Grace Sakumi, Administrative Secretary for the Galaxy Police, sat and eyed the empty bottle of wine on the table in front of her. She hadn't had a drink in years. Watching her father's bad habits systematically destroying his life had been all the motivation she had needed to break herself from her partying habits of her school days. But then, her father was the reason she'd decided she needed to drink last night.
Her father had given her a call a few days ago in a frightful panic. As usual, he'd managed to get into some trouble, only this time it was more than he could manage to handle. He'd racked up such an extraordinary gambling debt, that there was no way he'd ever be able to pay it back, and the people he owed money to knew it. But they'd sold his debts to someone even worse.
Grace had come face to face with the likely source of Kiyone's dead team members. Marco Manetti. The Galaxy Police had a file on him of course, which she'd seen during the course of her duties. She'd sneaked it out last night and it lay on the coffee table next to the empty wine bottle. The file had been pretty sparse, he seemed to be able to avoid most of the routine surveillance which was captured on typical enforcers and thugs. They had some poor photos and some profiles which had been put together based on the rare testimony they'd managed to coax out of any witnesses. According to the handwritten notes in the file, many of those witnesses had been killed after giving that testimony.
She'd gone to meet with her father like he'd requested. Then Marco had appeared out of the blue and forced her into the apartment. She hadn't immediately been scared. She'd taken plenty of self defense courses as part of her normal life at the Galaxy Police, and she'd put her training to use numerous times. She admitted that her looks and her provocative style of dress often encouraged the wrong type to attempt things with her. She'd probably beaten up a dozen would-be admirers in her time, but when she'd attempted to fight off Marco, she'd been toyed with as if she was a small child. He could have killed her easily, she knew, but that wasn't why he had been there.
He'd made her the proverbial 'offer you can't refuse'. In exchange for erasing her father's debts all he wanted was the current location of a Galaxy Police officer. She'd been so frightened at the time, that she'd given it to him without even thinking, but she regretted her cowardice now. She knew what was likely to happen to Kiyone Makibi and anyone around her. She'd read all about it in the file. Some of the people Marco had apparently gotten to had been pretty well protected, heads of rival families and the like, but it hadn't saved them. Kiyone was a top notch officer from all reports, but she probably wasn't a match for Marco.
She'd thought about reporting the incident, but she suspected that it would only get her in trouble, and never even reach detective Makibi to help her out. She didn't trust Section Chief Sakai or Commander Watanabe one bit.
She was contemplating a course of action now which could easily get her and her father killed, and possibly her mother and sisters as well. Her poor mother. She'd been through so much in her life already, she didn't deserve to get dragged into this kind of trouble. Grace picked up the envelope which contained tickets for her mother and two sisters to travel to the Barbalion resort world and plenty of money. Grace had been saving up her money ever since she started working, in hopes of some day being able to buy a home somewhere. But it was more important to try and protect her family now. She folded up the note she'd written warning her mother that she should take her sisters and get away for as long as possible, and put it in the envelope. She'd send it now, it should get to her family in plenty of time.
She decided to take a shower to try and relax while she waited. She pulled the overlarge sweater off, leaving herself in only her underwear. She viewed herself in the mirror of the bathroom, noting as always her near flawless figure. But now, there was going to be at least one flaw. The words flashed through her mind again, 'It'd be a shame to mess up that pretty face.' She pulled the large gauze pad off of the slash Marco had sliced on her left side, just below her rib cage. He'd added, 'Here's a little reminder of what will happen to your sisters if your information turns out to be wrong.' She knew it was going to leave an ugly scar for many years. She would regret not going to the beach for her vacations any more, if she managed to survive, but she didn't think she could bear to have anyone noticing it and asking questions. She supposed she could find a swimsuit to cover it, but she liked the beach for getting as much sun as possible so she always wore the skimpiest bikinis she could find. That wouldn't work now; she couldn't afford to get the scar fixed and still have enough to protect her family.
As the water from the shower started running down her body, she closed her eyes and tried to encourage herself. This was something she had to do, she couldn't live with herself otherwise.
--
King Azusa looked at the four men arrayed before him. The two older men stood with the dignity men in their position should, showing the proper respect to their King. The two younger men didn't look like the nobility they were, and apparently hadn't gotten their manners beaten into them by their fathers yet. They both ignored Azusa and glanced idly around the room. He was willing to overlook their rudeness for now, since they were going to be serving as part of his plan.
He addressed the two elder gentlemen first. "The royal sword masters assure me that your sons are the best currently in training. Are they willing?"
Baron Rugoya was the first to answer. The Baron was a short, pudgy man, obviously comfortable in his King's presence, even though some men never were. He had short dark hair, with no gray showing yet, but it was receding a bit from his forehead. "My son, Hatori, is ready to serve as you command. We wish to know, however, if he will be made King, or just stand at her side?" The Baron was very bold to ask such a question. Perhaps Azusa would have to do something to remind him of his place eventually. But for now, he served a purpose.
Hatori Rugoya looked little like his father. He took after his mother, and thus was considerably taller and thinner. His orange hair was long and held back in a flowing tail with a black ribbon. He had a goatee, as well, which looked unusual in that color, but he apparently didn't realize that. He had a reputation for being incredibly arrogant and cruel, but he was the best according to the sword masters. That wasn't uncommon in an only son of an ancient noble house like his. His personality didn't matter that much to Azusa, any way. His skill with the sword did.
"We can discuss that when the time comes. It's not important right now. It won't be unless he succeeds. Waruhan?" Azusa turned to regard the other elder nobleman. Unlike his counterpart, Earl Waruhan was only a minor noble, and it showed in his nervousness. He was rarely at court, and rarely talked to the King when he was. He was taller than Rugoya, and slimmer. His gray hair was nearly gone already, which gave him a somewhat monastic look, especially as he kept holding his hands together in front of himself in an obvious sign of his nerves.
"My son, Sanji, is also ready to serve, your majesty. He isn't interested in what happens afterwards, whether he becomes a prince or just remains an earl's son. He just wants the chance to prove himself, I believe."
Sanji Waruhan did take after his father, but he still had his hair. Well some of it, at any rate. His green hair was arranged in a row of spikes from his forehead to the top of his neck, with everything around the spikes being completely shaved. He had his father's tall, lean, frame, but on him it didn't look quite as gaunt. Sanji was apparently one of those young nobles who felt that the world was being unfair to them. As the youngest of three sons, he was unlikely to ever achieve much status, and had chosen to make his father suffer to match his own 'suffering'.
"Good, good. Make yourselves ready to leave by next week, then."
At the bows from the two nobles, and a head nod that was apparently meant to pass for the same from the two sons, Azusa dismissed them. He'd deal with the attitudes later. For now, he let them act as they wanted, until they had completed his plans.
Azusa chuckled to himself. His family was due for a rude awakening. His wives were scheming, his daughters were defying him, and his son was hiding on that backwater. And of course his great-grandson Tenchi had managed to avoid his fate multiple times already. Azusa hated to let others get their way too often. He was the King after all.
--
Mihoshi watched with interest as Princess Ayeka once again got knocked to the ground by Queen Funaho. Meanwhile Princess Sasami was barely managing to defend herself as Queen Misaki rained blows at her. Tenchi was sparring with Yosho with wooden swords as usual, though with the advent of the ladies in the house doing some hand-to-hand training, they had broken from their usual course and sparred without the practice swords on occasion. Ryoko and Washu sat off on the side, Washu busily typing at her keypad and terminal, while Ryoko chuckled at Ayeka's misfortunes. Ryo-Ohki was resting on Ryoko's head, as everyone else was currently busy. So far, Ryoko and Washu were the only two who had not taken part in any practice sessions, well, except for Nobuyuki, but he visited rarely, and when he did, he usually spent his time encouraging Tenchi to pursue some of the women currently living in his house. The arrival of the Queens had only prompted Nobuyuki to prod his son even more in the romance department, joking that he could now 'get in good' with the mother of a couple of them.
"Come on Mihoshi, rest time is over." Mihoshi sighed as Kiyone called her back out to continue their own training. She actually enjoyed training, but she liked just sitting and watching everyone else, too. It made her feel so comfortable, it was like watching her own family all out doing things together. She wandered back over to where Kiyone had been laying out practice targets in something of an obstacle course.
That was one thing that worked out well living with Tenchi and his family. They were out in the near-wilderness by the shrine, and they could actually set up a practice course like this. They occasionally sparred with the others as well, but Kiyone liked to stay in practice with their sidearms too.
"All right Mihoshi, there are six 'real' targets out there and a bunch of innocents. You've got two minutes to get through the course, taking out the criminals, and not harming the civilians. Got it?"
Mihoshi nodded, and checked that her blaster was fully charged and ready, but set to its lowest power rating good only for marking targets, not doing any real damage. Kiyone, moved out into the bushes with her own blaster out, similarly set low, at least Mihoshi hoped so. But it would be, Kiyone never made mistakes. Kiyone liked to add realism to the exercises, so she would occasionally send in blasts from hiding to make it more challenging.
