Reminders of the Past

A Tenchi Muyo and Invinsible Crossover

Chapter 12 - No Need For Patience…

A day passed, then a week, then another, and finally a month had passed. The Juraian Imperial Force had helped to rebuild the infrastructure that had been destroyed by Rudolph's attempt at world domination. Of course, the discovery of another Juraian, born on this Earth, in this dimension, had made the excuse even easier. This universe's Tenchi was much the same as his counterpart from their home dimension, but there were differences. For one, he had just come into possession of the Key meant for him.

In addition, the Juraians of this universe did not know that he existed, because they believed Yosho to be dead. Reaching out Seto had the wonderful, and slightly odd, experience of talking to another version of herself. The fact that the version of her in this Universe seemed to dress a bit more risque did pique her interest, but it wasn't enough for her to simply abandon what she was needing to do. Like themselves the Juraians here knew of the Multiverse, but unlike themselves they went through great lengths to stay away from underdeveloped worlds.

Of course, learning that Yosho not only lived, but sired a grandson, was enough reason for them to contact this Earth. And since this Earth knew about Martians, about other alien lifeforms, and had already been visited, they officially acknowledged Earth as an independent trading colony. Like their own Earth it would bring issues, multiple ones, but at the same time it would allow them to sit at the adult table. Seto of course introduced them to Cecil, who in turn explained his position.

Knowing that they would have help from their universe's Juraians certainly helped to a certain degree, and Seto herself decided to take a few moments after the talks and introductions were done to relax. They had stayed, allowed their counterparts to come and assist as well, and now the battle grounds seemed to be mostly returned to normal. As such, Seto sat inside of a large hot water tub. The whirling water felt wonderful as it relaxed her muscles, and she certainly enjoyed the feeling of the tub itself.

Oh, there were bathhouses back on Jurai, and of course on their Earth, but at the moment it was nice to just relax. She looked across to see Mark's mother sitting in the same tub. She gave a slight nod, and then moaned as she felt the wonderful waters relaxing her in such a fantastic way.

"Ah, I do enjoy a nice soak," she said, her voice reflecting her more relaxed nature, "It certainly feels like the best possible way to end our visit."

There was a soft laugh and she looked at Debbie, "I agree," she said as she leaned against the tub itself, "I haven't had the chance to say so, but thank you. Thank you for helping Mark."

Seto smiled, "You are most welcome," she replied as she looked at the purely human woman, "He is a kind soul, and it was only right that we repaid that kindness and bravery."

Debbie looked toward the house, "So, my granddaughter," she said as she looked where Eve was spending time with Mark and Samantha, "I know that she's not fully Viltrumite, and that she's got some human in her, but there's something else as well, isn't there?"

Seto nodded, "Part of her genetic makeup is from black antimatter," she said as she looked toward the house, "He never slept with anyone, at all, but her creation was done out of desperation. I will say that she is much like him."

Debbie grinned, "So, is she going to age like him?"

The sound of worry was there, but there was also a little hope. Seto simply nodded, "From what Washu has revealed she will age incredibly slowly. Most likely she will outlive Mark by several hundred thousand years," she said before she looked at Debbie, "She will age like he did until she reaches an age where she feels comfortable in her own skin. At that point she will basically stop aging."

Debbie sighed, "It means that while I'll get to spend the rest of my life with her, around her, and doing things for her, I'm more or less going to be a long distant memory," she said, her voice a little sad, "I don't mean to sound like a downer, but it's hard knowing that she's going to most likely be a teenager in a thousand years, and I'll long since have turned to dust."

Seto looked toward her, "She will remember you," she said softly before moving around closer to her, "I say that because I know someone similar."

She stretched her hand out and four small wooden cylinders formed in the air. Between them electricity crackled, and then a picture formed. Debbie saw a dark headed woman, standing next to an aqua blue haired woman. The dark haired woman was smiling, obviously happy, and the two seemed to be great friends, "That is my daughter-in-law Funaho Jurai," she said as she smiled softly, "She originally is from our Earth, and she is human."

Debbie looked at her, "She's lovely."

Seto smiled, "She is, and I could ask for no better daughter-in-law. She is loving, intelligent, and often knows how to handle things in such a way that seldom anyone knows what was done," she said as she looked at her, "And she is well over a thousand years old."

Debbie felt her eyes widened, "but, how?"

