Tenchi Universe
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Disclaimer 1: This episode of Tenchi Universe is of my own creation as well as the character Hayato. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved
Disclaimer 2: This episode contains parts of the movie "Princess Mononoke." I do not own any part of this movie. "Princess Mononoke" is owned and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Note: This episode takes place shortly after the events of Tenchi Universe, Tenchi Muyo in Love and Tenchi Forever.
______
The More Things Change...
Episode 13:
No Need for a Bedtime Story!
______
Fade in: Masaki Residence late Wednesday night. Tomorrow Kamidake is going back to Jurai and is taking Nagi with him, so almost the entire family has gone out to a local bar to throw them a going away party. Sasami is too young to go to the bar so she had to stay home. Hayato opted to stay to watch her. He would have liked to have gone to the bar too, but since Mihoshi and Kiyone had to go out on patrol, he decided to stay and let Tenchi drive his truck so everybody could make it to town in comfort.
So now it's just Sasami and Hayato at home. It is getting pretty late and they are just finishing watching a television show. Hayato yawns and stretches widely. "That was a good show Sa." He trails off as he looks to the little princess, who is curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He smiles lightly as he gets off of his seat and stands up. He gently picks her up and carries her up to her room.
After tucking Sasami in, he goes back downstairs and into the kitchen for a small snack. 'We just went shopping yesterday so there should be a lot of goodies in the fridge!' he thinks eagerly while rubbing his hands together.
______
Meanwhile at the local bar, the rest of the gang is having a toast for Kamidake and Nagi. Ayeka rises up her glass. "Oh I do hope you the best of luck Nagi."
"Yes," Achika adds in, "good luck with everything."
The bounty hunter looks over at the two women, staggering slightly. "Heh...tanks guys."
They have been at the bar for only about two hours, but Nagi has drunk a good amount of alcohol. Shortly after they had entered, Ryoko had challenged her to a drinking contest. Nagi, not being one to turn down a challenge, accepted. The drinks went back and forth for the next hour, with neither of them showing any signs of stopping. From what could be seen, both women had built up large resistances to alcohol.
They were forced to stop when the bartender complained that if they kept up with the pace that they were going at, he would quickly run out of alcohol. So the two formal rivals reluctantly stopped and decided to call their match a draw.
So now everyone is enjoying themselves between the drinking and the stories about each other, not to mention the karaoke set that was discovered in the far corner of the bar. After the hour of cooling down, the alcohol is starting to take its affect on the pirate and bounty hunter, who now have to sit down so they won't stumble around. Ryoko leans over to Tenchi and wraps an arm around his shoulder. "Sooo...you havin fun Tensshii?"
Tenchi scrunches his face up. Although Ryoko hasn't had a drink in nearly an hour, the smell is still quite strong on her breath. "Uh, yeah Ryoko. Although I think that you and Nagi are both going to be regretting this tomorrow."
"Wadaya meen?"
The prince just smiles and shakes his head lightly.
______
Hayato just walks out of the kitchen with an enormous sandwich in his hands. 'So much for light!' he thinks with a smile. He just puts it down on a plate on the couch when a loud scream causes him to jump up and fling his snack onto the floor. He runs up the stairs at breakneck speed. Tenchi's cousin rips the door to Sasami and Ayeka's room open and runs inside.
Sasami is sitting up in her bed, looking frightened. Tears are silently pouring down her young face.
"Sasami!" Hayato gasps, "What happened? What's wrong?"
"I...I had a really bad dream!" she cries out. She is quick to her feet and runs to Hayato and hugs him tightly. "It was so scary!"
Hayato sighs and hugs the little princess back. "Well you nearly scared me to death when you screamed. I thought something bad happened to you." He kneels down and wipes the tears off of her face. "Do you want to tell me about the dream?"
Sasami shakes her head vigorously. "No, I really don't want to, but..." she looks up at him with pleading eyes, "could you stay in here and tell me a bedtime story?"
