Tenchi Muyo: Happiness, Tears, and War

by Geor-sama

Is this the begining or the end? Relationships bloom, relationships end, trails and tribulations. Read, Review and Enjoy. Chapter 18 is now up.

5. Chapter 5

Happiness Tears & War
Chapter 5
By Geor-Sama
A Nekoshipper
March 28, 2002

Tenchi stood in the doorway leading to the living room staring up at the beam where Ryoko had fallen asleep last night. A slight smile played on his face. It was the week after New Year's and he knew that she wasn't used to getting up this early. He had meant to get her into the practice but had kept putting it off.

If she was going to school with him, she needed to get up. He glanced through the room looking for a way to get up there. He sighed and hung his head. Looking back up, he thought, 'If only I could fly.'

Quietly as he could, he grunted and shoved the couch across the room until it was directly underneath the beam. He bent over and caught his breath. Once he was sure he was fine, he walked over and picked up a chair. Silently he carried it over and placed it precariously on the couch, the entire time swearing that he needed to learn how to fly. He continued stacking various pieces of furniture until he could finally reach the beam. Saying a quick prayer, he climbed up the unstable stack of furniture. He felt the tower sway back and forth and quickly slid off the top of it and onto the beam. With his legs hanging off the sides of the beam, he waited tensely, watching the furniture tower sway back and forth.

Once he was certain it wasn't going to tumble down, he crawled forward on the beam until he was at Ryoko's feet. His heart nearly burst from his chest when he looked over the edge. He quickly closed his eyes and thought, 'I don't know how she sleeps up here but, as soon as possible, I am going to have Washu fix it to where she can't sleep here anymore.' He quickly pushed the thought out of his head when he remembered where he was. He managed to keep his balance as he gently reached out towards Ryoko's shoulder. He halted as he saw her face. It was peaceful…calm…innocent. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and suddenly, he understood why she had watched him all those nights better than ever before. She shifted slightly and her dress pulled tight and showed the curves of her body. Tenchi felt the blood rush to his face. He had seen it before but he still found himself having just such a reaction from time to time. He turned his head and waited for it to fade. After a while, he noticed it wasn't going away and silently he cursed himself, 'Damn it, this is the kind of thing that started my fantasies.' He turned back and forced himself to ignore the curves of her body as he reached out to place his hand on her shoulder, but it didn't quite make it there. He over-extended himself and lost his balance. He dropped his hand down to catch himself but his hand came to rest on her chest.

In one smooth motion, she grabbed the hand and shot straight up above the beam, a few feet short of the ceiling before she realized whom she had. As soon as her senses told her that it was Tenchi, she pulled him close to her face. She noticed that he was not very thrilled with her grip so she took her other hand and grasped him around his waist. Once she had hold of him there, she released his arm and wrapped her other one around him. Tenchi smiled gratefully and wrapped his around her.

She smiled and coyly whispered,

"You know Tenchi, that was a very interesting way you woke me up."

Tenchi's face turned even redder. Ryoko floated down and placed him on the living room floor. Reluctantly, she unwrapped her arms from him and he reluctantly did the same. She glanced at the chairs stacked on chairs on the couch and then turned back to him and asked,

"What were you doing up there?"

Tenchi chuckled to himself and winked at her.

"If I didn't wake you up, you were going to be late for your first day of school."

Ryoko cocked her head and looked out the window. She judged that it was about 3 in the morning. She usually would have been watching him. She found that even though there had been a change in the relationship between them, she still liked to watch him. The times that she did not fall asleep watching him had given her the general idea that he didn't go to school until 7.

She looked back at him and cocked her head to one side confusion written all over her face

"You mean you get up this early to go to school?"

Tenchi shook his head and shrugged a slight smile playing on his face.

"Not usually. Normally, I'm not up for awhile but I figured that you might need some extra time and I think that it would help you to wake up if we bathed to..."

His sentence was cut off when he suddenly found himself in the onsen with Ryoko.

Tenchi coughed and gagged as he swallowed water. His head broke the surface and he saw Ryoko standing over him wrapped in a towel. Her face held a look of concern.

"Are you alright, Ten-chan?"

He smiled weakly up at her and nodded his head reassuringly,

"I'm fine, Ryo-chan."

She pouted and shook her head sadly.

"That's too bad. I need to practice my mouth to mou..."

Ryoko stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Tenchi fighting to keep himself above water. Half-worriedly, she dived under and dragged him out of the water. She knelt over him as he lay there not moving. Quickly, she leaned forward and pinched his nose took a deep breath and began mouth to mouth. She snapped her head back her face filled with a mixture of shock and excitement.

"Ten-chan, did you just…?"

She stopped short as she watched him lay there, not moving but unable to keep the smile off his face. Ryoko smiled in returned and walked around him until he was between her and the bath. She stood there a moment, then…

Suddenly, Tenchi felt himself being kicked back into the bath. He snapped his eyes open when he hit the water. He heard garbled laughter and then Ryoko's voice.

"Oh well, he's gone. Maybe I'll find a guy at school."

Ryoko watched the bath, waiting for him to resurface; a playful smile on her face. As the moments passed and there was no sign of Tenchi, her smile faltered and was replaced with a look of concern. She slowly started moving towards the edge of the bath. She stood there for a moment, desperately looking for him. Then, before she knew what was happening, a pair of hands grabbed her ankles and tugged her forward into the bath. She sputtered as she broke the surface and pushed her wet bangs out of her face to see a laughing Tenchi.

She rose angrily into the air.

The prince watched her and then winked; the entire time smiling at her.

"That's the last time I try to help you with your mouth to mouth."

Ryoko felt her anger fade and she smiled back and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Oh well, your loss."

Tenchi smiled and shook his head.

"No, it isn't."

Ryoko smiled back and floated down to him. She slid through the water until she was a few inches away from him. She cocked an eyebrow and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

Tenchi winked at her and his smile grew broader.

"Because I can do this."

Tenchi reached out and pulled a startled Ryoko to him and gave her a deep, passionate kiss. She stood there for a second, caught of guard. Swiftly, she came to herself and returned it.

When they parted, Ryoko smiled at Tenchi who smiled back and commented,

"You see, that was better than any mouth to mouth."

Ryoko nodded her head and placed her forehead to his. They stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Ryoko broke the silence,

"Do you think I should still go to school with you?"

Tenchi smiled.

"I have my doubts."

Ryoko looked slightly hurt.

"Why?"

Tenchi looked her in the eyes and smiled reassuringly.

"Well, just because I trust you doesn't mean that I trust some of the guys at school. As soon as they see a beautiful girl they forget how to act."

Ryoko's face lit up. She looked happy and yet, slightly annoyed.

"What? You don't think that I can take care of myself?"

Tenchi shook his head and winked at her.

"No, I think that I may end up destroying the school this time."

Ryoko pouted and feigned a hurt look.

"Oh, you wouldn't take my fun away, would you?"

Tenchi smiled

"Wouldn't dream of it. I do have a request: try not to use your powers unless you have to. Also um I hate to say this but it's about our behavior in school and public."

"What about it?"

"Well, holding hands and kissing on the cheek is acceptable but other than that..."

She narrowed her eyes as she spoke

"What? You mean I can't hug you?"

Tenchi nodded and Ryoko grumbling asked

"Why not?"

"Well that's just how it is here, but as soon as we get home..."

Ryoko nodded her head and smiled broadly.

"Ok understood and it's a deal. Now then, here's my request: you wash my back, I'll wash yours."

Tenchi laughed and blushing, whispered,

"Sure you don't want me to wash the front?"

Ryoko giggled and pushed him slightly.

"Pervert."

*******

Sasami stood in the kitchen over the stove. She had cried for a long time when she had rolled over and saw that Aekea was not there. She still cried occasionally, even though most of the time she was happy. Her tears found her most often when she went to sleep or awoke.

She didn't like being alone at night. Her dreams bothered her and she couldn't go bother Tenchi about them since he and Ryoko had begun sharing a room. Still, she had Ryo-ohki and the rest of her family during the day so that helped a little.

She poured the rice into the bowels and set them on the table; they would keep warm until she got everybody here. She set out a couple of carrots for Ryo-ohki and then left the kitchen. She walked up the stairs and stopped just outside Mihoshi's and Kiyone's room. She lightly knocked on the door and called through it,

"Mihoshi, Kiyone, breakfast's ready."

She got a couple of mumbled words and, smiling, she turned and walked away.

Walking back down the stairs, she turned and walked down the hallway a little bit and then knocked on the door of the closet that lead to Washu's lab. She waited patently and then knocked again but she still got no answer. She jumped back slightly as a camera dropped from a subspace hole and focused on her. Sasami blinked at it in surprise and then smiled when Washu's voice came out over a speaker.

"Yes, Sasami?"

The little princess smiled sweetly at the lens and answered,

"Breakfast is ready."

"Oh, ok I'll be there in a minute. Um, Sasami do you know where Ryoko and Tenchi are?"

Sasami brought her hand up to her mouth and covered it. She giggled and nodded her head.

"They're taking a bath."

Sasami blinked in surprise when the camera suddenly repelled back up into the subspace hole. She looked around and, shrugging, went outside to the door to the onsen to get Tenchi and Ryoko.

She reached the door just as Tenchi came rushing out of it. He slammed the door shut behind him and slumped against it. He was heaving and gasping for air. Sasami blinked in surprise, Tenchi looked down and smiled nervously at Sasami. She smiled back.

"Um, Tenchi, what's wrong?"

Tenchi laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head.

"Wrong? What makes you think anything's wrong?"

Sasami crossed her arms in front of her and looked at him with a look of tell me or else.

Tenchi sighed and hung his head.

"Washu sent some cameras into the bath. Ryo-chan saw them and blew them up. Then Washu sent some sort of machine and Ryoko attacked it. I ran as fast as I possibly could to get out of there."

Sasami hung her head and sighed. Absently she whispered,

"Sister, what do you think your doing?"

Tenchi blinked at Sasami and started to ask her what she had said when Mihoshi and Kiyone came up to the doorway. Tenchi suddenly remembered that he was holding a towel in front of him by one hand. His face turned even brighter red and he excused himself from the little princess and ran up past them into the house, shouting apologies at Mihoshi and Kiyone. When he reached his room he closed his door and began to get dressed. The entire time, his face burning from the embarrassment.

