Tenchi Muyo! What Happens Next?
A Tenchi Fan Fiction by Jacob McDonald
Chapter Three: Revelations in the Calm Before the Storm
Note: I don’t own any of the characters in this story, nor did I make any
of them up (well,
except for Hiro....) I just decided to write a story about them. I’d say
that’s one of the
biggest forms of flattery out there, to have such a great story that
other’s want to write
about it. So please, this is a fan appreciative story, don’t sue me for
using your stuff OK?
(Believe me, you wouldn’t get too much any way....)

        *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *       *
*       *

        Ayeka sat at the edge of the lake, staring off into the sky. She
watched
the clouds
drift by and wondered at where Hiro and Ryoko were right now.
        It had been a week since Washu had given Hiro the star ship
Lowrider. He
took it
out for jaunts around the solar system almost daily, for hours at a time.
And he took
Ryoko with him.
        As far as Ayeka knew, Ryoko had no knowledge of how to fly space
craft
other
than Ryo-Ohki. She couldn’t be much help then, and she certainly wasn’t
very good
company. Why then, did Hiro always take her with him?
        It suddenly came to Ayeka that he might be trying to pursue a
romantic
relationship with her. Come to think of it, Tenchi hadn’t complained
about Ryoko
bothering him when he woke up in the mornings, and Ryoko and Hiro hadn’t
been fighting
nearly as much lately. Actually, Ayeka couldn’t think of a single event
as of late that did
not point to Hiro and Ryoko being a couple.
        It seemed everyone was finding new relationships. Mihoshi and Kiyone
had
become the best of friends, even though Kiyone was still the superior
officer. Nobuyuki
and Washu had started going out on dates, at least four since the first
night when Tenchi,
Sasami, and herself had served them in a mock-restaurant style get up.
Tenchi and Washu
were getting on like they were practically related. Even Sasami was
hitting it off with Hiro
and was getting into more activities with the others.
        Only she seemed to be left out of all of it.
        Ayeka sighed. Maybe, if Ryoko and Hiro were together, she could
finally
go after
Tenchi...
        “Do the words, a snowball’s chance in hell mean anything to you
Ayeka?”
she
asked herself aloud.
        Just then, the Lowrider dropped out of the sky and into the portal
that
formed for
it, so that it could dock in Washu’s extra-dimensional lab. Ryoko would
be going to the
baths like she always did after a flight with Hiro. Ayeka jumped up and
ran to find her
before she got to settled in.

        Ryoko eased into the water of the baths. It was warm, inviting, and
she
was sore
all over. Hiro liked it when she was pleased, and she was pleased only
after she had no
energy left. His stamina was beyond words.
        Ayeka seemed to almost be rushing as she quickly jumped into the
baths
and
walked over to sit next to Ryoko, who just lay back and enjoyed the
steam.
        “Hello Princess...” she said in a weary voice.
        “Hello Miss Ryoko.” Ayeka responded. They sat in silence for several
minutes,
Ryoko with her eyes closed and head tilted back, and Ayeka sitting up
straight staring
down into the water.
        “Ryoko,” Ayeka began quietly, “I was thinking about things earlier
today, and I
happened to notice that several events as of late have pointed me to a
rather obvious
conclusion.”
        “And that would be what?” Ryoko asked in a tone that showed no
interest.
        “That you are together with Lord Hiro.”
        Ryoko sat straight up, “How’d you know that? We’ve been careful not
to
let
anyone know!”
        “Just the way you’ve both been acting. Tenchi hasn’t complained
about
you
lavishing your affections on him too much, which leads me to believe that
you are
directing them else where.”
        “Well.... yeah. Hiro and I are a couple.” Ryoko looked down at the
water. Why
was she so embarrassed to tell that to the princess?
        “Are you in love with him?” Ayeka asked in a very serious tone.
        “Ayeka,” Ryoko took her by the shoulders and turned her so they were
facing one
another, “I’ll tell you what I told Hiro. I’ll probably always love
Tenchi, but I love Hiro as
well, and if he’s ready for me now, then I’m not waiting for Tenchi. I’m
sick of waiting. I
need to be needed, and Hiro wants me. Does that make sense?”
        “Yes it does.” Ayeka smiled at Ryoko, “I’m very happy for you...”
        “And yourself since you get Tenchi now right?”
        Ayeka blushed, “I wont lie and tell you that thought hadn’t crossed
my
mind.”
        “Well honey, let me tell you, I’m willing to bet my weight in gold
that
Hiro is ten
times better in bed then Tenchi will ever be.”
        Ayeka gasped and stared wide eyed at Ryoko, “How dare you speak of
Lord
Tenchi that way?”
        Ryoko smirked at her.
        “What?” Ayeka asked her. Ryoko’s smirk split into a smile. She began
to
chuckle
and Ayeka laughed a bit, “What? What is so funny Ryoko?”
        “Just laugh Princess!” Ryoko cried. She leaned forward, “You know
you
want to
just bust a gut because we’re talking about the men in our lives and how
good they are in
bed.”
        Ayeka suppressed a giggle, “I believe you are the only one talking
about
such
things...” then she burst out laughing. She and Ryoko laughed for several
minutes before
they finally calmed down. Ayeka grabbed Ryoko’s arm, “Tell me about it.
Your first time.
Was it slow and passionate, or wild and kinky?”
        “Princess, I never thought I’d hear the word ‘kinky’ come out of
your
mouth...”
the girls broke down in fits of giggles again, and then began to wisper
back and forth.
        Any onlooker would have thought they were sisters.

