"Awakening" v.1.2 ID # 1-1-04 (Arc 1, Chapter 1, Scene Four)

The paneled door slid open and shut as a bright, albeit wobbly Mihoshi went into the house. Happily, she hummed a tune familiar to her, loving how it seemed to go with this wonderful morning. She paused mid- stride and turned to look back at the shoji door. Hmm, she wondered, I wonder why they were all snuggled together, she inquired, finding the situation a bit too strange to swallow so early in the morn.' She giggled. Too bad I won't be there to see what happens with those two in his arms. I wish it was me. she thought, a dark streak of crimson came across her cheekbones and nose as she continued to giggle mirthfully; she couldn't help it.

Mihoshi detached her little puff from her belt, and it transformed into its primary shape as a lustrous magenta cube in her hands. Now, where do I change? She looked down at her uniform, still immaculately pressed, but it never was something meant for one to fall asleep in. Great, I'm going to be sore again. The woman ascended the stairs, stretching her arms above her head as she did so, letting out a long yawn. She paused at the upstairs bathroom door, which to the gentler sex of the Masaki Residence, led to the floating Onsen Island Washu had created. Nah, she thought as her stomach lightly growled its own needs, I'll take one later, I'll just change and go back downstairs.

She heard Tenchi's door shift lightly against its frame. What's this? She knocked lightly, knowing that everyone, well everyone except Aeka and Ryoko were downstairs. A sly grin crept across her face for a moment. Now, if they are in there, what could they be doing? Not hearing a response, she opened the door and walked in. Oh, no one here. she thought, not disappointed at all, he left the balcony door open, no wonder, wind's moving the door.

"Hope he doesn't mind," she said, "I don't have my own room, so." Not that she minded, especially not now. She still wondered at how easily a form fitting uniform came off. Ah, technology finally catches up to fashion. Though it was a bit too sexy, it was ergonomic and functional, plus, Mihoshi reflected, I make it look good. Mihoshi pointed one of the cube's six faces at the discarded bundle on Tenchi's floor, noting how oddly appealing they were there as the uniform was sucked in.

She sighed. Oh no, don't tell me I'm turning into Aeka, she grumbled as she resisted indulging a particularly. 'stimulating' probability she had contemplated more than once. I swear, that girl is deprived. Royalty, she snorted, guess they don't have it so easy after all, she shrugged.

The off-duty GP detective manipulated the cube, noting how it looked like on of those cubes Tenchi had around the house, fumbling for the right combination, praying that it does what she wants it to do. She had a tough time explaining before about how she dumped a fully-equipped combat exoskeleton into the dining table before during dinner, all for a napkin, she thought embarrassedly. How many years have I had this thing, and I still can't use it, well I signed on as a people person, not a techy!

Thankfully, all the items that fell as she struggled to find the proper combination were minor; a disassembled sidearm, a small stash of snacks, and several volumes of a shojo manga that she found fascinating. Success! she exulted. "One of these days I need Washu to make me a user- friendly version of this," she sighed. "I think the insults will be worth it." Really, whoever made this thing must have been some sadistic smartass.

Mihoshi slumped down onto the bed as the weight of her world finally made itself fell. She lay on it, with knees bent on the edge, her feet still on the floor. Shaking her head softly, and placing a wan smile on her face, Mihoshi rose and looked down at the fifth bundle, the one which she had sought.

With a depression of a finger, miraculously the cube worked, and a small mirror projected itself against the wall opposite Tenchi's bed. She rose and admired her figure, wondering how Tenchi would react if he saw her now. in her underwear, white, pure, virginal slips, hugging her toned, firm bronze skin Oh no. don't go there Mihoshi, she censured herself. Optopsychological Warfare indeed!

Nah. the poor boy would probably die from all the blood rushing his head. She chuckled. A stroke at such a young age.

Stretching upright again, reaching down to feel her toes as they wiggled, Mihoshi took a deep inhalation of the room's air. Due to the fact that it was left open all night to the outside, it felt chill. dew, it smells like dew, she contemplated that oddity. She frowned, shaking her head at what she was thinking.

She slipped on a baggy teal vest complemented and into a pair of beige cargo shorts. She remembered seeing that style of clothing on television before, and she regretted not having a sunhat to go along with the creased clothing. Even with all the buttons on. it seemed, that it was just too. seductive? Nah, she thought sardonically, they won't think of it that way. It can't be; the ditz, the bubbled trying to be sexy? Nah, she's too busy looking forward to her show, much less looking at Tenchi that way. She nodded approvingly at her reflection, admiring the color combination. "Matches and contrasts. nice!"

