Tenchi opened his eyes and stretched, feeling more relaxed than he had in quite some time. He felt a little disappointed in some ways, but he was looking forward to a day without the companionship of one of the ladies. He'd see them all, but he wouldn't feel obligated to favor any of them today.
He looked over at the futon to see the still-sleeping form of Ayeka. It was likely to be breakfast-time soon, but he decided to let her sleep as long as possible, and padded out of the room as quietly as possible to clean up a bit.
He stepped through his door and headed to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He combed and brushed, doing the few things necessary to face the day, then stepped back outside. He was debating whether to go find some clothes or just wait in the living area for Ayeka to wake up when there was a knock on the door. Knowing what it meant, he went to answer, chuckling to realize it was his first chance to actually answer his own door.
Misaki was waiting as he opened the door, and he greeted her with, "Good morning."
"Good morning to you as well, Tenchi. Breakfast should be ready shortly, and we have some news to pass on as well. Is Ayeka ready?"
"Not quite yet, mother." Ayeka laughed as Tenchi jumped where he was standing. Then she met her mother's questioning gaze, and blushed slightly. Remembering the pajamas Misaki had left for Sasami to sleep in, she steeled herself and returned her mother a confident gaze.
"Well, I suppose we can wait for you to get dressed, dear. Don't waste any time."
"Yes, mother." Ayeka disappeared into Tenchi's room to grab some clothes, then hurried into the bathroom.
Misaki asked, "Well, Tenchi, how have things been going?"
He nearly jumped again, then realized Misaki had now caught him ogling her other daughter just like Sasami the other day at the impromptu beach party. Blushing furiously, he invited Misaki in to sit on the couch. Choosing a chair for himself, he finally answered, "Fine, I guess. This is all still new to me. Maybe a few more weeks and I'll start relaxing, but so far I've been so nervous I could barely think half the time."
Misaki laughed, causing him to blush some more. "Well, that's the way you're supposed to feel, if I'm not mistaken. I wouldn't know, not exactly. I was betrothed to my fool husband when I was just a little girl. I never got to date anyone, but I've heard most people are pretty nervous at the beginning. I'm sure you'll get over it eventually."
Tenchi turned at the slight touch of remorse in her voice. He couldn't read anything in her expression, however, and decided to keep silent for now. Finally Ayeka emerged, dressed in her full Juraian robes like normal, and he stood to greet her.
"I assume you got your kiss last night?" Misaki laughed again, her eyes twinkling. "I can step outside otherwise."
Ayeka blushed once more, then narrowed her eyes. Her mother was unquestionably poking fun at her and Tenchi was pretending not to hear anything, though his face was red. Ayeka answered, "Yes, why don't you step outside mother. We'll be out momentarily."
Misaki nodded, still laughing, then stepped out without closing the door behind her. Tenchi watched in confusion, then jumped as Ayeka took his hand.
"Ah... we kissed last night, Ayeka."
"I know that, but she was teasing me. I decided if she was going to tease me, it should be for a good reason."
Tenchi stumbled as she pulled him close, and barely avoided whacking his forehead on her chin. He stood up to be entwined by Ayeka's arms, and only managed to blink before she kissed him soundly.
Ayeka continued the kiss for a lengthy time, not breaking it until she saw her mother peeking back in through the door to see them. Tenchi stood still as she released him, so she swung him into motion by taking his arm as she so much enjoyed, getting him turned in the proper direction and walking. She couldn't stop the tiny smirk at the raised eyebrow on her mother's face. Misaki didn't say anything, so they made the walk back to the main house in silence.
--
Funaho looked around the table at the mixture of puzzled faces. The news that the King of Jurai had arrived had caused a bit of a stir among the house's residents, all of whom were hoping for more explanation, obviously. Misaki had elected Funaho to pass on the full details once everyone was there, and had gone out to summon Tenchi and Ayeka for breakfast.
Her discussion with her husband last night, along with Misaki of course, had not gone well. Once again he had made his own plans without consulting his wives, and it appeared that nothing was going to shift him from his desired path unless Seto arrived sometime soon with other plans. Since Seto seemed occupied with other matters recently, that was unlikely. They'd barely managed to stall him until today, he'd been all set to make trouble immediately upon arrival.
Only Washu had received the news well, everyone else seemed to be somewhere between apprehension and panic. Sasami seemed to be especially nervous, she'd forgotten to continue working on breakfast so that one of the dishes was ruined.
Nearly everyone jumped when Kiyone entered, followed by Yosho whom she'd been sent to fetch. Her son sent her a questioning look, but Funaho just shook her head slightly and indicated that he should sit down at the table with everyone else while they waited for Tenchi and Ayeka. He acceded, and everyone sat quietly, mostly looking at Funaho. She found herself impatient for Misaki's return with the two, and mentally calmed herself down. Now was not a time to let her emotions get out of hand, there'd be plenty of that from the others.
At last, Misaki entered, followed shortly by Tenchi and Ayeka. Ayeka grasped his arm just long enough to make sure everyone saw her, then sighed and let go so that they could all find a seat at the table. When it became obvious that the news would not be shared until they had eaten, people slowly started in on the dishes Sasami had laid out.
Eating in silence was unusual at the house, and the tension maintained a constant presence while everyone ate. One by one people finished and sat back expectantly until only the two queens were left sipping their tea.
After a few moments, Yosho cleared his throat then spoke, "Perhaps now you will let us know why father is here?"
"Father is here?" Ayeka blurted, then settled herself down again in mild embarrassment.
Funaho and Misaki set their cups down, and after a brief look for each other, Funaho addressed the makeshift family.
"Yes, as you all know now, King Azusa is here. Misaki and I spoke with him last night and we're now going to inform everyone why he is here." She could almost feel the gaze of everyone boring into her as she paused. "We tried to dissuade him from this course of action, but in the end, he is the king and he would not listen."
Funaho turned her gaze on Ayeka first. "As you might be guessing already, he's brought another potential fiance for you."
Ayeka scowled, and reached out to take Tenchi's arm before remembering he'd been sitting between the two queens this morning.
Funaho turned her gaze to Sasami. "Yes, Sasami, this time he's brought a fiance for you as well."
Sasami flinched, sucking in her breath with an audible hiss.
Finally, Funaho turned to Tenchi. "As before, he will allow you to duel for the right of Ayeka and Sasami to remain here. You must of course defeat both of them. If you choose not to fight, Ayeka and Sasami will return to Jurai with their father." Tenchi opened his mouth to answer, but she stopped him so she could continue. "If you fight and win, however, you yourself will return to Jurai with Azusa to begin learning your place in the Juraian royal family."
Tenchi's mouth dropped open, and he couldn't find any words to say.
Continuing, Funaho said, "Furthermore, none of the ladies here will be allowed to accompany you at first. We argued with him for some length of time, but he was most adamant about this point. The arrangement we were able to make is that Tenchi would spend six months on Jurai, then would return to earth for six months. For his first period on Jurai, all of you must remain here. In future trips to Jurai, you will be able to visit if you choose to."
Everyone's mouth now hung open in disbelief, except for Yosho who looked relatively calm. His face no longer looked like that of the son she remembered, but Funaho recognized in the set of his face the anger he was keeping in check. He finally turned to look at Tenchi, and slowly everyone else did as well.
Tenchi closed his mouth and tried to collect his thoughts. He had never expected something like this right now of all times. "So, if I don't fight, Ayeka and Sasami go back to Jurai and get married. If I fight and lose, the same?" Tenchi looked at Funaho, who nodded. "If I fight and beat each of them, they can stay, but I have to go to Jurai by myself?"
Again Funaho nodded, but added, "Not each of them, Tenchi. Both of them, together. Without using your Lighthawk Wings. Full contact with energy swords, first blood drawn decides the winner, and killing strokes are acceptable results. Both of Tenchi's opponents will be allowed to fight on until Tenchi has successfully drawn blood from both."
