Blood Red Moon Eternity
	Epilogue: Requiem for the Gods

Disclaimers: All characters belong to their various 
Copyrights; Reinhart, Rosa, Cain, and Elayne belong to me.  
Alucard, Carrie, Sheann'a, Drathar, and Dracula belong to Konami.
Tenchi, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Tsunami, Sasami, Yosho, Nobuyuki,
Washu, Mayuka, Ryo-Ohki, and Nobuyuki all belong to Pioneer/AIC.
Beyond my characters, I claim no rights to any of the characters,
beyond their use in this story. Comments, quips, insults, and death
threats will only be accepted at Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com
     Blood Red Moon: Eternity is set one year after the events
in Blood Red Moon: Resurrection.  Reinhart and Carrie have been 
married, and their daughter Elayne has been born.  Alucard and his
familiars have built a small cabin near the rest of the clan.  
Blood Red Moon: Eternity is the last in a three series story arc.

"Here we belong, fighting to survive in the war with the darkest 
power!" - Queen, Princes of the Universe 

*****

	“Tenchi!” gasped Ryoko, as he disappeared through the portal 
that Cain had made.  As it snapped shut behind him, she felt her 
link to Tenchi snap.  He was gone so abruptly that she staggered in 
shock; Ayeka and Alucard both lent her a steadying hand.  She 
squashed down the first hint of fear that he might be gone 
ruthlessly.  Now wasn’t the time to worry.
	Tsunami moved to her sister’s side, and knelt beside her.  
She rolled Tokimi over, and lay a hand on her chest, ignoring the 
blood that had soaked her robes.  She closed her eyes, and they all 
waited for a tense moment; Tsunami’s expression was blank.  Then, 
slowly, tears began to leak out from behind her eyelids.  Washu 
moved forward, and placed a hand on her shoulder.  Tsunami looked 
at her.
	“Gone.  There is nothing that I can do.  Our Sister is beyond 
my touch,” she said softly.  Washu looked at them; Ryoko nodded, 
and turned Alucard and Ayeka round, leading them away from the 
clearing.  They hadn’t gone very far before a long wail shattered 
the silence.  Ryoko closed her eyes; she was picking up on a little 
bit of Washu’s own sadness through the bond to her mother.  If her 
emotions were leaking through the barriers that they had both built 
up...
	“Once again, because I did not fulfill my duty, a person that 
did not need to die has been killed,” said Alucard quietly.  Ayeka 
looked at him.
	“Unless you happen to be clairvoyant, you could never have 
known.  Not even Tsunami was able to see that this would happen.  
Tokimi thought that she could control Cain; maybe she did, for a 
time.  He escaped, and she died for it.  There is no one to blame 
save Cain and herself.”  He frowned, but Sheann’a spoke before he 
could reply to her.
	“Knock it off Alucard.  You’re one man - and too damn stiff 
necked a one, at that - and you can’t cover everything by 
yourself.”  She grinned.  “Besides - if it makes you feel any 
better, he WAS dead.  She’s the one that brought him back - I’d say 
that makes him the make him her problem, not yours.”  Alucard 
scowled at her, and she frowned.  “Oh, cut it out.  I’m right, and 
you know it.”
	“An entire race of fairies and mother chooses the one that 
enjoys pointing out my shortfalls.”  Ryoko and Ayeka looked at each 
other, and then spoke in unison.
	“You don’t know much about women, do you?”  He blinked in 
surprise; Sheann’a started laughing so hard she fell off his 
shoulder.  He caught the nape of her dress; she shook her head, and 
he let go as she began to flap her wings.  He sighed, shaking his 
head.
	Tsunami and Washu came from the clearing; both of their 
cheeks were puffy and tear streaked.  Ryoko and Ayeka looked at 
each other again, and then walked over to them.  Ayeka put an arm 
around Tsunami’s shoulders, smiling reassuringly.  Ryoko put a hand 
on Washu’s arm.
	“Shhh, Sasami,” said Ayeka softly.  Washu looked at Ryoko, 
and smiled faintly, putting a hand on hers.  All around them, the 
garden was beginning to die, brilliant colors changing to browns 
and grays too quickly to be natural.  Ryoko looked around.
