Note : This Tenchi story takes place in the Universe realm.
No Need For Discipline!
By Some1Else.
Chapter #1: No Need For Breakfast!
It was another common evening at the Masaki home. Tenchi found himself running away from Ryoko at full speed. She had become very desperate for him again ever since her return not even a full three months earlier. The only thought on his mind was reaching Katsuhito before Ryoko caught him. Grandpa surely could do something to help him out. He was really the only person Tenchi could turn to when he was having problems beyond his control when it came to the two women constantly vying for his absolute favor over the other. Running up the stairs to the shrine as if he was evading death would have been a whole lot easier if Tenchi had kept up with his training. As he had not, he was a little out of shape. On the other hand, all Ryoko had to do was fly. Keeping ahead of her proved to be a challenge he wasn't physically ready for.
Tenchi wasn't sure of the reason Katsuhito had suddenly gone lighter on his training. It could have been that he knew all that the old man could teach, but that was absurd. Katsuhito knew much more about fighting than Tenchi ever would. He couldn't have been more than half-way finished with the current style he was being taught. Tenchi chose to think on those matters at a different time. Preferably one when he wasn't about to be assaulted. He paused for a split second and chanced a look behind his shoulder and saw that Ryoko was gaining on him. A maniacally devilish grin was on her face that caused Tenchi to scream briefly in horror. His reaction made her all the more eager.
It was then that it hit him. Ryoko was playing with him. This was part of some game. She could have easily gotten him by now if she had wanted. Tenchi's speed began to diminish. As he continued his flight up the stone stairs leading to the shrine he grabbed his side, trying to stifle the throbbing pain that had developed there. This was a sign that surely meant his previous level of athleticism was decreasing. That was something he intended to change if he got out of the situation he was in without being violated. Without warning his second rush kicked in. As if any of it mattered. Ryoko would put a stop to his escape when she deemed fit, probably right before he got to Katsuhito. She'd catch him and then whisk him away before Katsuhito could say anything about it. Though he knew in his heart that this would prove to be an exercise in futility, he could not allow himself to give up. Tenchi finally got away from the cruel stone steps and found himself atop the hill that the shrine was built on.
"Grandpa!" Tenchi shouted at the top of his lungs. "Crisis!"
A whoosh of air spiraled upward behind him. Ryoko gazed down upon him, thirty feet in the air and still rising in a beautiful spiral as if she was preparing to dive on him. Tenchi looked toward the pagoda where his grandfather slept. The lights from inside the structure came on and the shoji door that led into the office where Katsuhito usually could be located slid open. There stood protection in the form of an old man. Katsuhito stood in the doorway with a tired look on his face. He'd even forgotten to retrieve his glasses. That's when Tenchi recalled just how late it was. Three in the morning. Everyone was usually asleep by now if there was nothing on television. Tenchi found himself being thankful for the first time in his life that Katsuhito was a light sleeper, which was something he never thought he would appreciate due to some nasty encounters with the condition he had gone through in his early years.
Tenchi lunged for the door to safety from twenty five feet away and cleared the distance. Somewhere out there in the world, Michael Powell sneezed. Ryoko face planted in the dirt inches behind Tenchi with a load thud, knocking herself out cold. Victory was Tenchi's. He landed hard on his shoulder inside the office and instantly felt a bruise begin to form on his skin. Tenchi crawled on his hands and knees until he reached a nearby closet, which he sat against. He then began to catch his breath while noticing a bunch of tiny little colored spots parading about his vision. Katsuhito slammed the shoji door shut and knelt down beside Tenchi.
"And your side of the story is?" Katsuhito prompted.
His grandson nodded and began to relate what had happened. Tenchi had been in that fuzzy area between being awake and entering sleep when he heard a noise outside of his door. Thinking that it was Sasami getting up to retrieve a drink like she always did in the middle of the night, he laid back down and shut his eyes. But then he heard Ryoko's muffled voice from beyond the door. She was talking to herself about what she intended to do to Tenchi on that particular night. Her words of reassurance fueled her ego and made it impossible for her to abort the operation. The offer would have set any other man directly into her arms, but not Tenchi. According to her disjointed ramblings, she had waited too long to do this and tonight was the perfect night with the combination of the wind, full moon, and the animal representing the current year. Her desire weakened her stealth.
After she finished muttering to herself as was characteristic of her personality, Ryoko pressed her back up against the wall beside the door and turned the handle very gently. The door swung inward innocently as if it had opened by itself. Ryoko was naturally out of sight. Tenchi had to admit that Ryoko had skills. She was a real pro when it came to being sneaky and could even be very tactical at times. It had to be because of her past. If he hadn't been awake with worries before she came around he probably wouldn't have noticed anything until it was to late. By the time she made her move, Tenchi already had a can of shaving cream in his hands.
He'd secretly hidden it in his room before a week ago without the intent of every actually having to use it. Deep down in his subconscious he knew something like this was going to happen. Tenchi needed a last line of defense. The shaving cream would do. It was gentler than a can of mace. He didn't need to completely incapacitate Ryoko. In any case, it made him sleep easier. He pretended to be asleep and prepared himself for whatever Ryoko was going to bring him. Or he tried to, at least. The way Ryoko was dressed did cause Tenchi to lose his precious can of shaving cream when his hands turned to jelly, causing the can to slide free of his grip and roll out the side of his bed. So much for getting the jump on her. A nosebleed was also involved, but Tenchi focused on what happened to the shaving cream. Just as his luck would have it, it rolled over toward Ryoko's bare feet. Just as a miracle would have it, she didn't notice. She did, however, close the door.
"It's time for some lessons, schoolboy." Ryoko said, smiling.
There was no use trying to hide it anymore as Ryoko already knew he was wide awake. Tenchi jumped out of his bed and began looking for a way to escape. Ryoko effectively kept him cornered as she advanced toward him slowly. She was saying something highly arousing, but Tenchi wasn't hearing any of it. He jerked toward the left so Ryoko would do the same, and then managed to trick her by running to the right and straight for the door. When his hand settled on the handle, he felt pain shoot through him, causing him to draw back. His palm had been seared. Apparently she was using some of her powers in order to prevent his escape. It was then he realized that Ryoko had trapped him. Tenchi hadn't tricked her. He'd just given her a chance to show him his boundaries.
Tenchi froze in fear. His initial plan, the best one, had failed. Killing himself was his next option, but Tenchi felt he had a long life to live. He also felt Ryoko's hands on his body.
"Are you broken?" Ryoko asked suddenly, disappointed.
"No." Tenchi stuttered. "Look, do you really think this is necessary?"
"Oh, quit being such a baby!" Ryoko chided. "Do I need to buy you some pills?"
"That. . ." Tenchi grinned, knowing that he was going to catch her with her next statement. "That wouldn't be true love then, would it? That would be fake. Right?"
"Yes." Ryoko admitted, aggravated. "That's still not going to save you from my gentle persuasion." she grabbed him by the collar. "You've gotta break sometime, Tenchi. And I'll be there when you do!"
"This is gentle persuasion?" Tenchi gagged.
"When are you going to grow up and be man?" Ryoko asked, shaking him viciously. "Touch me once, Tenchi! You won't regret it!"
"I'm sorry, but I think I'll have to pass on that."
"That's it! This is going to be a little rough, but you'll thank me later!"
A small struggle ensued, and Tenchi just happened to be the victor. It took a complex combination of CQC and some of that samurai spice Katsuhito had instilled upon Tenchi to win. Tenchi countered until Ryoko's offense was weakened enough for him to try his own. He tripped her just above the back of her heel, causing her to fall flat on her rear. Something in the room glinted in the moonlight. The can of shaving cream. His very own personal trump card. Tenchi went for it. Before he got to it, Ryoko tackled him from behind.
"That was pretty good." Ryoko panted truthfully. "Katsuhito really taught you well. Now let me teach you a few things."
Tenchi flipped her over so he was on top.
"There we go. Now you're learning!" Ryoko said.
"Ryoko, can you please try to understand what this is to me?"
"Of course. Here you are with five women living with you in your house. The overdose of woman is messing with your senses. You don't know who you can trust! You don't know who you can go to when you need something to talk about! Well, I'm all yours, baby."
"There are six women in this house." Tenchi corrected.
"Silly me, I forgot to add Ayeka." Ryoko said innocently.
"That's not what I mean. Ryoko, I need to pick a college. I need to pick a major. I need friends besides you girls!"
"Have I ever showed up when you're busy hanging out with your buddies?" Ryoko asked.
"No."
"And I never will. Give me some credit, Tenchi." Ryoko said, somewhat disappointed. "Is there more?"
"What I'm trying to say is that a relationship of any kind is the last thing on my mind right now." Tenchi said. "Our friendship will have to be enough."
"Tenchi, are you afraid you'll get me preggers?" Ryoko asked point blank with a serious expression on her face. "Is that what this has been all this time?"
She gestured elaborately as if to encompass all the miscommunication between them in one epic display of incredibly powerful body language.
"Is that it?" Ryoko demanded.
Tenchi was too caught up in the display to respond.
"You know that we have Washu to thank for the best birth control in the galaxy, right?" Ryoko asked.
That caught him off guard.
"Seriously?"
"What, do you think she didn't leave anything useful behind when they threw her into exile? Washu may be a nut, but she has done useful things. I read about them in her dossier a while back. Now, where were we?"
Ryoko rolled Tenchi over while he was busy thinking about Washu inventing something other than a weapon of mass destruction.
"Feel free to keep talking. I'll listen." Ryoko assured him.
It was through some odd occurrence that Tenchi had once discovered that Ryoko had a ticklish spot just above her right hip. As she was on top of him, it was fairly easy to get at. She squirmed and flailed while giggling until he managed to throw her off of him. For just a moment she was harmless, and that was all he needed. Again he tried his luck with retrieving the shaving cream. He managed to grab it. Tenchi didn't dare strike until he was sure he wouldn't miss. Ryoko stood up and stalked over to him, flipping him around so that he faced her. In a flash he was mounted. Knowing now would be as good a time as ever, Tenchi took the can in one hand and gave her a new smile. He felt quite poorly about having to do this, but there really was no other way to save himself.
Ryoko yelled and reeled off of him. She began frantically wiping the shaving cream off of her face and spitting it out of her mouth. Tenchi really felt like an ass at the moment, but Ryoko would live. With a frustrated cry, she teleported away. He figured for a moment that he had won, but this was Ryoko he was dealing with. . .again. . .for the fourth time that month not including last Tuesday because it really didn't count. Ryoko suddenly appeared again with a can of whip cream and a container of strawberries.
"If you wanted to put cream on my body, why didn't you just say so?" Ryoko asked. "What other fetishes could you be repressing, I wonder?"
With the situation escalating and Ryoko not taking no for an answer at all this time, Tenchi's id began to assault him. Why should he not have a little fun? Who would tell? Ryoko? Of course not. Well, she'd probably mouth off to Ayeka about it the very next morning and that would cause even more tension within the household. That was all the family needed since they were fresh off of Kagato's demise. Giving in to Ryoko would upset the delicate balance that allowed Tenchi's life to continue as it was. His loneliness during their absence had been great, but manageable. He had to admit that he liked having all these women around even if they were substantially dysfunctional. It was a pity that sleeping with Ryoko or Ayeka could alter everything so sufficiently.
Until the time came when the whole matter could be settled gracefully with minimal collateral damage, he would remain stoically abstinent. Such stress. Such immense stress. Tenchi was consumed by it. If only school was easier. If only Ryoko and Ayeka courted like civilized beings. Concerns and worries choked out his id, which decided to settle on the fact that avoiding Ryoko's temptations had become rather amusing in a twisted fashion. He tripped over something and fell down yet again, suddenly wondering why nobody had come to investigate all the ruckus. The same can of shaving cream he had used against Ryoko rolled away from him.
Ryoko tossed her fetish supplies aside for the time being and dropped down on all fours. She slowly made her way towards him. It looked as though she had him right where she wanted him. The end was near and Ryoko knew it. A lecherous look spread across her that almost betrayed her limited humanity as a slow laugh that spun into an triumphant laugh escaped Ryoko's throat. But all was not lost. Not yet, at any rate. There was only one way out of this situation. One thing led to another. Katsuhito would have to pay for a new window. Apparently Ryoko didn't think Tenchi had enough balls to jump through an unopened window in order to finally make his escape. Sadly enough next time she would take that possibility under consideration so this would only work once.
That lead to the blind chase. Finished with his story, Tenchi eagerly awaited his grandfathers ruling on the situation. Katsuhito sighed deeply.
"I suppose I understand." he finally said. "Misguided lust and being clingy go about as well together as coal and grass."
Tenchi blinked.
"Let's see you try doing a haiku at three in the morning, boy." Katsuhito grumbled in disapproval. "Who are we kidding, though? That wasn't even a poem."
"Oh, you would be surprised." Tenchi said, giving him some credit.
His grandfather smirked.
"Tenchi!" Ryoko called from outside. "You know you owe me for that and I'm calling in a mutually beneficial favor!"
"She's awake?" Katsuhito asked himself in shock. "Such resilience. I thought she would have been out cold for the rest of the evening with as hard as she hit the ground."
"Hide me!" Tenchi demanded.
Katsuhito nodded slowly and then pointed over to the closet. He had no time for second-guessing. Ryoko's soft footsteps could already be heard on the wooden steps just outside the door. As he slid himself into the tiny closet, Ryoko walked into the room and scanned the area for him. Tenchi saw a naughty smile cross Katsuhito's face for a brief instant before it fell back to a serious frown. Outfits like the one Ryoko had on did that sort of thing. Where had she even gotten it? That must have been where the two hundred dollars that had disappeared out of Nobuyuki's account had gone. She probably still had his debit card number committed to memory just in case she wanted something else. Tenchi felt something sharp jabbing at his feet, but he ignored it.
"Yosho, where's Tenchi?" Ryoko asked innocently.
A frown formed on Tenchi's face. She was so shameless, robust, spry, reckless, and determined that he somehow liked it but at the same time he didn't. Tenchi felt a sweat drop fall on his face. He also noticed the way Ryoko was presenting herself to Katsuhito. Ryoko obviously wasn't afraid of getting attacked by him. She also couldn't care less of what he thought about her taste in clothing.
"He's not in here." Katsuhito said solemnly. "Best you get back to sleep."
"Hey, I saw him come in here!" Ryoko claimed. "Now hand him over!"
"He's not in here." Katsuhito repeated. "Best you get back to sleep."
Ryoko ignored him and looked toward the closet. She smiled and chuckled while walking towards the closet door.
"Don't mind me, Yosho." Ryoko said. "I'll just take what I came for and be on my way."
Tenchi felt his blood go cold as she placed her hands on the handle. Katsuhito remained seated. He hadn't even bothered to look in her direction. Perhaps he was just going to give him up and hand him over to Ryoko. Katsuhito suddenly stood, which got Ryoko thinking about her own personal safety. She stood with her back to the closet, facing Katsuhito. Tenchi could smell her perfume coming off of her body in waves.
"Did you think about this all day?" Katsuhito asked.
"Maybe."
"You didn't count on face planting, did you?"
"You can take that as a sign that my love for Tenchi is down to Earth."
"Nice save. Tenchi has come to me for help and I'm afraid I must oblige his request."
Ryoko sighed in immense irritation.
"However, I suppose it would be unfair to turn you away after you've gone through so much work. If you can get through me. . ."
She didn't wait for him to finish the sentence. Tenchi closed his eyes. He knew what was coming next. In less than a minute Ryoko was crying out in pain. Tenchi looked. Katsuhito had her in a choke hold from behind. He held her hand in his own with his thumb pressed firmly down on a pressure point beneath her own thumb. Tenchi had seen this somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where. Furthermore, this seemed like a devious departure from most of the techniques he had seen and had been taught to use from Katsuhito. He smirked to himself. Katsuhito would never reveal everything. He needed something to kill his opponent with.
"You smell nice." Katsuhito said.
"You're not so bad yourself, Yosho." Ryoko said. She inhaled loudly. "Nutmeg and honey! Someone has black tea on their breath."
Katsuhito used the pressure point he had in his grasp. Ryoko squirmed.
"You win! Tenchi's not in here! He's clearly in the closet, but that in no way implies he is in here! It's best I get back to sleep because I'm clearly seeing things!" Ryoko said.
"Good." Katsuhito said.
He let her go.
"Nice charge, by the way." Katsuhito remarked. "You're a brawler, aren't you?"
"I'm a forlorn lover." Ryoko said with immense distaste. "You just wait until next time Tenchi! I learn from my mistakes." she then turned to Katsuhito. "Isn't that right stupid. . .I mean Katsuhito?" she finished the last part quickly.
Ryoko chuckled nervously. She then slid back and disappeared, presumably teleporting somewhere. Tenchi came out of the closet and sighed in relief. His pulse that had previously been beating into his chest so hard that he thought it would pop out slowed to a normal, steady beat. Katsuhito patted Tenchi on the shoulder reassuringly.
"It amazes me that to this date you have never given in to her temptations. Any idea where she found that outfit?"
"No, none at all." Tenchi said.
"I didn't think so." Katsuhito said. "You usually order stuff like that out of some secret members only catalog so you can avoid being publically embarrassed."
Tenchi thought that she had either made it herself or found it at some porn shop in Tokyo, but it didn't matter now. He probably wouldn't ever see it again. The real question was how she intended to return it and that was her own business.
"You didn't hurt her, did you?" Tenchi asked.
Katsuhito shrugged.
"I imagine her pride took most of the bite. It got our point across, didn't it?" he responded. "I suppose you are right, though. I would have preferred not to, but in the mood she was in there would be no other way to get her to listen. It also shows her who's boss around here. Besides, discipline of that caliber is sometimes needed on headstrong individuals such as her."
"Maybe." Tenchi mumbled. "I guess you're right."
"She should know better than to act that way around you by now." Katsuhito said absently. "She must really think she can win her little battle against Ayeka by behaving like that. How stubborn."
"Grandpa?" Tenchi began. "I'm not entirely comfortable with sleeping back at the house tonight. You've got a spare futon, right? Can I use it to sleep in the office?"
Katsuhito considered the request for a moment.
"That might be a wise thing to do."
He opened the same closet Tenchi had hid in and pulled out an extra futon. He handed it over to Tenchi who laid it out while Katsuhito looked through one of his desks for something. Once he'd finished setting up his bed, Tenchi prepared to slide into it and get a good night's sleep. The atmosphere out here wasn't as tense as it was back home.
"Just a moment, Tenchi." Katsuhito said. "There's something I'd like to talk with you about."
"What is it, grandpa?"
Katsuhito knelt down beside his grandson and put on a serious look.
"I want to tell you something." he paused for a moment so Tenchi would become more focused. "Ryoko and Ayeka both are deeply attached to you. I know you hold a certain amount of affection for them as well."
"Well, Ryoko is okay except when she's horny." Tenchi muttered. "And Ayeka is okay except when she nags."
"You know, it might be wise to stop beating about the bush with this issue. They've been here too long. It's not that I personally don't enjoy their company because I do. To some extent. It's simply the fact that we all need to get on with our lives. This can't go on forever. The situation the family is in right now relies entirely on you."
"But I can't decide." Tenchi admitted. "Maybe if I had some guidance on the issue, or something."
"You need no guidance, Tenchi. This love triangle needs to be resolved before it gets even more complicated. I am not necessarily asking you to choose between them. What I am asking is that you figure out how to end it properly. I know it will be a painful decision, but it won't be very long until you have to go to college if you choose to do so, Tenchi. What happens then?"
"Washu builds a portal that connects the house and my apartment together." Tenchi guessed.
"That sounds about right. Imagine what that would bring."
"I see what you mean, but will you help me?" Tenchi asked nervously.
"I've always believed that decisions of this caliber should be left solely to the person they are connected to." Katsuhito admitted, somewhat sympathetically.
"Alright. I understand." Tenchi said. "I'll do my very best."
"And that's all I ask for." Katsuhito responded. "I'd like to pick up the pace of your training as well, starting tomorrow. We'll focus more on meditation, which should help you."
"That sounds good, but why have you brought this up all of a sudden?"
Katsuhito paused for a moment, considering whether or not he should answer that question. Tenchi always hated when this happened because Katsuhito usually wore a flat expressions that made it impossible for anyone to predict what he was thinking.
"Try to get some sleep, Tenchi." Katsuhito advised.
Tenchi knew better than to press the issue so he just sat there, dumbstruck. Katsuhito exited the office and entered his personal room. The old man fell asleep instantly, which was easily discernible due to the odd snoring noises that filtered into the office. Tenchi laid awake for quite some time, gazing up at the ceiling and trying to focus on the gentle noises outside. Sleep finally did catch him after a while, but it was completely empty. For the first time in a long while, he didn't dream.
X
Tenchi woke up before his grandfather did. He had half a mind to roll over and go back to sleep when the words Katsuhito had said to him the other night came back. Nothing could have possibly started his morning any better. The floodgates of his worries had been opened and at the forefront of his concerns was how Ryoko took the incident that had occurred about five hours earlier. Katsuhito's reprimand was somewhat harsh, but she had been asking for it when she tried to get through him. She should have just given up. Katsuhito knew better than to taunt her. Indeed, he was trying to establish dominance between them just as he had said. Through that came understanding, or something. Katsuhito was full of cryptic metaphors. Ryoko's feelings had to have been hurt by what had happened. Hopefully she had slept most of it off. Still, it was the only thing Tenchi could have done to avoid being assaulted by her. Ryoko never listened to his pleadings because she had no reason to do so.
He crawled out of the futon and stumbled over to Katsuhito's alarm clock and checked the time. It was nearly eight o' clock on a Saturday. Sasami was probably up making breakfast as usual. This sparked a potential way to get back on level ground with Ryoko so she wouldn't wind up brooding in the room she had claimed as her own for the better half of the coming week. Yes, a brooding Ryoko was a dangerous alien indeed. This idea Tenchi had in mind would show her that he still cared about her enough to consider her a good friend, which would hopefully cheer her up. He quickly rushed out of the shrine office and ran down the stone steps.
His haste wasn't needed, but he used it out of concern. There was no way in the world Ryoko would be up so early, which was perfect. She usually slept until noon unless she hadn't stayed up all night doing whatever came to mind. Tenchi arrived back home and saw that a few people were already awake. Ryo-Ohki was out front doing the kind of things that Ryo-Ohki had always done before when she was out front. Kiyone suddenly appeared and threw a rubber ball at the animal and the two started playing catch. Her and Mihoshi were temporarily back at the Masaki residence for financial reasons despite her substantial promotion. The currency used around Jurai did not translate to the Japanese yen at all. Furthermore, the cost of living was substantially less than it was on Earth around the Jurai area. She'd discussed that with him before and the comparisons were shocking to the point of nausea.
Without a recognizable degree on Earth, they were forced in to less than ideal jobs. Being on call didn't help matters and forced them into part time positions. Ryoko had offered to forge some documents for Kiyone so she could find decent employment, but she had declined. Besides, Nobuyuki liked having them around anyway and it was his house. Since her and Mihoshi were older than Tenchi they posed no threat to either Ryoko or Ayeka. As such, they were perfectly able to get along with pretty much everyone. They probably wouldn't be there much longer as their boss was working on an arrangement to make their life on Earth slightly more bearable by importing necessities to them. This would have been somewhat expensive if not for Ayeka's generous contribution. Ryoko still thought that the forged documents would have gotten them farther.
"Okay, over here!" Washu said. Her tone was muffled, but he could tell that she was giving orders.
Tenchi walked toward her voice. She was in his room. Nobuyuki was along with her. Both of them were carefully setting in a new window. Washu must have made it herself. In addition to being a great inventor, she did have a glass blowing machine she fiddled around with every now and then. Knowing the replacement was free made Tenchi feel a bit better about having to break the original pane. Mihoshi was below them sweeping up all the shattered glass that was strewn about the ground. Washu noticed Tenchi and gave him a friendly wave that he returned. He then resumed his way into the kitchen.
The smell of breakfast filled the entire room. Sasami's had her head in the refrigerator and was humming something to herself. She had on a plain kimono with the carrot apron she always wore as she cooked. Despite the vast amount of food that she prepared, Sasami always had managed to keep her clothes spotless. Tenchi couldn't recall her ever spilling anything.
"Morning, Sasami." Tenchi greeted.
Sasami stopped humming and took her head out of the fridge and looked at Tenchi, smiling.
"Good morning Tenchi! You'll be having the same breakfast as usual, right?" she asked.
Way back when beautiful women had finally stopped falling out of the sky, Sasami took up the position as cook. This worked out rather well because Nobuyuki had been the cook before she had volunteered to do so. To keep up with everyone's tastes, Sasami made up a food ledger containing everything she could make with the supplies on hand. It was a small way to keep everyone happy. Sasami cooked breakfast solo, but Tenchi and Ayeka usually pitched in for dinner and supper.
"I'm not here to change that. Sasami, could you possibly put Ryoko's breakfast on a tray?" Tenchi requested.
"Why, is she sick?" Sasami sounded slightly worried.
One thing that had always amazed Tenchi and separated Sasami from her sister Ayeka was the fact that Sasami actually had some concern for Ryoko. The two of them were mild friends, while Ryoko and Ayeka were bitter enemies. Then again, who could possibly dislike Sasami?
"She's fine, Sasami. I just felt like bringing her breakfast this morning." Tenchi said.
"Well that's very nice of you." Sasami said brightly. "Hold on, let me get everything ready."
Tenchi took a seat next to the kitchen counter and waited for Sasami to gather Ryoko's breakfast. Sasami picked out a beautiful tray from one of the cupboards and placed Ryoko's preferred breakfast on it, which was a cup of green tea, one shot of sake, her personal blue chopsticks, and the main dish itself. Sasami neatly arranged the items and added a napkin before handing the tray over to Tenchi.
"There you go." she announced.
"I appreciate it, Sasami." Tenchi said with a smile. "And don't tell Ayeka I did this, okay?"
"Don't worry, I won't. It would spoil the whole day if I did."
"Do you know where she is right now?" Tenchi asked.
"No, I don't. I'd be careful, if I were you." Sasami warned.
Tenchi gave her a nod and took the tray. He then cautiously made his way up to Ryoko's room, keeping an eye out for Ayeka. If he encountered her, he'd have to make up some story about how the breakfast was for her instead, even though it was clearly Ryoko's. They'd have a jolly good laugh at his bumbling ignorance before heading back down the steps and then that would be the end of it because Ayeka would keep an eye on him until she got distracted. By then Ryoko would probably be up. Tenchi was so caught up in his thoughts that he missed the last two steps entirely and tripped forward.
He held back a scream of dismay as the food and drinks on the tray flew straight up into the air. Tenchi reacted to the situation with unparalleled deftness and speed. He was on his knees in a split second with the tray planted in front of him. Tenchi managed to snatch every single object out of the air before it fell to the floor. Miraculously, nothing had spilled during the tumble. When it was all over, Tenchi was still jerking violently due to the sudden adrenalin boost. He looked at the tray in wonder, feeling very proud that he was able to do what he had just done. Apparently he wasn't as rusty as he had previously thought.
Tenchi sighed in relief and continued his way to Ryoko's room. Once he reached her door he didn't bother knocking since it wouldn't wake her up anyway. She was a deep sleeper and nothing short of a bone jarring explosion was going to get her attention. He entered her room and stepped lightly across the vast amount of junk scattered across her floor. Ryoko only cleaned her room when she had to fly into and out of bed. Even then she usually manipulated Mihoshi into doing it for her. He set the tray down on her dresser and tripped over something behind him, crashing to the floor. Ryoko grunted and turned over in her bed, pulling the covers closer. Tenchi sighed before standing back up. After that he knelt down beside her bed. Out of interest he watched her sleep for a few seconds. Ryoko had a deceivingly peaceful look on her face whenever she slept.
"Tenchi. . ." she muttered in her sleep.
Normally this would have disturbed him, but at least her dream was making her happy. She rolled over again and continued to breathe gently.
"If I can steal it, nobody will be able to stop me. Not even Nagi." she said.
I'm just going to leave that one alone, Tenchi concluded after mulling over that instant of randomness for a bit. Ryoko again tossed in her sleep. Tenchi saw her hand come around just in time to dodge it.
"Tenchi. . ." she said again.
"And I thought my dreams were erratic." Tenchi whispered to himself.
He tapped her shoulder gently, which was concealed by the blanket she had covered herself with. Ryoko was brought into the morning slowly.
"Good morning!" Tenchi said cheerfully. "I brought you. . .whoa!"
When Ryoko sat up in bed, the covers around her fell into her lap. This revealed her bare body, indicating that she had slept naked. This was news to him but an old habit for her. Tenchi's nose began dripping blood. He covered it with his sleeve and took a few steps back. Ryoko didn't make any effort to shield her nude body. She slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then focused on Tenchi. He was expecting a happy greeting, but what he got was quite different.
"Not another one of these stupid lucid dreams." Ryoko mumbled.
Lucid dreaming. The art of being able to control dreams. Tenchi recalled that some people noted it was related to astral projection. While he had read about it, he'd never personally had one himself. While some claimed diving into their dreams was a relatively easy feat. . .
"Wait, this isn't a dream." Ryoko said in discovery, smiling.
She slid out of bed and lunged at him. Tenchi yelled in surprise and quickly got a tight hug from Ryoko. She then loosened up, but she still kept her hands around his shoulders. Tenchi looked down and saw that she was completely nude. He began twitching involuntarily. Ryoko chuckled.
"You sleep naked?" Tenchi asked.
"Sure. It feels great." she said happily. "You should try it sometime. . .maybe even alongside me." she gave him a wink.
"Could you possibly cover yourself up?" he asked.
"Why? There's no reason to be embarrassed as I'm not ashamed. Perhaps you would be more comfortable if you were naked as well."
She reached for the bottom of his shirt with the intent to take it off. Tenchi seized her greedy hands and put them against her belly, shaking his head. For a moment he thought he had tamed her to some degree. As he was about to let go Ryoko diverted his hands to her breasts, just to see how he would react. Flesh made contact for a brief instant until she let go, allowing Tenchi to break away. She smiled slyly and gave a brief laugh. Tenchi whipped his hands on his pants and Ryoko tisked disapprovingly.
"Oh, come on. It's just skin, Tenchi."
"Isn't it too early in the morning for this?" Tenchi asked.
"Fine." she said, looking to the side. "I'll back down, but only because getting a morning visit from you is rare. Why are you in here, anyway? Shouldn't you still be sleeping in Katsuhito's office?"
Ryoko gave him one of those looks. Her words were loaded. It was a good thing he came prepared.
"I brought you breakfast." Tenchi said.
He knew she could tell by his tone that he was attempting to dodge the issue.
"That was thoughtful of you." Ryoko complimented.
Tenchi hadn't always been the brightest tool in the shed when it came to dealing with women, but he did know she wanted him to say more. For now, Ryoko slid back into bed and wrapped herself up as much as she could. He took the tray of food and set it down in her lap carefully, ready to bolt away if she grabbed at him. For a moment he thought of those little signs at the zoo that warn against feeding certain animals. Luckily Ryoko chose not to drag him into bed with her. She looked down at her food and then at him.
"You're still bleeding." Ryoko said.
Tenchi rubbed the area around his nose to fully clean off all the blood. Now he could avoid any difficult questions as to how he'd gotten one in the first place right after leaving her room.
"This is for what happened last night. I'm sorry it had to end like that. You're not sore, are you?"
"Katsuhito was just play fighting." Ryoko said with a grin. "It's my head that's killing me. I almost broke my nose for you."
"Just try not to do that again for a while, alright?" Tenchi asked nervously.
No good. That wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Nice girls are no fun, Tenchi." Ryoko said. "If anyone can tell you that with a straight face, it's me."
Their conversation was interrupted by someone entering the room. Tenchi took a deep breath and spun around on his heels. It was Ayeka. She didn't appear to be taking any notice of Ryoko's room, which was typical. However, the moment she saw her rival lying in bed naked and put the dots together, it might result in a fight.
"I couldn't find you anywhere else, so I figured you might have been lured in here." Ayeka explained. There was a slight sting in her words.
"I was just waking up Ryoko." Tenchi lied.
Ayeka didn't buy it. Nobody woke up Ryoko. Not even him. Ayeka bit her bottom lip and restrained herself from asking Tenchi to elaborate. He kept waiting for her to notice Ryoko. Tenchi hesitantly glanced back at her bed to see if she was hiding. His mouth nearly fell open in surprise. Ryoko was fully clothed in her favorite blue kimono. She'd put on that odd tail belt as well, which was slowly moving up and down. Ryoko had her arms folded across her chest, and the tray that had held her breakfast was gone. When he looked into her eyes, she gave him a wink and a small nod. Tenchi turned around to face Ayeka, who was still waiting.
"Okay, Ayeka." Tenchi said calmly. "Let's go."
"Funny, I thought Beowful slaid the Grendel." Ayeka commented.
Ryoko grasped her heart and winced away in pain.
"Right in my classical literature!" she said sarcastically.
"Come now, Tenchi. You'll get germs if you spend too much time in Ryoko's room and I wouldn't want any of that."
"Oh, let me tell you." Ryoko began.
"No." Tenchi pleaded. "You don't tell her anything."
"Go ahead, Ryoko." Ayeka taunted. "Give me the worst insult you could possibly think of."
"You stop, too." Tenchi ordered, pointing a shaky finger at Ayeka.
"Do we make nice, now?" Ryoko asked sarcastically.
Ayeka scoffed and quivered with suppressed rage.
"For now, yes. I will concede." Ayeka stated with some degree of authority. "But only because Tenchi has asked us to do so."
Ryoko looked over at Tenchi, who was grinning broadly and nodding in approval. He couldn't believe his request had actually gone through. For once.
"Very well, then." Ryoko agreed, too concerned to disappoint Tenchi. "Besides, I haven't even done my morning stretches. I might pull something if I exert myself."
"What do you know about. . ." Ayeka caught herself. "About knitting?"
"Never tried it." Ryoko admitted. "You?"
"Well, I did make Sasami a nice sweater once, but I'm afraid that's a story I won't discuss with you." Ayeka said. "Now let me take my leave with Tenchi."
"Before you go completely ballistic?" Ryoko chided.
"Oh, you're one to talk. You fight like a rabid dog."
"Which to some degree can be useful." Tenchi added in. "Come on, Ayeka. Let's go eat breakfast, okay?"
Tenchi hooked her arm around his and headed straight for the door. As they headed down the steps, Ayeka checked to see if Ryoko had followed. She hadn't, which meant she was probably still in her room. Ayeka leaned in close to Tenchi.
"Are you trying to balance us out?" she asked. "You know I can't stand that woman. In addition to what she does to you, I find her overbearing personality impossible to deal with."
"You've never been around anyone like that?" Tenchi asked.
"Never. Ever. We've got a one of a kind annoyance living in this house!" Ayeka paused and caught her temper. "I believe this isn't the time or place to talk about such issues. Discussing that woman makes me feel gravely ill."
Great, now he had two unresolved problems to deal with. He hadn't realized it, but he was trying to set something into motion. A compromise. If he could get those two to like each other, than there would be less of a problem if he ever made a choice between them. Katsuhito's advice still echoed in his mind. All it did was pile more reasons to worry on his back. In any case, his little breakfast skit had soothed the result of the former evening. He hadn't gotten an apology from Ryoko, though. But she did seem to listen to him. This was going to take a lot of work he wasn't really ready for. Still, he was the only one that could do anything about either of them. And he wanted to.
By the time they reached the table, Tenchi didn't feel like eating.
X
Ryoko sat down on her bed and began eating the food that Tenchi had brought her. She couldn't decide what to make of her current situation. Tenchi's stalwart resistance to her feminine charms was just as pleasantly aggravating as it always had been. All he needed was a little more coaching. No man could hold out forever. He was just a tough nut to crack. That was why he was so appealing to her and why she'd rehearsed that same exact thought so many times before. It was indeed a dysfunctional cycle and she was beginning to realize that. Still, Ryoko couldn't give him up and hand him over to Ayeka with a ribbon tied around his chest.
If she ever did manage to succeed in seducing him, her victory would hold more than one meaning. None of them would have to do with insatiable lust, though. Ryoko was attracted to Tenchi for the same reasons that Ayeka was. He was a good guy, but at the same time Tenchi was a little bit of a bumbling fool. She couldn't figure out why she found that so attractive. What she had for him was indeed love and her intuition told her he was worth the wait. Hopefully. Ryoko took the cup of sake and guzzled it down, wishing they'd have given her more. An entire jug full would do quite nicely. Ever since she'd arrived, Nobuyuki had taken all the booze out of the house and placed it in Katsuhito's break room. Then again, it wasn't so much of a break room as it was a private kitchen when the old man didn't feel like hauling himself back to the Masaki residence.
"You do love a challenge." Ryoko said to herself. "But perhaps you're just looking for someone to keep you from going back to your old life."
A grin spread across her face as she recalled many of her exploits over the past few years before she had gotten into that terrible tango with Mihoshi. There was no way Tenchi could live like she had. He was too entirely careful. She had to take that into consideration. If she could win his favor, there would be no going back so long as they were together. Given what she had gone through, that was indeed a fair trade. An idea occurred to her as the alcohol warmed her up. Liquor was charismatic. For ages and in many situations she had personally encountered it had been used to soften people up. Just one glass full was enough to lower the guard of any silly light-weight willing to drink it.
Tenchi had to be one of those people. Ryoko couldn't remember ever seeing him drink. Still, getting him drunk wouldn't exactly be appropriate. It wouldn't give him a chance to consent properly. However, getting him tipsy might cause him to see things her way. Although logic began failing after the first full sip, it'd still be functional enough to the point where doing something stupid might not be considered a mistake. At least that's what she told herself. However, one thing was for certain. It would get him to open up. They would get to have a good talk and from there things might finally progress. Perhaps he simply needed to know she cared about his concerns more than Ayeka did. Yes, she would have to be more than Ayeka. Only then would she tip the scales in her favor.
That was enough for her. Getting the required supplies wouldn't be too difficult. She actually did have some money so all that was left to do was go into town. Ryoko had earned the cash through helping Nobuyuki with a couple of unique house plans for extravagantly rich individuals. Just because she was a criminal didn't mean she lacked an education. Oddly enough she'd asked Nobuyuki not to tell anyone about their off and on partnership. It was a bit modest of her, but it helped keep some of her secrets hidden. Ryoko got back to the plan she was forming.
After purchasing the alcohol, she'd mix a mean drink and then hand it to him. Ryoko knew how to use just the right amount to retain the flavor of whatever base she was using, so Tenchi wouldn't know unless he was highly sensitive to taste. Seeing as how he actually managed to eat food cooked by Ayeka when nobody else would, Ryoko figured the odd's were in her favor. Washu used Ayeka's cookies to kill weeds, but that was beside the point. Ryoko wasn't entirely one to talk about poor cooking.
When she finally managed to get into Tenchi's room, she'd have to take a few precautions. As usual. In addition to her usual routine of trapping him, Ryoko planned on putting an invisible barrier up against the window. When Tenchi had actually jumped out of the window last night, he had completely scared the mood out of her. Ryoko clearly hadn't thought of that. The barrier would serve to protect both of them. It would allow Ryoko to carry out her plan and prevent Tenchi from falling three floors again. He was lucky he could still use his legs. With everything set and prepared, she grabbed her money, threw on some casual clothes, and teleported into her usual watering hole. It was the ladies bathroom of some bar that didn't allow foreigners.
Here we go!
X
The rest of the day passed by without incident, leaving Tenchi feeling very uncomfortable. Usually Ryoko and Ayeka would duke it out three times each day on a good day, but they hadn't fought at all. Whenever Tenchi had looked in Ryoko's direction, she appeared to be deep in thought. It didn't take a genius to figure out that that she was scheming something insidious. Now it was late at night and Tenchi was taking a shower. He hadn't had a chance to take one earlier because he had helped his father with putting in a new basement. His father wanted one so that they could have a game room along with a bar. Whatever else they'd throw down there hadn't been decided yet. Washu was heavily involved in this project and suggested they install another alternate universe. Tenchi would have objected, but Nobuyuki was all for it.
It turned out that manipulating time and space took a lot more work than Tenchi thought it did. The work had completely worn him out. Tenchi finished his shower quickly and dried off. He wrapped the towel around his waist and then headed for his room silently. On his way there, he decided to take a peek inside Ryoko's room. As long as she was in there, he'd be safe. Tenchi popped the door open at about a fraction of an inch and peered inside. She wasn't there. He swallowed a knot in his throat and hurried into his room. Tenchi closed and locked the door, knowing it wouldn't do him much good. He then threw back the covers of his bed. Still no Ryoko.
"Where is she?" he asked himself.
Tenchi searched his entire room. When he was sure that she wasn't around, he dressed. Once he finished, he heard an odd noise behind him. Tenchi turned to see Ryoko's head sticking out of the wall.
"Hi." she greeted normally. "I figured you'd be in bed by now. Helping out with the basement project?"
"Duh." Tenchi said. "And what were you doing all this time, as if I didn't know?" he asked sarcastically.
"Playing with myself." she joked.
Tenchi groaned.
"You need to lighten up. Can I come in?"
"Aren't you already in?" Tenchi asked, slightly annoyed.
"Oh, this? Well, this is kind of like knocking on someone's door for me. Sort of like a live preview of whose on the other side."
"Yes." Tenchi said. "Go ahead and come in. But no funny business!"
"Right, right." Ryoko agreed.
She stepped out of the wall and into his room. Instead of wearing some sexy outfit she had on a new light blue kimono that went along with her hair. That tail thing was around her waist again. So far so good, Tenchi thought. She seemed to be carrying two mugs of some clear soda drink. Ryoko offered him one.
"This is one of those limited edition soda drinks." Ryoko explained. That much wasn't a lie. "You know how the market is every now and then."
Tenchi nodded.
"I figured I'd get you one and we could talk." Ryoko offered.
"About what?" Tenchi asked suspiciously.
"About whatever you fancy." she gave him a look again. "Hey, I'm trying out something new here. Will you play along?"
Tenchi took the mug and noticed Ryoko was watching him carefully. A little to carefully. He pretended to drink from his cup while focusing on Ryoko. She was sweating lightly. Tenchi stopped faking and took a small sip. It was a sweet drink. Far too sweet.
"This has got vodka in it, Ryoko." Tenchi said, disappointed.
"You. . .how did you know that?" Ryoko demanded. "You don't drink! Wait, do you? Ever have a margarita?"
"I heard about vodka from my friends, Ryoko. Some of them say it makes a sweet drink taste a little more sweeter." Tenchi explained. "Don't get too upset. It was a nice try."
There was a very long uncomfortable pause between the two of them. Tenchi placed the mug on his desk and then bolted straight for the window.
"Wait, that's not what I. . ." she didn't have time to finish.
He jumped with his shoulder forward to break the glass. This position would also allow him to roll when he landed. If he pulled it off correctly, he probably wouldn't get hurt. Unlike last time, he hit something solid about an inch away from the window. Without having to ask he knew it was a force field set up by Ryoko. He slammed into it hard. A sick popping noise greeted his ears. The pop was so audible that Ryoko even heard it. Tenchi bounced off and fell to the floor. His face was wrought with pain. Instantly Ryoko realized that she had really blown it this time.
Pain erupted throughout Tenchi's arm and he grabbed his shoulder in pain. He breathed deliberately and tried to will away the agony. Ryoko dropped down beside him, ready to help and possibly redeem herself.
"Tenchi, what hurts?" she asked, almost on the verge of panicking.
"My shoulder!" he yelled. "You dislocated it with that stupid force field! All because you wanted to ride me raw." Tenchi closed his eyes. Tears flowed from them. "Do you have any idea what that does to me? It just doesn't work, Ryoko!"
"I'm. . .I'm sorry." Ryoko said silently.
"Ugh. . .no you're not." Tenchi grunted. "I wonder what else you put in that drink."
"Nothing. I hadn't intended for any of this to happen. All I wanted was for you too loosen up a bit!"
"Oh, dear God." Tenchi said. "Forget about it, just do something!"
Do something? Ryoko could not allow this situation to leave the room. If Katsuhito ever found out, she would be in real big trouble.
"You're sure you dislocated it?" Ryoko asked in a slightly calmer tone. Tenchi nodded.
"Just go get Washu, she'll know what to do." Tenchi said.
"I'll do it myself. All we have to do is put your bone back into its former spot like this."
"We're doing what?" Tenchi shouted.
"I've done this before with my knee. Brace yourself."
Tenchi felt his blood go cold as Ryoko forced his hand off of his shoulder and relocated his shoulder for him. She put her foot on the bulge and used his arm to maneuver the bone back into place. Everything ended with another load pop.
"There you go." Ryoko said breathlessly. "Good as new."
The pain took five seconds to register in Tenchi's mind. This time he did scream. The cat was now officially out of the bag. Ryoko knew that because of her selfish desires Tenchi was now hurt badly. This wasn't good. Sasami and Kiyone suddenly burst into Tenchi's room and surveyed the situation. Ryoko looked away from them in shame. Tears of regret streamed down her face as she sat frozen, completely clueless on what she should do. She would be punished for this, and Ryoko knew that she deserved it. This was to much for her to take.
Ryoko fainted.