Chapter Two

The Guardian Series

Chapter Two

The Homecoming

Tenchi and The Gang belong to Pioneer LCD, AIC, and other assorted people on the far side of the big lake to my west, and not to me.

Hope you like this one, there will be more to come, whether you like it or not.

This story is set 7 years after "Daughter of Darkness," which I have placed in the OVA chronology after OVA-2, GPX, and the Manga released here in the States.

With a happy laugh, Tenchi picked up Sasami, swinging her around in circles as he stepped further into the house, his home. Sasami laughing and burying her head in his chest, hanging on as she spun in circles, her hair and legs flying out away from him, she could not be any happier. Tenchi was back.

Swinging around, they came to a stop at the opening to the family room. Everyone in the family was looking at the pair in the opening in open mouth shock. Tenchi looked upon everyone in the room with great feeling. Here sat all those who had a special place in his heart.

A young girl with dark azure colored hair jumped over the back of the couch and flew towards Tenchi, screaming, in a high piping voice, "DADDY, YOU'RE HOME."

Picking up the little girl and hugging her close to him, Tenchi said, "and how is my little girl doing?"

"I am doing great daddy," said Mayuka with a big smile, "I love you daddy!"

"And I love you too, my little Mayuka," said Tenchi, with great feeling in his voice.

A cyan haired woman appeared out of thin air behind him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, taking in Mayuka also, "Ten-chi you are home early," drawing out his name as she spoke to him.

"Lord Tenchi, it is good to have you home," a smiling, dark haired, (bordering on purple), woman stood up from the couch where she was sitting with the others.

Others in the room looked to him with smiles of welcome, most he recognized, some new to him. There was Tenchi's grandfather Katsuhito in his priest cloths. Next to him was his father, Nobuyuki Masaki, renowned architect, with his wife Reia of 8 years.

On another couch was Mihoshi Kuramitsu in her blue and white Galaxy Police uniform with Kiyone Makibi, also in a GP uniform, Mihoshi's partner. Kiyone had come to earth to be Mihoshi's partner a few months before the adventures concerning the appearance of Mayuka in her teen form. Kiyone had been Mihoshi's partner before Mihoshi had come to earth and been injured in the line of duty during their tracking down of the Ultra-fuel thief. Mihoshi stood up clasping her hands to her chest with emotions of happiness and sadness warring on her face. "Tenchi," she said in a disappointed voice, "you're early. Now we can't have the surprise party we were planning and I was so looking forward to all the snacks we were going to have." Everyone could do nothing about what she said except to laugh.

On a third couch was Washu, a short, young looking woman with flaming red hair. Next to her a strange looking young woman, covered in brown hair with blues/grey and brown hair, "Miyow, Ten-chi," Ryo-oki said in a purring voice, as she jumped up and ran to Tenchi.

Everyone came and surrounded Tenchi, clamoring to find out why he was home early.

"Hold on everyone," said Tenchi, "just a minute. I was able to catch an early flight. So, I thought I would surprise everyone." Smiling at the looks of happy wonder on their faces, he felt justified in spending the extra for the earlier flight from the States.

Tenchi chuckled to himself as he saw that things had not changed in regards to the women of his life, though other changes had happened. Looking over at his father and his wife, he could see the bulge of her tummy, bringing into this world, another Masaki.

The changes in him were also very profound. He was surer of himself now, of his powers, and of his abilities. Though he hoped he would not have to find out how much he had changed, if ever. Looking around, he now saw the people who were his family, crackling with the energy of the powers they possessed; even his father and new mother had some power.

Even with the bickering of the women, he could feel the love they all shared embracing him as if it were sunshine on a warm spring day. He allowed his own power, long concealed and hidden, to flow out, and enwrap those around him with his own love. Looking over at his grandfather and father, tears of joy fell down his face.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" asked Mayuka, from his arms.

"I am just very happy to be home after so long, my little Mayuka," said Tenchi.

"It is good to have you home, son," said his father.

"Yes, it is," said his grandfather with an understanding smile.

"Where is all your stuff Tenchi?" asked Sasami.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you, I will just have to show you. But, not right now." Tenchi said, as he smiled down at her. The last few years had added much to his height. Now he stood almost as tall as his grandfather did.

"I better go and start fixing the snacks for the party. It looks like it will be starting several days early," Sasami said with happiness in her eyes, as she moved away toward the kitchen. "Ryo-oki, can you help me to fix the dinner and snacks for the party?"

"Miya, miya," Ryo-oki purred with a happy voice as she followed Sasami to the kitchen after giving Tenchi a kiss on the cheek.

"All right, let's start the party!" yelled Mihoshi.

