The End Of The Beginning

By Starr77

A/N: Hello. Here before you is my first published Tenchi Universe fanfic. It is something I am rather proud of, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do. It takes place directly after Episode 26: "No Need For A Conclusion", so if you have not seen it, then maybe you shouldn't be reading this. And if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Anyway, please know that your reviews are greatly appreciated. All standard disclaimers apply.

I knew the moment I defeated Kagato that nothing would ever be the same. I actually thought of just leaving Kagato be, just letting him continue to bad-mouth us. It didn't matter to me. But since Ayeka was on the line, I couldn't be that selfish.

Even though I had thought about it.

Ayeka led me up to the palace where she told her story. It was a whole legal fiasco, and when the truth finally came out, it was all over the news. The universe couldn't get enough of it. But I wanted to go back. I liked being wanted. I had a chance to spend it with my family. Okay, at some times it sucked, but it was us, together.

Ayeka was having a Jurai ship take Dad, Grandpa, and I back to Earth. We stayed on Jurai for a few days, getting things in order and saying our good-byes.

It took a lot of thought for me to figure out how I was going to say my farewells. How do you say that to your family? You don't, that's how.

I spent a lot of those few days with Sasami. She was easy to talk to. And she wasn't as judgmental as some of the other girls. I talked a lot with Kiyone too. She was very levelheaded and knew exactly what to say.

"Where do you think Ryoko went, Kiyone?" I asked her after breakfast one morning.

She took a deep breath. She knew Ryoko was still a sensitive subject for me. I didn't know exactly how to handle the fact that she was gone. Maybe even dead. "I think she needed some time to think. She didn't know what was going to happen to you, and I think that freaked her out. She wanted to know you were going to be okay."

I asked Sasami the same question.

"She thought you loved Ayeka more than her, and that's why you were going to save her when you didn't have to. So I think she may have either gone back to Earth, or to start over again, somewhere else."

She saw my thoughtful face and giggled. "She'll come back Tenchi, don't worry."

I smiled. "Thanks Sasami."

I talked to Washu about it.

"Ah, worried about her, are we? I'm sure the princess would just love to hear about that one," she said evilly.

"No! Please don't do that. Please Little Washu, Ayeka would be furious with me if she knew I was worried about Ryoko!" I yelled.

She smirked. "Just kidding with 'ya Tenchi! You know, for old times sake. Anyway, Ryoko is blowing off some steam, thinking about you, her, and Ayeka. She's afraid you love the princess. I heard her say it to Ryo-Ohki one night." She narrowed her eyes. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

I thought fast. "Well I'm worried! She could be hurt, I have no idea what's happened to her!" I saw her raise an eyebrow. "If it were any of you, I'd be worried. I wouldn't want something bad to happen to any of you."

"She'll be back, Tenchi. And I know she's okay. She just--- doesn't want to be found right now. She's a wanderer; she comes and goes as she pleases, no one tells her what to do. But I think she's finally found her reason to stay in one place."

***

Jurai was a very mysterious planet. It was beautiful, but it had this feeling about it that made you know it was an important place to be. To me, it felt like the air around us knew what an honor it was for an Earthling such as myself to be on such an important planet.

But it was no Earth.

Sasami asked me which planet I thought was more beautiful, the earth or Jurai. I wanted to scream out "The earth! How could you even make a comparison?" But I didn't. I held my tongue and said something stupid; that they're both equally beautiful, or something to that extent.

I felt as though I shouldn't be on such a planet. Really, what was a normal boy from Earth doing in front of a royal palace of a planet that practically ruled the universe? Then I remembered that I wasn't just a kid from Earth. I was the heir to the royal throne. I could rule the universe if I wanted to. But I didn't want to, and that was the problem.

Even the guest rooms Ayeka had arranged for us to stay in were amazing. They were rooms bigger than whole floors of my house, and with beds you could get lost in. And even though it was wonderful, I was glad our home wasn't that big. I didn't know if I would ever be able to find anyone, especially that it would be just the three of us from then on.

The three of us. It just didn't seem right. I had gotten so used to it being the nine of us, I couldn't remember it being only Dad, Grandpa, and myself. The house would be so lonely, life would be so boring, without all of the talking and the laughing and the fighting. As strange as it may sound, I knew I would miss the fighting most of all. Because underneath all of that fighting was a love I can't explain.

