Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chance of a Lifetime ❯ Part Two ( Chapter 2 )

*Disclaimer: The main characters in this story are property of AIC, Pioneer, & Viz Comics. All others were thought of by me. Any similarities are just dumb luck so please don't sue me.

** Author's notes: This story takes place many years after "No Need for Conclusions", but with one exception…. ENJOY!!

Second Chance of a Lifetime: by alighthawk

Part Two:

As the afternoon sun was setting down over the hills of Okayama, Katsuhito Masaki was scurrying himself down the stone steps of the Masaki shrine to catch up to his grandfather and their newly arrived guest. Everything at the shrine was in order, so now it was time to make dinner before Grandpa Tenchi woke up and complain why his Miso soup and rice cakes weren't ready, but the real reason why Kats wanted to get home fast was to talk to 'her'.

He had listened for the past couple of hours at the shrine about the girl that had lived here with his grandfather when he was a young man. The girl that seemed to capture his heart, but yet he couldn't muster the courage to tell her how he felt. So in the end she simply left, feeling that it was best to let Tenchi live the quiet life he craved for, or so it seems.

Kats was happy to hear the account of how his grandparents met, fell in love, and got married. Yet, despite the happy expression that Tenchi always showed when recounting the days of when his beloved wife was alive, Kats sensed a trace of regret when the stories ended, as if Tenchi had a question of 'what if'? After seeing Ryoko for the first time, he had understood why. Ryoko said she was here to see Tenchi one more time before he died from the disease that was slowly killing him, but there was something more than she was letting on and he was determined to find out what it was.

**********************************

All was quiet at the Masaki residence until a heavenly figure phased into the living room. She hadn't seen this room for almost seven decades, but just being in it brought back memories from long ago. She looked up and saw the rafter that was her 'bed' where she took her naps and avoided the chores around the house. She could imagine a certain princess screaming all over the house complaining of 'Where's that good for nothing Space Pirate? She's always slacking off when there's work to do.'

<A hundred times I could be up there sleeping the whole afternoon away and the idiot princess still wouldn't think of looking up there. I wasn't a total goof off though, just those times when Ayeka decided that she was the mistress of the house and there was no way in hell I was going to listen to her. > Ryoko said to herself. She couldn't help but giggled when the image of the tomato faced princess popped into her head.

She looked around to see if there was anything different. The furnishings looked the same, but by the looks of the colors, the material of the couch and the wooden floor, everything was modern compared to sixty-eight years ago. There was one piece of flat furniture that looked strange though. As she got close to it, she noticed a remote control device on top of it. As she grabbed it and pressed the button that said 'on', a holographic screen flashed before her eyes and startled her. On top of that, it was showing the latest broadcast of the 'Galactic News Network'. <Hmmm, this TV ain't from Earth. I guess Washu must've gotten it for them. Does this mean that Tenchi's family is aware of what's out there? > Ryoko pondered.

As she clicked the TV off, Katsuhito came in through the kitchen door. He cursed himself when he saw the time and started to gather what he needed to prepare dinner. Ryoko strolled over when she heard the noise coming from other part of the house. As she entered the kitchen, she noticed a stool by the counter and decided to make herself comfortable. Kats smiled and nodded when he saw her. Now that he was alone with her and knowing who she was, he had a thousand questions in his head that needed to be answered, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember a single one right now.

"Y'know, you kinda look like your grandfather when he was young, not to mention the same expression on his face when something was on his mind." Ryoko commented.

"Uh, Thank you. A lot of grandpa's old friends say the same thing, but what makes you think I got something on my mind?"

"Because when Tenchi needed to say something, but couldn't spit it out, that was the same look he would give. The only time he expressed himself well would be the times he'll get angry with me or the other girls for fighting. Of course my favorite expression was when he'd get a nosebleed, heh-heh."

Kats looked puzzled, "Why would gramps get a nosebleed?"

"Well, I guess after seeing me naked, the excitement was too much him to take."

Katsuhito couldn't believe his ears. He almost dropped the pot of water he was holding for the soup. "My goodness Ms. Ryoko, you and the other girls must have been a handful for the Masaki men all those years ago."

"Nah, I was the only hell raiser around here, and I only did that to get a rise out of your grandfather from time to time. And Kats do me a favor and just call me Ryoko? You don't have to be so formal around me."

"Sorry, but you know us Shinto priests, always have to be proper." Kats shrugged.

Ryoko smiled back, "Yep, like I said, you do remind me a lot of your grandfather at an earlier age."

**********************************

Upstairs, an elderly man was having a dream about an event that occurred a long time ago. It started when he decided to fight a madman that had captured his dear friend the Princess of Jurai. The lunatic Kagato had earlier struck down his grandfather and seriously injured the space pirate. As he saw his younger self, walking down the corridor on the spaceship Yagami, he saw the injured cyan haired girl leaning against the wall.

"Are you going now?" She asked.

"Yeah…"

"You could die, y'know that?"

"Possibly"

She stepped in front of him, looking into his brown eyes, "Tenchi, you should choose me! Forget Ayeka, can't you?"

"Huh?"

"You and I could leave right now, Tenchi. We'd have no worries, just you and I together…"

"Ryoko…"

"Sort of like a honeymoon in deep space, you know what I mean? It would be…fun."

He paused for a moment; then smiled back at her, "It sounds like fun…"

"Huh?"

"I'd love to go on a trip with you."

She looked shocked. She wasn't expecting that answer. "WOW! Well then…"

But just as she got her hopes up, his expression changed and shook his head. Her face went from total bliss to absolute rage in a matter of seconds. Out of frustration, she put her right hand in front of his face, as if to stop him at his tracks.