"That's ridiculous," cried Ayeka.
"Father can't do this," yelled Sasami.
"I'm afraid he can," answered Misaki. "He is the king. He also said that should either of you refuse his terms, you will be disinherited from the family, banished from Jurai, and banned from use of your treeship partner. Your tree partners are of course inseparable from you by any means we have, but any use of them for other than transport purposes would then be considered a violation of Juraian law, and you would be arrested and imprisoned. Azaka and Kamidake would also be forfeit, of course."
Misaki couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. She'd argued with him tremendously over those terms, but he hadn't budged one bit, and had threatened her with the same treatment should she refuse. It had been all she could do to restrain herself from slapping him at that moment, and she still might have if Funaho hadn't calmed her by whispering "Trust in Tenchi" in her ear.
Slowly everyone turned back to look at Tenchi. His head continued to spin with the realities of what he was being forced to choose from. He asked quietly, "I don't suppose he gave a reason why?"
Funaho answered, "He did, actually. As far as the duels, his reason is essentially that if Ayeka and Sasami are to remain outside of Juraian protection, he needs proof you are capable of protecting them. For the lessons on Jurai, the reason is simply that it is time for you to take the place within the family that Yosho should be filling. Since Yosho refuses to, the duty falls to you as his grandson to take his place."
"When would the duel be?"
"Immediately. Mihoshi is also not allowed to go on patrol until the duel is completed. This is a Juraian Colony world, so Azusa has the right to order GP from taking active duty in the vicinity should he choose to."
Mihoshi blinked and Kiyone frowned, neither apparently understanding.
Funaho smiled as she looked at the blonde woman. "The last time you managed to crash your shuttle to break up every single duel Tenchi was supposed to have, if you recall?" Mihoshi nodded back at her. "This is just my husband's insurance that won't happen this time."
"Oh. I suppose so," answered Mihoshi. "But I don't crash Yukinojo nearly as often now, Kiyone helps pilot now, so we really only crash every once in a while..."
Kiyone growled, "Forget it Mihoshi. I don't think King Azusa cares at this point if you're piloting or not, he's going to make sure this duel happens. Just let the Juraians figure this out, it's not a GP matter." She scowled as she looked at Funaho, knowing it wasn't the queen's fault but having no place else to direct her anger. 'If anything happens to Tenchi...,' she thought.
Unable to look at anyone, Tenchi asked, "What do you want me to do, Ayeka?"
Ayeka sucked in her breath. The question was almost painful. She had to choose between a marriage to someone she didn't and would never love, banishment from Jurai and disinheritance, or asking Tenchi to likely give his own life in an attempt to save her freedom. Even should he win her freedom, he would then be taken away from her for an extended period of time. She wanted to say she would accept the banishment so she could stay with him, but the notion was completely alien to her. She'd never known a life apart from Jurai until now, and even the prospect of spending her life with Tenchi soured with the thought of Jurai being removed from her life. That choice also did not guarantee Tenchi would be hers, either, she'd be risking everything in her life that might bring her happiness, the man she loved, and the home she loved as well.
"I'm sorry, that question really wasn't fair, was it? It was all I could think of to say at the moment. Don't answer that, Ayeka." Tenchi looked up at Ayeka to see the tears start trickling from her eyes, and he turned to see the same happening from Sasami's. "You either, Sasami. This is my choice to make, isn't it?
Funaho and Misaki both nodded. Tenchi looked over at his grandfather who returned him a steady, unreadable gaze. He thought about all the time he'd spent training with his grandfather, knowing that he'd had situations as bad as this in mind when he'd been training Tenchi. He realized his grandfather wasn't going to give him any answers either.
Tenchi stood up and took a deep breath, waiting for everyone to look up at him. "I guess I fight, then. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go prepare myself." He turned and disappeared from the room before anyone could say another word.
--
Azusa smiled after receiving the answer from Funaho. The boy was going to fight. Even with the odds stacked against him so heavily, he was still going to fight for Azusa's daughters and then take Yosho's place with the family. He'd been slightly afraid his daughters would convince him not to fight, but then defy his wishes by accepting the banishment he had threatened. That was one bluff he was relieved wouldn't be called.
He punched a button, and the faces of Baron Rugoya and Earl Waruhan looked back at him from his viewscreen. "He has accepted the challenge. Collect your sons and join me for the transport down to the surface." He punched the button again to shut down the screen, not waiting for an answer. He stood to await their arrival, pacing in anticipation.
He looked at the two young men as they arrived, noting the confidence with which they held their swords. They'd been practicing constantly on their trip from Jurai, working on strategies to maximize their potential for winning the fight. It was almost certain victory any way, but Azusa had forced them to work together, minimizing the boy's odds even further. The two obviously did not get along, but had accepted his orders to work together to ensure their own success.
With their arrival, Azusa signaled Kirito mentally, and the five of them were quickly transported down to the surface. He blinked the sunlight out of his eyes, then turned to look at the house which still looked as shabby as before. He still couldn't believe his daughters chose to live a life of labor in this primitive place instead of returning to Jurai as they should.
He waited briefly, then the door to the house opened and his two wives came out, followed shortly by his son and daughters and the other ladies who lived in the house. He heard the quiet whistle of amazement from the younger Rugoya, who was obviously impressed by the number of beautiful ladies present. Only cold looks greeted him, but he ignored them all, confident in his success.
He asked, "Where is Tenchi, then?"
"He'll be along shortly, husband. Perhaps you should go find a seat over there." Misaki waved her hand in the direction of the lake, and he grimaced.
He knew by her use of the term 'husband' she was still extremely upset with him, and it appeared she might be inclined to follow through with her threats to no longer share his bedroom for the next hundred years.
"Ah, yes. Well, maybe not there." He looked for another place to take a seat, but realized he was unwelcome to be anywhere near any of the women at the moment. Even the little cat-girl was scowling at him fiercely, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Perhaps I should introduce everyone, then? Ayeka Masaki Jurai, this is your fiance, Hatori Rugoya, son of Baron Rugoya."
Hatori bowed with his most winning smile on his face while Ayeka just scowled back at him, finally just looking away in disgust without a word.
"Yes. Well, you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later. Sasami Masaki Jurai, this is your fiance, Sanji Waruhan."
Sanji nodded his head, while Sasami just stared in disbelief at the green spikes of hair on top of his head.
"Ahem. Yes, well, we might as well set ourselves for the match, then."
He moved the two elder nobles off to stand at the side of the dock, leaving the two young nobles warming up with a few stretching exercises while they awaited Tenchi. A movement from down the shore caught his eye, and he looked over to see Tenchi approaching from a small house just down the shore. He frowned, wondering what the significance of that would be.
Catching his look, Misaki said, "He's been staying in that house as of late, husband. It makes a convenient place for him to get away on his dates so he's not troubling the rest of the house."
"Dates?"
"Yes. He's courting all of the ladies present, of course. What else would I mean?"
Azusa felt his blood starting to boil. The boy had the nerve to try romancing his daughters without first asking for permission? He was romancing all of the women as well, not just Ayeka or Sasami. He ground his teeth, and caught the look of curiosity which flashed across Baron Rugoya's face. There was going to be trouble, now. Misaki had certainly known that when she made the announcement in Rugoya's presence, and had done so to spite him.
"Yes. I see. Well, that issue can wait until after the duel is concluded." Azusa turned away from his wife, and signaled the two young nobles to come over for instructions.
"Finish him quickly," Azusa ordered quietly. "However you want, I don't care if you kill him any more. Just make sure he loses. Work together to get it done. If I see either of you interfering with the other in hopes of getting the finishing blow, your engagements are canceled and your title inheritance rights are revoked. Understand?"
