Tenchi Muyo! and all characters herein are owned by Pioneer and AIC, save 
Shigeru, who is of my own creation.  Kiss is owned by Mercury Records.  This 
work if a fanfic, is not for profit, and does not express the views of Mercury 
Records, Pioneer or AIC.

Tenchi Muyo: We Are One pt.1

	Five years have passed since the Masaki household was turned upside down 
by its visitors from outer space.  In that time they have shared many adventures 
and heartbreaks.  They have saved not only the earth, but also the entire galaxy 
on several occasions. But as all good things, these times must also come to an 
end.

	Ayeka walked up the steps of the Masaki shrine as she had done countless 
times before.  But this time she walked more slowly than usual.  Despite her 
best efforts it was becoming clearer each day that Tenchi was falling in love 
with Ryoko. It was beyond her comprehension how Tenchi could love that demon 
woman.  By birthright he should be hers, but by his heart he was someone else's.  
She bowed respectfully as she entered the shrine and walked to Grandfathers 
office.  She knocked on the door, hoping that he would be in.  
	"Come in Ayeka," replied Katsuhito from within.  She slid the door open 
and entered.  "Please join me for some tea," he offered as she kneeled by the 
low table.
	"Lord Katsuhito," began Ayeka trembling, " there is a matter that I wish 
to discuss with you, not as Tenchi's grandfather but as my brother Yosho."  
	"I see my dear," he replied as he sat down his teacup.  "I know that 
Tenchi is falling in love with Ryoko, and that you must feel forsaken, not only 
by him but by me."
	Ayeka broke down into tears.  "Why is that every man I love forsakes me? 
Why?" she sobbed as she buried here head into her arms. "Lord Tenchi, as your 
grandson should be mine by noble right, but he loves that woman."  She stopped 
as she noticed the scowl on Katsuhito's face.
	"My dear Ayeka.  Matters in this life seldom follow noble birthrights.  
Royalty on one planet is insignificant compared to the rest of the universe.  By 
now you should know that the most powerful force in the universe is that of the 
heart.  You are questioning yourself, what could I have done different, or 
should I have done this.  But the fact of the matter is that you have done your 
very best.  You and Ryoko are an even match.  You have both matured into 
beautiful young women. Both of you are strong and intelligent."	
	"Yet she has succeeded in winning Lord Tenchi's heart!" interjected Ayeka.  
"The last thing I need is to be patronized like a pathetic child." She regretted 
those words before she had even finished them.
	"My dear sister, the point in this matter is that you have not lost at 
all."  Ayeka looked up, surprised by his words.  "You have spent five wonderful 
years here on this planet with Tenchi.  You have grown together and shared many 
fond memories.  He is grown now as are you, and you will both decide for 
yourselves which is the right path to follow."  With that Katsuhito stood up and 
walked to the window.  "The time is nearing for you to return to Jurai, do not 
leave this place with hate in your heart."
	Ayeka stood up and walked beside her brother.  "My dear Yosho, you are 
right.  I will respect Lord Tenchi's decision. I will not cause him any undo 
grief.  He has loved us for so long and I must be happy in his happiness."  With 
that she turned and left the shrine.  Katsuhito watched her go and wondered what 
lay in the future.