"I'm a space pirate and a powerful one! I could just steal you away if I wanted to!"

Tenchi stood his ground, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. He knew that she was frustrated and concerned of what was about to go down, but he never imagined she would be this desperate. Then, as if she read his mind, she lowered her hand and started to cry uncontrollably. She wraps her arms around him, not wanting to let him go.

"Oh, don't go Tenchi! Please…don't! I beg you! I can't bear it….the thought of losing you. Don't go...don't go!!" As she tried to tighten her embrace, he reluctantly pulled her away. He could still taste her tears on his face as she still wept.

"But I won't forsake Ayeka, I won't do that..."

"Tenchi…"

"And you see, this is my battle as well now." He didn't want to leave her like this, but he knew what had to be done, and with that he started walking towards the bridge.

He didn't take a few steps before she cried out his name again. He turned around and looked at her as she clenched her fists, trying to compose herself. "I can give you a lift, let me help you. I know the way there."

His dream then flew by quickly as he saw himself, Ryoko and the knights on Ryo-Ohki, traveling to Jurai, trying to dodge the planetary defenses. He saw how she teleported outside to disable the laser defenses, penetrating through the crystal mines with Ryo-Ohki. The poor cabbit/spaceship was badly hurt in trying to run through the crazy gauntlet in order to reach the palace. Indeed, without Ryoko's help, there was no way he would have made it to Jurai.

He then saw himself and the others at the landing bay by the entrance of the royal palace. They all stepped out to survey the landscape, trying to anticipate Kagato's next move. As they prepared to enter, he looked back at her, seeing the bloodstain on her battle outfit. As always, she tried to play it off as a scratch.

"So… we're here now, from this point on, you're on your own Tenchi. I hope you know I wasn't planning on helping you rescue that other woman. After all, I am a pirate."

He paused for a second, then he gave her a quick smile, "Thank you Ryoko, I owe you one."

She was caught off guard for a second by the remark, but she returned to her pirate persona, "Well… you ain't got all day, so quit wasting time!"

He politely bowed to her and headed towards the entrance, but for some reason he looked back to look at her. Again, he saw the blood on her outfit. Was she really ok? For an instant, he wanted to turn around and go to her. He wanted to embrace her and tell her to stay. However, he knew that she wasn't going to stay put while he went to save her rival. It would have been too much for her to bear. He turned around and started to run towards the entrance. The knights stood behind and said something to her. As he entered into the vast surroundings on the palace, he said a small prayer for his friend. He prayed that she would get better and they all can go home when this was over. The sight of her standing in front of Ryo-Ohki, holding to the left side of her ribcage bleeding would be last time he saw her…

"Ryoko…I'm so sorry, so sorry." the old shrine master mumbled as he woke up and realized that he was dreaming. He gave out a big yawn and tried to stretch his aching old muscles into place. He looked at the window and noticed the sun setting down. <Must have been out for a couple of hours. Yet I still feel tired. Maybe the cancer is finally catching up with me? No, I feel kind of restless. It must've been the dream I had. It was so long ago, and yet it felt like it was yesterday. >

As he struggled to get up and find his clothes, he detected the slight scent of soup being prepared downstairs. <Good, dinner is almost ready. Maybe a little food will calm my nerves a bit. > As he finished getting dressed and headed towards the door, he pondered again about the dream. Throughout the years, he occasionally had dreams about the other girls and their adventures, but with Ryoko, it was different. Whenever he had dreams like this one, they were very intense, sometimes scary. It's been quite sometime since he had dreamt like this. He figured that seeing Ryoko again after so many years must had triggered it and considering the intensity of it, he could only come up with one explanation: GUILT!

As he headed towards the stairs, waves of questions kept pounding into his head. Why didn't he talk Ryoko into staying on Jurai while he fought Kagato? Why didn't he look for her after his victory? But the one question that had been buried in his subconscious for so long and now was screaming to get out was: <Why didn't you tell her that you loved her when you had the chance? >

All this mental beating had started to give Tenchi a headache. Besides, She did come to Earth afterwards, but decided not to come back,. < It's not like she didn't have her chance either, and you had a good life with a wonderful woman for forty years, so why are you feeling guilty now? > He decided to tackle the issue later, but right now he had a guest to attend to.

************************************

"…so the customer looked at the saleswoman and said 'that's no dummy, that's my wife!"

"Ha-ha-ha, that's funny Ryoko! I gotta remember that joke when I go out with my friends this weekend."

"Well make sure you say the punch line right Kats, otherwise you're gonna look like an ass for saying it wrong."

"Will do. Uh, would you mind waking grandpa up? Dinner's just about ready and he really gets cranky when his miso soup gets cold."

"My pleasure Kats, it'll give me a chance to scare the daylights out of him when he wakes up. It'll be like old times."

"If you do that Ryoko, you just might put me in my grave a lot sooner than I planned to."

Ryoko turned around to see that the old Shinto priest had awakened from his nap. "Tenchi, you're up! Did you sleep well?" She suddenly realized what she just said and slapped herself upside the head.

"I'm sorry about that remark Tenchi. I'd forgotten for a second about your condition, not to mention your age, but Kats' idea just brought up those times when I couldn't help but tease you. You were too irresistible to leave alone in bed."

Tenchi ragged face blushed when heard that. The last time someone made a comment like that was when Sakuya was still alive, but even she couldn't make Tenchi fluster like Ryoko did. Eight-six years old and he still felt like a schoolboy around her.

*ahem * "Well, now that you manage to embarrass me in front of my grandson, how about bringing out dinner so we can eat?" The old man gave her a wink and proceeded to sit by the dinner table. Soon, Ryoko and Katsuhito brought out the food and all three proceeded to eat and converse.

