What Might Have Been Epilogue: Bonds of Life
Disclaimer: This fanfiction is not written with the consent of
Pioneer/AIC. I do NOT own the characters, with the exception of Kei.
Please do not sue me.
Comments, criticism, flames, and death threats may be sent to
Platinum_Dragon@usinternet.com.
!!WARNING!! This is NOT mainline Tenchi. It is an alternate universe,
and the characters at times will be VERY ooc, compared to those in the
series. Please remember that the versions in this story line had very
different experiences.
*****
"Alright Tenchi. Shade your eyes. I'm starting to cut away the
bandages now," said Washu. Tenchi sighed, and nodded. They'd arrived back
in their own time, and had found out they really had succeeded easily
enough - according to Ryou-oh's star maps, the Darkspace no longer existed.
Washu had checked him over, and said that in all likelihood, his blindness
was only temporary, his eyes having shut down to protect themselves from
the exceedingly bright light he'd been exposed to. It was a simple
defensive mechanism, done in order to avoid damage. That had been three
days ago. But over those three days, something extraordinary had happened.
It had rained.
At first, he hadn't been sure what it was he was hearing. He'd been
sitting on the porch as the first drops fell. He'd heard the pattering as
they hit the ground, and wondered what they were. It was almost too soft
to hear, but too loud to miss. Then he'd heard a bit of thunder in the
distance, and a stray gust of wind had blown some of the droplets onto him.
Still, he hadn't been sure what it was, even when he felt the rain. It had
started to rain a bit harder; he'd just listened as it fell to the ground.
It hadn't been until Kei had come out and asked him why he was
listening so hard to the rain that his mind had put it all together. The
thunder, the droplets, the pitter-patter as it hit the ground� He'd never
really listened to the rain before. He hadn't needed to - he'd been able
to see it. He'd ended up sitting outside through the entire storm, just
listening to it.
Slowly, Washu unwound the bandages around his head, and suddenly
Tenchi had to laugh. Could it possibly have only been a week before, when
it had been him watching as his aunt removed the bandages from Kei's head?
That seemed like a lifetime ago, now. He still had to take her back to the
carnival so that she could see it! How very much things could change and
yet, stay the same in a single week. "Alright. Remember, open your eyes
slowly, and close them immediately if they start to hurt," she said.
Tenchi grinned in spite of himself.
"I remember, Aunt," he said. He felt her pull away the gauze pads,
and started to open his eyelids. For a moment, everything was just a
bright blur. Then, slowly, his eyes focused in on Kei, and her shining,
beautiful teal eyes. He grinned slightly. "And that," he said, "is a
sight for sore eyes. Oddly enough, they're a sight for mine, too." A
collective laugh went up, as the tension in the room drained away. He
smiled, standing, and crossed the room to Kei.
"I'm glad you're ok, Tenchi," she said, smiling at him. He grinned.
"You know, I don't think I would have been too disappointed if my eyes
really had been permanently blinded," he said quietly. "I mean, I wouldn't
get to see you any more, but� I dunno." She blinked at him.
"But�"
"I would have been blind, I know. Somehow, that didn't bother me as
much as I thought that it would. I kept thinking about you, how you never
let it get in the way of who you were. It wasn't a handicap for you. And
then, during that rainstorm� You said, just before all of this began, that
seeing was like touching everything for the first time, but with your eyes
instead of your hands. For me, it was the first time I'd ever really heard
a rain storm, instead of just watched it," he said. After a moment, she
nodded.
"I understand," she said. He smiled at her.
"Besides, I knew, whether I could see you or not, I'd still love you.
That was and is more important to me than anything else could ever be," he
said. She smiled at him.
"My eyes changed back," she said, after a moment, and he nodded.
"I thought that they probably had," he told her. "When the miasma
came back, and you got knocked out, it was Ryoko that finally defeated him.
I finally understood something� All along, from the time of the crash, she
must have been protecting you, in return for hiding within you." She
nodded, and he grinned. "Anyway, golden or teal, that hardly matters.
You're beautiful with either," he said. She blushed slightly, grinning.
"You're laying it on pretty thick, flirt," she muttered. Before he
could reply, there was a knock on the door. His mother went over, and
opened it.
"Kiyone! And who's this? Where's Mihoshi?" she asked, letting the
teal-haired detective and her companion come in. Kiyone smiled sadly.
"Hello Achika. This is Nagi, and old friend of mine. She helped us
get Washu's box installed. Mihoshi� didn't make it," she said quietly.
Achika started, and gasped softly.
"Oh no� What happened?" she asked. Kiyone sighed.
"A detective caught wind of what we were up to, and managed to track
us down in the station. He was some sort of experimental cyborg," she
said. Achika frowned.
"Fox-faced, with a cybernetic arm?" she asked. Kiyone nodded.
"How did you know?"
"He went back in time as well, tracking Kain. Kain tore him in half.
Literally," she said quietly.
"He came upon us while I was halfway through the timed sequence. I
didn't have a choice but to finish connecting it," she said, before
faltering. Nagi placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Trakal was programmed to be the 'perfect' officer. When Kiyone moved
to finish hooking it up, he fired, which was exactly what he was supposed
to do. Mihoshi jumped in the way. She saved Kiyone's life, and gave her
the chance to finish hooking it up. We wouldn't be here now, if not for
her," she said. "Hello, by the way, as Kiyone said, I am Nagi. I trained
both Kiyone and Mihoshi in covert ops," she finished, bowing slightly.
Achika smiled sadly.
"Make yourself at home. Kiyone, come with me. You look like you
haven't slept in a week," she said, smiling again, as she gently led Kiyone
toward the stairs. Tenchi grinned slightly. Nobody could resist his
mother's mothering. The grin saddened. Maybe he hadn't gotten the chance
to get to know Mihoshi, but Kiyone had lived with her, worked with her for
a long, long time. If anybody deserved a little mothering at the moment,
it was Kiyone.
"Nagi� Nagi� I seem to recall hearing of a quite well known bounty
hunter of the same name some sixteen years ago. Are you she?" asked Ayeka.
Nagi nodded.
"I was." She smirked slightly, and shrugged. "Now that my career in
the Galaxy Police is over, I might be again," she said. Ayeka nodded.
"Should that be the case, I believe I could probably find a few cases
you might wish to look in to," she said, smiling. Nagi smirked at her
slightly.
"We'll have to see. You'll have to run it by my partner, too," she
replied, and then glanced aside as Achika came back down the steps.
"Kiyone went out before she hit the pillow. I take it that she did
more thinking than sleeping on the way back?" she asked. Nagi nodded, her
expression softening for a moment.
"Can't say that I blame her. I know what she's going through."
"Would you mind filling us all in on what happened out there, while we
were in the past?" asked Ayeka.
"Why not? I first found out when Kiyone woke me up in the middle of
the night�"
Ryoko glanced up, as Ayeka came over to join Tenchi and her, the
Guardians following along behind her. "Well, I'm glad that's over. Maybe
now things can get back to normal," she said, sitting down on Tenchi's
other side, and then frowning. "But, something has been bothering me, ever
since you got out that filmstrip, Lord Tenchi," she said.
"What's that, Ayeka?" he asked. She glanced at him.
"It was Lady Achika� When I first saw her, I thought that I
recognized her," she said. "I don't know how, but for just a moment�
Except, I think that she was older. And I swear I remember her telling me
something� What was it�" She frowned a moment in deep thought, and then
abruptly smiled. "It was, 'No matter who they are born to, all children
are special, especially to their mothers,'" she said. Ryoko nodded.
"That sure sounds like something Achika would say�" she agreed.
"Well� she was half Juraian. Maybe you knew somebody that looked
like her," he suggested. Ayeka frowned doubtfully.
"Actually, your Highness�" said Azaka suddenly. They turned to the
Guardians, curious.
