Section Chief Sakai sat riffling through the various papers which crossed his desk daily. The usual status reports and budget requests went into piles to be reviewed later. Junk mail went into the trash. That just left one memo, addressed to him from human resources, noting that two of his officers had not yet reported back for duty.
He glanced at the names, and frowned as they registered. Two of the team members from Detective Makibi's undercover assignment against the Rudolpho group. They had all been on vacation, except for Makibi, perhaps they'd decided to stay longer to recover from the long assignment. It was also possible something else had happened.
He debated briefly whether to mention the matter to Deputy Commander Watanabe, but decided against it. The memo went into his office's incinerator, burned to ash, then disappeared. There was nothing to do on that matter for the moment. He'd take appropriate action when he got more information, and he wasn't in a hurry to find out.
He sat back down in his chair, and looked at the piles of papers still waiting. He flipped through the status reports and found one from Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu, and quickly sent that one after the memo into the incinerator. The unanticipated benefit to posting Makibi with Kuramitsu was that now he could ignore Mihoshi's reports and just read the ones Kiyone sent. They were straight to the point, only including useful information.
He reclined in his chair, and took the top report off of the stack, settling into his normal routine. He quickly forgot about other concerns and lost himself in the task of managing officers spread out over a whole section of space.
--
Kiyone and Tenchi were walking back to the house for lunch, Ryo-Ohki snoozing in her now-accustomed place on Kiyone's head. They walked up the porch, and as they were entering the house both quickly noticed the air of tension in the living room. All five of the house's other occupants were there, and it was obvious that a fight was imminent. Unlike usual though, it was hard to tell who was mad at whom.
"I was here first, all of you go away," shouted Ryoko.
"I hardly think being here first gives you any rights, Ryoko. We all live here too," answered Washu, getting nods from the other three present.
"I have something important to do, and I don't need all of you hanging around and interfering." Ryoko glared about some more, trying to intimidate everyone else, but meeting only with resolute stares in response.
"I've got something important to do as well, Ryoko. In fact I'm quite sure what I'm going to do is more important than anything you could have planned." Ayeka finally chimed in.
"But, but, I have something to do also. I really wanted to without anyone else here. Oh, this just won't work..." Mihoshi whined.
Unnoticed so far, Kiyone and Tenchi traded curious looks, and then walked into the living room together. Tenchi took a deep breath before speaking. Something bad could happen if he didn't get this right, and the house was finally getting back into shape, not having been damaged in a few days.
"All right, everyone, what seems to be the problem?" Tenchi grinned slightly as the five women jumped and turned to face him. Their gazes all slowly shifted to face Kiyone, and some of the looks she received were not friendly. Realizing the impending problem, Tenchi quickly added with the sternest look he could muster, "Surely we can figure it out, whatever it is, without resorting to violence or breaking anything?"
Five sets of eyes snapped back to Tenchi, and most managed to look a little ashamed. Interestingly, it was Sasami who managed to speak first.
"Oh, hello, Tenchi, Kiyone, Ryo-chan. You're probably hungry, are you ready for lunch?" Sasami moved, almost as if to herd everyone to the table.
Tenchi's brows wrinkled, but he never got a chance to answer as four sets of arms wrapped themselves around him suddenly. "Yeeaugh! Let go everyone."
"I've got something I want to show you Tenchi"
"No, I do Tenchi"
"Come with me Tenchi, I've got something for you"
"Oh, please, can we go somewhere, Tenchi?"
Tenchi squirmed under the grasp of the four women, and was only rescued by Kiyone and Sasami pulling the others off of him, nearly causing a brawl in the process. Doing the only thing he knew would get things calmed down again, Tenchi said, "Until you ladies can calm down and keep yourselves under control, I'm leaving."
He managed only a couple of steps before things quieted down, and Sasami squeaked, "Wait, Tenchi." A glance back showed everyone watching him desperately. He stopped and watched carefully, finally deciding that things had settled properly.
He said, "Well, apparently everyone made plans of some sort or another. And I'll assume as per usual those plans include me, without consulting me on the matter first. Would anyone care to explain?"
Tenchi and Kiyone watched the five squirm a bit, none ready to reveal what they had planned. Tenchi sighed, and turned to Kiyone saying, "Well, looks like nobody's going to cooperate. Since I'm sure no one will be happy until they get a chance for whatever it is, the only thing to do is take turns. Would you mind, while I go clean up for a second, could you just randomly pick some order, Kiyone? They'd never accept anything I decided."
The reactions were varied: Ayeka gasped, Ryoko started shouting about it being unfair, Mihoshi started pleading to Kiyone, Washu just looked at her thoughtfully, and Sasami eyed the dining room table, obviously in her usual rush to get everyone eating. Kiyone just frowned and said, "Well, I'd rather not get involved Tenchi, but this once I can see your point. Settle down, everyone. Let's see, Sasami, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Washu. Agreed?"
After the expected protests were ignored by Tenchi and Kiyone, everyone finally agreed to the order, glum looks on everyone's faces but Sasami's. Hers just showed nervousness. Tenchi and Kiyone wandered upstairs to wash up before lunch, leaving everyone else contemplating current events. Everyone turned to look at Sasami suspiciously.
