Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Tenchi Muyo: No Need For Boys! ❯ Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the characters from this fanfic, not even the female Tenchi. Some of the material for this story was taken from both Tenchi Muyo OVA #3 and #4, all freely adapted for the purposes of this story

Tenchi Muyo: No Need for Boys! Part Six

They all made it back to the shrine and started eating their lunch without any other major blowups happening, thankfully. Tenchi ate her meal with a great deal of enjoyment, all the while listening to Ryouko and Ayeka verbally sparing back and forth across the table. 'They sure seem to enjoy doing that,' she thought, trying not to smile.

"Tenchi, while we were walking I saw a large tree standing out in the middle of the forest," Ayeka asked to her softly.

Tenchi finished her mouthful, "That probably was the miracle tree of the shrine. The stories say that it grants wishes and even heals the sick."

Ayeka nodded thoughtfully, "Could you take me out to see it?"

Ryouko chuckled softly.

"What?" Ayeka shot her a suspicious look, but Ryouko didn't say anything, just sat there with a impish little smile on her face.

"Why don't I take both of you out there?" Tenchi quickly made the suggestion. She could see where this was going, and thought she should try to head the fight off.

"Could I come too?" Sasami asked her cheerfully.

"Myah!" Ryo-Ohki piped up.

Watching all this Ryouko just had to smile. 'She's quite the little peacemaker, my Tenchi,' she thought. Aloud she said, "Let's all go, then."

Ayeka didn't look too terribly pleased at having the whole gang coming along, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead she smiled at them weakly, "Why not."

The food was finished off, then they went out into the afternoon sunlight. The forest was cool around them, but Tenchi felt something odd, as if she was being watched. She turned a moment to see her Grandfather slipping back inside, a slight smile on his face.

'What was that about?' Tenchi wondered.

"This place is so beautiful," Sasami murmured, looking around her with a smile.

Ayeka had to nod slightly as she admitted, "It's not as attractive as Jurai, but these hills do have a certain... rustic charm to them."

"Don't do us any favors, Princess," Ryouko said dryly.

Tenchi tried not to smile at that. Heading off an potential explosion from Ayeka she quickly said, "We're getting pretty close to the tree."

They emerged from the path, and it rose up in front of them from the middle of a carefully tended pond. Strung with ropes and bearing an ancient majesty, it was easy to see how the old tree could have such stories being told about it.

Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki all stepped from stone to stone over to the tree, while Ryouko simply flew over the pond and descended to stand by the tree. Ayeka looked up at it, laying her hand on the bark thoughtfully before she circled the massive trunk.

"So what's the verdict?" Ryouko finally asked her impatiently.

Ayeka shot a glare at her that would have simply killed a lesser being.

But before she could say anything Sasami piped up, "It's Funaho!"

"Funaho?" Tenchi blinked.

Looking a bit disapointed at the spoiling of her dramatic moment Ayeka said, "Yes, this is Funaho, the Great Tree that was the heart of my brother's ship."

"This was part of a starship?" Tenchi asked as she looked up at the massive tree with an odd expression on her face.

"Yes," Ayeka nodded, "but it has taken root now, and can no longer fly." She looked over at Tenchi and asked her, "Could I use the sword?"

Silently, Tenchi slipped it from her belt and passed it over to the princess.

Ayeka held the front of the weapon to the tree trunk, and a spark seemed to pass between them. Rainbow beams of light began to fall all around them, and it suddenly felt like they were falling, even though they were standing still.

"What the..?" Ryouko's energy blade ignited in her hand, even as Tenchi took up a battle posture right beside her, ready to help defend them all.

"Calm yourselves," Ayeka quickly said, gesturing reassuringly to both young women, "we are just experiencing the memories of the ship itself."

"Wow," Sasami murmured, wide eyed, as Ryo-Ohki soared by them, exchanging energy fire with a Jurai ship in hot persuit.

"Myrowwrrr," the real Ryo-Ohki hissed out softly, crouching down with her fur standing on end as she recognized her old enemy.

The two ships fell towards a small blue and white world, still exchanging weapons fire until a particularly viscious attack sent both ships twisting down through the planet's atmosphere. An great impact and a sudden explosion filled their vision, and Tenchi instantly realized where the lake near the shrine had come from.

