RYOKO'S SONG
Prologue:
A gentle breeze blew the purple grasses on the hillside and the three suns warmed the air. All that could be heard was the gentle tap, tap of Washu's sub-space keyboard. She enjoyed the solitude for her explorations and inventing. At least until a static filled view screen appeared that she had not called up.
"Washu! Are you there? Can you hear me?"
"That voice sounds very familiar", thought the Universe's Greatest Scientist. "In fact I think it's mine!"
"Washu, use the bottom left button on your keyboard. I can't keep the power up for this transmission much longer!"
"Hmm, let's see what this is all about. That seems to be coming from nearby, but I can't lock on to it." A pseudo-button clicked, and she was looking at herself!
"About time! Listen closely, we don't have much time, and we need your help."
So began one of the adventures of the Masaki household.
ONE:
The years have passed quickly for me. It seems only yesterday that I came here and met Tenchi. But time has passed. Tenchi has matured into the man Ayeka and I knew when we found him in Haruna's world, and is taking over some of the temple work from grandfather. Sasami is becoming a young woman, and looks more like Tsunami each day, which Ayeka and I still are worried about. Ayeka and I have become more domesticated. We both can cook with Sasami's help, at least we don't burn water, and can cut a potato with some left to cook. Although Ryo-ohki does hide when I am taking my turn as cook.
Raising Mayuka, Tenchi's daughter, has given us skills we never had before. Between all of us she's getting a good education. Ayeka teaches her how to be a proper Juraian Princess. Sasami has taught her how to cook. I teach her the martial arts, although it's hard to teach someone as hardheaded as yourself. Grandfather has taught her the sword play routines of his youth. At least he did until she beat him at it! Even Washu lets her watch as she invents things. We wait to see if any of her mother comes out in her life, so we can channel it in other directions than evil, but living here has kept that from happening. Tenchi teaches us all how to live with others peacefully. It's sometimes amazing to me how in our lives we have become like a foundation wall for a house. All the bricks must be there in their place or the wall falls. We each have something to bring to the family that builds that foundation wall, though it took a long time to see and admit it. The drawing together of everyone to defeat Yugi, the fight on board the Souja, we could not have won without our individual talents pooled together.
Since our adventure with Haruna's world, Ayeka and I know each other as we never had before. We both know that the other is fully in love with Tenchi, and nothing will take that away from either of us so there's no sense in trying. It's become more of an acceptance that each of us can let the other be with him without storming out to see what is happening in some secluded place. Apparently that makes Tenchi's life a lot easier too. I still know Tenchi's word's when I pulled him from the crumbling, disappearing world of Haruna, "I can always count on you. You are the only one that understands me." I will always treasure them in my heart.
Mihoshi and Kiyone do live here now to help spread their police pay without having part-time jobs. But they are off on patrol quite often. Nobuyuki actually had an addition built so we had more rooms for everyone. I think it was just so he could have more beautiful young women around. He still gets the glazed eye look sometimes.
So the quiet days went, until Washu gave us some strange instructions one evening.
TWO:
A nice relaxing bath after a long day is good. The three of us were leaning back, discussing the day's affairs. I said that life had changed some for the household, and this was one of the better changes! At least Tenchi stopped having nosebleeds in the bath when we are around. A good, quiet time before the storms to come.
Washu appeared before us in one of her projections with a happy, "Good evening gang!" That greeting is usually not a good sign.
"Wow! Tenchi, I think I need to do another physical on you by the looks of things!" Raised eyebrows from Tenchi, and some sputtering.
"Never mind, that's for another day I guess. What I really need is to ask your help. There has been a large problem develop, and you three have been asked to help take care of it." Oh, joy.
"At numerous places around the galaxy, there are indications of strange changes in the actual fabric of space. My colleagues and I don't know what is causing the changes, but our figures indicate that if allowed to continue, the galaxy, and even this universe will disappear." Why do we always get in these situations?
"My colleagues and I concur that only the Power of Jurai can stop the growth of these areas. Not even the Galaxy Police sub-space projectors are of use to us. Because of the great need of people with Power of Jurai, you three have been asked to help out. It will be very dangerous for you. Remember the Emperor of Jurai died after using his power to help in the capture of Kain. This will involve the same power, only magnified many times. We are not telling you that you must go, but this could be the end of everything. My colleagues and I ask you to volunteer. What do you say?"