************************************

"So guys, what were you talking during my nap? Anything interesting?" Tenchi inquired.

"Well Tench, Kats here was telling me about how his priest training under your strict guidance. Damn Tenchi, you're a harder taskmaster than Yosho was." Ryoko replied.

"Look at it from my point of view Ryoko. Grandfather was around for a long time so he felt that he would always be around to watch over the shrine. He only trained me in the event that if anything happened to him, someone from the Masaki family will always be there. Kats here only been in training for five years so he's a little behind, but I'm proud to say that he's been exceptional in his lessons."

"Wow! Really gramps? I'm glad that you're happy with my performance." The young Masaki was grinning ear to ear with satisfaction.

"Don't let your ego get too inflated young man, there's still some lessons left and I still have to show you the basics of the duties of a shrine master's wife should you married."

"Oh? Is there a girl in your life Kats? What's her name?" Ryoko was curious to know.

Kats looked at Ryoko while scratching the back of his head, "Well, her name is Keiko. We've been dating for about two years now, but to be honest, I'm still not sure how serious our relationship is right now."

"God, another Masaki with girl problems. It's got to be genetic. Can't you men ever figure out what your feelings are?" Ryoko stared for a moment at Tenchi, who was looking the other way, pretending not to hear Ryoko's comment.

"Tenchi, I know you're old, but your hearing is perfectly fine." Ryoko snorted. She then looked back at Kats, "Listen here boy, if you have any suspicion that you love this girl, you tell her right away. Don't make her wait too long or otherwise she just might slip through your fingers. Love is a precious commodity. You don't want to take a chance and later have any regrets, understand what I'm saying?"

"Ryoko, the boy is old enough to make his own mind up! I'm sure he'll tell her when the time comes."

"Considering the history of the men of this family, I just want to make sure that he doesn't make the same mistakes his recent ancestors made."

"Are you trying to tell me that I was indecisive?" Tenchi yelled as he rose from the table.

"Well, if the shoe fits…."

"Ryoko! Grandpa! Calm down! My relationship with Keiko has nothing to do with either of you guys. I know that I love her, but I just need to make sure that she'd be happy marrying a Shinto priest, that's all."

Ryoko placed her left hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled at him, "Sorry about that kiddo. I'm sure that she'll love you no matter what you do in life. Just trust your feelings on this one." She turned to Tenchi who was still fuming, "Tenchi, I didn't mean to start an argument. It's just that there are a few things we still need to talk about. Please forgive me, the last thing I want to do is get you angry."

Tenchi turned around and walked towards the cyan beauty. He looked into those golden eyes and managed to let out a smile. As he cupped his hands around her angelic face, he whispered, "I may get angry with you from time to time, but I'll could never stay mad at you. Come, let's sit in the living room and try to catch up on old times shall we?"

Ryoko eyes lit up. She grabbed her old love by the hand and led him to the couch as Kats started to clear up the table. Then he asked Tenchi if he wanted the old photo albums pulled out.

"Would you Kats? Most of them are in dad's old library, but check the drawer by the foyer first." He barked out to Kats. "So where were we before I had to take my medication?"

"I believe you just finished telling me about your wedding day. How was the honeymoon tiger?" Ryoko couldn't help herself as she gave an elbow to Tenchi's side. He just shook his head when he heard that.

"I'll just say that we spent our honeymoon in Hawaii and it was wonderful. I'm not telling you the details."

"Pooh, you're no fun Tenchi." Ryoko pouted. She was playing around, but a part of her was wondering what it would of felt like making love to Tenchi and vice versa. It was something she used to fantasize about when she was here, but like everything else, it wasn't meant to be. She shook off those feelings and return to the conversation at hand.

"So I guess you guys were happy living as a priest and housewife?"

"On the contrary, Sakuya insisted that she would continue to pursue a career in photojournalism. You see, her parents were in the news business in Tokyo. Her father was an editor for the Totsu news agency and her mother was a movie critic. She made her intentions perfectly clear that she wasn't going to settle down and be domesticated."

"And you were ok with this?"

"I like to think of myself as an open minded person Ryoko. Even though I would have been happy having her stay at home all the time, I wasn't going to tell her that she couldn't pursue her dreams. It was something that she felt passionately about and I wasn't going to deny her that. There were times that her job would keep her away from home; sometimes days or even weeks if she was overseas, but our love for each other was something that kept us going, especially when the kids were born."

"That's right, the kids. How many children did you have?"

"Only two. Our oldest was Amagasaki…"

"Wait a minute! You named your oldest after Mr. Butt-ugly?"

"RYOKO! What did I tell you about Amagasaki?!?"

"Alright..alright! But I figure you would have named you son after your father and grandfather.."

"Well like I said, Amagaski did introduced me to Sakuya, and I sorted of promised that if I ever did get married to her, that I would name my first son after him." With that, Tenchi gave out a deep sigh as Kats came out with a storage box of pictures.

"Telling Ryoko about the origin of pop's name gramps?"

"Yep. She can't believe it either."

"Well, I'm sure your son Amagasaki is ten times better looking than the original." Ryoko smirked. "So let's look at the family tree shall we?"

Tenchi pulled out an old leather covered photo album that read: 'Tenchi and Sakuya: The wedding of the year, May 2005'.

As he opened it and flipped through the pages, Ryoko couldn't help but noticed how handsome and happy Tenchi looked. Then she looked at Sakuya and how beautiful she looked in the wedding Kimono that belonged to Tenchi's mother. "She was a lovely bride Tenchi, she sure was lucky to have married you."

"And I was lucky that she came into my life when she did. I couldn't imagine how my life would be right now if she hadn't been there for me." Tenchi replied as his eyes started to get misty after seeing Sakuya in the photos.

