Ryoko laid on the rafter, tapping her foot impatiently. When was Sasami going to get up? It had to be soon, didn't it? Once Sasami made breakfast it was Ryoko's day with Tenchi, and she could barely contain herself waiting.
She'd had to endure two whole days where Tenchi was someone else's in a sense, and the frustration had been immense. Once she got her chance to have Tenchi to herself, she figured she'd be able to show him some things he'd never seen or done before, if she could just convince him to let her.
Kiyone hadn't come back last night, meaning she'd spent the night at Tenchi's house just like Washu had. Ryoko hadn't been surprised that her mother had done that, but she hadn't really expected it of Kiyone. In a sense, she was glad Kiyone was going all out, though. Sometimes you had to be tough to survive, and Tenchi needed a push in that direction, he was probably too nice for his own good. Kiyone understood that fact, and that kind of influence coming from someone besides Ryoko was a good thing.
Ryoko couldn't stand it any more, and decided a visit to check on Sasami was in order. Maybe while she was there, she could find some way to wake her up without Ayeka noticing. Once Sasami was up, she was sure to start working on breakfast. Then it would only be a short time before Tenchi was hers. She phased herself up through the ceiling and then poked her head through the wall of Ayeka's and Sasami's room. There they both were, sleeping soundly. How late could she sleep in, any way? It had to be 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning by now. Who needed that much sleep, really, it didn't accomplish a whole lot in Ryoko's book.
Deciding not to bother Sasami, whom Ryoko was willing to admit was most likely the closest to a friend of the ladies in the house, Ryoko dropped back through the floor and came to rest on the rafter again. She could try and be patient for Tenchi. She was working on it, but patience wasn't her strong suit.
--
Tenchi awoke to the sounds of Kiyone rustling around his room. He opened his eyes and got a good view of her leaning down to pick up her pile of clothes from the previous day. Her legs looked fabulous like that, all stretched out. Her hair was quite a mess, though, but it was kind of cute. He quickly closed his eyes before she turned back around so she wouldn't catch him ogling her from behind.
She walked out of his room, and he heard the door to his bathroom closing. He glanced at the time, surprised to see how early it still was. Kiyone being an early riser didn't surprise him much, but it had to make sharing a room with Mihoshi interesting. He was awake, now, though, so he figured he might as well get up too. There was no telling for sure when breakfast would be, so they might have a little while to sit and chat again this morning. He'd learned a lot about Kiyone yesterday, and felt better for it.
He rummaged through his closet and drawers a bit to find something to wear. Kiyone must have heard him, as she called out from the bathroom, "Tenchi? Do you have an extra toothbrush anywhere I could use?"
"I think there's one in the bottom right drawer, Kiyone."
"I hope you don't mind, I used your comb."
Tenchi finally found a shirt to put on, and wandered out into the small living area of this house. He sat down and flipped on the TV to catch some news. He had a hard time keeping track of what was happening in the real world, sometimes, he got so wrapped up in everything happening here. Nothing real interesting, typical crime in Tokyo, a new store was opening in Kurashiki. He flipped off the TV and wandered over to the window looking out to the main house. The sun just starting to tip up over the horizon cast a really great light behind the house. It was still strange to not be living in that house, he'd been in it for almost as long as he could remember. He jumped when Kiyone laid her hand on his shoulder. She was back in her clothes from yesterday, obviously not having anything else to put on.
"It must be strange to not wake up in that house?"
"Yeah, I spent a lot of years there. It's probably not much different than if I'd decided to go to college, though. I think if I had, I'd have tried for Tokyo U, so I'd have had to move away. This is nice, I still get to see dad and grandpa. And of course all of you." He received a little squeeze from Kiyone, then he headed to the bathroom to clean up a bit himself.
When he was done, he emerged to see Kiyone still looking out the window at his father's house. "See something?" Tenchi asked.
"Ryoko's on her way over, I assume it's breakfast time. This was nice Tenchi, thank you." Kiyone turned around to face Tenchi as he peeked out the window to see Ryoko flying over.
"It was nice, wasn't it. It's what I've really been missing lately, a chance to just have some quiet moments to get to know any of you." He turned to look her in the eyes, and was tempted to kiss her one last time when he saw the apparent happiness in her face. He resisted though, not wanting to risk Ryoko actually seeing him kissing Kiyone. He gave her a smile instead.
KNOCK, KNOCK
"Tenchi, oh Tenchi. Breakfast time." Ryoko's voice called through the door, and Kiyone turned to leave. She opened the door and walked out, saying "Hello Ryoko. See you at breakfast, Tenchi." With that she left, and jogged back to the house, trying to give herself enough time to change into different clothes before breakfast actually started.
"Good morning, Ryoko. Should we go?" Tenchi walked over, only to get glomped on the mouth by Ryoko. His initial response was to try and fight her off, it was almost instinctive by now. Then he remembered that he'd promised every girl a kiss, so he relaxed and did his best to return the kiss.
"Mmmmm. I've been wanting to do that for a long time Tenchi. Why'd you make me wait so long?" Ryoko gazed into his eyes after he finally broke the kiss. He could see the feelings she had for him, it was obvious when you looked in her eyes.
"I made everyone wait Ryoko. I don't know what I really want yet. And you've used up your kiss already, you know. You might not get another."
"We'll see, Tenchi, we'll see. Let's go then."
Ryoko grabbed him by the arm and started marching him towards his father's house. She had to force herself not to pick him up and fly him directly to the table. She could be patient, for Tenchi.
"I like that outfit, Ryoko. It looks very nice on you."
Ryoko nearly burst with joy, Tenchi almost never gave out compliments like that to any of the ladies. He was afraid the others might take it the wrong way.
"Thank you Tenchi. I knew you'd like it. So did Ryo-Ohki, she helped me pick it out." Yep, the short-sleeved blue kimono had definitely been the right choice.
"I'll have to be sure to tell her too, then."
They arrived at the breakfast table, again to a full crowd including Yosho. That was three days in a row. Obviously he was interested in what was happening with Tenchi and the girls. It was rare to have him at the breakfast table more than twice in a week.
Just as they were sitting down, Misaki having the extra place next to Tenchi this time, Kiyone came bounding down the stairs, now dressed in her typical pants and sweater, not the tight and short combo she'd previously worn. Tenchi was relieved and disappointed to note that none of the women seemed to be dressed in a provocative manner this morning. It was strange that Ryoko hadn't. Of all the women, she had always been the most likely to, and now after two days of Washu and Kiyone doing it, Ryoko wasn't. Maybe he'd be able to focus when he was with his grandfather, today, though.
Once everyone was seated and eating, Yosho asked first, "So how'd it go yesterday? I assume Tenchi was adequate?"
"Would you stop it, grandpa? No one cares whether I was adequate. Um..."
Tenchi was forced to stop from the amused faces and outright laughter he was getting from everyone. Obviously he'd underestimated everyone's interest in what was happening again.
"He wasn't terrible. He still needs some work, though. A bit more practice would do him some good." Kiyone couldn't help laughing at Tenchi, too, even though she knew it would be someone else kissing him for the next few days instead of her.
"Hmmm. He seems to always be in need of practice." Yosho smiled at his grandson, enjoying the levity with everyone else.
"He'll get plenty of practice today. You're all in for a real treat when your turn finally comes around again. Of course after today, the rest of you might not get a turn." Ryoko gave Tenchi a kiss on the cheek, which he barely even acknowledged, he was so embarrassed by the conversation going on around him.