Hayato smiles warmly at her. "Of course." He places her back in her bed. "Any story in particular?"
"No," she replies while snuggling under the covers, "just anything with a happy ending."
"Hmmm...I know just the one!" He sits down next to her and clears his throat. "In ancient times the land lay covered in forests where from ages long past dwelt the spirits of the gods. Back then man and beast lived in harmony, but as time went by, most of the great forests were destroyed. Those that remained were guarded by gigantic beasts who owed their allegiance to the Great Forest Spirit, for those were the days of Gods and Demons." He pauses for a moment to catch his breath.
The little princess' eyes shine with anticipation. "Ooh, this sounds like a good one!"
______
A large amount of applause comes from the audience in the bar as Ayeka leaves the stage after singing a lovely song on the karaoke machine. The princess waves politely to the crowd. A number of hoots and catcalls are heard coming from the numerous single men. She ignores them as she makes her way back to her table.
'Sorry to disappoint you gentlemen,' she thinks to herself, 'but I am not interested. My heart already belongs to...' she trails off as she sees the man on her mind currently talking happily with Ryoko. "Tenchi," she mutters lightly.
The prince diverts his attention for a moment and looks towards Ayeka. She feels her heart skip a beat when he smiles warmly at her and beckons for her to come over. The princess complies and makes her way over. "Ayeka, you were great!" Tenchi exclaims.
"Really?" she squeals, sounding a lot like her younger sister.
"Yessh pincesss, you're good," Ryoko slurs. She is stumbling around a lot more than she was earlier, mainly due to the fact that she managed to sneak several strong drinks by the bartender. Tenchi noticed and has to escort her around, though he does suspect that she is stumbling around a lot more than she should be so he would stay close to her. "I'd sshing too, but I can't sschtand too well." She chuckle lightly at her own little joke.
Tenchi and Ayeka both share a glance and shrug. "You know Miss Ryoko, you should not drink so heavily."
"Yeah," Tenchi adds in, the concern evident on his face, "it's not healthy to drink as much as you do."
At Tenchi's words, Ryoko instantly sobers up and wraps her arms around his neck seductively. "Oh Tenchi," she exclaims, "I didn't know you cared!"
Ayeka frowns and the prince shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Come on Ryoko, cut it out. Don't act like this when we're in public." He quickly covers his mouth, realizing that he should have rephrased his words better.
The pirate's eyes glisten and she leans in closer. "So Tenchi," she purrs into his left ear, giving him goose bumps, "would you rather I act like this in private?" He manages to gasp out a few chokes and mumbles. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she replies happily.
Tenchi looks pleadingly to Ayeka. She shakes her head lightly. "I am sorry Lord Tenchi but you have pulled yourself into this one. That and I am far too good of a mood to have a fight with Miss Ryoko."
The pirate lets go of Tenchi and walks up to the princess. "Thanks Ayeka," she whispers, "tomorrow night, he's all yours!"
Ayeka smiles. "I like the sound of that." They both begin to giggle. The princess turns and walks over to where Washu, Kamidake and Nagi are sitting, leaving an appreciative Ryoko and a stunned Tenchi behind.
______
"Now there's something you don't see everyday!"
"And what is that Nobuyuki?"
Tenchi's father points over to the other side of the bar. "Ryoko pounced on Tenchi as usual in front of Ayeka, but Ayeka just let her be! No yelling, no fighting."
Katsuhito watches them thoughtfully. "Hmm...perhaps there have been some changes that we have not noticed."
"You could say that," Achika starts, grinning guiltily. "I...may have spoken to them and given them some pointers."
Both men turn and face Achika, looking surprised. "Really?" Nobuyuki asks. "What exactly did you tell them?"
______
"...And as the villager tells Ashitaka about how the Lady Eboshi and her gunmen killed the great boar god Nago, the former prince's cursed right arm begins to pulse in rage. He keeps his composure as he tries to calm his right arm down."
