The Morning After

The cacophony of pots and pans clattering around in the kitchen awoke Tenchi earlier than he had intended to rise. Shaking the sleep from his eyes Tenchi rose from his bed to find his room oddly vacant. Still too tired to care or decipher why his room felt empty Tenchi started about his morning routine.

Having not had as peaceful a night's rest as she needed, Sasami drearily stumbled around the kitchen trying to wake up enough to make breakfast. Yawning, Sasami began her morning ritual of preparing breakfast. Summoning her wits about her, Sasami deftly and unconsciously chopped the fresh garden vegetables while trying to remember the previous nights dreams. She remembered vague flashes of the dreams, but not enough to make coherent sense. Frustrated Sasami turned to ignite the flame of the gas stove, only to find Ryoko rutting around in one of the cabinets.

"What are you looking for?" Questioned Sasami innocently. The instant response to her question was a loud crash of pots and pans as Ryoko tried unsuccessfully to extradite herself from the darkness of the back of the lower cabinet.

"Oww! Don't ever sneak up on me like that again Sasami!" Ryoko practically screamed as she hit her head on the inside of the cabinet.

"Sorry Ryoko, but what are you looking for?" Sasami questioned again.

"Well, truth be told, I'm not sure. A while back when I was drunk I hid something important to me somewhere in this house. But, unfortunately I don't remember what it is or where I put it. So, I thought I'd just look for it since I didn't see you in here when I came in." Ryoko explained looking at Sasami sort of sheepishly.

"Well, if you tell me what it looks like I could probably find it a lot faster than you can."

"That's the problem I don't know what it is that I'm looking for."

"Then how will you know when you've found it?"

"I'm not sure how, but, I'll just know. Well, I'd better let you get back to doing what you're doing, unless you want me to help you?" Ryoko questioned with an evil smile on her face.

"No, that's okay Ryoko. I'll manage just fine on my own." Sasami replied over her shoulder as she return to her cooking before Ryoko could destroy what she had started.

Upstairs Tenchi continued about his morning having finished taking his shower, dressing into clean clothes and brushing his teeth. Tenchi walked out of the bathroom absent-mindedly combing his hair. Trying to recall his dreams Tenchi wandered back to his bedroom.

Stepping out of her room and into the hallway Ayeka greeted Tenchi. "Good morning Lord Tenchi. Excuse me Lord Tenchi, but have you seen …" Ayeka's question died on her lips as she noticed something different in the way Tenchi looked, his face stealing her breath away.

"Good morning Ayeka, have I seen what?" Tenchi questioned in reply.

Trying to stop gawking at Tenchi, Ayeka shook her head. "Oh nothing… Ah, are you alright Lord Tenchi?" 'Something has change about him? Maybe, it's the way he looks? He looks I don't know… older, stronger… somehow?' Ayeka silently questioned herself about Tenchi's change.

"Of course I'm fine. I'm just a little tired I guess. Well, see you at breakfast. I hope you find what you're looking for." Tenchi said as he turned to continue on to his room.

'So do I Tenchi, so do I!' Ayeka silently replied to Tenchi's back.

Back in his room Tenchi began to clean the mess he had made during the night. Methodically, Tenchi set about cleaning one area at a time. When he finished he stepped back to observe his work and mentally patted himself on the back. Without the anxiety that he had felt the night before Tenchi felt a new found freedom from the burden of the girls' feelings for him. He knew at some point real soon, he would have to talk to each and every one individually to explain how he felt about them all, but he wasn't sure when or how to go about it.

Sighing as he flopped onto his freshly made bed, Tenchi pondered how to say what he had to say. "Well, I have at least two more months before I have to go, that gives me plenty of time to figure it out before I leave." Tenchi brushed off the feeling that he was taking the coward's way out by tracing the pattern on the comforter. Somehow he knew nothing from here on out was going to be the same.

"Excellent, Tenchi's physical and emotional progress is astounding." Washu's eyes flashed over the readouts of Tenchi with a summarizing glance. After having watched and felt the events of last night Washu was mildly surprised by the change in Tenchi's physical appearance. The change hadn't been as startling in the soft moonlight, but in daylight the change was dramatic. The attractive teenager that had gone to his mother's grave last night was by morning; replaced with a handsome, determined and strong willed young man.

"Now if only my little Ryoko would advance this quickly then maybe things will start getting interesting around here." Washu had become bored with the stalemate game that was going on between Tenchi, Ryoko and Ayeka. Something had to give and from the looks of Washu's calculations it was going to be Ryo-ohki. The tension in the house when the three were present was reaching the flash point something was going to happen soon, some one had to make a move. Returning to her readouts on Ryoko, Washu noticed something that she had overlooked before. "Well little Ryoko, trying to hide something from dear old mommy are you?" After further investigation into Ryoko's actions, Washu was stunned. "Oh Ryoko, you didn't… Please tell me you didn't?"

Washu watched sadly as her daughter searched the house for the one object that Tenchi might never forgive being lost. "Please Ryoko say you didn't lose it?" Washu was now openly questioning Ryoko through their link.

"Mom, I didn't mean too. I just wanted to look at it again… It was so long ago when I had last seen it and I…I…"

"You wanted to see what it would look like on you? Didn't you little Ryoko?" Washu tenderly questioned.

"Mom, I was so sad and so lonely, I remember thinking as long as I got it back to him before he notice it was gone what harm could it do? But now…." Ryoko's thoughts trailed off with the finality of despair.

"Don't worry Ryoko we'll find it, I'm sure you put it somewhere safer than either of us could imagine."

"Thanks, mom…I mean…Washu…I mean…" Ryoko fumbled around the words for a while until Washu let her off the hook.

"It's okay little Ryoko I know what you meant." Washu silently chuckled to herself at her daughter's confusion. When Ryoko was worried or preoccupied by something she referred to Washu as mom, subconsciously saying more about her feelings than Ryoko was willing to admit. "Don't worry Ryoko, mommy will take care of everything. Now where was I? Oh yeah, here ringgie, ringgie ringgie, ringgie, ringgie." Washu sent every scanner, every detection device she had on the wild goose hunt for the ring.