As they went over the other photos, one picture caught their attention. It was the family portrait with everyone in it, including Washu.

"Say Tenchi, how did you explain about Washu to Sakuya? Wasn't she curious of how she appeared considering you guys were living here?" Ryoko asked.

"Well, we just said that Washu was an aunt that was living with us for some time. Eventually, when I got married and Sakuya moved in, Washu simply closed the dimension portal from the broom closet and opened it up the shrine. We never had to explain to Sakuya about who Washu was until the kids were born. My wife couldn't believe at first until Washu finally showed her the lab and boy, did she nearly freaked out. Eventually, she came to accept her and having the portal at the shrine made it easier for Grandpa and Washu to visit each other."

"Never a dull moment in this house is it?" Ryoko sighed as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Maybe then, but nothing like that hasn't happened here for ages." Katsuhito chimed in.

"Trust me Kats, that was nothing compared to when this young lady and her roommates kept wrecking the house from time to time. Your great-grandfather Nobuyuki became a better architect after their arrival since he had to rebuilt the place time after time when the girls had their skirmishes."

Ryoko jumped in, "Hey there old-timer. If I recall correctly, if a certain prissy little princess didn't provoke us into the fights, the house wouldn't be wrecked as often…"

"And IF a certain space pirate I know had learn to show some restraint and not fly loose energy balls at the princess when she got angry, the house wouldn't need to be repaired at all." Tenchi snapped back.

"Ok, you got a point. I was a real hothead in those days, but I wasn't going to let that purple haired twit get the best of me."

"Well Ryoko, I'm sure that you and Ayeka are mature right now to settle your differences in a more adult manner, don't you think?"

"Dream on lover boy, I don't plan to find out anytime soon. Can we move on to the family photos?"

***********************************

Tenchi put the wedding album back into the box and pulled out a large overstuffed book with dozens of photos. When it came to her children, Sakuya had no problem wasting every film on them. They were her pride and joy as well as Tenchi's. As Tenchi opened the book up spreading the photos about, Ryoko could see how details of each picture were given special care. The way the family posed, the spot they were standing on. Even the way they smiled at the camera. Sakuya wanted every picture perfect and she wanted her family to look perfect as well.

"Sakuya certainly was dedicated to her work. I can't see one bad picture taken here." Ryoko observed.

"No, Sakuya was a perfectionist when it came to photography. It was the second most important thing in her life. The first being her family of course." Tenchi added.

"Yeah, but sometimes Grandma could be a pain at times with her constant insistence of making someone hold still for a 'shot'." Kats remembered, "I used to get cramps for standing too long when she wanted the right pose. I sometimes use to run and hide when she pulled out the camera."

"Now Kats, Grandma wasn't that bad and you know that, but she was very persistent."

"Tenchi who is this?" Ryoko asked as Kats took a peek at the photo and decided to excuse himself for a few minutes.

Tenchi's face drew a serious expression as he saw the photo, "Well the boy is Amagasaki when he was ten. The little girl standing next to him was my baby girl 'Yoko'."

"Yoko? Did you name her after anyone in the family?"

"Kind of. You see Yoko full name was Ryoko."

The cyan beauty was shocked to say the least, "Y-You named your daughter after me? Why? Didn't your wife ever wonder about the name?"

"When little Ryoko was born, she gave her mother a hard time during delivery. When I first saw her in the hospital, she had that carefree look that somehow reminded me of you. I decided that since one Ryoko wasn't in my life anymore, maybe another could take her place. You would've loved her Ryoko. She had that same feisty attitude you always displayed and as she grew up, she became very independent and a bit of a hell raiser in her own right. She...she was the light of my life."

Tenchi started to tear up as he stopped for a moment. Ryoko looked puzzled, but just noticed that Tenchi mentioned her daughter in the past tense. She didn't want to, but she had to ask. "Tenchi, what happened to little Ryoko?"

Tenchi wiped a tear away before he could answer. "When little Ryoko graduated from high school, she decided that she wanted to be a police officer. I protested like crazy when she told us the news. I didn't want my little girl getting hurt or getting killed by some low life criminal. However, regardless of my feelings towards the subject, she was going to enroll into the police academy in Tokyo with or without my blessing. That girl was a stubborn mule when it came to having things her way. Just like somebody I know."

Ryoko could see that Tenchi was getting agitated as he tried to continue. She reached out for his hand and squeezed it tightly, hoping it would comfort him. He paused for a moment before he started up again.

"Much to my amazement, She turned out to be one of the best officers in the police force. She eventually rose to the rank of captain until one day she was called to help diffuse a hostage situation. A lunatic was holding a group of tourists hostage in an elevator at the Tokyo Tower. She got to the tower and spent several hours trying to convince him to surrender. He had said that he was holding a gun and that any sudden movement by the police and he'll start shooting. My little Ryoko pleaded with the man to at least release the women and children. At first he refused, but sensing that nothing was being accomplished, he decided to release several children as good faith."

"The cop in Ryoko didn't hesitate for a moment. As soon as the last child was released and saw a space between the man and the elevator door, she sprang from her feet and dove right into the gunman. Everybody in the elevator cleared out as my daughter and the gunman struggled to the floor. Then, a shot was fired. The police rushed in to subdue the man, but not before the bullet ripped through Ryoko's neck and severed an artery. The medics tried to save her but the loss of blood was too much for her. She died on the way to the hospital." Tenchi at that moment broke down sobbing.

Ryoko wrapped her arms around Tenchi as she tried to calm him down, <I can only imagine the pain you felt when you lost your little girl my Tenchi. The Gods weren't kind to you that day. > She said to herself as Tenchi pulled off from her to wiped his tears.