"Is that so? Knowing you, you've already taken advantage of poor Tenchi." Seeing the confirmation in Ryoko's eyes, Ayeka continued. "Perhaps you've received the only kiss from Tenchi you're ever going to. Perhaps, after his day with me he'll see how a woman such as yourself is no fit match for him."
The sparks started appearing between Ryoko and Ayeka, and the jovial mood was broken. Tenchi just shook his head, while Mihoshi and Sasami tried to settle the two down.
Ryoko and Ayeka were finally separated with a little assistance from Misaki, and everyone settled back into breakfast. Ryoko snuggled into Tenchi as close as she could, smirking at Ayeka the whole time. Tenchi put up with it as best he could, eating mostly with one hand, as the other was constantly bumping into parts of Ryoko he was trying to avoid thinking about.
Out of nowhere, Mihoshi asked, "Why do you two keep fighting?"
The silence extended for a few moments as everyone turned to regard Mihoshi curiously. Ryoko and Ayeka traded glances with each other before looking at Mihoshi again, a slight blush visible on both their faces. Ryoko and Ayeka both spoke, almost simultaneously, "Because she's trying to take my Tenchi away!" Both turned to glare at the other with that.
Mihoshi considered this for a moment, then answered, "But that doesn't make any sense. If it were just because of that, then you'd be fighting with Kiyone and Sasami and Washu and me all the time, too, right? We're trying to get Tenchi, too."
Tenchi wanted to protest that he wasn't anyone's yet, but kept silent in hopes of hearing a logical explanation for the behavior of Ryoko and Ayeka. He could tell he wasn't the only one interested as everyone else was looking expectantly at one or the other.
"Um, it's kinda like..." Ryoko started.
"Well, you see..." Ayeka sputtered.
The silence returned as their two faces grew redder.
"She's mean." Ryoko finally answered lamely.
"She's insensitive." Ayeka shot back.
"She's a snob."
"She's an exhibitionist."
"She's too prissy."
"She's too crude."
"Grrrr."
"Grrrr."
The returning sound of sparks in the air was broken by Mihoshi's voice. "Oh, I get it now. You two are sisters, aren't you?"
The silence returned in force as everyone's jaw dropped open at the statement by Mihoshi. Kiyone, perhaps having the most experience with Mihoshi, was the first to recover.
"What are you talking about? They're not sisters. Ayeka is Misaki's daughter, and Ryoko is Washu's daughter. And Ayeka's dad is..." Kiyone turned to look at Washu.
"I most certainly did not! I've told you all before, I combined my ovum with some masu. I certainly didn't have a relationship with the King of Jurai. I was trapped by Kagato during that time, remember?" Washu glared at Kiyone.
"Right, sorry Washu. Things are so crazy around here I don't know if I would have been shocked to find that out or not. Why the heck did you say that, Mihoshi?" Kiyone turned the conversation back to Mihoshi, noticing the strange looks Washu was getting from Misaki and Funaho.
"Well, they sound just like two sisters I knew growing up. They fought all the time, and it always sounded like that, so I just assumed they probably were too. I guess that is a little silly, isn't it. Oh, I'm so embarrassed." Mihoshi covered her cheeks with her hands as she blushed.
"Wow, that would've been kinda neat. Then I would have had two big sisters." Sasami couldn't help smiling thinking how much fun it would be if Ryoko was also her sister. "Which one of you is older?"
"Sasami! That's hardly appropriate. Although the answer should be obvious to anyone, I was only in my twenties when I went into stasis for those 700 years, whereas Ryoko has been alive for what, two-thousand years or so?" Ayeka gave Ryoko her best winning smile.
Yosho coughed while he and Tenchi tried to pretend like they weren't listening to a conversation about womens' ages. Ryoko's face had distorted in anger, and she was about to retort when Mihoshi spoke again.
"Wow, you're both so old. You really don't look it, either one of you. I'm just a baby compared to the two of you. And you were in stasis for 700 years too, weren't you Sasami? And since Kiyone's older than me, I'm the youngest of all of us. Well, except for Tenchi, of course, but all us ladies." Mihoshi bounced around the floor in her excitement.
"She's certainly got the baby brain, any way," Kiyone muttered under her breath.
"So Ryoko is the oldest. You've got a big sister now, too, Ayeka!" Sasami laughed and smiled at Ryoko and Ayeka as they spluttered.
"She is not my sister!" Again Ryoko and Ayeka spoke in unison, only to turn and glare at each other.
"Whenever anyone figure's out who's related to who, be sure to tell me. I'll see you at practice Tenchi." Yosho rose and left with his usual steady pace.
"Okay, everyone, get going. Sasami, stop teasing. Ayeka, Ryoko, quit fighting. Kiyone, see what you can do with Mihoshi. All right? Good." Misaki brought everyone back into line smoothly, and they quickly finished eating. Sasami started on dishes, Washu disappeared into her lab, Tenchi headed off for the fields with Ryo-Ohki, and Kiyone tried to get through to Mihoshi. Ayeka and Ryoko just "hmphed", and walked off in opposite directions.
"It feels like we're raising children again, doesn't it sister?" Funaho laughed quietly with Misaki as they watched everyone disperse.
--
Ryo-Ohki quietly worked the row of carrots she was on. The tops of the carrots were starting to poke through the ground, and Ryo-Ohki could barely contain her excitement. She still had a long time before she could pull them, but being able to see them finally was enough to get her all worked up.
She hoped things went well for Ryoko today. Ryoko would hopefully be more pleasant if Tenchi let her do those things she wanted to do, though. Ryo-Ohki could sense the tension that built in Ryoko whenever Tenchi was around. Actually, she could feel it in most of the women, except those two new older ones, but her link with Ryoko always got fuzzy when Tenchi was nearby as Ryoko's focus moved away from Ryo-Ohki. It always left Ryo-Ohki a little perplexed, but she figured if Ryoko could just get it out of her system, maybe she'd relax again. Ryo-Ohki thought perhaps she could help make sure things went well with Tenchi and Ryoko today. She'd have to see what she could do once she finished here in the fields. She continued to work for a few hours, and then she and Tenchi picked up their tools and headed back for the shed, to put them away.
As Ryo-Ohki wandered back in from the fields, being done with what she needed to do for the day. It was time to see what she could do to help Ryoko with Tenchi. The problem was, she didn't really understand what humans liked to do most of the time. They just didn't make sense to Ryo-Ohki.
Then she noticed some flowers along the side of the path. That would maybe do the trick. She just had to get Tenchi to give Ryoko some flowers. That would help move things along nicely. Women always liked receiving flowers, didn't they, especially from the man they loved?
--
When Ryoko finally appeared at the practice fields, instead of joining the Juraian contingent (Kiyone and Mihoshi were practicing with their weapons again today), she instead made her way over to where Tenchi was practicing with his grandfather. She watched and waited for a while as they worked through some forms silently. After around 10 minutes or so, when they finally finished, Tenchi gave Ryoko a puzzled glance, while Yosho just looked at her expectantly.
"I was hoping you might let me join your sword-practice. I'm getting a little rusty, I think. Haven't had much practice in the last 700 years." Ryoko hopefully waited for an answer.
