"This is ridiculous", said Tenchi, looking at himself in one of
Ryo-Ohki's crystals.  Ryoko had dressed him in a pair of Bermuda shorts, a
baseball cap, an Acapulco tee, and a pair of sandals.  She was wearing her
red and black suit, and was piloting Ryo-Ohki out of the earth's atmosphere.
     "Well Tenchi, when you're on vacation, it's always best to look the
part!", she said.  "Besides, you look especially sexy in those shorts."  She
pinched his bottom with a laugh, making his jump.
     "Ryoko", he said menacingly, sitting delicately on his sore bottom.
     "All right, all right", she said, and winked at him.
     Soon, Ryo-Ohki left the earth's atmosphere and settled on a course
towards the outer reaches of the solar system.  Settling back, Ryoko
stretched and yawned, displaying her slightly pointed canines.  Tenchi was
watching the ship's passage through the viewscreen, absently tugging at his
shirtsleeve.  Ryoko teleported over to him and laid her head on his
shoulder.
     "Tenchi?", she asked softly.  "It will take us most of the day to get
there, so.."
     "So..", he repeated, gulping nervously as he felt her arm slip around
his waist.  "What do you think we could do to pass the time?"
     "I'm glad you asked, Tenchi", she said, smiling.  Removing her arm from
around his waist, she chuckled and did a pirouette, standing with her back
to him.  "Would you mind unzipping me, Tenchi?  I'm in desperate need of a
bath, and this outfit is such a pain to remove..".
     Tenchi blushed.  "Well..sure..I guess", he said, walking toward her and
taking hold of the zipper.  Slowly, he began sliding it down her back,
revealing her milky-white skin as the material parted.  He noticed that she
wasn't wearing a bra, and he looked down embarrasedly.  Ryoko turned her
head to him and smiled.
     "Thank you, Tenchi", she said.  "The bath is up the walkway, past my
quarters.  Feel free to use it if you'd like."
     "S..sure", he answered, watching her walk away.  He sighed and sat down
on the cold metal, rubbing his temples.  Ryo-Ohki's face appeared in one of
the crystals and meowed questioningly at him.  Tenchi looked at her and
grinned lopsidedly.
     "What have I gotten myself into, Ryo-Ohki?", he asked.  Ryo-Ohki meowed
and blinked in answer, then disappeared.  Tenchi sighed again and continued
his silent vigil.
***
     One of Professor Washu's more inspired inventions, the bath evoked an
image of Roman decadence with its fountains and marble benches for lazy,
steaming sessions.  Tenchi added a ladle full of water to the hot stones in
the steam room, sitting back and smiling as he thought about Ryoko and her
idea.  Perhaps it wouldn't be as hair-raising as he first thought, he mused.
  Closing his eyes as the steam rose, he began to drift off into pleasnat
thoughts, never hearing Ryoko slip through the door and into the steam room
with him.
     "Tenchi..", she said, slipping next to him on the bench.  His eyes
opened slowly at the sound of her voice, then grew to the size of saucers at
the sight of her clad in nothing but a towel, her long silver hair hanging
wet and slicked back on her head.
     "R..Ryoko?", he stammered, his fingers clenching on the bench as she
stared into his eyes.  "What..what are you doing here?"
     "Mm", she moaned, stretching her arms high above her head.  Her nipples
were pushing against the tight fabric, drawing his eyes with irresistible
force.  "Well, I thought that a good long stay in the steamroom would do me
good after my bath.  Apparently you had the same idea."  Tenchi gulped
nervously.
     "I..suppose I did", he said, blushing.  Beneath the towel, he felt
himself growing intensely aroused, and prayed silently that she wouldn't
notice.
     "If you want it to yourself, I can come back after you're finished", he
said, beginning to stand.  Ryoko grinned and pushed him back down, leaning
in close to his face.
     "Silly boy", she whispered, "I want nothing of the sort."  Sitting
back, she began to undo her towel, making Tenchi's eyes widen further as the
cloth parted and her perfect body was revealed to him.  He gulped again and
covered his eyes.
     "Ryoko, please..", he started, only to have her pull his hands away
from his face.  She pushed him down on the bench and straddled his waist,
staring into his eyes with an intense, hungry look.
     "I want you, Tenchi", she said huskily, leaning down and giving him a
teasing lick on his lower lip.  "I want you to make love to me..right now."
     "Ryoko, I..", he managed, gasping as she began to rub against his
erection.  She cried out softly at the sensation, and raked her nails down
his chest.
     "Did you really..mm..think I wouldn't notice this?", she asked,
slipping her hand under his towel and grasping him firmly.  Tenchi groaned
and stared at her through half-lidded eyes.  "You want me just as badly as I
want you, Tenchi.  Don't try to fight it.  Give in to it.  Give in to me."
     Gasping, Tenchi slowly slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her
down beside him.  Ryoko moaned and smiled, folding her arms behind her head.
     "Oh, Tenchi.  I've dreamed of you taking control like this.
Please..take me.  Take me now."
     "Ryoko, you..God, you know I can't do this", gasped Tenchi, puling a
towel around himself.  "I'm just not ready.  And what about Ayeka?  You know
I can't break her heart like this.  It just..it just wouldn't be right."
     Ryoko sat up and stared at him, her chest heaving in frustration.  "Not
ready?", she said, a touch of anger in her tone.  "Not ready?  Tell that to
your body, Tenchi!  My God, tell it to mine!"  Sighing, she picked up her
towel and wrapped it around herself.  "And as for Ayeka, she could never
please you like I could..not in a million years!"  She looked at him
pleadingly, taking his hand in both of hers.  "Tell me that it was wrong
what I did, Tenchi.  Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't want me just
then.  If you can do that, then we'll turn around right now and forget all
about this.  Agreed?"
     Tenchi sighed, overwhelmed by the honesty in her amber eyes.  "I'd be
lying if I said I didn't", he said softly.  "But I have to wait for the
right time, Ryoko.  Please understand that.  It wouldn't be fair to any
woman if a man just made love to her without thinking about her feelings.
Do you see?"
     Ryoko blinked at him, letting his words sink in.  A soft smile spread
across her lips, and she nodded.  "I understand, Tenchi.  And I thank you."
Standing, she walked past him and touched his cheek.  "Think I'll go to bed
now, Tenchi.  I'll leave you alone and let you finish up here."
     Tenchi nodded, looking down at the floor.  "Thank you for
understanding", he said, but she had already closed the door and left.  He
sighed and sat a while longer, thinking of what had just transpired.  Was it
wrong, what she did?  It certainly felt that way, but then..another part of
him reveled in the way she felt against him, and hungered for the touch of
her fingers across his bare flesh.  Getting up and leaving, he dried and
dressed outside the bath, walking down the hallway toward the control room.
     Ryoko was sitting there with a pot of tea, clad in nothing but one of
his long-sleeved shirts.  She grinned at him and offered him a cup, which he
took gratefully.  He was happy that she seemed to have forgotten the
situation.
     "It's not as good as Sasami's, but still pretty good, hmm?", she asked,
blowing the steam from the cup.  Her eyes lingered on his for a moment, then
she smiled.
     "It's excellent, Ryoko", he said, after a sip.  "Thank you."
     "My pleasure, Tenchi", she returned, taking a sip of her own.  They
said little the rest of the evening, until they retired to separate quarters
for the night, sleep immediate for neither.