They all made it back to the shrine and started eating their
lunch without any other major blowups happening, thankfully. Tenchi
ate her meal with a great deal of enjoyment, all the while listening
to Ryouko and Ayeka verbally sparing back and forth across the table.
'They sure seem to enjoy doing that,' she thought, trying not to
smile.
"Tenchi, while we were walking I saw a large tree standing out
in the middle of the forest," Ayeka asked to her softly.
Tenchi finished her mouthful, "That probably was the miracle
tree of the shrine. The stories say that it grants wishes and even
heals the sick."
Ayeka nodded thoughtfully, "Could you take me out to see it?"
Ryouko chuckled softly.
"What?" Ayeka shot her a suspicious look, but Ryouko didn't
say anything, just sat there with a impish little smile on her face.
"Why don't I take both of you out there?" Tenchi quickly made
the suggestion. She could see where this was going, and thought she
should try to head the fight off.
"Could I come too?" Sasami asked her cheerfully.
"Myah!" Ryo-Ohki piped up.
Watching all this Ryouko just had to smile. 'She's quite the
little peacemaker, my Tenchi,' she thought. Aloud she said, "Let's all
go, then."
Ayeka didn't look too terribly pleased at having the whole
gang coming along, but she didn't say anything about it. Instead she
smiled at them weakly, "Why not."
The food was finished off, then they went out into the
afternoon sunlight. The forest was cool around them, but Tenchi felt
something odd, as if she was being watched. She turned a moment to see
her Grandfather slipping back inside, a slight smile on his face.
'What was that about?' Tenchi wondered.
"This place is so beautiful," Sasami murmured, looking around
her with a smile.
Ayeka had to nod slightly as she admitted, "It's not as
attractive as Jurai, but these hills do have a certain... rustic charm
to them."
"Don't do us any favors, Princess," Ryouko said dryly.
Tenchi tried not to smile at that. Heading off an potential
explosion from Ayeka she quickly said, "We're getting pretty close to
the tree."
They emerged from the path, and it rose up in front of them
from the middle of a carefully tended pond. Strung with ropes and
bearing an ancient majesty, it was easy to see how the old tree could
have such stories being told about it.
Tenchi, Ayeka, Sasami and Ryo-Ohki all stepped from stone to
stone over to the tree, while Ryouko simply flew over the pond and
descended to stand by the tree. Ayeka looked up at it, laying her hand
on the bark thoughtfully before she circled the massive trunk.
"So what's the verdict?" Ryouko finally asked her impatiently.
Ayeka shot a glare at her that would have simply killed a
lesser being.
But before she could say anything Sasami piped up, "It's
Funaho!"
"Funaho?" Tenchi blinked.
Looking a bit disapointed at the spoiling of her dramatic
moment Ayeka said, "Yes, this is Funaho, the Great Tree that was the
heart of my brother's ship."
"This was part of a starship?" Tenchi asked as she looked up
at the massive tree with an odd expression on her face.
"Yes," Ayeka nodded, "but it has taken root now, and can no
longer fly." She looked over at Tenchi and asked her, "Could I use the
sword?"
Silently, Tenchi slipped it from her belt and passed it over
to the princess.
Ayeka held the front of the weapon to the tree trunk, and a
spark seemed to pass between them. Rainbow beams of light began to
fall all around them, and it suddenly felt like they were falling,
even though they were standing still.
"What the..?" Ryouko's energy blade ignited in her hand, even
as Tenchi took up a battle posture right beside her, ready to help
defend them all.
"Calm yourselves," Ayeka quickly said, gesturing reassuringly
to both young women, "we are just experiencing the memories of the
ship itself."
"Wow," Sasami murmured, wide eyed, as Ryo-Ohki soared by them,
exchanging energy fire with a Jurai ship in hot persuit.
"Myrowwrrr," the real Ryo-Ohki hissed out softly, crouching
down with her fur standing on end as she recognized her old enemy.
The two ships fell towards a small blue and white world, still
exchanging weapons fire until a particularly viscious attack sent both
ships twisting down through the planet's atmosphere. An great impact
and a sudden explosion filled their vision, and Tenchi instantly
realized where the lake near the shrine had come from.
