Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! And the characters belong to AIC/Pioneer and are not mine, and I'm not claiming them to be mine. SO NOBODY SUE ME!! plz? WARNING! In this fanfic, the subject of sex comes up. *GASP!!* It's true. So if you're as old as Sasami and accidentally stumble onto this site, you should really leave. (Your parents will be PISSED!!) WARNING 2! This fic contains BIG TIME LEMON!! It's seriously offensive and stuff so if you don't like that sort of thing then MAN ARE YOU WEIRD!!! j/k! WARNING 3! LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!! IT'S YOUR MOM AND SHE LOOKS PISSED!! (alt-F4) WARNING 4! The fanfic will be starting now!!! Tenchi Muyo! What We Do For Love Episode 3 The crickets in the field chirped quietly as the nighttime chill eased it's way down the mountainside, disguised as a cool breeze. The scenery was so still that if even a blade of grass rustled a bit it would be easily noticed. All was dark due to the ominous clouds the blocked out the moon. The darkness only seemed to intensify the dim light that peeked through the many windows and doors of the Masaki home. Indoors was almost the exact opposite of the exterior. Each room seemed to be full of life. Mihoshi and Kiyone, who were once again back from a weeklong patrol mission, sat in the living room watching nighttime television shows. Aeka and Sasami both worked on the dinner in the kitchen, Washu was displaying her most recent invention to a wide-eyed Tenchi and Noboyuki, and the most unlikely pair: a Juriain Knight and an ex-space pirate, sat on the outdoor balcony sipping Sake. It's been a week since the incident on the hill overlooking the shrine. Only three people actually knew what took place there, and even less knew why. When Aeka inquired the reason that Ryoko was being carried back into the house, Tenchi response was all she needed in order to figure out that it was none of her business. If Tenchi was there when it happened and he didn't know what exactly was going on, then Aeka was sure that she didn't want to involved in the already over complicated situation. As for everyone else, they had no clue anything worth mentioned had even occurred. The new connection Ryoko had made with her mother is another event that had failed to come to the attention of the other household members. Washu and Ryoko had been very careful to be discrete about their every move. Washu's lab wasn't secluded enough since it was almost a public room. Removing the lab from household was too inconvenient to be done on a regular basis. Washu decided that creating a sub-space room within her lab would be the best setting for her and Ryoko. They also made sure to address each other as they have for the bulk of the time they had spent in Tenchi's home. Ryoko called her mother Washu instead of Mom, and Washu called Ryoko by her name, instead 'Little Ryoko'. A nickname that Washu had gotten used to using during her 'emotional counseling'. Washu, who was now demonstrating her 'Super Special Genius Washing Machine' to Tenchi and his father, was enjoying the extra perks that came with helping her daughter. Ryoko no longer ignored, and blew Washu off like she had in the past. She had an actual healthy relationship with her. Ryoko would open up to her and share things that she couldn't with anyone else, like how many times Tenchi had said Ryoko's name in a day. Sure it may seem frivolous. But Ryoko was grasping at straws when it came to attention from Tenchi and she always felt better announcing it to someone that Tenchi was thinking about her. Washu always loved listening to Ryoko talk about the things she likes. It's so gratifying to see her happy. But Washu didn't have time to think about that right now. She was busy trying to convince Tenchi why her 'Super Special Genius Washing Machine' was better than the one they already had. "Tenchi, it's quite simple. The epionic subnet layers are compacted into a simple hyper dimensional rift mechanism that had been programmed to remove all binary molecules that are foreign to the original structure. This means that-" "Washu, Washu! Please, just tell me, what does it do?" Tenchi pleaded while cutting her off. "It cleans stuff." Washu put plainly. This interested Noboyuki, despite the fact that he never cleaned anything anyway. "It cleans stuff? What stuff?" "Any stuff- I mean, anything." Washu mentally kicked herself using a term like 'any stuff'. "Here, I'll show you." She then held up a large round ring that resembled a hola hoop. "It's easy, just put something you want to get clean through the ring. Hey I rhymed!" Washu picked up one of Tenchi dirty shirts from the laundry and threw it into the ring. But the shirt didn't fall out the other side; it just seemed to magically disappear into thin air. "Hey! Where did my shirt go?" Tenchi yelped. "Don't worry." A second later, Tenchi's shirt came flying out of the other side of the hoop like a bullet. Washu picked it up off of its position on Noboyuki's head and held it up for view. "Wow! It looks like new!" Noboyuki announced. "Why thank you." Washu proceeded to bow. "Well Washu, you finally invented something practical." Said Ryoko sarcastically from the top of he staircase. "Don't be so heartless Ryoko, I AM doing you a favor here. It is your job to do the laundry, even though you tend to forget that sometimes." Washu scolded. "Well since your making it so easy for me I'll be sure to remember next time." Ryoko snickered. Washu rolled her eyes and sighed. *She still as lazy as ever.* "Well, if anyone needs me, you know where to find me." She handed her cleaning hoop to Tenchi and turned towards the door of her lab. "...Uh, thanks little Washu." Tenchi said as Washu disappeared into her cave of science. Tenchi handed the ring to Noboyuki. "Hey dad, can you find a good spot for this?" "No problem, Tenchi." Noboyuki said and snatched up the invention. He headed out looking for a good perch for this new cleaning machine. Ryoko, who was still at the top of the staircase, began her decent. Still feeling the affects of the alcohol in her system from her drinking match with Yosho, she grasped the railing to steady herself. She finally made it to the bottom just as Tenchi crossed her path. Her reflexes were still numb enabling her unable to evade. Tenchi, who wasn't paying attention to his direction, collided with Ryoko. Ryoko lost her balance and started to topple over before Tenchi realized what had happened and caught her. "Oh thank you Tenchi." Ryoko said, recomposing herself. With an extreme proximity between each other, Tenchi could smell the alcohol on her breath. Plus the fact that Ryoko was knocked over from a simple run-in, he easily put two and two together. *Uh ho, she's drunk. Nothing good can come from this.