Disclaimer- All original characters and previous events in the world of Tenchi Muyo are not mine. They are the property of AIC and Pioneer. The following story and any new characters are mine and mine alone. This story has been written because I love this series and felt that if Pioneer is not going to be prompt with a 3rd OAV then I might as well throw my hat in the ring. This story is just for fun, and I hope that anyone who reads this enjoys it. The following events will take place in the OAV timeline and one year after MNE. Well that's all for my opening rant. I hope you enjoy the show. Tenchi Muyo!- Will of the Goddesses "Jurai For Bait" "No, Ryoko," said Tenchi adamantly. "I'm serious, Tenchi," she shot back. "We can't just leave her here!" "I said no , and I mean it!" he shouted. "Dammit, Tenchi!" Ryoko shouted in return. "Why the hell do you always have to be so damned thick headed when it comes to seeing danger?" She floated into the air and started moving about the living room. "We can't just leave Mayuka behind!" "She won't be alone," he said in a calmer voice. "Dad will be here." "Oh, come on," she huffed. "The only thing Noboyuki knows about babies is how to make 'em." Tenchi turned bright red at that comment, but got his face back under control quickly. "I may not have been so for very long, but I am Mayuka's father," he said flatly. "And concerning her well being, what I say goes." He gave Ryoko a no nonsense look. "Okay?" Still not really used to arguing with Tenchi, Ryoko relented with a nod. She sighed and vanished. She reappeared in Mayuka's room and floated over her crib. The cyan haired woman could not help but smile at the sleeping infant. Resisting the urge to pick up the child, Ryoko contented herself to simply watch her. The former space pirate was once again surprised at how much this small creature had changed her life in the past year. Ever since Washu had brought Mayuka back in the form of a baby, Ryoko, as well as the other girls, had become something of a collective seraget mother. But for Ryoko it was something more than that. To her it went deeper than just taking care of the child's daily needs. For the first time since she saw Tenchi that fateful day outside her cave, Ryoko loved someone else. She was not sure how or why, but Ryoko knew that she loved Mayuka as if she were her own daughter. Perhaps it had started out as another way to become closer to Tenchi, but now Ryoko would also give her life to defend the infant. She almost regretted how much the child had softened her. Almost. "I wish I really was your mommy," whispered Ryoko. Suddenly, there was an explosion outside. The noise instantly woke Mayuka up. Ryoko cursed and picked her up. After a minute of soothing words, Mayuka drifted back to sleep. An angry Ryoko placed Mayuka gently back in her crib and teleported outside. "Okay!" she yelled. "Who the hell woke up the baby!?" Ryoko wondered why she had even asked. Sitting in the middle of the remains of a loader sat Mihoshi. Around the blond ditz was what was left of various pieces of luggage and some of Washu's inventions. Mihoshi just sat there holding the steering wheel. "Mihoshi!" cried Kiyone who had teleported outside from the Yagami, which was hovering over the lake. "How in the name of all that is holy did you manage to blow up the loader and all our stuff?" "I dunno, Kiyone," answered Mihoshi with complete honesty. "I was taking this stuff over to the Yagami like you told me to, and then one of Washu gizmos just started making beeping noises. So, I stopped to see which one it was." She pointed to a charred piece of metal. "Before I could do anything else it let out a really loud shriek that hurt my ears," she complained. "Then, boom." Mihoshi made big arm movements to imitate the explosion. Kiyone looked around for a minute and then shrugged. She reached out and helped her partner up. "Well, it doesn't seem like it was your fault this time, Mihoshi." "Thanks, Kiyone!" said Mihoshi with a giant smile while she dusted off her uniform. "Where's my hat?" The GP just started to look for it when Washu and Tenchi burst out of the house. Tenchi was holding an active Tenchi-ken, and Washu was packing a very large bazooka. "What happened?" asked Tenchi worriedly. "Just Mihoshi," replied Ryoko as she teleported herself next to him. He sighed and extinguished the Tenchi-ken. It had only been a few hours since Ayeka personally declared war on the mysterious enemy, but everyone was already on alert for any possible danger. "Hmmm," went Washu. She leaned her bazooka up against the house and started to type commands into her laptop. "Kiyone!" she called out to the teal haired GP. "Yes, Washu?" she called back. "Which one blew up?" Kiyone pointed to the same chunk of metal Mihoshi had. Washu looked at her computer again and cried out. The laptop vanished as she lunged for her