Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo!/No Need For Tenchi is a product of Pioneer/AIC. Tenchi Muyo and the characters within were created by Kajashime Masaki. Note: An uchikake is the over-kimono worn by a Japanese bride. Usually a number of other kimonos are worn beneath it. Note 2: A haori-hakama is the wedding outfit worn by a Japanese groom. Tenchi Muyo: Exile #2: "Farewell, Trakal/Hello, Naoki" The Alteration Chamber looked like an iron maiden. Fortunately without all the spikes. Trakal stepped in and relaxed as Washu closed the door. A moment later, blue gas filled the chamber. Trakal closed his eyes as consciousness left his body. Outside the chamber, Washu watched the Draalthi vanish, knowing that from that moment on, Trakal would no longer exist. "I hope Naoki's okay." Tanaka sighed as she paced outside Washu's lab. "Naoki?" Tenchi asked. "I thought your fiance was named Trakal." "It is," Tanaka replied. "But now that Washu's making him human..." "Making him human?" Tenchi asked. "His boss showed up." Tanaka explained. "He said that if a Draalthi stayed on Earth, it would upset the timeline." "So she's making him human?" Tenchi wanted to know. "Yes." Tanaka replied. Washu pushed a few buttons and opened the Alteration chamber. The door slid open and the gas that had built up around the chamber's occupant began to dissipate... *** He was semi-conscious, had been like that for some time, suffocating. A hand was holding him up by the throat, squeezing his neck. He was being strangled, but only enough to daze him, not to kill him. He opened his mouth in a soundless, near-breathless, scream. *** He woke up screaming. He sat up, panting, trying to catch his breath. For a few minutes he was disoriented, trying to figure out who and where he was. Where came rather quickly. He was lying on the floor. "But who's floor?" He asked himself. "Am I in a hospital? In someone's house? In my house? Who am I?" "Naoki!" a redhaired woman he recognized but didn't know exclaimed upon seeing him. Naoki? Was that his name? It seemed wrong, but she seemed to expect him to respond to it, so he did. "I'm okay. I must've been..." he searched for the word. "...sleepwalking." he finished. "Its okay." The redhead told him. "Who are you?" "Me? Only the most brilliant mind in the Galaxy." "Oh." Naoki replied. *** "I'm sure he's fine." Tenchi told Tanaka. "I hope so." Tanaka replied, wistfully. Washu's lab door swung open and Washu stepped out. Alone. "Naoki?" Tanaka sounded as if she expected to hear Washu tell her something had gone horribly wrong, that Trakal had been killed! "He's just getting dressed." Washu explained. "He'll be out in a moment." Tanaka sighed, looking visibly relieved. A moment later, Naoki emerged from Washu's lab. Tanaka gaped. He looked the same as he had when they'd met, but his eyes were royal blue and his pupils round, no longer slitted. They were still beautiful, though, especially under his long, thick lashes. His hair, of course, was shorter than when he'd been in school with her, but it wasn't too short and still looked a bit moppish. He was wearing a blue men's kimono shirt and black cotton pants which matched the belt tied at his waist. "Wow!" Tanaka finally managed, her heart throbbing rapidly. Naoki heard her and focused his gaze on the floor at his feet, fidgetting nervously. "Naoki?" Tanaka noted his sudden shyness and uncertainty. "What's wrong?" "Are... are you my wife?" Naoki asked. Of course! Tanaka realized. Washu had given him partial amnesia to hide his past identity! "Not yet." she smiled. "I'm your fiancee. Tanaka." Naoki let out a sigh of relief. He drew her close and was about to kiss her when Ryo-ohki came running through the hall, with a carrot in her mouth, chased by Mihoshi and Sasami! Naoki didn't see them, however, as he was completely focused on Tanaka. Both girls and the cabbit ran headlong into Naoki, knocking him over. His head hit the floor and he blacked out. A lion trotted up to him and he was sure he was about to be eaten. He ran as swiftly as he could along the metallic corridor. The lion gave chase, growling and roaring as it ran. He turned down a side passage. The lion turned down it after him. He couldn't shake the ferocious beast! Another turn! Then another! A third, and... Dead end! The lion turned the third corner and Naoki stared at it as it stalked toward him. Around its neck it wore a medallion with the letters "GP" on it, in a strange design. The lion stopped, looked him in the eye, and told him "Best of luck with your marriage." Naoki fainted. "I think he's coming out of it." Tenchi told the others as Naoki regained consciousness. The young man sat up and ran a hand through hair. "What happened?" He asked. "You got run over by a two girls and a cabbit." Tanaka replied. "Oh. Okay." Naoki shrugged. Ryo-Ohki hopped up to him and eyed him, curiously. "Miya?" She said, hoping he wasn't mad