"Washu, why am I needed in this, I'm not from Jurai, and I don't have their power? What about Sasami?"
"Ryoko, you don't have the power that Tenchi and Ayeka do. You are different, but the power of the jewels is equal to Tenchi's. By joining them you multiply their power beyond what even they can do by themselves. Why do you think it takes the three of you to work in concert in the past? That's not by accident, it's your multiplying effect to them."
"Sasami can not go, she isn't ready in either body or spirit. Her assimilation with Tsunami is not complete yet. What you will be exposed to could hurt, or kill, her. Will you go, daughter?"
"I was only kidding around, you know I wouldn't let Ayeka go by herself with Tenchi. She just can't be trusted when they're alone. Who knows what she would be up to." That got an eyebrow raise and groan from Tenchi, and Ayeka 's look I hadn't seen in ages, then a wet rag flew across the pool at me. Sometimes it helps to add some excitement to a calm evening!
"Glad to hear it. Not that I ever had any doubts about any of you going. Now for the hard part."
"First, you need to leave immediately. Time has been against us, and many disturbances were detected, though not recently. We think they may all have been found. The largest disturbance is where you will be going, and it's a great distance from here."
"Second, you will be operating and coordinating with a fleet of other ships. You will follow their orders exactly, and immediately. Don't ask questions, just do what they tell you to do. They know what is needed."
"Third, you will not contact the other fleet. Under no circumstances will you talk to them, or go near them. They will tell you what is needed, and discussion is not required. This is most important, as they are operating as friends only. Understood?"
"Fourth, do not get in contact with any ship you may see. This is very important to this mission."
That got three blank looks for Washu.
"Don't contact a fleet of ships we know nothing about! Operating as friends! What's that? I didn't get to be the greatest known space pirate by going with rules like that. We need to know what we're walking in to. Just what kind of "friends" are these?"
"Miss Washu, I have to agree with Ryoko. This is not a way to work on a dangerous mission like this is. Can they be trusted?" Good observation, Ayeka.
"Washu, I trust what you say. If you, and whoever your colleagues are, say we have to work this way we'll do it." Dirty looks from two very damp ladies to Tenchi. But he's right, Washu never has led us wrong. But the two of us are still not happy.
So much for relaxing evening baths.
THREE:
We did leave as quickly as possible. This was the first time that we were going without Mayuka, and that felt strange. It's always better to have her along when you can see the wonder of new things reflected in her eyes. Sasami understood why she couldn't go, and promised to watch Mayuka. Mayuka, with her hands on her hips and a grimace with clenched teeth, said she was "big enough not to have a baby sitter, thank you!" I gave her the look right back, at least until she smiled, and I'm a sucker for her smile. I think she may have learned too much from me. Didn't help that the others were trying to stifle laughs with this performance.
Ryo-okhi was ready to go, and carried the environment for Ryu-oh, Ayeka's regrown ship-tree. A little green and water helps make a journey go easier. That's really true when your own ship was made as a pirate battleship, and didn't have frills built in.
As we left the earth's atmosphere Mihoshi and Kiyonie's patrol ship passed with a greeting to us on the view screen. Under Washu's order we didn't answer, and I hope she tells them why. It did seem strange that our Galaxy Police officers didn't know where we were going. Shouldn't they have been more frantic with the events? Mihoshi wasn't even excited, and that was a first.
Washu's "great distance" was a very great distance. In fact we would never have known where to find the target without her coordinates being correlated to areas inside normal space navigation sectors. This trip was one of the longest I've ever been on in one jump, and except for a shutter through the ship the first day out from earth, was normal. Even with her help we never could find what caused the shake to Ryo-ohki.
It wasn't hard not contacting other ships, we never detected another ship the entire trip. This really was beyond the normal space lanes. No stars nearby either, if something could be farther from anywhere we were at the center. It would have made a good hide-out in my pirating days.
For our part we used our time as a scientific expedition into new space. Hard to do much else, especially with Ayeka around, as Ryo-ohki doesn't have privacy built in. Of course she is thinking the same thing about me. I said the relationship had only changed some.
