Aikan Muyo
Chapter 9 - No Need For Two Swords, Part 1

Story by Happosai (happosai@jps.net)

Pre-reading by Ryan Anderson and Michael "Brazil" Borgwardt

Washuu haiku submitted by Adam Alman, Christopher Bair, Michael "Brazil"
Borgwardt, Devin Fujimoto, and The New Reb

Web: http://ugrad-www.cs.colorado.edu/~andersor/fanfics/aikan/aikan.html

Imaginary seiyuu
Amaiko: Inoue Kikuko
Kintarou: Seki Toshihiko
Midoriyama: Tsuru Hiromi
Torakami: Genda Tessho

Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo and its characters are the property of AIC and
Pioneer. If any of their lawyers are reading this, please don't sue me.
Instead, pass my humble work on to the creative geniuses behind this my
favorite series, in the hope that they might actually like it.


     "Support your local emperor,
      Pay him tribute every time,
      Let it be known he holds your fate,
      From his fingertips shall flow the wine,
      Tell him when he speaks the air is sweet,
      Wherever he walks, rosebuds be laid,
      So that he may always feel secure,
      In the vast empire that he's made."
        -- "Support Your Local Emperor", Blues Traveler


In a large hall on Jurai, decorated precisely according to the dictates
of ancient tradition, light from the setting sun shone through an open
window and fell upon a portrait of a young, sharp-featured man whose hair
and beard were both short and pale blue. The gilt-framed picture sat at
the back of a table carved of dark wood, set against a wall. In front of
the picture lay a number of objects -- candles, an incense burner, a cup
of tea, a bowl of rice with chopsticks stuck vertically into it, a purple
flower, and a gold bell.

The bell rang as it was struck.

"Sayonara, niichan," said a young, frail-looking girl, as tears flowed
from sapphire eyes rimmed with red. Her white kimono contrasted with her
indigo hair, long ponytails sprouting through silver rings above her ears
and trailing almost to her ankles. She put her hands together and bowed
her head. "Who was it that took you from us, Kaji-kun? Please show me,
somehow. When I find them, they or I will join you." She sniffled, and
forced a smile. "It sounds funny, I know. If you were here, you'd
probably laugh, hearing your little sister promising to avenge you,
pretending to be so brave. But tomorrow I fly Sakura-oh for the first
time." The smile died as her voice broke with anguished sobs. "I wanted
you to watch me, and be proud."

"He will watch you. He will be proud. And so will I, Chou-chan," said a
voice behind her.

"Otou-sama!" gasped Amaiko, turning around in surprise. She quickly bowed
her head and started wiping away her tears. A tall, powerfully-built man
dressed in ornate robes set his hand comfortingly on her shoulder,
regarding her through violet eyes. Two tails of dark green-blue hair hung
next to his temples, where it was starting to turn grey, as was the
portion of his beard nearest the corners of his mouth.

"You shouldn't be crying, Amaiko," Torakami said sternly. "I know it's
hard, but he died in service to Jurai. Show him honor, not sorrow."

"I'm sorry. I'll try," she said. "I miss him already."

"So do I, though I know it doesn't show," he answered. "But you need to
put on a brave face. Your aunt will be here soon."

Amaiko nodded, realizing that she'd best go find a mirror and be sure she
was presentable. One didn't greet an Empress with a face marred by hours
of crying.

"Will she be bringing Aeka-hime and Sasami-hime with her?" she asked
hopefully.

Torakami shook his head. "They're still on that backwater planet, on
that... vacation... of hers," he said, anger entering his voice.

"I wish they were here," sighed Amaiko, not noticing her father's tone.
"Sasami-chan always manages to cheer me. They were such a comfort, after
mother died."

"Aeka-hime shouldn't be gone this long," Torakami said. "Something bad
will come of it."

"Yes, I'll be happy when she's back," replied Amaiko. Then she bowed her
head again. "If you'll excuse me, otou-sama..."