Sasami's eyes go wide. "Is his arm evil?"
Hayato chuckles lightly. "No, his arm isn't evil. It is just cursed by an evil thing. You see, when he starts to feel angry, the curse spreads faster and it takes over his arm at times."
"Oh, okay. Well keep telling me, I really like this story!" Her large eyes shine with anticipation.
Tenchi's cousin smiles warmly. "Alright, now where was I? Oh yeah! Another villager who is sitting next to Ashitaka notices and asks him what is wrong with his right arm..."
______
Washu grumbles unhappily to herself. The bartender wouldn't allow her to have any alcoholic beverages. 'Technically I'm older than anybody here, and of course, way more intelligent,' she thinks with a small sneer, taking a sip from her soda.
Ayeka, who is sitting next to the little genius, takes a small sip of the saké in her cup. She looks over to Ryoko, who has gotten off of Tenchi but is still very close to him. The two of them are talking to one another. The princess sighs with longing.
Washu takes notice. "Hey Ayeka," she starts, "how come you're not over trying to stop Ryoko from getting close to Tenchi? You two are usually in a fight right about now."
Ayeka tears her gaze away from them and turns to face Washu. "Ryoko and myself spoke with Lady Achika shortly after she came to be with us. We had both realized that Tenchi holds strong feelings for both of us. We told Lady Achika and she gave us some good advice for our pursuit for Tenchi's love."
"Really?" the genius asks, her eyes rapt with attention. "What did she tell you?"
"The first thing she told us to do was to stop fighting with each other."
Washu snorts into her drink. "I could've told you that."
Ayeka gives her a patronizing look. "Yes, you could have, but it meant more for Tenchi's mother to tell us. Tenchi is such a gentle and caring person. Ryoko and I never realized that our constant fighting was pushing him away instead of pulling us in like we have wanted. Lady Achika thought that it would be best if we each spend some time with him alone, to try to get him to open himself up to us, to give us a better chance with him."
"Ah, I see now," Washu says, a large smile creeping up on her, "so I assume you are letting Ryoko have her turn?"
"Yes, and tomorrow it will be my turn to get to spend some time with him," she answers with a satisfied smile. She directs her gaze over to Kamidake and Nagi, who are sitting very close to one another and muttering quietly between each other. Both Washu and Ayeka smile warmly at the newfound couple.
______
"And with those words, Lady Eboshi stands up and begins to walk away. 'Oh by the way,' Jigo suddenly speaks up, 'you haven't by any chance met up with a young man? He is traveling with a great red elk.' Eboshi looks at him for a moment. 'He came...and went'."
He stops for a moment to yawn widely. He looks down at Sasami. The little princess is desperately fighting sleep, and loosing rapidly. Her eyes are all glossed over and there is a definite droop to them. Hayato smiles warmly and decides to continue, only with a lower and more soothing tone to help her sleep faster.
______
Tenchi chuckles lightly with Ryoko. He looks up and gasps in surprise. "Mihoshi! Kiyone!" he shouts, "What are you girls doing back so early?"
The pirate turns to look at the two GP officers, who are looking very cheerful. "Patrol went by very smoothly," Kiyone answers happily. "No intruders, no problems, nothing! We were planning on going to the house and hang out a bit with Hayato, but we figured he'd be fine without us. Besides, we could never turn down a party!"
"Yeah, that's nice," Ryoko responds. She gives the two women a look, and then jerks her head towards Tenchi. Kiyone gets the point, but Mihoshi just stares blankly. "Ryoko, what's wrong with your head? Are you hurt or something?"
Her partner slaps herself on the forehead. "Mihoshi, just...come with me."
"Okay!" she responds cheerfully. The duo makes their way through the crowd of people and sits down next to Washu and Ayeka. "Hello Washu! Hello Ayeka!"
"Hello Mihoshi," they both respond in unison. Washu leans in towards Kiyone. "So, did she give you a hard time?"