"Sometimes," she murmured standing up and walking to the doorway, "is he faking it? Like I am?" Mihoshi wondered. She chuckled, clapping lightly. "It took me this long to figure it out," she remarked, looking at the relatively bland composition of Tenchi's room. "Simple, but functional, almost elegant," she mused, smiling. "It suits him," she observed.

As if on cue, a small symphony of birdcalls sang back. Tenchi the home decorator? No, I don't see it. She chuckled.

"Oh, right," Mihoshi said, stepping back into the room.

The cube absorbed all of her discarded possessions. She stared out the glass balcony door. She saw the water. "Wow," she gasped, marveling at how the sun lit up the waterside. "I wonder what the dawn looks like." Then she saw something unusual. Where there should be pristine grass were earthen scars. She followed the trail, as if left by some trampling beast to its end. "Yukinojo?" she wondered. "Oh." she let out when she remembered the events of the last night.

Let's see. I was coming home from patrol. Ara! I forgot to hop into hyperspace, so that meant I rode it all the way down to the surface from orbit. Not again, that's nine of eleven so far. Mihoshi let out a depressed sigh. Great, and I'm supposed to remain undetected, Mihoshi shook her head in resignation, I wouldn't be surprised if they detected me inbound. Well, at least I pulled out of it.

It didn't take much of Mihoshi's deductive skills to come up with how she ended up where she woke up. So he pulled me out of the wreckage, and carried me onto the deck. Theatrically, Mihoshi place the back of her hand against her forehead, arching slightly. "My hero." she sighed, "for the seventh time," she finished.

"That patrol was a waste. nothing happened," Mihoshi reflected Then again, boring is a good thing in my line of work," she joked to herself. Yet they wonder I enjoy being so lazy?

"Still, another dumbass mistake Mihoshi," she berated herself. "No wonder you couldn't find another partner." She laughed dryly as she sat down hard on Tenchi's bed, clasping his sheets.

No! Her mental self screamed. But something in her mind. locked away in the depths of forgotten - repressed - memories, something tried to claw out. Something which she would have been perfectly happy to have disappear, never to be thought on again.

Guilt. The feeling seemed to burn its way through her consciousness, constricting her ability to think, to act. Blame. It followed its predecessor, burrowing itself into as many niches as it could in her mind. Failure. A third demon invaded her thoughts.

Her mind screamed back, its not my fault!

But, her mind was split, one wanting to forget, the other accusing. Mihoshi's worst enemy was her own self, her subliminal self. It was her own conscience, warped by regret, sorrow, and negligence, left to fester, that fermented into a potent brew of misery. She experienced agony that she believed to be deserved, one accusing her of being weak, pathetic, worthless.

One that accused her of being a coward, a hypocrite. a murderess.

Mihoshi moaned lightly, her entire body clenching, muscles tensing, her face scrunched up in discomfort as she curled up into a fetal position on Tenchi's bed, her hands framing her head as she lightly sobbed. "Go away, please, go away!" a frantic Mihoshi pleaded. As she fought a losing battle, a part of her just observed, seemingly detached, almost seeing the situation unfold from another body. She started to hyperventilate, moaning in anguish, much in the same way a distraught child would.

This representation of Mihoshi in her mind smiled wanly, a hungry gleam in her dull turquoise eyes.

Just as suddenly as the attack began, Mihoshi's left hand groped for the cube from where it fell on the bed. With a quick flick, as Mihoshi's body continued to quake, her breathing still unsteady and rapid, her fingers set the proper combination and a small cube popped out. With an out-of-place sense of awareness, she effortlessly plucked it out of the air with her right hand, which was gnarled into a claw, and popped it into her mouth. Immediately, the feral glint in her eyes went from a stormy azure to a lucid cerulean, the chaos turning into clouds. She lost the tension in her body.

She rose, looking dazed as she sat up on the bed. She stood, frowning as she stared at her crumpled clothes, erasing them with her hands, returning their perfect creases. She took her final item, a burgundy ribbon, and matched it up against her saffron tresses, and tied it into a bow.

As she walked out of the room, she shuddered one more time, the blank expression on her face turning bright as she continued on her way, wobbling lightly.

"Minty," she said, giggling to herself.

As she traversed the hallway, and down the stairs, and into the living room, Mihoshi remained silent, having to resist the temptation to stare at everything. even at the clutter on the living room coffee table. "It's the little things." She was humming the same tune all the while. except an octave higher, and at an accelerated timing.

For a moment, some small part of her felt like snorting in disgust, but it quickly passed as a wave of bliss engulfed her again, and she sighed, letting herself float in its warm, reassuring folds.