Even without their ships, the two warriors chose to fight onward. Prince Yosho weilded the sword expertly, while Ryouko fought with a kind of bezerk fury, her eyes blazing blood red. Finally, the purple-black haired man gained an advantage over her, his violet eyes narrowing as he stuck his blade right into Ryouko's chest.

Tenchi visibly winced at that, wonderig how much that must have hurt her. She looked over, and noticed that Ryouko's face was a bit pale, her hand resting just above where she had been stabbed so very violently.

The images flickered, then they gradually faded away as Ayeka getly drew the sword back from the tree trunk. "Thank you, Lady Tenchi," Ayeka said quite formally, "now I feel quite certain that my brother is alive."

"And we will go find him," Sasami murmured, suddenly seeming so much older than the little girl that she was.

Tenchi nodded and quietly said, "Whatever I can do to help." Ayeka smiled up at her sunnily, pressing the sword into her hands.

Ryouko didn't say anything at that, simply rising up into the air and then just disappearing from their sight as she teleported away.

As soon as they got back to the shrine, Tenchi left the girls talking with her Grandfather and went out looking for Ryouko. It didn't take her long, either, finding her sunning herself, laying on top of a rocky outcropping by the cave that she had been imprisoned in.

As soon as she saw Tenchi walking towards her Ryouko growled out, "Why are you offering to help her?"

"A sense of duty, I guess. Honor, family, all that good stuff," Tenchi smiled at her. She sat down on the stone by where Ryouko lay and added a bit wryly, "That doesn't mean I have to like Princess Ayeka very much, however."

Ryouko sat up, blinking at Tenchi in surprise, "You don't like her?"

"She's rude, arrogant and condescending," Tenchi answered her with a pained expression on her face, "what's not to like?" She stretched out, and with a little smile added, "I can tolerate rudeness, but the other two..."

Ryouko raised an eyebrow, "Was that a crack about me?"

Tenchi looked innocent, "Would I do that?"

Ryouko noticed that their hands were laying close together, and took the opportunity to lay her's on top of Tenchi's. "Whenever I think I have you figured out," she smiled slightly, "you manage to surprise me, Tenchi."

"Good," Tenchi smiled back at her. She tilted her head to the side, "Do you want to head back up to the shrine?"

Ryouko shook her head slightly, "I think I'll stay out here, sunbathe a bit longer."

Tenchi hesitated a moment, then laid her body down beside Ryouko's. "Would you mind if I join you?" she asked softly.

Ryouko smiled back, "I'd love to have you."

It was a few weeks later that they had an unexpected guest up at the shrine. Not unexpected to Tenchi, of course, but she had been hoping that her father wouldn't turn up there too terribly soon. Nobuyuki pulled up in a large camper, and stepped out with a happy smile on his face, his glasses gleaming and clothes spotless.

Just looking at him Tenchi knew that meant trouble.

The last time she had seen that look on his face was when Tenchi had brought Ryouko home. Later that night, Nobuyuki had actually climbed up the outside of the building, videocamera in hand, to sit on the ledge outside her window and film anything that might be going on.

The light from the top of the camera woke Tenchi up from a sound sleep, so she slipped from the bed and quietly made her way across the room.She popped up, suddenly slamming the window wide open and yelled out, "Boo!"

"Yearg!" Nobuyuki lost hig grip on the ledge and the plummeted to the ground below with a loud thump. Tenchi waited a moment to see if he was all right, then went back to bed.

"What was that?" Ryouko asked drowsily.

"My hentai father," Tenchi sighed.

Tenchi was jerked back to the present by her Grandfather's voice asking him, "Well Nobuyuki, what brings you here today?"

Nobuyuki smiled cheerfully, "I've arranged for a special treat for Tenchi and the other girls! We're going out to the hotsprings together."

Tenchi looked at the mini-van, then over at her father. She thought about a long car trip with Ryouko and Ayeka in one vehicle, and how may things could go wrong with that little senario. 'We are so doomed,' she thought with a little sigh.

To be continued...