"Actually no," the teal haired detective admits. "She just sat back, occasionally checking her monitor. It was pretty peaceful out there." Her and everyone at the table jumps out of their seats when Mihoshi shrieks loudly. "Mihoshi!" Kiyone gasps, "What's wrong?"
"KARAOKE!" the blonde yells. Her partner groans loudly while Ayeka and Washu giggle at her. Nagi and Kamidake decide to ignore the others and focus on each other.
______
A couple of hours later, everyone leaves the bar and makes their way home. Mihoshi and Kiyone go in the van with Nobuyuki, Achika, Katsuhito, Nagi and Kamidake, who take them to their apartment. Since Tenchi took his cousin's truck, he, Ryoko, Ayeka and Washu get home first. They all notice that all the lights are turned off and the front door is locked. "I guess they are sleeping," Tenchi says to the women.
They all go inside and turn on the lights in the living room. They all quickly notice that the television is still on, but nobody is there watching it. Ayeka walks over to the couch to turn it off but gasps when she sees the mess of food that was once a very large sandwich. In the blink of an eye, she is running up the stairs to her and Sasami's room. The sight that meets her eyes warms her heart. Her little sister is sleeping in her bed, with Hayato passed out right next to her. From the looks of him, he was sitting next to her and he fell asleep while sitting up.
A light thunder of footsteps diverts the princess' attention. Everyone else has made their way up the stairs. They all smile warmly at the sight in front of them. "Aww, that's so cute!" Washu whispers.
"Should we leave him like that?" Tenchi asks.
"Yes that does look rather uncomfortable," Ayeka adds.
"Don't worry about him, I'll take care of it," Ryoko responds just before teleporting inside of the room, next to Hayato. She carefully reaches around his waist and she teleports them out of the room. The pirate is back very quickly. "Okay, done. He's in his sleeping bag in your room Tenchi."
"Good job Ryoko. Thanks." He gives her a warm smile.
The pirate feels her face start to heat up. "Oh it was nothing Tenchi!" she says hurriedly.
Washu steps up between the two of them. "Alright, it's pretty late. Let's all get some sleep."
"Yes, that is a good idea Miss Washu," Ayeka politely responds. "Good night everyone." The princess goes into her room and slides the door shut.
Washu turns around and hops down the steps and goes into her lab for the night. Ryoko turns to Tenchi. "Well, good night Tenchi." She starts to float away, but is stopped by the prince, who gently takes her hand.
"I had fun tonight Ryoko. It was nice talking to you." He leans in and gives her a small kiss on the cheek. "Good night Ryoko." And with those words, he goes down the hall to his room.
The pirate floats in the air, stunned at what just happened. She lifts a hand and gently places it on the place where Tenchi kissed her. "He...he kissed me," she stammers out. She teleports outside, and appears about fifty feet above the house. "HE KISSED ME!" she cheers into the night.
Tenchi, who was just closing his window, hears Ryoko's joyful shout. He smiles warmly at the thought of her cheering outside. 'She is really a great person,' he thinks to himself. 'I should spend more time getting to know her.' He suddenly frowns lightly. 'But that wouldn't be fair to Ayeka. I should probably spend some time with her tomorrow.' It is these calming thought that run through the prince's mind as he drifts off into a peaceful sleep.
Fade out.
To be continued...
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Author's notes: I know it has been a while since I have added a new episode. I apologize for my delay, I have been focusing my efforts on some of my other series.
On another note, I hope that you have realized that the story Hayato told Sasami was the anime movie "Princess Mononoke." It is one of the best movies I have seen. I definitely recommend renting or buying it. I hope I got most of the dialogue correct. Several of the voice actors for the Tenchi shows include their talents in the movie as extras! -- lighthawkdemon
Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com
Next episode: No Need for Goodbyes!