	“I think it’s time we left.”  Alucard looked at her.
	“What of Tenchi?”  Ryoko frowned, and looked at Tsunami.  The 
pink-eyed goddess slowly shook her head, and looked away.
	“He’ll... be fine on his own.  He always manages to find a 
way through,” she said.  She wished that she felt half as certain 
as she sounded.

*****

	Alucard found himself sitting; looking out through the main 
observation window at the starscape.  The Shukuen was settled in at 
the center of the Alliance fleet; outside, thousands of ships 
passed by through the endless night of space.  Explosions dotted 
the skies, though these were colorful bursts of light meant to aid 
in the celebrations - fireworks, if he remembered correctly.  The 
mood on the starship upon returning had been somber; with the 
apparent loss of Tenchi, a damper had been set over their victory.  
Alucard sighed, and shook his head.
	They had left the gardens; moments after they had 
materialized on the Shukuen they had fallen apart, the final 
section floating away.  Tsunami had recomposed herself quickly 
after they had returned, though some unshed tears had remained in 
her eyes.  Washu had set them on a course back to the fleet, and 
they had met up with Mihoshi on the way back.  She had filled them 
in on what had happened with the battle there.
	Ryoko had told those that had stayed behind what had 
happened.  Reinhart and Rosa had taken it surprisingly well; Mayuka 
seemed only slightly distressed.  Yosho had frowned; the man was 
hiding something, he was sure.  Alucard sighed.  He supposed that 
he shouldn’t find that terribly surprising; the old man seemed to 
have the practice of hiding things in plain sight.
	They had reached the fleet, and Ayeka had gone into action, 
signaling the various race leaders.  All save the Juraian 
representative seemed quite surprised to see her alive.  She had 
summoned them to the Shukuen, and Washu had led them all down to a 
huge cube shaped room.  She had typed at her keyboard, and suddenly 
they had been standing in a huge banquet chamber.  Sheann’a had 
looked at him.
	“It isn’t fair.  I’d pass out if I tried making an illusion 
this detailed.  All she has to do is push a few buttons, and her 
machines do all the work for her.”  He had smirked at her.
	“Feeling slightly jealous, Sheann’a?  There is something to 
be said for technology.”  She had frowned, and grumbled something 
about not being able to take pride in her own handiwork.  The 
delegates had arrived quickly, one of the first being the young 
Juraian representative; he had introduced himself as Sagami.  Ayeka 
had smiled widely as she had seen him; Sagami had bowed to her and 
kissed the back of her hand.
	“Feeling slightly jealous, Alucard?” He had blinked, and 
realized he’d been staring at the Empress; frowning, he looked at 
the innocently smiling Sheann’a.
	“Perhaps you would care to share your meaning with me?”  
Sheann’a had sighed, and patted him on the cheek in an almost 
motherly way.
	“How you can be so competent in most everything else, and 
yet, so clueless in this, I’ll never know!  Gah!  Why don’t you 
just go over and talk with her instead of holding up the lone wolf 
façade?” 
	“There is a time and place for talk; I do not think now is 
that time.  She has called this meeting to hold together a 
universal peace; perhaps later, when such business is done and over 
with.”  Sheann’a had sighed in exasperation.
	“Why do you even bother wearing that helmet into battle?  
Your head is hard enough that you don’t need it,” she said 
conversationally.  He had smirked at her.
	“Then I am in good company.”  She blinked, and then had 
frowned at him.  The rest of the delegates arrived, and Ayeka had 
addressed them.
	“I thank you for coming.  Alliance members...  In the past 
year, we have done something that was never before dreamed of.  In 
the face of a singular threat, many of us have put aside long time 
hatreds, prejudices, and mistrust.  We together have formed the 
single most powerful alliance in all of history.  And now, as one, 
we have thrown back the threat.  Lady Tokimi lives no more.  I 
myself have seen the body.”  A great cheer had gone up, thunderous 
applause washing over them.  Ayeka had waited a moment, and then 
raised a hand.  Slowly, they had quieted, and she had continued.
