Lonely Hearts Muyo

Act 1:  Arrival

Chapter 1:  No Need for New Arrivals!

	The sun shone brightly in the midday sky over Okayama, Japan. It was a 
lazy kind of Saturday where the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the birds 
were chirping, and the lake water sparkled clear as a crystal. The hills were 
alive with the typical sounds of summer, and for the residents of the Masaki 
home, this was the kind of peace that was rare and hard to come by.

	Indeed, a lot had changed since the six women from space had somehow 
crashed to Earth and found refuge in the home of one Tenchi Masaki. In a way 
however, having the girls around simply seemed more natural than the way things 
were. It made the lives of the three generations of Masaki men seem a little 
more...interesting and lively. Put bluntly, despite the obvious and drastic 
adaptations of lifestyle, it felt like things had been the way they were now 
all along.

--------

	"Bye, Dad!" Tenchi called out to his father as Nobuyuki walked, 
grumbling, off to work.

	"Bye, Son! Mind your grandfather at the shrine," Nobuyuki called back, 
waving as he went before resuming his poutful mumbling. Mr. Masaki hated having 
to go to work on days like today, but he knew that if he was to support not 
only himself, his father-in-law, and Tenchi, but Washyuu, Ryoko, Aeka, and 
Sasami as well, he simply had to do it until he could find a better paying job 
with easier hours. Unfortunately for poor Nobuyuki, that opportunity wasn't 
making itself present anytime soon.

	Rather than going back into the house on this lazy day off from school, 
Tenchi had his own business to take care of. Ever since the incidents with 
Kagato and KAIN, Tenchi's grandfather Katsuhito had been pushing his swordsman 
training as much as possible. Katsuhito said it was essential that Tenchi learn 
to better control the Tenchiken, since the sword would now become his when the 
man formerly known as Yosho passed on. As Tenchi began his walk up to the 
shrine, inside the house, everything was surprisingly calm.

	"Ryoko?" Aeka called. "Ryoko, would you care to join Sasami and me in the 
bath?" Aeka was already at the door to the spring, cradling a towel between her 
arms. Sasami was not too far behind.

	"What? Nah, maybe later," Ryoko answered from her spot laying on the 
couch. With the TV remote in one hand and a beer in the other, Ryoko seemed 
much more content with simply laying around all day than anything else. Ryo-
Ohki sat barely a foot from Ryoko, happily snacking on a carrot until her ears 
perked up at the enthusiastic voice of Sasami.

	"C'mon, Ryo-Ohki! Don't ya wanna take a nice, refreshing bath with us!?" 
Sasami chirped in her usual cheery voice. Dropping her carrot in mid-snack, 
Ryo-Ohki jumped over the back of the couch and scrambled up to Sasami. As quick 
as cabbitly possible, Ryo-Ohki had perched herself on Sasami's kawaii little 
head and was meowing with joy.

	"Ryo-Ohki? Ya just gonna leave this thing for me to throw away?" Ryoko 
asked teasingly, holding up the carrot Ryo-Ohki had been munching on. In an 
absent-minded lunge for the delectable food item, Ryo-Ohki slipped and tumbled 
off Sasami's head, landing headfirst on the hardwood floor of the hallway. As 
the adorable cabbit jumped up to her feet, she glanced back at Sasami and 
suddenly felt torn between friend and food. Looking repeatedly between Sasami 
and the carrot that dangled from Ryoko's hand, tears of indecisiveness began to 
well up in Ryo-Ohki's eyes. Finally, getting dizzy from looking back and forth, 
she simply flopped over backwards onto the floor.

	"You're so silly Ryo-Ohki! You can always get a carrot after we take a 
bath," Sasami chimed in with a chuckle as she scooped up the dizzy cabbit and 
took her into the bath.

	"Say, Aeka. Just where is everybody?" Ryoko inquired, glancing up from 
the television to Aeka. "Normally Nobuyuki's around trying to peep into the 
women's bath, but I don't see him. And doesn't Washyuu usually jump at the 
chance for a dip in the spring?"