Mihoshi stared at the back of the retreating figure, looking slightly confused. Kiyone frowned and sighed. They turned to look at Sasami who smiled sweetly as if a naked guy hadn't just ran by. They looked at the bathroom door and moved like they were going to take a bath. Sasami managed to get in-between them and the door and shook her head.

"Um, you should wait until after breakfast before you take a bath."

Mihoshi raised her finger to her mouth and stared at the little princess in uncertainty. Kiyone looked at her as if trying to read her mind. Sasami motioned for them to follow her to the kitchen. Both GP's reluctantly nodded their heads and followed the princess back into the kitchen.

Sometime later, Washu came out of the broom closet, entered the kitchen and sat down. Sasami looked at her and noticed that she had a huge bruise on the side of her head.

Kiyone noticed it also and asked,

"What happened?"

Washu waved off Kiyone's question,

"I slipped."

She looked over at Sasami and she knew from looking into those eyes, that the little princess had guessed what had happened. She guiltily fixed her gaze onto her food and began to eat. Sasami was about to say something when Ryoko and Tenchi came in.

Tenchi maneuvered Ryoko and made sure that he stayed between her and Washu. After a few moments of dirty looks from Ryoko directed at the red haired scientist, he finally got her to sit down. Sighing he glanced around at everyone. Kiyone, Mihoshi, and Sasami were all watching them. Tenchi smiled apologetically and sat down next to Ryoko. Nervously, they watched until Ryoko began to eat then Tenchi and, finally, Washu resumed her meal. After a few minutes the rest started again too.

Breakfast was a subdued affair, since Ryoko and Washu weren't talking and Tenchi wasn't speaking with Ryoko. Not because he was upset, but because he thought it would be safest if he didn't talk to her.

Tenchi stood and grabbed Ryoko by the hand. She rose, a confused look on her face. Smiling, he dragged her out of the kitchen and into the hallway. As he went out the door, he called behind him.

"Bye, everybody."

Sasami stood up, walked over to a window and peered out of it. She watched as Tenchi and Ryoko ran down the path towards the steps that led to the bus stop. When they had disappeared, Sasami smiled to herself and thought, ' Well Tenchi, I hope you know what you're doing.' She turned away and went back to the table to finish her breakfast with the others.

*********

Tenchi was running down the path to the steps, nearly dragging Ryoko behind him. He wasn't sure why he was in such a hurry, maybe it was because he wanted to show her off. His thoughts were derailed when he felt the wrenching of teleportation. When they rematerialized, he noticed that they were at the bus stop. He turned to say something but the noise of the bus's tires caught his attention. He smiled and took her hand.

He squeezed it and asked,

"Well, are you ready?"

Ryoko nodded her head and smiled at him.

"How do I look?"

"Like an angel."

She blushed and leaned forward and whispered in his ear,

"Are you sure you don't want to play hooky with me? I can teach you things you won't learn in school."

He wanted to but he had to control himself. Otherwise, they would never get to school. He saw the bus crest over the hill. It was his way out.

"Oh look, the bus is here."

Ryoko smiled and squeezed his hand as the bus came to a stop and the doors opened. Tenchi walked up the steps followed by Ryoko. He paused and looking back at her, whispered,

"You can teach me later."

This caused Ryoko to blush. Silently, she wondered how he could be so shy one minute and so bold the next. Smiling she decided that she really didn't care.

As they walked down the bus aisle, they noticed that there weren't any empty seats. Of course Tenchi was fighting the urge to hit some of the guys since there were plenty of offers from guys to let Ryoko sit with them.

Tenchi stopped, causing Ryoko to bump into him. Ryoko was about to ask what was up when Tenchi sat down in a seat and offered her his hand for her to take. She smiled and took it but paused for a moment when she noticed there was no room in the seat. Tenchi winked at her. She giggled and sat down in the only available spot: his lap. The bus lurched forward as soon as she sat down.

Tenchi turned when his friend nudged him in the arm and nodded at Ryoko, smiling.

"Hey, Tenchi, this your girl?"

Tenchi nodded his head, causing his friend to smile even more.

"Alright Tenchi, you got taste."

Tenchi smiled back and Ryoko giggled at the compliment.

Tenchi waved off the statement and wrapped his arms around her waist, and Ryoko leaned back against Tenchi. He looked back over to his friend and smiled, he could tell that Yuzukaa looked anxious about their display of affection but he ignored it.

"So Yuzukaa, anything exciting happen over your Winter break?"

Yuzukaa smiled and shook his head. He glanced around and then spoke,

"I think that you might want to look around."

Tenchi blinked in confusion, did as his friend suggested and looked around. It was then that he noticed the stares that he and Ryoko were getting from the people. Smiling easily, he turned his attention back to Yuzukaa. Squeezing Ryoko affectionately he said,

"Say, did I introduce you to my girlfriend?"

Yuzukaa shook his head and smiled politely.

"No, you didn't."

Tenchi smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I sort of lost my head for a moment. This is Ryoko."

Yuzukaa smiled and bowed his head slightly at her.

"Hi, Ryoko. Nice to meet you."

Ryoko grinned and returned the motion. Yuzukaa smiled and looked at Tenchi.

"Does she have a sister."

Tenchi shook his head and chuckled,

"No, she's one of a kind."

Ryoko smiled sweetly, her golden catlike eyes filled with slyness.

"Hey Yuzukaa, why don't you come over later, after school and meet some of the other girls staying at the shrine."

Yuzukaa glanced at Ryoko then turned his attention back to Tenchi. Tenchi squeezed Ryoko slightly. Yuzukaa spoke, his voice half-polite and half-anxious,

"Other girls at the shrine? How many?"

Tenchi sighed and shook his head. He would have to talk to Ryoko about not doing that.

"3"

Yuzukaa almost shouted in surprise but caught himself before he did,

"What are their names?"

Tenchi shook his head and smiled slightly.

"I'm not sure I should tell you. Are you sure you want to come over to dinner?"

Yuzukaa looked at Tenchi as if he had grown a third leg.

"Tenchi, I want to come over. They all are as good looking as her, right?"

Tenchi smiled and shook his head.

"No. At least to me, they're not. They are all gorgeous, but there are som..."

Tenchi was cut off by Yuzukaa,

"I don't care if they're all from outer space. If they're half as nice looking as you say, then I'd be there right now. Please tell me their names."

Tenchi sighed and gave in,

"Ok, there's Washu, Mihoshi, and Kiyone."

Smiling slightly, Yuzukaa asked

"So what do they do?"

Tenchi moaned in exasperation and Ryoko elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

Smiling, Tenchi said,

"Oh alright, I'll tell him. Well, Washu's a scientist and Mihoshi and Kiyone are police officers."

Yuzukaa nodded and Tenchi continued, guessing at what the next question would be.

"Washu's got red hair and green eyes. Mihoshi has blond hair and blue eyes and Kiyone's got, um, black hair-not sure about her eyes."

Yuzukaa nodded and asked,

"Do you think I have a chance with any of them?"

Tenchi was about to answer when Ryoko broke in,

"Trust me, if Tenchi could get me, then you can get one of them."

Yuzukaa smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right, if he can do it, then I can too."

The two of them laughed at that. Tenchi sat there quietly annoyed, then started chuckling himself. It was true enough.


As Tenchi and Ryoko were on their way to school, a red haired woman sat on a floating cushion. She was on the fifth level of her lab. It was designed for three reasons. One was to keep her most highly sensitive research out of reach. Second, it was to keep her most highly sought after technology hidden. The third and final reason was to give her a place of complete privacy. So far, even Mihoshi had been unable to reach this level and Washu had resolved to some day find out what made this level so different from the others in that respect.

But today her mind was elsewhere - as it had been for the last month - since Azusa had confronted Tenchi and Ryoko when he found out about them. He was threatening to do something she objected in the highest degree. He was threatening to break them apart. She understood his feelings to an extent, but she was far too angry to feel sympathetic. She had experienced first hand the feelings of despair and misery that arise from such an event. At times, it still struck her hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. The rest of the time, it was a dull presence in the back of her mind. She felt resentment towards her husband for letting his family break them up, but she hated herself more for letting them do it.

To make this even worse than it was, this entire situation was because of social class. Tenchi was a prince and Ryoko was…well, Ryoko. Washu frowned and narrowed her eyes, she would not let it happen. Her daughter deserved happiness and Tenchi deserved it too.

She reached out and her holo computer appeared at her unspoken command, ready for her to use. She began typing, searching as deep as she could into Azusa's past, into Misaki's past and even into Funaho's past. She would find something that would force him to change his mind.

She sat there a moment and then reaching up wiped her cheek were a tear was, she had been foolish, thinking about her Mikamo and her baby, Mikumo. She wiped another tear away and silently swore to herself, her long gone husband, her first child, and her daughter.

"I will not let it happen. I promise."

*******

The bus ride was a relatively cheerful event until the last stop when a group of Teenagers got on. They looked older and rougher than the others. The leader stood taller than Nobuyuki and had black hair with hard, brown eyes. His face was the type that even in a laugh, looked cruel. Both Tenchi and Yuzukaa immediately stopped talking, as did the rest of the bus.

Ryoko blinked when she noticed the silence that had descended and glanced around in confusion. When her eyes settled on the teenagers at the front of the bus, she knew exactly why the silence had fallen. She glanced at Yuzukaa and saw that he was staring at the leader clearly worried about something. She didn't understand why, they just seemed like common criminals. She felt Tenchi start to tense up as the leader moved back towards them. She noted that the others that had gotten on with him were sitting in the front of the bus watching with unpleasant interest, cruel smiles playing on their faces. Ryoko watched him walk towards her, his stride cocky and arrogant she decided that the guy was a big fish in a little pond.

When he spoke she found out that she was right.

"Hey, Misaki. I think you have my girl."

Ryoko felt Tenchi tense even more and felt the anger radiate outwards from him when he spoke.

"Akkuman, leave us alone."

Akkuman shook his head and laughed. Ignoring Tenchi, he looked at Ryoko and said,

"So babe, why don't you leave this boy and come with a real man?"

Ryoko felt Tenchi begin to rise and forced him back in his seat and then stood. Smiling coyly at him, she closed and opened her palm at the guy as if calling an animal and said,

"Why don't you come closer so I can tell you my answer."

Tenchi stared a hole through Akkuman, but the guy looked triumphant. His face held nothing but a condescending sneer. He leaned in and Ryoko whispered with a smile,

"You have until the count of three to get lost."