Finally the big day came, the target area was near, at least according to Washu's navigation records. But there was nothing to be seen.
Then the other ships appeared on our sensors.
FOUR:
Washu, what is this? The helpful "fleet" is showing up as only three ships! So much for your friendly colleagues and their information, this looks more like we are the main show here, or in deep trouble. Are there others that are still unseen? The old pirate "always look for an escape route" is firing my nerve ends.
We followed Washu's no communication order exactly. As we approached, the three unknown space ships held their positions. Finally we could get a visual on them, and it was a shock! They were huge, each looked bigger than the Emperor of Jurai's Palace Ship. But the design was somehow familiar. Juraian construction with an addition of something else, Ayeka said. To me it looked like parts of Ryo-ohki were added. But Washu had never duplicated Ryo-ohki. And nothing but menacing silence from them.
The view-screen coming on after all the quiet was a shock. Nothing but a static pattern and a mechanical voice. But the message got my interest up.
"Guardians of Earth! Do not approach closer. Go quickly to the location being fed to Ryo-ohki's navigation crystals. The anomaly is almost ready to break through into our space." A map appeared, showing a circular area with three red and one blue points of light. If those are our group of ships they aren't at equal distances around the circumference of the enclosed area. There is only one flashing blue dot and it is shown covering a much smaller area than the other three.
Ryo-ohki's crystals? How did they know that? Did Washu give them more information than she gave us?
"That was a little abrupt. I wonder who they really are, because this doesn't feel right to me." So Ayeka feels it too, this doesn't feel right to me either.
"Ryoko take control. Watch Ryo-ohki for problems. Both of you keep an eye out for anything. I feel something, but I can't quite get centered on it." Tenchi isn't happy with this, it's in his voice. At least Mihoshi isn't here with her insights, but for all we know she might finally come up with something useful.
The navigation screen showed we had reached the point shown. At the same time the unknown ships reached their designated points. What next? How about some directions here. The sensors showed something wrong with the area of space that we are on the edge of. The readings made no sense, could this be the expected anomaly?
Again the view screen opened up with the same static pattern and voice.
"Stand in the center of the control area. Lord Tenchi, place your sword on the deck, and all of you stand in a circle around it. Join hands and direct your powers at the anomaly. Don't break contact with each other what ever happens." Screen off.
We have never tried this before. I guess the joining of our powers like this was never needed before.
Hands joined, we could feel the power building up. Our clothing changed into our "battle" mode. And still the power grew. The sword lifted from the deck in front of us and ignited. The control deck was disappearing in a white-out of power. Direct the power to the anomaly. Develop more power, I can feel it coming into my arms from Tenchi and Ayeka. The glowing column before us is getting brighter, I can't see either of them now, only feel their presence. The power is greater, pain is starting to reach my body. Pain, glowing light. Pain, glowing light and ...darkness.
FIVE:
I hurt. Is it quiet, or has my hearing gone. Dark, no some light now, I still have eyes. What happened to us? Did we close the hole in space? Tenchi and Ayeka, where are they, I don't have their hands in mine now. I hear sound now. Gentle, soothing like water in a flowing stream. Focus on seeing. The light is brighter now.
"Lady Ryoko, drink the water of Jurai that is in front of you. You will recover quicker."
Water of Jurai? We don't have that on Ryo-ohki. Whose voice is that? The deck, I can feel it now, this doesn't feel like Ryo-ohki's deck! Where am I? Must reach out for the water. Wet, drink a handful. Feelings are coming back, my sight is growing better. Look around, Tenchi, Ayeka! There near me, I see them, but they are not moving! I feel stronger now, I must get to them, give them a drink, look for injuries. Where are we?
Must crawl to Tenchi. I see blood from his ear! Pour some water into his mouth. Ayeka, breathing, no visible sign of injury, get more water for her. I have my strength coming back. Stand up! Look around. This isn't Ryo-ohki, this is a Juraian ship interior, it must be one of the other ships. Cowled figures near by. Move, must protect Tenchi and Ayeka, they can't help themselves yet.
The figure on the right is coming toward us. Protect at all costs.
"Get back, stay away from them!" I'm standing guard over Tenchi and Ayeka, with my chi power blade lit. The figure stopped, but the central figure has motioned it to approach. Do they want a fight on their own ship? I'll give them one they won't forget.
