INVASION, Volume 2, Part 1: Encounter with Fate.

DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to the characters or story. I'm only doing this because I love the whole series and enjoy writing stories about the characters. I only ask that no changes be made to this story, as it took me a great deal of time to write it.

FOREWORD: Ah. So we're finally into Volume 2. It's time for the inevitable quick review. Tenchi and gang had a strange little adventure out in the neighborhood of planet Jurai, in which Ryoko convinced Tenchi to return her gems.

On the romantic side, Tenchi appears to be leaning in the direction of Ryoko. Let's see if I can do something about that. Maniacal laughter can be heard in the background.

This Volume is my idea of what could happen in OVA 3. Mr. Kajishima mentioned a new character tentatively named "Z". He should be plainly evident in this story. Please let me know what you think of this guy! I'm very interested in your opinions about him.

AUTHOR: Dreamr

FINAL REVISION: 14 June 2002

E-MAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com

BEGIN CHAPTER 1.

Aeka did not agree with Tenchi's decision to send Ryoko out to buy supplies for the spring festival at the Masaki Shrine. She tried to reason with him as they carried boxes up the shrine steps.

"Lord Tenchi, I have serious doubts about sending Ryoko into town by herself."

"Why not?" Tenchi asked. "Ryoko's always just loafing around, so I thought we should get her to help out a little."

"Well, that's fine. But you gave her money!"

"Actually," Tenchi pointed out, "Grandpa gave her the money."

"Lord Tenchi, you know what she will spend it on."

Indeed, Tenchi did know what Ryoko might spend the grocery money on: Sake.

"Aeka, if we don't give Ryoko some responsibility, she'll never become, well, responsible. Besides, the only other thing to do was carry these boxes up to the shrine. That's too easy."

"I see. So you trust Ryoko with more responsibility than me."

Tenchi gave a startled look to Aeka.

"What, are you kidding?"

The corner of Aeka's mouth twitched slightly, giving her away. Tenchi realized that that was exactly what Aeka was doing.

"Ha-ha. Yeah, funny."

Aeka giggled.

Ryoko walked the streets of Okayama. She would have preferred to fly to the market, but Tenchi had expressly forbidden her from using her powers in town. For the time being, Ryoko would take a leisurely stroll through town. If she went for a short flight, what Tenchi did not know would not hurt him. Ryoko arrived at the place Tenchi had directed her to.

"Here it is." She yanked the glass pane door open. Looking left then right, Ryoko saw the small store had only a half-dozen aisles, though the shelves were tall and well stocked. She quickly zipped up and down the aisles, her feet barely touching the ground as she collected the items required. Before long, Ryoko's arms were full, but the list of items was only half filled.

"Shit. Now what do I do?"

"Excuse me." A male voice asked from behind her. "You look like you could use some help."

Ryoko turned around to tell whoever it was to get lost.

"I don't need any..."

Her voice caught in her throat. Although the guy bore only a passing resemblance to Tenchi, he was incredibly good-looking. He had close-cropped brown hair, which was what created the resemblance. His most striking feature was his ice-blue eyes. She felt like his eyes were looking right into her soul. She finished her sentence a little less aggressively than it had started.

"...help."

He stared at her for a few moments before speaking again.

"You're... beautiful."

"Huh?"

A jar of mayonnaise slipped from Ryoko's arms and shattered against the hard floor with a loud crash. The smashing glass shook both of them from their current state of mind. The man smiled and held out a shopping basket.

"Here."

Ryoko looked him in the face and told him what she thought of his offer.

"And what exactly am I supposed to do with that?"

The guy's smile faltered. He looked at Ryoko's full arms and realized his mistake.

"Ah, right." He changed his grasp on the basket, holding it on the sides so Ryoko could put her items inside.

"How's this?"

Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she tried to discern this person's game. He was not asking for a date, which was what usually happened when she went into town by herself. An eggplant began to slip from her grasp.

"Damn it." Ryoko leaned over the basket and opened her arms, dropping the various vegetables and condiments into it. She quickly grabbed a hold of the basket and pulled it from the guy's hands. He did not seem to mind her brusque behavior.

"May I ask your name?"

"No." Ryoko answered without pause.

He seemed momentarily taken aback by Ryoko's refusal. He quickly recovered, laughing.

"That's a first. Usually I at least get to ask a lady her name." His smile reasserted itself. "I am Zakaraia." He offered, bowing deeply.

Ryoko took the opportunity to leave. She made it around the end of the aisle before Zakaraia could straighten. Through the tall shelves Ryoko could hear him laughing to himself. She decided if he hit on her again she would have to get forceful. Luckily for him, he took the hint.

Ryoko looked down upon the shrine grounds from her perch atop the Masaki Shrine. Below her the festival-goers milled around, talking about nothing and generally enjoying themselves. She watched as Aeka and Sasami walked by. Aeka's head swiveled back and forth every few seconds as if she were looking for someone. Ryoko cackled to herself. Aeka would not find Tenchi at this festival. He had gone to bed early again, foregoing the annual festivities for a more restful pursuit.

