Copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson, All existing Tenchi characters are copyright Pioneer AIC. The character Ryeka is copyright 2002 by Steve Robinson (me) Disclaimer - Look, it's a fan fic, so don't get bent out of shape. I thought up this idea a while ago, so I'm unabashedly pirating the Tenchi universe and bending it to my own nefarious purposes. I haven't read the millions of lines of existing a fan fic, so I can't say for sure that no one else has written this story line, but if so, well great minds and all that. I am sure that if Pioneer and company refrains from suing me, so should you. Besides, I wouldn't be listening anyways, la la la.... This fic is posted in its entirety at http://www.viciousbunny.net/ ------------------------------------------------------------- Thicker than Blood Chapter 5 Tenchi awoke to the long forgotten sound of Yagami roaring in for a landing on the lake. Clearly, Mihoshi was not at the controls this time because the house and surrounding flora suffered no damage. Tenchi smiled ruefully as he remembered the constant repairs he had been forced to make on the house during the five years his newfound family had lived at the Masaki residence. By the end, he had forgotten what it had been like living as bachelors with only his father and grandfather. Despite the headaches, the damage, the bickering and the constantly unexpected space travel, it had all been worth it. Tenchi gazed down at the sleeping form of his daughter, who had taken to sneaking into his bed during the night for the past few days. It was the same every night. She bravely claimed she was not afraid, that she was sure her mother would soon return. Tenchi would tuck her in and go to bed. Every night, he would pretend to be asleep as her cautious footsteps arrived outside the bedroom door. Every night he would pretend wrap his arms around her in his sleep as she pressed her tearstained cheeks into his nightshirt. Every night he managed to wait until she drifted off to sleep before his own heartbreak streamed from his own eyes onto the pillowcase and sheets. Every morning, neither would not mention it, nor question the slightly damp pillows. "Wake up, honey," he gently shook his daughter. "They're here. Lets go welcome them." Ryeka wiped the sleep from her eyes and stretched. Tenchi's heart nearly broke; she was so adorable. Then with a burst of energy that reminded Tenchi of another adorable little girl he had once known, Ryeka exploded out of bed and out the bedroom door. "They're here, hurray!! I'll prepare breakfast! It'll be fantastic!" She was gone down the stairs in a flash. Tenchi chuckled as he changed into some house clothes. He was as excited as she was to see everyone together again. Well, almost everyone, he thought. Besides Ryoko, Tenchi's grandfather Yosho was long gone. And Sasami-Tsunami... Tenchi wondered where Sasami was now. After her traumatic reconsolidation with Tsunami, Sasami had gone off on her own, to find balance. Periodically, word would come that Tsunami had been sighted on some remote space lane. Sometimes, Sasami would call home, to let everyone know she was all right. When gently pressed for an explanation, Sasami would always change the subject. The sweet, innocent naivet‚, that had ruled young Sasami's world had been ripped away with the realization of the destruction and death she had inadvertently caused during her merging with Tsunami. She had decided to take herself out of the equation by simply leaving. Tenchi finished dressing and went downstairs. It pained him to think that Sasami didn't feel that her friends could help her through her troubles. But, she wasn't a little girl anymore and she had to make her own choices. All her friends could do was wait and be there in case Sasami needed them. Tenchi went downstairs and out the door. Yagami had already made a turn on the lake and was pulling up to the dock. Tenchi made his way down as the gangplank was dropping. He was there to greet the occupants as they came ashore. "Tenchi, my son!!!!" Noboyuki was the first one off, followed Mihoshi. They both reached up and clasped Tenchi in a strong embrace. Tears brimmed in the elder Masaki's eyes. "It's been too long!" "My duties as ambassador keep me firmly grounded on Earth, Dad. But there is no reason you can't come home every now and again. Mihoshi, it's good to see you, you look great. And, it's clear to see that you are taking good care of my father. I thank you." "Oh, Tenchi," Mihoshi giggled. Kiyone and Kaji came down the plank last. Tenchi extracted himself from his father and went to Kiyone. "Kiyone," he said, grasping her hand warmly. "Thank you so