TENCHI MUYO:  LIGHTHAWK LEGEND
Book 1:  Destiny's Children
Chapter 2:  No Need for a Maid

    Native Americans believed that every living thing had a spirit,
including trees. Ryoko pondered this as she hung upside down in midair,
gazing at the tree that resided in the lake in front of Tenchi's house. This
tree almost seemed to talk to her, as if it had something to say but couldn'
t make her understand.
    The Devil Princess righted herself and hid from view as Tenchi walked
home from school. As she spied on him from the tree, she blushed. What would
the Ryoko of 700 years ago have thought of spying on a boy? She knew the
response she would have given, but back then she couldn't have imagined that
a man could be so gentle, so handsome, so timid, and yet so resolute when it
came to battle . . . She chuckled at herself.
    Tenchi suddenly heard and looked in her direction! Oops. Ryoko thought
as she hid herself again.
    Tenchi seemed to suspect something, and then shrugged and resumed
walking.
    Ryoko smiled. Fortunately for her, Tenchi had a very thick head.

<<>>

    Tenchi sighed and gazed into the sky as he plodded towards the vegetable
garden with an oversized basket over his shoulder. That demon girl kept
playing in his thoughts, and the more he thought about her, the more he
debated the necessity of his harsh warning. Despite the obvious reason for
it, she seemed truly hurt at the very notion that he could hold her in a
hostile image.
    Tenchi shook his head. Why did this dwell in his thoughts? He had done
the right thing, yet that hurt look had burned itself upon his memory. He
vowed that if he were ever to meet her again, he would not use such harsh
tones, unless the situation called for it.
    Despite his father's disguised apathy and his grandfather's lectures on
how responsibility sharpens the intellect, wrenching the ripe vegetables out
of the ground was a hard day's work! Still, Tenchi being Tenchi, he set to
it with a will and the mindset that it was better done sooner than later, or
worse, not at all.
When he arrived at the carrot row, he heard a peculiar noise in the brush.
He thought nothing of it at first, but it kept getting closer. He pulled the
Master Key out of his pocket and stood poised for battle. The horizon seemed
empty.
    Still, Tenchi called "Is anybody there?"
    No answer.
    Tenchi put away the Master Key and resumed picking, but the noise also
resumed. Again, he paid it no heed, that is until he felt a furry presence
on his shoulder. He shouted and dropped the hand shovel that he had been
working with, standing straight up and doing and about-face in the same
movement. What he saw at his feet, was a cabbit.
    It looked similar to what he had seen of Ken-Ohki, but it had brown fur,
white-tipped paws, amber eyes, and a red jewel on its forehead.
    As Tenchi calmed himself, the cabbit curled its enormous ears back and
whimpered pathetically. "Wha--what do you want?" Tenchi asked.
    The cabbit made a strange noise and seemed to point at the object in
Tenchi's hand.
    "You want a carrot?" Tenchi inquired.
    The cabbit's ears flew straight up and stars filled its eyes.
    Tenchi smiled. Whatever this thing was, it was outrageously cute. "Sure,
here you go."
    He knelt and offered the orange veggie. The cabbit amazingly downed the
thing in one gulp!
    Tenchi sat back in the dirt. "Geez, you didn't even bother to taste it."
    The cabbit gave Tenchi the "pet me" look.  Tenchi obliged and the
creature mewed with delight.
    Tenchi then noticed a collar. The nametag read: RYO-OHKI.

