***
Okay, so this one might be a little boring. It's mostly a lot of talking heads, i.e. Tenchi and Sakuya getting some things straightened out, Sakuya and Ayeka defining their relationship, etc.
I was really hard on Ayeka's character in this chapter. This is just to warn all you Ayeka fans out there. Although I don't really like Ayeka very much, it's nothing personal against her or any of you. Think of it this way: Ayeka is not only jealous and resentful of Sakuya, but is also looking at things from a political point of view that Sakuya is not aware of.
So without further ado, here it is. Enjoy! -- Poncho D
Chapter Three
It was nearly six a.m. Washu knocked on the bedroom door one more time and, getting no response, pushed open the door and looked in on Sakuya.
She was sound asleep, snoring softly. In the dim light from the lab, only the crown of her hair was visible, peeking out from under the dark-blue conforter.
Wasuh sighed. Okay, this was going to be difficult. She rapped loudly on the side of the doorway. "Sakuya?"
With a soft groan, the groggy girl forced her head off the pillow, and squinted at the little wind-up clock on the nightstand. "It's so early," she moaned irritably. Her head plopped uncerimoniously back on to the pillow.
"Yeah, no kidding," Washu agreed. "I figured you would want to sleep until noon."
Now what, Sakuya's sleep-fogged mind wondered, was *that* supposed to mean?
"Come on, you heard me," Washu said sternly. "Rise and shine. Or at least rise."
Slowly, she obeyed, sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing her weary eyes.
"Sasami's already up," Washu informed her. "In fact," she glanced at her watch, "she should be just about finshed making breakfast. You'd better hurry before Mihoshi gets to the bacon first."
Mihoshi had indeed gotten to the bacon first, but there was still enough to go around. Sasami bustled gamely about, placing fried rice and okonomiyaki on everyone's plate, and filling glasses with fresh milk. "Good morning, Sakuya," she said, beaming cheerfully. "Wow, you look like you could use some coffee." She removed the glass of milk in front of one plate, and replaced it with a steaming mug.
"Where is Ryoko?" Ayeka grumbled from her seat. "She never gets up with the rest of us. That demon sleeps until noon almost everyday. It really is unfair."
"Yep, it sure is," Washu agreed. "You want to go wake her up?"
Ayeka made no reply.
"I didn't think so," Washu said sardonically. "She's the exception to the rule, and we all know why. Alright, everyone," she said to the assembled family. "Here's the chore list for today. Mihoshi, Kiyone and I need to go grocery shopping in Kurashiki. Noboyuki, would you mind driving us?" Noboyuki nodded absently, poking with his chopsticks at the rice on his plate. "Good. Ryoko doesn't know it yet, but she'll be helping you make lunch, Sasami. Sakuya and Ayeka, you two have laundry duty."
Ayeka was a little nonplussed. "But...I usually do laundry with Mihoshi. What about--"
"I repeat," Washu interrupted, "Mihoshi will be with me and Kiyone in town, and Ryoko just plain doesn't work. You and Sakuya will be doing laundry. No buts about it. We start as soon as breakfast is finished."
Ayeka began later that morning by showing her new protege how to wash clothes by hand. When Sakuya lived in Tokyo, she had always taken her clothing to the laundromat (or borrowed Tenchi's washing machine). Using a bucket and washboard was quite a new experience for her, but she learned the skill soon enough, though it was aggravating.
The two worked in tense silence. "Sakuya," Ayeka said, glancing down at the other bucket, "you're using entirely too much soap. I hope you realize how difficult it will be to rinse that."
"Oh," Sakuya said, looking down at the offending article of clothing. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying attention, Miss...uhh, Ayeka, right?"
"Correct," Ayeka nodded. "But you are to address me as 'Princess Ayeka' or 'Your Highness'."
"But Ryoko doesn't call you that," Sakuya pointed out.