Both Nobuyuki and grandfather held up larger bottles of sake and said together, "That sounds good to me." Reia elbowed Nobuyuki hard in the side, causing him to double over and almost dropping the bottles he held.

Laughing, everyone moved back toward the seats. Ayeka and Ryoko, on both sides of Tenchi pulled him toward the couch.

"Lord Tenchi come site with me," said Ayeka as she pulled him, still carrying Mayuka toward one of the couches.

"No Ten-chi, you don't want to sit with this prissy princess, come sit with me over here," said Ryoko pulled him toward another couch.

"Take your hand off MY Tenchi you demon woman," Ayeka said as started to pull in her power to strike at Ryoko.

"What, do you think you can beat me," Ryoko laughed in Ayeka's face as she continued to pull Tenchi toward her.

Ayeka started to get red in the face as her anger built. Her Powers manifested itself around her in the form of small floating logs. Lightning surrounded her, crackling around her just visible at the edges of her clothing, her cloths bellowing as if in a wind coming from below her. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF MY TENCHI KNOW," she said in a very ominous voice.

Ryoko stepped away from Tenchi, rising slightly into the air, "all right princess, if a fight is what you want. Then, a fight is what you will get," Ryoko said angrily. She drew in her own powers and formed her power sword in her clasped hands.

Tenchi looked down toward the ground with a disappointed expression on his face. He stepped in between the two women, as they got ready to fight. Raising his free hand, his other still holding Mayuka to his chest who looked on with interest, he stated. "Ladies that is enough. I am not been back even an hour and already you are fighting. This will end now or I will put a stop to it." Power never seen before, started to form around his body in many colors. This power rose into the air from him like wisp of fog, enveloping each of the women.

Everyone in the room looked at Tenchi with surprise and awe as they witnessed him standing up to the two women of his life for the first time. Washu looked on with renewed interest, even to the point of calling up her holographic computer pad and starting to monitor what was happening. "Wow, these are very strange emanations coming from him. Nothing like the Jurian powers he manifested before he left us for College," Washu stated.

"You two will calm down right now, or I will lock you away for a while and we will have the party with out you," Tenchi stated. His wisp of power enclosed around each of them in the form of shells.

Ayeka and Ryoko looked upon Tenchi with surprise and wonder, as this was the first time he stood-up to them. Ayeka looked down to the ground in shame, with a rosy blush to her cheeks.

Ryoko stopped drawing in her Power; taking the point of her power sword, she pressed it to the shield to test its resistance. Feeling the sword starting to loose power to the shield she pulled it back, but not before the energy taken formed into a low power energy lance, which shot at her. "Ouch," she said as the lance hit her.

"Ten-chi, let me out of here," she said in a whining voice. "There is no reason to keep me locked up in here, it is That prissy princess's fault that this happened."

"That is not true, you pirate," said Ayeka, though she did take what Tenchi had said to heart and not yell out at Ryoko.

"Ladies, you will calm down or you are not getting out of there tonight," Tenchi stated calmly as he sat down on the couch holding Mayuka close to him. Mayuka looked up to him with big adoring eyes, glorying in that her Daddy was finally home.

"Tenchi, can you let me out of here now?" Ayeka asked with a simple voice, not wanting to raise his ire again.

"Yeah Ten-chi, can I get out of here also?" Ryoko asked with a sweet voice, while looking daggers over at Ayeka.

"Ladies, I think I will just let you two sit in there for a while and think about what just happened and the changes that will be coming," stated Tenchi.

With a level tone and more force in his voice than either woman had ever heard from him, the women looked on in shock at him. At the same time though, they both felt a warmness deep inside toward him, a warmness that penetrated to the very core of there bodies.

Reaching into his backpack, Tenchi removed an attaché case. "Father, grandfather, I have gifts for you." Opening the case a holographic key board, not unlike the one used by Washu appeared. Making several key strokes, a black circle appeared in the lid of the case. From the black circle, he pulled two objects. Both were katanas in black lacquered sheaths, one he handed to his grandfather, the other to his father. "I made these swords especially for both of you. They have some surprising abilities. They are specifically designed for defense, but are also good offensive weapons as you may come to find out. Father, I know you are not that great with the sword, but it will protect you greatly. Though, I would recommend that you at least take a few lessons with grandfather to familiarize yourself with the weapon."

Katsuhito, his grandfather, took the sword from Tenchi; slightly pulling the blade from the sheath, he bared the blade to the light. The blade looked like a well-made weapon, waves danced along the blade, an indication of the finest work. However, there was a strange glint to the edge; touching it, he instantly cut his finger. Jerking his hand back from the edge, he held the weapon only by the sheath. Looking at the cut on his finger, he saw it bleeding freely, then slowing, stopping, and after only a few tens of seconds, it healed before his eyes. "Tenchi, what is this I have seen," asked Katsuhito?