Tenchi didn't know what to say, all he could do was turn to his grandfather to see what his answer would be. Yosho considered it for a moment before responding in the negative.
"No. I cannot teach you as I teach my grandson. That is for the Juraian nobility alone."
"But grandpa..."
"Tenchi! That is how it is. These techniques were never meant for others outside of our line. I'm sorry Ryoko."
Ryoko tried to hide her disappointment. This was one of the things she'd hoped to be able to share with Tenchi, to show how she was different than the other girls. She'd undergone her own rigorous training with the sword, and had thought maybe she and Tenchi might be able to share their experiences with each other.
"Could she at least spar with us, grandpa? You wouldn't have to teach her, but just let her practice with us when we were done with patterns." Tenchi blurted this out as quickly as he could, trying not to give his grandfather a chance to stop him before he'd said it all. He achieved his goal, as Yosho opened his mouth for a moment to say something, but closed it as Tenchi finished what he had to say. After a few more moments of consideration, he relented.
"Yes, perhaps that would be all right. It might be good for you to learn against someone else besides your grandfather. You've perhaps grown too confident in your abilities, having only faced one style of opponent all this time. Ryoko might be able to teach you in ways I cannot."
Ryoko's face lit up with her happiness. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She'd have to find some other way to keep her forms sharp, but the sparring would still be beneficial. And she'd get to spend more time with Tenchi than anyone else, even if they were trying to beat each other with sticks.
"Thank you, Yosho. I'll help you make Tenchi the best swordsman in the universe."
"I'm sure you will Ryoko. Well, then, I suppose you'll need this." Yosho handed her his practice sword, and motioned her over to speak to her quietly. "Don't hold back, please. We can work on improving his skills later, but right now it would be good for him to learn what it's like to face an opponent who is not held to the ground by gravity. He pays more attention when he's received a few bruises to remind him of why he is practicing."
"Well, I don't want to hurt him, but I suppose a few small bruises would be okay. I'd rather save them for another day though."
"Yes, it is your day, isn't it? I will not allow you to use this practice as a tool in your contest for Tenchi. If you cannot put your own interests aside for this, Ryoko, I will have to ask you not to practice with us. This is not about earning Tenchi's love, it is about protecting his life, and quite possibly your own or the lives of those around us."
Ryoko hadn't really given it that type of consideration, which she supposed she should have. She still thought of herself as the one needing to protect Tenchi, not the other way around. But she prided herself on having learned as much as she possibly could, and only by using all of her abilities against Tenchi could he learn everything he might need to.
"I'll do my best, then. Thank you."
They turned back to Tenchi, and Yosho motioned them into place. Tenchi and Ryoko squared off facing each other in ready stances. They waited briefly, but at a sharp "begin" from Yosho, they both lunged forward. Tenchi blocked Ryoko's low strike, and countered with a slash of his own which she blocked, then they were past each other. Tenchi planted, turned to meet Ryoko, and was met by nothing but empty space. Too late, he realized she was using her powers and spun in hopes of catching sight of her, but he felt the solid whack on his backside and knew he'd been beaten that quickly.
With a sigh, Tenchi lowered his sword and finished turning to face Ryoko who had a huge grin on her face. Tenchi rubbed his posterior as he looked at her and his grandfather, and waited for the scolding he expected from his grandfather for not being prepared.
"That didn't take long, Tenchi. Perhaps you are not ready to fight someone of Ryoko's skill, yet? Thank you Ryoko, that will do for today. Tenchi and I need to spend some more time working on his awareness."
"But..." Ryoko watched as Yosho took Tenchi aside to begin giving him some more instructions. It wasn't fair, she only got to spar with him for about ten seconds. But knowing she couldn't afford to argue with Yosho about this or she'd risk never getting to again practice with Tenchi, she walked away disconsolately.
Deciding she didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, she flew back to the house and phased inside to lay down on her rafter. So much for one of her grand ideas. She'd barely gotten any time at all with Tenchi, and listening to Yosho had only caused her to give Tenchi a good whack which might not help her in her amorous ambitions for Tenchi tonight. It had been pretty funny, though. At least Tenchi had stuck up for her to even allow her to practice with him at all. That helped ease her disappointment over the results.
--
Mihoshi climbed out of the bushes where she'd been hiding to send random energy blasts from her gun at Kiyone as she worked her way through today's course. She brushed the twigs and dirt she'd managed to pick up off of her uniform.
"Icky," she said.
"Mihoshi? Mihoshi? Could I talk to you for a second?" Kiyone finally grabbed Mihoshi by the arm and spun her around to face her.
"What? Oh, hi Kiyone. You did pretty well, finished it in time, and it looked like you got all the targets. Umm, is something wrong?"
"Is something wrong? That would depend on whether you hitting me five times with your blaster during my run was a problem. How could you possibly have hit me with every shot? You only fired five times, right?"
"Well, let's see. There was the one from the tree near the beginning, then there was the one on the path. I accidentally shot another time when I leaned down to look at a butterfly, and then another when I saw you coming down the last trail. And then I guess this last one when I bumped my gun on the tree back there. So yeah, five should be right. Did I really get you with all five shots? I wasn't really even aiming on most of them, they were just by accident. That's just amazing."
"It is, isn't it? Well, I guess I should be happy that you're not a criminal that I have to face, shouldn't I?"
"Oh, Kiyone, I would never be a criminal, you know that. That's just silly. I mean if I were a criminal, then you'd probably be a criminal too, so we'd hardly be going up against each other. Hmm, I wonder what it's like to be a criminal, we should ask Ryoko some time. Maybe she'd take us out and show us how to do it sometime. Oh, but then we'd have to arrest ourselves, that would be strange, wouldn't it? I don't think I could put force cuffs on myself and get them closed, so I could probably escape..."
"Aauugghh! Forget it, Mihoshi. Let's go clean up."
Kiyone headed back for the house, leaving Mihoshi to run and catch up. They walked along in silence for a while, but as they neared the house, Mihoshi asked, "So how was it? You haven't told me yet."
"Huh? What? How was what?"
"Your date of course. What else would I mean? How was it?"
"Umm, Mihoshi, it's kind of between Tenchi and me. Do you want me asking about your date after tomorrow?"
"Oh, I wouldn't mind. You're my friend, we're supposed to share things with each other. We've never had boyfriends at the same time to gossip about before, so I thought it would be fun."
"You do realize we have the same boyfriend, don't you? It's not exactly like gossiping about what we're doing with separate boyfriends, you know."
"Well, I suppose, but it's okay, cause we're such good friends."
"Uh, yeah, right. Why does that make it okay?"
"Well, if we weren't such good friends, we wouldn't want each other to get Tenchi, of course. And the only way we can help each other get Tenchi is if we tell each other how things went. So if you're going to get Tenchi, you need to find out from me what things he liked, and if I'm going to get him, you've got to tell me the same. See?"
Kiyone rubbed her temples briefly in hopes of holding off the oncoming headache. "That makes no sense, Mihoshi. Why would you help me, and why would I help you? We're both trying to get him for ourselves. Surely you're not suggesting we should share him permanently? Is that what you want?"
Mihoshi's eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened. "Well, no, of course I want him to myself. I just thought if we helped each other out, we'd have a better chance with him. That way one of us would get him. That's what we want, right?"
Kiyone took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Mihoshi, do you have any idea what you're saying? Why would you want anyone but yourself to get Tenchi?" 'I've never understood why you dragged me into this,' Kiyone thought silently.
