Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ The Trial ❯ “Captured” ( Chapter 4 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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

** Author's notes: This story takes place about a year after "Tenchi Forever" in which it follows the "Tenchi Universe" storyline, though some names and places from the OAV and manga might appear. C & C is welcomed, but remember, this is my first fanfic, so easy on the flame throwing!

** Before I start, I want to clarify one important item. For those of you who haven't noticed, I changed the name of the title from the 'Trail' to the 'Trial', which is what it supposed to be. I didn't pick up my mistake until the last chapter. So, I apologize to anyone who might have been misled to thinking it might be one type of story while in fact it's probably another. If you weren't misled, then don't worry about it.

TO RECAP: Two weeks ago, at the Masaki residence, Tenchi and the gang were reveling in the celebration of the young Masaki's graduation from high school. However, as typical as the cherry blossoms falling from the trees, Ryoko and Ayeka had one of their free for alls and essentially wrecked the party. Tenchi, in a rare fit of rage, took his frustration out on Ryoko, who in turn decided to tell the kid to take a hike and took off with Ryo-oki into deep space. While all of this was taking place, someone was keeping an eye on the Masaki clan. One week later, a mysterious assassin murdered a corrupt Juraian Lord and his escort on a remote planet near the Juraian border and looks to set up somebody.

So there you have it in a nutshell and if you're still wondering what's going on; then click the arrow back to the prologue and read from the beginning. Otherwise, you're gonna be clueless of goes on next…

The Trial: by alighthawk

Chapter Four - "Captured"

Two Weeks Later, (After Ryoko's disappearance)…

In the darkest regions of space, a squadron of battle cruisers from the planet Jurai had been traveling for some days now. Their destination: To the third planet of the solar system called Earth. Their mission: To apprehend the murderer of Lord Braga and his escort. Recent information and eyewitnesses had verified who the assassin was and the first place of the search was to be the planet that the killer was living most the time. The fleet also had orders to retrieve and protect the members of the Jurai Royal Family, which consisted of the princesses' Ayeka and Sasami, prince Yosho and his descendent Tenchi Masaki.

Aboard the fleet's flagship, the Saibankan, the first Juraian knight of the royal court stood by the ship's observation deck, staring out into space. As he gazed out towards the stars, Azaka was still trying to fathom the insanity that had occurred in the past week. He still couldn't believe that she would commit such a heinous crime. There was no reason for her to be near the planet Xeria unless…unless something had happened between her and the royal family on Earth? He knew that she had feelings for Lord Tenchi and because of the prince, she bravely forced her way through Jurai's automated defenses to reach the royal palace in order to help Tenchi battle the evil Kagato and save the princess Ayeka. She did all of this despite the grave injury she suffered while battling the false emperor.

<NO!! I refuse to believe that she would commit such an act! There has to be an explanation for all this! > Azaka kept torturing himself in thought as the fleet was preparing to disengage from hyperspace. From the far end of the deck, the ship's captain approached him to deliver some news.

"Azaka, we are at the fringes of the solar system. Our sensors have picked up Ryo-oki and she is making her way to Earth. Shall we pursue her before she lands?"

"No. Have the fleet stay in position until she enters the Earth's atmosphere. We don't want to alert Ryo-oki of our presence and have her fight her way out. That ship is very capable of destroying us easily and efficiently. I also don't want to alert the Princess Ayeka and her family until we can sort this out."

The captain looked the knight with a look of contempt. He couldn't fathom why a legendary warrior of his status and skill would be so hesitant to face such a lowly individual as the one they're pursuing. As far as the captain was concerned, the murderer should be hunted down and captured for committing serious atrocities against the Juraian people. In his mind, the murder of Lord Braga must be avenged at all cost; Jurai's honor was at stake.

"Azaka, I really don't understand this delay. We know that murderous space pirate has touchdown on Earth and is probably plotting something terrible against the Royal Family; we must not stay here idle and let her get away." The captain protested.

"Captain, despite your reservations, I have fought side by side with this woman when the empire was at its darkest hour. Without her help, Kagato would be plunging Jurai into the abyss right about now. I have witnessed her courage and unmatched skills as a warrior and until we reach the Earth and confront Ryoko herself I will still give her the benefit of the doubt." Azaka answered.

"Very well Azaka. We'll play it your way, but remember this, I have my orders and those orders are to take down the space pirate Ryoko and to confiscate her ship Ryo-oki. You are the highest authority here, but should you impede this capture in any way, the council orders will overrule yours and I will take the necessary steps to ensue that Ryoko will be arrested and if need be, executed. Are we clear on this?"

"Absolutely, but be warned captain. Overstep your authority and you will have me to deal with and believe me, I can just as lethal as Ryoko. Is that understood?"

"Understood sir." The captain grudgingly replied as he turned around to return to his post on the bridge, leaving Azaka with very conflicting thoughts and emotions.

"May Tsunami forgive me for what I'm about to do. I pray that Lord Tenchi and the others are safe and that this is just a big misunderstanding. If not, I fear that no one will be able to save you Ryoko…"

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

As the day drifted slowly into the late afternoon, Princess Sasami was finishing up cleaning the kitchen and preparing to get dinner started when her sister Ayeka walked through the door. She just finished watching a six-hour marathon of her favorite soaps and was quite thirsty from all that crying she did as she allowed herself to get into the lame characterization the shows represented. "Sasami, is there any tea left? Watching 'From here to Andromeda' can be so exhausting."

Little Sasami just stood there and sighed, "Really Ayeka, with all that is happening around here, how can you just sit there on the sofa and just watch TV all day?"

"Why whatever do you mean by that Sasami?"

"Ayeka, it's been two weeks since Ryoko took off with Ryo-oki and no one has heard a word from her. Tenchi's been totally depressed and Kiyone just heard that one of the ministers from Jurai was murdered. Doesn't that concern you at all?"