        Mihoshi and Kiyone’s apartment wasn’t very upscale. It was actually
in
the cheep
part of town. Very cheep. They were forced to work multiple jobs just to
pay the dismally
low rent, and eat. It didn’t help that Mihoshi was constantly getting
fired, or that Kiyone
was constantly wanting to spend their money on singing karioki at the
local bars.
        It was fortunate this particular night that Kiyone had wanted to go
out
and sing,
because as they walked home laughing, the pair of GP detectives heard a
loud boom.
        Rushing to their apartment the two woman found that their worst
fears
had come
true. It seemed now that the KalMor threat wasn’t just a one time deal.
They were here to
stay, unless something was done about them very soon.
        Mihoshi bawled and Kiyone hugged her and tried to comfort her as
they
looked
upon the flaming and smoldering ruins of what had once been their
apartment. There was
no gas in the apartment for Mihoshi to have left on, so only one thing
could have caused
that level of destruction.
        A bomb.

        The door bell rang again. That was three times in a row. Ryoko could
see
why as
she glanced out the window. It had started to rain.
        She really didn’t need any sleep, but liked to lay in bed and do so
with
Hiro any
way. It made her feel so good to wake up and know that he would still be
there. Now she
had to leave him to go answer the door. Who would be here this late in
the rain?
        Silently, she phased out of Hiro’s arms and down into the entryway.
She
was
wearing one of Hiro’s T-shirts, and it hung down just barely below her
waist. She glanced
out side the door through the glass and saw two hunched shivering
figures. Ryoko opened
the door.
        Kiyone and Mihoshi trotted right in and Ryoko shut the door behind
them.
They
were both soaked to the bone and shivering. The space pirate just stared
at them for a
minute then opened her mouth to ask something then shut it.
        Kiyone saw her confusion, “The KalMor blew up our apartment. Our
umbrellas
were in it. All our stuff was in it.”
        “Why didn’t you just go to the Yagami?” Ryoko asked.
        “My earring that calls it was in the apartment.” Kiyone said
sheepishly.

        “Ah....” Ryoko understood now, “Well, we have Hiro set up in the
guest
room
right now, so we don’t really have a place for you to sleep tonight. We
can rearrange
rooms in the morning, I’m sure, but for now, you two need dry clothing
and then you can
crash on the couches. Sound good?”
        Kiyone was shocked by Ryoko’s thoughtfulness and planing skills. She
took a step
forward and put a hand against the pirate’s head, “Are you feeling
alright Ryoko?” she
asked.
        Ryoko leaned forward and whispered in her ear so that Mihoshi
wouldn’t
hear,
“I’m getting laid. It helps ones disposition.” Kiyone jerked back and
mouthed a ‘Who?’ at
her. Ryoko mouthed back, ‘Hiro.’ Kiyone’s eyes got wide. Her face split
into a grin and
she whispered as Mihoshi wandered off to find some towels,
        “Is he any good?”
        “Oh... my... God....” Ryoko whispered back.
        They both giggled softly. “Come on. I’ll see if I can find some
robes or
something
for you two.” Ryoko said and they walked/floated down the hall to the
baths.