* Tenchi braced himself for a bombardment of crud sexual advances. But surprisingly on his part, none came. Instead, Ryoko regained her balance and began walked toward the couch. Tenchi couldn't believe it. Ryoko had managed to control herself, even while she was drunk for that matter. Come to think of it, Ryoko hasn't said nor done anything to him that would rank as being sexual. Even her fights with Aeka have been less than status quoe. Tenchi decided that it would be a good idea to voice his recent findings. "Ryoko?" "Yeah?" She turned back to him. "I've been noticing how well you've been acting around me and everyone else. I just want to thank you. You've really shown a lot of control." Ryoko practically melted into a puddle. Tenchi had actually noticed the improvement she made and complimented her one it. She clasped her hands together as her hearted swooned over him. "Oh Tenchi!" Ryoko fell over again, right into Tenchi's arms. "Ryoko..." Tenchi groaned as she hugged him tightly. Worried that Aeka might notice, he quickly peeled Ryoko off. Disappointment was written all over Ryoko's face. "Hey now, don't be so sad. You had such a good steak going. Whatever you were doing to control yourself, just keep doing it." Suddenly Ryoko straightened up, as if she just realized something. "What is it?" Tenchi asked? "I... have to go... take care of something. It won't take to long. I'll see you later, okay?" Ryoko tried to cover her urgency. "But, Sasami has dinner for us in a short while." "No, it's really alright. I'm not too hungry. What I need to do is important." "Mind if I asked what it was?" Tenchi asked, a bit concerned. "Actually, yes, I do mind." Ryoko hated so much to keep something from him, but it would be too awkward to tell him. "Oh... okay." Tenchi said suspiciously. "I'll see ya later." Ryoko turned away too quickly and almost immediately lost her balance again. She reached her arms out everywhere for anything to grab a hold of before she smacked face first into the floor. Once again Tenchi caught her just in time. "Maybe I should get a cup of coffee first." Ryoko chuckled. "Good idea. I'll make you one." Tenchi said, also laughing lightly. - ---------------------- - From inside the kitchen, Tenchi handed Ryoko a dark mug of caffeine injected coffee. "Here you go Ryoko, Hope your feeling better soon." "Thanks." She smiled at him and took the cup. In one giant gulp she downed the entire mug. "I'll see you later Tenchi." She then proceeded to leave the kitchen. "Ryoko will never cease to amaze me..." Still staring off in disbelief, Tenchi started to walk across the kitchen floor. He was suddenly stopped abruptly by running into an unknown figure holding a sharp knife. "Ouch!" Yelped Aeka as she accidentally cut herself. She clamped down on her finger to keep the blood from leaking to fast from the cut. "Oh gosh, Aeka I'm so sorry." Tenchi quickly rushed over to the sink to wet down a cloth for her. He hurried back and took her hand in his. "Tenchi!" Aeka quickly pulled her hand away nervously. "It's my fault this happened. Let me clean it. Please." Tenchi took her hand again and began stroking it gently with the cloth. Aeka gasped at the contact. "Does it hurt?" "No not at all. It feels good." Aeka blushed, surprised at her own words. "Uh- Thank you." She evaded his eyes. Suddenly Sasami walked back into the kitchen; she had stepped out to ask Kiyone and Mihoshi what type of seasoning they would prefer on the meal. She quickly noticed the scene that was being played out here. "Tenchi, Aeka, what happened?" "I accidentally bumped into your sister and she cut herself." Tenchi expression was enough evidence to see that he was very worried. "...And your cleaning it for her! Tenchi you're so sweet." Sasami giggled. "I'll go get a bandage." Sasami walked out beaming widely. Tenchi removed the cloth to check the wound. It was a deep cut and was bleeding fast. Instinctively Tenchi brought her finger to his mouth to stop the bleeding. Upon seeing Aeka blush several shades of red, he realized his mistake. "Sorry, I forgot whose finger I was looking at for a moment." Sweat drops formed heavily on Tenchi's forehead. "You should probably... you know-" Tenchi gestured for Aeka to put her finger to her mouth to stop the bleeding. Aeka slowly brought her hand up and placed her finger to her lips. *I can hardly believe this!! It's- it's like we're kissing!* Aeka heart nearly jumped out of her chest in rapid beating. Aeka closed her lips completely around her fingertip and lost herself in swirling emotion. Her vision faded as her eyelids slowly shut. She wrapped her arm around herself and swooned at the romantic gesture just given to her. Whether or not it was meant to be romantic didn't matter to her. She was cherishing every moment of it. "Aeka, Aeka!" Sasami called to her, bring the princess out of her fantasy. "-Uh, what?" Aeka opened her eyes to Tenchi who was standing in front of her, sweating bullets and nervously scratching the back of his head. "Oh, thank you Sasami." Aeka turned to her sister, took the bandage and quickly applied it. Aeka heart was beating even harder now. How could she be so public with her feelings like that? She blushed heavily again turned away from Tenchi. "Sasami, could you please take over?" Aeka desperately needed some privacy to try and cool off. "Sure Aeka, does your finger still hurt?" "No, it is not that. I just..." Aeka glanced back up at Tenchi who was now a bit curious. She blushed again a quickly darted out of the room, leaving a slightly worried Tenchi behind. - ------------------ - The door the Washu sub-space lab cracked open and jingled a small crab novelty that hung over it, letting the owner of the lab know that someone was coming. "Who is it?" Washu chimed cheerfully while typing away at her holo computer. "It's me," Ryoko said. Washu couldn't help but to smile. "What do you need little Ryoko? Come to tell me that dinner is ready?" "No, no, its nothing like that. What I need is..." Ryoko cut herself off. "Well, what I was going to say was that... I bumped into Tenchi just a while ago... literally. He also said something really nice to me..." Washu smiled warmly. "... And I was wondering if we could skip dinner." Washu jumped out of her chair and faced her daughter. Upon seeing Ryoko, it was all to clear what she had really come to see her for. Ryoko stood with her legs nervously bent inward. Her arms where crossed tightly over her stomach. Ryoko's averted gaze was implanted onto the floor in front of her, occasionally glancing up hopefully at her mother, blushing each time. Washu quickly closed the distance between