HEAVEN & EARTH
Chapter 12: The Aftermath

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Tenchi Muyo characters. I simply write a
story for mere entertainment.
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Previously
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The Masaki family had formed the light hawk wings just as Aina had formed a gigantic ball of dark energy. She was also now floating in mid air revealing the true length of the ball which was three times her size.

"You won't get away from this blast!" Aina shouted.

"Try us!" the family said in unison.

"Fine by me!" she yelled back down to the group and releasing the energy.

Tenchi immediately did the same sending a red energy blast. They met half way and struggled to gain ruling space for some time. They all threw their best energy to pushing the energy ball, but failing as the dark energy slashed through the red energy they had gathered. In a few seconds time, the blast hit the ground and ricocheted into Ryoko, Sakura and Tenchi...
--

As Sakura noticed that Aina's black energy blast was headed straight towards her and her family, she pushed out of the small energy bubble they had created and held her light hawk sword. 'Let's see if softball actually pays off...' she said as she was in a stance to try and hit the dark energy ball.

"No you don't!" Sakura heard a voice from above her. "We'll protect you!" It was An'ya and Yosho who had arrived just in time. "We told you we would come visit, and you get into trouble?"

"You know my cousin! She had to turn out like Auntie Ryoko!" Setsuna said inside the royal vessel. "But I made sure my parents were here as soon as I could. Are we ready, mom?"

"Yes," An'ya said. 'Now Sakura, concentrate on hitting that ball back into Aina. We'll make sure to attack her from the back. She's not paying attention to us right now so she's extremely vulnerable. Are you ready?'

Sakura nodded and got ready as the energy ball neared her. She saw that the royal vessel had sent an attack to Aina just about the same size of the one that was making its way towards Sakura. As the attack hit Aina, the dark energy ball reduced to be the right size that Aina was. 'This is it!' Sakura yelled mentally. She hit the ball hard and luckily her aim was good enough to hit its maker meeting her on the front and the royal vessel's attack behind her.

"Oh, shit..." Aina said as she realized what was going on. Before she could move, she was blown to bits thanks to both hits.

"YAY!" Setsuna squealed inside the royal vessel.

"Payback's a bitch..." Sakura said as she collapsed since most of her energy was drained in that battle.

--Masaki residence--

"We'll make sure to take this trash to the Galaxy Police headquarters. I'm sure 'Maia' had a well known record to her somewhere," Kiyone said.

"I wonder what happened to Nikko," Sasami commented.

"Who knows," Mihoshi joined in.

The group then at Ayeka who was sitting on a couch hugging herself, tears running down from her eyes. "Why am I so unlucky?"

Sasami hurried towards her sister. "You still got us," she said, wrapping her arms around her big sister. "Let it all out, Ayeka."

--Days later--

Half of the battle worn family was having one of the delicious breakfast that Sasami usually prepared for them. The rest of the family was in Washu's lab looking after Sakura. The last time she had fallen into a coma was when she fought against Reika.

"I'm sure she'll wake up any time today," Washu reassured the family. "She's strong enough to be out of the trance."

"Poor kid, she's had so much to deal with lately," Ryo-ohki said placing a hand on top of Sakura's.

"My baby..." Ryoko said also placing a hand on the free hand of Sakura. "I never wanted this to happen to you. I didn't want my mistakes to come back and hurt you. I'm so sorry." She said as a single tear began falling down her right cheek.

"It wasn't your fault, honey," Tenchi reassured his wife. "That's the way life is... we have to welcome change once in a while."

--That night, Washu's lab--

Washu was the only one keeping watch of her granddaughter. 'Her vital signs seem normal, all she needs to do is open her eyes...'

At the thought of that, Sakura opened her eyes and was trying to frantically grasp at something with her arms. "LEAVE US ALONE!" she shouted and accidentally released an energy blast straight to the top of the lab dissipating as it hit the ceiling.

"Settle down!" Washu said as she tried to restrain Sakura. 'Ryoko, get your ass in here right now!'

"What do you want now?" Ryoko said annoyed as she popped inside the lab. Seeing what was happening, she rushed next to Washu and helped her keep Sakura down.

"She's in major shock right now. It'll take about an hour to settle her down, I have to find a way to restrain to powers meanwhile... hold her while I go get Tenchi."

