A Thousand Mile Journey.
Chapter Five: Toranu tanuki no Kawa-zan'yo*
Division: Reg(OVA)

    Princess Sasami looked up from her preparations at the dining table and
asked, "Did you hear that?"
    Washu, Tally, Mihoshi, Nobuyuki, Katsuhito and Ryo-Ohki all looked at
one
another over the table and Washu answered, "Well, yes, I think I heard
somebody say charge?"
    "What could that mean?" asked Nobuyuki as he looked down longingly at
his
dish full of fried fish and rice.
    "It means trouble," said Katsuhito as he stood up.
    All of them rushed over to the doors and opened them, only to be greeted
by a most amazing sight.
    Tenchi was fighting three Royal Body Guards with her bare hands and
doing
a good job at it.  The fact that the guards were very strong did nothing to
help them against their very swift and very angry adversary.
    Ryoga was surrounded by a mob of guards, most of who were already
showing
signs of wear.  Many seemed to be on the ground, their legs and arms wrapped
up in yellow bandanas.  Three guards were trying to lift an umbrella which
had somehow created a crater in the ground on impact.  Many of the staffs
seemed to explode into pieces with just a touch of one of Ryoga's fingers!
    The officer in charge was already nursing a broken arm while he
continued
to shout commands.  "Don't just lay there!  Get up!  You fools!  Use the
staffs!"  The officer seemed to be having trouble understanding why he had
not won by now.  "You out number him and are stronger!"
    "That's not fair!" shouted Mihoshi, as she pulled out her control cube.
    "You're right," stated Katsuhito, as he calmly stepped forward, snatched
a staff out of the hands of a dazed Royal Body Guard and plowed into the
crowd like a blur of motion.
    "Wait up," said Tally, as he plowed into the fight, slamming his
shoulder
into one of the guards and knocking him right off his feet.
    Troop Commander Rain stared in shock.  'How could my men be having so
much trouble,' he thought to himself.  The Royal Body Guard were the most
highly trained soldiers on Jurai.  "Damn it," he shouted, "we're attacking
you!"
    Some of the guards had finally piled up onto Ryoga, but this seemed to
do
nothing but upset him.  "How dare you!" he yelled from under the bodies.
With one arm he pushed against the ground and seemed to explode upwards,
taking some of the guards with him.  Soon Ryoga was spinning in the air,
striking out with feet and fists, sending the guards flying in all the
directions.  "You're no match for-" he said before splashing down into the
lake.
    Katsuhito hit two guards at once with just a spin of the staff, before
leaping over a third guard who was too confused to dodge the back kick to
the
head.  Tally saw this and shouted, "Good form!" before tackling another
guard.
    "No, no, no," whined Rain, "we're attacking you!"
    Mihoshi, finally in her Galaxy Police Battle Suit, aimed her glove
weapons at two of the guards and shouted, "You're under arrest!"  Both
guards
became still, stared at her, then at each other.  "What the heck is she
talking about?" one said, right before both charged Mihoshi, staffs held
above their heads, about to stun her.  "Stay back!" she screamed, right
before freezing both guards in a blast of ice.  "Gee, I told you.  Now, what
is it? Oh yes, you have the right to remain silent-"
    Washu glanced up at the waiting spaceship.  "Well, well.  I think we
better make sure they don't do anything stupid, like using the big guns."
She picked up Ryo-Ohki by the back of the neck and smirked.  Princess Sasami
shook her head and said, "Why can't we all get along?"
    Nobuyuki would have agreed with the Princess, but he was too busy
stuffing his face as he watched his Tenchi beat up two more guards.
    A tiny black pig crawled out of the lake, unseen by the others.  The pig
thought as it spit out a mouth full of water, 'Oh no, they'll know of my
curse now!'
    "No, no, no, you don't understand," Rain seemed to beg, "we're attacking
you!"

    Captain Kuria was too busy pulling out his hair to even worry about the
guns of his ship.  He had been watching the fight, right from the beginning
with his ship's short range cameras.  The fight had gone from bad to worse
and now he was seriously thinking of beaming down more men, this time armed
with tactical battle suits.
    Before he could come to a decision, the alarms started to scream and his
view of the battle was blocked off by another ship.  "What the-" was all he
could say before his own ship rocked.  "We've been hit!"
    One of the crew, seeming in a panic, shouted up from one of the bridge
stations, "Its Ryo-Ohki!"
    "The destroyer of worlds?" whimpered Captain Kuria.  "Too-Kay!  Activate
Light-Hawk Wings! Gunners, open fire!"