"Ryoko," Ayeka sniffed, "has no respect for anyone, and I have long since given up on seeing any sort of formality come from her. However, I must point out that the others usually mind their manners around royalty, and I expect the same from you." Shaking her head, she gestured to the washbucket. "That water is useless now. I'm afraid you will have to pour it out and start over."
"Well, excuse me," Sakuya muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Ayeka glared at her angrily. "I will not tolerate insolence," she berated the other girl. "If you have something to say, I suggest you--"
"Lay off her, Princess, will you?" Ryoko's voice called from the porch. "Hey, don't worry about her, Sakuya. She's always like that. Join the rest of us in the onsen when you get done?"
"Sure," Sakuya said, beaming at her. "See you this evening."
When Tenchi got home from school, he proceeded to the carrot fields to start his real work, as he often called it. Sakuya sought him out there, standing off at a distance, watching him work. Tenchi allowed himself an ironic grin as he caught sight of her, standing at the edge of the field. That used to be Ryoko's thing, he thought, only she wasn't content just to watch.
He dropped the plow, and sat down, leaning his back against a tree. He waved to Sakuya. "Hey," he called, "you're right on time. I was just finishing up."
She walked over and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "So how was your day?" he asked, looping an arm about her waist. "Are you getting along okay with everyone?"
"Yeah, mostly. Except for that princess. How come she doesn't like me, Tenchi?"
"Ayeka?" Tenchi asked. She nodded.
Yikes, Tenchi thought. How to answer that one? Well Sakuya, you see, Ayeka is in love with me, along with Ryoko and four other women. But when you came along, and we got together, they were really jealous and...sheesh, any way he cut it, this would sound egotistical as hell. So he decided not to cut it at all.
"Uhh," he paused, "well, don't worry, it's not your fault. But it's sort of hard to explain. Ask Ryoko this evening, she could tell you better than I could."
"Okay," she agreed. "Tenchi?" she asked, giving him a look of concern. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.
"Liar," she giggled, "your nose is twitching."
Damn, he thought, I forgot about that. "Well," he began, "it's about last night." He turned to her, blushing fiercely. "Sakuya, we really shouldn't have done that."
"Why not?" she asked with a coquettish chuckle. "It was great!"
"I know," he said sheepishly. "I enjoyed it too, but if we do it again, it could cause problems."
"Like what?" she asked. "I'm already pregnant, and I don't have any diseases or anything."
"But that's not the point!" Tenchi objected. "If the others find out...and besides, it's already starting to make things awkward between us."
"But why?" she asked plaintively. She reached up a hand to touch his face. "I'm not a whore, Tenchi. I love you, and we both enjoy being close to one another, and--"
"Please, Sakuya," he interrupted. "Just please, make this promise with me. No more sex, not until we're both ready." Preferably if and when we walk the aisle, he added silently.
"I promise, Tenchi," she said meekly, looking at the ground.
When she looked up at him again, his eyebrows went up as he noticed her expression. "What's the matter?" he asked, then gave a gasp of shock. "Sakuya! You didn't tell anyone...?!"
"No!" she denied immediately. "But I...I think Miss Washu knows."
Damn it all, Tenchi cursed mentally. Washu was no fool; of course she would have figured it out when Sakuya left for a five-minute shower and returned fifteen minutes later.
"But I don't think she'll tell anyone," she temporized, giving him an amused smile. "Miss Washu is weird, but she's sweet."
Tenchi laughed softly. "Yeah, I'd say that about sums up Washu alright." He stood, and held out a hand to her. "Come on, let's go home."
"So what exactly is her problem?" Sakuya asked Ryoko in the onsen that evening. Ayeka, the subject of her queston, had just left in a tizzy, after yet another argument with Ryoko.
"Tenchi didn't tell you?" Ryoko replied sardonicly. "Heh heh. No wonder, I wouldn't have said anything either, in his shoes." She leaned forward. "First off, let me tell you something about Tenchi you probably already know: he's sweet as a kitten. The guy doesn't have a single arrogant bone in his body. That's why he didn't want to talk about me and Ayeka having such a problem with you at first."
"But what does that have to do with anything?" Sakuya asked.