        Tenchi woke up and looked at the ceiling. He didn’t see Ryoko. He
rolled
over
and looked again. He didn’t see Ryoko. Sighing a contented sigh that his
luck had held out
for yet another morning, Tenchi got up out of bed.
        He got dressed and ready to eat breakfast and then go out and hit
the
fields hard
today. Hiro was coming to help him, and with his friend’s enhanced
strength and ability to
be almost every where at once, he hoped to get another whole field
planted today.
        Walking down the steps, Tenchi ran into his first suprise of the
morning. Kiyone
and Mihoshi, both wearing some of Ryoko’s bath robes, were sprawled out
on the
couches, sleeping. He quietly walked past them and into the kitchen.
        Sasami was making breakfast as usual. She looked up when he came in,
“Good
morning Tenchi!” she said with a smile.
        “Myow!” Ryo-Ohki said from atop her head.
        “Good morning Sasami, good morning Ryo-Ohki.” Tenchi patted the
cabbit’s
head
and then asked Sasami as his eyes roamed about the kitchen, “Do you know
why Kiyone
and Mihoshi are sleeping in the living ro.....” he trailed off as his
eyes came to rest on a
sight out side the side door of the house. Ryoko and Ayeka were huddled
together there,
whispering and giggling together.
        “I guess something happened to their apartment from what Ryoko
said.”
Sasami
replied to Tenchi’s unfinished question.
        “Never mind them! What’s wrong with Ryoko and your sister?” Tenchi
asked.
        Sasami looked out side, “I don’t know. They seem to be getting along
very well
though, so whatever it is, I hope it stays.”
        That sounded good to Tenchi too.
        “Ready to go yet?” Hiro asked as he walked into the kitchen then
stopped
when he
saw Ryoko and Ayeka outside.
        “Tenchi! I can’t find my keys!” Nobuyuki said as he walked in right
behind Hiro
and then stopped and looked at the two girls as he saw them.
        Ryoko and Ayeka both stopped laughing and talking and turned to look
at
the
small group that was watching them in awe.
        “What?” they both asked in unison.
        “Well....” Tenchi began, “You two aren’t killing each other and
you’ve
been
talking for more then ten seconds.”
        “And you’re laughing together!” Hiro put in.
        “And neither of you have jumped on Tenchi yet!” Nobuyuki said.
        “And the house is still standing....” Sasami said.
        “Hey!” Ryoko said, a little miffed, “Can’t two girls just talk about
girl stuff now
and then with out it seeming too weird?”
        Everyone in the room sweatdropped.


        Tenchi had trudged in from a long day at the fields. It had been
hell
trying to keep
up with Hiro, but they had gotten almost two weeks worth of work done in
one day. Then
he had gone right to sword practice, and Hiro had gone right to practice
his own skills
with Ryoko. Both of them had gotten beat up a little more then normal.
        Sasami had prepared a wonderful dinner for them, and after an all
too
brief soak in
the baths, he and Hiro had eaten with the rest of the family. Kiyone had
borrowed the
Lowrider so that she could fly into orbit and dock with the Yagami to get
a new
transmitter to call it. She had grumbled about how superior to her ship
it seemed to be
until Washu had offered to upgrade her ship as well.
        Now Tenchi and Hiro sat watching TV and just letting the busy day
come
to a
relaxing end. Kiyone bounced into the room and jumped onto the couch next
to them.
They were both a little weirder out to see Kiyone....
        Giddy?
        “Uh, what’s up Kiyone?” Tenchi asked.
        “GP headquarters just sent me a transmission. Mihoshi and I are to
start
an official
GP sanctioned investigation into the KalMor terrorist presence on this
planet!”
        “What does that mean, and why does it make you so happy?” Hiro
asked.
        “That means that I get to track down the dumb fucks that blew up my
apartment
and live on the Yagami while I’m doing it. And after I catch them, I’ll
beat the shit out of
all of them!” Kiyone’s happy smile never faded. She jumped up and gave
Hiro a peck on