at her. Naoki turned and saw the cabbit. His eyes went wide and he went all kawaii. He picked her up and hugged her. "I didn't fall on you when I fell, did I?" He asked as he nuzzled her and scritched her behind the ear. "Awww... you poor adorable thing..." "Um, Washu?" Ayeka whispered, making sure Naoki could not hear them, "What is going on?" "There wasn't enough Jurai DNA in him to fully transform him so I had to use someone else's." "Who's?" Ayeka asked. "Well, I didn't want to contaminate the specimens I took from Tenchi, so..." Tanaka waited. "...I used one I got from Misaki." Washu finished. Ayeka simply keeled over. A moment later she sprang up. "How did you get a sample of my mother's DNA?" She demanded. "I got it from her hairbrush, of course." Washu grinned. "He's not going to be like this forever, is he?" Tanaka asked, as Naoki stated that she was very cute and hugged her. "Well, he'll go all wide-eyed and such whenever he spots something cute, and probably try to hug it, but it won't last forever. It was going to last a little longer, however, because at that very moment, the owner of the DNA that made Naoki go all kawaii at the sight of anything cute was walking up the path to the front door. "I can't wait to see my litle Ayeka and Sasami." She told her sister. Funaho nodded. "Yes. It has been some time since we paid a visit. It will be good to see my son Yosho again." They arrived at the door and Funaho knocked. Tenchi went to the door and opened it. "Yes?" He asked. "Tenchi!" Misaki cried out, as she hugged him. "Oh, Tenchi! It's so good to see you again!" "It's good to see you again, too." Tenchi said, with some difficulty, since Misaki was hugging him so tightly that he could hardly breathe. "Tenchi, who is?" Sasami asked as she came into the hallway. Misaki released Tenchi. "Sasami!!" She cried out as she ran toward her daughter. "Mummy!" Sasami cried out, happily, as she ran toward Misaki. The two embraced and Misaki snuggled Sasami affectionately. "Ayeka and the others are in the living room, if you'd like to join us." Tenchi offered. "That would be very nice, thank you." Funaho said, smilingly. Funaho and Misaki walked into the living room with Tenchi and Sasami. "Little Ayeka!" Misaki cried out. "My mommy!" Ayeka exclaimed. Ryoko almost got her mouth stretched a second time, but quickly remembered the first time and kept it shut. Ayeka and Misaki embraced for several moments, then Misaki spotted Tanaka. "Oh! How pretty!" She exclaimed. Tanaka stood up and bowed. "Thank you, I..." Misaki, of course, rushed over and hugged her tightly. Tanaka shrugged mentally and hugged Misaki back. "Are you my great grandnephew's new girlfriend?" Misaki asked. "No." Tanaka replied. "Actually, I'm a friend of Achika's." "Oh," Misaki released her a moment later, when she spotted Naoki, who'd just come in from grabbing a snack in the kitchen. "Oh, he's so cute!" She exclaimed. Naoki heard her and piku'ed, then his eyes went just as wide and misty as Misaki's. "How adorable!" He exclaimed in reply. Naoki and Misaki embraced each other, very tightly, and nuzzled each other for several minutes before Tanaka cleared her throat loudly. "Just what do you think you're doing, Naoki?" She asked, sternly. Naoki stopped hugging Misaki and embraced Tanaka. "Now now," he told her, "no need to be jealous. I love you more than anyone in the whole world." *** When Funaho and Misaki learned that Tanaka was engaged to marry Naoki, they insisted on taking her to shop for her wedding kimono. She agreed and the three headed into town. Tanaka came out of the first fitting room wearing a white uchikake and a couple other kimonos under it. Misaski, of course, thought it looked just darling, but Funaho wasn't convinced.Tanaka thought it lacked something. "Naoki's given up a lot more than he'll ever know for me." She told him. "I want my wedding clothes to be fitting for such a groom." The next uchikake was also while, but had a design of silver leaves and flowers embroidered upon it. This was a little more festive, but still not particularly special. The third was a red uchikake with a design of a golden tracing of a pattern of flowers and leaves going up the right side and over the shoulder. Misaki's eyes boggled. "Ooh! Sis'," she told Funaho. "She's so cute!" "I agree." Funaho replied, serenely. "that's a very beautiful uchikake." "I think so, too." Tanaka agreed. They paid for the dress and then made their way to the closest restaurant for lunch. While they waited for their meals, Funaho spoke. "You must love Naoki very much." "I do." Tanaka nodded. "He means worlds to me." "He seems to think very highly of you, too." Funaho agreed. Tanaka nodded. "He loves me." She smiled, thoughtfully. "It...I just get so happy... I almost feel like singing sometime." "What a wonderful idea!" Misaki decided. "Sis," she told Funaho, "after lunch, why don't the two of us take Tanaka to