"Well Sasami, no one from Jurai has contacted us yet regarding the murder so I will assume that the council will deal with it. If it requires my attention, I'm sure that they will notify me if needed and you know how Ryoko is. When she decides to stop being so childish, she'll come home and Lord Tenchi will stop feeling guilty for scolding her which I still say she deserved for trying to attack me…"

"But Ayeka, you started taunting Ryoko at the party, knowing full well she'd act crazy. I swear, sometimes I wonder who's supposed to be the older sister…"

The princess was taken back by her sibling's remark. True, Ryoko wouldn't fly off the handle like that if she didn't try goad her, but until Tenchi decided on who he wanted to be with, she would not give the space pirate any advantage whatsoever. She was however, starting to worry that if Ryoko didn't come back soon, Tenchi may never snap out of his funk. Despite their rivalry, she would hate to see anything bad happen to the cyan haired girl and deep down, Ryoko had been more than a friend to her. In the two plus years they had been living here with Tenchi, Ryoko had always treated Ayeka as a person rather than royalty. While it took some getting used to, the princess always had wanted to thank the pirate for her directness. <Ryoko you savage, get back soon, you hear me? >

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

Out in the fields, a poignant young man was tending to his carrots and other vegetables. The chores were simple enough, but for the last couple of weeks, his mind kept drifting elsewhere. His sad thoughts could only think of one thing: the girl with the beautiful golden eyes who finally captured his heart was missing. In what it had to be their worst fight yet, Ryoko told Tenchi that she couldn't stand the sight of him and had to leave. He prayed that she would calm down and return to him, but it had been two torturous weeks and no word from her. Kiyone had been listening on the GP interstellar network for any possible sightings of Ryo-oki, but hadn't heard anything except about the death of the Juraian Lord Braga. That particular news was getting a lot of airtime since nobody from the Juraian government nor the Galaxy Police would confirm on whom the killer was.

Tenchi thought a crime that serious would mean that Ayeka may have to return to Jurai, but as of yet no one from the council had summoned her yet. <Maybe the Jurai officials don't want to disturb her and figure they probably want to get their facts straight before they decide to contact her. The last time they came here, they accuse her of treason and look how that turned out! >

Despite the problem that was happening on his grandfather's home world, Tenchi's main concern was Ryoko. All he cared about was that she'd come home and to give him the chance to make things right. In the back pocket of his black khakis, he was carrying the gold chain she gave him for his graduation present. He told himself that he would not put it on until she comes back and personally place the chain on his wrist. All he wanted right now was to see her once more, hold her in his arms and tell her how much he loved her. <Please Ryoko! Come back to me! I just want to make everything right between us! > Tenchi pleaded in his thoughts as he tried to force himself to tending the fields…

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

"Washu!! Washu!! Are you in here?" Yelled out Detective Kiyone as she ventured into the little scientist's lab. The teal haired GP officer was usually a calm, fearless person, but going into Washu's lab would for some reason get her all jittery. Then again, everyone in the house felt the same way with the exception of her bubblehead partner Mihoshi, who was right behind her. "Kiyone, you sure that Washu is here?" The blonde bombshell asked.

"I haven't seen her around the house all day and Sasami swore that she saw her last going into the lab after breakfast. She gotta be around here somewhere." Kiyone answered.

As the two girls made their way around the immense laboratory, Kiyone was still astonished that little Washu could create such a structure through her pocket dimension. Washu could be strange at times, but she certainly did lived up to her reputation as 'the greatest genius in the universe'. "Come on Mihoshi, let's look over here." Kiyone said as she waved to her partner. They walked about twenty meters more before they heard the humming sound of a large machine. As they turned the corner, they came across the diminutive genius who appeared to be working on her latest device.

"Oh girls! You're just in time to see my latest invention!" Proclaimed little Washu as her robotic sidekicks popped up and got into their usual proclamation of their master's genius. "Yeah Washu! The greatest scientific genius in the whole universe!" They rang out in unison as both GP officers felt sweat coming from the back of their heads.

"Yeah, well that's looks amazing, but we're here to ask you if you had heard anything from Ryoko?" Kiyone asked.

"Nope, nada! I've been leaving my universal comlink open, but she hasn't contacted me yet. I take it that you haven't heard anything either?"

"Not really. All the talk right now is the murder of the Juraian minister, Lord Braga. Headquarters is having kittens over this since the planet Xeria is under GP surveillance and no one can explain on how or why he was there. Personally, I think there's more than meets the eye."

Washu nodded in agreement. "Definitely. If you ask me, a Juraian official being found dead on a planet that's a haven for criminals sounds a little fishy to me. Anyway, is that why did you come here looking for me?"

"Well, that and the fact that we just got orders to report to GP headquarters as soon as possible. This murder investigation is causing quite a stir and our station chief is calling all available officers for possible assignment to the case. I was hoping that Ryoko would have called before we left, but I guess we'll have to go without knowing. Washu, if you hear anything, contact us ok?"

"Sure Kiyone. I'll give you a holler when she decides to show up..."

"Uh, say Washu? What's that you're working on?" The ditzy Mihoshi asked as she walked over to the new invention of Washu and started to touch some of the lighted panels.

"GET AWAY FROM THAT CRAZY GIRL!! That's my intergalactic trans-portal! I haven't tested it yet!" Yelled the red headed woman, but it was too late. Mihoshi pressed one too many buttons and suddenly an electrical surge started to form around the device.

"AARRGHH!! Mihoshi, can't you ever learn to keep your hands to yourself?" Kiyone screamed at her partner as they began to run for their lives. As they raced towards the door, Washu quickly opened up a small panel beneath the machine and pushed down the lever that read 'power relay closed'. Suddenly, the huge machine powered down. Washu gave sigh of relief and then began to curse Mihoshi's name as the whole lab was suddenly filled with obscenities that were rather unpronounceable.

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

It was almost four o'clock when Tenchi decided that he had enough gardening for today. His heart wasn't into it and knew that soon his grandfather would be expecting him for sword training. While he may be able to slack off on the fields, Yosho would not be as considerate. Therefore, it was best that he should prepare himself even though his thoughts were on someone else.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept over the fields as if a typhoon was approaching. As Tenchi looked up to the sky, he saw that it was Ryo-oki. <RYOKO! > His mind screamed as he dropped everything and headed towards the house. Ryo-oki hovered just above the lake as all the girls, with the exception of Washu, got out of house to see the familiar black and red spaceship. A yellow beam shot out from Ryo-oki and a familiar cyan haired woman materialized just in front of the lake. Soon, Ryo-oki transformed herself back into a cabbit and sat beside her mistress.