"So, whatcha got planned little missy? Hmmm?" Ryoko was the one to speak first.
Glancing about nervously, Sasami answered, "Er... you'll find out when everyone else does. I'm not saying anything unless everyone else does." Sasami's face hardened into its frequently seen stubborn lines. A few glances back and forth, and it was obvious nobody was going to reveal their plans. "Fine then, I guess you find out when it happens, then. If everyone would please sit down, it's time for lunch."
"But, but, aren't you going to give something to Tenchi now?" Mihoshi asked. "Oh, I have to wait so long already."
"Surely whatever each of us has planned isn't so important that Tenchi can't eat lunch first? I didn't think so." Washu glanced at everyone, confirming her statement.
"Why are you so calm, Washu?" Ryoko asked. "You're going last. By the time your turn rolls around, Tenchi might not care any more."
"Perhaps," said Washu. "Or perhaps, he'll look at mine and realize how much better it is than everyone else's and forget any of you even gave him something."
The impending fight was stopped by Kiyone's arrival. "Honestly, the lot of you are just a bunch of children, aren't you? Fighting over Tenchi like he's a toy. You've turned what I assume was meant to be an act of kindness into another contest."
That struck home, and everyone quieted, and finally wandered over to the table, just as Tenchi came down the stairs. He glanced around at the seemingly calm ladies and relaxed visibly. He'd been a little worried things would blow up by the time he got back down. He sat down, flanked as usual by Ayeka and Ryoko who obviously weren't giving up that privilege.
Everyone started eating quietly, nerves showing all around. Kiyone decided it was up to her to break the mood and was about to ask Tenchi a question when she noticed the look on his face. She watched carefully as he slowly ate the various dishes Sasami had laid out, and it was obvious it was having some kind of effect on him. Tenchi had never been a particularly fast eater, but he was exceptionally slow today, as if he were savoring every piece of food to its absolute end. He also wasn't glancing around the table at all, just watching his plate, except when he placed something else on it.
Curious now, Kiyone lost her urge to start a conversation and looked around the table. Ayeka and Ryoko were taking turns giving each other glares while eating. Ryo-Ohki munched away happily, and Mihoshi was wolfing down food, oblivious of everything going on around her. Washu on the other hand was watching Tenchi with a mild smile on her face and casting an occasional glance at Sasami. When she caught Kiyone looking at her, Washu just winked and nodded her head in Sasami's direction. Kiyone glanced at Sasami as a result, and realized the young girl had barely touched her food, and was instead watching Tenchi intently.
A few glances back and forth, and Kiyone was certain that whatever Sasami had been planning was this meal. There was no doubt that Tenchi was being affected by the food he was eating. Washu apparently knew it too, and it appeared that Ryoko and Ayeka were starting to realize something was going on. Only Mihoshi had yet to notice Tenchi's reaction.
"Mmmmm, this is really, really good Sasami. Even better than usual. I wish I could cook like you can, but I always seem to mess something up. It's probably better that I just help you out every once in a while. So, this must be that meal your mother used to make then, Tenchi? That was why you called Rea the other day, wasn't it Sasami?"
Mihoshi blissfully continued munching away after making these statements. Kiyone rolled her eyes, realizing she'd once again underestimated her partner. She only appeared to be clueless, which almost made things more frustrating. If only you knew that she was actually clued into the real world all the time it wouldn't be so hard to work with her.
Again, conversation was absent at the table, but now people were looking back and forth between Sasami and Tenchi while pretending to eat their meals. No one dared speak, fearful of saying the wrong thing at an awkward moment. Finally Tenchi sat back, having slowly devoured the entire meal in silence. He looked over to Sasami, and a pained smile touched his mouth. He stood up, and opened and closed his mouth a few times, obviously trying to decide what to say.
A nudge from Washu caused Sasami to stand up, and the action seemed to spark something in Tenchi, so that he finally found what he wanted to say. "Thank you Sasami. That was wonderful. Just like my mother used to make it. Well, better probably."
Sasami blushed furiously, and stammered her thanks. Her cheeks only reddened even more as Tenchi slowly walked around the table towards her, looking at her the whole time.
"Well, I need to go get ready to practice with Grandpa, now. I'm sure once we start I'll regret that huge lunch, but I certainly don't right now." Tenchi stopped in front of her, still looking her in the eyes. "I don't know what more to say, you really did something special for me Sasami. Thank you so much." Tenchi then offered a little bow of appreciation.
Sasami answered while squirming on her feet, "So, you really liked it, then? It was okay to do that?" Tenchi smiled and nodded. "Good!" cried Sasami, then she threw herself into Tenchi, grabbing him in a hug. Ayeka and Ryoko jumped to their feet, displeasure showing on their faces and fists clenched at their sides.
Tenchi embarrassedly disentangled himself from Sasami, and gave her another smile. "Thanks again Sasami, that was very nice." He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before heading up to his room, leaving the six suddenly stunned women looking after him in disbelief.
Kiyone recovered first, surprised that she'd reacted at all. She noticed the trembling Sasami, and stood up to guide the young girl over to the living room to sit down. Ryo-Ohki trailed behind, puzzlement evident on her small face. Sasami's eyes remained wide but unfocused, and her hand slowly moved towards her forehead to gently touch the place Tenchi had kissed her. The other ladies gradually started coming to their senses, and four faces turned to the two sitting on the couch.