Seto smiled gently, "She was bonded with one of our royal trees. Once that was done her life was connected to that of her tree's life. As long as it lives, she lives, and the trees have the potential to live forever," she said softly, "Funaho has never forgotten her human family. She remembers them all quite well, and she has taught her son of them. She makes a pilgrimage to our Earth every so often to honor them. I've come on a few occasions, and like her I pray for their continued peace. But she knows them, she speaks of her father's discipline and love, her mother's beauty, and her siblings' mischievous ways."

Debbie listened to that, and she looked toward the house again. Hearing that someone who had been human could remember those in their past, and more to the point that they were still important to them, made her feel better. She didn't want immortality, not really, and even if it was offered she was certain that she would decline it. Immortality was something others sought after. It was a hope that many chased, but she didn't really want to be part of. Nolan, from what she understood, was pretty much immortal.

He'd stated that Viltrumites had the potential to live for thousands of years. That they would age exceptionally slowly. The same could be said for Mark. He would age exceptionally slowly, and would live for thousands of years. From what Seto had just told her Eve would live for even longer. It meant that her first granddaughter would actually be immortal. She would live to see everything she knew and loved grow old and pass away. It would take several thousand years, but Mark would grow old.

The only ones that likely would still be alive would be the Juraians. She hoped that Eve made connections with them. It would be important to have family, to have connections, to turn toward. Naturally she wished the same for Mark as well. As it was she was in her forties, in decent health, and doing fairly well. There was an exceptionally good chance that she could live well into her seventies, maybe even her eighties. But she understood that at the end of it all her time here on Earth would be a blink in the eye compared to Mark's time, and it wouldn't even be that compared to Eve. It meant that she had to make every single moment count, and she had to do everything she could to prove them both with the guidance they would need.

In truth that worried her more than it should. What she did would help shape two people who would go on to shape the world, no the universe, for ages to come. Her actions, or inactions, could potentially be the very push that got the ball rolling, and it worried her. Granted, she likely wouldn't be around for most of it, but it didn't stop it from bothering her. It didn't stop the worry, and all it really did was make her consider how she needed to approach things.

Of course, with Eve her first impulse was to ask questions and potentially spoil the little girl. In truth, Eve simply looked so much like Mark that it was insane. The differences were the black eyes and the shark-like teeth. She was glad to see that Samantha accepted her, and the girl's mother was naturally cautious. That was another surprise.

Debbie leaned back and tried to clear her mind.

"Something bothering you?"

She smiled, looked toward Seto and shrugged, "A little, but not something that is bothering me too badly," she said before she finally stood, turned around, and leaned over to the deck and opened the cooler there. She grabbed a beer, before grabbing a second, closed the cooler, and turned back around while offering one of the cold glass bottles to Seto, "I'm just coming to the understanding that I'm the mother of a man who has powers I will never fully understand."

She opened the twist off lid and took a long pull from the cold Coors. She watched as Seto did the same, and then she relaxed, "On top of that he's dating, and engaged to a girl with powers I will never fully understand, and now he has a daughter with a woman that is apparently twenty thousand years old but appears to be fourteen," she said before taking another drink, "I get that Eve is was created in a lab and not through the more natural way, but at the same time she's going to have powers I will not fully understand. That leaves me in a very special place where I need to help my son, and my granddaughter, find their morality."

Seto laughed a bit before drinking heavily from the bottle, "You have a fear that you'll become the mother of monsters, right?"

Debbie nodded, "I honestly do. I am very afraid that is exactly what will happen."

Seto looked at her, and then she looked up at the night sky, "I worried about the same thing, with my daughter Misaki."

Debbie looked at her and Seto grinned, "Misaki is a wonderful and caring woman, a devoted mother, and I'm certain that she is a devoted wife," she said before she finished the beer, "The problem is that Misaki tends to be very childish. In many ways it's not her fault. I attempted to ensure that she was able to have a full and wonderful childhood. After all, when one doesn't have their own childhood, or it is stripped away, then one tends to give their own children what they never had."

She looked at Debbie after a moment, "The problem was that early in her marriage Misaki believed that she could continue to be childish about all sorts of things. In addition my daughter is one of the strongest warriors I've ever known, and that includes some of the most advanced Juraian warriors," she said with a hint of pride, "So in truth if she decided that something was bothering her, and she wanted to, there was honestly little that could be done to stop her from removing whatever was offensive to her."