    Sasami watched the combat between the two ships.  "You sure she'll be
OK?"
    High above the two ships zigzagged and dodged.  Too-Kay, while equal to
Ryo-Ohki, seemed to be half fleeing, half fighting.  The Jurai ship did not
seem to have a crew willing to go all out with the cabbit and it was almost
like the ship itself was scared.
    "Yes," said Washu, "I told her to play with them.  To dodge and fake
them
out, not attack them for real."  Washu frowned and said, "I wonder why they
never noticed Ryo-Ohki was here before.  You would think the King would have
tipped them off to her being here."

    'Well,' thought Tenchi as she dodged another kick, grabbed the offending
leg and flipped the guard onto his head, 'they're learning not to pick on
the
weak all right.'
    Tenchi braced herself for another attack, but soon realized that she was
all out of guards.
    She stood up and looked about.  The Commander was standing by his five
remaining guards, the last men under his command who were still awake.  The
rest were on the ground, either unconscious or tied up by the bandanas that
Ryoga had tossed about earlier in the fight.
    Commander Rain glared about at the enemy who surrounded him and his men.
'My strongest troops defended by two girls, a boy, an old man and an unarmed
man!'  He held his useless arm and growled, as he stole a glance at the sky.
The Too-Kay was hovering over one of the nearby hills having been driven
away
by the weird looking, but very dangerous, Ryo-Ohki.
    "I will never give up!" hissed Rain.
    "Oh really?" said a voice from above.
    Rain and his men stared up at Ryoko, who was floating above them,
holding
a glowing sword in her right hand.  "Me and the Princess heard all the
racket
and decided to come see what was up."  The demon girl smirked down at the
Royal Body Guard.  "Now the fight REALLY begins!"
    "No! No!" said one of the guards, as he lifted his hands, "I give up!"
"Me Too!"  "We all give up!"
    Rain turned about, trying to hit his men with his good arm, but they
were
already kneeling out of his range.  "Fools!  The King will-"
    "My Father will what?" demanded Princess Ayeka as she walked up to the
Commander flanked by two Jurai Guardians.

    "What?" demanded Captain Kuria over the radio.  His bridge crew also
seemed a tad amazed by what they had just heard from the Troop Commander.
    "I said," repeated Rain's voice from the speaker, "that the Princess
Sasami welcomed the alien visitor to Earth.  That gave him permission from
the Royal family. Or at least, that is the argument given to me by Washu
after I explained why we were here.  Can you please beam us up now?  Me and
my men need to visit the ship's doctor. I've had a long day."
    "Understood," snapped the Captain.  He turned to one of the bridge
officers and growled, "Beam them up. Alert the doctor and his staff.  Then
get us the HELL out of here."
    The Captain leaned back in his command chair and said out loud, "The
King
is going to have my head.  Oh, I hope I don't have to pay for the repairs."

    Washu, Tenchi and rest watched the Jurai ship, burnt and damaged, slip
into the hyperspace storm that twirled above them.  After the ship
disappeared into hyperspace and the hole itself closed, Washu clapped her
hands together and said, "Well, that's over.  Time for dinner."
    Tally smiled and said, "I would love to join you, but I believe I have
enough information for my people.  I am sorry I must go, but speed is needed
in my mission."
    Washu smiled, "I understand.  And make sure not to blame yourself for
the
actions of your forefathers, OK?"
    Tally gave Washu a nod and bowed to the rest, "Thank you all."
    "Bye," said Mihoshi, already starting to cry.
    "We'll miss you," said Sasami.
    As Tally started to walk towards the forest, where they had hidden his
shuttle, Tenchi peeked down to notice a tiny black pig had joined them.
    "Hey, where did that come from?" asked Tenchi.
    Washu picked up the pig and said, "Never you mind.  I'll join you folks
at dinner right after I do something."

    The shuttle shot off into the sky which was already becoming dark.  It
was watched not only by both Tenchi and her friends, but also by another
presence.

    My Lady.
    Yes, D3.
    They failed to capture Washu. In fact, they gained much information from
her.
    That matters not.  They can't use it against me.
    Yes, my lady.

    The floating onsen had been untouched throughout the fight which was a
good thing.  Washu smirked as she tossed the pig into the warm water and out
exploded Ryoga.  He spit out some water and stared at Washu.  "How did you
guess?" he asked, his eyes wide with amazement.
    "I saw you change when you hit the lake," said Washu, as she placed a
change of clothes for him at the edge of the pool, along with some towels.
"I figured that is why you came here.  Knowing that you had to be able to
change back otherwise you would be a pig all the time, I guessed about the
warm water."
    "And you don't think I am a monster?" remarked Ryoga, his eyes closed in
shame.
    "Kid, I've seen REAL monsters," stated Washu.  "Now get dressed.  We
have
a dinner to go to."