Ayeka is sitting up, looking around now. She is recovering from the blackout, but still looks confused..
"Ayeka, check Tenchi, give him some more of the water. I'll hold them off, but hurry."
"Lady Ryoko, please calm yourself down. We wish you no harm, only to check Lord Tenchi's injury." The voice isn't mechanical, and it has a familiar female sound to it.
Ayeka is standing by me now, on guard as I am. Tenchi is awakening and groaning. Come on, get up Tenchi. Get up!
"Guardians of Earth, welcome to my ship. We are Sector Guardians that have been drawn together for the closing of the space hole. The joining has been successful with your help. If it hadn't worked, we, and this universe, would not be here now. Our thanks to you."
"Thanks! Just who are you? Where's our ship? I'm warning you to stay back. Ayeka, watch the others, I'll take care of this one. Tenchi, can you stand?"
The three of us are together now, watching. The closest "Guardian" has gotten too close for me. Attack!
"Ryoko, wait." Tenchi has held my arm from swinging the sword. The figure has stopped.
The "Guardian" closest to me turns to the central "Guardian." I hear a snicker from the direction of the third "Guardian."
"Sis, this isn't going to work. Mom's still trying to kill me!"
Laughing from "Guardian" number three. A sigh from number two. Pure shock on Tenchi's and Ayeka's faces. I'm numb, but still on guard.
The cowl is removed from the closest figure. Now I'm in shock! The face is Tenchi, but the hair is wild, like mine. Tenchi and Ayeka's faces are a sight, their eyes are about to pop out.
"Jeez, mom, will you put that sword away. I just want to check on father, if you don't mind."
Tenchi has dropped to the deck making stuttering noises. Ayeka is somewhere between shock and horror. I'm just in shock.
"Lady Ryoko, will you please let Nobuyuki take care of father? I can assure you he means no harm. The back wash of power affected you three more then we had calculated."
I couldn't move if I wanted to. Nobuyuki? Tenchi's father's name! Wait a minute, number two said "father" also, who is she?
"Miss Ryoko! What is the meaning of this? What have you and my Tenchi been up to behind my back. I'm going to get to the bottom of this right now!" The look on Ayeka's face I haven't seen in years, we burned up the motor on a bullet train once, looking at each other like that. Sparks could be coming from her eyes. Tenchi still hasn't recovered from seeing Nobuyuki.
"Thanks, Ayeka. I'm just as much in the dark as you are. I don't know what is going on, and my Tenchi and I don't have any children." Sparks from my eyes now, just like the old days.
"Yosho, go get your mother away from Aunt Ryoko, before they wreck the inside of my ship."
That got both our attentions. Ayeka is number three's mother! The cowl comes off and again it's Tenchi's face, but Ayeka's hair and eyes.
"All right Miss Priss, what have you been up to with my Tenchi?" The blush is priceless! Tenchi is stuttering faster now.
"Mother, we've always heard that you used to fight Aunt Ryoko all the time over father, but we never saw it before. I guess you weren't that quiet and controlled in the old days. Of course Mayuka has told us about Aunt Ryoko also."
Tenchi is at least standing now, but he is looking at his sons like they were ghosts. Unlike the first time we saw Mayuka, it can be seen by their faces to definitely be his sons.
"I've had enough of this. I think we are owed an explanation by you people. We don't have any children. And even if we did, they couldn't be your ages. So I'll just sit here and wait for your explanation." Crossing my legs and arms I just floated there. Nobuyuki did the same, except with a slight smile on his face, and watched me.
Tenchi decided he just wanted to lay on the deck. My poor Tenchi, I guess this was quite a shock to him. Ayeka sat looking at Yosho, and then Nobiyuki, and back again. I still haven't figured out person number 2, the one Nobiyuki called "Sis." Who does she belong to?
SIX:
It was Yosho that spoke first.
"Did you feel anything while on the trip to meet us? That would have been the transition from your time to ours. You are in the future now. And "right now " would not exist if you had not come."
"It was the truth that the anomalies that were detected by grandmother Washu could destroy space and time. It's just that she found them in our time and not yours."
"There were many discovered throughout space. So many that there were not enough Juraians with the power to stop their becoming reality." Nobuyuki that time.