Washu mused, "Interesting. That was a little stronger reaction than I really anticipated. I wonder..."
"He... he kissed her. I don't believe it. He kissed her." Ryoko looked from Sasami to Ayeka, and back and forth few more times.
"Well, in actuality, he just gave her a peck on the forehead. It's not like he really KISSED her or declared his love or anything like that." Washu was tapping her lips as she said this, still considering the implications.
"Yeah, but, well, he... Aarrgghh. How could he? He's mine." Ryoko disappeared, teleporting off to some unknown location.
"Bah, she always claims that Tenchi is hers. When will she ever face the fact that Tenchi might end up with someone else." Ayeka sniffed and started on her way up to work on some more sewing. She paused briefly, and turned back to look at the couch. "That was very nice of you Sasami. Obviously Tenchi appreciated what you did. What was the order again, Kiyone?"
Kiyone blinked, then considered it for a moment. "Sasami, Ryoko, you, Mihoshi, Washu."
"Thank you Kiyone. I guess now we wait to find out what the space-pirate thinks is a nice gesture." Ayeka headed up the stairs with that.
"Yes it was very nice, Sasami. Well done. Hmmm, I guess if I'm last, I might as well get some work done, it's gonna be a while. I'll be in my lab. Let me know if anything gets too crazy out here and Tenchi starts kissing everyone." Washu disappeared through the closet door, leaving just the three ladies in the living room.
Kiyone glanced at Sasami who still seemed to be a little shell-shocked. Deciding it was best to leave the girl to her own thoughts, Kiyone stood up and looked at Mihoshi. The blonde woman had been remarkably quiet since her declaration at the table. In fact, she appeared to be thinking pretty hard, and it was presumably in regards to Tenchi kissing Sasami, innocent as the kiss might have been.
"So, tell me Mihoshi, what is it about him that you all find so incredible, any way? I mean he's a nice guy and all, but he's kind of boring really. All he does is work and practice and study."
"What? Oh, Kiyone, what are you saying? He's so nice, and hard-working, and caring, and generous. And he saved my life at least twice already. And he's good looking." Mihoshi turned a little red. "Of course you already noticed that part, didn't you, Kiyone?"
"What? Get real Mihoshi, I don't know what you're talking about." Kiyone turned red herself, and tried to disguise it as anger.
Mihoshi just smiled before continuing, "Well any way, I guess what it really comes down to is Tenchi makes me feel safe and protected, and cared for. It's nice to know there's someone like him there in case you ever need it. I mean, I'm a Galaxy Police officer, trained to risk danger when duty calls, and yet, twice now, I would have been dead if not for him. It just feels so good to see his face."
"Mmmm, hmmm. And you might think he's boring Kiyone, but it's because he works so hard to provide for us. He won't let us give him any money, even though we obviously could. Oh we all slip something into the house that we bought with money we have, but we can't get him to accept any actual money." Sasami was looking at Kiyone as if Kiyone were a strange creature she'd never seen before, and Kiyone realized she was probably getting herself in hot water questioning their feelings for Tenchi.
"Well, all right, I'm sure he has lots of wonderful qualities. I'm sure you can understand why I find this situation so puzzling, though? I mean, Tenchi's a good guy. But seriously, he's got two Juraian princesses, the infamous space-prate Ryoko, the legendary galactic scientist Washu, and Galaxy Police office Mihoshi Kuramitsu, whose grandfather just happens to be the head of the Galaxy Police, mind you, all in love with him. I mean, come on, let's get real here."
"Act that way if you want Kiyone. You'll understand eventually," said Mihoshi. She traded knowing looks with Sasami, causing Kiyone's cheeks to flare in what she hoped was anger.
"Bah. Enough already. Let's do some target practice this afternoon, Mihoshi, all right? And enough with the Tenchi thing." Kiyone stalked off towards the stairs leaving the last two women standing and smirking behind her.
After Kiyone was gone, Mihoshi turned to Sasami and asked, "So... What was it like? I've dreamed of him giving me even a little kiss..."
--
Ryoko looked at the assortment of flowers, thankful she'd thought to put them in water last night. Fortunately for her she'd read a little bit of the book about caring for them as well as learning how to identify them, mostly by accident. She gathered them up from the assorted Sake bottles they'd been in, and put them back into a large bouquet inside the box she'd originally brought them in.
She phased herself up through the ceiling, and headed for a spot along the path Tenchi would most likely follow on his way back to the house from practice. She wanted this to be between herself and Tenchi, not a public event for all the other girls like Sasami's had been. She was certain Tenchi would like it, but would he react to it like he had Sasami's. She couldn't bear to let anyone else see what was about to happen. She could brag about it later if she got a good reaction, but if not, it would be for her to know.
She flew over to rest on one of the tree branches along the path to sit and wait. Minutes passed, and she got more uncomfortable all the time. Finally she saw him wandering down the path, shoulders slumped in fatigue. She could barely resist the urge to wrap herself around him, but she knew now would not be the right time. She loved to tease him normally, but not now.
"Tenchi?" she said. She floated down to the ground as he looked up to see her.
"Ryoko? What's up?" His eyes inevitably moved to the box she was carrying in her hands.