He nodded. "Yes, of course."

As Amaiko left the room, Torakami frowned in thought. "She shouldn't
shirk her obligations like this," he said quietly to himself.

Aeka had never done anything like this before. Torakami had always been
so proud of his niece's staunch devotion to duty. Yet now she'd postponed
her marriage meetings, stopped on an unimportant planet in the middle of
nowhere, and hadn't said a word since. All attempts to contact her
through the resident Galaxy Police operatives had been met with a polite
but firm response: Aeka was fine, but she didn't want to be disturbed
during her vacation.

There was something else. He'd been concerned with Aeka's absence for
some time now, and he'd watched recordings of the conversations with the
two officers. The dark-haired one's manner was always crisp and
businesslike, and it was she who usually answered when Jurai called. But
once or twice the other officer, a blonde one, had handled the matter.
And some of the things she'd said -- or rather, how she'd said them --
were disturbing, if one was suspicious.

Torakami was *very* suspicious.

"Well, I guess I'd better warn her that you're trying to make her leave
again," the woman had said.

*WARN* her?

*MAKE* her leave?

This wasn't like Aeka at all. Something strange was going on.

Torakami sighed. The princess was old enough to handle her own affairs.
Ultimately it was the Emperor's word that would decide the issue, and
thus far His Highness had seen fit to let the matter lie -- which
Torakami heartily disapproved of, though he'd never be so disrespectful
as to say so openly.

Not that the situation was truly dangerous, yet. But it couldn't be
permitted to go on forever. Eventually, something would need to be done,
even if that meant actually telling the Emperor that Aeka's conduct
should be looked into more thoroughly.

Torakami strode across the floor, straightening his clothes as he walked,
his actions controlled with precise economy of motion. He reached the
window, and gazed out. A tear welled in one of his eyes, but he quickly
wiped it away, and no more came.

"Who was it that killed you, my son?" he asked in quiet rage, his
knuckles whitening as his hands clenched the windowsill. "When I find
them, I swear I will make them wish they were never spawned."

He stood, thinking of his lost firstborn Kajimoto, as the flames of
Jurai's sun sank into the sea and died in darkness.

At the same time, many parsecs away, Sol rose burning above Terra's
horizon and cast its yellow light on a sleeping space pirate. The
pirate's arms were wrapped around the most valuable treasure she'd ever
captured, which she'd plundered joyously and repeatedly the previous
night. And, as is usual for pirates, she'd turned a deaf ear to pleas for
mercy and given no quarter.

A bird landed outside the window, and started singing loudly.

Ryoko opened her eyes, blinking in the sunlight, and lay still, enjoying
the feel of Tenchi's body against her.

A second bird joined the first on the ledge, then another, and all three
chirped in annoying chorus.

Ryoko got on all fours, then passed through the glass up to her neck. She
glared down at the birds with angry feline eyes, baring her predatory
fangs.

The birds quickly decided to find another place to sing, and flew away.
Satisfied, Ryoko lay back down.

Then the sunlight reminded her of something. She glanced up for a moment
at the sun, hating it for its terrible intrusion.

*Why don't you just burn out and leave us alone?*

Ryoko turned and looked at Tenchi, and sighed, knowing she had to leave
him. She searched her mind for a way to make it unnecessary, but didn't
find one. It was either leave on her own, or have to leave anyway when
Aeka came, and she knew that if she waited that long, a fight might
result. She didn't think Tenchi would like waking up in the midst of
combat.

*Speaking of waking up...*

Ryoko shook her head regretfully.

*No, if I do that, Aeka will probably get here before I finish, and
she'll tear me away from him just like she did before.*

Giving another sigh, Ryoko floated up off the bed, hovering above Tenchi.

"See you tomorrow morning," she whispered, giving him a kiss. Then she
vanished.

