Author's note: This is going to be an extremely difficult chapter to write. Take a peek at the title and you'll figure out why. I'm not going to spoil the content, but let's just say that I've kept this story PG for a reason. I know there's probably somebody out there who has been (patiently?) waiting for this one chapter, and though I'll have trouble writing it, I can only assume that, after a certain time spent together, our heroines would… well… I won't say anything more. I don't own the Tenchi series so I have no authority to say what any characters would and would not do. On a side note, big thanks to everyone who sent their answers in for my poll! Keep them coming!

Love

After cleaning up the dishes from their meal, both girls traveled down to the beach for a relaxing afternoon sunbath. As always, things were quiet on the island--there were no abnormalities in the weather, nor were there hordes of wild animals or savages to fight off. It was just Ayeka, Ryoko, the sand, the surf, and the gentle wind.

Laying blankets down, the girls sighed in weary content as they plopped down on the beach. The tide just barely tickled their toes, and the slightly mushy sand felt great under their backs. Ryoko, to Ayeka's relief, was dressed in something a little more conservative than just a necklace; the princess kept her handmade kimono.

For a few minutes, only silence hung in the air. It was not an uncomforting silence, nor was it a tension that had been building up for some time. No dams would burst anytime soon--this was a relaxing silence, the type that is best to sigh and sleep to. The only real noise came from the lulling surf, which would crash occasionally against the ladies' thighs. Sometimes, a gull would sing above them, but other than that, not a sound was made.

"Ah… This is the life…" Ayeka smiled, and couldn't agree more.

"Yes. …It's paradise."

"You mean it?" A pause. The princess tilted her head to look at her friend.

"What do you mean?"

"You really think being on this island with me is paradise?" Ayeka gave a small smile and snorted.

"I know it sounds weird coming from me, but… well, yes. I mean… well, I'm starting to get used to being here, Ryoko. This island is our new home now. For me, this has been my third residence, and perhaps the most primitive, but in a way, it is also the best." She paused, and folded her hands together. "I… realize that you had no definite home while you were a space pirate."

"Nah… But you're right, this is nice." Both girls gave off faint smiles, and the silence returned to the island once again. Sighing, Ryoko rolled over until her tummy was pressing against the blanket and her backside was facing the sky. A hush fell over them.

"Ayeka?"

"Yes?" A very long pause followed.

"…I'm no good at this sort of stuff… and, well, I know we're friends and all, but it's… well, kinda hard to say even now. Feels funny, y'know?"

"There's nothing strange about it," replied the princess softly. "I know what you're going to say. Really, dear, you can be so predictable sometimes."

"Hm?" Ryoko sat up, and gave her friend a puzzled look. "You know what I was about to say?"

"Of course, dear! I care for you very much, as well." Ryoko smiled, and with a slight snort, laid back down on her blanket. In classical Ryoko fashion, the former pirate smugly folded her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

"Well, it's true that I do care about you," she said. "You know, princess, you're quite possibly the first real friend I ever had. Well, there's Tenchi, of course, but… well, I don't exactly see him as a… (cough) a friend, if you know what I mean."

"I do," muttered Ayeka. "And… well, I guess I'm happy to be your friend. You're… well, you're a wonderful woman, Ryoko. My only regret is that it took me this long to realize it." A pause. Ryoko opened her eye, and smiled faintly at the princess.

"Yeah… but, well, I was actually gonna say something else."

"Hm?" A pause. Ryoko sat up and gazed directly at Ayeka. Crossing her legs and taking a deep breath, Ryoko prepared to shed off what little pride she had saved over the months.

"I… uh… jeez, this is hard."

"Don't force it, dear," advised Ayeka. "Take your time. We're in no rush." Ryoko smiled smugly at the princess' understatement, and uttered a thanks before continuing.

"Ha… Well, I guess I'd better just go out and say it." The briefest of all paused piqued Ayeka's curiosity. "I love you, Ayeka."

"………Eh?" Ryoko giggled, her golden eyes dancing merrily. "What's… so funny?"

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed!" crooned the woman. Ayeka rolled her eyes, and tried hard to conceal the red on her face. With a loud ah-hem, the princess shook off her flushed expression and smiled weakly.

"Did you… just say that you loved me? You, Ryoko, infamous space pirate? My old enemy, sworn to hate me and make me miserable? Scourge of space, merciless barbarian, and rival for Lord Tenchi's affections? You love me?"

"Well… yeah." Ryoko smiled brightly, leaving Ayeka to stutter helplessly. The princess choked, unable to believe that her one-time mortal enemy had uttered such an unusual statement. It had only been a year ago when the princess was laughing over Ryoko's near-death; now they were best friends and Ryoko loved her? It was… rather unbelievable.

"…Oh. I, ah, I see…" Ryoko, sensing her friend's awkwardness, merely laughed out loud.

"Don't be so perverted, highness. It's not like that!"

"Oh." Ayeka smiled weakly, and Ryoko continued laughing.