	"Well, Ryoko," responded Aeka, "Honorable Nobuyuki had to go into work 
today and Washyuu's been tucked away in her lab since late last night working 
on another one of her godawful inventions."

	"And what about Tenchi?" continued Ryoko as she tossed Ryo-Ohki's carrot 
into the nearest garbage can with a nonchalant flip of her wrist.

	Aeka's eyes narrowed with suspicion at Ryoko's inquiry. "For your 
information, Lord Tenchi's at the shrine with Brother Yosho. He does _not_ want 
to be bothered."

	"Okay, okay. No need to get all uppity about it," Ryoko said, brushing 
off Aeka's suspicious tone of voice and turning back to the TV.

	Aeka continued, "I mean it, Ryoko. Yosho demanded that he and Tenchi be 
left alone. And what's further more, _I_ don't trust you being near Tenchi 
either, acting as a bad influence on hi--". The princess was cut short by a 
single dismissive motion of Ryoko's hand, and barely stifled a frustrated 
scream as she stormed into the bath. As Aeka closed the door behind her, she 
couldn't help but sense that Ryoko was going to try something. No, she didn't 
sense it, she _knew_ it.

	Ryoko waited patiently for Aeka to enter the spa room. No sooner did she 
hear the click of the door shutting than she immediately sprung to her feet, a 
sly smile playing across her face. Leaving her beer on the coffee table and the 
remote on the couch, Ryoko floated almost sneakingly to the back door of the 
house. Stopping in the doorframe, Ryoko took a deep breath and prepared herself 
for what she was about to do. This was the day that she would get Tenchi, and 
she wanted it to be perfect.

	//This is it! Aeka's preoccupied and Tenchi's alone save for Katsuhito,\\ 
Ryoko thought, her sly smile turning to an almost mischievous and very kawaii 
grin. //I feel absolutely stunning today, and my horoscope predicts something 
wonderful and life-changing will be happening to me! I knew Tenchi and I were 
meant for each other, and today we start our destined life together!\\ Ryoko 
was so preoccupied with her daydream that she failed to notice a rather high-
pitched whining noise in the sky. A noise that was, at this moment, growing in 
both volume and pitch.

	"What the hell is that?" Ryoko muttered to herself, snapping out of her 
daydream. Wound up in her fantasies of Tenchi, she had just now noticed the 
sound. Not able to see anything from her perch in the doorframe, Ryoko took a 
few steps out into the back lawn and squinted straight up into the afternoon 
sky. Then she saw it. A tiny object in the sky that looked nothing like any 
meteor she'd ever seen.

	"Is that thing growing?" Ryoko mused suspiciously as she saw the object's 
size increase in midair. Straining to see, Ryoko noticed the thing was 
spherical, and trailing a reddish tail of fire. A sudden realization made her 
gasp.

	//Wait a second. It has a tail. That thing isn't growing. It's...it's 
FALLING!\\ Hot on the heels of that revelation, a second realization hit Ryoko 
like a bat out of Hell. //And I'm standing out in the open with no idea where 
it's gonna land!\\ The former space pirate immediately began a frantic search 
for cover as she listened to the object's shrill cry grow to a terrifying howl. 
Ducking back inside the house, Ryoko heard the object pass over the Masaki home 
in a rush of ear-splitting sound. Dashing to the front door, Ryoko nearly ran 
down a curious Aeka, who had come out of the bath to find out what the 
screaming sound was. Ryoko bolted out the front door and had come to a sudden 
stop on the front lawn just in time to see the object land.

	The sight that laid itself out before Ryoko made her sweatdrop. The 
object bored to Earth in the forest just in front of the Masaki house. With a 
thunderous explosion, the spherical orb plowed a deep crevasse through the 
shallow canopy. Trees and dirt where thrown every which way as the object gored 
through with horrifying power. Finally, it came to a slow stop on the sandy 
beach of the lake where Aeka's ship, Ryuo-Oh, had taken root. Ryoko could 
barely move in stunned silence as Aeka came tumbling out of the house as if it 
were burning down.