Aeka lay on her futon, tossing uneasily in her sleep. "No, otou-sama, I
cannot..." she mumbled, clenching her fists. "I cannot." She started
shaking her head violently. "Never..." She rolled over and curled into a
ball, muttering indistinct words in a quiet, fearful voice.

A foot prodded her in the backside.

"Hey, princess, wake up," said Ryoko quietly, kicking her again with
forced gentleness.

"Never..." murmured Aeka.

Ryoko frowned, and started nudging her more roughly. "It's time... for
you... to be with... Tenchi!" she hissed, feeling angry now that she'd
seen that Aeka wasn't even up yet, and she'd left Tenchi earlier than
she'd had to.

Aeka stopped moving. After a few seconds, she rolled over and looked up.

"Ohayo," said Ryoko, glaring down at her.

"Ohayo," Aeka replied. She yawned slightly, then sat up. "Thank you for
awakening me."

"Don't mention it. Going to go to wake up Tenchi?"

Aeka nodded, reached under her pillow to retrieve something, and got to
her feet. She smiled. "Was he asleep when you left, then?"

"Yep. Remember, the trick's to suppress the gag reflex," Ryoko reminded
her, lying down on her futon.

Aeka heaved an exasperated sigh. "Thank you so *very* much," she replied.

"Hey, I was just trying to be helpful," said Ryoko. Then she pulled the
covers over herself.

Shaking her head, the princess closed the door behind her and went off
down the hall. She made a quick stop in the bathroom for some mouthwash -
- the greatest scientists in the Jurai empire had guaranteed that she
didn't have bad breath, but there was no harm in being sure -- then
walked into Tenchi's bedroom and shut the door.

She looked down at Tenchi, who was still peacefully asleep, and smiled.
Regretfully, his bed didn't have posts on it, nor were there any rings
placed conveniently in the wall above it. Making a mental note to remedy
that last error, she shed her clothes and got under the covers.

A warm body lying next to him and soft lips pressed against his cheek
woke Tenchi out of a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes, Aeka's face was
directly in front of them.

"Ohayo, Ten-chan," she said, kissing him.

He kissed her back. "Ohayo, Ae-chan," he replied. He started moving his
hands to embrace her, but found out that they were bound, as were his
ankles. Noticing his slightly-frustrated expression, Aeka kissed him
again.

"My love will bind you from your first waking moment," she whispered to
him.

"Ae-chan, I'm sorry but..."

Aeka kissed him. "Oujo-sama..." she insisted.

"Oujo-sama, I *can't* this morning. I've got to get up and go to school.
I'm sorry."
    
"This is disobedience, Ten-chan," she said, pressing her lips to his.
"Treason." She brushed a fingertip against his cheek. "Such crimes merit
punishment. Severe punishment." She moved her mouth next to his ear.
"Shall I fetch my whip? Must I take your loyalty by force, Ten-chan?"

"No, oujo-sama, but..."

"Silence, you vile, traitorous wretch," she whispered, kissing him again.
"You will obey, or face my merciless wrath." Then she smiled at him. "I
know you must go, Ten-chan, but please make love to me anyway. We need
not take very long. We can have... what is it your people call it?" She
thought for a moment, then giggled. "Oh, yes. A 'quickie'."

"I suppose so, oujo-sama," he answered.

"You will submit to me, then?" she asked.

Tenchi nodded and smiled. "Always, oujo-sama."

Aeka hugged him and gave him another kiss. "Thank you, Ten-chan." The
princess sighed as she rested her head on his chest "I missed you so
much, last night. I wanted your arms around me, more than anything."

"I'm sorry, Ae-chan," replied Tenchi, managing to embrace her despite his
bonds. "I really am. I wish I could make it up to you."

Aeka didn't correct his form of address. "I'm with you now, Ten-chan,"
she said softly. "That's all that matters to me. Beside it, all else is
unimportant."

Tenchi sighed. "But the way you looked last night... I don't want to hurt
either of you that way."