Kiyone yelled "Go" from wherever she had been and Mihoshi was off. She immediately lunge rolled to her left and came up in a crouch checking the targets in her immediate sight. A blaster shot thudded the ground right where she had started. Kiyone had blasted Mihoshi right at the start quite a few times, and Mihoshi had correctly anticipated she might do the same this time. She spotted one of the 'criminal' targets, took aim, and fired, and immediately started moving again. She saw three 'civilian' targets, and let her gun sights wander past all of them without pulling the trigger. Another blast hit the ground near her, but she ignored it, still scanning for the real targets. She spotted another as she turned a corner in the trees, and blasted it from close range. She jumped backwards out of instinct at seeing a target that close, and again Kiyone's shot from cover hit the ground where she had just been. She turned and ran down the path, hitting two more targets and ignoring three more innocents.
She finally reached an opening which had numerous targets all bunched together, but none appeared to be criminal targets. As she ran into the clearing she spun around, and noticed the two remaining criminal targets hugging the tree line, one on each side of the path she had come down. She sighted and blasted the one on the left, and then snap-rolled to her right, once again just avoiding one of Kiyone's blasts. This time, though, as she came back into a crouch and sighted on the final target, she caught her heel on something. She sprawled out and hit the ground hard. Her blaster went off, after she had unknowingly knocked it over to full-power. The beam sheared through the tress, cutting down a huge branch which crushed the last remaining target as it fell to the ground.
"Aieeee!!!" Kiyone jumped down from the branches of a tree where she'd been hiding in order to attempt a few distracting shots at Mihoshi, and beat the flames out of her GP uniform's jacket. Once she put them out, she gave Mihoshi a glare, but then checked her watch. "1 minute, 57 seconds. And you got them all, I see." This last statement was emphasized with a look at the target crushed by the huge branch Mihoshi's blaster had cut down. She'd dealt with the weird events that always seemed to happen with Mihoshi long enough to accept nearly taking a full blast from Mihoshi in stride along with the strange ways in which Mihoshi always got the job done.
"Oh my, I'm sorry Kiyone. It was an accident. Are you okay? You look like you're okay, although you'll need to put in a request for a new uniform because of me. You can charge the expense to me of course, although it really was just an accident. I mean really, it should just go to standard expenses, I mean that's what I always do. And they've never questioned me on any of the charges, either. Errr..." Mihoshi stopped as Kiyone stalked over to her, reached out, and turned the power setting on Mihoshi's blaster down to low again. "Oh, oops."
"Well, that's enough for me for today. Let's go catch the others." Kiyone and Mihoshi began walking back down the path. "You know, up until that last little trip there, and by the way I am going to charge my new uniform to you, you were doing really well, Mihoshi. If I hadn't seen the end of that, and nearly lost my life in the process, I might think you were someone else." Kiyone turned toward Mihoshi to see the tears streaming out of her eyes, and immediately braced for impact.
Mihoshi flung herself on Kiyone, squeezing her in a tight embrace. "Oh Kiyone, thank you! I really am trying you know. I don't like always being so clumsy. I just always overdo it, or something. I can't understand why it happens to me. Having you back, I just feel so much more like a police officer again. I mean, I always felt like a police officer, but now I know with you beside me that we're going to win in the end. I'm so glad you can see that I'm not a total klutz."
Kiyone put up with the crying and hugging with her typical resolve. She'd endured worse in her time with Mihoshi. Once Mihoshi finally let her go, she flung her ruined jacket over her shoulder, and she and Mihoshi walked back to where the others were practicing. Kiyone couldn't help smiling.
--
"Oof. Ayiee. Hugghh. Enough, enough." Ayeka backed away from Sasami, rubbing at her numerous sore spots which would almost certainly turn into bruises. Misaki had decided to have them spar a little against each other so she could watch both at the same time, and Funaho had been more than willing to take a break. While she was a very good fighter actually, she didn't practice often enough to keep in the same condition as Misaki, so a break was welcome, and she had spent her time observing the two sisters as well. She waited to hear what Misaki would say, first.
"Tsk. Tsk. Ayeka, how do you plan to protect your future husband if you can't even fight off a little girl?" Of course everyone here knew Sasami was no longer a little girl, but it helped drive home her point.
Ayeka glanced over at Tenchi, before answering. She was thinking how Tenchi wasn't likely to need protection from anyone, and since Ayeka hoped she would someday be his wife, she wasn't likely to have to protect him at all. She couldn't say that here though. "I'm sorry mother. I'm trying, but using martial arts has never been especially easy for me. It's why I've worked so hard at being able to project my force field. I'm trying, but I'm afraid Sasami has passed me by already."
Misaki tsked again, and looked about to say something else, when Funaho revealed her observations of the match. "Misaki, I'm not so sure Ayeka is fully aware of why she keeps getting beaten. Perhaps a new approach might be in order?" She motioned Misaki off to the side for a private conversation. Ayeka watched them curiously as they leaned together to converse.
"I could be wrong of course, but I think Ayeka is holding back. I suspect she may not picture this kind of activity as being ladylike, and we both know how hard she tries to be the proper princess. I wonder if a change in opponents might spark a different reaction in her." She glanced over at Ryoko with the last statement. She had to smile to see Ryoko playing catch with Ryo-Ohki who was now in her little girl form. It seemed so strange to see Ryoko as a normal person, not the horrible space pirate who had taken her son away from her. She had quickly lost her anger towards Ryoko when she was able to see Yosho with her own eyes. Ryoko did have a somewhat pleasant personality actually, excepting the insults she often tossed at Ayeka. Funaho suspected the insults were more out of habit now than anything else.
"Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Let's try it." Misaki stood up fully and turned to Sasami. "Sasami, your gloves, please." She held out her hand as Sasami handed over the padded sparring gloves and boots. Misaki took them and strided purposefully over to where Ryoko was still playing with Ryo-Ohki. She planted her feet firmly and addressed Ryo-Ohki first. "Can I borrow Ryoko for a little while Ryo-Ohki? That's a good girl. You can play catch with Sasami if you want." She then turned to Ryoko, and handed her the padded sparring equipment. "Come on, then, let's go." She grabbed Ryoko by the wrist and dragged her back to the practice ground.
Ayeka had been watching all this with curiosity, but now it turned to something close to fear. They wanted her to spar with Ryoko? She could barely keep up with Sasami, and Sasami had only learned a little while ago. Ryoko had been the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy for many years. While Ayeka would love to be able to really belt Ryoko, she'd always been afraid to try in any of their many fights. She'd preferred to protect herself with her force field or attempt to bind Ryoko with her logs whenever it got beyond a simple shouting match. She hated to admit, but she was a little afraid of Ryoko if they ever got into a truly serious fight.
"Ummm, mother, what do you think you are doing. I thought Ryoko was not taking part in our practice sessions." She looked at Ryoko, hoping for confirmation.
"Yeah, right. I already told everyone, I don't need the practice. I didn't become the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy by being a pushover. Why would I spar with a loser like Ay..." Ryoko cut off at the bulging-eyed glare from Misaki.
"Put the gloves on Ryoko, you and Ayeka are going to spar. Understand?" Misaki waited for the nod from Ryoko, accompanied by an audible gulp.
"Well, I guess if we're sparring princess, I should look the part. Is Tenchi looking?" Ryoko turned and spotted Tenchi, still trading blows with his grandfather. "Ah well, you can't have everything, Ryoko. Be glad you get to beat up the princess." And with that she phased out of the pink and blue dress she had been wearing so that she was momentarily nude. With another glance toward Tenchi and a sigh, she phased the red combat suit into existence around herself, and the padded gloves and boots onto her hands and feet.
Ayeka had been getting nervous, but she also felt a spark of anger creep into her heart. Even out here, where everyone was practicing to better protect themselves, Ryoko had looked for an opportunity to try and seduce her Tenchi. But as she stepped into place across from Ryoko, the anger diminished, replaced once more with the fear of Ryoko she usually kept buried.
"Ready for another beating, princess? I won't go easy on you like your mother or your sister. It's pain time!" And with that, Ryoko launched her attack.
Ayeka immediately backed away, doing her best to block the blows Ryoko was throwing at her. Ryoko obviously wasn't using her full strength, but Ayeka still couldn't manage to block all of Ryoko's punches and kicks. Nothing that landed was terribly damaging however, and Ayeka managed to get off a few weak blows of her own, none of which actually landed.
After about a minute, Ayeka began to notice something, however. While Ryoko was able to attack very quickly and strongly, her patterns seemed to be a little sloppy. In comparison to those of her mother any way. In fact, if she slipped that low-high kick combination Ryoko occasionally threw just so...
(WHAP)
Ayeka landed her first solid hit on Ryoko, causing a look of surprise from both Ryoko and herself. Ryoko quickly recovered, and started pressing the attack a little more strongly. But Ayeka had a little confidence now, she started seeing other ways she could get by Ryoko's sloppy attacks and defenses.
(Whoof) (Huff) (Thwap)
Both Ryoko and Ayeka were now landing blows, and the intensity of the session was rising. Ayeka started feeling the anger resurface as her fear faded due to her success. This woman, her main rival for Tenchi's affections, and the reason for so much of her humiliation, was in front of her. And she was now landing punches and kicks against her. She felt the tension easing out of her and started enjoying herself. The fight started flowing back and forth as both women fell into a rhythm. Finally Ayeka landed a solid roundhouse kick to the side of Ryoko's head, which threw Ryoko off balance and to the side. Ayeka looked at Ryoko with a smile on her face as she relaxed, thinking that the match was probably over with that. She had obviously just landed a finishing blow. She stepped back with apprehension as Ryoko got back up and turned to her with an evil smile on her face.
