Tenchi Muyo!

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Disclaimer: This episode of Tenchi Muyo! is of my own creation. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved.

Note: This story line is a sequel to 'The Darkness Within.' I recommend reading the stories since it is an incredible series and is very well done.

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The Return to Darkness
Chapter 1:
A Champion's Plight

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It has been two months since Tenchi awoke from the incredible 'dream' he had where he had seemingly lived over ten years in just a few hours. For a short while, he felt like a complete stranger in his own world, unsure if everything is real or not. He told no one of what he dreamt, but did have constant headaches for a few weeks for all the over thinking he did on whether he dreamt was just a dream, a premonition of some sort, or quite possibly something that actually did happen, but he ruled that one out. After a few thorough examinations from Washu for his constant headaches, one so being a little too 'thorough' for his likes, the little genius concluded that nothing is wrong with the young prince. All in all, it appears that he only experienced a frighteningly realistic dream.

So now here he is, out in the carrot fields pulling the newest batch of carrots for Ryo-Ohki. He stops for a moment to wipe his brow. He looks up at the morning sky. It is a perfect day: sunny, warm, no clouds. A wistful look plays across his face for some unknown reason. 'I know you are up there somewhere,' a voice in the back of his mind begins, 'and I will be waiting for you to come back to me...my Tokimi.'

Tenchi suddenly shakes his head. "Whoa," he gasps out loud, "where did that come from?" He stays still for a few moments, trying to see if the voice will come back. It does not. The prince shrugs his shoulders and goes back to work. A familiar crunching noise distracts him. He turns towards his basket and finds Ryo-Ohki sitting inside, happily munching away on all the carrots he just picked. "Hey, what are you doing Ryo-Ohki?" he shouts.

The cabbit looks up at him with her big golden eyes and meows pleadingly. His frown is instantly changed into a warm smile. "Oh alright, you can have one more."

"Meow mya meow!" Ryo-Ohki gleefully replies as she grabs another carrot and hops out of the basket and makes her way back to the house.

The prince shakes his head while chuckling. "She can be too much like Ryoko at times, especially when she's begging!"

The usual swishing sounds of a certain space pirate teleporting in catches his ear. Suddenly, two slender arms wrap around his chest as Ryoko hugs him from behind. "Hey there my Tenchi," she seductively purrs into his ear.

Shivers go down Tenchi's spine at her words. "Hello Ryoko. How are you today?"

"Great!" she squeals happily. Ryoko floats around so now she is facing him. "Thanks again for the wonderful time last night. I had so much fun!"

"I thought you would," he replies while going back to his work. "I'm glad that you and Ayeka have stopped fighting so much."

The pirate scratches the back of her head lightly. "Well, now with you spending more time with the both of us, we decided to call a truce for now. I mean, a lot of our fights were over getting your attention."

Tenchi pulls out another carrot and looks up at Ryoko with an amused smile. "Well blowing up half of the house everyday certainly did catch my attention!"

The daughter of Washu playfully slaps him on the back of his head. "Watch it buddy! Well I need to take care of the laundry or Ayeka's gonna bite my head off. Later Tenchi." And with those words, she teleports away.

The prince shakes his head once more before going back to pulling carrots. He stops for a moment to look up to the sky again. The mysterious voice in his head speaks up once more, 'Soon my dear wife, soon.'

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Sometime later, Tenchi has finished with his harvesting and has placed the bundle of carrots into the food shed. He goes back into his house to find a sight that has become quite common in the house as of late: both Ryoko and Ayeka sitting on the couch in the living room having a quiet little chat with one another. Both girls look up to the front door when they hear Tenchi come in. In a flash, they are both standing right in front of him with warm smiles on their faces. "Hello Tenchi," they both chorus together. Ayeka decided to drop the 'Lord' title once he choose to start dating both her and Ryoko about a month ago.

"Hey girls," the prince responds while taking off his shoes. "Do you know when dinner's gonna be ready?"

Ayeka is about to respond when Sasami cuts in from the kitchen. "Dinner will be done in half an hour Tenchi."

"Okay, thanks Sasami," he yells back. He then puts his shoes back on. "I guess I'll go wash up first in the onsen."