	"Ryuo-Oh! Ryuo-Oh!" Aeka shrieked as she ran to the scene of the wreck. 
She could not see if the tree was okay or not, as the dust kicked up by the 
horrible space object had masked the entire lake. In her frantic dash, Aeka 
tripped and tumbled several feet, drawing Ryoko's attention with her shrill 
cries of pain. As Ryoko rushed to Aeka's aid, another shrill and agitated voice 
came shrieking from the house.

	"Ryoko! Aeka! Will you two quit your damn fighting and shut the he-- 
Wha!? Ryoko? Aeka? Where are you?" the voice called from inside. A couple 
minutes later, Washyuu stepped warily out of the house, shielding her eyes from 
the sun like a mole emerging from its burrow.

	"There you two are," Washyuu said flatly as she watched Ryoko help Aeka 
to her feet. With her eyes adjusting from the dim atmosphere of the lab to the 
sharp light of the afternoon, Washyuu glanced over to the smoking wreckage by 
the lake. With the area still much too hazy to see anything (and now smoky from 
brushfires), she sighed and turned to Ryoko with a look of unimpressed 
frustration.

	"One of yours?" the scientist said blankly, nodding to the plumes of 
blackened smoke. "You know your little fight there ruined fourteen hours of 
work."

	"We're terribly sorry, Miss Washyuu, but we didn't do it," Aeka protested 
as she brushed off the white floral kimono she had thrown on in her rush from 
the bath.

	"Ya, that thing over there fell from space," Ryoko added in.

	Washyuu perked up suddenly. "Are you serious? From space?" The kawaii 
little scientist whirled around to face the smoldering gash in the ground that 
stretched through the forest to the lake. "A meteorite couldn't have done that 
much damage. Whatever caused all that must have some incredible power," she 
mused. A sly, devilish grin then played across her face, complimented by a 
vainly stifled and very maniacal chuckle.

	//An incredible power that _I'm_ going to harness!\\ Washyuu thought, her 
grin widening into a smile of mischievous joy.

	"What are you so happy about?" Ryoko questioned, noticing Washyuu's 
sudden change in emotion from deadpan anger to a very creepy sense of 
happiness.

	Washyuu had already begun to walk down to the lake. Stopping, she turned 
to face Ryoko with her strange little grin, "If you really wanna know, then 
follow me."

	"Wait, you're not actually going down there where that--that thing is, 
are you?" Ryoko asked concernedly.

	"Mmmm-HmmmmmMMM! I'm sure Tenchi and the old man are already down there 
as well."

	"Tenchi? You think he's down there?" Ryoko pondered. It only took her a 
split-second to make up her mind.

	"Washyuu, wait up! I'll come, too!"

	Aeka was already on her way back into the house when she overheard Ryoko. 
Spinning around, Aeka ran back, shouting at them both. "Ryoko! If you think 
you're going to seduce Tenchi while I'm not around, you're horribly mistaken! 
Ryoko! Miss Washyuu! Wait for me!"

	"Aeka! What's going on!?" Sasami called out to her older sister, Ryo-Ohki 
perched on her shoulder. Both of them shared a look of frightened concern.

	"Sasami, you stay here! Something crashed near Ryuo-Oh and I need to keep 
Ryoko away from Ten-- er-- see if Ryuo-Oh is safe!" Aeka hollered back.

	With that the trio began to make their way down to the mysterious wreck.

--------

	It had been just over twenty minutes since the crash, and the smoke had 
dissipated save for a small burning radius around the object itself. As Washyuu 
had predicted, Katsuhito and Tenchi were already there, poking their way 
through the scattered debris. The two had neither seen nor heard the object 
approach, as they were too wrapped up in Tenchi's training. All they had 
actually noticed was the spectacular crash of the mysterious space object. 
Tenchi now stood in the middle of the deep cut in the ground, observing the 
broken trees and burnt foliage all around him. Katsuhito had already walked the 
length of the gouge and was now at the forest's edge, watching and waiting for 
the small fire and thick smoke to scatter so he could get a clear look at the 
strange object.

