Tenchi Muyo: Maternity (NSFW bits)

[Zigra]

Forward note: This story takes place shortly after OAV 2, and ignores OAV 3.


Prologue

  Ifurita tucked her little daughter, Sylia, into bed. Her wife, Sasami, and their older daughter, Shaorin, stood by her side. The three of them took turns giving a kiss on Sylia's forehead.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Sylia?" Ifurita asked.

"Can one of you tell me another bedtime story?"
Ifurita and Sasami looked at each other and nodded. They always enjoyed telling the children the stories of their past adventures. However, they now had to decide on a particular one to tell Sylia tonight. They gave it some thought before Sasami had an idea.

"I know just the right one." Sasami said.

The Goddess-incarnate sat on the bed by Sylia's side.

"By now, you and your sisters know the story of how your Auntie Aeka and I first met Tenchi."
Sylia nodded, her interest perked.

"Well, there is one story that I don't tell very often. It is the story of how this family truly began. And, of all my children, I want to tell you this story, because it is you, Little Sylia, who is the most important part of this story......"

                                                                       * * *



In the void of space, just outside the reaches of the Milky Way Galaxy, there was a sight that most people would find utterly disturbing and horrific. A fleet of things traveled through the blackness.

These objects, some as long as a New York skyscraper, appeared to be writhing masses of flesh. Not just flesh, but they gave the appearance of masses of numerous different organisms fused together, and the different organisms seemed as if they were desperately trying to break free from the mass they were trapped in. Even worse was the moaning and groaning sounds the masses each made, like the cries of the damned.

The flesh-masses, numbering in the hundreds, moved in a formation not unlike that of a fleet of ships. They were pursuing something. Flying ahead of the ships in the void as fast as she could was a small winged creature. The creature had wings covered with blue feathers. But, the rest of it was unlike any bird. It's body was covered with blue reptilian scales, its long serpentine body ending in a snake-like head. The upper torso was vaguely humanoid and feminine, and the creature had a pair of arms.

Every now and then during the pursuit, the feathered serpent would turn around and fire bolts of energy from her hands. The bolts of energy would take out a number of the flesh ships. But they kept up the pursuit.

The situation was desperate. The feathered one had come too far to have her goal be undermined by these monstrosities. Since small bursts of energy weren't doing enough against the attackers. There was only one last resort that might work.

The feathered onel turned around and faced the fleet. Her entire body began to glow with a blue light. The light began to quickly expand outward in all directions. It wasn't long before the attacking fleet was enveloped by the light. One by one, as the light touched the flesh masses, they were annihilated. Soon, the entire fleet was gone.

The light vanished, and the feathered one stood alone in space. The usage of that energy took so much out of her, she now didn't know if she would be able to reach her destination......

                                                                * * *

"Nooooo!!!!!"

Aeka awoke to the sound of her little sister's cries. Sasami was having nightmares again. She rolled over to find that Sasami had already awoken from the nightmare. She was just in time to notice the markings on Sasami's forehead glowing before the glow subsided. The older girl took her little sister in her arms comfort her.

"There there, Sasami, it's alright. It was just a bad dream." Aeka said, trying to reassure both Sasami and herself, her being alarmed by the glowing symbol.

"Ryoko...." Sasami cried.

"What about her?" Aeka asked.

"Ryoko killed my baby!"

Aeka could only hold her sister in stunned silence.

                                                                      * * *

Far outside where the fleet of flesh-masses was destroyed, yet another fleet of these abominations waited.  Inside the lead mass, there were all manner of corridors and hallways. The flesh-masses, it turned out, were actually ships of a sort, and were piloted by a crew.

On the bridge of the lead flesh-ship, the crew observed the blue flash of light and the destruction of their comrades.

"See? I told ya this wouldn't work!" one of the crewmen sitting at what passed for a console said.

The whole crew on the bridge chuckled and laughed. All except the captain. Sitting on a chair made from the exoskeleton of a slain giant insect, the captain buried his face in the palm of his hand. Swallowing his pride, he pulled out a communications device and began to talk into it.

"HQ? Yeah, ummm, well, this whole thing just isn't working out. We're gonna need the Admiral's help on this, so where.......whaddaya mean he's on vacation? FUCK!"

The captain put away the device and rubbed his forehead in frustration. Suddenly, he took notice of the moaning and groaning the flesh-mass that made up his ship was making, and how much it annoyed the shit out of him. He got up, stormed over and gave the wall of the bridge a hard kick.

"Shaddup! If I wanted your opinion, I'd beat it out of you!"

The flesh-ship fell silent.

                                                        * * *

The feathered one fell through the atmosphere of a tiny blue planet. She had just enough energy left to make her landing softer. As she landed, she began to transform. The wings shrunk into her body until they disappeared. Scales melted away until they became ghost-white skin. Pale blue hair soon flowed from the back of her head, and her serpentine face shrunk away into that of a human girl.

Before losing consciousness, the girl smiled. She had reached her destination. Earth.

[Zigra]

Episode 1: Engagement

Tenchi rolled over and turned off his alarm. He sat up in his bed, and suddenly realized just how nice and restful his night was.

'That's unusual.' he thought to himself, 'Ryoko almost always tries to get into my room and bother me while I'm sleeping, but she didn't do that last night.'

Brushing the oddity aside, he got himself out of bed and dressed. Walking out of his room, he was greeted by Washu.

"Mornin', there, Tenchi!" the redhead said cheerfully.

"Oh, uh, good morning, Little Washu. Say, Ryoko didn't bother me at all last night, nor did she try to wake me up this morning. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"Ryoko? Oh, let's just say that she has been spending time helping me out with a little experiment....."

                                                                 * * *

Deep within Washu's laboratory, Ryoko was in a bit of a predicament. She was bound up against a wall while several giant tentacle-like feelers poked and probed every orifice of her body.

"Damn you, Washu!" is what she would have probably said if she didn't have a gigantic tentacle-dildo jamming it's way down her throat.

                                                                 * * *

"Anyway," Washu went on, "before I let you go downstairs, I have to ask, are you prepared for tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?"

"You know, June 11th. We have it marked on the calendar."

"OH CRAP!!"

Tenchi ran back into his room to grab his wallet and then hurried downstairs. He caught sight of Yosho and Noboyuki watching TV in the living room.

"Dad, Grandpa, I need to go out for a little bit. Tell Sasami that I'm sorry I won't be able to have breakfast with everybody, but I should be home for lunch."

"Hmm." the two older men said with a nod.

Tenchi then was off. Meanwhile, Yosho and Noboyuki was fixated on the main story of the morning news. It was the story of how the police discovered the charred remains of a young boy with some sort of unusual playing cards scattered around him.

"The boy has been identified as Yugi Mutou." the reporter announced, "The boy's manner of death appears to be the same as that of one Yoshiro Kuno, a high school principal from the Nerima district in Tokyo who was found dead last week. Police have no leads at this time."

"In other news, police say they may have a new lead in the nation-wide disappearance of a number of zoo animals and zookeepers......"

                                                             * * *

Tenchi rushed out the door. He wanted to be off before Sasami found him, because he didn't want to let her on to what he was doing, nor did he want her to see his humiliation over having forgotten what tomorrow's date was.

June 11th. Sasami's birthday.

Once he made it to the stairway leading down the hill from the temple, he slowed down a bit. In his haste to go out and buy Sasami a gift, he suddenly realized that he still had no idea what to get her.

"Mind if I tag along?" came a voice from behind him.

He turned to see Washu, giving one of her usual cheerful, yet devious smiles.

"Sure thing. In fact, you may....be able to help me." Tenchi said, with a bit of shame in his voice.

"I see. You still don't know what to get her. Shame on you, Tenchi, shame on you." Washu teased.

"But, have no fear, Tenchi. I know exactly what you can get her. Just follow me."

Tenchi felt a tinge of suspicion. In the back of his mind, he knew she was up to something, though he had no idea what. Whatever it may be, he knew that he might as well go along with it, since Washu tends to get what she wants regardless.

As the two of them began walking along, Tenchi realized that he still hadn't had to deal with Ryoko hanging all over him today.

"You know, Washu, I still haven't run into Ryoko yet today. She must be very dedicated to whatever she was helping you with."

"Indeed." Washu said with a wicked grin.

                                                               * * *



Deep in Washu's laboratory, Ryoko was in yet another predicament. She remained bound up to the wall. However, this time, instead of tentacles,a large pole shot up from the floor and jammed its way deep into Ryoko's anus. She was not the least bit comfortable.

Not far away, Ryo-ohki, in her humanoid form, watched the spectacle. She sat in a chair and chowed down on a bucket of carrots like they were popcorn. Around her neck was a chain with a single key attached. The cabbit-girl couldn't help but notice they way a desperate looking Ryoko eyed that key.

"Sorry, big sister," Ryo-ohki said, "but you get no key for freedom until you have an assgasm."

"You. Little. Traitor."

                                                                 * * *

Using a transporter device that Washu was carrying with her, she and Tenchi were brought to their destination. Tenchi was worried that somebody might have seen them appear out of nowhere, but Washu wasn't concerned. The two of them found themselves before a small shop. Tenchi looked up at the shop's sign, which read CD Vision.

"Ah, not a bad idea." Tenchi said, "I know that Sasami has started listening to quite a bit of Earth music lately."

Washu chuckled quietly. Tenchi had no idea what he was in store for.

The two of them entered the store. To Tenchi's amazement the place looked a lot bigger on the inside than the outside. What appeared to be a small and simple shop from the outside looked more like the electronics section of a large department store inside.

"Hi there! Welcome to CD Vi....oh, hello Tenchi and Miss Washu!"

Washu and Tenchi looked over to the woman who just greeted them. Tenchi immediately recognized this bronze-skinned blond.

"Mihoshi? What are you doing here?" Tenchi asked, "I thought you were away on some GP assignment?"
"Well, you see, it turns out that working here in this shop is part of my assignment." Mihoshi explained.

"Sooo, why couldn't you contact us to let us know you were in town?" Tenchi asked.

"Ooohhh, I guess I forgot." Mihoshi said with a sweatdrop.

Tenchi and Washu just sighed and smiled.

"Hey, bubble-brain, you need to quit with the chatter and get back to work!" came a female voice from behind Mihoshi.

Stepping forward was a woman that Tenchi had never seen before. Teal-blue hair tied in a ponytail, with blue eyes and a lighter skin tone that complimented Mihoshi's dark skin. Very attractive. The woman also had an air of seriousness about her that, in addition to her appearance, made her seem like Mihoshi's opposite.

"Hey, Kiyone, these are my friends, Tenchi and Miss Washu!"

"Tenchi? Washu?" the teal-haired woman said with sudden realization, "Would you be the ones that Sasami and Aeka are staying with?"

"Umm, yeah, that would be us." Tenchi answered.

Washu and the teal-haired woman nodded at each other with a gleam in both their eyes. Tenchi suspected it, but now he knew. Washu was up to something by bringing him here.

Then, something that Mihoshi said hit him. The new girl's name. He quickly looked down at her name tag to be sure. Kiyone. The same name as his mother. He couldn't stop staring at that name tag in disbelief.

"Hey, buddy, what do you think you're looking at?"

The sound of Kiyone's displeased voice snapped Tenchi back to reality. He was suddenly aware of the location of Kiyone's nametag on her body, and how it appeared to everybody else that he was staring at her chest.

"Huh, I...I'm sorry, Miss, I just....".

As Tenchi tried to explain himself Washu gave a devious little giggle. The redhead then proceeded to push Tenchi forward. The force of her push made him stumble and then fall. He found his face buried in the soft bosom of the teal-haired woman.

"Okay, I would strongly suggest that you remove your face from my chest before I give serious consideration to snapping your neck."

Tenchi pulled away as quick as he could.

"Okay, well, since you are both here, I would like you to meet somebo...."

Suddenly, they all heard a ding which signaled the entrance of a customer. The hairs on the back of Kiyone's neck stood up.

The four of them glanced over at the new customer. A rather gruff looking fellow. By the overall looks of him, Tenchi and Washu determined that he must be a foreigner, possibly American, if the jacket with green patterns like that of an American military uniform were any indication. The man had dark brown hair, wire trim glasses, and a rather grimy looking five 'o clock shadow. Not attractive by any means.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Siime!" Mihoshi greeted the man cheerfully.

Upon seeing Mihoshi, the man smiled and walked up to her. Tenchi had the sense that there was something empty about that smile, as if it was all for show, though it was anybody's guess as to what was underneath it all.

"Greetings, mammary organism, are you in season?" the man asked Mihoshi.

"Umm, I guess." Mihoshi answered without comprehension.

"I like D.V.D.A., do you like D.V.D.A.?" the man inquired further.

"Ah, I LOVE D.V.D.A.!" Mihoshi answered excitedly.

"Yes," Siime went on, "they are a great band, aren't they?"
"Ooohhh, it's also a band?"

Kiyone couldn't take it any longer. She rushed over and grabbed Tenchi by his collar.

"Get. Me. OUTTA HERE!!!" she cried.

                                                           * * *

Kiyone led Tenchi and Washu to the back room.

"Gods, I can't stand that guy!" Kiyone said, "He comes into the store on a regular basis, asks a bunch of weird-ass questions, and flirts with me and Mihoshi!"

"He is a rather bizarre specimen. I might want to dissect him sometime." Washu said.

"Anyway," Tenchi chimmed in, trying to forget that he heard that last part, "Miss Kiyone, you said you had somebody for us to meet?"

"Oh, yes. There's somebody staying in the apartment upstairs. Let's just say, it will be a great gift for Sasami tomorrow."

Tenchi was more then a little perplexed. He looked over at Washu, who had a large grin on her face. Apparently she knew exactly what was going on. Kiyone gestured for them to follow her.

                                                            * * *

Some time later, Tenchi, Washu and Kiyone returned downstairs. The whole way down, Tenchi just stared ahead in utter disbelief.

The three of them returned to the shop just in time to see Siime strolling out of the store. There seemed to be a sense of joy to his steps, and when he turned to walk down the sidewalk they noticed a rather pleased smile upon his face.

They then noticed that they didn't see Mihoshi anywhere. A moaning sound came from behind the front desk. Then, up stood Mihoshi, who was in the process of putting her shirt back on. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she had a dreamy look on her face when she looked at the direction that Siime left in.

"Wooooowwww!!!!" the blond said with great pleasure.

"Excuse me while I go to the bathroom and lose my breakfast." Kiyone muttered.

                                                              * * *

Tenchi and Washu soon left the shop. They could barely contain their laughter and the tissue Tenchi held to his nose could barely contain the blood dripping out of it.

"Well, at least Mihoshi is very happy right now." Tenchi said with a smile.

Washu stopped for a moment.

"Now, Tenchi, remember to keep it a secret from Sasami. About who we saw here today. We need it to be a big surprise for tomorrow morning. It will be a great present for Sasami from you."

Tenchi nodded in agreement. He now looked forward to seeing the look on Sasami's, and Aeka's, faces tomorrow when he presented this little gift.



                                                               * * *

Nerima District, Tokyo

A little old lady was busy watering the sidewalk by the street outside her house. She did this often, frequently causing trouble when she accidently splashed certain individuals with a peculiar curse.

The ground beneath her began to shake and rattle. Most people would have assumed that this was an earthquake, but the old woman knew better. He was coming back the the neighborhood. She quickly got back inside, because she sure as hell didn't want to be out with him around.

After the old lady rushed back inside, a blue swirl of energy formed in the middle of the street. A vortex opened up from that energy, and out of the vortex walked Siime. He was feeling pretty good about himself, having accomplished his mission for the day. However, he felt rather hungry at the moment. He would likely have to visit the nearest zoo for a quick snack.

As he walked along cheerfully, he heard the nearby sound of a heated argument. He decided to investigate.

                                                             * * *

Ranma and Akane were at it again. Ever since Ranma's friend, Ukyo, started coming to school in more feminine clothing, Ukyo had been getting more and more attention from the boys. Suddenly, Akane wasn't the most popular girl in school anymore. While she always said she hated that sort of attention, she now found herself secretly jealous, and as usual she took her anger out on Ranma, even imagining him to be one of the boys who drooled over Ukyo (even though he had actually done no such thing). Right now, she was in the middle of accusing him of being some sort of womanizer who ogled over Ukyo, even though all he had done was try to protect his friend from the guys who were trying to molest her.

Little did they know that their argument had an audience. Siime observed the two of them with keen interest, wondering if he should step in and do something about the situation. He finally decided that he should when he saw Akane slam Ranma over the head with a mallet.

"Excuse me, sir, but where I come from, a man beating on a woman like that is unacceptable." Siime said, stepping up to the two.

For a moment, both Akane and Ranma were baffled by this stranger's words. Then they both realized the fact that Ranma was currently in his female form, having been splashed by that old lady dumping water on the sidewalk again. Then something else about the stranger's words hit Akane.

"Hey! Who are you calling a man?!" Akane asked Siime, clearly offended.

Siime stepped over and took a closer look at Akane.

"Oh, excuse me," he told her, "I thought that you were a man crossdressing. But it appears that you're just butch."

