These characters do not belong to me and no money is being made from this story. As always, this is a continuation of The Bet. The Preparation By Kenzie Kennedy Ryoko opened her eyes to see her mother sitting on the edge of the bed. She spoke softly, "You know, you've only got today, tomorrow, and the day after that is your wedding. You'll be concerned only with Tenchi for a long while after that. Years, maybe. You'll be married, have a life of your own, become Empress of Jurai, and where do I fit in?" Washu looked at the ceiling. "I've asked myself that many times in the past two weeks. But you've shoved me away before and I've dealt with it. As long as you know I'm still here, I'll be okay." "Mom," Ryoko said her throat thick. "I- I love you." Washu's emotions spilled out of her and the tears started to fall. "I love you, too, my little Ryoko." The women dried their eyes and Washu said in a cheerful voice, "At least I might get some work done after you two are married." Ryoko saw this for what it was, a plot to change the subject. Ryoko complained, "Yeah, well, before you get all emotional on me in the morning, at least wait until my eyes are open." They grinned at each other. "Get dressed in work clothes." Washu advised. "We've got a lot to do today." *** Ryoko and Washu ate breakfast with the family. When she was done, Washu cleared her throat. "As we all know, these two are getting married in three days." "Oh, I thought they were getting married in two." Mihoshi said, scratching her head. "I'm counting today too, Mihoshi. Today isn't over with yet." Washu explained. "So today we need to do a little setting up." "What do you mean?" Tenchi asked, finishing up his breakfast. "It means I think you're going to be sick of folding chairs by the time today is done." Washu informed him with an evil grin. She continued. "There are so many people coming to this, that we're going to need a huge space to put them in. The only space big enough is the front yard and that's after I get through expanding it." "How many people are coming?" Ryoko asked suspiciously. "As I've told you before, you don't want to know. Having that many people watching you will make you nervous enough." Washu told her plainly. "So we need to set up a tent and chairs. I have an altar somewhere around in pseudospace." Washu's face dropped. She shrieked, "I forgot to get the priest!" "Will I do?" a soft voice said behind them. "Oh, hi, Auntie," Ryoko said stunned. Tsunami, in all her glory and soft eyes, had appeared. "I think no one will dare argue with their marriage if I am there." She said to Washu alone, "No one." Washu smiled. No one heard this exchange. "Yes, I think you'll do nicely, sister. Want to sit down and join the preparations?" Washu asked politely. Tsunami shook her head. "No thank you, Washu." And she disappeared. "Okay, tent, chairs," Washu ticked this off on her fingers, "priest, well, goddess, tables for the food-" "Oh," Sasami's hand flew to her face. "I've got to make the cake today!" Washu nodded. "Once you get it done, I'll freeze it in time and store it. Is Ayeka going to help you?" Sasami nodded. "So Mihoshi, Balar, Tenchi, and Ryoko are going to help me clean up the yard, set up the tables, chairs, altar, and the tent." She slapped her hands together. "Let's get going then." *** When they were all out in the yard, Washu pulled a long, thin box out of one of her portals. Lying it down in the middle of the yard, her shadow laptop appeared for her. She fiddled with a few of the keys and grinned. "Everyone be careful with the yard for the next couple of days." She said. "It's now five times as big as it was." The laptop disappeared and she dematerialized. She reappeared by the box. Tapping the button on top, she watched as the box unfolded. Her face turned to one of panic and she tried to run away. The tent had unfolded itself upside down. Washu tried to run out of its way when one of the tent poles caught the back of her shirt and hoisted her up into the air. She hung in mid-air, waving her arms and screaming. Mihoshi stood there and gazed up at her. "Oops," she said. "I only wanted to see the directions on the box." Ryoko flew up to get her mother down. *** After they had gotten Washu down and the tent set up the right way, she ran around chasing Mihoshi for a few minutes. Once the blond had escaped her grasp for the zillionth time, she reached into a portal and grabbed a chair. "Here, start setting these up," she handed it to Tenchi. For the next three hours it seemed as if all the four did was grab chairs from Washu to set up. She finally deemed that they had enough chairs set up. It was mid-morning by then and Tenchi and Balar went to the fields. *** Washu marched back into the house to see how the cake was doing. The bottom two layers were done and Sasami was busily baking the others. "Washu?" she asked worriedly. "How many does this cake have to serve?" Washu smiled at the much younger lady. "Only Azusa, Funaho, Misaki, Ryoko, Tenchi, Ayeka, you, Balar, Mihoshi, her grandfather, Nobuyuki, Yosho, Tsunami, Torimi, and me. Oh, and the top cake