Tenchi Muyo: Friday: What a morning!
When most people have a morning after it usually involves waking up to find a strange person in your bed and you don't remember them or how you got there in the first place. For Mihoshi it wasn't much different. As the sun's light cascaded in through the window she slowly became conscious of the fact that she was laying across the bed, and that this bed was very lumpy. Slowly as her mind started functioning again she realized that this was not her room, and this was not her bed. It then dawned on her that it was not the bed that was lumpy, but rather who was in the bed with her.
Pushing herself up to her elbows she felt an arm drop away from her shoulder where it had been. She then was able to recall vaguely how she got to be here as well. The large lump in the bed had been Nobuyuki with whom she had slept not only against but also nearly on! When she had woken up her head was resting on his chest with his arm wrapped around her. She was relieved that they both had on their clothes still, but that brought little comfort at this moment.
Slowly her mind drug out details of last night, how they had talked and how he had offered to give her a massage. She thought to herself that he was very good at that massage because she became very relaxed. Maybe a little too relaxed in fact, as she barely remembered what happened after that. Realizing that he had not tried anything with her after thinking about it for some time she finally smiled. When she had realized who was with her she froze in panic and fear over what could have happened, though now with her mind and fears back under control she began to lift herself up and away from him.
Once she was free of his arm and then about to get off the bed she looked at his face for what seemed the first time. He seemed to have a strange peaceful look to his face and a sight grin. If she didn't know better she'd think something happened last night. Looking again she could not help but smile as well, for she too had had a better nights sleep than she had had in a long time. She had not had any of her normal nightmares about Kiyone or Kagato, nor had she had any of those dreams that seemed to possess her until recently.
A wistful smile graced her lips as she realized it had been a long time, almost too long since she had been held like that. Leaning forward she kissed his cheek then removed herself from his bed and then his room. Sighing as she left for she felt thoroughly refreshed. Her mind screamed at her that she just did a stupid thing, but that was the only way she could think of at the time to really thank him for what he has helped her through lately.
As Mihoshi's lips met his skin Nobuyuki had awoken, but still thinking it was a dream he kept his eyes closed. It was when he heard her sigh and leave that he realized it was not a dream. Right after his door closed Nobuyuki sat up in bed with his hand instantly going to his cheek where she had kissed him. He could still feel the warmth of where her lips had been. "No. It, it can't be." Turning his eyes towards the roof as if he was looking through it towards the sky he cried out, "Please no! Don't let it happen." He turned his eyes towards the floor as he began to cry unshed tears from years gone by.
A voice seemed to speak to him as he cried, but he could not place the voice. "What is wrong?"
Looking around quickly he discovered that he was indeed still alone. "She can not. She just can't."
"Can't what?"
In a voice to low for almost even his own ears he responded to the voice. "Love me." His anguish and fears reverberated through his words even though they were spoken so quietly.
"Why?"
"Because."
"Why?"
"Because, I can't love her back! You happy?" He looked around cautiously as he seemed to be having an argument with himself. "Long ago I promised Achika that I would never love another and I haven't! Now..." His voice dropped off.
"Now?"
Sighing he continued. "I am old now, she is young. I will not make anyone else go though the pain that I have. I've done everything I could to keep women away, but I'm tired of it."
"Now what?"
Nobuyuki began to cry again as he thought. "I don't know. I can't go through that pain again. And I won't make anyone else go through it either." As he cried the voice left him to his thoughts, and his pain.
In another part of the house a child sits alone in a darkened room surrounded by machines making various noises. The child though pays no heed to any of them as she has just experienced something new, exciting and yet very sad. Washu or Little Washu as she preferred to be called was siting in her lab reflecting on the feelings and words that had just come to her. She had been running another of her many experiments just moments ago when she herd some one in great pain calling out. She had asked what was wrong but the voice and feelings did not answer at first. It took some goading, but the voice had finally told her.
The surprising part was when it mentioned that name, Achika. She then realized who it was. She confirmed her suspicions by looking at the camera she had monitoring Nobuyuki's room. She had seen him crying on his bed as she felt his emotions trying to surge against her. After hearing what he had to say she discovered that there was more to this man than he let on, but it left her with one important question. "Who was he afraid to love?"
