Episode 4: Rainy Day---------------->

    Morning had come once again. Yet, instead of the usual bright sunshine
that awakened Tenchi Masaki in the morning, he heard the gentle tapping of
rain on his window. He sat up with a groan and flexed his muscles, then
pulled up the blinds to see the world that he knew so well.
    Winter had come, but because of unusually high temperatures, snow had
yet to be seen. Faintly glowing clouds poured light rain on the mountains
and re-nourished the land. The drops of moisture padded against the
windowsill as Tenchi reflected on the peacefulness of the morning. It
certainly didn't reveal the presence of two alien women in his house. Why
stop there? Princess Ayeka and Princess Sasami weren't the only ones,
considering that his grandfather, Yosho, was from the same planet, and that
the carrot fields were under constant drain from Ryo-Ohki's eating habits.
Then he thought of Ryoko. When would the day come, the day when the
beautiful space pirate would emerge from the healing tank powered by Sasami
and fly into his arms once again, telling Tenchi how much she had missed
him, and how she wanted to be by his side always . . .?
    Tenchi laughed. His thoughts had gone way off track again. Ryoko wasn't
like that. She would never be so open.
    Once he got ready for the day, Tenchi started to head downstairs. He
didn't notice that Ryo-Ohki was eating a carrot there. He tripped over the
cabbit and they both gave a yelp of surprise as the tumbled into the
kitchen, and right on top of Ayeka.
    "Heh . . .heh, oops." Tenchi stammered.
    "Eeeek! Pervert!" Ayeka screamed as she shoved Tenchi to the other side
of the room.
    They started to notice that Sasami was doubled over in laughter.
"Ryo-Ohki, haha, you should watch where you eat your carrots! Ha ha!"
    The cabbit sighed with a bandage over its head. "Myia."

<<>>

    Ryoko sighed as she held up her hand to the sky and watched the rain
fall right through. She had regained enough power to walk around in spirit
form and watch the events of the Masaki household. She teleported into the
kitchen just in time to hear Sasami cheer "Breakfast is ready!"
    Yosho smiled as he sat down to the table. "This is stupendous, Sasami!
Who taught you how to cook?"
    Sasami blushed. "Well, I'm kinda self-taught, but my mom taught me the
basics."
    "Don't be so modest, Sasami." Ayeka huffed. "You know Mother couldn't
cook her way out of a paper bag."
    Sasami gave Ayeka a disapproving look. "You're not one to talk, Ayeka."
    "Right, heh . . .heh." Ayeka laughed.
    Tenchi swirled the rice around in his mouth. This tasted strangely like
Ryoko's recipe.
    Ryoko herself watched despondently. Why did that bitch Ayeka have to
land here, of all the places in the universe that she could have crashed?
She remembered Ayeka from her early days on Jurai. Any attempt that she made
to be happy, that snotty princess had to ruin it, even when it was in
tribute to her! Ryoko caught herself. Hadn't Kagato held her in custody for
her entire life? Her memories seemed to contradict each other.
    As for Sasami, Ryoko didn't remember seeing her, but she seemed nice
enough. It was hard to believe that she and Ayeka were sisters, but Ryoko
had to take her word for it.
    As she watched the happy breakfast she wondered if her presence would
ruin it. They looked like a real family, not one with a girl who was always
destructive and getting hurt in return. They were complete, if unfamiliar.
Ryoko couldn't remember her distant past; it was in fragments. Before
Tenchi, she had never even known what love was, and she bumbled her way
through it now.
    She held her face in her hands. It was so hard to break away from her
past. She wanted Tenchi to know how much he meant to her, and her warm,
compassionate side would surface as a result: the real Ryoko. But she kept
reverting back to the space pirate, the cold, ruthless killer. Her pride
always got in the way, and her reputation had become too popular to give up.
    She looked at Tenchi's smiling eyes. Was it even possible? Could a Jurai
noble marry a roguish space pirate? Ryoko shook her head and astro-tears
welled up in her eyes. No. Now that Ayeka had come, the Jurai royal family
would surely hear about the boy and induct him into the palace, maybe even
adopt him as heir to the throne.
    She could see it now: Tenchi in the emperor's throne with Ayeka by his
side, that's how it would work out. Ayeka had come to steal her joy once
again. It was always that way.