"I'm getting to that. Second, do you know how lucky you are to have landed a guy like Tenchi? He's had girls crawling all over him ever since Ayeka and I first came here. Even Sasami has a little bit of a crush on him.
"Me and Ayeka had it for him the worst. We fought over him day and night, trying to make him choose one or the other of us."
"You fought over him?" Sakuya said in a shocked voice.
"Yeah," Ryoko admitted. "Pretty stupid, huh? Fighting over a man, like he was some kind of prize or something. He thought the same thing you're thinking right now. Pretty soon, he got sick of it, and packed his bags for Tokyo."
"Where we met, at school," Sakuya muttered to herself.
"Yep. Now he told us he was going off to college, and he was. But I think he was glad to get away from us for a while. So you see, you succeded where we failed, because *you* did it right! And the amazing thing is, you didn't even know you were doing it right.
"I've got to be honest with you, Sakuya, I hated your guts the first time I met you. But you know, I was such a different person back then, I'm pretty ashamed of myself when I look back now. Anyway, after all that rucous with Yugi finally settled down, Tenchi missed you something awfull. He tried to hide it, smiling all the time, burying himself in his work. But Ayeka and I both knew he had finally chosen, and it wasn't either of us. It was someone who, as far as he knew, he would never see again."
"So what about..."
"Yeah, don't worry, I'm finally there," Ryoko laughed. "About time, huh? Well, when I saw how much Tenchi really loved you, I learned to let go of all that jealousy crap. As for Ayeka, well, she's still working on it."
"Uuuunnhhh," a moan came from the other end of the onsen, where Mihoshi, who had been in the scalding water for hours, was finally awakening. Suddenly, she screamed. "Oh my gosh!!" she wailed, "I've been in here forever, I'm red as a lobster! And I'm all shrivelled up, Ryoko, why didn't you wake me up?!!"
"Wake you up?" Ryoko argued. "Mihoshi, ten squadrons of jets flying through here couldn't wake you up. You're even lazier than I am. Take a cold shower, you'll be alright."
But Mihoshi would have none of it. "Oh no, I can't believe I did that. Kiyoneeeee...!!!" She ran from the room, screaming for her partner and erstwhile friend.
Meanewhile, Tenchi was in Washu's lab, having been summoned there not long after he got back from the field. He was looking over her shoulder at a computer screen. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's a sonogram of Sakuya's vagina." Washu answered curtly, distracted. For a few more moments, she continued muttering to herself, tracing her finger over the screen. "Aha," she said triumphantly. "There." She moved her finger to reveal an area on the right side of the birth canal. The area she indicated was a slightly lighter shade of purple than the rest of the picture.
"What?" Tenchi asked. "What does it mean?"
"It means," Washu said in a professorial tone, "that the tissue in that area is a little weaker than normal." She gave him an almost motherly look of concern. "Tenchi, if it tears during birth..."
"Oh no," Tenchi whispered. "Can she still...still have the baby? Washu, I have to know," he insisted before she even had a chance to reply.
"Of course she can still have the baby," Washu snapped. "She has no choice; I'm not performing an abortion."
Thank god, Tenchi thought. "So, if she does get hurt having the baby, what happens?" he asked.
"Well, *if* this little nightmare scenario occurrs," she replied, going back to her professor-like tone, "then we have two choices. One is a Cesaerian section; go ahead and yank the baby out before it can do any damage. Two is even riskier, but it's quicker, and could save a lot of recovery time. Let her have the baby vaginally, and then immediately go in and repair the rupture. The problem is, either choice involves surgery, and she's not very strong, Tenchi."
"Could she die?" Tenchi asked quickly, getting the question out while he was brave enough.
"No," Washu said, pleased with herself when she heard Tenchi's breath of relief. "I've got surgical equipment in here that's centuries beyond anything Earth doctors have. Laser scalpels, tenth-of-a-second cautery, and the safest drugs known to Jurian science. She'll be okay, Tenchi. But some of this stuff is untested, and..."
