Chapter One: Prelude
Tenchi breathed in the fresh autumn air as he walked up the stairs leading to the Masaki shrine. The sunlight filtered through the orange, yellow, and red leaves of the trees lining the granite stairway. It was about 6 a.m. and everything was still peaceful. He looked behind him at the lake, which sparkled with the early-morning sunlight. Today was going to be a beautiful day.
"HIYAA!"
"AUGHH!" Tenchi shouted as he barely blocked his grandfather's bokken with his bamboo broomstick. "Grandpa! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" the boy exclaimed as his grandfather removed his bokken from Tenchi's broomstick, laughing.
"You must always be prepared for an attack, Tenchi," he warned, still chuckling. Tenchi harrumphed and continued walking up the stairs beside the older man. Katsuhito gazed up at the sky, which was loosing the pink and purple tints of sunrise and beginning to turn blue. He seemed lost in his thoughts, until he looked at Tenchi. "It was a day much like today, wasn't it?" he asked.
"What was?" Tenchi asked.
"The day you freed Ryoko from her cave," the old man replied. Tenchi looked slightly confused.
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, wondering why his grandfather had brought this up. Katsuhito continued gazing at the sky as he began speaking again.
"In fact, it was exactly a year ago today that you freed Ryoko from the cave," he said. Tenchi was dumbfounded.
"What are you saying, Grandpa?" he asked, not liking where the conversation was heading. The old man laughed.
"Tenchi, you have known these girls for a year now. Your father and I have been discussing this for a while now, and we think it is time that you choose one of them," Katsuhito said.
"WHAT?! Why?" Tenchi shouted, nearly dropping his broom. Katsuhito looked at him and took his glasses off, wiping them with the front of his shrine robe. He replaced them before speaking again.
"The fighting will continue as long as you continue to hold out, Tenchi. The girls need to know who you have chosen." He paused. "Besides, your father wants a grandson. I would like a great-grandchild. For the good of the girls, and for the good of me and your father, you should choose one of them," he said.
Tenchi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't want to hurt any of them, Grandpa. If I choose Ayeka, Ryoko will get hurt, and if I choose Ryoko, Ayeka will get hurt. I'm not even sure how Mihoshi and Washu really feel about me, and I love them all!"
"I understand your difficulty in deciding, Tenchi, but you need to decide. Ayeka and Ryoko are getting anxious. Ayeka won't stay forever if you don't choose." Tenchi nodded. "Tenchi, perhaps you need some time to decide. Take the day to re-acquaint yourself with the girls. When you are ready, you can tell everyone what you have decided." He paused in contemplation for a moment. "It will be difficult to spend time with the girls today if you have to do your chores. Take the day off. I will handle it," he said, holding his hand out for the broom. Tenchi handed it to the older man.
"Thank you, Grandpa," he said. Katsuhito nodded and started back up the stairs. Tenchi slowly started back down the stairs, putting his arms behind his head. He didn't believe grandpa was forcing him to choose one of the girls. He did have to admit that they deserved a decision.
Ryoko was so love-sick, and ever since she assimilated with Zero, she had been expressing herself more often. Ayeka was always so kind to him, and he had to admit that she was pretty. Mihoshi was a ditz, but she was fun to be around. He always liked Washu. She was so cheerful, brilliant, and all- around, a wonderful person. He thought it was a good point that she could cook, unlike Ayeka and Ryoko.
He got to the house just as Sasami was calling everyone to breakfast. Tenchi smiled. He didn't consider her a love interest, and fortunately, she had decided that her relationship with him was more sisterly. He gave her a hug on his way to the table. "Do you want me to see if Washu wants to eat?" he asked.
"Hai! Thank you, Tenchi," the little princess said enthusiastically.
Tenchi smiled and headed toward the closet that served as Washu's lab. Well, it wasn't really the closet, Washu used the door as a portal to her sub-space laboratory that really spanned five entire planets. Sometimes he had to wonder what the heck she did with all that space.
He knocked on the door, hoping Washu wasn't sleeping or something. He was relieved when she called for him to come in. "Breakfast is ready, Little Washu," he said.
"Oh, good! Boy am I starved!" She exclaimed, stretching before hopping off her floating cushion. "It sure takes a lot out of you when you're the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" she exclaimed as she followed Tenchi out of the lab. Tenchi laughed.