	“It saddens me to think that it took something such as this 
to bring us all together.  We now have reached a crossroads, and 
have a choice to make.  We may return to what we were, hating each 
other, forming treaties and alliances only because we are attacked 
by a greater force.”  She had slowly looked around the assembled 
delegates, every inch the powerful Empress.  Alucard remembered 
once thinking of her strength as steel hidden by velvet.  As he had 
seen her then, the velvet had been torn away, the steel bare for 
all to see.
	“There is a second path.  A path where, instead of warring to 
settle our differences, we may settle them under a flag of peace.  
A path where one shall come to protect another not because of what 
they stand to gain, but because others would come to protect them 
were they attacked.  A path where we, those who spilt our blood as 
one to save this universe, may grow through peace and prosperity.  
A path were no one race holds ultimate power over the others, where 
all share that power equally, and decisions are made as one.”  She 
had paused, and looked around again.
	“We stand at a cross roads.  Each of us is faced by the same 
choice.  To choose the easier path, and return to what we were, or 
choose the more difficult path, and learn from what we have started 
here.  I am Empress of Jurai.  For a long time, my race has brow 
beaten other races to our will.  No more.  Jurai chooses to learn 
from this, for without your aid, Jurai would no longer exist.  Who 
wishes to learn with us?”  It had been a slow start.  At first, 
none had moved toward her.  The chamber had been silent; Alucard 
could almost feel the air thickening.
	Then, slowly, a tall woman had stepped forward.  Humanoid, 
she was covered in fur, and held very feline features, right down 
to the slitted eyes, pointed ears, and long tail.  Slowly, she had 
walked forward, until she stood just before Ayeka, and then turned 
to face the council.
	“The Mrrshaan choose to learrrrn,” she said softly.  Ayeka 
smiled slightly.  Slowly, other races had come forward.  Alucard 
had smiled slightly, and excused himself from the hall.  Sheann’a 
had told him she was going to try and find some place to clean up, 
and flown off.  So Alucard had found himself in solitude for the 
moment, and ended up wandering up to the observation lounge.
	He had found Carrie there, cradling Elayne in her arms.  The 
child slept quietly; Carrie looked up and smiled as he entered.  He 
nodded, and turned to go back out, wishing to have some small time 
to himself, but then thought better of it, and looked at her.
	“It is good to see that she is safe.”  Carrie smiled.
	“Strange as it may sound, I think that Cain may have taken 
better care of her than most others I would trust with her.  Ayeka 
said that he appeared to truly be concerned with her safety, even 
telling Tokimi that he wouldn’t kill her when she ordered him to.  
Perhaps the man that existed before Cain’s memory returned was the 
true man.  Perhaps he was Trevor, your son, the one that was locked 
away by Cain.”  Alucard nodded.
	“Perhaps.  It is a pity that his full memory returned, yet it 
is likely just as well that it did when it did.  There is no way to 
know for certain.”  Carrie smiled sadly.
	“True enough.  Still...  Speaking of Cain, I almost forgot 
something.  With all the excitement... well, I hope you’ll forgive 
me for taking so long to give it to you.”  She shifted Elayne, and 
then reached into a pouch.  She withdrew a small, sparkling object, 
and tossed it to him.  He had caught it, and blinked.  It was 
Maria’s cross, the one she had worn to the last day he had seen 
her, the one Cain had worn about his neck.
	“How did you get this?”  She had frowned slightly.
	“He took it off, and threw it to me.  He said, ‘This belongs 
to him.  She wanted him to have it.’  I can’t think of any other 
him that he might have been talking about.”  Alucard looked at it 
for a moment, and then smiled slightly.  He tossed it back to her, 
and she caught it with a surprised expression.
	“A gift for my god-daughter.  I... believe that Maria would 
agree with me when I say that it is perhaps time to let go the 
past.”  Carrie had slowly nodded, and then smiled.
	“Maybe let go, but not forget.”  He had nodded, smiling 
slightly.
	“No.  The past can never be forgotten.  To forget would be to 
lose a part of the soul.”  Carrie nodded, and then looked to his 
side, smiling.  Alucard glanced back, and saw Reinhart standing in 
the doorway, grinning.
