Chapter 2: No Need for a Return By: UltraOverMind email: aegisrunestone@hotmail.com http://envy.nu/uom/index.html It had been two days since Ayeka and Sasami had left Tenchi's home. The two Jurian Princesses were finally at the gates of the house. They were greeted cheerily by their Guardians, Azaka and Kamidake, two large log-like beings who don't look much, but are very powerful. "Good morning, Princess Ayeka!" Azaka says exactly, "It's good to see that you've returned home." "Yes, " Kamidake adds, "It is also good to see you too, Princess Sasami." Sasami let out a smile that would've brighten the darkest night. "How was your visit to the city?" "It was very nice." Ayeka responded. Sasami jumped into the conversation too. "I loved the ice cream they had there!" Sasami said excitedly, "It was so delicious!" Ayeka smiled at her younger sister, the eleven year-old was so bright and cheerful almost all the time. It was just up the path, Tenchi's house. It was a large, beautiful white house with a cherry-red roofing. It had at least three floors and an attic. Bright blue windows could be seen at often at either side of the Masaki house, with wooden shutters carefully placed at either sides of the windows. Ayeka actually deemed it to be greater than any Jurian Palace. Ayeka made her up the steps of the porch and knocked on the door. Tenchi heard a loud knock on the door, probably Katsuhito coming to take him to lessons early today. "I'm coming!" Tenchi said, as another loud knock comes the door. He opens the door and standing there is a beautiful woman with lovely rose-red eyes and long, shimmering purple hair. "Oh, Ayeka! I thought you were grandpa." Tenchi scratched the back of his head and smiled, "Oh, hi Sasami.". Tenchi noticed the young eleven year-old princess standing next to Ayeka. She had beautiful shining cyan hair, which went well with her pink eyes. A few freckles had been dotted over Sasami's face and nose. To top it off, Sasami had the most cheerful smile of any person that Tenchi had met. She was a rather cute little girl. "Hi Tenchi!" Sasami said excitedly, "How are you?" "I'm doing fine, Sasami." Tenchi responded, "How was the city, Ayeka?" "Not bad." Ayeka replied, "though I prefer the country side to the city. It's...well... rather dirty in the city." Ayeka's smile had vanished, "I found it a little difficult to breathe." "Hmmm..." Tenchi's face slightly twisted into a frown, "That's too bad, Ayeka. Well.. Why don't you come in?" Tenchi lead the two princesses in. As he was about to speak, he was interrupted by another voice. "Tenchiiiii!" It was Ryoko, she had finally woken up. Tenchi thought, horribly. She had just arrived yesterday and she had amnesia. Tenchi only learned yesterday how flirtatious Ryoko was. He especially didn't want Ayeka to get any ideas. "Who?" Ayeka said, suddenly confused. "Eh heh heh...Um..." Tenchi could feel a large sweatdrop pouring down the back of his head, "Ayeka, we...um...got..a...uh...guest yesterday." Sasami looked up curiously, "Who, Tenchi?" Before Tenchi could react, Sasami's question was answered. Out of nowhere appeared a woman with long, cyan-green spikey hair and golden-cat light-eyes. She appeared right behind Tenchi and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Good morning, Tenchi!" "Good morning, Ryoko." Tenchi sighed, Ryoko could teleport to any place she has been, making escape from her very difficult. On top of that, she could also walk through the walls. Tenchi thought. "Wha!?" Ayeka almost screamed, "Who? Who is this, Tenchi?" Ayeka suddenly got calm. But Tenchi had learned long ago that Ayeka's anger was a force not to be messed with. Tenchi could already tell from being with her, that Ryoko would be the type of the person that would be in the range of triggering that anger at any moment with ease. "Oh! Well, um Ayeka." Tenchi's face was soaking from the sweat rolling down his face, "This is Ryoko, she just arrived yesterday and she says she has amnesia." "Hello." Ryoko greeted the young princess with not much enthusiasm. The princess, however looked shocked. "Your...your name is Ryoko??" Ayeka seemed shocked, as if she knew her. "So, uh, Ryoko?" Tenchi inquiry almost startled the golden-eyed beauty. "What was it that you needed?" "Well...I wanted to know...." Ryoko let go of her grip on Tenchi. Her face full with seriousness. And her eyes closed "Did you...." Her eyes opened with a wild fierceness, "sneak up on me last night?" Tenchi almost face-faulted and collapsed. "Wha-" Ayeka and Tenchi almost stammered in unison, "What do you mean by sneaking up'?" They both said, as Ryoko revealed a brown sphere about the size of a bowling ball. "Um...Ryoko what is that?" Tenchi asked, almost fearing the answer. Ryoko merely smiled. "My guess is, its an egg." Ryoko said, almost not being able to control her excitement. "Why? Because I found it near my stomach when I awoke this morning." Ryoko then noticed the shocked look on Ayeka's and Tenchi's face. "So I suppose you now know what I mean by sneaking up on me. Don't you, *Tenchi*...