When they got to the table, everyone was there, waiting for them. They all exchanged their good mornings before they began eating. Everyone was talking about this and that, but Tenchi wasn't paying attention. He was still thinking about how he was going to have to choose one of them. He had known this time would come eventually, he just hadn't known it would be so soon. He was hoping he would have more time to think it through. This was a decision that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He looked around the table, eyes resting on each of the girls. Ayeka and Ryoko fighting over the last piece of sausage, Sasami giggling at Ryo-ohki as she devoured her carrot, Mihoshi looking uncertainly from Ryoko to Ayeka, and Washu, who was sitting back and taking it all in. How could he possibly decide on only one of them? He loved them all!
"Isn't that right, Tenchi-sama?" Ayeka questioned, jarring him from his thoughts. He looked at the princess uncertainly. He didn't want to agree with her, especially if it was something bad about Ryoko, and he didn't want to disagree with her and make her angry at him. He spotted his escape when he noticed Sasami clearing the table.
"I've got to help Sasami with the dishes!" he announced, jumping to his feet and gathering dishes. Ayeka fumed as Ryoko laughed at her. Tenchi sighed in relief when he managed to retreat to the kitchen. He put the dishes in the sink with the pile Sasami had already put there. "Need some help?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, thank you, Tenchi-niichan!" Sasami exclaimed with a smile as Tenchi turned on the water and started washing dishes.
He thought for a moment as he washed the dishes, handing the clean ones to Sasami to be dried. "It really was a beautiful morning today, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Mm-hm!" the little princess agreed with a decisive nod. "The sunrise was very pretty," she told him. "I like getting up early so I can see it," she explained.
"Well, I'm usually up because I have to be," Tenchi laughed, "but the mornings here are really something else. It's nice to see the reflection of the sunrise in the lake, and to hear the birds waking up," he said.
Sasami nodded again. "Sometimes Ryoko-neechan is up early and she lets me sit on the roof with her and Ryo-chan," she told him. "There's such a wonderful view from up there!"
"I bet," Tenchi agreed. "Does Ryo-ohki-chan sit on your head or on your lap?" he asked.
"Both!" the girl exclaimed. "She likes to sit with Ryoko-neechan too," she said.
When they had finished the dishes, Tenchi looked at her. "How would you like to spend some time with me this morning, Sasami-chan?" he asked. Sasami's pink eyes widdened.
"I would love that so much, Tenchi-niichan!" she exclaimed. Tenchi chuckled and ruffled the girl's hair as they headed outside. The sun had climbed higher in the sky, but it was still fairly cool out, and there was dew on the grass, and steam rising from the surface of the lake.
"What should we do?" he asked.
Sasami thought for a minute, then her face brightened and she took Tenchi's hand. They ran across the yard, around the lake, and to Funaho. Sasami sat down on the ground and leaned against the giant Juraian tree, panting and gasping. Tenchi collapsed beside her, trying to catch his breath.
"Wow, Sasami, you sure run fast," Tenchi said after he caught his breath enough to speak. Sasami giggled.
***
As soon as Tenchi and Sasami went to do the dishes, Ayeka and Ryoko bolted for the living room, each trying to get to the T.V. before the other. Ayeka wanted to watch her soaps, while Ryoko found them completely revolting and would watch anything but that, with the one exception of Mihoshi's cartoons.
Ryoko got the head start, but Ayeka was hot on her heels in pursuit. Ayeka sped up until she was beside the space pirate, then threw her shoulder into Ryoko. The cyan-haired woman fell to the ground with a grunt while Ayeka laughed. Ryoko gritted her teeth and grabbed Ayeka's ankle with a growl, causing the purple-haired princess to fall face-first on the floor. Ryoko howled with laughter as she got back to her feet. Ayeka seethed for a few seconds before jumping up and engaging herself in a shoving match with Ryoko.
As Ryoko was gaining leverage and about to push Ayeka over the back of the couch, the princess and the pirate heard a goofy voice coming from the living room. "Hi, kids! Guess what time it is?"
"The Happy-happy Fun Hour!" Mihoshi shouted with the kids on the T.V. Ryoko and Ayeka let go of one another. The princess twirled on her heel to the image of a big blue dinosaur on the T.V. surrounded by a group of smiling children. Mihoshi had her hands clamped happily in front of her as she bounced with excitement on the couch.