"Put away thoughts of painful things, Ten-chan, please," Aeka asked,
moving her face in front of his again. "At this moment we are together.
Think of nothing else." She smiled. "And right now, I desire you," she
whispered. "You said you will submit to me. Did you speak truly?"

Tenchi kissed her. "I just hope I'm *able* to. I'm really worn out."

Aeka frowned for just a moment, but quickly smiled again to hide her
bitterness. Ryoko was probably tiring Tenchi out on *purpose*. Wouldn't
it be just like her to do something cruel like that? And even if she
didn't do it intentionally, it was so unfair. Certainly being with Tenchi
was joy enough, but to be denied the sharing of pleasure with him because
Ryoko had mercilessly wrung him out like a wet rag...

"Then I shall test your body's loyalty to me," Aeka said, "though I do
not doubt it will serve me valiantly." She felt the warmth of Tenchi's
penis as she gently wrapped her fingers around it. Aeka's soft skin began
gliding slowly up and down the flaccid shaft, and she pressed equally-
soft lips against Tenchi's at the same time. Eventually the princess
noticed the flesh in her grasp start it's gradual transition from limp to
firm as she continued stroking Tenchi's penis, kissing his lips, and
murmuring soft words urging his unquestioning obedience.

"I wish you didn't have my hands tied," Tenchi said after a while.

Aeka tensed for an instant. "Please don't say that, Ten-chan," she
replied. "I know you don't realize it, but for a man to ask a woman to
unbind him is a very grave request. It means an ending between them."

"I'm sorry, Ae-chan..."

Aeka cleared her throat.

"...I mean, oujo-sama," corrected Tenchi, "but I didn't mean it that
way."

"I know," Aeka assured him.

"It's just that I can't really touch you with my hands like this," Tenchi
explained. "I want to do something for you, too."

Aeka moved her mouth beside Tenchi's ear. "Seeing you bound for me is
more than enough to drive me mad with desire," she breathed hotly. "But I
see what you mean. Wait just a moment." She reached between his hands,
untied the silk, then remade the bonds with one end wound around each
wrist, giving him about a meter of slack. When she was done, she smiled
and kissed him.

"Is that better?" she asked.

Tenchi nodded. "Yeah, *much* better." He brought his arms down over
Aeka's head and embraced her, then began returning her kisses and
caressing her. "And I think I'm ready to... demonstrate my loyalty to
you, oujo-sama," he said. "Almost, anyway."

"I noticed," Aeka replied, softly grasping Tenchi's hardening penis. "Now
you shall submit to me." She kissed him. "You *do* remember what I mean
by that, Ten-chan?"

Despite his weariness, Tenchi grinned.

Some time later, the Masaki household sat around the breakfast table.
Tenchi stared bleary-eyed at his food, picking at it slowly. He needed
the energy, he knew, but he was almost too tired to eat. All he wanted to
do was go back to bed and fall asleep. He sighed and forced a smile as he
looked at the two chief causes of his fatigue, sitting across from him.

Ryoko and Aeka smiled back.

"Eat your breakfast, Tenchi," said Nobuyuki. "You need to build up your
stamina! Otherwise your lady friends are going to be very upset with
you."

"Yeah, sure, dad," mumbled Tenchi. Ordinarily he would have gotten
annoyed by his father giving him that kind of advice, but just then it
seemed a waste of strength.

Ryoko thought for a moment. "Sasami-chan, what are we having for dinner
tomorrow night?" she asked.

"I hadn't really decided yet," replied Sasami. "What would you like?"

"Let's have unagi," said Ryoko. She put her hands together and bowed her
head slightly. "Please please please, Sasami-chan?"

"Sure!"

Nobuyuki slapped Tenchi on the back. "Good idea, Ryoko! Unagi's just the
thing for him to build up his endurance. I'm depending on you, Tenchi,"
he said, proudly thumping his chest a moment and looking over at his son.
"The family reputation is at stake. I won't let it be said that a Masaki
ever let a girl down in her time of need."