bazooka. "What's the matter, Little Washu?" asked Tenchi. Ryoko saw him grip Tenchi-ken harder. The little scientist hefted the weapon onto her shoulder and scanned the area. She stopped, aimed, and fired an energy blast at a small grouping of trees near the lake shore. The blast made contact and obliterated the trees. Ryoko blinked and shielded her eyes from the explosion. When she could see again, Ryoko looked at the spot where the trees had been. The hole left by the blast was already being filled by water from the lake. Then Mihoshi screamed. Everyone in the yard looked up to the sky and saw at least a dozen shapes flying towards the house. Washu fired another blast into the air, but it just kept going as the flying things dodged it. Ryoko phased into her battle suit and took to the air. She ignited her red energy sword and flew straight towards the nearest enemy. She grimaced at what she was about to fight. A group of lizard/bat creatures screeched at her. They were covered in black scales from head to foot. Their heads were like snapping turtles with the ears of bats. Instead of arms, these creatures each had a pair of bat like wings. Sharp taloned feet winked at Ryoko in the sunlight. Ryoko grit her teeth and attacked. The turtle bats, as she thought of them, scattered when she flew into the middle of their cluster. The former pirate altered he direction and pursued the nearest ones. Ryoko heard another blast from Washu's bazooka tear through the air, and she screamed at her mother via their link not fire that thing while she was flying around. Ryoko was nearly on top of two turtle bats, when she caught movement in the corners of both her eyes. She phased out and reappeared ten feet above where she had been. Surprised, two more turtle bats collided with each other. As they hit, Ryoko converted her sword into an energy blast and vaporized them. She was smiling at her handy work when searing pain ran all over her left leg. Ryoko teleported ten more feet to her left as a glob of acid flew through the air she had just occupied. "These things spit acid too, huh," she mumbled in both anger and surprise. Her leg was burning, but her regenerative abilities were already doing their job. With a roar of anger, Ryoko charged at the turtle bats again. Three more of the creatures met her head on. She quickly phased down six feet and released a swarm of hair needles directly up. The needles hit the turtle bat in the center and tore right through the membrane of its wings. The monster cried out as it fell past Ryoko to its death. The other two turtle bats banked downward and charged Ryoko again, each one spewing acid at her. Ryoko dodged easily, summoned her sword, and darted towards her approaching foes. They were fast, and her first slashes found only air. Their razor sharp talons tried to skewer the cyan haired woman, but between a combination of her own speed and teleportation Ryoko remained without any new holes. One dove talons first, and Ryoko leaned back. The claws were inches from her chest when Ryoko swung upward and took the beast's legs off. The second creature tried the same attack. This time Ryoko grabbed the first and threw it in front her body. The second turtle bat's talons drove right into its partner's chest. The skewered beast was able to loose one last cry, but the second couldn't simply because Ryoko separated its head from its shoulders. Sweat covered Ryoko's brow. "That's five down and plenty more to go." She turned and flew at the next pair of turtle bats with murder in her eyes. _____ Tenchi was about to call out to Ryoko, but his attention was diverted by another scream from Mihoshi. He looked in the direction of the blond GP and cursed as a group of monsters came running up from the lake's shore. Tenchi-ken was alive before he even realized he had ignited it. Just to see if it would work, Tenchi tried to push past that inner barrier that kept his Light Hawk Wings in check, but as always it would not yield. He pushed the disappointment away and charged. He immediately recognized the lizard creatures from the carnival. "Remember," he shouted. "Don't let them bite you!" Washu suddenly stopped firing into the air and leveled a few blasts into the charging lizards. She wiped out at least seven with her first two shots. She would have gotten a few more, but the bazooka jammed. The red head cursed loudly and ran back inside the house. Tenchi forgot about Washu as the first of the remaining lizards reached him. He darted left and right leaving a trail of severed reptile limbs behind. A lizard lunged at Tenchi claws first. The young man swung his sword to keep the beast at bay while he back peddled. The monster lunged again, but this time Tenchi missed a parry. Its right claws stabbed Tenchi right in his left side. He cried out in pain and jabbed Tenchi-ken's blade right into the monster's head. The lizard collapsed