the karaoke club. We could all have lots of fun." "That would be fun." Funaho agreed. In another part of town, Yosho and Nobuyuki were helping Naoki pick out the right haori-hakama for his wedding. Since he had no family, the traditional family crest would be absent. They'd both been grooms before, and knew how the clothes should fit, and though he normally would not have worried too much about how his clothes looked any other time, for his wedding to Tanaka, he'd wanted everything to be perfect. Having selected a very nice ensemble, the three men had made their way to a small restaurant. Naoki couldn't eat very much. He was too nervous about his upcoming marriage to Tanaka. He was hungry, however, so he ordered a plate of seafood gyoza and some weak tea, which was just enough for him. "Is something the matter, Naoki?" Yosho asked. Naoki looked up from toying with one of the dumplings on his plate. "No." He replied. "I'm fine. Why?" "You've hardly touched your food." Yosho pointed out. "Oh." Naoki shrugged. "Do I usually eat more?" "I think so." Nobuyuki shrugged. "I guess I'm just..." "Nervous?" Nobuyuki offered. "Please!" Naoki scoffed. "What would I have to be nervous about?" Nobuyuki didn't look up as he spoke through a mouthful of food. "Oh, I don't know. Being unable to remember your past? Living with a bunch of people you hardly know? Getting married in less than a month? Huh?" He asked as he heard a thud. He looked up to find that Naoki had fainted and had fallen sideways out of his chair. "Hmmm." Yosho mused, as he pondered the situation. Tanaka's voice rang out like perfectly tapped chimes. Each note resonated with her deepest emotions. Her heart beat swiftly as the lyrics sprang from her lips, each one rich with the love she felt for Naoki. Funaho and Misaki listened. "She's quite good, don't you think, sis'?" Funaho asked. "Very good." Misaki agreed. Tanaka's song ended and the machine's electronic scoring system awarded her a score of eighty-nine out of a possible one-hundred. Misaki took her turn next. She sang pretty well as far as Tanaka and Funaho could hear. The machine, however, had another opinion and gave her a sixty-two. Naturally, she tried to stare down the machine, but it wasn't a Juraian machine, and it simply sat there until finally Misaki gave up and sat back down, glaring at the machine every now and then. Funaho took her turn, scoring in the mid seventies. "I can do better!" Misaki declared, grabbing the microphone, paying the required amount, and getting a seventy-one five minutes later. "Let me show you how its done, sis." Funaho laughed, paying her fee, and scoring a seventy-two. The two of them went on and on until their last yen had been spent. They were about to leave when they noticed that Tanaka wasn't there. Tanaka sat quietly in the booth, next to Yosho and Nobuyuki. Naoki was so busy singing, that he hadn't noticed that she was there. There was a dreamy look in her eyes as she watched him. Naoki finished and turned to hand the microphone to Yosho. When he saw Tanaka standing there, he blushed. He had been singing a love-song about how deeply he cared for her and she'd probably heard every word of it. "Sing a duet!" Nobuyuki suggested, cheerfully. "What an excellent idea." Yosho agreed. "My son is right." Funaho said from the door. "You two are engaged, after all. I'd love to hear you two sing together." Naoki shrugged. "I guess we don't have any choice. "I guess not." Tanaka agreed. The two sang together, their voices in perfect harmony. When it was over, they were pleasantly surprised, and slightly embarrassed when they heard the others cheering. "They even blush in perfect unison!" Nobuyuki pointed out. "We're not blushing!" Naoki pointed out, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "We're um..." Tanaka came to the rescue. "We're flushed from singing really hard." She explained. "Yeah! That's it!" Naoki exclaimed. Out of the corner of his mouth, he told her. "Thanks, darling." "I don't think they're buying it." She replied, out of the other corner of her own mouth. "Come on," Funaho finally said. "I think its time we headed home. Sasami probably has dinner ready for us by now." "Great idea." Misaki nodded. "I'm starving." Naoki admitted. "You should be, the way you just picked at your food at lunchtime." "Sounds like our groom-to-be has a case of the jitters." Misaki grinned. "You better believe it!" Nobuyuki chuckled. "Naoki?" Tanaka asked, seeing Naoki standing there looking as white as a sheet. "Hmmm." Yosho mused. "I think we should get him home." Naoki didn't regain consciousness until later that evening. By then, everyone had had supper and most of them had retired to the living room to watch television. Tanaka and Yosho were in Naoki's room, sitting by his bed. Tanaka was holding Naoki's hand as he sat up with a yelp and looked around, hauntedly. "Naoki?" She asked, gently. "What's wrong?" "Bad