"Sister." Washu was torn away form her thoughts by Tsunami calling out to her. As Washu looked up the goddess appeared before her. "Washu."
"Hello Tsunami."
"I heard what he said to you. What do you intend to do?"
"What do you mean? He wants to be left alone!"
"He prayed, you heard and answered. It is up to you to solve this problem."
"What!" Washu was visibly shaken at this news and more importantly that she would have to take a role in it. "He want's to be left alone and that's what I intend to do."
"So you will ignore his pain? He is crying out for help and asking to be helped."
"Well, what would you have me do?" Washu was beyond annoyed at this. She wanted to go back to her experiments, undistracted.
"Think of it this way," Tsunami told her, "This is a living experiment. You are asked to find a way to answer his cries for help while not coming right out and showing that you are involved." Washu looked at her sister and considered this.
"So, it's just an experiment?"
"Yes, but you get only one chance, so you..."
"Yea, I get it. Don't screw it up." Tsunami snickered and began explaining more to her about answering someone while not obviously doing it herself. To her credit Washu just listened and absorbed as much as she could while trying to formulate a plan. The first thing she wanted to know was whom was he interested in.
After Mihoshi had left his room she rushed to her own room to change clothes for breakfast. She had hoped that she was not seen and so far she had done a good job of it. It was not until she had left the onsen that she was spotted by anyone and knowing that she was out of danger of being caught did not mind. Of coarse the one to catch her was Sasami. "Ah Mihoshi, I was wondering if you could help me in the kitchen?" Seeing no way out of it at the moment she agreed and after a quick stop in her room to get dressed she headed off to help the princess.
At breakfast there were only four of the normal members Ayeka, Sasami, Mihoshi and Nobuyuki. He showed up last and through his light meal he sad barely a word more then morning to everyone. When he spoke his morning to her she felt her pulse quicken and a slight blush in her cheeks. The feelings were quickly surprised and she said a silent thank you that no one noticed. At least no one at the table there noticed, but a clever scientist turned goddess suddenly had that strange feeling again and heard someone say thanks for not letting anyone notice.
Washu began pondering who had sent her that and had cleverly decided not to answer it least she be given a second mortal to take care of. Unfortunately her mind told her that the sheer fact that she had heard it made her liable. Now not only did she have Nobuyuki to worry about but also now someone else was saying things that she was hearing and she did not know who it was. At least she did not know yet.
To top off Washu's list of things to do was to find out more about Mihoshi. Now that she had discovered that the detective was her great granddaughter she had even more questions. Her most pressing question was how much of her own powers were passed down through her son? The little scientist had put her blood and that of Mihoshi through every possible test she could think of but her machines were just not telling her what she wanted to know. She sat quietly at her lab table brooding and staring at a sample of blood and wondering. She then lifted it and looking at it with her own eyes she began to perceive more than was possible for a normal person.
The lab seemed to fade away as her eyes gazed into the blood, in there was the answers she wanted, and finally they came to her, not though science, but through her own powers. She realized that only the genetic code of her body and physical attributes were passed down. Her son had a greatly increased life span being a direct descendant, but each successive generation returned more and more normal. As it was Mihoshi had an increased life span, but none of her powers save those of intelligence and other physical traits.
She reasoned this to be because of the combining of her DNA to that of her mortal husband. Whereas with Ryoko it was just her and not mortal side for her to take after. Therefore Ryoko had her powers which were augmented with that of the Masu and was for all intents Immortal. Frowning she recovered a sample of Tenchi's blood and looked at it as well. His blood was that of a mortal, but with her new abilities she could see that the powers that flowed through him with having Jurai blood made him near immortal as well, but he would eventually age. However with the Light Hawk Wings coupled to the Jurai blood he was just like her daughter and would not age or die of old age.
These findings made her smile wistfully, as she knew that her daughter and Tenchi could literally spend forever together like that both wanted. Turning her mind back to Nobuyuki she knew that he would not live that long as he was completely human, meaning no Jurai blood, no special powers, nothing.