"Mother decided to send back for you to come to us. We are too far out for anyone to notice that could ask questions. And only a couple of people in this time know about your being here. In fact, you don't know about this. Right now you're on the other side of the galaxy at one of the other rallying points. That is why you were told not to contact us." Who is this unknown guardian? That voice is somewhat familiar, and I'm getting a suspicion.
"Some of the points are much smaller than this was, yet 50 ships had to cover them. Ours was the largest, but it only took the six of us to stop the opening." Yosho again, this is like a volleyball game with the ball bouncing between the players.
"I don't understand. How did you gain this power, and why are you called Sector Guardians? How do we fit in this?" Good questions, Ayeka, but I think I know the answers already.
That's when the bigger surprise happened to us. Poor Ayeka, but she and I had seen this coming for some time.
SEVEN:
A view screen expanded just out of our sight. And the caller had an all too familiar voice.
"Achika, I trust that everything is all right with you children, and your guests."
Achika, the unknown sister, and named for Tenchi's mother, moved her cowl back and gave a huge grin,and a happy "Hello mommy," complete with a very happy Ryo-ohki on her head. So that's where she had gotten to. Achika's mother had taught her well, and Ryo-ohki took to her like she had to her mother years ago. I turned and saw Ayeka look at the view screen and then at Tenchi several times. What could I say but, "Hello, Sasami, or should it really be Tsunami now?"
"Hello, sisters, and my husband. I'm sorry we had to have this little surprise done this way, but it was necessary."
"Sasami! You are also married to Tenchi! My own sister!" At that point Ayeka was livid and almost couldn't talk with anger. But we had seen this coming since little Sasami had confessed that she didn't think she was the real Sasami. Her grown up beauty surpassed my own, and of course much more than Ayeka's.
"Ayeka, sister, I'm sorry but the decision really wasn't ours to make. Even though I loved Tenchi all those years you fought over him with Ryoko, it was not just us involved. The Royal Family on Jurai knew that Tenchi had powers beyond what any living person could call forth. Think about it, a mere boy who could make the Light-Hawk Wings without a ship tree! Our father, the Emperor, saw a chance and set events in motion to fulfill his wishes. Our mother and aunt Funaho did not want this to happen by design, but by letting you and Ryoko, and me, find our own lives without help or hindrance."
"The Emperor wanted you, Ayeka, to marry Tenchi to carry the family on. Your power combined with Tenchi's would converge in your children. It would become greater, much greater, than the Juraians had ever known before, and father wanted it for his use."
"He had never considered the other alternatives that could happen. Only our mothers could see that all of us were connected closer than even he could conceive. Tenchi loved all of us, and we truly loved him, we could not be separated in our lives. You and Ryoko were married to Tenchi under Juraian law first. When I became of proper age, I also wed Tenchi. These are our children. Each has power beyond anyone's understanding. Our parents didn't know about my assimilation with Tsunami. Achika controls powers that even she cannot feel completely yet. Yosho and Nobuyuki, with his gems, each are almost the equal of Achika. Any one of them could destroy a planet, or make one."
"As the children grew up and the Emperor found what they were capable of, he became worried. By his decree they were designated "Guardians" of different sectors in known space, to separate them from each other, and keep them away from the Royal Court. Not everyone was in favor of what they considered mutant children."
"Washu, with the approval of our mothers, Funaho and Misaki, gave our children what she would not give the Juraians. Their ships are the third generation of Juraian battleships, using Ryo-ohki and Juraian techniques. And they are even greater than Washu's own Souja.
"We four as a family were designated Guardians of Earth, and stay out of the mainstream of Juraian politics by living there. And I might add that we are happier then we have ever been before."
The silence on our part from these revelations was profound. Tenchi was holding his head, and mumbling something about being his fault. Ayeka and I were taking it all in, and had somehow moved closer to Tenchi and each other, as if protecting ourselves.
How could we have a question? What could we say? Then Sasami smiled her happy smile.
"Husband and sister Ryoko, I think there is one other small matter to be brought up for your attention! Well, Nobuyuki, what do you think?"