"I've got a present for you. Well, sort of."
Ryoko held out the box to him, then stood back nervously. He looked at her questioningly, then opened the box. The hitch in his movements as he saw what was inside betrayed his feelings.
"Wh-where did you find these, Ryoko? They shouldn't be in season right now."
"Ah, well, you know, here and there. I paid for them, though, don't worry about that."
He looked at her carefully, obviously assessing the truth of her last statement, but his eyes softened as he verified her sincerity. A sad smile broke out on his face as he looked back at the flowers.
"Thank you Ryoko, that was very thoughtful of you. Did dad put you up to this?"
"Ah, well, maybe?" Ryoko shifted nervously, unwilling to admit they'd listened to a somewhat private conversation.
Tenchi mistook Ryoko's avoidance for agreement and laughed. He said, "That guy. He seems like a goofball so often, you sometimes forget he's a caring guy underneath."
He turned his face back to Ryoko, and then offered a small bow of appreciation. Seeing her face light up, he said, "Thank you again, Ryoko, that was very nice. Ah... Well, would you maybe like to come to her grave site when I put the flowers there, Ryoko? I know she didn't mean anything to you, but you've actually seen her before, I guess."
It was Tenchi's turn to shift uncomfortably, and Ryoko realized what a gesture he'd just made. She was a little disappointed that she might not get the kiss she'd been hoping for, but Tenchi had opened up in his own manner, and that was progress.
Ryoko smiled brightly, and said, "I'd like that Tenchi. Thank you for asking."
"Ah, well, good. Should we head back, then?"
"Sure thing, Tenchi."
The two turned down the path and walked back towards home. Tenchi barely even flinched when Ryoko slipped her arm inside of his.
--
'Where could she be?' thought Ayeka as she wandered through the house. Ayeka had expected to find Ryoko drinking sake in the onsen as she often was, but today she'd been nowhere in sight. Ayeka ashamedly admitted she'd been hoping to drink a little sake while soaking, herself.
She finally arrived at the door to Ryoko's room, though the woman was rarely ever in it. She knocked a few times, waited politely, and receiving no answer she poked her head inside. As expected Ryoko was not in there either.
"She's obviously gone to harass poor Tenchi, then. We'll just see about that."
Ayeka stormed from the house and headed for the area she knew Tenchi and Yosho used for sword practice. Ryoko would be up to something as usual, certainly at Tenchi's expense. She was only a short distance down the path when she froze at an unexpected sight. A couple moments of shock and then she was moving again, even more quickly.
"Get your hands off of Lord Tenchi," Ayeka yelled as she began pulling Ryoko off of Tenchi's arm.
Tenchi was spun to the ground as usual due to the force applied by Ayeka. A look told him the two were totally focused on each other and anything he might say would be ignored. He could sense the trouble, and realizing a fight in the woods would be better than at the house where it might do some damage, he slipped away to escape.
"Just who do you think you are, Miss Prissy? I was enjoying a walk back with Tenchi, and you come barging in to interrupt. You always do that, you just can't accept that Tenchi likes me, can you?" Ryoko shot Ayeka her deadliest look, which of course she'd used before so it had no effect.
"Likes you? Bah, what rubbish. He feels sorry for you, that's all. He's guilty because of what his grandfather did to you."
Ryoko rocked back for a second, taken aback by the new charge she'd never considered before. Then she remembered what Tenchi had asked after receiving her present, and she knew Ayeka was wrong. A smile of triumph broke out on her face.
"Is that so," Ryoko drawled. "Well then, why did he invite me to visit his mother's grave with him?"
Ayeka rocked back in shock this time. Tenchi invited Ryoko to visit his mother's grave? He rarely even visited with his father or grandfather, and never with any of the ladies in his house. Ayeka's eyes narrowed as she looked at the now-grinning Ryoko.
"You obviously tricked him, Ryoko. What did you do?"
Ryoko laughed, and answered, "I just gave him my present of course. Apparently he liked it, wouldn't you say?" Ryoko laughed some more as Ayeka's face turned from red to white quickly.
Ayeka mentally composed herself. So, she'd given him a present. Well, Ryoko wasn't the only one who had something special to give to Tenchi. And apparently she hadn't gotten anything more than that from Tenchi, if she'd gotten the small kiss on the forehead as Sasami did, or more, she would have blurted that out immediately to spite Ayeka. A grin formed on her face as she faced her frequent nemesis with confidence again.
"Well, I guess if you've given him your present, it's my turn now. I should be getting back then, I'd hate for Tenchi to be left dwelling on whatever it was you managed to produce as a gift for too long. Mine will be sure to remind Tenchi that I'm correcting your mistakes as well. Goodbye, Ryoko."
Ayeka turned and stalked back to the house with a stiff back, the smirk on her face now hidden from Ryoko's view. Ryoko just watched her go, her eyes doing their best to burn a hole in Ayeka's back.
--
Tenchi slipped in the door and headed for the stairs to his room when a voice froze him in his tracks. He turned to regard the red-haired scientist as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a half-eaten sandwich grasped in her left hand, a glass in her right.
"Slinking in the front door again," Washu said with a chuckle. "Let me guess, my daughter and the Princess are having a tiff? So, Tenchi, whatcha got in the box?"