	"Grampa! Any idea what the heck caused all this?" Tenchi called from the 
bottom of the rut.

	"To be honest, Tenchi, your guess is as good as mine at the moment. I 
still can't see anything," Katsuhito replied in his usual calm voice.

	"Think it could've been a meteorite?"

	"I doubt that, Tenchi. Meteorites fall to Earth and leave massive craters 
and large brushfires. This thing, however, cut a deep gash. And while it did 
make a few brushfires, they're nothing that we should be concerned over."

	"Tenchi!" a familiar female voice called from behind them. Tenchi turned 
around and was nearly tackled as Ryoko latched onto him and hugged him tight. 
Ever since Ryoko had come to Earth, Tenchi had come to expect this whenever she 
greeted him. However, she still damn near ran him over every time she did it.

	"Oh Tenchi! I was getting scared! But now you're here to protect me like 
a heroic knight saves his damsel in distress!"

	"Take your hands off of Lord Tenchi this instant, Ryoko!" Aeka snapped as 
she stumbled through the broken twigs and branches to where her arch-rival was 
now cuddling with a confused and stupefied Tenchi Masaki.

	"Aeka, why don't you just go off somewhere and leave us two lovers 
alone!?" Ryoko hissed in an almost gloating tone. Stepping in front of Tenchi, 
Ryoko was prepared to get into yet another one of her's and Aeka's catfights 
when Washyuu obliviously stepped between them.

	"'Scuuuuuuuze me," Washyuu chimed as she walked past Aeka and Ryoko, 
inadvertently stopping their fight. Following the earthly gash, Washyuu called 
out for Katsuhito, "Oi! Old Man! Where'd ya run off to?"

	"I'm over here, Washyuu-chan," Katsuhito responded, waving to Washyuu 
casually from his spot on the outskirts of the tattered forest. "I was 
wondering when you'd show up. I knew this was too good of a scientific 
opportunity for the 'universe's greatest scientific genius' to pass up on."

	"You know me too well, Katsuhito," Washyuu smirked. "Have you seen just 
what the heck it is, yet?"

	"Not yet, Washyuu-chan. The smoke is still too dark and thick around it."

	"So it's just the smoke that's hiding the thing, ne? Perfect," Washyuu 
chirped as she reached into her pocket. After rooting around for a second in 
what could best be perceived as an alternate dimension she had created in her 
pocket, Washyuu finally pulled out a tiny handheld device.

	Tenchi had slipped away from the quarreling princess and space pirate 
long enough to catch up to his grandfather and Washyuu. He was now peering over 
Washyuu's shoulder, trying to see exactly what she held in her hand.

	"What have you got there, Miss Washyuu?" Tenchi finally asked.

	"It's a portable fan," Washyuu stated proudly.

	Tenchi raised an eyebrow, "Lemme guess, it's a fan that shoots miniature 
nuclear missiles, too, right?"

	"Nope."

	"It has a built-in laser gun, then?" Ryoko butted in, her and Aeka having 
ended their little quarrel.

	"Uh-uh."

	"An inter-dimensional disintegration mine?" Aeka piped up.

	"I already made one of those last week."

	"It transforms into a giant rampaging mech," Tenchi continued to pry.

	"Not even close."

	"Well then what does it do!?" Tenchi begged.

	"It uses its little bitty fan blades to generate a nice, cool breeze," 
Washyuu said with an air of kawaii pride. The thought that Washyuu had created 
a device that did not feature a highly destructive weapon on it was too much 
for all those listening to bear. Aeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi all fell to the ground 
in a state of shock. Even the levelheaded Katsuhito fell prey to a stupidity 
fall!

	"What!? I can't make a regular device now and then? Sure, the breeze is a 
little bit stronger than most portable fans, but it's not a tool of 
devastation," Washyuu spoke up. The idea that Washyuu would _admit_ not 
intending to make a weapon (or anything even remotely supercharged, for that 
matter) sent everyone sprawling to the floor a second time in dumbfounded 
surprise. Looking around at all the stunned and floored people around her, 
Washyuu simply shrugged and flipped the switch of the tiny fan on.

