Episode 3: Hello, Ryo-oh-ki
- of the 1st OVA series -
Synopses by John 'Furball' Yung
Editing by Scanner
Invaluable help from Takumi Hawa
A young Aeka is picking flowers in a field when she hears her brother Yosho call her name. She stands to greet him and gives him a ring of flowers to wear on his head. She also presents a flower to him, asking if he'll marry her. Yosho looks troubled for a moment before he tells her to wait until she gets older. Then the peace of the moment is shattered by the arrival of Ryoko who wreaks havoc on the Jurai homeworld. Yosho runs off to battle Ryoko as Ryo-oh-ki hangs overhead in the sky. A grown-up Aeka runs after him but cannot find him in the void. Looking around and calling out his name, she sees someone in the distance. The person looks like Yosho from behind, but he turns and changes into Tenchi who tells her that Yosho is dead. He hands her the sword which bursts into flames in her hands as she cries.
Aeka awakes from the dream. She looks at the sword in her grip and thinks about her brother, not satisfied until she finds out his final fate. She goes to the window and looks out, wishing that she could return to Jurai, her home. Seeing Ryoko taking a stroll to the lake, Aeka blames the pirate for taking her brother away from her.
Ryoko searches underwater amidst the wreckage of the two ships and retrieves an ovoid object upon which she lavishes affection.
Sasami tries coaxing Aeka out of their room in Tenchi's home. Apparently Aeka is uncomfortable with the idea of imposing on Tenchi who was so kind to grant them a place to stay for the past two weeks. After all, he's an acquaintance of Ryoko, the enemy. Aeka stops at the sight of Ryoko on the couch, exchanging verbal barbs with her. Sasami asks where Tenchi is, which Ryoko doesn't know. Sasami's attention is captured by the object on the pirate's lap, which Ryoko explains is her egg. Tenchi walks into the room, and Aeka awkwardly tries to express her gratitude. Then she notices Sasami rubbing the egg and tells her to stop associating with such a corrupt person.
Sasami asks, "If you're the mother of this egg, then who's the father?" Ryoko whispers her answer into the little girl's ear. With a gasp, Sasami exclaims, "Tenchi-onichan?!?"
Tenchi, hearing his name, looks into Aeka's angry face as she makes an accusation of "How could you do this with her?" Before Tenchi can respond Ryoko jumps to his side and hands him the egg. Ryoko asks Tenchi if he is so happy about their child, and that soon it will hatch. Just then the egg quivers and then cracks, releasing steam which startles Tenchi into dropping it on the floor. From out of the egg hatches a furry creature which Ryoko calls, "Ryo-oh-ki-chan." Answering questions, Ryoko explains that the egg came from her spaceship and that the creature will eventually grow up into a spaceship itself. Aeka, feeling that she was made a fool of, storms out of the house to be alone (after slapping Tenchi who pleaded her to stay). She encounters Tenchi's grandfather on the way out, sensing something familiar about him...
While Ryo-oh-ki-chan plays with Sasami, Ryoko tells Tenchi to not be so concerned about the highstrung Aeka. She searches Tenchi for the sword, but he explains that he gave it to Aeka, since it was rightfully hers. Ryoko gets melodramatic and walks backwards in the arms of Tenchi's grandfather who takes advantage of the situation. Ryoko throws an outraged punch, which is blocked easily. Ryoko is confused that her punch was so easily blocked. Tenchi is asked to prepare for the day's training, about which he is not enthusiastic. Tenchi's grandfather asks if the creatures on Sasami's head is Tenchi's child. When the little girl tells him, "No, no, this is Ryo-oh-ki-chan. It's going to become a spaceship when it grows up!" he takes the information in stride, patting the small creature. Ryo-oh-ki-chan notices Aeka standing out by the lake and goes to join her, on the first attempt bumping against the glass pane and on the second attempt phasing through it. There's a loud crash as stairs collapse from Ryoko testing her strength.