"Ah, hi, Little Washu. Er, it's just some flowers. My mother used to like these, and Ryoko got them for me."
"Ryoko, huh? You know, Tenchi, isn't it usually appropriate for the boy to give flowers to the girl? I always figured you for the traditional type. Let me know if you're not, I can think of all kinds of untraditional things to try." Washu gave Tenchi a leer, then laughed some more.
"Hah, hah. They're not FOR me, they're to go on my mother's grave. It was really nice of her, you can't really find these flowers right now. Normally they're not in season."
"I see. Pretty thoughtful, then, for my daughter. I don't imagine Ayeka's caught you yet and done her thing?" At Tenchi's shaking head, she continued, "Didn't think so. Ah well, I've still got her and Mihoshi to wait for. I'm a pretty patient lady, though. It comes from being 20,000, I think.
"Ah, Washu? What's going on, if I could ask? Suddenly everyone's giving me stuff for no reason. I suspect my dad had something to do with it, but why all of a sudden, and... well... why?"
Washu shook her head while chewing another bite of sandwich, then washed it down with what appeared to be water. Then her face took on a serious look, causing Tenchi to involuntarily lean forward.
"Well, it's like this, Tenchi..." Washu paused for dramatic effect, and Tenchi caught himself holding his breath. She continued, "I can't tell you," and then she laughed her strange laugh.
Tenchi stumbled forward, caught off-balance by the surprise non-revelation. After composing himself, and closing his mouth, he regarded Washu with a frown.
"It's not that I wouldn't like to, of course, but I think this is one of those things you should figure out for yourself, if you know what I mean. You're a smart guy, Tenchi, well sometimes any way, give it some thought and see what you come up with. I'm not gonna ruin anything for anyone by spilling the beans."
The serious look was back on her face, and Tenchi considered what she'd said for a moment. It wasn't the actual answer, but she'd given the impression there was a reason behind it all. He'd probably find out eventually.
Tenchi said, "All right then. If I'm gonna take these flowers out there, I probably shouldn't look and smell like I just lost a fight with Grandpa, even if that is what just happened. I guess I'll go clean up."
Washu watched him turn for the stairs, and after a couple steps called out, "Need any help?" Tenchi just ignored her as he disappeared up the stairs. Washu shook her head, then laughed and walked back through the closet door to her lab with the remains of her lunch still in hand.
--
Ayeka waited patiently, at least in her own mind. She'd wanted to give Tenchi her gift as soon as she could, but he'd obviously wanted to go put the flowers on his mother's grave right away. She'd been ready to protest and give him the yukata first, but after consideration, realized it would probably make a better impression after he got back, as he'd forget about it while he was visiting the grave site. Plus Ryoko wouldn't have time with Tenchi to try and sway him towards her cause by knowing what Ayeka's gift was.
Soon enough, the two came walking back towards the house, Ryoko once again hanging on Tenchi's arm possessively. Ayeka fought down a surge of frustration, knowing that now of all times would not be right to pick a fight with Ryoko in front of Tenchi.
Tenchi's reactions had so far been puzzling, and exciting, and worrisome all together. Squeezing Kiyone's shoulder (even if the woman hadn't been intentionally trying to catch his interest as she claimed), kissing Sasami's forehead, inviting Ryoko to his mother's grave. He was opening up slightly, and probably didn't realize he was doing it. But would it continue? Ayeka certainly hoped so, but they could all be coincidence up to now, and he'd revert to his usual reserved, non-committal ways again.
She stepped forward as the two approached the house, earning a nasty look from Ryoko which she barely even acknowledged. Tenchi looked up at her, and she could see the sadness still residing in his eyes, but a calmness in his presence.
"Could I have a bit of your time, Lord Tenchi?" she asked.
Tenchi's eyes flicked briefly to Ryoko then returned to Ayeka, and he answered, "Ah, sure, I suppose so. Just a moment."
Tenchi turned to face Ryoko, and said, "Thanks, Ryoko. It was nice to have someone there with me. I really appreciate what you did, getting the flowers for me. I guess I'll see you for supper then."
Ryoko looked between Tenchi and Ayeka momentarily, then decided not to make an issue of it. "Okay, Tenchi," she said, then flew over and quickly planted a quick kiss on his cheek before heading into the air to fly back to the house.
"Why, you..." Ayeka growled, then calmed herself as Ryoko disappeared into the house through the roof. She took a deep breath, then pulled the small package out from behind her back where she'd been holding it the whole time so Ryoko wouldn't see it. "This is for you, Lord Tenchi."
Tenchi took the bundle from her, and carefully untied the string holding it together. He opened the paper wrapping and paused at the sight of the lavender cloth inside. He looked up to Ayeka, and asked, "Is this...?"
Ayeka just nodded, and watched as he pulled his mother's yukata out and held it up for inspection. He turned it around a few times, checking all the seams and a smile slowly formed on his face.
"This is wonderful, Ayeka. It looks perfect. Ryoko tried, but she just didn't know how, and I was always afraid I'd just make it worse if I tried. Thank you."
"You're very welcome, Lord Tenchi. It was my pleasure, really."
