[NOTE: The introduction is done with a voice imitation of "Rod Sterling"] Ryoko. "Tenchi Muyo’s" bad girl. Strong, smart, nearly invincible. Space pirate. Destroyer of worlds. Bane of peace, and joy. Puppet for a madman, bent on universal domination. Daughter of a scientist, stuck in a "Peter Pan" syndrome. Protector of a young man who will either ultimately love her, or destroy her. In both cases, unintentionally. Hunted for crimes both real, exaggerated, and outright imagined. She is this way for a number of reasons, but all are connected to one reason in particular. What if that reason were to be one day, fixed? What if due to one simple twist of fate, she were to change her personality, for the better? And how would her family and friends cope? Would they too, change? Would IT be for the better? Ladies and gentlemen, I submit for your approval… A Tenchi Muyo, Fan Fiction. Little Demon. By Peter Suzuki. The series "Tenchi Muyo" is owned by Pioneer LDCA, Pioneer-Anime. This Fan Fiction also borrows elements form the comic-series "No Need For Tenchi", By Hitoshi Okuda. All rights reserved. WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE: Ryoko, bored and alone, decided to pay a visit on Washu. The red-hared scientist was about to experiment on the Water-of-Life, she had brought back from Jurai, when she was interrupted by her ‘daughter’. Washu intends to tease Ryoko, but instead gets the shock of her life as Ryoko reveals that she had finally regained all of her past memories, and proves that Washu was responsible for her poor character. This leaves the crab-hared one speechless, and considering that she may have been wrong. This could have gone further, but Washu’s experiment goes haywire and explodes…with Ryoko caught directly in the blast. Chapter 2. Small Change. Big Problem. Everyone was gathered around the door to Washu’s lab. Even Ryo-oh-ki, who had awoken from her nap at the sound of the explosion. When Tenchi had opened the door, white smoke poured out of the dimensional doorway. Sasami then realized that someone was missing from the group. "Hey, where is Ryoko?" Washu then stepped out of the mist, holding something in her arms. "She’s right here, Sasami." Said Washu as she set what she was carrying down on the floor. What they saw caused them to gasp in surprise. "R-R-Ryoko?!?" Ryoko now stood only two and a half feet tall. She now looked like an incredibly cute, little child. Tenchi was the first to speak. "Wha-wha-what happened, miss Washu?!" Washu did not even notice the ‘miss’ part of what Tenchi said. "I was doing an experiment on the Water-of-Life, from Jurai. There was an explosion. Ryoko got caught in the blast." Washu materialized her computer. "According to my readings, the combination of the steam, and electric waves caused her to physically regress to the physical age of a four year old, earthling." Ryoko looked up in confusion as to why everybody was so worried. "What’s going on?" Everyone looked at the pint-sized Ryoko. She was unbelievably cute now. So cute that she made Ryo-oh-ki look ordinary. Her normally small eyes, now had an almost reflective quality to them. So large and expressive, looking like twin pools of golden life. Her normally sharp but beautiful face was replaced with a soft and lively expression that was sweet enough to cause cavities. Tenchi kneeled down, and looked Ryoko right in the eye. A concerned look on his face. "Ryoko, are you all right?" Ryoko smiled happily at Tenchi. "Of course I’m all right, Tenchi-chan." Her expression turned loving. "It’s so sweet of you to be worried about me." she then gave Tenchi a big hug. Unfortunately, Ryoko had lost none of her strength. "C-can’t b-br-breath!" Ryoko quickly let go of Tenchi, and he fell to the floor. Ryoko was scared to pieces that she may have hurt Tenchi. "Oh, Tenchi! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to…" she then started crying, because of what she had done to Tenchi. "Whaaaaaaaaaa!! I’m sorry!! I’ll never do it again!! Whaaaaaaaaaa!!" Tenchi sat back up, and managed to get oxygen back into his lungs. "It’s all right, Ryoko. I’m fine. Just be a little more gentle, okay." he tried his best to calm the crying child. It seemed to work, because Ryoko calmed down. "You *SNIF* You’re not angry?" "Of course not. You don’t know you own strength, that’s all." Ryoko smiled, even though she still had small streams of tears flowing down her face. "Oh, Tenchi-chan, I…" she then hugged Tenchi lovingly, but gently, once more. Ayeka had enough of this. "RYOKO!! How dare you force yourself on lord Tenchi! You should be ashamed of yourself, for such actions!" Ryoko looked frightened, at Ayeka’s outburst. Tears once again welled up in her eyes, and she started crying once more. "I-I didn’t mean to make you angry. P-please don’t yell at m-me. Whaaaaaaaaaa!!! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!!! Whaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Tenchi and Sasami tried to calm down the wailing Ryoko. Yosho tried to do the same with Mayuka, who started crying after she heard Ryoko. Ayeka just starred, shocked at what just happened. She had expected Ryoko to get mad, or maybe try to seduce Tenchi more, but this… Ayeka had no time to dwell on this matter any further, as Washu was dragging the princess into the hallway, by her hair. "OW!! Let go! How dare you do this to a princess of Jur-" Ayeka stopped dead cold, as she saw the total and unnerving hate in Washu’s eyes. Washu made sure that she and Ayeka were out of earshot, before she spoke. "Listen to me right now, Ayeka. Ryoko is now a toddler, both in mind and body. YOU should be ashamed of yourself for talking to her that way. Further more, if you threaten, scare, or in any way harm my daughter, I will personally use YOU for my experiments, and I don’t mean the ones I put Tenchi through. GOT IT!!" Ayeka could tell that the normally wise cracking scientist meant every word that she said. "Y-yes, mam." Ayeka walked back into the living room. Ryoko and Mayuka both finally calmed down. Ayeka had an apology to make. "Ryoko-san, I’m sorry for being rude to you. I was out of place in what I said. Please forgive me." "It’s all right, Ayeka. I know you didn’t mean it. I forgive you. *YAWN* I’m so sleepy, all of a sudden. Can I go to bed, mommie?" "Of course you may, Ryoko-chan." Said Washu. Ryoko was about to leave when she stopped, and seemed to be confused about something. "Is something wrong, Ryoko-chan?" "Um, where is my bed?" "I think its up there." Said Sasami, pointing up to the rafters. "How did my bed get way up there?" "You usually fly up there." Ryoko looked surprised. "I can fly?" "Yes, don’t you remember?" Ryoko shook her head. "Dear me. If Ryoko can’t remember her powers…" "You can teach her how to use them later, right Washu-chan?" "Yes, I guess you’re right, Tenchi. Hey, since you and your grandfather will be in Mayuka’s room tonight, can Ryoko sleep in your room?" "Sure, I guess." "Great. I’ll move my stuff into there as well." "Uh, why are you doing that, miss Washu?" "You don’t expect me to let my daughter sleep alone, now do you?" "No, I guess not." "Mommie?" "Yes, Ryoko-chan?" "What about my bed?" "Don’t worry. You can sleep in Tenchi’s bed, for tonight." Ayeka was about to object, but then she remembered her little TALK with Washu, and decided against it. With that, everybody went to bed. They decided to continue their discussion, in the morning. That night, a strange ship landed silently outside the Masaki house. Ivory white, with a crystalline appearance, and a similar look to Ryo-oh-ki’s ship mode, it landed so that it would mostly be out of sight from any passerby. A figure came out of the ship. In deep contrast to the vessel she was piloting, she was visibly dark, with a slight sinister appearance. "Wait here, Ken-oh-ki." Said the woman. "I’ll be back in fifteen minutes." "MREOW." Said the ship. "Look, I already told you that I’ll leave that girlfriend of yours alone, so stop complaining." "MREOW?" "Because I am one of the best, if not THE best bounty hunter around. Its about time that I brought in that lowlife pirate, and finally claim the reward that’s on her head. I’ll just sneak in there, capture her, and get back out before anyone can stop me. Understand?" "MREOW MREOW MREOW!!" said the ship, argumentatively. "Fine then. If I can’t get her this time, I promise that I will never go after her again. Okay!?" "MREOW!" said the ship, contentedly. "The things I do for that lovesick, oversized, bull-headed,…" Nagi continued to grumble to herself as she entered silently into the Masaki house. The ship then shrunk in size, and became a white cabbit. Ken-oh-ki then hopped away, to find his eternal soul mate, Ryo-oh-ki. Nagi slowly made her way up to the place where Ryoko slept. Putting one foot carefully in front of the other, so as to not alert anyone of her presence. Ten feet…eight feet…six feet. Even in the pitch darkness, she could see her prey. Just a couple more feet and she would finally capture the dreaded pirate Ryoko. "Heh-heh-heh. I got you now, Ryoko. You’re finished, you’re……not here!?!" sure enough, Ryoko’s bed was completely empty. "I should’ve known that this was too easy. No matter. She must be somewhere in the house. You can’t escape from me Ryoko!" Outside, two cabbits were talking to each other. "Mreow?" "Meow, meow." Maybe it would be better if their conversation were translated? "You mean to say, Ryoko is now a toddler?" "Yes. She even cried when Ayeka yelled at her, and when she thought that she hurt Tenchi. She is definitely NOT the same Ryoko." "Dear me, is Nagi-San ever in for a surprise." "By the way, didn’t I tell you to keep her from ever going after Ryoko again?" "Hey, I’m sorry. I tried to keep from