"What? Did you think I was romantically attracted to a cow-faced ugly old spoiled brat like you?! Ha!" Ayeka sighed and allowed the insults to roll off her back. Normally she would have spewed lava upon hearing such derogatory statements, but that was something that the old Ayeka would have done. This new one took a strange sort of happiness when she heard such remarks.

As Ryoko continued laughing and calling Ayeka names, the princess suddenly lurched forward, and placed a brief kiss on Ryoko's lips. The action was very fast--so fast, in fact, that Ryoko's face was still contorted in a laugh. Said face was frozen in place, though, and a shocked look soon replaced the malicious smile. Ayeka merely smiled warmly, her face flustered just ever so slightly.

A long pause hung in the air. Ryoko kept her frozen face, only occasionally blinking in confusion. Ayeka had to admit that the ex-pirate looked awfully cute when she was confused--so cute that it elicited a laugh from the lady. Ryoko tried to talk, but Ayeka's action startled her so much that she could only croak. Finally, after clearing her throat and her head, Ryoko spoke.

"I…… Well, for once in my life, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say." Ayeka merely kept her smile, and slowly the princess placed a warm hand on Ryoko's cheek.

"I love you too, you nasty worthless lazy good-for-nothing whore." Ayeka's bright smile betrayed the malicious words, and soon the grin became contagious. Ryoko chuckled softly, and touched Ayeka's hand with her own.

"I… did not expect that," admitted the wild woman. Ayeka snorted, and shook her head happily.

"Dear me, we're getting rusty, aren't we?" Ryoko sneered playfully, and stuck her tongue out. She grew slightly more serious after awhile--just slightly.

"You know, Ayeka, if we're gonna be co-wives with Tenchi, maybe we should… ah… well… you know…" Ryoko stuttered, and Ayeka giggled as the former pirate's face grew red from embarrassment.

"You're so cute when you blush," squealed Ayeka, which only caused Ryoko to blush more, which in turn caused Ayeka to laugh more, which continued in a cycle until both girls nestled their chins on the other woman's shoulders and had a good laugh.

Slowly, Ryoko drew back, her face so close to her former rival's that their noses were just touching. Eyes of crimson and gold gazed back and forth, and though the air was still thick with silence, the girls paid little attention to the quiet as they gazed at each other. Ryoko's hand went to stroke Ayeka's purplish hair, and the princess grabbed hold of Ryoko's spikes, and the trigger was pulled as the two met in a considerably longer kiss.

Combing each others' hair for a good while, the two separated and continued to gaze at each other in the silence. Both girls were rather flushed, and their faces red and smiling like bright, fresh apples. The warmth and love in their eyes rivaled the heat of the beach easily.

"I never thought we'd be doing that," whispered Ayeka. Ryoko nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah… Hey… you wanna know something?"

"What?" Ryoko's loving smile grew slightly.

"You're a really bad kisser, princess."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!" Ayeka screamed out in horror, nearly sending the pirate vaulting backwards. The scream from Ayeka's mouth was so powerful that it actually buffeted against Ryoko's hair and nearly struck the poor girl deaf.

"For real!" exclaimed Ryoko. "You're a horrible kisser! Yeesh! Blech!!" Ayeka's reddened face turned vermilion, but it was hardly from embarrassment. Steam erupted out her ears and her fists clenched so much that the knuckles turned white.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A THING ABOUT ME!!!!!!!!!" screamed the woman. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK THIS INST--" Suddenly, Ayeka's screaming was bluntly interrupted as Ryoko forced another kiss on her friend, and the fury of the volcanic princess was slowly calmed. Ayeka moaned out softly in content, and folded her arms around her friend as her anger turned into love.

Ryoko released the kiss and gazed up at Ayeka with golden eyes full of love and compassion.

"But," she said, "that doesn't matter to me, because I still love you all the same." Ayeka's smile grew disproportionately, and she almost shed a tear. Sighing, the princess slowly sat back down on the mat, and apologized for her outburst.

"You are a fiend," she whispered, raking her fingers through Ryoko's spiky hair. "You know that, don't you. The sheer nerve, insulting me one minute and… and, kissing me the next! You… you are absolutely hopeless!"

"Love you too," winked Ryoko, and she giggled yet again as Ayeka's face grew red. Slowly, the former pirate held her friend close, kissed her cheek, and slowly made her way down the princess' neck. A sharp gasp from said lady told Ryoko that she would have a lot of fun with this one.

"Ryoko…!"

And so, things changed from that day forward, yet so many things remained the same. The skies above them remained blue, as they always had been. The clouds stayed white, and the sun kept on being big and round and yellow and hot. Sand kept its crumbly content, no matter how many times it was walked on or rolled on, and the waves continued to lap to and fro, tickling bare feet and hands as it snaked between sand and the sea. The island still remained large and unpopulated save for two residents, and the trees and the mountain and the fruit stayed constant.

In fact, to be honest, only one thing really and truly changed on that island… but it was such a significant change that the entire island could have shifted around and it would not nearly be as dramatic. Eventually, the sky grew black, as it always did when the sun vanished in the west.