<<>>

    Noboyuki was an architect. He had designed the Masaki residence, and had
an office in Tokyo, but unlike some designers, Noboyuki had talent. One look
at Tenchi's house would tell you everything. The unique design, the spacious
interior, the meticulously planned decor; it all pointed toward a master
home designer.
    However, this is where his talents end. Though his effort was
commendable, Noboyuki's attempts at cooking, cleaning, and understanding
other people were disastrous. This was where Tenchi's grandfather, Katsuhito
shined. The man had a magic touch that seemed to grace every project he set
his mind to.
    Teaching Tenchi to swordfight was a monstrous load of work, considering
that the boy had been raised in the age of comfort. But Tenchi also had
mysterious talent, almost as if he had been a born warrior.
    He was like his mother and grandfather in many ways, Noboyuki reflected.
He sat in the living room couch watching the many birdhouses that hung from
the skylight awning. To this day, no one could remember where they came
from, or who put them there. They just seemed to have appeared . . .
    Then there was a knock at the door. "Coming!" Noboyuki shouted as he
hurried to the atrium. As he opened it, he sighed with relief. "Oh good! Are
you the maid that I hired?"
    The tall girl's face was hidden underneath a white cleaning hood as she
answered "Yes, Honorable Father."
    "Great!" Noboyuki exclaimed. "This will be the first time we've had a
real cook around the house. Come on in!"
    Had he looked beneath the hood, Noboyuki would have noticed the maiden's
unusual rectangle ears and spiky green hair . . .

<<>>

    As Tenchi prepared to leave for home, his carrot bag full, Ryo-Ohki
mewed at his foot and tugged at his pants leg.     Tenchi smiled. "So, you
want to come?"
    The cabbit's eyes lit up and it gave off a chorus of cheerful mews as it
rode home in the carrot basket. Well, Tenchi thought. I've always wanted a
pet.
    As he and his new furry friend headed down the road to home, Ryo-Ohki
started to meow a familiar tune. Tenchi concentrated on the strange music.
He had heard this before, somewhere . . . somewhere in his dreams.
    The car came out of nowhere. Tenchi only saw the headlights and prepared
for the worst, but suddenly, he was flying! He looked back and saw the
singing cabbit lifting him and the carrots over the car and onto a clear
section of ground.
    "Wow!" Tenchi exclaimed as they touched earth. "Thanks a lot, Ryo-chan!"
    Ryo-Ohki smiled benignly. "Mreow."

    When Tenchi arrived at his house, he knocked on the door as usual. What
he didn't expect was the doorperson. He fell backwards with a shout and the
carrots spilled everywhere. It was a strange scene indeed, with carrots
everywhere, Ryo-Ohki stuck in the basket, Tenchi on the ground, and the
smell of fish tempura wafting from the doorway.
    Ryoko wiped her slim hands on her apron and smiled. "Well, a girl always
likes to get a response."
    As Ryo-Ohki meowed happily at the sight of her partner, Tenchi groaned.
He could tell that it would only get weirder from here.
    Then Noboyuki rounded the corner with a basket of magazines and called
"Oh, hi Tenchi! Meet our new maid, Ryoko Hakubi!"
    Ryoko helped Tenchi to his feet, made sure Noboyuki wasn't looking, and
caused the carrots to float back into the basket and Ryo-Ohki into her arms.
She winked. "We'll get those cleaned up and I can make some of Ryo-chan's
carrot stew, what do you think?"
    Ryo-Ohki definitely agreed, but Tenchi was still speechless.
    That ended when Ryoko dragged him inside with her. "Come on, Tenchi! If
you're too slow, then the bread loaf will burn!"