	“Cosmic thoughts, you two?”  He nodded to Alucard, and then 
crossed the room to his wife.  She smiled, and he kissed her 
lightly.  “The delegates have degenerated down to a celebration.  
They’re asking to meet the rest of ‘Emperor Masaki’s’ family and 
the man that saved the Empress they are crediting with uniting the 
universe from the clutches of Tokimi.”  Alucard blinked in 
surprise.
	“Perhaps I shall return later.  At the moment, I would prefer 
to stay away from the center of attention.”  Reinhart nodded.
	“Somehow, I knew that you were going to say that.  Well?  
Carrie?  Think you’re ready to mingle with about a hundred 
different alien races?”  Carrie grinned.
	“Probably not.  But that’s never stopped me from doing 
something before.”  He smiled, putting an arm around her back.  
Carrie looked at Alucard.
	“You sure you don’t want to join us?”  Alucard shook his 
head, smiling slightly.
	“As I said, no, thank you.  I am afraid that I find I have 
something of an allergic reaction to large gatherings of noblemen.”  
They blinked, and then laughed.  Carrie nodded, and they left the 
room.  And so, Alucard had found himself alone after all.  He 
sighed, and moved forward, sitting down in one of the huge 
overstuffed chairs, and starring out the window.  Washu had 
cornered him when they had first gotten off Ryo-Ohki, and given him 
some sort of shot, saying that it would care the space sickness 
permanently.  It appeared to be working.
	For a time, he just sat there in silent contemplation.  A 
year of peace, and a week of strife...  Things already seemed to be 
settling back to what passed for normal here, save for the obvious 
loss of Tenchi.  Yet somehow Alucard had the feeling that he had 
not met Tenchi for the last time.  Ryoko seemed certain he would 
return, so he would not betray that hope.
	“My nephew said that you might still be here.”  He blinked in 
surprise, standing and turning to find Ayeka standing in the 
doorway, hands neatly folded before her.  She frowned a moment in 
thought, and then looked at him.  “With all of the excitement, I’ve 
not had the chance to properly thank you for coming after me.”  He 
smiled slightly.
	“I am glad to have been able to be of service.”  She smiled 
faintly, and then her expression turned serious.
	“I... must ask that you never reveal the secret of Jurai’s 
Water.  It is a thing that we have held to ourselves for over ten 
thousand years.”  He nodded.
	“I shall hold it in close confidence, as will Sheann’a.  You 
need not fear that it shall be revealed by us.  We... I understand 
well the need to keep such a secret hidden.”  She nodded solemnly, 
and then walked forward, to stand just before the observation 
window.
	“When I was a very young girl, before mother and father began 
to train Sasami and myself to succeed them, I would sometimes stand 
on the high balcony and look up at the night sky, and wonder why 
the stars didn’t come down and talk to use.  I wondered what they 
might tell us if they did.”  He frowned.
	“In my world, it is said that the stars are the souls of 
those who have gone before us.  They wait, shinning to light the 
way for their loved ones, until Death carries them too across the 
River of the Damned.”  Ayeka smiled slightly.
	“Perhaps my own father watches in that way, shinning to light 
the way for me in this time.”  She paused, and then looked at him.  
“I apologize.  I have asked of you something that I should not 
have, and because of me, you now hold yet another burden to bear.”  
She sighed, and looked away.  He frowned a moment, and then took a 
deep breath.
	“Before Cain kidnapped you and Elayne, you said that you had 
need to speak to me.  What... did you wish to talk about?” he asked 
slowly.  She blinked, and looked at him in surprise.
	“I...  No.  It no longer matters.  I have burdened you with 
enough of my problems.  I must attend to that by myself.”  He 
looked out at the stars.
	“For nearly two thousand years, I have known little but 
battle.  A battle within myself; a battle with the darkness that 
was led by my father.  For a long time, I thought that I fought 
that war alone.  Then I met a young woman who came forward to 
challenge my father.  She helped me to realize that I never had 
been alone.  My mother... Sheann’a... Sonia... Maria...  They have 
fought with me, and have taught me that a person is never truly 
alone, never need to face a thing alone.  They, and others that now 
shine to light the way.”  He paused, and then turned to her.  