*Daddy*..." Both Ayeka and Tenchi face-fault and collapse on the floor. Sasami however, is very happy. "Congratulations, Tenchi!" She smiles, clapping. Ayeka on the other hand is upset. "WAIT A SECOND!" Her red-eyes are burning red-hot with anger, "Do you REALLY think that's your CHILD!?" Ryoko looked shocked, "My gosh, how can you be so cruel? Its obviously my baby." Ryoko said calmly and almost convincingly like a politician. But Ayeka was not convinced. "A normal woman..." She stated, "Would NOT have an egg for a baby!!" Her face flustered with anger. Tenchi seemed to be out of place. "Uh...girls?" He says, trying to catch their attention. "Hello? Can you please stop? My grandpa might hear!" But his attempts were in vain, since the girls seemed to have blocked him from their senses. However, before the bloodshed began, a small wiggling noise came from Ryoko's egg. It started moving softly, but soon it was violently wobbling around in her hands. Every living thing in that room had to its attention glued to that single orb. "Wha..." Ayeka started, "What is happening to it?" Ryoko shook her head. "I.." She stammers, trying to control the egg's movements without much success, "I don't know..." Ayeka frowned at Ryoko. "You don't know!?" She said, "Isn't *your* egg?" "Well, I suppose...But..." Ryoko said, " I don't know how it works." Ayeka thought she could faint. She gritted her teeth in disbelief. Suddenly, before any other word could be spoken, The egg cracked and jumped out of Ryoko's hands, scaring the daylights out of Sasami, Ryoko, Ayeka and Tenchi. Another cracking sound went off and the cracked again. All eyes peeled on the egg to see its next move. Then...it shattered. Gasps of wonder and amazement filled the empty places of the room. After a few seconds, Sasami let out a gasp of joy. "Miyaaa...." The sound escaped the mouth of brown furry animal that had been encased in the egg. The sound let all the people in the room that the hatching process had made the animal very tried. It was a strange animal. With long ears, a bushy tail and big feet like a rabbit, yet the face of a cat. "Miyaaa..." It repeated the same sound it made before. "Oh!" Sasami excitedly said, "It's sooo cute!" She let out a couple of giggles. "Yeah." Tenchi said in agreement, "but...what *is* it?" Ryoko walked over to the animal and picked it up. "Uh...Ryoko?" "Now I remember...." She said, "Ryo-ohki...that's it! You're Ryo-ohki! I remember now!" A smile was spread over her face. "Do you mean..." Tenchi began, "that you have got your memory back, Ryoko?" Ryoko turned to him. "Um...I don't think so, but I remember some now...but not a lot." She replied scratching her head, "I still don't remember who I am." Tenchi shrugs. "Besides I think I understand now, you see she is my spaceship." "She?" Tenchi said in disbelief, "Spaceship?" "Ryo-ohki is my spaceship." Ryoko said more clearly. "You mean..." Tenchi asked, " She can turn into a spaceship??" Tenchi eyes were filled with doubt, and surprise. Ryoko grinned proudly at Tenchi's reaction. "Just as I thought." Tenchi turned to hear Ayeka say, "She is the child of Ryo-ohki. When your spaceship was destroyed.." "It reproduced itself." Ryoko finished Ayeka's sentence, looking at Ryo-ohki and petting her. "Well, I guess it was kinda disappointment." Ayeka looks at Ryoko with a baffled face, "I mean, I guess Tenchi *didn't* sneak up on me last night...drat." Ayeka's face flustered. "Why...you..!" But then she calmed herself. "Tenchi, can I talk with you?" Tenchi looked at her. She nodded to him and he nodded to her. They headed upstairs to a room. "Excuse us, but I need to talk to Lord Tenchi, alone." "Don't do anything to him." Ryoko smirked. Ayeka threw a slightly twisted face at Ryoko. Ayeka thought, "Lady Ayeka?" Tenchi asked, startling her, "What did you need to talk to me about?" Ayeka sat down in chair. "It's about Ryoko, Lord Tenchi." Ayeka explained as Tenchi sat down in a chair across from her. "I know all about Ryoko...Because I knew her." "Oh, maybe you could help restore her memory?" Tenchi asked. "Now, wait." Ayeka stopped him, "She's a space pirate, Lord Tenchi. She is one of the most wanted in the Galaxy. She is extremely dangerous." Ayeka noticed the slightly alarmed look on Tenchi's face, "But..she has amnesia. I didn't believe it. But she was too convincing...It also would not be good to try to restore her memory." "Um...why's that?" Tenchi asked. "Well..." Ayeka continued, "It's because some amnesia victims are too sensitive, if someone tries to jog their memory, they could receive some damage to their brain." "So..." Tenchi scratches his head, "It's bad if we try to help her..." "Well...maybe she deserves it from all the pain she's caused..." Ayeka mused to herself, not realizing Tenchi could hear her. "No, Ayeka." Tenchi said, "I don't think that's right. Everyone deserves a second chance..." "I'm sorry." Ayeka replied, "I was talking to myself. I never really would do such a thing." "I hope not." Tenchi nodded, his face looking a bit worried. "Ayeka!" Tenchi and Ayeka turned their heads sharply. "Breakfast is ready!" It's Sasami. Ayeka puts on a worried face. "She finished making breakfast already?" She wondered. "I'll say," Tenchi smiles, "Your sister can really cook. Besides, I'm starved! Let's go eat breakfast." Ayeka nods and they head down for breakfast.