To all those who have read this story, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. To those who have posted reviews, they are all greatly appreciated. A special shout out goes to Kawree, the good friend I never knew I'd have. She has helped me to be a better writer. You are awesome, lady.
Although this is the last chapter of this story, another story will soon follow, continuing this tale with all the people in it, as well as adding a few others. If you paid attention you'll have an idea where we're headed :)
As a bonus treat I will include a snippet of that next story. Enjoy.
Usurperone
Chapter 16
Everyone, including Yosho/Katsuhito, was waiting on the dock as the Mizuho came into view, emerging from subspace. Almost immediately Funaho appeared on the end of the dock stepping out of the light of the teleport. She held her familiar gentle smile, surveying her family and their friends. Seeing Aeka and Sasami standing in close proximity to Tenchi and Ryoko, she realized immediately that the situation here had changed since she had last spoken with the elder princess. Her smile broadening, she gracefully approached her greeters.
"Hello, Mother," Yosho said, meeting her with a bow. "You are looking well."
"You are looking in fine form, Yosho, if somewhat older than you should," she replied with a cryptic smile, causing her son to blush. This also caused Washu to chuckle, who was standing rather close to Yosho, his mother noticed. Things are always so surprising here, she thought. She stepped forward to greet the rest of them. "Hello Tenchi," she said to her great grandson, pleased to see him.
"Lady Funaho," he responded with a polite bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again." He turned toward the former space pirate. "You remember Ryoko... my fiancée."
Her eyebrows raised at the revelation. Very surprising, she thought. "Of course," she said quickly recovering with a smile. "It's again a pleasure, my dear," she directed to a smiling Ryoko. "My warmest congratulations to you both."
"Thank you," they said almost in unison.
This will certainly shake things up in the Security Council; a Crown Prince of Jurai marrying the former Scourge of Jurai. I can't wait to see Azusa's and Seto's faces, she thought to herself, looking forward to telling them in person. Outwardly her smile widened. She turned to the man on Tenchi's other side. "You must be Nobuyuki, my granddaughter's husband and Tenchi's father. It's good to finally meet you."
"It's an honor to meet you Lady Funaho," he said a bit nervously. "My Kiyone was a very beautiful woman. Now I know why," he said, flattering her, but blushing a bit just the same.
"It seems you truly are the rascal I've heard you were," she laughed gently, causing his blush to increase. "Thank you for the compliment." She turned to face the others. "It's nice to see you again Mihoshi," she said to the resident GP officer.
"It's a great pleasure, Lady Funaho," she said with a deep bow, surprising everyone by not falling over in the process.
Finally she came to the princesses. They both bowed in greeting. She looked directly at Aeka asking, "Am I correct in assuming you no longer wish to move back to Jurai?"
Aeka lowered her head a bit looking up at her stepmother. She answered, "You are correct Lady Funaho. I have reconsidered and wish to remain. So does Sasami," she said turning to her little sister.
The younger sister stressed adamantly, with a smile, "But I never wanted to leave!" This elicited smiles all around.
Aeka frowned slightly, "There is a problem, however. I...I do not know what to say to father."
Funaho smiled. "There is nothing to worry about, my dear." Then she leaned down and whispered, with a wink, "I didn't tell him."
"Oh," replied a surprised Aeka as Sasami giggled.
The First Queen of Jurai stood up straight and took in the countryside. Looking at the snow covered landscape, she realized how much she had missed the sights of winter. "It's been so long since I saw the snow. It brings back so many fond memories." She thought about her current home, her smile leaving her face, as she sighed. "We never have a winter on Jurai. The weather is always so... perfect."
"You could always stay a few days," Washu offered. "Nobuyuki wouldn't mind I bet, and you know Yosho would be tickled pink, as would Tenchi and the girls."
"Yes, Miss Washu is right," Nobuyuki agreed. "Feel free to stay here as long as you like." The others agreed with smiles and nods.
"Well," Funaho mused, "The next scheduled meeting of the council is a week away and Azusa and Misaki will be back home tomorrow, soooo... I could stay for, perhaps, three days..." she said with a bit of a guilty smile.
"It's decided then," Nobuyuki declared. "You'll be our guest for the next three days." He added, "You can stay in my room. I'll just sleep in Tenchi's."