"Speaking of pursuit..." Ryoko thought to herself. "I feel frisky. Mmm... And tonight's a good night."

Tenchi would be alone in the house. Everyone else was at the festival. Ryoko laughed again, this time a little lower.

"I'm coming for you, Tenchi. Or, at least, I will be."

Ryoko pushed herself to her knees, then sat back with her arms outstretched, giving her chest and hips a good stretch.

"Thanks for the show." A half-remembered male voice spoke from behind her. Ryoko flipped over so quickly she nearly rolled off the roof.

A very attractive man stood easily on the spine of the shrine roof. He seemed completely at ease on his precarious perch. Cradled in one arm was a large bouquet of flowers; red roses, no less. Now that Ryoko had a face to match the voice to, she remembered who stood before her. It was Zakaraia.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to see you." He answered simply.

"Right." Ryoko suspiciously acknowledged. "And just how did you get up here?"

"The same way you did, I imagine." Zakaraia's confident smile was firmly in place.

"Ha! You wish!" Ryoko ridiculed him.

"Actually," Zakaraia clarified, "my only wish is for you to tell me your name."

Zakaraia's sweet-tongued talk was beginning to wear on Ryoko's patience. She had more important things to do.

"Why don't you get lost?" She suggested to him. The response was quick and biting.

"I have a good sense of direction."

Ryoko shot an energy bolt into the roof just in front of Zakaraia's feet. The roof burst apart, filling the air with dust and smoke.

"Find your way out of that, pretty-boy." Ryoko stood up, ready to administer a solid whooping in the strange event he could not understand her lack of interest. She got a major surprise when, as the dust started to clear, she saw Zakaraia floating in mid-air over the hole she had made. A light breeze pushed the dust around his shield-barrier. Zakaraia's eyes glimmered with excitement.

"Very cool. I like a girl with spirit."

"You're gonna be a spirit when I get through with you!" Ryoko charged through the air, her fist cocked back and ready to deliver. Zakaraia dodged away just in time to avoid her attack. The roses, unfortunately, were not so lucky. Red petals went flying everywhere, creating an eerily surrealistic atmosphere.

Ryoko spun in mid-air as she powered up an energy burst. Instead of Zakaraia, there was only slowly settling rose petals.

"Teleportation?" Ryoko wondered. With sudden realization, she zipped backwards through the air just in time to avoid an energy attack from above. The wayward shot hit the ground, sending a spray of earth and stone into the air. She fired back just as quickly. Her retaliatory strike engulfed her attacker in smoke and flames.

"So much for that!" Ryoko was just starting to congratulate herself, when Zakaraia suddenly emerged from the cloud of smoke at an impressive rate of acceleration. Before she could even consider an evasive tactic, he slammed into her midsection, driving them both into the ground. Dirt and earth flew into the air, creating another dust cloud.

As the dust cloud expanded outward, a lonely figure silently walked towards the center. A Shinto priest of about sixty years with grey hair and beard strode casually through the dust to settle the dispute in a calm and orderly fashion. In Tenchi's absence, his Grandfather, Katsuhito, would occasionally act as the authority figure in regards to the girls' behavior.

Ryoko found herself held down by Zakaraia's strong grip. She tried teleporting, only to find the ability would not function. She squirmed in his grasp, trying to find a weakness, all the while staring vehemently at him.

"Now that I have your complete attention, would you care to tell me your name?"

"You really are pathetic if you don't know who I am." Ryoko spat her words out.

"Well, I have my theories. But since you lost so easily, I'm beginning to think I was wrong."

Ryoko grinned from ear to ear.

"Why don't I show you just how wrong you really are?"

"Ryoko!" Katsuhito called to her. "It is not considered a good omen when demons suddenly appear at a Shinto festival. I'd appreciate it if you refrained from summoning here. I'm sure Tenchi would be very disappointed if the festival were ruined by such an occurrence."

"Looks like you just got a reprieve." Ryoko taunted Zak.

"It's true!" he exclaimed. "You really are Ryoko!"

She looked up at him in surprise. All of a sudden the guy was practically worshiping her.

"Excuse me, young man." The attendant priest interrupted. "Young ladies generally don't appreciate being pinned to the ground. Do you mind?"

"Oh. Of course." Zakaraia immediately leaned back onto his knees, allowing Ryoko to stand. Her first act upon rising was to clock Zakaraia in the mouth.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?"

"That's for groping me."

"I was not groping you!"

"Well, you had it coming for yesterday."

Aeka's voice cut through the rapidly dissipating dust.

"Where is that despicable woman? I know she must be behind this!" As Aeka waved at the dust flying in her face, she caught sight of the guilty parties.

"I knew it! There you are, causing trouble again!"

"What are YOU talking about?" Ryoko claimed. "While you were off gossiping with the locals, I was defending the safety of the shrine against this intruder." She pointed at the new-comer.

