Tenchi Muyo: Friday: Training Begins, Again...
Tenchi woke up slowly and tried to enjoy the calm and peaceful morning, but there was one problem. Ryoko was missing, and not just that but he felt surprise and fear through their mental link. Feeling her fear he bolted out of bed and began to dress and he tried to contact her. "Ryoko? Ryoko!"
By the time he was dressed and about to grab the door she finally responded to him, "Yes?"
"Oh thank god, I was worried about you! What's going on?"
He heard her chuckle, "Well it's more like thank goddess now but I'm ok. Washu, um, just discovered something..." She left the rest hanging, unsure as to how to tell him, or even should she tell him about this.
"Goddess? What? Well I guess Washu has a way of scaring all of us. You're ok right? Do you want me to get you out of the lab?" He may have been confused at some of her meanings, but still he knew she was hiding something. But rather then make a confrontation over it he decided that she would tell him when she's ready.
After he was dressed Tenchi opened his door and stepped out into the hall to be greeted by his grandfather. "Tenchi, you and Ryoko have training in less than an hour. I expect both of you to be prompt." Tenchi stood wide eyed as his grandfather turned and left.
Placing a hand on his head he just shook his head muttering, "Oh no." He then turned his thoughts inward to speak with his love. "Ryoko?"
"Yes?"
"Grandfather says we are to join him in under an hour for training, what do you want for breakfast?"
"What do you mean, we?"
He chuckled at her obvious confusion, "He has decided I guess to take on another pupil, so he wants you and me at the shrine for training." His clothes bunched up at the shoulders as her arms appeared around him. The groan that emanated from her clearly asked why they had returned. "Well we could not stay out there for much longer as we both needed to eat and it is hard to have a wedding inside Ryo-Ohki." Chuckling he placed his hands on hers and gave her a quick kiss before heading downstairs.
No one else was awake yet or so he thought as they walked into the kitchen. He was surprised to see that Sasami was up as well and preparing breakfast, as usual. Smiling he shook his head muttering, "I should have known." Ryoko entered with him floating behind him with her arms around his neck still. "Morning Sasami."
"Oh, good morning Tenchi. Morning Ryoko." It still surprised him at how happy she seamed all the time, except for when they missed a meal. Ryoko told the little girl morning, as did Tenchi. "Your grandfather asked me to make a quick breakfast for you two, it looks like he's got a lot planned today.
The two of them had a quick breakfast then left to go see Katsuhito, but Tenchi noticed Ryoko being very silent. As they were heading up the steps to the shrine he decided to ask her about it. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's Washu, she's..." her voice trailed off as she tried to think of a way to tell him. Her worry and confusion was evident to him both on her face and through their link so he held her hand as they walked, but it was then that he noticed something was different. With her still lost in thought he looked down at her hand, and right above it on her wrist used to be her gem. He was used to how it felt against his skin so it surprised him when it was not there. Looking over at her other wrist he saw that it too was gone as was the one on her neck.
He stopped still holding her hand as she tried to keep going. The suddenness of his move knocked her off balance and he pulled her back into him. "What did she do?"
"I, It's hard to explain."
"Why did she take your gems?"
"Well they were hers, and... Huh? How'd you know?"
He held up her wrist to her while smirking, "Do you think I pay that little attention to things?"
She hung her head and pulled him closer. "I think I had better show you instead." She held him close as she replayed this morning's encounter to him. His eyes opened wide in shock as he saw Washu absorbing them and then growing with Tsunami beside her. He then realized why she had been having trouble telling him that her mom was a goddess and he then began to chuckle. "What's so funny?" Placing her hands on her hips to show her disapproval.
"I'm sorry, but it seems that I was right all along. If she is a goddess and she made you then you really are an Angel, her Angel and mine." He then kissed her softly on the cheek then on the lips as she stood there blushing and surprised.
"Was he right? Have I been an angel all along and not known it?" She thought about that and she too began to laugh at how strange it seemed that she had been called a demon when she was really an Angel.
"How many of your powers do you still have? Since loosing them I mean?" He knew that she had been without them for a long time before they met. So after giving them back and her loosing them this fast he thought that she might have been more upset. But from her thoughts she seemed to be more focused on Washu now than herself.
"I don't know. I can teleport, phase and fly still."
"Hum, just like before at my school. You didn't have them then either." She smiled at him and then pulled him up the stairs further. He could feel her nervousness and fear through their link. He tried to help her to let her know that it would be ok, but it is hard to help someone when you don't know yourself what could happen. He just put an arm around her and tried to re-assure her that they would be ok.
"Ah so you made it." The voice of his grandfather shook them out of their thoughts. Tenchi still holding Ryoko in a soft embrace looked at him cautiously but did not remove his arm from around Ryoko. "Tenchi, your sword training is over. From now on you will practice with Ryoko for one hour then you will assist me."
Tenchi looked at him warily, "What do you mean?"
"It is time for you to learn." And with that he beckoned the two into his office. And so it was that starting that day he began to prepare them for taking over the shrine in hopes that it would give him a reason to stay here on Earth after he left them.
For the first time Tenchi actually liked his training, now not only did he not have to fight his grandfather every day, but also he would be learning how to take care of the shrine properly. But what made the biggest difference was that he was learning with Ryoko and even though no one else knew it yet they had already decided to stay on earth. As his grandfather explained to him how the shrine operates and what is expected Tenchi immediately started working on it.
He got a kick out of helping Ryoko act like a normal human the most. As a priest it is not unheard of to have a wife, but it is rare. And as a priest's wife several things are expected of her as well. The most important though is to appear normal. While certain things of her physical appearance do not allow for complete normalcy she can at least keep other things from being known. Most of her training included how to act like a human with no powers, and while she hated not flying or teleporting she told them that for him she would do anything. Lucky for her this was not a busy shrine and she only had to be careful when others were around.
The one thing that did bother him was that living as a priest there was next to no income so it made it hard to live in a nice house. He knew that his grandfather has chosen to live in the shrine as it had a small living area. But it was too small for two people to live in. And since his fathers house at the base of the stairs would be very expensive to live in. So he was faced with a strange dilemma. To keep up appearances that he was a normal person then he needed a larger source of income thank the shrine. However with the people he knew and having to protect this system he would not be able to keep a normal daily job.
It was during this training that Tenchi suddenly looked up into the sky and announced, "Someone just arrived at the barrier." Ryoko nodded and mentally called for her cabbit Ryo-Ohki and then her mom.
"Um, mom?" She was a little timid about asking her about things so soon after her transformation.
"Yes? Are you wondering about the ship at Tenchi's barrier?" Her mother though never ceased to surprise her as she was not only actually listening to her, but was aware of what was going on. "If you are wondering if that ship is a threat it is just a transport with one person on board. So don't worry."
Ryoko was about to ask how she knew but after what happened this morning she just decided to not question her. So instead she just passed this information along to Tenchi. When Ryo-Ohki arrived the two of them were transported inside her after she changed into her ship form and the three of them left to go greet their visitor.