much for coming. It means the world to me, and I know it means just as much to Ryeka." "It is nothing, Tenchi. We all owe you so much, we could not repay you in ten lifetimes," she turned to Kaji. "May I present Detective First Class Kaji? He will be heading up the actual investigation, and he has my complete confidence. Detective, Ambassador Tenchi Masaki." "I am at your service, Ambassador." Kaji bowed. "Tenchi looks so much like Grandfather," Mihoshi whispered to her husband. "Especially when they call him 'Ambassador'." "We're grateful for your help, Detective. And while your here, please include yourself in our little family. We have a tradition of welcoming strangers here. Well," Tenchi turned back towards the house, "let's go have some breakfast. Ryeka is hard at work in the kitchen." The little group followed Tenchi off of the dock and towards the house. Noboyuki was already talking to a willing Kaji. "Did you know I built this house? Well, rebuilt it I should say. I restored it for my first wife, Achika, Tenchi's mother. Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather, took a great chance on trusting me to do it and it launched my architectural career. Those skylights were Tenchi's mother's idea. And Mihoshi once destroyed this doorway with a Galaxy Police battloid..." "Grandpa! Grandma!" Ryeka jumped off of the stool where she was washing dishes and dashed over to Noboyuki and Mihoshi, who started getting teary eyed again. "Ah, my darling granddaughter," said Noboyuki, scooping Ryeka up. Fortunately, Mihoshi was there to assist. "My goodness, can it really be you? You're all grown up!" "No, I'm not!" Ryeka asserted, "So don't you dare stop bringing me presents!" "Tenchi, she's beautiful," Kiyone chimed in. "And talented. Wait till you see the spread she laid out for you." The group retired to the dining room for breakfast. There was hardly any place to sit because the table was so covered with fruit, breads, fish, juices and so on. Everyone was very impressed and said that even Sasami couldn't have done better. Breakfast passed uneventfully while everyone caught up with each other. Mihoshi and Noboyuki were finishing another school year and thought they might spend summer back on Earth. Tenchi reported that Earth had nearly completed construction of a space fleet. Soon, they would be able to join in intragalactic trade with Jurai and the Galactic Federation. The group politely included Kaji in the conversation and he briefly described his burgeoning career in the Galaxy Police. Soon, the food disappeared and the discussion reluctantly turned to the matter at hand. Since Kaji was officially the investigative officer, he was allowed to guide the discussion. "Although I know you have answered these questions, they serve more to help us get into the proper frame of mind for this sort of thing. So, please bare with me, okay? Good. Now, who was the last person to see Mrs. Masaki?" Ryeka, who had been clearing the table stopped and walked over to Kaji. "I was, sir," she half bowed, half curtsied. "We were playing hide and seek. But, really, she was teaching me to develop my powers." "Your powers," Kaji probed. "Mmmm hmmm." Ryeka nodded. Then, suddenly she vanished, and appeared behind Tenchi, then disappeared again. Her voice floated down from above Kaji. "Mommy could do this, too. I have been able to do some stuff since I was little, but I have gotten much better in the last year." Ryeka was seated in the lotus position, upside down on the ceiling above Kaji. Everyone applauded politely. Kiyone seemed a little surprised, but Mihoshi and Noboyuki beamed like the proud grandparents they were. "My goodness, you certainly are talented," Kaji commented, as though teleportation was somehow as common as playing the piano for a nine-year-old. "How far can you or your mother teleport, if I may ask?" Kaji craned his neck to observer her. Ryeka vanished and reappeared next to him. "I'm not sure about Mommy. I can teleport all over the estate, but I never tried to go further. Also, I can only teleport to places I have been before. I have to be able to picture it in my mind." Tenchi nodded in agreement and added his own two cents. "Ryoko once explained to me that she has a sort of sphere of power or influence. She can teleport anywhere within her "reach". She couldn't, for instance teleport from here to the moon. Once, we were able to teleport to another dimension. Although she had never been there, she was able to visualize it by picking up on an image that was being transmitted into my mind." Kaji made a few notes. "So, since you and Ryeka were both on the estate when she disappeared, it is safe to assume that