Zakaraia sheepishly pointed at himself.

"Who, me?"

Another voice cut through the dust.

"Hey! Is everybody all right?" Tenchi ran through the cloud, Master Key in hand.

"Tenchi-i-i!" Ryoko screeched at the top of her impressively powerful lungs. She teleported behind him, pretending to hide. "That mean guy tried to hurt me!"

"Huh?"

"I did not." Zakaraia explained. "If I had wanted to hurt you I would have."

"Bullshit!" Ryoko suddenly yelled from behind Tenchi, who sighed, beginning to understand what was going on. Realizing she had blown her cover, Ryoko pasted a very fake looking smile to her face, demonstrating to Tenchi how very sincere she wished to appear.

"Grandpa, what's going on?" Tenchi asked, seeing he was not going to get a straight answer out of Ryoko.

"I'm not quite sure. Why don't we all go down to the house and talk about it? I'm sure this young man has much he wishes to explain, hmm?" Katsuhito watched the object of his statement out of the corner of his eye.

"Sure." Zakaraia offered. "Oh. Sorry about the shrine. I'll help fix it. Hmm, in fact, there's a contractor in town that owes me a favor. I can get him to work on it for free."

As Zakaraia put on his best "mea culpa" face, he glance in Ryoko's direction and winked.

Ryoko's grip on Tenchi tightened a bit as she realized this guy was not going to be dissuaded with words, or by violence.

"You're how old?"

"Oh, somewhere around seventy-five." Zak answered from his place on the left couch in the Masaki house's main room.

Most of the family seemed impressed by the fact of Zak's age.

"Oh, that's no biggie." Washu explained. "There are several long-lived raced in this galaxy alone. The Juraians are only one of them." She looked at Zak. "If you want, I could do a few tests and figure out where you're from."

"Nah." Zak declined. "It doesn't really matter. I've lived most of my life on Earth. This is my home, now."

Aeka continued the questioning.

"You said 'most' of your life. How did you arrive here?"

"Well, that's a longer story. Hmm..." He considered where to start. "The truth is..." he paused for effect, "I'm a mercenary."

That drew some raised eyebrows.

"Or, at least, I used to be, until I crashed here. At the time I was contracted to chase down a loan shark. The guy skipped town with a bunch of money that didn't belong to him and the, ah, lender was willing to pay a smaller amount to retrieve him."

"I see." Aeka said. "So you're a bounty hunter for the mob."

"Was! Was!" Zak gestured emphatically, defending himself. "I make a living now fixing consumer electronics! People's stuff is always breaking and they need someone to fix it. It pays well and it's a lot less dangerous. That last job almost got me killed. Turns out that loan jumper was actually working for a rival family. When his associates showed up to pick him up, they shot the hell out of my ship. I crashed in New Mexico about fifty years ago."

Katsuhito started chuckling.

"So that's how that rumor got started."

The others looked at him curiously. Seeing that he was the only one privy to this tasty tidbit, he explained for the benefit of everyone listening.

"This world's first reasonably documented sighting of an unidentified flying object, or UFO, was back then in a little place in America call Roswell, New Mexico. There was a big conspiracy theory about the whole thing.

"That's it!" Zak agreed. "They found the wreckage of my ship, but there definitely weren't any little green men."

"So the mystery is solved!" Mihoshi exclaimed.

"Not quite." Washu went on. "I was under the impression Ryoko was the only one around with powers like you have. You always been that way?"

"Now that's the weird part. I was just a normal person until the crash. I woke up, and found myself unhurt. I walked through the scrub-lands for days, thinking I was going to die. Somehow I made it to civilization none the worse for wear. I had no food, water, or shelter. I already had martial arts experience. So I integrated my new powers with them to pass the time while I made a new life for myself."

Ryoko finally butted in.

"If you're such a good fighter, how come you just used your powers when we fought?"

"Aw, I was just having some fun."

"Well, quit wasting your time. I don't impress easily."

"Oh? You seem pretty impressed with Tenchi."

"That's none of your business!" She shouted at him while Tenchi sat, quietly blushing. Zak grinned the entire time, apparently enjoying the verbal jousting match.

Aeka sat just as quietly as her sister. However, she was watching more than listening. Her time in the imperial court had taught her how to learn a great deal more about a person's true motives by what they did with their body, rather than their words. Zakaraia, or Zak as he said he preferred, spoke volumes more with his body than his voice. His body language said he had things he kept hidden as he spoke with most of the family. Aeka neither saw nor heard any reason to disbelieve his claims of past history. Everyone had certain secrets they would rather keep hidden.

On the other hand, he was much more at ease when he addressed Ryoko. He was making it obvious he was attracted to her. Why, was beyond Aeka. However, this could work to her advantage in the long run. An idea slowly began spinning around in her mind. Indeed, this could work out very well for everyone. Aeka decided she had no concrete evidence to disbelieve Zak for the time being.