I would have to go back to school, to my old life, and try and forget my friends. My family. I'd have to forget all the wonderful times I had with them, every memory from space. I knew it would be the hardest thing I would ever have to do.

Next to saying goodbye, of course.

Ayeka pulled this traditional bullshit; trying to convince me to take the throne and stay with her. I had to calmly tell her that I didn't want to. What was I going to do ruling a planet, anyway? I wasn't cut out for sitting on a throne all day, barking orders at people.

Try explaining that to Princess Ayeka of Jurai, the most stubborn woman in the universe.

She ran off crying after we finished talking, and I told myself if that was the way she wanted to end it, then so be it. I wasn't going to be all heartbroken over it.

Kiyone and Mihoshi had to get back to work the day I left, so we ate breakfast and got the Yagami prepared for the journey back to GPHQ. I knew it would probably be the last time I would see them for who knew how long, so I tried to get out everything I thought I needed to say.

"Thank you two for everything you've done for me. It's been a wacky adventure, and I'm going to miss you guys. A lot."

Mihoshi started sobbing, and she buried her head in Kiyone's shoulder. "Oh, Tenchi! I'm going to miss you and the Earth so much! I can't believe this is it!" she cried.

"Oh, don't worry about it, Mihoshi; we'll see each other again. You know you can come visit every time you get a vacation, or even just feel like stopping by for an afternoon." I caught a glimpse of Kiyone, who was trying to fight back tears, and held my arms out wide. "Alright you two, come here."

They both fell into my embrace, and we stood there, rocking back and forth, just remembering and thinking how much we would miss each other. I felt a tug at the back of my shirt, and when I turned around, a crying Sasami stood before me. I opened our little circle, and the four of us stood, rocking back and forth.

After a few minutes of the being together, Kiyone pulled away and wiped a tear from her eye. "We have to get going now," she choked out. "You know, back to work and everything."

I nodded and squeezed Sasami's hand tightly. "Yes, of course. Have a safe trip and good luck on your new promotions."

Mihoshi sniffed and took a tissue out of her pocket. "I'll miss you all so much! It'll be so hard to go back home!" She blew her nose loudly.

The only thing I could do was smile softly. My family was leaving. We were breaking apart. And all I could do was stand there and hold Sasami's hand. I should have jumped out in front of the ship's boarding entrance. I should have screamed for them not to go.

Should being the operative word there.

But I let them board the Yagami, and off they went, to their own world. And we watched the grand red ship we had spent our last weeks together on until it was just a speck in the sky. I'll never say it out loud, but I half-expected to see them come back and laugh and say it was all a big joke.

"What time are you leaving, Tenchi?" Sasami asked.

I smiled gently at her. "Not for another hour or so. How about we go find Washu so we can say good-bye?"

***

I had no idea what Washu was going to do. To my knowledge, she had no home; she had been locked up in a cave for who-knew-how-long. I didn't know if she had a job, or if she had a family, or even someplace she wanted to go to.

So I had to ask her. "What do you plan on doing now, Little Washu?" I asked as she and I checked over the ship she planned on taking to wherever she was going.

"There are plenty of places out there for me to go. I was thinking the Universal Science Academy. More likely than not, the greatest scientific mind in the universe can find something to do over there." She laughed manically, and little Washus A and B popped up from her shoulders. I was going to miss those stupid little ego-driven puppets.

She looked at me slyly. "Don't worry Tenchi, she'll come around."

I blushed profoundly and looked at her strangely. Damn her for knowing I was thinking about Ryoko! She sure didn't call herself the greatest scientific mind in the universe for nothing, I guess.

I looked up at the sky and sighed. It would feel the strangest without Ryoko. Even though she had been loud and obnoxious and seductive, she was my best friend. How was I going to live without her?

It had been difficult to comprehend when Washu told me the news. As soon as I got back from Kagato, and didn't see her or Ryo-ohki, I knew something was wrong. And when I asked where she was, and everyone suddenly became all quiet, I wanted to scream. Washu said she thought Ryoko was with me. If only that had been the case…

"What if she doesn't come back, Washu? What if she's found somewhere else? She could be starting another family, on some other planet far away."