"Ryoko!! Ryo-oki!! You're back!!" Yelled Princess Sasami as she ran towards the pair of space wanderers. It was obvious that at least one person missed them.

"Miya-Miya?" (Is it okay?) Asked Ryo-oki.

Ryoko nodded. "Go ahead, I know you missed her and by the way, thanks for being there for me…"

"My-eow!" (You're welcome!) Replied the little cabbit as she met Sasami half way and leaped into her arms for a loving embrace.

Ryoko stood her ground as the rest of the Masaki girls approached her. She wasn't sure of how she was going to explain her disappearance to them nor did she care to. She then noticed that neither Tenchi nor Washu were here. She wasn't ready to face him yet, but she definitely needed to talk to the little mad scientist as soon as possible.

"RYOKO! How dare you leave us in such an abrupt manner and without the courtesy of telling us where you were!" Barked princess Ayeka.

"Nice to see you too Ayeka. I see that you got a few wrinkles since I left." Ryoko sarcastically answered.

"What? How dare you…"

"Look princess, I would love to continue our fight from last time, but I need to see Washu. Is she around?"

"She's in her lab Ryoko. We just left from there. Is there something wrong?" Asked Kiyone.

"To be honest Kiyone, I'm not sure. Something happened to us up there and I need Washu to help me find some answers."

The girls gave Ryoko a perplexed look. "What do mean you're not sure what happened to you? Did you get into one of your finer predicaments?" Ayeka chimed in.

"Like I said chipmunk, I DON'T KNOW! Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to see Washu. Maybe later I'll explain everything ok?"

"Well, we'd love to hear it Ryoko, but Mihoshi and I have received orders to report to Galaxy Police Headquarters to help investigate a murder case." Stated Kiyone.

"Oh yeah, the Juraian Lord. I heard he got totally incinerated. Well, good luck with that you guys. We'll trade stories when you get back…"

"That sounds good. Oh, Sasami? Don't forget to tape the next few episodes of 'Space Police Policeman' for me will you?" Mihoshi reminded the little princess.

"No problem. I got the VCR programmed already. Come back soon guys!"

"You got it. Ok Mihoshi, let's get Yagami out of subspace and get to HQ."

"You got it partner!" The blonde officer replied as she tapped into her GP police watch and after pressing a sequence of buttons, the opening subspace appeared out of thin air and slowly the red GP cruiser Yagami pulled itself out. Within seconds, the two detectives were covered in a blue transport beam and dematerialized out of sight and into the ship's bridge.

Kiyone eased her way into the pilot's chair and initiated the command sequence to leave Earth's orbit while Mihoshi stumbled her way into her chair. As she tried to straighten herself out, she punched in the coordinates for the trip to HQ. A few seconds later, Yagami flew up into the atmosphere until it was just a red dot in the sky.

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

Tenchi ran as fast as he could as he raced around the lake and headed straight towards the house. As he got closer, he saw Ryoko, Ayeka and Sasami walking back to the house with Ryo-oki hopping behind them. He could overhear the pirate and the princess trading their usual pleasantries as Sasami just shook her head and stopped for a second to have Ryo-oki jumped on top of her shoulder. He was nearly out of breath, but Tenchi had to see Ryoko in hopes that she'd finally let him explain his boorish behavior at the party.

"RYOKO!! Ryoko wait up!" Yelled the young prince as he started to stumble and almost lost his footing. He was nearly out of breath when he finally caught up with them.

Ryoko's body stiffened as she turned around to face her love. It's been two weeks, but she still can't put that night out of her mind. As Tenchi stopped and hunched over to catch his breath, she simply just stood there, waiting for him to say something. Part of her yearned to wrap her arms around Tenchi and tell him how much she missed him, but the other part was still incensed with him.

"Ryoko, I'm so glad you came back! You don't how much I…"

"Stop it right there, Tenchi. I don't have time for you right now." Ryoko said without a hint of emotion. "Something's come up and I have to talk to Washu. Maybe later I'll talk to you, but right now its best that you stay away from me."

"Ryoko please, if you're still angry over what happened, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for all that to come out, I just wanted to…"

"Tenchi! Not now! I'm tired and sort of confused over what happened to me in space. Please, when I'm finished with Washu and maybe a little more calmer, I'll try to listen to what you have to say, but now isn't the right time."

Ayeka and Sasami had been quiet during the whole time, but the older princess didn't like how this conversation was going and decided to butt in. "Miss Ryoko! How dare you tell Lord Tenchi to wait until you were finished with Washu! If I were him I wouldn't of given you a second thought. You should be grateful that he would even let you come back after your inexcusable behavior at the party. Why I would of…"

"Ayeka please? Ryoko has every right to be here and I don't blame her for still being angry with me. If anyone has to apologize for their behavior, it's me." Tenchi put his head down as he turned his attention back to the cyan haired woman, "Ok Ryoko, I guess I can wait until you're done. I hope it's nothing too serious, but when you're ready I'll be at the shrine training with grandpa."

Ryoko stood there as Tenchi turned around and started to head for the temple. While she was still mad at him, she couldn't help but noticed how dejected he really looked. While she's satisfied that Tenchi got the message, he was still be boy that made her heart skip a beat when she was around him and seeing him like this was starting to make her depressed as well.

"Tenchi?" Ryoko called out to him as he turned around to face her, "Please understand, I'm not trying to avoid you, but I'm sort of confused right now and until I can get some answers from Washu, I'm not much for company so when I'm ready we'll talk ok?"

"I guess so. Well, when you're ready, you know where to find me." Tenchi felt a little better and managed to flash a smile before resuming his walk to the shrine. Ryoko smiled back, knowing that her anger would eventually subside. She was too much in love with him to stay mad indefinitely. Ayeka, on the other hand, was a different story.