Ayeka's brows wrinkled slightly as she watched Tenchi looking back and forth between the yukata and herself a few times. "Ah, is something the matter Lord Tenchi?"
"What? Oh, no, everything is just fine. Actually, I was just thinking, it's a shame to keep this closed up in a box just so I can look at it from time to time. I was just thinking it might fit you. And if it didn't, I'm sure you could fix it so that it did. Here, Ayeka, you should keep this, and wear it sometime."
Tenchi folded up the yukata and handed it back to the stunned Ayeka. She took it in her trembling hands, unable to look him in the face at that moment, afraid tears might burst from her eyes if she did.
"A-are you sure? I mean, that it's okay?"
"Of course, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it, Ayeka."
"All right, then. Thank you Lord Tenchi, that is most generous of you."
"You're welcome. You know, I think the color will go well with your hair. It should look nice on you." Tenchi paused at the suddenly blank look in Ayeka's eyes. "Ah, are you all right?"
A stunned and speechless Ayeka never answered his question, so surprised was she by his compliment. He thought she would look nice in it?
"Ayeka? Ayeka?" Concerned now, Tenchi reached out to shake her gently by the shoulder.
"Oh, oh my! I'm sorry. Yes, I'm fine Tenchi. I was just thinking, that's all."
"Okay, then. Well, we probably ought to go in. I'm sure Sasami's going to be cooking something delicious for supper, and it wouldn't do to make everyone wait for us, would it?"
"Yes, yes, you're right of course. Let's go in."
Tenchi turned for the house, and Ayeka quickly decided to make a move. She stepped up beside him, and wrapped her arm in his much like Ryoko had been doing earlier. Tenchi glanced at her but then shrugged and headed into the house, Ayeka smiling broadly on his arm.
"Why that dirty, no-good..." growled Ryoko as she emerged from the ground where she'd been watching and listening nearby. She floated up over the house, and disappeared through the roof once more, muttering darkly to herself the entire time.
--
"Wow, that was so yummy! Is there any more?" Mihoshi looked around the table hopefully, but everything that had been brought out by Sasami was gone, as was generally the case. The scene playing itself out had happened many times before, but no matter how many times they'd witnessed it, everyone in the house always managed to be surprised by how much Mihoshi could eat.
"I'm sorry, Mihoshi, that's all I made. I'm sure if you're still hungry, we could probably find you something else. A sandwich maybe..." Sasami was starting to get to her feet, but was restrained by Kiyone's hand on her arm.
"Don't bother, Sasami," said Kiyone. "She'll survive, she just eats so fast, her brain hasn't caught up to her stomach yet."
"I'm not sure her brain is capable of catching up," mumbled Ryoko quietly.
A few scowls caused Ryoko to clam up, and resume her glaring at Ayeka which had taken place most of the meal. Ayeka had been enjoying it thoroughly, and had done her best to monopolize conversation with Tenchi.
Ryoko looked about ready to burst, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Washu's voice interjected, "So, Tenchi? How far along are we? Come to any conclusions yet?"
"Er, conclusions?" Tenchi looked puzzled, trying to decide what Washu meant. "Oh, you mean what's been going on today? Nah, I figured it'd hit me eventually."
Washu shook her head, then said, "Dense, dense, dense. Perhaps we should make your statement literal, maybe that'd shake a few things loose in there." Washu looked around and received puzzled looks from everyone, then threw up her hands. "Geez, I realize I'm the resident genius, but come on people. Ah, whatever. Who's up next?"
"Next? Oh, I guess it'd be Mihoshi," Tenchi answered.
"Oh, it's my turn? Goody!" Mihoshi's face brightened into a bigger smile as she clapped her hands.
Ayeka fought off the scowl forming on her face from realizing her time as the most recent present-giver was about to end. She noticed the glum looks Ryoko and Sasami had on their faces, and felt a little better.
Kiyone rolled her eyes, then sighed as she got to her feet. "I suppose we should all do what's needed to get out of the way for the time being, then. Tenchi, you run along with Mihoshi, we'll clean up around here." Kiyone got to her feet, and Sasami squeaked as she jumped up to start clearing things as well, her face a little red. Ryo-Ohki grabbed the nearest plate and headed for the kitchen with it.
"I'll be in my lab, Tenchi. Come see me when it's time." Washu got up and disappeared through the closet door as usual.
Ayeka and Ryoko glanced around, and when their eyes met, Ryoko raised her brows in an unspoken question and Ayeka nodded. Ryoko said, "I'll get the sake."
Ayeka answered, "Bring dishes this time." Ayeka walked quietly up the stairs to her room, while Ryoko took the more direct route straight through the walls and ceiling.
With everyone suddenly gone but the two of them, Tenchi said to Mihoshi, "Ah, I guess we should go. Your room?"
"Oh, yeah, it's in my room. Let's go." Mihoshi bounced her way up the stairs, Tenchi following behind. Eventually they reached her room, and Mihoshi headed right in, only to trip over a shoe laying right inside the door. She collapsed onto the futon with an "Eeek."
"Are you all right, Mihoshi?" Tenchi asked, hurrying in to check on her.
"Oh, I'm fine, Tenchi. I just need to clean up, that's all. Now then, where did I put it?" Mihoshi started looking around the room, and Tenchi found himself doing the same. He'd only been in this room a very few times since his father had moved back to town, mostly to help her and Kiyone move their things in. Piles of books and boxes of clothes were all over the place on one side of the room, on the other everything was stacked up neatly and organized.