"Pretty good, princess. But play time's over now."
Ayeka barely got back into her fighting stance in time, as Ryoko launched her new attack. This time, though, the sloppiness seemed to be gone, and the attacks came faster than before also. Ayeka could barely keep up, and was completely on the defensive again. After only a short time, Ryoko landed a quick jab combination that dazed her, and then a solid kick to the sternum that knocked her breath away. She dropped to the ground and wheezed, knowing Ryoko had beaten her soundly after all. She saw the gloves drop to the ground next to her and then heard Ryoko's voice.
"That was a good match princess. You're not bad. If you practiced with that kind of passion all the time, you might be able to keep up with me some day. Almost. I won't hold back ever again, though." And as Ayeka staggered back to her feet and faced Ryoko, she received a short bow from Ryoko, who then turned and walked back towards the house. She called back over her shoulder as she left "Just remember, Tenchi might need you to fight for his life some day. Will you be ready?" And then she disappeared, phasing herself off to somewhere else.
Washu watched her disappear, and quickly hurried after her, hoping she was just going back to the house.
--
Tenchi had been dueling his grandfather for what felt like an eternity, neither ever gaining any real advantage. He knew his grandfather had some trick planned to spring on him unexpectedly, but he hadn't used it yet. And with that thought distracting him just the tiniest fraction, the trap was sprung.
A cloud of butterflies sprang from Katsuhito's hand into Tenchi's face and he couldn't see momentarily. He danced back quickly, knowing the blow was coming and trying to get enough space to see it, but suddenly he found himself face down on the ground, stars spinning before his eyes. He never got a chance to see it, his grandfather had finished him just like that.
Grinning ruefully, Tenchi sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "You got me again grandpa. How'd you do it?"
Katsuhito just smiled his enigmatic smile as the light flashed across his glasses. "Now, Tenchi, I'm not trying to teach you to be me. I'm teaching you to be prepared. Let an old man keep his secrets, hmmm?"
Tenchi laughed at the notion of his grandfather being old. He certainly was old, but only in the sense that he had been alive for a very long time, not that he was likely to die of old age anytime soon. His link with the Juraian Tree Funaho assured that.
"All right grandpa, you don't have to tell me. I'll head back to the house now, I'll be back later to study." With a nod from his grandfather, he turned to walk back to his house. It was then he noticed the crowd gathered watching two ladies sparring where Queen Misaki had been running her practice sessions with her daughters. Tenchi found it strange for their mother to be the one teaching them when they'd had their brother available all this time. But it sounded like Misaki was very particular that she be the one to start her daughters' training.
He watched a bit, noticing it seemed to be a pretty intense battle, and then realized who it was. Ayeka and Ryoko were sparring! "Oh no, this could be bad. Grandpa, it's Ayeka and Ryoko. We'd better get over there before it gets out of hand!" Tenchi started to hurry over, only to stop in amazement as Ayeka landed a solid kick to Ryoko's head, knocking her down. But then Ryoko got up, said something, and proceeded to attack furiously, finally dropping Ayeka with a vicious combination. Tenchi ran over as quick as he could, but Ryoko was already leaving. All he heard before she disappeared was "Will you be ready?" Then she was gone.
--
"Look at that Mihoshi, Ayeka's sparring with Ryoko. This could get ugly. Ryoko's going to mop the floor with her. See, look at that, Ayeka missed that block. It should have been easy. Huh? She actually hit Ryoko? You've gotta be kidding me. Wow, she's never looked like this before. Hmmm, I wonder if she's been holding back for some reason? Oh, wow!" Kiyone was stunned to see Ayeka drop Ryoko with a strong roundhouse kick. Then she got a little frightened as she noticed the look on Ryoko's face as she got up. "Uh, oh."
Kiyone and Mihoshi cringed as they witnessed Ryoko's new assault on Ayeka's defenses, and the end result leaving Ayeka gasping on the ground. "Oh, my, I hope she's all right." Mihoshi hurried the last few feet over to the practice area, followed by Kiyone. Everyone else was moving towards Ayeka as well, but it was Misaki who spoke first.
"That went pretty well, dear. I see you've been hiding your skill from me all along. I'm not sure whether to be proud of you or angry at you. I guess we'll have to see how things shape up, won't we?" And with that, she gathered Ayeka into a bone-crushing hug while everyone else tried to pick their jaws up off of the ground. Everyone but Funaho and Yosho.
"Ummm, Queen Misaki, weren't you a little concerned for Ayeka's health, pitting her against Ryoko? That seems a little bit dangerous to me." Kiyone was curious how Ayeka was going to react, but she was still mostly watching the spot where Ryoko had vanished seeming to be deep in concentration. She hoped for a bit of an answer from her mother at least.
"My Ayeka's tougher than you may think, Miss Makibi. As long as they didn't use their powers, no one was in any real danger. And even then Ayeka would've been able to block anything with her force field long enough for us to settle things down." Queen Misaki was looking at her daughter with pride obvious in her eyes. She pulled Ayeka into another hug, which finally seemed to wake Ayeka from her trance.
"Well, that went wonderfully, didn't it. I thought I could actually compete with Ryoko in a fair fight, but obviously not. I think it's time for me to give up this charade, mother. I'm not cut out for fighting like this. Let me stick to my force fields and leave well enough alone." Tears glistened in the bottoms of Ayeka's eyes as she fought the urge to cry. She'd so wanted to prove she was Ryoko's equal but in the end she'd never come close. And everyone had witnessed her humiliation, including Tenchi.
"Enough young lady! I'll not have you putting yourself down like that. You fought very well. Getting beaten by a superior opponent does not mean you're a failure. For the first time, you fought the way I taught you to instead of holding back. And you know that's the best you've ever fought in your life. Don't let the fact that it was Ryoko blind you to what you just did." Misaki was holding her anger inside, as that was not what Ayeka needed right now. She had to be convinced she hadn't failed and a tongue-lashing wasn't going to do that. But oh how she wanted to grab her daughter and shake some sense into her. "Moping because you lost a fight. Really, if no one ever lost a fight how would they learn? How many times have you beaten your grandfather, Tenchi?"
Tenchi chuckled a bit, and answered "Never. I'm getting closer because I've been practicing hard, but he still beats me every time. You should be proud Ayeka. You fought very well, and with more practice you could be really good." Tenchi gave her his best encouraging smile with that.
"Yeah, Ayeka, you were really good. You could've been beating me all this time if you'd been fighting like that." Sasami jumped over to grab her sister in a hug.
"Miya! Miya!" Ryo-Ohki joined the hug, trying to add her support.
"Oh, this is just so touching. I love family moments like this." And with that, Mihoshi flung herself into the hug.
As Ayeka's face started to turn purple, Funaho came to her aid, breaking up the constricting grasp of the three ladies, as everyone else laughed. "Now, now. Sasami, Mihoshi, Ryo-Ohki. Let Ayeka breathe please. She just had a tough workout."
As the pile finally broke up, Ayeka looked around at the faces looking back at her. "Do... Do you all really think so? But she beat me so easily once she tried." The encouraging words from everyone had helped, but she still remembered how quickly she'd been beaten.
"Perhaps I can add my praise. I witnessed a skilled fighter, Ayeka, not a weakling getting beaten up by a bully. You truly looked the part of a Juraian royal."
"Thank you, brother."
"Think nothing of it."
"Yes, it was quite impressive, Ayeka," said Misaki. "We're all proud of you. Perhaps you'd care to join us sometime, Tenchi? I think the girls might enjoy sparring with you."
Tenchi blinked, then looked at Misaki with surprise on his face. He opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the chance.
"I believe Tenchi's training will remain in my hands, Misaki," said Yosho. "While you are undoubtedly one of the finest warriors in Jurai, he's my grandson. I believe I am perhaps better-qualified to train him, if you'll recall our sessions when I was still at the palace."
Misaki's eyes narrowed, but she remained calm to answer, "As you wish."
"Heh, heh, thank you Misaki." Yosho recognized the anger Misaki was so far controlling, and decided to turn attention elsewhere. His eyes twinkled as he turned to regard Kiyone momentarily. "That's a very becoming outfit Kiyone. If you're not careful, you might catch Tenchi's eyes with that." Everyone heard his chuckle as he walked away, then turned to regard Kiyone.
Kiyone hadn't even given any thought to what she was wearing. She looked down at herself, and realized what Yosho had been talking about. Due to the incident with Mihoshi's blaster ruining her GP jacket, she had taken it off, not even thinking that underneath she was wearing nothing but a tight undershirt. As she pulled the remains of her jacket back on and wrapped her arms around herself she noticed the looks she was getting. Ayeka's face was red with fury, of course, and even Sasami had a small frown. Funaho had a bemused smile, while Misaki had a considering look on her face. Ryo-Ohki had what Kiyone thought was a quizzical look, but Kiyone couldn't read her expressions yet. Tenchi's face was red with embarrassment as he tried to pretend he hadn't been looking at her chest, gazing in the air while rubbing his head. And that left...
"You know, he's right Kiyone, you do look pretty good in that uniform, especially without the jacket. And these GP uniforms really accentuate a good butt, don't they? And she's sure got a good one, don't you think, Tenchi?"