them. Upon reaching her daughter, she had changed into her adult form. She encircled her arms around Ryoko in a warm embrace. "So what was the nice thing that Tenchi said?" Washu stroked her cheek lovingly. "He said that he noticed how good I've been acting around him, and he thanked me for it." Ryoko spoke quietly, but her lips where so close to Washu's that she could still feel Ryoko's breath. "You see, we're already seeing results from this." Washu lightly touched lips with Ryoko. "Yes, and he also told me that: whatever it was that I did to control myself... I should keep doing it" Their lips met a second time in a kiss with slightly more presence than the last one. "Well, let's not disappoint him." Washu whispered and kissed Ryoko passionately. The stress from the day melted away and her recent excitement over Tenchi seemed like a distant memory as their lips locked intensely. Ryoko's state of mind clarified as the one and only objective she had echoed loudly in her mind. The objective was to scratch the pure desire that itched inside of her every time she gazed into the brown eyes of a certain young man. The kiss faded and Washu took her daughter's hand. She led Ryoko to her holo computer, where she punched in a few buttons single handedly. Washu turned back to Ryoko and pulled her in so that their lips could meet again. A large hole is space widened next to them like a window into a new world. "Come now my little Ryoko." Washu coed softly into her ear, She took her hand again and stepped through the gateway, pulling Ryoko in with her. "Yes Mom." Ryoko rang right before she disappeared into the dimensional pocket. - -------------------- - Aeka sat alone in the onsen. She was still trying to shake the enticing sensation that hummed all around her. Each of her senses seemed to be intensified. Even now, in the bath, she could hear the caring harmony of his vocals. She smelt the sweet sent of his presence. She could taste his lips where theirs had both met on her hand. She could feel his warm and gentle touch, and she could see he large brown eyes gaze into hers. No matter how hard Aeka tried, she couldn't control her thoughts from straying back to those few and short wonderful moments. She sighed heavily and shifted position in an attempt to find a new train of thought. She let her hands fall lightly onto her lap underneath the water's surface. Her back perked up as evidence of her arousal shot through her. Beginning to become lost in emotion again, Aeka began to part her towel. *NO! I can't go in the direction* She wrapped herself up tightly in the towel. This, unfortunately for Aeka, only made things worse. Her legs rubbed closely together and her breath quickened. Aeka slid forward and sank deeper into the water, surrounding herself in warmth. "Hmm, that feels good." She hummed to herself. Her pleasant thoughts of her love seemed to weigh down on her eyelids. Her once tense muscles relaxed and her attentiveness began to drift away. It wasn't long before Aeka was in a dream world of her own fantasy. * * * Tenchi Masaki strode confidently into the onsen. Aeka's earlier actions perked his curiosity and his worry. He didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable while she stayed at his home so he decided to try and solve things, and maybe make them a little better. He spotted Aeka sitting at the far corner of the bath. Her face was tilted down and she seemed lost in thought. He didn't want to startle her so instead of walking right up to her and sitting down, he waved and called her name. "Aeka!" She looked up immediately to his voice and noticed him wearing only a bath towel. *What is he doing here?* Aeka began to panic as Tenchi drew in closer. *I can't be seen like this!* Aeka quickly stood up and tried to make an excuse to leave. "Oh Lord Tenchi. I didn't hear you come in. Well, I hope you enjoy the bath, it certainly has been pleasing for me." She edged her way around the long side of the bath rim, the way furthest from Tenchi. "Aeka, please don't go. I came here because I wanted to talk to you." Tenchi tried to plead with her as she hastily darted out of the room. Aeka paused. *He wants to talk to me! Oh this is too good to be true... But why am I still afraid to be near him? Isn't this what I wanted?* Aeka continued to fight with herself as Tenchi finally reached her. "Hey Aeka, what's wrong. I don't scare you do I?" He tried his best to comfort her. "Oh no, its not that." *He doesn't think I hate him does he?* Aeka, in fear of driving Tenchi off, forced herself to retain her composer. "Okay Lord Tenchi, we can talk." "I'm glad" Tenchi steered Aeka back to the bath pool and they both sat down, dipping their feet into the warm water. "So Lord Tenchi, what is it that you wish to speak to me about?" Aeka began. "Well, its nothing really. You just left the kitchen so suddenly. I was a little worried." "Oh, that." Aeka looked down into the water at her own reflection. She could see how her own face curved with shame. "If there is anything that is bothering you, please tell me. I only want to help." Tenchi also looked at Aeka reflection, and noticed the same thing she did. "... If you feel uncomfortable telling me though, I'll understand." "No, it's not that. In fact I should tell you, but... I'm afraid that... I'm just afraid." Suddenly Tenchi reached out with his arm and placed his hand on Aeka's bare shoulder. The contact with the skin shot unknown energy and strength through Aeka as she perked up and faced him with intense eyes. Her skin tingled with sensation and her body seemed to act on its own as she slide herself over beside Tenchi, and rested her head on his shoulder. "Does what you have to say have anything to do with how you feel about me?" Tenchi said, wrapping his arm around Aeka, bringing her in closer. Aeka nodded. "Yes." "Aeka, when it comes to me, you don't have to be afraid to tell me anything." He bent his head down to gaze into Aeka's ruby eyes, eyes that seemed to beg him to continue. She wanted to desperately, almost pleadingly, for him to go on and say those three little words of pure happiness. Words that would make her fantasy complete. And that's exactly what he did. "Aeka, you don't have to be afraid because... because I love you." Aeka reacted before he even finished the last word, she threw her arms around him a hugged him tightly in a warm embrace. "Oh Tenchi, I've waited to so long for you to say those words. I love you so dearly." "I'm sorry I waited so long Aeka, things were complicated and I wanted to wait for the right time." Tenchi said, continuing to hold Aeka. "I don't care anymore, as long as we are together, that's all that matters." Aeka released from the embrace politely