"Grandfather, the edge of the blade is not metal. A layer of diamond is sandwiched between the outer layers of the sword. The sword is one of the finest blades made, split down the middle into two perfect pieces, and compressed into one item. This gives it the sharpest edge in existence. The layer of diamond is impregnated with impurities of dilatium crystals witch have the properties of being able to absorb and store almost unlimited power of any type, theoretically, you could absorb the full power of a sun into it. Any type of energy can be absorbed, even the strongest energy bolt that Ryoko can throw. But, only if you can block the blow with the sword, so father you have to become at least some what proficient with them for that to work for you," stated Tenchi.

"The sheath has been imbued with the ability to heal any wound, including if you are mostly dead. I was able to learn the ability of the sheaths from a colleague at school. She had discussed in one of her lectures of a sheath she had made for a knight of antiquity. I asked her to teach me how to do it also, and I made these sheaths."

Washu ran over quickly, "WOW, you say they have the ability to heal. That will be a great help for you two since you are away from the house a lot where we cannot be with you. Hmmm, would either of you two be interested in some experiments concerning the abilities of the blades and sheaths?" She said as she laughed in a low sultry voice.

Both of the men cringed at the thought, "uh, not right now Little Washu," said Nobuyuki.

For a time now, the girls had been sitting in their bubbles watching what was going on. Seeing that Tenchi was sticking to his word and not letting them out. They looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and then smiled.

"Tenchi, can we be let out, please?" asked Ayeka and Ryoko nicely.

"That is all you had to do ladies, was to ask nicely," said Tenchi. Looking at them with a smile, they smiled back at him with love and appreciation. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers dispelling the shields around them. Incidentally dropping them to the floor when they least expected it.

"Hey," Ryoko said. "Ouch," said Ayeka.

Tenchi just smiled knowing what was coming next. Ryoko and Ayeka both slid in on each side of him. Putting their arms around him and laying their heads on his shoulders, they both smiled sweetly at him.

Ryoko purred into his ear, "I am sorry Tenchi, for causing so much trouble for you."

"And I also Lord Tenchi, I do not wish to cause you problems," said Ayeka into his other ear.

Mayuka pulled back from Tenchi, her little arms still locked around his neck. She looked from side to side at the two ladies trying to get back into her Daddies good grace. She smiled a knowing smile as she looked into her daddy's eyes and saw the humor and knowledge that he knew what the two women were doing.

For the rest of the evening, food seemed to appear from the kitchen as if by magic, prepared at the hands of Sasami and Ryo-oki. Ayeka and Ryoko continued to be sweet in nature, but also still cackle at each other. Mihoshi brought out the Karaoke machine and started singing. The Sake flowed freely around the room, Tenchi even partaking of the sake, even though it was not his liquid of choice after being in America for six years.

Many hours later, many bottles, (though only a few drinks for himself), everyone except Sasami, Reia, and himself were passed out on the floor or couches. He eased up out of the couch from between Ayeka and Ryoko who had fallen asleep on his shoulders. Carrying the sleeping Mayuka up stairs to her room, he reluctantly put her down to bed, finally letting her go.

Back down stairs, he helped Sasami, Ryo-oki and Reia make everyone comfortable, covering them with blankets. He levitated Ryoko up to her spot in the rafters of the living room; he picked up Ayeka and carried her up to her room that she still shared with her sister.

Sasami came into the room and gave Tenchi a gentle smile seeing him laying Ayeka onto her futon, making her as comfortable as he could, and covering her with her comforter. "Thank you Tenchi for bringing her up here."

Smiling back at her Tenchi said, "You are welcome Sasami, it just felt wrong to leave her down stairs."

As he was leaving the room, he hugged her again to himself and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "good night Sasami, sweet dreams."

Going out the door, he turned back, smiling at the two princesses, and slide the door shut. On the way to his room, he looked over the balcony to the living room below, smiling again as he saw Ryoko asleep in her usual place in the rafters, seeming to float just a few inches above the rafter itself. He saw his father and grandfather sleeping gently on the couches below.

Sliding the door open to his room, he looked upon his room that he had not called truly his own for over six years. It showed the hand of Sasami's cleaning, everything was in the same place as it was since the last time he was here a year ago. Removing his sleeping cloths, (a pair of sweat paints and a cotton tee-shirt), from the wardrobe. He changed and got into bed. The last thing he remembered before going to sleep was the looks of happiness on all of his family, with that he went to sleep with a contented smile on his face.