"I'm sorry Ryoko. It was more than twenty-five years ago, but the memories of that day are still embedded within me like an old knife wound. It something that can never be completely healed."

"I'm sorry for your loss Tenchi, how did Sakuya take it?"

"She was devastated like I was, but her solution for her grief was to bury herself into her work. I meanwhile meditated for months trying to understand why this had happened. The only consolation that I have is that she saved many lives that day and she died believing what was right. It still hurts, but I try to take solace that she's now in a better place and in peace."

Ryoko tried to change the subject, "Tenchi, you never answered my question. Did Sakuya ever ask why you wanted to name your daughter Ryoko?"

Tenchi glanced at Ryoko before turning away to shift through the photos albums, "I would have to explain that to you later, when I find some old pictures, ok?"

"Fine with me. So what's your son doing nowadays?"

"Well, Amagasaki pretty much followed my dad into the architect business. He graduated at the top of his class at the design school and even spent some time in America as an exchange student. When he came back after a year, dad got him involved with the company and eventually took over when dad retired. His company is now one of the most successful firms in Japan and overseas." Tenchi's face started to brighten as he kept mentioning his son's accomplishments.

"So where's your son now?"

"I can answer that." Kats jumped in as he returned with a small box tucked under his right arm. "After Dad and Mom got married, they settled in Urawa, a small community outside of Tokyo. That's where me and my sister Achi were born and raised."

Ryoko gave a surprised look, "Achi? As in Achika, Tenchi's Mother?"

"Yeah, well dad never did saw his grandmother, but the way that Grandpa and his dad talked about her, mom decided it would be nice to name their daughter after her. Sort of a tribute to her kindness and spirit."

"So where's she at now?"

"About five years ago, she decided to go to graduate school in America. It was there in Seattle that she met her husband, the star pitcher for the Seattle Mariners baseball team of all things! Anyway, she's been married for two years and seems to be happy although dad still isn't too thrilled about her marrying an American. He complained about how they lack morals and traditional values. Achi just told him to stop being so narrow-minded and get use to it. Say grandpa, you never complained about Achi's marriage, how come?"

"When a single man lives in a house with six girls from outer space, who is he to judge?" Tenchi said with a straight face. Kats raised his left eyebrow and nodded. "Good point."

***********************************

Kats sat down opposite Tenchi and Ryoko and opened up the small box, "Well Ryoko, you already know about me so that pretty much covers the recent history of the Masaki family, but you may be interested to see this." Kats then took out a small black photo album that was worn out by the edges and being held together by a fat rubber band. As he passed the book to Ryoko, Tenchi placed his hand on her knee just as she took off the bands and opened the book. "I think these pictures you're going to like."

As she opened the book, she instantly recognized everyone in the photos. There were the group shots of Tenchi and all the girls when they were all here sixty-eight years ago. Ryoko's face just lit up as she glanced from photo to photo. There was the group picture they took just after returning from defeating Kain. Another one showed Sasami cooking while Ryo-Ohki rested on her head.

Then Ryoko pulled out one that had Tenchi shaking his head in embarrassment and Kats laughing out loud. It had the whole group with Tenchi in the middle, Ryoko at his right and Princess Ayeka at his left. Ryoko had her low cut white outfit with the short black and tan jacket on and was snuggled next to Tenchi. "God Tenchi, just look how serious you were".

Tenchi did indeed tried to keep a straight face, but was obviously sweating nervously due to Ryoko's leg rubbing against his and her right hand scratching his chin as she leaned on his right shoulder. Ayeka looked totally enraged as she tried to pry Tenchi away. Everyone else just looked with the same expression of 'what now'? Ryoko just doubled over with laughter as she remembered that day long ago. "Tenchi dear, you really were uppity back then. I did tell you to relax."

"Yeah, but the position that you and Sasami had me in, I wasn't in any position to relax."

"Sasami, what did she do?" Tenchi pointed to Ryoko where Sasami had placed her right hand, which came to the surprise of the former space pirate. "Oh my! I didn't notice it before. D…Did she put her hand on your butt?" Tenchi nodded as his face turned red at the thought of the little Juraian girl doing something so Hentai. "Well then, that would explain why you were so stiff at the time, ha-ha! Oh Tenchi, you sure didn't have any peace with us there did ya?" Ryoko just continued to laugh as Tenchi then pulled out another photo.

"Do you remember this one Ryoko?"

Ryoko stopped laughing when her eyes gazed unto the next one. It was taken the day before the Juraian battle cruiser came and kidnapped Ryoko, Ayeka and Sasami in what became the long journey to reclaim the Jurai throne from Kagato. It showed Tenchi and Ryoko standing by the lake together in a loving embrace. That afternoon, Nobuyuki had just brought a new camera and wanted to try it out when he spotted Ryoko by the lake. She agreed to pose for him as long that it wasn't going to be for his Hentai collection. Just when he was about to start, Tenchi had just arrived from school. Ryoko asked him if he wanted to be in the picture and he agreed. She put her arms around his neck, but not in the usual bone-crushing hug she was accustomed to giving the young Masaki boy. Tenchi had his arms around her waist and as they both smiled at the camera, their faces actually showed an expression of contentment with each other. Ryoko smiled so happily as she recalled that day. It was one of the few times Tenchi didn't run away or got nervous around her and she decided not to get too aggressive with him while his dad took the shot. She was looking forward to seeing the picture, but the next day the Jurai military came and she never came back home again until today.

"I remember that afternoon so well. Too bad there weren't any more like them." Ryoko sighed.

"It was this picture that made me decide to name my daughter after you. If you like, you can have this one as a keepsake to the good old days."

"Did Sakuya ever saw this?"