"Well," She began her endorsement, "it seems Zakaraia certainly has an interesting past. It's good to know he has seen the error of his ways and decided to become an upstanding member of society on this planet. I understand you even volunteered to repair the damage to the shrine on behalf of our resident troublemaker."

Ryoko shot Aeka a nasty glare.

"Who are you calling 'troublemaker'? You do just as much damage as I do!"

"Only because you don't respond to reason. If you were not so ridiculously over powered, such tactics would not be necessary."

"I think my powers are just right for crushing little princesses like you."

"Oh, yes. You are so powerful that my family still continues to rule the Jurai Empire after thousands of years." Aeka taunted Ryoko.

"Wait a minute." Zak interrupted. He paused for a moment when he noticed Sasami, Mihoshi, and Tenchi all gesturing at him as if he should not get between them.

"WHAT?" Aeka and Ryoko snapped at him.

"Ah, heh. Um, are you saying, you're Juraian royalty?"

"Her?!" Ryoko lambasted the princess. "She just a stuck-up little princess!"

"Yes, I am royalty. As are my sister and brother."

"Oh, I see." Zak nodded. "You certainly do resemble the children of Funaho and Misaki." Zak said, mistaking Aeka as Funaho's daughter.

"Actually," Katsuhito jumped in, "the Prince Yosho was our ancestor. Aeka, therefore, likes to think of me as her brother."

Aeka shrewdly avoided looking at her brother. He apparently wanted his identity to stay a secret from this person, so she obliged him.

"Yes, that is the case." She agreed. "However, you have made one mistake. Sasami and I are both the daughters of Misaki Jurai."

Zak looked back and forth, trying to understand why they looked so different. Taking advantage of Zak's confusion, Ryoko used the opening to harass Aeka some more.

"No, it's not a wig. I thought the same thing at first, too." She leaned around Tenchi and pulled Aeka's hair. "See?"

"Ow!" Aeka yelled in pain. "You witch! How dare you! She then lean around Tenchi to do the same to Ryoko. They fell off the back of the couch and started fighting. A cloud of dust bunnies surrounded them so that only the occasional elbow or fist was visible as they went at it, hand-to-hand.

Tenchi put his head in his hands and groaned.

Zak watched, first in surprise, then in amusement. He started to laugh. The laugh went from amusement to hilarity in no time. He was soon sliding off the couch, laughing like a hyena.

"I'm a Galaxy Police Detective!" Mihoshi suddenly announced.

"You're... kidding!" Zak exclaimed between gut wrenching bouts of laughter.

His laughter soon became contagious as Sasami finally lost control and started laughing as well. Mihoshi soon followed their example. Tenchi groaned again.

"Why am I the only one who doesn't find this funny?"

Getting into the spirit of things, Washu moved next to Tenchi.

"Tenchi, dear. Everyone else is so preoccupied right now that they can't help me with my experiments. You still haven't given me that sample I need."

"No." He declined.

"Please?" Washu pleaded, batting her cute little eyes. "It's for science."

"Grandpa, help!" Tenchi cried over his shoulder.

"Oh, no, Tenchi. You invited them to stay, so..." Katsuhito flattened himself against the wall as Aeka and Ryoko rolled by, pulling and clawing at each others' hair. "...they're your responsibility. I expect you to take good care of them."

Zak continued to extol the virtues of a good laugh.

"Oh, this is rich! The first Princess of the Jurai Royal Family and the Devil Caller Ryoko are rolling around on the floor tearing each others' hair out! I wish I had a camera!"

Nobuyuki made his presence known when he popped up from the basement with a video camera in hand.

"Hey, Zak! Are you into cameras?" He asked as he caught the moment on tape.

Zak looked at him and busted out laughing again.

"Oh, God, stop it! You're killing me!"

Ryoko popped up behind Tenchi.

"Good!" She shook her fist at her would be paramour. Her long hair shook with the force of it. "Maybe you'll die and leave me the hell alone!"

Aeka's hands suddenly grabbed Ryoko, dragging her down behind the couch with a cry.

"Get back here, devil-woman! I'm not through with you yet!"

"Waah!"

The dust cloud grew in size.

Meanwhile, Washu had managed to tie up Tenchi and was dragging him towards the lab door. She had already donned her nurse's outfit in anticipation.

"Ooh! We're going to have so much fun playing doctor!"

"Somebody help!" Tenchi called.

Suddenly, Ryo-o-ki jumped on his stomach.

"Ryo-o-ki! Please help me!" Tenchi pleaded.

Ryo-o-ki hissed and spat at Washu, defending Tenchi as best she could.

Washu looked at the cabbit innocently.

"What?"

Katsuhito Masaki watched as the workers made repairs and improvements to the Masaki Shrine. Zak had kept his word on helping to fix the damages incurred during his fight with Ryoko. The priest knew full-well Ryoko had actually made the hole in the roof. One did not usually call in favors or make major financial contributions to their local religious institution just to gain the fancy of a girl. Especially one so unlikely to switch interests as Ryoko. Ah, well. At least the shrine was getting some much needed improvements.