Akkuman blinked in confusion and leaned back he hadn't expected that sort of response he began to say something but before he had the chance to Ryoko nailed him hard in his face causing him to stumble and fall unconsious to the floor with a bleeding nose. A cruel smile crossed Ryoko's face and she said,

"Three! You are not a man, you're a foolish little child."

As the guy struggled to his knees, she sat back down completely unconcerned. Tenchi calmly took his eyes off the hurt Akkuman and kissed her the best he could on her cheek.

Yuzukaa looked at Akkuman as his friends half carried half dragged him back to his group, uncertain what to make of it. He certainly hadn't expected that. Yuzukaa looked over at Tenchi while everybody else on the bus was talking about what had just happened. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to find his voice and whispered,

"Uh, Tenchi what exactly did Ryoko do before she came to the shrine?"

Tenchi looked over at Yuzukaa and smiled easily as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, I don't think I should tell you."

Ryoko laughed slightly and shook her head.

"I was involved in piracy."

Yuzukaa gulped and backed away slightly from them. He stammered out,

"T...Tenchi, you mean to tell me your girlfriend is a pirate?"

Tenchi smiled and nodded his head in the affirmative.

"She was. Don't worry, she's a big pushover, as long as you don't get on her bad side."

Ryoko winked at Yuzukaa and smiled sweetly at him.

"Don't worry, you're not on my bad side."

Yuzukaa inwardly sighed in relief and slid back into a more comfortable position. Silence descended for a few minutes, then Yuzukaa, desperate to fill it, spoke,

"So, when should I come over for dinner, tonight?"

Tenchi shrugged his shoulders. He squeezed Ryoko slightly and asked,

"What time do you think, Ryo-chan?"

Ryoko cocked her head to one side and looked thoughtful for a moment and then answered,

"I think Sasami should have dinner ready by 7 tonight, so I'd say about 6:30."

Yuzukaa nodded his head in agreement.

"6:30, got it. Who's Sasami? And why does she do the cooking?"

Tenchi looked at Yuzukaa and smiled,

"You remember last month when I brought that lunch that wound up in the biohazard bin in the school lab?"

Yuzukaa nodded his head and waited for Tenchi to elaborate,

"Well, Ryoko fixed that for me."

Yuzukaa's face lit up with understanding and a smile crept onto his face. He noted that Tenchi hadn't answered his question as to who the girl was and asked again,

"So, who is she?"

Tenchi sighed and Ryoko spoke before he had the chance.

"She's his cousin. She's the sweetest eight year old you'll ever meet."

Yuzukaa took that at face value and smiled. In the silence that ensued, he found himself thinking about which girl he would try his luck with-one of the cops or the scientist? He wasn't that good in science. He did have an interest in the law so maybe one of the cops. It just depended who he was the most drawn to.



The bus continued on its way to the school. Meanwhile, back at the house, everything was peaceful. Sasami was playing with Ryo-ohki. Kiyone was seating in a chair in the living room, reading through the law books that Tenchi had gotten her for Christmas. Washu was locked in her lab working on something nobody even bothered to guess at. Mihoshi was stretched out on the couch sleeping soundly.

Kiyone stopped reading and looked over at the blonde. She silently wondered what had changed about her. Yes, at the academy she had been an annoying, troublesome headache. And yes, she had been carefree but she hadn't been as big of a screw-up as she had lately. When they had graduated, they had been at the top of their class. Of course, she knew the rumors. Things like she had gotten into a drug habit, she was involved in illegal activities… But she didn't believe any of them. It just didn't fit.

She knew that to everyone else, it appeared as if she was irritated and hateful towards Mihoshi. But really, the only reason she yelled and berated her partner was that they were best friends. Her attitude came from the fact that she couldn't figure out what her friend's problem was. In Kiyone's family, the way to get someone to correct their mistakes was to shout at them until they figured it out. It had worked with her brother and her two sisters so she was sure it would work with her friend. But it was nagging at her that she didn't know the reason for the change. And to add to her aggravation, anytime she had tried to access Mihoshi's earlier case files, all she got was a message that they were sealed and highly classified.

Sighing, she sat her book down on the coffee table in front of her and stood up. She stretched and walked over to stand beside the couch. She studied her friend's face-it was innocent and peaceful. Gently, she reached down and brushed some of the hair off of Mihoshi's face. She let her hand rest gently on top of the blondes head and whispered,

"What happened to you?'

Silently, she removed her hand and left the living room for a glass of water.


No sooner had Kiyone left, than Mihoshi rolled over and turned her face towards the back of the couch. Her eyes squeezed shut even tighter and her face took on the appearance of someone having a very bad nightmare.

Mihoshi could see the suspect's retreating back. He was running away and was almost out of range. She had her weapon drawn and aimed at his back, but she couldn't seem to make herself squeeze the trigger. Her hand was shaking badly and her vision kept blurring. She screamed out a name and shouted,

"Stop, you are under arrest."

The figure ignored her and she tried to force herself to fire but still couldn't. She shouted again. This time, the figure dropped to a comfortable walk as if he were out for a stroll in a park. She cried out again. Now she could feel the warm tears on her cheeks. As she spoke, she could her the pleading in her voice, the desperateness.

"Please stop don't make me...Please."

She watched the figure halt but he didn't turn around. He just stood there for a moment and then slowly started walking again. She squeezed her eyes shut and finally managed to pull the trigger, the gun yanked to the left and she missed. It hit the overhead railing causing some of it to fall into the crowed street below. She fired again and it yanked to the right this time and hit a passing vehicle causing it to careen out of control and crash into a building. She fired again and this time hit her target. She opened her eyes and watched as the figure took two staggering steps, fell forward and sprawled out on the platform. She screamed and fell to her knees. She sobbed heavily, lost in her grief.

Mihoshi jerked awake, registering the hand that was on her shoulder. She moved in one fluid motion. Wrapping her arm around the enemy's and locking it in, she continued rolling. She reached out and grabbed the throat. Finally, rolling completely off the couch and onto the floor, with the enemy pinned beneath her. Her arm locked, her knees planted on either side and her hand tight around the throat, ready to squeeze. Through her haze of sleep, she recognized the voice as Kiyone's. Her partner was shouting at her but she sounded strangled.

"Mihoshi, what the hell are you doing?"

The blonde blinked her eyes and let her friend go. She slowly rose and sat back on the couch. She wiped her face, unsure as to why she was crying and why her partner had been pinned under her.

Kiyone sat up and rubbed her shoulder. She hadn't been expecting that, especially from Mihoshi. She paused and looked at Mihoshi's face. She sat down next to her on the couch and wrapped her arm around Mihoshi's shoulder and asked,

"What's the matter?"

Mihoshi looked at her partner in befuddlement and shrugged.

"I don't know, I just had a bad dream."

Kiyone nodded in understanding but frowned, she knew it was a bad dream, but the entire episode had reinforced her desire to find out what caused her friend to change so much. Kiyone leaned forward and picked up the remote and turned on the television. With a reassuring squeeze, she said,

"It's alright, we'll just sit here and watch you're favorite show, ok?"

Mihoshi smiled broadly and grabbed Kiyone into a tight bear hug and shouted,

"Really? You'll watch it with me? Honest?"

Kiyone nodded numbly and silently berated herself for being so foolish.

"Of course...I will...just let me go."

Mihoshi instantly released her and turned all her attention to the TV.

*******

The bus came to a gentle halt. Ryoko, Tenchi and Yuzukaa stood and waited patiently for the other students to get off the bus. Ryoko sighed and watched as the students took their time exiting the bus. She was annoyed that this was taking so long. Tenchi glanced at her and she silently mouthed the word "teleport." He mouthed the word "no," and she frowned slightly. Tenchi reached out and slipped his arm around her shoulders and she smiled, completely forgetting about teleportation.

As the last kid went by, Tenchi led Ryoko and Yuzukaa out into the aisle and off the bus. Ryoko stopped, causing Tenchi to stop which in turn caused Yuzukaa to run into them. Ryoko stared at the school with all the students milling about. It was different than the last time she was here. Tenchi smiled in understanding. He leaned over and whispered in her ear,

"Ryo-chan, it's ok. You can do this."

Ryoko smiled nervously at Tenchi and Yuzukaa shook his head.

"Ryoko, you'll do fine. I remember what happened when I first got here. It was when the school blew up. Do they know what caused it yet?"

Tenchi and Ryoko looked at each other and back to him. Yuzukaa watched them in confusion. Finally, Tenchi smiled and shook his head.

"No, not really. They figure it was a gas leak."

Yuzukaa nodded and waved as he left.

"Listen guys, I have to go. See you tonight."

Tenchi waved back. Once he disappeared into the crowd, he turned to Ryoko and smiled.

"Did you get your schedule yet?"

She shook her head and frowned slightly.

"No."

Tenchi smiled and patted her hand.

"That's okay, we can go to the office and get it."

Ryoko smiled and laced her fingers through his. He shook his head and laughed. They turned and made their way through the crowd heading for the entrance to the school. Various students waved and said hello to him. Tenchi returned their greetings but never really stopped to talk with any of them. Ryoko giggled at the guys who stared at her. They scurried away when Tenchi's attention fell on them.

Out of the corner of her mouth, Ryoko whispered,

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were jealous."

Tenchi shook his head and laughed,

"I'm not jealous."

She gave him a look and blushing he said,

"Ok, so I am."

Ryoko laughed and shook her head in amusement. She was supposed to be the jealous one, not him. Besides, he didn't have to worry; she loved him. Of course, she didn't think it was so funny when she noticed that the majority of the students saying hello to Tenchi where girls.

Tenchi of course noted that the girls that let their attention linger on him too long, quickly adverted it when Ryoko stared at them. Tenchi couldn't help but laugh at the reversal.

"Now if I didn't know better Ryoko, I'd think that you were jealous."

Ryoko blushed and laughed a little.

"Ok, so I'm a little jealous can you blame me?"

Tenchi shook his head and said with seriousness,

"Not as long as you don't blame me."

Ryoko grinned and nodded her head.

"Deal."

Tenchi stopped just in front of the door leading inside and said,

"I'll let you in on a little secret Ryo-chan. You don't have to worry, other girls look like ducks next to a swan compared to you."

Ryoko blushed and pecked him lightly on the cheek. She was certain that before he had admitted his feelings, that sort of thing would have caused her to glomp onto him. Silently, she mused about how reserved she was becoming. She was almost as bad as the princess had been. She smiled at the memory of Aekea and kissed him again, this time on the mouth.