"Uh oh." Ranma muttered to him/herself.

Akane was tremendously taken aback by what Siime just said. After all this time of hearing Ranma's weak insults, it hit her like a brick to hear somebody dish out a good insult towards her. Suddenly, she found herself filled with more rage than either Ranma or Tatewaki had ever been able to induce in her.

As Akane was preparing herself to strike at the stranger, Ranma sensed something from him. He recoiled in horror as he realized that this stranger had a menacing aura not unlike that of Happosai or Cologne. He had to stop Akane from attacking this individual.

"Akane, don't!" he tried to tell her.

"Back off, Ranma! I can take care of myself!" she snapped, shoving Ranma aside when he tried to restrain her.

Akane then stormed up to Siime and pulled out her mallet.

"BAKA!!!" she shouted as she struck Siime with the mallet.

Akane's fighting spirit dwindled as the mallet completely shattered upon Siime, leaving the man unfazed. It took Siime a moment to register what Akane had just tried to do to him.

"Wow, you just tried to assault me, didn't you?" Siime said, "I can't let that stand."

Siime reached out and grabbed Akane with both of his hands.

"I was feeling a little hungry at the moment." he told her, "And now I think it's supper time!"

Akane looked on in horror as Siime's mouth expanded. It quickly elongated, and then what first appeared to be a human mouth became something much larger and more crocidilian. Siime's now monstrous jaws unhinged as he pulled Akane towards them.

"RANMA!" she cried out to her fiance' for help, but Ranma had been knocked senseless when the force of Akane's shove caused his head to hit the pavement. There was no help for her now.

                                                           * * *

Ranma finally came to his senses. He looked up just in time to witness in horror the sight of Siime's unhinged jaws swallowing something hole. He recognized Akane's legs as they struggled to get free, only to slide down Siime's throat. Once Akane was completely swallowed, Siime's crocodilian jaws morphed back into a human-like face again, and Siime's belly was clearly distended from his meal. He then walked over to Ranma.

"Do not fear, Miss, I have saved you from your abus.....".

Before Siime could finish his sentence, Ranma lunged at him and tried to punch him repeatedly.

"Hey, Miss, what's the deal? I just saved you, didn't I?"

                                                               * * *



The next morning came much like any other. Sasami slowly awoke to a familiar "miya!". As she always did, Ryo-ohki woke Sasami up earlier than everybody else so that Sasami could make everybody breakfast. The fact that today was Sasami's birthday didn't change that in the girl's mind.

However, Sasami soon found that things were not as they usually were this morning. She looked over and saw that Aeka was not in her cot. She blinked in curiosity. It was odd for Aeka to wake up so early.

Whatever the reason for Aeka already being awake may be, Sasami still knew that it was her duty to the household to make breakfast. She quickly got dressed and hurried on downstairs.

As Sasami came downstairs, she was greeted by the sight of Tenchi, Aeka, Washu, Mihoshi, Yosho, Noboyuki, and a teal-haired woman that she didn't recognize all gathered together in a group. The way they all looked at her told Sasami that they were waiting for her, and she knew why before words were even spoken.

"Happy birthday, Sasami!!" the group shouted in unison.

"Oh, thank you, everybody!" Sasami answered in joy.

"Hold on, Sasami. We have far more than birthday wishes to give to you." Tenchi announced.

Before Sasami could ask what he meant, the group stepped aside and Tenchi opened the front door. In walked an individual that Sasami knew well, yet hadn't expected in a million years to see upon this day. The woman's Juraian royal garb was replaced by a beautiful white gown, and her hair was let down long and flowing instead of in a ponytail, but it was undeniably her.

"MOMMY!!!!!"

"LITTLE SASAMI!!!"

Mother and daughter ran to each other and gave one another a huge embrace. The tears swelled up in both their eyes.

Ryoko, the only one who hadn't woken up early enough to join the rest of the group, was startled awake on the beam where she slept by all the commotion. She got up and teleported herself downstairs. She froze in horror at the sight of whom Sasami was embracing.

'Oh....crap.' she thought to herself.

Ryoko turned around and tried to tiptoe away. She didn't make it far. The form of Jurai's second queen quickly stepped in front of her, a very displeased look etched across the queen's face.

"Trying to sneak away?" Misaki said with a bit of a growl, "Does that mean you aren't happy to see me? That makes me VERY unhappy!"

Misaki grabbed Ryoko's face and began to bend and twist it around in all sorts of directions.

"I'M SO SORRY, PRETTY YOUNG LADY!!!! I'M ACTUALLY VERY HAPPY THAT YOU'RE HERE!!!!!" Ryoko cried out desperately.

"That's better! I'm happy to see you, too, Ryoko." Misaki said, giving the pirate a hug.

"Well, Lady Misaki, why don't we all sit down to a cup of tea and talk about your visit." Yosho suggested.

"Ah, yes." Misaki said, suddenly throwing Ryoko face first into the nearby wall, "I have so much to tell all of you!"

                                                                        * * *

The group all gathered in the living room. Misaki sat with both her daughters while she took her first sip of tea.

"So, moth....mommy....how long will you be staying on Earth?" Aeka asked.

"Permanently. I'm going to be living with you guys from now on."

Aeka let out a mild "eep!" while Ryoko spit out her drink. Sasami's eyes widened with both shock and excitement.

"But, what about father and auntie-Funaho? What about your duties as queen of Jurai?" Aeka demanded to know.

"Okay, everybody, this is going to be a bit of a shocker. I have given up my position as Second Queen, and my marriage to Azusa has been dissolved."

Misaki let the shock of her words sink in with everybody before she continued on.

"I'm really sorry to say this, Little Aeka, but you know as well as anybody that my marriage to your father was more about politics than love. What you don't know is that there has been another individual whom I have loved deeply all my life, and I've decided in recent years that I want to be with them more than anything in the world. Your father and sister-Funaho know this, and they both support me entirely."

"But, what does this have to do with coming and living on Earth?" Aeka said meekly, trying to hold back tears.

"Well, you see, this individual left Jurai a little over 700 years ago. I was really heartbroken when we parted ways, but, at the time, I thought my duties as Second Queen were too important, a decision I regretted ever since. This individual recently came to Earth and has been staying here the last few years. I contacted them, and my love for this individual has been rekindled."

Aeka took in her mother's words, and then realized something. The timeframe Misaki was talking about. Those 700 years ago were about the time that herself and Sasami left Earth. Aeka, Sasami, and.......

Misaki stood up and clapped her hands.

"You can show yourself, now, my love." the former queen called out.

At the far end of the room, a series of sparkling lights began to manifest. The lights turned to a glow, and the glow took shape into something more substantial. Everybody in the household knew the radiant being who now stood before them. The woman looked a lot like Misaki, complete with the twin dots on her forehead. Misaki walked up to the woman and embraced her to the surprise of everybody there.

"Everybody, you all know Tsunami." Misaki said, "She's my bride-to-be."

It wasn't quite clear which one fainted faster, but soon both Sasami and Tenchi were out cold.

Aeka quickly tended to her sister, while the others tended to Tenchi. The girls around Tenchi noticed not only the trickle of blood coming from his nose, but also something down below. There was a large bulge in the area of his crotch, while his pants were also rather moist in that area.

"Ack! Gross!" Kiyone cried.

"Darn, I was hoping to collect that sperm sample myself." Washu said.

Misaki and Tsunami looked at each other and chuckled. They then walked over to the unconscious form of Sasami, who was being held by Aeka. Misaki leaned down and gave her youngest daughter a kiss on the forehead.

"Happy birthday, sweety." Misaki said.

[Zigra]

Chapter 2

Once the initial excitement of Misaki's announcement had subsided, and both Tenchi and Sasami had recovered and woken up, Tsunami and Misaki both joined Sasami in the kitchen. Since Sasami, who collected herself rather quickly and became surprisingly chipper about this whole situation, still insisted on making everybody breakfast, Tsunami and Misaki decided that they were going to help her out.

While the other girls were getting the table set, Kiyone felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Yosho.

"May I speak to you alone?" the Masaki patriarch asked her.

                                                        * * *



Kiyone followed Yosho out to the family shrine. It was the most private place they could talk at the moment. The two of them sat and got themselves settled.

"There is something that has been bothering me this whole time that seems to have been lost on everybody else in the excitement." Yosho said, "We are all easily distracted by Lady Misaki's news, but what nobody else is asking is who you are, and why you are here."

Kiyone gave a slight smile and sighed.

"Okay, then, I will tell you what's going on. But, you have to promise me that you won't tell the others. At least not yet. I don't want to ruin the festivities and cause everybody to worry or panic."

Yosho nodded before Kiyone continued on.

"My name is Kiyone Makibi. I am a top ranking officer in the Jurai Royal Bodyguard. I'm in line to succeed Lady Misaki now that she has given up her position and will be living on Earth.

Anyway, as part of a joint effort with the Galaxy Police, me and Mihoshi have been assigned to protect Lady Misaki, Sasami, and Aeka while Lady Misaki settles in on Earth. You see, there has been some trouble back on Jurai that the Royal Family has been tight lipped about. In the years following Ryoko's attack on Jurai, there was a small group of fringe extremists who believed that Ryoko was actually the avatar of a god. Oryo, the Ape God, they call this deity. They believe that Oryo is the only god worth worshipping, and wish for this god, though it's avatar, Ryoko, to destroy Tsunami and the other Jurai trees to bring a new order to Jurai.

For centuries this cult had remained fairly small, and most Juraians didn't take them seriously. However, in recent years, the cult has grown in number under a leader known only as Daa'goth. They have also grown far more bold, committing various terrorist acts against both royalty and civilians."

Yosho noticed Kiyone shudder at that last part, as if it somehow hit close to home for her.

"But, the most troubling part of this is that our intelligence has picked up some evidence that the cult has somehow learned of Sasami's assimilation with Tsunami, and may be seeking to target the princess."

"So, Misaki's visit has more to it than just announcing her engagement." Yosho commented.

"In a way, yes. But, my understanding is there isn't that much of an ulterior motive for it. Lady Misaki told me that when she contacted Tsunami over this matter, their mutual concern for Sasami's safety and well-being rekindled old feelings they had for one another after a secret romance they shared centuries ago before Tsunami left Jurai. Misaki said that this whole mess caused her to realize that both her children and her love for Tsunami were far more important to her than the throne of Jurai."

"So, when do you and Misaki plan on telling the others about all this?" Yosho asked.

"Not today, I know that much. I think for the time being we should let the others enjoy themselves. Speaking of which, I think we better hurry back to join the others for breakfast."

                                                              * * *


"So, Aeka, don't you think this is a bit strange? I mean, Sasami and Tsunami are going to be the same person someday, which means Sasami will be marrying her, your, mother."

Ryoko asked the question as she lazily lounged in a far corner while Aeka, Washu, Mihoshi, and Noboyuki did the work setting the table (much to Aeka's annoyance).

"Hmm, well, yes and no." Aeka replied, "Inter-family marriages are not uncommon among Jurai royalty. Remember that I was engaged to my brother Yosho for a time. What is unusual about this is that it will be the first example of an inter-family marriage between two women."

Ryoko could see that Aeka was a bit troubled by this, and teleported up beside her.

"Hey, look on the bright side, princess. At least she won't be standing in our way in the future."

"I wouldn't be so certain of that." Washu said with a grin, "I think a certain tree spirit still holds a strong place in Tenchi's heart."

That was about the point where the others took note of the fact that Tenchi hadn't been helping them get the table ready.

                                                               * * *         

Tenchi stood outside the kitchen and watched with a smile as the trio of blue-haired beauties prepared the upcoming meal. He marveled at the presence of Tsunami. For the entire time he had known her, the tree spirit had been a distant being in the lives of him and the rest of the household. And, yet, here she was now, acting as though she were a regular part of the family. And that somehow filled him with a joy that he couldn't put into words.

Tenchi also noted something a bit unusual about Tsunami's appearance this time. While she otherwise looked the same as the last two times he saw her, Tsunami's twin ponytails were being held in place by a pair of hair decorations that looked like the heads of two dark blue snakes, with her hair going through the jaws. It was a bit of a curiosity that he thought he'd ask her about sometime, if he could work up the nerve to talk to her.

"I know you're out there watching us, Tenchi." Tsunami called out.

All three of the girls turned their heads back to look at him. Tenchi cocked his head back in a bit of surprise. The three of them looked enough alike that it seemed like he was being looked upon by triplets, a rather amazing sight to behold.

"Is Tenchi thinking dirty thoughts again?" Sasami asked wryly.

"Careful, Tenchi. We don't want to have to get you another change of pants." Misaki said.

Tenchi blushed intensely as the trio giggled to each other.

"Umm, well, umm, you see, umm, it's just that, I see Sasami and Misaki together, and I see what a great relationship they have and it made me think of......."

Before he could say anything further, Tenchi suddenly found himself face to face with Misaki, her eyes wide with tears.

"Oh, Tenchi, I'm so sorry! I forgot that your mother had passed away. It must have been so hard for you growing up without her!"

Misaki gave Tenchi a gigantic hug. With her curvy body pressing up against his so tightly, Tenchi began to believe that he might need another change of pants after all.

Tsunami watched this scene serenely and walked up close to them. She whispered something into Misaki's ear.

"Oh! Yes, what a wonderful idea!" Misaki exclaimed with newfound excitement, "I'll announce it to everyone at breakfast!"

As Tsunami and Misaki got back to finishing preparing the meal, Tenchi and Sasami looked at each other in confusion, wondering what the two of them were up to.

                                                             * * *


As everybody sat down to eat, Misaki called for their attention.

"Everybody, I want to make yet another announcement!"

The former queen cleared her throat as everybody waited to hear what she had to say.

"Tsunami and I want to adopt Tenchi! We want to be his new mommies!"

Aeka froze in place, dropping her fork. Ryoko spat out her drink (again). Tenchi, Sasami, Ryo-ohki, Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Noboyuki all looked at Misaki in shock. Washu had a look on her face that was a mixture of "hold back the laughter" and "uh oh!". Yosho sat calm and unfazed.

"Mo.....mother...what do you..?" Aeka began to ask in a near whisper.

"Since his mother's passing, Tenchi has been longing for somebody to fill that void in his life. We feel that we can do that for him." Tsunami explained calmly.

"Tenchi has all the feminine presence he needs in his life with me!!!" Ryoko growled as she flew up into Tsunami's face.

Tsunami twiddled a finger a bit and suddenly a large metal bucket appeared out of thin air and crashed onto Ryoko's head. Tsunami made a small wave gesture with her right hand, and an invisible force threw Ryoko aside.

"Of course, this would only be if Tenchi wishes it." Tsunami explained before turning her attention towards Tenchi, "So, Tenchi,  would you like for us to become your new mothers?"

Tenchi's face grew red again. He looked around at everybody else who in turn all watched him intently (except Ryoko, who was currently lying on the floor with stars circling her head).

"I.....I would love that very much." he answered meekly.

"Yay!" Sasami exclaimed. As she was the one sitting right next to him, the second princess gave Tenchi a big hug.

"Isn't it great, Aeka? Tenchi is going to be our brother!"

Misaki and Tsunami soon joined Sasami in hugging Tenchi. Tenchi looked at his father and grandfather, whom he expect to disapprove. Instead, he only saw a look of pride in both their faces.

Aeka left her seat and walked up to Tenchi, who was still being gang-hugged by the blue-haired girls. While she didn't join in, a smile slowly appeared on her face.

"Welcome to our family, Lord Tenchi." the first princess said.

While everybody else was happy and excited about this development, Kiyone alone sat quietly. Something about this bothered her, yet she didn't understand why.

                                                         * * *

With all the uproar and excitement that it had brung, the day of Sasami's birthday was over as quickly as it had begun. Using her dimension-shaping technologies, Washu created a new room for Tsunami and Misaki to stay in. For their first night there, Sasami wanted to sleep over in their room. Aeka approved, but declined to join her.

Tsunami and Misaki lay in their bed, Sasami fast asleep between them. They both cuddled close to the girl.

"You still haven't told her the truth, have you?" Misaki asked her lover.

"I've always wanted to, but the time never seemed right." Tsunami said, "Maybe that time will come soon now that you are here with me."

It was a secret that Tsunami and Misaki shared with few others. Only Azusa, Funaho, and Lady Seto knew the truth. The truth that it wasn't Azusa who sired Sasami. The truth about why it was Sasami's cries alone that could wake Tsunami from her hibernation during Ryoko's attack and nobody else. The real reason why Tsunami looked just like Sasami even before the assimilation. The reason why Sasami alone was genetically compatible enough with Tsunami for them to successfully assimilate.

"Little Sasami was the greatest gift you ever gave me, my love." Misaki whispered, "I really missed you both in the 700 years you've been gone. I'm so happy to be with you both again."

Tsunami then looked a bit troubled.

"Will it still be the same for us once Sasami and I fully merge?" the tree spirit wondered aloud.

"It doesn't matter. I will still love you and Sasami to my dying breath, no matter what form you both may take." Misaki assured her.

With Sasami still between them, the two embraced more closely. They were silent with each other for a time before Misaki glanced over to the snakehead hair pieces which lay on a nearby cabinet.

