(Part Twenty-Four: Homecoming....) Darkness.... then... I felt... air... I felt floating... Then... stardust? Points of light... then a bright light... Then in succession... the feeling of physical, then air... and then I felt something on my back... I simply felt calm... a wind it felt like... It took a while form me to realize... that I was still alive... a I could hear my heart beat... my breath raggedly drawn, then a few quiet breaths... After it seemed an eternity... I finally raised my head... the world spinned for a bit, and I laid my head back down... For a day and a night it was this... my head still spinning too much... Then the new day came... and slowly, yet quickly it seemed... I finally forced my anger through the queasiness... knowing I wasn't in heaven... at least Tsui wasn't there... so I HAD to be alive... I sat up... and looked around... the world finally stopped spinning... That... Tree? Yes... it was Yosho's Tree... The Funaho Tree.. the one with the simple encirclement of groved Earth trees.... I took in the air with a sense of enjoyment... it was beautiful.... The I remembered... Mulhorand... the teleport... the explosion... THE SAI`HON TREE!! It all rushed back... that... that fiend almost killed Jurai... but... I had him kill old Jurai instead... no... I released the pain of tragedy from the old Tree... the sacrifice was proper for the likes of that ancient Tree... as for I... Tsunami... *sigh* ...I did it again... the selfless sacrifice... all of Jurai must know by now... Then I noted.. I couldn't feel my Jurai powers... nor any Gem residue... nothing... I had no power... at the moment anyway... It all must have been used to send my mortal form to this Tree.. but then... why not to Jurai... why here? This spinned in my mind as I finally stood... stumbling a bit, then leaning on a tree, I had to ask... am I dead to the others? After a while of slow shuffling... I reached the lake, and the house... The original... the ones on both Yagami ships were a clone of this house... as the structure couldn't take much more abuse in space... good ol Washu... for the most part anyway... I entered the home... and looked around... quiet... too quiet... I made my way to a couch... and slumped flat into it... And I cried for a while.... they were out of my reach... I MUST be dead to them... Tsunami... *sigh* ...I fell asleep again... Another morning... man... I must have been exhausted... being dead gets to you I guess... I finally had enough energy to make breakfast... a LARGE one... Then I habitually cleaned the house... mostly dusting.. did I mention I HATE dusting? Some clothes... a bath... a few yard work duties... ...it was during my walk to check the LARGE mail stack near the front gate, when I looked around again... and realized... If... I was dead to them... should I leave? I wrestled with that question while I checked through the mail... A few bills... mostly Ryoko's... some magazines and manga for Maymay, Mihoshi and Sasami... lots of junk mail... HAH... A chance for the family to win an exotic trip... WAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Filed... Then a last... the grades for Tenchi and I.... wow... I forgot that we did a butt-kicking job in class... even before Tsunami appeared... That answered my question... I decided to stay... I had too much staked into my life here... the Misaki home was my home... I would do them service... After a good sleep... And as I dreamed... I saw Tsui and myself in the many places we had shared... especially Paris... I felt warm from it... When I awoke.. I didn't feel that my dreams were directed... So... I was alone for the time being.... I made a couple of meals a day... did the house chores... not that there were many at least.... And then I moved to the outside... raking up the leaves... sweeping the shrine's steps, and then tending the carrot garden.. a bit lean since the trip took place... but I got to a good portion of it... The next day... more of the same... but up to Lord Yosho's abode this time... I got to more of the carrot garden... all this work... it was a relief compared to the life and death struggle of the past few weeks... and MUCH more fulfilling to myself... And the next day... more chores, more sweeping, more carrot tending... A fourth day... a fifth.... the place was becoming near spotless... The sixth I rested... a couple of minor chores... then some TV... Just the local Earth signals... not the ones Washu had programmed in... I couldn't bring myself to watching stuff about Jurai for some reason.... I shook it off as burn-out effects... and I caught some of the local stuff... I made a GOOD meal... a Sasami equivalent.... well, not really; but I was filled from it... Then... after the dishes... I worked on some paintings.... and found myself getting my experiences onto canvas.... my feelings poured from the paintbrush... I think I mentioned sometime earlier that Tenchi had great taste in art supplies... The Sai`Hon Tree... my parents... the GP station... the Fungesian starscape... anyone of these would have caused terrestrial scientists have conniptions... I only cried with the last one... A external portrait of