"Mihoshi!" screamed four voices at once. Only Misaki and Funaho had refrained, instead laughing at everyone's obvious discomfort.
"Well, really, how vulgar! Really, Mihoshi, you must learn to think sometimes before you speak. It's really not proper to encourage poor Tenchi to go gazing at a woman's, umm, posterior. It's quite unseemly." Ayeka had rounded on Mihoshi to berate her some more, but was brought up short by her mother.
"My, my, Ayeka, always so proper. Is it so wrong to try and catch a man's eye? Why with that attitude, I'd almost suspect you didn't want Tenchi looking at your, 'umm, posterior'. And here I thought you were hoping he would notice you over the other girls. Perhaps you ought to consider wearing some more flattering clothing, to show off those curves you keep hidden. And I suppose that goes for you too, Sasami. You're obviously growing up too fast to dress like a little girl any more. You two should ask for your mother's advice a little more often, perhaps you'd have found yourselves husbands by now."
And then Misaki headed for the house, Funaho trailing behind with her usual smile. Funaho winked at Tenchi, causing his face to turn even brighter red.
Ayeka's face had gone scarlet, and Sasami's and Kiyone's too. Only Mihoshi failed to be embarrassed by the just-passed conversation. She was thinking about what to do.
"Well, I don't think we can probably get actual Galaxy Police uniforms for you and Sasami, but I'm sure if we went shopping we could find you two some tight jeans, maybe, or perhaps some exercise clothing. That'd be good to wear when you're practicing out here with your mother. And I'm sure Tenchi would notice. He tries to pretend he doesn't look, but he does. It's so cute when his eyes bulge out like that. Personally, I like to wear a nice pair of khaki pants with a tank top, I think it flatters my figure pretty well, and I know Tenchi likes it. He seems to like that low-cut dress of Ryoko's a lot, too. Hmm, maybe I should try a dress like that some time. Do you think Tenchi would like me in a dress like that? And Washu told me once that some of her sensor readings spiked pretty high when she wore a nurse's outfit for him, so I think he probably likes uniforms Kiyone." Mihoshi suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her in disbelief. "Umm, what's everyone looking at?"
"Will you shut up, Mihoshi?" screamed Kiyone. She didn't know if she could be any more embarrassed than she was right now. She hadn't been trying to show herself off, but thanks to Yosho, everyone was going to think she had been. She didn't have time to waste on a man. Especially not one she'd have to fight with five other women for. Even if Tenchi was a great guy. Kind and generous, and cute in a still-immature-but-almost-grown kind of way. Capable of backing her up in a bust. And those eyes...
Ayeka was still in shock, disbelief in what her mother had said raging with the thought of Tenchi looking at her butt. She couldn't quite measure up to most of the ladies in the chest department, but she thought she had a pretty nice butt. Would Tenchi want to look at it? He always acted so embarrassed whenever confronted with a woman's body in some way. Surely he didn't want a woman showing herself off like that? But then, he usually only acted that way when it was Ryoko flashing her chest in his face. Well, and when he'd seen her in the bath that one time thanks to Ryoko. But, when she'd been stuck in the storage shed that one night with him, he hadn't really gotten flustered at the sight of her bare legs, he'd really mostly been trying to be considerate of her modesty, she thought. Perhaps he did like to look, he just didn't want it waved in his face. She'd have to think about it.
Ayeka glanced down at the clothes she was wearing. The loose-fitting traditional martial artist garb wasn't particularly flattering. It perhaps did accentuate the legs a bit, but it certainly didn't show off any curves. Perhaps some tighter workout clothes wouldn't be so bad...
Sasami was completely flustered. She was afraid to move, suspecting if she did so, she would trip and fall. The thought of trying to dress that way, and having Tenchi looking at her was almost more than she could stand. She decided she needed to get back and take a cold shower. She stumbled into a run heading back for the house. She managed to avoid tripping until she rounded a corner. She lurched back to her feet and continued on, hoping no one would be in the bathroom when she got home.
"Well, it's up to you of course, Kiyone. You can waste your opportunity for Tenchi if you want to, but don't blame me. Nobody else is holding back." And with that Mihoshi headed back for the house as well.
Ayeka and Kiyone exchanged a quick look, but then with a "hmmph" Ayeka also turned and headed for the house. Kiyone watched her for a moment, and then with a sigh, she too started home. Did Mihoshi really believe she was trying for Tenchi? She hadn't done anything to make anyone think that, had she? And she'd thought her life couldn't possibly get any more complicated.
After a few moments, Tenchi finally stopped staring at the space where all the women had disappeared. With a mixture of relief and regret, he decided he ought to head back home in hopes of a quick meal before he had to come back out to study with his grandfather. He really needed to do something about the situation with all of these women.
--
Washu finally located her daughter brooding out on the end of the dock with a bottle of sake. She knew Ryoko probably thought she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, so instead of saying anything immediately, she instead just sat down beside her and waited. They still had an unusual relationship, not the traditional mother-daughter type, but having finally had a chance to spend time with one another, a small bond had started forming. Ryoko still reluctantly called her 'mother' but Washu was patient. She knew Ryoko would give in eventually, and admit to it.
Washu materialized a portal, reached through, and grabbed another bottle of sake, scaring the pants off of the poor stock boy filling shelves at whatever store she'd happened to grab it from. She closed the portal quickly, and silently offered it to Ryoko. Ryoko took the bottle with only an affirmative grunt as her response, and proceeded to fill her cup. She downed it quickly, and refilled it again. She offered it to Washu, however instead of drinking it herself. Washu accepted it and drank it down, laughing to herself over her constant troubles trying to drink alcohol due to her apparent age. Ryoko didn't care. She'd probably been drinking when she was twelve herself.
Ryoko finally opened up, and asked one of the questions Washu had expected. "Do you think I did the right thing? I never sparred with anyone here before, as the only people who could match me were Yosho, and maybe Tenchi. They always practiced on their own, so I never really felt like it. I was always afraid I might accidentally hurt someone, like I almost did to Ayeka today. I was this close to really letting loose on her. Can you believe she's actually pretty good, and she's been letting people beat her all this time? I was so mad when I realized she was so far from her potential because she wouldn't let loose. Imagine if Tenchi had ever needed her help, or even Sasami, or you or me, and she couldn't do anything cause all she ever did was hide behind that force field of hers."
Ryoko had started shaking with the suppressed anger, Washu noticed. She wanted to reach over and wrap her arms around her daughter, but she also knew it would be good to let Ryoko work her way through her emotions first, so she continued listening in silence. Ryoko's spiky personality was hard to work around sometimes.
"And yeah, I know she has those logs and such which she can use to snare people and then jolt the heck out of them with electricity, but still, she could at least make an effort to learn. You never know what situation you might find yourself in. I've got a ton of power at my disposal, but did that stop me from learning more, learning how to protect myself without it? No. I decided I needed every advantage I could find in life. I might not be alive today if not for that. Yosho would have chopped me to pieces if I hadn't made myself the best I could."
"I took it easy on her, so I wouldn't hurt her, only to find out she'd been holding back herself. And then she's ready to gloat when she knocks me down. I could see it, she thought she'd won. I barely pulled that last kick in time. I would've caved in her ribcage if I hadn't caught myself, I was so mad at her. I wanted to taunt her so bad, it almost hurt to keep it in. But that doesn't work with Ayeka and she needed a lesson badly. Why did I have to be the one to teach her a lesson? Her mom's been trying since she was a kid, and yet somehow I have to swallow my pride and be the one. For Ayeka. It's not fair."
Washu held back her smile. It was like listening to a little girl complaining 'Why me'? She'd never gotten a chance to try and impart wisdom to that little girl growing up, but now she could.
"So why did you then? If it bothered you so much, why did you help her instead of hurting her like you could have? You could have just beaten her to a pulp in ten seconds flat, and called it good. Nobody would have expected otherwise. She'd never done anything to indicate she could stand up to you in a fight like that. But first you took it easy, and then you backed off when it counted the most, admitting that it hurt your pride to do that. All to teach your worst rival a lesson you thought she needed to learn." Washu remained emotionless, expecting the explosion.
"I did it for Tenchi of course! He might need her some day. Don't you dare go and insinuate I did it for Ayeka's benefit. I can't stand her. Always so proper, so royal. Why can't she just admit she's not for Tenchi. He's not made out to be royalty, anyone can see that. But he's going to need help in his life, he can't figure out how to control his own power. We need to look out for him."
"So it was all for Tenchi, then. Too bad, I thought you might have done it for your own benefit perhaps, but I guess not. Tenchi's sure a lucky guy, having someone like you deciding his life for him, isn't he?" Washu had said enough for now. Ryoko would have to sort out her emotions herself. She had one thing still to do, as she walked away though.
"Stop by my lab this afternoon, I need to run some tests. Hopefully I won't need to wash your mouth out with soap." And with that, she laughed her strange cackling laugh and returned to the house, leaving Ryoko staring after her.
--
Tenchi arrived home to a mostly silent house. Misaki and Funaho were chatting quietly in the living room, and Kiyone was drinking some tea at the table. Kiyone had changed into her blue jeans with a long-sleeved sweater she usually wore around the house, which relieved Tenchi. None of the other ladies were in sight. Ryo-Ohki, now in cabbit form, hopped over and jumped into Tenchi's arms, scrambling up onto his head with a sad "Miya". Tenchi avoided looking at any of the three ladies present, his face reddening slightly just remembering some of the conversation he'd heard.