returning, but I have no more control over her than you do with Ryoko. You know that." "That doesn’t improve matters, any. Ken, for the sake of our un-hatched child you must keep Nagi from ever harming Ryoko." "I made Nagi-San promise to never go after Ryoko again, after tonight." "You told me the same thing, last time. I don’t want my child to be raised with a lifetime where her family is locked in a cycle of fighting." "I know. I’m sorry. I’ll try to convince her harder if she goes against her word again. By the way, how is our egg doing?" "She is doing well. Ryu is making sure that no one discovers where she is hidden." "You’re trusting the tree to guard her?" "He is just as much the father of Jo, as you are." "*SIGH* I’m just perplexed as to why she must be part of that Jurian fleet as well." "So we can allow Sasami-chan to be her godmother. Also, Ryu wants to have someone to take his place on the line of the Jurian fleet." "He STILL refuses to leave Earth?" "Yes. Ayeka would never understand why her ship wants to remain on Earth, with his mother. The same as Yosho would never understand why his ship wishes to remain on this planet as well." "Oh well. At least I got to name her." "I still don’t know what spirit gave you the incentive to name our child ‘Josephine-oh-ki’." "Hey, if I can put up with Ryu-oh also being her father, then certainly you can live with the name that I gave her, right?" "I guess so." Nagi approached the bed that Ryoko was sleeping on. "Heh-heh. I got you now and… Why does she look so small?" thought Nagi. The bounty hunter had no time to think of an answer as Ryoko woke up and looked at Nagi. "Hello Nagi-San! You’ve come for a visit?" Nagi took a couple of steps back, as she realized that the girl in the bed, while resembling a YOUNG Ryoko, did not exactly look or sound like the pirate woman. Ryoko climbed out of bed and stood to her full height…of two and a half feet. "What’s wrong, Nagi-San?" "Wha- ho- Who are you!? How do you know my name!?" The small Ryoko smiled sweetly. An effect that caused Nagi to flinch. "Silly. Its me! Habuki Ryoko. You used to play with me, remember?" Play? She thinks it was a GAME!? "If you really are Ryoko, then what are you doing in this house?" "I live here, with my mother, and her friends, and my friend Ryo-oh-ki, and with Tenchi, who I like really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really much, and I plan to marry him when I get older, and have lots of kids, and " As the mini Ryoko continued her speech, Nagi took some things to mind. There was absolutely no explanation for this. Ryoko was now a sweet, innocent child. Nagi’s normally hardwired brain could not handle the implications of this. Had she stepped into an alternate dimension? Had she gone insane? She might as well try one last question to find out. "R-Ryoko." "Yes?" "Do you know what a ‘space pirate’ is?" "Hmmmmmmmmm…… Nope, what is it?" She doesn’t know what a space pirate is… "Uh, never mind. I’m not feeling so well. I think I’ll go home, now." "Oh, okay Nagi-San. Bye-bye." Nagi walked into the doorway, took a steep back, OPENED the door, and walked out. Washu soon woke up. "Ryoko-chan, was somebody just here?" "Yes, mommie. Nagi-San came for a visit, but said that she was not feeling well so she had to leave." "Uh-huh. Go back to bed, Ryoko-chan." "Okay, mommie." Ryoko climbed back into Tenchi’s bed, and quickly fell back to sleep. "Honestly, the stories kids dream up these days." Washu went back to sleep. She had a feeling that tomorrow would be a very busy day. Nagi paid no attention to Ryo-oh-ki, as she passed by the two cabbits. "Come on, Ken-oh-ki. We’re leaving." Ken-oh-ki blew one last kiss to his mate, and then leaped into the air to transform. "CAIO!" "No, Ken-oh-ki" said Nagi. Her cabbit fell to the ground with a *Thunk!* "We’re not going bounty hunting again. I think that the job has finally taken its toll on me. I need psychiatric help, now. We’ll walk." Ken-oh-ki shrugged his shoulders (Do cabbits have shoulders?), and decided to wait until the morning before he told Nagi of what happened to Ryoko. Then again, she wouldn’t pay attention to that information even if it was screamed at her, at this point in time. The two walked off, toward the city. Ryo-oh-ki had a pretty exact idea on what had happened, but decided not to pursue the matter. This was probably for the best, anyway. She decided to return to Sasami, before the young Jurian princess noticed that her usual companion was missing, and headed back to the house. TO BE CONTINUED. NEXT TIME: Adjusting the Family. The true horrors of Ryoko’s change are revealed. Peter Suzuki. The picture that inspired this Fan Fiction can be found at the following address. Note: The picture was not my own. Sorry but I could not find the originator. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~bcheng/Tenchi/Ryoko3/JPG