pulling its claws from Tenchi's side. Blood flowed from the wound, but Tenchi knew he could not afford to stop moving. Two more lizards were charging towards him. Tenchi took a firm defensive position and waited for them to strike. They jumped. Tenchi raised his sword to counter attack, but the lizards hit an invisible wall two feet in front of him. Tenchi turned his head from side to side and saw Azaka and Kamidake. "Do not worry, Lord Tenchi," said Azaka. "We are here," added Kamidake. Tenchi smiled at the two floating logs and collapsed from the blood loss. _____ Using her force field to propel her through the air, Ayeka flew towards Tenchi. Two of the lizard that things were lying in front of her Guardians and Tenchi got up and started to attack again. Ayeka released a bolt of Jurai Power and disintegrated the creatures. She came to a stop next the Kamadake and looked down at Tenchi. "Get him to Miss Washu immediately!" she ordered. "Yes, Ma'am." They started to float away to the house with Tenchi between them. Satisfied that Tenchi was going to get help, Ayeka surveyed the battle going on around her. Limbs and lizard corpses littered the yard. A body landed just next to Ayeka. She looked up into the air and saw Ryoko smiling down at her. The other woman released a few energy bolts and smiled at the princess again. "Sorry, chipmunk! You should always remember to look up while you walk!" She laughed and chased after another of the flying creatures. "Damned, monster woman," muttered Ayeka with a half smile. Blaster fire pulled her thoughts away from Ryoko. She saw Kiyone firing off quick shots from her hand blaster at the lizard creatures. Mihoshi, on the other hand, was being chased around by one of the flying monsters. A lizard jumped in front of her, and the blond ditz let out an ear splitting scream. Suddenly, the flying monster tried to cover its bat ears as it went hurtling into the lizard. Before she could recover from the first shock, two more lizards charged Mihoshi. Scared out of her wits, she pulled her blaster and started to fire wildly. Two of her bolts somehow nailed one of the flying beasts in the head. The creature died instantly and fell right on top of the two lizards in front of Mihoshi. Then Ayeka spotted a small group of the lizards heading for the house. There was a tall, hooded figure among them. The princess flew towards them without a second thought. Ryoko must have seen them too because red balls of energy began to explode around the small group of lizards. The cyan haired woman zoomed past the group and took out two of the lizards. The hooded figure made several gestures, and the lizards continued into the house. The hooded one just stood there and faced down Ryoko. Ayeka knew that her rival could take care of herself, so she chased the lizards into the house. She let her force field dissipate as she entered the front door. Sasami's scream came from upstairs. Ayeka rushed up the stairs just in time to see her sister tossed aside by the lizards. Rage exploded from Ayeka in the form of a blue energy blast of Jurai Power. She blew away one of the creatures leaving only the lower body quivering. Ayeka moved towards Sasami, but the little princess shook her head and pointed to an open door. Ayeka paled when she realized whose room that was. _____ Ryoko floated just several feet away from the hooded stranger. Her energy sword hummed in her right hand. "What the hell do you want here?" she snarled. The stranger said nothing. In response it reached up and pulled its cloak off. Ryoko's eyes thinned at the demon before her. It looked like an oversized version of one of those lizards. It was eight feet tall and covered in the same black scales. Its head was almost the same except the maw was a little smaller and two ram like horns jutted out from its temples. A pair of wings unfolded from the demon's back. The demon flexed its forearms, and a three foot blade of bone extended forward from each arm. Ryoko also watched warily as its spiked tail waved back and forth. While the rest of the battle continued in the yard, the former space pirate and the demon stared each other down. "What are you waiting for?" questioned Ryoko with a smirk. The demon's eyes glowed a bright yellow. Purple flames surrounded its three foot talons. It roared once and charged Ryoko. She reacted instantly and batted away the talons. The spiked tail shot up from between the monster's legs at her stomach. Ryoko vanished and reappeared behind the demon. She raised her sword to strike, but was knocked to the ground by one of the demon's massive wings. Ryoko landed hard and had the breath forced from her lungs. Her golden eyes went wide as a fiery talon drove for her head. The former pirate instinctively phased back into the ground. She rose up under the monster sword first, but found nothing there. There was another roar as the demon