	Washyuu was correct in saying the force of the fan was stronger than most 
of its size; it blew out the small fire around the object as soon as she aimed 
the thing at it. With a grin of accomplishment, Washyuu watched as her little 
nondestructive device seemingly peeled back layers upon layers of the thick, 
choking smoke. As the object began to come into view, everyone gathered around 
to see what it was. At first it only looked like a small blob of a silhouette 
behind the smoke. As it came more into view, the group could make out a 
distinctively round shape to the thing. Then came a most peculiar sparkle, a 
glint of light like the reflection off of something metal. Finally, the front 
part of the object came into view, and everyone's eyes became wide with 
curiosity.

	The part of the object that had come into view was a thick piece of metal 
that was warped and curved, pointing out at an upward angle. In the middle of 
the metal slab was what appeared to be a shattered circle of maroon-colored 
glass. The more that was revealed, the more excited Washyuu became, and the 
others could hear her muttering some sort of anxious expressions under her 
wickedly giddy grin. Everyone else, however, took a full step back almost in 
unison. The smoke continued to peel away from the wreckage, revealing it inch 
by inch. Finally, as the last few wafts of the rapidly thinning smoke pulled 
away from the object, everyone gasped.

	The object was undoubtedly some sort of spaceship! It was spherical and 
extremely small, as it just barely had room for a seat. It was heavily dented 
as well, like it had been through Hell and back. Washyuu flicked off the small 
fan, pocketed it, and cautiously approached the ship to get a look inside. The 
door, the slab of metal that had first become visible, hung loosely on some 
hydraulic hinge, almost about to fall off. Pulling out a tiny flashlight, Li'l 
Washyuu crept slowly towards the ship and stuck her head in to get a look. 
Everyone else soon began to crowd around.

	There was a sudden snapping sound in the trees directly left of the 
spaceship, like someone had stepped on a twig. Washyuu pulled her head out of 
the ship in time to hear a high-pitched squeal as a small flash of light burst 
at her feet. Looking into the woods, she saw a second yellow flash of light 
come flying right at her. Diving out of the way, Washyuu felt a searing, 
torturous pain in her right hand as the light flash grazed against it. Dropping 
her tiny flashlight, clutching at the wounded hand with her good one, a sudden 
thought raced through her mind.

	//Those look like Ryoko's energy blasts! WHOOP!\\

	Washyuu suddenly felt a sharp jerking sensation around her neck as 
Katsuhito yanked her out of harm's way by her shirt collar. As if waiting for 
some type of cue, Tenchi stepped up front and whipped out the Tenchiken. In a 
brilliant blue light, the spiritual Juraian sword flared to life as Tenchi 
watched anxiously for another one of those light bolts to come his way. While 
Katsuhito tended to Washyuu's hand, Ryoko was angrily charging one of her own 
trademark energy spheres while Aeka started to turn and run.

	"Sasami!" Aeka cried out, afraid for her sister's safety. As the princess 
started her dash to the house, she was stopped dead by another flash of light 
that passed just in front of her face and hit a nearby tree, scorching the 
trunk. Frozen in momentary shock, Aeka simply stood in place while Ryoko dove 
in front of her, holding up her glowing fist. As she pulled back, ready to 
throw the energy in her hand, she was suddenly stopped by a command from 
Tenchi.

	"Ryoko! Stop! Look over there!" cried Tenchi, pointing the Tenchiken in 
the direction of a small burnt tree. Looking closely not only Ryoko, but 
everyone, could see a dark figure leaning against the tree. The only part of 
the leaning figure that could be seen clearly from the shadows was its hand, 
held out and smoking. No doubt this being was the assailant.