myself and Tsunami on the night before the Battle of Jurai... in front of the windowscreen; myself looking out into space; with Tsunami leaning on me... silent... eyes closed.... with the reflection of stars off the windowscreen; with my eyes trained upon the stellar smudge that was Jurai System Prime... I decided to head to town for a proper window frame for this one... And so.. in the morning... after another set of quick chores... I took the Misaki family van into town... Yokohama was rather nice this time of year... It was late fall... almost time for the snow to come.. I walked the local shops... with money to burn.. I got the frame I wanted... a silver-bluish frame; and also took in the role as window shopper... then a local movie... a meal at a good restaurant, catching myself several times trying to talk to Tsui... and feeling a mix if sadness and embarrassment as I relapsed each time... The last thing... I got some groceries... a good stock... And I headed to town... When I got home.. I noted the mail had come again... like the last time I took it in... mostly junk... ...something for Kagato? Umm... placed aside... better left untouched... All except for one package... my heart skipped a beat... I noted the address... the jeweler shoppe in Paris... the one that I had specially ordered a wrap around wedding ring, one that would have gone around the engagement ring... with the pattern and color of a Tree when joined... It was there... sitting in a teal and white box, with white silk and velvet holding the ring... I cried out Tsunami's name... simply clutching the ring for a good while... And from there... for the next couple of weeks... the same... chores... the garden... I pushed the sweeping into the forest behind the household... anything to keep busy... to keep my mind straight and narrow... I also decided to tidy up the others rooms... going on a washing and cleaning fit of each of the rooms... mostly Mihoshi's and Ryoko's... Kagato's had a strange lock on his... and I left it better alone... Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami... their family as well... Bruinuae included..... not one need... other than a fresh set of complimentary clothes I felt a need to set up... Yosho's abode I took good care to straighten up... making memory notes of the times he and Tenchi trained with me... The goddesses never needed to have real rooms... less work for me there... but I set up a couple of guest rooms for Fenganis, Rosusn, and Nen... out of habit... like I thought there would be a need... or... ..to keep a reminder of my experience... of where I belonged... I must have been at the edge of kookiness by doing all this... I popped into my mind every so often that I was doing the right thing... to KEEP that sanity... But it was becoming clear to me... that by now... something should have happened... but... nothing did... not even in my dreams.... I felt so alone.... even with the reminders.... The one difference; Washu's alcove in the closet... gone... linked to the Yagami instead of here... my one clue... that there was no return, as it seemed.... And for the next couple of days... I continued.... then I stopped one day... taking another break.... and watched more TV... Then I took a chance... and engaged the Washu network... as I called it... Not much actually... strange soap operas... stranger ads.... even a billion light years away... there were insurance commercials.... go fig... The I found the GNN.... midway through... mostly about a asteroid collision here and there... some kind of sporting event involving reckless drivers on speeders.... I decided to get some snacks... and had just gotten back with some popcorn and tea... when Jurai turned up as the story of the hour... The announcer detailed that the Jurai government was denying rumors of the Royal Family's disappearance... apparently a week old from the timeline given.... Then as the story shifted to a spotlight on the discovery of a new species by GP exploration Corps... I had to mull in my mind the information... Are THEY dead? Or... is... but... nah. can't be. I tried to reach out with my Jurai powers.... nothing.... still NOTHING!! *sigh* ...then I thought of two places to try... the Cave, and the Tree... First was Ryoko's crypt.... my first time here... creepy... but nothing that helped me out... Then I arrived at Yosho's Tree... but with no Key... and no power... I had no chance... I just shouted to the Tree... smacked my head.... then tried just talking to the Tree.... Failed.... I then fell to my knees... and begged with my every feeling and emotion in my soul... that I could feel them again... that... I could feel them all near me... I HATED being alone.... all this and more I poured out to the Tree... Nothing... except my tears... After a while, the wind picked up... and I noted a storm approaching... I resigned my fate... and headed to the house... I found the house door open... and thought I had left the door open... dopey moi... and found nothing inside... except a running TV.... Dopey moi #2.... I watched more TV, some more stories about the Royal Family... well... it seemed as well that the planet DID survive Mulhorand's last attempt... I was glad for that much... my last thought with dozing off... I awoke later to the sound of LOUD thunder... and the strike of lightning... A harsh and howling wind blowed outside... it made much of a ruckus on the walls outside... 