Both scowled back at him, but finally nodded under his fierce gaze. They stalked back out onto the dock just as Tenchi arrived. He wasn't sure he could back up his threats against the two, but they had gotten the point and wouldn't mess around hopefully.
Tenchi was carrying the Master Key, as expected. He'd informed the two that Tenchi likely would be, and warned them of its considerable power. There was no way they could overload it with their two swords to cause it to malfunction, it wasn't just a standard energy sword.
Tenchi offered Azusa a bow as he walked out to the dock, then stopped in front of Yosho. "Any advice, grandpa?"
"Take the fight to one of them and finish him quickly. Then fight the other. You can't win if you continue to fight both simultaneously. It's only a matter of time before they get in a good blow."
"I'm not going to kill anyone, grandpa. Or cripple them."
"Then you should prepare to lose, Tenchi."
Tenchi paused, then nodded. "I guess."
He walked out to face the two young nobles without looking at anyone else. He didn't want any extra thoughts to intrude on what he needed to do now. Seeing them limbering up, he did so himself, realizing it would help him relax.
Washu tried to hide the butterflies in her stomach. For the first time, she wondered whether Tenchi was going to be defeated. Mihoshi wasn't going to crash her shuttle to save him, and her luck probably didn't extend far enough to bring something else crashing down at them. A single opponent wouldn't have worried her much, but two presumably hand-picked for their skill with a sword simultaneously seemed unlikely for even someone such as Yosho. She decided to try and break the tension as best she could.
She said, "Not much to look at, are they? I think I might have to root for Tenchi just so a couple clods like that don't win. Green hair spikes. Orange facial hair? Don't they have any rules against looking like idiots on Jurai?" Sasami snickered briefly and Ryoko burst out laughing. The pudgy noble sent a scowl up at Washu, while the other just shook his head.
Baron Rugoya spluttered, "Who are you to say my son looks like an idiot? I'll have you know we are a well-respected family, and my son chooses to be a leader instead of following the herd when it comes to personal looks. What would a child like you know, any way?"
"A lot more than you do, apparently. Bright orange hair does not lend itself to a goatee. People have known that for years, but apparently your son missed the memo. He'd look better with his hair in spikes like the other guy out there."
"How dare you..."
Azusa growled, "Calm down, Rugoya. She's just baiting you. That's Washu. You know, the former genius who was kidnapped from the Galaxy Academy five thousand years ago."
"Current genius, mind you, not former. He kidnapped my body, not my brain."
Rugoya just stared at her in anger for a moment, then turned back to watch. She sighed, trying to think of something else to kill the time which might irritate Azusa. "So, odds are what... 2 to 1 against Tenchi. Care to make a wager, anyone?"
Azusa was startled when Waruhan was the one to turn around with a snarl in his voice, "Name your bet, girl."
Washu looked him over, carefully. Unlike Rugoya, he didn't look like a fop. His son didn't either, and in fact he looked frighteningly dangerous. She'd decided right away that he was probably the better of Tenchi's two opponents.
"Well, we find ourselves in a situation where someplace to stay on Jurai might come in handy. How much is your estate worth?"
Waruhan's eyes bulged, and he swallowed carefully. That was more than he'd ever dreamed of wagering. He'd opened his mouth in defense of his son, though, and he wouldn't back down. There was no way he could lose this bet any way. "I don't know the exact value, but I would guess 120 million, Jurai."
Washu looked to Funaho, who nodded, then back at Waruhan. "120 million, hmmm. Lemme see if I can cover that." She opened a portal, and reached in to pull out stacks and stacks of currency. Everyone's eyes started bulging as she continued pulling out more and more until the pile was impressive. "That should about cover it. Do you need to count it?"
Waruhan picked up a few bills to look at them, making sure they seemed authentic. Convinced, he eyed the stack and shook his head. "No, that should be fine. My wife has been begging for a vacation home on Friela, this should do nicely." He turned back around again, not willing to let the woman see him sweating.
"Uh... mom?" said Ryoko, eying the huge pile of money. "You and I need to have a little chat sometime."
"Oh, I'm so happy. A heart-to-heart with my daughter. This is what all mothers dream of." Washu pulled a struggling Ryoko into a hug, and laughed broadly when Ryoko finally pushed her away.
"I wouldn't mind a wager, either." Rugoya couldn't take his eyes off the pile of money.
"Nah, I'm about tapped out," said Washu. "Maybe someone else."
"I'll cover your bet, Little Washu," said Funaho.
Rugoya's eyes snapped up to look at the First Queen of Jurai. Why would she be so confident in this boy from an evolution-challenged world like this? "What would the bet be?"
Washu considered him for a moment, then asked, "How about that necklace?"
Rugoya's eyes nearly popped, then narrowed in anger. "This necklace has been the symbol of my family for over thirty-thousand years. It's priceless, you can't put a value to it."
"Ah, well, that's too bad. I already have an estate on Jurai, so I don't need another. I've got a feeling yours would be tacky, any way. I guess we'll just have to pass this time."
Rugoya fingered his necklace in consideration. His son was the best at the schools, with the possible exception of Waruhan who was also fighting. There was no way his son could lose. "Fine. One hundred million, Jurai of course."
"One hundred million? For a gaudy necklace? That doesn't seem reasonable. Funaho?"
"I can accept that."
"Hmmm. Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives here?" Washu looked at Funaho, trying to read the woman. It made perfect sense, of course. If Tenchi won, everything was fine. If Tenchi lost, Washu would owe Funaho an enormous amount of money, which she would probably be willing to overlook for a favor of some kind. Washu's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and turned back to Rugoya. "Done, then. Better start thinking about a new family symbol."
"We'll see, won't we?" Rugoya spun back to face the combatants again, and it looked like everyone was ready to begin.
Azusa stepped forward. "Just to be certain nobody can cry foul... This is a duel to first blood, Tenchi must wound both opponents to win. While a killing or crippling stroke would be unfortunate, it is a legitimate conclusion to the fight should it happen. Otherwise, no time limit, no other rules. Agreed?" Azusa received nods from Rugoya and Waruhan and a bow from Tenchi. "Does anyone wish to concede defeat before we begin?" This time he received three shakes of the head. "If so... Begin!"
The two Juraians quickly spread out to approach Tenchi from the sides. He watched the orange-goateed man on his left carefully while angling to his right to prevent the green-spiked man from getting behind him. He slowly gave ground, letting the two close on him. The logical thing for him to do would be to get his back against a wall of some kind, but he knew that wouldn't help him against energy swords, they'd tear right through wood and right into him. His best chance was to finish things fast before they knew what had happened, but he refused to seriously hurt either of the two.
He quickly switched directions and jumped forward to attack Orange, leaving a surprised Green behind him momentarily. He flicked his sword out towards Orange in a blow meant to test Orange's speed, and it met the man's sword with a crack inches from his chest. He quickly spun away to his left knowing Green would be following, and he barely escaped the slash he had expected.
Tenchi was again forced to slowly give ground before the two, but he'd learned what he needed to about Orange for the moment. He parried some strikes from each which were obviously intended to test his defenses, then he stopped at the right moment to lunge at Orange. He felt his sword pierce the man's left shoulder, but not wasting a moment, he again swung away from the two to avoid any return blows.
Azusa grimaced when he saw the gash appear on Rugoya's shoulder, but maintained his calm, knowing the blow was almost immaterial with the rules for this duel. "Do it!" he yelled, looking at the two young Juraians.
Hatori Rugoya was staring in disbelief at the gash on the outside of his left shoulder. He'd had no chance to parry the blow, the earthling had moved with a speed that was unbelievable. He heard Azusa's shout though, and his focus returned to the duel. He could still win. He moved forward, and he felt the presence of Sanji Waruhan moving in behind him as they faced the boy.