<<>>

    Ayeka sat in the guest bedroom and sniffed the air. It still retained
the stench of a space pirate. She couldn't believe that she had crossed
paths with Ryoko again, just when she thought that Yosho had dealt with her
long ago.
    She had searched for Yosho for a long time, and during that time she had
never thought of visiting Colonized Planet #0315 on the outskirts of Jurai's
kingdom. However, she took the time to mature, and to contemplate her love
for Yosho. She had given up because of a conclusion she had reached. Yosho
would have returned if he had had any feelings for her, so he must have been
running from the conflict that would occur if he and Ayeka were to fight
over the throne.
    She sniffed and gazed out the window at the strange planet called Earth.
It was so much like Jurai, and yet so primitive. Did any of Earth's trees
possess power, as did the Jurai Royal Trees? Ayeka shook her head. Of course
not; the Jurai power was the only source of energy in the universe.
    The princess smiled and lay back on the bed. How lucky she was to be a
part of the Royal Family, but what about her person? No one in the Royal
Family really cared what she thought except for Sasami. Right now, she was
just the First Crown Princess; her opinions, feelings, and personal life
wouldn't really count until she became Empress of Jurai.
    Then she had a thought. Come to think of it, this boy named Tenchi was
part of the Royal Family, wasn't he? Tenchi seemed to be a very nice person,
and would certainly be next in line for the emperor's throne were he to be
discovered. If Tenchi were to become heir to the throne, and if she were to
marry him, then she would become Empress! Then she would be heard, and have
a very nice husband as well!
    She cackled to herself. When those two Galaxy Police officers finally
arrived, maybe she could convince Tenchi to come with her . . .

<<>>

    Yosho sat in the office of the Masaki Shrine as he gazed outside at the
beauty of nature. On days like this, the young ones would have nothing to do
except contemplate their existence, and the old ones would observe the
repeating cycles that they had often taken for granted.
    He could feel Ryoko moving about in her astro-body. What must she be
thinking? Her old rival had returned and caused her a life-threatening
injury, and now she can only watch our reactions?
    If Yosho knew Ayeka, then she must already feel drawn to his grandson,
for political, personal, or both reasons. Tenchi was inexperienced in the
ways of love and might even forget his feelings for Ryoko in favor of the
beautiful princess.
    Then there was Sasami, with her cute personality and kind nature. What
did Tenchi think of her? She was young and impressionable, but almost the
perfect woman. Would Tenchi opt to wait for the younger girl?
    Yosho laughed. That would surely throw a monkey wrench into whatever
plans Ayeka had cooked up.
But Ryoko had gotten to him first, and though Tenchi was too shy to admit
it, he did have feelings for her. Would Ayeka or Sasami have the strength,
or even want to break that bond? Only time would tell.

<<>>

    Galaxy Police starships displayed a look that was all their own. The
Yagami was no exception. The GP ship was sleek and refined in appearance,
with a crimson hull and two high-powered engines protruding from either side
of its main body.
    Inside its cockpit, the GP officers, Kiyone and Mihoshi, monitored their
ship on its way to Earth. Well, one of them did, anyway.
    Kiyone sighed and brushed back her long blue hair. "Would you quit
falling asleep on the job, Mihoshi?"
The officer in question was already deep into a mission involving a rather
large bubble expanding and receding from her nose and loud, raucous
inhalations of O2.
    "Mihoshi!" Kiyone growled.
    Mihoshi sat bolt upright. "Wha-um-um, y-yessir, I- . . . oh, it's just
you, Kiyone."
    "What do you mean, 'just me'?" Kiyone responded. "I may not be a
commander, but you are still on duty, and falling asleep is a direct
violation of code 147b of the GP handbook!"
    Her words were lost on the derelict Mihoshi as she had fallen asleep
again. A scream ran through several GP com channels a few moments later.

<<>>

    The rain had stopped, and Tenchi was already being put to work, sweeping
away leaves from the shrine steps. It was there that he met Ayeka. As she
slowly made her way up the stairway, Tenchi turned and waved. "Hi, Miss
Ayeka!"
    Ayeka smiled. "Don't call me that, Lord Tenchi; it sounds so formal.
Besides, the only reason that we have a place to stay is because of your
generosity. Just call me Ayeka."
    Tenchi smiled as well and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Sure."
    As he continued sweeping, Ayeka hesitantly asked, "Um, I was wondering
how to thank you for room and board, and-"
    Tenchi turned. "There's no need for that."
    "All the same," Ayeka continued. "Should you ever have need of it, we
have with us a large sum of Terran currency. Now, let me see if I remember
the amount . . ."
    Tenchi almost jumped out of his sandals as Ayeka said, "Oh yes, I think
we have 5 trillion yen."
    Tenchi couldn't stop his mouth from hanging open. "Five trillion yen?!"
    Ayeka feared the worst. "Is that large enough to sustain oneself?"
    "You could sustain an underdeveloped nation with that much!"
    Ayeka's smile returned. "Oh! That's good to hear! At least I know I have
something to fall back on."
    Tenchi face-faulted.
    Ayeka continued. "Well, considering the amount of money we have, would
it be all right if you and I go to one of your restaurants tonight?"
    Tenchi adopted a hesitant look. "Well, um, I don't know if Grandpa
would-"
    "Oh, Yosho won't mind."
    "Well, um, then I guess so . . ."
    Ayeka clasped her hands. "That's great! I'll ask Father to look up a
good restaurant!"
    As she hurried off down the steps, Ryoko watched her. Since when did
Noboyuki become her father?