Mihoshi's eyes started glistening with the tears which were sure to follow. "But Kiyone, don't you want me to get Tenchi? I thought we were friends."
"Mihoshi, if you wanted me to help you get Tenchi, you shouldn't have pushed me into trying to get him myself. Now that I want him myself, why would I want to help you?"
"But, but... Waaahhh!" Mihoshi finally started the inevitable crying. It took Kiyone a few minutes to get her to stop.
"Mihoshi, let's go clean up, okay? We can talk about this more in the bath, but I'd rather not talk out here in front of the house, okay? We're still friends Mihoshi."
"We-we are? Oh, o-okay then."
They headed for their room, noticing Ryoko brooding on the rafter on their way, but Ryoko didn't seem to notice them. With a quick stop in their room to pick up new clothes they headed to the onsen. Kiyone realized she was starting to look forward to relaxing in the bath, and it was probably a bad sign. She was getting soft. If she ever had to go back out and do normal patrol duty again, without access to a hot bath whenever she wanted, she might not be able to take it.
When they arrived, they quickly stripped and got into the water. Kiyone was again reminded of just how good looking Mihoshi really was. Kiyone thought of herself as being attractive, if she really stopped to think about it, but compared to Mihoshi? She certainly didn't have the tan that Mihoshi did, she'd always considered that wasted time. But she had time to waste now, she might give it a try. She also didn't have Mihoshi's impressive chest, she never would without some surgery she didn't have any interest in. This competition for Tenchi was making her think about things she'd never had time for in the past, and she wasn't sure it was for the better.
"How do you like to be kissed, Kiyone?"
Kiyone's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she noticed Mihoshi moving in to sit next to her. "What???!!!" she spluttered.
"How do you like to be kissed? I've been thinking about what it will be like to be kissed by Tenchi, and I'm not sure what I expect. I know I'm not going to let him go to sleep before he gets it right, though."
"Oh. I see. I'm not sure, Mihoshi. I don't know if you can describe what you want, it just either feels right or it doesn't, don't you think?" Kiyone relaxed again. Mihoshi was freaking her out today, even more than usual. She sort of wished she'd been bold enough to do what Mihoshi was suggesting, and made Tenchi get it right, though. She had gone and kissed him, of course, but getting kissed properly herself would have been nice. She had a week to go before she could try again.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Kiyone."
The two ladies relaxed in silence for a while, each contemplating their own situation with Tenchi.
"So did he get it right?"
Kiyone jumped again. Mihoshi kept drifting off, then shooting out questions from nowhere. "Tenchi, when he kissed me? Not really. He's pretty tentative, I think he's missing the confidence you really need to pull it off. It'll probably be different for you. He's got Ryoko today, he'll probably kiss her a ton. By the time tomorrow rolls around, he'll know what he's doing."
"Yeah." Mihoshi's eyes got a dreamy look to them as she again imagined getting kisses from Tenchi.
Kiyone couldn't help envying Mihoshi. She was still looking forward to her first day with Tenchi. Kiyone couldn't get that back. Not that she necessarily wanted to, but the anticipation was almost as much fun as the actuality. She hoped Tenchi gave her a good performance, Mihoshi deserved that.
Like a flash to the head, Kiyone finally understood what Mihoshi had been talking about outside. It wasn't that Mihoshi wanted Kiyone to get Tenchi instead of herself, it was just that she wanted Kiyone to get him if she didn't. Kiyone was feeling the same in reverse. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted any of the others to be disappointed either, but her long partnership with Mihoshi had probably built a closeness she wouldn't ever have with any of the other women. Mihoshi had worked with her on so many cases, saved her life enough times, that Kiyone realized she did want Mihoshi to be happy.
--
Ayeka and Sasami walked back to the house together, both having suffered greatly under their mother's tutelage. She wasn't afraid to make her point by demonstrating on her daughters. She never seemed to do so on Funaho, though. Each rubbed her new bruises, knowing they'd disappear fairly quickly, Misaki did still pull her punches enough not to do serious damage.
Ayeka eyed the small house in the distance as they neared the main house. She still had such a long ways to go before it was her turn. Would he even care by then, or would he have fallen for someone else already? She would never admit it, but she was worried about that. It appeared he hadn't made any commitment to either Washu or Kiyone yet, but just the fact that he'd kissed Washu before anyone else disturbed her greatly. Granted, if the order had worked out differently, maybe someone else would have been kissed first, but it had happened and it couldn't be changed now. Not unless Washu invented a time machine, and Ayeka doubted that was really possible. You never knew with Washu, though.
Kiyone had appeared fairly happy about the results of her first turn, as well. And today it was Ryoko. This was the day Ayeka was dreading the most. Ryoko got her chance so soon compared to Ayeka, it just wasn't fair. Why should a mad scientist, a couple of Galaxy Police officers, and worst of all a space pirate, get to go before the Juraian Princesses? Ryoko had been looking for a chance like this for so long, she was sure to pull unthinkable tricks to get Tenchi, and unlike other days, Ayeka couldn't do anything to interfere. Not if she still wanted her own turn later.
"You're thinking about Tenchi, aren't you?"
Sasami's question caught Ayeka by surprise, she jumped, and then felt the blush rising into her cheeks.
"I think about him all the time, too. It's even worse now that I know I actually have a chance with him. I always figured he'd have chosen you or Ryoko, or maybe even Mihoshi before I ever got a chance. I'm not sure why Tsunami decided I needed to grow up so fast, but I think I'm glad she did."
Ayeka remained silent. She didn't like to think of her not-so-little-any-more sister as being a rival. She loved her too much to be forced to fight against her. It was easy to compete with Ryoko, and even Washu and Mihoshi. They were all good people, really, but that wasn't enough to make Ayeka worry about hurting them in the end. Sasami was a different story. Hurting Sasami would hurt Ayeka in ways she couldn't imagine, but she had to hurt Sasami to get what she really wanted.
"I'm really sorry Ayeka. I know how badly you want him. I want him just as badly, I think." Sasami suddenly grabbed Ayeka in a hug which only a daughter of Misaki could manage. Ayeka struggled to breathe, but her experience with her mother had toughened her to such things.
"I know Sasami, it's not your fault. There aren't too many like Tenchi out there, let alone people like him who would be considered an acceptable husband for a Juraian princess. The thought of what I might end up with if Tenchi doesn't choose me is truly quite depressing. Can you imagine being married to someone like Seiryo? The very notion leads me to understand why some people find solace in illicit affairs outside of their marriage. Oh, my. I can't believe I really said that. You must never tell mother I said that, promise me Sasami!"
"You know I would never tell on you for something like that Ayeka. I'm afraid daddy's going to try and arrange a marriage for me to someone like that, too, you know. How much do you want to bet the next time he brings someone out, it'll be one for each of us, and they'll be worse than Seiryo. All he thinks about is the influence and support it'll bring him with the Council. He doesn't worry about our feelings. He thinks it'll just work out the same way it did with him and mommy, like that's just the way things always are."
Ayeka now returned the hug as best she could, she'd never managed the same force her mother and sister could, but she had squeezed a few people tightly in her time, and her sister was one who deserved it.
"Don't worry, Sasami. I'm sure we can find some way around our father's wishes. We managed it once already, I'm sure we can again." Ayeka didn't speak aloud her thoughts that hopefully Tenchi would be the person she ended up with. She knew that's what Sasami was probably thinking as well.