Tenchi watched them carefully, recognizing what was about to happen. Green had suddenly shifted into a defensive formation behind Orange, meaning Orange was likely to attack all-out without concern for any injuries he might take in the process. All he needed to do was land a single strike on Tenchi, even if Tenchi landed a dozen in return, so long as he did not strike Green.
He swung about, circling, and confirmed his suspicions, Green circled opposite, always keeping Orange between them. And then Orange attacked.
Tenchi slowly backed away, parrying furious blows with the skills learned during thousands of hours practicing against his grandfather. They were not nearly as fast as Yosho's attacks, so he was not pressed as hard as it likely appeared to someone watching. The important thing to watch for was the moment when Green would make a mistake and place himself in harm's way. He needed to remain close behind Orange to benefit from the other man's protection. If he left too much space between them, Tenchi could get between and attack Green for the possible win.
He fought off the last few blows of Orange's assault and then retreated after landing a slash across Orange's right thigh. He put about twenty feet between his opponents and himself, and took the opportunity to rest while his opponents gathered themselves again. Blood was streaming from the wound on Orange's shoulder and it leaked from the one on his leg. His own breathing was becoming labored, however, while Green rested behind the protection of Orange. Eventually he was going to become too tired to fight effectively, even if Orange also fell out of the match due to fatigue.
Hatori Rugoya gulped air while watching his opponent. He'd realized already that he could have been killed by the boy had he so chosen. This Tenchi person was not only fighting two opponents, he was fighting in a way that limited his abilities as well, and still he had successfully held off his two attackers. He was unquestionably the most skilled opponent Hatori had ever faced. But still, the important thing was to somehow score a hit on the boy. Marriage with the princess and a chance to become king were on the line, there was no point in feeling intimidated. It was just a single strike getting through...
Tenchi watched Orange lift his sword again, and prepared himself for another onslaught. As expected, Orange launched another furious assault, leaving huge gaps in his defense which Tenchi could have used to kill him if he had been willing to take a blow in return. He couldn't afford to do that, though, so he settled for occasional light hits opening more wounds on Orange, hoping he'd tire soon enough for Tenchi to still face Green evenly.
In only another minute or so, Tenchi could see the signs that Orange was going to wear out, and decided to press the attack to finish him off. He suddenly shifted from a defensive stance and went on the attack, hoping Orange would be too slow to capitalize on any mistakes he might make. In only a fraction of a minute, Orange was gasping for breath and there was no doubt he would be unable to continue. Green could obviously see the same thing and moved out from behind to suddenly press the attack back.
Tenchi fell back defensively again, frustrated by his inability to put Orange out of the match. Another ten or fifteen seconds and Orange's guard would have been so low he could have knocked the man out with a punch, but now he got to sit and gather himself while Tenchi fought with Green. Tenchi could not afford to lose sight of the man, however, he could sneak in a strike if Tenchi turned his back. Green was obviously attempting to force that upon Tenchi, trying to drive around him so Tenchi's back would be exposed.
His wind was starting to run down, and Tenchi quickly realized his current opponent was even better than Orange. Green was taller and faster than Orange had been, and while he was quite thin, he had enough muscle to keep his attacks strong. In a one-on-one match, Tenchi knew he'd have been able to defeat Green, but now that he was worn out from fighting Orange, a fresh Green was too good. The only option was to try something risky in hopes of hitting Green before he himself got hit. As if able to sense what Tenchi was going to try, Green suddenly shifted back to a more defensive stance, waiting for Tenchi to make his move.
Trying to keep the gasping Orange in his sight, he moved forward cautiously to attack Green. He had an idea in mind and finally managed to detect the series of block Green would use against a certain combination. If he gauged it just so, he might be able to slip a slash across Green's forearm by leaving himself wide open in return. In a fight to kill it was not a move anyone would try, but with the current rules, it should work, assuming he managed to actually get Green with his surprise.
He was just leading into the series of attacks he planned when he realized he'd lost sight of Orange, and panic caused him to leap away from his current spot. He spun in the air as he fell back to the ground and saw Orange with his energy sword stuck half way up it's length into the wood of the dock where Tenchi had been just a second ago. Tenchi took stock of himself briefly, making sure he hadn't been wounded, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing.
This time Orange looked completely spent, he wasn't likely to get up, so Tenchi took the chance and again took the attack to Green, hoping Orange really was out. After trading a few blows, Tenchi gradually worked Green into the combination attack he'd been planning to use. A few more and...
Tenchi jerked his body off balance, flicking his sword at Green's left arm, hoping he wouldn't accidentally cut it off. He lurched, having contorted his body into a position it would normally never reach if he used his proper techniques. He felt his sword catch Green's flesh at the same moment he felt Green's sword bury itself in his thigh. He fell to the ground, completely spent, and watched almost distractedly as Green frowned and looked at his arm.
Pandemonium had meanwhile broken out among the spectators. Shouts of "he won" and "he lost" and "they won" were coming from everywhere simultaneously. Azusa frowned, uncertain of the actual outcome. They were moving so fast, it had seemed they struck each other at the same time. Figuring everyone else would have seen the same, he called, "That was a draw. The match will continue until either Waruhan or Masaki have been injured once more."
Tenchi struggled to get back to his feet, then dropped back again when he felt the slash across his shoulder. That was it, he'd lost.
Azusa shouted in triumph, "Waruhan wins. And Rugoya." Nothing but silence greeted him, and he scowled at the ladies who were all looking at Tenchi with concern in their eyes.
Tenchi turned over to look at Green who looked back almost sadly. The young man held out his hand and helped Tenchi to his feet.
"Sanji Waruhan," he introduced himself, then bowed. "That was the most impressive display of swordsmanship I've ever witnessed. It was a shame you had to lose to such unfair tactics."
"Thanks, I guess. No slight intended, but that doesn't make me feel much better right now, knowing what losing that match meant."
"I'll treat Sasami well. I might not look it, but I'm an honorable man. For you to go through that for her benefit tells me something."
Tenchi nodded as he shook the man's hand. Together they turned to approach Rugoya, who was now being fussed over by his father.
Hatori slapped his father's hands away, and lurched to his feet to face them. "Well done, Waruhan." He turned his gaze on Tenchi. "Princess Ayeka's better off with a man of Jurai than some backworld descendant of former nobility. This is as it should have been."
Tenchi felt his face flush in anger, but blinked in surprise when Sanji's sword flashed out to point at Hatori.
"Cowardly words are to be expected from someone such as you. Would you care to test your worthiness for the first princess against me?"
Hatori just scowled and held up his hands. "As you can see, I am quite injured due to the need for me to protect you from this earthling. Some other time, perhaps." He turned away, and stumbled towards his father.
Sanji let his energy sword disperse, and then tucked the hilt away. Not wasting any time, he pulled Tenchi's arm across his shoulder to help him walk. Tenchi smiled, and let go.
"It's okay," Tenchi said. "Watch." He frowned in concentration for a moment, then quickly the two wounds could be seen closing themselves up through the tears in his clothes. "See."
Sanji's eyes were wide in surprise. "That's amazing. If this had been a real fight, you would have defeated us easily with that ability. You are indeed a formidable person, Tenchi Masaki."
"If you say so." Tenchi sadly turned to look at the crowd of women and his grandfather. "Guess you were right, Grandpa. I tried, but I couldn't do it without killing anyone."
"You fought very well, Tenchi. We'll need to correct some of your techniques, especially that last one, but I think it's obvious who is capable of protecting whom, now." Yosho slipped his gaze from Tenchi to his father, who only pretended not to hear anything.
"It wasn't good enough, though, was it?" asked Tenchi. "I'm very sorry, Ayeka, Sasami. I wish I could have done better."