"Ryoko, will you mind telling me what's going on? Normally, you would never leave Lord Tenchi in such a sad state. What could possibly make you…"

"Ayeka, for the last time SHUT UP!! Something happened to me up there so I need to talk to Washu, and for your information, part of this mess was your fault too. If you didn't go on babbling about me stealing to get Tenchi a present, I wouldn't have gotten pissed off at the party."

"And that was my fault? Who told you to throw that damn energy ball of yours? We may be friends Ryoko, but until Lord Tenchi speaks up and decides on whom he wants to be with, I'll never give you an inch of satisfaction. Do I make myself clear?"

Just hearing Ayeka like that got Ryoko's spirits up. This was the girl that she remembered traveling with all over Japan to find Tenchi when Haruna kidnapped him. <Ayeka can be an annoying bitch at times, but I can't blame her for trying to claim Tenchi. Hell, I may even be happy if he did pick her… NOT! > She thought to herself. "Ok Ayeka, whatever you say. Now would you please leave me alone so I could talk to the resident genius of the house?"

Ayeka was going to answer, but saw that Ryoko was being dead serious and decided to nod instead and let her go. "All right pirate, go ahead and hopefully Washu will find the solution to your problem." And with that Ryoko phased out in front of the princesses and into the house.

"Ayeka, you think Ryoko's in trouble?" Sasami asked.

"Well I hope not, it's bad enough that Kiyone and Mihoshi will be away for a while to investigate the murder of Lord Braga and Tenchi has been moping around since the monster woman abruptly decided to leave us. Funny, I actually missed our arguments when she wasn't around…"

"Admit it Ayeka, you care for Ryoko just like everyone else…"

"Maybe so Sasami, but no need for her to know that. We'll just keep it to ourselves agreed?"

"Whatever you say sister. It's starting to get late; can you help me in the kitchen? It's getting close to dinnertime."

"Of course Sasami, that's what family for right?"

"Yep and now that Ryoko's back, the whole family is together again."

"No need to remind me of that Sasami." Smirked the princess.

"Oh Ayeka, you're as bad as Ryoko sometimes." Laughed the little blue haired girl and both siblings entered the house to start dinner.

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

"WASHU?!? Hey Washu? Where the hell are you?" Ryoko kept bellowing throughout the enormous lab that was Professor Washu's creation.

"I'm over here Ryoko; glad to see that you finally decided to come back to our little family." Smirked the diminutive scientist. "I knew you were mad at Tenchi, but I didn't think you'd take two weeks to calm down."

"It's not that Washu…something happened to me and Ryo-oki out there and I can't figure out what it is."

"Care to start from the beginning?"

"Well, I told Ryo-oki to head off into deep space see where the wind would take us. I just needed to get away from here and eventually, we ended up in the Trillian prime system."

"Isn't that where you used to hang out during your pirating days?"

"Yup and once we got there, I decided that I could use a break from all this hassle with Tenchi. So I met up with some old friends and for the next few days they were happy enough show me around the planet."

"Let me guess, they tried to get you toasted and have their way with you."

"Well, they succeeded in getting me drunk, but they forgot that I can out drink anybody in the quadrant. So, while most of them kept their hands to themselves, a couple of losers tried their luck and got plastered to the tavern wall for all their trouble, heh-heh!"

"Ryoko, what did you hoped to accomplish by taking off like that and making Lord Tenchi miserable? He's been worried sick and you decide to relive your glory days?"

"Washu, you saw what happened. I know I did a stupid thing by getting worked up over Ayeka's present, but I didn't deserved to be humiliated like that!" Barked the pirate.

"Maybe so Ryoko, but if you love him so much as you claim to be, you wouldn't have stayed away so long and not even leave a message to let us know you're ok."

"Well, that's why I need your help Washu. I remember everything from two weeks ago, but for the life of me, I can't remember anything from one week ago and neither does Ryo-oki."

"Maybe you guys had too much to drink, although your cabbit is not accustomed to doing such things."

"That's just it Washu! Ryo-oki wasn't with me partying all the time. She'd take off to some quiet spot on the planet and hang out until I called her so I know she wasn't impaired."

Washu gave the pirate a perplexed look. "Ryoko, you're losing me here. So you have no memory of what happened a week ago, why do you think something's wrong?"

"Because short stuff, the last thing I remembered sitting down at a table, guzzling down a few cold ones at this tavern and the next thing I remember is being on Ryo-oki. The strangest part was that her chronometer said that a week had passed and neither of us remembered what happened to us during that time. We weren't on Trillian prime anymore and none of my old comrades were in the area so I got scared and raced back here. I need to know what to happened to us Washu, if it was just myself blacking out from drinking too much, then I could understand, but Ryo-oki too? That's too much…"

"Of a coincidence? I'll say." Washu nodded in agreement. Her holographic keyboard suddenly appeared and she began to type in data. "If you don't mind, I want run a few tests to determine what was the cause of your gap in memory. I'll need to examine Ryo-oki as well, but I can see her after dinner." As on cue, a examine table materialized and formed just next to Ryoko's rightside, which made the cyan beauty a little nervous.

"Washu, I'll agreed to your examination, but God help you if try to use me as some guinea pig for one of your crazy experiments…"

"Ha-Ha! The thought had occurred to me, but seeing that this problem of yours has you worked up, I promise to not to try any monkey business, ok?"

"I'm holding you to that, so let's get this over with." Ryoko responded as she laid down on the table while Washu pulled out a device that looked like a pair of headphones that the scientist placed it over Ryoko's head. It had also several wires that came out of each earpiece and little suction cups that Washu strategically placed all over the pirate's head. She then pulled out what appeared to be a black visor that was connected to the other device as they were placed in front of Ryoko's eyes.

"Now just relax Ryoko, this shouldn't take more than an half-hour."

"What exactly does this contraption do Washu?"

"Essentially, it's a memory scanner; these little plug-ins that's all over your head will stimulate the synaptic pathways in your brain, which will relay all your memories into your cerebral cortex. From there, the visor here will initiate a procedure that will allow your optic nerves to relay those events from your cortex and into the visor."