I'd seen Tenchi scratch behind his head many times when he was flustered and didn't know what to say. Seeing my own son do it started me laughing. I wasn't so oblivious to miss other figures materialize further back behind him though. That aged me fast! Then Ayeka started to giggle and make comments about "the old, old demon woman Tenchi was married to."
"Well, mom and dad, you see, er, Mayuka and I are married, and we, uh, have, uh. I hope you don't mind being grandparents, I know you are happy in our time."
"Nobuyuki, just tell them the baby's name. For heavens sake, you'd think you had never talked to them before. Mother, father, this is Keiko." Sounded like my Mayuka all right.
A small version of Mayuka, that barely came above my knee, stalked over and jutted her chin out. Looking me up and down, she turned around to her parents and said in all gravity,"I don't see fire coming from grandmother's eyes! She's not even shooting laser beams from her hands like grandmother Ayeka says." Ayeka is blushing again behind the grin.
Narrowing my eyes, and gritting my teeth, a small lightning ball formed in my hands as I looked at Ayeka and asked little Keiko if she would like to see some of her grandmother's old habits in action. Keiko was jumping up and down in excitement to see what I could do! My son and daughter were shouting "go for it, mom!" Achika was shouting not to damage her ship, and Yosho just stood there with a calm, quiet look like his great-grandfather does. Tenchi finally jumped into the middle and stopped all the fun. The ice was broken, we really are one family and with smiles everyone came over for more personal greetings. Although it does feel odd to talk to your children, that haven't been born yet!
Washu managed to stop all our "reunion" fun, in her usual straight forward way. Appearing before us, as a projection, with a happy, "Hello everyone!", she did have to break up the party. But at least we found out that all of our future selves were okay after the destruction of the holes in space. Apparently our Tenchi still doesn't have full use of his power, and that's why he was knocked out for so long afterward. The "now" Tenchi went through everything unscathed. Unlike the Emperor that died using his powers to capture Kain, our power surpassed his limits by so much that we were not hurt.
The time came for leave taking. We had to go back to our earth and time. The kids needed to return to their areas. This was as much as a reunion for them as it was for us. Washu had one more thought for us also.
"As you know from your last trip back in time, you cannot keep your memories of this. As you return to Ryo-ohki your memory will be cleared of this happy little episode. In fact I think the time has come right now!"
EIGHT:
Tenchi, Ayeka, and I were standing in the control area of Ryo-ohki, looking out at the great ships before us on the view screen. Had something happened? The last I remember was a flash of light, and now just standing here. Did we accomplish what we came for?
Suddenly the unknown ships began to move apart, and disappear into space. A last a message came over the screen, accompanied by the figure of a robed and cowled figure without a visible face.
"Thank you Guardians of Earth! You have done well, and all peoples will sing your name. Return now to your home. Good bye."
"Lord Tenchi, what happened? This is it? We did something and it made a difference?"
Tenchi's face showed total confusion. "I don't know Ayeka. But I feel different inside somehow. Ryoko, how about you?
"Okay with me." Except for a little tickle at the edge of my memory, I guess I'm all right.
Tenchi shook his head as if to get rid of a dream. "Ryo-ohki, let's go back home. I just can't figure what we did here."
NINE:
It was another long journey back. We filled it with talk, and just being by ourselves without much to do, like a vacation. One thing that was a little different was the feeling of being even closer to each other then we had before. Not a bad feeling actually.
After our return, Washu informed us that in fact we had helped turn the tide in the destruction of the space anomaly holes, and this was confirmed by her "colleagues." Tenchi and Ayeka wished they could remember what had happened. I said the same thing, but Washu looked at me with a small smile when I said it.
Several weeks later I was sitting on the top of the shrine portal, watching the sun set. A noise beside me announced the arrival of Washu.
"Well, you look deep in thought. Anything the universe's greatest scientist can help you with?"
"Washu, can our dreams come true?"
A slight smile came to her face, and she spoke in her mother voice. "Can the unknown come true? Who knows, sometimes it can. But can the known be true? Always, daughter."
She knows my secret, I guess because she has always said she knows my true heart.
On the trip back the tickle on the edge of my memory became greater. You see, I am different from the others, and my power comes from another source. My memory came back. And I remember the last sight I saw before being transported from Achika's ship, was of a wild haired young man waving to me, with a happy "See you later Mom." Tenchi's and my son.
Truth.