Funaho saw the change in the moods of the young lovers, failing to hide their disappointment, causing her a bit of a wry grin. She hid it quickly before anyone noticed and said, "Thank you, but I think I would prefer to stay with the princesses. We do have much to catch up on." Funaho made a quick glance toward Tenchi and Ryoko, spying relief on their faces, and stifled another smile. She looked over at Washu who winked at her. She passed a secret smile back to the mini scientist.
"Whatever makes you comfortable," Nobuyuki insisted.
"Lady Funaho, would it be alright if I returned to Jurai with you for a visit?" asked Aeka. "It has been literally centuries since I have been there and would very much like to see it again."
"I would be happy to oblige, of course," her stepmother answered. "What of you, Sasami? Do you too wish to return home for a visit?"
"I'm going to stay here," the little princess informed her. "Maybe when Aeka gets back..?"
Mother Funaho nodded, saying, "Knowing your father as I do, that's probably a very wise decision. You can always go back to visit when Aeka returns, if you wish."
"Shall we go inside?" Yosho suggested. "We would not want you to catch cold on your very first day here."
Most followed the others inside, but Tenchi lagged behind, with a concerned look on his face.
"What's wrong, Tenchi?", his fiancé asked.
"I think Funaho suspects."
"Suspects what?
He looked at her. "That you and I have..."
"Oh, that," Ryoko said, understanding with a grin. "Does that bother you? Are you ashamed that we..."
"No!" he interrupted her before she could finish. He took her hand in his. "Never!"
Reassured, but still a little confused at his concern, she asked, "Then what's wrong?"
"I don't want her to feel uncomfortable around us while she's here."
She thought about it, then said, "So what do you want to do about it?"
"I think, it might be best, that she see's us sleeping separately while she's here."
Ryoko was quiet. "Are you sure that's what you want, Tenchi?"
"What I want is for you to sleep in my bed every night," he declared, surprised by his own words. "But... I think she needs to see you sleeping on your beam."
She could tell this wasn't making him happy, but she knew him; he would sacrifice his personal wishes if he thought it would benefit those he cared about.
"Okay Tenchi," she conceded. "If she needs to see me sleep up there, then that's what she'll see."
"She will?" he asked, not quite believing that the pirate would give up so easily.
"Yes, I promise." She gave him a small smile.
"That's good..." he said, not so sure that it was. Somewhat disappointed that he had won his point, he turned and headed towards the door. Noticing his reaction to her apparent capitulation, Ryoko allowed her mischievous grin to appear.
Just you wait, Tenchi Masaki, she thought with a gleam in her golden eyes. Just you wait.
Funaho enjoyed that first evening as she would all the days and evenings spent in the Masaki house. Telling tales of her childhood in ancient Japan as well as what it was like to be the only earthling on planet Jurai, she had a very receptive audience. Drinking Sasami's excellent tea, munching on popcorn (a taste for which she acquired on her previous visit) and with Ryo-Ohki-chan on her lap, she heard stories of modern Japan as well as the rest of the world from Tenchi and Nobuyuki. Yosho entertained them with his recollection of a few training sessions when Tenchi was very young, much to the embarrassment of his grandson and enjoyment of all the others. Mihoshi told them about some of her more interesting cases that she and her former partner Noike had solved. Ryoko beguiled them with tales of space pirates and wondrous treasures, all kept relatively clean and bloodless due to the presence of both their guest and the little princess. Aeka told them of some of the people and places she wanted to see again upon her return to Jurai. Washu spoke of some of her scientific discoveries that were so amazing and almost unbelievable, that their description almost defied words; and then she proceeded to describe them.
All in all, everyone had a wonderful time, staying up way too late in the process.
The 'party' broke up; Funaho said her good-nights to the others and, accompanied by the princesses and Mihoshi, retired to their bedroom, where she and Aeka spoke at length about her parents and the court. The rest left for their beds. The only ones remaining were, again, Tenchi and Ryoko.
Tenchi looks like a little boy who just lost his puppy, Ryoko thought. "Are you okay Tenchi?" she asked, keeping a straight face.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said sadly, meaning the opposite. Why did I ask her to sleep alone? he chided himself. He already believed that the only natural place for her to sleep was in his arms. He felt miserable and already began to miss her.