    The center of the Milkyway galaxy was a dangerous and crowded place on
normal days.  Now, as First Fleet Commander Tally watched from the bridge of
his flagship, space itself seemed to be rolling and exploding.  Out of it,
flowing out like a river of energy, came black fire.  This fire started to
break up, forming into solid shapes.  Ships, bases, space stations all were
born before his very eyes, as the Haven High Command moved its race to a new
home.  Universe 345.
    Wave after wave of battleships, fighters, troop transports, space
factories, nurseries and even small planets poured into the universe.  A
universe safe from the Goddess and FULL of energy.
    "Sir," said the officer on duty, "message coming in from Lord Lance.  He
wishes a report ASAP."
    "I understand," Tally replied, forcing himself to look away from the
screens showing his people's glory.  "I will call him from my private
com-chamber."

    My lady.
    Yes, D3?
    I have some news.  You won't like it.
    Tell me.
    You sure? I don't think you'll be happy.
    Just tell me.
    OK, but don't get mad at me.
    D3!
    OK, OK.  The Haven Fleet has come again...

    The dinner went well.  Ryoga really seemed to enjoy home cooked meals
and
both Princess Ayeka and Ryoko were happy to be able to eat with the rest of
the family.  Tenchi had decided that both has suffered enough.
    "Lately both of you have shown you can be trusted," she said over a cup
of tea.  "I don't see why you can't come back and stay with us."
    "Oh Ten-chi!" shouted Ryoko, right before getting the object of her love
into a headlock.
    Princess Ayeka, instead of flying off the handle, just grinned.  Both
Sasami and Mihoshi held up their dishes, waiting for the explosion that
never
came.
    "I think I am missing something here," said Ryoga out loud.
    Washu just winked at him and said, "Don't worry about it."  She turned
and announced to the table, "By the way, my computers and I now know what
DNA
strands to replace in Tenchi to make her a him again."
    Everybody at the table cheered (or meowed), but for Ryoga who seemed to
be in shock.  "Tenchi is a BOY!"
    Ryoga stood up, staring at Washu, "You know how to cure curses?"
    Washu shook her head at Ryoga, "I'm sorry, but I can't help with yours.
It is truly something dealing with magic and I just don't do magic.
Tenchi's
problem deals with science and I can handle that.  Talking to Tally gave me
an idea."
    "You're cursed?" asked Mihoshi, after finishing off her soup.
    "Poor boy," added Princess Sasami.
    "You are welcome to stay here as long as you need," stated Katsuhito.
"After tonight, Tenchi will be a boy again and you two can share the room."
    Ryoga, who was not truly crying, bowed deeply.  "Thank you, thank you
all.  But I must continue to search for a cure."