"I see you've started wearing those hair pieces that she gave to you." Misaki commented, "Any luck in your search for her?"

"I'm getting closer, I know this much. I can sense that she not only fell to Earth, but came somewhere to Japan. I do not know yet exactly where she is, but I feel closer to her than I have in ages. I hope I can find her soon, so she can join us in our family."

                                                             * * *



Though she was still unconscious and barely aware of what was going on around her, the feathered one, now in human form, felt herself floating through the air, as if being guided by an invisible presence. She had no awareness of herself arriving at an underground chamber.

The girl was rested at the center of the chamber. Her presence there caused a reaction. The whole chamber suddenly crackled with electrical energy. Beams of blue light shot up from various points in the ground. Two of those beams of light briefly took the form of hands which  gently caressed the girl.

On the far end of the chamber, something opened. A stasis pod. Inside was a woman with pale blue hair, alabaster skin, and a shapely figure. This woman opened her eyes. Was he here already?

The woman in the pod looked up ahead of herself. Instead of the one whom she expected to see, she saw a little girl, probably no older than 11 or 12, lying unconscious in nothing but a simple rag gown. But, what struck the woman the most was that the little girl resembled a younger version of herself. Same blue hair, same alabaster skin.

The woman approached the girl slowly and weakly. The woman's energy was very limited. She put hand on the girl's cheek.

"Mama..." the girl muttered.

The woman quickly understood. She pulled the girl too her in an embrace.

"I'll protect you, my little one." Ifurita said.

                                                         * * *



"Oye...."

The sensation of his head throbbing forced Siime awake. With his vision returning to him, he gazed around at this surroundings. He found that he had fallen asleep on a sidewalk somewhere. He sat up slowly, his head feeling like it was about to explode.

"Man, I really gotta lay off this shit." he said to himself, looking down at the empty bottle of Mountain Dew.

With his senses having returned to him, he decided to walk around a bit to find out where he was. He quickly noted that there was both snow on the ground and Christmas decorations adorning the buildings around him. Seeing as he last remembered it being summer, he either was passed out for several months, or he had accidently crossed over into another parallel universe again.

His thoughts on his whereabouts were interrupted by the sounds of both a girl crying and other girls laughing. He decided to investigate. He came around the street corner to witness a pretty girl with long black hair being surrounded by three other girls. The pretty girl was crying, and the three other girls had mean-spirited looks on their faces while laughing. It was pretty clear what was going on and what he needed to do.

Kotonoha Katsura was in a bad place again. Just when things seemed like they were looking up and she was going to be back with Makoto, she runs into Minami, Natsumi, and Kumi, three girls who loved to bully her.

"Oh, look, she's crying!" Minami sneered.

The three girls laughed at Kotonoha mockingly. They never saw the shadowy figure coming up behind them. While in mid-laugh, something grabbed a hold of Minami's head. She only had a moment to register this before her head was violently pulled apart from her body. The girls looked in horror as the shadowy figure displayed Minami's head before them, her spine still attached and trailing from it, while her headless body gushed blood all over the place.

Natsumi and Kumi tried to make a run for it in opposite directions. Natsumi couldn't run fast enough before she was hit by a yellow beam of energy. She never knew what hit her. All that remained of her was a pile of soot.

Kumi heard the crackling of the beam that hit Natsumi and ran with even greater desperation. She ran out of breath much faster than she knew she should of and ducked behind an alley corner. Shivering with fear, she slowly looked back around from where she came but saw nothing. Was the killer gone? As she pondered this, she suddenly felt something force its way from her back out through her gut. She looked down to see she had been impaled by something from behind, and whatever it was....a tail?...was protruding out through her stomach. The blood churning up her throat prevented her from screaming. In an instant, her attacker grabbed her body from behind and ripped the upper half of her torso from the bottom half.

Amidst the carnage, Kotonoha stared blankly at the disembodied head of Minami. She barely noticed when a figured walked up to her.

"There there, young lady," Siime said to her, his body soaked with the blood of the three bullies, "I have saved you from those who would bring harm to you."

Kotonoha looked up at him, her eyes glazed over.

"I....I finally know." she said.

"Ah?"

"I finally know how I can have Makoto all to myself now. And I have you to thank for it, kind sir."

Kotonoha slowly walked off and Siime smiled with pride. He was happy to have made somebody's day better.

[Zigra]

Chapter 3

It was a good night. For once. Tenchi had the most restful he had in a good long while. It probably had something to do with the fact that Ryoko was too afraid to go into his room after Misaki gave her some...discouraging words....on the matter.

Now that morning had come and Tenchi got himself out of bed, it was time to go downstairs and see what Sasami, Misaki, and Tsunami had prepared for the family. Having three phenomenal cooks working together made each meal something to look forward to more than ever before. Strange that he didn't smell anything as he walked down the stairs.     

As he got downstairs, he saw a gathering of all the women of the household, sans Sasami, Misaki, and Tsunami. They, too, were all curious about the lack of any scent coming from the kitchen. Their curiosity grew as the three blue-haired ladies stepped into view. Tsunami and Misaki were still wearing night robes. Tenchi knew something was up when he saw the flustered look on Sasami's face. It spoke of someone who was anticipating something rather embarrassing.

"Hey, guys, what's the deal? Why isn't breakfast ready?" Ryoko demanded to know.     

"Well, you see, we've got something special prepared, just for Tenchi." Misaki said, "I figured that if I'm going to be a good mother for you, Tenchi, I need to go through all the proper stages of motherhood. This morning, I want to fulfill one of the most important motherly duties. This morning, I want to breastfeed you, Tenchi!"

A long silence.

"Eh, heh, surely you must be joking, mother?" Aeka asked meekly.

"Of course not! Tsunami gave me some hormones last night, and I'm all prepared for Tenchi to start feeding!"

With that, Misaki opened up the top of her robe to expose her breasts. And what nice breasts they were, Tenchi thought. D-cups, nice and round, clearly natural. The Masaki boy could not stop staring, his eyes as wide as full moons, blood trickling from his nose. When Tenchi wouldn't stop staring, Misaki moved in closer to him.

"What's the matter Tenchi, dear? Don't you want me to be a good mother?" Misaki asked with tears forming in her eyes.

"Misaki, my love, I believe that Tenchi has been longing to be mothered by somebody else." Tsunami said stepping closer to them.

Tsunami then opened the top of her own robe, exposing her breasts which were even larger than Misaki's, and, in Tenchi's opinion, were just as nice in their own way.

"Isn't that right, Tenchi?"

While everybody else was speechless, Ryoko decided she had had enough of this.

"You two need to back off!!!" Ryoko declared flying up to Tsunami, "Tenchi would never.....".

Without a word, Tenchi was on Tsunami, his mouth latched to her right breast. Like a lamprey he began to suck mercilessly. Aeka and Ryoko's hearts sunk. Sasami's face turned bright red. Kiyone's left eye began to twitch. Mihoshi looked on in wonderment. Washu looked like she was impressed.   

"Oh, phooey! You always get to have the most fun, Tsunami!" Misaki said with out pout.

Misaki they eyed both her daughters.

"Well, I can't let this milk go to waste. Sasami, Aeka, come here and have a drink." the former queen said to them.

Aeka reeled back in shock.

"Mother, you can't mean for us to...."

"Yes, I do! Now get over here and start suckling!"

Sasami showed little hesitation. She strolled up to her mother, who then pulled the girl to her. After a brief moment of hesitation, Sasami soon followed Tenchi's example. Misaki then looked at her oldest daughter with growing anger. Aeka looked around at all the other women in the room, as if pleading for one of them to help.

"Hey, don't look at me, princess. I can't help you." Ryoko said.

"Yeah, I'm afraid you're on your own." Kiyone declared.

Realizing there was nothing else she could do at this point, Aeka slowly walked up to her mother, and joined her sister. For all the hesitation the first princess showed, once she got started she really got into it.

Meanwhile, Ryoko, not wanting to be a part of this scene anymore, tried to sneak away. Before she could go anywhere, she found herself face to face with a certain red-haired scientist, who was now in her adult form.

"What's the matter, Little Ryoko? Don't you want your mommy to feed you as well?"

Washu opened her top to reveal her rather perky breasts. A horrified Ryoko tried to back away. With the way Washu moved in, it seemed like Ryoko was going to be cornered. And then a gold and brown flash flew past Ryoko. Washu was floored, with a blond haired woman on top of her.

"MIHOSHI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING??!!" Washu yelled.

"Oh, Miss Washu, please let me feed! I'm so hungry!" the blond cried.

As Washu struggled with a persistent Mihoshi, Ryoko and Kiyone decided it was time to leave.

"Yeah, I've kinda lost my appetite." Kiyone muttered, walking away.

As Tsunami surveyed the scene around her, she felt a great sense of warmth and serenity as Tenchi continued to suckle her.
"Is that good?" she whispered in his ear.

Tenchi moaned in satisfaction. Tsunami's milk was, in fact, the sweetest and most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life.       

                                                               * * *



Out in the carrot field, Yosho, Noboyuki, and Ryo-ohki were working. Tsunami had strongly suggested that the two men do the field work today since she and Misaki had a surprise for Tenchi. Ryo-ohki wanted to help them. The three of them had no idea what was going on, but they suspected it was quite a show.

                                                                * * *



"Ah, this is nice!"

Siime had decided that taking a nice hiking trip was just the trick to start enjoying this vacation. And what a crazy vacation it had been. This nation of Japan was certainly an odd place. During his time there, Siime had to deal with everything from strange mecha, kids with spiky hair and magical powers, and warriors wielding all manner of Western religious symbols. He would even come across the occasional artifact which would send him to another world or universe. But, as crazy as it all was, at least Japan had plenty of hot women with colorful hair to boink.

Now, it was time to relax and enjoy the scenery. Or, at least, that's what Siime thought. Unusual sounds caught his attention. The sounds of people shouting at one another. Against his better judgement, Siime decided to investigate.

He came to a clearing, and saw a sight that might have been considered unusual if not for everything else he had been through on this vacation- a group of guys in spiky hair that appeared to be locked in combat. Little did Siime know that his presence had been noticed by these guys.

"Look! Over there! A random individual has come! We must challenge him for no good reason!" Goku announced.

"Yes, we must!" Gohan agreed.

They began to charge up their power to attack. Siime found the way they strained themselves to be rather odd.

'Those poor guys must be constipated.' Siime thought to himself.

Then, he sensed it. The tremendous power surging through the bodies of these individuals. Since they were looking his way, he determined that they were preparing to attack him.

'Hmm, that energy swelling up in their bodies suggest that they might be able to hurt me a little bit. I guess I can't let that happen.'

Siime put out his hands before him. His fingernails quickly grew into claws, and he charged at his would-be attackers. With a swipe of Siime's claws, Goku and his crew were all down.

Siime looked over what he had just done. Standing a few feet in front of him, Goku struggled to get back up. There were deep, bloody slashes in his chest, and blood gurgled up from his mouth, making him unable to speak.
"Looks like I've got something else for my trophy collection." Siime said.

Siime casually walked over to Goku, grabbed Goku's head, and twisted it off. I tiny black hole in the air behind Siime opened up, and he tossed Goku's head into it. He proceeded to do this with all the individuals he had just taken down, until he came up to a blond-haired man.

"Impossible!" Vegeta shouted at Siime, "After that attack, you cannot possibly have enough energy left!"

Siime thought about it for a moment.

"You're right. I am a bit hungry." Siime told him.

Siime's teeth grew sharper and his mouth elongated into a crocodilian jaw as he reached for Vegeta. The screams would only last a short while before being silenced.

                                                          * * *

Heaven. That's the best word that could describe where Tenchi was.

When Tsunami, Misaki, and Sasami went to the bath, they did something that none of the girls had ever done before. Instead of keeping Tenchi and the other men out, or invading the bath uninvited while Tenchi was in it, Tsunami and Misaki invited Tenchi to come in with them.

So, how did Tenchi respond? He accepted their invitation quite happily, rather than doing the "shy and embarrassed mook" routine he was known for. Ever since he first met Tsunami during the conflict with Kagato, he had dreamed to be in such company with her, and having her ask such a thing of him was all he needed to bring out the confidence within.

And now that he was with the woman of his dreams in the bath, the sight of Tsunami and Misaki in nothing but bath towels brought him pure bliss. That bliss intensified as both women sat themselves down on either side of the boy. Sasami giggled as she watched Tenchi oggle Tsunami and Misaki like a lovestruck idiot, the towel covering his crotch standing up like a tent.

Eventually, Tenchi collected his senses, and realized something rather unusual about this arrangement.

"Say, Lady Mi...Mommy, why doesn't Aeka want to join you and Sasami?"

"Oh, don't mind Little Aeka." Misaki replied, "After her little "ordeal" this morning, she has gone to someone else for comfort, just like she did the night after I first arrived. My little Aeka is growing up so fast!"

The three ladies gave each other sly smiles, while Tenchi simply scratched his head in confusion.

"Speaking of matters of love and infatuation," Misaki went on, "I notice you have really taken a liking to this Sailor V individual, Sasami."

Sailor V was a mysterious blond super heroine, reputedly with magical powers, who had recently gained fame across Japan for her demon-battling exploits. In a short time, everything from manga to video games about her had hit the market. And Sasami collected them all, and the fact that she stared rather longingly at her Sailor V poster wasn't lost on Misaki.

Sasami's face turned as pink as her eyes, and she then looked like she was lost in a dream.

"Yes, Sailor V is so awesome, and so pretty!" Sasami said, "I wish I could meet her, and I wish I could be a magical girl just like her!"

Tenchi was dumbstruck. He knew Sasami had idolized Sailor V and collected all sorts of merchandise of the heroine. But, until he saw Sasami's face just now, he didn't realize that this infatuation went far beyond mere hero worship.

"Sasami likes girls?" Tenchi asked, whispering into Tsunami's ear.

"Yes, she like both girls and boys." Tsunami whispered back.

Tenchi nodded. In retrospect, he shouldn't have been surprised. After finding out that Tsunami and Misaki were an item, it made sense that Sasami would inherit their tastes.

Tsunami clasped her hands together. She had an idea.

"Sasami, why don't you tell your mother and Tenchi your secret. Tell them about her."

Sasami froze a bit.

"I...I..can't..."

"Sasami, you know you can trust Tenchi. Just like you did when we revealed how we are joined. And your mother is the same way."
Tsunami was right, Sasami realized. Sasami had been wanting to tell somebody about this for years, but could never bring herself to. But, she knew that Tenchi and her mother (and Aeka, if she were here) were the people she could trust the most about this secret.

"There...is a girl." Sasami began to explain, "I've only seen her in my dreams. She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. As beautiful as Tsunami. Pretty blue eyes, ruby red lips, skin as white as the moon on a clear night. Her smile is just as radiant as Tsunami's, like she is somehow a reflection of Tsunami. I don't know who she is, but I feel like we share a bond that is even greater than that of sisters. Even though I've only seen her in dreams, I know she is real, and I know, somehow, that I love her a whole lot!"

As Tenchi was enthralled by Sasami's story, Misaki shot a knowing glance at Tsunami.

"It's her isn't it?" Misaki asked, invoking a look of surprise and curiosity on Sasami's face. Tsunami's smile was an unspoken 'yes' answer.

"Sasami, I want you to know that your dream girl is for real. I can't say when or how, but you'll be with her someday, and I can feel that it will be soon." Tsunami explained.

"And, as for you," Tsunami went on, putting an arm around Tenchi, "I think your upright Tenchi-ken tells us who you love."

She leaned in closer to him.

"And I feel the same way for you." she whispered in his ear.

                                                         * * *

Ifurita desperately tried to revive the girl some of her own energy, but she had too little to give. If something couldn't be done, the girl would die.

"I wish you were here, Tsunami." Ifurita whispered to herself.

There was another concern. Just what had sapped the girl of her life energy? Given the potential for power Ifurita sensed in the girl, as well as burns and other injuries that looked like she had been in a battle, Ifurita wondered what sort of enemy could do such a thing.

                                                          * * *

On a world in a universe unfamiliar to the Masaki clan, forces were gathering. This army was set to avenge themselves of their comrades who were exterminated. Their mission would take them outside their own universe and to a little blue and green world known to its inhabitants as "Earth".

As the army had prepared to leave their world inside their might ships made of writhing flesh, something was holding them back. On the command ship, the first officer waited with great annoyance. Finally, he opened up communications to the one he waited for.

"Captain, where the fuck are you?! We've got a mission here!"

The image of the captain came on the screen. He was seen carrying a sack full of eggs over his shoulder.

"Sorry, man." the captain said, "The females have entrusted me with the task of caring for the latest batch of eggs. And you know what happens when you refuse their commands."
"But, what about...?" the first officer tried to say.

"Look, I've become aware that some of you're the father of some of these eggs I'm looking after. Don't make me find out if they are as tasty as they look!"

"Fuck!" the first officer blurted out as he cut off communications.

Not able to wait any longer, the fleet was off. It was time to taste primate flesh yet again.