"How could she . . ." Ayeka started.
". . . Beat us to the T.V.?" Ryoko finished. The princess and the pirate turned back to back, and slid to the floor with a sob.
***
"It sure is nice today," Sasami commented, sitting on one of Funaho's roots and gazing through the branches and leaves to the blue sky above. Tenchi shielded his eyes and looked up as well. The bright sun was filtering through the leaves, leaving bright spots mingling with shadow on the ground. With Funaho's great branches towering skyward, it looked as though she was reaching toward the sun. "Why do you want to spend time with me, Tenchi-niichan?" the girl asked, turning her large, pink eyes to him.
Tenchi chuckled and touched her nose, causing her to giggle."Because I like you," he replied. Sasami hugged him and he chuckled again. "Well, that's part of it, anyway. Dad and Grandpa are getting pushy. They want me to choose one of you girls, so I've decided to spend some time with each of you to help with my decision."
Sasami looked at him with a mischievous smile. "Don't you think I'm a little young for you, Tenchi-niichan?" she questioned. She giggled, blushing slightly. Her question caused him to blush too.
"It's not like that!" he exclaimed defensively. "I just didn't want you to feel left out!"
Sasami giggled. "I know," she said. "I was just joking." Tenchi's face turned redder, but he hugged her and they laughed together. "I'm glad to spend some time with you," she told them after their laughter had died down. "Usually, I'm too busy cooking and cleaning to have much time for anything else."
"Yeah," Tenchi agreed with a nod. He held the young princess against him. "I guess sometimes we all get wrapped up in whatever it is we do, and it becomes more like we just live together than being like we're a family," he admitted. Sasami nodded against his chest. "But this is great, Sasami-chan. Maybe we should take a break from our chores everyday so we can have lunch together," he suggested.
"That would be great, Tenchi-niichan!" Sasami exclaimed happily.
They talked for a couple hours before Sasami told him that she should be returning to the house so she could start making lunch. Holding hands, they walked back to the house together. If everything went this well, it would turn out to be a really great day.
Tenchi breathed in the fresh autumn air as he walked up the stairs leading to the Masaki shrine. The sunlight filtered through the orange, yellow, and red leaves of the trees lining the granite stairway. It was about 6 a.m. and everything was still peaceful. He looked behind him at the lake, which sparkled with the early-morning sunlight. Today was going to be a beautiful day.
"HIYAA!"
"AUGHH!" Tenchi shouted as he barely blocked his grandfather's bokken with his bamboo broomstick. "Grandpa! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" the boy exclaimed as his grandfather removed his bokken from Tenchi's broomstick, laughing.
"You must always be prepared for an attack, Tenchi," he warned, still chuckling. Tenchi harrumphed and continued walking up the stairs beside the older man. Katsuhito gazed up at the sky, which was loosing the pink and purple tints of sunrise and beginning to turn blue. He seemed lost in his thoughts, until he looked at Tenchi. "It was a day much like today, wasn't it?" he asked.
"What was?" Tenchi asked.
"The day you freed Ryoko from her cave," the old man replied. Tenchi looked slightly confused.
"Yeah, I guess so," he replied, wondering why his grandfather had brought this up. Katsuhito continued gazing at the sky as he began speaking again.
"In fact, it was exactly a year ago today that you freed Ryoko from the cave," he said. Tenchi was dumbfounded.
"What are you saying, Grandpa?" he asked, not liking where the conversation was heading. The old man laughed.
"Tenchi, you have known these girls for a year now. Your father and I have been discussing this for a while now, and we think it is time that you choose one of them," Katsuhito said.
"WHAT?! Why?" Tenchi shouted, nearly dropping his broom. Katsuhito looked at him and took his glasses off, wiping them with the front of his shrine robe. He replaced them before speaking again.
"The fighting will continue as long as you continue to hold out, Tenchi. The girls need to know who you have chosen." He paused. "Besides, your father wants a grandson. I would like a great-grandchild. For the good of the girls, and for the good of me and your father, you should choose one of them," he said.
Tenchi rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I don't want to hurt any of them, Grandpa. If I choose Ayeka, Ryoko will get hurt, and if I choose Ryoko, Ayeka will get hurt. I'm not even sure how Mihoshi and Washu really feel about me, and I love them all!"