Washu chuckled softly. "Then obviously, Tenchi, you don't know Ryoko as well as most people may think. There is no way that she would ever find a place she loves more than with you." She gave the ship one final pat and spun around. "Well, I am off. Sasami, give my regards to your sister. And Tenchi, I thank you for everything you've done for me. I will see you eventually, or I will send some transmissions. Good-bye. Oh Sasami, don't cry. I'll come visit you, I promise. Now, I'm off." And with a final wave of her hand, she was gone. I couldn't even watch the ship fly away.

"I can't do this again, Tenchi," Sasami sniffed. "It's so hard."

"I know it is, Sasami, but it won't be forever. We'll see each other again, I promise you that. As soon as you get a chance, you come and visit, and I'll do the same. I would never not come back. Hey, look, I have summer break in two months. We'll make plans to visit each other then, I promise."

She rubbed her eye with her fist, looking like a toddler. "But what if we never see each other again, Tenchi? What if we never see any of them again?"

I knelt down so I was eye-level with her. "I would never let that happen, and you know that. Pretty soon, Kiyone and Mihoshi will get a vacation, Washu will come back from wherever she went, and you and Ayeka will come back to Earth." I didn't add that Ryoko would come back as well; for that was something I wasn't sure of.

But Sasami sensed it. "And Ryoko? We could never see Ryoko again!"

I lowered my head. It was a possibility that Ryoko wasn't even alive, let alone thinking about coming back to us. Doubts swirled around in my mind. Washu said she had been more hurt by Kagato's blast than she was letting on. If it really was that bad, without medical attention…

Argh! If Ryoko wanted to just sit there and bleed to death, than so be it!

That thought deserved the biggest mental kick I could muster up.

"Sasami, Ryoko will come back to us. We love her, and she loves us. There's nothing that keep her away from her family." I only wish I was as confident as I sounded. "Hey, how much do you love all of us?"

Sniff. "Bigger than the universe."

"Well, then, there you go. That's exactly why we'll all see each other again. Let's just pretend that this is only a little vacation, and that in a few months, we can be back together. Don't think of this as permanent. Because it's not, and if I only keep one promise to you in my entire life, this is it." I looked at my watch. "I have to go Sasami."

"No! Why can't things just go back to the way they were! Why do things have to change!" she yelled hysterically. "Tenchi, can't I go back with you?"

I gently held her close. It killed me to see this helpless little girl I considered my sister more than anything else crying like this. Leaving her was tearing me apart. She really was one of my best friends; especially over the last few days. "You can't. I'm sorry Sasami, but you have to stay here. This is your home, and don't you think Ayeka would get lonely here without you?"

Her grip on me tightened. "I guess. I would miss her if I went with you. But I can come see you anytime I want?"

"Anytime," I whispered. "I have to go; Dad and Grandpa are probably waiting for me. You don't have to watch the ship take off if you don't want to."

"No, I want to. But when everyone comes back, promise me that you'll bring them all here so we can have another space adventure."

I smiled sadly to myself. "I promise."

***

And so we left Jurai, and went back home to Earth. The house was eerily quiet without the usual bustle of the nine occupants. Each morning wasn't filled with the good smells of Sasami's cooking, the noise of everyone getting out of bed, or even the fighting.

Instead, morning smelled of coffee and burnt toast, and was filled with almost no sounds whatsoever. The broom closet under the stairs was just that; no other dimension, no lab. The bathroom was only a plain bathroom, and all the bedrooms are empty.

All the peace and quiet I had wanted was here and I hated it.

Each day I thought about the promise I had made to Sasami. And each day I was more and more positive I was going to break it. There was no word or news of anyone, including Ryoko. The thought of ever seeing them again was becoming bleaker and bleaker.

It became even harder in mid-April, when the cherry trees started to blossom. Ryoko had loved the cherry trees. I'd walk outside and just see her sitting up there. She brought their scent everywhere, and it lasted for months at a time. Sasami would wear the flowers in her hair as she cooked breakfast. The petals would be scattered all over the house from their rain.

I couldn't walk past those trees in the morning without cringing.

That first week or so was the hardest. I constantly woke up expecting to hear Ryoko and Ayeka fighting. But when I was greeted by silence as I walked down the stairs, my heart almost broke.

My family was gone, and I didn't know how to cope with it.