whatever danger she may have been in, it must have been localized. That means she should have been able to teleport out of danger to some other location." "Yes, I thought so, too. But, she has much greater powers than simple teleportation. She is capable of producing enough energy to destroy a small ship, say Yagami's size, if she had too." Tenchi nodded. He was watching Ryeka, whose eyes seemed to be growing red. "Ryeka, honey, you don't have to go through this, if you don't want to." Ryeka crossed over to sit on Tenchi's lap. "I want to stay." Tenchi nodded and continued. "I can't imagine something powerful enough to defeat her arriving without attracting a lot of attention." Kaji nodded. "I agree. I have been reviewing the confidential Galaxy Police files on her, as well as the records from Jurai. Whatever happened, it's clear that she didn't or couldn't put up a fight. If she was taken she must have been completely contained somehow. Or, perhaps she just left or had an accident. Let concentrate on the first possibility, since clearly it is the one I would most be able to help you with. The other two are well within the abilities of local law enforcement to handle. "So, what could contain such a powerful being? Has it ever been done before?" Kiyone answered this time. "Twice that we know of. Once by the criminal Kagato on board the Sozja. Ryoko reported that Kagato had contained her inside a sort of hourglass. After witnessing Ambassador Masaki's death, she was able to summon enough power to break free. Then, Washu reported that Dr. Clay held her inside a giant beaker. Washu had to free her that time." Kaji blinked for a second. "I'm sorry, did you say 'Ambassador Masaki's death'? Forgive my naivet‚,, but you seem very much alive, Ambassador." Tenchi smiled and stroked his mustache thoughtfully. "I know it is sounds incredible. But, by all accounts, I was definitely dead. Then Tsunami came to me and somehow revived me. It really isn't that unusual. Here on Earth, before our medical technology benefited from the Juraians, we recorded many cases of drowning victims being revived after being pulled from sub-freezing water after as long as twenty minutes. After destruction of Ryou-o's pod, I was exposed to the cold of space before Ayeka's guardians were able to come and try to protect me. It's possible the cold preserved me until Tsunami could revive me." Kaji made a few more notes. "Is Mrs. Masaki capable of independent space flight?" "No," Tenchi answered. "Although she can survive in the vacuum of space, she requires a spaceship to travel. She used to have a ship called-" "Ryo-ohki, I know." Kaji answered, checking his data pad. "The demon Ryo-ohki, creation date unknown, extensive criminal record ... and of course reading this to you is the stupidest thing in the world." Everyone had a chuckle. Kaji blushed a little at having forgotten who he was sitting with. "Ah, anyways, we know that Ryo-ohki was more or less Ryoko's ship and companion for over a thousand years. However, it seems that for the last several years, Ryo-ohki has been the personal confidant of the Empress of Jurai. We didn't know for sure that Ryoko wasn't space capable on her own, though." Tenchi frowned. "I hope that the information you are gathering will be used for the purposes of finding my wife, Detective, and not for some other purpose." Kiyone interceded. "Galaxy Police records are extensive, but I can assure you, Ryoko's files are classified at the highest level. No one will be prying into your family business." Kaji nodded. "Quite correct. I am sorry if I disturbed you at all. I am just trying to fill in the blanks. Actually, I am trying to eliminate possibilities. For instance, I can tell that it is highly unlikely that Mrs. Masaki decided just to leave. Maybe twenty years ago that would have been a credible theory. But clearly, she is now a completely devoted wife and mother. I'll let you know that Galaxy Police has developed a sensor to detect Ryoko's very unique life energy, similar to the common wrist scanners that GP officer's wear to help them detect criminals. I scanned the Earth on our way in. I am sorry to report that I could detect no sign of her anywhere on Earth." The group stared at the floor, silently. Nobody wanted to be the first to speak. "Ah, ehem. Well." Kaji couldn't seem to think of what to say. Tenchi suddenly stood and spoke up. "Good. That means she isn't laying hurt or worse somewhere. I am now certain that she was somehow taken." Kaji stood as well. "That means she would have to be contained. I must find out more about how that was done before." "I think," Tenchi said, "That it's time you spoke to Washu."