"What is it, Washu?" he pressed.
"She might not be able to have anymore children."
Tenchi gave an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry, Tenchi. I just wanted to warn you ahead of time, so there wouldn't be any surprises. But keep in mind, we might not have this problem in the first place. She could have that baby without a problem. All I'm asking of you is to be carefull."
"I will," Tenchi said, examining his shoes. "Thanks, Washu. See you at dinner." He turned to go.
"And Tenchi?" she called after him.
"Yeah?"
"Come here for a minute. We're not done yet."
Tenchi returned to his spot in front of her computer chair.
Washu folded her arms neatly across her chest. "I found some very slight external bruising around eleven, twelve and one o'clock. The consentual area." She raised an eyebrow. "Did you boff her, Tenchi?"
"Washu!!" Tenchi objected angrily.
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry for my foul language. But you did have sex with her, didn't you?"
Tenchi turned away from her. "It's none of your business," he muttered sullenly.
"Bullshit!" she snapped. "It is too my business. Oh, good grief, Tenchi, did you think just because she's already pregnant, you could bed her risk-free?"
"For your information," Tenchi shot back, "she came to me. And we already talked about this; it won't happen again."
"Good," Washu said cheerfully. "I'll make sure it stays between me, you and Sakuya, as long you keep that promise. Go get yourself some dinner, Tenchi."
Long after dinner, they sat on the couch watching a movie. It was an old romantic film, one of Tenchi's favorites. Sakuya seemed to be enjoying it; her head was on his shoulder, his arm around her.
He had not forgotten Washu's warning, but was determined not to let her anger bother him. After all, he agreed with her that getting too intimate with Sakuya could be a bad idea.
The movie had progressed to the point where the young couple were finally about to profess their love for one another. Tenchi caught something out of the corner of his eye, and looked over at Sakuya. His stomach sank when noticed a tear running down her cheek.
"Sakuya?" he asked. "What's wrong? Oh no, Sakuya, don't cry." He reached out a hand and gently turned her face toward him. "Come on, tell me about it."
"I'm scared, Tenchi," she sniffed, burying her face in his shirt. Tenchi stroked her hair.
"What are you scared of? What's the matter?"
"Everything," she said, her voice muffled by his clothing. "I'm scared of losing you, I'm afraid of having a baby, and all these people not liking me, and--"
"Whoa, hold on," he interrupted, taking her by the shoulders so that she looked up at him, "you can't possibly be afraid of everything. One thing at a time, starting with me." He stroked a lock of hair back behind her ear. "Why are you afraid of losing me? Sakuya, I'm right here, I'll always be here. I'm not going to leave you." Obviously a moot issue. It was his house; he could hardly leave *her* even if he had any desire to. The most he could do in that regard was to send her away. He would sooner drive a knife into his own heart.
"What about the baby?" she asked. Tenchi flinched ever so slightly. *She's got you there.* He thought of Washu's predictions, the so-called nightmare scenario they discussed.
He didn't want to scare her even more, but he couldn't lie to her, either. He decided on a compromise.
"Pregnancy can be tough," he said, feeling like a complete idiot, "but so can you. You're female, your body is designed for this. Whatever happens, Sakuya, you and the baby will be okay." At least that was true according to Washu's instruments, which were sensitive enough to reveal his personal life to her.
"As for the others," he went on, "they all like you alot, especially Ryoko and Washu. And Sasami is everybody's friend. Ayeka is used to getting more attention, she's just jealous. It not your fault, she'll get over it.
Sakuya leaned against him again, sniffling as her tears dried. "I love you, Tenchi," she said softly. "I'm sorry for dumping all that on you. I guess I'm just tired."
"I love you, too," he said. "And to be honest, I'm pretty worn out myself. Why don't we finish this movie tomorrow, okay? Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."
As she was leaving, she gave him a rare, mischiefous grin, reminding him of what happened the last time he said *that*.
"I really mean it this time," he laughed.
Okay, so this one might be a little boring. It's mostly a lot of talking heads, i.e. Tenchi and Sakuya getting some things straightened out, Sakuya and Ayeka defining their relationship, etc.
I was really hard on Ayeka's character in this chapter. This is just to warn all you Ayeka fans out there. Although I don't really like Ayeka very much, it's nothing personal against her or any of you. Think of it this way: Ayeka is not only jealous and resentful of Sakuya, but is also looking at things from a political point of view that Sakuya is not aware of.
So without further ado, here it is. Enjoy! -- Poncho D
Chapter Three
It was nearly six a.m. Washu knocked on the bedroom door one more time and, getting no response, pushed open the door and looked in on Sakuya.
She was sound asleep, snoring softly. In the dim light from the lab, only the crown of her hair was visible, peeking out from under the dark-blue conforter.
Wasuh sighed. Okay, this was going to be difficult. She rapped loudly on the side of the doorway. "Sakuya?"
With a soft groan, the groggy girl forced her head off the pillow, and squinted at the little wind-up clock on the nightstand. "It's so early," she moaned irritably. Her head plopped uncerimoniously back on to the pillow.
"Yeah, no kidding," Washu agreed. "I figured you would want to sleep until noon."
Now what, Sakuya's sleep-fogged mind wondered, was *that* supposed to mean?
"Come on, you heard me," Washu said sternly. "Rise and shine. Or at least rise."
Slowly, she obeyed, sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing her weary eyes.
"Sasami's already up," Washu informed her. "In fact," she glanced at her watch, "she should be just about finshed making breakfast. You'd better hurry before Mihoshi gets to the bacon first."
Mihoshi had indeed gotten to the bacon first, but there was still enough to go around. Sasami bustled gamely about, placing fried rice and okonomiyaki on everyone's plate, and filling glasses with fresh milk. "Good morning, Sakuya," she said, beaming cheerfully. "Wow, you look like you could use some coffee." She removed the glass of milk in front of one plate, and replaced it with a steaming mug.
"Where is Ryoko?" Ayeka grumbled from her seat. "She never gets up with the rest of us. That demon sleeps until noon almost everyday. It really is unfair."
"Yep, it sure is," Washu agreed. "You want to go wake her up?"
Ayeka made no reply.
"I didn't think so," Washu said sardonically. "She's the exception to the rule, and we all know why. Alright, everyone," she said to the assembled family. "Here's the chore list for today. Mihoshi, Kiyone and I need to go grocery shopping in Kurashiki. Noboyuki, would you mind driving us?" Noboyuki nodded absently, poking with his chopsticks at the rice on his plate. "Good. Ryoko doesn't know it yet, but she'll be helping you make lunch, Sasami. Sakuya and Ayeka, you two have laundry duty."
Ayeka was a little nonplussed. "But...I usually do laundry with Mihoshi. What about--"
"I repeat," Washu interrupted, "Mihoshi will be with me and Kiyone in town, and Ryoko just plain doesn't work. You and Sakuya will be doing laundry. No buts about it. We start as soon as breakfast is finished."
Ayeka began later that morning by showing her new protege how to wash clothes by hand. When Sakuya lived in Tokyo, she had always taken her clothing to the laundromat (or borrowed Tenchi's washing machine). Using a bucket and washboard was quite a new experience for her, but she learned the skill soon enough, though it was aggravating.
The two worked in tense silence. "Sakuya," Ayeka said, glancing down at the other bucket, "you're using entirely too much soap. I hope you realize how difficult it will be to rinse that."
"Oh," Sakuya said, looking down at the offending article of clothing. "I'm sorry, but I wasn't paying attention, Miss...uhh, Ayeka, right?"
"Correct," Ayeka nodded. "But you are to address me as 'Princess Ayeka' or 'Your Highness'."
"But Ryoko doesn't call you that," Sakuya pointed out.
"Ryoko," Ayeka sniffed, "has no respect for anyone, and I have long since given up on seeing any sort of formality come from her. However, I must point out that the others usually mind their manners around royalty, and I expect the same from you." Shaking her head, she gestured to the washbucket. "That water is useless now. I'm afraid you will have to pour it out and start over."
"Well, excuse me," Sakuya muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
Ayeka glared at her angrily. "I will not tolerate insolence," she berated the other girl. "If you have something to say, I suggest you--"
"Lay off her, Princess, will you?" Ryoko's voice called from the porch. "Hey, don't worry about her, Sakuya. She's always like that. Join the rest of us in the onsen when you get done?"
"Sure," Sakuya said, beaming at her. "See you this evening."
When Tenchi got home from school, he proceeded to the carrot fields to start his real work, as he often called it. Sakuya sought him out there, standing off at a distance, watching him work. Tenchi allowed himself an ironic grin as he caught sight of her, standing at the edge of the field. That used to be Ryoko's thing, he thought, only she wasn't content just to watch.
He dropped the plow, and sat down, leaning his back against a tree. He waved to Sakuya. "Hey," he called, "you're right on time. I was just finishing up."
She walked over and sat next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "So how was your day?" he asked, looping an arm about her waist. "Are you getting along okay with everyone?"
"Yeah, mostly. Except for that princess. How come she doesn't like me, Tenchi?"
"Ayeka?" Tenchi asked. She nodded.
Yikes, Tenchi thought. How to answer that one? Well Sakuya, you see, Ayeka is in love with me, along with Ryoko and four other women. But when you came along, and we got together, they were really jealous and...sheesh, any way he cut it, this would sound egotistical as hell. So he decided not to cut it at all.
"Uhh," he paused, "well, don't worry, it's not your fault. But it's sort of hard to explain. Ask Ryoko this evening, she could tell you better than I could."
"Okay," she agreed. "Tenchi?" she asked, giving him a look of concern. "What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," he said, shaking his head.
"Liar," she giggled, "your nose is twitching."
Damn, he thought, I forgot about that. "Well," he began, "it's about last night." He turned to her, blushing fiercely. "Sakuya, we really shouldn't have done that."
"Why not?" she asked with a coquettish chuckle. "It was great!"
"I know," he said sheepishly. "I enjoyed it too, but if we do it again, it could cause problems."
"Like what?" she asked. "I'm already pregnant, and I don't have any diseases or anything."
"But that's not the point!" Tenchi objected. "If the others find out...and besides, it's already starting to make things awkward between us."
"But why?" she asked plaintively. She reached up a hand to touch his face. "I'm not a whore, Tenchi. I love you, and we both enjoy being close to one another, and--"
"Please, Sakuya," he interrupted. "Just please, make this promise with me. No more sex, not until we're both ready." Preferably if and when we walk the aisle, he added silently.
"I promise, Tenchi," she said meekly, looking at the ground.
When she looked up at him again, his eyebrows went up as he noticed her expression. "What's the matter?" he asked, then gave a gasp of shock. "Sakuya! You didn't tell anyone...?!"
"No!" she denied immediately. "But I...I think Miss Washu knows."
Damn it all, Tenchi cursed mentally. Washu was no fool; of course she would have figured it out when Sakuya left for a five-minute shower and returned fifteen minutes later.
"But I don't think she'll tell anyone," she temporized, giving him an amused smile. "Miss Washu is weird, but she's sweet."
Tenchi laughed softly. "Yeah, I'd say that about sums up Washu alright." He stood, and held out a hand to her. "Come on, let's go home."
"So what exactly is her problem?" Sakuya asked Ryoko in the onsen that evening. Ayeka, the subject of her queston, had just left in a tizzy, after yet another argument with Ryoko.
"Tenchi didn't tell you?" Ryoko replied sardonicly. "Heh heh. No wonder, I wouldn't have said anything either, in his shoes." She leaned forward. "First off, let me tell you something about Tenchi you probably already know: he's sweet as a kitten. The guy doesn't have a single arrogant bone in his body. That's why he didn't want to talk about me and Ayeka having such a problem with you at first."
"But what does that have to do with anything?" Sakuya asked.
"I'm getting to that. Second, do you know how lucky you are to have landed a guy like Tenchi? He's had girls crawling all over him ever since Ayeka and I first came here. Even Sasami has a little bit of a crush on him.
"Me and Ayeka had it for him the worst. We fought over him day and night, trying to make him choose one or the other of us."
"You fought over him?" Sakuya said in a shocked voice.
"Yeah," Ryoko admitted. "Pretty stupid, huh? Fighting over a man, like he was some kind of prize or something. He thought the same thing you're thinking right now. Pretty soon, he got sick of it, and packed his bags for Tokyo."
"Where we met, at school," Sakuya muttered to herself.
"Yep. Now he told us he was going off to college, and he was. But I think he was glad to get away from us for a while. So you see, you succeded where we failed, because *you* did it right! And the amazing thing is, you didn't even know you were doing it right.
"I've got to be honest with you, Sakuya, I hated your guts the first time I met you. But you know, I was such a different person back then, I'm pretty ashamed of myself when I look back now. Anyway, after all that rucous with Yugi finally settled down, Tenchi missed you something awfull. He tried to hide it, smiling all the time, burying himself in his work. But Ayeka and I both knew he had finally chosen, and it wasn't either of us. It was someone who, as far as he knew, he would never see again."
"So what about..."
"Yeah, don't worry, I'm finally there," Ryoko laughed. "About time, huh? Well, when I saw how much Tenchi really loved you, I learned to let go of all that jealousy crap. As for Ayeka, well, she's still working on it."
"Uuuunnhhh," a moan came from the other end of the onsen, where Mihoshi, who had been in the scalding water for hours, was finally awakening. Suddenly, she screamed. "Oh my gosh!!" she wailed, "I've been in here forever, I'm red as a lobster! And I'm all shrivelled up, Ryoko, why didn't you wake me up?!!"
"Wake you up?" Ryoko argued. "Mihoshi, ten squadrons of jets flying through here couldn't wake you up. You're even lazier than I am. Take a cold shower, you'll be alright."
But Mihoshi would have none of it. "Oh no, I can't believe I did that. Kiyoneeeee...!!!" She ran from the room, screaming for her partner and erstwhile friend.
Meanewhile, Tenchi was in Washu's lab, having been summoned there not long after he got back from the field. He was looking over her shoulder at a computer screen. "What is it?" he asked.
"It's a sonogram of Sakuya's vagina." Washu answered curtly, distracted. For a few more moments, she continued muttering to herself, tracing her finger over the screen. "Aha," she said triumphantly. "There." She moved her finger to reveal an area on the right side of the birth canal. The area she indicated was a slightly lighter shade of purple than the rest of the picture.
"What?" Tenchi asked. "What does it mean?"
"It means," Washu said in a professorial tone, "that the tissue in that area is a little weaker than normal." She gave him an almost motherly look of concern. "Tenchi, if it tears during birth..."
"Oh no," Tenchi whispered. "Can she still...still have the baby? Washu, I have to know," he insisted before she even had a chance to reply.
"Of course she can still have the baby," Washu snapped. "She has no choice; I'm not performing an abortion."
Thank god, Tenchi thought. "So, if she does get hurt having the baby, what happens?" he asked.
"Well, *if* this little nightmare scenario occurrs," she replied, going back to her professor-like tone, "then we have two choices. One is a Cesaerian section; go ahead and yank the baby out before it can do any damage. Two is even riskier, but it's quicker, and could save a lot of recovery time. Let her have the baby vaginally, and then immediately go in and repair the rupture. The problem is, either choice involves surgery, and she's not very strong, Tenchi."
"Could she die?" Tenchi asked quickly, getting the question out while he was brave enough.
"No," Washu said, pleased with herself when she heard Tenchi's breath of relief. "I've got surgical equipment in here that's centuries beyond anything Earth doctors have. Laser scalpels, tenth-of-a-second cautery, and the safest drugs known to Jurian science. She'll be okay, Tenchi. But some of this stuff is untested, and..."
"What is it, Washu?" he pressed.
"She might not be able to have anymore children."
Tenchi gave an exasperated sigh.
"I'm sorry, Tenchi. I just wanted to warn you ahead of time, so there wouldn't be any surprises. But keep in mind, we might not have this problem in the first place. She could have that baby without a problem. All I'm asking of you is to be carefull."
"I will," Tenchi said, examining his shoes. "Thanks, Washu. See you at dinner." He turned to go.
"And Tenchi?" she called after him.
"Yeah?"
"Come here for a minute. We're not done yet."
Tenchi returned to his spot in front of her computer chair.
Washu folded her arms neatly across her chest. "I found some very slight external bruising around eleven, twelve and one o'clock. The consentual area." She raised an eyebrow. "Did you boff her, Tenchi?"
"Washu!!" Tenchi objected angrily.
"Sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Sorry for my foul language. But you did have sex with her, didn't you?"
Tenchi turned away from her. "It's none of your business," he muttered sullenly.
"Bullshit!" she snapped. "It is too my business. Oh, good grief, Tenchi, did you think just because she's already pregnant, you could bed her risk-free?"
"For your information," Tenchi shot back, "she came to me. And we already talked about this; it won't happen again."
"Good," Washu said cheerfully. "I'll make sure it stays between me, you and Sakuya, as long you keep that promise. Go get yourself some dinner, Tenchi."
Long after dinner, they sat on the couch watching a movie. It was an old romantic film, one of Tenchi's favorites. Sakuya seemed to be enjoying it; her head was on his shoulder, his arm around her.
He had not forgotten Washu's warning, but was determined not to let her anger bother him. After all, he agreed with her that getting too intimate with Sakuya could be a bad idea.
The movie had progressed to the point where the young couple were finally about to profess their love for one another. Tenchi caught something out of the corner of his eye, and looked over at Sakuya. His stomach sank when noticed a tear running down her cheek.
"Sakuya?" he asked. "What's wrong? Oh no, Sakuya, don't cry." He reached out a hand and gently turned her face toward him. "Come on, tell me about it."
"I'm scared, Tenchi," she sniffed, burying her face in his shirt. Tenchi stroked her hair.
"What are you scared of? What's the matter?"
"Everything," she said, her voice muffled by his clothing. "I'm scared of losing you, I'm afraid of having a baby, and all these people not liking me, and--"
"Whoa, hold on," he interrupted, taking her by the shoulders so that she looked up at him, "you can't possibly be afraid of everything. One thing at a time, starting with me." He stroked a lock of hair back behind her ear. "Why are you afraid of losing me? Sakuya, I'm right here, I'll always be here. I'm not going to leave you." Obviously a moot issue. It was his house; he could hardly leave *her* even if he had any desire to. The most he could do in that regard was to send her away. He would sooner drive a knife into his own heart.
"What about the baby?" she asked. Tenchi flinched ever so slightly. *She's got you there.* He thought of Washu's predictions, the so-called nightmare scenario they discussed.
He didn't want to scare her even more, but he couldn't lie to her, either. He decided on a compromise.
"Pregnancy can be tough," he said, feeling like a complete idiot, "but so can you. You're female, your body is designed for this. Whatever happens, Sakuya, you and the baby will be okay." At least that was true according to Washu's instruments, which were sensitive enough to reveal his personal life to her.
"As for the others," he went on, "they all like you alot, especially Ryoko and Washu. And Sasami is everybody's friend. Ayeka is used to getting more attention, she's just jealous. It not your fault, she'll get over it.
Sakuya leaned against him again, sniffling as her tears dried. "I love you, Tenchi," she said softly. "I'm sorry for dumping all that on you. I guess I'm just tired."
"I love you, too," he said. "And to be honest, I'm pretty worn out myself. Why don't we finish this movie tomorrow, okay? Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."
As she was leaving, she gave him a rare, mischiefous grin, reminding him of what happened the last time he said *that*.
"I really mean it this time," he laughed.
