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This chapter is what sparked the idea of turning the prologue
(originally with slightly different plot, to become a Tenchi only fic)
into a crossover. Please let me know what you think of it!
TENCHI 1/2 -- Dimensions in Peril
CHAPTER 1: Tenchi Drops In - No Need For Introductions
"Oh, my head..." moaned Tenchi. "It feels like it's being sawn open
with a dull blade."
"Yeah," agreed a very matter-of-fact voice from nearby. "Falling
headfirst on a concrete sidewalk tends to do that to you."
Tenchi sat up abruptly, opening his eyes to see a young black-haired
man kneeling over him. "Who are you? Where am I?"
"This is Tokyo, Japan." The stranger helped Tenchi to his feet. "My
name's Ranma Saotome. What's yours?"
"Tenchi Masaki." He looked around at the alley. "This doesn't look
like the Tokyo I remember."
"Well, there's only one Tokyo," said Ranma. "And this is it."
Tenchi shrugged. It was probably just a part of Tokyo that he'd
never seen before. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Ranma." He offered his
hand to Ranma, who shook it.
"So, any clue what you were doing thirty feet above the street?"
asked Ranma.
Tenchi shook his head, wincing as the pain shot through it again.
"There was some kind of dimensional anomaly... it hit me with its beam
and the next thing I knew, I was here."
"Dimensional anomaly? That sounds kinda weird."
"It's pretty normal around my place," said Tenchi. "I wonder if the
others made it here as well..."
"Others?"
"They're a pretty unusual bunch... I'd describe them, but you'd
think I was crazy."
Ranma smiled. "Believe me, nothing could possibly seem strange when
you've met the people I spend my days with."
"All right, I'll tell you about them..."
Ranma listened with interest to Tenchi's story. When it was over, he
had only one thing to say. "You were right. It does sound crazy." Tenchi
looked downcast. "But you know what the craziest thing of all is?"
"What?"
"I believe you."
*************************************************
"Hello? Is anybody there?" called Mihoshi. "I need somebody to tell
me where I am because I'm really lost and confused and lost and I don't
know where I am and also I'm LOST!"
A scream from around the corner caught Mihoshi's attention. "Lost!
I'm LOST!"
"Wait!" Mihoshi charged around the corner and nearly bumped into a
muscular young man wearing an orange bandana. "Please, sir, I need you
to tell me where I am because I don't know."
The man recoiled. "You want... me... to tell you where you are?" He
began to laugh out loud.
"It's not funny," sobbed Mihoshi tearfully. "I'm a Galaxy
Policeperson and its part of my job to know exactly where I am at all
times, but I don't even know what planet I'm on anymore..."
Ryoga's eyes opened wide. "You can't be serious! Even I'm not THAT
lost..."
"I'm very serious," said Mihoshi, flopping down in the street.
Ryoga shrugged. "Well, you happen to be on Earth. In Tokyo, Japan,
to be exact."
Mihoshi brightened up instantly. "Did you say Japan? You wouldn't
happen to know where I can find my friends, would you?"
"I don't know who your friends are."
Mihoshi blushed. "Oh, how forgetful of me! Um... well... one of them
is a cute guy with a short black pigtail..."
"I think I may know who you're talking about. I'll probably bump
into him soon. Tag along if you want."
"Oh, thank you!" shouted Mihoshi, following Ryoga as he set off on
his trackless course around the streets of the Nerima district.
*************************************************
"Daddy, where are you?" called Mayuka as she wandered the streets.
Tenchi was nowhere in sight. However, she managed to find a
purple-haired girl with a delicious-smelling package. "Excuse me, miss?"
asked Mayuka, tapping the girl on her shoulder.
"What you want?" asked Shampoo. "I making special delivery of ramen
for customer."
"I'm sorry, but something's happened to everyone, and now I don't
know where I am."
"You in middle of street," said Shampoo.
Mayuka shrugged. "Where is this street? I don't even know what city
this is."
"You making joke? This Tokyo."
"Tokyo?" Mayuka rolled the syllables on her tongue. "Oh! That's in
Japan, isn't it?"
Shampoo squinted at Mayuka. "You weird girl. What your problem?"
"I'm confused." Mayuka put her hand to her forehead. "I don't know
how I got here, or what I'm doing here, or what's going on."
"Oh, you lose memory?" Shampoo clapped her hands. "Great grandmother
able to fix! I take you to her after delivery, if you want."
"Could you?" asked Mayuka, clasping her hands over her chest. "That
would be great!"
"Sure. Now hurry. Ramen getting cold!"
"You think we'll find my daddy?" asked Mayuka as they continued on
Shampoo's delivery route.
"Maybe. This crazy place. Around here, you find everything."
*************************************************
"Excuse me, sir!" shouted Kiyone. "This is official Galaxy Police
business."
The man adjusted his thick glasses. "You don't look much like a
police officer. You're far too tall and thin, and you have an enormous
head."
