Tenchi Muyo!

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Disclaimer: This episode of Tenchi Muyo! is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved.

Note: This story line is a sequel to 'The Darkness Within.' I recommend reading the stories since it is an incredible series and is very well done.

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The Return to Darkness
Chapter 4:
Discoveries

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Tenchi furiously digs into the soft earth, planting some more carrots before he has to go to school later this afternoon. The events of last night still weigh heavily on his mind, and it frustrates him. 'It was just supposed to be Tokimi and me,' he thinks grumpily to himself, 'but no! Ryoko had to go and interfere!'

'She didn't know,' another, more gentler voice inside him tries to reason. 'She was drinking a bit too. You know she acts more...um...suggestive when she gets some alcohol in her.'

'I know,' the first voice angrily sighs, 'but that still doesn't mean that I'm not angry at her.'

'Understandable,' comes the kinder voice's reply.

The prince stops mutilating the ground with his furious swings for a moment to wipe his sweaty brow. He visibly cringes as he notices what he was just doing to the carrot field in front of him. "I gotta find another way to vent my anger," he sighs, "I don't think Ryo-Ohki will like me mutilating her fields like this," he finishes with a chuckle.

He checks his wristwatch. "Hmm, an hour and a half until class. I think I should wash up and have a small snack. I want to look good when I see Tokimi again!"

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Half an hour later, Tenchi comes into the house after taking a relaxing dip in the floating onsen. He notices right away that it is suspiciously quiet in the house. He checks the living room first. The only person there is Ryoko and she is asleep on her rafter. The pirate is wearing her usual yellow and blue striped dress with the tail belt attached, which twitches occasionally as she sleeps. The prince feels a strange knot form in his stomach while watching Ryoko so he decides to check the kitchen.

Sasami is busily making lunch with Ryo-Ohki in her child form helping where she can. "Hey Sasami, hey Ryo-Ohki," Tenchi calls out.

Both young girls turn their heads at being called and both crack identical adorable smiles on their faces. The princess cheerfully says, "Hello Tenchi!" while the cabbit girl meows happily and launches herself into the prince's arms for a warm hug, which he happily returns. "Are you done with your morning chores?" Sasami questions while turning back to preparing lunch.

"Yeah, the carrot harvest is going along nicely." Ryo-Ohki's eyes light up with delight as she hugs Tenchi again. The prince chuckles mildly at her. "All I have left is to train a bit with grandpa after I'm done with school. Oh by the way," he adds, "where is everyone else at? I saw Ryoko taking a nap, but she's the only one I saw."

"Well," Sasami thinks, tapping her chin thoughtfully, "I think Mihoshi went out on patrol again and Washu is in her lab again and Ayeka is with grandpa."

"Oh, okay. So, when will lunch be ready?"

The young princess turns around again, the bright smile still on her cute face. "I'd say about twenty minutes or so, okay Tenchi?"

"Alright then, thanks Sasami!" the prince replies as he turns to leave the kitchen. He makes his way up to his bedroom. Once inside, he sits on the chair in front of his desk while thinking, 'I want to take Tokimi out after school, but where do I take her?' He weighs a few options in his mind. 'Maybe I can take her to a movie. But what if she doesn't like movies? Or how about going out for a meal? That could be romantic. Or even a walk in the park. I remember when I went there once with Ayeka on out first date, it was very romantic.' He sits up suddenly, his mind focusing on his family. 'Oh great, I forgot about the others! What kind of excuse can I tell them this time when I come home late?'

'Who cares?' comes a nasty remark deep within his mind. 'Why don't you just say 'screw them!' and live your life the way you want to? They did it to you!'

Tenchi stands up and shakes his head furiously to get the thoughts out. "No!" he yells out loud. "That's not true! Everything changed! They haven't done any of that now!"

'They always could.' the voice hisses before vanishing.

The prince sighs deeply while backing up to his bed and sinking down onto it. "Why does that voice have to always bug me?" he mutters sadly. "It says such awful things, but it's only a voice...but," he adds with a worried look on his face, "sometimes I can feel it actually try to take over my body."

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Tokimi is currently in her grand room, standing completely nude in front of a large mirror. Her hands glide over her slim, perfect figure. An odd glitter forms in her eyes as her hands pass over the slightly noticeable small protrusion on her belly. She looks down at it and whispers, "Whether you are a boy or a girl, you will be the ultimate being, perfect in everyway. You would have to be with myself and my dear Tenchi as your parents!"

Her smile fades and is replaced by a worried frown. "Tenchi does not yet know of your existence. I feel...frightened and hesitant in telling him. I am unsure as to why I feel this way. Having children is supposed to be a joyous occasion. I have watched countless races on countless planets go through the experience and they seemed to be over all pleased with the entire ordeal."