	Tenchi was tending his fields in the warm afternoon sun, glad to be home 
from college.  The city is nice, but it lacks the serene beauty of his home.  
Serene as along as Ryoko and Ayeka are not fighting, but that too has seemed to 
died down a bit.  He stopped to wipe his forehead when he heard Ryoko calling 
for him.  	
	"Tenchi!" she called singing his name.  He turned to see her coming with a 
pitcher of lemonade.  
	"Why, thank you," he said as he took a glass and sipped.  They sat down 
together and began to talk.  "You know I really miss this place when I'm away," 
he began as Ryoko laid her head on his shoulder. He sat down his glass and 
looked at her soft face.  She had changed so much since the first time that they 
had met.  No longer was she the impetuous Ryoko of old, but now a loving young 
lady, not to say that things still didn't get destroyed on occasion. He ran his 
hand through her light blue hair as she looked up at him.
	"I love you Tenchi," she said, meaning it with all her heart. She smiled 
as she watched a smirk creep across his face.
	"I know you do Ryoko.  You've been a part of my life for so long now, and 
I..." he choked for a second as he thought for the right words.  Ryoko looked at 
him with tears welling in her eyes.  
	"Ryoko," he began, "I do care for you deeply, much more than I have for 
any else ever." 
	"Yes, Tenchi?" she stumbled.
	"What I am saying is..." 'Come on Masaki, you can say this!  It isn't that 
hard.  Just tell her before its too late,' he thought to himself.  "I love you 
Ryoko.  What I feel for you is more than an emotional bond.  More than what I 
feel for Ayeka."  He stopped as she raised a finger to his lips. 
	"Later," she mouthed as she kissed him firmly.  The two sat there for a 
moment in their embrace, only to be disturbed by the meowing of Ryo-Ohki.  
	"What is it little one?" asked Ryoko.  Tenchi watched as the two carried 
on, having no clue as to what was being said.
	"Tenchi, Washu needs me," began Ryoko.  "We'll continue this later." She 
quickly kissed him as she picked up Ryo-Ohki, and floated away, gradually 
phasing out of sight.  Tenchi felt relieved as he picked up his garden hoe, only 
to have his heart sink when he realized that Ayeka was standing across the field 
from him.  'How long had she been there? How much had she seen?' he wandered as 
she slowly made her way towards him. 
	"Miss Ayeka," he began only to be cut off.
	"Lord Tenchi, I just want you to know that." she paused as she tried to 
maintain her composure.  "That I will respect your wishes and that I will not 
interfere with your happiness." 
As she finished she lowered her head trying to control the surge of emotions 
tearing through every shred of her being.  
	"I...I," she choked, "give you and Ryoko my blessing as the first crowned 
princess of Jurai."  
	How she managed to form the words was beyond Tenchi, as he could tell 
Ayeka was visibly shaken. She tried to say something else, but she fell to her 
knees, burying her face into her hands.  Tenchi moved beside her and put an arm 
around her, trying to console her.
	"Miss Ayeka," he began, "I thank you for your blessing."
	"Why Tenchi, Why?" sobbed Ayeka.  "Why her?"
	Tenchi sighed heavily.  He knew that this question would come, and he had 
been trying to come up with an answer that would not crush Ayeka.  
	"Ayeka, I do love you as well, but it is a different love than that I have 
for Ryoko.  When I look at you I see." he trailed off as he tried to clear his 
throat. 
	"What do you see Lord Tenchi?"
	"I see my mother.  You two are of the same cloth, the same spirit, and the 
same noble heart.  I know this is not the answer you were expecting, but it is 
the truth.   Believe me, Ayeka I would never do anything to harm you.  You have 
been there for me so many times, and I just, I just."
	Ayeka wiped her eyes and looked at Tenchi.  He too had begun to cry.  In 
his eyes she saw the pain he was in, being forced to choose between her and 
Ryoko. If he had chosen her the pain would have been even greater as he would 
have been constantly reminded of the Lady Achika.  In his eyes she saw that he 
did love her, but she saw that his heart belonged to Ryoko.  He was happy, and 
this was all that mattered to her.    
	"You will always be my Lord Tenchi," said Ayeka as she regained her 
composure. 
	"Thank you for being so understanding," said Tenchi as he gave her a light 
hug.  "You will always have a place in my heart.  Besides you only a month left 
here on earth before you must return to Jurai for your coronation.  Lets make 
the most of it."
	"You will be there, will you not?"
	"I wouldn't miss it for the world."  
With that the two stood up and hugged once more.  Tenchi watched with just a 
hint of sorrow in his heart as Ayeka headed back towards the house.  The sun was 
getting low in the sky, so he had to make the most of the daylight.  He returned 
to his gardening, knowing, hoping things would work for the best.

	In a far away place in a distant dimension a supreme being watched as 
events unfolded on this seemingly insignificant orb.   They had given her cause 
for alarm, and now she began to plot a course of action.

	Dinner was quieter than usual that night.  Tenchi was afraid for a moment 
when Ayeka sat down next to Ryoko, and Ryoko didn't know just what to expect 
either.  Fortunately nothing transpired, as Ayeka was more polite to Ryoko than 
she had ever been.  As dinner carried on Nobuyuki came home from the office, 
late as usual.  
	"I got them! I got them!" he screamed a he ran into the house.  
	"Dad, Dad, what do you have?" asked Tenchi, looking more confused than 
usual.
	"I've got nine front row tickets to Kiss' Farewell Tour in Tokyo!"
	"That's great Dad, but how?" asked Tenchi.  By now everyone else was also 
looking puzzled.  
	"What's Kiss?" asked Mihoshi.
	"Just the greatest rock 'n' roll band ever, and tomorrow night we are all 
going to see them!  Come on, it will be a great trip to take as a group one more 
time!"  
	They all watched in amazement as Nobuyuki went into a dissertation on Kiss 
that would have made Washu proud.  Tenchi sat on the couch as Ryoko placed an 
arm around him.  He smiled at her as she laid her head on his shoulder.  Ayeka 
sat across from them and nodded, which made Tenchi feel a little relieved.  
Kiyone was not sure what to make of this "Kiss" group and neither did Sasami.  
Mihoshi on the other hand was enthralled by Nobeyugi's tirade about the almost 
mythical band.  In the end everyone got a good laugh out of Nobeyugi's over 
enthusiasm.
   