Strolling down the steps to the Masaki home, Katsuhito breathed in the late-spring air. The mornings were getting warmer and the afternoons hotter. Soon it would be summer. Another big change would soon be upon the Masaki family. Tenchi would (hopefully) graduate from high-school in a month. He had spoken with Nobuyuki and Tenchi last fall regarding his grandson's future. They had agreed there simply was no way for Tenchi to attend college. While his grades were still good enough to get into any number of respectable colleges, the money simply was not there. Having so many mouths to feed drained the family finances at every opportunity.

The former prince hated to think of it, but Tenchi was starting to remind him of himself at his age; tired and stressed from too much worry over family matters, with no end in sight. He could remember their discussion about the finances. Once presented with the hard evidence, Tenchi had had to accept that he would not be going to college unless he could obtain a full scholarship. Such scholarships were rare and highly prized. Many prospective students vied for such honors and only a select few ever received them.

Tenchi had applied for every scholarship he could. Unfortunately, his formerly outstanding grades had suffered in the last two years. His teachers indicated Tenchi's frequent absences and reduced motivation seemed to be the cause. His performance was above average, yet, insufficient if he wanted to continue to post-secondary education in today's financial environment.

A number of smaller scholarships and grants had been made available to Tenchi. But they proved insufficient for his needs. Without some family contribution, it just was not enough. As Tenchi began to grudgingly accept that he would not be able to follow his peers to college, his pleasant and strong character changed. He became more depressed and resentful of the girls' presence. He knew if they had not been there, he would have been able to do the things he wanted. Tenchi wished to make something of himself, as his father and grandfather had. Now he would be relegated to the status of babysitter and farmer, just as he had feared.

"Hmm." Katsuhito rumbled to himself. Something had to be done.

"Perhaps the academy..." He contemplated the possibility for a moment before dismissing it. "Get your head out of the clouds, old man. As if the girls will ever let Tenchi go so far away."

On his way down, Katsuhito passed Aeka, who was on her way up.

"Good morning, Brother." She chimed brightly.

"Oh, good morning, Aeka. Out for a walk, are you?"

"It's such a wonderful morning," Aeka explained, "I just couldn't help going out for a walk."

"Here is someone who can appreciate the importance of a good education." The concerned grandfather thought to himself. He stared at Aeka long enough for her to notice.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I was just thinking how much I would like to join you for your walk."

Aeka's smile grew even brighter. They walked for quite some time, catching up, and talking of things long remembered before Aeka carefully broached a more personal topic.

"Brother, may I ask a personal question?"

"Certainly. What's on your mind?"

"I was wondering. Why did you chase after Ryoko?"

"Certainly you already know the answer to that question."

"No, I don't believe I do. Originally, I thought it was to punish her for causing so much destruction and misery. But..." Aeka stopped walking.

"Brother, I know you have secrets. We all have things we wish to keep to ourselves. But, please tell me. Was the thought of becoming my husband so distasteful?"

Katsuhito gave serious thought to what his sister was asking of him. She was an adult, now. He felt that she could handle the truth concerning his earlier years. However, out in the open was no the place to discuss personal issues.

"Why don't we go inside? We can sit and have a drink while we talk."

"Excellent idea. It is getting warmer."

They adjourned to the Shinto shrine, where Katsuhito poured them both some sake.

"So, my sister wishes to know what I was up to, eh?"

"Yosho, although I was a little young at the time, I do remember going to visit you at the academy once. You seemed so displeased at seeing me. I was nearly heart-broken. You didn't even have the common decency to introduce me to you friend."

Aeka's brother inwardly groaned as she described the time she had gone to see him and arrived at a very inopportune moment. Unfortunately, he had reacted rather poorly at being interrupted while he was with Airi. However, in this time of questioning, there were also opportunities.

"Aeka, I've been considering Tenchi's future at great length in recent months."

His sister blinked at the abrupt change of subject.

"So you won't tell me."

"He seems rather upset, lately."

Aeka showed a frown.

"That is certainly understandable considering he has a demon infesting his home."

He gave Aeka a stern look.

"Tenchi is upset because five alien women have absorbed the money his father saved for his college education."

That got Aeka's attention.

"I'm sorry." She hung her head. "I wish there was something I could do."

Katsuhito's eyes glimmered.

"I tell you what. I'll make you a deal."

Aeka looked up.

"There is still an excellent university Tenchi could attend. But, if I suggest it, I get the feeling he'll think I'm trying to get rid of him. If it came from you..."

"But, why would he listen to me any more than you?"

The priest's answer was simple.

"Galaxy Academy."

Aeka stared at him for a moment, then looked out the window. After a moment, she looked down at her sake, then drained it.

"Why would I suggest such a thing?" She asked, setting her cup on the small table between them.

"If you do this favor for me, I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

Aeka considered the offer for some time, as well as her own feelings for Tenchi, before giving her answer.