She slid open the deck's door, and stuck her neck out, stopping her humming for the moment. She saw all three, still attached to each other, sound asleep, or looking like it.

As she strode over to look over the three, she sighed happily. "Cute." she stated, looking at how Tenchi, on either side was smothered by Washu on his right, Sasami clinging to him on his left. "They look just like a family." she pondered, staring at how all three seemed so content, Sasami the daughter, Washu the mother, and Tenchi the father.

Mihoshi didn't feel jealous. No, she felt. satisfied.

Her fond smile turned into an overjoyed grin as she once again used her cube. This time, she pointed it at them and depressed her index finger. "It's a Kodak moment!" she joked. Plus, there are some things you can't catch in a picture, she mused, as she heard snoring. which was coming from Sasami, earning her a smile. How cute. Mihoshi simply chuckled as a small line of drool came out of the side of Washu's mouth.

Her hands fidgeted a bit, but a mischievous glint came to her eyes, and she kneeled next to Washu, proceeding to take more images of the no- longer diminutive scientist, much in the same way and professionalism a forensic investigator would do so. That fact was oddly squashed down in her mind, not even noting a second glance.

A flash of inspiration raced through her. Mihoshi felt giddy. Reverting the cube back to its puffball form, she attached it to the back of her shorts, looking very much like a rabbit's tail, she noted.

"If you only knew," she whispered to the sleeping boy.

She continued to kneel, and proceeded to lay over Tenchi, trying not touch either Washu or Sasami as she supported herself on her arms. She took each hand and placed it against his torso, one at a time, and eased her weight down on him. With as much ease as she made it look, Mihoshi slid up his body, molding herself against him even better than Sasami or Washu accomplished, her left leg pushing away Washu's right, which was strewn almost possessively across Tenchi's. There, she sighed, bliss.

Taking a cue from what the other two had done, and no, they had not fooled her, Mihoshi nuzzled up against Tenchi, laying her check against his chest, content to let her new combination mattress and pillow, complete with comforting body heat, which rose and ebbed so softly, but she could hear every pulse that his heart sent out, almost let her fall into sleep again.

Wait, Mihoshi realized, this is supposed to be a joke. But it feels so good, she admitted.

Even though she was all but one with him at this point, she tried to cuddle closer to him, somehow smoothening out the annoying wrinkles of their clothes between them. Not that he had reason to complain, had he been awake.

Tenchi started having trouble breathing. He was spending more effort for less air, he realized. Instinctively, he regained consciousness, but was content to let himself float in a lucid state, back to his dreams. Somewhere in which he had some control. So warm. he noted, feeling blanketed by touch. four separate presences seeming to engulf him. An onsen. he reasoned, feeling as if only his head was above this sea of tranquility.

Wait. onsen? It was a. strange night. Might as well get up, he reluctantly admitted, not wanting to leave such serenity; a fleeting Nirvana. To him, Enlightenment could go kiss his scrawny ass.

He opened his eyes, remembering where he fell asleep, bracing for an onslaught of sunlight, which, while beautiful, was torture on eyes, which have only been shut for several hours, was used to the night's dark shades.

He was greeted by a shade of saffron. He was expecting this color. but it was so soft. He could almost smell it, it seemed so close. Honey? He thought, puzzled. The sun smells like honey? The honey-flavored sunlight tickled his nose.

He exhaled, blowing them away, but only sent more against him; golden threads covered the lower half of his face. Instinctively, he moved his arms to remove it, wondering why the sun didn't burn, but instead, tickled. He couldn't move them, they were encumbered.

Inwardly, some part of him groaned. He hadn't even woken up, and already his day had complicated.

Its hair, Tenchi realized. Yellow hair. oh, its Mihoshi. He yawned as wide as he could, not wanting to get any of the golden strands in his mouth. The sour smell spoiled the honeyed atmosphere. What did I do last night? Oh. yeah, I put everyone to sleep here.

"Mihoshi?" Tenchi yawned out.

Her ear still pressed to his rising and ebbing chest, Mihoshi grinned. Phase two - execute! She too yawned, and Tenchi finally connected the weight encumbering his chest, torso, and legs to the mass of fair hair and a textured burgundy bow that he spoke to.

She yawned lightly, sounding as if she too was just roused from slumber's embrace. She nuzzled his chest lightly, slowly raising her head, and sapphire met opal. She blinked tiredly for effect, her expression shifting unwittingly into a fool's smile, one, that while goofy, was sincere. "Thanks for last night Tenchi," she mumbled, beginning to blush.

Tenchi only blinked. Wait, wha? "Excuse me?"