the cheek and Tenchi a huge hug, “See ya guys latter!” and she ran off
yelling for Mihoshi.
        “I feel really sorry for any guy that ever starts dating her, and
then
pisses her off.”
Tenchi said deadpan.
        “No joke.” Hiro replied, “Speaking of dating, which of these girls
do
you think
you’ll probably end up with?”
        “Well....” Tenchi had thought about this particular subject so much
that
it was no
problem for him talk about it to Hiro, “It’s got to be either Ryoko or
Ayeka, mostly
because they’d kill anyone else that I could pick. And I really don’t
know between them. I
actually love both of them....” the last sentence was said quietly.
        Hiro caught the meaning of the lowered tone. His voice too became
rather
soft,
“So you think that if one of them found someone else that you’d just go
to the other one?”
        “I don’t know. I guess I’ll cross that bridge if it ever comes up.”
        “What if it came up really soon?”
        “Like how?” Tenchi was getting confused by his friends line of
questioning.
        “Well.... I... uh..... that is to say....” Hiro closed his eyes and
just
spoke, “I love
Ryoko.”
        Tenchi was shocked. He hadn’t even considered that Hiro might fall
in
love with
one of the girls. Especial not Ryoko. They fought too much. Then again,
they hadn’t been
fighting nearly as much over the past week....
        Finally Tenchi broke the awkward silence, “Does she know?”
        “Well, yeah. I told her.”
        “What does she think of it?” a nagging heat started to rise in the
back
of Tenchi’s
brain.
        “Uh.... she and I are sort of.... you know.... together?”
        “What?!?” the heat started to spread to the front of his brain.
        “We’re a couple and stuff. Boyfriend girlfriend....”
        “You’re.... how together are you?”
        Hiro looked up at Tenchi sheepishly.
        “You’re not.... you are! You’re sleeping with her?” Tenchi was
seeing
red. He was
angry. He didn’t know why. It’s not like Hiro had to ask permission to
date Ryoko from
him. She was her own person. If she wanted to be with him then that was
fine.
        But it wasn’t. Tenchi snapped.
        Hiro had been nodding to answer Tenchi’s question when he looked up
into
his
friend’s eyes...
        ...And got belted across the jaw. Hiro fell from his seat on the
couch
and hit the
floor with a grunt. He spit a little blood on the floor. He was up in a
second though.
        “What the hell was that f-” he didn’t get the rest out though,
because
Tenchi hit
him again. Blood splattered across the TV set. Hiro could feel it
dribbling down his chin.
He turned back to Tenchi, who took another swing.
        Hiro caught his arm this time and slugged him in the gut. He used
the
strength that
he had had before Washu’s tube had changed him. This would be a fair
fight.
        Tenchi doubled over at the blow, but was smart enough to stumble
back
out of
Hiro’s reach until he recovered. Hiro jumped at him and they struggled
for a few seconds,
then they both tripped over the couch and crashed into the end table,
smashing it into
splinters.
        The door to the kitchen burst open and Ayeka and Nobuyuki rushed
out.
Ryoko
appeared next to them. They were all shocked to see Tenchi on top of
Hiro, trying to
strangle him. The two girls went to intervene, but Nobuyuki heard
something that made
him stop them.
        “You stay away from her you bastard!” Tenchi growled at his friend.
        “Girls....” Nobuyuki drew them into the kitchen away from the two
combatants,
“Which one of you are they fighting over?”
        Ryoko raised her hand slowly and Ayeka pointed to her, “But I really
don’t know
why!” Ryoko said defensively.
        “It’s okay Ryoko. We’ll let them handle this like men will. Leave
them
alone and
come with me.” He led them over to the dining area and sat them down.
“Now stay here
and talk. I’ll break it up if they go to far.” and he left them there.
        Ryoko and Ayeka looked at one another.
        Ryoko burst into tears and Ayeka wrapped her arms about her friend.
She
held the
space pirate and a lone tear dripped down her own cheek.
        “Tenchi...” she whispered.