kissed Tenchi on the lips as a sign of affection. Tenchi full heatedly accepted. The kiss ended and they both smiled warmly at each other. Tenchi reached his hand out to stroked Aeka's soft cheek lovingly. He then pulled her face in for another kiss. But unlike the last one, this one was seeded with a hint of passion. The seed blossomed as Tenchi perked his mouth slightly open, and allowed Aeka's tongue to enter. Aeka wrapped her arms around him completely without gap and pressed herself against him. Their lips parted ways and their eyes connected again. "Tenchi, let me prove my love to you." Aeka said, taking his hand in hers. "Aeka..." A boyish grin spread across his face as he anticipated the coming moments. He wrapped his arms around her for another kiss, a kiss that pushed Aeka onto her back, on the floor of the onsen. "Be gentle Tenchi, I've never done this before." Aeka said quietly. Tenchi smiled sheepishly and said, "Well Aeka, to tell you the truth, neither have I." Aeka hugged Tenchi again with joy. To think that they will both be sharing this precious moment together. And that Tenchi had saved himself for the one he loves, for Aeka. She leaned back down and Tenchi hunched over her. Her hands ran up the seam of her towel as they finally found the tie at the top of her side. She slowly and nervously pulled the tie loose and let the towel part so that everything lay bare for her love. All of her curves pulled Tenchi's eyes in like a magnet. From her perfectly symmetrical face, to her round and soft breasts, down to her flat toned stomach, all the way past her violet clef, and finally trailing off along her smooth legs. "Aeka, you're so beautiful." Tenchi lowered himself onto her and kissed her passionately. This moment was too good to be true; everything he imaged about Aeka was now just a bitter dream compared to the real Aeka that lay before him. Every curve of hers was so amazingly beautiful he had to kiss each part. His lips moved down her neck stopping periodically to taste her soft skin. He reached her breasts, where his lips touched each mound eagerly. Now getting the hang of it, he brought his hands up and cupped both tits. He steadied the one in his mouth, and continued to rub the other in a circular motion. "Ah! Tenchi, keep touching me like that." Her hands braced the back of his neck and ran up along his head, diving her fingers into his hair. Tenchi continued his way down across her belly, poking his tongue out to lead the way. He kissed his way around her clef, and licked her inner thigh. Beginning to become a little nervous being so close to her center, Tenchi pulled away. "Tenchi?" Aeka said curiously in between her hard breathing. "I don't know if I should... I mean, it's your..." Aeka knew that if he continued, it would only mean pleasure for her. Tenchi's uneasiness put her at a loss. She glanced at his questioning eyes, they looked as if they wanted permission to continue, and that going on without it would be rude to do so. "Please Tenchi, go on." She smiled warmly at him, giving him the allowance that he wanted. Tenchi returned the smile and lowered himself down between her legs. He slowly began to kiss around the exterior of the entrance, once or twice accidentally bumping into her clitoris. *GASP* "Tenchi, that is amazing!" Aeka shook with pleasure. Her words gave Tenchi the courage he needed to center his mouth over her vagina. He lined the surface of the unbroken hole with his tongue as Aeka grasped the back of his head. Under her hard panting Aeka managed out, "T-Tenchi, just... just a little higher." Tenchi quickly obligated and raised his mouth over her clitoris. His tongue casually stroked the tip, causing intense pleasure to worm through Aeka. "Ah! Ah! TENHIIIIII!" With one final swipe over her center, Aeka was pushed over, into a space of unthinkable pleasure. She fell deeper into the pleasure as her breath was lost. Suddenly her eyes opened to find that she had landed on the floor of the Onsen. "Tenchi, that was wonderful." She winked at him playfully as he smiled back, wiping away her cum on his mouth. Tenchi sat down for a quick breather but he didn't get much of a chance. This time, Aeka took the initiative leaned forward to kiss him again. Their passion grew as their hands explored each other's body. Aeka's hands finally made their way down to Tenchi's waist, where the towel was tightly wrapped. She began to pull on the tie lightly, loosening it ever so slowly. Tenchi gazed into Aeka's ruby eyes as his hands met hers. He guided her fingers to grasp the sides of the towel and pull it completely off. Aeka blushed at the site of him. "Tenchi!" She was soon cut off by another kiss from her lover. Tenchi straightened his legs and guided Aeka on top of them. She slid down his lap growing closer to the point of contact at their waists. When Tenchi's tip finally made contact With Aeka, he paused. "Are you ready Aeka?" He asked her. "With all my heart." Aeka kiss him lightly again. He steadied himself and made sure he was going in the right direction before lowering Aeka on to him. She wrapped her arms tightly around him to brace for the sudden pain that shot through her, but it was all washed away instantly as she could feel Tenchi's warmth inside her, giving her more good sensation. Tenchi began to loss himself in that same pleasure, his strength was slowly over run and he leaned back to lay straight on the tile floor, bringing Aeka down on top of him. All the while Aeka planted her lips all over his face and neck. He slowly started a motion in his hips, an up and down pumping that Aeka quickly synchronized herself to. Her whole body moved like a piston and each time she came down a burst overwhelming ecstasy flowed through her. "Ten... chi... keep... go...ing..." Aeka barely managed out between bounces. With each pulsing move her breath became shorter and shorter. She could feel Tenchi's hands still roaming her curves. His hands brushed across her nipples. In the passion of the moment, Tenchi grasped her breasts and pulled on them until she moaned loudly. Glad that he was getting a reaction from her, he continued his pleasurable movements. This was all that was needed to bring Aeka completely over. Her back arched tensely, her eyes clamped shut, and her voice was stuck in her throat as she glowed in a mind-blowing orgasm. Aeka lay across Tenchi's chest, recovering from the action of love. After she was able to regain her breath, Aeka leaned up to gaze into Tenchi brown eyes. She smiled warmly down on him and he returned the gaze with his own smile. Things couldn't get any better for Aeka. She had finally shown Tenchi her love for him and she longer had to fear him or his rejection. Tenchi