Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Tenchi Muyo: The Clone Chronicles ❯ A New Beginning Pt. 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Tenchi or any of his supporting cast. I just wrote this to see if I could write something that wasn't utter crap. While this story's present takes place outside of any of the shows, it really combines all of them. Without further interruption, I present: Tenchi Muyo: The Clone Chronicles.

Author's Notes: I decided to spruce this story up some by editing the "block-of-words" paragraph format that I used. Don't worry about re-reading through this chapter if you have in the past--only minor changes occur.

Dear Journal,

It's been 7 years since they all came into my life, 7 long years. 7 years of their lives wasted, waiting for me to make a decision on which of them I liked... no, not liked, loved. How do you tell 6 of the most beautiful women that you've ever seen--and probably ever will see--that you don't love one of them, but that you love them all? I know they want me to make up my mind, but they've never once forced me to choose. But I know--god do I know--they want me to make up my mind. It's just that the idea of hurting any of them in the slightest way just makes me sick.

So, rather than hurting five and at least making one of them happy, I have selfishly ruined all six of their lives. I wish they'd never met me at times, maybe that way it wouldn't seem as though they were throwing away their lives. But I can't imagine my life without them, so that is a wish made in vain. I'd love to be able to make a choice, but every time it looked like I had narrowed my choice to one of them, as if by magic, fate pointed out the same defining feature in each of the others.

What the hell is it about me anyway that makes these women love me? Make these women risk their lives for me? And makes these women wait for me? I am, to put it bluntly, some native of a primitive world. Any of them could have any man they wanted on this entire planet and have them do anything they wished. Yet they stay with me, Mr. Indecisive. I'm sure that if any guy saw my situation they'd think I was insane for not choosing one or at least, why I hadn't slept with them all by now. But I just can't, not because I don't want to.

It's because I think too highly of them to do such a thing. So rather than show favoritism or any affection, I treat them all like one of the guys. And I sense that routine is bringing them all closer to forcing me to choose. Or, in a worse case scenario, it's going to force them to leave me. In these last few years, I know that my demeanor around them seems rather uncaring or unfeeling, but it's not that at all. It's that I care too much, and my feelings and my love is being stretched in six different directions. The appearance of coldness I give is more so sadness than anything else, because I just don't feel that I'm worth all of this. One thing is for certain: I will make this up to each and every last one of them one day. Today will be the day that I will make my choice.

Decision making...

With those last words, he closed his journal more focused than ever on the task that he was about to undertake. Tenchi Masaki, twenty-four-year-old college student, and possessor of seven light hawk wings--and apparently the most eligible bachelor in the universe--was about to do something it had taken him the greater part of seven years to figure out. He was about to risk everything, much like they did for him on numerous occasions, for the people he loved.

"Tenchi, breakfast is ready," a melodic, yet very flat voice chimed from the kitchen.

It was a little unusual at first but, like everything in the Masaki Home, it quickly became the norm. The voice belonged to the newly assimilated Sasami. Even being a basic goddess she felt the need to keep up her routine as household cook. Everyone respected that wish without too much fuss. It took her a few weeks to gain her balance and coordination in the new body, but after awhile she got the hang of it. Now five years after it initially happened, Sasami was just as graceful as before. There had been something amiss to her, though. To go with her new grown up image, Sasami felt compelled to change her usually pigtails to that of her mother Misaki's.

"It suits her well," Tenchi thought as he stood and walked towards the door. He slid it open with little effort, telling the young goddess that he would be down in a minute. On the way back to his desk, Tenchi stopped and looked at himself in his full-length mirror noticing his own physical changes.

The first thing that immediately grabbed his attention was his height. Tenchi had always figured that, with his father and mother being sort of short, he would be as tall as he was going to be at seventeen. But that wasn't to be the case. Apparently, somewhere in his grandfather's Juraian ancestry was a very tall man or woman. Tenchi now stood roughly six foot three inches tall. Even though he reached this amazing height despite his parents' genetics, he couldn't believe how fast he had reached it.

The young man only remembered going to bed and waking up eight inches taller than the previous day. Washu explained something about Juraians having--in earth terms--two puberty cycles, which put him at ease. The other noticeable change had been his decision to let his hair grow out. It now came to his waste and he kept it in a singular ponytail like that of his grandfather. If were arrogant, who would've given his physique an appreciative glance, but his breakfast was getting cold and his body seemed of nil importance in light of his stomach's sudden rumble.

Within the present again, Tenchi put away his journal and made the usual commute to breakfast.

In the kitchen...

The usual suspects had all gathered, all showing the signs of the years that had passed inside of the walls of the Masaki Home. The first thing that was to be noted, none of them looked any older save for Sasami. The only real changes came in the form of body, hair, and personality. Ryoko, for instance, had made a decision with Tenchi about her hair. She'd allowed it to continue growing of its own accord. Unfortunately, dependant on the person's view of unfortunate, her hair mirrored that of her mother's only a silvery blue. More surprising than the hair had been Ryoko's newly acquired ability to co-exist with Ayeka--okay, so that might have been a direct result of realizing that Tenchi didn't show favoritism towards any of them.

Washu had been convinced by unknown forces--more than likely Tenchi most of the house believed--to forgive the cruelty of the adult world and embrace her adulthood. Not wanting a big deal made out of her decision, Washu asked her silent benefactor to keep a lid on why she'd made the choice. Unlike Sasami, it hadn't been much of a stretch for Washu to move on, or regain as the case was, her adultness. It only became a nuisance once she realized that all of her voice activated equipment would have to be reprogrammed, all of her furniture enlarged, and all of her clothes refitted.

"Ah, shoot. At least it gave me something to do," she thought, impassively drumming her fingers on the table as they waited for Tenchi's arrival.

Ayeka silently ground her teeth in response to the incessant drumming. Her changes may have been the most noted of all the people there. In years past, they could almost hear a very long, and very boring, tirade about table manners. However, Ayeka had become far less uptight than she had once been. She'd even began wear her hair much like her mother and Sasami, in one pulled back cascading like ponytail. The princess had also fail victim to the dual puberty ordeal, giving her quite an impressive set of breasts, which she seemed to embrace and flaunt quite frequently. Most figured that was the cause of her prude nature--jealousy of Ryoko's body. But now she felt that she had the same arsenal and felt more even in playing for Tenchi's affection. That is, if he'd ever show any affection for any of them again.

By this time, Mihoshi and Kiyone had made their way to the kitchen via the portal from their respective apartments. They weren't around like they once were, but they usually stopped in for breakfast or the occasional "hello." No one ever thought they'd see the day Mihoshi would live alone, or more importantly the day that she could live alone.