"She happened to stumble upon them about a year after we got married. I had Washu with me as I tried to explain to her what happened here before I met her. At first she was skeptical. She didn't want to believe that all you girls were living here and nothing happened. Washu and I decided to tell her everything about you, Ayeka, Sasami, Kiyone and Mihoshi. We told about your duel with Nagi and our journey through the dimensional tuner. Later on, grandpa came in and told Sakuya about our long adventure to Jurai and how we beat Kagato. My wife found it all too incredible until Washu showed her the lab."

"And she was ok with this Tenchi?"

"She still had her doubts, but I convinced her that she was my life now and that I would always be here with her. Since none of the girls came back, I told that those 'carnival' days were over. She was ok with that, but she still had questions about you & Ayeka and what kind of relationship we had."

"And what did you say?"

"With Ayeka, I told her the same explanation I told you. I said that I did love Ayeka, but only as a dear friend, otherwise I would be the Emperor of Jurai right now. She accepted that."

"What about me?"

"Another dear friend that more than once saved my life. I wanted to honor you by naming our daughter after you. When Washu and grandpa nodded their heads in agreement, she sort of bought the story."

Ryoko's nose wrinkled with confusion when she heard the last part, "What do you mean she 'sort of' bought the story?"

"To be honest, I think Sakuya always suspected that my feelings for you were more than just a close friend. But since you never came back and I practically pledged all my love to her for all eternity, she never tried to push the subject again. So when our daughter was born, she agreed to name her Ryoko. Later on, we just shortened it to 'Yoko." Tenchi then passed the picture to Ryoko.

Ryoko rubbed her chin as she again gazed into the photo, "Hmm, Didn't think Sakuya was the jealous type. Guess she was worried that a 'ghost' would be hanging over her head."

"She wasn't. It was just that she wondered what would happen if you did come back. Would I stay with her and the kids or would I run away with you?"

"Despite my reputation and appearance, that is something I would never do to you Tenchi, you should know that."

Tenchi nodded in agreement, "I know Ryoko. Listen, this is old history we're talking about. My wife and I had forty wonderful years together and despite the tragedies that happened, I have to say that I had a good life. Even now, I beaming with pride now that my grandson here is going to carry on the tradition of the Masaki Shrine, right Katsuhito?"

"Yeah, right gramps. Whatever floats your boat." Kats answered with less enthusiasm.

***********************************

"Damn! Seeing all this is just wonderful. I never realized that we had such a good time here." Ryoko reminisced. "Do you still think about those days Tenchi?"

"Before I met my late wife constantly, but with marriage and a family life, I just put those memories aside and embraced the new ones. It was only after Sakuya passed away that I started to think about those days, especially now that I see Washu and Sasami on a regular basis. Kats, be a good lad and go to my medicine cabinet."

"You want your special 'cough medicine'?" Kats asked. Tenchi smirked as he nodded yes to his grandson. "Be right back guys!"

"You're feeling ill again Tenchi?" Ryoko asked with a concerned look on her face.

"Nope, just wait and see." Tenchi answered as he flashed a devilish smile back at Ryoko.

"You seen Sasami recently?" Ryoko just remembered the sentence before Tenchi cut the conversation. "I know that Mihoshi is now the GP Chief Marshall. I still can't figure out how she got promoted."

"I do." Tenchi responded "About thirty years ago, Earth sent out their first manned spaceship to Jupiter. Two years later, as the vessel was entering an orbit around the moon Ganymede, guess who they happened to bump into?"

"The ditz?"

"Bingo!" Tenchi answered as Ryoko was ready to hit the floor with disbelief.

"So what happened next?"

"Well, it turned out that Mihoshi was coming by to visit me, but since it was kind of late, she stationed Yagami behind Ganymede and went to sleep, but she forgot to put the ship's sensors on automatic. Unbeknownst to her, the Earth ship was heading her way. When they saw Yagami, the astronauts nearly flipped out! They took pictures and videos and transmitted them back to Earth. The international community was in a panic. And to top it of, they managed to intercept signals Yagami was sending to the GP Headquarters."

"Ok Tenchi, I following you so far, but where was Kiyone and what does this have to do with blondie becoming Marshall?" Ryoko asked as Katsuhito returned with the 'special cough medicine'.

"There you go Ryoko, some good 'ol sake to pass the time away." Kats said as he passed a drinking glass each to his grandfather and his guest.

"Now this is what I call hospitality!" She yelled, "Now let me sip some now before I hear another word about Mihoshi"

Tenchi continued, "Anyway at that time, Kiyone had moved up to chief inspector of some special investigation unit so Mihoshi was basically without a partner…"

"I'll bet Kiyone wasn't complaining about her job." Ryoko interrupted.

*ahem* "Would you mind? Anyway, when Mihoshi finally woke up, she found herself being hailed by the astronauts. In a rare state of calmness, she contacted HQ for instructions, which they in turn contacted the officials representing the Galactic Union. Since Earth now had evidence that life existed outside the solar system, it was decided that the Galactic Union would open diplomatic ties with the Earth with Mihoshi being first contact."

"You're kidding right? Mihoshi? Representing the Galactic Union? I'm surprised Earth didn't declare war when she showed up."

"Ryoko please," Tenchi snapped at her, "Actually, it turned out to be the beginning of a mutual treaty between the GU and Earth. Mihoshi managed to relay specific instructions and guidelines to the world leaders at the UN while high rank officials from the GU made their way to Earth. A fifty-year treaty was established and Earth was now an associate of the Galactic Union. For the last twenty-eight years, Earth has benefited from a lucrative free trade between both governments. How do you think I got the TV right here?"

"But what about Mihoshi becoming Marshall?" an impatient Ryoko asked.