[Zigra]

Chapter 4


In the orbit of Mars, a small ship appeared out of hyperspace and parked itself on the dark side of the planet.

"We are in position now, my liege. We are far enough away that Tsunami likely won't notice us."

"Good! Once the targets are asleep, the operation can begin!"

                                                               * * *

The good times never ceased, it seemed. Nighttime had fallen, and it was time for everybody to retire to their respective rooms and sleeping areas. Except that a couple of individuals decided not to go to their own room.

Believing that Tenchi might get lonely whenever he sleeps by himself, Misaki and Tsunami decided that they would start sleeping in his room to keep him company. On top of that, Sasami (along with Ryo-ohki) joined them because she wanted to be with her mother.

Tenchi, lying in bed,  looked around at both sides of him. On his left side were Misaki and Sasami. The former queen held her daughter close to her, while Ryo-ohki snuggled against Sasami. Both of them were already fast asleep. On his right side lay Tsunami who snuggled close to him. Still awake, she looked upon him with a warm smile.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him.

"I..I don't know. It's just that....you and Misaki have been so good to me in the short time you two have been here. I haven't had anybody care for me in this way since Mother died, and having that in my life again feels so....overwhelming."

Tsunami pressed herself against Tenchi even closer and began to whisper in his ear.

"I know Misaki and I can never really take the place of your dear mother, but you should know that we both love you dearly, and we'll always be there for you."
With that, she gave him a tiny kiss on his forehead. It was not unlike when his mother would kiss him goodnight all those years ago.

"Now, get some sleep, Tenchi."

With the feeling of her warm body against his, Tenchi felt relaxed enough that it didn't take long for him to drift away.

                                                                       

                                                                * * *



It would be an understatement to say that Ryoko felt restless. She knelt against the door to Tenchi's room, trying to listen in. She wanted to go inside and give the two blue-haired women in there what for, but she knew she was no match for them.

"How....undignified."

At the sound of Aeka's voice, Ryoko looked up to see the princess sneering at her. Normally, Ryoko would expect Aeka to be joining her on spying in on Tenchi's room, but something had changed.

"You seem awfully calm about this mess, Your Highness."

Aeka had to admit to herself that she was more than a little upset about this new situation. But, at the same time, she also had to admit that if she had to lose to somebody, it was good to lose to her mother and sister, and not that slobbish pirate that was before her right now. Besides, Aeka was having her own brand of fun at this time.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I have somewhere that I need to be." Aeka said.

With that, the princess left a very confused Ryoko there to sulk outside Tenchi's door.

     

                                                         * * *


                                                         

A few hours had passed. All seemed to be at peace in the Masaki house. But, in the world of dreams, it was a different story.

"Tenchi? Mommy? Aeka? Where is everybody?"

It was happening again. In the back of her mind, Sasami knew that this was just a nightmare. But, she couldn't make it stop. At it was just about to get to the worst part....

                                                        * * *

"Gods, no!!!"

Their bodies were littered everywhere. Sasami, Aeka, Ryoko, Washu, Mihoshi, and even Misaki.

All of them lie in a pool of their own blood. And all Tenchi could do was look on helplessly.

Then, the scene fell away. It was replaced by the scene of a tree. Tenchi knew this tree well. Right before his eyes the tree suddenly became ablaze with fire. The scream of a woman emanated from that tree. Tenchi knew that voice. She was dying, and all he could do was sit back and watch. Even with all his power, Tenchi couldn't save her or anybody else.

Overcome with anguish, Tenchi didn't notice a dark shape coming up behind him.....

                                                         * * *

"Please Mistress, have mercy on me!"

Washu's cries went unheeded as Aeka struck the scientist with her whip again and again.

"Ooh ho ho! How do you like that, you filthy little dog?" Aeka called out cheerfully while whipping Washu.

Washu was on all fours. The scientist wore nothing but a dog collar and the marks of Aeka's whip upon her back. Aeka, meanwhile, wore a very tight and revealing leather outfit that exposed her breasts. There was no shame in the princess's eyes, only sadistic joy.

As Washu whimpered and cried, Aeka had another surprise up her sleeve. The princess pulled out a leather belt. Attached to the belt was a rubber replica of a certain male appendage, nearly a foot long. Washu looked back to see Aeka strap the belt on.

"Oh, please, Mistress Aeka, don't shove that massive shlong inside by tight virginal asshole!"

Aeka, of course, had no intention of heeding the scientist's pleas. Aeka was about to reach over and grab some Vaseline, but decided against it. This little red-haired slut didn't deserve lube, she said to herself.

Just as Washu's rectum was about to get torn up, an alarm sounded.

"Well, I guess your safe for now." Aeka told Washu, "But I won't be so merciful next time."

A secretly disappointed Washu got to her feet and quickly made a computer console appear before her. She looked at it and her eyes widened.

"Oh crap!"

     

                                                                   * * *


Sasami's nightmare reached the point where it always did. As she continued to call out to her family, the ground suddenly shattered beneath her. Sasami fell into the dark nothingness below her. She knew how this would play out, but she couldn't make it stop. She didn't expect what came next.

"Die a peasant's death, heathen idol!" a voice came from behind her.

Sasami barely had time to register the sound of that voice before she heard a sudden "urp!" from that same voice.
Suddenly, Sasami stopped falling. For a moment she let the relief overwhelm her before she remembered that voice. The turned around and saw a man in a Juraian battle outfit that had been standing behind her. The man had an energy blade in his hands and had it raised as if prepared to strike her. But he didn't. He was just standing there. And Sasami saw why- a blade impaled the man through the heart from behind.

As her would-be attacker fell lifeless to the ground, a figure stepped out slightly from the shadows. Sasami could see a bloody combat knife in the figure's hands.The figure didn't step out quite enough for Sasami to make out their form, but Sasami did notice the....bunny ears?

"My my my, you are a little cutey!" a cheerful female voice came from the figure, "I couldn't let this meanie hurt such an adorable girl!"

"Who are you?" Sasami asked.

"Maybe someday you and I will meet again." the figure said, retreating back into the shadows without answering the question.

Before Sasami could pursue the figure, the world around her faded......

                                                         * * *

Sasami and Tsunami woke up together, which in turn caused Misaki to wake up. It didn't take Tsunami long to register what had happened- somebody had attacked Sasami inside her dream before Tsunami could notice what was going on.

"Tenchi!"

Tsunami looked down to see what Sasami saw. Tenchi was shifting and struggling in his sleep. A nightmare. And Tsunami was willing to bet that whomever attacked Sasami was attacking Tenchi now.

When she, Misaki, and Sasami couldn't wake Tenchi up, Tsunami knew she had to try something else. She pressed her forehead against Tenchi's. Her forehead began to glow, and Tenchi's forehead likewise began to glow in response....

                                                           * * *

As Tenchi felt utter despair in his failure to save his loved ones, something came up behind him. "Behold your failure, pagan scum!" a voice behind Tenchi said, "They all died because you were unworthy! You chose that false idol over the One True Goddess, and now you have brought ruin to all! Ponder that as you burn in Hell!"

Tenchi tried to resist the voice, but the images of his dead friends and loved ones burned in his mind and crushed his resolve.

"Tenchi! Don't give in!" a female voice called to him, a voice that was quite familiar to him, "Use your Light Hawk Wings before your attacker can strike!"

The sound of that voice gave him the strength he needed. His body glowed and energy burst from him. His would-be attacker didn't have time to scream.

                                                                  * * *

Tenchi awoke with Sasam, Tsunami, and Misaki looking over him with intense concern.

"Oh, Tenchi, I'm so glad you're okay!" Sasami cried as she gave him a big hug.

At that moment, Aeka and Washu burst into the room. They had  a relieved look on their faces when they saw that everybody was okay

                                                                 * * *

"Dreamscape snipers?"
Washu nodded at Ryoko's question. Kiyone, familiar with the subject, decided to explain.

"Centuries ago, a special technology was developed that allowed for people to astrally enter the dreams of another person. Originally, it was considered a form of recreation. However, the discovery was made that one who entered the dreams of another person could actually harm that person within their dream. It didn't take long for this technology to be used for murder and assassinations. As a result, the technology was outlawed. But, of course, it can still sometimes be found in black market circles."

"So that's what they were using to attack Tenchi and Sasami." Ryoko said, "But why? Who would want to harm them like that?"

Kiyone looked to Yohso who nodded back before explaining.

"There is...an organization" Kiyone said, deciding to hold back some information when she noted she was talking to Ryoko, "that wants to harm Sasami because they feel they can hurt and even kill Tsunami through her. The whole reason I was sent here was to protect Sasami from them. These are the people most likely responsible for tonight's attack. Although, why they decided to target Tenchi as well is something I don't have an answer for."

"So what do we do now?" Tenchi asked, keeping his composure despite nearly losing his life moments ago.

"Well, it's easier to trace the signature of these attackers than you'd probably think." Kiyone explained, "However, a small complication has arisen. I'm getting some strange interference that is preventing me from contacting Yukinojo..."

                                                              * * *

On the far side of Mars' orbit, the crew of the ship that arrived earlier were in a state of disbelief.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OUT THERE???!!!"

"W...we..we don't know, my liege. Both of our assassins are somehow dead. The one who we sent after the princess suddenly suffered a type of wound that was consistent with that of a stab wound. The one we sent after the boy just vanished from existence. Even the smallest atoms that made up his body have completely disappeared."

"Send more! We cannot let that false idol love for another day!" the commander said.

"My liege, it would not be wise to attack again at the moment. By now, Tsunami has likely figured out that we are here. Plus, this unusual interference we are getting will likely prevent us any further crossings into the astral field."
"TO HELL WITH YOUR EXCUSES!!!" the commander yelled, "YOU WILL DO AS I COMMAND OR...."
"My liege!" one of the ship's pilots chimmed in, "I believe I have located the source of the interference. It is originating....."
Before he could say anything further, a point of light appeared several miles away from Mars' orbit. Within seconds, this point of light burst out and formed into a massive vortex. The crew's jaws dropped at what came out of it. An entire fleet of fleshy masses. Each mass of flesh was about the size of a Jurai tree-ship, and indeed they were shaped in a sleek manner as if they were indeed ships of some type. The crew took a closer look at the flesh masses on their viewing screen, and noted with revulsion at how the flesh masses writhed and wriggled.

The sight was too much for one of the ship's pilots. He panicked and opened fire on the fleet of flesh masses. One of the masses was hit. Unaffected by the attack, the mass broke off from the rest of the fleet and approached the ship. The ship's crew received, of all things, a communication from the mass.

"This is the Drakciimerae Imperium," a voice from the communication said, "and you've gotten in our way."

Slightly disturbed, but keeping his composure, the commander shot back.

"Fools! Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?! We served the True Goddess Ryoko, and we shall smite all who stand against us!"

"That's nice." the voice responded, "You're still in our way."

Suddenly, there was a change in the flesh mass. A pair of vaguely tentacle-like appendages reached out from the mass and grabbed a hold of the ship. In moments, the ship's hull was ripped open and the crew sucked out into the vacuum. But, before any of them could die from asphyxiation, more appendages reached out from the mass and took a hold of each crew member. The commander realized with sudden horror that his body was now being added to the mass.

The rest of the fleet haulted in space. They scanned the little blue and green world that was their target, and detected a powerful force in the planet's orbit. Aboard the lead flesh ship, the crew realized that they were going to have to use a different strategy to get what they came here for, lest that powerful entity attack them.

                                                            * * *

Outside the Masaki shrine, the Jurai royal tree Funaho rested. It's attention was suddenly perked when three figures teleported before it. The three figures scanned Funaho, decided they had come to the right place, and moved on towards their destination.

[Zigra]

Chapter 5

"Please wake up."

Ifurita gave the girl from the future the last bit of energy that she could. Any more and Ifurita herself might not be able to survive.

Ifurita waited a few more minutes. Soon, she saw the girl's eyelids twitch. Then, a light moan and some movement. She was beginning to wake up. Slowly she began to open her eyes. Once she was fully awake, the girl stared out before herself for a brief moment. And then it happened. Panic.

"Please! Leave me alone!" the girl cried out, tears streaming from her eyes.

Ifurita held the girl close to her in an attempt to both comfort her and calm her down.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay. I'm here now and I won't let anybody hurt you." Ifurita told her. Vain words, Ifurita realized to herself, as she probably didn't have enough energy to fight off whatever had attacked the girl.

The girl looked up at the woman who cradled her. Her cries turned to a stunned silence. Even though she had only seen this woman in pictures, she knew her face all too well.

"Mama!" the girl cried, reaching out to embrace Ifurita.

Those words confirmed what Ifurita has already deduced- that this girl was her daughter from the future. Ifurita comforted her a little while more before asking the important question.

"Sweety, tell me, who did this to you?"

"Mama, I'm so sorry! I came back to help everybody, to try and save you all from something awful that was going to happen to you all soon. But, instead, I may have brought something even worse with me!"


* * *



Following the attack on Tenchi and Sasami, Tsunami decided she would keep her mind linked to both of them to try and keep them both safe. The rest of the night would pass without incident (except for some unusual cries of pain coming from Washu's laboratory).

That morning, things seemed to be going on much as they usually did. Sasami, apparently not wanting to let the events of the night get to her, was right back in the kitchen at the crack of dawn along with her mother and Tsunami.

The doorbell rang.

"Ryoko, could you get that?" Sasami called out.

The doorbell continued ringing. And ringing. Finally, Kiyone, who was just getting up, decided that she would answer the door herself. Kiyone had heard the stories about Ryoko's past experiences answering the door, and imagined that those experiences might have something to do with why Ryoko refused to answer now.

"Honestly, I don't know what her problem is. With Misaki already here, what could she possibly be afraid of?" Kiyone said to herself.

Kiyone walked up to the door and opened it up. A moment of silence. The three creatures that stood before her reminded her very much of the dragons from various myths around the galaxy. Standing about 7 feet tall, the bipedal creatures had bodies covered with golden scales and they wore bizarre black armor that reminded Kiyone of the exoskeleton of an insect. Their heads had long, vaguely crocodilian snouts, a pair of horns protruding out the back of each of their heads, and they had slitted eyes. Their claws could have put a bear to shame. Kiyone quietly peered down to see that, yes, the creatures did have tails.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but would this happen to be the Masaki residence?" the lead creature asked.

Kiyone's left eye started twitching and she slowly turned around and walked away.

"I did not see that! There is nothing behind me!" the teal-haired woman muttered to herself.

                                                                       * * *

Yosho ran from the shrine. In his mind, he could hear Funaho-ki warning him about some dire threat that had arrived at the house. He grabbed a nearby katana, a weapon he had yet almost never used, to go face this threat.

He arrived at the gates. He immediately could see Azaka and Kamidake far away from their post, shivering as if something terrified them immensely. Then he saw the three dragon-like creatures walking away from the house. They were arguing among themselves.

"But our intelligence said this was the correct place!"

"And to think, we spent all night searching for this place!"

"We shouldn't have asked for directions from that dude with the yellow bandana!"

Suddenly, there was an "eep!" sound from behind them. Yosho looked on in horror as he saw Sasami at the door of the house looking upon the monsters. The monsters looked back behind themselves and saw her.

That was it. Yosho couldn't let those monsters go after Sasami. He charged at them. Right as he came up to them, they turned back around. Yosho never saw it coming as one of their tails smacked him and sent him flying away far off in the distance. The monsters looked up in curiosity as they could hear Yosho's cries which became more distant before fading out, and then shrugged and continued walking back towards the house.

"Excuse me, young lady, but would this be the Masaki residence?" the lead creature asked Sasami as it approached her.

"Umm, y....yes." Sasami nervously replied.

"Ah, very well then! We did come to the right place!" the creature said.

Sasami stepped aside as the creatures casually stepped into the house.

"Hey, guys, what's with all the commo....tion..."

Ryoko came down from the rafter where she normally slept to see what all the noise was about. She froze at the sight of the three new guests.

"Oh, shit!" the former pirate said to herself.

The three reptilian creatures glared at Ryoko. There was a sense of recognition between the creatures and Ryoko, and Sasami guessed that they had crossed paths before. And judging by Ryoko's reaction and the way the creatures glared at her, it must not have been a friendly meeting.

"Sasami, what's going on?" came Tsunami's voice from the kitchen.

Tsunami and Misaki walked out of the kitchen to see what was going on right as Tenchi strolled downstairs and Aeka came out of Washu's lab (with what was going on, the others didn't think to question that)

"Umm, hello?" was all Tenchi could think to say as he saw the newcomers.

                                                                   * * *

Kiyone stumbled into the living. At that point she finally lost her senses and began laughing hysterically.

"Hey, Kiyone, what's up?"
Kiyone saw Mihoshi standing before her. Without questioning what Mihoshi was doing there, Kiyone grabbed her by the shoulders and started babbling incoherently. All Mihoshi could make was something about "monsters" that were apparently outside.

"Don't be silly, Kiyone. There are no such thing as monsters! C'mon, we'll go outside and I'll show you!"

Mihoshi then dragged Kiyone out of the room, while Kiyone kicked and screamed the whole way out.