"In plain 'Galactian' Washu…"

"I'm downloading your recent memories into the visor. From there, I can connect it to one of my visual analytical computers and from this monitor; we can 'see' what happened to you. The scanning won't take long, but it may be a few hours before the computer can filter out to what we're specifically looking for."

"That's fine with me as long as I get to find out why I'd blacked out. What about Ryo-oki?"

"When I'm done scanning you, I'll call for her and we'll repeat the procedure, although I may have to adjust the equipment to adapt to her neural pathways. In fact, her memories may hold the key to why you two disappeared for almost two weeks."

"Well I hope so, cause I got I bad feeling that whatever happened to me up there, it wasn't pleasant."

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

"TENCHI!! Pay attention to your lesson! You're letting your guard down and I'm penetrating your defenses too easily. Now let's start again." Ordered Katsuhito as today's training session with his grandson could be summed up in one word: Sloppy.

"Sorry Grandpa. I'll paid attention this time." Replied the younger Masaki as he faced his mentor in their ceremonial swordplay. As they bowed and pointed their bokkas towards each other, Tenchi's mind wasn't into the routine as he normally was. This left him open for Katsuhito's frontal attacks as the old man kept parrying and thrusting his wooden sword forward as Tenchi kept staying on the defensive.

"Tenchi! Keep your balance! How are you suppose to protect yourself and this family if your technique is flawed and your mind not focused on the task ahead of you?!?" Yelled the older swordsman.

"I'm trying damn it! Just give a second and I'll…WWWHOA!" Shouted Tenchi as his grandfather bent low and whipped his left leg around the boy's feet for a swift leg sweep. The result was a resounding thud.

Katsuhito straightened up and sighed. "Get up Tenchi, the lesson is over for today. I can see that your heart isn't into this, but be prepare to spend the whole afternoon with me training. I'm not letting you off the hook just because your girlfriend's back and thinking about her is no excuse for your lackluster performance." Scolded the old man.

Tenchi was in too much pain to really hear what the old man said, but he knew what the point was. He knew fully well that Yosho would not let up on their practice, but he still couldn't concentrate on the lesson. As he got up and rubbed his buttocks, he bowed to his elder and apologized. "I'm sorry Grandpa, I know better than to let outside thoughts distract me from training, but it's just that…"

"Ryoko's back and you wish to clear the air between the two of you?"

"Exactly, but she won't talk to me until Washu's helps her out with some problem she encountered in space. I wish there's some way I could help her."

"Perhaps you are just overanxious Tenchi. I'm sure that once you have a chance to talk to her, the burden of guilt that has plagued you in the few days will be lifted off your shoulders."

"I hope your right Grandpa, It's just that every time I get to a moment that I want to tell her how I feel, I either put my foot in my mouth or something else comes up that causes me to push it aside. I'm such a coward at times."

Katsuhito placed his right hand on his grandson's shoulder and decided to offer some good advice "Tenchi, listen to your heart. You need to put aside your fears and just be true to yourself. You say that you are a coward because you cannot say the right words at the right time. Perhaps you should just make the time and just say what's in your heart. Despite Ryoko's anger with you, she wouldn't have come back if she didn't love you."

"You think so Grandpa? She didn't look too happy to see me at first."

"Tenchi, what did I just say a moment ago?"

Tenchi saw that Yosho still had his bokka in his hand and decided it was best that he agreed with him otherwise the old man might inflict another painful lesson. "You're right Grandpa, I need to stop being such a bonehead and just come out with it. What's the worst thing Ryoko could do to me, hit me with another gift box? Heh-heh."

"I believe that I her sour mood, she's liable do much more than you can imagine Tenchi." Smirked the old man, which Tenchi thought about it and gulped in fear.

"I just imagined it and I'm afraid of the outcome." He sighed, "Did you ever had this problem with grandma?"

"Well your grandmother was the fiery type like Ryoko, but then again she never fired energy balls or pointed a light sword at me, heh-heh." Grinned Yosho. "Do not worry Tenchi, when all is said and done, you and Ryoko will be making wedding plans for next autumn."

"W…W…Wedding? I'm starting college soon. Can't you guys wait until I'm finished with ALL my studies?"

"Tell that to Ryoko Tenchi." The old man smiled back with a smirk.

As both men started to laugh, the sky suddenly darkened and the wind started gusting with more force. As the two warriors looked up in the sky, a huge ship appeared out of the clouds. It was the Juraian battle cruiser Saibankan and it hovered just above the Masaki house. Once the ship stopped, a beam shot out from the belly of the ship and widened its pattern to encompass the area surrounding the house, the lake and the shrine. Whoever came from Jurai, they wanted to make sure that no one was leaving.

Tenchi and Yosho raced down the stone stairways as another beam, this one more a lot smaller shot down to the front of the lake. Princess Ayeka and Sasami slid open the front door to see about a dozen soldiers. Armed with metal battle staves, materialized from the beam. As they land, they swiftly scattered to form a circle, surrounding the house. A second beam appeared and out came Azaka and a high-ranking officer.

As they approached the house, Ayeka grabbed Sasami and told her to get Washu and Ryoko. The way these soldiers were armed, this wasn't a social call. Ayeka couldn't help but wondered if this had to do with Ryoko's 'problem', <Please Tsunami, don't let it be Ryoko! This family can't take another crisis and I can't bear seeing Lord Tenchi worried over that woman! > Ayeka tried to put up a smile as she went outside to greet Azaka.

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

"Say Washu, what's that thing you're working on?" Asked Ryoko while the scientist was fidgeting with the memory device.

"Oh that? That's my new intergalactic trans-portal! Remember that portal I used for Tenchi and me to bust you and Ayeka out from that Juraian ship? Well, I used the theoretical physics from that device and expanded it to the possibility of transporting from one end of the galaxy to the other. If I can manage to get a fixed location on the other side of the portal, we can travel across the galaxy in a matter of seconds. Ha-ha, I'm such a genius!"

"Yeah, if you can do it, it'll be a first, ha-ha!" Ryoko said sarcastically which didn't amuse the redheaded scientist.