dream." He told her. "Tanaka..." "Naoki, we're engaged. My first name is..." "Tanaka, I know we're engaged. But how do I know I'm not already married? How do I know someone else isn't out there looking for me right now?" "I can't tell you that, my darling." Tanaka told him. "But I can tell you that we love each other very much. Your heart must be telling you that." "It is." Naoki admitted. "But I feel I felt some type of deep devotion to someone else before I met you. I have to know who that was." Tanaka was in a bind, now. She couldn't tell Naoki about his life as Lt. Trakal of the Galaxy Police. They'd erased his memory for a reason. Even Kiyone and Mihoshi avoided talking about the Galaxy Police when they were around Naoki. But if she didn't tell him, he might postpone the wedding, even call it off, and she couldn't bear the thought of that. "I have to get some sleep." Tanaka said, which was true. The day in the city had exhausted her. Naoki seemed to sense she was avoiding a reply and spoke up as she reached the door. "What aren't you telling me?" He asked. Tanaka looked back at him sadly. "I can't tell you that." She told him. "Please, don't ask me again. I love you, Naoki. That's enough." Naoki was too tired and frightened to argue. Yosho spoke up. "Tanaka, go on to bed. I'll sit up with Naoki for a bit." Tanaka departed and went up to her room. When she got there, she flopped herself down on the bed, and burst into tears. "What's the matter?" Washu asked as she strolled into the room. "Washu!" Tanaka yelped, sitting up. She brushed a tear from her face. "I think Naoki's going to break off the engagement. He remembers his devotion to the Galaxy Police and he thinks its an indication that he's already married to someone else. And I think he thinks I'm trying to hide that from him so he'll marry me." "Hmmm." Washu brought out her holoputer and tapped a few keys. After a quick calculation, she looked up. "Well, I know what the Galaxy Police Commander said, but according to my calculations, the Universe won't end if Naoki gets his memory back." "But Washu..." Tanaka protested. "You promised the Galaxy Police..." "I only made that promise to get old lion-breath off our backs." Washu grinned. *** Naoki covered his ears and shook his head vehemently. "NO!" He screamed at Washu. "No! That's not possible!" "Naoki," Washu tried to soothe him. "you were called Trakal. You were a fearless operative working for the Galaxy Police." "I don't care if I was working for her majesty's secret service!" Naoki blurted out. "I was *NEVER* a giant bat!" "Yes, you were." Washu insisted. "NO!" Naoki denied. "That's not possible! There's no such thing as giant bats!" "Then why have you been dreaming about one?" Naoki eyed her suspiciously. "How do you know what I've been dreaming?" He asked, cautiously. "Those dreams are memories from your past life." Washu explained. "I couldn't erase them because your loyalty to the Galaxy Police was too strong for even me to obliterate entirely." Naoki thought about the memories Washu was claiming were his. They seemed impossible, yet some deep instinct told him they were true. Or was he just going crazy. And if it was true... "If I'm really some kind of alien creature, then I can't marry Tanaka." He realized. A tear ran down his face. "She couldn't possibly want a..a..." "A hideous freak?" Tanaka asked from the doorway where she was standing with Tenchi, Nobuyuki, and Yosho. Naoki looked toward the door, with tears in his eyes. "Good thing I'm not marrying Nobuyuki then." She joked as she stepped forward. "Now, just a minute!" Nobuyuki began to protest. The others keeled over with laughter, knowing the remark was made in good humor. Even Naoki was laughing, though his laughter was more of relief than of anything else. Tanaka took Naoki's hand as she sat on the edge of the bed. "I knew what you really were when you asked me to marry you." "And you said yes?" Naoki blinked. "Yes." Tanaka replied. "But why?" Naoki asked. "Because I love you." Tanaka explained. "Oh." Naoki replied, quietly. He stood up and looked her in the eye. As Naoki and Tanaka gazed at each other, both losing all knowledge of time and space, knowing nothing but the love present in the other's eyes, Washu unlocked the last of Naoki's hidden memories. He remembered the week they'd spent in 1970. His hunt for Kain. Her infatuation with Trakal; an infatuation that had turned into love. The revelation of his true identity to her, and the subsequent kiss she'd responded with. He remembered a walk they took just after they'd arrived in the present with the others. They'd strolled along the pathway together, hand in hand, talking about their future as husband and wife. And she had told him her first name was... "I love you, Makiya." He told her, as the final barrier fell from his heart. Now that he knew who he was, that he had no past relationships, he was free to love her.