"Where is everyone, Ryo-Ohki? I figured Sasami would be making lunch, and that usually draws a crowd. I'm starving. Let's go to the kitchen, shall we?"
"Miya," Ryo-Ohki agreed.
Tenchi walked into the kitchen with the cabbit perched comfortably on his head. He was surprised to not find Sasami in there, but figured she must have had something to do. He washed his hands, then set about rummaging for some food. He decided he should be polite and check if anyone else needed something, and briefly poked his head out the door to ask Kiyone, "Did anyone else get any lunch yet, Kiyone?"
"No Tenchi, Sasami disappeared. I think she's taking a shower, though she's been in there for quite a while." Kiyone tried to avoid looking at Tenchi, as well. She felt her cheeks heating up a bit, but he pulled back into the kitchen with a quick "okay", and then she heard him pulling out dishes.
Safe from his gaze again, she continued trying to sort out her emotions. Did she really have any feelings for Tenchi? She'd never really had 'feelings' for anyone before, not even when she'd been in school as a kid. She'd been a tomboy, she'd liked playing with the boys, but she hadn't liked the boys.
She'd only known Tenchi for a few months, surely she couldn't be falling for him already, could she? It didn't happen that fast. Kiyone didn't believe in that 'love-at-first-sight' nonsense. Lust maybe, but not love, though she admitted she hadn't felt that one either, not recently any way.
And what was up with Mihoshi? Why on earth would she try and encourage Kiyone to go after Tenchi, when she wanted him herself? But trying to understand how Mihoshi worked was a lost cause in Kiyone's book. Mihoshi, she'd learned to handle. Dealing with the others, if they all thought she was trying for Tenchi, that would be a problem. Perhaps moving to the city really was a good idea.
Tenchi pulled out enough dishes for everyone, and carried them out to the table. Kiyone glanced up at him, but glanced away again. He set the dishes down, and turned back to the kitchen, noticing his great-grandmother and Misaki watching him but continuing their conversation as well. He went back into the kitchen, pulled out some cold meat, and proceed to slice it up. Ryo-Ohki was happily munching a carrot in her usual spot on the counter.
"Those carrots are really doing well, aren't they, Ryo-Ohki? You're doing a great job taking care of the fields. I really appreciate you helping me so I can spend more time practicing and studying with Grandpa. Here, have another carrot."
Tenchi pulled another carrot out of the basket on top of the fridge and tossed it to Ryo-Ohki who quickly finished off the one she had been eating and proceeded to devour the new one as well. Tenchi chuckled, and finished cutting up the meat. He threw the meat and some cheese, and some crackers and bread on a tray, and brought it out to the dining room table, announcing loudly as he did so "Lunch is served."
To Kiyone, Funaho, and Misaki he quietly commented "It may not be Sasami-style, but it should get the job done hopefully."
"I'm sure it will be fine Tenchi. That was very thoughtful." Funaho gave Tenchi a smile as she and Misaki approached the table.
"Yes, Tenchi thank you. I'm sure Sasami would have made dinner as soon as she got down, but this was nice of you." Misaki also gave Tenchi a smile as she sat down at the table.
"Was that tea fresh, Kiyone, or should I start some more?"
"It was fresh Tenchi, I made it as soon as I got back."
"All right then, I guess we just wait for everyone. I suppose I should let Washu know lunch is ready."
Tenchi approached the closet door to Washu's lab nervously. He opened it and poked his head in, bracing both hands on the doorway as he did so. "Washu, lunch is ready," Tenchi called into the lab, noting the new strange contraptions which were just visible down the walkway into Washu's main lab. He pulled his head back just in time to avoid the robotic clamp arms which came shooting out of nowhere and tried to grab him. "Maybe next time, Washu," Tenchi laughed as he closed the door, and turned back to the table. He rubbed the back of his head, as he sat down to wait at the table for the others to arrive.
--
Ayeka heard Tenchi call out "Lunch is served" from downstairs, but she just sat on the edge of her bed eying the dress she had pulled from her closet. It had been a gift from Mihoshi on her last birthday. She had never worn it before as she felt strange when not dressed in her traditional Juraian robes. That and the fact it was more revealing than she was really comfortable with. Only Mihoshi could be clueless enough to not realize she wouldn't wear something like that and give it to her as a present.
Ryoko had apparently been mad at her, not for being a rival for Tenchi, but for not being able to protect him. Kiyone was apparently catching Tenchi's eye after just a short time living with them, and she didn't even seem to really be trying. Her mother was relishing in her opportunity to try and beat some sense into her again, just like she had when she was younger. Sasami was grown up into a beautiful young woman, practically overnight. And Tenchi apparently liked looking at everyone when they wore attractive clothes, and she'd never even realized, trying to impart her moral standards onto him to make him seem perfect in her eyes.
And so here she sat, trying to decide whether to wear a dress. What a completely ridiculous state to be in. Making her decision, she quickly stripped out of the robes she'd put on after cleaning up. She pulled on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was a lavender color which complemented her hair nicely. Mihoshi had been very thoughtful that way. In fact it was a similar color to the yukata Tenchi had given her that belonged to his mother.
The dress had shoulder straps, not extremely thin, but showing a large amount of shoulder nonetheless. It also showed a fair bit of her bosom, which she had never been proud of. She had nicely shaped breasts, she thought, but they were not particularly large, at least compared to Ryoko and Mihoshi any way. She wasn't too far behind Kiyone, though. But Sasami had already caught her, and she was still growing, too.
She looked lower, and noticed the way it fit close to her body, showing her narrow waist and flat stomach off. The dress came down to mid-calf on her, so it didn't really show off her legs fully, but you could guess at what they looked like due to the slit in back which was frankly necessary to make the thing wearable. You wouldn't be able to walk without it. She slipped the matching shoes on her feet, thanking Mihoshi's uncommonly good sense in choosing flats and not heels. Heels might have been more attractive, but Ayeka didn't think she could actually walk in them.
She smoothed the dress down one last time, and took a deep breath. They were waiting for everyone for lunch and it was time to go down.
--
Sasami was finally drying off her hair, which was a time-consuming process when it reached the length hers had. She heard Tenchi call "Lunch is ready" from downstairs, and realized she'd forgotten to prepare lunch for everyone. She was mortified that she had forgotten, leaving Tenchi to have to do that as well.
She hustled as best she could, leaving her hair slightly damp and struggled to get it into her trademark ponytails. A few hairs were poking out here and there, but that couldn't be helped now. She dug through her clothes rapidly, looking for anything that she could still fit into. She'd been going shopping a lot lately, stretching the household budget, but she had no control over how fast she was growing. She yanked out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Tenchi's father had picked up for her on his way home from work recently. She jumped into them, noticing they were a little tight, and raced out of her room down the stairs to lunch.
--
Mihoshi pulled on her khakis and was about to put on her favorite pink tank top when she remembered the conversation down at the practice field. Kiyone seemed to have been upset with her for suggesting Tenchi might enjoy looking at an attractive woman as if he wasn't really a man or something. How could some people be so utterly clueless. She thought Kiyone was making a mistake, though. Ever since he'd saved her life, not just once even, Mihoshi had felt Tenchi might finally be that man she was destined for. But maybe he wasn't either, maybe he'd like someone like Kiyone.
Kiyone might want to put her career before everything else, but Mihoshi wanted something to balance it out some day. A man to come home to who'd be there for her no matter what. She'd met a lot of men who wanted to take advantage of her, but she ignored all of them. She'd dated a few in her days of course, but never anything really serious. She could tell Tenchi was different, though. He put other people's happiness before his own.
She put the pink top back in the closet she shared with Kiyone, and pulled out a black one she usually never wore, except to bed. It was tighter than her pink one, hugging her chest where the pink one was loose. She pulled it on, and tucked it into her khakis. She looked in the mirror, and knew Tenchi would notice this. She wouldn't throw it in his face like Ryoko, she never did that. She wanted Tenchi to choose her for other reasons, not just because she was pretty. It didn't hurt to encourage him a little, though, at least once in a while. Kiyone might not want to wear something like this in front of Tenchi, but she wasn't afraid to.
She'd thought when she first came to live here that she didn't stand a chance with Tenchi. Ryoko and Ayeka's competition for him was already pretty fierce when she'd moved in. She didn't think with those two already displaying such obvious interest in him that Tenchi would ever notice her. But he was always kind, never mistreated her, and never sent her away, even though she was constantly breaking things. But then that one day sweeping the shrine, Yosho had told her he'd feel more comfortable if she was Tenchi's girlfriend. She had gotten flustered of course, but her hopes for Tenchi had returned, and from then on she'd never given up hope she might somehow earn his love.
She was all ready to head back downstairs when she heard Tenchi call out that lunch was ready. She headed down to try again to win Tenchi's heart.
--
Ryoko was finally heading back into the house. She hadn't gotten enough sake to really make her tipsy, but she felt a nice warmth from what she'd had to drink. She heard Tenchi yelling that lunch was ready as she neared the door, and a smile came to her face. She had barely gotten to see Tenchi today. Usually she followed him back from practice to try once more to seduce him, but today she'd gotten herself so bent out of shape that she'd left before he did.