Tenchi blinked in surprise and asked,

"What was that for?"

Ryoko winked at him and said,

"Ten-chan, that was for making me remember a friend."

Tenchi shook his head and smiled and said,

"I should do that more often."

*******

Tenchi and Ryoko entered the main hallway and Ryoko froze; there were so many people. Tenchi gently took her hand and, smiling, led her through the crowded halls towards the office. They were only two rooms away from reaching the office when a small group of girls approached them. They blocked Tenchi and Ryoko's path. The two at the very back had black hair the one on the left had green eyes, and the one on the right had brown. The one in the front had brown hair and blue eyes. They were all very attractive and Ryoko glanced at Tenchi who smiled at her and shrugged. She looked back as the one in the front spoke,

"Ohayo, Tenchi-kun."

Tenchi looked at her slightly surprised. She had never spoken to him before and he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Ohayo Emi-Sempai."

Emi looked at Ryoko appraisingly and then smiled.

"You are?"

Ryoko smiled back and answered,

"Ryoko."

The girl raised her eyebrow and laughing said,

"Ryoko? That's it?"

Ryoko felt her anger rise slightly this girl seemed condescending.

"I am Ryoko Hakubi."

Emi smiled easily and motioned behind her,

"The one on the left is Chie and the one on the right's Funi."

Ryoko nodded at them and Emi continued glancing at Tenchi as if he wasn't supposed to be there.

"Ryoko, there are rules."

Ryoko nodded, slightly confused as to what Emi meant.

"You see, girls like us, we don't date…"

Ryoko grinned, shook her head and interrupted.

"That must get frustrating."

Emi stopped blushed and, frowning, continued,

"That is not what I meant. We don't date boys like him."

Ryoko frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"Boys like who?"

Emi looked shocked and continued like it should have been obvious and gestured at Tenchi.

"Like him."

Ryoko clenched her fist but kept control of herself.

"Well, I date who I want."

Emi looked even more surprised and her voice hid none of it.

"But he's not…"

Ryoko shook her head and poked her finger in the girls face.

"He's not what?! You date who you want and I'll date who I want."

Emi looked offended and spoke, her voice sounding insulted,

"Who do you think you are?"

Ryoko dropped her finger to the girls chest and poked her.

"Obviously someone you don't like."

Emi looked shocked and trying to gather her wits said,

"You're rude, unrefined and…and..."

Ryoko frowned slightly and said,

"Who do you think you are?"

Emi looked startled at the switch of gears. She was supposed to be the one asking that, not some new girl. She tried to answer but Ryoko answered for her,

"You must think you're a princess. 'We girls don't date boys like him. He's not the type.' You're an egotistical, self-important brat and you are, most importantly, not a princess you're not even good enough to be a gaishou."

Emi looked completely lost. She had never been insulted like that. No one had ever said such things to her. Behind her, Chie and Funi were silent. Of course, they agreed with Ryoko, but Emi was the leader and they didn't say anything.

Ryoko reached out patted her on the cheek and said,

"Sayonara Emi."

Tenchi looked as shocked as Emi felt. He blinked his eyes when Ryoko grabbed his hand and stormed past the girls, amongst the students already discussing what she had just did. Tenchi smile. This was a first. Of course, now he had an angry Ryoko, but that was ok.

Ryoko stopped abruptly and Tenchi nearly ran into her. She turned around and her eyes were dancing with a dangerous fire. She spoke just barely above whisper,

"Who was that?"

Tenchi, guessing she meant Emi, explained,

"That was Emi Bando. Her father is a very successful business man."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi and spoke,

"Is that why she thinks she's a princess?"

Tenchi nodded and took her hand. He kissed her cheek and said,

"Domo, Ryo-chan."

Ryoko looked slightly surprised and her eyes lost her anger.

"Domo? For what?"

Tenchi smiled and winked.

"For being you."

Ryoko blushed slightly and grinned. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek and said,

"Domo, Ten-chan."

Tenchi grinned. He reached behind Ryoko, opened a door and said,

"After you."

Ryoko nodded, turned and entered smiling.

Tenchi silently prepared himself for Kazuhiko and stepped inside. He stood right behind Ryoko, just inside the doorway. He could tell Ryoko was slightly nervous. The office was semi crowed and there were more people here than she was used to in such a small place. Smiling, he took her hand and pushed his way through to the counter.

Tenchi smiled when he saw one of his friends and called out.

"Kazuhiko."

Kazuhiko looked up and waved at Tenchi who waved back. He gently squeezed Ryoko's hand as Kazuhiko walked over to their spot at the counter. He looked at Ryoko, thinking, 'Naturally an attractive finds him and he acts like so what.' He spoke,

"Hey Tenchi, who's your friend?"

Tenchi smiled and nodded,

"This is Ryoko, my girlfriend."

Kazuhiko blinked and his face slowly filled with confusion. Tenchi stood there waiting for Kazuhiko to recover. Ryoko laid a hand on his arm and smiled. Apparently, Tenchi had wanted such an effect, so smiling, she kissed Tenchi on the cheek.

Tenchi leaned over and whispered in Ryoko's ear, but loudly enough that Kazuhiko heard him,

"He was always a little slow."

Kazuhiko blinked out of his confusion when he heard that and defended himself,

"You know as well as I do that I am the better student."

Tenchi smiled and nodded,

"Yeah well, when I get a girlfriend I use taste."

Kazuhiko raised his hands and leaned back, a grin on his face.

"Ok, ok, fair enough. Is there anything I can do for you or did you just come in here to pick at me?"

Tenchi waved off the question and shook his head,

"Actually, it's for Ryoko. She didn't get her schedule yet."

Kazuhiko nodded his head and turned back to the nearby computer and started typing on the keyboard.

"Ryoa, Ryoe, Ryoga, Ryoh, Ryoka, Ryoko."

He looked up, smiled, and hit the print key.

"It'll be a few minutes."

Ryoko nodded. Tenchi smiled and said,

"Thanks."

Kazuhiko nodded and went to take care of some other students.

Ryoko looking around spoke

"You're awful popular here Tenchi."

Tenchi shook his head answered

"Not really, I am just well liked."

Ryoko nodded and, smiling, lowered her voice,

"Well, you're popular with me."

Tenchi blushed slightly and was about to say something when Kazuhiko walked over from the printer with a printout.

He handed it to Ryoko, a smile plastered all over his face.

"Here you go."

Ryoko beamed at him and Tenchi glanced at Kazuhiko, who promptly left and went back to the other students.

Tenchi led Ryoko to the back of the office. He looked over Ryoko's shoulder and read her schedule.

1st period - Calculus

2nd period - Family Development

3rd period - Advanced Physics

4th period - Writing Class

5th period - Japanese History

6th period - Government

7th period - Business Applications

Ryoko looked up from her schedule. Tenchi smiled at her and kissed her on the cheek.

"How about that? We have 1st, 3rd, 6th, and 7th periods together."

Ryoko's face filled with curiosity and said,

"What classes do you have during 2nd, 4th, and 5th?"

Tenchi smiled slightly, almost embarrassed,

"World History 2nd and Wellness Education 4th."

Ryoko cocked her head to the right and put her hands on her hips, her schedule poking out of one of her fist.

"And 5th?"

Tenchi bowed his head and blushed slightly. Glancing up at her, he whispered,

"Poetry."

Ryoko beamed and wrapped her slender arms around him causing Tenchi to blink in surprise and returned the hug. She giggled and whispered in his ear,

"Good. Now I expect to get a lot more like the ones Sasami found in your room."

Tenchi blinked in surprise and tried to play it off.

"What poem?"

Ryoko smiled and started reciting it,

"My love gives me hope, from her golden eyes that twinkle like gems, and one day I shall tell her the truth, that my love for her is as deep as the cave she was in. Her cyan hair so soft and sweet smelling…"

Tenchi felt his blush deepen slightly. He put his hand behind his head and froze.

Ryoko blinked in confusion as Tenchi stood there with a stupid little smile on his face. She reached out and gently shook him. He blinked a couple of times.

Ryoko smiled and whispered,

"Ten-chan, don't zone out now."

He nodded his head and mumbled an apology. Smiling, she wrapped her arm around his and led him out of the office. She didn't know where any of their classes were and Tenchi was out of it. But, she figured that once he got his feet moving he would snap all the way out of it.

She opened the door and led him down the hall. Hiding her nervousness, she nodded at the students who said hello. Slowly, it dawned on her that a lot of the girls had crushes on him. That caused her to almost burst out laughing at them. It also brought a mixture of emotion she knew all to well. One was amusement at them and the other was worry at what they would try if they had half a chance. She chuckled to herself in amusement at that particular thought. It didn't really matter now, she had him and they were all out of luck but the feeling wouldn't totally leave her.

Tenchi returned from his thoughts and she looked over at him. She saw that he was looking around confused. Turning his attention to his right where Ryoko was holding onto his arm, he smiled causing her to blush slightly.

"Ryo-chan where are we?"

Ryoko smiled and gestured down the hallway,

"Well you zoned out on me at the office and I decided to try and find class on my own."

Tenchi sighed and shook his head,

"You did fine, but class is on the other side of the school and besides, we have to go to the chorei."

Ryoko frowned slightly

"What's that?"

Tenchi smiled slightly and answered her,

"It's an assembly held at the beginning of the school day."

Ryoko bowed her head, she was disappointed that she had let him down. Tenchi smiled and stopped her in the middle of the hall. He turned her towards him and, placing a finger under her chin, raised her face up to look him in the eyes. She smiled back and he winked at her. He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"Ryo-chan teleport us to the front of the main hallway."

Ryoko blinked in surprise and with playfulness said in a loud voice,

"Here!!!??"

Tenchi blinked and looked around the hall to see a couple off students looking at them. Tenchi blushed, took her hand and dragged Ryoko into a nearby empty classroom. He looked around the room and then nodded his head in approval. Ryoko stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He felt the gut-wrenching sensation of teleportation and as suddenly as it came, it faded. He didn't move to break the kiss until he felt the need for air. Slowly, he drew back breaking the kiss. He smiled and looked her in the eyes. Her disappointment was obvious. He felt it too so he leaned back into kiss her when she placed her finger on his lips and with a smile playing on her lips said,

"Hold it right there, lover boy. We need to get to that chorei thing."

Tenchi nodded his head and smiled,

"You're right."

Before either was able to say or do anything someone spoke,

"Hey break it up, you two. Get to class."

They both turned their heads to see who was the speaker. Ryoko's eyes flashed with anger at him, but Tenchi smiled and shook his head when he recognized him. He stood slightly taller than Tenchi himself and had long black hair. His eyes were a dark brown.

Tenchi waved and said,

"Hi, Daijiro."

Daijiro waved and walked up to them, he quickly averted his eyes from Ryoko when he saw the anger there and settled his attention on Tenchi instead.

"So, I see you come back from break with a new girlfriend."

Tenchi smiled and took Ryoko's hand.

"Yep."

Daijiro paused and then smiled. He hadn't thought Tenchi would admit it. To tell the truth, he didn't even thought that Tenchi would have a girlfriend until he was in a university.

Tenchi noted the look on his friend's face and continued,

"This is Ryoko."

Ryoko waved slightly and gave him a tight smile, her eyes losing some of their anger. Daijiro smiled back, relived at her change in attitude and continued speaking with Tenchi.

"I don't think that she's too happy with me interrupting your kiss."

Tenchi nodded his head and grinned.

"Yeah, well I'm upset too. Since when do you stop someone from kissing a girl as beautiful as her?"

Daijiro shrugged and smiled. He nodded his head in Ryoko's direction bringing attention to the blush on her face. Tenchi smiled when he looked over at her and shook his head.

"Well, it's true, but she'll give me a worse blush later."

Daijiro smiled and nodded his head in understanding 'After all,' he thought, 'it's the same way with me and Ryoe.' He felt an arm slip around his waist. He blinked and turned his head to see who it was. His smile grew brighter when he saw it was Ryoe. She was slightly shorter than Ryoko and had brown hair with a couple of blond streaks in it and brown eyes. Her skin was a slightly lighter tan than Mihoshi's. She also happened to be very attractive. She smiled and settled her gaze on the two people in front of her. She recognized Tenchi but didn't know the new girl. She figured that she had to be the girl that every body was talking about.

"So, are you going to introduce me to your new friend here?"

Daijiro looked to see her nodding at Ryoko and he smiled nervously.

"That's Ryoko, Tenchi's girlfriend."

Ryoe blinked her eyes in surprise and suddenly stepped forward to hug Tenchi. She stopped short when Ryoko stepped between them. Ryoe looked at her and then backed away smiling. She recognized the look in Ryoko's eyes as one of pure aggression. Ryoe returned to Daijiro and hugged him firmly. Tenchi and Daijiro both let out a sigh and shook their heads.

"Well, we better hurry to the chorei."

Daijiro and Tenchi gently guided their girlfriends through the hallways towards the gymnasium.

Tenchi held the doors leading to the gymnasium and let Ryoko in. He let it go and followed her inside. She stopped as she looked at the bleachers - they were filled with students. She felt her nervousness rise to a new high. Ryoko looked around to her right when she felt a hand grip her elbow. It was Tenchi, he smiled in understanding and led her towards the bleachers, scanning for an empty spot.

Tenchi hated these chorei. He preferred how the Americans did it: show up and go to class. That's it. None of this listening to the principal talk everyday. He finally found an empty place on the bleachers right on the bottom row. The only problem was that it was right in front of the podium where the principle would be talking. Sighing, they had nowhere else to sit and he guided her to it and then sat down holding her hand.

Ryoko was nervous for several reasons, the major one being all these students. There were just too many and the school looked different since the last time she saw it; she frowned slightly. Another part of her nervousness was classes without Tenchi. She also had no idea where they were. How would she ever find them?

Tenchi felt odd. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but it was as if he was being watched. He fought the urge to look around. It was as if some invisible malevolent being was present. He nearly jumped when Ryoko spoke, her voice sounded confused.

"Ten-chan what exactly happens during these chorei?"

Tenchi looked over at her and grinned. Whatever it was that he had felt was gone now.

"Well basically, this is pep talk. We have them every day before school. Also, they will deal with any other pressing concerns."

Ryoko nodded in acceptance and, unsure if she should say what she thought, did so anyway.

"That sounds pointless."

Tenchi smiled even more. He nodded in agreement and squeezed her hand.

Suddenly the gymnasium fell quite and Tenchi refocused his attention on the podium. Ryoko followed suit.

In front of them, stood a broad man. He looked Japanese but stood as tall as a Westerner. He had short well-combed black hair and brown eyes. He had the look about him of a man not to be trifled with. He radiated the presence of someone that not only demanded respect and discipline, but deserved it too. He stood there for a moment, looking out across the sea of students and then spoke. His voice sounded severe and gentle at the same time.

"Ohayo, gakusei."

Tenchi and the rest of the students answered at the same time leaving Ryoko slightly confused.

"Konnichiwa."

The man nodded in satisfaction and continued,

"I am certain that this will be a good term. We have a good faculty and good students. I trust you agree with me?"

Again, the students answered,

"Hai."

The man nodded and, scanning the bleachers, continued,

"I am also certain that we will also enjoy this term."

Instead of the students answering, they clapped politely and he continued,

"Before we begin the day, I must address a few things. As I gazed into the midst of you, I noticed that we have several new students. To save time and undue problems, this is what we shall do."

He paused and Ryoko swore he smiled at her before he continued,

"The new students will turn to the person on one side of them, that person will be there guide for the day. They may chose which side to turn, but they should do it quickly."

Ryoko grinned slightly and turned towards Tenchi. She found that another girl was already talking to him.
She frowned slightly and tapped him on his shoulder. He turned around, looking happy to see her. The other girl looked disappointed but turned to her other side and began speaking with the guy there.

Ryoko continuing to frown spoke,

"And just what were you think you were doing?"

Tenchi smiled slightly and answered,

"Waiting for you to ask me to be your guide."

Ryoko frowned even more and looked slightly angry,

"What makes you think I was going to ask you?"

Tenchi shrugged, unsure what to do, he hadn't expected her to get so angry with him for being polite. The girl had begun talking to him; he was only listening. He sighed to himself and tried to smooth it over, he took her hand, kissed it and spoke,

"Ryoko, the love of my life, I was just being polite. Don't you think it's a little silly to be jealous of a girl I have never met before, especially considering that we're engaged?"

She nodded, losing some of her anger. He continued, glad that his dad had forced him to watch those romance movies back before everything changed.

"Think about it. I had four of the most beautiful girls in the universe in love with me and I had sense enough to choose the most beautiful, most exciting one of the lot."

Ryoko grinned at this and kissed him on the cheek and then poked him in the chest and said,

"And don't you forget that."

Tenchi nodded and smiled glad that it had worked. Ryoko, continuing to grin, spoke,

"So, are you going to help me find my way?"

Tenchi nodded and kissed her on the cheek not really thinking and said,

"Of course."

Ryoko felt giddy, for some odd reason. All of their kissing and their hugging in public were, for some strange reason to her, cementing the fact that he loved her. She knew it didn't make any sense, but she enjoyed it when he hugged or kissed her where people could see it. It seemed like he was announcing to the entire world that she was his and he was hers.

Tenchi was unsure why, but it seemed that a lot of his former inhibitions were gone. He knew, however, that they were just waiting to show up. He could deal with the hugs and the kisses so far but all it would take was for her to get overly happy and forget where they were and they would come back in full force. He could deal with it in private but in public it was a different story.

The principle clapped his hands suddenly and everybody refocused their attention on him as he spoke,

"All new students and their guides will be excused 10 minutes before the end of each class to find the next class. Do not linger in the halls. Do not get any cute ideas about not showing up in class."

The students answered in unison,

"Hai."

He nodded and said,

"Good luck and dismissed."

He watched as the students rose and filed out of the gymnasium heading to their first class.

*******

Tenchi lead Ryoko into the classroom and stopped. He stood there scanning the room until he felt Ryoko tug on his arm. She led him to a couple of desks in the back row that were side by side. He smiled as he sat down, glad that Ryoko felt comfortable enough to guide them through the other students. He glanced over to see Ryoko sort of slump down in her seat. Noting the droop in her eyelids, he turned towards her and asked,

"You sure you can stay awake during class like this?"

Ryoko turned and stuck her tongue out at him and then answered with a smile,

"If I can stay awake through Washu explaining her latest invention, then I can stay awake during class."

Tenchi shook his head and chuckled,

"But Ryoko, you don't stay awake when she explains them."

Ryoko bowed her head and sighed. Before she could say anything, the class fell silent as the teacher clapped his hands. Ryoko looked up and studied the man silently, he stood shorter than Tenchi and he wore a pair of glasses. He looked like he was just in that time between being young and becoming an older man. When he spoke his voice sounded like gravel.

"Ohayo class, I am Mr. Ikuko, your teacher for this semester in calculus. We will have a quiet and peaceful year. "

The students nodded and he continued,

"I will be passing out a test to see exactly where you stand."

The students nodded as the tests were passed back along the rows. When Ryoko got hers she smiled, oddly confused. Tenchi looked at his and a worried look filled his face. He glanced over to see Ryoko's reaction. He saw her smiling and silently thought, 'Now what is she so happy about?'

He glanced up to see that Ikuko was busy at his desk and he turned back to her and spoke; the test hadn't started yet so this was his only chance to do so for now.
"Ryo-chan, what are you so happy about?"

Ryoko looked up at him and smiled sweetly,

"I thought calculus was supposed to be hard?"

Tenchi blinked in surprise as a smiling Ryoko continued,

"I had to do this stuff when I was... Kagato didn't want a completely stupid weapon."

Her voice sort of wobbled over that last word and he reached his hand out and placed it lightly on her arm. He smiled gently at her and she smiled back happily. Tenchi was about to say something when Mr. Ikuko stood up and clapped his hands, causing all the students to refocus their attention.

"You have 20 minutes to take this test. There will be no talking during this test and no making eye contact with anyone. Is that understood?"

The class nodded their heads, picked their pencils up and began.

Tenchi groaned to himself and tried to concentrated on the test, but couldn't seem to. He started to glance over to see how Ryoko was doing but caught himself. He forced himself to concentrate on the test.


Mr. Ikuko sat behind his desk watching the class. He noted that Tenchi started to glance over at the new girl but stopped and went back to his test. Ikuko debated whether or not to let it go. He decided he would let it go and scanned the rest of the class. Several were whispering, others were having problems with the test - he could tell from their faces and body language. But, he noted that the new girl was breezing through the test. Now that could prove a problem. Should he transfer her out of the class and into one that would be more of a challenge? He needed to do a few things before he came to a decision on that. He needed to speak with her for one and, two, to make sure her answers were right. He glanced at his watch and frowned; only another 5 minutes.

Ryoko finished her test and then sat there a moment wondering what to do. She flipped the paper over and started doodling, her mind wondering. She wasn't sure why, but she felt a guilty for acting like she had towards Ryoe. But that was the only way she knew how to be around Tenchi when another girl was around. Of course, she knew she had no reason to be. He had chosen her and she had nothing to worry about. Ryoko frowned, she was beginning to miss the old days when she fought with Aekea. Not over Tenchi, but over meaningless stuff. It had been fun. Of course, she wouldn't really admit it, but she missed Aekea. She shook her head to clear it, there was no point in it. Smiling, she turned her thoughts to Tenchi. She felt giddy. She wasn't sure why, but thinking of him always made her feel that way. Happily, she thought, 'Maybe I can convince him to finish the bath Washu broke up.' Ryoko smiled slightly, her mind already playing out what would ensue.


Tenchi groaned as he finally finished his test. It had been harder than he had thought it would be. He wondered why math teachers always liked giving tests on the first day. He blinked when he realized that he was sitting there staring absently at the test. He smiled and let his mind continue replaying the events of that morning, especially the bath. He smiled wistfully and sighed to himself. 'Why couldn't Washu wait? I swear, she's almost as bad as father.' Tenchi shuddered slightly at the thought of what his dad would have done if he had come in on them. He frowned to himself as it played it out in his head…

The door would open, Nobuyuki would enter and stop dead when he saw Tenchi and Ryoko in there without clothes on. He would shout and drop to his knees. He would cry out to his deceased wife that Tenchi was finally growing up. Then he would run out and try to find his camera so he could take pictures for a scrapbook for Tenchi and Ryoko to look at when they got older.

He pushed that thought away and started mulling over a new one. For whatever reason, he had never thought of it until now. It had hit him like a ton of bricks, would he age like a human or like a Juraian? He felt a sudden uneasiness in his stomach. He had picked her and now in sixty or eighty years he would die, leaving Ryoko alone. After all, that many human years would be like the blink of an eye to her. It was looming above him like a huge, impassable mountain. He mentally wrestled with the thought and finally forced it to the back of his mind so that he could discuss it with Katsuhito and Washu later.

Sighing sadly to himself, he changed his thoughts to the question of what he would do with Ryoko between now and dinner. Several possibilities flashed into his mind, a number of which (if he had thought of them before) would have left him extremely red. He mentally shrugged and decided to let her come up with what to do and gave himself over to his possibilities.

Mr. Ikuko rose and spoke,

"Pencil's down. Pass the papers up to the front."

He noted those who were hurriedly scribbling there names or answers down then passing in their tests. Naturally, he would take off points for this, but he at least knew that they knew their stuff, they were just slow getting started. He walked the rows collecting the tests and counting how many new students he had. 5 new students, two of which had their guides with them. When he reached the last desk, he walked back to his desk and sat down lacing his hands in front of him. He pursed his lips and then glanced at his watch; he needed to let the new ones leave. He didn't personally agree with principle about this but he was just a teacher. Clearing his throat he spoke,

"Would all the new students stand up."

He watched as they rose. They were scattered all over the room. He almost smiled when the new girl that had come in with Tenchi Masaki tried to stand and almost fell from tangling her feet up in her desk.

He swept his eyes across the class and then continued,

"You are to go to your next class. Those of you who are guides are to go, also. I have your names so no one else can try and leave class early."

He let a small smile cross his face as several of the guys in the class who where sitting near the new girl looked disappointed at that statement. They shot hateful looks at Tenchi as he stood up and smiled like he was the cat that had just eaten the canary.

Tenchi confidently moved around his desk to stand beside her and took her hand. She smiled contently and leaned over and whispered in his ear,

"Tenchi we have some time before the next class. We could go to the roof and play."

Tenchi gulped nervously. He knew exactly what she meant by "play." Part of him wanted to but he doubted if it would happen. The idea was tempting, though. He nodded his head in approval and thought with a half smile on his face, 'Oh well, I didn't want to go to world history anyway.'

Ryoko's face lit up with happiness. She knew that they wouldn't get to "play" but the fact that he wanted to was enough for her. Of course, she wouldn't mind if they did. She didn't want to go to Family Development, it sounded boring.

They stood there happy as larks as the other new people in the class stood and those with guides congregated together.

Mr. Ikuko waited until they were done and, shaking his head in disapproval of the matter, spoke,

"If you are ready, you may leave."

He watched as the new students walked out the door. He frowned and turned his attention back to the remaining class.

*******

Aekea stood on the bridge as she watched the last Jurai checkpoint pass behind her. Only a few more hours and she would be home. She felt like crying but didn't. She turned and found Ukyo standing a few feet behind her, watching everything. She felt better knowing she had someone on-board she could trust. She smoothed out her kimono and walked over to him.

"Well Ukyo, my trip is almost over."

The knight nodded and answered,

"Yes, it will be a sort of hard to go back to Jurai. I found earth a nice change of pace. So relaxed and peaceful."

Aekea nodded in agreement.

"Yes it was a...most enjoyable place."

He smiled in understanding and followed her out the door that led to the hallway. He was slowly adjusting to her. She was much more informal than he had been told and had expected. She didn't treat him as an equal, though. More as a companion, which was still more than what he expected. He stepped into the lift and watched as the doors closed. He stood there a moment and then spoke,

"Aekea, may I ask a question?"

He was confused by the silence and turned around to find her looking at him oddly. He wondered if he had said something wrong. She shook her head and recovered. She laughed slightly,

"Excuse me, my thoughts were elsewhere."

Ukyo nodded in understanding and asked,

"Are you alright?"

Aekea smiled kindly at him and nodded.

"Yes, I am fine now."

Ukyo looked at her a moment longer and then spoke,

"Well if you are sure, then would you mind me asking you a question?"

Aekea nodded and Ukyo continued,

"It is sort of personal so if you would rather not answer, just tell me so."

The princess nodded and he continued,

"I was wondering, Prince Tenchi, you loved him?"

Aekea's eyes shimmered with shock and pain but nodded. Ukyo frowned and continued,

"Loved him enough to marry him?"

Aekea's eyes looked even more pained and Ukyo fell silent for a few moments and then spoke,

"I see. I want to know before I told you."

Aekea forced her pain down and looked at the knight questioningly. Ukyo noting this, continued,

"I am not often in the court so I do not have all the details but, you should know that your father Emperor Azusa has accepted an offer for you're hand in marriage. I do not know to whom but I thought you should know."

Ukyo felt uncomfortable in the silence that descended. He hadn't told her everything. He indeed knew whom she was to marry but he thought it would be best not to let her know that, he was already in enough trouble with the emperor.

Aekea felt anger, despair, shock, and even contentment. In her mind though, only one thought repeated: 'How dare he do this.' She forced all of the emotions down as they served no purpose at this point. Instead, she shifted her attention to Ukyo and spoke,

"Thank you, Ukyo."

Ukyo nodded and they continued to ride the lift in silence the knight worried and the princess silently fuming.

*******

Tenchi lay on the top of the school staring at the clouds, his head resting on his hands. Ryoko was using his chest as pillow; her hands were laced together on her stomach. It was very serene and calm, something neither was quite used to. After they left the class, Tenchi had led Ryoko up here and they had just lain down and talked while staring up at the sky.

If they left right now, they could make third period. Tenchi reluctantly spoke up,

"Do you want to try and go to class?"

Ryoko shook her head slightly and answered. She sounded very drained.

"Only if you want to. I sort of just want to watch the sky."

Tenchi nodded his head in understanding and smiled. He was in no hurry to get back to class; this was fine.

"Then that's what we will do. We'll just lay here and watch the sky."

Ryoko nodded her head slightly in agreement and sighed in satisfaction. They may not have done anything but watching the sky, but even that was paradise to her. They lay there for who knows how long watching the clouds pass over head until finally sleep overtook them.

*******

Slowly a beeping penetrated the haze of sleep that had gripped Washu. She stretched while yawning and looked at her holo screen. She was confused for a moment and then smiled slightly. She scanned the screen again and nodded in satisfaction; this was good, this was very good. This was what she was looking for. She only needed one more piece as back up and she could convince Azusa that what he wanted to do was wrong. She was relieved that she would be able to save her daughter the pain she had went through, but another part of her was very annoyed with herself, did she really believe that Tenchi or Ryoko would let Azusa do what he was threatening? She forced that question down, it didn't matter if they would or not. This was her atonement, for all the mistakes she had ever made. They all traced their way back to that one moment, the moment when she was forced to give up her husband and child.

******

Tenchi stirred slightly and started to stretch but stopped when he felt the weight on his chest. He lifted his head and glanced down. The sight of Ryoko there brought a smile to his face. He took his hand and ran it through her hair and thought, 'My Angel.' Laying his head back on his other hand, he looked up at the sky and groaned. He wasn't sure, but he thought it was the end of fifth period. He ran his hand through her hair again and then looked at the watch Ryoko had given him and frowned. It was the end of fourth period, he needed to wake her up now, otherwise the class that came up here fifth would find them.

Gently he moved his hand down to Ryoko's shoulder and shook her awake. She mumbled and opened her eyes to tiny slits, a frown playing on her lips. Tenchi smiled and watched as she sat up and looked around; her eyes now shining with irritation. She settled them on him and she let the irritation change to calmness.

Smiling, she spoke,

"Is it time to leave all ready?"

Tenchi shook his head and smiled back.

"No, it's almost time for 5th period."

Ryoko frowned and sighed slightly,

"Can't we skip it?"

Tenchi shook his head and looked at her with mock annoyance.

"No, we missed our other classes. We should try and make this one."

Ryoko nodded her head and stood up, straightening her dress. Tenchi sat up and watched in fascination, uncertain as to why he was so enthralled with her straightening her dress. Groaning, he stood and dusted his own clothes off. He yawned as he stretched and turned towards the door when Ryoko spoke,

"You know what? I'm not going to class."

Tenchi turned and looked at Ryoko in uncertainty. He spoke, his voice laced with an inquisitive tone,

"Really? Why not?"

Ryoko smiled and ran her tongue over her fangs and explained with mischief evident in her voice,

"Because there's no reason to."

Tenchi smiled slightly at her and winked.

"Yes, there is."

Ryoko titled her head to the right and gave him a look that said 'and what would that be?'

He smiled and stepped up to her. He reached out and ran his hand along her jaw line and stopped at her chin. Ryoko smiled her approval and let him lift her chin to look at him.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"The bath, after we get home."

Ryoko's face brightened as he leaned back and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned it.

After a few minutes he broke the kiss and said,

"You remember where the office is?"

Ryoko nodded and smiled. He continued,

"Take us there."

Ryoko paused and looked at him for a moment and then lightheartedly replied,

"What happened to 'Try not to use your powers unless you have to,' hmm?"

Tenchi frowned slightly. He wasn't particularly keen on having his own words thrown back at him. Why did she have to remember that of all things? Still, he did say it so he had to accept Ryoko's ribbing.

"You're right, but if you don't then we'll be late for class. Then we'll be to busy after school to take that bath."

Ryoko frowned slightly and he felt the slight gut wrenching of teleportation and he found himself in front of office. The hallways were still empty of anybody and he sighed in relief and smiled. Turning his attention back to Ryoko, he smiled and moved in for another kiss when he felt a hand touch his shoulder, causing him to pause.

Tenchi turned around his face filled with irritation. That made the second time today that somebody had stopped him from kissing her.

Ryoko was very upset. Tenchi was in the way so she couldn't really see who it was, but she didn't like the fact that they had stopped Tenchi from kissing her. She moved slightly so that she could see past him and frowned. It was Ryoe.

Ryoe noted Tenchi's expression and Ryoko's frown. She groaned to herself and thought, 'Nice move, baka. Let's just get on her bad side even more.' She was trying not to give Ryoko cause for concern since she had to have fought to be with him for her to behave like she did.

Silently, she thanked Tenchi for filling the silence that had descended.

"Ohayo, Ryoe."

Ryoe smiled and bowed her head slightly,

"Ohayo, Tenchi, Ryoko."

Tenchi glanced up and down the hallways and frowned,

"Where's Daijiro?"

Ryoe nodded towards a class room down the hall and said,

"He's in there. I was on my way back when I saw you two."

Ryoko nodded slightly. Changing her frown to a small smile, she wrapped her arms around one of Tenchi's To remind herself that she had no reason to be hostile with Ryoe.

Ryoe noted the change in position and attitude. She nodded slightly and said,

"So where have you two been all day?"

Ryoe smiled as they looked at each other and then back at her. Hesitantly, Tenchi spoke,

"On the roof."

Ryoe raised an eyebrow skeptically and Tenchi was quick to explain,

"She wanted to see it and when we went up there the door closed and locked on us."

Ryoe looked at them, her face and voice were filled with doubt, causing both Tenchi and Ryoko to look even more guilty,

"If you say so."

Tenchi was about to deny anything but Ryoe smiled and continued,

"Anyway, Daijiro and I thought that maybe this weekend we could go out on a double date."

Tenchi nodded slightly and Ryoko spoke,

"Give us a few days."

Ryoe nodded her head and smiled. At least this was a step in the right direction towards becoming friends.

"Take as long as you need. "

Their conversation was cut short when the bell rang and students began filling out of the classrooms in a hurry to reach their next class. Before they could resume their discussion, Daijiro joined them. He nodded in greeting to each of them and spoke with a smile,

"Where have you two been all day?"

Tenchi and Ryoko looked odd for a moment. As Tenchi was about to explain, Ryoe spoke up,

"They got locked out up on the roof."

Daijiro smiled slightly and glanced at the two,

"So, you took some quality time."

Tenchi and Ryoko both reluctantly nodded their heads. Tenchi, in an attempt to change the subject, asked,

"So where's your next class?"

Daijiro and Ryoe smiled slightly in comprehension. Ryoe spoke while slipping her hand into Daijiro's,

"I have poetry this period and Daijiro has World History. What about you two?"

Tenchi answered,

"I have the same class as you. Ryoko has Japanese History."

Daijiro nodded sensing the problem and spoke,

"Well my world history class is right next to the Japanese History class, I could help her find her next class."

Tenchi nodded in appreciation but noted Ryoko tighten her grip on his arm. He turned to her in an attempt to calm her.

"It's only this one time, and you can trust Daijiro."

Ryoko nodded slightly but still looked upset as he continued,

"If I took you then I would be late."

Ryoko frowned and he felt anger begin to radiate out from her. He tried again as time was slipping away,

"Ryoko what would it take for you to go along with this just this once?"

Ryoko's frown lightened somewhat and she leaned and whispered in his ear. Tenchi felt his face burning in embarrassment. It grew hotter and he knew that his blush would have to be at an all time red. She finally stopped and nipped his ear slightly. He remained still. He looked at her and she just smiled and nodded her head. Tenchi gulped and nodded back, not trusting his voice.

Daijiro glanced at Ryoe who looked back at him and shrugged.

Ryoko felt satisfied with the look on Tenchi's face and the blush more than made up for what he wanted her to do. She wasn't angry with him, really. He was right, this was the most practical thing to do. Sighing, she kissed him on the cheek and then nodded to Daijiro who in turn kissed Ryoe and then led Ryoko down the hall.

Tenchi finally came to himself and Ryoe laughing asked,

"What exactly did she say to you?"

Tenchi looked at her and shook his head. She nodded in understanding and they both started off for poetry.

The Classroom was full of students talking amongst themselves. Ryoko stood there a moment and then walked towards an empty desk next to a window at the back of the room. She felt odd as conversations stopped and then continued after she had passed. Ryoko felt a bit off balance with out Tenchi. She knew that he was right about Daijiro walking her to the class, but she didn't particularly care for it. On the up side, he had turned a nice shade of red when she told him what she wanted to make up for this. Ryoko slumped in her seat and sighed to herself. Without meaning to, she caught some of the conversations around her.

"I bet you I could get a date with her."

"No you couldn't, she's with Masaki."

"So? I could take her away from him."

"No you couldn't."

"I have money, looks, power, So why not?"

"Yasuhiro, you're full of it."

"Aww, shut up."

Ryoko sighed inwardly, 'This is going to be a long year.' She shifted her attention to a small group of girls, just a desk over. They were talking and glancing at her, she smiled inwardly at what she heard.

"I wonder who she is?"

"I don't know but she's Tenchi's girlfriend."

"What? You're kidding right? Tenchi Maskai and her?"

"Yeah, that's right. They met at that shrine his grandfather runs."

"Wow, he's so shy. I wonder how she got him to date her?"

Their conversation cut itself short when the teacher clapped his hand together for the classes attention. He was a balding old man with a potbelly and a pair of thick glasses. He cleared his throat and began speaking,

"I am Mr. Coung. I will be your teacher this semester for Japanese History."

Ryoko stifled a yawn. This was definitely going to be a very boring class.

Tenchi tuned his teacher, Miss Ginko, out. He had other things to think about besides poetry. Like, how long he would live, how to deal with the fact that no matter how much he wanted to show his affections for Ryoko, he couldn't in public (at least not the way she wanted) and several other things. He wrestled with the minor problems and came to a decent settlement for them. He decided that he would defiantly, lovingly kiss her during school. The thought occurred to him that love really does make fools out of guys. That only left him with one problem. The huge impassible one: his age. He shoved the emotional part down as best he could and tried to reason it out. On the one hand, he was part Juraian, that meant he would live longer than most humans. His Light Hawk Wings were an unknown variable, and Tsunami's influence would be another. His head was beginning to thud with pain from thinking about it and again, he resolved to let Washu and Katsuhito find the answer. With the final problem on hold for now, he turned his thoughts to something not as depressing: exactly how fast Yuzukaa would run from the house.

The day passed with relative ease for Daijiro. He concentrated on his test and when that was done, talked with his friends as waited for the end of the period. He kept thinking about Ryoko's reaction towards Ryoe and Tenchi's willingness to show more affection than he should in public. Daijiro had spent a year as a foreign exchange student in America so he wasn't that bothered by it, over there it was normal. Besides, Tenchi was a friend.

Ryoe sat across the room, poetry class was really easy on the first day, you received your writing utensils and some paper and wrote whatever came to you. She was distracted by her thoughts. Why was Ryoko so over protective of Tenchi? How she could show her that she was not a rival or an enemy?

She silently lifted her pen and jotted down a few lines and then frowned. Ryoko was also overly affectionate. Of course, according to Tenchi that was how she was raised where she came from. Still, she needed to understand that the constant kissing and hugging was not done in public. Of course, Tenchi was to blame too. He was not only letting her but returning her affections. However, she was his friend so she would remain quite out of respect for him.

As the bell rang for the end of fifth period, Tenchi was the first out the door heading for the Japanese History classroom. He arrived just as Ryoko was coming out. She finished her sentence with two girls who smiling waved goodbye, leaving her alone. She looked around and, spotting Tenchi, walked over to him. She stood there for a moment looking at him, her face unreadable. Finally, she smiled and took his hand.

Tenchi felt relief wash over him and they started down the hall. He spoke as they turned a corner, headed for Government,

"So, make some friends?"

Ryoko nodded as she replied,

"Yes, they're Kumiko and Haruko."

Tenchi nodded. He was glad that she had made some friends. He continued,

"Ryoko, about that thing you mention earlier…"

Ryoko looked at him suspiciously.

"Are you trying to get out of it?"

Tenchi waved his hand in front of his faced a few times signaling no and explained,

"No, I was just wondering when you wanted to do it. Before or after the bath?"

Ryoko smiled in relief and thought about it. Finally, she answered,

"After."

Tenchi nodded and they entered the Government classroom.

*******

Aekea frowned as she stood at the walkway leading from her ship. She had arrived in a private, Royal shuttle since the Shinkoo was unable to approach the palace. On either side of her were the now familiar presence of Ukyo and Baiko. The door opened and she began her procession. Taking small even steps, she moved gracefully in her Royal robes. At the end of the walk way was her Mother, Father, and Funaho, along with an assembly of other lords and lady's and knights lining the area. Aekea took it all in, the palace in its magnificent glory and splendor it's white marble walls reaching towards the heavens. She reached the end of the hallway and the two knights stepped away from her and fell into a waiting position. She bowed her head slightly as she spoke,

"Otou-sama, Okaa-sama's."

She looked at Funaho, who nodded politely. She then glanced at her mother, Misaki, who smiled in compassion and lastly at her father, who impassively nodded his head in regard to her. She noted that a particular noble stood closer to the emperor than the others. He was tall, as tall as her father, and he was handsome. His face was one of youth and exuberance. He had ice-blue eyes that spoke of mirth and kindness. His hair was the color of silver and reached to his shoulders. He was dressed even more regally than the other nobles were; his robes seemed to denote a higher position than the others. He smiled in friendship at her and she had the suspicion that he was her intended.

Azusa ignored her attention on the young noble. He was far more concerned about why the damnable Washu wanted to speak with him alone. He turned and spoke to the gathered assembly; his voice sounding every bit the emperor,

"Lords and Ladys, we are thankful that you came to welcome home our daughter, Princess Aekea. There will be a banquet in a few hours in celebration of her return, you are all invited."

Their was polite applause and he waited for it to die away before he continued,

"However, my wives and I wish to speak privately with our daughter, at this time. We will join you at the banquet at our earliest convenience."

There were respectful bows as the nobles took their leave, including the silver haired noble.

Azusa turned back to his daughter and spoke,

"Welcome home."

He glanced at the two knights. His eyes narrowed and lingered on Ukyo.

He then turned and spoke to his wives,

"I have some important matters to attend to. I will join you shortly."

They nodded their head and Azusa left, after motioning for Baiko to follow him.

The three women stood there a moment in silence. Finally Aekea spoke, her voice sounding childish,

"Mommy."

Misaki lost the distant look of royalty and moved with lighting speed to take Aekea into a bone-crushing hug. Funaho smiled slightly and spoke, her voice reasonable and understanding,

"Misaki, Aekea, we should head for the private chambers."

Misaki immediately let Aekea go and turning spoke to Funaho,

"But, she…"

Funaho glanced at Aekea and nodding her head continued,

"We should go, it may be unwise to stay here."

Misaki looked at the other woman and nodding her head pulled Aekea between themselves and left the area.

Ukyo stood there a moment and then sensing that he was no longer required, left and headed for his quarters. He already missed the comfortable feeling of Earth, but he was a knight so he wouldn't complain.

Azusa frowned as he looked at the red haired scientist. He waited patiently for her to begin. He was about to shut the channel off when she spoke.

"Emperor Azusa."

Azusa nodded, frowning slightly,

"Miss Washu."

Washu frowned at the use of "Miss" but let it go. She had far more pressing matters. She cleared her throat and began,

"Do you remember your promise to Tenchi and Ryoko when Aekea left here?"

Azusa nodded. He remembered it quite well, and he intended to fulfill it.

Washu continued,

"Well, I have some information that you should consider before you try."

She ignored his frown as she began,

"I believe that it was you who was forced to marry Misaki to retain the throne after you married Funaho, which, I believe, was frowned on."

Azusa nodded and spoke,

"Yes, but that has no relevance on the matter."

Washu nodded and frowning continued,

"Yes, that doesn't. But what I am about to show you does. I won't read it since, well, it's a private matter."

Azusa frowned at that. He watched as the screen faded to black and was replaced with a long forgotten bit of text. He read it quickly and had just finished when it suddenly faded off and was replaced with Washu's face. She looked every bit as serious as she sounded. Azusa narrowed his eyes at the scientist and spoke, his voice sounding strained,

"Fine. I won't try."

Washu nodded in satisfaction and snapped the channel off. Azusa felt his rage rising but forced it down. He was an emperor and it wasn't good for him to let his rage over take him. He sat there in complete silence, calming himself. He nodded at a court messenger and spoke,

"Send in Shousa Baiko."

The messenger bowed his head and left the throne room. Azusa settled into his throne and frowned deeply. He had promised not to break them up, but he would, if the opportunity presented itself, cause the whelp a few problems.

*******

The school day was over. It had been a difficult last period and Tenchi was glad to see the day finally over. He, Ryoko, Ryoe and Daijiro were gathered in the schoolyard. He held Ryoko's hand and Ryoe and Daijiro were in the same position. They said their goodbyes and ironed out the details concerning their double date.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ryoko spotted Yasuhiro approaching; he seemed cocky and arrogant. He stopped just out of arms reach from the group and spoke, drawing Tenchi's attention,

"Hey, babe why don't you come with me?"

Tenchi started forward but Ryoko held tight to his arm, she didn't want him hurting somebody for hitting on her.

Yasuhiro ignored the young prince as he continued,

"After we finish the date, I can show you a very good time."

Tenchi finally wrenched free from her grasp and stepped up only a few inches from Yasuhiro and spoke, his voice low and dangerous,

"I would leave if I were you."

The man sneered and Tenchi continued,

"It would be a very, very bad idea if you stayed."

Yasuhiro reached out to shove Tenchi. In the blink of an eye, he found himself on the ground, his arm behind shooting signals of pain as Tenchi lifted slightly. He lay there, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Finally Tenchi spoke,

"If you ever come near her or speak to her again I will make sure it will be the last thing you ever do."

Yasuhiro nodded and Tenchi let him go and walked back to Ryoko. She ignored the guy getting off the ground. Daijiro and Ryoe were both slightly shocked at Tenchi's violent reaction. But then again, there had always been bad blood between Yasuhiro and Tenchi.

Tenchi shifted gears as he said his goodbyes and led Ryoko away from the school.

Deciding to skip the bus, the couple began to walk. They didn't say much, they just settled into walking in the presence of each other and their love.

After a while, Tenchi glanced over at her, smiled and asked,

"What are you thinking about?"

Ryoko looked back at him and began to giggle. He raised his eyebrow and silently wondered what joke he was missing. Ryoko's giggles subsided but were soon replaced with laughter. He stood there more confused than ever and asked,

"What's so funny?"

Ryoko waved her right hand at him and managed to answer in between laughs,

"Nothing, I was just picturing what's going to happen when Yuzukaa meets Washu, Kiyone, and Mihoshi."

Slowly, a smile crept onto Tenchi's face and he began to laugh. He hadn't thought about that in a while. He knew that Yuzukaa would hit on Mihoshi since that was whom he would be attracted to. She was a law officer and the friendliest. His mind played out the scene:

Yuzukaa would sit next to her and then after a few minutes he would speak.

"Hey there, I have a hard time sleeping."

"Why?"

"Because you keep running through my mind at night."

"How can I do that we just met."

"It's destiny."

"What is?"

"Us."

"Us what?"

"Together."

"Huh?"

Tenchi laughed harder than before. He knew that she would drive Yuzukaa insane.

Ryoko finally subdued her laughter and approached a smiling Tenchi. She had a sudden urge to get home soon and take that bath before Yuzukaa showed up. Tenchi wrapped his arms around her waist as she did the same. He leaned in for a kiss then yelled in surprise as they teleported. He found himself standing in front of the house. Ryoko smiled to herself; scaring him sometimes was almost as much fun as when she embarrassed him.

Tenchi looked around a little bewildered and then turned to face Ryoko who had a huge smile on her face. He tried to look upset but found it impossible so he decided to grin back, sharing her mood.

*******

The majestic planet of Jurai floated in space. The swirls of purple and blue covered vast landmasses of forest, cities and oceans. The people here were happy and comfortable. The capital was the embodiment of all that was Jurai with its towering and sprawling forest. The major buildings were taller and grander than anywhere else.

Azusa groaned to himself as the foreign dignitary prattled on asking for Jurai's aid in their war with their neighbors. Of course, he knew that Jurai would help with the medical and financial matters only since it was not the way of the empire to get involved with inconsequential wars.

He had to let the man finish his case, but he listened with only half an ear. He was far more concerned with his daughter Aekea's rejection. He was happy that she was no longer with that boy and that she would be marrying a noble that was better suited for his role as emperor. However, another part of him was angry. What Tenchi had done was a direct slap in his face and he wanted to send the whole the army of Jurai to teach the insolent whelp a lesson. But he couldn't. He had sworn on his oath as emperor not to interfere with their relationship or harm him or his demon. Forcing himself to focus on the business at hand, he swore that he would find away to put his new plan in to effect as soon as he could.

Aekea sighed as sat at her mirrored dresser in her room. She brushed her long purple hair, lost in thought. She missed her friends, her sister, even Ryoko. Since arriving, she had had neither the time nor the energy to speak with them even once. The banquet for her return had been grand and the nobles that were present were very polite. Although she had seen the noble with silver hair enter, she had not heard his name mentioned or met him.

She finished her brushing and placed the brush on the top of the dresser and rose, heading for her bed. A knock at the door stopped her. She sighed again, wondering whom it would be. She walked to the door and said,

"Come in."

The door opened to reveal a man dressed in a completely black outfit. He had a mask that let only his bright red eyes show. He stood there and Aekea felt terror grip her heart as she placed the emotion in them: malice.

She took a step back, attempting to move away from the man. She felt her Jurai energy rise as the man spoke,

"Princess Aekea, prepare to die."

The princess's pink eyes widened as her attacker drew an energy blade. The hilt was made out of metal that was simple with no adornments; it was an assassins weapon. The blade extended, it was long and a dark red. The assassin lunged at her and she reacted on instinct, jumping backwards and using her Jurai energy to form a shield. The assassin's blade was deflected and he quickly tried again. Gathering her wits, Aekea raised one of her hands and let loose a burst of Jurai energy. The assassin was struck and fell to the floor dazed, his blade out of reach. She looked up and found her doorway filled with ten knights. Upon her nodded permission, they surrounded the assassin, their weapons posed, ready to strike.

Aekea recomposed herself quickly and approached her attacker. He stared up at her with the same malice as when he had first attacked her. She pressed her lips to thin lines as she spoke,

"Who are you?"

The attacker remained silent as he regarded her.

She asked again this time the assassin opened his mouth as if to speak but instead snapped it shut hard. Aekea barely had time to realize what he had done when his eyes rolled back into his head, showing the white.

One of the knights knelt, opened his mouth and removed the remains of a capsule. He stood and looked at the princess and spoke,

"He's killed himself, Princess."

She nodded and spoke to the nearest one,

"Please go get the palace servants."

He snapped to attention and placed his hand on his chest while bowing his head and answered,

"Yes, Princess."

He quickly trotted out of the room and Aekea walked over and wearily sat down in a nearby chair. An assassination attempt… She had never thought it possible that someone would want to kill her. Aekea suddenly gasped with realization and standing, she turned to the knight that had removed the broken capsule and hurriedly spoke her thoughts,

"By Tsunami! Sasami…she could be next!"

She quickly strode out of her room past the incoming servants, with a knight following quickly behind her.

A/N: Nothing to say this go around keeping reading and review me please.