Tenchi couldn't help smiling, wondering how the two managed to get along at all with such different personalities. But while Kiyone gave Mihoshi a lot of grief, you could still tell she liked her partner, and Mihoshi adored Kiyone.
She rummaged through a few piles, knocking things over in the process. "A-ha! There it is." She pulled the book from the bottom of a stack lying precariously on her dresser, and brought it over to him. "Here you go, Tenchi."
Tenchi accepted the book from her and looked at the cover, recognizing it instantly. "Where did you find this, Mihoshi? I've looked everywhere for it, I was certain it must have accidentally been thrown out."
"Oh, well, you see, first I looked on your shelf, and I found this thick brown hair, and I knew that had to be Ryo-Ohki's, so I figured she must have borrowed it."
"Oh, yeah, she did see me reading it a lot. She was the only one I ever let see me with it, I was always a little embarrassed, love poems and all." Tenchi smiled as he opened the book and looked inside.
"Well, any way, I talked to Ryo-Ohki, and she sent me to Sasami."
"You, ah, talked to Ryo-Ohki? How did you do that, she's only learned a few words so far, to my knowledge, and she rarely uses those."
"Oh, you just have to be able to read their expressions, that's all. I've interrogated enough criminals in my time who didn't want to talk. Well, then, Sasami, had loaned it to Ayeka, Ayeka had put it back in the library. I recognized your father's hand print from the dust on the top shelf in the library. I called their house, and Rea said she'd loaned it to Kasumi. I tracked it down there, and now, here it is. Ah, Tenchi?"
Tenchi was staring at Mihoshi in wonder, realizing what good fortune it had been for Mihoshi to decide to track it down. He doubted anyone else would even have picked up on all the clues necessary and been able to track it down, and so quickly. He shook his head to break out of his daze, and said, "Oh, sorry. Thank you, Mihoshi. This is very special to me. I can't thank you enough."
"You're welcome, Tenchi."
"You know, I probably shouldn't admit this, but my favorite poem in here is about a beautiful woman with eyes that capture a man's soul, or, well, something like that. Heh, I think it could have been written about you, Mihoshi." Tenchi turned away, rubbing his head furiously. "This is wonderful, Mihoshi, I'll try and keep better track of it from now on. I should go do some studying, now, though, so I've got time to go see Washu tonight. Thanks again."
Tenchi slipped out the door, leaving the bemused Mihoshi behind. "He thinks I'm beautiful?" She grabbed up a mirror, and looked in it carefully. "And my eyes could capture a man's soul?" She flopped on her futon with a wistful sigh, the mirror still in her hand. She closed her eyes, and the smile beamed out from her face as she fell asleep.
--
Tenchi stood outside the door to Washu's lab, deciding on his best course of action. He didn't notice the sidelong glances he was getting from everyone sitting in the living room as the turmoil raged in his head. Should he knock, and warn her he was coming, letting her prepare a trap? Or should he try and sneak in, risking running into some trap she might turn off if he knocked first?
"For goodness' sake, Tenchi. Be a man and walk in there. She told you to come visit her, didn't she? She wouldn't do anything to you when she invited you." Kiyone shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"Shows how much you know, Kiyone. You call yourself a detective? Washu's crazy, you know, she's just as likely to catch Tenchi and run some weird experiments as actually give him something. You know..." Ryoko turned back to Tenchi and called, "Hey, Tenchi, just forget about her. It's not worth going in that place. Make her bring it out here, if she really has something for you."
Tenchi appeared to actually give the idea some consideration, but then his shoulders slumped in defeat. "No, I told her I'd come see her in her lab, that's what I should do. I guess I'll knock first."
Tenchi knocked a few times, waited a bit, then slowly opened the door, knocking the little crab-shaped door-chime around. He poked his head in carefully and looked around. Nothing came jumping at him, so he relaxed a bit, then cautiously stepped inside.
"Hello, Tenchi. Just a minute, let me wrap this up." Washu punched keys on her terminal quickly, and then sat back as a few robotic arms quit spinning around some unknown device. A couple more keystrokes, and the entirety of the strange apparatus disappeared into subspace, and Washu spun around in her chair to face Tenchi.
"So, could you be any more of a scaredy-cat, Tenchi? How long were you standing out there, any way?" Washu chuckled, then burst out in a full cackling laugh as Tenchi blushed in embarrassment.
"You knew I was out there?" Tenchi asked.
"Yep. Actually, I put in some sensors in hopes of getting a little more warning of Mihoshi's surprise visits, and you were setting them off by standing out there. Are you afraid of little old me?"
"Hah, hah. I'm not afraid of you, Washu, I'm afraid of those experiments you always run on me. Well, I guess nothing's happened yet. You're the last one, Washu. What's up?"
"Right down to business, no chit-chat, no foreplay? Well, if that's the way you want it, then..." Washu stood up and started walking towards Tenchi, a grin on her face. He began to squirm as she neared, and she barely stifled her mocking laughter.
"Er, Washu? Uh, I don't think this is really appropriate, do you?"
"What's not appropriate? This?"