<<>>

    Ryoko giggled to herself as she stirred the colloid mix of stew. What
must Tenchi think? A space pirate for a maid, a Prince of Jurai for a
grandfather? Ryoko came to a realization. If Yosho was the Crown Prince of
Jurai when he left to fight with her, then that meant . . . that Tenchi was
now the Crown Prince. She blushed. It only made him better in her eyes.
    As she continued to prepare the small feast, she wondered. Where had she
learned to cook? She couldn't remember anytime during her pirating years
when she had taken to the skill, since she and Ryo-Ohki had always managed
to steal food from somewhere, and being trapped in a cave for 700 years
doesn't exactly teach you anything new. So where did this newfound skill
come from?
    Then, Ryoko felt that she wasn't alone. She looked to her left, and saw
a little girl watching the stew cook. As the girl turned, Ryoko could see
her pretty pink eyes and turquoise hair that had been styled into two
extravagantly long ponytails. She wore a white apron with a carrot logo over
a pink, yellow, and white robe and smiled at her as if she was her best
friend.
    "That's good, Ryoko!" the child said. "This time your cooking won't
flood the house for sure!"
    Ryoko stood in shock. "Who are you?"
    The girl laughed and put on a cute face. "Come on, Ryoko. I'm your
friend, Sasami."
    As Tenchi walked into the kitchen to see what was holding up dinner, he
saw Ryoko asleep on the floor. "Come on." He said as he tried to reanimate
her. "Ryoko, Ryoko, wake up!"
    She came to and jumped upright. She looked around and saw no little
girl, but the object of her affection was giving her a disapproving look.
    "You know, that kind of behavior won't fool Dad into thinking you're a
maid, Ryoko." he said.
    "What are you saying?" Ryoko replied. "I really do want to be your
 maid."
    Tenchi smiled. "Well, don't fall asleep on a paying job and I might
begin to believe it. Is dinner ready yet? Grandpa and Dad are getting
impatient."
    Ryoko checked and winked. "Sure. I'll have it ready to serve in five
minutes."
    As Tenchi left for the dining area, Ryoko put the food on serving
plates. Was that girl a dream, and if so, why had she fallen asleep in the
middle of cooking? Ryoko shook her head and sighed. The euphoria of being
around Tenchi must really be getting to her.
    Tenchi returned to help her carry the food in, and after a short
blessing, the meal began in earnest.

<<>>

    Nighttime had descended on the Masaki household. Everyone had retired to
bed, but Ryoko was restless. It had been such a wonderful day. For once, she
had actually put real effort into something that helped other people. For
the first time since she could remember, she had been truly appreciated
instead of feared, and she finally felt that she belonged somewhere.
    All these new feelings had Ryoko rolling in her nightgown and fidgeting
in her sleep. She finally decided to give up on sleep and explore. She
teleported outside the house to get a better view of its wonderful
architecture. Above the skylight hung several birdhouses. Ryoko realized
that she had never really taken the time to observe the curious winged
creatures, so she flew toward them while out of phase with matter so as not
to disturb them. She marveled at their tiny-feathered breasts rising and
falling and how the chicks of new mother birds kept the poor female busy on
through the night. The male birds trying to ignore their duties in another
corner made Ryoko laugh silently. They sort of reminded her of Tenchi.
    A cold wind blew and Ryoko wished that she had put on something warmer
before venturing outside.
    A cry rang out in the night, "Ryoko, heads up!"
    Ryoko looked up just in time to see a hammer rapidly descending toward
her. She had no time to evade, so the hammer smacked her on the top of the
head. Luckily, her massive hairstyle blocked the brunt of its force.
As she looked for the source of the free-falling appliance, she saw two
women above her putting up birdhouses that had been there just a few minutes
before! One wore a pink T-shirt and khaki pants. Her hair was as light blond
as her skin was sienna brown, and her wide, bright blue eyes radiated
concern.
    "Oh my gosh! Are you all right, Ryoko?"
    The other woman seemed to be only an adolescent, yet she exuded an aura
of wisdom, almost as if she were many times older than Ryoko herself. This
strange creature had flamboyant magenta-colored hair that rose in a giant
plume from the back of her head. She wore complex, alien clothing that
looked similar to an old Science Academy uniform, and smirked at the blonde'
s comment.
    "Of course she's okay. It would take more than a flawed Earthling weapon
to hurt my daughter, Mihoshi."
    Daughter?
    "Are you sure, Washu?"
    Washu??