        Nobuyuki walked back into the living room to make sure Tenchi and
Hiro
hadn’t
killed each other yet. The two of them were probably the two most capable
of destroying
the entire area in a fight with the levels of power they had, and he
didn’t want this to go
any further then a fist fight.
        What he saw told him that they didn’t either. Tenchi’s shirt was
ripped,
and he was
bleeding from his mouth and his nose. Hiro favored his right leg and was
bleeding from his
mouth and a cut above his left eye. They were squaring off in the middle
of the ruined
living room.
        They suddenly came together in a flurry of fists and feet. The
martial
arts they both
knew were being pushed to the limits here. Nobuyuki knew that Hiro was
better hand to
hand then Tenchi, but that his son could take the other boy in a sword
fight any day. This
told him that Hiro would probably win.
        But Tenchi seemed to be holding his own. Had Yosho taught him more
then
just
the sword? It seemed so, because Tenchi spun and kicked Hiro in the head
with one foot,
then followed through with a quick spin and trip with the other. Hiro
landed with a thud
and a grunt and spit more blood. Almost as quickly he was back up and had
charged
Tenchi while he was still off balance.
        Hiro plowed Tenchi backwards, and they hit the window to the front
with
a crash.
The glass exploded out and they fell into the yard in a rain of sharp
projectiles. Both of
them were covered in numerous cuts and slashes, but started to fight
again as soon as they
were up. Nobuyuki shook his head and walked away.

        Tenchi hit the ground out side the temple. How they’d fought all the
way
up the
steps was just beyond him, but they had and here they were. He flipped
back up and took
up a fighting stance as Hiro came in. They exchanged a few blows but both
were too
tiered to care too much any more. Hiro’s fist came down across Tenchi’s
face.
        Tenchi’s fist came down across Hiro’s face.
        Hiro punched Tenchi in the side.
        Tenchi punched Hiro in his bad knee.
        Hiro fell over on top of Tenchi.
        Tenchi fell over and they both lay on the ground.
        Yosho walked out of the shadows and looked down at the two beaten
and
bloody
boys. He shook his head.
        They were both out like lights.