Fighting through the sadness she felt, Ayeka smiled at him and shook her head. "No, Tenchi. You should not feel bad, you fought two superb opponents by yourself and nearly won. You couldn't do more than that."
"You were fantastic, Tenchi." Sasami leapt forward to hug him, and he barely had time to suck in a breath before she hit him.
"Yeah, that was amazing, Tenchi," said Kiyone. "You were moving so fast at times, I could barely even follow what was going on."
"Mmm, hmmm," agreed Mihoshi. "You're the best, Tenchi."
"Darn right he is! Nobody's better than my Tenchi," crowed Ryoko.
"Miya," added Ryo-Ohki.
"Thanks everyone," Tenchi answered. "But I still lost." He looked down at Sasami who was still wrapped around him, tears in her eyes. "I'll miss you Sasami. Sanji seems like a good person, I think you'll like him." The tears sprung from Sasami's eyes, and she buried her head in his chest. He turned a sad smile on Sanji. "You're going to love the food. Try not to get fat."
Sanji frowned in confusion, then nodded his head.
"What's with all the gloomy stuff, any way?" asked Washu. "Tenchi won."
"WHAT??!!" shouted everyone in unison.
"Was I the only one watching the match? Tenchi drew blood first."
"I think you're quite mistaken, Miss Washu," sputtered Azusa.
"Little Washu to you, King. And I don't make mistakes, except when Mihoshi makes them for me." Azusa's face starting reddening in anger, so Washu cut him off. "Fine, we'll all watch the replay, okay?"
Washu materialized a terminal and viewscreen, punched a few keys, and the stood aside to let everyone watch. "Okay, here's where Tenchi got orange-goatee-face-guy, we all saw that, correct?"
"Yes, yes, of course we all saw that," shouted Azusa. "Show the part between Tenchi and Waruhan."
"Keep your britches on, King. Let's see..." Washu punched a few more keys, scrolling the action forward. "Right about here, yes? Okay, watch carefully. Here, I'll zoom in a little, so we can see the blood flying. All right now watch as I step through this. Here's where Tenchi starts making his move. Any idea exactly what that move was Yosho? I don't believe I've seen it before. Any way, watch Tenchi's sword strike green-spiky-hair-guy right here. And if we step one more frame, there..."
Washu zoomed in the camera view to highlight the drop of blood next to the tip of Tenchi's sword. She then back it out and zoomed it in on Waruhan's sword. "As we can all see, Waruhan's sword is just making contact with Tenchi, but no blood. Not for at least another frame or two. Therefore Tenchi drew blood first, making him the winner."
"That's ridiculous. What's the time for a frame? I'm sure you'll tell me it's some ridiculously small fraction of a standard time unit." Azusa's face was almost purple with rage.
"Well, I didn't make the rules, now, did I? You said first blood, Tenchi drew blood first. The subsequent cuts inflicted upon him are irrelevant once he drew blood. Next time come up with better rules." Washu dematerialized her terminal and viewscreen with a flourish. "As we all saw, Tenchi is the winner. Now let's quit all this gloomy talk and go celebrate! Personally I plan on all the Tenchi time I can get before he goes to Jurai for six months. Come on loverboy." Washu grabbed the flummoxed Tenchi by the arm and started dragging him towards the door to the house.
"Hey, wait a minute Washu!" Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's other arm and started pulling the other direction. Soon all the women had hold of Tenchi, pulling in all directions.
"Ah, ladies?" asked Misaki, making sure she got their attention. "I think you're hurting him." She pointed at the nearly unconscious Tenchi, sagging between them all. All of them let go simultaneously, and Tenchi fell to the ground with a thud.
"Tenchi," they all yelled, except Ryo-Ohki who "Miya"-ed, and grabbed hold of him again.
"For heavens' sake. Leave him alone, ladies. Funaho and I will bring Tenchi into the house when he's recovered and we can have a meal to celebrate." Misaki shooed them all away.
"This is ridiculous! Those strikes were clearly at the same time, it was a draw, and Waruhan won it with his next stroke." Baron Rugoya's face had made it all the way to purple, surpassing even Azusa's.
"Actually, I disagree," Sanji Waruhan addressed the Juraian King. "You saw the scene just like the rest of us. Tenchi clearly drew blood first, even if it was the tiniest fraction of time before I did. Tenchi won, we lost."
Azusa spluttered, but couldn't manage to say anything.
"That's enough, husband. Don't make me add another hundred years." Misaki looked pointedly at her husband, who quickly sobered. "Tenchi won, you lost. Accept your defeat like a man as young Waruhan obviously has."
"I suppose that means our estate is forfeit." Earl Waruhan dropped his head in defeat. "I'll make the appropriate arrangements to transfer ownership to you when we return to Jurai, Miss Washu. If I might beg a favor, could we remain there until we find a new home to live in? It shouldn't take long, but it would be hard to move immediately."
"Ah, forget it. All that cash was counterfeit, any way. You can keep the place, since your son is such a good loser. And call me Little Washu, if you please."
"M'lady is most gracious. You're welcome to stay anytime you come to visit, ah... Little Washu." Earl Waruhan bowed to Washu, who nodded in return.
"Then, my bet with you is also forfeit." Baron Rugoya sighed in relief, cupping his necklace in his hands.
"Actually, I believe Funaho was covering that bet for me, so the funds for that one were legitimate. I think it's time you handed over the necklace." Washu held out her hand.
"Father, no! You can't let them do this. We won that fight, this whole thing is preposterous!" Hatori grabbed his father by the arm, preventing him from removing the necklace.
"That will be all! Baron! Hatori! Hand over the necklace and return to the ship. Tenchi won the duel, we lost. It's over." Azusa turned his commanding stare on the two Rugoyas, cowing them. Hatori let go of his father, then turned and stalked away to stand by himself. The Baron slowly pulled the necklace over his head and handed it to Washu. Then he forlornly walked over to stand next to his son. Azusa gave the command to his treeship and the two dematerialized, transported back to the ship.
Washu looked at the amulet, then tossed it to Funaho. "Here, it's yours. I never wanted it, I just wanted to put him in his place. You covered the bet, I'm sure you can find some use for it."
"Thank you, Little Washu. Perhaps I can persuade him to keep quiet about the situation here on earth which someone so unwisely blurted in his presence." Funaho never looked at Misaki, but the other queen managed to look a little sheepish.
"Yes, now that thing's are settled..." Azusa straightened his robes as he spoke. "I expect you'll need to start packing, Tenchi. We'll provide you a room and an appropriate wardrobe of course, but I assume you'll want to bring a few of your own things along."
"WHAT?" screamed everyone simultaneously.
Misaki's eyes narrowed. "You're planning for him to return immediately?"
"Naturally. That was the agreement was it not?"
"I don't recall returning to Jurai immediately being part of the agreement, husband. I believe you can allow Tenchi a bit of time to get organized and finish business here. You can run along home, Funaho and I will bring him later." Misaki dismissed him with a wave as if he were unimportant, and Azusa's face started tingeing towards purple again.
"Well, the sooner we get this started, the sooner I get back here, I suppose," Tenchi sighed.
"We only had one date...," cried Ayeka.
"Six months...," moaned Sasami.
"We finally kissed...," sighed Mihoshi.
"I'll have to learn the bus schedule to Kurashiki," said Kiyone.
"Miya, miya, meow, miya, mreowr...," said Ryo-Ohki.
"How should I know who's going to grow the carrots, Ryo-Ohki...," growled Ryoko.
"I think that will be enough for now. I would like to talk with my grandson for a bit if you all please?" Yosho took Tenchi by the shoulder and started guiding him away. "I'll bring him back in plenty of time for all of you to see him before he leaves. Father..." Yosho bowed to Azusa, then guided Tenchi towards the path to the shrine. Everyone watched them leave in a stunned silence.