Even without their ships, the two warriors chose to fight
onward. Prince Yosho weilded the sword expertly, while Ryouko fought
with a kind of bezerk fury, her eyes blazing blood red. Finally, the
purple-black haired man gained an advantage over her, his violet eyes
narrowing as he stuck his blade right into Ryouko's chest.
Tenchi visibly winced at that, wonderig how much that must
have hurt her. She looked over, and noticed that Ryouko's face was a
bit pale, her hand resting just above where she had been stabbed so
very violently.
The images flickered, then they gradually faded away as Ayeka
getly drew the sword back from the tree trunk. "Thank you, Lady
Tenchi," Ayeka said quite formally, "now I feel quite certain that my
brother is alive."
"And we will go find him," Sasami murmured, suddenly seeming
so much older than the little girl that she was.
Tenchi nodded and quietly said, "Whatever I can do to help."
Ayeka smiled up at her sunnily, pressing the sword into her hands.
Ryouko didn't say anything at that, simply rising up into the
air and then just disappearing from their sight as she teleported
away.
As soon as they got back to the shrine, Tenchi left the girls
talking with her Grandfather and went out looking for Ryouko. It
didn't take her long, either, finding her sunning herself, laying on
top of a rocky outcropping by the cave that she had been imprisoned
in.
As soon as she saw Tenchi walking towards her Ryouko growled
out, "Why are you offering to help her?"
"A sense of duty, I guess. Honor, family, all that good
stuff," Tenchi smiled at her. She sat down on the stone by where
Ryouko lay and added a bit wryly, "That doesn't mean I have to like
Princess Ayeka very much, however."
Ryouko sat up, blinking at Tenchi in surprise, "You don't like
her?"
"She's rude, arrogant and condescending," Tenchi answered her
with a pained expression on her face, "what's not to like?" She
stretched out, and with a little smile added, "I can tolerate
rudeness, but the other two..."
Ryouko raised an eyebrow, "Was that a crack about me?"
Tenchi looked innocent, "Would I do that?"
Ryouko noticed that their hands were laying close together,
and took the opportunity to lay her's on top of Tenchi's. "Whenever I
think I have you figured out," she smiled slightly, "you manage to
surprise me, Tenchi."
"Good," Tenchi smiled back at her. She tilted her head to the
side, "Do you want to head back up to the shrine?"
Ryouko shook her head slightly, "I think I'll stay out here,
sunbathe a bit longer."
Tenchi hesitated a moment, then laid her body down beside
Ryouko's. "Would you mind if I join you?" she asked softly.
Ryouko smiled back, "I'd love to have you."
It was a few weeks later that they had an unexpected guest up
at the shrine. Not unexpected to Tenchi, of course, but she had been
hoping that her father wouldn't turn up there too terribly soon.
Nobuyuki pulled up in a large camper, and stepped out with a happy
smile on his face, his glasses gleaming and clothes spotless.
Just looking at him Tenchi knew that meant trouble.
The last time she had seen that look on his face was when
Tenchi had brought Ryouko home. Later that night, Nobuyuki had
actually climbed up the outside of the building, videocamera in hand,
to sit on the ledge outside her window and film anything that might be
going on.
The light from the top of the camera woke Tenchi up from a
sound sleep, so she slipped from the bed and quietly made her way
across the room.She popped up, suddenly slamming the window wide open
and yelled out, "Boo!"
"Yearg!" Nobuyuki lost hig grip on the ledge and the plummeted
to the ground below with a loud thump. Tenchi waited a moment to see
if he was all right, then went back to bed.
"What was that?" Ryouko asked drowsily.
"My hentai father," Tenchi sighed.
Tenchi was jerked back to the present by her Grandfather's
voice asking him, "Well Nobuyuki, what brings you here today?"
Nobuyuki smiled cheerfully, "I've arranged for a special treat
for Tenchi and the other girls! We're going out to the hotsprings
together."
Tenchi looked at the mini-van, then over at her father. She
thought about a long car trip with Ryouko and Ayeka in one vehicle,
and how may things could go wrong with that little senario. 'We are so
doomed,' she thought with a little sigh.
Back to No Need for Boys! Index - Back to Tenchi Muyo Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction