Disclaimer
Tenchi and all associated characters are the property of AIC and Pioneer LDC. I don't own any rights to them. Any other characters are property of their respective copyright holders, not me.
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In A Family Way
Chapter 2
What a Day
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Tenchi rolled over and heard Ayeka groan. Instantly he was awake, a concerned look on his face as he looked around for his very pregnant wife. He sighed with relief when he found that the only problem was that Ryoko had rolled over in her sleep and was lying across one of the princess' arms. He sat up and scootched his way to the end of the bed, not wanting to wake either one of his wives. He silently made his way around and carefully extracted Ayeka's arm from under Ryoko, then as long as he was up he decided to answer the call of nature before laying back down.
After attending to what needed to be done, he found Ayeka sprawled across the bed on her back, Ryoko's head on her chest and the pirate's arm wrapped around the princess' shoulders. Both girls were smiling and snoring gently. Seeing that there was no way he was going to get back into bed without waking at least one of them, he grabbed a blanket that had fallen to the floor, snatched up his pillow and with a good natured grumble, found his way downstairs to the couch. Again.
He awoke to the sound of Sasami starting breakfast and saw his father seated in the chair across from him, sipping a cup of tea. He sat up and rubbed his gritty eyes just as Sasami bustled into the room with a cup for him.
"Here you go Tenchi, good morning," the little princess said, handing it to him. "You look like you need something to wake you up."
"Yes, thank you Sasami," he replied, taking the offered cup and holding it tightly in both hands.
"The girls kicked you out again, eh Tenchi?" asked Noboyuki with a glint in his eye.
Sasami covered her mouth and giggled as she headed back into the kitchen. Tenchi glared at his father. "No, they didn't kick me out. I got up for something and when I went back there was no room left for me. I didn't want to wake them, they looked so peaceful lying there together."
"Ah, two women in love!" exclaimed his father, stars dancing in his eyes.
"It's not like that!" exclaimed Tenchi, setting his cup down sharply.
Noboyuki looked sheepish. "I know son, I was just teasing you. There were many times when your mother was pregnant with you that I spent the night on the couch for the very same reason. She would always tell me the next morning that I should have woken her up and made her move over, but I never had the heart to do it. She always looked so comfortable spread out across the bed and I wanted to give her every comfort I could. Carrying a child is not an easy task."
Tenchi's father set his cup down on the table and stood up. "I'm off to work. I should be home tonight but it'll be late. Ask Sasami to save some dinner for me please, and tell her thank you for the tea."
"Sure dad, and thanks." Tenchi smiled warmly. "Oh! Wait! Ryoko wants to go into town today so if you'd like, we can meet you for lunch. Ayeka may even come with us, she said she wants to get out of the house too."
"Yes son, I'd like that. Call me when you're ready to leave and I'll pick out a place to meet. I may bring a guest too."
Tenchi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Noboyuki chuckled. "If our schedules work out, you'll see. Talk to you later son."
Tenchi watched as his father left. He thought about what his father had said. Could dad have a girlfriend? he wondered.
Certainly, came the reply. Your father's not that old, Ryoko's voice said in his mind.
You're awake? he sent back. Isn't it kinda early for you?
Well, yes, came the reply. But I, that is we, missed you. Why aren't you in bed with us? Or me? Ayeka promised me some time alone with you this morning.
Is Ayeka awake too? he asked.
There was a moment's pause. Nope. She's still snoozing away. Should I wake her and tell her to get lost?
For a moment Tenchi was tempted, really tempted. Then his reasoning self took over. No, let her sleep in this morning. I'll take a raincheck on the offer though. Why don't you come down and have breakfast with Sasami and me?
Ok, Ryoko replied. Just let me take care of my morning routine and I'll be right down.
A few minutes later, after Tenchi had folded up his blanket and straightened himself up a bit, Ryoko faded into view in the dining room. "I'm here," she called softly. "Where's breakfast?"
"Coming right up Ryoko, why don't you and Tenchi take your seats?" came the cheerful response from the kitchen.
Tenchi and Ryoko sat down across the table from each other. "Did you sleep well?" she asked. "This is what? The fourth, fifth time you've ended up on the couch in the last month?"
"Seventh," said Tenchi. "And you? You looked comfortable enough last night."
Ryoko nodded, "Yeah, I slept good. No more nightmares or anything. Not in a long time. There is one thing though."
"Oh? What's that? That you missed me?" Tenchi grinned evilly at his wife.
Ryoko grinned back and started running her bare foot up and down her husband's leg. "Well, there is that, but that's not what I meant. Ayeka's starting to leak."
"I thought s… What did you say?" Tenchi was floored.
"I said, Ayeka's leaking a bit. Just a little."
"What do you mean 'leaking'?"
"You know…" Ryoko cupped her breasts and bobbled them up and down. "Leaking."
"That's normal," came a nasally voice from the closet door. "Well, not unusual anyway. She's producing more milk than her breasts can store so some of it leaks out. After the baby's born I can give her something to dry that up, if she's not going to breastfeed that is." Washu took a seat at the end of the table just as Sasami came out of the kitchen with breakfast.
"You guys are talking about my sister again, aren't you?" asked Sasami as she set the breakfast tray down.
"Well, I was …" started Ryoko.
"Rude enough not to wake me for breakfast," said Ayeka from the stairway. "And talking about me behind my back. I thought we had a deal Ryoko, I was going to leave you alone this morning and instead I wake up to find myself alone. All alone." She waddled over to the table and grunted as she sat down next to Tenchi.
Tenchi turned to his other wife. "Now Ayeka, leaving you alone was my idea. Ryoko offered to live up to her end of the bargain." Ryoko bobbed her head in agreement. "And she was worried about you," Tenchi went on. "Washu was just explaining that there's nothing to her concerns."
"Concerns? What concerns?"
Sasami sat down and started passing out food. "Ryoko says your breasts are leaving wet spots on her," the little princess said with a straight face.
"Sasami!" admonished Ayeka.
"I did not!" cried Ryoko. "I just said they were leaking."
Washu laughed and even Tenchi chuckled a bit. "Anyway, you're due for your weekly checkup," the red headed scientist reminded the elder princess. "I want to see you in my 'office' after breakfast. And yes Ryoko, I'll check the 'leakage' just to make sure there's no problem. Hasn't been any so far and I don't foresee that changing. And I should know…" Washu's forehead glowed slightly.
Tenchi cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Dad said he'd meet me, Ryoko and Ayeka for lunch in town today. And that if things work out he has someone he wants us to meet."
Sasami giggled. "Father has a girlfriend. It's about time."
Ayeka frowned. "Don't jump to conclusions dear. Maybe it's just a business associate."
"Yeah, right…" Sasami mumbled into her food, still smiling.
Her sister didn't hear her and continued talking. "But I'm sorry Tenchi. I know I said I'd go with you but I don't feel up to it today. I think I'll stay here, maybe take a walk out by the lake later."
"But Ayeka, father would enjoy having all of us out for lunch."
"I know Tenchi, but with Washu wanting to examine me today and all, I don't think I'll be up to going."
Washu almost choked as she quickly swallowed the food she was chewing. "Wait a second. Don't use me for an excuse Princess, if you don't want to go, just say so. I'm sure Tenchi and Ryoko'll understand."
"All right then," said Ayeka. "I'm not feeling up to going into town today and I was hoping we could postpone it until tomorrow or the day after. But since your father wants to meet you in town, you guys go ahead without me. You can tell me all about it when you get back."
Washu smiled. "See, that wasn't that bad, now was it?"
Tenchi took Ayeka's hand in his. "If you feel that way about it, I'll call father and tell him we can't make it today. I'm sure he won't mind."
"No, no. You two go ahead and go. Your father may not get another chance to introduce you to whoever it is. You know how busy his schedule is."
"Well, if you insist," said Ryoko.
"Oh, I do, I do." Ayeka looked the pirate in the eye and winked. Ryoko grinned back.
*****
Ryoko poked Tenchi in the ribs and pointed to the back of the room where Noboyuki was waving frantically. The couple made their way through the crowd to the table and greeted him. The three took their seats as Ryoko looked around for whomever it was that Noboyuki wanted them to meet.
"Ayeka didn't come?" Tenchi's father asked. Tenchi explained that she wasn't feeling up to a long car ride and besides, Washu wanted to examine her anyway. Noboyuki grimaced at the thought of enduring one of the small scientist's 'examinations'.
"So, where's she at?" Ryoko exclaimed, standing back up and shading her eyes to look around the room.
Tenchi pulled on his wife's arm. "Ryoko, please sit down."
"Yes, daughter, please sit," agreed Noboyuki. "And what makes you think it's a 'she'?" Ryoko gave him a sour look and Noboyuki smiled at her. "All right, it is a she and she said she'd be a few minutes late."
The ex-pirate nudged her husband with her elbow. "See, I told you he had a girlfriend."
"Oh no, it's not like that," Noboyuki hurriedly explained. "At least not yet. It is true that I do like her and want to spend more time with her, but…"
"But?" Tenchi asked.
"But I don't know if she feels the same. And I'm just a bit leery of introducing her to the rest of the family. She might not understand."
"Oh?" Ryoko looked him in the eye. "And just how were you going to explain both me and Ayeka?"
"Um, well… Ah, here she is." Noboyuki stood and Tenchi and Ryoko followed suit, their heads turning to look at the woman approaching the table. She was about Ryoko's height, well proportioned and appeared to be just a couple of years younger than Tenchi's father. There was even a hint of grey in her dark hair. As she drew near, Ryoko's eyes narrowed a bit. Her enhanced senses were picking up something about this woman, but she wasn't absolutely sure yet.
Noboyuki took the woman's hand and guided her to her seat. "Tenchi, Ryoko, this is Mai. She's a new partner in my firm. Mai, this is my son Tenchi and his wife, Ryoko."
"Pleased to meet you," Tenchi said, bowing properly. Mai returned the gesture. Her dark green eyes sparkled with humor as she regarded Ryoko.
"Uh, yeah. Pleased and all that," the pirate said with a quick nod.
Mai winked at her. "Mrs. Masaki."
"Well, let's order shall we?" Noboyuki asked. "Our time's rather limited."
"Yes, let's," said Mai. She looked at Ryoko with a strange gleam in her eye. "Say Noboyuki, didn't you mention that Tenchi's wife is eight months pregnant?"
Ryoko grinned like a Cheshire cat. "That's Tenchi's other wife, Ayeka."
Tenchi and Noboyuki's jaws hit the floor. Mai just smiled back. "I see. Well, I guess I understand why she couldn't be here then. Ah, here's the waiter. Noboyuki, you order first."
*****
Ryoko was strangely quiet but seemed in a good humor during lunch. She would respond when spoken to and was pleasant enough but she didn't start any conversations on her own. Her behavior puzzled Tenchi and on the way home he asked her about it.
"Something wrong dear? Something about Mai? Don't you like her?"
Ryoko shook her head. "It's not that, I did like her. A lot. She's very pretty and I think she's nice enough; your father could do worse. She seems to like him too. It's just that…"
"Just what?" Tenchi prompted.
"She's not what she seems."
This surprised Tenchi, he hadn't noticed anything unusual about the woman. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"She's not from around here," Ryoko explained.
Tenchi smiled. "No, she's from Osaka, remember?"
Ryoko shook her head again. "Not like that. I mean she's not from around here like I'm not from around here."
Tenchi was shocked by this. "You mean you think she's an alien?"
"I know she's an alien. She's GP, I can tell."