His confusion was understandable; he had just woken up, and his mind slowly accelerated to its normal performance.

"Last. Night," Mihoshi enunciated softly, dreamily. She winked at him, a soft womanly laugh that Tenchi both felt and heard, a slight trill against his stomach. "Was it good for you too?" She snuggled for effect.

Tenchi absorbed Mihoshi's words.

Well, it is true, Mihoshi told herself, keeping her laughter inside. It's up to him to interpret it whichever way he does. Hey, aren't blondes supposed to have fun too?

She stared back into Tenchi's eyes. His mouth went slack, then shut, and as they opened again, he let out a small choked gasp, and he went back to the land of dreams, the tension that gripped him leaving his body once again.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I guess I took it too far didn't I?" She smiled wanly, returning her head to its previous place; her ear against his chest, feeling his beat: rhythmic and soothing. You don't mind, do you? she questioned him silently. I didn't think you'd faint, she thought bemused. No, that doesn't mean I think your weak Tenchi. No, you've helped me a lot. Not just then when you rescued me. Mihoshi yawned in mid- thought. All the times you've rescued me. You gave me a home. A place I can feel safe. Tenchi, its nice to know someone cares. All this. and you never ask anything in return. Well, some peace, but not from me, no, I would never trouble you. You've saved me from dying before, but can you save me from myself?

I've never asked you to help me before, but you still did, Mihoshi fondly thought. Do I have to ask you for that? No. I'll never tell.

Mihoshi heard a groan off to her left, cutting off her contemplation and reflections. It sounded different, more mature, but it was still the same person. Mihoshi sighed to herself. Time to replace the mask, she thought, preparing herself to step into her disguise, her shield, her retreat.

She moved to stand up, defying the force of attraction holding them together: gravity. She paused, her hands holding her up on either side of his head, while her knees and shins maintained a wobbly stance on his own thighs.

Like I care if that little-err-big troll sees me. She's guilty of the same thing, Mihoshi reasoned, performing a push-up while on the boy. Mihoshi was almost pleased when a groggy Washu popped open a muddled jade eye and saw her. She was tempted to kiss him on the lips, but no, Mihoshi realized. She would have done so to spite Washu, and she felt a shameful wave pass through her at the thought of using Tenchi to get back at one of those who hurt her, maliciously or not.

Instead, Mihoshi gave him a chaste kiss on his left cheek, so Washu could still see Tenchi's profile and not be too offended. Mihoshi wrinkled her nose at his breath, which tickled the baby hairs at the edge of her hairline. Still, it was perfect. Reluctantly, she performed the second half of the push-up and rose.

She felt cold. Not just from the departure from his shared heat, but from how she detached herself from his presence. No. she could still feel him. Just a small bit, but yet there he was. Unconscious, but vibrant. It wasn't just his heartbeat that she sensed as she was against him, but his being, his kokoro, his soul. She felt a small bond linking the two of them. Nothing significant, just a thread, but it was still a tie. It was there.

Washu gazed tiredly, no, warily up at her, as if analyzing Mihoshi, a small amount of confusion in her freshly awakened eyes still blurry with sleep, a blessed repose.

Mihoshi stifled the urge to glare her down, wanting to hold her ground. Instead, she relaxed, letting thoughts of what she looked forward to in life float to the surface. She smiled back, tilting her head lightly, adopting her 'bubbly' persona once more.

I just woke up and now I have to go back to sleep again, a part of her reflected.

"Good morning Washu-chan," Mihoshi chirped softly, using the name the mad scientist insisted they call her by.

Washu smiled back. Damn, I never thought waking up in the morning would feel this good ever again, she exulted. She turned her head towards her 'pillow,' and gazed down at Tenchi. Reluctantly, she began to slide away, but ended up next to him still, sitting with her legs tucked underneath her, calves sideways; she was reclining against the boy, a crooked elbow holding her up.

She looked back up at Mihoshi, and gave her a crooked grin. Got to him first, did you? I wanted to give him his first kiss of the day, she silently remarked. Her inquisitive nature told her that something was off, but she put it aside. It was too good a day to ruin with thinking about something that didn't matter. She was a woman again. an adult female; she loved it.

Suddenly, the snoring which served as ambience stopped.

Both women turned to see another stir. Sasami slowly leaned on Tenchi as she shifted to sit on the deck. She blinked tiredly, wiping off her eyes with small balled fists. "Morning," she yawned.

"Morning Sasami," Washu yawned back.

"Good morning Sasami-chan," Mihoshi said brightly, "it's a wonderful morning, isn't it?"

The other two nodded, one with an eager smile, the other with a lecherous smirk. That went without saying.