--
Tenchi started the walk back to his house after an interesting session with his grandfather. After Ryoko had beaten him by teleporting behind him, his grandfather had started working with him on techniques to keep himself under better control and use more of his senses than just his eyes. Tenchi hadn't been terribly successful with most of the exercises, but towards the end he had felt he was making a tiny bit of progress, he'd managed to avoid a couple of the rocks his grandfather threw at him from behind. He had plenty of bruises from the ones he hadn't, however. Misaki had raised her eyebrows at his lack of an appearance for her lessons, but he'd explained it away as being important, promising not to skip again.
The absence of any of the ladies was both refreshing and unusual. He'd expected Ryoko to be waiting for him the minute he got done, it wasn't like her to sacrifice one tiny fraction of her time with Tenchi. The ability to walk peacefully back to his house was a nice change, though.
He was about halfway back to his house when Ryo-Ohki hopped out of the bushes in front of him. It startled him for a second, but he smiled when he realized it was just the cabbit.
"Hi there, Ryo-Ohki. Done in the fields already?"
"Miya. Miya?"
"Yep, I'm done with practice for now. I'm just heading back to the house to clean up a bit before lunch. The fields are looking pretty good, aren't they?"
"Miya, Miya, Miya!!!"
"That's great. I'm sure you'll enjoy all the carrots when they're ready."
"Miya. Miya, mreowr, miya, miya?" Ryo-Ohki tried was trying to get Tenchi's attention for something, but he often couldn't interpret her actions, and in this case he was left puzzled. She took a few hops off in the direction of one of the other paths, then stopped and looked at him expectantly.
"Oh, you want me to follow you, right? You want to show me something?"
"Miya!"
Tenchi followed Ryo-Ohki down the path a ways, until she came to stop in a wider part of the path. Tenchi looked at Ryo-Ohki, waiting to see what she was going to do.
Ryo-Ohki was pleased that Tenchi had followed her this far. There were numerous different types of flowers in this little area, and she hopped over to the nearest, a bright red flower with numerous petals which spilled backwards from the stem.
"Miya." Ryo-Ohki did her best to indicate the flower.
"It's a pretty flower, isn't it? Did you want me to pick it for you?" Tenchi leaned over and picked the flower carefully. "There we go, I'll take it back to the house for you?"
"Mreowr." Ryo-Ohki shook her head, and hopped over to a yellow flower with a blue spot at the core of its petals. "Miya."
"That one too, huh? All right." Tenchi leaned down to pick that one also. "Any more, there are a lot of them here."
"Miya, miya!" Ryo-Ohki nodded her head vigorously.
"Oh, one of each. Okay, give me a bit."
Ryo-Ohki watched happily as Tenchi gathered the collection of flowers. When he was done he had over a dozen different flowers, and held together it made an impressive display.
"So, what do you think? Is this what you wanted, Ryo-Ohki?"
"Mi-ya!"
Satisfied that Tenchi had picked all the flowers he would need, Ryo-Ohki started hopping back to the house, Tenchi trailing behind. She hoped Ryoko would be smart enough to come meet them, but if not, Ryo-Ohki figured she could make Tenchi understand that he was supposed to give the flowers to Ryoko.
--
Ryoko finally noticed Ryo-Ohki approaching happily, and a quick check of their link told her that Tenchi was with Ryo-Ohki. She perked up immediately, teleported down to the floor, straightened her hair and kimono a bit, and then she was out the door to greet Tenchi.
As soon as Ryo-Ohki sensed Ryoko approaching, she quickly hopped away to disappear from sight, leaving Tenchi and Ryoko to be alone. She hoped Tenchi was smart enough to give the flowers to Ryoko, she'd put in a fair bit of effort to get him to do so.
Tenchi called out, "Wait Ryo-Ohki, where are you going?" and trailed after her briefly, but she quickly disappeared from his sight. He slowed down again, scratched his head, and then shrugged and headed for the house. He'd only taken a few step before he saw Ryoko flying towards him. Knowing he'd never be able to catch Ryo-Ohki now, he stopped and waited for Ryoko.
"It's about time, Tenchi," she exclaimed as she came to rest in front of him. "I've been waiting for you all morning, since Yosho sent me away."
Tenchi got a pained look to his face and answered, "I'm sorry about that, Ryoko. I know you would have liked to stay and work out some more, but Grandpa is pretty strict with his training."
"That's all right Tenchi, you're here now. Why don't we go get you cleaned up, huh?"
"Uh, that's what I had planned to do, but I don't really need any help with that, you know."
"Nonsense, let's go."
Ryoko grabbed Tenchi, and suddenly they were flying towards the floating onsen at breakneck speed. She phased just before they hit the outer glass wall, and they reappeared on the other side unscathed. Tenchi's heart had definitely skipped a beat, though.
"Ryoko!!! Slow down."
"Relax Tenchi, I'm not gonna hurt you."
As she approached the water, she did slow down a bit, but then she let him go, and he dropped into the water with a giant splash. She quickly phased away all of her clothes and flew down to join him in the water. Then she heard the shrieks.
"Aaaahhhh!!!"
Ryoko turned to face a bright red Ayeka and Sasami sunk up to their necks in the water, staring at Tenchi in front of them. He was dizzily getting to his feet after the plunge into the water.
"Whoops. I didn't know you two would be in here. Sorry about that. Oh well, it's not like he's never seen you before, Ayeka."
"Grrrr. That is so like you Ryoko. Just because you like to flaunt yourself for Tenchi doesn't mean the rest of us do."
BURBLE, BURBLE
"Sasami!!!"
Both Ryoko and Ayeka splashed their way over to Sasami who was sinking below the water, apparently having passed out. They hauled her out again, making sure she was breathing properly.
At that moment, Tenchi finally got his bearings, and hearing the commotion, turned and faced the three naked women. Realizing what he was looking at, the blood started streaming from his nose and he passed out.
"Tenchi!!!"
All three women splashed over to Tenchi to try and pull him up.
"All right you two, leave him to me. It's my day, and I'll be the only one without clothes in front of him today. Get out of here!"
"But..." Sasami started to say, but she cut off as Ayeka grabbed her arm and turned her to leave.
"This was your fault Ryoko. Tenchi had better be in perfect health or you'll pay the consequences. Come on Sasami. Leave the hussy to care for Tenchi, and let's get going."
"You can't fool me, Ayeka. You'll be doing the same thing when it's your turn." Ryoko called after Ayeka as she and Sasami left to dry off in private.
"Tenchi. Tenchi. Are you all right?" Ryoko finally turned a concerned eye to Tenchi, realizing she'd let him slip back below the water while she baited Ayeka. She slapped his back a couple times to get the water out of him, and he gradually came to.
"Ohhhh. What happened? Oh yeah, Ryoko, and it was Ayeka too, and Sas... Oh no, not Sasami. Where'd they go, I've got to go apologize to her."
"Hey, forget about them, Tenchi, they're fine. You on the other hand really need a bath now, you've got blood all over yourself. Let's get these clothes off of you."
"Ryoko! Stop it! I said stop it!"
Tenchi finally fought off Ryoko with his shirt half way over his head and backed away from her while straightening his sopping wet shirt back into place.
"And put some clothes on please. I'm leaving now. I can't believe you did that to Ayeka and Sasami."