Uncertain of himself, he raised a hand, and placed it on her 
shoulder.  She blinked, and looked at him in surprise; just barely 
visible in her eyes were unshed tears.
	“My answer to you is yes, Ayeka.  I can think of nothing that 
I would be more pleased, or honored to do.  It is not something 
that I would ever consider to be a burden.  Such a thing could 
never be.”  She stared at him, repeating his words silently.  A few 
of the tears escaped her eyes, and began to make a slow trail down 
her face.  He lifted his hand, and gently caught one on a 
fingertip, smiling softly.  Slowly, she smiled, and then suddenly 
stepped forward, embracing him, softly sobbing.  Alucard held her, 
looking up in surprise as he heard a very soft chuckle from the 
doorway.
	Ryoko, Tsunami, Sheann’a and Rosa stood there, grinning, 
along with the young Juraian noble - Sagami, he believed the name 
was.  Ayeka had not noticed; he raised a questioning eyebrow at 
Sheann’a.  She grinned, and then turned, silently shooing everybody 
away.  Before disappearing for herself, she looked back at him 
again, smiling.  Then she flew off.  He sighed.
	“The thought occurs to me that, accepting me, you shall have 
to put up with Sheann’a as well.”  She laughed, and looked up at 
him.
	“I think...  if I can put up with Ryoko, I can stand sharing 
with Sheann’a.”

*****

	Rosa grinned, as Sheann’a shooed them away from the 
observation lounge, and looked at her companions.  Ryoko’s eyes 
sparkled with laughter; Tsunami was all smiles, which was a good 
thing to see.  She had been depressed since returned.  Rosa 
couldn’t blame her; evil or not, Tokimi had been her sister.  They 
moved out of earshot, and began to laugh.  Sheann’a flew up and 
landed on her shoulder.
	“Hmm... All that leaves is Mihoshi, Mother, Rosa, Mayuka, and 
you, Sasami,” said Ryoko.  Sasami blinked, and looked at Ryoko 
sidelong.
	“I wouldn’t know what you meant, Ryoko.  I’m too busy to even 
consider something like that.”  Ryoko smirked.
	“Yeah, right.  With... things slowing down?  You’ll have all 
sorts of time on your hands.”  Sasami winced.
	“My work has only just begun.  With the new ‘Galactic 
Alliance’ in only the first stage of its birth, I’ll have less time 
than before.”  Ryoko floated ahead of her, bringing the group to a 
stop.
	“Hey!  Even Juraian goddesses are allowed some time off now 
and again!  You know, I bet I know the perfect guy, too - I haven’t 
seen him in a couple of thousand years, but still...  What was the 
name...  K’thardin, I think...  Besides, don’t you have about 
twenty thousand years worth of vacation time coming up?  The 
universe will survive on its own for a little while, Sasami.”  She 
sighed, and then grinned at Ryoko.  They started walking again; 
Rosa dropped back beside Sagami, who was following them at a 
respectful distance.
	“Hi.  Haven’t really had the chance to introduce ourselves.  
She’s Sheann’a...”  said Rosa, pointing to the fairy, who grinned.
	“And she’s a pain, but you can call her Rosa.”  Rosa smirked 
at Sheann’a, as he looked up at them, and smiled slightly.
	“I’m honored to meet you.  Empress Ayeka speaks often of her 
niece and nephew.”
	“Nothing good, I hope,” she said deadpan.  He blinked in 
confusion, and she grinned.  Sheann’a looked at her.
	“Oh yeah, he’s a keeper.”  Rosa laughed.
	“You suppose?  I don’t know...  looks kinda bashful for my 
tastes.”  Sagami was staring at them in total incomprehension.  
Sheann’a grinned again.
	“Nah...  He’s just had a little too much formal training.  
Alucard was just the same; it won’t take long to take care of that.  
Trust me.”  Sagami frowned, his gaze going from Rosa to Sheann’a, 
and then sighed.
	“Somehow, I believe that I have just been marked as prey,” he 
said softly, likely not realizing how good their hearing was.  They 
looked at each other, and laughed.  Rosa grinned, and took his arm.  