Mihoshi leaned forwards, hands on her sides, elbows out. "Everyone had a good night's sleep?" she inquired.

Washu yawned. "I've had worse." her jovial tone hid nothing.

Sasami's bright expression faltered slightly. "The second one yeah. but before that."

Mihoshi winced, feeling discomfort replace the joyful aura she felt Sasami radiate. "What happened?"

"Another nightmare." Washu said softly, not wanting to upset Sasami more.

Sasami nodded, looking down at Tenchi's face. Washu leaned over Tenchi and place a reassuring hand on Sasami's arm, rubbing her lightly. The calm, benign expression she gave her radiated 'its okay, I'm here, you're safe.'

Mihoshi blinked, watching Washu being tender towards the girl. Wow. Mihoshi thought, her heart went out to Sasami's. She was a bit surprised when the two didn't hug over the boy. Well, was still a sight to see.

The two women didn't have to exchange words, Washu's body language explained it all. The issue would be looked into later.

Sasami shook Tenchi. "Wake up Tenchi-ni-chan," she chided his sleeping form. Tenchi groaned, and Sasami echoed him. "Come on," she tugged at his sleep-wrinkled shirt.

"Let me, Sasami," Washu interjected, and instantly Mihoshi felt sorry for the boy. She still did not trust the mad scientist, as harmless as she looked, or had looked. Clad in her satin jimmies, Washu slid along Tenchi's body. With her slender fingers, Washu's right hand pinched Tenchi's nose shut, and her left hand played with his windpipe, moving down his chest, dancing over his solar plexus. "Arise, noble knight," she spoke, her tone accentuating her already silky and sultry tone, making Ryoko sound like an adolescent schoolgirl.

Tenchi tried to breath, his attempts at intaking air growing more taxed, more desperate, more rapid. His eyes fluttered open, and he ended up staring into two brilliant emerald eyes glancing down on him. Two precious stones on a sculpted face framed by rose locks. The fact that the sunlight framed her apparition with a halo didn't ruin the vision in any way.

"Mihoshi?" was the first words out of his mouth, disbelieving and confused.

Washu stifled a gasp, and both her and Sasami were taken aback. Washu 'Super-Sized!' was beginning to redden, her jaw slack, letting out a choked squeak, replacing the glib remark poised on the tip of her tongue.

"Hey Tenchi!" Mihoshi sang from where she stood. She was laughing inside. Laughing in joy, not pleasure from Washu's setback. Not that it detracted from it either.

Washu and Sasami turned towards her.

Tenchi was still confused, but the thing that sent him back now beckoned him forwards. From where he lay, he craned his neck to look at Mihoshi. "Last night? What do you-"

"It was marvelous." Mihoshi cooed.

Washu and Sasami looked dumbstruck.

"It felt so good." she continued, adding a 'mm' as she finished.

Washu started to twitch while Sasami's eyes continued to expand, giving her a very bugged-out expression, her already oversized cherry- blossom framed pupils dilating.

"To be tucked in like that." Mihoshi finished, giggling behind her hands, masking her face as she looked away, her body swaying side to side.

Washu relaxed, cursing herself, and Mihoshi of course. You ruined my set-up! My moment. it was so perfect, so of course you had to come along.

Grown-ups, Sasami thought, exasperated.

Tenchi continued to look up at Mihoshi, confused. What? Something's off. He looked again at her. Well, its morning, I guess its only natural that she can be so happy this early.

The sound of someone - someone very feminine - clearing their throat diverted his train of thought, switching it to another track. Washu was about to blink at Tenchi, opting to try and seduce him right there, when he spoke, albeit a still groggy.

"Slept fine, Washu-chan, how bout you?" he asked her, blinking the crust out of his eyes, and sitting up on the floor. Sasami embraced him energetically, a full-blown glomp, but one that didn't squeeze the air from his lungs. Looking down at what surprised him, Tenchi chuckled. A moment of hesitation caused by inexperience passed, and he embraced her back. "Morning' Sasami-chan."

It was Washu whose heart caught in her throat, not Tenchi. The way he looked there, freshly awoken, very serene. no, relaxed, well rested, was a sight to see; the magnificence of normality. His warm mahogany eyes entranced her, wonder reflected in her shimmering beryl eyes. Sometimes, something plain could be lovely, beautiful, and priceless. The way that he embraced Sasami, who had now come to lean up against him brought back memories. It brought back envy for something she swore she would never want again: a family. Her mouth opened once or twice, and the momentary look of worry that came to Tenchi's face almost caused her to go off on a hormone rush. "Lovely." she purred sincerely.