"I didn't know they were here, Tenchi, really. Why would I do that to Sasami? Come on, stay and take a bath with me Tenchi."
"No, Ryoko. How long have you been doing this? You never think about consequences for anyone else when you do things like this, do you? And what about me? This was supposed to be a day for you and I to spend some time together alone getting to know each other a little better, not for you to manhandle me into the bath to play your games. I expect to hear that you've given Ayeka and Sasami a sincere apology by the time I get back from studying with Grandpa this afternoon or your day is over."
Ryoko watched in shock for a few seconds as Tenchi started to climb out of the water. "But Tenchi..."
"No buts, Ryoko. Those are my terms. I'll see you later tonight. I hope we can spend some time together."
As he disappeared, Ryoko felt the tears in her eyes, but wouldn't let them escape. Why did this have to happen to her, today of all days. Her first really good chance with Tenchi, and she'd already almost blown it. Why did Ayeka have to be here? She was always messing up everything Ryoko tried to do with Tenchi. She did feel bad about Sasami, though. She knew Sasami was struggling to adjust to her new changes and feelings, hopefully this wouldn't traumatize her too badly.
Ryoko wiped the tears from her eyes as she floated out of the water. She quickly phased to remove the water from herself, and then materialized the kimono back into place. She had to apologize to Sasami, that wouldn't be difficult at all, she deserved it. She didn't know if she could bring herself to apologize to Ayeka and really mean it though. But if she didn't apologize to Ayeka, her day with Tenchi was done, and maybe her chances for him at all. He would remember that she couldn't do it, even if he let her back into the contest, and she'd always have that hanging over her head.
Ryoko steeled herself for what she had to do. This would be one of the hardest things she'd ever done in her life.
--
Ayeka and Sasami walked back to their room, and Sasami could see the anger boiling inside of Ayeka. Sasami knew Ryoko hadn't done it intentionally, and after her initial shock at seeing Tenchi there, she'd gotten over her absolute embarrassment. She could tell that Ayeka was going to hold a grudge over this one, though, and wondered what she could say to get her sister to let it go. She wished they would just stop fighting over and over again. It didn't even seem like rivalry any more, just petty bickering. She didn't want to tell Ayeka that, though, she loved her because she was her sister.
As they reached their room and began the time-consuming process of arranging their hair even if they hadn't gotten it wet, Sasami thought a bit about what had just happened to her. She was a little surprised by how strongly it had affected her, but then, she'd been feeling pretty weird for a while now, especially when Tenchi was around. Certainly she was more conscious about her body now than she had been a few years ago, but she'd been in the bath at the same time as Tenchi before, and it hadn't bothered her at all. Of course it had never been without a towel before, either. It was nice to know the sight of her, and she grudgingly admitted Ryoko and Ayeka as well, had caused such a reaction in Tenchi.
Then she heard Ayeka muttering to herself, but she couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Knowing she needed to say something to get Ayeka to settle down, Sasami plunged in as best she could.
"Ayeka, it really wasn't her fault. She had no reason to know we were there. And I'm okay now, I just got caught by surprise. In a way, it was kind of nice to get it out of the way, now I'll be a little less nervous wearing that outfit I've got in a couple days when it's my turn. It was Ryoko's turn today, Ayeka, she was just doing what she wanted to have fun with Tenchi."
Ayeka eyed Sasami coldly before responding. "Sasami, I am willing to admit that Ryoko can do as she chooses in regards to what she wears in front of Tenchi today, but she should not act so rashly that it involves others in ways they do not expect. You may be okay now, but you did pass out, if you'll recall. And I for one am not accustomed to being naked in front of any man, even if it is Lord Tenchi. That is certainly not proper."
"Is it proper to wear a low-cut dress, Ayeka?"
"I, well, no, not really."
"But you've done that, so why is what Ryoko is doing so bad? Didn't you notice Tenchi's reaction? Isn't it nice to know you can have that effect on him?"
"While it is indeed gratifying to know that Tenchi finds me attractive without my clothes on, it is hardly something that should be done before you are properly married. It is not the same as wearing a revealing outfit."
"Okay Ayeka, you can act that way if you want. I think you're just mad at Ryoko for being so blatant with Tenchi, though. You don't have to hide things from me you know, I'm your sister."
Ayeka eyed Sasami with a puzzled look for a few moments. Was it possible that her young sister knew what she was feeling better than she herself did? She considered it for a moment and realized that Sasami was right, she didn't feel bad about wearing a revealing outfit in front of Tenchi, and in fact was not terribly disturbed to have been naked in front of him either.
She smiled at Sasami, and said "Why do you know so much for such a little, er, young girl?"
"Haha. I knew it. You big faker. You like that Tenchi saw you, don't you?"
"Now, Sasami, whether I feel that way or not, you don't have to make fun of me. That's not very nice."
Sasami got her mischievous smile, and then laughed at Ayeka. "Big sister's embarrassed she likes to show off for Tenchi. Big sister's embarrassed she likes to show off for Tenchi." Sasami danced around the room a bit as Ayeka's face colored.
"Sasami!"
"All right, I'm done now. It's pretty funny, though. You hid it pretty well Ayeka."
"You will keep this to yourself, I hope?"
"If you want me to, Ayeka. I don't know why you care so much, I don't think anyone else does."
"That's as may be, Sasami, but I'd prefer you keep it to yourself, okay?"
"All right. I need to go work on lunch."
Sasami dashed out of the room. Ayeka watched in rueful amusement as she disappeared. Her sister was pretty insightful for a girl her age. She wondered if that was due to Tsunami's influence, or whether it was just pure precociousness.
--
Ryo-Ohki eyed the flowers where they had been dropped by Tenchi when he was grabbed by Ryoko and whisked away. She hadn't seen what happened, but she suspected it was somehow Ryoko's fault. Sometimes it was a struggle to put up with that woman.
She wandered back towards the house figuring a carrot would help put her frustration aside. She decided she wasn't going to talk to Ryoko for a while though.
Ryo-Ohki was expecting to be able to play with Sasami for the afternoon, but she went with the rest of the ladies for lessons with Funaho. Ryo-Ohki didn't feel like listening to Funaho talk about things she didn't understand, so she wandered outside. She hopped down the path to the main entrance which was guarded by the two Juraian guardians.
"Hello Ryo-Ohki." "Good afternoon Ryo-Ohki."
Azaka and Kamidake greeted Ryo-Ohki who responded with a "Miya." Then Ryo-Ohki moved on, wandering along the fence, and finally back into the forest. Eventually she came to the side of the hill upon which the shrine resided. Tenchi would be up there by now, studying with his grandfather, so there would be no one up there to play with. She wandered up any way, not knowing what else to do.
As she reached the top, she looked out over the area. It certainly was a pretty view from up here, she thought. Not like flying through stars and space maybe, but still pretty.
As she turned back to return to the house to take a nap, she noticed a large man on a nearby hill looking her way. He was a good distance away, however, so she put it aside and went on her way.
--
Ryoko saw Sasami heading for Washu's lab, and decided to try and get her first apology out of the way as quickly as possible. This one wouldn't be too bad, apologizing to Sasami wouldn't hurt her pride too much. Maybe it would make the upcoming apology easier.
"Sasami? Can I talk to you for a moment, before you go talk to Washu?"
"Of course Ryoko. What is it?"