	Later that night Tenchi found Ryoko in her usual spot on top of the roof.  
He sat down beside her and looked out toward the vast expanse of stars before 
them.  
	"Ayeka gave me her blessing," he said as he looked at the woman he had 
come to love.  
	"I know, she told me the same thing." Ryoko said as she lay back on the 
roof.  "Convenient how Washu needed me right about then wasn't it Tenchi?"
	"Leave it to Washu," chuckled Tenchi.  "What do you think of Dads plan for 
tomorrow night?" he asked as he lay down beside her.
	"It should be fun.  I here this band has a demon and a cat man.  I 
listened to few of their songs, not much to them, but it sounds like fun."
	"You know Ryoko, Ayeka is leaving in a month to be coronated on Jurai.  
Sasami will be returning as well and with them gone Kiyone and Mihoshi will 
probably be getting a new assignment, as the princess will no longer be here to 
guard.  It will just be Washu and us.  Things, things will be too quiet," Ryoko 
interrupted him with a kiss.  He returned the favor and the two embraced 
together for what seemed like hours.
	"Yes it will be quiet, and probably lonely for a while, but we will have 
each other and is all I need.  All I need is you Tenchi."  Ryoko wiped the tears 
from her eyes as she kissed him again.  
	"I do love you Tenchi."	
	"I know," said Tenchi as Ryoko laid her head on his chest.  She liked the 
sound of his heart; it was so comforting to her.  Tenchi ran his hand through 
her hair and kissed her fore head, noticing that she had fallen asleep.  He just 
lay there letting Ryoko sleep, holding her, and feeling more comfortable than he 
had in many years.

	In an alternate dimension a supreme being called her most trusted vizier.  
"D3, come to me," she said across space and time.  As his ethereal form appeared 
before her, he knelt in respect to his master. 
 	"Yes Lady Tokimi, what is thy bidding?" he asked.
	"Matters involving my greatest fear are coming to be. I authorize you to 
summon him to my presence." D3 hesitated for the first time ever in his response 
to Lady Tokimi. 
 	"Is that necessary my Lady?" he inquired. 
 	"Never question my orders D3," boomed Tokimi. 
 	"As you desire my Lady."  D3 faded from view leaving Tokimi to her own 
devices.

	"It's show time!" exclaimed Nobeyugi as the gang poured out of his mini-
van.  Washu phased in next to them, preferring inter-dimensional travel to the 
van. 
	"I must say," began Katsuhito, "this is most impressive."   
Everyone was in awe at the mass of people at the Egg Dome to see the show.  
Tenchi laughed as his father acted more like a kid than an adult, wandering if 
this was his fate later in life.  
	"So dad, just how did you get these tickets?" inquired Tenchi.
	"Lets just say that having the most complete romance manga library in the 
world finally paid off!" beamed Nobuyuki, "or so thought Radio Tokyo."  Tenchi 
just shook his head.  
	"Well at least they are good for something."
	Everyone filed into the arena and was escorted to their seats.  Even 
Sasami couldn't help but giggle at Nobuyuki, as he acted younger than her.  He 
even had his face painted to match one the band members.  As the lights went 
down and the music began everyone seamed to forget that their time together was 
fleeting.  Even Ayeka managed to enjoy herself, cheering for the "Spaceman" 
person and even blushing when the one with the star blew her a kiss.  Mihoshi 
was fascinated with cat styled drummer.  She had never seen anything like this 
show in her life.  Kiyone was enjoying herself as well and Washu just seemed to 
be there.  
	Naturally Ryoko was transfixed on the Demon persona as he breathed fire 
and spat blood onto the crowd.  Maybe he is a god of thunder, she thought.  
During one song sung by the Star Man, Ayeka thought that it was written just for 
her.  Yes Lord Tenchi, she thought, I still love you, always.  
	As the night wound down and the show ended the gang, no the Masaki family 
seemed to be happier than ever before.  All Sasami and Mihoshi could talk about 
were the fireworks and lights.  As Nobeyugi drove home he noticed in the rear 
view mirror that Tenchi and Ryoko were making out after everyone else had fallen 
asleep.  He smiled and just kept driving.  
	'My son, you have made your choice after all,' he thought.
          
	The next morning all was well in the Masaki home.  Kiyone and Mihoshi left 
for their scheduled patrol of the Solar System, and Tenchi went about his 
fieldwork and training.  Sasami went about preparing the days meals and trying 
to keep Ryo-ohki out of the vegetable bin.  
	Ryoko was relaxing in the onsen when Ayeka joined her for a bath.  She 
wandered for a moment if this would be peaceful, but her fears were abated when 
Ayeka hugged her.  The two carried on, talking idly about life on earth, and of 
course Tenchi.  
	"You know," began Ayeka as she sipped her sake, "As Lord 
Tenchi's paramour, you must have an appropriate tile."  
	Ryoko looked at her with a puzzled expression.  Maybe it was the sake 
talking, or did Ayeka just say that she needed a title? 
	"Yes, an appropriate title.  As the crowned princess of the planet Jurai, 
I name thee Lady Ryoko."
	"Lady Ryoko, I could get used to that!" said Ryoko as she sipped her sake.  
They broke out into laughter as they enjoyed the setting sun through the dome of 
the onsen.  Even rivals can become friends after all.

	D3 materialized into the deepest region of hell, or what surely could have 
passed for hell.  As he wade through the endless sea of tormented souls he 
approached a being who seemed to be at peace with himself, as if he enjoyed his 
surroundings. 
 	"Shigeru, Culler of Souls, thy presence is requested," said D3. 
 	"I know," began Shigeru with an evil grin.  "My time of vengeance and 
devastation is at hand." 

To be continued.