Ryoko nodded and with all her strength held her daughter down. 'Come back to us, Sakura. Please, we miss you. I miss you. You're my little girl. I don't know what I'd do if you don't come back to me...'

--An hour later--

Sakura had gone through her state of shock and was now sitting with the rest of the group in the living room. "Mom... stop... hugging me... so tightly..." Sakura uncomfortably said trying to get her mother away from her.

Everyone laughed.

"Thanks again for helping us out, Auntie An'ya," Sakura said.

"You're family, aren't you? You think I'd be cruel enough to let you guys die?"

Sakura shook her head.

"And you're going back to school tomorrow!" Ryoko said.

"But mother..."

"No 'buts'. You're going back. Your grades have been falling a lot and I don't want you to fail. You're almost of school and you do still keep your dream of becoming an actress, don't you?"

"Of course!" Sakura chimed.

Everyone laughed once more.

"I think I'm heading back to Jurai, if that's alright with you," Ayeka said to An'ya.

"Why would I say no? You're a part of our family and you deserve to be in Jurai."

"You can always come back and visit," Tenchi said.

"I'm sorry for not allowing you to come back," Ryoko started, "I was just afraid that something might happen to Sakura again. I did what any mother would do..."

An'ya, Ayeka and Washu nodded.

"Don't worry about it," Ayeka responded.

"We're headed back to Jurai tomorrow afternoon," Yosho finally spoke.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?"

"You spoke, great-grandfather!" Sakura said launching herself at Yosho. Setsuna did the same. Everyone laughed.

--The next day, at school--

"We've heard you've sick," Asha said to Sakura as she was taking her belongings out of her locker. The school day was finally over. She closed to locker and saw that Terran was there too.

"Why would you care?" Sakura asked.

"Because you're our best friend," Asha responded.

"You finally figured that out?"

"What do you mean?"

"You went to the dance with Terran when you knew how I felt about him."

Asha laughed, "I only went because he wanted advice on how to ask you out. But then you turned all sour and you were absent from school."

Sakura turned to Terran. "Is the truth?"

Terran nodded. His hazel eyes looking deep into her golden ones. "You're the only one for me" he said embracing her.

Sakura blushed and looked back at Asha. She saw her best friend mouth to her "see?" Sakura smiled and hugged Terran tightly.

--That afternoon--

Everyone was getting ready to board the royal vessel, but they stopped as they saw that Sakura had brought some people home.

"Washu, hide the vessel..." Yosho said.

As Sakura approached the group with her best friend and her boyfriend, she a tremendously wide smile imprinted on her face.

'I'm glad you're finally happy,' Sakura heard her mother say in her head.

'What do you mean?'

'I know I haven't been the best mom, but...'

'Are you kidding me? You're the best mom a girl can have!'

Ryoko smiled and went to hug Sakura.

"I love you, mom," she whispered in her ear.

"I love you too, sweetie," Ryoko whispered back.

Introductions were made and then the family was getting ready to take a family portrait.

"We haven't done this for years!" Washu yelled. "Are you ready?"

Everyone shouted a "yes" back to the small genius and smiled at the camera.

"You know what, Tenchi?" Ryoko said to her husband.

"Hmm?"

"You're going to be a papa one more time."

"WHAT?!"

Ryoko smiled, the camera flashed and Tenchi was the only one out of focus.

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"Dear diary, my family's wonderful. After all we've been through, I happy to have them all. I have forgiven my mom for keeping it from me, but I understand why she did it. I'm glad that a chapter of this has been closed forever and the will be happy now. Mom is expecting another child and dad is taking so much care of her she's getting sick of him. Grandma's happy doing experiments on me and mom keeps fighting with her about it. Setsuna and I keep under close contact. Poor Aunt An'ya! Terran's a wonderful boyfriend. I invited him to come have lunch with us in a couple of days. Asha's flirting with boys as usual. Life couldn't be any better..."
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A/N: That's it! Heaven & Earth finally completed! I hope you liked the second part of my trilogy and that you keep coming back to read part three: Unforgiving Dreams, which I have one chapter up for it already. Thank you for reading my fics!

See you around,
Ryoko-chan