Hello readers! Welcome to the first Tenchi fic I've managed to actually complete. It turned into a T/R/A when I wasn't looking, and I rather like it that way, I hope you do too. It's set in the Tenchi in Tokyo universe—which, if you haven't seen it, is pretty different from the rest of the Tenchi universes. This story begins just after Yugi has been defeated and Tenchi has come home from Tokyo for good. Also, don't get confused by the chapter titles seeming to skip numbers—the week designations will start to make sense pretty quickly. Please feel free to comment or ask questions!
I don't own any kind of Tenchi in any way, except for one small original character you'll meet very soon. :)
~o~o~o~
Mixed Blessings
~o~o~o~
~Week 3 - shortly after Tenchi's return from Tokyo~
I wake to a dull ache in my back and my stomach, a pain that intensifies as I rise further out of sleep. I press my face into my pillow and curl up tighter on the futon. What a grand way to start the day, I think, then sigh tiredly and rise. The pain snakes down into my legs as I walk to the bathroom down the hall, tabulating the days in my head. Yes…I suppose it is the right time. I hope Ryoko's not—
"Oh, good, good morning, Ryoko," Tenchi stutters downstairs.
"Good morning, Tenchi," she cooes back, and I can hear the electric hum of her teleportation and Tenchi's awkward gulp as she reappears.
"H-h-how are you feeling today?"
"Right as rain, my Tenchi! How sweet of you to ask!"
"Ryoko, now, please don't—Ryoko!"
I sigh and close the bathroom door behind me, blotting out their voices. Anger flares as I imagine Ryoko's usual morning atrocities, but I'm too tired to act on it just yet. She seems in a good mood, at least. I think about Tenchi's nervous questioning, and drop my face into my hands, feeling it redden. I bet Washu keeps track—she must have warned him we're both due. How humiliating. Hoping against hope that Washu spared Tenchi the details of Juraian menstrual cycles, I rub my temples to soothe the headache that's already beginning. Even if Ryoko and I aren't on the same schedule anymore…it's still going to be a long, long day.
~o~o~o~
A few minutes later, comfortably dressed and highly medicated, I make my way downstairs for breakfast. It's lucky mother thought to send me some painkillers from home, I think, feeling the morning's cramps being swiftly replaced by my stomach growling for food. Otherwise I'd be stuck using those primitive Earth pills. What did that store clerk call them? My-doll? What an odd planet this is. Then I catch sight of Tenchi, already sitting at the table, and can't help but smile. Though it does have its charming qualities, as well.
"Whaddya know, for once Princess Prissy-Pants is later for breakfast than me!" My eyes shoot from Tenchi's soft eyes to Ryoko's teasing expression, and I can feel my shoulders stiffen. How dare she!
"Shut your mouth, beast woman," I snap, and I can tell from the surprise on Tenchi's face that my tone was fiercer than usual. Ryoko frowns, looking like she's cooking up a scathing reply, when I see her take in my looser robes. I can see the realization strike her, and she flashes a startlingly sympathetic smile, then covers it with a more typical leer.
"Someone's got her panties in a knot." But her words don't hold the usual venom, and I take my seat at the table across from her, frowning but grateful. In the months Tenchi spent at school in Tokyo, our cycle-induced fights escalated when we fell into synch, but the rest of the time…it was strange to think about, but we were united with each other against Yugi and Sakuya, and the effects held on past the battle and Tenchi's return. We have an understanding, I suppose.
"Oh, good morning, Aeka!" Sasami grins brightly at me, as always, as she brings in a heaping tray of food from the kitchen. "You're just in time. Father left for work already, so I guess it's just the four of us today…"
"Five," Washu corrects her, peeking out from the lab door. "Breakfast smells delicious!" The little scientist seats herself beside me, and I see her eyes pass consideringly over me before sliding swiftly to Ryoko. I expect to see relief on her face—certainly if she can tell that I'm menstruating, she can also tell that Ryoko is not—but instead she frowns, just a little, before grabbing her chopsticks and diving into her food.
"This is delicious, Sasami," I murmur, eating my own more daintily, and the sentiment is echoed around the table. Sasami blushes, delighted, as she does at every meal, and breakfast continues in the usual fashion. Every now and then I glance over at Washu; she seems to be working something over in her mind this morning, glancing at Ryoko frequently. What's so interesting about that pirate today?