The once ditzy space detective had made the leap, though. Mihoshi Kuramitsu was independent now. Of course, that didn't mean she was totally free of the influences of her partner. Mihoshi also seemed to feel that her hairstyle had become too juvenile, as witnessed by her changing it to the much more mature free-swinging hairstyle of Kiyone. Still, she had become a lot less clingy to Kiyone's delight. With Mihoshi's independence also came rediscovered coordination and intellect. No one had any idea how this development came about. It was, of course, another Tenchi wonder that none of the others knew about. Needless to say they were happy about it regardless.

Taking her seat next to Mihoshi was Kiyone. Nothing really changed about Kiyone physically, but her usual over scheduled and often overstressed demeanor was somehow more relaxed and sedated. There were no more botched missions because of Mihoshi. There were no job losses because of Mihoshi. She had her share of food and it wasn't gone because of Mihoshi. Okay, maybe a few things had changed about Kiyone. She had job security, food, and peace and quiet. Maybe that's all she really did need to be happy, someone may say. Of course, a date or two wouldn't have hurt. But, much like the others, the one person that she'd like to experience a date with seemed to be tied up at the moment.

It had been five minutes since Sasami first called Tenchi and they didn't like to eat without him so they waited.

"Well, I guess I'll go call him again then," said Sasami. Leaving the kitchen in a particular huff, she bumped headlong into a rather well-muscled individual's chest.

"Sorry, Sasami," Tenchi quickly said, never removing his hands from her shoulders.

"No problem. Come on, your foods getting cold," Sasami replied, shrugging his hands off and going back to the table.

He hid his sigh beneath forced smile, following her into the kitchen where he promptly greeted everyone. In the back of his mind, Tenchi knew why Sasami always talked to him like that. He knew that she had a crush on him when they first met. In his own naive way, he figured she'd get over it. But, unfortunately, it grew into something more. Sasami was banking big on the assimilation; she figured he'd have to pick her once he saw her in Tsunami state. But when he failed to do so, she became slightly bitter towards him. The funny thing is that Tenchi didn't blame her.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting," he said sheepishly, making more apologies.

Everyone else gave a quick, "no problem," "don't sweat it," or other minimal answer. But one cut through the group collective of breakfast time voices.

"Heh, you make us wait for everything else, why not breakfast too," Sasami said really without thinking, but rather more out of feeling.

The sound of plates and utensils suddenly stopped. Tenchi knew that she was right; they knew she was right; but the words still hurt. He compared it being stabbed in the chest and having the knife kicked. Everyone just sort of alternated looks between themselves, Tenchi, and the lowered head of Sasami. No one spoke which only furthered his sense of something "needs to be done or this was all going to end and end badly."

"Tenchi, I'm so..." Sasami was cut off by a rather pitiful sounding Tenchi.

"Don't be," he interjected. "You had every right to say that and more. You waste seven years of your lives waiting around for me and how do I repay that? I dodge a simple question, a simple question with no simple answer. For that, I am sorry." He stood, bowed deeply, and left. No sound was heard for a while, but to an onlooker it was obvious food was the last thing on anyone's mind.

Finally Ryoko decided to say something.

"What the hell did you say that for?"

Sasami did feel sort of bad for turning a five-minute breakfast delay into something so heinous. But when she thought about the time and the out and out dismissal of her new body she just got upset.

"Oh come off it," the young princess launched at the former space pirate. "You're all just as sick of this as I am! You want to know his answer as much as I do. So don't try to make it seem like I'm the only one. He walks around us all day looking like someone shot his Ryo-Ohki. Quite frankly, I'm sick of waiting." Sasami finished her tirade while staring daggers at the surrounding women, almost daring someone to say that she was wrong.

"Could you all please come into the living room?" Tenchi asked in an almost whisper.

Sasami led the group still looking rather angry compared to her usual happy, upbeat mood. She walked past Tenchi like he wasn't even there and he sank a little lower knowing one of his biggest fears was coming true. He stared at his feet as the other women made their way by him, each one giving him a comforting pat on the shoulder or chest. They all sat on the extra large sofa in front of the makeshift karaoke stage with a lone chair sitting on it. Tenchi walked from his spot in the kitchen doorway to the stage and took his seat.

From there he was going to make the most important decision he felt he'd ever have to make in his life.

"I was going to make this decision today anyway," Tenchi began, taking the time to look each of them in the eye. "The incident with Sasami in the kitchen just made me realize it has to be done a little sooner than planned. No avoiding the question, no running, and no regrets or worrying about the outcome."

Tenchi could hear his own heartbeat in his ears, as well as the ladies quickened breathing. He took a moment and scanned their faces before beginning again.

"In making this decision, I just have to know what a space pirate... EX space pirate, two galaxy police officers, and two princesses see in me that's so special. What is it that you see in me that makes them put up with me... do housework for me... risk death for me? What is that you see in the primitive from earth that makes them wait for me without hesitation and even put yourselves on auction for me to 'choose' between like mere paintings? I ask simply that you tell me what reason it is that you feel like this about me. I know Ryoko and Ayeka's reasons. But I wonder why the rest want me when you all could obviously have someone a lot better."

He looked up and at their faces again they all looked sad, even Sasami looked down about this.

Ryoko, however, looked more down than any of them. Unknown to him, she could actually smell the sadness in his pheromones. She contemplated teleporting him out of there but her want, no need for this question to be answered kept her firmly in place. They all sat for a while in silence, no one was designated to go first and no one was exactly peachy about volunteering. Tenchi took the silence and lack of enthusiasm as more of a sign that he had waited too long to make this choice. Before the finality of that hit, a voice that sounded a lot less bubbly and annoying than it used to came forth.

"I'll go first." It was Mihoshi.

"You want to know why I waited and actually grew to love you, I'll tell you," she said like a confident child reading a book report that they'd slaved over to make absolutely perfect. "As you all very well could see, I wasn't the most coordinated or smartest person around. I just never felt right in crowds or groups. Every little mistake I made people laughed at me, or called me stupid, or some other mean name. Even if I looked hurt, they still looked annoyed or laughed as they helped or stepped over me.

Then, as I was crashing to the Earth--not only did you catch me when I came out of that vortex I heard--you by either luck or intent fell to Earth with me on top of you. You fell from way up in the sky and used your own body to absorb the full impact to make sure that I was all right. That alone was more kindness than I was used to being shown. Then, as if to say that wasn't a fluke shred of decency, you allowed me to live here with your family for free.