"Very well."

Zak arrived shortly after the priest went on his walk to examine the progress of the repairs being conducted on the Masaki Shrine. He had not really taken a look around yet. Now that he had a legitimate reason to be in the area, he gave himself a short tour of the grounds.

It was a Shinto shrine, pure and simple. Like most shrines, it had an area of interest. There was a small cave with an iron gate at the end of a short path. There were no signs or markers saying the area was off limits, so we went to take a closer look. He was peering through the bars into the murky depths beyond, when a strong feminine voice spoke to him from the rocks above.

"What are you doing here?"

Zak looked up to see Ryoko staring intently down at him.

"Just looking around. How come there's a gate here?"

"None of your business."

She disappeared, then reappeared next to him a fraction of a second later.

"And I wasn't talking about the cave."

He did not seem to understand what she meant.

"Why are you here?" She asked more firmly.

"Oh. Well, I kind of blew a big hole in the shrine so I figured I should take responsibility and get it fixed."

Ryoko continued to stare at him. She knew he knew it had been her who put the hole in the shrine. What she did not know was why he was covering up for her. His powers and background made him very suspicious. Zak suddenly cracked a big smile.

"Okay, you got me. I found a pretty lady that I think I like and I'm trying different things to see what impresses her."

Zak's statement had the intended effect of distracting Ryoko from her more serious motives for talking to him.

"Quit wasting your time. I already told you I don't impress."

She scowled at him to prove her point. To her surprise, Zak immediately started laughing. He slipped his hands behind his head.

"You shouldn't make faces like that! You're terrible at it. You look much better when you smile." He glanced in Ryoko's direction, and demonstrated for her.

Ryoko disappeared without further comment.

"Gotcha." Zak muttered happily.

It was unusual for one of the girls to actually meet Tenchi at the bus stop. Though it was not unusual enough to warrant any kind of suspicion. Since he lived at the end of the line, none of his school-mates knew of the beautiful girls living with him. This was fortunate for Tenchi, because if they did, he would constantly be delivering love letters from secret admirers. Aeka greeted him as he disembarked.

"Good afternoon, Lord Tenchi."

"Hi, Aeka. What's up?"

"I just thought we could walk for a while."

"All right." Tenchi agreed. There did not seem to be any harm in a little walk. As they meandered towards the house, Tenchi noticed Aeka seemed more subdued today.

"Is everything okay?"

"I spoke with my brother, today."

"That happens, sometimes."

Aeka looked at him, then giggled.

"Yes, it does. However, it is not everyday that we speak of financial concerns."

Tenchi was beginning to understand what Aeka wanted to talk about. When Aeka slowed her pace, he matched her, letting her take the lead. She soon came to a complete stop right in the middle of the path. She very deliberately bent over at the waist, bowing deeply to him.

"Lord Tenchi, I am so very sorry my presence here has become such a burden. I would make amends for my selfishness, if you will hear me."

"Aeka..." Tenchi put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Stand up. You don't have to apologize like that."

He made sure the princess was standing upright before he allowed her to continue.

"First of all, you're not a burden. Me, and Dad, and Grandpa, we all like having you here. Second, I bet we'd be really bored if everyone just, all of a sudden, left. You can still stay here."

"Oh, no." Aeka wiped a bit of wetness from her eyes. "That's not what I was thinking of. Although, I appreciate the sentiment. I simply wished to inform you of the opportunities available to you. Because you are of the Royal Family, the Galaxy Academy would gratefully accept your application."

"Thank you for the suggestion, Aeka. But, there's still the problem of money."

"Money is not a problem in this case. The Royal Family attends for free. The Academy used to be known as the Royal Academy. Now that I think about it, I believe Miss Washu had something to do with it separating from Jurai. In any case, the allowance is made as a courtesy to the Royal Family in recognition of the Academy's former affiliation."

"Wow, Aeka. You really know a lot about the Academy."

"Ah!" Aeka blushed at the compliment. "Well, I, um, looked it up, when my brother left Jurai to attend."

"So Grandpa went to this academy?"

"Yes, he did. For a number of years. And as I recall, Miss Washu actually used to be the headmaster there."

"Huh. Maybe I should talk to them about it."

"If you wish. It's an opportunity, nothing more."

Tenchi made to go back to the house. Aeka followed, escorting him on his way. As they walked, Tenchi considered this new information.

It was, as Aeka said, an opportunity. It was not like he was not curious about the rest of the galaxy. Now that he knew there were other people and places in the stars, he thought getting out and exploring some of these places might be interesting. In addition, getting a decent paying job without a college degree was next to impossible.

There was only one drawback. If he left for the Academy, who would keep an eye on Ryoko? He did not think she would agree to something like this. Aeka had made the suggestion, so he had to assume she was all right with his leaving. But, the more he thought about that, the less sense it made.