He blinked, and looked at her in surprise.
	“Such a nice gentleman to offer to escort me along the halls, 
don’t you think Sheann’a?”  Ahead of them, Ryoko looked at Sasami.
	“I’ll bet you ten thousand credits we cross Rosa’s name off 
that list I just made within six months.”  Sasami just started 
laughing.

*****

	Ryoko grinned as the Shukuen entered the subspace portal to 
Washu’s lab, and docked up in its port.  After two days of travel, 
they had finally arrived home.  It had been both a very enjoyable 
trip home, and a somewhat nerve-wracking one, for her at least.  
Two days, and they had heard nothing of Tenchi.  Ayeka had posted a 
ship near the wreckage of the Shiboo, partly as an honor guard, and 
partly to watch and see if Tenchi popped out of a hole in space 
there.  Now that they were back, the first thing Washu intended to 
do was scan Alucard’s world for Tenchi-ken.
	Yet, for that worry, so much else had happened to counter 
balance it.  They had won!  No more fighting, at least, not for 
awhile.  Never again, she hoped.  Ayeka and Alucard...  well, if 
nothing else, it was so much fun to tease her, though she was being 
careful not to take the teasing too far.  For a moment, Ryoko 
winced, and wondered if she and Tenchi had acted like that when 
they had first married?  Ayeka had said that as soon as they got 
Jurai’s people returned to Jurai, their union would be announced, 
and the official ceremony would take place.
	Ryoko almost pitied poor Sagami.  Rosa really was just like 
her; once she had set her eyes on the council member, she hadn’t 
let up until he had left the ship to return to Jurai, in order to 
help facilitate the repopulating of the planet.  Ryoko grinned.  
She had caught him looking at Rosa, smiling, while Rosa’s back had 
been turned.  She, Sasami, and Ayeka had made a bet on how long it 
would take before Sagami would cave it.
	Washu led them into the main lab, and set up her scanning 
equipment.  They all waited tensely, as she tuned it to Romania, 
and began the scan.  Turning to them, she spoke.
	“It will take a few hours.  It takes awhile to scan an entire 
dimension, you know!”  Ryoko nodded; they filed out of the lab.  
Once into the house proper, everybody split up to various places.  
Reinhart and Carrie disappeared with Elayne into their house; 
Mayuka said she was going to go up to her bedroom and change into 
some fresh clothing.
	Ayeka and Alucard excused themselves.  The dhampeal changed 
to his huge wolf form, and flashed away with Ayeka on his back.  
Sheann’a and Drathar looked at each other, and settled in at the 
house, Sheann’a floating up to Ryoko’s beam, and Drathar leaning up 
against the wall at his usual place in the living room.  Ryoko 
grinned, considering some new things to tease Ayeka about.  Rosa 
and Mihoshi sat down in the living room, having an animated 
conversation about something or other.
	Which left Ryoko alone with Ryo-Ohki.  The cabbit miyaed, and 
leapt up to her shoulder.  She grinned, and stepped out of the 
house.  To her surprise, she found a very old man there slowly 
making his way up toward the house, with the help of a cane.  He 
looked up, and smiled as he saw her.  Probably a visitor to the 
shrine, she supposed.  Sometimes people would still come up to 
visit, and pay their respects.  She smiled, and walked out to meet 
him, after Ryo-Ohki changed form to look like a normal cat.  
	“Why, hello, miss.  Could you tell me if I am near the Masaki 
shrine?” he asked softly.  She nodded.
	“Yeah.  You aren’t very far way from it.  If you just...”  
She paused a moment, and then grinned.  “If you like, I’ll show you 
the way up there.”  He smiled at her.
	“Oh, would you?  I find I have troubles getting around 
anymore.”  She smiled again, and began to lead him to the path up 
toward the shrine.  For how old he looked, at least a hundred and 
some years, he was surprisingly fast and spry.  As she led him up 
the path, he quietly began to speak.