	"Come on out," Tenchi coaxed with an authoritative ring to his voice. 
Slowly, the figure lurched into view. It was a male, about Tenchi's age, 
looking almost human save for one peculiar characteristic: he had a tail like 
that of a monkey. From the armor he wore, he looked like some kind of primitive 
soldier--and he was a mess, too. His armor was cracked and broken clean off on 
his right shoulder and the pants he wore were torn on one leg. All over his 
body were cuts and bruises from which blood continued to seep out, especially 
on his face where it seemed like he had a major wound on his scalp that was 
hidden by the mess of dark hair that shot out in every direction. There was a 
device clipped to his right ear that seemed to have an eyepiece at one point, 
but now that piece was broken off, and the eye it covered was closed tight and 
bleeding profusely. But what everyone noticed most were the deep wounds on his 
shoulder and knee. The shoulder looked as though it had been torn straight 
through, and Washyuu's keen eye noticed shattered bone showing from his left 
knee. Somehow, miraculously, the figure stood there, trying his best to look 
menacing.

	Tenchi was startled by the being's appearance. He lowered his voice, 
almost feeling a bit sorry for being so harsh with such a wounded being 
earlier.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Tenchi asked. The being looked up 
at Tenchi with his one good eye and raised his left hand.

	"Just...just get away from my...my ship!" the being gasped hoarsely, 
clearly struggling to even speak.

	"Excuse me, but do you need any help?" Tenchi persisted.

	"Just go...go away!" the being shouted again, the desperation in his 
voice rising. Without warning, his hand crackled with energy and another burst 
of light, larger than the others, shot out at Tenchi. Using the Tenchiken, 
Tenchi easily deflected the blast.

	"Oi! What are you--" Tenchi stopped. The being was staggering, trying his 
best to keep on his feet. Failing in his attempt, the being simply collapsed; 
dropping to his knees and falling face first into the sand of the lakeside 
beach. Everyone stood in stunned silence for what seemed like ages before 
Tenchi disengaged the Tenchiken and walked up to the being. Standing over the 
collapsed creature, Tenchi seemed lost in thought. Aeka, Ryoko, Katsuhito, and 
Washyuu were all at a loss to find any clues in his face to what he was 
thinking, or of what he was going to do. Then, seemingly to everyone's 
surprise, Tenchi kneeled down next to the alien being, put his fingers on its 
throat, and felt for a pulse.

	//Like a frightened child. He had a look in his eyes like a frightened 
child,\\ The same thought entered the mind of two people at the same time. One 
was Tenchi, and as he stood up, he called to the other.

	"Li'l Washyuu," Tenchi called solemnly. "Could you come here a second?" 
Nodding, and still clutching her burnt hand, Washyuu cautiously approached the 
area where Tenchi was standing next to the fallen being. "Li'l Washyuu, do you 
think you could be able to save him?"

	"Tenchi!" Ryoko gasped.

	"Ten-Sama!" added Aeka. A hand motion from Tenchi silenced the two.

	Washyuu looked over the body for a second, then suddenly perked up. "Why 
of course I could save him! By Earth's medical science, he'd be a dead man with 
injuries like those, but I could have him back up and about in no time!" Tenchi 
nodded, a small sweatdrop forming from the boastful bragging of Washyuu.

	"Aeka, Ryoko, Old Man," Washyuu called. "Could you give me a hand 
please?"

	Ryoko and Aeka began to protest in unison, "Are you nuts!? What are you 
thin--" they were immediately cut off by a hand motion from Washyuu and an 
accompanying cold glare from Tenchi.

	As Washyuu began to instruct everyone as to what to do, Tenchi suddenly 
found himself deep in thought. From the expression on his face, it wasn't a 
pleasing thought.

	//Ryoko, Aeka, Sasami, Washyuu, Ryo-Ohki, Mihoshi, Kiyone, and now this 
new person. Why does every misfit from space have to come here!?\\





Tenchi Muyo! c Anime International Company (AIC). Licensed by Pioneer 
Animation, Inc. & Viz Communications. All Rights Reserved, or as otherwise 
directed by them. Created by Hayashi Hiroki & Kajishima Masaki.

Dragon Ball Z c Bird Studio/Shueisha, Toei Animation. Licensed by FUNimation 
Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved, or as otherwise directed by FUNimation. 
Created by Akira Toriyama.

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