        Nobuyuki had called work and told them that a family emergency was
going
to
keep him from going into the office that day. They had understood, and
let him have the
day off.
        Now he climbed the steps to the temple, following the trail of
dripped
blood. He’d
have them wash it off for giving the girls such a scare. Right now
though, he was only
concerned with the boys well being.
        His father-in-law had come to him the night before and told him that
they were
both fine and he would watch over them until Nobuyuki could come talk to
them in the
morning. True to his word, Yosho sat between the two boys, and all three
of them were
meditating when the father of the household showed up.
        Yosho stood upon his approach and walked over to him, “They are much
calmer
this morning. I think you will have an easy time sorting this out.”
        “Thanks Dad.” Nobuyuki said to him.
        “Not a problem.” Yosho replied, and walked off down the steps.
        Nobuyuki walked over to where Tenchi and Hiro sat in silence. They
were
both
messes, covered in dirt, grime, blood, and faces down cast in shame.
        “Now you both know what you did last night was the wrong way to
settle
things,
right?” Nobuyuki said.
        “It’s my fault, Dad. I started it.” Tenchi began.
        “But I fought back!” Hiro said quickly.
        “Listen to the two of you! Trying to get the other one out of
trouble by
taking the
blame. Not the behavior one normally associates with two people who were
hell bent on
killing each other last night.” Nobuyuki suppressed a chuckle, “Now
listen, because I’ll
only say all of this once. Hiro is together with Ryoko. Nothing will
change the fact that
they love each other. I talked to Ryoko and I know everything. Tenchi, I
know you care
about Ryoko, and she still loves you very much, but she loves Hiro too.
She’s with him
now. She made the sacrifice so that you could have a normal life. She
lost the war with
Ayeka over you, so that we could all have some peace. It was a sacrifice
that wasn’t easy
for her. Do you get what I’m saying?”
        “Yeah....” Tenchi said with tears in his eyes, “But I still don’t
like
it. It’s not the
way I wanted things to end up. I feel like I drove her away by not
choosing soon enough.”
        “You just didn’t want to hurt any one.” Hiro said, putting a hand on
Tenchi’s
shoulder.
        Tenchi looked up at him. He smiled, and a tear ran down his face,
“I’m
sorry
Hiro.”
        “Me too, Tenchi. We shouldn’t have done that shit.”
        “No. It was stupid. Friends?”
        “Yeah...”
        They hugged each other. Nobuyuki was proud of his boys. Both of
them. He
got
up and left them to their talking and laughing as he went off to have a
relaxing day away
from work.

        Ryoko stared out across the lake. She picked up a stone and whipped
it
so that it
bounced across the lakes surface six times, then sunk.
        Ayeka walked out next to her. The princess picked up a rock and
hurled
it herself.
It hit the lake and dropped in with a plunk.
        “Damn.” Ayeka said with a bit of disappointment.
        “You know,” Ryoko said, “I guess I should be flattered that Tenchi
cared
for me
that much, and that Hiro did too. Enough to fight back when Tenchi went
off the deep
end. But it hurts, you know? To have the man you love and man you used to
love fighting
over you. Who do I root for?”
        “Neither. It was a silly way to solve a problem. It didn’t solve any
problems,
actually from what Nobuyuki says. It just made Tenchi see that you’re not
going to be an
option any more. You’re with Hiro now.” Ayeka pitched another rock. That
one too sank
when it hit the water. “Damnit!” she swore a bit louder.
        “I guess. How are you holding up?”
        “I don’t know what to think.” Ayeka watched as Ryoko skipped a rock
seven
times before it sank, “I don’t know if Tenchi got angry because he loved
you and not me,
or if this means that he’ll ever come after me now, and what will I do if
he’s too chicken
to ask me out?” she hurled another rock that sank with a splash. “Tsunami
damnit! How
do you do that?”
        “It’s in the wrist, Princess.” Ryoko demonstrated the proper stone
skipping
technique and then threw one that skipped five times. A few tries latter,
Ayeka skipped
one three times. She smiled.
        “What I think....” Ryoko began, “Is that if Tenchi isn’t going to
come
after you,
then you should go after him. Make it really obvious to him that you want
him. Tell him
flat out. Be like me!”
        “That would not befit a Princess of Juri!” Ayeka said in an amused
tone.
        “No it wouldn’t. It would, however, befit a very loving, and very
horny,
young
woman....”
        “Ryoko!” Ayeka blushed.
        “Well ya are, aren’t ya? You can’t tell me you don’t think about him
like that.”
        “Well.... I do.... sometimes....”
        “Yeah, well show him that too. Believe me, it’ll get him
interested.”
        “I don’t know.....”
        “Tell ya what. I’ll show you what I mean tonight at dinner. Just
watch
Hiro’s
reaction to me, and try it on Tenchi. It’s a sure shot way to get him.”
        “I’ll watch, but I don’t want to see any pornography in front of my
little sister at
the dinner table!”
        Ryoko sweat dropped.