"Funny Ryoko. I'll have to remember to use you as my first test subject when I finish it." Washu shot back.

"Hmph, you're no fun sometimes, you know that?" Ryoko grumbled as the machine made a 'ping' sound. Washu checked the gauges and came to her conclusion, "It's done Ryoko. While I analyze the data from your memory, you can get Ryo-oki for me."

Before Ryoko had a chance to say anything, Sasami ran in screaming, her facial expression looking as if a bomb had just hit the house. "Ryoko! Washu! Come quick! We're being surrounded by the Juraian military!"

"SAY WHAT?!?" Ryoko and Washu yelled in unison.

"Juraian soldiers, here? What the hell they want now? Didn't we just saved their ass from one evil emperor already?" Ryoko strongly pointed out.

"Calm down the both of you. I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this. Sasami, what exactly is happening outside?"

"Well, Ayeka and me saw a transport beam appeared by the lake and soldiers materialized. They split up and surrounded the house. Then a second beam came and Azaka appeared with some officer, maybe a general or admiral, I don't know for sure."

"Well if Azaka's here, maybe it isn't so bad?" Ryoko surmised. "Let's get outside and see what's up. I want to check out what the story is."

"Washu nodded. "I agree, we can wait for the analysis to be completed later so let's see what Azaka has to say to us." And with that, the three alien girls proceeded to the exit door of Washu's lab.

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

"Azaka! What is the meaning of this?" Demanded Princess Ayeka as she met the knight halfway between the house and the lake. "Why have you come here with armed soldiers and without notifying me of your arrival?"

Azaka and the ship's captain bowed down to Ayeka when they stood in front of her, "My apologizes your highness, but we didn't want to alert Ryoko of our presence. It was important that we could capture her without endangering you and the Royal Family." Azaka spoke in a quiet, but firm tone of voice.

"The Royal Family endangered from Ryoko? What nonsense is this? I demand that to know what's going on!"

"Your Majesty, I…"

"Allow me Azaka…" The captain intervened. "Princess Ayeka, we have come to arrest the space criminal Ryoko for the brutal murder of the Finance Minister, Lord Braga and his royal escort. These soldiers are here to capture her and to protect you and the rest of the Royal Family from any further harm that she may have caused you."

Ayeka was in total shock. She thought she was having some sort of nightmare as she looked at Azaka. The first knight could only nod when the captain continue to state their mission here. "Azaka, when did this happened and why I wasn't notified sooner?"

"The Holy Council felt that it was best that we kept all communications with you to a minimum, since we did not want to tip Ryoko off. I take it that she doesn't know of our arrival?"

"No, she doesn't, but Azaka I cannot believe these accusations about Ryoko. Surely there's been some mistake?"

The knight shook his head no. "I'm sorry your highness, the Galaxy Police had presented the Ministry of Justice the evidence that was gathered after Lord Braga was murdered. Unfortunately, that information is classified to all except the members of the ministry, the higher ranking officers of the Galaxy Police and certain members of the Royal Family…"

"What Information? What evidence are you talking about?" Tenchi asked as he and Yosho came from the shrine to see the display of military force surrounding the house. " Azaka, what's going on here?"

"Lord Tenchi, Lord Yosho. I'm glad that you are well. I was trying to explain to the princess that we have come for Ryoko."

Tenchi had a perplexed look on his face. While this wasn't registering in his head, Yosho knew quite well what this was and what was about to happen. "Azaka, explain yourself. Why are you here for Ryoko? Is she being accused of a crime?"

"Prince Yosho, it is imperative that we get the entire household into protective custody as soon as possible. We need to get all of you aboard the Saibankan before that murderous pirate discovers our task force." The captain stated as he waved to a couple of soldiers to stand guard with Ayeka, Tenchi and Yosho. From the gate entrance, the guardians approached the princess, wondering what was going on as well.

"I'm not going anywhere unless I get some answers first and what are you implying sir, that Ryoko murdered somebody? I don't believe that for an instant. Azaka, my grandfather asked you a question. What is going on and what is Ryoko being accused of?" Demanded an angry Tenchi.

"Excuse the Captain Prince Tenchi. He's not aware of your family's 'history' with Ryoko. He will refrain from making any more unconfirmed statements until we had a chance to speak to Ryoko, Isn't that right Captain?" Azaka looked into the captain with a rather evil glare, reminding him of what would happen if he were to overstep his authority.

"Yes, of course. We will wait until the accused shows up and we will then take the next appropriate steps to ensure that she will be treated fairly in the Juraian criminal system."

"Again I ask you Azaka, what is Ryoko being accused of?!?" Tenchi asked again, but with a more forceful voice.

Ayeka jumped in, "Tenchi, they're here to arrest Ryoko for the murder of Lord Braga on the planet Xeria one week ago."

"WHAT?!? I don't believe this! There must be some mistake! My Ryoko isn't capable of such a despicable act. Granted, she was a space pirate at one time, but she's been straight ever since she came to Earth. Azaka, how can you believe such a thing? We were all together when we stormed the Royal Palace two years ago. You saw she how risked her life to get us there. How could you believe that a person like that would murder someone for no reason?"

"I don't want to believe it either my prince, but the evidence presented was substantial" Azaka replied, "Once we get aboard, all will be shown to you in due time…"

The captain intervened, "Prince Yosho, Prince Tenchi, where was Ryoko last week?"

The question hit all three royal Juraians like a brick wall and the answer wasn't going to be pleasant either. "Uh, Ryoko wasn't here. She said that she needed to do something in space and just returned today." Replied Ayeka.

"Did she say where she was going or who she was seeing?" The captain asked.

"The truth is that Ryoko had been gone for two weeks and she didn't say where she was going." Yosho answered.

"That's rather odd, she didn't tell you where she was going Lord Tenchi?" Azaka inquired as Tenchi struggled to say the right words without having to incriminate his love. However, any deception on his or the family's part might get Ryoko into more trouble so he reluctantly told Azaka and the captain.