Debbie listened, and she tried to imagine what it would have been like if Mark would have been more spoiled. The idea didn't sit well with her. Seto sighed as she sat there, "I truly do blame how she was with how I raised her," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "Oh, her husband, my son-in-law did much to correct the issue. He wasn't a disciplinarian, not that it would have mattered to Misaki, but instead he met her quirks with patience and love. He explained things to her, and because she loved him, and Funaho, so much she tried to curb how she acted."

Seto finally stood and moved toward the cooler. Debbie watched as she leaned over, taking in the other woman's obvious beauty, "Do you mind?"

Debbie shook her head, and Seto grabbed another beer for herself, and one for Debbie. She walked back, opened her second beer, and began to drink, "The issue once again began to form with Yosho. That would be Tenchi's grandfather," Seto said as she looked into space, "She didn't treat him like a son, but rather like a little brother. She would crawl into his room, sleep near him, and acted very protective toward him."

Debbie could see the slight smile, "All of that could be ignored, but Yosho grew older, he became more attached to Misaki, and it was obvious that the attachment was shared," she said before she looked at Debbie, "Polygamy is not only accepted in Jurai, but expected of Royals," Seto said as she shook her head, "But even with that, one thing that is not accepted is a mother, even a step mother, bedding her son. It wasn't there yet, and for the first time in her life I truly stepped in. I acted like the mother my daughter needed from the very start. I explained to her that her actions would lead to a scandal, it would hurt Funaho, her beloved Azusa, and of course Yosho himself. I went over with her what would happen, how it would be viewed, and that Yosho himself would become something of an outcast."

Seto finished her second beer, and looked ahead, "She couldn't stand the thought of doing that to any of them, and she stopped," she replied, "She stopped and grew up a little more that day. She's remained more grown up, although I catch her gushing over how cute something is, or having a minor tantrum because she believes she's been slighted. Still, she's much better than she had been."

Debbie nodded, "The fact that you tried to help her, and laid it out so that she could understand means that you're a good mom," she said as she finished her first beer and started on the second, "So, what happens now?"

Seto gestured her arms out toward everything, "This world has a Tenchi Masaki, he is Juraian Royalty, and as such it puts this world under the jurisdiction of the Juraian Empire," she said as she looked toward Debbie, "Unlike others that would just attempt to roll in and take over the Juraians don't do that. They will open your planet up to allow trade with them. Officially your planet will be considered an independent colony. When the humans are advanced enough Earth will officially be invited to sit down at the adult's table."

Debbie considered that, "I have a feeling that it will be an exceptionally long time before that happens," she replied her voice wistful, "You know, I knew that there was life besides just humanity. It only made sense that there would be. When we began to get visitors from other worlds that feelings were validated, but at the same time I don't anyone really understood what was going to happen."

Seto smiled, her smile was tired, but obviously proud, "Very few cultures truly understand the complications that arise from having multiple worlds converging together," she said softly, "And those complications are nothing compared to when there's a rogue faction."

She grinned at her, "So that you know, that you understand, the Juraian Empire is demanding that the Galaxy Police become a presence here," she said as she leaned back, "I'll filled my counterpart in on everything that happened, and she's ensuring that the planet will be more protected."

Debbie grinned, "I'm guessing that some humans are going to get to go to the stars?"

Seto smiled, "Absolutely they will," she said as she looked at the night sky, "They'll be able to look at the stars while they're among them, see the beauty and majesty that is space, and return to their beloved planet as well."

The two of them relaxed, both contemplating what would happen next, and perfectly oblivious to a ship deep in space. A ship that would easily house multiple mega cities was making its way toward Earth. The ship itself had been deep in space, not adrift, but aimlessly heading toward various locations that had been projected. It wasn't until after an older alarm went off that its heading changed for a definitive location.

The alarm was tied to the master's weapon. Sitting inside of the ship the one in charge grinned at the thought of retrieving his puppet. She was useful, and if everything had gone according to plan she had at least seen the power available to the Juraian Imperial ships. The data would be useful, and he would take it from her. Likely she was going to be fractured to some degree. Having gone this long without his tender care would likely had led to her developing a dreadful personality.

He needed to her be beautifully blank. A form to command, to control, and to dispose of when he'd had his fill. When he arrived the first thing he would do would be to discover how much of a personality, if any, that she had. If she was defiant then he would simply begin stripping everything away from her again. I'd been difficult when she was younger. Of course Washu hadn't fully trusted him, and it wasn't until his favorite puppet was seven years old that he could enact his plan. Of course he had to start working on stripping away everything that made her who she was.