All of that isn't what made me love you, though. It was the fact that you never laughed. Even when everyone else whispered and looked at me like it was a miracle I could breathe on my own, you didn't. Sure, you did at first. But when you saw that it actually hurt my feelings to be laughed at by everyone, you never did it again. Then from there, you willingly explained things to me over and over again. No matter how stupid the question, you always answered and made sure I understood. You didn't even get upset when I forgot things too fast," she said, smiling luminously at him for a moment.

"Even when I got small things right, you made it seem like a big deal and congratulated me sincerely. You were always so happy that I got it and not just happy because it was one less thing to explain. You even took classes from Washu to better explain the space related things to me that I'd forgotten over the years. I still thank you for that.

Furthermore, once I began to understand things better you even went a step further and helped me with my coordination. I was shocked when you told me that my coordination had gotten so bad because of my desire to make sure people didn't laugh at me. You said that I tried so hard to do things right until I messed up. I remember you set up all of my bears a few times to make it seem like a crowd. I was so nervous, but you held my hand and just said: 'Just focus on a face that doesn't make you nervous.'

I did it! I walked an entire tray of food across my sloppy room and didn't spill anything! Tenchi walked me through that so many times until I could do it blindfolded. You even started walking me through critical mission exercises--like how not to panic when the control panel started flashing or we were low on fuel. All I had to do was think about that face that made everything easy. It was you, though," she said, looking at Tenchi with obvious intent to keep her tears in check. "Every time I thought I'd mess up, I just remembered you. The way you used to smile at me, even when you had to go over stuff until your eyes were all red.

But somehow you did it. One day, I wasn't bubblehead Mihoshi anymore. You'd fixed me. I wasn't too stupid to answer a door or telephone. Now, I could program my own system communicator without any help! And to make it even better, you got me that neat engineering job with your dad's friend, Mr. Hayakashi. I should have known. I was used to dealing with starship computers now. So, of course, I should be able to do anything on the old things on this planet... no offense.

That's why I 'put up with you.' You were the first person to treat me like something beyond an idiot and actually tried to help me. You treated me like I had feelings, where as everyone else thought, 'Oh the stupid girl probably doesn't even know what feelings are.' So, regardless of your choice, that's why I love you." Mihoshi sat down looking Tenchi in the eye, receiving a silent glimmer of hope. But down the couch Ryoko smelled the same thing, sadness. The weird thing was it seemed to get stronger after her story.

"Thank you, Mihoshi," Tenchi said, shifting a bit in his seat as you winked. "I want to say this before anyone feels upset by what's going on. I'm not trying to make this a competition; I just have to be sure before I commit to something like this. So, if you feel that I'm going too far asking this of you, you can easily refuse to tell me." Tenchi finished this with another face scan of the women. No one left so he took this as a good sign.

"I might as well go next." Without looking in her immediate direction he knew it was Sasami. "It happened simply enough. I came to get Ayeka and go home. My ship's tracking device detected Juraian power coming from the forest near your home, though. I thought it was Ayeka so I had the ship teleport me down. Instead of finding Ayeka, I found you. The first thing you asked me is if I was lost, your concern touched me. But I was too shy to speak. Plus, I had the more important task of finding Ayeka, so in your brief glance away I was teleported back to my ship.

Later when your father brought me to the shrine to retrieve Ayeka there you were again. From here you said I was cute... you have no idea what that statement meant to me. True, I had heard it plenty of times but it was usually said in a kind of 'awe, cute baby' kind of way. From my point of view you were already the best looking, most attractive boy I had ever seen and for you to say that just, it just totally consumed me," the young woman said in voice reminiscent of her usual happy one.

"I told myself that there would be no way you could possible be with me. Come on, I looked twelve and you had my pretty sister and the pirate woman fighting over you. But the feelings wouldn't go away, and that was partly due to the fact that I knew that I was a few hundred years older than you were and it was only my looks holding me back.

Despite that, I still tried to deny my feelings. I was doing pretty well until the whole feeding each other sweet potatoes incident. We fed each other like those couples on television and that made the feelings come back tenfold. Once again, I managed to convince myself it was just a crush, only Ryoko or Ayeka stood a chance of being with you. Then the carnival came and you took me! To me it was like a date, you'd never taken any of the other girls anywhere willingly and this crushed my last shred of denial.

I loved you.

I felt as though you loved me too, but my damn body was keeping you away. In two years, it would change. Tsunami came to me in a dream and told me that it's done. I tried to question her about what 'it' was, but she faded away into a light so bright I had to shut my eyes. When I woke up, I had what I thought to be my key to happiness, my key to you. I sat there fully assimilated.

I was so happy that I was about to explode. With this body and your, what I thought was favoritism towards me, I knew your choice had to be me. But..." her voice began to float back into its usual flat tone. She forced herself to continue. "But when you saw me... you looked like you were about to throw up. I thought maybe this was a new alternative to your usual nosebleeds. Unfortunately, it was your response to any sign of love toward you. I... I... I don't feel like taking this painful stroll through memory lane anymore, so I'll stop." With her fists clutched into her robe she sat back down, a few tears staining her pale face.

"I am so sorry," was all Tenchi could verbalize after hearing her story.

He felt something slowly slide down his face, and at first he thought it was Ryoko. He still saw her shoes out of his lowered eyes and soon realized it was his own tears. Everyone was still silent in the wake of Sasami's story, but once they looked up and saw his tears, things really got bleak. "Thank you, Sasami... for even being here after that. Thank you." He didn't expect a response let alone the one he got when she finally looked up.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be fine as long as you make up your damn mind already," Sasami said in her old upbeat tone of voice as she dried her eyes. He knew she said it to lighten the mood and mustered a weak laugh through his pain and tears to help the joke along. Again a period of silence passed before another voice spoke up.

"Looks like I'm up next," the voice much deeper, but every bit as unusual belonged to Washu. "Well now, my reason for, I guess loving you, is a simple one: I want to know how to create the light hawk wings..."

Just then a rather upset Ryoko chimed in.

"Save the crazy scientist bit for someone who cares, you love him just as much as any of us. You know the link between us started running both ways a long time ago."

Washu turned about as red as her hair as she looked at her daughter with her mouth slightly open at the revelation.

"And, furthermore, you haven't attempted to get that final sample from him in about 6 years. Hell, you even gave him his own lab." Ryoko added the last bit just for spite. Washu was now grinning a very cheesy grin and decided to just lay all her cards on the table about her feelings for the boy, no, the man.