"I understand your difficulty in deciding, Tenchi, but you need to decide. Ayeka and Ryoko are getting anxious. Ayeka won't stay forever if you don't choose." Tenchi nodded. "Tenchi, perhaps you need some time to decide. Take the day to re-acquaint yourself with the girls. When you are ready, you can tell everyone what you have decided." He paused in contemplation for a moment. "It will be difficult to spend time with the girls today if you have to do your chores. Take the day off. I will handle it," he said, holding his hand out for the broom. Tenchi handed it to the older man.
"Thank you, Grandpa," he said. Katsuhito nodded and started back up the stairs. Tenchi slowly started back down the stairs, putting his arms behind his head. He didn't believe grandpa was forcing him to choose one of the girls. He did have to admit that they deserved a decision.
Ryoko was so love-sick, and ever since she assimilated with Zero, she had been expressing herself more often. Ayeka was always so kind to him, and he had to admit that she was pretty. Mihoshi was a ditz, but she was fun to be around. He always liked Washu. She was so cheerful, brilliant, and all- around, a wonderful person. He thought it was a good point that she could cook, unlike Ayeka and Ryoko.
He got to the house just as Sasami was calling everyone to breakfast. Tenchi smiled. He didn't consider her a love interest, and fortunately, she had decided that her relationship with him was more sisterly. He gave her a hug on his way to the table. "Do you want me to see if Washu wants to eat?" he asked.
"Hai! Thank you, Tenchi," the little princess said enthusiastically.
Tenchi smiled and headed toward the closet that served as Washu's lab. Well, it wasn't really the closet, Washu used the door as a portal to her sub-space laboratory that really spanned five entire planets. Sometimes he had to wonder what the heck she did with all that space.
He knocked on the door, hoping Washu wasn't sleeping or something. He was relieved when she called for him to come in. "Breakfast is ready, Little Washu," he said.
"Oh, good! Boy am I starved!" She exclaimed, stretching before hopping off her floating cushion. "It sure takes a lot out of you when you're the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" she exclaimed as she followed Tenchi out of the lab. Tenchi laughed.
When they got to the table, everyone was there, waiting for them. They all exchanged their good mornings before they began eating. Everyone was talking about this and that, but Tenchi wasn't paying attention. He was still thinking about how he was going to have to choose one of them. He had known this time would come eventually, he just hadn't known it would be so soon. He was hoping he would have more time to think it through. This was a decision that would stay with him for the rest of his life. He looked around the table, eyes resting on each of the girls. Ayeka and Ryoko fighting over the last piece of sausage, Sasami giggling at Ryo-ohki as she devoured her carrot, Mihoshi looking uncertainly from Ryoko to Ayeka, and Washu, who was sitting back and taking it all in. How could he possibly decide on only one of them? He loved them all!
"Isn't that right, Tenchi-sama?" Ayeka questioned, jarring him from his thoughts. He looked at the princess uncertainly. He didn't want to agree with her, especially if it was something bad about Ryoko, and he didn't want to disagree with her and make her angry at him. He spotted his escape when he noticed Sasami clearing the table.
"I've got to help Sasami with the dishes!" he announced, jumping to his feet and gathering dishes. Ayeka fumed as Ryoko laughed at her. Tenchi sighed in relief when he managed to retreat to the kitchen. He put the dishes in the sink with the pile Sasami had already put there. "Need some help?" he asked with a smile.
"Yes, thank you, Tenchi-niichan!" Sasami exclaimed with a smile as Tenchi turned on the water and started washing dishes.
He thought for a moment as he washed the dishes, handing the clean ones to Sasami to be dried. "It really was a beautiful morning today, wasn't it?" he asked.
"Mm-hm!" the little princess agreed with a decisive nod. "The sunrise was very pretty," she told him. "I like getting up early so I can see it," she explained.
"Well, I'm usually up because I have to be," Tenchi laughed, "but the mornings here are really something else. It's nice to see the reflection of the sunrise in the lake, and to hear the birds waking up," he said.
Sasami nodded again. "Sometimes Ryoko-neechan is up early and she lets me sit on the roof with her and Ryo-chan," she told him. "There's such a wonderful view from up there!"
"I bet," Tenchi agreed. "Does Ryo-ohki-chan sit on your head or on your lap?" he asked.