"It'll be okay. We'll see each other soon enough." His expression would have broken her heart, if she didn't already know how this was going to end.
"I know," he murmured.
"I love you," she said with a smile.
"I love you too," he replied, and kissed her. "Good night, Ryoko."
She phased out and he saw Ryoko reappear on her beam. She winked, and with a smile said, "Goodnight, my Tenchi." She lay down on the beam and turned over away from him, bringing her hand up to hold back the giggles that were threatening to break through.
A totally dejected Tenchi climbed the stairs, casting a look back at the form of his lovely and very desirable fiancée, all alone on her beam. His eyebrows crinkled, and his face made a scowl. He walked up to his bedroom door, opened it and closed it behind him before he turned on the light. As he hit the switch and turned around, a mind numbing sight was revealed before him; Ryoko was sitting in profile, lengthwise, on his bed, looking up at him with tempting eyes and seductive smile. She was wearing a dress, unfamiliar to Tenchi… but what a dress it was! It was green, trimmed mostly in pink with a touch of gold, a big black bow wrapped around her thin waist, tied in the back. Although very feminine and quite lovely, this dress was anything but subtle; the dress covered her entire back and ended in a tail which laid on the bed behind her. The front, however, was mostly open at the top, barely containing her ample bosom, and ended only just covering her torso. Her long and shapely legs were bare, from her toes all the way to the top of her thighs. Her right leg was draped over the side of the bed, the other bent at the knee, her left arm resting upon it, while she supported herself with her right, on the bed, behind her.
He stared at her, his mouth open, literally unable to speak at this overwhelming vision before him. He was completely entranced.
Ryoko saw the affect she had on him and began to give him a sultry look; he was reacting exactly as she had hoped. "I said you would be all mine tonight, remember?" she asked.
Tenchi, still staring, closed his mouth and gulped. He nodded his response. Then he attempted to speak, "I…" his voiced croaked.
She grinned at his attempt.
He cleared his throat and tried again. "I… don't recognize the dress."
"That's because you've never seen me in it before," she answered. "I wore it earlier this year when I was planning to 'surprise' you with it one night. But that was the same night Mihoshi landed on the house. So because our evening didn't turn out the way I hoped, I thought I'd give you another chance to see me in it. Do you like it?"
"Yes, I do. Very, very much." Then a thought crossed his mind, momentarily breaking the spell. "I-I thought you said you were going to sleep on the beam tonight."
"What I said was that Funaho would see me sleeping there if she looked, and that's still true," she assured him. Expecting his confusion she added, with a smile, "Go see for yourself."
With a befuddled look, he left the room and quickly walked down the hall. He looked up at the beam and there was Ryoko as she had been before, but now she was looking at him with a broad smile. She threw him a kiss and began to giggle.
Tenchi, now even more confused, returned to his room where he again saw Ryoko, still on his bed in that amazing green dress. She had pulled up both legs, wrapping them in her arms, with her head laying against them beaming a smile at him.
"She's my doppelganger." She paused to see if he understood. She sighed. My poor dense beautiful man, clueless as usual, she thought. She continued, "I can make a copy of myself, for a limited time. I've used her before, to keep my enemies off-balance. Tonight I'm using her for this." She finally saw comprehension in his eyes.
"Understand Tenchi, that she's part of me and just as real as me." Then she gave him a very wicked look. "I've considered using her for 'other' things," she offered. "We'll have to explore those possibilities together, some time."
Tenchi's eyes went wide, with both fear and excitement at the implications.
Ryoko slowly turned and rose from the bed, practically stalking her way towards him, her mane-like hair accentuating the impression. Passion burned in her fiery amber eyes. "Tonight, though, it's just you and me," she said as she reached him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She smiled hungrily at her man, leaving him no doubt as to what was about to happen. "Think of this as a preview of what it will be like when we're married."
He smiled back at her, desire welling up inside him, the eagles once again on the wing. "My angel," he said, the timbre of his voice low, his heart thumping in his chest, as his arms encircled her, bringing her up against him.
She slowly shook her head. "No angels here, my Tenchi," she corrected him, in her most sultry voice. "Not tonight." She stared into his eyes; the lioness fixed on her prey, right before she was about to pounce.