                                                                     * * *

"Greetings, people of the Masaki residence!" the lead reptile said, "We are of the Drakciimerae Imperium. We have come here on a goodwill mission of sorts. My name is Captain Nockhus."

"First Officer  Motjira!" the one on the right said

"Lieutenant Bee Ess Dee Que!" said the one on the left.

"And, if our intelligence is correct, you must be the princess of Planet Jurai." Nockhus said as he approached Aeka (who, like all the other humanoids in the room, had remained dead silent up to this point), "As a sign of our goodwill, we offer you a gift."
Lieutenant Bee walked up to Aeka, pulled out a small sack from behind him, and handed it to her. The others moved in closer to Aeka as the princess unwrapped the item. Their eyes widened in shock as they saw what it was.

"Behold," Nockhus announced, "the head of your hated enemy!"

"EEEEEK!" Aeka screamed as she tossed the disembodied head out the doorway.

"Who was that?" Ryoko asked Tsunami.

"That was the head the current, or should I say former, Emperor of Airai." Tsunami said with a chill.

"Don't just stand there, Lieutenant, get the woman her gift back!" Nockhus said as he conked Bee on the head.

Lieutenant Bee quickly ran out the door and then brought the head back. As he entered the doorway, he tripped and fell forward, sending the head flying towards Aeka. The head hit her in the chest, and she found her nightgown stained in red. Tenchi and Misaki quickly caught her as she fainted.

"Excellent!" Nockhus said, "Her gratitude has clearly overwhelmed her!"

"Honestly, Kiyone, I don't see why you have to make a big fuss about this!"

Everybody's attention was drawn to Mihoshi dragging a struggling Kiyone out of the living room. At the sight of Mihoshi, the three Draks cried out in terror and quickly huddled together in the corner of the entryway.

"IT'S THE GOLDEN TERROR!!!!!" Motjira cried out

"BY THE GODS, SHE'S EVEN MORE TERRIFYING THAN I IMAGINED!!!" Nockhus exclaimed.

"My mommy said that there are no monsters, but there are, aren't there, Nockhus?" Bee whimpered.

"My, my, my, I guess these big scary lizards have a soft inside." came a familiar female voice.

Everybody turned to see Washu emerging from her lab. They didn't think about how Washu was viewing the whole scene through Ryoko's eyes.

"Well, what are you guys standing around for?" she asked, "Let's have our guests join us for breakfast!"

                                                                     * * *



The three new guests of the Masaki household looked over the breakfast of steamed rice, miso soup, egg rolls and broiled fish that Sasami and her mother prepared for everybody.

"Fascinating," Nockhus said looking at the fish, "you primates like to eat your meat after it has been killed rather than when it's still alive."

"Umm, yeah, I guess we do." Tenchi responded awkwardly.

"So, now that we are all gathered here, why don't you boys tell us a little bit about yourselves and why you are here." Washu told the Draks.

"To start off with, we of the Drakciimerae Imperium originate from a universe different from yours. As far as our mission goes, it all began centuries ago in your time when this bitch over here launched an invasion of our universe and our empire." Nockhus explained while pointing towards Ryoko. "On her own, she was no match for us and we drove her off rather easily. However, she bore with her these unusual gems. These gems contained a power that, if the bitch-woman had bothered utilizing it, could have wiped us out. After that incident, we observed your universe and gathered intelligence about it. We learned that an entity with similar power to those of the gems watched over a world called Jurai. And she is in fact sitting with us now. We also know that yet another entity with such power seemed to watch over the entire universe and its higher dimensions."
"Yes, and it gets even bette...." Motjira tried to say.

"Shut up, jackass, I'm still talking!" Nockhus told him, smacking him over the head.

"Anyway," the captain went on, "the whole thing got more interesting when we saw the birth of more of these entities, apparently being guided by the afore mentioned entities of power. We would learn that Tenchi, here, was one such being, whose birth and power awakening was guided by the Jurai entity. He seemed to be the most powerful of the lot, until a recent discovery. A new entity has just appeared in your universe, one more powerful than Tenchi. This one did something that none of the others had done, and broken the time barrier. It came from what you call "the future" into your own time. Our females decided that this entity was worth acquiring, and they sent us males to do so. A good number of us were lost trying to capture it. We discovered that it went to this planet, where we lost track of it."

Everybody pondered Nockhus's words. Washu thought about the arrival of this being who the Draks claimed was more powerful than even Tsunami or Tenchi, and how this being was apparently of enough importance or interest to Tsunami for Tsunami to try and protect it from the Draks. Washu looked over at Sasami to see that the girl had a very uneasy look on her face, most likely due to the talk about Tsunami, Washu guessed.

"Umm, may I be excused?" Tsunami asked everybody..

The others of the household nodded in approval. Sasami and Misaki looked at each other questioningly, and then followed her. The others knew that something major must be up for Tsunami to leave like that, but they knew that they should continue "entertaining" the guests.

"So, umm, what do you guys intend to do while you are here?" Kiyone asked

"Well, we're here to..." Bee tried to say before Nockhus punched him across the face.

"We're here to see if we can collect our target peacefully." Nockhus explained, "And since you, Tenchi, and Tsunami are beings similar to our target, we were hoping you'd assist us. The females have given us one week to capture the target, otherwise we will have to begin culling this universe to compensate for our failure.

Tenchi and most of the girls sat wide-eyed with shock. Only Mihoshi seemed unshocked, having a look of curiosity on her face.

"Soooo, do the females control your society?" the blond asked, leading Tenchi and the others to look at her in disbelief.

The Draks were weary about answering a question from one of the biggest monsters in their history, but they did anyway.

"Why yes." Motjira replied, looking cautiously at his captain to see if he had permission to speak this time, "The females control everything because they are more powerful. They are more powerful because they live longer since they don't do much of the fighting, and individuals of our race only get more powerful with age. Us males are also more expendable because all of our females are strictly lesbian and only use us for breeding and to be soldiers. But, for us it's okay. We don't want to be in relationships with them anyway. Us males have more important things to do than engage in romance, such as fighting and watching others kick a ball around. After one of us mates with a female, we enact the age old ritual of never calling her again, and all is well."

"Soooo, what do you guys do with these cullings?" Mihoshi asked further.

"The purpose of these cullings is not only to crush any opposition, but also to expand the power of our fleets." Bee explained, "You see, while the Juraians uses trees for their ships, we construct our ships out of the flesh of our enemies. It's what the assholes get for not surrendering properly."

"Anyway, enough talk for now. Time to eat!" Nockhus proclaimed.

While Tenchi, Kiyone, Aeka, and Washu found that they didn't have much of an appetite after what the Draks told them, Ryoko was more than happy to finally pig out. Having quickly finished her meal, she was ready for seconds, and as she reached out to grab more food, she crossed hands with Nockhus who was also reaching for seconds. She greedily smacked Nock's claw aside. The captain was not amused. He clasped his claws together and took a serious tone.

"Ma'am," he said, "you are a truly disgusting creature. You have all the good manners of a rabid dingo crossed with a blood-crazed piranha. You are wholly undeserving of this fine meal, and undeserving of all the love you receive."
Ryoko dropped her chopsticks in disbelief. Aeka couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Ryoko collected herself and stood up.

"Alright! I've had about enough of you guys!" the pirate declared, "I've been waiting for a rematch with you cretins for ages now, and it looks like now is a good time to settle this once and for all!"

Ryoko's battle suit appeared over her body and she powered up.

"Ryoko! Calm down!" Tenchi cried out.

"No, Tenchi! I'm gonna teach these guys a lesson!" the pirate said.

The three Draks were unmoved by the display.

"I think you are biting off more than you can chew. Again." Nockhus said plainly.

"ARRGGH!!"

Ryoko flew across the table at the Draks. It all happened in a blink of an eye. Everybody heard the force of a collision as Ryoko reached her target. When it was all done, the Draks still sat in their chairs unharmed. Ryoko was gone. All there was of her was a Ryoko-shaped hole in the ceiling where she had been sent flying.

"My God!" Tenchi cried.

"Oh, don't worry, my boy." Nockhus reassured him, "She'll be alright. That vermin is harder to kill than a cockroach."

                                                             * * *

On the other side of Okayama, there was a crater out in the wilderness. In this crater lie the dazed forms of both Ryoko and Yosho.

"Don't....mind.....me" Ryoko muttered.

                                                               * * *


Sasami and Misaki entered Tenchi's bedroom where Tsunami had been standing alone. The marks on the tree spirit's forehead glowed while she focused on something unseen. When she was finished, she opened her eyes, and a smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, I see her now. Her power was so faint at that point that I didn't sense her when she came to this planet." Tsunami said.

"Who? Who came to this planet?" Misaki asked.

Tears began to swell in Tsunami's eyes.

"My daughter, no, our daughter." Tsunami answered, focusing her eyes at Sasami with that last comment. "And I believe she can lead us to the one we seek."
"Who is that?" Sasami asked with a sense of urgency.

"Her second mother, the woman of your dreams, Sasami."

   

                                                              * * *




Tenchi, Washu, Kiyone, and Aeka stood outside the living room and looked in as the three Draks watched TV in there.

"What do we do about them?" Aeka asked, "We can't just let those creatures have the run of this house."

"We also can't risk starting a war with them." Washu replied, "You saw what just these three did to Ryoko. Imagine what an entire army of them could do. For right now, the best we can do is try to find out more about this being they seek. Then we can figure out how to proceed with dealing with these guys."
"Washu is right." Tenchi said, "If I knew how to summon my powers better I could protect us, but right now I can't do that, so we need to be careful with these creatures."

In the living room, the three Draks were observing various forms of Earth entertainment on the television. They installed an unusual program into the TV that allowed them to observe Earth entertainment from across various time periods and even from parallel realities. At the moment, they were watching some brand of American television called "Glee". It did not amuse them.

"First Officer Motjira, you know what to do." Nochus said.

"Right!" Motjira responded.

The first officer then teleported out of the living room. On the television, the image of Motjira appeared on the screen, he grabbed a hold of one of the "Glee" cast members and began tearing the screaming individual to pieces.

"Finn, NOOOOOOO!!!!" one of the other cast members cried.

That made the other two Draks much happier. But then they began to flip channels. The more and more they saw of the entertainment coming out of a place called the United States, the more and more revolted they were. Nockhus pulled out a communication device.

"Hey, Mot? Yeah, it looks like you've got your work cut out for you....."

                                                            * * *

"Are we ready for today's lesson?"
"Yes!" two girls answered in unison.

Siime walked into the basement, followed by two little girls. Mikako and Kyoko. The three of them approached a bearded man at the heart of the room whose hands were tied behind his back by a rope hanging from the ceiling.

"Observe, girls. Gendo, here, is a total prick. And total pricks deserve to suffer."
"Ooo, ooo, how are we gonna make the bastard suffer, Mr. Siime?" Kyoko asked excitedly.

"There are many, many ways we can do that, sweetheart." Siime answered, "I will walk you through many of them."

And that he did. He showed them the Strappado technique, lifting Gendo with the rope by the wrists and then dropped from a height before stopping suddenly in mid-fall, breaking Gendo's shoulders. The man's screams brought smiles to the faces of the two girls.

"Delightful." little Mikako said.

Siime then showed the girls how to make a Chelsea Grin. He made small cuts on the sides of Gendo's mouth. Then, he proceeded to whip Gendo in the back. This not only made Gendo cry out in pain, but caused the muscles in Gendo's mouth to contract, ripping the cuts open even further until they made the shape of a massive grin-like shape across his face.

"Now, I'm going to show you girls how to engage in a little psychological torture." Siime announced.

Siime brought out a small TV. He turned it on. Gendo went silent at what it showed. It was his late wife Yui....doing things. He tried to cry out again, but doing so only opened the wounds in his face even further.

"You see, girls, when a person is being tortured, sometimes the thoughts of loved ones give them strength. It's always good to crush that. So, if you can show them the sight of something horrible happening to said loved ones, or show them those loved ones betraying them, it will destroy any feeling of hope that person might have. Like right here, we have shown Gendo footage of his late wife taking double-anal from two guys, something Gendo didn't previously know about. Gendo will never be able to remember her with fondness ever again."

The girls clapped in glee.

"Oh, oh, can we put his balls in a vice now?" Kyoko asked cheerfully.

"Can we put glass shards in his eyes?" Mikako asked with equal cheer.

Siime smiled with pride. Children were so precious. Then a beeping noise sounded off in his pocket. He took out a small device and looked at it for a few seconds. He frowned.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" he yelled.

                                                              * * *



"Tenchi, come quick!" Kiyone called.

Tenchi had been in Washu's lab, helping her look over the readings regarding the interference with communications in space. When Kiyone called him, he quickly ran upstairs. He wasn't prepared for what he saw. The three Draks were outside his room. One of them held the Tenchi-ken and was in the process of being electrocuted.

"Hey, Tenchi, my man, where did you get such a device from? It's a fuckin' hoot!" Nockhus said.

The Drak that was holding it passed it to Nockhus who proceeded to receive an electric shock from it.

"Aww, yeah! That feels good!" Nockhus said.

The Draks were broken from their reverie by a burst of energy down the hallway. Everybody looked in surprise as the energy then took a solid shape before revealing the form of a man that was quite familiar to Tenchi and Kiyone.

"Admiral Siime!" Nockhus cried out.

"Yeah, asshole, it's me!" Siime replied with obvious scorn.

Before Tenchi or Kiyone could say anything, they both took note of what Nockhus had just called Siime.

"Wait, ADMIRAL?!" Kiyone asked with shocking realization.

"That's right, babe." Siime answered.

They all watched as a change took over Siime. His body began to bulge out. He became taller, his frame became more muscular, skin transformed into golden scales, his hands turned to claws, his face jutted out and became more crocodilian, his eyes became slitted and reptilian, and a pair of wings jutted from his back. By the end of it, Siime now resembled one of the Draks, only he stood about 8 feet tall and had wings.

"You motherfuckers!" he yelled at the other Draks, who were now shivering in the far corner of the hall, "You know, I was just in the middle of a nice vacation, and even got a good babysitting gig that I was just enjoying, and yet you guys had to come by and ruin it!"

"So..sorry, Admiral! We didn't know you had chosen this world for your vacation site!" Nockhus whimpered.

"That's okay. You three can make it up to me by being today's lunch!" the Admiral told them.

As he moved in towards them with his jaws opening up, he then stopped in his tracks and looked upward.

"Uh oh, that's not good." he said.

                                                                    * * *

Outside a high school in the Shinonome district of Okayama, a glowing light manifest around the school. The light began to take shape. It formed into five of what any Juraian would recognize as Light Hawk Wings. The Light Hawk Wings then shot out a burst of energy that shot into space and destroyed a few of the Drakcimmerae ships in orbit around Earth.

"What the fuck was that?" the acting captain of the lead ship shouted.

"It appeared to be an attack from Earth." one of the subordinates responded, "It could be the entity we're looking for!"

"Excellent!" the captain said, "Now that we've found her, we'll teach that little wench that nobody fucks with the Drakcimmerae unless they are properly bound and gagged first!"

The signal was sent out to the other ships. The time to attack the little blue and green world had come.

Within the Masaki house, Tsunami saw a vision of the Drak ships moving in on the location of her daughter.

"NO!!!" she cried.

[Zigra]

Chapter 6

Three figures stood at a balcony overlooking a vast chamber. Etched upon the floor of this chamber was an equally vast symbol of a colorful plumed snake circling around and biting its own tail. The figures looked on in concern as the chamber floor began to crack.
"She stirs."
"This is not good. The Great Mother has not been fully purified. If she awakens in this state, she will tear open the womb of the Goddess and will consume all in her path."
"What can be done?"
"The Mother stirs because she senses the invaders. Something about them makes her hunger for their flesh. If the invaders are not sent away, we will not be able to prevent the Mother from awakening and destroying this universe."
"Then all we can do is use our magic to delay the awakening for as long as we can. It will be up to the Goddess and her comrades to repel the invaders."
Knowing what they had to do, the three serpent women set to work.

                                                         * * *

In perfect unison, Tsunami and Sasami doubled over, both of them experiencing massive pain in their abdomens. It was enough to bring tears to Sasami's eyes and cause her to cry out. Misaki rushed over to Sasami and held her close.
"Please. Please don't wake up." Tsunami said quietly.
"What is it, Tsunami? What's going on?" Misaki asked in desperation.
"It's......her. She....senses the Drak fleet approaching, and it is stirring her from her slumber." Tsunami explained.
"Who? Who's stirring?" Misaki demanded to know.
"The Ryujin" Tsunami answered.
Misaki froze. And, even with the severe pain she was experiencing, Sasami did the same. That wasn't something either one of them wanted to hear.
"Come on, we need to go find my daughter and put an end to this before all is lost." Tsunami said.