Kiyone tapped him on the shoulder. "That's a stop sign. I'm over
here."
Mousse turned to face her. "I'm sorry. It's nice to meet you, er..."
"Officer Kiyone of the Galaxy Police," said Kiyone, flashing her
badge. "As a civilian, it is your duty to assist me in any way I
require."
"Huh? What do you want me to do?"
"I need you to tell me where I am."
Mousse scratched his head. "You're in Tokyo, Japan. The Nerima
district. From the look of your uniform, you're not from anywhere near
here. You look like you belong on a beach somewhere."
Kiyone sweatdropped. "That's a suntan lotion advertisement."
Mousse turned back to Kiyone. "I see."
Kiyone pressed a button on a handheld device and a three dimensional
picture of Kiyone and Mihoshi appeared. "I'm looking for the woman in
this photograph. Have you seen her?"
Mousse studied the photograph carefully. "She looks familiar,
certainly. I admire her dress sense. She looks good in that bikini."
"That's the suntan lotion advertisement again. The photograph is
over here."
Mousse removed his glasses and blinked. "Ah. I've seen her before,
indeed." He put his glasses back on and looked around. He suddenly
stopped and pointed to Kiyone. "There she is! Right there!"
"I was referring to the other woman. The blonde one."
"Oh. In that case, I haven't seen her."
"I'm not surprised," said Kiyone, not bothering to mention that he
was now addressing a utility pole. "I'll be on my way then. No need to
mention the other people I'm looking for."
"Wait, Officer Kiyone!" shouted Mousse. "I want to help you find
them! I may not be able to see properly, but I'm an Amazon warrior, and
as such I am compelled to assist you!"
"Your assistance isn't going to help me at all," said Kiyone,
turning to face Mousse. At that moment, her stomach growled. "Oops. I
missed breakfast because I was waxing the ship." She looked up at Mousse
hopefully. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know a good restaurant in the
area, would you?"
"Would I ever!" cried Mousse. "Just follow me!"
*************************************************
Ryo-Ohki hopped up and down the unfamiliar streets, searching for
any sign of Ryoko, Tenchi, and the others. Unfortunately, her first
encounter was with a total stranger.
"Oh, it's so cute! My little Carmichael!" A pair of hands reached
out of nowhere and scooped Ryo-Ohki up, hugging her tight. "I'm going to
take you home and love you forever!"
"MEOW! MEOW MEOW MEOW!" screamed Ryo-Ohki, squirming.
"Azusa, put it down!" shouted a voice from nearby. "You don't know
where it's been!"
"But it's cute!" insisted Azusa.
"Meow!" Ryo-Ohki managed to free herself enough to turn into a
crystal. Azusa lost her grip as the crystal floated away.
"Carmichael! Come back, Carmichael!"
Mikado put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "Leave it alone."
Azusa bashed Mikado repeatedly in the head. "I want my Carmichael
back!"
Mikado sighed. "When will you ever grow out of this?"
*************************************************
Sasami walked into the restaurant and looked around. "No, they're
not in here." As she turned to leave, an attractive young chef stepped
up to her.
"Excuse me, young lady," said the chef. "May I help you?"
Sasami did her best to look happy. "My name is Sasami. I'm looking
for some friends of mine who might be around here, but I guess they're
not here."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I probably haven't seen your friends. I
spend all of my time in this restaurant serving okonomiyaki."
"Oko-?"
"Here, I'll show you." Ukyo seated Sasami at a booth and brought her
a plate of okonomiyaki. Sasami dug in hungrily. Ukyo turned away, then
paused. "You do have money, right?"
Sasami shook her head. "Tenchi always bought the groceries. I just
cooked."
Ukyo's eyes widened. "You can cook?" Sasami nodded. "How would you
like to work for me for a while? You can work off the price of the
okonomiyaki, and if you like it you can stay here with me until you find
your friends."
Sasami smiled sweetly. "That sounds great! Thank you, miss."
Ukyo returned the smile. "I'm Ukyo. Great to have you here, Sasami."
*************************************************
Ryoko floated through the sky, searching for any signs of Tenchi.
She hadn't flown far when she spotted a house that obviously belonged to
someone with lots of money. "They probably know what's going on,"
decided Ryoko, flying down to investigate. She poked her head through a
wall and peered in.
"Hmm?" Principal Kuno looked up from ritually shaving a coconut and
looked around the room. Ryoko quickly pulled her head back before he
could spot her.
"What a weird guy," said Ryoko, flying up to a bedroom window. "I'm
not giving up, though. I intend to find Tenchi if it's the last thing I
do. I know he's around here somewhere." The girl inside the bedroom
seemed normal enough. Ryoko passed through the wall and stepped into the
room.
The girl turned. "Who are you? I didn't hear you come in."
"Hi," said Ryoko with a smile. "My name is Ryoko. I'm looking for a
young man named Tenchi."