"Gee, since my daughter can't seem to keep her big mouth shut, I will admit that I do have feelings for you, Tenchi. Although, my feelings don't run as deep as Sasami's..." Ryoko cleared her throat in an accusing manner "...damn it, fine they do run that deep! Are you happy now, Ryoko?"

"Anyway, I had every intention of thanking and leaving you all on Kagato's ship that day if you managed to defeat him. The appearance of the light hawk wings was something I never expected to see. So, once I heard your story I decided to live here with you, possibly get a guinea pig, and from that guinea pig get the secret to the light hawk wings. But things took a weird turn. I, of course, captured you many a time against your will and it was during those times that something about you just got to me.

You always talked when I detained you--nervous chitchat mainly. For a while it infuriated me. You always talked, but I never talked back. Still, you just kept on talking. As things progressed, I'd catch you and you'd talk like it was nothing strange at all. At first, I thought you were into the whole S&M thing. But I soon realized you felt comfortable enough with me that you weren't afraid of me after a while. Still this isn't where my feelings came into being, that happened when your chattering began to insight me to talk back," the redhead said reminiscently, as her mind drifted back.

"You had this weird calming effect on me until I started telling you things, personal things that I never wanted to think about, let alone talk to someone about. Still, you came back to my lab more and more. You came back, always talking until I began to rattle off more and more of my past. Before long, I had stopped bothering to strap you down, we just sat and talked.

I had planned to leave after I had given up on figuring out the light hawk wings, especially since no one other than you seemed to care what I did as long as they didn't have to come into my lab. Or so I thought. Then as I was making my last minute preparations to leave, you came back as had been your routine for the past couple of years. I had a nice story worked up about why I had to leave if you asked. Of course, you asked and as I started my great lie machine, you gave me this look... it was sadness.

I'd seen sadness before; I even caused some of it. I just never cared. Somehow, though, your being sad hurt me. It just seemed to cut into me like one of my particle scalpels. I forced myself to continue my lie and I tried to look at you as another one of my experiments so I could leave emotionless. But every time I looked at you it hurt," Washu said, introspectively looking at the floor and reliving the memories that played before her eyes.

"As I finished one of the biggest lies that I'd ever told, you simply looked down at me with that expression... that pained expression. And to my chagrin and joy, you knelt down and hugged me goodbye. It was more affection than you had shown any of us in a long time and for it to be shown to me, the crazy scientist who poked, prodded, and drained your body, it meant a lot to me.

'You can always come back when ever you like. And Washu, please try to make some peace with your past. All adults aren't like the ones who took your family from you. I'm an adult now and I'd hate to think you hated me for being one.' I was using every ounce of strength I had to detach the emotional bond I had formed with you, but damn it! The idea of hating all adults, and the realization that you were one and you possibly thinking I would hate you for it... it just broke me," she said looking at him now.

"I cried. And if one of you so much as laughs, I'll turn you into a frog..." Washu scanned the crowd who didn't respond good or bad to the threat. "For the first time in a long time in his arms that day, I cried. I was in a state of happiness in that hug that I hadn't allowed myself in, in more time than I can remember. I was a little shocked when he picked me up. AND before you all go nuclear, he picked me up like someone picks up a small child and just held me on his hip. I could have stayed like that forever, but I figured, even with his excellent physical condition, I'd start to get heavy sooner or later.

He sat me back on my feet and dried my eyes and as he looked at me I knew I had to. I knew I had to rejoin a world I despised, a world that had taken everything from me, a world... a world that he was a part of. I had to rejoin the adult world. So with little effort I returned to the form you see now. Standing there almost eye level with him, I could really appreciate the small distance between us, I could feel the heat coming off his body and now once again I was using all my will power to resist taking him right there." Washu laughed nervously, flushing a deep shade of pink.

"You asked me if I was still planning to leave, and of course the answer was no. It'd take something pretty intense to make me leave. For that moment, I felt the same feelings Ryoko and Ayeka so openly felt. I felt love, deep unmoving, unyielding love. I decided to try and put some space between us before something physical would happen. On my attempt to walk around you, you grabbed my wrist and pulled me into another hug.

God, I almost lost it. I forgot in becoming an adult, all my hormonal levels would return to normal and boy, did they let me know they were back. I was slightly swaying--I can't remember if it was on purpose or if it was weak knees--all I know is the feel of him through that shirt, his chest rubbing against mine and my ni... let's just say I was completely his for the taking at that point.

I think he sensed I was now rubbing against him and he slightly pushed me back, but he still had his arm around my waist. We just stared into each other's eyes for a while. Then he started to approach me for a kiss. Closer, closer, and his lips were millimeters away and then... 'MOM!' He froze and pulled back. It had been six months since you were last in my lab, Ryoko. Six months and you chose then!" Washu yelled while glaring at the area of couch her daughter occupied. Ryoko stopped her unwavering gaze on Tenchi long enough to eye her mom and give an evil grin.

Washu calmed herself enough to finish.

"I was ready to kill. And believe me, if it weren't for his obvious feelings for you or the fact you were my daughter, I probably would have. When you found us, the physical contact wasn't there but the close proximity was. And when you asked what he was doing there, I was set to tell you, and then Tenchi cut in with a weak excuse about asking me to build him his own lab for his sudden interest in science.

I agreed with the story, which you seemed okay with. However, to actually keep up the lie I built him a working lab. Like clockwork, Tenchi continued coming to my lab, but he never got that close to me again. Then the lie somehow started to become truth when he eventually started getting into science. This made me feel great because I took it as a sign he still wanted to be close to me. Unfortunately, he only seemed to be focused on one aspect of me: my knowledge of cloning.

Although, I had cloned thousands of things, he didn't seem to get into it until people of this planet began to clone. He drilled me more and more on questions about cloning and even let me tutor him. Hey, it wasn't a kiss, but still I was able to be close, which I reveled in. Until eventually, he took his experiments to his own lab. He visited less and less, which I have to admit made me feel kind of used. I still answered the rare question or two he had to ask me, which I was happy to get after not really hearing from him that much.

I thought of leaving again after a while, but I just kept thinking back to that day and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The slightest chance of getting that kiss was enough to make me stay here for what I perceive as forever in terms of my life span. And even though I may not be picked, I still love you." Washu ended with that statement looking Tenchi directly in his eyes.

"So that's why you kept looking at me like I tried to kill you, MOM," Ryoko said vindictively through their telepathy.

"Imagine how you'd feel if it happened to you, LITTLE Ryoko," Washu replied, giving a sideways glance at a now silent Ryoko and knew her point was understood.

