Disclaimer: Characters and concepts from "Tenchi Muyo!" are Copyright AIC and Pioneer LDC. This work is a parody and not to be used for any commercial purposes.
Foreword: This story is based on some of the events of "A Visitor From Afar", the first episode of the OVA Season III. (But it's not necessary to see the episode.) It assumes a gap of several days between Ryo-Ohki's getting lost in the woods, and the arrival of Tennyo.
All's Fair in Love
The gray light of dawn illuminated but did not warm the figures by the lake's edge. The former space pirate and the Juraian princess stood back to back, grim determination showing in their rigid postures. Each was dressed in white ruffled shirts, close-fitting black pants, and black boots. The genius scientist faced the pair, dressed in a black top hat and coat. To either side stood the remainder of the group, including the anxious-looking object of the rivalry. They also wore dark clothing of two-century-old style, suitable for a somber occasion.
"The duelists and seconds all being present," Washu announced, "I shall state the rules once more, so that there is no chance of a misunderstanding. At my signal, you will each begin to walk. I will count off exactly twenty paces. At the twentieth, and not before, you will turn and fire. There will be no teleportation or shields. May victory go to the brave." She paused to make sure she had been understood.
"This is lunacy!" Tenchi protested.
"But they both agreed to it." Mihoshi pointed out.
"Are you ready?" Washu's question carried through the still air.
"Ready." the two antagonists echoed, raising their antique pistols to the vertical.
"Then begin! --one!" Washu started her count.
Ryoko started off on her left foot, straining her hearing to sense the length of her opponent's stride. I must not fail, she thought, everyone is watching.
"--four!--five!" came Washu's voice, becoming more distant but still clear.
Ryoko mentally checked her grip on the pistol butt. It felt a little unfamiliar, but she had learned to use a large variety of weapons during her days as a space pirate.
"--eight!--nine!"
There was still a light mist coming from the glass-like surface of the lake. Good, Ryoko thought, that should make aiming more difficult. But not for me.
"--thirteen!--fourteen!"
The grass was a little damp from the morning dew, Ryoko saw. She would have to be careful not to slip when she swiveled around to fire.
"--seventeen!--eighteen!"
Now she could estimate the spot where she would turn. The ground was level.
"--nineteen!"
Everything was going perfectly. Ryoko knew exactly where her foe would be. She let her combat instincts take over.
"--Twenty!"
In a blur of motion, Ryoko spun around on her heel, bringing the pistol down even as her finger began to squeeze the trigger. The crack of the shot and the kick of the recoil told her that the gun had sent its load on the precise trajectory to hit between Ayeka's eyes.
Which meant, of course, that she missed completely.
The instant after she realized this, she felt the impact of the other projectile square on her abdomen. In shock, she stood immobile as the red stain slowly spread across her white shirt.
"I did it!" Sasami held the pistol above her head and jumped in delight. After a few bounces, a concerned look crossed her face. "Ayeka, are you going to be able to get that stain out?"
"Well, of course!" Washu jumped in before the First Princess of Jurai and Masaki house laundress could reply. "When I create a paintball, you can be sure every detail has been thought out!"
"Too used to . . . fighting with . . . " Ryoko moaned.
"Great!" Sasami was all smiles again. "I know how much thought you put into these outfits, Ayeka."
"I was happy to do it, Sasami." Ayeka replied. And I just had to see how Tenchi looked in regency-style formal wear , she added silently.
The blue-haired duelist trotted back to the group. She blew the last wisp of smoke from the barrel of her weapon, returned it to the velvet-lined case, and then turned to claim the fruits of her victory. "Come on, Ryo-Ohki!"
"Myaa!" The toddler-formed cabbit took Sasami's hand, and the two headed back towards the house.
"Aw, man…" whimpered Ryoko.
It had started, strangely enough, with Ryoko agreeing to help Sasami find Ryo-Ohki. Tracking down the cabbit was simplicity itself, thanks to their link, but Ryoko hadn't wanted to let her go. Not only had Ryoko given Ryo-Ohki a bath, she had sat the toddler on her lap and fed her dinner, given rides until bedtime, and even taken the cabbit into her room to sleep. This had left Sasami without Ryo-Ohki for the entire night, and although the princess had spent an enjoyable evening letting her elder sister brush her hair and otherwise pamper her, something was missing.
Knowing Ryoko's fondness for sleeping late, Sasami had sneaked into the former space pirate's room and lured Ryo-Ohki out with a dish of carrots and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. But eventually Ryoko woke up, and found the cabbit missing from her room.
Tenchi was just starting on the last row of carrots when the faint cries came to his ears. The sound was coming from the woods beyond the section he had tilled the day before. Dropping his hoe, he dashed off to see what was the matter.
Half a minute later, he came to a stop under the tallest tree. Above him was Sasami, struggling wildly but suspended in mid-air. A rope came down from one of the higher branches, and was wrapped several times around the young princess' waist. She couldn't reach any knots or get a solid enough grip to climb back up.
"Sasami?" Tenchi called up to the blue-haired girl. "What happened?"
"Tenchi! Please get me down!" She pleaded.
The tree would have been difficult to climb for an ordinary human, but Tenchi found that his grandfather's training allowed him to leap from branch to branch. Arriving at the place where the rope was tied to the tree, he began to haul Sasami up. Fortunately she was light enough so that he could manage. After some labor, he brought Sasami up to where she could grab the branch and pull herself up. Then it was a matter of untying the knot and unwrapping the rope.
"So how did this happen?" asked Tenchi.
"Ryoko!" Sasami answered. "Today should have been my turn to be with Ryo-Ohki. She had all yesterday and all night!"
"You mean Ryoko left you up in this tree?"
"Yes! And worse, she grabbed Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami smoothed out her dress from where the rope had bunched it, and then stood straight with an unstoppable determination in her face. Tenchi was reminded as never before that this was Ayeka's sister. "Of course, she must realize that this means WAR."
A short time later, Sasami was back at the house in the room she shared with her older sister. Ayeka had looked appalled when Sasami told her what Ryoko had done, but her attitude had soon changed to excitement.
"I knew this day would come!" declared the First Princess of Jurai. "At last, that monster-woman has shown her true nature, preying on defenseless girls! But now, you and I can join together and cleanse the Masaki household--"
"Thank you for the offer, big sister," Sasami cut in, "but I need to do this on my own." She had taken off the dress she was wearing and was changing into overalls.
"But ... Sasami..." Ayeka was dumfounded.
"Two against one is unfair," Sasami pointed out while gathering up a long coil of twine, "and I don't want the rest of the family to see this as another squabble between you two. Oh, may I borrow your gardening gloves?"
"Uh, all right . . ." Ayeka answered, still finding her bearings.
"Thanks a lot." The younger princess took the gloves out of the cylindrical container and drew them on. "Gambaru!" she proclaimed, and marched out of the room.
A few moments later Tenchi walked by the open doorway. He noticed that Ayeka was dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, and that her cheeks were wet. "Miss Ayeka? What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
"It is nothing, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka turned to face him, and he saw that the princess had a wistful smile on her face. "My little sis doesn't need me any more."
( To Be Continued . . . )
Trivial Afterword: "Gambaru" literally means "I'll work hard" but is better translated as "I'm giving it my best shot". It applies to oneself, as opposed to "Gambare", which is much more common, and is used to cheer friends on. I had originally written that Sasami shouts "Banzai", but this literally means "ten thousand years (of life)" and means that one's actions are to honor the emperor of Japan.