Disclaimer: Pioneer owns Tenchi Muyo! and all creatures and characters contained within. Claimer: Tenrin is mine. ==-==-== Tenchi Muyo! Tenrin STRIKE ONE: Tenrin Brian Burke The_krane@hotmail.com http://members.xoom.com/Tenchiii/Homepage2.htm (The Crystal Shrine!) ==-==-== It was a peaceful day in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by trees, clear blue skies, and a lake which shimmered with a mirror-like shine. Nearby this natural beauty, a three-story house sat with similar peacefulness. "Ryoko!" a high voice shouts. "Get back here!" As I said. It WAS peaceful. Following the recent voice, a few detonations can be heard in the background. After a moment, the sounds of destruction die down to the former peaceful scene. "Or what, Ayeka?" Ryoko returns. "You'll throw something? A fit, maybe?" Nearby the house, a field expands past what the eye can see. A routed land with lined intentions. Small green sprouts decorate the tops of these mounds in a slouched manner. A small cabbit sits on one row while roughly tugging at one of the many sprouts. She pulls with all her cabbit might to unearth the beautiful treasure beneath. Her brown fur stands upright as the critter's anger grows to rage. Literally a hunger for what is below. Finally, with one mighty pull, the green leaves exit the ground as well as the massive orange vegetable that is traditionally attached to it. The cabbit rests, having fallen onto her back. Her task is done. The object of her affection is now between her white paws. "Miyaa..." she sighs, hugging it like a giant pillow. The usual sign that one has returned to its one true love. But, the reunion is cut short. An explosion heaves the small collection of fur into the blue sky. But, she doesn't remain in the air for long. Upon returning to her original position, two hands catch the cabbit. The cabbit looks up to her savior. "What are you doing, Ryoko?" the man asks angrily. "What if you hit Ryo-Ohki?" The addressed woman, a woman with spiked silver-cyan hair, looks to the man with an innocent look. "I'm sorry Tenchi..." she says apologetically. She looks down about a foot. "I'm sorry Ryo-Ohki," she says in a similar tone. "I didn't see you there. No hard feelings?" Ryo-Ohki smiles. "Mya-mya," she answers while raising a paw. But, her happiness turns to sorrow slowly. As her right paw dangles in front of her, she finds something still wedged between her digits. A green leaf is still gripped by her delicate paw. She trails her sight slowly to her grip. In it, a short, charred orange stub of vegetable dangles from her white furred hand. "MMMYYYAAA!!!" she screams in horror. The collective faces of her humanoid friends turn to confusion. "What was that all about?" Ayeka asks. A bit unlike her, Ayeka walks onto the scene with work clothes rather than a kimono. Ryo-Ohki hops to the dusty ground and sets the stub aside. Slowly, she digs a small hole. For but a minute, dirt flies from behind her at a mournful rate. Equally slow is the process Ryo-Ohki takes to slowly lower the orange piece into the new hole in the ground. Finally, Ryo-Ohki pushes the up-earthed dirt back to its rightful place. Ryo-Ohki is silent for a moment. "I'm sorry, Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko repeats. "I didn't mean to-" "MIYA!" she interrupts. "Miya mya Mi-ya!" "C'mon, Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko says seriously. "How far are you gonna take this?" "Miya mya Mi-ya!" Ryo-Ohki repeats. With her statement and teary eyes, she bounds off into the forest. "Ryo-Ohki! I did NOT kill your carrot!" Ryoko reaches down to the ground and pulls on another green sprout. However, this one is minuscule compared to the first, gargantuan carrot. "Here's another one. Okay, maybe half a one!" "Miya mya Mi-ya!!!" echoes through the forest for all to hear. Tenchi looks to Ryoko somewhat seriously. "Ryoko, you'd better go find her. She might need emotional support." As serious as the cabbit made it sound, Tenchi and Ayeka can't help but snicker uncontrollably. "Ha ha. Very funny," Ryoko adds sarcastically. "I WILL find Ryo-Ohki and console her on this. As you know, she takes carrots very seriously." Ryoko disappears into thin air as she always does. ==-==-== *Activating cabbit translator*-Fanfic Computer Ryoko passes many trees as she searches for her life-long partner. As she glances around at the many wooden trunks, she is suddenly reminded of another place. A place she was at many many years ago. "Great. I look for Ryo-Ohki, and get reminded of Jurai. Perfect. Just what I needed." *You two are always fighting.