The pirate takes a step forward. "Do you want any company?" she offers. Ayeka huffs lightly, but does not say anything.

Tenchi scratches the back of his head. "I think I'll do fine on my own thanks." He turns around and heads back outside towards the floating onsen over the lake.

Just as he leaves earshot, Washu pops up behind the two girls. She is typing away on her holo laptop furiously. "Hmm," she starts. "Something has been bugging me about Tenchi lately."

"What Washu? You mean you're pissed that he's taking both me and Ayeka out and not you?" Both girls laugh loudly as the little genius' eyes narrow.

"No, that's not it, though I am a little peeved that he hasn't at least tried anything with me. I mean, I am the most gorgeous of all you girls!" she replies while transforming into her adult form.

Ryoko rolls her eyes. "Yeah, whatever Mom. But really, what are you talking about?"

Washu begins to type away again on her laptop. "What I mean is when Tenchi came into my lab a few times complaining about his headaches, I ran several thorough examinations on him."

"And how thorough are you talking about Miss Washu?" Ayeka asks while narrowing her eyes threateningly.

"I never went that far with him...yet," she replies with a devious smile. Before either woman can retort, she starts to talk again. "But what really interested me was something odd about his brain wave patterns. He has a certain memory bank, and a rather large one at that, that seems to be causing his mind to go under terrible stress, but each time I tried to delve into it, I was somehow restricted from entering and examining." She stops for a moment to look at the confused faces staring at her. The now not so little genius lets out an annoyed sigh before continuing. "What I'm saying is that something is bugging Tenchi and he's not telling us what. Even I couldn't find out with all my advanced technology!" she finishes while throwing her hands in the air.

"But what could he be hiding Miss Washu?"

"I have no idea, but I won't get a wink of sleep until I find out what it is!"

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Tenchi is now taking a relaxing dip in the floating onsen. He lets out a relaxed sigh as the warm water starts to sooth his tired muscles. He had to sweep all the shrine steps, go through an extra vigorous training session with his grandfather, who said that he was becoming 'quite lax and sloppy', and pull several bushels of carrots in the carrot fields. "All in one action packed day!" Tenchi mutters with a small chuckle. He reaches over and picks up a small bottle of saké next to him. He has made this into a part of his regular schedule now to take regular soaks in the onsen with a little bit of saké to help to relax.

He is about to take a sip when a thunderous noise distracts him. He looks up to the sky and sees a small dot come searing down towards him. He instantly recognizes what it is just before it crashes into the lake, causing a small tidal wave to come near his house. "Mihoshi's home," he sighs to himself.

Tenchi takes a couple of sips and begins to feel very drowsy. Before he knows what is happening to him, he is fast asleep.

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For a brief moment, Tenchi thinks that he is blind. He cannot see anything around him, there is only darkness. He looks down and smiles as he is able to see his own body, still wrapped in a towel from his dip in the onsen. "What's going on?" he asks himself aloud.

Shapes begin to form all around him. They are dark gray clouds. Curious, Tenchi reaches out and touches one. He instantly regrets it when an amazing amount of pain flows through his entire being, but it is not physical pain, rather it is emotional. He feels intense loneliness in this cloud.

He reaches out into another and feels the heartache of loosing a loved one. Another one: depression. Yet another one: pity on himself for letting go everything that was precious to him. Each cloud represents all the bad emotions he has felt before, but hasn't. Everything he is feeling from these empathetic clouds are emotions he went through in the 'dream' he had two months ago.

A crackling sound followed by a loud rumble diverts his attention to one cloud in particular. Whereas all the previous clouds were silent and still, this one is teeming with activity. It moves along on an unfelt wind, absorbing all the other clouds into itself. Thunder and lightning pour out of it like rain, but the prince is not afraid. His curiosity is even more intense for this one particular cloud.

He slowly, almost hesitantly reaches out and touches this empathetic cloud. He feels a surge of emotions. Those he felt from the other clouds are in here, but they are overshadowed by new appearances: anger for those who abandoned him, hatred for those who stand in his way and an undying thirst for vengeance to be sent out for all those who wronged him.