	“I once heard the legend of this shrine, you know.  That 
about seven hundred and fifty years ago, a beautiful demoness was 
imprisoned here by a samurai from the stars.  Held in a deep cave, 
she slowly began to apologize to each soul that she had been forced 
to hurt while under the control of a more powerful demon.  After a 
time, the gods decided that she had paid enough, and so had a young 
boy of both the heavens and the earth free her.”  Ryoko stumbled, 
and stared at the old man.
	“What?  Where did you hear that story?” she asked.  He 
blinked, and looked at her in bewilderment.
	“Story?”  She smiled, and shook her head.
	“Never... Never mind.”  They started walking again; Ryoko 
guessed that they were about half way up the mountain.  Abruptly, 
the old man began to speak again.
	“You know, I remember a night... must have been twenty four 
years ago, now.  The TV people all said that a meteor crashed into 
the Seto Bridge, but I saw something else; darned if it’s true, but 
I could have sworn I saw some sort of crystal ship.  Come plum down 
on the bridge and then bounced along the river until it was out of 
sight.”
	“Miya?”  Ryoko scratched Ryo-Ohki under the chin, remembering 
that time.  The old man rambled on.
	“I remember my granddaughter telling me about a young lady 
she met when she was learning to drive.  Blonde, kinda bubbly, but 
cheerful, she said, real cheerful.  Anyway, this young lady, she 
was on her driver’s test, and she ended up saving a little girl’s 
life.”  Ryoko laughed softly, remembering how she had ended up with 
all the housework for a month when Mihoshi had gone to get her 
driver’s license.
	“Ah!  It seems we’ve made it!”  Ryoko blinked, and realized 
that they stood before the entrance to her cave.  She hadn’t even 
noticed when he had turned down the side path that led to it; she 
had been listening to him too closely.  Ryoko shook her head.
	“Oh, no, I’m sorry sir...  I wasn’t paying attention where we 
were going; the shrine is farther up the mountain.”  He smiled.
	“Oh, not to worry Ryoko.  This is the shrine that I came to 
visit.  After all, most of the very important things that happened 
in my life happened because of who was released from here.”  Ryoko 
stared at him in a mixture of shock and confusion.
	“But...  only those in my family would know...”  Her eyes 
widened, as the old man began to shimmer, and then abruptly 
vanished, leaving Tenchi in his place.  She stared at him, 
speechless, as he grinned.
	“I wish that I had a camera, Ryoko.  The look on your face is 
absolutely priceless.”
	“But... how...” she stammered.  Tenchi sighed.
	“Thirty-six years.  That’s where Cain opened his portal.  Do 
you remember when my mother brought me to the cave, and locked 
ourselves in?”  She slowly nodded; she did remember that day.  They 
had seemed absolutely terrified.  Achika had opened the bars, and 
pulled Tenchi in, then locked the door again.  She had huddled 
down, holding the very young Tenchi close as she could.
	“Cain came here, with the intention of killing me as a child, 
so that nothing I did in the future ever happened.  With 
grandfather’s help, I killed him, and then... erased his body.  He 
will never be back.  Never.  But there was no way to get back to my 
time - or today, however you like to put it.  I asked Tsunami; she 
couldn’t open a time portal.  So, we did the next best thing.  She 
gave me a disguise, and then erased everybody’s memory but mine, 
even her own.”  He paused, and looked at the cave.
	“Then I waited.  There was nothing else to do - it was kinda 
interesting to watch it all happen again from the outside looking 
in.  It made me realize just how tight knit we really were.  It’s 
been a long thirty years, waiting until I could come back.  I think 
that I understand now how you felt, watching me while you were 
trapped here.”  He looked back at her, smiling.
	“I though it might be fitting that you be the one to let me 
out of my cave.  That you might enjoy the irony of it.”  Slowly, 
Ryoko approached him, and then slapped him, scowling.
	“That’s for making us all worry, and for tricking me with 
that crazy costume!”  He rubbed his cheek, but grinned.
	“Ok, I deserved that,” he admitted, and then laughed.  “Not 
quite what I had in mind for the first time you touched me, but 
still...”  She smiled, and then hugged him fiercely.
	“Welcome home, my Tenchi,” she said, smiling, and then 
kissing him.  “Welcome home.”