* "Ryo-Ohki?" Ryoko asks the wind. She looks about and finds the source of the comment. On a small log overlooking a pod, a small cabbit sits with her back to her mistress. *Can't you two just grow up?* Ryoko sits next to Ryo-Ohki, filling the span of the short log almost completely. "So what if we fight? It's all fun and games anyway. Right?" *Maybe. But, what if someone ELSE got hurt?* "You're not going to bring up that carrot again, are you?" Ryo-Ohki looks out to the pond with a short sigh. *I guess I overreacted a little bit. But, that WAS the second biggest carrot I've ever seen. I was a little attached.* "I seem to remember the single biggest carrot you've ever seen. It was bigger than the house!" Ryo-Ohki smiles at the memory. Not too far back, as a matter of fact. *It took me weeks to eat the whole thing. Mom had to create an even bigger fridge so it wouldn't spoil!* "Man, Japan would throw a fit if that thing ever broke down! Can you imagine the CFC's that would leak out? Yes, the Masaki home would have its very own ozone hole!" Ryo-Ohki chuckles a bit *Thank you. For cheering me up.* "No problem! It's what I'm here... for..." Ryoko looks back to the woods with a worried expression. Yet, curiosity is also apparent. *What is it?* Yet, she feels it too. "Someone new," she answers. "Someone with a lot of power!" Ryoko looks closer into the woods, and sees a shadowed figure pass by the trees. Distant, but there. "Enemy!!" she shouts before disappearing from the log. Alone once more, Ryo-Ohki bounds off the log and runs back for the others. *Be careful!* *Deactivating cabbit translator*-Fanfic Computer ==-==-== Elsewhere, Tenchi has returned to work on the expansive fields. In the past few minutes, Sasami has also appeared in work clothes to help Tenchi with the fields. Now, with three people working on the fields, one lone person isn't so overwhelmed with work. But, the fields are not what has struck the attention of these three individuals. Tenchi, Ayeka, and even Sasami, with her budding Jurai powers, feel the same thing Ryoko felt earlier. A new, different power. From the shadows of the treeline, the equally shadowed figure walks pacefully towards the rest of the group. The darkened person walks forward, showing no hostile intentions. Finally, it removes itself from the shadows. As the figure walks past the line of trees, the shadows creep away from the person's body. What is revealed is a young woman, about five foot, wearing a soft-pink kimono and red sash. The shoes she wears, which pop out from under the kimono with every step, are red with a pink bow near the toes. In essence, an opposite to the rest of her apparel. She has silky brown hair which hangs down to her mid-back. "Who is that, I wonder?" Ayeka asks. The new girl stops about three feet from Tenchi and raises her glance to look him in the eyes. "Hello, young sir," she says softly. "Uh, hello," Tenchi responds. He looks her in the eyes as well and notices their purple color. "Can I help you with something?" She smiles and bows politely. "My name is Tenrin. I have come in search of Princesses Ayeka and Sasami. Might I be granted an audience with them?" Tenchi does give his routine response. His one true answer to this kind of problem. One thing he knows that will always work. He itches his head and steps aside. "Sure. Go for it." Tenrin gives a perplexed smile. "Go for it...?" she repeats questionably. Yet, she walks forward. She washes the perplexity from her face and returns to soft-serious. "Tenrin," Ayeka addresses quietly. "Can I be of service?" Shortly after her question, Sasami steps over to Ayeka's side. To provide some degree of security, Ayeka puts a hand on her younger sister's far shoulder. "Ayeka," Tenrin addresses quietly. "Sasami," she continues with equal tone. "It is so great to meet you. I thought I never would." "Do you know us?" Sasami asks. "You... don't know?" Tenrin responds. "You have never heard of me?" "Tenrin," Ayeka asks, "how do you know us?" "Yes, answer the question," a