would always be there for her, always loving her. Feeling that it has been too long since their lips last touched, Aeka moved her face in slowly for a kiss. Just as their lips met Aeka realized something: She couldn't breath. She pulled away sharply from Tenchi clamped her hands around her throat struggling to inhale. "My god! Aeka, what's wrong?" Tenchi's worry only caused Aeka's panic to increase. She flailed her arms about trying so desperately to get at least one precious sip of air. Her lunges burned with intense pain as the lack of oxygen made Aeka claw at her mouth in a useless attempt to find the cause suffocation. She clumsily fell sideways when the phantom chokehold on her finally got the best of her and she began to lose consciousness. "Aeka!! Aeka!!!!" Tenchi continued to call for her, but to Aeka, he seemed miles away. In a sudden instant everything turned pitch black. * * * Aeka's eyes shot open, only to be pushed closed again by the water's pressure. She quickly realized that she was surrounded by water on all sides. Her lunges, which were burning for air so desperately for what seemed like an instant ago, filled with unexpected liquid. Aeka flailed her arms around in a panic search for the surface. Her rear roughly hit against what she thought was the ground, but being so disoriented she honestly didn't know what was up or down. Instinctively, her feet found the surface she collided with and she pushed off with all her might, in hopes to find air again. Having no clue as to what her real situation was, Aeka used enough force to fling herself completely out of the bath and onto the Onsen floor. Aeka quickly rolled over on the tile floor and gagged up the water that saturated her lunges like a sponge. After a small puddle pooled around her head, she finally took a deep, satisfying breath. Many moments passed as Aeka's breath slowly returned to normal. She leaned up a tried to figure out what exactly happened. She glances around for Tenchi, but he was nowhere to be seen. She observed how her towel was still on, and her memory of Tenchi was so faded that she could hardly tell if it had even happened. Her perfect fantasy with Tenchi was, in fact, just that: a dream. She must have accidentally fallen asleep while in the bath. *Strange, I didn't know people could have dreams like that...* Aeka blushed at the nature of her dream. She wished so badly that it hadn't ended. She had never felt so happy in her life as she did in those few short moments in her slumber. *But...* Aeka realized, *If I had stayed asleep, I would have drowned.* "It may be getting late, I should go back to the house." Aeka thought aloud. She stood up too quickly on her weakened legs and almost fell forward again, but her quick reflexes stopped her. She steadied her balance and walked out of the Onsen, feeling tired yet renewed. - ---------------------- - The hours passed quickly that night. A pleasant dinner took place at the regular time. When Tenchi vaguely wondered why things were running so smoothly, he realized three characters that had neglected to show: Aeka, Ryoko and Washu. *I wonder where they are... Probably doing girl stuff... it's none of my business.* After dinner the night continued without any note worthy event. Sasami cleaned the kitchen; Kiyone and Mihoshi went to bed early since it was their first night back and they were a little tired. Nobuyuki also turned in early for his morning commute to work. Katsuhito returned to the shrine for some late night meditation. Also, the three missing house members were nowhere to be seen. As the night came to a close, everyone finished their last business of the day and went to bed. Time rolled on, and the house fell into a deep slumber during the late hour. Everyone, that is, except Tenchi, who was now in his room sitting in pitch-black darkness. His eyes, despite not being able to see anything, were wide open. Whenever he closed them, he opened himself to his mind, which plagued him with deep fear. A fear that intensified every time her words echoed in his mind, "Everyone has a secret Tenchi..." Those were Washu's words to him. From their conversation, Tenchi wasn't quite sure if Washu already knew what he was hiding. But it seemed awfully convenient that she could think of such sly method of defense so quickly. Plus there was the evidence. Washu made it clear that she still had his file on record from when she analyzed him. *The computer wouldn't be able to detect something like that... would it?* It didn't seem the slightest bit realistic but Tenchi had learned very quickly never to question the power of Washu's technology. Whether or not Washu already knew didn't matter anymore, if she did know, she hasn't told anyone yet and it didn't seem like she was going to. Since his file was all that remained of the truth, Tenchi resolved that it must be destroyed somehow... for the sake of peace in his home. Tenchi rose to his feet and stepped out of his room. He stalked his way downstairs, through the darkness until he reaches the door to Washu's lab. There, he reconsidered the whole endeavor. *There is a chance she is still up doing research. A very good chance.* But when Tenchi remembered why he was down there in the first place, to cover up his secret, his mind overweighed logic, and he treaded forward into Washu's lab. *I'll just tell her that I couldn't sleep... then I'll ask her if there is any computer things that I could help her with. Figuring out Washu's computer system can't be too hard.* On entering his eyes focused to the new light. There wasn't much light, but after sitting in complete darkness anything would seem bright. He made quick glance around the lab for it's owner, but Washu was no where to be seen. What an amazing break for Tenchi, Washu wasn't even there. Tenchi made his way through the strange curves of the lab until he finally reached the point where he often found Washu typing at her computer. *I think this is where she does it... now, how does she turn that computer thingy on?