Everyone now turned their attention to Kiyone in anticipation as to whether or not she would take her turn. She sat there for awhile staring back at them.

"Oh all right, I'll go," she said waving her hands in a little frustration.

"Yeah I know: how did Ms. Stick-in-the-Mud let herself get caught up in this? Unlike most of you, I wasn't immediately carried away with him. When I first came here to get Mihoshi, or find out if she was dead, I saw him sweeping. I just figured I'd get the info I needed from him and be on my way. He pointed to where Mihoshi was sleeping and my first thought was 'Why isn't she dead!' I'm sorry Mihoshi but it's the truth. Then we all know what happened from there, the reassigning to this galaxy, the moving into our own apartment, and the countless dead end jobs to pay for the basics.

On our usual visits here, I couldn't help but notice how Ryoko and Ayeka argued and guarded you from any and all female opposition, even if the opposition wasn't really opposition. I just didn't see what the big deal was. I thought you were nice and everything, but you just seemed too wimpy for my tastes. I wasn't physically attracted to you, either-not like I am to the current you anyway." He smiled at that and so did Kiyone. As she looked him over sitting in the chair, she could feel the stares from the other girls burning a hole into her, so she started talking again. "As I was saying, I know it was kind of a shallow way of going about it, but the way Ayeka and Ryoko went on, it was like you were a god and I quite frankly wasn't seeing it," the teal-haired woman said.

"When you had the second fight with Kagato on Jurai is when my perception of you changed. You were unrelenting I heard, kicked down stairs, blasted--yet you kept getting up. And when you got the upper hand you just really let him have it. I finally got it. You weren't wimpy in general; you just were in comparison to Ayeka and Ryoko's attempts to gain your affection.

I could respect that. But shortly thereafter, Mihoshi and I lost our apartment and had to move back in here. You seemed to have more confidence or something. I guess beating a criminal of that level would give a guy some pep in his step. Anyhow, I was starting to get slightly attracted to that side of you, but the physical was still missing. Once that was coupled with my desire to get off this planet, my urge to get promoted in the GP, and apartment/job hunting--I didn't really have time to dwell on my feelings about you.

So, after we finally got the apartment back you seemed to make it your goal to help us keep it. That's also around the time I started noticing Mihoshi was getting smarter and a lot more focused. Anyway, you suggested we look for jobs that would suit things we already knew and low and behold, I fit the role of a cop perfectly. And after dealing with the criminals of space most of these guys were pushovers here. I was solving more cases and putting more criminals away here and in space, thanks to the new and improved Mihoshi, than I ever thought possible."

She looked over at her partner--the partner she always wanted, the partner that showed herself in brief glimpses--who now appeared to be there to stay and smiled. Her smile was returned and with Mihoshi's smile, Kiyone continued her tale.

"Still it wasn't as fulfilling as I thought it would be. I was captain of the force here in about a year and with Mihoshi more competent than ever, we were on our way back to HQ for sure with our success rate. But still, HQ had been my one goal for a while and it represented nothing but happiness, but the closer I got to my goal the sadder I became. Then, on a day off, I was thinking that we hadn't seen any of you in close to a year or more, not since Tenchi got us the new jobs and great apartments.

I called Mihoshi, even though she lived across the hall from me now, and asked if she wanted to go visit you all. She had to work, and accepting this I decided to go alone. I wanted to surprise you all, but when I got here no one was home, or so I thought. I checked a few rooms, called some names, and yet nothing. I figured I'd take a quick in the ladies' bath seeing as I hadn't used it in a while," Kiyone said, pausing for a quick breath of air.

"Unknown to me, Tenchi heard me calling from the carrot patch and came to investigate. I heard footsteps by the door, so I decided I'd make myself known incase someone was trying to rob the house. I got my earth side arm, wrapped the towel around my body, and made my way out into the hall. I rounded each corner slowly pointing the gun around ahead of me to make sure no one got the jump on me. I checked upstairs first seeing as that's where I heard the footsteps again.

Checking room to room, I finally heard what sounded like shuffling in Tenchi's room. I entered that room like all others, but this time the gun was grabbed, and all in the same motion, that person tossed me to the floor. I thought I was dead, because this person was strong and obviously prepared for the worst. Even with all of my training, being in a towel coupled with the suddenness left me bewildered, I figured I was through. I opened an eye wondering why I wasn't hit yet and I saw the face of my potential murderer, I knew the face, but the body was just, out of place.

'Ten... Tenchi?' I know I must have sounded dumb. But come on, I didn't know he'd change like that in a year. He apologized and helped me back to my feet. And after the usual round of questions, he let me go back and finish my bath. After resting my sore back in the hot water, I finished up my bath and got dressed. The next scene will be etched in my mind permanently," she said casting another smile at the man in the chair.

"I walked up the hall to the living room, but as I got there, Tenchi was changing the shirts. I almost fell down. I'd seen him shirtless before but not with that body… Ugh, once I managed to relearn how to breathe, the realization of my homely life settled in on me. At the time, I hadn't been on a date or even thought about dating in years." Kiyone started to look kind of down as her mind began to think about the time she had wasted pursuing promotions and scheduling her life to the day. Unfortunately, the time taken to reach her promotion goals were severely hampered throwing her life's plan into dismay.

She let out a slight sigh and began where she left off.

"I waited until he had his shirt on before I made my presence known. Unknown to me he already knew I was there and before I made my way into the living room, he asked, 'Are you going to stand there watching me all day? Or are you going to come, sit down and talk to me?' I know I was blushing despite myself, but I decided to walk in as if I had never heard him say that. After I took my seat beside you, I remember you asking the usual questions you'd ask someone you haven't seen in a while.

'How are your jobs treating you,' 'met anyone yet,' etc. questions like that. You asked me more but those seemed to stick out, especially the later. I breezed over the first one with mock and sincere joy. I was happy to be making it safe for people, but it wasn't making my life as joyous as I had originally planned and hoped. I then moved onto the more difficult question.

And boy, I wanted to answer those with things like 'yeah, I met a great guy at the office.' Or even 'I arrested this one guy for burglary, but he seems nice enough.' Unfortunately I could only answer with 'no'. He gave me a reassuring speech: 'Don't worry, a pretty, smart, strong girl like you can't be alone forever.' At first it seemed to make me feel wonderful, but somewhere between joy and sadness was the reality," Kiyone said, as she shook her head slightly.