Tenchi is so consumed by these emotions that he does not readily notice the other presence that has joined him. When a soft, gentle hand is placed on his shoulder, he quickly pulls away from the cloud, taken completely by surprise. He turns around to gaze upon the lovely face of Tokimi.

She looks even more beautiful than he remembered. The soft milky skin, her luscious red lips, those intricate green stripes that adorn both of her cheeks, those amazing blue and purple eyes...everything...just...beautiful.

As he gazes into her face, he feels everything come back to him, all of his previous memories of them together and the deep love they had for one another. He also notices something else is now different. The darkness all around him is quickly disappearing and is being replaced by light, incredible, warm light. In the blink of an eye, the prince is now sitting on Tokimi's bed in her grand bedroom. The goddess is practically glowing with happiness. There is also something...slightly different about her, but Tenchi can't spot it.

Tokimi leans in and wraps her arms around him in a great hug. The prince happily returns it. "I have missed you so much," she whispers while looking into his soft brown eyes.

"And I have missed you as well my precious wife." He leans in and they share a passionate kiss that lasts several minutes. After the kiss, they both back off and return to being in each other's arms. "This is a dream, isn't it?" he asks her.

She lets go of him and looks back into his eyes. "Unfortunately yes it is, though I wish for it to never end."

"I feel the same," he sighs. Tenchi gives his wife a suspicious look. "There is something that you aren't telling me."

Tokimi fidgets slightly. "Well you see.what I am trying to do is..." she stops for a moment to shake her head. She looks directly into his eyes. "Tenchi, what I am trying to say is that I am..."

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"Tenchi!"

The aforementioned prince jumps up at his name being shouted. He looks around, only to find himself back in the floating onsen. Ryoko is floating above him with her hands on her hips. "You choose quite a time to doze off there buddy!" the pirate admonishes. "You'd better hurry up and finish or Sasami'll be upset that you're late for dinner." She turns around and teleports away.

Tenchi sighs deeply and places a hand on his forehead. He gets out of the water and goes into the changing room so he can put his clothes on. While changing, Tenchi's mind lingers on his recent dream. The darkness, the empathetic clouds with all his bad feelings...then Tokimi, sweet beautiful Tokimi.

The prince shakes his head lightly. "Where did that come from?" he asks himself out loud. He grabs his head in frustration. "What is going on with all these dreams? What do they mean? Why do keep having them?" When no answers come to his head, he sighs deeply and leaves the floating onsen so he can have dinner with his family.

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Later that night, Tenchi is dozing off into a fitful slumber. He has constant nightmares about the supposed 'dream' that he had. Every so often though, he has different dreams, like the one he had in the onsen earlier. These are really not that bad and usually just involve himself and Tokimi, simply being with each other. Right now, he is having another one of those dreams.

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The prince and his goddess wife are once again sitting on her bed as they have always been in these different 'dreams'. They are both holding hands and talking quietly, but the love is clearly seen in both of their eyes. "What were you going to tell me earlier my dear?" he asks her softly.

Tokimi sighs lightly. "It is a subject that can wait until another time." Her smile suddenly becomes seductive as she removes her right hand and begins to draw small circles on his heart. "You know, it can get very lonely here with you not here and just D3 to keep me company."

Tenchi's smile quickly matches the one on his lovely wife. "So what are you trying to tell me?" he teasingly asks her.

The goddess reaches up and grabs his t-shirt collar and pulls him in close so their faces are merely centimeters from touching. "Make love to me Tenchi," she says in a commanding voice. Tokimi pulls him all the way in and they are quickly locked in a deep, passionate kiss. In a very short time, all their clothes are littering the floor as they both express their love for one another.

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Some time later, Tenchi awakens. He is breathing very deeply and is covered in a layer of sweat. He sits up slowly while absentmindedly scratching the back of his head. "Wow," is all he manages to say. He stares straight forward and remains silent for a few more minutes.

He soon gets out of his bad and walks out of his bedroom. 'I need a glass of water...and a cold shower,' the thinks along the way.