        For the sixth time that night Hiro almost choked on his food as
Ryoko
glomped
him and lavished her attentions on him. Her breasts pressed against his
arm and he felt
embarrassed. He had to admit though, Ryoko sure knew how to turn a guy
on...
        It seemed like since his fight with Tenchi, Ryoko was more then
happy to
show
everyone just how much she loved him. Hiro felt sorry for Tenchi who had
to witness it all
the time, knowing that he still loved her very much. So for the sixth
time that night. Hiro
whispered into her ear, “Latter, okay?”
        “You bet!” she whispered back.
        Ayeka watched all of this with scrutiny. To the casual onlooker, she
was
her
normal aloof self, disgusted by Ryoko’s blatant display of sexuality in
front of the family.
Inside her head though was a pad of paper and a pen, busily jotting down
notes on every
detail of Ryoko’s actions, and every last reaction that came from Hiro as
a result. His
change in facial expression, how he shifted in his seat, the pace of his
breathing, how much
more often he stared at Ryoko’s half exposed breasts.....
        That woman sure did know how to flaunt it. Where did she find those
outfits? She
had to make them herself. No respectable clothing merchant would sell
those sorts of
things...
        Dinner ended quickly as everyone scattered to do something. Sasami
was
tiered, so
she went to bed (Ayeka offered to do the dishes for her) Ryoko and Hiro
flew off to some
where to be alone for a while, Nobuyuki and Washu went to the lab so she
could transport
them to Paris where they were going dancing this night, Yosho went back
to the temple,
and Ryo-Ohki went to bed with Sasami. That left Tenchi to go watch some
TV in the
newly repaired living room, and Ayeka to join him after she was done with
the dishes.
        He was watching a movie about a man who traveled across the world to
find the
cure to an illness that his sister had contracted. It was a touching
story, and Ayeka was
soon as enthralled as Tenchi was. They sat and watched the movie together
for almost an
hour before it went off. Tenchi clicked off the set and sat back.
        Ayeka had been too wrapped up in the movie to notice that during one
particularly
sad part, she had curled up next to Tenchi and held his arm. She noticed
with a fair
amount of discomfort that their hands were locked together, and he was
making no move
to separate himself from her. She was suprised to find that she enjoyed
the close contact,
and rested her head on his shoulder with a contented sigh.
        “It was a good movie.” Tenchi said, breaking the silence.
        “Yes, and the ending was wonderful.” Ayeka agreed. They lapsed back
into
silence. The princess decided to push a little further. Shifting so that
she faced Tenchi, she
wrapped her arms about his body and placed her pulled up knees across his
lap. One of his
arms fell across her back, and the other still held her hand. Ayeka
smiled. She could get
used to this....
        Tenchi was sweating bullets under his collar. Why was Ayeka suddenly
so
physical? Because Ryoko’s wasn’t there to berate her about it any more.
That was
obvious. He wouldn’t have been at all suprised if she’d even been taking
pointers from
Ryoko, though this was nothing like the space pirates glomping. This was
more gentle, not
as forceful. Tenchi relaxed a bit.
        He found that the hand he had across her back had been fiddling with
one
long
pony tail. A thought came to him.
        “Ayeka?”
        “Yes Lord Tenchi?” she asked, sitting up and looking at him. Exactly
the
reaction
he wanted. He reached out and genteelly pulled her crown off. She looked
confused and
uncomfortable, but made no action to stop him. Tenchi then reached up and
pulled her
hair ties out, letting her long, lavender hair, cascade down around her
shoulders, loose and
free.
        He ran his hands through it. The princesses hair was soft and
smelled
like the
perfumed shampoo she used. Ayeka sighed and closed her eyes at the
tingling feeling it
gave her to have Tenchi so close and running his fingers through her
hair. She rested
against him again as he continued to stroak her hair.
        This was it. She was going for it. Ayeka had prepared herself and
she
was ready.
She was going to make a move on Tenchi. Breathing in his clean smell from
the bath he
had taken earlier, she was acutely aware of his neck. He had such strong
shoulders and his
neck was conditioned from having to hold his head up while flipping and
jumping in odd
ways during sword practice. Her lips moved towards his smooth skin,
parted slightly.
When they met his neck, it seemed as if sparks suddenly had assaulted
them. A feeling of
unsurpassable desire grew in her.
        Tenchi sat stroking Ayeka’s hair one minute, and then the next she
had
her lips
firmly planted against his neck, trying for all the world (at least as
far as he could tell) to
give him a hickey.
        “Ayeka! Stop that!” he cried out. She jumped away from him and wiped
her
sleeve
across her mouth quickly to get rid of the excess saliva there. She was a
deep crimson
shade of red and she fumbled for words, mumbling something about too
fast.
        “Ayeka, what’s gotten into you? You were never like this before!”
Tenchi
thought
for a moment, “Not that I’m complaining about how comfortable with me
you’ve become,
but I think a hickey would kind of embarrass me....”
        “I’m dreadfully sorry, Lord Tenchi. I don’t know what came over
me...
I.....” she
stood quickly, “Good night Lord Tenchi.” she turned and started to walk
away.
        “I asked you a question Ayeka.” Tenchi said quietly. She had been
giving
him
lessons in Juri diplomacy and authoritative speaking so that he could
function better as the
Crown Prince of Juri. She knew the tone he used was one that demanded a
response. She
was pleased that he had taken her lessons to heart and was doing good at
what she had
taught, but angry at the same time that the tables had been turned and
she was now the
target of his authority.
        She turned back and rushed to his arms. He held her, curled up in
his
lap on the
couch, sobbing into his chest, until she calmed down a little. She looked
up at him with
pain filled, teary, ruby eyes and said,
        “Lord Tenchi, I’m worried. Worried and scared.”
        “But why, Ayeka?” Tenchi thought he had a pretty good idea.
        “Ryoko is with Hiro now, and Mihoshi is off with Kiyone. Washu has
your
father,
and Sasami is... well Sasami.” she paused at that thought. Had she ever
really considered
her younger sister as a viable suitor for Tenchi? She shook that thought
from her head,
“There is no one left between us, but you haven’t shown any interest in
me at all.”
        Tenchi gulped. He’d known this was coming. He couldn’t have avoided
it
for long,
and as it happened, it only took a day. Maybe Ayeka was more forward and
forthcoming
then he had given her credit for...
        “I need to know, right now,” Ayeka continued, “Do you love me, and
do
you want
to be with me? Do not string me along Lord Tenchi. It you are going to
break my heart,
do it now. Don’t make me wait...” her eyes pleaded with him.
        Tenchi looked down into those deep ruby pools and smiled. She really
did
love him
quite a bit didn’t she? It hurt to lose Ryoko, but he loved Ayeka just as
much, and she was
his destiny.
        “I love you, Ayeka.” he said. It had been remarkably easy. The words
he’d
agonized over for almost a year now, since these woman had all come into
his life. I love
you.... and it was Ayeka. She really was beautiful....
        And her head was resting against his chest again, sobs of happiness
flowing from
her, causing her whole body to shudder now and then. Tenchi held her
tightly.
        “I want to be with you now, and forever.” he said. He was getting
pretty
good at
this poetic stuff. Maybe he was a better lover then he’d thought himself
to be.
        “And I you...” she replied, looking up at him again. Then a smile
spread
across her
face. She stood, with tear streaked cheeks and helped him to his feet.
Lifting her crown
from the table where Tenchi had set it down, she walked away from him,
glancing back
over her shoulder now and then to make sure he was still following her.
He looked very
confused. Good....
        “Ayeka, where are you going?” Tenchi asked. He wanted to hold her
some
more.
He liked it....
        Ayeka walked up the stairs. Tenchi watched her assend, then sighed.
Girls were
weird. “Guess I’ll go see what she’s up to...” Tenchi thought to himself.