"Ah, well, you see... I guess I wanted to apologize for what I did to you earlier in the onsen. I should have checked before I dumped Tenchi in there like that. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?" Ryoko bowed her head, her cheeks a little red. That hadn't been so bad. She didn't plan on making a habit of that, but it actually felt pretty good.
"Of course Ryoko, I know you didn't do that on purpose. I'm fine now. It was actually kind of nice to see Tenchi's reaction any way. It's nice to know I can do that to him."
"Uh, yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Sasami. Do you happen to know where Ayeka is?"
Sasami's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She obviously hadn't expected Ryoko to be intending to apologize to Ayeka as well.
"I gave her the laundry today, I think she'll be outside. Oh, and you're supposed to be sweeping the shrine today, Ryoko."
"Huh? Oh, thanks for reminding me Sasami, I'll get to that eventually. Thanks again, Sasami."
"You're welcome, Ryoko. Bye!"
Ryoko slowly headed for the back door, since Ayeka would be in back if she was doing the laundry. When she reached the door, she stopped, taking deep breaths, and trying to psyche herself up to do what needed to be done. She reminded herself again and again it was for Tenchi.
After a few minutes, she finally decided it was time, and opened the door. She wanted to make the best impression on Ayeka as possible, and teleporting out and startling her wouldn't help any. She quickly spotted Ayeka preparing the clothesline, and walked over, much more slowly than was really necessary.
Ayeka was humming to herself quietly, and didn't see Ryoko approaching at first. When she turned around and did notice Ryoko, she frowned and wondered what was coming. Ryoko walked all the way up and stopped in front of Ayeka, facing her. Then she lowered her head. Ayeka's eyebrows rose in curiosity at the mild manner displayed by Ryoko.
"Ayeka?"
"Yes?"
Ryoko sighed a deep breath. "I'm sorry."
Ayeka's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she barely stopped herself from blurting the disdainful expression which wanted to come out. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and just watched Ryoko.
"I'm sorry Ayeka, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. I just wanted to have fun with Tenchi, and I didn't stop to think about what might happen. I should have known better and checked before I dropped Tenchi in like that. I'm sorry."
Ayeka's mouth remained open, the shock of an apparent heartfelt apology from Ryoko was too mind-boggling. She continued to stare at Ryoko in silence.
Ryoko waited for as long as she could stand it before she finally had to look up. She expected to see an angry look on Ayeka's face considering the silence, but she was instead met by Ayeka's look of surprise. It hadn't been what she expected, but it made sense, considering the silence. And it made sense considering the usual rivalry between the two of them.
Finally, Ayeka managed to close her mouth. She looked at Ryoko's eyes to make sure the apology was sincere, and seeing the confirmation there, at least to the extent that Ryoko was sorry for something, she finally managed to say, "I guess I can forgive you Ryoko."
Hope flared in Ryoko's eyes when she heard that. That should do it, Tenchi would know she had apologized to Ayeka, and her day with Tenchi could continue.
"I assume Tenchi put you up to this with some kind of threat? Yes, I see. Well, I hope you've learned a lesson from this. You need to consider the consequences of your actions before you act, or you may get yourself into trouble."
A scowl started to form on Ryoko's face, but she smothered it quickly. It wouldn't do to get into a fight with Ayeka now. How dare Ayeka try and lecture her?
"Since you've recently taught me a lesson in regards to my relationship with Tenchi, perhaps it is fitting that you yourself learn a lesson Ryoko. I'll be more prepared to protect him, thanks to you, now you'll be more capable of meeting Lord Tenchi's wishes in regards to appropriate behavior."
Ryoko stifled the scowl once again, but then Ayeka's words sunk in a bit. Tenchi had been unhappy with her, not only for what had happened to Sasami and Ayeka, but for just grabbing him without asking. Perhaps she did need to consider how she acted a little more carefully. It wasn't really her nature, she was used to taking direct action, but for Tenchi, she'd try.
"Thanks, Ayeka. I've got to go now, I've got chores to do."
With that, Ryoko flew off in the direction of the shrine, and quickly disappeared from Ayeka's sight. Ayeka's mouth was hanging open again.
--
Ryoko was outside the shrine office when Tenchi completed his studies. She was sweeping, which seemed strange, although he had seen her doing it a few times before. She still didn't do her chores very consistently, even with Sasami now in charge of handing them out. He walked over to her, noticing her stop and clutch the broom just before he got there.
"Hello, Tenchi. Did you learn much today?"
"Pretty much the usual. Getting the ceremonies down properly. That kind of thing."
"That's good. Tenchi? I'm sorry."
Tenchi blinked, then looked at her closely.
"I'm sorry, Tenchi. I should have asked you to go to the bath with me, not just grabbed you." Three apologies in one day. Ryoko didn't know if she could take any more of this. Fortunately it was the last one, albeit the most important.
"Thank you, Ryoko. That's nice to hear. I know it's tough for you, but you really do need to give other people's feelings some consideration before you act. Have you talked to Ayeka and Sasami already?"
"Yes, I have, Tenchi. They both got an apology from me as well. I hope that we can continue our day together?"
"Yes, Ryoko, we can. I'm very proud of you, Ryoko. I know this was hard for you, but I think you should know how important it is to me that you try and get along with everyone else, and that includes Ayeka. You don't have to be her best friend, but I do want you to try and be civil. I know, I know, I'll be sure to tell her the same thing Ryoko, you're not the only person who needs to hear that."
"Thank you, Tenchi. I won't let you down again."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Ryoko. I don't expect you to completely change just like that. But making an effort is enough for me for now."
"Oh, Tenchi!"
Ryoko threw herself into Tenchi's arms and kissed him on the cheek. She was surprised when he took her chin in his hand, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. The shock nearly caused her to pass out, and Tenchi staggered as he felt her weight falling into his arms.
"You got another kiss Ryoko, you're doing something right." Tenchi laughed as the blush rose in her cheeks.
"Well, now, I see the two of you are getting along pretty well. Should I assume this means that Ryoko will continue to practice with us from now on, Tenchi?"
Ryoko and Tenchi both nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of Yosho's voice.
"Grandpa! How long have you been there?" Tenchi eyed his grandfather suspiciously.
"Oh, long enough to hear that Ryoko is learning some manners after all this time."
"Hey, now! You dirty old man, who are you to talk about manners?"
"Enough, enough. You're correct of course, Ryoko. I should not make light of what you learned today. I assume the two of you will be on your way to supper, shortly? Perhaps a dirty old man could accompany the two of you back to the house?"
Tenchi and Ryoko laughed with Yosho as they all headed back to the house.
--
After the usual fantastic supper prepared by Sasami, the family started heading towards their usual living room gathering. Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's arm to stop him from joining everyone, and pulled him aside.
"I've got something planned Tenchi. Can we go now, before the sun goes down?"
"Of course Ryoko, let's just let everyone know, okay?"
"Sure, Tenchi, just make it quick."
Tenchi made their goodbyes to the rest of the family, and then he and Ryoko walked outside.
"You should probably get a coat, Tenchi, this may get chilly."
"Um, okay, what did you have in mind, any way? It's a nice night out."
"I want to take you flying Tenchi. Not on an airplane, or on Ryo-Ohki. Just you and me. What do you think?"
Tenchi didn't answer for a moment as they walked into his house for him to grab a jacket. When he had it, he finally answered, "It sounds like fun. I guess I won't know til we try it, will I?"