Aeka and Ryoko had always fought over him with equal intensity. They were both quick to anger when the other made any kind of advance at him. All things considered, if Aeka acted similarly to Ryoko, she may feel the same, as well. More importantly, her suggestion was not one a person would make to someone they were interested in, unless she either cared much less for him than he thought, or she cared much more. He had asked that of Ryoko, once. Her answer had been very honest and straight-forward. Tenchi wondered if Aeka's response would be as easy to understand.

"Um, Aeka?"

"Yes, Lord Tenchi?"

"I was wondering. Are you okay with the idea of me going to the Academy?"

Aeka stopped again. With her eyes closed, she tried very carefully to conceal the sudden surge of emotions she was feeling. It was a very considerate question, and deserved a fair answer. Despite the iron-clad controls she was implementing, her hands began to shake.

"I... I think it's a wonderful opportunity for you. Please, consider very carefully what you want before coming to a decision."

She looked into Tenchi's eyes, allowing him a fleeting glimpse of her true feelings.

"Thank you for the walk, Lord Tenchi."

With a small smile, Aeka turned and made her way back to the house, alone.

Though her answer was nowhere near as clear as Ryoko's, Tenchi knew the truth. He had seen it in Aeka's eyes, and the way she had smiled at him. The most telling aspect of her non-admission, was the fact that she was willing to give him up so he could find his own way in life.

Zak came by the shrine each day to check on the progress of the repairs. That was the official reason. Unofficially, he made a point of talking to Ryoko at least once, every time he was there. Each time they spoke, she would gruffly demand to know of his intentions. His response was the same every time. He was there to check on the repairs, and to see a pretty young woman he liked.

On this Thursday afternoon, he found the repairs were nearly completed. The foreman, the man who owed him the favor, was explaining the repairs themselves would be done by this evening. But the clean-up would take a couple hours more.

"Yeah, we would've been totally done today, but we had to make some adjustments to get the beams in. These old places have a lot of sag in them."

"It's no problem. The priest is cool about that sort of thing."

"No problem 'cause you get another day to work on that girl, eh? She's a real hottie."

"Heh. That's the truth."

"You know, this is a pretty big favor to pull in for a girl."

"Yeah. But there's something special about her. She makes my blood boil."

"Man, you've got it bad."

Katsuhito's voice suddenly sounded from right behind them, giving them both a good start.

"I'm sure if Ryoko were available, she would be flattered to hear you gentlemen speaking so well of her."

"Man!" Zak took a deep breath. "You scared the beejeezus out of me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He turned to the foreman.

"I'd like to thank you for your excellent work. The shrine hasn't looked this good in years."

"Oh, hey, no problem. Just spread the word. If it's all right with you, we'd like to start the clean up tomorrow."

"Of course. There's no hurry." The priest turned back to Zak. "Zak. If you have the time, I'd like to invite you to dinner tonight, as a sign of my appreciation."

"I'd love to!" Zak smiled. "Sasami made lunch for me, yesterday."

"Ah, that explains your enthusiasm. Sasami is a legitimate Iron Chef, you know."

"I'll bet!"

"Excellent. Then I'll see you this evening." With that, Katsuhito headed down the hill to the house.

"Bonus, dude."

"Huh?" Zak asked.

"You got in with the head of the family."

"Looks that way."

"What the hell is he doing here?" Ryoko strenuously objected to Zak's presence at the dinner table.

"I invited him." Katsuhito answered from the head of the table. "Is there a problem?"

Ryoko cringed a bit. She was not scared of the Jurai prince. But if she got on his bad side, she would also get on Tenchi's bad side. So she swallowed her anger and sat next to Tenchi with a thump.

From two seats down, she could hear muffled laughter.

"What are you laughing at?"

Aeka uncovered her mouth so she could respond.

"I'm simply delighted we have a guest. It's so rare to have company, here."

"Hello? Jurai to Aeka! You are a guest!"

"So are you, as I recall."

Ryoko did not seem to be in the mood for a more intense conflict of words. She simply hunched over the table and grumbled to herself. Aeka merely cherished seeing Ryoko so put out. It served her right for all the difficulties she had caused everyone else in the house.

Dinner was a very pleasing experience for Zak. Besides excellent cooking, there was much excellent conversation. He honestly could not remember having such a good time at a meal. Eventually, he began leading the table talk to matters he wanted to know more about.

"So, what's that cave up at the shrine about?"

"I told you, that's none of your business." Ryoko growled at him.

"Oh, that." Mihoshi was quick to explain. "That's Ryoko's cave."

"Ryoko's cave?" Zak asked.

"What did you tell him for?" Ryoko complained.

"He asked nicely." Mihoshi naively answered.

"Oh, I get it!" Zak suddenly exclaimed. "Your record said you disappeared seven hundred years ago. So that's what happened."

"My... record?" Ryoko's expression went from frustrated to worried at the mention of her Galaxy Police wanted file.

"You know, if you add up the prison terms for the crimes, it comes up to twelve hundred and thirty years. I'd say you got off pretty lucky."

Ryoko's fangs were starting to show.