                                                                  * * *

"FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!!!!!!!!"
The three lower ranking Draks cowered in a corner in Washu's lab as they watched Siime in his tirade. The Masaki clan was less impressed by the display.
"Since you're the admiral, why the hell don't you just call the fleet off?!" Tenchi shouted.
Siime only continued cursing while pacing back and forth, so Nockhus had to provide the answer.
"Our orders come from the females." he explained, "Even the Admiral himself fears their wrath should we disobey."
"All this crap depresses me," Siime said, "I think I need a snack to make myself feel better."
Siime walked over to his three underlings. In the blink of an eye, he grabbed Motjira's right arm and yanked it off, causing Motjira to cry "owww!". Siime proceeded to eat the arm.
Realizing the Draks there were going to be of no help, Tenchi, Aeka, and Kiyone gathered around Washu, who had opened up a computer console from thin air to observe the approaching Drak fleet.
"My readings say they are approaching the Shinonome District." Washu explained, "I also detected a massive energy burst coming a town in that district. It....seems like it was a power similar to the Light Hawk Wings generated by Jurai's ships."
"So, now, what do we do?" Kiyone asked, "I seriously doubt these guys are going to take what they want and leave without causing loads of collateral damage in the process."
"That's why I will need Tenchi's help."
They all turned to see Tsunami entering the lab, with Misaki and Sasami behind her. Neither Tsunami nor Sasami looked very well. Tsunami clutched her stomach with one hand while walking weakly, and Sasami needed Misaki's help to walk.
"The Drakcimmerae are after something that I cannot allow them to have, nor can I allow them to bring harm to this world." Tsunami explained, "But, I am in a weakened state, and I need help to fight them."
Using what strength she had, Tsunami walked up to Tenchi.
"Tenchi, I need you to believe in yourself once more, like you did in the fight with Kagato."
She then embraced him. With her body close to his, he not only felt that nurturing warmth he always felt from her, but he also felt something new. It was an intense feeling of desperation and urgency that emanated from her. It was fear. To know that someone he had grown so close to was in such dire need awoke something within him.
To everybody's awe, a glowing symbol manifested on Tenchi's forehead. Washu grinned with delight at all the readings her computer was picking up.
"Alright, let's go now." Tenchi said warmly to Tsunami as he lifted her chin and looked into her eyes.
Tsunami turned and nodded at Misaki, and soon they, along with Tenchi and Sasami, vanished from the room.
"Yeah, this is touching and all, but would somebody please do something about my arm socket bleeding out?" Motjira cried.


                                                              * * *

Ifurita cradled her daughter close to her. They were coming. Whoever these creatures were who were after her child would soon arrive, and Ifurita knew she had no strength left to fight them. She didn't even have enough power to teleport them out of the chamber to safety.
Their eyes closed in fear, the mother and child didn't feel a presence enter the chamber until they felt the embrace of a soft body. They both knew this feeling even before they opened their eyes to see a pair of familiar pink eyes looking at them with warmth.
"Mommy!" the child cried out at the newcomer.
"Oh, Tsunami, you came!" Ifurita cried, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Yes, I'm here, and I've brought help. I swear, I'm not going to let those monsters harm either of you!"
While Tsunami's human form was with her mate and child on Earth, her ship-body was in the planet's orbit above. To the left of her was Misaki's tree-ship, Karin, and to the right of her was Tenchi, whose battle uniform and Light Hawk sword were fully manifest. The three stood defiantly in space as the fleet of grotesque flesh-ships approached them.
"We need to be careful." Tsunami warned the other two, "The Drakciimerae are not of this universe, and they wield a strange power that I'm not sure even our Light Hawk Wings can withstand."
Tenchi and Misaki both wanted to voice their concern over Tsunami fighting in her increasingly weakening state, but they knew they wouldn't be able to convince her to back down from this. With that, the three of them were prepared to meet their foes.

                                                               * * *

"We have to do something! We can't just leave Tenchi and Tsunami to fight on their own!" Kiyone exclaimed.
"We can't just go in with guns blazing. The Draks are very dangerous and unlike anything we've gone up against." Washu said.
'If only they had some sort of weakness we could exploit.' the scientist thought to herself.
"Hey, everybody, what's goin' on?" came a cheerful voice.
Everybody turned to look as Mihoshi entered the lab.

                                                             * * *

Tenchi ducked beneath another Drak ship that flew towards him. As it passed over him, he slashed into it with his Light Hawk Sword. The ship was cut in half and then vanished from existence.
Tsunami and Karin maintained their position in Earth's orbit and continued to pummel the attacking fleet with energy blasts. Whenever the Drak ships opened fire on Tsunami, Karin blocked them with her Light Hawk Wings. Each time she did so, Misaki could sense that her ship felt a good measure of pain. All three of them wondered how much longer they could hold up.
"REEEOOOWWW!!!!!"
Tenchi, Tsunami, and Misaki all knew that sound. Ryo-ohki. The others had come to help them. Sure enough, Ryo-ohki planted herself between the fleet and Tsunami. The Draks took notice. They immediately recognized Ryo-ohki as the ship of Ryoko, and they prepared to attack.
Before the fleet got a chance to attack, something began to take shape in front of Ryo-ohki. It was a holographic image of Washu.
"Before you boys decide to take this nonsense any further, I've got somebody here who wants to speak with you all." Washu announced.
The image of Washu stepped aside, and then the image of Mihoshi appeared next to her.
"Hi everybody!"
Throughout all the Drak ships, there was a collective scream of horror.
"Now," Washu continued, "if you all don't learn to play nice, I might just let Mihoshi, here, do such things as press random buttons. You don't want that, I assure you."
The lead Drak ship opened up communications with Ryo-ohki.
"You win! We surrender! Just keep that monster away from us!" the captain screamed.
"Good decision!" Washu replied, "Now why don't we all get together and have a talk about this matter."
"Very well, then. We'll meet at a location of your choosing." the Drak captain said.
As things finally calmed down, Tsunami sent a telepathic message to Tenchi, Misaki, and everybody aboard Ryo-ohki.
"Thank you, all of you." she said in an almost tearful tone.


                                                               * * *

Tsunami arranged for a group of Drak delegates, which included Siime, Nockhus, Motjira, and Bee, to meet with her aboard her ship form. They all gathered in an open grassy field. With the Masaki clan by her side, Tsunami introduced the Draks to her daughter and to Ifurita, in order for them to get to know the girl they had been chasing.
  "So, let me get this straight," Siime angrily said to his underlings, "you guys were trying to hunt down and possibly even kill this very cute girl who will become highly fuckable when she gets older, and you were going to kill the girl's two highly fuckable mothers in order to do it?!"
"We're sorry, Admiral!" Nockhus desperately replied, "We couldn't go against the wishes of the females!"
"Did it ever occur to you fuckwits that the females love really cute girls, and would have never wanted you guys to harm one if they had known that's what you were chasing?!" Siime retorted, "Hell, the females might have devoured you dipshits just for keeping the truth from them!"
"So, what do you intend to do now?" Tsunami asked Siime.
"I'm going to do what these sacks of shit should have done, and tell the females the truth about our would-be target. That should be enough for them to leave you alone."
Tsunami and the others let out a sigh of relief. Tsunami then hugged Ifurita and their daughter. The others smiled at the sight, but they had many questions now, especially Sasami and Tenchi.

                                                              * * *

"Why don't you go talk to her, sweetie? I don't think she'll bite"
Sasami looked behind her to see the smiling faces of her mother, sister, and Tenchi, and then looked back at the two newcomers who were conversing with Tsunami off in the distance. There she was, the mysterious pale-skinned beauty of Sasami's dreams, along with an even more mysterious girl who was apparently her daughter, as well as the daughter of Sasami herself, from the future. And now that this woman had finally appeared in Sasami's life for the first time, Sasami was having trouble mustering up the courage to speak with her.
"Your mother is right, Sasami." Tenchi said, "Plus, I myself would also like to know more about this newcomer."
Aeka was a bit annoyed at the implications of Tenchi's last statement, but she voiced her agreement with them, Misaki having filled her in on the significance of this new woman to Sasami. So, while Washu, Kiyone, and Mihoshi made chatter with Siime and the Draks, the four them approached Tsunami and the newcomers.
Throughout the short walk over there, Sasami's heart raced like never before. What could she possibly say to this woman who had walked right out of her dreams? More importantly, what would the woman have to say to her in return? As Sasami finally came close to where the woman was standing with Tsunami, her eyes met those of her dream woman.
Sasami didn't have a chance to say a word. In the blink of an eye, the woman's arms were around Sasami. It was a soft hug, not like the overbearing ones Misaki gives, and this embrace was soon followed by an even more unexpected kiss on the lips.
"How I have longed for this moment!" Ifurita said after the brief peck on the lips, "For ten thousand years, I have dreamed of meeting you, Sasami! And now that you are here.....OOOOOO!!!"
Ifurita's tremendous moan came when she felt Sasami's hands grab a firm hold of her buttocks.
"SASAMI!!" Aeka cried out while Tenchi's nose bled and Misaki, Tsunami, and the girl from the future all tried to suppress their laughter.
'Her butt. It's every bit as big, round and soft as it is in my dreams! I can't let go of it!' Sasami thought to herself.
"Now that we've all had a laugh," Tsunami said, finally getting herself together, "I would like to introduce you all to Ifurita, my wife, and Sylia, my future daughter."
Sasami, Tenchi, and Aeka's jaws all dropped in shock. Only Misaki seemed unfazed.
"Wife? Daughter?" Tenchi asked.
"Yes, there is much to explain." Tsunami said, "I think it is time for you all to finally know the truth about who I am and why this is all happening. Let's all take each other's hand. I have much to show you all."
They all took one another's hands (Sasami being extremely hesitant to let go of Ifurita's behind) and as they did so, the world fell away from beneath their feet.

                                                              * * *
  "Amazing! What is this place?" Tenchi asked in wonder.
Far beneath their feet lay a beautiful vista. An entire world, with great continents, vast oceans, a multitude of smaller land masses and more.
"This is the entirety of the inner space inside Tsunami-fune." Sasami explained.
Tenchi and Aeka looked at her in puzzlement.
"You see, while most Jurai tree-ships have an inner space that spreads out for a few miles, the inner space of my ship form is enough to make up an entire Earth-sized planet." Tsunami elaborated.
"Futhermore, there is more to this world than just oceans and land masses. In my travels across the multiverse, I have encountered many races and beings. Some of these races I have come to befriend and care for. The Serpentfolk of Valusia, their Torillian counterparts the Sarrukh, the beautiful blue-skinned humanoids known as the Irda, a great dinosaur-like kaiju called Gojira, and many more. Because of various circumstances, these races and beings could no longer live in their own home realms, so I have taken them all under my wing and given them a place to live in my inner space.
"However, what you all must know is the reason why I have traveled across the multiverse in the first place."
The scene of Tsunami's inner world faded from view, and was replaced by a black void. Appearing across the void were three points of light, one sky-blue, one red, and one amber. As the group hovered closer to the points of light, the points each began to take on a more humanoid shape until they were clear and distinct. Soon, the group was looking upon the images of three women, two of whom they recognized as Tsunami and Washu, and the third being an amber-haired woman whom they did not recognize. Tsunami then continued her story.
"At what you would call the beginning of time and space, there were three sisters. You could call them goddesses. Those goddesses were myself, Washu, yes, Washu, and Tokimi. However, we were not alone."
Manifesting around each the three sister-goddesses were three ophidian creatures. Around Tokimi was a serpentine dragon, around Washu a grey cobra, and around Tsunami a blue python.
"The existence of myself and my sisters was mirrored by that of three other sisters, the great Cosmic Serpents. For Tokimi, there was the Ouroboros Dragon, for Washu there was the Great Naga, and for me there was the Snake Mother. Each one of us had a vastly different relationship with our Serpent. Tokimi considered hers a great rival. Washu shared a platonic friendship with hers. But, my relationship with mine may have been the most special."
The scene before them closed in on Tsunami and the Snake Mother. Before their eyes, the Snake Mother began to transform, until she no longer took the shape of a serpent, but that of a beautiful woman with baby-blue hair and alabaster skin. The group quickly recognized this woman.
"Ifurita!" Sasami cried with surprise and joy.
"Yes, in a manner of speaking." Ifurita said with a smile.
The group watched as the two blue-haired goddesses embraced and began to do things that gave Tenchi a serious nasal hemorrhage. From their lovemaking arose a great field of energy, and that energy began to take shape.
"The Snake Mother and I became soulmates, and from our sweet love nectar emanated the very essence of what would become the multiverse.and the various gods within it. Washu and the Great Naga were both overjoyed at the creation of the multiverse. Both endowed with a great curiosity, my sister and the Naga took great joy in studying the multiverse that the Snake Mother and I had created.
"However, things were not all well. Tokimi's rivalry with the Ouroboros Dragon would eventually escalate into all out war. Paying no heed to anything else, Tokimi and the Dragon fought each other relentlessly across the higher dimensions. So great was their conflict that the multiverse the Snake Mother and I had created began to be effected. The war caused great discord in the multiverse. All the imperfections that you mortals know, such as hate, strife, and suffering originated from the discord caused by their war.
"The Snake Mother and I grieved for what happened to the multiverse which we saw as our child. The Snake Mother decided that she could no longer sit back and watch this conflict destroy that which she loved. She stood between Tokimi and the Dragon, hoping to end their conflict and bring peace between them. However, tragedy befell her. Instead of stopping the conflict, the Snake Mother ended up caught in the crossfire. Tokimi, lashing out at the Dragon with a wave of dark matter energy, accidently struck the Snake Mother instead.
"The Snake Mother's wounds were grievous. Not only that, but because she had been struck with a wave of darkness, that darkness began to spread and threatened to slowly consume her soul. Where once the Mother was a loving and compassionate being, and evil side began to show within her. In a final act of desperation to preserve the goodness within her, the Snake Mother split her own being into several fragments.These fragments fell into the multiverse and were lost there.
"I grieved for the loss of my mate, and Washu and the Great Naga felt my pain. Tokimi and the Dragon also felt pangs of remorse. So much so that the Dragon banished herself to the multiverse in the form of a girl named Ophis to wander it alone forever. However, hope was not lost. I resolved to find all the fragments of my mate, cure her of her darkness, and make her whole once more. Washu and the Naga resolved to help me. We all descended into the multiverse, I in my tree form, and Washu and the Naga in the form of mortal women, the Naga calling herself Naja.
"So, I began a quest to find all the facets of the Snake Mother and make her whole again. My quest continues to this day. However, along the way I made an interesting discovery. I discovered a woman originated from a world called El Hazard whose form is exactly like the human form of the Snake Mother. Her name is Ifurita. I learned that, at a young age, Ifurita had assimilated with an important facet of the Snake Mother in the same way that Sasami would eventually assimilate with me, though a seal placed upon Ifurita prevented the full assimilation from being complete.
"Ifurita and I, along with a whole host of other women, had a series of adventures upon the world of Abeir-Toril, where I helped her discover her true divine heritage. At the end of our adventures, we, and all those other women, would marry.
"After our marriage, we tried to return to this universe afterwards, but we got separated along the way, and I found myself having to search for her all over again. I also found myself pregnant with the child of the facet of the Snake Mother that Ifurita assimilated with.. That child would be none other than Misaki, whom I would not only raise in secret, but fall in love with as I once did with Ifurita, though I had to keep my identity as her mother and my love for her a secret for a long time because of the uproar it would create on Jurai."
Sasami, Tenchi, and Aeka looked at each other in confusion. "What about her marriage to Azusa?" Tenchi asked.
"As I said before, my marriage to Azusa was a political one, arranged by Seto Kamiki Jurai, the woman who posed as my mother to the Juraian public." Misaki explained. "While I loved Azusa like a brother, I didn't have any romantic feelings for him, so the marriage was always hard on me. It was even harder when I had to pretend to have a child with him, that child being created genetically in a lab."
Aeka's eyes blinked. "You mean me?! I'm a test tube baby?!!"
"Yes, but you're my test tube baby!" Misaki said, giving Aeka a big hug.
"And what about me?" Sasami asked uneasily.
"You.. are a bit different, Sasami." Misaki explained. "I can't tell you about it just yet, but your birth was a very special one."
"So, now, where does Sylia fit into this? Why did she come back in time?" Sasami asked, suddenly wanting to change the subject.
"That is what I want to show you all next....." Tsunami replied.