"Daaaaaaaaaad!" groaned Tenchi, despairingly putting his face in hands.

"What is it you need more strength for, Tenchi? Are you going to fight a
monster tomorrow night or something?" asked Sasami.

"In a manner of speaking," said Aeka very quietly.

Ryoko glared at her momentarily, then resumed her smile.

"I've just been feeling tired lately, Sasami," replied Tenchi.

"Well, I'm off to work," announced Nobuyuki, standing up. Then he shook
his head and sighed. "Maybe today, for once, I can get home in time for
dinner." He walked towards the door and waved. "'Bye everyone"

A chorus of "'Bye" and "See you tonight" and "Have a nice day at work"
followed Nobuyuki as he departed. Moments later, Washuu walked into the
room, smiling the smile of one whose thoughts were taking physical shape
so rapidly she could afford a breakfast break. After being greeted, she
sat down and began eating.

"I'd better get going, too," said Tenchi. "My bus is going to be here any
minute."

"Oh, that's right!" said Sasami. "I've got to go finish making your bento
box." She got up and ran to the kitchen, Ryo-oh-ki hopping after her.

Ryoko blinked. "You're going to *school*?" she asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes," answered Tenchi, confused. "It's Monday, after all."

Ryoko's face fell. "I thought that, after all that's happened, you'd want
to stay home instead. Do you really have to go?"

"You... do look rather tired, Ten-chan," put in Aeka.

Tenchi shook his head, deciding that he didn't want to make an issue of
the *reason* he was tired. "I have to. I've got a math test coming up
soon."

Without warning, Ryoko teleported behind Tenchi and put her arms gently
around him. "One and one make two, Tenchi," she said, kissing him. "Isn't
that the most important kind of math?"

Aeka frowned and cleared her throat. "I believe something's wrong with
your equation, Ryoko."

"There certainly is," agreed Washuu. "She's only thinking about the
common factors of variables R and T, while forgetting that A *also* has
some factors in common with T."

"Huh?" asked Ryoko.

"Well, *I* understood that," laughed Aeka. "And I'm sure A is much
greater than R, correct?"

Washuu munched a bit of pickled radish. "Never checked, though the values
of both are negative, irrational, and imaginary," she replied. Seeing
Aeka's confused frown, she grinned. "Now the variable W, on the other
hand, is positive and prime!"

Ryoko floated onto Tenchi's lap, her arms clasped around his neck as she
kissed him. "I think Tenchi's more interesting in some triple-X. Ne,
Tenchi? Ne?"

Aeka's eyes narrowed as she gave Ryoko a look intended to warn her whose
day this was. Ryoko didn't see it as she kept her face just in front of
Tenchi's.

"X-cubed," corrected Washuu. "Ah, which reminds me..." She picked up her
rice and soup bowls and headed back to her lab, a contemplative
expression on her face as her mind ran over certain details of neutron
stars and how those facts might be applied to one of her latest
inventions.

Tenchi barely noticing Aeka's glare or Washuu's departure. "I *have* to
go, Ryoko. And I'm way too tired for that anyway," he said.

Pouting slightly and gazing at him with pleading eyes, Ryoko slid closer
to him. "I was only kidding, Tenchi. I'll let you sleep. I *promise*. But
please stay." She twirled the tip of her finger around on his chest.
"Please? I'll miss you so much if you go."

Aeka shook her head, feeling just a little sympathetic. "He has a duty to
himself to fulfill, Ryoko." She got up, walked over, and sat down next to
Tenchi, then grasped his hand and kissed his cheek. "I'll miss him, too,
but you shouldn't try to dissuade him from what he knows is right."

"To hell with right and wrong," growled Ryoko, before her voice gentled
again and she hugged Tenchi tight, putting her lips next to his ear. "All
I care about is being with you, Tenchi. Please don't go," she begged
softly. "It hurts."