"I beat almost every guy who ever attempted to try and date me away with a stick. Even when I got compliments, I acted as if they meant nothing, which a lot of them did, or I just made some kind of sarcastic remark and left it at that. In the GP, all the guys basically knew or thought it was hopeless trying to talk to me so they treated me like one of the guys. At first I liked it, but when they started talking to me about other women it made me realize how 'one of the guys' I had become. I grew to loathe that status.

Then, at the station here, I figured I'd start over. I'd acknowledge compliments if I got any. I got them, but still no one tried to approach me. I just came off as too strong for most of the guys' liking. Couple that with the fact most of them were married and compliments were all I knew I'd be getting." Kiyone looked truly rejected at this point in her story, but she put on a more relaxed front when she started talking again.

"Anyway, I guess I was too silent after Tenchi's pep talk and he asked if I was all right. Let it be known that I never liked getting personal with anyone. Like Washu, I was ready to dodge his concern with some of my perfected detachment skills, when I turned and met his eyes. They were so full of concern that I just broke. The stress of acting like I didn't care about being lonely or only cared about promotions finally cracked me. He stared perplexed at me for a while, I guess he thought he'd upset me with something or other and he really started apologizing when I began to cry. I began to rattle off years of pinned up frustration, anger, sadness, and the more recent realization, loneliness.

Tenchi, I remember you sat there and let me yell at you about things you didn't do. When I began to punch at the air he put a comforting arm around me; this proved to be a mistake. It's like a damn self-protection system, try to get close to me and I start trying to push you away. I punched, kicked, screamed and out right assaulted him. He just sat there and took it all... just holding me telling me things would be all right. He let me wail on him for... I don't even know how long, he didn't even try to stop me and I'm sure he could have. Heck, you could have snapped me in half if you wanted to. Finally, I got tired from all the yelling and swinging. I just wilted against him, still crying."

Kiyone took a deep breath and forced a chuckle before quickly continuing her story.

"I'd lost my will to pretend. I just let that embrace consume me. It had been too long since I let someone get that close to me, physically or otherwise. Your arms, your chest, they just felt so good against me. It was all just so, so relaxing. For the next few moments time was put on the back burner as you just held me. You didn't try to get a cheap thrill by groping me like the last few guys I had let get that close to me. You didn't try to coax me into sex or the like; you were just that shoulder to cry on that I needed and you were content with that.

I probably wouldn't have protested if you had tried. When the silence was broken you asked me if I was okay. The feel of you against me somehow made the answer of yes feel like it wasn't a lie. No it wasn't a lie. I was okay. I was perfect; I was happy; I had someone here who cared for me; and for the first time in a very, very long time I didn't care about time or where my schedule said I should be..

And like Washu again, you began to make me talk. You didn't say anything... I just felt like I could tell you things, anything. I told you about how I had made my career my pinnacle of happiness. How I made it out to be as great as Ryoko and Ayeka made you out to be, and ultimately how it didn't come to be like that. Still, you sat silent at the end of my story. Heh, you even pulled me into the hug a little tighter, letting it speak for you. That seemed to say more than words ever could.

With the weight of all my stress and burden off of me, I began to drift with my thoughts, about finding that someone Tenchi said I would find. Only one problem showed on my image of this person: I was being held by that person right now. I tried to imagine someone else! I really did! I knew I'd be the last person he'd think about having a relationship with," she said with a small sigh.

"Beep, beep. It was the GP. The job was saving me from the pain of dwelling on not having him, at least for a while. I stood up and dried my eyes before materializing the screen to hopefully get a mission to go deep into space for a few days. Wrong. My superiors had called with the message that I had waited to hear for years.

'Detective First Class Kiyone, you and Detective First Class Mihoshi have been promoted to Head Quarters. No more patrolling that dead galaxy! Congratulations, Kiyone… Kiyone?'

It was like having two dreams come true and then having them crushed by one and other. On the one hand, I had a guaranteed promotion with no chance of happiness and on the other, a possible one in three chance of being with a guy I now knew I loved. The chief stared at me awaiting some kind of response and Tenchi mustered a weak congratulations, I must have looked between the two faces a dozen times before finally saying something.

'Sir, with all due respect, I will have to decline the promotion at this time.' The chief and Tenchi both looked at me like I had a second head.

'Kiyone, you've wanted this for so long! What would possibly make you give it up and stay in that isolated location? Please think of your career!' The chief pleaded with me.

'All I ever thought about was my career, but today it's about me. And I don't want the promotion. I want to stay here with the man I love,' I said it without a twinge of regret.

'Very well, I will contact Detective First Class Mihoshi and see if she is as reckless with her future as you are.'

Heh, I guess she is seeing as she's still here.

In the meantime, when I turned the screen at the time, I was caught off guard. Tenchi looked sad. I didn't get it. I said that I loved him, although not directly to him, and he seemed sad. Just then I got a page from my Earth job and had to leave before I really had time to sort out his down look. I hope that smiling face that we all love will come back... today I hope." Kiyone looked at him lightly, sitting in his chair on the stage. Tenchi looked at her and gave a bright smile, not a forced one but a genuine smile.

"Why does she get a smile, huh, Tenchi?" Ryoko threw at him not smelling any of his previous sadness. His response came, with smile plastered on his face.

"It wasn't just for her. It was for all of you. You made this choice very easy for me."

"Huh," was the collective answer.

Tenchi stood, looming as the stage's elevated height made him appear even taller.

"I'll be right back," he said goofy grin still plastered on his face.

Before the girls questioned him about where he was going, Tenchi returned from upstairs with a video. He sat it on the chair and prepared to speak for a moment himself.

"I have something to show you all," Tenchi said, nearly cracking his face with the depth of his smile.

He closed his eyes and concentrated for a second, as wisps of light began to separate from him. The seven light hawk wings formed in a rotating circle in front of him. With a little more concentration they stopped spinning and began to fan into a straight line, one wing beside the other.

"Uh, Tenchi, we know you can form the light hawk wings. What do they have to do with anything?" said a visibly confused Sasami.

Tenchi just stared at the images that were on the reverse of the wings, images he wondered at times if he had imagined or if anyone else could see them.

"This is what they have to do with all this." Closing his eyes this time caused six of the seven wings to float to a stop in front of each of the women. Neither of them got the importance of the wings. One more mental command and the wings slowly turned in mid-air showing the women the reverse of each wing. Each woman's wing seemed to be playing certain scenes of her and Tenchi. No one made a sound. They all just sat there, mouths open, and no blinking.

"I might as well start at the top," Tenchi began with an air of simplicity. "About the wings, I figured out the secret of the light hawk wings, or what I believe to be the secret," Tenchi said with a Washu-esque tone.