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Meanwhile in another dimension, the Goddess of Justice, Tokimi, opens her eyes and lets out a very satisfied smile. "That went rather well!" she exclaims.

Her eternally loyal servant D3 appears just below her. "What are your plans for bringing back young Masaki into your hands my Lady?"

"I have one small plan, but it is incomplete at the moment. That and I am unsure as to whether or not it could work properly. At the moment, I need to take my time and go slowly. Moving too hastily will alert my presence to either Washu or Tsunami or quite possibly both of them. Also, doing so would most likely confuse Tenchi in his current position. I would be no better than those who he lives with: forcing him into something he is not ready for."

"I see your dilemma."

"Yes," Tokimi sighs with a heavy heart. "Though tomorrow the first part of my plans will come into fruition. Hopefully it will work out for the better."

"I wish you the best of luck Lady Tokimi."

The goddess smiles warmly at the demi god. "Thank you D3."

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"Summer school?" Ryoko asks with a frown. "Why are you doing that? I thought you got all good grades at your school this year."

"I did, but I'm taking an over the summer art class. I want to improve my skills and the class will help me. That and it will look good on college transcripts."

"That's a pretty good idea Tenchi," Washu comments between bites of her food. "So you're planning on getting into architecture?"

The prince nods his head. "Yeah. I've always been good at drawing and I'd like to follow in Dad's footsteps."

"And does he know about your decision?" Katsuhito asks just before taking a sip of his green tea.

"Yes he does. He's the one that recommended that I take the summer art course and then in my senior year take a more advanced art class."

Ayeka smiles warmly at him. "I do hope that everything works out well for you Tenchi."

"Thanks Ayeka."

Washu finishes her breakfast and happily pats her stomach. "Ah, delicious as always. Well I'll be back in my lab if anybody needs me." She stands up and heads for her lab door.

Sasami finally decides to speak up. "So Tenchi, when do you start going to your art class?"

"Well today's the first day," he admits while scratching the back of his head, "but its an afternoon class so I have the whole morning to myself."

"That is very good," Katsuhito comments while standing up, "since now you can still have your morning training sessions."

"Grandpa..." the prince moans.

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Later that afternoon, Tenchi is in his school uniform and is sitting through his first summer art class. Right now the instructor is going through the simple basics: lines and geometric shapes. Unlike almost every other class, this one has five long bench tables that go along most of the length of the classroom instead of desks and chairs. It seems odd to have an art class in this classroom, but their actual art room is being expanded during the summer break so this room will have to suffice.

Tenchi knows all about those things so he allows his mind to wander. He begins to think about the last year of his life. In just a very short period of time, he has gone into space several times, had his old high school blow up, Had his house moved by his grandfather's shrine, has nearly died on numerous occasions, realized that he is a prince of the most powerful planet in the universe, has had his house also blow up on numerous occasions, has become the most powerful human in the universe and has five intergalactic women and one cabbit move into his house. He chuckles at those things. 'Yep,' he thinks to himself, 'my life can't get any stranger.'

Just at that moment, the door to the class opens and a beautiful young women walks in. A collective gasp comes from everyone in the class, except for Tenchi whose mind is still elsewhere. The young woman walks up to the instructor and shows him a sheet of paper. He looks at it and nods slightly. He coughs and speaks up, "Well it appears that we have another student. She just transferred here from Tokyo. Um…what is your name miss?"

It is now that Tenchi's mind comes back to the present. He lazily looks over at the new student and freezes as he captures in all her features: fair, milky skin, deep red lips, short shoulder length light brown hair, incredibly beautiful and, most important of all, blue and purple eyes. 'It can't be…' his mind whispers.

The young woman smiles warmly at the entire class, pausing a moment to look directly at Tenchi, who is still gaping at her. "Greetings, my name is Tokimi."

To be continued...

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Author's notes: Well this is the beginning of my new series. I plan to have it start off kinda slow and then progress onward in later chapters.

For those of you who haven't read the predecessor of this series, 'The Darkness Within,' I recommend that you should if not for your own personal enjoyment but also for some background information on things that will happen throughout this series. -- lighthawkdemon

Questions or comments? E-mail me at: [email protected]