Washu planted herself in front of Tenchi, then reached out as if to touch him. Chuckling when he jumped back a step, she reached into the dimensional pocket she had just formed behind his head. She pulled out the small device she'd been building for this moment and looked at it momentarily. She then held it out to the still twitchy Tenchi standing before her.
Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief, then investigated the strange device Washu had given him. It had a small, circular base a few inches thick and around a dozen in diameter, a few small rods stuck up from the base, and the sides were covered with an array of buttons. And it was heavy, much more than he was expecting. He hefted it a bit, and queried Washu, "How much does this thing weigh?"
A puzzled look crossed Washu's face as she answered, "How much does it weigh? I don't know, the power source is still experimental, so I suppose it's pretty heavy. Is that all you want to know?"
"Ah, experimental? It's not dangerous, is it?" Tenchi nervously held the device a bit further away from himself.
"Of course not. I wouldn't give you something that was dangerous. Well, at least not as a present like this."
"Oh. Yeah, sorry Washu. Okay, so what is it?"
"Hooray! Finally the important question. Well, I call it a Psycho-layer Dynamic Potential Mnemonic Enhancer."
"A what?"
"A Psycho-layer Dynamic Potential Mnemonic Enhancer."
"I heard that part." Tenchi frowned at Washu. "What does it do?"
"You're asking the wrong questions, Tenchi. Don't blame me. Well, instead of me telling you, why don't you turn it on?"
Washu pointed at the large green button on the device, but just as Tenchi was about to push it she stopped him.
"Wait, before you turn it on, how about we set it down on something. I'd hate to have you drop it. It should theoretically withstand anything short of Mihoshi playing with it, but I'm not taking any chances."
Washu materialized a small table from somewhere, and Tenchi set the device down on it. He looked at her questioningly, and at her nod, he pushed the green button. The device whirred to life, and gradually an image formed of a woman.
Tenchi gasped and fought off the tears forming in his eyes. "M-mother?" was all he could manage to say.
Washu waited without answering, letting him absorb what he was seeing. He slowly walked around the table, watching the nearly two foot tall image being projected. Then as he walked a bit the image blurred and reformed into another image, obviously of the same woman, but with a small child standing holding her hand.
"What? But that was what I was..." Tenchi turned to face Washu, disbelief on his face.
"That's right Tenchi. Try thinking about something else you remember about her."
Tenchi concentrated a moment, and again the image blurred, then reformed into a new image of the woman arranging flowers. Tenchi started trembling, as more tears formed in his eyes.
"It's synchronized with your psycho-layer pattern, Tenchi. Whenever you remember a scene from your childhood, the device projects it for you to see. I think there might be some other memories besides your mother in there, you might want to test it, but it seems like your mother is the primary focus of all your old memories."
"It's... It's... Incredible." Tenchi watched in fascination as the image blurred from scene to scene, every one mirroring a memory from his childhood. "How far back does this go?"
"Well, to keep the thing small, I'd say it only encompasses your memories up until you're around seven or eight. I couldn't let everything run amok out here. We might accidentally find out what you're thinking."
"You didn't, er, look at some of my other memories, did you?"
"No, Tenchi. I tried to respect as much of your privacy as I could for this. I know you wouldn't want me poking around in there, so I stayed away from anything recent. Just the old ones."
Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. While he didn't think there was anything all that specific to any of the girls, it wouldn't do for her to find some of the thoughts that had been running though his head lately. Not to mention some of his memories of being in the onsen when some of the ladies were there.
"What do the other buttons do?" Tenchi eyed the array of buttons which he hadn't pushed, wondering what she could have done beyond what he'd already seen.
"Well, some of them just add in a sort of background if you will. That one for instance," Tenchi pushed the button Washu indicated, "creates the image of cherry blossoms falling in addition to your memory."
Tenchi smiled, that was certainly a nice touch. He looked at Washu again, the question still apparent in his eyes.
"Oh most of the others are something similar, just tuning the image a bit and the like, if your memory is a little fuzzy after all this time. That one though," Washu pointed at a blue button, "puts some sound in with the image."
Tenchi again turned to the device in wonder. He concentrated a moment, and the image reformed to his mother and himself as a child. He was in bed, with his mother sitting on the side of the bed. He pushed the blue button, and suddenly the voice of his mother singing him a lullaby started emanating from the device.
This time Tenchi couldn't keep the tears from trickling out of his eyes. He listened for a while, lost in his memories. Washu formed a chair and sat down to leave him to his thoughts. She checked her watch a few times, and nodded when she saw Tenchi start shaking his head a bit.
"You should turn off the sound now, Tenchi. I'm sorry, but the sounds are harder to reproduce than just the images. They draw from your brain with a much stronger energy pattern. You're probably feeling a little bit of pain in your head right now?" Tenchi nodded as he pushed the blue button again. "I'm sorry about that, Tenchi, you'll only be able to run the sound for short stretches, and actually the images will strain you if you try and watch them for too long."
Tenchi again nodded, and wiped the tears from his cheeks as he turned off the device. "I need to go now, Washu. But thank you." He leaned over and hugged her, before picking up the device and leaving.
Washu watched him leave, and after the door closed said quietly, "No, thank you, Tenchi. For everything."
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.