No, no problem. Not a problem at all. Think of this as compensation for your help."
"Sure! Well, I guess I'll call you once everything is in order!!" Nagi couldn't help but mirror Washu's smile, and she chuckled softly as she walked out of the lab.
"You are one deranged little maniac, you know?"
"You're too kind," smiled Washu. Nagi laughed, and left the building to go about her business.
Three years… I wonder if I can wait that long.
I know I won't be able to wait to see the look on Ryoko's face when I tell her everything.
…Sister… Who knew?
----------
Four years passed since that day.
I, Princess Ayeka, heir of Jurai and its royal family,
And I, Ryoko, devoted friend and trusted companion,
Do solemnly swear an oath of never-ending love, loyalty, and honor
To you, Lord Tenchi Masaki, grandson of Admiral Yosho.
In times bleak and joyful, cold and warm, strict and free, prosperous and poor,
We hereby give our hearts, souls, and minds to this holy pact of matrimony.
You have this, the blood from our own hands, as permanent proof of
Our everlasting oath, and with it, our blood is added to yours as
Rightful rulers to stand alongside you in love and monarchy.
We shall always love you forever more, as we have always loved you in the past.
--Wedding vows taken during the ceremony--