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Disclaimer 1: This episode of Tenchi Universe is of my own creation as well as the character Hayato. I do not own any portion of Tenchi Muyo. "Tenchi Muyo!" and all related characters, names, etc. are ©1992-2003 AIC Inc. and Pioneer LDC. All rights reserved
Disclaimer 2: This episode contains parts of the movie "Princess Mononoke." I do not own any part of this movie. "Princess Mononoke" is owned and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. All rights reserved.
Note: This episode takes place shortly after the events of Tenchi Universe, Tenchi Muyo in Love and Tenchi Forever.
______
The More Things Change...
Episode 13:
No Need for a Bedtime Story!
______
Fade in: Masaki Residence late Wednesday night. Tomorrow Kamidake is going back to Jurai and is taking Nagi with him, so almost the entire family has gone out to a local bar to throw them a going away party. Sasami is too young to go to the bar so she had to stay home. Hayato opted to stay to watch her. He would have liked to have gone to the bar too, but since Mihoshi and Kiyone had to go out on patrol, he decided to stay and let Tenchi drive his truck so everybody could make it to town in comfort.
So now it's just Sasami and Hayato at home. It is getting pretty late and they are just finishing watching a television show. Hayato yawns and stretches widely. "That was a good show Sa." He trails off as he looks to the little princess, who is curled up on the couch, fast asleep. He smiles lightly as he gets off of his seat and stands up. He gently picks her up and carries her up to her room.
After tucking Sasami in, he goes back downstairs and into the kitchen for a small snack. 'We just went shopping yesterday so there should be a lot of goodies in the fridge!' he thinks eagerly while rubbing his hands together.
______
Meanwhile at the local bar, the rest of the gang is having a toast for Kamidake and Nagi. Ayeka rises up her glass. "Oh I do hope you the best of luck Nagi."
"Yes," Achika adds in, "good luck with everything."
The bounty hunter looks over at the two women, staggering slightly. "Heh...tanks guys."
They have been at the bar for only about two hours, but Nagi has drunk a good amount of alcohol. Shortly after they had entered, Ryoko had challenged her to a drinking contest. Nagi, not being one to turn down a challenge, accepted. The drinks went back and forth for the next hour, with neither of them showing any signs of stopping. From what could be seen, both women had built up large resistances to alcohol.
They were forced to stop when the bartender complained that if they kept up with the pace that they were going at, he would quickly run out of alcohol. So the two formal rivals reluctantly stopped and decided to call their match a draw.
So now everyone is enjoying themselves between the drinking and the stories about each other, not to mention the karaoke set that was discovered in the far corner of the bar. After the hour of cooling down, the alcohol is starting to take its affect on the pirate and bounty hunter, who now have to sit down so they won't stumble around. Ryoko leans over to Tenchi and wraps an arm around his shoulder. "Sooo...you havin fun Tensshii?"
Tenchi scrunches his face up. Although Ryoko hasn't had a drink in nearly an hour, the smell is still quite strong on her breath. "Uh, yeah Ryoko. Although I think that you and Nagi are both going to be regretting this tomorrow."
"Wadaya meen?"
The prince just smiles and shakes his head lightly.
______
Hayato just walks out of the kitchen with an enormous sandwich in his hands. 'So much for light!' he thinks with a smile. He just puts it down on a plate on the couch when a loud scream causes him to jump up and fling his snack onto the floor. He runs up the stairs at breakneck speed. Tenchi's cousin rips the door to Sasami and Ayeka's room open and runs inside.
Sasami is sitting up in her bed, looking frightened. Tears are silently pouring down her young face.
"Sasami!" Hayato gasps, "What happened? What's wrong?"
"I...I had a really bad dream!" she cries out. She is quick to her feet and runs to Hayato and hugs him tightly. "It was so scary!"
Hayato sighs and hugs the little princess back. "Well you nearly scared me to death when you screamed. I thought something bad happened to you." He kneels down and wipes the tears off of her face. "Do you want to tell me about the dream?"
Sasami shakes her head vigorously. "No, I really don't want to, but..." she looks up at him with pleading eyes, "could you stay in here and tell me a bedtime story?"