"You won't regret this Tenchi, trust me."
"I'm sure I won't, Ryoko."
Once they were back outside, Tenchi put the jacket on and then looked at Ryoko. "So, how do we do this?"
"Just lift your arms up, and then when I grab hold of you, take hold of my arms. Good."
Tenchi followed her instructions, and once he did, they were off. Ryoko shot upwards at her top speed, taking Tenchi's breath away. After they'd gone up a few hundred feet, she stopped, and held him so that it was easy to look down.
"What do you think. It looks different from up here, doesn't it."
Tenchi looked down on the houses, the shrine on the hill, the lake, and was amazed by the difference from this perspective. He'd always known it would seem different, but he'd never gotten a good look at it from above, before.
"It's amazing, Ryoko. Thank you!"
"Ready to go, then?"
"Sure, Ryoko. Where to?"
"How about Tokyo?"
"Let's do it!"
Ryoko shot off to the East, traveling faster than Tenchi believed possible. The ground blurred past, he could barely make anything out, and the noise of the wind deafened him. Sooner than he expected the lights of a large city that had to be Tokyo were becoming visible. Ryoko cruised over Tokyo, letting Tenchi see the city from above.
They buzzed around, taking in the imperial palace and gardens, Tokyo tower, and numerous other sites which Tenchi was only vaguely familiar with. Ryoko even took him over by the airport and raced an airplane as it was taking off, beating it easily.
While he was enjoying the experience immensely, Tenchi was quickly tiring and growing cold. He hadn't realized how cold it was going to be, and the rush of adrenaline was wearing off. As politely as possible he asked, "Can we go home, now, Ryoko? This has been fabulous, but I'm cold and I'm tired."
"Of course, Tenchi, you should have said so sooner. I'll fly a little lower on the way back so it's a little warmer. We'll have you home soon."
"Thanks Ryoko. I think when we get home, maybe I'll take that bath with you you didn't get earlier today. I'm gonna need it."
"Yahoo! Buckle up, I'll have you home in no time."
Ryoko zoomed back to the West, even faster than before, at least it seemed so to Tenchi. They arrived home quickly, with Tenchi's nose, ears, fingers, and toes having gone numb. But instead of immediately heading back to his house, Ryoko instead stopped above the lake, allowing them to get an excellent view of the sun as it set.
"That's amazing Ryoko! Thank you, this has been wonderful. But I'm really cold, can we go down now?"
"Do you trust me Tenchi?"
"Of course I trust you, Ryoko, I... nooooo!"
Not in time to stop her, Tenchi realized what she was going to do. Before he could do anything else, he was plummeting towards the ground as she had phased out of his grasp. Downward he plunged watching the water rush towards him.
"Aaaahhh!!!!"
The small scream escaped without thought as he braced himself for the impact. Then he felt himself slowing down and Ryoko's arms were again wrapped around him. He grabbed them tightly as the breath escaped from his lungs, and his heart lurched back to a start.
"So, how was it, Tenchi?"
"Frightening!"
"But was it fun?"
Tenchi thought about it a moment. Then he grinned. "Yeah."
"I knew you'd like it! Now, let's get to that bath."
Ryoko flew Tenchi over to the floating onsen, this time pausing at the edge to glance in and make sure nobody was inside. Seeing no one, she phased them inside. This time she dropped Tenchi at the edge of the water instead of into it, though. After she did so, she quickly phased away her clothing and flew over and into the water. Tenchi watched the whole thing carefully, amazed at his lack of reaction. But considering how many times Ryoko had taken the opportunity to appear in front of him without her clothes on, he wasn't totally surprised. She certainly was beautiful, and her figure was flawless.
Looking around for a towel, Tenchi disappeared behind a bush to strip out of his clothes before wrapping the towel around his waist. She might not be afraid to take her clothes off but he wasn't ready to just yet.
He walked back out and lowered himself into the warm water, leaving a little separation between himself and Ryoko. He hissed as his numb body parts started stinging from the quick thaw. Then he sighed as his muscles finally started to relax. He hadn't even realized how tense they had been for most of the night. In only a few moments, Tenchi felt himself hovering on the edge of falling asleep.
"Tenchi? Don't you dare fall asleep on me yet!" Ryoko moved closer to Tenchi, who opened his eyes up again. Then he quickly shut them as Ryoko's chest was prominently placed right in front of him.
"Ryoko! I know you don't mind, but would you please put something on, or at least keep yourself below the water?"
"But why, Tenchi? I don't mind you seeing me this way. I want you to see me like this. Every night, for the rest of our lives. We could have a lot of fun, you know, I'd let you do whatever you wanted, Tenchi."
Even with his eyes shut, Tenchi could feel the blood start trickling out of his nose. He reached up and grabbed it, knowing Ryoko had to have seen it, but not really caring. He was starting to get used to that happening in front of the girls.
"Please, Ryoko?"
With a sigh, Ryoko answered, "Okay Tenchi. There."
Tenchi opened his eyes, only to be met by the same view as before, Ryoko with her bare chest right in front of him. He snapped his eyes shut again.
"Ryoko!!!"
Ryoko chuckled, and then phased out of the water to pick up a towel and wrap it around herself. She then phased back into the water next to Tenchi.
"Okay, this time for real."
Tenchi peeked out of one eye, glancing at Ryoko and making sure she was finally covered before opening his eyes fully. He sighed with relief, then wiped his nose a few times with a wet hand to clean the last of the blood away.
"Thank you, Ryoko."
"You're welcome, Tenchi."
The two sat in silence for a while, neither having much to say for the moment. Tenchi thought a bit about the days events. He was more proud of Ryoko for what she'd done today than for anything she'd ever done before. Even more than risking her life in an attempt to save his. That kind of action came naturally to her, displaying some true emotions and feelings to others was something she'd never been good at.
"Ryoko?"
"Yes?"
"Do you really hate Ayeka?"
Ryoko didn't answer for quite a while, not sure what to say. She decided the truth was the best, though, for Tenchi.
"I guess not, not really. I don't know that we can ever be good friends, we're too different, but I don't hate her. Unless you choose her."
It was Tenchi's turn to be silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. Hearing that she didn't truly hate Ayeka was an important step for him, and for Ryoko too, he thought. But he certainly wasn't ready to address who he was going to choose, he still had no idea what was going to happen with that.
"I haven't chosen anyone, yet, Ryoko. I probably won't for a long time. I like all of you too much to make a quick decision." Tenchi chuckled, realizing how long they'd all been waiting for him to make some decision. "Well, you know what I mean. You're doing just as well as anyone else Ryoko, you don't need to worry about that."
--
Valentino Rudolpho sat and eyed the message which he had received from Marco again.
Target acquired. Beginning observation. Will commence operation at opportune moment. M.
So he'd found her at last. Soon he'd know the satisfaction of having the woman who arrested his son either dead, or even better, at his mercy. Mr. Rudolpho sincerely hoped there was some way Marco could manage to bring her back to him alive, but if not, dead was almost as good, as long as he brought some part of her back which they could send to the Galaxy Police as a warning.
Soon he could forget about revenge, and put all his efforts into getting his son back. The GP were being stubborn, refusing to be bribed, refusing to make a deal of any kind. He needed them to learn their lesson, the Rudolpho's were not to be trifled with.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.