        Walking up the stairs, he looked down the hall way and saw all the
doors
were
shut except for his. A faint light emanated from there. He moved to the
lighted door way
and looked inside.
        Ayeka lay on his bed. Her kimono had been tossed to one side on the
floor, and
she was dressed only in under garments. He turned away with a gasp,
turning beet red.
        “Tenchi....” came a whisper from behind him. He turned cautiously
around
and
saw Ayeka lying there. Her eyes were closed and one hand rested across
her breasts,
which rose and fell with her steady breathing. The other hand was
extended towards him,
one finger curled and beckoning him to come closer.
        Tenchi gulped, but smiled in spite of himself. He pulled the door
shut
and locked it
before walking over to the bed.

        Under the midday sun at an open air cafe’ in Paris, Nobuyuki sipped
his
French
wine and looked at his date, the adult form of ‘Little’ Washu. She was
leaned back, letting
the suns rays dance across her face, which held a contented smile. Such a
beautiful
woman. He knew his wife would approve of the match.
        Nobuyuki caught himself. His wife? Why had that thought popped into
his
head?
Did he...
        “Washu....” he leaned forward. She opened her eyes and leaned into
his
face,
giving a quickly lick of the tip of his nose with her tongue. The elder
Masaki could feel the
arousal begin inside of him, but he pushed it back, and was pleased to
find the previous
feeling still there.
        “Yes?” she asked him, disappointed that her attempt to drive him mad
with desire
had failed.
        “I think... I love you....” he said in a quite tone. He was looking
down
at the
ground, trying to grasp the meaning of his own words. He looked up into
her eyes....
        And got a lip lock. His eyes popped open as wide as they ever had in
his
life.
Apparently Washu had learned a thing or two about kissing in her 20,000
year life.
        “I love you too!” she said in her cute voice, and hugged him so
tight
that it about
broke his ribs, “So when do we tell the others?”
        “Tell them what?” he gasped as she relased him.
        “That we’re getting married of course!” she cried and batted her
long
eye lashes at
him.
        “Wait a sec! I never said any thing about marriage!” he leaned away
quickly.
Suddenly, Washu screwed up her face and frowned. She was looking directly
into his
eyes.
        “I... I’m sorry Washu. I just didn’t want to move that fast....”
Nobuyuki bowed his
head in dispare. He had just driven away the first woman he had loved
since his wife had
passed....
        “No, no, no....” she waved away his comment, “That’s fine. I don’t
mind
moving
slow. It’s just....” she called up her holo-computer and Nobuyuki moved
in closer to see
what was on the screen and to hide it from the view of the general
public.
        “Something’s not right.” she said.
        “Oh boy. Here we go.” Nobuyuki said with a sigh.
        They vanished from sight in the middle of the cafe’.

        Ayeka and Tenchi were sitting in the kitchen. It was half past
midnight,
but they
were both very awake. It had been wonderful....
        Tenchi smiled and tried to laugh as Ayeka spooned another bite of
pudding into his
mouth. He responded by shoving a cookie into her face. They struggled
like that for a few
seconds, then both chomped down on their respective snacks.
        Tenchi was more happy then he’d ever been in his life. Love was a
wonderful
thing. Ayeka was happy too. She had never felt like this before, and she
liked it. The two
were so content that they didn’t hear the ‘woosh!’ as Ryoko and Hiro
materialized in the
middle of the kitchen.
        “Clear the table!” Ryoko barked at them. They both broke from each
other’s gaze
and snapped their eyes to the two lovers who’d just appeared. Ryoko and
Hiro floated a
foot off the ground, Kiyone hung between them, limp, and with many wounds
covering
her body. Her GP uniform was in taters, but he blaster was still clutched
in one hand.
        Tenchi and Ayeka sprang to their feet. Ayeka rushed to help their
two
floating
friends, and Tenchi cleared all of the snack foods from the table with
one motion of his
arm. It all crashed on the floor with various splats, crashes, crunches,
and splashes.
        Kiyone was laid on the table and she groaned as they pried the gun
from
her hand.
Hiro and Ayeka were inspecting the wounds.
        “How did this happen?” Tenchi asked in confusion.
        “She just dropped out of the sky like this. Probably from Yagami.”
Ryoko
told
him, “I had to catch her, or she would have died when she hit the
ground.”
        Hiro gently slapped her cheek, “Hey, Kiyone? Can you hear me?”
        “Get off of me! Yes I can hear you... I’m fine. I just-” she winced
in
pain as she
tried to sit up, “I’m trashed. The KalMor... they found us. We fought
back. I got two of
the bastards....” Kiyone smiled at the thought, and tried to laugh, but
stopped when she
found that it hurt too much.
        “How is she?” Ryoko asked Ayeka.
        “She’ll live if we can get her to Washu’s lab....”
        Almost right on cue, Washu and Nobuyuki burst into the kitchen, “Oh,
wonderful!” Washu said upon sighting the hurt GP officer, “I’ve been
playing nurse more
and more often now a days....” she walked forward and summoned up her
computer. She
tapped a few keys and a portal opened. The other side was the med bay of
the lab, “Let’s
get her in there....”
        Kiyone grabbed Hiro’s shirt and dragged him down to her, “Wait a
sec!
Hiro, I got
away, but when they saw Yagami, they grabbed Mihoshi and ran! They have
Mihoshi!
They’ll try to use her as bait....”
        Kiyone passed out.
        “Damn.” Hiro said softly. He genteelly lifted Kiyone and took her
into
the lab.
Washu followed.
        “We have to go after her.” Tenchi said.
        “How’d I know you were going to say that?” Ryoko sighed.