She'd missed her earlier opportunity, she'd have to go for it now. It would end up being in front of everyone, but that only added to the fun for Ryoko. She phased from her red battle gear which she'd never thought to change out of, and into the teal-colored dress with the pink accents. She left the button undone to show off her breasts as much as was 'decent'. She wasn't concerned about being nude, but she was pretty much the only one in the house who wasn't. If the Juraian Queens hadn't been here, she might have tried it, but as Funaho was Tenchi's great-grandmother, she decided she'd keep it within reasonable bounds.
She took a few breaths to make sure her head was clear after all the sake, and then phased herself into the house. She arrived at the dining room table, immediately spotted Tenchi, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He jumped a bit, he still did after all this time. It was one of the reasons she found him so irresistible.
"Agghh, Ryoko! Stop that!" Tenchi was trying to pull her arms off when he suddenly stopped and stared up at the stairs. Mihoshi was coming down, but she was wearing a black tank-top that was thin and tight, and didn't cover much skin. Tenchi's face went red, and he was about to turn his head away when Ryoko's arms clamped down on him hard and he suddenly couldn't breathe.
"My, that's a fetching outfit Mihoshi. The color complements your skin beautifully." Misaki gave Mihoshi a smile and a wink. She wasn't really rooting for Mihoshi over her daughters when it came to Tenchi, but she admired the girl any way. It would do her daughters good to face a real fight to win him, and Mihoshi had just declared that she was going to be part of that fight for sure. "Ryoko, perhaps you should let go of Tenchi. He seems to be having trouble breathing."
"What, huh, oh right. Sorry Tenchi. Better?" Tenchi managed a feeble nod after taking a few deep breaths. Everyone turned back towards Mihoshi, and Ryoko was just about to let her have a piece of her mind when Sasami came bounding down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom, she clipped her left heel on the inside of her right calf, and fell, or launched really, flying past Mihoshi right into Tenchi's arms with an "Ahhhh" and a "whoof".
Her hair was a little messed up, and looked like it was still a bit damp as it was slightly shiny. But what really caught your attention were the tight-fitting jeans and t-shirt she had on. The jeans were stretched tight across her legs and butt, and the pink t-shirt wasn't doing much better. She was in the process of trying to get up when Ryoko hauled her off of Tenchi. It only stretched her t-shirt tighter, and Tenchi's eyes bulged at the sight just above him.
"Are you all right Sasami? Put her down Ryoko, you'll hurt her even more!" Kiyone reached Sasami first, but Misaki wasn't far behind. Her mother grabbed her and spun her around a few times, checking for any visible injuries.
"I'm fine mother, really. Tenchi broke my fall. Oh I'm so clumsy right now." Her face was bright red with embarrassment, but she also remembered her chest had ended up on Tenchi's face before Ryoko pulled her off. A glance told her Ryoko had noticed, too, which was probably why she had pulled Sasami off. She suddenly wished she could go back to her cold shower.
"Well, if you say so, then. I take it this is an Earth outfit? It's... cute." Misaki was surprised her daughter had listened to her, let alone taken her advice so quickly, but with a look at Ryoko's and Mihoshi's outfits she was glad she had. She almost felt sorry for Tenchi, but then she remembered he was a man. They pretty much deserved anything a woman decided to dish out, and if Tenchi suffered a little bit, it was probably good for him in the long run.
"Wh-what? Oh, yeah. All the kids wear stuff like this here on earth. I don't very often, but I just grabbed this to put something on. I wanted to get down here quickly and see if we needed anything else for lunch. Thanks for making lunch, Tenchi, I'm sorry I didn't get here in time." Sasami frowned as she noticed Tenchi was turned away from the table, but when she realized he was holding his nose closed, she went red again. She hoped it wasn't because she'd broken it. "Are you all right Tenchi?"
"Mmmph, hmmph." Tenchi let go of his nose, hoping it was okay now. "I'm fine Sasami. And you're welcome. Lunch was no problem."
"Thanks Tenchi." Sasami sat down at the table, and everyone else followed suit.
Ryoko kept sending dirty looks back and forth between Mihoshi and Sasami, Kiyone's were just puzzled. Funaho's and Misaki's were smiles, and Tenchi intentionally looked anywhere but at Mihoshi and Sasami and Ryoko. And then Ayeka came down the stairs.
Tenchi started trembling as he watched Ayeka walking down the stairs in the tight-fitting lavender dress. It showed off her narrow figure perfectly. He was thinking 'Oh no, not her too' when he passed out with the blood leaking from his nose. Nobody else noticed, they were all staring at Ayeka. Ayeka noticed, though, she'd been watching Tenchi from the moment she started down the stairs to see what kind of reaction she got. It had the desired effect, though perhaps a bit extreme.
"Oh my, Tenchi, are you all right?" Ayeka hurried down the last few steps and then everyone seemed to reach Tenchi at the same time.
"Let go of him Ayeka, I'll take care of him."
"I hardly think you're qualified to help anyone Ryoko"
"Everyone let's not fight, please. Tenchi's hurt."
"Tenchi, Tenchi, can you hear me?"
"Enough!" Everyone froze in their tracks at the command from Washu, who had appeared while everyone focused on Tenchi. "Okay, everyone hands off but set him down gently. Good, now back away. Honestly, look at you four. He probably had a heart attack. Nice to see someone changed into something more sensible when they got home, Kiyone. Funaho, would you go get a damp washcloth, please? Thank you. Misaki, could you grab a cushion. Thank you. Kiyone, could you go prop Tenchi up so the blood isn't pooling in his nose. Thank you! You four, go stand in the corner if you would. That wasn't a request, now move!"
Everyone hustled to their assigned tasks as Washu moved in close to Tenchi to make sure he was okay. She suspected he'd be fine, just over-stimulated, but she wanted to be sure. "Mmm, hmmm. Vital signs are okay. Ah, thank you Funaho, could you clean him up a bit please. All right Kiyone, you can set him down on that cushion. His nose isn't bleeding any more. Thank you ladies. If you could stand behind me, please, we don't want the first thing Tenchi sees when he wakes up to be those four. Now then..."
Washu materialized another small portal, reached through and grabbed the appropriate hypo, and brought it out. She pressed it to Tenchi's neck, and squeezed the trigger. Tenchi jumped, and his eyes fluttered open.
"Ohhh... I passed out didn't I? Ugghh!"
"How do you feel Tenchi? Are you okay now? Perhaps you should go upstairs and change clothes now, you've gotten a lot of blood on that shirt. Good." Washu watched as Tenchi wobbled up the stairs, but once he disappeared from sight, she rounded on everyone.
"All right who's going to tell me what's going on here? Not everyone at once. If you have something to say, raise your hand. Good. Funaho?"
"Since you missed it, it basically boils down to a little display by Kiyone at then end of practice which caught Tenchi's attention."
"It wasn't my fault," Kiyone protested.
"Regardless, my son reverted to some of his old habits and pointed out the scant nature of the top Kiyone was left wearing. He never misses a chance to look at the ladies, sometimes more than that."
"He what? I never knew he did that. And here I thought he was a perfect gentleman all that time." Ayeka had never heard that about Yosho before, and it was kind of shocking to think she'd been intended to marry him. Ryoko and Misaki were just nodding.
"You were very young at the time, dear. And you were not only betrothed to him but thought you were in love with him as well. It's hard to see faults in those we love sometimes. He never really followed through, he was more of a tease than a playboy. He definitely got the ladies' attention, though."
Funaho turned her gaze back Kiyone momentarily. "So Tenchi got a good look at Kiyone in her undershirt. You might consider wearing a bra under there, dear."
Kiyone had turned bright red during this speech. The shirt was tight enough that she chose to wear it without a bra sometimes. It kept her in place for the most part, especially when it was just practice, and she wore a jacket over it.
"Right, so all this was because of Kiyone, then?"
"Well, actually, I probably have to take some of the blame, Little Washu. You see after Mihoshi suggested that Tenchi actually liked looking at half-naked women, my oldest daughter set about trying to chastise her and defended Tenchi. I suggested that perhaps her attitude was a bit misplaced and suggested that maybe she, and even Sasami, should consider dressing a little less conservatively if they wanted to get Tenchi's attention. I didn't really anticipate this, of course."
"Mmmm, hmmm. So everyone took it upon themselves to dress up, or perhaps down might fit the amount of clothes present better, for Tenchi's benefit?"
"Well, I didn't, I was just doing my usual thing. It had nothing to do with all that." Ryoko was listening to the discussion very carefully, not pleased with what she was hearing.
"I think now the question has to be, what are we going to do about it? Me, I'm in favor of all of us dressing that way!" And with that Washu morphed into her adult form wearing a mini-skirted nurse's outfit. Everyone else tried to pick their jaws off the floor.
"After all, it'd be a shame to keep a beautiful body like this under wraps all the time. It was made for showing off." Washu twisted her body into numerous seductive poses, playing to her crowd. "What do you say girls, shall we break Tenchi of his little nosebleed problem?"
Ryoko, as might be expected, wasn't thrilled with the idea, and had an angry look on her face. Ayeka's was thoughtful, Sasami's embarrassed, Mihoshi's was conspiratorial, and Kiyone's was horrified.