"The real reason why she left without saying anything was because we had a argument and she decided to leave Earth to calm down for a while. It wasn't until today that she came back and all she said was that she would talk to me after she saw Professor Washu."

"So where is Ryoko now? Speaking with Ms. Washu?" Azaka asked as the captain looked towards the house. As he did, he saw his intended target along with Washu and Sasami. Without saying a word, he silently ordered the soldiers to advance towards the threesome. This didn't escaped Azaka's eyesight.

"What the…Captain, tell your men to stand down now!"

"Too late Azaka, she saw us. Capture the criminal and secure the princess and the other woman!" Ordered the captain.

"What the hell going on here Washu? What are these guys doing?" Ryoko wondered as she saw the soldiers approached her with their battle staves displayed and at full power. Before she could act, two men jumped from the roof of the Masaki house and grabbed both Washu and Sasami and surrounded themselves with a force field. "Ryoko, look out! It's a trap!" Yelled out Washu.

Ryoko put up her Light sword as the remaining Juraian commandos rushed towards her. As two of them reached up to her and tried to connect with their staves, Ryoko merely sliced them up with her sword. She then pivoted back towards them and landed a fist into the face of one. The other soldier tried to bear-hug her in order to restraint her, but she immediately teleported out of harms way and phased behind the soldier and landed a karate chop into the neck of the unsuspecting soldier, incapacitating him.

As she turned back towards the lake, she saw that Tenchi and the others were watching. As the other soldiers tried to bear down on her position, she teleported again and appeared above them. She then unleashed an energy ball and hurled it right at them. It wasn't enough to kill them, but to least keep them out of action until she got away.

"Ryoko, get out of here! Run away!" Tenchi kept screaming at her, but Ayeka grabbed him and told him that an energy field was surrounding them. When he realized that, it was too late, Ryoko was soaring straight up and into the massive energy shield. In her rush to get away, she didn't see the electrical pulses that the shield was giving out until it was too late. Everyone watched in horror as Ryoko made contact with the shield and the energy was electrocuting her. Yosho covered Ayeka's ears so she didn't have to hear the blood curling screams of the cyan pirate as she struggled to get free from the field, but her power was causing a feedback, which kept her from being able to move.

"Azaka, stop this! You're killing her! Release her please!" Cried out Tenchi, as he couldn't bear more of seeing his love being tortured.

"Captain, drop the force field this instant!" Commanded Azaka.

"But Azaka, we have her where we want her. We can finish her off now before…"

"Captain do it now or you'll be joining her. This is an order!"

"As you wish." The captain contacted the ship and within seconds, the energy field was deactivated. Ryoko was unconscious when fell back towards the earth and landed with a loud thud.

"RYOKO!!" Tenchi shouted as he ran past everyone and raced towards the stilled pirate. As everyone else ran behind him, Ayeka stood back. She was trying to understand what was happening here, but also something else kept pounded into head as she saw Tenchi reached for the wounded cyan girl, cradling her in his arms, trying to revive her.

"He said 'my Ryoko'; the look in his eyes when she came crashing upon the Earth; the tone of his voice when he shouted her name. Can it be? Can it be that he…he…he has chosen her?" Ayeka's emotions were in turmoil right now. As she started to cry, she wasn't even sure whether the tears were for her friend who may be dying or for herself, after finally realizing that the boy she grew to love had chosen another. She fought back the tears as she tried to pull herself together and headed of to join the others.

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

"Ryoko, wake up! Say something please!" Tenchi kept saying over and over as he tried to revive his love. His thoughts were in chaotic at best. One minute he was thinking about how he was going tell Ryoko how sorry he was for what happened at the party to telling her how much he missed her when she went away and to finally tell her how much he loved her so. Now he was thinking of how such a thing could of happened here.

Washu was finally released by the soldier and raced over with Sasami to see the condition the golden eye beauty was in. Sasami gasped when she saw Ryoko lying still in Tenchi's arms while blood trickled from the edge of her mouth and ears. Ayeka saw her little sister in despair and reached out to give her a hug, hoping to find some comfort in the embrace. Washu reached over to Tenchi and asked about her condition.

"She's not moving Washu! I don't even think she's breathing! Please help her Washu, I can't bear to see her like this!" Pleaded Tenchi as Washu snapped her fingers and one of little dimensional portals opened up. She then puts her hands into the hole and pulled out a medicine bag. As she opened it, she pulled out two bright orange pills.

"Here Tenchi, put these into her mouth and tilt her head so she will swallow them. They're a type of stimulant that will cause her body to jump start after being zapped by that energy field." She explained.

"Will she be all right Washu?"

"She hurt pretty bad, but she should be ok in a couple of days. She's going to need a lot of rest though."

"Well, where she's going, she'll have plenty of time to recover." The captain commented as he motioned his men to take Ryoko from Tenchi, "My prince, please step aside so that these men take the prisoner into custody…"

"Like hell you're going to take her from me!" Tenchi screamed out at the soldiers as he pulled out Tenchi-ken proceeded to form the energy blade that was signature of the Jurai Power. Normally, Tenchi didn't carry the sword around, but ever since Ryoko's disappearance, he needed to vent his frustrations out so he would secretly go into the forest and use the sword for practice. It felt a lot better to release the energy rather than playing around with a bokka.

The soldiers stood their ground. They weren't going to fight against a member of the Royal Family, much less with one that had a sword pointed at them. The way Tenchi was looking at them, he was ready to strike at anyone that would try to lay a hand on Ryoko. Yosho sensed the anger his grandson was showing and stepped in front of the soldiers before Tenchi decided to take his anger out on them.

"Tenchi, stand down…"

"No Grandfather. I'm not going to let them take Ryoko away from me…"

"And they won't. We will all go to Jurai and fight this, but if we try to stay here to protect her, they will only send more ships and soldiers to take her. Is this what you want?"

"Of course not, but I don't believe Ryoko has committed any crime, much less than killing somebody she don't know. She wouldn't do this Grandfather, I believe that with all my heart."

"I too believe in Ryoko Tenchi, but to prove her innocence, we must go to Jurai and fight these false accusations. Nothing will happen to her until then, correct Azaka?"