The goddess sighs deeply and sits down on her bed. "Is it that I am worried about what he will react or say? What if he is not ready to have a child? What if he does not want to have a child with me?" She quickly shakes that idea off. "No. That is not true. My husband is a kind, sweet man. Even if he is not ready, he will take the responsibility...I...I hope that he does..."

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Nearby, D3 is listening in. Though he was created by Tokimi and is her eternally loyal servant, the demi god is feeling confusion regarding his Lady's well being. "She is a goddess and is not supposed to go through with such trivial things," he ponders out loud to himself. "My Lady told me once long ago that the child was destined to be born, but never were all of these unexpected side effects supposed to occur. I wonder how all of that came to be. I need to dwell further into this matter." And with that he disappears.

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Tenchi lies down on his bed with his arms over his eyes, daydreaming about later with Tokimi. His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone teleporting in. "Hey Ryoko," he says, still keeping his eyes covered. "Is lunch ready?"

"Not yet," the pirate replies while floating down to the edge of his bed and sitting down.

This, of course, catches Tenchi's attention. He uncovers his eyes and tilts his head so he can see beautiful woman sitting on his bed. Her legs are crossed and a small smile has played itself across her lips. The usual air of mischief surrounds her entire being. "So what are you doing in my room then Ryoko?"

She swivels to the side where her feet are now on the bed and facing towards the prince. It is now that he notices that she is barefoot. "I just wanted to see what you were doing," comes her reply.

The prince scoots back a bit so he can sit up. "I'm fine if that's what you wanted to know. Is there any other reason why you came up here?" he questions while raising an eyebrow.

Ryoko looks down while rolling one of her fingers through a lock of her cyan hair. "Well...I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me after you get out of school today." She looks back up at him and smiles hopefully.

Tenchi smiles sadly at her, causing her smile to fade slightly. "I'm sorry Ryoko but I already made plans with someone else."

The pirate puts on a pouty face similar to Sasami's. This causes Tenchi to chuckle at her, who knows full well what she is trying to do since he falls for it every time the young princess uses it on him, but unfortunately for Ryoko, it isn't quite as effective when she uses it. "So uh...who do you have plans with?" she asks while crossing her fingers and praying that it isn't Ayeka or some other woman.

"Oh, just an old guy friend from school." The pirate visibly sighs in relief. "We're just going to hang out a bit and catch up on some old times."

Ryoko swivels so she is facing away from Tenchi and leans her back up against his chest. "I could still come as your girlfriend," she purrs up at him.

Tenchi sighs lightly. "You never give up do you?" Upon seeing her mischievous grin that shows off her fangs, the prince sighs again. "I don't think you'd fit in too well," he starts slowly, trying to carefully plan out his words. "It will be like a guys night out thing. Maybe some other time, okay Ryoko?"

The pirate puts on her own version of the 'pouty face' again, but quickly turns it into a sly smile. "Okay buddy, but you owe me a date!" before Tenchi can say a word to protest, she teleports out of his room.

The prince flops back down onto his bed. "Once again, I pull myself deeper and deeper into something I really don't want to be a part of." Just then, a light knock comes from his door. Tenchi jumps to his feet and races to his door. He opens it and sees Ayeka on the other side.

"Hello Tenchi," the princess kindly greets. "Sasami just sent me to tell you that lunch is now ready."

"Ah, good," he smiles. The two make their way down the hallway to the stairs. "Oh by the way Ayeka, Sasami said that you were up at the shrine with Grandpa. What were you doing up there?"

"Oh, I just wanted to speak with brother Yosho. It has been a while since we have really talked to one another."

Tenchi smiles at her again. "That's good." The make their way downstairs to lunch.

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A half an hour later, Tenchi just got off the bus and is on his way to school, which is just a little over a block away. He nervously runs a hand through his hair to make sure that it looks nice. He sighs deeply. 'Why am I acting so nervous right now? It's not like I haven't seen her before.'

'But she is a goddess and your beautiful wife,' the other voice in his head responds. 'You do love her more than anything and you always want to impress her.'

The prince pauses for a moment. "Funny," he says out loud, "that other voice is a lot nicer when Tokimi is involved, but when the others are."

'Don't think of them now!' the voice angrily shouts, startling Tenchi. 'Your primary thoughts should be about Tokimi, the breathtakingly gorgeous and superbly incredible woman that you're about to see.'

Tenchi sighs again. 'I guess you're right,' he mentally tells the voice. 'I think about everybody else too much, it's time that I started to think about myself...and Tokimi!'

Within a few minutes, the prince reaches his school. As he nears the front doors, he notices Tokimi patiently waiting for him. As she smiles at him, Tenchi notices something different about her, but he can't seem to put his finger on it. She almost looks like she is...glowing.

Shaking off that strange thought, he calmly walks up to the goddess and embraces her warmly while she gladly returns it. He pushes back a bit and kisses her gently on her sweet lips. "Its good to see you again."