* Tenchi waved his arms in front of him to see if there were any invisible buttons that he didn't know about. Suddenly a gray transparent computer floated in front of him. "I see, I only had to put my hands out to activate it." Tenchi thought aloud. On the screen he saw lots of symbols and writing that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever. "Maybe this was a bad idea after..." Tenchi was just about to give up before noticing once phrase on the screen he did understand. "Archives" Being the only thing he could read, he used the arrows on the keypad and moved the cursor over until he highlighted "Archives". He found the enter button and pressed it. The screen widened with more text that he could understand. Dimension Relays.................................34,235 gigabytes Ionic stabilizers................................16,632 gigabytes Ether ROM Drivers................................67,004 gigabytes Matrix Files 1....................................3,912 gigabytes Matrix Files 2...................................83,286 gigabytes Matrix Files 3..................................385,213 gigabytes Masaki Family....................................13,362 gigabytes Sub-light Theorem................................72,245 gigabytes Epionic filters..................................64,342 gigabytes Ryoko Hakubi(locked).................45,724,134,475,638 gigabytes Personal Files (locked).........................536,245 gigabytes Mass Data.........................................1,234 gigabytes ... ... The list went on for other things that he didn't understand. But there were two things that caught his eye. The 'Masaki Family' icon and the one labeled 'Ryoko'. He strained to remember what the term 'gigabyte' meant from his computer class. Something about one gigabyte equaling one billion bytes, but he wasn't quite sure. Still, Ryoko's file was so extremely larger than all the others it stood out. Added to the fact that it was locked enticed his curiosity even more. *Stay focused Tenchi* He moved the cursor over the file labeled 'Masaki Family' since it seemed most likely to have his file. Just as he clicked on the file, a sub-space portal that led to Ryoko and Washu's room silently opened up behind him. Tenchi, of course, didn't even notice. The tall and slender Washu stepped out of the pocket of space with Ryoko closely in tow. They too did not realize that they were not alone in the room. Ryoko, who could still feel that taste of her mother on her lips, felt that she could use just a little more flavor, and pulled Washu in for a passionate kiss. Just then out of the corner of Washu's eye, she noticed a figure standing off in the shadows. She couldn't tell who it was, but that didn't matter. Someone was there, and they might see her and Ryoko. She quickly pushed Ryoko away. Ryoko glanced back, very confused. "Wha-" Washu covered her mouth a pointed a finger at the unknown figure. Ryoko understood and nodded. *Who is it? I can't tell from here.* Washu ask her daughter telepathically. Ryoko squinted in the darkness until they finally adjusted to the low light. She saw a man with short spiky hair. He had a stifled ponytail in the back and was warring a white shirt with boxers... clearly his nighttime outfit. Then Ryoko made a surprising realization. *It's... Tenchi.* She stated, completely shocked. A flash of anger suddenly burned inside Washu. Of all the things Washu can't stand, she hates it the most when someone sneaks behind her back to steel her equipment, or use it without her. But Washu, who didn't want to give away their position, did her best to remain calm and silent. *Hmmm, that's very peculiar. It certainly is not like him to sneak into my lab like this. Since when did he have so much guts?* Washu passively thought of all the possible reasons why Tenchi would be so bold as to use her equipment without her permission. She almost immediately remembered their conversation where she mentions his data file. *I think I know why he is here...* *Why is that?* Ryoko asked. But her question was ignored. *It's best if he doesn't see you here. Stay back in our room until I get you okay?* *But...* *Don't worry about Tenchi, I'll get rid of him.* Washu gave Ryoko one last kiss and pushed her into back into the sub-space room with surprising force. Just before the gate closed again, Washu heard a faint cry from her daughter. *...oUcH...* *Oops, sorry.* Washu shook off her concern for Ryoko and focused on the task at hand. She quickly crept up behind Tenchi to see exactly why he was there. She saw him working diligently, sifting through the files, but what was he looking for? Washu took a few silent steps closer, now she could seen the screen. She noticed the file he was examining, it was labeled, "Tenchi Masaki". "Found it." He thought aloud, startling Washu. "Now, how do I delete this?" Washu floated across the floor until finally she was standing right behind Tenchi. "It helps if you hold down alt-f3, then delete." She whispered into his ear. "Thanks... uh..." Tenchi gulped hard and he realized he has just been caught red handed. He slowly turned around and faced an angry Washu, who was surprisingly at the same height as he was. "Oh! Little Washu, what a surprise! I... well... I couldn't sleep and I..." Tenchi tried to cover weekly. "Don't feed me lies Tenchi, I know why you're here." Tenchi hung his head in shame. "You were afraid that file would leak out somehow and expose you." "Washu, you don't know how sorry I am, sneaking in here was wrong... Hey wait a second, you knew?" Tenchi looked up again, shock written all over his face. "Yes I knew. I analyzed that file a long, long time ago. That's when I first found out." Tenchi looked as if he was about to cry. He fell to his knees. "Oh Washu! You can't tell anyone, please? You can't, if you did... I don't know what would happen." "Tenchi get up, I'm not going to tell anyone." To tell the truth, Washu was a little surprised at Tenchi's action. He begged her not to tell, something you don't see often of a Juraian Prince. He must have been very desperate to hide the truth, which's why he snuck in here. Feeling her anger begin to fade, Washu gave Tenchi a wink and smile as he stood up again. He too lightened spirits. "Thank you." Washu crossed her arms. "So, are you going to tell me why it's taking so long? It's almost considered cruel to make her wait so long." "Yes I know little Washu, I want to tell her how I feel about her, but..." "It's the other one your worried about. I don't blame you; she doesn't like to take no for an answer. I would know." Washu let a crack of a smile spread across her face. "Yes exactly, she's done so many things for me... although she can be trouble sometimes, she really does love me. I just can't bring myself to look into her eyes and tell her that I don't love her back." Tenchi's eyes fell to the floor. "... And then there is the one I do love. She's kind, but misguided. I didn't want to just give myself to her." "But Tenchi, that's not how it would be, you wouldn't 'give' yourself to her-" "But that's how she would see it. You know how spoiled she can be sometimes." "Yeah, I guess I do." "I feel like I can make her a better person if I wait a little longer, and I can find a way to tell the other... somehow." Washu actually felt somewhat guilty for not seeing things the way he did. He really does care for both their feelings, that's why it's taking so long. "I'm sorry for doubting you." "Don't worry about it." He looked up again at Washu; it finally dawned on him that something about her image didn't quite look right. "Little Washu... you're big!" Washu's back stiffened, how was she going to cover for this? "Well... uh... you see..." Washu began panic, until a devious plan entered her mind. She smiled widely and batted her eyes at Tenchi seductively. "Well Tenchi, when a BIG SRONG man like yourself snuck into my lab, I thought the worst of things." She closed the distance between them held Tenchi in her arms. "I hope you don't try to do anything strange to me..." "WASHU PLEASE!!" Tenchi groaned and pushed her away. Washu snickered and turned into her child form again. "I'm only teasing." "I hope so..." Tenchi said under his breath. "Well I guess I better be going now. It's getting very late. Are you coming?" Tenchi asked. "No, I have some more things to do. You know me, the little busy body." Washu grinned. "I sure do. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Tenchi turned towards the way he came and started his way out, he then stopped. "Washu, I just want to apologize one more time for what I did, it was stupid." "I understand, please, don't concern yourself with it. You have much bigger things to worry about." Tenchi finally allowed himself to smile. "Yeah, I guess I do. Oh, and Washu?" "Yeah?" "Could you PLEASE make sure that nobody sees that file?" Washu chuckled. "Don't worry Tenchi, there's no way anyone can find that sort of information from your data file. You would have to be a genius for that." Tenchi laughed. "Okay, thanks again. Good night now." Washu waved farewell and Tenchi took this as a sign to turn and leave. A moment passed as Washu made sure Tenchi had completely vacated the lab. Once she was positive, she walked over to the spot where the sub-space gate was situated. Washu called up her portable computer (different from the permanent one in her lab) and opened the portal that led to her and Ryoko's private room. A few seconds later, a very disgruntled Ryoko stepped through with a red soar on her forehead. "I don't think you pushed me hard enough, I didn't break my neck." Ryoko pouted. "Aww, is my poor little baby hurt?" Washu took Ryoko in her arms and jokingly stroked the back of her head. "There, there, everything going to be alright." "MOM!!!" Ryoko tore herself away and shot an evil glare. "Want me to kiss it and make it better? You poor little thing." "MOM!!!!!" Ryoko gave her another look that clearly signified that the joke was over. "Alright, I'll stop teasing now. You really have to loosen up." "How long ago did you say that teasing people was mean? Already you're going back on your word." Ryoko stuck her tongue out at Washu. Washu smiled back and walked up to Ryoko. She leaned up and kissed Ryoko on the forehead anyway. "I'm sorry I pushed you." Washu said in defeat. Ryoko beamed happily at this battle won. A moment later, she changed the subject. "So, why was Tenchi in your lab?" "Oh no reason he said a couldn't sleep." Washu stepped away from Ryoko and dodged her gaze. "That's sounds almost impossible to believe. Why was he REALLY here?" Washu glance back at Ryoko with uneasiness in her eye. "C'mon Mom, it can't be that bad." Washu let out a quiet sigh and crossed her arms. "He was going through my files." She put plainly. "Hmm, that doesn't sound like Tenchi at all. Why was he doing that?" "I didn't get a chance to find out." Washu said averting Ryoko's gaze. "As soon as he saw me, he made up some quick excuse to leave and took off. Very strange." "I'll go talk to him, I'm sure he'll-" "No! I mean... don't bother, I can find out what he was up to just by looking at the files he accessed." Ryoko gave her mother a suspiciously look. "Sure." She said reluctantly. Washu quickly moved the conversation forward. "Oh man, it's getting late, we should really hit the sack." "You're right, I am getting really tired... thanks to you." She winked at her. "Thanks to me? I was the one doing all the work, I sure do have a selfish daughter." Washu brought her hand across Ryoko's thigh. "I wonder where I get it from, MOM." Ryoko shot back. Washu took her in her arms again as they both smiled warmly at each other before submitting into a tender kiss. Once their lips parted, Washu said. "Tell me, do you still sleep in that futon?" "Yeah, on the second floor landing." Washu shook her head lightly. "That will never do. You need to sleep in a real bed." "I've been trying to get into Tenchi's but, he doesn't like that idea very much." "Yes I can understand that." Washu giggled. "Until you get your own room, you can stay with me during the night." Ryoko questioned Washu with her eyes. "You don't mean... sex?" "No, nothing like that. Just for sleeping." Ryoko moved her face forward and gave her mother a light and friendly kiss. "Thanks." Washu kissed Ryoko back, but where her daughter was friendly, she was layered with enthusiasm that drove Ryoko's desire to a steeper extent. Their bodies moved closer together and their hands trial across each other's curves. Their passion continued until Ryoko pulled away to take a breath. "Well, maybe we could have just a LITTLE sex." Ryoko giggled. Washu laughed with her. "That will work just fine." She then pulled away from Ryoko and began to lead her to Washu's bedchamber. "Now, let me show you my bed that can generate polar fields while boosting gel batteries." Ryoko rolled her eyes. "Great..." - ------------------------- - Golden rays of light shined happily through the window pains of the Masaki home. It was the next morning and the birds chirping quietly outside as the sun crept further up, warming the earth for this new day. The silence of the house had been completely undisturbed for many hours. It's silent, until 7 A.M. right on the dot. "ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO! ASA DA, OKIRO!" Kiyone's alarm clock rang out loudly and proudly, the true sign that a new day had started. From under the futon an arm shot out to quickly stifle the obnoxious clock. Kiyone, who was still somewhat asleep, instinctively unrolled her covers and raised to stretch. Completely on autopilot, she walked over to Mihoshi's bed and dropped down again. "Mihoshi, it's morning, time to wake up." From under the covers Kiyone could barely hear a quiet plea for slumber. "... five... more... mi*YAWN*nutes..." Kiyone signed. They didn't have any business to do that day so Kiyone didn't see the harm in letting her partner sleep in a little. Kiyone herself would have returned to bed but she was always a stickler for self-control, she couldn't let herself slip into bad habits. Kiyone raised to her feet