I went to school each day, Dad went to the office, and Grandpa worked at the Shrine. Day in, day out. It was the dullest three weeks I had ever spent in my life. I think I felt it was duller than before my family because I knew that life could be different. I knew that out there, in that big wide universe, there were six amazing people that I loved more than anything.

At the end of April, when the cherry blossoms were in full swing, I set out for school, just like any other normal, boring day. But when I stepped outside, something felt… different. It was like a flashback, to days when my family was close by my side and times were hectic and unpredictable. Just the way the wind blew made me remember everything and anything about them. And I missed them.

I'll never forget that day. That one day that changed my life for the second time. It was like any other day; I was walking to school, right past the cherry trees. But this time I didn't cringe. I don't know why. It just felt… different. Like, even though things were terribly messed up, they were okay. Everything was going to be okay. That's also when I started to hear things.

Ryoko's voice echoed in my head. Every day here is like a dream. The blossoms swirled around me like a tornado. Tenchi, we are having fun. A shape caught my eye from a rock. I spun around to see Ryo-Ohki, but she quickly changed into a black cat. Shaking my head and almost laughing to myself, I kept walking. But I heard something again. Fearing I was going insane, I looked behind me to see Ryoko standing before me, her hands on her hips and her infamous smirk playing across her face. Then she vanished. And when I turned around again, she was there, towering above me on a rock.

But this time it was real. She was standing right in front of me, and I was frozen. I couldn't move. She raised her eyebrows and very calmly said, "Hey."

The next minute or so was a blur, because the next thing I remember was her being in my arms talking about winning my heart from Ayeka in the "fairest of fights". And everything was back. Everything was perfect. Everything was complete.

"I'll tell you something, my Tenchi," she whispered in my ear, "the carnival may come and go, but if you wait long enough, it will always come back to you, Tenchi."

I smiled and looked up toward the sky. "I made a promise to Sasami," I said as we began to walk back to the house. Screw school, I wasn't going to miss one second of time with any person in my family to go learn a bunch of useless crap. One thing I learned from my time in space was that time is limited and you need to use it wisely. "I promised her that we'd all see each other again. And I didn't know where you were. So everyday all I could think about was how I was going to break that promise. Now I don't have to think that anymore."

"I was just floating around space, me and Ryo-Ohki. We weren't going to come back you know," she said, picking a blossom out of my hair.

"You weren't? Why is that?" I asked.

She let out a small sigh and smiled slightly. "I'm not really sure. I think it's because you went off to save her. And I was insanely jealous. Or maybe because everyone was leaving and I figured I needed to too."

"That's a silly thing to think. No one needed to leave, Ryoko. Everyone had other matters to attend to. They didn't have to leave if they didn't want to."

"Please," Ryoko laughed, "Ayeka would have had a royal princess fit if she knew I was going to be with you and she wasn't."

I laughed also. "You do have a point there. She was mad at me just because I wasn't going to take the throne. She probably would have come back all the way here just to yell at you and drag you back with her."

I did feel bad for making fun of Ayeka, I really did, but some of the stuff she did was so outrageous. And plus, I felt bad because Ryoko openly admitted that me saving Ayeka almost made me lose her forever. And I wasn't about to lose her again.

A noise from above made me look up, and the earth began to shake. I looked up to see a ship flying lowly overhead. And it had the Jurai royal emblem on it.

"Ryoko! That's Ayeka! That's her ship!" I exclaimed. Another one soon followed after it. "And that's Sasami! Ryoko, it's Sasami!"

She looked up wistfully and gave a small tight-lipped smile. "See that one behind Sasami? I'll bet you anything that that's Washu."

Sure enough, a third ship was behind Sasami. And then, a flash of red caught my eye. "That's the Yagami! Ryoko, everyone's here!"

She bit her lip and looked over at me. "You fulfilled your promise to Sasami. Now I need you to promise me something, my Tenchi. Promise me that no matter what happens, it will always be you and me. Promise me that."

I smiled and tightened my grip on her. "I promise you that, Ryoko." Now come on!" I grabbed her hand and started to run. Ryo-Ohki trailed behind us, desperate to catch up. "Come on Ryo-Ohki, our family is back!"

Ryoko was right. The carnival always comes back. You just have to have patience. And it was the same way with family. If you love them hard enough, things will always work out.

The beginning was over. But the rest of my life had just begun.