Tenchi nodded, pleased. He looked around him, seeing Sasami, Mihoshi, and Washu. the lake and mountains behind them. Picturesque, he thought. All is right with the world, he couldn't help but think.

He continued to blink, a crystal of encrusted tears refusing to be remove, clinging defiantly to his eyelash. "Let me get that for you," Washu whispered, her right hand touching his face.

She half expected him to flinch, to move back, but no, he sat still, continuing to look at her, holding her gaze as her fingers caressing his face, seeming to map it with a degree of precision topographers would admire. His gaze didn't recoil. it grew warmer as her gently removed the crystallized tear that formed in his sleep, and she almost sighed when she retracted her arm.

"Thanks." Tenchi stated, not bewitched, but pleased all the more. He was surprised when Washu blushed at his appreciation and seemed to grow bashful. The boy felt as comfortably warm as he ever had in his lifetime, rivaling the bliss of the womb.

He looked down at Sasami, who had contented to looking at the lake, rocking her head slowly right and left, left and right. "How was your-" he began to ask softly, but a slight shake of the head from Washu stopped him mid-sentence. It could've been a mistake, an assumption, but the small look of concern that flashed across her mature visage proved it was no mistake.

Tenchi nodded, a bit confused, and Mihoshi waved to him, mouthing out 'nightmare' before turning back to stare off to the side, to where Yukinojo was, he remembered.

Tenchi sniffed the air. Yeah, I wonder just how bad it was last night for you, he silently remarked, looking down at Sasami, shifting his embrace from her, putting an arm around her shoulder. "How was what?" Sasami asked him.

"Your 'pleasant dream' after I tucked you in, remember?" Tenchi goaded.

"I don't remember." Sasami tried to remember her second set of dreams. "But I was happy," she concluded.

"That's good, I just slept," Tenchi told her.

Washu looked back into his eyes, seeking to stare into his kokoro as she mouthed out slowly and exaggeratedly 'did she tell you anything?'

Tenchi nodded, looking grim for a moment. 'It was bad,' he mouthed back.

Washu just blinked, something about Tenchi's reply disturbing her.

Tenchi looked at the scenery around him. Beautiful. If only it could be like this every day, he thought. It shouldn't go to waste. So perfect. wait, something's missing. Someone. Some-two? Oh, no wonder. He addressed everyone. "Hey, why don't we go for a walk?" He followed it up a moment later. "Where's Aeka and Ryoko"

"Guess they woke up already," Washu replied sotto voce, trying to not look guilty. "Too bad, they're going to miss out."

"Walk?" Sasami piped up, intrigued. "Where?" She felt Tenchi's shrug.

"Around here," he replied. "Beautiful day out."

"All right!" Mihoshi exulted. She bent down to look at Sasami. "Come on, let's get you ready!" She reached down and picked up Sasami's hand, and together the two went off inside the house.

"But I don't need to-" Sasami pleaded, being dragged off.

Mihoshi gave Tenchi a look, her frizzy hair catching the sun. He nodded at her. "Thanks," he said softly. She shook her head, shrugging nonchalantly, before disappearing back into the living room.

"Wait, tell Aeka and Ryo-" he called after, to be stopped by Washu.

"If they miss out, its their own fault," Washu remarked, holding onto his arm. "Remind me to thank Mihoshi later," she said to herself, noticing that the two of them were now alone, with Sasami somewhere else. She then changed the subject. "About Sasami's nightmare, what was it abo-"

"I died," Tenchi replied matter-of-factly.

It took Washu back by surprise. The casual, indifferent way Tenchi said it left her ill at ease. "Excuse me?"

"Apparently the woman Sasami kept dreaming about killed me."

Washu was about to ask for more details.

"That's as far as I got, Washu," Tenchi shrugged. "I didn't want to push her, I wanted her to calm down and feel fine," he finished sincerely.

"You're right," Washu acquiesced. Damn you! Here I am panicking and you have to go off. and act so. loveable! Don't you care about yourself Tenchi? Not just about. us, Washu realized, opening a new chapter in her archives on the boy.

"This is just wrong," Tenchi said. "Why her?"

"Because she's special," Washu replied sadly. "I'm guessing it has something to do with her tie to Tsunami."

"That doesn't make it right," he told her, shaking his head slowly. "I can sympathize."

"Excuse me, my Little Guinea Pig, what do you mean?" Washu asked, feeling slightly irritated at Tenchi's nebulous remark.

Tenchi took Washu's hand and touched her fingertips to his forehead, they tingled as his emblem activated and his facial markings momentarily appeared.