"Well, I guess it's time for us to be off, then. Earl Waruhan. Sanji." Azusa walked out a bit, followed by the final two Juraian nobles, and they quickly disappeared.
Sasami turned to Misaki and begged, "Isn't there something you can do, mother?"
"I'm sorry, Sasami. His mind is set on this matter. We've argued with him and threatened him already to no avail. I'm afraid Tenchi will have to go to Jurai for now. We'll keep an eye on him." Misaki hugged her daughter.
"Well, then, I guess there's nothing left to do but... PARTY!" Washu materialized a few party hats and whistles onto everyone's heads and mouths.
"Oh, I need to go start cooking!" Sasami scampered into the house.
Looking at the whistle with amusement, Funaho said, "Yes, I believe a goodbye celebration would be in order. We should all go start getting it ready, I believe, Sasami shouldn't do it all by herself."
"I'll get the sake!" shouted Ryoko, disappearing before anyone could stop her.
"Well, normally I'd object to drinking this early in the day, but under the circumstances..." Kiyone laughed. "My first date in forever, and suddenly my boyfriend is leaving for half a year. Life's playing another cruel joke on me, I think. Just when I was starting to like being here, too..."
"Oh, come on Kiyone. He'll be back before you know it. We'll just have more time for patrolling this way. It'll be fun..." Mihoshi was tugging on Kiyone's sleeve to pull her towards the house.
"You've got a strange idea about what's fun, Mihoshi." Kiyone just sighed and let herself be dragged into the house, followed by everyone else.
--
Yosho sat quietly as Tenchi poured tea for the two of them. He watched his grandson carefully to see how he was handling his sudden life-changing circumstances. It was hard to detect anything but the fatigue he was certainly feeling from his exertions just a short time ago, but Yosho could sense the tension under the surface, as well.
Tenchi placed the pot down on the short table, and sat down facing his grandfather. They both sipped in silence for a few moments until Tenchi couldn't stand the silence any more.
"You had something you wanted to talk about with me?"
Yosho lowered his cup to hold it in his hands on the table and looked Tenchi in the eyes. "Are you going to go through with this, Tenchi?"
"That's what I agreed to, isn't it? Yeah, I'd like to stay here, but I've always expected to go to Jurai some day. Now's as good a time as any. Maybe better, I can clear my head for a while away from the girls."
Yosho raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He'd jumped right to the issue Yosho had expected him to avoid. "So nothing has come from your little experiment with the ladies?"
"No, not really. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I mean, I do know, I just didn't realize what was going to come of it. I think I'm a little closer to all of them now than I ever have been before, and I suppose that's a good thing. But I certainly don't have a clue as to whether any of them is the one to spend the rest of my life with. How do you choose between a diamond and a bar of gold and a pile of money? They all make you richer, just in a different way."
Yosho nodded, and took another sip of his tea. "So the girls all make your life richer in their own ways?"
Tenchi nodded, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess that's what I meant. I can't picture my life without any of them, even all the turmoil they bring makes me happy in its way. Even Ryoko and Ayeka's fights. I don't like it when they fight, but it would seem strange for it to suddenly be gone."
Yosho nodded to himself, then sipped tea in silence for a while as Tenchi did the same. He started the conversation again with, "So what will you do for the next six months without any of them around?"
"That I really can't answer. I always hoped that when I did go to Jurai, for whatever reason, Ayeka and Sasami at least would be there with me. They'd make it a whole lot easier to transition into a life as part of Jurai."
"You're willing to become part of that society, then, leaving Earth behind?"
Tenchi sipped his tea to give it some thought before answering, "Not necessarily. I never thought about leaving Earth behind. In some respects, what grandfather decided for me isn't so far from what I thought might work for me eventually. Six months at a time is probably more than I was looking for, but I kinda figured eventually I'd spend some time on Jurai every year."
"I see. So you plan to split your time between here and there. How did you plan to do that?"
Tenchi laughed, "I hadn't gotten that far, grandpa. I suppose I figured at some point I'd probably end up with a ship of some kind, or something like that. I mean, it kinda seems like everyone in my family has a ship except me, you know?"
"So they should give you a ship just because you are part of the royal family, then?"
"No, no. Not exactly, any way. Well, maybe. I don't really know much about how that sort of thing works, I'm still an earthling, you know. Is that wrong, expecting something because I'm from a royal family?"
"That would depend on what you expect. If you want people to give you things just because of who you are I will consider my lessons to have been wasted on you. If, however, it is by fulfilling your duties to your family and people, then perhaps you should expect something. Being royalty is more of a duty than an honor, you'll learn that quickly."
"I guess you'd know, wouldn't you? It's still hard to picture you as the Crown Prince of the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. You don't really act it much of the time, you know."
"I don't?" Yosho put on a mock face of outrage. "And how is a Crown Prince from the most powerful civilization in the galaxy supposed to act then, hmmm?"
"Well, he wouldn't goose the ladies living in his son-in-law's house when he's posing as a Shinto Priest."
"Really? The boy who's dating six women at the same time is shocked by such outlandish behavior?"
"I didn't plan to have six women in my life, grandpa. Nobody asked my opinion on the matter."
"Yes, that must be very tough to handle. I'm sure we couldn't find anyone who would be willing to trade places with you."
"Very funny." Tenchi scowled at his grandfather in irritation.
"Well, enough talk of the ladies, I'm sure you'll get more than enough attention from them later to not dwell on them right now. Watch out for yourself on Jurai. I'm not sure what my father has planned for you, but there's a good possibility he will not be kind. One thing my father dislikes is people who defy him. Only mother and Misaki, and Seto of course, can get away with it without suffering his wrath in some form."
Tenchi's eyes furrowed in thought, and Yosho silently wished him luck. Another thought crashed out of his head to his mouth. "And whatever you do, stay away from Seto, and when that doesn't work, try to be as boring as you possibly can."
"Boring?"
"It probably won't work, but anything is worth the chance when she's involved. If she takes an interest in you, you'll quickly realize why hiding on earth seems appealing." Yosho smiled knowingly for Tenchi's benefit.
"Um... okay."
"You'll do fine. Just be yourself, but most important, be strong. Juraians respect that. Don't let anyone walk all over you or push you to do things you don't want and you'll fit in and be successful."
"I'll try, grandpa."
"Of course you will. And whatever you do, don't forget who you are. You're a prince of Jurai, so act like it."
"Sure..." Tenchi looked at his grandfather, the questions obvious in his eyes and voice.
"Well, that's enough for now. If I'm not mistaken there'll soon be numerous pretty ladies getting drunk in your house. We shouldn't miss out on this opportunity, should we?"
Yosho rose to his feet with a laugh as Tenchi cried, "Grandpa!"
"Come on, Tenchi. Let's go have some fun. You won't get to see these ladies again for six months. You ought to spend as much time with them now as possible. You'll regret it if you don't."
Tenchi got to his feet and followed Yosho to the door. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'm gonna miss this place, even all the beatings you gave me."
Yosho clapped Tenchi on the back. "You're going to Jurai, now, Tenchi. People are going to want to test themselves against you occasionally. You're ready now, you can hand out the beatings from now on. Just remember when you come back home I'll be waiting."
Tenchi laughed, "Sure thing, grandpa."
--
While no one was roaring drunk, everyone was a little tipsy. Even Sasami had gotten a taste of the sake, though in her case only enough to make her cheeks warm. Tenchi tolerated the blatant and not so blatant proposals with relative grace, laughing for the most part. In fact, he'd managed to make a couple of the girls blush at one time or another, surprising both them and himself. He blamed it on the liquor.
Sasami's meal had been stupendous, as usual, and with full stomachs and a little alcohol people gradually started finding themselves sleepy. Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki had fallen asleep shortly after finishing the meal, missing out on most of the revelry.
Tenchi watched as one by one his house guests started collapsing on couches or chairs to catch a nap, but he found he wasn't really tired. Too many things were running around in his brain at the moment for him to fall asleep. Foremost was his upcoming trip to Jurai, taking him away from the home he loved. He was a little worried about not being able to contact his father, but figured he was busy with one project or another. Rea was visiting her mother at the moment so he didn't want to bother her just to try and track his father down. Yosho could make the necessary explanations.
His gaze fell on the dozing Mihoshi, and he smiled ruefully. It was hard to fathom how one person could create so much havoc without intending any of it. She was so beautiful, and at the same time so innocent. Her upbeat personality usually made him feel better, and her forthrightness made him feel bad for keeping secrets from her, even if it was to avoid hurting her feelings.
His eyes moved on to Ayeka, and he felt just as sad to be leaving her, but for only slightly different reasons. Her grace and manners made him want to be the gentleman she obviously wanted him to be. Her regal manner served to remind him of who he was so that he'd been able to come to grips with his own heritage. She had a fragile beauty so different from Mihoshi's, yet appealing just the same. Even her fights with Ryoko had reminded him that she could be a fierce warrior when challenged.
That turned his gaze to Ryoko herself. He'd known her the longest, though not by much. She was also beautiful, but she radiated a sexiness the others generally didn't. She was aware of how beautiful she was, and proud of it. He guiltily admitted to enjoying the numerous sights of her body he'd gotten during the time she'd lived with him. Her passion was sometimes intoxicating, she pushed him to try hard at improving himself with his martial studies in hopes of meeting her beliefs.
Next he looked at Sasami and sighed at the thought of not eating her cooking for the next six months. Her childish personality made him happily remember his younger days without many cares. The wonder of learning new things and playing with friends, or just reading a book quietly with his mother. She also had that mischievous streak which came out from time to time, and as long as he wasn't the target it was usually pretty funny. He would miss her happy personality, and that stubborn streak which emerged from time to time.
Kiyone dozed with her head on Mihoshi's shoulder, which he was certain would embarrass her terribly if she knew somebody was watching. She'd been a refreshing change in the house. He liked all of them, but sometimes understanding where the other ladies had come from was confusing. Kiyone just seemed so much easier to understand, not much different than someone you might meet here on earth. He still didn't understand what she saw in him, but he'd been trying to figure that for all of the other women for a long time and hadn't gotten anywhere.
Washu sleeping out in the living room was a strange sight. He couldn't recall seeing her sleeping more than a handful of times in all of her time here. She did it at odd hours, and usually in her lab. Of all the ladies she confused him the most, and yet her infectious amusement with life was invigorating in its way. Watching her taking care of Taro had impressed on him how different she could be from her normal antics, he'd never forget how comforting it had been to see her taking such great care of a baby.
And then there was Ryo-Ohki. One thing he'd learned with her around was that being a parent was not easy. He respected anyone who'd done it successfully much more than ever before. He would definitely miss the time he'd gotten to spend teaching her how to work in the fields, and just generally watching her grow and mature. She might be a completely different person by the time he made it back, there was no telling how much she might grow in half a year.
His grandfather and the queens were talking quietly at the table still, and he indicated to them he was going to head back to his house to gather a few things. They waved and smiled him away, then returned to their conversation, so Tenchi wandered out, stopping only to look around at the house and countryside for a bit before heading into his father's guest house to gather what few things he felt he'd need to bring.
--
Washu's eyes popped open, and she quickly realized she'd been sleeping for a few hours. She glanced around at all the other sleeping bodies nearby, and not finding Tenchi, she turned to the sound of the queens and Yosho speaking quietly. "Where's Tenchi? He hasn't left yet, has he? That would be just like him to sneak off without saying anything."
Yosho turned to her and said, "Tenchi has not left yet, rest assured. He is merely meditating for the moment as a final lesson in his Shinto studies before he leaves. I'm sure he'll say goodbye before he leaves."
"He'll need to come back here, he has no way to reach the ship on his own," said Funaho. "We won't send him up until he says his farewells."
"Well, that's good. He still owes me something, and he'd better not try and leave before I get to collect. Yo sleepyheads, up and at 'em." Washu wandered about the room, shaking people awake. "This better not be the last memory of this place you leave Tenchi with. Geez, I ought to just let them sleep and keep Tenchi to myself til he leaves. Let's go ladies."
The other residents gradually roused, and realization sunk in for each in their own way.
"He's still here, right?" cried Sasami.
"I can't believe we let you bring Sake," moaned Ayeka, holding her head as she looked at Ryoko.
"What time is it? Do we need to go on patrol yet, Kiyone?" Mihoshi blinked her eyes, obviously not fully awake yet.
"No, Mihoshi. We're not going on patrol until after Tenchi leaves, remember?" Kiyone rubbed her temples, due to both the alcohol and her partner.
"Miya? Meow, mreowr?" asked Ryo-Ohki.
"No, I still don't know who's going to grow the carrots, Ryo-Ohki, give it a rest." Ryoko looked around. "Where is he?"
"Tenchi is meditating. He should hopefully be back shortly. I figured we could all use the time to make ourselves presentable before he leaves, instead of showing him the slovenly drunkards he witnessed already." With that, Washu headed for her lab.
"Oh, my, where's a mirror. My eyes look all right, don't they Mother?" asked Ayeka.
Misaki shook her head. "Maybe next time you'll think before you drink. Nothing ever good comes of getting drunk."
"Hmmm, quite true," said Yosho with a glance at his mother. She frowned at him, and he switched back to an innocent face.
Ayeka headed for the stairs, followed shortly by most of the others except Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. Ryoko just phased the alcohol out of her system, then materialized her teal and pink dress into place. Ryo-Ohki changed into cabbit form and hopped into Misaki's arms to be petted.
"I think I'll go get Tenchi. He's meditated long enough. If he managed to relax his mind enough to meditate at all in a situation like this he's made great progress." Yosho strided for the door.
"Yes, he should have enough time to say his goodbyes this way," said Funaho. "Shall we go start packing, then? Azusa can wait a while longer, it's good for him to learn he doesn't get everything he wants when he wants it."
"Yes, I think I'm going to make it 200 years for dragging Tenchi away so fast," replied Misaki. She leaned in close to Funaho conspiratorially. "I might look into having an affair, too, just for the fun of going on a real date. I was reminded recently I never got to do that growing up."
"Hmmm, that's an interesting idea, sister." Funaho led Misaki up the stairs, Ryo-Ohki blissfully resting in Misaki's arms getting her belly rubbed.
Ryoko stared after them in consternation. She would never understand Juraians, especially not the royal family. Looking around, she realized she was alone and floated up to the rafter to await Tenchi's return.
--
Tenchi stopped outside the house and looked at it carefully once more. He knew he wouldn't forget it and that he'd be coming back eventually, but he couldn't avoid feeling like he needed to imprint it in his memory before leaving.
"It's hard to believe I won't be here tomorrow. I suppose this is sort of my replacement for going away to college, if you think about it. I've sometimes wondered what it would have been like to go to college in Tokyo." Tenchi turned to his grandfather with wistfulness in his eyes. "I think sometimes that I would have liked it, I've never been away from home. I don't know that for sure, though, life here doesn't seem so bad. Simpler certainly."
"You have an odd definition of simple, Tenchi." Yosho put his arm around Tenchi's shoulder. "Come on, the ladies will be waiting. You don't want to make them mad right before you leave."
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea."
Tenchi let his grandfather push him inside the house where all the ladies were indeed waiting for him. They'd obviously gotten themselves cleaned up as everyone was now wearing different clothes and he couldn't stop himself from staring at the sight.
Ryoko had on one of her usual dresses, but open at the throat to show off some cleavage. Mihoshi and Kiyone were in their GP uniforms with the tight pants, and they hadn't put their jackets on over the short-sleeved uniform shirts. Washu was back in her teenage form, but wearing a fairly short blue skirt with a white blouse. Ayeka was wearing his mother's yukata, and Sasami also had on a short skirt with a blouse, but not quite as tight as Washu's. Topping it all off was an adult-form Ryo-Ohki dressed in a spaghetti-strapped minidress which was in danger of falling off as she fidgeted with it.
"Ahem." Yosho elbowed Tenchi in the ribs.
Tenchi winced and closed his mouth. "Wow... Er, I mean, you ladies all look nice."
"Nice, he says," said Washu with a roll of her eyes. "Why do we even bother."
"What?" Tenchi winced again, receiving another elbow in the ribs. "Oh, what I meant was you ladies all look beautiful tonight."
"Much better." Washu smiled at him, as did all the others.
"Ah, I guess... I suppose it's time for me to leave. I'll miss all of you." Tenchi could see the glistening eyes looking back at him, and knew what was likely about to start happening if he didn't act.
He stepped forward to Mihoshi who was farthest to his right. "Mihoshi..."
"Tenchi..."
"Oh for goodness' sake, just kiss her, would you," said Washu.
"WHAT?" cried everyone else together.
"Look, Tenchi owes me a kiss, and it was supposed to be on my next day. That would have been tomorrow, but due to circumstances beyond my control, that's no longer the case. I'm not waiting six months for that kiss, and since I'm sure that if I get a kiss everyone else will want a kiss too, he should kiss her. Of course if anybody wants to complain, it's fine with me if I'm the only one who gets a kiss, but I'll be damned if he's getting out of here before I get it."
"I... that is..." Tenchi looked nervously at all the ladies who were suddenly looking back at him with something resembling lust in their eyes.
"Washu's right. Kiss her, let's not waste any time here." Ryoko teleported behind Mihoshi to give her a little shove so that she ended up in Tenchi's arms.
Tenchi looked her in her huge blue eyes, and realized he was sunk. He didn't really want to kiss her in front of everyone else, but the expectant look on her face was too much. He knew Washu was going to stick to her words, so he leaned in to kiss her on the lips...
(BONK)
"Owwww!" Tenchi and Mihoshi both rubbed their noses, not hearing the snickers coming from the crowd of onlookers.
"To the left," Tenchi whispered to himself quietly, remembering his previous experience with Mihoshi only too late. He caught her hand in his and pulled her back close to try again, tilting to the left. This time it was successful, and he stood back, watching as she did the same with dreamy eyes.
He smiled and stepped to his left to face Kiyone. "Kiyone..."
She chuckled, and said, "Tenchi... to the right."
He chuckled with her, and leaned in to successfully kiss her.
He continued down the line, Ryoko, then Ayeka, a hug for Sasami, squirming under Misaki's stern gaze. Then he came to Ryo-Ohki.
"Ah... Ryo-Ohki?"
"Miya!"
He looked puzzled and turned to Ryoko for help.
"She said 'Me too'," Ryoko answered with a frown.
"WHAT?" cried everyone once again.
"Um... heh... I don't think...," he started.
Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were looking at each other, and after a few seconds everyone realized they were speaking to each other through their link. Eventually, Ryoko turned back to fill everyone in. "I don't think she really realizes what's going on, but everyone else was getting a kiss and seemed to like it, so she wanted one too. I convinced her that a hug would be okay, since she's not dating you, Tenchi."
"Thanks, Ryoko," Tenchi gulped. He stepped forward to carefully wrap the now very tall, very feminine Ryo-Ohki into an embrace, trying not to think about what she was wearing.
He stood back and looked at Washu in time to catch her looking at first Ryo-Ohki, then Ryoko, with a raised eyebrow. When he sidestepped himself in front of her, she turned back to him, and a grin spread on her face.
"Time for the final exam, Tenchi. Better make it good, or you'll be here all night."
Tenchi thought quickly, and decided what to do. He pulled her into his arms, then as she started to tilt her face to his, he flipped her down so that he was cradling her back and looking down at her like you saw in the movies. He smiled when her eyes widened, and he once again planted a kiss on her lips from above. He felt her weight in his arms, and braced himself to hold her as he felt her arms relax. He held the kiss for a long time, then gradually came to the realization that everyone else was watching. He almost dropped her as he broke the kiss suddenly, but managed to get her back to her feet successfully.
"Hmmm... a little abrupt on the ending, but good form and good technique. I'll pass you this time." Washu smiled at him, then fanned her red cheeks.
He returned the smile, then stepped back, looking up at the queens who'd been watching from the stairs. "I guess we should go, then?"
"Yes, I suppose we should. Gather your things, we'll meet you outside." Funaho and Misaki stepped down from the steps and walked to the door.
Tenchi gathered the few bags and a box in which he'd stuffed his possessions to bring along, and then turned back to face everyone again. This time the tears were already flowing from Mihoshi's and Sasami's eyes, and they appeared ready in everyone else's.
"Goodbye, everyone. I'll see you again in six months, I guess. We'll keep in touch, of course, I'll write letters if nothing else. I hope you'll all do the same."
They all nodded and sniffled, but nobody managed to say anything. He smiled sadly and turned to go.
"Goodbye, Tenchi," everyone cried together, then swarmed around him to wrap him in a tearful group hug. He tolerated it stoically, not wanting to start crying himself. Gradually the hug broke up, and he quietly turned to walk outside.
"Remember, Tenchi," said Yosho from behind. "Stand up for yourself when you get to Jurai."
Tenchi looked back and nodded, then walked the rest of the distance to stand beside the queens. He turned back around to face everyone, and smiled again sadly as they all waved at him.
"Goodbye, Ayeka, Sasami! Goodbye everyone! We'll visit again." Misaki waved energetically.
Funaho waved as well, then the three disappeared, leaving the suddenly silent household behind. Nobody could think of anything to say, and they gradually trickled back to their own rooms to mull their new life without Tenchi.
--
Grace Sakumi looked at all the flashing lights in dismay, not certain what it meant. She had no skills as a pilot, nor any idea how to do much more than enter the course and put the shuttle she'd commandeered on autopilot.
She had been on her way to report everything she knew about the situation with Kiyone and the Rudolpho hit man, but had come up short at the sound of voices from inside Section Chief Sakai's office. She halted her hand inches from the door and listened to Deputy Commander Watanabe yelling at the Section chief.
She'd quickly realized they knew all about it, and planned to do nothing about the situation to help Kiyone. Watanabe's anger with his subordinate for hiding the information from him did not translate into actual help for Kiyone.
Grace had quickly turned around and headed for a womens' restroom, needing a place where she could think without anyone bothering her. She'd chosen a stall, and sat to ponder her situation and what she could do. Kiyone needed to be warned, and it was apparent that nobody who could was planning to.
She'd done some soul-searching, and finally come to the conclusion that she would go try and warn Kiyone herself. There were two immediate problems, first being to find transportation, second to actually find Kiyone to warn her. She'd given Manetti a head start already, she couldn't afford to take any kind of public transport. She'd quickly realized her best chance lay in grabbing one of the GP transport shuttles which various personnel used for business trips to one planet or another.
All that had led her to her current difficulties. She looked around in horror as the lights went out and emergency lights came on. She punched keys hoping to find a status, and her blood ran cold as she finally found what she was looking for. She was on emergency power at the moment, but that would run out within the next few hours. As soon as that went down, so would the life support systems. In less than a day, she was likely to be dead, but she was more than a day's travel from the planet she'd been trying to reach.
Punching her way through menus in hopes of finding something to help her out, she finally found what she was looking for. She tripped the switch indicated to turn on the distress beacon, then wandered back to the living quarters to lie down on the bed and weep. She was going to die unless some miracle happened out here in one of the most remote sections of the galaxy.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.