    Tally left the bridge and entered his com-chamber.  A simple room filled
with cameras and projectors, designed to allow two beings millions of miles
apart to talk to each other as if standing side by side.
    Lord-Regent Lance, Leader of the Haven High Command, appeared before
Tally within a few minutes.  His image was pale, almost drained of color.
He
was sitting in a hover-chair, which slightly alarmed Tally.  The Lord's
eyes,
as usual, were covered in cloth, protecting them from unwanted notice.
    Tally bowed and said, "Do you wish me to give a simple report or be
verbose?"
    Lord Lance gestured with his right hand, "Tell me what you think I need
to know.  I can always ask questions later."
    Tally nodded, "Yes sir.  You were right in most things.  Washu is
powerful and the gems she has used in making Ryoko are just as powerful.
They are also a product of the Jurai trees."
    "What?" said Lance, then he shook his head and said, "Excuse me.
Continue."
    Tally smiled, "I can understand your shock.  Basically, they are like
amber, released by the earliest of the Jurai trees.  But instead of trapped
insects or small animals, they hold a part of the tree's power.  This is the
same way the keys are made, but its done by nature, not by design.  The gems
are like the tree keys used by the pilots.  They can be even more powerful,
as some of them might be from trees millions of years ago."
    Tally leaned forward and said, "This is why Kagato needed them to
control
Tsunami.  This is why Yosho was able to take the gems from Ryoko when he
finally catch up with her on the planet Earth.  He sword, Tenchi, is the key
to his ship's tree.  With the help from it, he was able to take her gems,
which are themselves nothing but part of the same energy system.  Ryoko's
gems were able to help feed Yosho's tree and his tree was able to use the
energy to help keep him alive all that time on Earth."
    Lance suddenly nodded, "That is why Dr. Clay's robot could not take the
gem without destroying it."
    Tally nodded, "The gem Zero made was close enough to the real thing to
link her with Washu and Ryoko, but it would have been useless against a true
gem or a tree's power."
    Lance shook his head, "How did she get them?  And how did Kagato get
his?"
    Tally shook his head, "From what she said, she had collected them from
Jurai."
    "Without the permission or knowledge of the Royal Family?" stated Lance.
    Tally smiled, "I think she got permission from another source.  I think
she asked the trees directly."  Tally continued, after clearing his throat,
"I believe the ship Soja was also designed by her.  She hinted that the
gems,
like most natural products, could be duplicated.  Also, she said Tenchi was
more important than herself and Tsunami."
    Lord-Regent Lance leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin, "But the
boy barely has control of his powers.  And surly Washu or Tsunami are the
more powerful."
    Tally frowned, "Washu said that Tenchi was now more than he had started
out with.  He had both royal blood in his veins and tree sap.  I think he
must have been badly damaged in his fight with Kagato, when the part of the
ship he was in was destroyed. Tsunami and Sasami came to rescue him..."
    Lord Lance almost seemed to leap out of his chair, "They must have
repaired him by joining him to the trees!  Wait, what do you mean Tsunami
and
SASAMI came to rescue him?
    Tally nodded.  "Sasami and Tsunami were joined earlier.  She had an
accident and almost died.  Only by joining Tsunami could she live.  When
they
helped Tenchi, Tsunami could not join him, being already one with Sasami, so
she kind of linked him a little bit to every tree she could get in contact
with.  In theory, that means he could generate ten, twenty, a thousand
Light-Hawk Wings."
    Lord Lance seemed to be in shock, his hands at a loss at what to do.  "A
thousand?"
    Tally nodded, "He can destroy OR protect whole galaxies if need be."
    Lord Lance shivered at the thought.  "But he has no control over it."
Lance forced himself to smile at First Fleet Commander Tally, "You have done
well.  Now there is something I should show you.  Here is an image of what
our new troops will look like."
    An image replaced that of Lord Lance's.  A slim female, with yellow cat
eyes and long black hair in the skintight red uniform of the ground forces.
Tally gasped, "You used some of the genetic data from Rift's report!"
    "Yes," said Lance voice, "our new batch of ground troops will need very
little help when it comes to weapons.  They will be WEAPONS!"

    In Washu's lab, Tenchi felt her body slowly starting to become numb as
the equipment around her charged up.  "You sure this is going to work?" she
asked, wrapped in what seemed to be organic blankets.  They were warm and
moist and seems to throb about her body.
    "Sure.  I remembered somebody about you I totally forgot about."  Washu
smiled and pulled a leveler down, "I just needed to get some help form
Funaho."
    Before Tenchi could ask why Washu needed help from a tree, her body was
hit by a shock.  Every cell in her body felt like it was dancing to disco.
"AHHHHHHH!"  The organic blanks glowed with an inner light, as some of
Funaho's transported cells went to work with speed that would make even
Washu
jealous.
    Washu pushed the leveler back up and smiled, "How do you feel?"
    "My tongue feels all dry and I have a headache," he said.  "HEY!  Wait!
I have...er...I'm male again."

    The next day, right after the sun had lifted high enough to start the
day, both Ryoga and Tenchi (now a boy again) were standing outside the
house.
    "Gee, Ryoga, I hope your not mad at me or anything," said Tenchi,
rubbing
the back of his head.
    "No, Tenchi," said Ryoga, shouldering his backpack, "you were not trying
to trick me or anything, not like Ranma."
    "Who?"
    "Don't worry.  Nobody you know."  Ryoga bowed, "I might visit again.
Thank Sasami for packing me a few meals.  And also thank Mihoshi for the
extra socks."
    "OK, I will.  Thank you for helping me yesterday."  Tenchi smiled and
added, "I hope you find what you are searching for.  But remember.  Whatever
you become, you are still the same right here."  Tenchi pointed at Ryoga's
heart.
    The boy nodded and replied, "Thank you."
    Tenchi watched Ryoga slowly walk away.
    "I wonder if I should tell him that he's going the wrong way to get to
Tokyo?"

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--------------------
Tenchi Muyo! and related characters are owned by AIC and Pioneer.  Ryoga is
a
character from Ranma 1/2 and he is owned by Rumiko Takahashi.  This is the
end of the third story. My plots are starting to confuse me, I HAVE to do
shorter stories.
*Don't estimate the value of a badger skin before catching the badger.