"Oh." Washu kept her fingers against his forehead as he moved his hand away. "So, you died?" she brought up. It sounded so dumb she knew, but she didn't know else to phrase such an awful thing. Sometimes, the simplest statement was the best understood.

Tenchi sighed. "I'm trying not to think too much of it," he admitted, a helpless look on his face.

Washu snorted at his seeming cavalier attitude. "Tenchi, you of all people should know just how accurate her oracles are!" Panic spiked into her, as snippets of only dream she could recall began to repeat in her mind.

Tenchi nodded softly, and he embraced her lightly, knowing that he must have appeared callous to her. "It's a vision of what may come, not what will come, Washu-chan," he told her gently, burying his face in her salmon locks.

Awkwardly she held him back, her grasp tender, soft, as if he too, would disappear, just as he did in her dream. "I know Tenchi." Washu replied shakily. "I'm still scared though," she confessed to him.

Tenchi was surprised to feel warmed by her admission. Why though? he asked himself. "You'll be there to help me though, won't you?" I don't think I'll ever get used to this, he thought as he continued to embrace Washu. When they're asleep, its one thing. but I think I can live with it, he thought wryly.

"Damned right," Washu declared, nuzzling him softly.

The sound of voices in the living room caught their attention. Regretfully, Washu pulled away from him and leaned up against a post, rubbing her forearms within their satin-clad sleeves. "Tenchi?"

"Yes, Washu-chan," he replied, a bit confused, and Washu gloried in how he said her name, even if that was what she insisted on being called by.

"About this." she whispered, "you won't tell, will you?"

Tenchi gave her a reassuring smile. "No, I wont," he whispered, walking past her on the deck, staring out into the lake.

Washu struggled not to jump him then and there.

***

Sasami eagerly tore up the stairs, Mihoshi now the one in tow. The detective was struggling to keep up with the dashing princess, her turquoise hair a zephyr's tail. "Come on, hurry!" Sasami urged.

"Whoa!" Mihoshi yelped, amazed that she had to pick up her stride to keep from tripping. "Slow down!"

Sasami just laughed, sliding into the Royal Suite, causing their grips to break, and Mihoshi ended up slamming against the end of the hallway into the bathroom door as she slid past. "I wouldn't have to if I didn't have to get dressed."

Mihoshi picked herself off the floor, dazed. She chuckled lightly. "Okay, okay," she replied, holding her hands up in an appeasing manner as she moved inside the room. "Just what happened last night?" she blurted out, not being able to contain the question.

Sasami slowed down as she changed into an outfit that matched Mihoshi's, a teal shirt with beige coveralls. "I had a nightmare." she said meekly.

Mihoshi winced. Oh, smooth. That was heartless, she berated herself. Okay, steer away from the subject.

"But, then, I went to Tenchi's room-" Sasami continued.

"Then he took you to the deck?" Mihoshi finished, a small smile returning to her face.

Sasami shrugged, an amused expression in her features, her triangular formations of freckles a pleasant appearance on her cheeks. "Mm, hmm," she nodded. "He surprised me."

"At least you were awake," Mihoshi quipped, giggling.

"Eh?" Sasami was thrown off.

Mihoshi paused. "I, uh, I landed last night," she told Sasami, trying to find the right words.

"Oh." Sasami nodded, understanding. She must have crashed again. She tossed her carrot-decorated pajamas into a hamper, a log-like cylinder in a cluster of similar-looking containers; their portable wardrobe and storage space.

Mihoshi winced. Its okay, she didn't mean anything by it. "Tenchi must have taken me from Yukinojo and tucked me in with the everyone else. Ready?" Mihoshi turned to leave the room.

"Everyone?" Sasami said. "I forgot, it was just the two of us when he put me to sleep last night."

"Really," Mihoshi asked. So it wasn't arranged or anything.

"No, it looked like Tenchi-ni-chan just thought of it on the spot and took us down there." Sasami replied as they walked down the stairs. "I wonder how everyone else got there," Sasami wondered, getting to the question before Mihoshi could.

"Everyone's got their story." Mihoshi shrugged, a serene smile on her face. "Good thing he was looking out for us." She laughed softly. "A true prince isn't he, one in shining armor."

Sasami eagerly voiced her agreement. "Tenchi's always looking out for us."

Mihoshi felt warm at how the girl seemed happy now. Tough little kid aren't you? She admired how Sasami lived with her problems. I envy you. She saw something else though, as the girl said his name. It clicked. That look, that expression, the way her voice, if juvenile, sang out his name. "You like him. don't you, Sasami?" Her eyes bulged as she said it without thinking.