Hayato smiles warmly at her. "Of course." He places her back in her bed. "Any story in particular?"
"No," she replies while snuggling under the covers, "just anything with a happy ending."
"Hmmm...I know just the one!" He sits down next to her and clears his throat. "In ancient times the land lay covered in forests where from ages long past dwelt the spirits of the gods. Back then man and beast lived in harmony, but as time went by, most of the great forests were destroyed. Those that remained were guarded by gigantic beasts who owed their allegiance to the Great Forest Spirit, for those were the days of Gods and Demons." He pauses for a moment to catch his breath.
The little princess' eyes shine with anticipation. "Ooh, this sounds like a good one!"
______
A large amount of applause comes from the audience in the bar as Ayeka leaves the stage after singing a lovely song on the karaoke machine. The princess waves politely to the crowd. A number of hoots and catcalls are heard coming from the numerous single men. She ignores them as she makes her way back to her table.
'Sorry to disappoint you gentlemen,' she thinks to herself, 'but I am not interested. My heart already belongs to...' she trails off as she sees the man on her mind currently talking happily with Ryoko. "Tenchi," she mutters lightly.
The prince diverts his attention for a moment and looks towards Ayeka. She feels her heart skip a beat when he smiles warmly at her and beckons for her to come over. The princess complies and makes her way over. "Ayeka, you were great!" Tenchi exclaims.
"Really?" she squeals, sounding a lot like her younger sister.
"Yessh pincesss, you're good," Ryoko slurs. She is stumbling around a lot more than she was earlier, mainly due to the fact that she managed to sneak several strong drinks by the bartender. Tenchi noticed and has to escort her around, though he does suspect that she is stumbling around a lot more than she should be so he would stay close to her. "I'd sshing too, but I can't sschtand too well." She chuckle lightly at her own little joke.
Tenchi and Ayeka both share a glance and shrug. "You know Miss Ryoko, you should not drink so heavily."
"Yeah," Tenchi adds in, the concern evident on his face, "it's not healthy to drink as much as you do."
At Tenchi's words, Ryoko instantly sobers up and wraps her arms around his neck seductively. "Oh Tenchi," she exclaims, "I didn't know you cared!"
Ayeka frowns and the prince shifts uncomfortably in his seat. "Come on Ryoko, cut it out. Don't act like this when we're in public." He quickly covers his mouth, realizing that he should have rephrased his words better.
The pirate's eyes glisten and she leans in closer. "So Tenchi," she purrs into his left ear, giving him goose bumps, "would you rather I act like this in private?" He manages to gasp out a few chokes and mumbles. "I'll take that as a 'yes'," she replies happily.
Tenchi looks pleadingly to Ayeka. She shakes her head lightly. "I am sorry Lord Tenchi but you have pulled yourself into this one. That and I am far too good of a mood to have a fight with Miss Ryoko."
The pirate lets go of Tenchi and walks up to the princess. "Thanks Ayeka," she whispers, "tomorrow night, he's all yours!"
Ayeka smiles. "I like the sound of that." They both begin to giggle. The princess turns and walks over to where Washu, Kamidake and Nagi are sitting, leaving an appreciative Ryoko and a stunned Tenchi behind.
______
"Now there's something you don't see everyday!"
"And what is that Nobuyuki?"
Tenchi's father points over to the other side of the bar. "Ryoko pounced on Tenchi as usual in front of Ayeka, but Ayeka just let her be! No yelling, no fighting."
Katsuhito watches them thoughtfully. "Hmm...perhaps there have been some changes that we have not noticed."
"You could say that," Achika starts, grinning guiltily. "I...may have spoken to them and given them some pointers."
Both men turn and face Achika, looking surprised. "Really?" Nobuyuki asks. "What exactly did you tell them?"
______
"...And as the villager tells Ashitaka about how the Lady Eboshi and her gunmen killed the great boar god Nago, the former prince's cursed right arm begins to pulse in rage. He keeps his composure as he tries to calm his right arm down."