"Tonight, lover," she purred, "you get the demon."
End of In the Cold, Two Hearts Find Warmth Version 2018
Preview of OVA 3 Redux
The Mikagami, was the stuff of dreams to some; for others, mainly pirates, it was the embodiment of a living nightmare. As a Second Generation Royal Treeship, she was indeed a powerful adversary in combat, able to easily defeat a fleet of pirate ships. Her true strength, however, lay in her commander; the Queen Mother, Seto Kimiki Jurai, otherwise known as the 'Devil Princess of Jurai,' a moniker that both secretly amused her and was well deserved.
Today, the 'Devil Princess' was not involved in anti-pirate operations, but was more interested in strategy of a different nature. This strategy involved the newly 'discovered' whereabouts of Crown Prince Yosho and more precisely, his apprentice, grandson, and, most importantly, heir, young Tenchi Masaki. Seto had known the facts concerning Yosho's disappearance, and had even visited Earth when Tenchi had been a baby. What she, as well as the other members of the Jurai Security Council had recently learned about the Masaki household, had given them all pause for concern; within that one house, in the simple, serene Okayama Prefecture countryside, lived a formidable alliance of independent galactic military power. So incredibly strong were they that, even with their many ties to Jurai, they could pose a grave threat to the empire, should they ever choose to turn against it.
The Council had deliberated long and hard on the situation, and it had been decided that it would be best, due to her familial ties, if Lady Seto was given the responsibility of keeping an eye out on the household, located on that colony world at the very edge of Juraian claimed territory. Giving in to her tendency to perform her enjoyable (to her anyway) role as matchmaker, Lady Seto had designs to establish a physical presence in the Masaki household by 'arranging' a betrothal between Tenchi and her adopted daughter Noike. Recent events, however, had quashed that plan. Seto was sitting in one of the many gardens in the subspace habitation portion of the Mikagami with her assistant Minaho Masaki and Noike, to discuss the situation.
"Your nephew has scuttled our initial plan by becoming engaged to that most infamous pirate of all, Ryoko Hakubi," she directed to her adjutant, not hiding the irony of the situation. "I learned it from Funaho when she returned from Earth, accompanied by Aeka."
"So I too heard, but from Misaki," Minaho confirmed. Secretly she had been quite pleased by the recent turn of events, happy that her late sister's only son had escaped Seto's grasp. "She seems very fond of Ryoko and was all smiles about it. I admit I was surprised with Tenchi's choice, but after all, he is his mother's son," she added with a chuckle.
Almost reluctantly, Seto let out her own chuckle. "To that there can be no doubt," she admitted. "Aeka has told me that Ryoko is no longer the demon she once was, that she has changed greatly since gaining her freedom from Kagato. It seems that my granddaughter and the pirate have become quite close, as well. Even with their friendship, I suspect however, that there was much tension and sorrow on Aeka's part when the engagement was announced," she offered, her face reflecting her compassion for her granddaughter's feelings. "Be that as it may, the relationship between Tenchi and Ryoko will not permit even the illusion of another choice of fiancée. So that option is now off the table."
"Is it?" inquired Noike. The two other women looked at her. She continued, "He is, after all, Juraian, and multiple spouses are quite common."
To this, Seto brought up the fan she held in her hand, opening it to hide her face below her eyes and laughed aloud. "That is an impossibility," she assured her daughter. "Ryoko may have changed, but at her core she will always be a pirate, and pirates never easily give up what they believe is theirs. And Ryoko was no ordinary pirate, my dear." She lowered her fan, showing her now serious expression. "I saw what she was capable of, 700 years ago, when she either ignored or destroyed any ship less powerful than a Second Gen. And that was when she was acting against her will. Now imagine what she would do to anyone she thought was trying to steal Tenchi away from her. That would never end well for us in any event; I'd either lose a daughter, or it would turn Tenchi against us, or both." She shook her head. "No, Noike, that way into the Masaki household is no longer open to us." Then, a rather evil looking smirk fell upon her face. "There is, however, another way," she said, "but you're not going to like it." She brought the fan up again to hide her face and laughed almost maniacally making her companions wince.
Noike had a sudden all-too-familiar feeling of dread...