                                                               * * *

"What is this place?" Tenchi asked as Tsunami brought them all into a vast chamber.
"During my travels across the multiverse, I would find more and more facets of the Snake Mother" Tsunami explained, "She would take various forms from universe to universe, but there were always connected themes. In each universe, there manifested a light side, which best represented what she was like before the tragedy, a dark side, which represented the corruption from her wounds, and a neutral side, which represented an aspect which was trying to make her properly whole again."
Tsunami pointed to the image of a plumed serpent with it's tail in it's mouth on the chamber floor.
"One example came from a rather unusual universe. In that universe, there were a plethora of individual entities collectively known as the Old Ones. Many of these Old Ones were locked in an age-old slumber waiting to be awakened again. It just so happened that this universe's dark facet of the Snake Mother was one of these Old Ones. She slumbered in the Pacific Ocean of that universe's Earth. She and her light counterpart, a goddess named Sithra, were responsible for all the Cosmic Serpent myths upon that Earth, such as Apep, Ophion, Anata-Sesha, etcetera. Scholars of the Old Ones would refer to dark serpent as the Mappo no Ryujin, or Dragon God of the Decadent Age.  They were also the mothers of all reptilian life in that universe, including a race of snake people who dominated that version of Earth before the rise of humanity."
Tsunami paused for a moment before continuing on.
"I already spoke to you of the Serpentfolk of Valusia. The Valusians had a great civilization that worshiped Sithra as the mother of their race, and that civilization eventually fell and was supplanted by humanity. The remaining Valusians believed that awakening the Ryujin, the dark counterpart of their mother, and unleashing her upon the human race was the way to retake the Earth. However, it was not a good plan, for if the Ryujin had awakened, she would have also awakened the other Old Ones, and doomed many lesser races of the universe, including the Valusians themselves."
"So, what does that have to do with you?" Aeka asked.
"I came to that universe and made contact with Sithra just as some Valusian priestesses were about to enact their plan. Learning about the nature of that universe and the beings within it, Sithra and I stopped the priestesses and gave them an offer. I would provide the Valusian people a new home that would be better than their Earth. The new home would be in the pocket dimension within my own body. Also, to delay the awakening of the Old Ones, I took the Ryujin, inside of myself as well. As we speak she slumbers beneath the floor of this chamber."
As group took all this in, three figures approached him and Tsunami. Tenchi looked up at them, and was startled by the fact that, instead of three humans, the three figures had the heads of pythons with blue and green scales.
"Our magic was able to keep the Dark Mother asleep, O Great Goddess." the lead snake person, apparently a female judging from the sound of the voice, said, "Though we wouldn't have been able to do so for much longer if the invaders hadn't been thwarted. I believe we are all safe now."
"The reason I came back to this time," Sylia said, finally speaking to them all for the first time,"was because I come from a future where the Ryujin was awakened early, before Mama Tsunami could fully purify her. The Ryujin's awakening killed Mama Tsunami, and our entire family save for myself were killed trying to stop the Ryujin. I wanted to come back not only to stop this, but to see everybody again."
As the girl began to get teary eyed, Ifurita and Sasami both gave her a big hug and told her that things were alright now.
"What I don't understand is why the Ryujin awoke so suddenly in your timeline." Tsunami wondered aloud.
"I was too young at the time to know the full details," Sylia explained, "but what I know is that the Ryujin got offended by the presence of some grotesque ape creatur...."
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL IS THE BIG IDEA, LEAVING ME BEHIND ON EARTH LIKE THAT???!!!"
Tenchi recognized the voice of Ryoko as it echoed all around them. Over at where Washu and the others were, Washu pulled her computer out of thin air, and the image of Ryoko flying up to Tsunami-fune appeared on it.
"There I was, still lying in that crater, while you guys were apparently off having fun without me!" Ryoko yelled, her voice resonating throughout the ship.
Within seconds, the ground beneath everybody began to quake. Tenchi and the others looked at Tsunami as she cried out and grasped her stomach. Sasami did the same.

Within the chamber, the group watched in horror as the plumed serpent symbol on the chamber floor vanished, and the floor began to crack.
Out in space, Ryoko looked on in confusion as Tsunami-fune shook and quaked. A blue light enveloped the ship, and soon the ship was replaced by the gigantic image of Tsunami's human form which stood several hundred meters in height in the void. The look on Tsunami's face was anguished, and she let out a gigantic scream as the area around her stomach quickly expanded.
The bulge in the goddess's stomach expanded even further until her stomach ripped open. Forcing its way out of her belly was a gargantuan blue creature that looked equal parts snake and dragon.
The Mappo no Ryujin triumphantly roared in the void.


                                                               

[Zigra]

Chapter 7

Ryoko watched in wide-eyed shock as the serpent beast slowly worked its way out of Tsunami's stomach. Blood spilled forth from the gaping wound in Tsunami's ruined belly as the serpent crawled out and the blood rained down upon the Earth below.
When the Ryujin was fully free, Ryoko was awed by the vastness of the creature. She wasn't an expert at measuring size, but the monster had to be a few thousand feet in length. The creature mostly resembled a snake with blue scales, but the head closely resembled an oriental dragon with a pair of horns jutting out the back. The monster's eyes were red with a black slit down the middle. As Ryoko took in the serpent's features, the monster then turned its head her direction and glared at her.
"Umm......uh oh.....".

                                                                 * * *


"The fuck...?!" Siime yelled, looking around himself.
"What's going on?!" Kiyone cried.
"This....is not good." Washu both looking around at what was unfolding and at the readings on her computer.
Washu spoke of the strange goings on in the world surrounding them. Parts of the scenery around them seemed to be fluctuating in and out of existence. Washu's computer readings told her that the world within Tsunami-fune was collapsing. It seemed that Tsunami herself was dying.

                                                                    * * *

"Sasami! Sasami! Please hold on!" Misaki cried as she, along with an equally desperate Aeka, held her daughter while Tenchi and Ifurita held on to Tsunami.
Tsunami and Sasami were bleeding profusely from gaping wounds in their abdomens, marking where the Ryujin had burst out of Tsunami's body. Sylia was hard at work using her powers to heal them. Sylia had regained much of her energy in the time since the Draks called off their attack, and now she found herself having to put that power to use in a way she hoped she never would have to do.
"I have done all I can for them."  Sylia said, "Now, there is only one being I know who can save them."
"I....I know." Ifurita responded, "I would call upon her if I could, but the mechanism inside me prevents me from connecting with her."
"That is why we'll need the help of the others." Sylia said.
"Others?" Tenchi asked.

                                                                    * * *


"Shit shit shit shit shit!!!!!!!!!!"
Ryoko flew through the void as fast as she could, the Ryujin hot on her tail. When the creature first went after her, Ryoko tried using her energy blasts on it. All that did was piss it off even more. Ryoko didn't know how much longer she could keep up the chase.
Then, as the dragon closed in, it was stopped in its tracks. A force field stood between it and Ryoko. Ryoko could feel power emanating from the sole gem she had. The gem detached itself from Ryoko's wrist and floated between Ryoko and the Dragon.
"Get out of here, Ryoko! I'll try and hold that thing off!" a voice from the gem said.
Ryoko did as the voice said. She didn't even give herself time to ponder the familiarity of the voice.

                                                                   * * *
  Ifurita pulled Tenchi, Misaki, and Aeka close to her. To accomplish what she needed, she would need all of their help. She noticed that Sylia didn't join them.
"There is something else I must do." Sylia replied to her mother's unspoken question, "Because this is all happening because of me,I have to be the one to face her and stop her from destroying this universe."
If it were possible for Ifurita's alabaster skin to turn any whiter, that is what would have occurred at that moment. 
"No, you can't." Ifurita said meekly, trying to hide her growing sense of worry and despair, "Even if you are at full strength, your power isn't mature enough to face a creature of that magnitude."
Ifurita paused, tears beginning to stream from her eyes.
"And.....I don't want to lose you now....now that we've been through so much to protect you."
Sylia's stoic demeanor broke. She, too, began to cry, and she embraced walked over and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. 
"Please do your best to save Mama Tsunami." Sylia whispered into her ear, "If you can save her, I promise we'll meet again someday."
With that, Sylia vanished. Without a word, a still tearful Ifurita joined hands with the others and set to work.

                                                                         * * *

Whatever entity lie within the gem that tried to hold off the Ryujin, its power finally failed it. The force field the gem created collapsed, and the Ryujin prepared to devour the gem.
The monster was interrupted by a bright flash of blue light. She turned to look at the source of this light, giving the gem a chance to escape. The Ryujin paused with curiosity at the entity whose aura was the source of the light. The entity looked mostly like a serpent with blue scales, save for a vaguely humanoid upper torso, a pair of arms, and blue feathered wings.
Sylia, now taking her other form, faced the Ryujin without fear. She knew what she had to do to stop the beast. There was a spell, one that was once used by one of her mother's wives, which could bound up and pacify a monster such as the Ryujin. However, there was only one way for this spell to work.
Sylia beckoned the Ryujin to come to her. The Ryujin became, quite literally, hungry for the power of this entity that confronted her. The monster charged through the void at Sylia. Sylia just hovered defiantly as the dragon approached her. Soon, the monster engulfed Sylia in her massive jaws.
The Ryujin could feel the power emanating from the entity it had just devoured. At first, the power was exhilarating, but soon the monster could tell something was wrong. Rather than absorbing the power into herself, it seemed as if the power was enveloping her, or, rather, eating her from within.
The Ryujin tried to regurgitate the entity, but it was too late. Soon, all of the Ryujin's senses went black.

                                                                 * * *


"Incredible! Sylia has somehow sealed that monster's power from within!"
Washu studied the analysis brought up by her computer, and for a moment she was so excited by what she read that she forgot that the world around her was collapsing.
The others, however, did not forget. Mihoshi clung to Kiyone's hip, crying like a baby, while Ryo-ohki clung to the top of Kiyone's head, also afraid.  The Draks looked around themselves with a bit of worry, while Siime simply pulled out a cigarette and began puffing away. He apparently had seen worse thing than this.
"Wow, you guys really are useless." Kiyone said to Siime and his comrades.

                                                                  * * *

As Ifurita held hands with the others, glowing symbols appeared on all of their foreheads. It even happened to Aeka, the first such instance in her life she ever experienced such a thing (her hair also turned blue, much to her surprise). Not only could they feel their minds link, but they also felt their thoughts being projected outward. Within their minds they could hear Ifurita calling out to others. To their amazement, there was a response. No, many responses.
Like a flood, the answers to Ifurita and Sylia's call came through. The women they came from were amazingly diverse. Akasha Bloodriver, the red-haired vampire queen. Lashara Moon, the green-haired, violet-eyed empress of a far away galaxy. Feena Fam Earthlight, the silvery-haired moon princess. Ukyo Kuonji, the spatula-wielding okonomayaki chef,  her housewife-like half sister Kasumi, and their mother, Sachiko. An anthropomorphic brontosaurus woman named Apatty Saurus and her two husbands, Bronto Thunder and Ichy. Leylia, a raven-haired priestess of a fantasy-like world and her daughter Neese. A pale-haired sorceress named Yumiko. And there was even Sasami's crush, Sailor V, along with two other girls in skimpy sailor outfits named Michiru and Makoto. Tenchi briefly spied a woman whose form he recognized all too well before his attention was brought back to the task at hand.
And it wasn't just individuals whom Ifurita called out to. She also called out to the myriad races and civilizations within Tsunami's world. The Serpentfolk of Valusia. The Sarrukh of Okoth and their Coautl spiritual leaders. The Irda priestesses of Everlyn. The Lizardmen and their Slann overlord in Lustria. The Blue Lanterns of New Odym along with the spirit of Adara. The monster Gojira on Monster Island. All those whom Tsunami took under her wing now joined together to call the one whom could save their Mother Goddess now. They called for the Snake Mother.
Once their minds were all brought together, they no longer reached outward. Instead, they all reached inward. They projected their minds into Ifurita's soul. They knew that if the Snake Mother was to be found, that they had to look there. And it would take their combined efforts to summon her.
It didn't take long. What Ifurita couldn't do on her own, the combined effort of all her friends, loved ones, and allies did in mere seconds. They broke through the sealing mechanism that kept Ifurita from fully merging with the Mother and touched the part of Ifurita's soul that was tied to the Mother.
Ifurita groaned as she felt a surge of energy bursting through her body. Everybody who had touched their minds to her soul found themselves thrown back by the force of it. Tenchi awoke just in time to see a blue light emerge from Ifurita's body. It took on an ophidian shape before disappearing from view.
Then, they all felt it. Warmth. Pure warmth. It coursed through the air around them and through their bodies as well. It overtook Tsunami's entire inner world, and even Washu and the others felt it. Soon, it spread out further, and even coursed through the Earth.
Tenchi, Ifurita, Misaki, and Aeka then looked in amazement as Tsunami and Sasami's wounds healed themselves.
"You can wake up now, my love." came a voice from seemingly nowhere.
As Sasami and Tsunami opened slowly opened their eyes, something manifested above them. It was the same blue light that Tenchi saw emerging from Ifurita, only this time it began to take on a more humanoid shape. It finally took on a more solid form, and everybody's eyes widened as the entity's form was identical to Ifurita. The woman then planted her lips upon Tsunami's, causing Sasami to blush. The three serpent women, who had been mostly silent the whole time, bowed in reverence.
"Are you...?" Tenchi began to ask.
"I have many names." the woman answered, "Eingana, Bochue', Puana, Sithra, M'Daess. But, the facet you see before you is best known as Jazirian, the light aspect of the Snake Mother."
As everybody else was in a state of awe, Tsunami and Sasami both glanced at Ifurita and noticed a change had come over her. She had shrunk to the point where her clothes no longer fit her. She was a child, about the same age as Sasami.
"What happened?" Sasami asked Tsunami, who quickly pulled out a robe to cover Ifurita up.
"I believe when Jazirian manifested, it also took a lot of energy from Ifurita's body and turned her to this state." Tsunami answered.
However, Ifurita didn't seem too concerned with her current state. They saw that she had a look of worry upon her face, and soon realized why.
"Where's Sylia?" 
                                                               
                                                         * * *
In the void of space, somewhere between the orbits of Earth and Venus, a great dragon slumbered. Tsunami-fune approached the sleeping form of the Mappo no Ryujin. Ifurita, Sasami, Tsunami's human form, and Jazirian transported out into space to get a closer view of the monster. Ifurita and Sasami cried, and their  teardrops floated from their face out into the void.
"I shouldn't have let her go." Ifurita sobbed.
"Isn't there anything we can do to save her?" Sasami cried.
They spoke of Sylia, who was now inside the monster's body.
"Not immediately." Jazirian answered, "Her body has completely merged with that of the Ryujin. However, there is a long term hope for her."
Jazirian held out her arms. In mere seconds, the Ryujin's body transformed into pure light. The light quickly shrunk down until it was a tiny speck. Jazirian then took the speck of light in her hands and brought it to her abdomen. Soon, the tiny light was inside her body.
"Sylia and the Ryujin's souls are now inside my being." the Snake Mother explained, "One day, when the true form of the Snake Mother is whole again, Sylia will be born again through me, through us."
She said that last part looking at Ifurita. She then glided over to Ifurita and embraced her.
"And this time, Sylia shall grow up knowing the mother she has come to love so much." Jazirian whispered to Ifurita.

                                                                  * * *

Tsunami and her friends stood before Siime and his Drak underlings.
"What do you guys plan on doing now?" Tenchi asked them.
"Well, you know, I was in the middle of a vacation before this mess hit." Siime answered, "I'd really like to get back to that vac...."
"Hey everybody!" came a cheerful voice.
They all turned to see Mihoshi running up to them
"I've got great news of you all!" she announced, "I just found out that I'm pregna...."
"Well, on second thought, I just realized that I've got a bunch of things to take care of back in my own universe. Later!" Siime said.
The group watched as Siime and the Draks hurried up and got the hell out of dodge
"Do you think we'll ever see them again?" Aeka asked.
"Of course we will." Kiyone answered, "Some stains can't be washed away. Anyway, we now have more important matters to be concerned about, like WHY THE HELL ARE THERE NOW TWO AEKAS?!!!"
Kiyone shouted that pointing at the purple-haired princess and a blue-haired doppelganger that stood next to her.

                                                               * * *

At the far edge of the universe, beyond all known galaxies, there was a realm where the laws of physics no longer applied. Strange non-euclidian structures hovered in space, floating rivers of water flowed into nowhere, and life more alien than this universe otherwise knew frollocked about.
At the end of this void was a structure not unlike an amphitheater. At the heart of this location stood a man wearing a baggy black suit. The man looked young, no older than 18 or 19. He had spikey green hair and delicate, almost effeminate facial features. Upon the man's shoulders sat two tiny robots who looked superficially like the man himself.
"You are awesome, Z!" said the left 'bot.
"You are a total badass!" said the right 'bot.
"Yeah, I know, I'm the greatest!" the man replied.
Z had observed and admired his handy work. Getting tired of Lady Tokimi's orders not to interfere in the business of Tsunami and her boytoy, Z decided to stir things up a bit. When the Drakciimerae fleet stationed itself in orbit around Earth, Z used his power to open fire on the fleet, and made it seem like the attack had come from Ifurita and her daughter, forcing Tsunami and Tenchi's hand. Z was pleased with the results.
"There you are, ya prick!" came a voice from behind him.
Z turned around, and to his utter shock he saw Siime standing there.
"What the....?! How the hell did you find me?!"
"Your mammalian stink was especially strong." Siime replied, "It was very easy for me to follow."
Siime walked up closer to Z, and Z was almost tempted to step back.
"Thanks to you, a large number of my men were needlessly killed. Even worse than that, we almost killed a cute girl and her hot mom because of your antics. A little sack of shit like you should pay for that."
Siime reared both of his claws up. Streaks of like, like blades of energy, shot forth from his fingernails.
"Small man, your end approaches, but it is not yet. Take great care how you play. The final game now begins."
Z was a bit frightened at first, but then regained his confidence.
"Bring it on!" he told Siime, "I could use a new pair of boots!"
And so, the two of them clashed. Meanwhile, in a higher realm, their battle was being observed.
"Should I put a stop to this, my Lady?" D3 asked.
"No, let this battle play out." Tokimi replied.
Tokimi mused at the unfolding events. Z's power was growing with each passing day. Soon, he may be powerful enough to take on the Great Red itself. But, for now, she was going to watch this battle and observe the results.