Now Tenchi's curiosity was piqued. "Oh, and you're an expert in this. Just what makes you think Mai is GP?"
Ryoko leaned over and put her head on Tenchi's shoulder. "I am an expert, remember? But I'll tell you how I know. You might not know this, but GP officers are enhanced by nanotechnology; Mihoshi's physical abilities aren't natural you know. Well, given her ancestry, they might be, but you get what I'm saying. I could sense the nanobots in Mai. And her reaction to the fact that you had two wives showed that she didn't think it was unusual."
"She may have thought you were teasing."
"No, she knew the truth. She knew who I was too, I could see it in her eyes."
Tenchi took a deep breath. "If what you say is true, then why is she here? She's certainly not after you, not anymore."
Ryoko nuzzled Tenchi's cheek. "If she is, I have you to protect me, right? But nope, she's probably just here to keep an eye on the Royals. The GP might have several undercover teams on planet right now. They may have had them here, on and off, for the last 700 years."
"Seven hundred years!"
She started running her index finger around in little circles on his chest. "Uh huh, to keep an eye on me and to make sure nothing happened to Yosho."
Tenchi looked down at the top of Ryoko's head. "That would imply that Jurai…"
Ryoko sighed. "C'mon Tenchi, think about it a minute, do you actually believe they'd lose their crown prince? That no one knew where he was?" She reached out and grabbed Tenchi's arm. "Pull over by that little lake there. I wanna go swimming."
"Swimming? Now?"
Ryoko looked up at her husband's face and grinned. "Yep, and I'm gonna call in your raincheck too."
Tenchi quickly parked the van.
*****
To be continued
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Author's Notes
Ok, after much thought I've decided to keep the title as is because I like the multiple meanings it implies. These little stories take place during Ayeka's pregnancy so it fits there, and although they aren't specifically about Ayeka, they are about living as a family so it fits there too.
As always, if you like my stories and want to be added to my notify list when a new chapter/story is posted, send me an e-mail to the address in my profile. Likewise if you're already on the list and want to be removed.
Next Chapter – A visit by the in-laws and the time has finally come.
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Review Responses
I'm surprised at the number of comments the first chapter has generated. I hope this chapter has maintained the same quality and is received just as well.
Dennisud – Well, if you remember, waaay back in chapter one of "Jurai, Here We Come" I toyed with the incubation idea myself. But what fun would that be? That's why I had Ayeka nix the idea when Washu suggested it.
Thundergod – Ryoko will get her turn, I promise you. It's going to be different from Ayeka's pregnancy too, I just haven't worked out all the details yet.
Akemi Akibi – What do you mean? I haven't updated anything since a couple of weeks before ff.net went down. I don't know about the motorcycle, I'll consider it.
Wharpt – Heh. Keiichi and Mihoshi? I sense one of Belldandy's jealousy attacks coming on. Actually, I was inspired by that manga panel with Ryoko and the motorcycle.
Lizzy Hakubi – I just come up with a basic idea then sit down, clear my mind and let my fingers go to work on the keyboard. Sometimes I amaze myself with the results. (And sometimes I'm disappointed…)
Vsdefender – Yep, Ryoko's time is coming, but not in this fic. And I really enjoyed the A-ko chapters, I just haven't reviewed them yet.
Taxzombie – Thank you for the kind remarks.
Alighthawk – Actually, if you look closely, the OAV and the manga are mostly tales about the family. Aside from the almost constant fights between Ryoko and Ayeka there are only a few really big battles.
Smack54 – Well, I really hope that no one was disappointed by this story, although I do know that you can't please everyone.
Priest – Hey, it's been a while, thanks for catching up. Have you gotten to the next chapter of "A Scientist's Tale" yet? I'm almost finished with chapter 6, better hurry…
Aisha C – I will, I promise. I leave no fic unfinished, but sometimes it takes a while to get back in the mood to work on them.
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BobR
7/24/2002