is for Tenchi and Ryoko to save. I've arranged for more cakes to be made along with the Earth food." Sasami nodded and turned back to the cake baking. *** After lunch was served, Washu demanded that Ayeka, Balar, Ryoko, and Tenchi go and have a lesson. "This'll probably be the last lesson you have together for a few days." She insisted. The four of them went inside the library and sat through two hours of boring noble history. Even Ayeka thought it was dull. At two o'clock, Washu came in with a tray of snacks as usual. She looked at what video they were watching. "Ugh," she said tossing it down. "I think that's enough punishment for the day. Why don't you kids go play?" she said. Ryoko turned her head slowly to look at Washu. "You've said that before." She said even slower. Washu thought for a moment. "Y-es," she said. "You and Chiro had a project on something very boring." Ryoko nodded. "Astrophysics." She made a horrible face. "That class was so boring and you made us both take it." Balar coughed and the spell that Ryoko and Washu were held in broke. Washu switched off the TV and told them to go have some fun. She walked briskly out of the room to her newest lab. Ryoko and Tenchi looked at each other. Ayeka and Balar looked at each other. Neither pair had the faintest idea what to do. Ryoko's eyes sparkled. "Hey, Ayeka. How are the weeds in the gardens?" Ayeka turned a wry look to her. "As they always are. Growing everywhere." *** Ayeka and Balar went to work in the spaceship garden while Tenchi and Ryoko worked in her garden. Ayeka taught Balar how to weed flower beds which where a small bit different than vegetable gardens. They laughed and had a wonderful time together. *** Tenchi and Ryoko sat on the fountain and watched the fish for a few minutes before they started weeding. An hour later the weeding was done and the two were talking again. Ryoko perched on the rock wall while Tenchi levered himself up as well. "Are you nervous?" Tenchi asked her. Thoughts ran through Ryoko's mind. Does he mean-? No, Tenchi's never that bold. "Yeah, I guess." Ryoko said, meaning about the wedding and not after. Tenchi's eyes went wide, then retracted. She meant the wedding, not the night after. Why would she be nervous? She knows how to do that. What I disappoint her, what if she regrets marrying me? He told those thoughts to stop and told her, "Don't worry. It'll be fine." He put an arm around her shoulders. Her eyes went to her shoulder. "Are you sure you should be doing that?" she asked. "Do you not like it?" he asked. Ryoko nodded. "I do, but-" "But what?" asked Tenchi. "Isn't this too forward for you?" she smiled at him. He shook his head. "Well, then, would you kiss me?" Tenchi's eyes twinkled as he leaned toward her. *** On another dimension right above them Balar and Ayeka were steadily working in the garden. Balar had a thought playing in his mind. Ayeka was the focus of it, so he couldn't ask her about it. But who else could he ask? "Ayeka?" he asked timidly. She had been humming a tune, now she stopped. "Yes, Balar?" she said in a cheerful voice. "I know that engagement is one step away from marriage." He said slowly. Ayeka's heart speeded up. "And that on Jurai, if we were engaged we'd be married within a month. Is there something like a...promise, I suppose?" "Promise?" she asked her heart a flutter. "Promise to be engaged." Balar asked. "Yes, the promise that two people give of their intention to someday be married." Ayeka said slowly. Balar's eyes lit up. "I know that I haven't met your family yet, but would you give me your promise?" Ayeka's eyes started to glitter. "Yes, oh yes!" she said happily. "I promise to one day marry you." "And I to you." Balar said grasping one of her hands in his. *** "Washu?" Sasami called into the lab. Washu disconnected herself from her machines and trotted off to Sasami. When Sasami saw her, she grinned. "Do you want to see the cake?" she said. Washu nodded. *** "Wow," Washu said. The cake was five layers high with purple rosettes festooned all over it. "Do you think it's okay?" Sasami asked anxiously. Washu nodded. "It's the best wedding cake I've ever seen." Sasami blushed with the praise. Washu carefully slid a glass dome over it. "There. Now it will stay fresh until we take the dome off." She said cheerfully. She looked at Sasami. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow. The house has to be spotless." Sasami, who was privileged enough to have Tsunami's knowledge, nodded. Washu went back to the lab to continue her wedding present while Sasami started to make a list of chores to be done tomorrow. *** Washu was hurrying back to her new lab when she heard her name called. Repressing the urge to rip out her hair by the roots, she called sweet, "What is it?" "Ah, there you are, Washu." Tenchi said. "Yes, here I am. What do you want?" she said. "I'm a little busy at the moment." "It's about Ryoko." Tenchi grimaced. Washu sighed. "What about her?" "Well, it's not really about her, it's about me, but it's really about both of us." Tenchi started to ramble. "Tenchi, I understand if