Funaho smiled, and answered "I believe that since Misaki and I are married, not to mention that he's my great-grandson, that perhaps our participation might not be wise. We only do that for our husband." She gave Misaki a wink. Misaki returned it with a laugh, and turned to her daughters while addressing everyone.
"I know I said some things earlier, but I'm not sure Sasami is ready for that. She might look like a young woman, and act like a young woman most of the time, but I'm not sure that's a really good idea."
Sasami's face had gradually morphed from embarrassed to angry as her mother spoke. "I'm not a little kid any more, mother, don't treat me like one. I've had my change and that's enough isn't it? Ayeka was engaged to Yosho when she was just a little girl. How old would she have to have been before you would have let her kiss him? How old were you when you started kissing father? You were pretty young, I know."
Misaki gave her youngest daughter a considering look. Sasami had finally admitted that she wanted something like that, that was good. It was going to cause friction with some of the others perhaps, but a little more friction didn't mean much in this house. She gave her daughter a nod. "Very well, then, if that's what you want."
Ayeka had been watching, a bit perplexed. It seemed like her mother was intentionally goading Sasami to express her interest in Tenchi, even though she knew Ayeka wanted her for herself. Why would her mother do that? And encouraging Sasami at such a young age. It was quite unseemly for a woman Sasami's age to be having a relationship. "I don't understand mother. You condone this? Sasami is a bit young isn't she?"
"She's old enough to make this decision herself, apparently, regardless of how she got there. Do you want to tell her no? I've been a parent long enough to know what the look on her face means. In fact I believe I saw her give your father the same look when he tried to tell you you were going back to Jurai the last time we were here."
"Ahh, yes, well, perhaps Sasami can make her own choice then." Ayeka had glanced at Sasami's face, too, and saw the look of determination there. Sasami generally had such a sweet personality that you sometimes forgot what she could be like when she made up her mind. Ayeka had been on the receiving end of a few of Sasami's stubborn tantrums in the past, and regretted it every time. Misaki sat down at the table and started sipping tea to listen to the rest of the conversation.
"I believe I too shall join in this game. You can count me in Little Washu... uh Miss Washu." The frown on Washu's face had confused Ayeka for a second. She could never tell when she was supposed to call her what. It was all very confusing. "Tenchi ought to at least have someone who isn't a woman of loose moral standards to look at occasionally." That earned the expected scowl from Ryoko.
"All right, enough's enough, knock it off Ayeka, Sasami, Washu. Te..." Ryoko was cut off by the 20 pound rock which landed on her head.
"You can call me mother. And your vote doesn't count, you weren't playing the game before any way, remember? You said so yourself. Mihoshi?"
"Oh yes, I'm definitely in. I think I need to go shopping, though, I'm not sure I have enough clothes like that. Galaxy Police officers really don't have much reason to wear stuff like that, normally, not unless they're assigned to Vice. Oh isn't this going to be fun, Kiyone. We can go shopping, try on dresses, maybe find some new swimsuits. We can probably work on our tans out here in the front yard. I think Tenchi might notice that..." Mihoshi rambled on as she bounced back and forth across the room.
"Mihoshi! What are you talking about? I'm not part of this! I did it by accident Mihoshi, not on purpose. I'm not trying to get Tenchi!" Kiyone was fuming. Mihoshi somehow got her involved in things she never wanted to be part of. They often turned out to be fun, though, in the end. Maybe if she just... 'No, snap out of it Kiyone. You're not after Tenchi! You don't have time for that.'
"But, but, Kiyone, we always do everything together. We're partners, aren't we?"
"We're partners in the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi. We do not chase boys together, understand?"
"We never had a boy to chase before, Kiyone. We were always too busy catching the criminals. But there's really not that much to do around here, I mean, we haven't even had a single thing to do since you arrived except boring patrols. And I know you like Tenchi, I can tell. Why don't you want to do this?"
Mihoshi was looking at her with the big serious eyes now, the ones which were so hard to deny. When she looked at you with those, you wanted to confess everything. She'd used them very successfully back in their previous days together when they were partners. Kiyone suspected a good number of the confessions they'd gotten weren't due to evidence but criminals being mesmerized by the honesty and utter decency which hit you when Mihoshi turned those eyes on you.
"I don't like Tenchi. What do you mean I like Tenchi? I've done nothing to make anyone think that. I..." She stopped as she saw the looks she was getting from everyone. Ryoko and Ayeka had a frown, Misaki and Funaho had an amused look, Washu's was inquisitive, and Sasami's mischievous. "What?"
Washu answered for everyone, "Who are you trying to fool, Kiyone? You may not be throwing yourself at him like some people, or proclaiming your utter devotion like others," that deepened the frowns to scowls on Ryoko and Ayeka, "but anyone can tell by the looks you give him that you're interested. Well, anyone but Tenchi, any way. That boy is pretty dense sometimes. But that's part of what makes him so lovable."
"I don't... Fine, fine, whatever. Mihoshi will make my life miserable if I don't agree to this any way. You women are strange. Why would you want to drag me into this mess? You should be doing everything you can to keep me out. I'm just one more obstacle between you and what you all want." Kiyone could only shake her head in wonder. Strange was an understatement. Insane fit the bill better.
"Well, I don't want you in it," Ryoko answered.
"Me either," added Ayeka.
Washu dropped a small flower pot on Ryoko's and Ayeka's heads. "Ignore them Kiyone, they're just afraid of the awesome beauty displayed in front of them. It's not really that we want you in the competition Kiyone, but more that we might as well make it as challenging as possible. Heck, if any of us ever get Tenchi to choose us, we might as well declare that person the Goddess of Love and Beauty right there on the spot for the accomplishment. Besides, this isn't really about competition, any way. It's for Tenchi's benefit and all of ours in the long run. He's got to get past this problem he has some day. I mean what if he was attacked by a bunch of good looking women in skimpy outfits. He'd die from the nosebleed, not anything they might do to him."
"I thought he already was," commented Misaki quietly to Funaho, sipping her tea through a smile.
"Quiet you." Washu gave the queens a glare. "So what we're really doing here is hopefully getting Tenchi more comfortable around us, instead of running away any time someone gets close. Understand?" Washu looked to Kiyone for an answer. She got a nod from Kiyone, but noticed it coming from Ryoko and Ayeka as well, and Mihoshi and Sasami, too. Obviously they were considering the possible benefits of getting closer to Tenchi, and whether it outweighed the increased stakes in the competition for him.
"All right, let's do it then," said Ryoko. "What's the plan? Do we all just start showing up in our skivvies all the time?"
"How rude. We certainly won't be parading in our undergarments, even if we may be dressing a little more noticeably. Should we perhaps take turns?" Ayeka gave Ryoko her best glare, before turning back to the rest.
"Whatever, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it." Kiyone dropped into her seat with a sigh and picked up her own cup of tea. Was she up to this? Did she want to be up to this? She mentally cursed Mihoshi again, and proceeded to drink her tea, trying to ignore the rest of the conversation.
"That would probably work well, Ayeka. There's six of us, so we can each have a day. That way he doesn't get totally bombarded by it, and he can gradually get adjusted to it. And he gets one day off, he'll probably need it. Any other ground rules?" Washu waited for a response. Surprisingly it was Sasami who asked first.
"What about kissing?" This earned Sasami six pairs of raised eyebrows, even Kiyone's who'd been trying to ignore the conversation. Mihoshi was the only one who didn't, her eyes had gone unfocused at the question as she considered finally getting a kiss from Tenchi. She came back in time to avoid collapsing to the floor in a heap.
"Sasami! Really. I think you're still a bit too young to be thinking in those terms." Ayeka hadn't expected that from her sister. She was quickly becoming a serious competitor.
"Ah, well, I'll let Misaki rule on that for Sasami. As for everyone else, kissing Tenchi has always been fair game... although he's been pretty uncooperative in that department. So there's no reason to change, I don't think."
"She's obviously going to do what she wants to, no matter what her mother says. Honestly, I don't know how I earned myself such a willful daughter." Misaki continued to sip her tea, ignoring the rolled eyes Funaho gave her.
"Any other questions?" This time it was Ayeka who answered Washu's question.
"Yes, Miss Washu. What about infringing on someone else's turn?" She was looking directly at Ryoko as she said this, the implication obvious.
"Hey, I resent that. Just cause I have something to show off, unlike certain skinny princesses... err... well, yeah, obviously we need a rule for that." Ryoko had been brought up short by the bulging eyes of Misaki. It was so hard to trade good insults with Ayeka when her mother was around. Misaki took all insults to her daughters personally, and you just didn't want to mess with her.
"Hmmm. Loss of next turn? Does that seem fair? Good. Keep em inside unless it's your day, everyone. Let em loose when it is your turn." Everyone's face turned red with that comment from Washu. "Modify your normal wardrobe accordingly. Anything else? No. I've got one then. Will you two ladies referee?" This question Washu directed to the two Queens. "We need an impartial panel to keep things fair."
Funaho and Misaki quickly agreed, and immediately made their first ruling. Misaki stated "We've discussed it briefly and here's the order. Starting tomorrow, it's Washu's turn, since she's the only one who didn't get a turn today."