It was Sasami who shrank back. She looked nervous. "Yeah, I like him." She withered under Mihoshi's gaze, welcoming, but Sasami didn't feel at ease. "I do like Tenchi. I-"

"It's okay," Mihoshi told her. She kneeled down and held the girl by the shoulders. She looked around conspiratorially, then whispered to Sasami. "I like him too," she whispered, a light tone in her voice, but as her sapphire eyes locked into Sasami's garnet pair, neither of them could deny the truth in their words.

"It's silly," Sasami told her.

"No." Mihoshi shook her head. "It isn't. Its part of life."

"I don't stand a chance." Sasami whispered, looking down, and Mihoshi's heart went out to her.

"How would you know what Tenchi wants?" Mihoshi asked her sincerely. Sasami looked up surprised at her. "None of really do against ourselves. Plus," Mihoshi whispered into her ear, "Tenchi loves us all, don't you think? We're his family."

It was as much an epiphany for the speaker as it was for the listener.

"Yeah, we are," Sasami agreed, looking up at Mihoshi. "Mihoshi-ne- chan!"

Mihoshi wiped away an honest tear from her eye, blinking away the rest as she calmed herself down. "Its so beautiful," she wept.

Sasami pointed at the deck's sliding door. "Wanna go for a walk now?"

Sasami raced away from her, and she opened the door, Mihoshi wondered at how something so energetic be so graceful. A thought popped into her mind. I wonder what she'll look like when she's older, Mihoshi asked herself. Tsunami. she thought. She felt some of her hopes go down. Don't think like that, its Sasami, not some Goddess. She'll grow up, that's how she'll change, not just turning into someone else entirely.

"Mihoshi!" Sasami called after her from the outside

Mihoshi blinked. "Coming!" She ran onto the decking, being greeted again by the lake and mountains behind it. She turned to see Tenchi and the others getting ready.

"Hey, how come you didn't change Washu-chan?" Sasami asked the still pajama-clad woman.

"Oh," Washu began glibly, "Tenchi and I had to talk. about mature things," she finished, flashing a bemused smile at Mihoshi and Sasami. Oh, just look at them! her mind exulted, trying not to break out in laughter. To add to the effect, Washu clung to Tenchi's arm.

"Washu." Tenchi began to chide her softly.

"Play along." she whispered to him, somehow conveying with a sidelong glance the message of 'do you want Sasami to know that we were talking about her behind her back?' to Tenchi.

"Everyone ready?" Tenchi asked as the three females put on a pair of slippers, and stepped down into the earthen path.

Mihoshi and Sasami glanced at each. Then they smiled. Tenchi moved back a step as Mihoshi and Sasami ran up to him, laughing as they each took a hold of his arms, Mihoshi shoving a dumbstruck Washu aside, who mock- glared at a Sasami who stuck her tongue out at her.

Tenchi just chuckled. I can't believe that I'm loving all this. "Looking at you now, I can't tell that you've all had a hard night."

"Except for Aeka," Washu quipped. Tenchi tried not to look embarrassed, while Sasami tried not to sport a sweat-drop.

"Eh?" Mihoshi said, a confused look plastered on her face.

"Right," Tenchi sighed, he glanced at Washu, who was looking a bit left out. He gestured with the tilt of his head, and she happily came and embraced him from behind. Back to square one, he told himself.

"Know what, Tenchi?" Washu proposed. "Forget walking, I'd be happy to stay just like this."

Tenchi kept back a groan, but he was amused. "But it's such a beautiful morning out," he protested.

"Yeah," Mihoshi and Sasami echoed, tugging at Tenchi's arms.

"Your point?" Washu retorted, pressing herself up against his back.

Tenchi chuckled. How come I have a feeling that every time I jump out of one pot, I land in another? He looked down at Sasami and Mihoshi. He winked at both of them, lightly moving his arms. They released him, and as they did so, his hands immediately moved back to Washu's waist. "Tickle attack!" he declared, taking the smug and stubborn mad scientist off-guard.

"Me too!" Sasami declared, and she jumped in, her small fingers digging into Washu's sides, roaming her waist mercilessly.

Even Mihoshi joined in, and as a group, they all fell back onto the deck, where they rolled around, a flurry of tickling hands and flailing legs. It was a wonder that no one's hair got pulled, or anyone scratched. Then again, there was no malice, only jubilant play.

Tenchi managed to crawl out of the hairball. Soon enough, they all lay back, tired, still continuing to laugh. "I can't believe Aeka and Ryoko are missing this."

"Oh well," Washu replied.

"What are those two doing anyway?" Tenchi asked.

"Something dumb," Sasami answered.

Everyone shared a common sigh. Yeah, they probably are, they all thought.

***