<<>>

    Sasami was busy playing a video game with Ryo-Ohki when she saw Ayeka
humming happily as she and Noboyuki flipped through a business guide (?).
    "What's going on?" she asked.
    Ayeka turned. "Tenchi and I are going out to eat tonight. Would you like
to come?"
    Sasami grinned from ear to ear. "Yeah! I'd love to see the Earth chefs'
cooking style, and I bet there'll be a whole bunch of people to meet! Wow!"
    A sweatdrop formed over Ayeka's head.  "Sure."
    Ryo-Ohki meowed a request as well, but Noboyuki shook his head. "Sorry,
Ryo-Ohki. They don't allow pets, or whatever you are."
    The cabbit looked downcast. Sasami gave her a hug. "Oh, don't be sad,
Ryo-chan. I'll try and bring back their best carrot recipe!"
    "Myia!!"

<<>>

    Yosho heard a knock on the shrine door. "Come in." he chimed.
    Tenchi stepped into the office. "Grandpa, I have something to tell you."
    Yosho smiled. "Well, out with it, Tenchi."
    "Ayeka asked me to dinner tonight, why do you think that is?"
    Yosho almost laughed. "I think she may have an eye for you, Tenchi."
    Tenchi smiled. "Aww, quit kidding around, Grandpa."
    Yosho stood up and posted the taxes for that month on his bulletin
board. "I'm not kidding, Tenchi. After all, you have every quality of a
Juraian noble. Maybe you have a more winning personality then you give
yourself credit for."
    Tenchi responded. "Well, in any case, do you think Jurai might want me
to come back to the Royal Family?"
    Yosho was suddenly serious. "If they knew of you, most definitely." He
put a hand on Tenchi's shoulder. "However, when the time comes, do not make
a hasty decision. There are many good reasons to be a part of the Jurai
Royal Family, but there are also many good reasons not to be."
    Tenchi nodded. "Thanks for the advice, Grandpa."

    As soon as Tenchi got dressed up to go out to eat and received Ryo-Ohki'
s approving meow, he found that Ayeka had also hired a limousine service. It
was sunset, and in front of the limousine stood the Juraian princesses,
decked out in their finest jewelry. Tenchi smiled. They both were
outrageously beautiful.
    The three stepped into the limo, and it drove off towards Tokyo. Yosho
stood on the shrine steps with a broom and smiled. "I hope that this is an
enlightening experience for you, Tenchi."

<<>>

    Kiyone was about to drift off into dreamland herself. This cruising
through space deal was downright boring; nothing ever happened on the way to
somewhere. She listened to the rhythmic snoring of her partner, and then
heard a beeping sound. She cleared the scanner display of offending trash
and punched up the radar.
    It displayed about fifty red dots heading toward Earth! She input a
hail.
    "This is the GP starship Yagami to unidentified ships. Request
identification, over."
    The response was robotic. "This is GP Bioroid Squadron 14, over."
    Kiyone gasped. What were they doing here? "State your destination and
present objective, over."
    "Course heading: Colonized Planet #0315. Primary Objective: Capture or
kill Space Pirate Ryoko Case #8472. Secondary Objective: Destroy all
accomplice ships and/or persons. Tertiary Objective: Eliminate all
surrounding structures to eliminate possibility of reinforcements."
    Kiyone gasped. "I order you to return to headquarters immediately. Ryoko
's Galaxy Wanted file had been deleted!"
    "Unable to comply. Command comes directly from Jurai. Ryoko's GW file
has been reinstated."
    As Kiyone checked for Ryoko's gem signature, she located the Bioroids'
heading: Tokyo, Japan. "Oh, hell! Wake up, Mihoshi! This is an emergency!"
    Mihoshi yawned. "What is it, Kiyone?"
    "We've got to stop a squadron of Bioroids from reaching Earth!" Kiyone
shouted as she accelerated the Yagami's engines to maximum speed. These
Bioroids might well destroy Ryoko, but someone else may be in possession of
the gems, and their tertiary objective could kill over a million innocent
civilians.
    Kiyone knew that this could probably demote her to janitor, but with the
Princesses of Jurai on that planet, she couldn't afford to take any chances.

<<>>

    Inside the limousine, the Master Key fell out of Tenchi's pocket.
    As he picked it up, Sasami asked, "Why did you bring that, Tenchi?"
    Tenchi reclined after once again examining the gems embedded in the
handle. "Just in case we run into trouble."

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 fanfiction, I
wish to be notified. For comments and information, E-mail me at
bkvhw@earthlink.net

    So, what do you think?  After four stories of introduction, I think it's
time for things to get intresting.  Please E-mail me with your opinions;
they directly affect how the story will turn out!  Also, if you have some
speculation on how the story will turn out or an explanation for the wierd
plot, E-mail me that and I'll tell you if you're right.  Be sure to check
out Episode 5:  No Need for Bioroids, coming soon!