Sasami's eyes go wide. "Is his arm evil?"
Hayato chuckles lightly. "No, his arm isn't evil. It is just cursed by an evil thing. You see, when he starts to feel angry, the curse spreads faster and it takes over his arm at times."
"Oh, okay. Well keep telling me, I really like this story!" Her large eyes shine with anticipation.
Tenchi's cousin smiles warmly. "Alright, now where was I? Oh yeah! Another villager who is sitting next to Ashitaka notices and asks him what is wrong with his right arm..."
______
Washu grumbles unhappily to herself. The bartender wouldn't allow her to have any alcoholic beverages. 'Technically I'm older than anybody here, and of course, way more intelligent,' she thinks with a small sneer, taking a sip from her soda.
Ayeka, who is sitting next to the little genius, takes a small sip of the saké in her cup. She looks over to Ryoko, who has gotten off of Tenchi but is still very close to him. The two of them are talking to one another. The princess sighs with longing.
Washu takes notice. "Hey Ayeka," she starts, "how come you're not over trying to stop Ryoko from getting close to Tenchi? You two are usually in a fight right about now."
Ayeka tears her gaze away from them and turns to face Washu. "Ryoko and myself spoke with Lady Achika shortly after she came to be with us. We had both realized that Tenchi holds strong feelings for both of us. We told Lady Achika and she gave us some good advice for our pursuit for Tenchi's love."
"Really?" the genius asks, her eyes rapt with attention. "What did she tell you?"
"The first thing she told us to do was to stop fighting with each other."
Washu snorts into her drink. "I could've told you that."
Ayeka gives her a patronizing look. "Yes, you could have, but it meant more for Tenchi's mother to tell us. Tenchi is such a gentle and caring person. Ryoko and I never realized that our constant fighting was pushing him away instead of pulling us in like we have wanted. Lady Achika thought that it would be best if we each spend some time with him alone, to try to get him to open himself up to us, to give us a better chance with him."
"Ah, I see now," Washu says, a large smile creeping up on her, "so I assume you are letting Ryoko have her turn?"
"Yes, and tomorrow it will be my turn to get to spend some time with him," she answers with a satisfied smile. She directs her gaze over to Kamidake and Nagi, who are sitting very close to one another and muttering quietly between each other. Both Washu and Ayeka smile warmly at the newfound couple.
______
"And with those words, Lady Eboshi stands up and begins to walk away. 'Oh by the way,' Jigo suddenly speaks up, 'you haven't by any chance met up with a young man? He is traveling with a great red elk.' Eboshi looks at him for a moment. 'He came...and went'."
He stops for a moment to yawn widely. He looks down at Sasami. The little princess is desperately fighting sleep, and loosing rapidly. Her eyes are all glossed over and there is a definite droop to them. Hayato smiles warmly and decides to continue, only with a lower and more soothing tone to help her sleep faster.
______
Tenchi chuckles lightly with Ryoko. He looks up and gasps in surprise. "Mihoshi! Kiyone!" he shouts, "What are you girls doing back so early?"
The pirate turns to look at the two GP officers, who are looking very cheerful. "Patrol went by very smoothly," Kiyone answers happily. "No intruders, no problems, nothing! We were planning on going to the house and hang out a bit with Hayato, but we figured he'd be fine without us. Besides, we could never turn down a party!"
"Yeah, that's nice," Ryoko responds. She gives the two women a look, and then jerks her head towards Tenchi. Kiyone gets the point, but Mihoshi just stares blankly. "Ryoko, what's wrong with your head? Are you hurt or something?"
Her partner slaps herself on the forehead. "Mihoshi, just...come with me."
"Okay!" she responds cheerfully. The duo makes their way through the crowd of people and sits down next to Washu and Ayeka. "Hello Washu! Hello Ayeka!"