Washu shot out of her stupor first. "What? There's no way that you could have figured out the secret! It wasn't in your DNA, blood, or anywhere! What is the secret tell me now!" the woman screamed.

Tenchi blinked nervously for a moment, before replying, "Notice that I said what I believe. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling that I'm right. Remember when I first formed them on Kagato's ship?" Everyone answered with a unified nod. "I only formed three. But when I looked at them, I saw faces on each of them. They weren't as clear on the wings as they are now, but they were definitely there.

Sasami, Ayeka, and Ryoko--I figured at the time they must be giving me some kind of power to allow me to form them. With Sasami being part of Tsunami and Juraian, Ayeka being Juraian as well, and Ryoko's jewels possessing power that was Juraian-like--I found out later on--I just assumed that I was feeding off them," he said.

Washu again chimed in, saying, "That still doesn't explain anything. You could have been just feeding off of their powers. Or your body could have been just focusing the power that came from them to form the wings."

Tenchi looked at Washu and smiled. He knew that she wasn't going to accept his self-professed answer with ease, if at all.

"True, that could've been what the deal was. But how do you explain Kiyone and Mihoshi? They aren't Juraian." Tenchi waited for her retort, only to watch Washu's ego deflate onto the couch in stunned silence.

Feeling that his point had been made somewhat, Tenchi continued. "As I was saying: Once we got Washu and came back here, I started spending more time in the lab, at first to get Washu for meals but then to talk to her. Move forward in time until we're at the day where she was about to leave and we almost kissed. After I left her lab, I was going back to my room to try and clear my mind. That's when I felt a weird something-or-other leave me. I thought that I was going to pass out. Instead, when I opened my eyes, the light hawk wings were out for some reason. But instead of three, there were four. The newest wing had a faint image of Washu on it. I couldn't quite understand how this was possible. Washu didn't have any connection to Jurai's power that I knew of. Whatever the case, I thought that I would now be drawing from her power now as well. I extinguished the wings and continued on.

After each of the moments Kiyone and Mihoshi described, the same thing happened--a wing bearing their image appeared. After Kiyone's wing appeared I thought about what she said. She said that she loved me. I had never given much thought to a relationship with her, but the more I did, the more I became in love with with the idea and the woman that spawned it. Then I started thinking, drawing lines between the dots and the picture started to take shape.

Every time that I felt love for one of you, I got a new wing..."

Washu, again, interrupted. "If love is what creates the wings, who's the seventh wing for? Is there another woman out here somewhere that you've got in limbo about your feelings for her?"

Tenchi's look sort of went down, but he answered the painful accusation. "No, I don't have another woman out there confused and hurt," he ran a hand through his hair steadily, before drawing the will to continue. "The seventh wing never had a face. It's the only one that contradicts my love theory," Tenchi said morosely, trying to mask the slight pain he felt from Washu's previous comment.

In his brief pause, everyone jumped as they heard a sharp exhale. Tenchi slid his eyes down the couch and noticed that it had been Ryoko.

"Ryoko, what's wrong?"

Everyone sat in unequivocal confusion as the pirate looked as though she'd seen a ghost. There were a few more seconds of her silence and their looks before the former pirate spoke.

"You could see me," Ryoko whispered, her eyes never leaving the silent image before her. "All those years I spent watching you from that cave and you could see... why didn't you tell me?" She was on the verge of tears but she still kept looking at the wing.

Tenchi's smile fell, but his spirits stayed high. "I will make this up to her," was the only thing his mind repeated over and over again.

"When I was small," he started, coughing nervously into his left fist to remove the crack from his voice. "When I was small, my mom brought me to the cave. When I was about three years old, as you probably know already Ryoko, I didn't have any friends around here. I was basically at the shrine with grandpa and dad, isolated and alone. It forced me to learn the power of the imagination, and embrace it. On one of the few times grandpa gave me a break from sword practice, I decided to go on an adventure with one of them.

We made our way to the cave--our future base of operations--that my mom brought me to so often. For some reason--instead of seeing only my usual ninja-like cohort--I saw him and a lady. The only problem with that was that I didn't remember making you up. You just stood on top of the cave entrance looking at the horizon. I stared at you for a while, wondering what it is you were looking for. I tried to get your attention a couple of times, but you didn't appear to notice me. So, Mamoru and I continued on our way playing.

I never forgot about you, though. That's probably why I started spending more and more time around the cave. You were always there, staring out but never doing much of anything else. But one day, I happened to notice something--you were staring at me. You looked so sad, and then you started staring at the horizon again. Every time I came back, though, I'd stare at you until you gave me a glance or at least acknowledged me somehow.

I finally told dad and grandpa about you one day. Heh, dad's response was that my imagination was running away with me. And grandpa? That's when he started in with the demon story again. I just couldn't believe the beautiful, see-through woman that I saw was a demon. Not only couldn't I believe it, but I wouldn't," Tenchi said resolutely, as though in the exact moment of his memories.

"I remember I ran away from the shrine the day my mother died, crying and stumbling blindly through the bamboo shoots. I ended up at the cave again and, for the first time, you weren't on top of it. You came down and were right in front of me. You were so close to me that I swear that I could feel your breath against my skin. I figured you were probably a spirit of a woman that had died long ago, though, I was thankful for the company. Then you smiled, if I'm remembering correctly.

Unfortunately, I couldn't smile back and you looked sad again. Then you faded away. I came back through the years, but you weren't there or--if you were there--I could no longer see you. Eventually, I started believing what dad had said about my imagination. But I could never shake that image of you smiling. I just knew that I didn't imagine that; I couldn't imagine that. After pleading to go into the cave for years, grandpa finally relented. I should say that he tried to beat me out of the choice by refusing me the keys unless I took them from him. With luck--and I'm pretty sure a lack of effort by him--I got the keys. I ran harder that day than I even knew possible for me.

Tired and out of breath, I had come to stand at the place that was so familiar and at the same time, so foreign to me. There, I faced two choices. One: risk going in the cave and unleashing an evil demon on the world. Two: go into the cave, find the lady that everyone else didn't believe was there, and free her spirit. I, of course, chose two. Deep in the cave I found you, Ryoko--mummified or dead, I still don't know really. I just remember panic taking over when you grabbed me.

Still, I wasn't exactly scared, even in your vice-like grip. I remember that you were holding on to me like I was your salvation or something. I know that I wouldn't have run if you looked like you did on the cave entrance all those years ago. I would have probably been more relaxed. At that moment, regrettably, I was starting to get scared especially when your eyes started to glow and the weird orbs started floating around us.