again, donned her outfit for today, and made her way downstairs. When she arrived at the kitchen, she found Sasami already there working on breakfast with great vigor. She turned to greet her. "Good morning Kiyone! It's great to see you up so early." "Good morning Sasami." Kiyone replied. Sasami quickly moved from the counter to Kiyone, and handed her some tea. "Why thank you Sasami. You're always so thoughtful." Sasami giggled and ran off to finish the meal. Kiyone sat down at the table in the kitchen to drink her tea. Her thoughts have been troubling her lately, but the thing was, she really didn't know why. She couldn't stop thinking about the people around her. Sure, they were all good friends, but even as she lived with them under the same roof, she still felt distant. Nobody, not even Mihoshi, held a strong bond with her, one that she always wanted. But did she even have a right to complain? Everyone has always been kind to her, shouldn't that be enough? Why is she feeling so... lonely? Her thoughts were shaken away as Mihoshi fumbled loudly down the staircase. "Good mor*YAWN*ning Kiyone." She was obviously still asleep. "Oh... hi Mihoshi." Kiyone said, losing herself in thought again. Mihoshi seated herself across from her and was soon brought a cup of tea from Sasami. "Thanks Sasami!" Mihoshi beamed. She took one sip and already began to perk up to the morning. "Hey Kiyone, what do you want to do today?" Mihoshi inquired. But strangely, Kiyone didn't respond. "... Kiyone?" Still nothing. "Kiyone? Hey Kiyone, I'm talking to you." "Huh what?" Her attention snapped in like a student caught sleeping in class. "Oh sorry Mihoshi, I've just been really down lately that's all." This attracted Mihoshi's worry, since she always looked up to Kiyone, to see her down upset her. "What's wrong Kiyone? C'mon, you can tell me." Kiyone looked up into Mihoshi's big blue eyes, which seemed to lack substance. How could she explain something so deep as her feelings to Mihoshi? *Oh well, what harm can come from it?* Kiyone thought that she might as well give it a try. "Have you ever had that feeling that you weren't important, Mihoshi?" "No." She put plainly. "Well, I'm getting that feeling." "How could you? You do so many great things around here, and you're a much better galaxy police officer than I am." "It... It just doesn't feel like I really *know* anyone around here. Like, if I was gone, nobody would really notice, like I'm not important." Kiyone took another sip from her tea. "You don't know anyone here? I thought you knew who everyone was. Well, there's Tenchi and Aeka and Ryoko and Sas-" "No, that's not what I meant." She paused to find words that Mihoshi could understand. "You know how Aeka and Ryoko really like Tenchi?" "Yeah." "Well, I don't really have anything like that. I don't have anyone that I really like." Mihoshi started giggling. "What? What's so funny?" Kiyone asked, slightly annoyed. "I know what you want. You want to be in LOVE!" "Why of all the stupid things-" Kiyone halted in mid sentence. It made sense. It actually made sense. She never actually cared about anyone deeply. The thought of it was so alien to her. To be 'in love'. It was such a foreign campaign to her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to tread those waters. "I don't have the time to start a relationship..." Kiyone tried to dodge the subject. But Mihoshi was now the driver of this conversation. "So, did you have your eye on anyone?" "NO! Of course not!" Kiyone blushed. "I bet you did! I bet it was that guy from the grocery store. They guy that puts the food into the bags..." "The bag boy?" "YEAH, the bag boy! Don't you think he's cute?" "I don't know who your talking about..." Disappointment rang in Mihoshi's voice. "C'mon Kiyone, he says hi to us every time we go. I even talked to him once while you went searching for extra food. He's really nice!" "You sure about that? What does he look like?" "Uhh... he has black hair and brown eyes." Kiyone face faulted. "Mihoshi!! Everyone in Japan has black hair and brown eyes!!" Kiyone let a moment pass as she cooled down. "Do you at least remember his name?" "Hmmm... I think it was... Wedge! Yeah, that's it. It was Wedge." "Wedge? WEDGE?!" Kiyone tried very hard to keep herself from laughing. "What the hell kind of a name is Wedge?" "Uhh... his name?" "Let me guess, is his last name Cleave?" Kiyone finally let loose. "I don't think so..." Again, the joke was over Mihoshi's head. Kiyone's laughs finally faded. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I don't think I'll be interested in Wedge. He is, after all, native to this planet. He probably is just some backwater hick whose interest don't range far from ogling women to shooting things with guns." "He seemed really nice when I talked to him." Mihoshi tried to defend Wedge, who she only knew from a one-time instance. "You just need to meet him." "No, no Mihoshi. I think I'll find someone on my own." "Really. You should meat him." Suddenly Mihoshi's whole face lit up. "I know!! I'll set you two up on a blind date!!" "NO! Mihoshi please. Don't do that!" "Yeah, I'm going to talk to Wedge, and I'll set you two up on a date." "I'm not going to go Mihoshi. No way!" "C'mon Kiyone. It wouldn't be nice to stand him up." "I won't be standing him up if you don't make it!" "You have to go! If you don't... then... then I wont be your friend anymore." Mihoshi turned her head away to show her determination. "Heh, fine by me." Kiyone looked away in the same manner. A short moment passed as the silence was broken by a small whining cry. It soon grew to fill the whole room. As if signaling a time bomb, Mihoshi exploded into a round of intense crying. "Mihoshi... Mihoshi, c'mon stop. I didn't mean that. I'll always be your friend." But Mihoshi's crying continued. "Now Mihoshi, stop crying. I was wrong to be so mean. What do you want me to do?" Kiyone trying to edge around the table to see Mihoshi's face but she turned again and wailed even louder. *Why do I feel like I'm bribing a child?* "ALL RIGHT!!! I'LL GO ON THE DATE WITH WEDGE!!!" In less than a second, Mihoshi's crying stopped and she was beaming so brightly there was no trace of her earlier expression. "YEAH!!" Mihoshi continued to cheer. "Why do I feel like I'm not going to enjoy this?" Kiyone groaned. - -------------------------- - THE END NOTE: Yup, a lot happened this episode. From Aeka almost killing herself in the bath to finding out that Tenchi already chose his love. (I WONDER WHO IT IS?!?!?!) And the last part, Kiyone has been set up on a date with this mystery man Wedge. wHaT wIlL hApPeN oN tHe NeXt ExCiTiNg EpIsOdE oF WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE? Time will tell.