"Yahoo! I like you ladies. Hmmm, which outfit." Washu's outfit flashed quickly between numerous uniforms, maid outfits, and dresses, many of which defied the laws of physics to remain covering her more pertinent parts. "I've been meaning to try some of these out any way. I think I can sell these miniature micro-suspension units to a clothing manufacturer." Washu got glum looks from everyone else.
"After that, we'll continue the order set up by precedent today. Second is Kiyone, as she got Tenchi at the practice field, then Ryoko when she came in, then Mihoshi, next Sasami, and last Ayeka, since that's the order you came down the stairs."
"Everyone on board, then? Good. Now let's wrap this up and eat. I'm starving. Tenchi? Are you coming back down for lunch?" Washu called up the stairs after changing back to her usual child form.
Tenchi returned momentarily, and apologized for being slow. "I wanted to make sure I got that shirt soaked, so the stain wouldn't set. Then I figured I'd clean up, as I hadn't gotten a chance yet today."
"It's all right Tenchi, we had some girl talk to take care of while you were gone. But now it's time to eat." Washu dug into the food with that, followed by everyone else, leaving Tenchi to look around at the faces at the table before starting himself. Something was going on, Tenchi could sense it. He also thought he might not want to know what it was.
--
Later that night, after Tenchi returned to the house from one of his worst Shinto sessions ever with his grandfather, Nobuyuki had actually come home for dinner for once.
"Good evening ladies. Nice to see all of you. My, my, Queen Misaki. Have I told you what a pretty young lady you are? I have? Well, I believe my son and one of your daughters would be a great match, don't you think?"
Misaki just laughed and said, "Perhaps."
"And you, Funaho, you're also a very attractive woman. Why if I weren't married myself, I'd be pursuing you. Well, if you weren't married to the king, that is. Well, and my Father-in-law's mother."
Funaho just smiled at the compliment from Nobuyuki.
"In fact, everywhere I look, Tenchi, all I see are beautiful young women. I'm not getting any younger you know. How long are you going to keep a poor old man waiting for grandchildren? And I'm sure Katsuhito would love some great-grandchildren one of these days. He's told me so."
"Dad! Stop it! You're embarrassing me."
"I've made him that offer any number of times, Nobuyuki, Tenchi's never taken me up on it. Perhaps if you were to just arrange his marriage to me, we could solve that little problem, and start kicking out grandchildren in droves." Washu had sidled up to Tenchi and grabbed his arm, but was quickly yanked off by Ryoko and Ayeka.
"Knock it off Mom"
"Really, Miss Washu!"
Sasami called from the kitchen, "I'll bring dinner out in a moment. Why doesn't everyone sit down?"
Sasami brought out numerous dishes. Fish, pasta, bread, soup, tea, and many more. Dinner passed in relative silence though, everyone eying Tenchi nervously. Only the two queens managed to have a quiet conversation about events back on Planet Jurai, having received a courier this afternoon.
When dinner was done and tea had been passed around for the last time, Tenchi stood and said, "I've got some news to announce." This was it, the moment he'd been thinking of for a while now. "Now, as I can tell everyone is curious, here's what I'm thinking. I really like all of you, I do, but it's too crowded here for me sometimes. I need some space, someplace to get away." Tenchi paused to take a breath. The next part was the part he'd really not been looking forward to. With another deep breath, he continued.
"Now, I know you're wondering what that means. Well, it doesn't mean what you might be thinking. I realized something living in Dad's guest house the last few days. What I'd like to do is be able to spend some quiet time alone with any of you, without the others present. I know some of you are expecting something from me, and I never get a chance to try and sort out my thoughts regarding any of you, because there's always someone else around. I never get a chance to find out anything about any of you. Do you understand?"
"Oh, Tenchi!"
He was quickly mobbed by Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, and Mihoshi, all trying to grab hold and glomp a kiss on his cheek. Nobuyuki quickly snapped pictures with the camera he'd been hiding. Washu fought down the urge to do the same. He was finally taking some steps in the right direction, and he hadn't had to be led by the nose.
"Girls, please. So anyway, what I was thinking was maybe we could probably go every other day with each of you or something like that. I'll let you decide the order."
Smiles broke out all around, making the next thing Tenchi had to say even harder.
"Okay, Sasami? You live in this house just like everyone else. You deserve to be treated fairly, but you have to understand, even if your mother allows this, I'll be forced to treat you a little differently. I'm not comfortable trying to have a relationship with you right now, but I would still like to spend an equal amount of time with you if that's what you want?"
Tears were in Sasami's eyes, but she nodded silently. A look of determination worked its way onto her face as Tenchi turned back to everyone else.
"I trust you Tenchi, perhaps more than I trust my daughter," Misaki spoke with a look for Sasami which is probably universally understood by all daughters to mean 'no funny business'.
"Er, yes, now then, the five of you.. uh, yes Mihoshi?"
"Six, Tenchi. You're forgetting someone."
"I am? But it's only been you five, ummmm, Kiyone?" Tenchi turned to look at her in surprise. Up til now, she hadn't done much to indicate any real feelings for Tenchi. Outside of the eyes widening, which could be attributable to almost anything. He'd thought she was too dedicated to her career to waste time on him. "Really?"
Kiyone sighed. She liked Tenchi, she had to admit, but she felt like she was being forced into something she wasn't ready for yet. She suddenly wondered if that's how Tenchi had felt when all the other ladies showed up at his home. She'd only know him a short time, though. Perhaps they might have something in common, and he seemed like he'd be fun to spend time with. And he was cute.
"Come on, Kiyone," Mihoshi whined.
With a glare for Mihoshi, she answered, "Yes, me too, Tenchi."
"Wow, uh... all right I guess that's six. Hmm, well, I hadn't planned for that, but I guess it might be best to go one of you every day, with one day off. As for the schedule, I think..."
"Don't worry about that Tenchi. We can handle it." Washu silently confirmed with a look at everyone else what they were already thinking. They had him scheduled already, he just didn't know what he was getting. He might be in for a surprise when the time came.
"Thanks Little Washu. One last thing, I was hoping you might be able to help get the house, well, privatized, no snoopers and such. It would really help me feel comfortable."
"Hmm, that's asking a lot Tenchi. What might I get for this?" Washu gave Tenchi a look with raised eyebrows.
Ryoko quickly responded before Tenchi could say anything, "Oh come off it 'mom'. Just do it already. The sooner I get Tenchi to myself, the better. Heck, we'll let you go first, okay?" Ryoko knew Washu was already up first, but Tenchi didn't yet.
"That seems fair Little Washu. What do you say?" Tenchi again received the raised eyebrows from Washu. Then she laughed.
"Oh, you're such a cutie, aren't you? How can I refuse?"
"Ah, well, er, thanks Little Washu, you're the greatest..."
"Scientific genius in the Universe," finished everyone in unison, responding almost instinctively.
"I am, aren't I?"
--
At the end of the day, as they sat alone in Tenchi's room, Funaho looked at Misaki as she was combing her hair. "Sister, are you sure about this? Sasami is still awfully young, you know? Mentally, if not physically." She saw Misaki freeze, and then start trembling. Funaho moved to wrap her arms around Misaki in a hug from behind. In the mirror, she could see the tears forming in Misaki's eyes.
"I'm afraid for her. I know Tsunami says she'll have a complete memory when they've assimilated and that she'll still be the same person, but I'm just afraid I'm going to lose my Sasami somehow. I want to give her as much chance to be happy now and live her life as I can, because we don't really know what's going to happen to her. She'll be twenty by the end of the year the way things are going. What if it doesn't stop there, what if she keeps aging so rapidly? What then? I don't want her to lose out on her life even if she might not be ready for some of it. This might be her only chance for something like this."
And then the tears started rolling. All Funaho could do was hold her and wait it out. After a few minutes, as the sobbing gradually started to ease, Funaho said "Sasami is a good girl. You're lucky to have her. I guess we just hope for the best. Tenchi won't hurt her if he can help it."
"Not intentionally, no. But what if he chooses someone else before she even gets a chance? I'm letting my daughter play a risky game. I don't know what I'll do if she gets hurt."
"Trust in Tsunami. That's what we've always done, Misaki. It'll work out somehow."
--
Marco considered what his actions would be once he reached Earth. Obviously he had to pinpoint Kiyone Makibi's exact location. He presumed she'd be patrolling in a GP cruiser somewhere in the vicinity, but according to his information she could be just about anywhere.
Her partner was something of a screw-up, apparently. She'd been shipped off to patrol the solar system area due to an inordinate number of really expensive cases with big mess-ups. That should help Marco get his job done, if he could take advantage of her mistakes to slip in quietly. She'd have to be dealt with, too, no doubt.
He hoped he'd be able to scan their ship from orbit. He'd gotten the general idea of where to look from the Sakumi woman, but he knew it would take a lot of looking if he couldn't spot something before hitting the surface.
He leaned back in his seat, watching the stars blur by and started sharpening his favorite knife. He wasn't likely to get a chance to use a sword this time, either. He'd need to take everyone out quickly and silently if possible, and a knife was easier to use when you were trying to be quiet. The energy sword was almost certainly out of the question, the humming it made was a sure giveaway.
Some day, he might finally get his longed for duel. He hadn't met his match yet, and figured he probably never would, but he hadn't had to work for it in a long, long time. He was starting to grow bored with it, he killed people so quickly any more.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.