came down at her from the air. Ryoko teleported to the roof of the house just as her enemy tore a gash in the ground where she had been. "I'm too weak, and this guy's too good," she muttered to no one. "Used up all my energy fighting those damned turtles." A window beneath her exploded and two of the lizard creatures jumped out. "Mayuka!" she cried. Ryoko slid through the roof and into the infant's room. The room was a mess. The cradle was turned over, the walls were filled with gashes, and every piece of furniture was trashed beyond repair. Ryoko sighed with relief when she saw Ayeka holding a whimpering Mayuka. Katsuhito was standing next to her holding a blue energy sword. Sasami walked into the room holding her head. "Is everyone okay?" asked Ryoko who was mostly concerned with Mayuka. Ayeka and her brother just nodded. The older Juraian walked past Ryoko and looked out the window. He nodded again and extinguished his sword. "It seems that our guests have departed." Ryoko turned and looked out the window as well. There was nothing alive outside except for a frazzled, crying Mihoshi and a limping Kiyone. Ryoko turned back and moved to Ayeka's side. Mayuka saw her and settled down a little bit. Ryoko patted her gently on the head and looked Ayeka in the eyes. "What happened?" she asked flatly. "While you were facing off with that hooded creature, I followed some of those monsters into the house." Ayeka glanced at Sasami. "At first I thought they were going after Sasami again. But when they passed her by, I was confused. Then I saw them enter Mayuka's room." She clutched the infant a little closer. "They were trying to get Mayuka," finished Sasami. "I entered the room, but it was too small for me to discharge any of my power," continued Ayeka. "If Yosho had not arrived, I'm not sure if Mayuka would still be here." Katsuhito was now standing beside them again. "I killed two of them easily," he said and motioned to the two corpses. "Before the bodies even hit the ground, the other two jumped out the window. Then you arrived." Ryoko did not like any of this. Something was definitely wrong with this whole situation. None of it made any sense. They had Sasami for the taking, and the monsters went for Mayuka instead, and they hadn't even tried to get Washu this time. "This settles it," said Ryoko with a hard face, but soft look at Mayuka. "I don't care what Tenchi says. The kid comes with us." _____ Tenchi sat in the small lounge of the Yagami. There was only a couch, a chair, and one table, but the size of the room didn't really matter to him. It had been four days since the battle at his house. He had still been unconscious from his wound, but according to Sasami the group had packed up and left a half an hour after the fight. They had left a note for Noboyuki, and Washu had programmed some of her drones to clean up and fix anything that had been broken. The young man sighed and continued to look out at space. Despite his earlier wishes, Ryoko had taken Mayuka along. Of course since the attempt to kidnap his daughter, Tenchi saw the necessity of taking the infant. He shifted in the chair and winced. Washu had healed his wound sufficiently, but his side was still very tender. Tenchi leaned his head back and started to wonder what was awaiting them on Jurai. Going to Jurai made him nervous on many levels. Despite the unknown danger that assuredly was waiting on the planet, he was afraid of something else that was a little closer to home. He was about to land on a planet where he was a prince. And not just a prince, but one who had a legitimate claim to the throne! Tenchi just was not sure if he could handle that kind of pressure and responsibility. He was so deep in thought that the knock at the lounge door made him jump. Tenchi moved to look and paid for it with another jolt of pain in his side. "Sorry, didn't mean to make you jump," said Ryoko from the doorway. "Oh, hi, Ryoko," answered Tenchi as he settled back into the chair. She appeared in front of the couch next to him and sat down. The former space pirate was in her blue and gold dress with the tail. "Are you still mad at me for bringing Mayuka?" she asked him. He smiled and shook his head. "Of course not." She brightened at that. "I was never really mad at you. I'm just worried about her safety." "So was I," said Ryoko quickly. "Yeah, I know that, now." Tenchi sat there looking at her for a moment. "I don't think that I have ever really thanked you for helping with Mayuka," he said finally. "I mean, I know how much you hate doing regular chores, and she is an even bigger job than just cleaning the toilets." They both laughed at that. She folded her hands and looked down. "Thanks, Tenchi. That really means a lot to me." There was silence again for a couple of minutes. "Tenchi?" "Hmm?" Ryoko looked at him with her golden eyes. "What were you thinking about before