Aeka starts crying by the lakeside when suddenly she feels something furry rub against her ankles. Realizing that it's Ryo-oh-ki, she tries to shoo it away. "Okay, if you're not leaving, then I will! And don't follow me!" She wanders off into the woods with Ryo-oh-ki tagging along. After a while, she yells at Ryo-oh-ki again but notices a flower along the path. The flower is the same kind as the one she presented to her brother back on Jurai when she asked if he'll marry her. Breaking down in tears, she is comforted by Ryo-oh-ki.
Ryoko goes through Aeka and Sasami's belongings, searching for the sword. She is interrupted by Sasami looking for people to play with.
Aeka shares her thoughts with Ryo-oh-ki, but suddenly it gets up and hops into the woods. She follows and comes upon Tenchi training with his grandfather. As they practice swordfighting, Aeka is surprised that they are using the same style used by her brother. She loses her footing and falls with a cry, distracting Tenchi. He comes to her side, asking if she's okay. Aeka insists that nothing is wrong and gets up to leave but falls to her knees as they discover that she injured her leg.
Tenchi's grandfather tells Tenchi to take Aeka back to the house. She asks his grandfather where he learned the swordfighting style, but his answer is evasive, simply telling Tenchi to bring her home.
It begins to rain, and back at the house, Sasami finds Ryoko on the couch. Ryoko asks Sasami if she knew the whereabouts of the sword. Sasami replies that Aeka carries it with her.
Caught in the rain, Tenchi and Aeka stop at a shed. He takes off his shirt and twists the water out of cloth that was around his neck. He gives the cloth to Aeka offering to do the same for Aeka but realizes who he is talking to, as Aeka blushes and looks aside, embarassed. Looking around, he finds a box with dry wood and starts a fire. Respecting Aeka's modesty, he goes outside to stand under the eaves. She takes off her outer garments and then feels a presense inside the shed with her. Calling out "who's there?" she is answered by a small thing which jumps around until it lands on her chest. Tenchi is alerted by Aeka's screaming, and she runs into his arms. They discover that it's only Ryo-oh-ki. Realizing their proximity, Aeka turns away, blushing, and Tenchi mentions that he'll go back outside. She stops him, saying that it is cold outside.
Aeka confides in Tenchi about her search for her long-lost brother and her hopes and dreams about the future once they are reunited. Then she dwells upon the news that Tenchi told her that Yosho is dead. Aeka starts breaking down into tears, but Tenchi tries to cheer her up, saying that things will be okay. Ryo-oh-ki displays a liking for carrots. When Tenchi asks it, "Are you really going to turn into a ship when you grow up?" Ryo-oh-ki responds with an enthusiactic "Miya!"
After rain stops, Tenchi carries Aeka through the woods again. He asks her if she wants to see the place where Ryoko was imprisoned as a mummy, but she refuses, preferring to visit a large sacred tree. When they arrive at the tree, Aeka announces that it's not just a tree; it's also the remains of her brother's ship. Pressing the sword against the trunk, she replays the ship's log of its final mission. She discovers that Yosho finally caught up with Ryoko on Earth, but his ship was damaged beyond repair and had taken root on Earth, so he stayed there.
Aeka gives the sword to Tenchi, acknowledging that they are bloodkin, asking that he use the sword to protect Sasami and Aeka. Sasami and Ryo-oh-ki arrive at the tree, with Ryoko not too far behind. Ryoko notices the sword in Tenchi's possession and congratulates him on getting it back. Aeka informs Ryoko that she gave the sword to Tenchi so that he could protect her and Sasami. Ryoko realizes that something happened between Aeka and Tenchi at the shed, and becomes miffed that Aeka has made inroads with Tenchi. Ryoko leaves in a huff. Tenchi is a bit concerned about Ryoko, but Aeka tells him not to worry as she leads him off into the woods, leaving Sasami and Ryo-oh-ki wondering what just transpired.
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