"Both!" the girl exclaimed. "She likes to sit with Ryoko-neechan too," she said.
When they had finished the dishes, Tenchi looked at her. "How would you like to spend some time with me this morning, Sasami-chan?" he asked. Sasami's pink eyes widdened.
"I would love that so much, Tenchi-niichan!" she exclaimed. Tenchi chuckled and ruffled the girl's hair as they headed outside. The sun had climbed higher in the sky, but it was still fairly cool out, and there was dew on the grass, and steam rising from the surface of the lake.
"What should we do?" he asked.
Sasami thought for a minute, then her face brightened and she took Tenchi's hand. They ran across the yard, around the lake, and to Funaho. Sasami sat down on the ground and leaned against the giant Juraian tree, panting and gasping. Tenchi collapsed beside her, trying to catch his breath.
"Wow, Sasami, you sure run fast," Tenchi said after he caught his breath enough to speak. Sasami giggled.
***
As soon as Tenchi and Sasami went to do the dishes, Ayeka and Ryoko bolted for the living room, each trying to get to the T.V. before the other. Ayeka wanted to watch her soaps, while Ryoko found them completely revolting and would watch anything but that, with the one exception of Mihoshi's cartoons.
Ryoko got the head start, but Ayeka was hot on her heels in pursuit. Ayeka sped up until she was beside the space pirate, then threw her shoulder into Ryoko. The cyan-haired woman fell to the ground with a grunt while Ayeka laughed. Ryoko gritted her teeth and grabbed Ayeka's ankle with a growl, causing the purple-haired princess to fall face-first on the floor. Ryoko howled with laughter as she got back to her feet. Ayeka seethed for a few seconds before jumping up and engaging herself in a shoving match with Ryoko.
As Ryoko was gaining leverage and about to push Ayeka over the back of the couch, the princess and the pirate heard a goofy voice coming from the living room. "Hi, kids! Guess what time it is?"
"The Happy-happy Fun Hour!" Mihoshi shouted with the kids on the T.V. Ryoko and Ayeka let go of one another. The princess twirled on her heel to the image of a big blue dinosaur on the T.V. surrounded by a group of smiling children. Mihoshi had her hands clamped happily in front of her as she bounced with excitement on the couch.
"How could she . . ." Ayeka started.
". . . Beat us to the T.V.?" Ryoko finished. The princess and the pirate turned back to back, and slid to the floor with a sob.
***
"It sure is nice today," Sasami commented, sitting on one of Funaho's roots and gazing through the branches and leaves to the blue sky above. Tenchi shielded his eyes and looked up as well. The bright sun was filtering through the leaves, leaving bright spots mingling with shadow on the ground. With Funaho's great branches towering skyward, it looked as though she was reaching toward the sun. "Why do you want to spend time with me, Tenchi-niichan?" the girl asked, turning her large, pink eyes to him.
Tenchi chuckled and touched her nose, causing her to giggle."Because I like you," he replied. Sasami hugged him and he chuckled again. "Well, that's part of it, anyway. Dad and Grandpa are getting pushy. They want me to choose one of you girls, so I've decided to spend some time with each of you to help with my decision."
Sasami looked at him with a mischievous smile. "Don't you think I'm a little young for you, Tenchi-niichan?" she questioned. She giggled, blushing slightly. Her question caused him to blush too.
"It's not like that!" he exclaimed defensively. "I just didn't want you to feel left out!"
Sasami giggled. "I know," she said. "I was just joking." Tenchi's face turned redder, but he hugged her and they laughed together. "I'm glad to spend some time with you," she told them after their laughter had died down. "Usually, I'm too busy cooking and cleaning to have much time for anything else."
"Yeah," Tenchi agreed with a nod. He held the young princess against him. "I guess sometimes we all get wrapped up in whatever it is we do, and it becomes more like we just live together than being like we're a family," he admitted. Sasami nodded against his chest. "But this is great, Sasami-chan. Maybe we should take a break from our chores everyday so we can have lunch together," he suggested.
"That would be great, Tenchi-niichan!" Sasami exclaimed happily.
They talked for a couple hours before Sasami told him that she should be returning to the house so she could start making lunch. Holding hands, they walked back to the house together. If everything went this well, it would turn out to be a really great day.