    WHAM!! Ryoko woke up in the bushes outside the Masaki residence sometime
after dawn. The mail truck had come by and accidentally ran over her in
phased matter state. The fact that she had been in limbo had saved her from
most of the damage, but bones had been broken. She cried out and the mail
truck stopped. The mailman hopped out, cursed himself, and rushed to her
aid. Tenchi, who had been looking for her also came.
    "Oh God!" the mailman panicked. "I didn't see her, honestly I didn't!
What was she doing lying out here anyway?!"
    Tenchi carefully picked up Ryoko as she sobbed from the excruciating
pain. "You can go." he said.
    "But it's all my fault!" the mailman protested. "Isn't there anything I
can do?"
    Tenchi gave him a cold gaze. "You can look where you're going next
 time."
    The distraught post office employee called 911, but Ryoko use her powers
to block the transmission. Tenchi sensed the action and asked her if she was
going to be okay. She smiled weakly.
    "I've been through worse. My body heals better without, no offense,
primitive interference."
    Tenchi held her close and called to Noboyuki to prepare a bed.

<<>>

    The next few days were like nothing the Masaki household had ever seen.
Katsuhito had made the best casts he could for the situation, and he
supplied herbal remedies to speed the healing process. Noboyuki suggested
requesting medical funding from the postal service, but Tenchi thought
better of it. It would do no good to start a fight over something that
wouldn't help the situation.
    Ryoko only moved from that bed when she needed to go to the restroom,
and even then Tenchi had to help her there. Of course, he politely turned
away when it would be inappropriate to help any further.
Ryoko, though in pain from the wounds, enjoyed the attention she was getting
from Tenchi. He kept a constant vigil, and when he needed to leave and work
in the fields, she had Katsuhito to watch her. During this time, when Tenchi
would bring her meals that Katsuhito had taken the time to cook, they both
took a liking to shows that would be on. Tenchi would laugh at the same
things she would, and would always explain the Earth customs that she didn't
understand.
    One day, as Ryoko lay back in the many pillows that Noboyuki had managed
to scrounge up for her, she was watching one of the anime soaps on TV when a
peculiar tradition was displayed. The cast of the show took a trip to a
place called the "public baths". Here, men and women went to separate pools
of hot water and talked about various things as they soaked in the water. It
seemed oddly familiar to her, as if she had been to one of these baths
before.
Then, she suddenly felt very free, as if she were flying but couldn't move
as well. She felt a pitcher next to her and a drinking bowl in her hand. She
took a sip and almost passed out from the taste, yet it had an odd
pleasurable quality to it, just like an alcoholic beverage! Sake, Ryoko
thought.
    A conversation was taking place a few feet away from her. A blue-haired
woman was constantly glancing at her watch with a worried expression on her
face. The women named Mihoshi and Washu that had appeared in her last dream
were arguing about some TV show, and the girl named Sasami was chasing
Ryo-Ohki around the pool.
This was the women's bath, just like the one on the TV show! What was she
doing here? Hadn't she just been in bed?
Someone was yelling at Ryoko, another girl with purple hair and crimson
eyes. What was she saying? Ryoko couldn't hear. She was already drifting off
to sleep in the relaxing waters.
    Tenchi picked up the controller and switched off the TV. He covered up
the gently snoring Ryoko and smiled with that same warm expression that he
showed to anyone dear to him. This space pirate had changed. Grandpa's
stories of the Demon Tomb had undoubtedly been correct, but something had
changed this woman who had warranted the title of "demon". Tenchi recalled
his dream about Ryoko watching over him as a boy. Had he been the force of
good in Ryoko's criminal lifestyle?
    Tenchi turned off the lights and headed to the fields to pluck some ripe
vegetables. Ryoko had arrived as an enemy and had disguised herself as a
maid, but now, she was a part of his family.
    Ryoko had learned how to love.

Disclaimer:
     This is a work of fan fiction and uses characters and situations from
the Tenchi Muyo TV series, copyrighted under Pioneer.  Also, some characters
may come from the No Need For Tenchi graphic novel series, copyright Viz
Comics.  I take no credit for the base characters and plot, but all
developments as of the time frame of my story are of my own design.  If by
some strange chance my plot is parallel to another author's fan fiction, I
wish to be notified.  For comments and information, E-mail me at
bkvhw@earthlink