"You have a copy of my file?"

"Sure. I used to use it for reference to help me understand what my bounties were thinking."

A sheaf of papers suddenly appeared in his hand.

"Did you want to look at it for some reason?"

"No, I don't."

Before Zak could send the file back to its place in his apartment, it burst into flames.

"Whoa!"

He instinctively dropped it on the tatami mats between himself and Mihoshi. The wicker-work began to darken as the flames lapped at them. Thinking quickly, but not smartly, Mihoshi grabbed the nearest liquid beverage and threw it on the flames. The alcohol in the sake immediately combusted, singeing Mihoshi's hair.

"Eee!" She promptly passed out from fright.

Zak scooted over to avoid the expanding flames. He was looking for the water pitcher when someone behind him finally got the right idea. A fire extinguisher went off, covering the dinner table area with a foul-smelling purple powder.

"You gotta use the right tool for the right job." A short red-head announced.

"Washu?" Tenchi asked, waving the fine powder away from his face.

"Now what's all the commotion about?" Washu demanded.

"That jerk had a copy of my GP file!" Ryoko suddenly blurted out.

"So you set it on fire."

"Damn right!"

"Tsk. So compulsive over something so trivial." Washu conjured her own copy of Ryoko's file.

"Just because the GP deleted the file from their computer system, doesn't mean there aren't others in existence." She began thumbing through the fifty or so pages of charges.

Ryoko was really starting to look worried, now. Unlike Zak, she could not make Washu get rid of her copy. She did the only thing she could do. Using the mental link with Washu, she begged.

"Please, don't show it to Tenchi. Please? Mom?"

Washu let her daughter worry a bit more before responding with a small grin.

"Of course I won't, dear."

She continued the conversation out loud.

"This is all wrong. Kagato did at least half of this stuff. There's one, and there's one. Oh, what a load. I'd forgotten how much garbage was in this file. Speaking of garbage, Ryoko. Isn't there something on that "Junk Wall" of yours that proves it?"

Ryoko quickly figured out what Washu was referring to.

"Yeah! There is! Hold on." She disappeared in a poof of purple powder.

"Here." She tossed the sheaf of papers to Zak. "If you want it so bad."

"I didn't catch your name."

Tenchi took the liberty of introducing them.

"Zak, this is Washu. Washu, Zak."

"How do you do." Zak politely greeted her.

"Fine, until you pulled out my daughter's GP file."

Zak hit the floor with his face.

"Daughter?!"

"That's right. I am Washu! The greatest scientific genius in the universe!"

A small Washu-looking robot popped out on her left shoulder.

"You are Washu! You are the greatest!"

A second robot appeared on her right shoulder.

"You are Washu! You are the genius!"

Washu continued the introductions.

"And Ryoko is my greatest creation ever! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The cyan-haired teleportation expert reappeared with a 5"x8" piece of thick paper in her hand, a large golden seal of Tsunami blooming from the bottom right corner. She brandished it like it were the Light-Hawk Sword.

"Here! This proves it! Even if that statute of limitation hadn't expired. I still wouldn't be a criminal. Look!"

Everyone took a close look at the paperwork. It was a Royal Certificate of Pardon, with the King of Jurai's actual signature on it.

"Oh, wow, Ryoko! Cool!" Sasami thought it was the greatest thing. "Did you get that from Father?"

"Yes, I did."

"Is that what you got in the mail that day?" Tenchi asked.

"Yup." Ryoko sat back down right next to Tenchi and held it close so he could inspect it more thoroughly. "What do you think?"

"This is a really important document, Ryoko. You might want to put it someplace safer than tacked to the wall."

Ryoko looked less than satisfied with Tenchi's neutral review of her very important document.

"Well, good." Zak said, handing Washu back the stack of papers she had tossed to him.

"To be honest, I was having a hard time believing the pretty girl sitting here, now, was the same one in these files." He looked Ryoko in the eyes. "I'm glad I was wrong."

Ryoko was not sure she liked how Zak was looking at her. But, she did know she was glad he had apologized. Talk about her past had a funny way of pushing her buttons. Talking about it around Tenchi would send her into a panic. If there was one thing that really frightened her, it was Tenchi ever finding out what was in that file. Just the thought of it made her shiver.

"Are you cold?" Tenchi asked.

"Yeah." Ryoko pulled him a little closer.

"I was going to suggest a blanket." He explained.

"You're warmer."

Zak winked at Ryoko from across the table, sending a shiver of a different kind up her spine.

END CHAPTER 1.

AFTERWORD: It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to end this chapter. But, eventually, I decided to end it here. I spent the last two weeks on a minor deployment. However, I managed to hash-out some of the details of Zak's attempts to win Ryoko's favor.

In the next chapter, we'll see how he goes about it, and how the others feel about it. How will Tenchi react to the sudden appearance of someone so interested in her? What is Aeka's plan? Is Katsuhito trying to get rid of Tenchi? More interesting developments in chapter 2: Devotion.