"I'm getting to that. After the treaty was signed, Mihoshi was promoted to Chief Detective to oversee the security over the Earth now that it was part of the Union. From there, Mihoshi could do no wrong. Five years after first contact, She saved a UN ambassador from an assassination attempt and she was promoted. Another time she broke up an illegal smuggling ring near Jurai and got promoted again. Recently, she uncovered a group of corrupt GP Officers taking bribes from criminal syndicates and that's how she got promoted to Marshall. Last time I saw her had to be about five years ago and believe me, she isn't a total ditz anymore."

Ryoko had taken three gulps of the Sake by the time Tenchi finished. She still couldn't believe it. "If it was anybody else but you Tench, I would of smacked them for bullshitting me. I can't imagine blondie being in charge of the GP; it almost makes me want to be a space pirate again… almost, but how did Kiyone take it?"

"She resigned from her position as soon as Mihoshi became Marshall. I had to counsel her for almost a year due to mild depression. She kept saying how could the Gods of the universe be so cruel to her. She got better though, and returned to her home planet in the Nimbar system. I believe she became her planet's prime minister last year. She was glad that she could finally be the head honcho of some group."

"I always did like Kiyone." Ryoko remarked, "She was always straight up with me, and despite being a cop, she didn't tried to forced me to go to jail."

"Could it also be that she didn't have an interest in me as well?" Tenchi smirked.

"That too, but I wouldn't hold that against her though, you was just too irresistible to ignore." Ryoko replied as she pulled on Tenchi's cheeks. "Well now I know what happened to the GP girls, but what about Sasami and the Chipmunk? I know Ms. prissy-pants got married and became Empress ten years after you beat Kagato, but anything interesting?"

"Well, like I said before, I didn't see Ayeka and Sasami for many years. Actually, It wasn't until Earth joined the GU that I saw them. Ayeka decided to establish a Juraian embassy here on Earth and Sasami was to be an ambassador. When the official opening of the embassy was done in Tokyo, They had sent an invitation for the family to come."

"It must have been nice to see them again." Ryoko surmised.

"It was sort of bittersweet actually." Tenchi responded. "Ayeka brought her husband Sagami and her two children, along with the Guardians and the knights Azaka and Kamidake. Sasami had grown to be a lovely young girl, even though she was still a teenager by Galactic standard time. Ayeka still looked as beautiful as ever, maybe more so now that she was the Empress. She had a regal presence about her that I can't describe."

"I have a name for that, but I don't want to interrupt your fantasy of her." Ryoko snarled.

"Ryoko please, you never had to be jealous of her and besides, that was ancient history. Anyhow, I introduced her to Sakuya and the kids along with dad and Washu. She asked about grandpa, but I told her that he had passed on. I think he would have been happy to see Earth and Jurai joined together at last."

"And that's what made the occasion a little sad?"

"No, what made it a downer was that while we each went our separate ways, she sort of regretted not staying in touch with me after so many years. While she moved on and fell in love with Sagami, she still wondered what would have happened if I chose to stay on Jurai or if she had decided to return to Earth. Either way, those feelings made her decide not to contact us for long time. She even made Sasami promised not to see us in fear that she may not want to return to Jurai. She was happy though that I found happiness with Sakuya and that I was doing well."

"Did she mention me by any chance?" Ryoko asked.

"That was the other somber part I had to deal with. Since Ayeka didn't keep in touch with us, she had this fear that you returned to Earth and we got married. She was sort of relieved when I introduced Sakuya to her."

"Figures. Ungrateful bitch! Now you know why I didn't want to help you rescue her. Still probably thinks I'm dead or locked away in some prison."

"Ryoko…please!" Tenchi couldn't help but shake his head in disapproval with Ryoko's attitude. "She may have felt that way at the time, but she also knows that without you, I would have never have gotten to Jurai to fight Kagato and free her. The knights have told her about how badly hurt you were as well as the rest of us."

Tenchi took Ryoko's hand and continued about his conversation with Ayeka, "If you can imagine the guilt I felt because I didn't know if you had died or not, imagine how she felt? Her rival helped save her empire and disappears, never to be seen again. Now she finds out that she never returned to Earth, would you still feel any animosity then? Over the years when I have gotten the chance to speak to her, Ayeka had always expressed the deepest regret that she never had the opportunity to thank you or the fact that she was starting to see you as a friend before Kagato showed up. Perhaps when the opportunity comes, you should go to Jurai and confront Ayeka. Try to bury the hatchet between the two of you. I know she'll be happy to see you."

Ryoko started to feel guilty after hearing Tenchi's story about Ayeka. True, she was a spoiled brat at times and a rival for Tenchi. But she never really hated her and was actually starting to get comfortable around her. It never occurred to Ryoko that her absence could cause such guilt from the princess. She started to cry a bit as she pulled away from Tenchi's hand.

"Ryoko, you ok?" Tenchi asked as he motioned Kats to go to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just that I didn't think anybody, other than you, would miss me. I told Washu whenever I saw her that I didn't want anyone one to know where I was. I figured that it would be better that everybody believed I was dead. That our little family didn't have to worry about being associated with Ryoko the Space Pirate. Now, I'm starting to realize that I was wrong."

Kats came back with some tissues. He reached over and passed them over to Ryoko as she wiped her tears and loudly blew her nose. "You're right Tenchi. Perhaps when I'm ready, I'll go and visit Sasami first and then see Ayeka. Who knows, maybe we can be friends?"

"Now that's what I want to hear from my Ryoko!" Tenchi suddenly smiled with glee. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint this old man! Lets have a toast shall we?"