I came in?" "Jurai," he said simply. "About what we might find, and about my status there." He leaned on his left hand and looked back out the window. "I'm a prince according to Juraian law. I'm supposed to be royalty." He shook his head. "I don't feel like I'm anything like that. I'm just a college student who helps his grandfather at a shrine, and who works in a carrot field." He made a small chuckle. Ryoko just sat there looking at her folded hands. "You...," she started. "What?" He looked at her now. Ryoko raised her head and met his gaze. "You...have always been a prince to me," she said slowly. "Even if you really were one or not." She blushed slightly. Tenchi, however, had already gone through several deep shades of red. Now to go with his worries about Jurai, his old war of emotions picked up exactly where it had left off. Ryoko was very beautiful. Tenchi had always thought so, but he never told her so because he feared of what she might decide to do. But ever since Mayuka had come into their lives, she had mellowed a lot. Yes, she and Ayeka obviously still fought, and she threw herself at him on average ten times a day, but there was still something different about her. Tenchi was at a loss for words. Fortunately, Kiyone's voice over the intercom ended the awkward moment. "We have just passed the last Juraian check point," she said. "We are now one day away from Jurai, people. Let's be on guard." Tenchi sighed and looked back at Ryoko, but the cyan haired beauty was gone. "Why me?" _____ "Ziasha." The dark warrior opened his eyes and looked at the ethereal head floating in the center of the throne room. "Yes, D3? What is it?" "The Yagami is now one day from Jurai," reported the demi-god. Ziasha smiled. "Then we must prepare for their arrival. Place all the Juraians in the underground prisons we have constructed." Soon. Very soon. _____ Jurai looked nothing like Ayeka remembered. The once lush green planet was ash gray. The water was still blue from space, but the oceans just did not seem alive. "This cannot be Jurai," she whispered. Katsuhito placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked into his aged eyes. There was pain in them. It was the same pain she was feeling now. Her brother may have left Jurai never to return, but it was still his home. A home that he loved just as much as she did. "It will be all right, Ayeka," he assured her. "We will find out who has done this and put an end to it." She nodded, but his assurance did not help much. The princess straightened and looked at Kiyone. "Do you see anything on the sensors?" The teal haired GP shook her head. "No humanoid life signs." She looked over her view screens again. "I don't see anything else out here in space, either." "I don't like this," muttered Ryoko. "If someone conquered the Juraians, then where is the fleet? Where are all the soldiers?" "Wait!" interjected Kiyone. "I'm getting a signal. It seems to be coming from the capital." She looked up at all gathered in the Yagami's bridge. "We've been given permission to land right in front of the royal palace." "Then we go," ordered Ayeka in her most regal tone. "I want some answers, and I want the head of whoever is responsible for all of this." "You know it's trap," warned Washu. Ayeka's cold glare made even the red haired scientist flinch. "Just reminding you," she said with a weak grin. "Then let's get going," said Tenchi confidently. Everyone turned to look at the young Juraian prince. "We have to take stand. If it is a trap, then we'll deal with it." He smiled. "After all, with all of us working together there isn't a thing we can't handle." One by one the entire group smiled back at him. Even Ayeka found the ability to crack a smile. Tenchi was right. Together this motley little crew could accomplish the most amazing of things. They all watched quietly as the Yagami entered the upper atmosphere of the planet Jurai. When the red cruiser landed ten minutes later, the Masaki family left the bridge to prepare for whatever might be to come. To be continued... Notes- Well, looks like the shit is about to hit the fan. I'm just going to address a couple of small things that you readers may be wondering about. I know that at some points in this chapter Ryoko seemed a little less forceful than usual. Well, I assume after certain scenes in MNE that she would start to soften while taking care of baby Mayuka. At first I wasn't sure about her scene with Tenchi on the Yagami, but I figure that with the added softening from Mayuka's care plus the emotional understanding provided by Zero, that I could get away with that conversation. I think that I balanced it out with standard Ryoko actions during the battle. Well I hope that I am keeping with the correct Tenchi feeling. If there are any comments, please send them to Roas1@hotmail.com. I also hope that those who read this fic are enjoying it.