Kodachi snorted. "I don't know who you're talking about. But I want
to know how you got into my room." She grabbed a long ribbon and began
to twirl it threateningly.
"Oh please," said Ryoko, vanishing and reappearing in the air behind
Kodachi. The ribbon was yanked out of the Black Rose's hands. "That's
just a toy. You'll have to do better than that."
"What sort of black magic is this?" demanded Kodachi.
"It's no magic," replied Ryoko. "It's just the way I am."
"Interesting." Kodachi stared at her guest. "Did you come in that
way too?"
"No, I came in through the wall."
"Amazing! You can move through walls and fly?"
"That's right," said Ryoko, clenching her fist proudly.
Kodachi's eyes sparkled. "All my life I've waited for an opportunity
such as this one! My beloved Ranma will at last be mine!"
"Huh?" asked Ryoko with a blank look. "Who's Ranma?"
"Only the most eligible man in all of Tokyo," said Kodachi, twirling
absently as she spoke. "And with your powers, I will be able to make him
mine!"
Ryoko's blank look didn't change at all. "How are you going to do
that?"
"I'll show you. Just come along with me."
"I don't get it. The power to move through walls can get you any man
you want?" Ryoko thought of her beloved Tenchi, who refused to return
her affections.
"Oh, yes," said Kodachi. She threw her head back and cackled loudly.
Ryoko joined in, and the cackling reached dangerous levels.
The door opened. "What is the cause of this hilarity, sister?" asked
Kodachi's brother Tatewaki.
"Never mind that, brother dear," said Kodachi. "Come, Ryoko. Let us
go!" Ryoko grabbed Kodachi around the waist and the two rose into the
air and faded through the ceiling. Tatewaki watched them go, then
climbed onto the bed and leapt through the ceiling.
Principal Kuno entered the room. "Aloha, what's with all de noise?"
He looked up. "So, ya finally decided ta take me advice and seek a
higher station in life?"
"Not really, father," said Tatewaki. "Could you help me get my head
out of the ceiling now?"
"Sure thing," replied his father, turning on his electric razor.
"Dis gonna hurt a bit..."
*************************************************
Washu glanced up at the sign above the restaurant briefly before
entering. "Cat Cafe? Sounds delicious... Maybe I should find someplace
else to eat."
"Don't be ridiculous," said the old woman at the doorway. "We don't
serve cat here. We serve ramen. The restaurant is named after a set of
moves used by my Amazon tribe."
Washu took a step backwards. "Amazons? Does that mean I'm in South
America?"
"No, I'm talking about the Chinese Amazon tribe of the White
Mountain province."
"I see. Then this is China?"
"No, this is Tokyo, Japan."
"Ah, I understand now. I'm sorry about the confusion, but my
terminal doesn't appear to work here, so I needed to find out where I
was." She looked around. "This is a nice place you've got here. Mind if
I stay a while? I have to figure out what's happened to Tenchi and the
others."
"I suppose it won't hurt..." said Cologne, as Washu stepped into the
restaurant and began to fiddle with a small gadget. "You seem very
strange. You're not from around here, are you?"
"Not exactly," answered Washu. "I've spent the last couple of
thousand years buried in a cave."
Cologne's usually wide eyes widened even further. "Thousands of
years? That would make even older than I am!"
"I'm older than a lot of people," bragged Washu with crossed arms.
"I have to say, the years were kinder to me than they were to you. No
offense meant, of course."
"It's true my looks have not improved with age, but I have spent my
time learning the martial arts. I have personally perfected over seven
hundred techniques, although any one of them is adequate to beat most
opponents."
"I'll bet," replied Washu. "Most of my power won't work in this
dimension. Fortunately, I can still use this device to determine
approximately where the others are." She turned a dial and stared at the
screen. "Aha! Washu, you genius, you've done it again! According to
these readings, they're all right here in the city. Hopefully, they'll
find each other before long, and I'll be able to meet up with them
then." She slammed the device down on the table and put her finger in
the air. "One order of ramen here please!"
Cologne pogoed off to the kitchen, staring at her unusual customer.
"There's definitely something not quite right about that girl, but I
can't figure out exactly what it is..."
Washu turned her attention back to her locator. "Now, I have to find
a way to access my terminal, or we'll never be able to get back to our
own dimension." She shivered as the image of the demon swam before her
eyes. "But what will happen when we do get back? There's no way we can
beat that demon. I had an idea when I was using my terminal, but the
trip to this dimension pushed it out of my mind." She turned the device
off and pulled off the rear panel. "Only one way to find out," she
mumbled to herself. "We'll have to jump right in. And if we die..." She
broke off as the locator began to beep loudly. "Oh my god... It's
followed us!"
--------------------------------------------------------------
BURNS: What is this? Some kind of force field around these vegetables!
HOMER: That's the sneeze guard. You have to lean under it to get food or
sneeze on stuff.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp