Before I begin again, I want to take the time to respond to some of my reviews.

Firebird 13: Whoa, slow down, partner! I had no intention of making Ayeka evil in this fic. Now I did make her quite the antagonist, and she acts very selfish and immature throughout the story. But she has her own motivations, both personal and political, for being so at odds with Sakuya.

Chronicled Realms: Glad you are enjoying it! But this next chapter is pretty dark...

Tenchi Grrl: Well, I keep my sex scenes short and sweet on purpose. Being a Christian, I don't like it when those scenes get into gory, pornographic detail. I like for my scenes to be very tender, and to focus more the emotional side of sexuality than the physical side.

starlightv: Thanks! Keep reading, it gets better.

Whatever: Well, in this story, I assumed that all three continuities actually took place. Notice that in the beginning, I mentioned both Kagato and Doctor Clay. This means that in this story, Tenchi is half Jurian, and Washu and Ryoko are related.

So, without further ado...

Chapter Five

Tenchi dreamt he was making love to Sakuya again.

He was completely immersed in the experience; the exquisite feel of her body beneath his hands, the sweet taste of her kisses, and her soft, skillful touch. But most of all, it was the sheer emotional experience of it that amazed him. Washu had once told him that men and women had different mentalities during sex. Women, she had said, derived far more pleasure from the emotional experience of being so intimate with someone they loved than from any physical sensation. Men, she had correlated, were the exact opposite, interested most of all in physical pleasure, and hardly concerned with emotion.

But Tenchi had never felt such emotion in all his life. He loved this girl, so much that he would sacrifice his life for her sake, and fight to the death anyone who tried to harm her. To think that there was a time when he had thought he would never again see her beautiful face, or know the simple pleasure of having her in his arms, and yet now was sharing this incredible intimacy with her, gave him an exuberant feeling of victory over whatever evil force had corrupted Yugi and torn Sakuya from his grasp.

He was seconds from entering her when he awoke with a start.

Someone was pounding on his bedroom door. He checked his clock: two forty- five a.m.

He stumbled out of his bed, wondering who was bothering him at this hour.

More pounding. "Alright, I'm coming, already!" he grumbled. He jerked open the door.

"Washu?" he said, squinting at her in the dark, "what's going on?"

"You'd better come downstairs, Tenchi. It's Sakuya."

Tenchi was awake instantly. His first thought was: oh, god, she's lost the baby.

He shoved past her and tore down the stairs, nearly falling. His thoughts were a blur as he ran through Washu's lab and entered Sakuya's room.

Her bathroom door was open. He was inexpressibly relieved when he saw no blood, though what he did see wasn't much better.

She was kneeling over the toilet in her nightgown, holding her stomach and panting as if she had run a marathon.

He knelt down next to her and placed his hand on her back. "Sakuya, are you- -"

She wretched again, and Tenchi cringed, as much from the sound as from the foul smell.

When she seemed finished, he tore off a length of toilet paper and wiped her face gingerly, then proceeded to clean the stained neck of her nightgown.

He held her for a long time, stroking her back and whispering in her ear until she calmed down. She smelled of sleep and stomach acid.

He reached over and pushed the handle on the toilet, then took her face in his hands. "Are you okay now?" he asked.

She nodded several times, then returned her head to his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Tenchi," Washu said from behind him. "It's just morning sickness. It's totally normal."

Tenchi filled a small paper cup with water and handed it to Sakuya. He then stood and faced the little scientist-cum-OB/GYN.

"Washu, can I talk to you privately?"

She recognized the silky tone of his voice, but was not fazed by it. "Certainly."

The two entered the lab and, when they were out of earshot, Tenchi unloaded on her. "Good grief, Washu, why did you wake me up for this if you knew what it was?" he yelled. "You scared the daylights out of me, I thought she was having a miscarriage!"

"She asked for you," Washu said calmly. I suppose she wanted someone there to comfort her. But if you just can't be bothered--"

"Stop that!" Tenchi snapped. "Of course I don't mind, but you could have been straight with me in the first place. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry I frightened you, Tenchi," Washu said, "but it was the only way to get you down here."

"No, it wasn't," he growled, and returned the bathroom. He offered a hand to Sakuya, and pulled her to her feet. "Go back to bed now," he said softly, leading her into the bedroom, "You'll be alright. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't go," she said.

"Sakuya, I'll be right upstairs," he reminded her. But when he looked down at her, he saw real fear in her bloodshot green eyes.

"Stay with me," she pleaded, "just for tonight, Tenchi? Please?"

Oh, man. There was just no getting out of this. But if he wasn't in his room tomorrow morning, whatever his real intentions, Ayeka would have his testicles in a vice.

He glanced at Washu, and she nodded. The look on her face said, trust me.

He sighed heavily. "I'll get my sleeping bag," he grudgingly consented.

-

He awoke in his own bedroom; Washu had gotten him up a few hours after he had snuggled down in his sleeping bag, on the floor next to Sakuya's bed. With Washu's assistance, he had snuck out after they were certain she was sound asleep, and would have no more vomiting or other symptoms that night.

Not that he was adverse to the idea of camping out with Sakuya, but he didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea, especially Ayeka.

Breakfast was a tense affair. Sakuya and Princess Ayeka occasionally glared at one another across the table. Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Sasami made small talk, occasionally sending concerned glances at Tenchi; they had heard about last night's events. Hell, Tenchi thought, it was a wonder Ayeka's yelling hadn't been heard in America.

Washu was in her lab, no doubt poring over more computer scans of Sakuya's nether regions, trying to see if there were any other problems. He wondered when Washu would tell her about The Problem, as it had come to be known in their discussions. She probably wouldn't, since the odds of it actually happening were about four-to-one or so, and it wouldn't matter for about another eight months anyhow.

Ryoko was in her ususal morose morning mood. The retired space pirate chopsticked rice into her mouth a few bits at a time, washing it down with Sasami's super-strong black coffee. Sheesh, Tenchi thought, it's a good thing Ryoko can't taste anything. Coffee was the only thing in all the universe that Sasami could never quite successfully make. Despite how heavenly her cooking was, behind her back her morning brew was often referred to as "Hirohito's Poison."

Outside, Noboyuki's old Volvo roared to life as he set off for work.

Tenchi stood, and pushed back his plate. "Alright everyone, I'm off. See you guys this afternoon."

His farewell was acknowledged by a few grunts from those who had been paying attention.

He went into the living room to retrieve his bookbag, and when he turned to go, he found Sakuya standing in the doorway, in her green kimono.

Sakuya wasn't at all sure if it was a good idea to say this, and was in fact quite nervous about it. What if he told her she was crazy? No, of course he wouldn't say anything like that, she thought. The worst he could say was no.

"Sakuya?" Tenchi asked quizzically. "What's up?"

She plunged ahead. "Tenchi, would you mind staying here today? I mean, just in case?"

"Just in case of what?"

"You know, in case I have another...umm, episode."

Tenchi wasn't certain whether to be flattered or irritated. It felt nice to be needed, but he had never missed a day of school without being practically at death's door.

He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing a little. "Gosh, I'd love to, Sakuya. But I really can't. I mean, I have a test today, and Nagumo would burn me at the stake if I didn't show up for class. Washu will see to you if you have anymore trouble."

When he saw the disappointment on her face, he decided to compromise. "I'll tell you what," he whispered in her ear, "don't tell Grandpa, but I'll ditch my farming today, when I get back, and we can spend the afternoon together. Fair enough?"

"Mmm hmmm," she nodded, beaming at him.

"Good," he said, and gave her a quick peck on the mouth.

"See you later, everybody." he called.

-

Tenchi came home that afternoon and changed out of his school uniform. As promised, he skipped his farming, locating Sakuya instead, and the two walked down to the dock out on the lake.

They sat together in silence on the dock, arms around one another. Suddenly, she reached up and put a hand on his cheek, turning his face toward her.

"Now what are you grinning about?" he asked flirtatiously, sliding his hands about her hips.

She leaned up and pressed her mouth against his, winding her arms about his neck. "At this point, do you really care?" she giggled, between kisses.

Tenchi surrendered to utter bliss as her lips moved back and forth over his. "Not especially," he mumbled.

Ahh, this was great. Who needed sex, he thought. This is was almost as good, and not nearly as risky.

She placed her hands against his chest and leaned her body against him, applying her weight gently, until he lay back down on the dock. Still kissing him seductively, she let her hands roam a little.

Tenchi let his own hands move randomly, until her lips left his mouth and began to burn a trail down his neck. She lightly kissed the pulse at the base of his throat, her hands all the while moving lower...

Tenchi stopped. "Uh, Sakuya...we shouldn't..."

Fighting down his desperate desire, Tenchi took her by the shoulders and extricated himself from her, sitting up. His face was flushed, as much from physical need as from embarrassment.

"Sakuya, I...I'm sorry," he stammered, "I shouldn't have let it get this far."

Tears of frustration appeared in her eyes, and she turned away from him. "You're right," she sighed.

"Sakuya, listen..." he began, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She batted it away. "Don't, Tenchi." she said angrily. "Don't bother. Just leave me alone." She stood and walked away down the dock.

He stared after her, feeling the hot twist of shame in his stomach.

-

He whacked the soil with the plow again and again, sending moist earth flying in all directions as he applied his anger to his work. He looked down and realized he was accomplishing nothing, except the destruction of his field.

"Dammit, he cursed. He plopped down on his rear, next to his favorite tree, face in his hands. "Dammit, dammit," he cursed himself again, a million times.

"You shouldn't have led her on like that," a deep feminine voice said from beside the tree. Ryoko sat next to him. "For God's sake, Tenchi, you just don't get it, do you?"

"What?" Tenchi snapped. "What are you talking about, Ryoko?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" she scolded. "You did this to me and Ayeka for three years, you did it to Mihoshi, and now you're doing it to Sakuya."

"What?!" Tenchi blurted, "Who the heck told you about..." he lowered his voice, "...about Mihoshi?"

"Nobody *told* me," she retorted coldly. "I've known you since you were as high as my knees, Tenchi. I knew what happened, but I also knew it wouldn't happen again, so I kept my mouth shut, because it was none of my business or anyone else's. Anyway, this isn't about me or Mihoshi, it's about your girlfriend."

"What was I supposed to do?!" Tenchi shouted. "I told her no more..." he quickly corrected his gaff, "that we couldn't do it, and I meant it."

"Too late," Ryoko said, shaking her head, "I caught that."

"Fine!" Tenchi shouted in her face, "So you've got my entire personal life in your head like a book. What would you have done back there if you were me? Just finish what we started, right there on the dock?"

"No. You shouldn't have let her kiss you in the first place," Ryoko replied, without batting an eye. "Once it got that far, you would have been wrong no matter what you did. It was too late."

Tenchi kept silent, contemplating her words. She was right; there were a million reasons to keep his hands off of Sakuya right now, besides concern about a scandal in the house. She was nearly a month pregnant, and Washu had said her hormones were bouncing around all over the place. Getting her excited would only make things worse, perhaps even hurt the baby.

"Alright, look," she said, turning toward him. "Maybe you were right to turn her away this time. Hell, of course you were. But you did it for the wrong reason. Tenchi, you've got to quit punishing yourself and start thinking about Sakuya. I mean *really* think about her."

-

Princess Ayeka was certain she was only wasting her time. Washu would never grant her request in million years. But she had to try, simply because the situation demanded it.

Washu opened the door at her knock, and Ayeka stated her business plainly. To her great surprise, Washu agreed. "However," the little scientist warned, "you should know that I'll be monitoring everything from the lab, and if you so much as--"

Ayeka interrupted her with a mirthless laugh. "Really, Miss Washu," she said, shaking her head, "for all your scientific and medical genius, you can be quite daft at times. As much I would like to give Sakuya a sound pounding, Lord Tenchi would never forgive me if I put a finger on her."

"Fine," Washu grumbled, ignoring the princess's condescention, "she's in her room."

Sakuya looked up when Ayeka entered. "How's your eye?" she asked. Her tone was not sarcastic, Ayeka noticed. Perhaps she was genuinely concerned.

"Fine, thank you," Ayeka replied evenly, fingering the skin that only yesterday had been a deep purple.

"I'm sorry I hit you," Sakuya said, looking Ayeka in the eyes.

"And I apologize for meddling in your things, and embarrassing you to Lord Tenchi," Ayeka reciprocated. "I suppose we should put such things behind us."

Sakuya paused before replying. "I don't get it, Miss Ayeka," she finally blurted. "What have I done to you? Why do you hate me so much?"

"Because you stole something from me!" Ayeka said, her voice rising. "And do not pretend that you don't know what I mean."

"You mean Tenchi? Miss Ayeka, he's a human being, not a thing that someone can steal! You don't own him, anymore than I do. Besides, I didn't kidnap him, or rape him. He chose to be with me, of his own free will."

Yes, Ayeka wanted to scream, that's why I hate you, because I wanted what you have, but what I want has a free will, and a mind of his own. I helped to drive him away, along with Ryoko, and together we drove him straight into your arms.

"Well, you certainly weren't about to discourage him, now were you?" she asked instead.

"I...Miss Ayeka, I..." she began, "no, I guess you didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" Ayeka asked, her curiosity awakened.

Sakuya told her about the last, tearful goodbye that she and Tenchi had shared after Yugi's defeat, and the things she had told him.

"My goodness," Ayeka breathed, "you were really going to--"

"Yes. I let him go," Sakuya said. She shook her head. "Of course I did, there was no other choice. The fate of the whole planet was in his hands. I had a lot more people to think about than just myself."

Ayeka briefly asked herself if she could have done such a thing in Sakuya's place, and the answer she got back hurt badly. She realized that Sakuya, in those few moments, had shown more maturity and humility then her and Ryoko, combined, could have produced in their entire lives. Her hatred of Sakuya vanished and, for perhaps no more than a second, she felt deep respect and admiration toward this young woman, who had thrown herself completely on the altar, and as a result saved perhaps an entire race. No wonder Lord Tenchi was so in love with her!

"But things have changed now," Sakuya went on, "and I don't have to let him go, like I thought I would." At least, she added silently, not for the sake of the human race.

"I...I understand how strong your feelings are for Lord Tenchi," Ayeka responded, "but I'm afraid there's more to this situation than you realize. He is...well, to put it simply, he is quite a bit, shall we say, out of your league?"

It took Sakuya a moment to digest the comment. What the heck was that supposed to mean?

The princess seemed to pause for a moment, hearing more voices outside. "Well," she finally said, "speak of the devil. We'll talk more about this later. Right now, it seems you have another visitor." She quickly left the room, and was replaced by an exhausted, depressed-looking Tenchi.

"What is it, Tenchi?" she muttered sullenly.

"Well, hello to you too," he shot back.

Sakuya was in no mood for this. "Just say whatever you're going to say, Tenchi."

"What I want to say," Tenchi began more calmly, "is that I hate what happened back there, and I don't want it to happen again."

"Neither do I," she agreed blandly.

"Sakuya, I love you," he said plaintively. "I love you more than anything else on this planet, and I can't think of anything I enjoy more than holding you close. But I...you're carrying a baby right now, and you're very excitable. I shouldn't have touched you, and I'm sorry."

She actually leapt to her feet, her eyes blazing with anger. "Oh, well that just clears everything up!" she shouted. "My goodness, Tenchi, you're just so hot, how could any woman possibly not want to have sex with you after just one little kiss?" She sneered at him, as if he were beneath her contempt. "Uuggghh, you arrogant...you make me sick!"

He would rather have been kicked in the groin by a black-belt. "Dammit, Sakuya!" he yelled through his tears. "You think I like being in this position? Do you know how many guys would kill to be in my shoes? Well, they're welcome to! They wouldn't stay long, believe me. I have spent five bloody years watching two gorgeous women fight over me! And I hated every minute of it, Sakuya. I love every one of those girls; they've been like sisters to me! Do you think I stood there, going 'Yeah, they just love red- hot Tenchi Masaki. Look at how sexy I am, they just can't get enough of me!'?

"No, believe me, you girls have the right idea. Being fought over sucks, especially when you finally fall in love. I can't explain my situation to anyone, or even say that it's happening without sounding like the world's biggest egomaniac!"

As he went on, Sakuya felt an intense regret that pushed back her fury at him. None of this was his fault. After all, she had tried to break her promise to him. Not because of lust--she had never experienced such a thing- -but because of love. She *did* want to make love with him again, just for the intimacy that all human beings craved, just to be close to him. But couldn't they be close to one another without getting out of control?

When she spoke again, her throat was hoarse from yelling, and her voice sounded tiny and far away. "I love you so much, Tenchi Masaki. You didn't ask for this, and I would never break a promise to you." She lifted her gaze from the floor, and met his eyes with a hopefull look. "You said your grandfather's a priest, right? He could take care of it. Tenchi, we could solve this mess for good, and then we could be as close as we want, without feeling guilty. Let's just get it done, Tenchi."

Tenchi actually balked at what she was asking of him. He had said it himself: he wanted to marry her. And now that she was confronting him with that very decision, he couldn't bring himself...

"Sakuya," he said, stepping up to her and placing his hands on her shoulders. His choclate eyes met her emerald ones. "you have no idea how much I want to propose to you. But right now, I don't think it would be wise. You're not ready for that, and neither am I. Marriage is an awfully big step, way too big for a problem this small."

"Small?" she demanded. "Small? Tenchi, you're supposed to be my boyfriend, and I can't even touch you anymore!" she cried. "I'm a big girl, I can live without sex. But if I can't kiss you, if I can't even look at you that way? If we can't even have a physical relationship at all, then where is the emotional one?" She shook her head emphatically. "It would disappear. We would just be good friends, like you are with the others."

"What are you saying?" Tenchi said, and edge of terror in his voice. "That you'll break up with me if I don't marry you? Go on, Sakuya. Do it!" He challenged her.

A surge of angry pride gripped her. "It's done!" she shouted back.

Tenchi's heart dropped into his feet. He just stood there. He couldn't even open his mouth.

"Get out of my bedroom," she ordered, turning away from him. "Before someone thinks we're doing something."