[Zigra]

Finale

"Still no luck?"
Washu shook her head sadly at Aeka's question.  Nearly a month had gone by since the Ryujin's awakening, and since that time Ryoko had not been seen or heard from. It was the damndest thing. Even Washu's mental link to Ryoko had been cut off, and Washu should have still maintained that connection even if Ryoko were dead. As of now, Ryo-ohki was out in space searching for the former pirate, and had just sent Washu the latest report on the search.   
Washu sighed and then returned to what she had been working on prior to receiving Ryo-ohki's message. Bound up and hanging from a wall in Washu's lab were two test subjects that were like mirror images of one another. Two Aekas. One was the one with somewhat bowl-ish purple hair that the Masaki household had come to know. The other Aeka looked exactly like the first....except for her hair. The second Aeka sported hair that was the color of the blue sky, not unlike Sasami and Misaki. And that wasn't all. It was no longer in imitation of Funaho's straight-laced and staid style; it had reverted back to the gentle curls reminiscent of Sasami and Misaki. Even the hairline behind her ponytails, once so even and severe, took on this overall bounce.The blue Aeka also sported a larger bust size, much to the purple Aeka's chagrin.
The two Aekas had been created during the burst of energy caused by the awakening of Jazirian. That phenomenon had caused Aeka to be split into two beings. Now, Washu examined both of them and marveled over the results she was getting from her tests. To her amazement, both Aekas were genetically identical. They also shared the exact same memories and essential identity. However, there was one important difference (beyond their hair and bust size differences, of course)- purple-Aeka was in love with Washu, while blue-Aeka's affections were directed at Misaki and Sasami. They both maintained their love for Tenchi, however.
"Well, my tests are all done." Washu said, "I think you're good to go."
Washu released blue-Aeka from her restraints. The princess was more than a little happy to be free of that. 
"Thank you, Miss Washu for....that. Now, I have discuss more of Sasami's....plans...with her." blue-Aeka said. There was a hint of sadness in her tone in that last part, and Washu, knowing the reason behind it, understood how she felt. 
As blue-Aeka left the lab, purple-Aeka began to get more than a little irritated, seeing as Washu didn't let her go yet.
"Hey, what about me?!" she cried.
Washu grinned sadistically.
"I think now would be a good time for a little...payback." the scientist said.
Purple-Aeka sweated nervously as she saw the tentacle-dildos emerge from the wall around her......
             
                                                               * * *

  What a strange month it has been, Tenchi thought to himself as he lay on his bed and stare at the ceiling.
The release of the Ryujin and the coming of Jazirian seemed to have a domino effect of strangeness on pretty much everything. Since that time, a strange phenomenon had occurred across the globe which many fundamentalist Christians and Muslims gave the unflattering name The Epidemic. What happened is that a vast majority of women around the world suddenly became lesbian or bisexual, many of them deciding that they no longer needed men in their lives. As can be imagined, many a religious leader and male chauvinist were not pleased with this growing "problem".
Furthermore, many of these women also began to abandon traditional religions for the sake of pagan religions, particularly snake-themed religions, and these religions oversaw marriages between women (there were also reports that many women had gained to ability to reproduce and conceive children with each other, though most consider such reports to be outlandish rumors). Nobody native to Earth knew why this was happening, but Washu studied the matter and suspected that may have been caused either by Tsunami's blood falling to Earth, Jazirian's awakening, or a combination of the two.
On top of such strange matters going on around the world, there were some upheavals at the Masaki household as well. First, there was Aeka splitting into two people, which Tenchi found weird but which actually thrilled Sasami and Misaki, as the blue Aeka started bonding with Misaki more than Aeka ever had before.
After that, there was the matter of Ryoko's disappearance. After the Ryujin incident, it was as if Ryoko had vanished from the face of the universe, and not even Washu could find out what happened to her.
Next was Mihoshi's announcement that she was pregnant. Oddly enough, she couldn't seem to recall who the father might be (thought Tenchi, Washu, and Kiyone were pretty sure they knew), but she was happy nonetheless. Currently, she was on leave from her Galaxy Police duties and visiting her family back on Seniwa.
The last development took everybody by surprise the most. After getting acquainted with Ifurita and Ifurita's other half, Jazirian, Sasami had quickly become quite close to the woman whom it seemed had walked right out of her dreams. And, apparently, Sasami and Ifurita got closer than anybody assumed they would get in such a short time. Earlier that day, Sasami had called everybody in the household together, as she and Ifurita had an announcement to make- they were engaged to wed.
As could be expected, most of the household was shocked, save for Tsunami and Misaki who were quite delighted. Tenchi was more than a little surprised because Sasami was so young, but he was informed by Aeka (the purple one) that such a thing wasn't unusual on Jurai, and she herself was put in her arranged engagement to Yosho at age 5 (though she wouldn't have actually married him until adulthood and presumed that it would be the same for Sasami). Plus, since Ifurita had been reduced to the same age as Sasami, it seemed less strange. Now, the two of them could grow up with each other.
As this all weighed heavily on Tenchi's thoughts, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in." he answered pleasantly.
The door opened, and he saw Sasami standing there. Ifurita, Misaki, blue-Aeka, and Tsunami were standing behind her.
"Go on, sweetie, you can do this." Misaki spoke gently to her.
Sasami stepped nervously into the room. Something about her appearance made Tenchi smile. Since meeting Ifurita, some changes had overtaken the girl. He had always known her to be mature-minded beyond her years, but in this last month it seemed as though she had become even more mature, serious-minded and displayed a growing sense of serenity in life. On top of that, she had given up the twin ponytails that had always been her signature hairstyle and now usually wore her hair down and flowing, as she did standing before Tenchi now. If it weren't for her shorter stature, freckles, and a different type of mark on her forehead, Sasami would now be impossible to distinguish from Tsunami. Tenchi also noticed that she bore on her left hand the unusual engagement ring Ifurita had given her, shaped in the likeness of a silver garter snake circling around her finger with an aquamarine stone in its mouth.
"Tenchi....I...." she said before pausing a bit. Tenchi simply gave her a warm smile as to encourage her to go on.
"This....this is really hard for me to say. But....I....I'm leaving soon."
"Leaving?" Tenchi asked. Her words hit him like a brick, but he managed to keep his composure.
With her initial announcement out of the way, Sasami then collected herself and gained some confidence.
"Ever since I was little, I would have dreams of strange places. Other worlds in other universes unknown to us. I had always believed it all to just be my imagination. But, many of these other worlds I saw were so wondrous to me, and I always fantasized that I would get to visit them someday.
"Now, I have learned that all I've seen in my dreams are real, not just imagination. Not just the places, but the people I've seen there as well. You know that I've finally gotten to meet one of those people and how I've fallen in love with her.
"Well, I've also found out that many of those places I've seen in my dreams have been seeing hard times since the sundering of the Snake Mother. Now that the Mother has returned, Ifurita wants to go to those places and help repair the damage that has been done. She also wants to reunite with many of the women she's bonded with in past adventures, those same women who helped us call the Mother. And I....I want to join her."
Tenchi stood there and considered her words for awhile. The sadness he began to feel inside was overwhelming, yet he remained cool and collected on the outside. After giving it all some thought, he walked over to her, bent down, and gave her a gentle hug. It was then that the tears began to swell in his eyes.
"I'm really proud that you've got the courage to do something like this." he told her, "But, I have to say, I'm really gonna miss ya when you go, kid."
"I promise, I won't be completely out of reach." she said, beginning to tear up as well, "Mommy and Tsunami will still be here to take care of everybody. Because of my link to Tsunami, a part of me will still be here, and you can contact me anytime you want through her. And besides, even though this mission may take me years, Ifurita and I intend to be back to this universe someday."
"So, when are you planning on leaving?" he asked.
"Iffy and I plan on leaving in one week." she answered, "I want to be with you, Mommy, sister-Aeka, and everybody else  just a little while longer before I go."
"I understand." he said, "I promise that we'll try and make this next week as memorable as we can for you."
"There's just one more thing." she said.
"What is that?"
"Can....can Iffy and I sleep along with you, Mommy, Aeka, and Tsunami here in your room this week?"
Tenchi blinked at Sasami's request. He looked up at Ifurita who was still standing outside the room. Gazing at her, he once again realized just how gorgeous the woman is and how her beauty rivals even Tsunami's. His face soon became bright crimson.
"Eh...heh....umm, yeah, sure, I could certainly do that." he answered bashfully.
And, so it was, Sasami and her fiance' spent that night, as well as every night for the next week, in Tenchi's room along with Tsunami, Misaki, and blue-Aeka. Each night, he could feel the girls' bodies pressing up against his. For that week, he felt like the luckiest guy in the universe.

                                                                * * *

The next week went by fast. Far too fast for Tenchi's liking. It was like a week long birthday celebration for Sasami. Each day there was a different sort of feast at dinner of one of Sasami's favorite dishes. And, on each day, a different member of the household presented Sasami and Ifurita with gifts. Their favorite was the gift given to them by Ryo-Ohki. They were each given a matching dress that Ryo-Ohki had made herself. The dresses were both black and looked like elegant ballroom gowns. On top of that, Ryo-Ohki gave them matching headpieces that looked like crowns made from a bunch of carrots.
Now, the day for their departure had arrived. The whole family had gathered at the Masaki Shrine with Sasami and Ifurita standing at the main altar in anticipation. Both of them now wore the dresses and crowns that Ryo-Ohki made.
A major part of Tenchi wished this day would never come. In the time since Sasami told him she was leaving, Tenchi had time to reflect on just what the kid meant to him. Since he was a small child, Tenchi dreamed of raising a family of his own. But, most of all, he dreamed of becoming a father. And, in those dreams he envisioned having a daughter, one who would be like the image of his departed mother. He longed for this more than anything in the world.
Then, when all the alien women began to enter his life, along came Sasami. And, as it turns out, Sasami was exactly like that daughter he always dreamed of having, though he never allowed himself to realize that until she announced that she was leaving. Now, as he watched her prepare for her departure, he felt like that old dad who was giving away his little girl at a wedding and it killed him on the inside.
The group didn't have to wait long. A blue aura appeared around the shrine. Soon, the light of the aura expanded and took shape until it appeared in the form of a great plumed serpent. Jazirian.
"Are you two ready?" the snake goddess asked.
Sasami and Ifurita nodded, and the two of them looked back at the family.
"Farewell, everybody." Sasami said with tears in her eyes.
Soon, Jazirian encircled her great wings around the pair, and in an instant they vanished. At that moment, Misaki burst out crying like a little baby and gave a huge bear hug to the two Aekas. Tenchi felt Tsunami's arms wrap around him gently.
"She'll be alright." the blue-tressed goddess whispered to him.
Tenchi then buried his head into Tsunami and cried in a way that he had not done since his mother's passing.

                                                           * * *
With everybody's emotions high, Kiyone needed to get away from it all and get some air. Seeing everybody in tears while she stood there like an outsider was a little too much for her, so she decided to take a walk around the shrine for awhile.
During her walk, Kiyone pondered her current position in the household. The more she thought of it, the more she wondered if they even needed her around anymore.
While she didn't brief the rest of the family on this current development, it seemed as if the Cult of Oryo might not be a threat anymore. By some strange coincidence, at the same point in time that Ryoko went missing, the Cult also apparently vanished from the face of the universe. In the last month, numerous raids by the Juraian military and the Galaxy Police upon the Cult's temples and hideouts found such places completely abandoned. And, hunts for known members of the Cult failed to find any evidence that those individuals even still existed. It was as if they all vanished into thin air.
"It looks like I don't need to be here much longer after all." Kiyone mused to herself.
Having been lost in deep thought, Kiyone suddenly realized that she hadn't been paying much attention to her whereabouts as she walked. She looked around at her surroundings. She then noticed something that she couldn't believe she had missed. A small grave marker.
Out of curiosity, Kiyone approached the grave. Her eyebrows raised a bit as she read the name upon it. Before she could put much thought into it, she suddenly felt something strike her. It was like being hit by lightning. The surge of power within her soon caused her to lose consciousness.
When Kiyone awoke, she had no idea how much time had passed, or even what had happened to her. She figured she needed to get back to the house quickly before the others wondered where she was. As she made her way back to the house, she had a funny feeling, as if she wasn't alone.....

                                                                * * * 

The spirit felt at home in her new host. At this moment, the host had no idea that she had just become a vessel for the spirit, but soon she would understand, and the spirit knew the host would would be accepting of her new role.
After being awakened from her slumber by Ifurita calling out to the Serpent Goddess, the spirit decided to watch over the family she had known and loved in life. She was impressed with the way Tsunami and Misaki had cared for Tenchi as if he was their own son, and the spirit was indebted to them for that. However, Tenchi was now going through a trying time, and the spirit knew that he would need his real mother in this tough time.
So it was that the spirit of Kiyone Masaki, now within the body of a young woman who bore the same first name, made out to be reunited with her son, Tenchi.

               
                                                                * * *

Something was wrong. Ryoko had sensed it for awhile now. When she was fleeing from that huge snake monster, she felt something akin to what happens when she phases out and teleports across distances. It was like she had been sent somewhere else from where she had been.
The problem with that assumption was that everything around her still looked the same from how it was before that feeling overtook her. All the planets of the Sol System were still in their correct place. Against her better judgement, Ryoko decided to fly back to Earth. She would get to the bottom of what was going on, even if she had to face that monster again.
She quickly returned to Earth. Everything seemed normal....and that was the first sign of trouble. Tsunami and that snake monster were both nowhere to be found, so this was further evidence that something wasn't right.
Then she saw them. Ryo-ohki, being chased by what Ryoko recognized as a Galaxy Police ship. What disturbed Ryoko the most was that the GP ship was winning the conflict. An entire fleet of GP ships should have been no match for Ryo-ohki.
Finally, Ryo-ohki and the GP ship shot each other out of the sky and they were sent falling to the Earth below. Ryoko finally decided that, whatever the cause of this strangeness, that she should fly in and help her partner. Ryoko flew into the Earth's atmosphere just in time to see Ryo-ohki make a crash landing near, what Ryoko noted, Tenchi's place should be.
From her viewing point in the sky, Ryoko caught sight of something that brought her tremendous relief. Tenchi. The Masaki boy was running up to Ryo-ohki's wreckage. Ryoko flew in to join him, until something else stopped her dead in her tracks.
Within Ryo-ohki's wreckage, Ryoko saw what nearly made her lose her throw up in shock. It was her. Ryoko saw herself lying in Ryo-ohki's wreckage. She watched in dumbfounded horror as Tenchi tried to wake up her other self. Finally, the other Ryoko woke up, and Ryoko watched this other Ryoko quickly latch onto Tenchi upon seeing him.
"Where the hell am I?!" Ryoko said to herself.
Outside the limits of this strange new universe, Ryoko was being watched. The Watcher admired her work.
This Watcher was an entity from outside Ryoko's home universe. She had been observing the Masaki clan for awhile now. In that time, she had grown quite fond of the girl named Sasami, as well as the goddess who was Sasami's other half. The Watcher had become aware of a threat to Sasami's life. A cult that worshipped the woman Ryoko tried to kill Sasami using an assassin within her dreams. The Watcher put an end to that assassin.
However, there was a bigger problem regarding this Ryoko woman. The Watcher, upon witnessing the arrival of a girl from the future named Sylia, learned about the future Sylia came from. The Watcher discovered that in that future, Ryoko would unwittingly unleash the Great Old One known as the Mappo no Ryujin upon the universe, causing the death of Sasami and her entire family in their attempts to stop it.
Indeed, Ryoko proved herself to be a great threat to the family she was supposedly a part of. Even though it was technically accidental, Ryoko ended up awakening the Ryujin in this timeline anyway. Thankfully, this time Tsunami was saved, and the disaster averted.
But, accidental or not, the Watcher decided that Ryoko must pay for these crimes. While Ryoko fled the Ryujin, the Watcher sent her somewhere. It was an alternate universe, one that the Watcher found deplorable. This other universe was similar to the universe Ryoko originated from, yet somehow different in many ways that the Watcher found horrible. This new universe could be described as a wretched shadow of the universe Tsunami and her sisters created.
And Ryoko wouldn't be alone. The Watcher hunted down every last member of that cult that worshipped Ryoko and sent them all to this universe as well. The Watcher mused that, even though this new universe should be by all rights Hell, the Ryoko fanatics will probably love it anyway. The Watcher supposed that it couldn't be helped.
With that bag of trouble out of the way, the Watcher now had other designs regarding Sasami.
"It's time that Sasami got to know a good Ryoko!" the Watcher said to herself cheerfully.
And with that, Ryoko Asakura would travel to the same universe that Sasami and Ifurita now journeyed to, and she would make them know her love.

                                                                     END