"Yes Lord Yosho, You have my word as a loyal knight of the Royal Court of Jurai. Captain, tell the men to return to the ship, we'll handle it from here."

"But Azaka, she is wanted for murder! I cannot possibly leave her here without the proper…"

"Captain, Azaka has given you an order and as the First Crowned Princess of the Jurai Royal Family, I will back his decision. If you wish to protest, you may do so when we return to Jurai, but until then, YOU WILL OBEY any orders that the knight has given you, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!?" Said the angry Princess Ayeka.

The captain was caught between a rock and a hard place. His superiors back home will not be pleased with his decision to not imprison Ryoko in the ship's brig, but he was not going to disobey the command of the future Empress of Jurai, not if he wanted to see his career in ruins. "As you command your highness. Please accept my humble apologies, I will not question Azaka's orders again, but may I request that one of my men stay behind as an escort? It will ensure that no one from my unit had neglected their post."

Ayeka glared at the Captain as Azaka looked turned to her. After considering his request, she reluctantly agreed. "Very well, one of your men can stay, but he is only to observe and escort the Princess Sasami and myself to your ship. Prince Yosho and Tenchi will see to Ryoko. Now tell the rest of your soldiers to leave at once."

"As you command. Let's go men. Lucas! Stay with the princesses and report back to me when you return to the ship." The captain gave his final order as the transporter beam appeared and swallowed up the soldiers and the suddenly humbled captain.

As the commando unit disappeared, everyone's attention turned back towards the stricken space pirate and the young man who was still cradling her in his arms. The last time he held her like this was when she was badly hurt from Ryo-oki getting hit from Jurai's planetary defenses. He was concerned for her back then, but his feelings for her wasn't as apparent as it was now. "Washu, will she pull through?"

"Tenchi, don't worry. I told you that she would, it's just that she'll need some time to recover. Don't worry what that moron said earlier; we'll go to Jurai and beat this. Trust me on this." The little redhead replied as she tried to get Tenchi to stay positive.

Going by Washu's instructions, Tenchi gently picked up Ryoko and headed back to the house with Sasami and the Juraian soldier. The poor fool felt the glares that the family was giving him, but had no choice but to stay with them. As they walked back, Azaka, Yosho and Ayeka remained behind to discuss the options that were left. "Azaka, what will happen once we reach Jurai?" Ayeka asked her knight.

"If I'm correct and Lord Yosho will agree on this, Ryoko will be detained and tried for murder, it is imperative that a suitable counsel is retained for her defense or she will suffer the most harshest of penalties."

"You don't mean…?"

"If she's found guilty, Juraian law will demand that Ryoko be…put to death." Yosho replied with a grim expression on his face.

The three Juraians headed back towards the house, walking in total silence, except for the sound of a sobbing princess.

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

From the shadows on a nearby mountain, Oto had witnessed everything that had transpired over the last two weeks. As a spy and an mercenary, nothing usually bothered him, but seeing how the Masaki boy had cried when the space pirate had left him and now seeing him protecting her from the Juraian soldiers made him wonder if this the right thing to do. <A pity really…> He thought to himself, <But not my problem. The Boss doesn't pay me to be a bleeding heart. >

Oto pulled out his communication device and contacted the planet Xeria. "This is Oto, phase two is completed. The Juraian have captured Ryoko and will be escorting her and the Royal Family back to Jurai. What are my next instructions?"

After a few seconds of silence, a voice rang out, "Oto, it's me. Osaka will pick you up once the Juraian fleet has left the solar system and the both of you will proceed to your next target. I want nothing to interfere with the execution of that bitch, is that understood?"

"Y…Yes boss, understood. Oto out." Oto replied as he sat back down on the ground waiting for his pickup. As he looked back at the Masaki residence, he thought about the star crossed lovers once more. <Good luck Earthling, you and your ladylove are going to need it…>

End Chapter Four

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A/N: Once again I apologize for taking some time for the chapter to come out; my job has been keeping me busy of late and sometimes I'm just too damn tired to write anything. To be honest, this may not be one of my better pieces, but I'll let you be the judge of that.

COMMENTS FROM LAST CHAPTER:

Malena: I would really like to tell you what Ryoko whispered in Tenchi's ear, but then I would have to change the rating of the story to NC-17. LOL! If you want a hint, just imagine a bedpost, rope and a whip. You figure out the rest. ^_^ Look forward to seeing the next chapter of 'Sea of Change". Definitely one of my favs.

Bobr: Well, your instincts were right the first time and yeah, I would also agree that whoever is behind this is afraid of her as well considering that a whole squadron of warships went after her. Still wondering who's the mastermind? By the way, I brought Ah! My Goddess the movie and I was totally impressed. Thanks for the tip; I'll try to get Slayers on my next trip to Suncoast.

Thundergod: Yes I agree Son of Odin, I'm definitely taking tooo long to do this, but I already told you my reasons. Methinks tis Loki who has cast a spell upon my senses. Perhaps I shall call upon Heimdall to smite that evil trickster. LOL!

LedZepFan: Dude, what would I do without you? But that's what fellow New Yorkers are for right?

ChapMaster: Your comments are quite direct. You're my kind of people

Two things that I would like to add. Someone mentioned that they were glad that I didn't have Tenchi yelled at Ayeka for her part of the disaster. I'll be the first to admit that the princess is not one of my favorite characters, but I don't see the point of Tenchi berating her for any particular reason. First, I don't believe that's not within Tenchi's character to do such a thing and second, if you believe in the theory that opposites attract, then it would make more sense for him to react more irrationally with Ryoko since he's in love with her. I figure that even though he's attracted to her wildness and free-loving ways, he probably would feel more comfortable if she could calm down a little, hence his constant scolding. After all, would you give a damn about somebody's behavior if you didn't feel strongly about him/her? Just a thought.

As for Tenchi getting what he deserved, Let's just say that I had issues with 'Tenchi Forever' and this was my resolution.

As always, your reviews are appreciated. If you want a more elaborate explanation, you can email me at a.falc@verizon.net

Later, alighthawk