"Hello Mihoshi," they both respond in unison. Washu leans in towards Kiyone. "So, did she give you a hard time?"
"Actually no," the teal haired detective admits. "She just sat back, occasionally checking her monitor. It was pretty peaceful out there." Her and everyone at the table jumps out of their seats when Mihoshi shrieks loudly. "Mihoshi!" Kiyone gasps, "What's wrong?"
"KARAOKE!" the blonde yells. Her partner groans loudly while Ayeka and Washu giggle at her. Nagi and Kamidake decide to ignore the others and focus on each other.
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A couple of hours later, everyone leaves the bar and makes their way home. Mihoshi and Kiyone go in the van with Nobuyuki, Achika, Katsuhito, Nagi and Kamidake, who take them to their apartment. Since Tenchi took his cousin's truck, he, Ryoko, Ayeka and Washu get home first. They all notice that all the lights are turned off and the front door is locked. "I guess they are sleeping," Tenchi says to the women.
They all go inside and turn on the lights in the living room. They all quickly notice that the television is still on, but nobody is there watching it. Ayeka walks over to the couch to turn it off but gasps when she sees the mess of food that was once a very large sandwich. In the blink of an eye, she is running up the stairs to her and Sasami's room. The sight that meets her eyes warms her heart. Her little sister is sleeping in her bed, with Hayato passed out right next to her. From the looks of him, he was sitting next to her and he fell asleep while sitting up.
A light thunder of footsteps diverts the princess' attention. Everyone else has made their way up the stairs. They all smile warmly at the sight in front of them. "Aww, that's so cute!" Washu whispers.
"Should we leave him like that?" Tenchi asks.
"Yes that does look rather uncomfortable," Ayeka adds.
"Don't worry about him, I'll take care of it," Ryoko responds just before teleporting inside of the room, next to Hayato. She carefully reaches around his waist and she teleports them out of the room. The pirate is back very quickly. "Okay, done. He's in his sleeping bag in your room Tenchi."
"Good job Ryoko. Thanks." He gives her a warm smile.
The pirate feels her face start to heat up. "Oh it was nothing Tenchi!" she says hurriedly.
Washu steps up between the two of them. "Alright, it's pretty late. Let's all get some sleep."
"Yes, that is a good idea Miss Washu," Ayeka politely responds. "Good night everyone." The princess goes into her room and slides the door shut.
Washu turns around and hops down the steps and goes into her lab for the night. Ryoko turns to Tenchi. "Well, good night Tenchi." She starts to float away, but is stopped by the prince, who gently takes her hand.
"I had fun tonight Ryoko. It was nice talking to you." He leans in and gives her a small kiss on the cheek. "Good night Ryoko." And with those words, he goes down the hall to his room.
The pirate floats in the air, stunned at what just happened. She lifts a hand and gently places it on the place where Tenchi kissed her. "He...he kissed me," she stammers out. She teleports outside, and appears about fifty feet above the house. "HE KISSED ME!" she cheers into the night.
Tenchi, who was just closing his window, hears Ryoko's joyful shout. He smiles warmly at the thought of her cheering outside. 'She is really a great person,' he thinks to himself. 'I should spend more time getting to know her.' He suddenly frowns lightly. 'But that wouldn't be fair to Ayeka. I should probably spend some time with her tomorrow.' It is these calming thought that run through the prince's mind as he drifts off into a peaceful sleep.
Fade out.
To be continued...
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Author's notes: I know it has been a while since I have added a new episode. I apologize for my delay, I have been focusing my efforts on some of my other series.
On another note, I hope that you have realized that the story Hayato told Sasami was the anime movie "Princess Mononoke." It is one of the best movies I have seen. I definitely recommend renting or buying it. I hope I got most of the dialogue correct. Several of the voice actors for the Tenchi shows include their talents in the movie as extras! -- lighthawkdemon
Questions or comments? E-mail me at: lighthawkdemon@yahoo.com
Next episode: No Need for Goodbyes!