10:37pm... I shut the TV off; and made good my way into bed... I didn't sleep long... I was dozing as a HUGE lightning strike hit outside... and a heavy green glow emanated in the storm... I stumbled and fell a couple of times... and once at the bottom of the stairs.... Owwwwwwww...... I hecked aside a umbrella... and ran outside in the raging maelstrom.... The.... the.... Ryu-ou-oh... Tree.... I... I had completely forgotten.... how... could I forget... ..my mind must have been. And neither with the sight... it was FLOODING lightbeams at the lake surface, and then shooting straight up into the sky; stabbing past the thick clouds, blunting aside several lightning bolts as a consequence... I stood in awe... soaking wet... but in complete awe... I lost count of time... but it seemed forever.... and it was... Until... I simply bellowed Tsunami's name again.... "COME BACK TO ME TSUNAMI!!! PLEASE!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" ....was my desperate command.... was my desperate need... Then as suddenly as my words left me... the light disappeared.... leaving nothing but me on my knees... in the driving rain.... A few more thunderous electrical displays accompanied my sorrow... I felt compelled to head into the house after awhile... and took a warm bath... With little other event... I then hit the hay once more... Then it happened.... one last dream.... I saw... Tsunami.... in a loving haze of softness... in a gentle light... cherry blossom leaves flowing around her... in a beautiful wedding dress.... Juraian in form... a gentle smile hidden behind a silky veil... And as I drew close to her... I cruelly awoke... it was still early... But I felt energized... I felt something was about to happen... and I awoke to make a decent but quick breakfast... A shower... a quick set of chores... all the while the TV was on... giving announcements on the growing conspiracy of Jurai... with the silence becoming one of worry to the media... and the universe it seemed... Then the story included the names of the missing.... the ones I knew... then as I finished cleaning a few plates... I noted the list was becoming VERY long... I made a quick count... ALL OF THEM!??!! HOW IN THE HECK!?!? Then my name suddenly was called out... I stood in shock... my name?!?! MINE!?!?!?!!?!?! I was about to thunder to the TV, when the doorbell rang.... wha... who... It had been about a month since I had arrived... and not ONE doorbell ring... I threw the rag I was carrying on my shoulder... and cautiously walked to the door... My eyes widened upon opening.... All... of them.... almost.... Tenchi, Ayeka, Ryoko, Sasami, Little Washu, Mihoshi, Kiyone, Yosho, Nobuyuki attached to Achika... Father.... Mother.... Emperor Azusa.... Queens Misaki and Funaho.... Princess Bruinuae with Nen in one arm (Sasami in the other...)... Kagato with Maymay.... Nagi... NAGI!?!?! *ahem* ...Emperor Fenganis and Queen Rosusn. even Ryo-ohki and Ken-ohki in front... and finally... already mentioned... Achika... with Gaia, and Tokimi.... My first instinct to ask of Tsui was replaced with a simple welcome home, with a deep bow... and a hope that the surrounding were to their liking... Then a large set of eyes began scanning the surrounding area... no heads moving... just the eyes... and finally settle back on me simultaneously... Kinda weird I must say... ...I scratched my head.... Then.... they all pointed to a single direction... and smiled as one... Over at the lake.... Where... I knew... they knew.... Where Tsunami and I first met... I bowed.... felt a bit self-conscious as I passed them by... and then as I passed... walked faster... into a jog... into a emotional filled run.... short as it was.... I reached... looking around... it was the same.... as when I first saw her... Nothing... then.... a teal haze... and detail... Then Tsunami appeared in full.... An eternity in her eyes... those eyes... She told me to stand... I did... I asked for her hand.... she gave... We just fell into each other... the kiss so deep, that I didn't realize there was VERY loud cheering in the background... We kissed... and kissed... and kissed... and on... on.... on..... on...... When we finally broke... I simply said sorry for my actions on Jurai... Tsunami's only action was to return my Jurai powers to me... saying... "A princess is a princess, even for goddesses.... and we need our Knight's to protect us.... throughout time..... in the name of love... as I must need you Aleaic... as I must have you permanently.... with all of my love..." And as we kissed again... once and for all eternity... I knew... I finally knew... love WAS forever... because... we now were.... With all the family... forever... We all were complete... I felt complete.... my story was complete... I understood at last... where I belonged... In the light of the goddess.... there was only one last thing to accomplish... (End Part Twenty-Four)