"Yes, Azaka?" she prompted.
"Galactic year 3131. Life form scanned and identified as Princess
Ayeka ordered us to conceal certain events that occurred on the same date,
until such time as Kain was defeated, and Ryoko recovered," said Azaka.
They stared at each other.
"What? But I was a little girl then, only seven years old!" she
exclaimed.
"That is correct. It was the first time that you and Ryoko met.
Another Ayeka appeared, who was equal in age to you today. The only
defining feature that would differentiate the two of you was a large amount
of scar tissue, running from her chin to just above her waist line. She
was accompanied by who we later identified as Princess Sasami, Nobuyuki,
Tenchi, Achika, and one more humanoid, who we never met again - we assume
that her name was Kei, from their dialogue," said Kamadake.
"An entity appeared intent on killing both the young forms of Ayeka,
and Ryoko. Tenchi, and what appeared to be Ryoko as she is today destroyed
it. Afterwards, the elder Ayeka ordered us to conceal those events from
you until now," finished Azaka.
"Our doubles - that must have been where the miasma attacked. That
explains the alteration to Ryoko's memory," said Tenchi. Ayeka nodded.
"There was one more thing; a message from Achika to the three of you,"
said Azaka.
"We don't understand what it means - Achika assured us that you would
understand and be able to explain it to us," continued Kamadake.
"Achika requested that Ayeka tell Tenchi and Ryoko about a favorite
nanny of hers - the one with silver hair," finished Azaka. Ayeka blinked.
"Huh? Why would she want them to know about a nanny I had?" she asked
in confusion.
"She seemed certain that you would understand," said Azaka.
"Why not just tell us, little Princess," suggested Ryoko. She looked
at them, shrugging.
"There's not much to tell, really. If she means who I'm thinking of,
she was a young, very beautiful woman. She had silver hair, and golden
eyes. That's all I really remember, except that Father made her leave one
day, and mother was very angry over the matter. Oh yes, and just before
she was made to leave�" Ayeka trailed off abruptly, her eyes widening and
a look of absolute horror spreading across her face, as she stared at
Ryoko. Tenchi and Ryoko blinked, looking at each other.
"What is it, Ayeka?" asked Tenchi. For a moment, Ayeka's mouth
worked, no sound coming out. "Ayeka?"
"Ryoko� Would you please de� describe your� mother?" she asked very,
very softly. Ryoko blinked.
"Well�" she said slowly. "She was very beautiful� had golden eyes
like me� silver hair� She died when I was very young so I don't� Wait a
moment. Beautiful, golden eyes, silver hair� just like-"
"Just like the nanny Lady Achika wanted me to describe, and� who� my
Father� made leave� because� she� was� pregnant," she said, in a very
strangled voice. Tenchi started laughing softly. "And Mother never got
that angry, unless�" She stared at Ryoko again, more sheer terror in her
eyes than Ryoko had ever seen in anybody's eyes.
"Unless?" prompted Tenchi. Ayeka stared at him for a moment.
"Unless she caught him in one of his� extracurricular affairs," she
said faintly. Ryoko blinked, and stared at Ayeka for a moment, before
laughing.
"Oh, come on Ayeka, that's crazy. That's too much of a coincidence.
It'd have to be," she said, before slowing down. "It's gotta be.
Otherwise, that'd mean we were�" Slowly, she stopped laughing, and
swallowed as her throat suddenly went a little dry. "That'd mean we were�
sisters�" They looked at each other a moment, and then laughed nervously.
"Yes, that couldn't be� Lady Achika must have been mistaken."
"Yeah, I mean, as much as we argue?"
They looked at each other for a long, long moment, as Tenchi started
laughing harder.
"WASHU!!!"
----
The Platinum Dragon
"'When the devil finished, Johnny said, 'Well you're pretty good old son!
But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done!'"
Dragon's Masaki Shrine of Tenchi Muyo - http://dragonsanime.com