Tokimi is about to respond when a male student suddenly shouts, "Whoa Masaki! You're already with that hot new girl? Good job!"

The prince grins embarrassedly at the boy. The goddess smiles lightly. "Come now Tenchi, let us go inside."

"Yeah," he mumbles, pulling the beautiful woman inside with him, unbeknownst to the pair of golden eyes that watched their every move.

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Ryoko is sitting up in a tree, completely torn apart at the event she just witnessed. Tenchi.her Tenchi was just in the arms of another woman. Tears form in her eyes as she clutches her chest to try to stop her now rapidly beating heart. "Tenchi," she whispers while reaching out towards his retreating figure with her free hand, "wh.why?"

She suddenly stands up and wipes the tears out of her eyes, looking both determined and angry. "This can't be true," she states out loud. "I haven't lost Tenchi! Something's going on here and I'm gonna find out what!" The pirate flies up in the air and heads towards Tenchi's school. She is about twenty feet away when suddenly she grabs her head and rears back in pain. For a brief moment, all she can feel is the white hot pain, and then just as quickly as it mysteriously came to, it vanishes.

The daughter of Washu shakes her head, and instantly regrets it as a major headache runs through her. "Ooh my head!" she moans. Ryoko then realizes that she is floating in the middle of the air near Tenchi's school in broad daylight. "Oops!" she cries as she teleports onto the roof of the school.

The pirate looks around, appearing to be confused. 'Hmm, what am I doing here?' she thinks to herself. 'I know that Tenchi's here since he has school at this time, but how did I get here?' She mentally shrugs. 'Oh well, I'd better get going home. I don't think that Tenchi'd be too happy if I bothered him here.' And with that, she teleports away.

Meanwhile, with one arm wrapped around Tenchi's, the Goddess of Justice smiles evilly.

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The entire class went along much better than the first one yesterday. One reason is that the instructor actually started on what they needed to learn about instead of a few simple calculations and shapes. The other is that Tenchi's mind isn't racing with wonder and concern like it was yesterday when Tokimi suddenly showed up in class as a new student. Throughout most of the class, the prince sat down quietly in his seat taking notes. His beautiful wife sat next to him and opted to occasionally glance at her husband and think about what she is going to do later instead of taking notes since her knowledge is limitless and she already knows every little detail that Tenchi is trying to learn about.

After class is finished, the two quickly leave the school to avoid all their fellow students who now know of their relationship and wish to tackle them with questions about each other. When they are a safe distance away, Tenchi sighs in relief. "I don't think I could have handled answering all of their questions!"

The goddess giggles at him. She takes a quick look around to see if anybody is watching them. When she is satisfied that nobody is, she snaps her fingers and her and Tenchi's school uniforms instantly change into normal street attire. The prince is now wearing his blue jeans and a red t-shirt while the goddess has on a pair of form fitting pants and a violet-blue tank top that goes well with her amazing eyes. She twirls around once while asking, "So, what do you think?"

Tenchi reaches out and grabs her waist and pulls her in close, much to her surprise. "You look…incredible." Much to his shock, Tokimi blushes slightly at his comment. He leans down and kisses her passionately on the lips and the goddess melts in his arms. After a few steamy minutes, he releases her, much to her dismay. Tenchi chuckles at the pout now adorning her face. "Let's get something to eat. Afterwards we can take a walk in the park," he finishes with an amused tone.

His wife looks up at him, smiling once more. "That sounds lovely." The two walk down the street, Tenchi with his left arm wrapped around Tokimi's slim figure and Tokimi leaning into his embrace.

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Nearly an hour later, they have left the restaurant they dined in and are now entering the local park. The goddess' eyes go wide as she gazes upon the incredibly beauty of the park. There are trees outlining the entire area with a few scattered here and there inside. All different kinds of flowers and beautiful foliage litter the area, all in specified patches near benches and walkways. A few couples can be seen strolling together through the park.

Tenchi smiles at his wife's reaction. "I thought you'd like this," he starts. "They built this place a long time ago, I think like thirty years or so. It gets a lot of funds to stay open and looking beautiful since it is so popular with couples of all ages. I remember my dad." he trails off as he sees Tokimi kneeling in a large patch of flowers to admire their beauty. His breath is taken away at how amazingly perfect she is and how lucky he is to have her love.

The goddess looks up, a brilliant smile on her luscious lips. "I am quite glad that you decided to take me here Tenchi. Can you show me more of this beautiful place?"

The prince smiles back and holds out a hand for her to take. "Anything you wish my dear."

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Back at the Masaki residence, Ayeka is sitting in the living room, watching her daily soap operas. Mihoshi is also watching them with her, having just returned from a rather uneventful patrol, even by her standards. As the show goes to a commercial, the crown princess looks worriedly behind her to the old grandfather clock her brother had received as a gift from an old friend on his last trip to visit him. "I do not understand," she mutters out loud, "Tenchi's class ended some time ago. Where could he be?"