new voice says. Nearly shouts, in fact. "Who are you?" Tenrin turns slowly at the new voice. Turns with a feeling of dread. Of fear. Of imminent danger. Tenrin turns and sees a woman standing nearby Tenchi with one hand on her hip. "Ry...Ryoko?" The addressed woman summons a simple beam saber and walks towards Tenrin. "I know who she is. She's a threat!" "Ryoko!" Tenchi spouts. "Behave, will you?" Ryoko walks up to Tenrin and stops with the beam saber between them. "Alright. What's YOUR game? Someone else who wants to fight, no doubt?" Tenrin's expression of fear snaps and changes to seriousness. "No. I will not fight." Tenrin puts up a single hand. With no motion, the beam sword is blown out like a candle. A quick snap forward, not even hitting Ryoko, she tosses her back about five feet. Ryoko lands ungracefully next to Tenchi on her butt. "Tenrin?" Ayeka gasps. She sighs. A silent apology for her actions. Tenrin then turns back to the other two girls. "I am sorry for that, princesses. But, now that I can talk freely again, I guess I should tell you about myself." She sighs again. A deep breath to say something deeply important. "Ayeka, Sasami, I am your sister. I am Tenrin Jurai." ==-==-== An hour later, Ayeka's shocked expression fades enough for her to speak. Sasami, however, wasn't effected quite as powerfully. Her very nature allowed her to accept the fact and move on. However useful the carrot fields were for introductions, the living room serves as a better setting for Tenrin to tell her tale. Sasami, as polite as she always is, pours tea for the various members of the household. Tenchi, Ayeka, Ryoko, Mihoshi (having woken up recently from a 16-hour nap), Washu (on a rare excursion from her lab), and even Yosho (on a rare excursion from the shrine). "Tell me, Tenrin," Yosho says in his usual calm demeanor. "Why are you here? Why have you come so far from home?" "I... I wanted to meet my sisters. And brother. I have heard much about them in the past twenty years of my life, but they have not been back to Jurai in such a long time. Father prohibited most from going to Earth." "What about when everybody came here?" Sasami asks. "Why didn't you come with them?" "I would have liked to. But, Father wanted me to stay on Jurai. Being the First Princess of Jurai puts that kind of strain-" "What did you just say?!" Ayeka asks angrily. She slams her hands on the table, stands, and glares at Tenrin with violent intent. "You are WHAT?!!?" "Oh... That is something I was going to get to. You see, Father named me 'First Princess' after you seemingly abandoned the title." "I DID NOT!!" Tenrin stands and returns Ayeka's glare. "Ayeka, you have been missing for 700 years. Had you not taken Sasami with you, she would have been able to take the title. But, she was missing as well. Ayeka, that title means you have certain obligations. You cannot simply take off for 700 years and expect your title to remain intact." Tenchi seems apprehensive to ask this question, yet he must know. "Does that mean that Grandfather doesn't have his title either?" "No," Tenrin responds. "Since there wasn't a new prince born to the family, Yosho's name- Did you say 'Grandfather?" Tenchi nods once to respond. "Of course..." Tenrin gasps. "Tenchi. I had almost forgotten about you. Yes, your status is intact, Lord Tenchi." "What about ME?!" Ayeka whines. "What has happened to me? Surely Father hasn't cast me out of the family?" Tenrin returns her glance to Ayeka. "I had thought that Father told you on his trip here. I guess I was mistaken. Ayeka, under King Azusa's decision, you are now Second Princess of Jurai, and Sasami is Third Princess of Jurai." "Who's your mother?" Sasami asks. "She... She died. Father married her just over 20 years ago. She passed away while you and Ayeka were still 'asleep.' She came and went, and you never knew. It's sad, really." "Why didn't Father tell us about all of this while he was on Earth?" Ayeka continues. "Why the deception?" "From the day she passed on, he has not spoken of her. But, because I had to stay on Jurai, he decided to bring you there, instead. But... you refused to leave. This was why I decided to seek you out. Because she died, I wanted to know more of my family to compensate. Now... Now I've found you, and I don't want to leave." -END ONE!-