All three rose to their feet as Tenchi poured some more Sake into everyone's glass. He then motioned them to raise their glasses for a toast, "To old friends, as well as reunited ones. May we always embrace the memories we once shared and continue to make room for new ones. May we never lost touch of what really counts, which is our feelings for one another."

"To old friends!" All three rang out in unison.

**************************************

Katsuhito looked at his watch and realized what time it was, "Wow! Look at the time! I think it's time for your bath Grandpa. I need to get up early tomorrow to finish up prepping up the shrine for the Hasegawa wedding and it's getting late."

"You're right Kats, but I think I'll take my bath in the morning. Ryoko, what are your plans for tonight? You're welcome to spend the night here if you wish."

"I was hoping you'd say that Tenchi, Is my old room available?"

"Sorry, We kind of use it as a storage room now, but Ayeka's room is empty. We kept it as a guest room after the kids moved out years ago. Will you be needing anything?"

"Nope, I'll manage" In an instant, Ryoko phased herself into her old blue and yellow striped dress. Tenchi couldn't believed she still had it, <Some things never change. > He said to himself.

"Oh shit! I forgot something!" Ryoko yelled out. She then closed her eyes and pressed her palms together as both Masaki men were wondering what was going on. After a few minutes of silence a familiar noise phased into the house, scurrying to find her master.

"There you are, I almost forgot that you were in the fields. Find any carrots?" Suddenly the furry little object jumped into her master's arms meowing in content.

"Ryo-Ohki! Is that you? Do you remember me?" Tenchi was excited to see the little cabbit again. In his excitement of seeing Ryoko again, he totally forgot that the cabbit/spaceship would have been near by.

Ryo-Ohki didn't move at first. She hadn't seen Tenchi for so long that she didn't recognized him as an old man. After a couple of sniffs, the furry creature jumped from Ryoko's arms right into Tenchi's, happily meowing.

"Hey, it's good to see you too. If you were looking for carrots, you should have come to me first. I know a few fields nearby that had some."

"She already raided them Tenchi. That's why she was out all day." Ryoko stepped in to correct him.

"Oh great. The neighbors will be screaming murder when they find their fields devoid of vegetables. Let's keep this under our hats ok?"

"Fine with me Tenchi. Ryo-Ohki, I'll be sleeping in Ayeka's old room tonight, wait for me there will ya?" Ryoko told her furry companion as it ran up the stairs and into the hallway.

"Well if you guys don't mind, I'm retiring for the evening. Ryoko, would you mind tucking in grandpa? Somehow I think he would like that."

"Katsuhito! Mind your manners grandson. I'm not a child you know!" Tenchi yelled.

"Grandpa, a beautiful woman from your past comes back to see you, and you're complaining about her helping you to bed? Most guys in your position would be ecstatic about it." Rebuffed Kats as he headed up the stairs towards his room, "Well goodnight folks. I'll see you at breakfast."

"G'night Kats and don't worry about gramps here. I'll make sure to tuck him and read him his bedtime story…"

"RYOKO!!"

"Just playing with you Tenchi…geez, old age sure hasn't mellowed you out."

"Never mind Ryoko. If you want, you can teleport us upstairs."

"No prob, just hang on." And in an instant they phased from the living room to Tenchi's bedroom.

"Say Ryoko, I just realize something. All day I've been telling you what's been happening around here in the last seven decades and not once have you told me about yourself during those years. Are you hiding something?"

"No, not really. You were so into your family life and our friends, I figure I'll just let you finish telling me everything. Tomorrow after breakfast, I'll tell you everything you want to know, deal?"

"Deal. Well…I guess its goodnight then. Sleep well Ryoko."

"You too Tenchi, don't let the bed bugs bite. Goodnight."

Ryoko was about to turn to go to the end of the hallway before Tenchi's hand caught her arm.

"Ryoko, uh… if I didn't mentioned it before, I just wanted to tell you how much this day has meant to me. Just seeing you again makes me feel… well… I guess young again."

Ryoko smiled. Her golden eyes twinkled in the dark as she pulled herself to Tenchi and placed a kiss on his forehead. Then both of them embraced each other for few a moments as if to acknowledged how much they meant to each other. After what felt like an eternity, she then pulled herself away reluctantly, "I know how you feel, but you know what my Tenchi? I believe tomorrow will be better than today, and I'm looking forward to tell you about my life in the years that we last saw each other, but right now let get some rest ok?"

"OK then. Well goodnight Ryoko."

"Goodnight Tenchi and pleasant dreams." And like a dream, she phased herself out of the hallway.

<Pleasant dreams to you also Ryoko. I know I will. > Tenchi said to himself as he slid the door closed and retired to his bed.

**************************************

A/N: Wow! I finally finished this piece of the story. To be honest folks, I was only going to do two parts, but my imagination got the best of me. I also wanted to finish this a couple of days sooner, but I spent my Sunday afternoon in a hospital with a sprained wrist.

Never again will I let my four year old do a 'suplex' on me again!

Hyas: Nice to hear from you. Gotta say I love your artwork on 'perspectives'.

LedZep: Thanks for the look over.

Bobr: Hmmm, I wasn't exactly thinking of knocking Tenchi off, but now that you mention it…

I'll be emailing you soon.

Priest: I finally read your fic and it's good. While I'm not a proponent of Tenchi marrying the whole house (Well, maybe a tryout)

I love a story that's features Kiyone. She's my second favorite character after Ryoko. When's the next chapter?

Liz Hakubi: I'm pretty set for this story, but when I get back to doing my other story 'the trail', you'll be hearing from me.

As for the rest of you folks, your reviews are well appreciated. I'm sure that the conclusion of SC will be great.

As always, C&C are welcome. If you want a more elaborate explanation, you can email me at a.falc@verizon.net

Later, Alighthawk