Then the sword blasted you and the moan you made was like in one of those horror movies. 'The demon story is real,' kept repeating in my mind. Then I ran.

By the time I had made it to the exit, I thought you were a demon and feebly tried to reseal you in the cave. I'm still sorry about that. Then there was the whole thing at school and things just seemed to move too fast. I saw you sitting there on that roof, the woman from the cave in all her beauty and in the flesh... flesh that wasn't transparent anyway. I was about to ask if you were her after looking you over... and over and over again..." A small smile returned to his features.

"...but once I built up the nerve to ask, you started with the energy blasts. And admiration turned into fear towards you. Then you became the demon to me. Anyway, after all that happened, I forgot about the cave and your relation to it. Well, I'd forgotten, that is, until your image on the wing grew clearer. I didn't know how to approach the subject after so many years, which is why I never brought it up until now." Another deep bow and apology left Tenchi's lips, aimed at Ryoko's heartstrings.

He waited to see if she'd accept another of his apologies.

Ryoko, still looking at the wing, remembered all the events that were being played out in front of her in overwhelming detail. She looked at the person bowed on the stage. The person who let her live with him even after she attempted to kill him. Tenchi was the person whom didn't get to upset with her lack of cleaning up behind herself, the person whom saw her before she really saw him. He was the person who'd risked unleashing a "demon" on a planet to help her soul be free of that cave. Despite his constant pushing her away, lack of decision making in choosing her over the others, Tenchi had made one decision in her favor: the decision to release her.

Tenchi's protests against her showing affection towards him had hurt, but she knew he had to care for her somewhere to not kick her out or put her back in that cave, and the small ray of hope made her next words very easy to say.

"Tenchi, it's okay. Just move it along I'm tired of waiting..." True, she was tired of waiting. But Ryoko knew she'd keep waiting if it came down to it. Her answer made Tenchi smile, which seemed to bring the mood of the room back up.

"I was going to suggest you watch this tape to explain what I'm about to do, but I figured I'd just show you," said Tenchi, nearly smiling with a giddiness of a small child. The wings returned to him with a mental command. And instead of extinguishing them, he seemed to absorb them as a ball of clay would a few stray pieces of its own matter. "I hope this makes things clearer."

As his body began to glow, the women were forced to shield their eyes from the intense glow. The light slowly disappeared, leaving Tenchi standing there and looking no different. Ayeka was now about to speak when Tenchi came down the stairs and walked to a stop in front of Sasami.

"Tenchi, so does that mean you choose..."

He finished it for her, "You." The rest of group all just sort of slumped. Where as Sasami didn't want to rub it in their faces, but right about now they didn't even exist. Her usual vigor for life seemed to return in an instant, as she jumped from the couch to hug Tenchi. He, however, stopped her.

"I just want to apologize for not doing this sooner. Or rather, I'd like to apologize about figuring out how to do it sooner." Sasami looked a little confused. Pushing his cryptic message aside, she re-attempted her hug and found it accepted. With that they walked towards the kitchen for the purpose of, what appeared to be, sparing the other girls' feelings.

"That little... I should have known, if only I had sent her back to Jurai." Ayeka was hurt, deeply hurt, and as she began to cry she felt someone put their hand on her shoulder. Figuring it was one of the other girls she accepted the comfort from one of her defeated cohorts.

"Ayeka, I didn't just choose Sasami, I chose you as well," the voice said softly.

"Now, I guess this is where I go crazy, making today most eventful," she chuckled, never noticing the large, lightly tanned hand on her shoulder. "First I lose Tenchi, to my own sister no less, and now I lose my mind, great."

From her viewpoint on the couch she could see Tenchi and Sasami talking at the kitchen table.

"Princess, please look at me."

Ayeka, figuring she had nothing else to lose, averted her gaze and followed the hand on her shoulder upward to a face.

"Tenchi?" she asked, looking into the kitchen and at the person behind the couch. The princess's eyes shot back and forth between the two men until she felt dizzy. "But... But how is this possible? What... who... Washu what is this?" the confused princess asked.

Washu just stared forward. She'd heard her name but at this point her name held little meaning. That's when someone touched her shoulder. There was a firmness in the grip that she somewhat recognized, but she still refused to look.

"Little Washu, your guinea pig is trying to have a talk with you..."

"Tenchi, will you please just leave me alone? You chose Sasami. I'm an adult, I can handle it," the scientist nearly said, coating her words with heavy venom. Obvious sadness rang through her words as well, but she refused to cry.

"I didn't just choose her," was that familiar response. Washu still sat in silence oblivious to everything other than the fact that Sasami and Tenchi were talking it up in the kitchen. Then there was the fact that Tenchi wouldn't stop his annoyingly chatting at her from behind the couch so she could think...

"It's bad enough that he chose her, but must he keep talking to me like nothing happened?" Washu thought to sullenly. Again she heard the distinct sound of Tenchi, one from behind her and one from the kitchen.

"Washu, will you please look at me? Come on. Give me a chance before you dismiss me like this. Please?"

That did it! Tenchi asking her to do him anymore favors after what had just transpired went beyond petty annoyance! With words hateful enough to crush a city, Washu whirled off the couch ready to put Tenchi in one of the multiple dimensions that she had at her disposal. That's when she saw it. There was Tenchi sitting at the table with Sasami... and there was Tenchi, standing in front of her behind the couch. And there was Tenchi standing behind Ryoko. And there was also Tenchi standing behind Ayeka. Washu rubbed her eyes for a moment to make sure. No, there wasn't a mistake. But there was Tenchi standing behind Kiyone, and Tenchi standing behind Mihoshi.

"What? Tenchi!" Washu's screaming of that name brought the other girls out of their incoherent, blank stares.

Sasami and her Tenchi returned to the living room upon this blood curdling scream, though, only Sasami appeared in shock.

"So, I see you've all met," that Tenchi said, deriving great humor from the situation.

"All met?" was the collective question from Ryoko, Kiyone, and Mihoshi. Ayeka and Washu were both still speechless.

"Look behind you. That's all there is..."

The three women complied only to give the same response Ayeka and Washu, pure silence. Sasami just blinked to see if she was really seeing six of Tenchi.

"I'm guessing you'd all like me to explain this," Tenchi smiled with obvious amusement. He detached Sasami's powerful hands from his right arm and marched to the stage, where all 6 of him ascended the wooded platform. Again the bright light came, only from all 6 this time and when it faded there stood one Tenchi...