you're nervous about the wedding." Washu started to say. "Oh, it's not that." Tenchi hastened to assure her. "Then what is it?" she said exasperated. "Well, ah, I don't, uh," Tenchi stammered. Washu grinned at him. "You don't have a clue as to what to do after the wedding." Tenchi nodded. "Well, I am really busy, but for this I can spare a few minutes. What exactly do you want to know?" Tenchi shrugged. "You don't know anything so you don't know anything specific to ask. Okay. Here's what you do." Washu gestured for him to come closer. "Play it by ear!" she screamed at him. While Tenchi was rubbing his ears, Washu continued. "The best thing that I can tell you to do is to have fun. If you get into a real bind and you've tried and you still don't know, have Ryoko give me a call through the link. I'll have you know, though, I am blocking most of the incoming stuff. I am not going to be a voyeur." She shook her head violently. "Yuck!" "But, Washu-" Tenchi tried to entreat her to tell him at least a starting point. "No, Tenchi. If you can't figure out the basics on your own, Ryoko can call me." Washu waved as she strode off into the blackness. Tenchi sighed. "Well, I'd better go get cleaned up for dinner." *** After dinner, which Sasami had prepared while making the cake at the same time, the family broke into pieces. Ayeka and Balar had been making eyes at each other all during dinner, Ryoko and Tenchi went outside for a little while, and the rest of the family sat down to watch TV. Except for Washu. She muttered something about a present and went back to the lab, dragging her feet. *** Ayeka and Balar got their knitting and crocheting and went to Washu's library to watch a movie together. They sat in two different chairs. By the time the movie was over, they had kissed twice and had done a lot of work on both their projects. *** Tenchi and Ryoko wandered around the house, making sure not to go into the yard too far. Dusk was upon them soon enough and Ryoko took Tenchi to the roof. Ryoko remarked, "It's getting cloudy. Tenchi hmmed in response. "So what does Washu have planned for us for tomorrow?" Tenchi asked. "I don't have any idea. Want me to ask?" Ryoko said. Tenchi shrugged. "It's up to you." He told her. Ryoko's forehead wrinkled just a bit. "Washu?" She said mentally. *** Inside the lab, Washu grinned. Now what did her daughter want? "I'm here," she thought. "What are we doing tomorrow?" Ryoko asked. "We're rehearsing everyone walking down the aisle. Is Tenchi with you?" Washu asked. "Yes," Ryoko responded. "Then tell him that you and him have to go and buy wedding bands tomorrow." Washu told her. "I'm going back to work now, if you don't mind." Washu felt Ryoko draw out of her mind and snap back into the physical world. *** "Mom says that we're rehearsing the wedding tomorrow and that you and I have to pick out wedding bands." Ryoko said sounding slightly confused. "What's a wedding band?" "It's the ring that you and I will both wear." Tenchi told her. He reached over and took her left hand in his. "See, this ring says that you're engaged to me and off-limits to courting of other men. A band of metal will say that we both are off-limits." "You mean that other girls can court you now?" Ryoko said angrily. Tenchi laughed. "No, my Ryoko. But other women don't see anything on my hand so that they know I'm married or engaged. So it's not their fault." Ryoko calmed down a bit at the 'my Ryoko'. "So what do these bands look like?" she said, curling her knees up to her chin. "Well," Tenchi began, "they can be gold, silver, or any other metal you want. They can be wide or thin, plain or decorated, matching or unmatching. Whatever the couple wants." Ryoko started to shiver. The night was cloudy with no stars. Even with Tenchi beside her, it was still so dark! "Ryoko? Is something wrong?" Tenchi asked gently. "D-dark," she stuttered. Tenchi scooted over next to her and pulled her against his warm body. "Come here then, my darling Ryoko." Tenchi rubbed her back and sighed when she cuddled determinedly into his chest. She was so sweet. He had a sudden thought. "Ryoko, do you sleep with a lamp on?" "Yes," she admitted. "But I'm not a baby!" "I didn't say you were." Tenchi said gamely. "But I can't sleep with a light on most of the time." Ryoko fell still in his arms. She thought to herself, will I have to stay awake during the night and catch catnaps during the day? Tenchi thought as well. "How about a small nightlight?" "Nightlight?" Ryoko asked, pulling herself away from him. "It's a small light that spreads out for about four to five feet. Would that be enough for you?" He asked kindly. She nodded. "Now I've got a question for you." He motioned for her to ask. "Which side of the bed do you sleep on?" "The side nearest the door." He replied. "But that's where I sleep!" she said. He gave her a small hug. "Then we'll position the bed to face the door. I love you, my Ryoko." "I love you too, my Tenchi." She said as they hugged. "Can we go inside now? It's getting dark." She asked quietly. He nodded understanding her fear and they phased inside.