Just at that moment, Ryoko comes in with a bag of chips and a few cans of soda. She offers a can to the princess and the GP officer, who gratefully accept them. The pirate tears open the bag and proceeds to munch on the chips. "Oh yeah," she mumbles, a few crumbs falling from her mouth, "I forgot to tell you that Tenchi's going to hang out with a few guys after school."

Ayeka frowns at the woman next to her. "You know, you could have told me that little bit of information earlier before his class had ended. I would not have worried so much about his whereabouts."

"Sorry," the pirate shrugs, "I forgot."

The princess' eyes suddenly narrow. "When did he inform you about his plans for after school?"

"Oh, I was in his room earlier talking a bit with him. I asked him if he wanted to do something with me later, but he told me he was going to be busy."

"Ryoko!" Ayeka huffs, standing up and putting her hands on her hips, "I thought that we agreed to take turns for going out with Tenchi! It is my turn now and you know it!"

The pirate shrugs Ayeka's comment off. "Sorry about that princess, but you know what they say: all's fair in love and war!"

The crown princess sits back down, her hands folded across her chest and a most unpleased look on her face. "You can be so incorrigible at times, do you know that?"

"Of course," Ryoko happily replies, "its one of my best qualities!"

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Tenchi and Tokimi push aside a hanging bed of ivy to reveal a small, secluded clearing with a large cherry blossom tree in the center. A gentle breeze passes by, rippling all of its leaves and filling the clearing with its sweet scent. The prince leads his wife to the tree where he sits down, leaning onto it. The goddess turns around and rests her back against his chest while his arms drape over her stomach and her arms cover his.

Tokimi sighs contently to herself, feeling perfectly at ease with the world. She suddenly tenses slightly as she realizes that his arms are around her stomach and surely he must notice the very slight bulge, alerting him to her pregnancy. Amazingly enough, he doesn't and simply relaxes with the beautiful woman in his arms. 'He has changed so much,' she thinks to herself, 'but I guess he will always remain a blockhead to the core.' The thought causes her to giggle.

"What's so funny?" her loving husband asks. He tilts his head forward and kisses her on the neck.

"It was nothing," she responds. "Just a random thought." Her body tenses up again as she feels her old feelings of fear and apprehension come back. 'I…I have to tell him. I cannot keep this from him any longer. It is not fair to him or our child.' She tenses up even more at the realization of what she is about to do and how it will probably change everything.

Tenchi feels her tense up and becomes slightly concerned. "Tokimi...what's wrong? You just suddenly tensed up."

"There is...something I have to tell you...but I am unsure as to what you will do or say."

The prince pulls his caring wife in closer in to him. "What are you talking about? I'm sure I can handle what you want to tell me."

The goddess sighs deeply, looking up at the bright blue sky. "Do you remember the times we spent together, or more so what had originally occurred with us before I reversed time to save your life?"

"How could I forget," he replies while kissing behind her ear, a particularly sensitive area for her that he discovered on their first time together.

Tokimi moans at her husband's gentle kissing, thoroughly enjoying the pleasurable feelings she is receiving from them. "Can you please stop for a moment," she whispers, "I cannot think straight with you doing that to me." Tenchi lets out a deep throaty chuckle as he backs off a bit. "Thank you," she sighs. "Because of what we did, something unexpected…well it is not completely unexpected as it was destined to occur, but I was not planning on it happening so soon and…" she pauses as the man holding her puts his hands on her shoulders to stop her rant.

"Whoa there! Slow down so I can understand you!" He begins to laugh, but stops very quickly as he sees the very serious expression on his beautiful wife's lovely face. "Tell me," he urges, "what's going on?"

The goddess fixes her husband with a penetrating gaze, her eyes shimmering once more with fear and apprehension. "Tenchi...I...I am pregnant."


To be continued...

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Author's notes: Greetings everyone. I am terribly sorry for not updating sooner. I actually finished this story a couple of days ago but my Internet access is quite limited to only a few hours or so from Monday-Thursday. I have been working on getting my access increased back to all the time, but I still have bills to pay off first and such.

I also have a couple of Inu-Yasha fics that I have been working on as well on another fan fic site. That has been slowing me down a bit and I am sorry.

I would like to thank those who have patiently waited for me to post this chapter. I will try to write more and get another one written and posted soon.

By the way, for those of you who are a fan of geekyomega's fic "The Rise of Tsunami" which I am co-writing, I am sorry to say that geekyomega hasn't been working on it too much anymore. When I last spoke to him, he told me that his priorities and interests have changed and he will be working on finishing it up soon. I diligently asked him to please continue. We'll just have to wait and find out his answer. -- lighthawkdemon

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com