Hearing the obvious pain in her voice started to wear down Tenchi's
resolve, but he did his best to stand firm. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. I have to
go. I wish I didn't, but I do." He sighed, then squeezed her, smiling at
her as he gave her a kiss. "Please don't make it harder than it is. OK?"

Ryoko gave Tenchi a wounded look that made him fear she was about to cry,
before she bowed her head and disappeared.

Tenchi closed his eyes, fighting back the urge to find her and talk to
her, knowing he had to leave soon. Aeka put her arm around him, trying to
concentrate on the sweetness of Tenchi's obvious concern rather than on
whom is was for. She kissed his cheek again.

"You too, Ae-chan?" asked Tenchi.

Aeka shook her head. "No. As I told Ryoko, I wish you could stay, but I
realize quite well what it means to have obligations one must fulfill. I
fear that's something she has very little experience with."

Tenchi nodded. "You two seem to be getting along a little better,
though," he said. "I'm really glad to see that."

"I've been trying very hard," said Aeka. "And I think she has been making
some effort as well, I must admit."

"As long as the two of you aren't fighting, I'll be happy," said Tenchi.
"But I'd be even happier if you became friends. Can't you be, now?"

"I'm sorry to say it, but things between her and I go back much further
than you, Ten-chan," she sighed. "I would attempt anything, if it pleases
you, but I cannot do the impossible."

Tenchi got up, and Aeka rose with him. They were locked in an embrace and
in the midst of a very long goodbye kiss when Sasami skipped back into
the room carrying the bento box.

"Tenchi, here's your... oh, sorry!" she gasped, putting her hand over her
mouth.

Startled, Aeka and Tenchi quickly let go of each other. "Uh, thanks,
Sasami-chan," he said, taking his lunch. He grabbed his briefcase and
headed out the door, saying goodbye as he did, then walked towards the
path down the hill.

Aeka turned to her sister and smiled. "Sasami, do you suppose we could
have unagi tonight as well?" she asked sweetly.

Sasami gave Aeka a quizzical look. "Two nights in a row? Won't everyone
get tired of it?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Aeka. "Please? It's for Ten-chan."

"Why? I don't think he likes unagi *that* much. Does he have *two*
monsters to fight or something?"

Aeka frowned and was about to respond angrily but caught herself. "Um,
no. It's just that he needs lots of energy for... for..." She thought for
a moment. "... for his swordplay routines. Yes, they take quite a bit out
of him, and I was noticing how tired he was afterward."

"But I haven't seen him go practice with jiichan for almost a week," said
Sasami.

"Yes, but I think he'll be doing more of it soon," said Aeka. "Please?"

"Well..."

Aeka put her hands together and bowed her head slightly. "Please?"

"Hmmm..."

"Pretty please?"

"Can I have one of your necklaces?" asked Sasami.

"AGAIN?!?!" cried Aeka. Then she sighed. "Which one?"

"The one with all the blue and green gems," Sasami replied.

"The matching bracelet as well, I suppose?" grumbled Aeka.

Sasami thought for a moment. "Don't you have a ring that goes with those,
too?"

"Why didn't you ask *Ryoko* for anything?" Aeka demanded. "It's very
cruel to extort things from your own sister, Sasami."

"I'm sorry, Aeka. I'll make Ryoko give me something, too."

Aeka frowned. "That wasn't what I meant."

"Can I have the ring?" asked Sasami.

"I think three pieces of jewelry are worth considerably more than one
night's dinner," Aeka said testily.

"OK. One dinner for each piece, then," said Sasami.

"That's outright thievery!" protested Aeka. "Why, the ring alone is
probably worth as much as this *house*!"

"You know, I think Tenchi would like it better if I fixed takenoko gohan
instead," Sasami mused, smiled sweetly at her sister.

Aeka glared down at her.

Sasami's smile widened.

"Oh, very well," sighed Aeka.

Sasami beamed. "Thanks! I'll go put the things I'll need on my shopping
list," she said happily, heading towards the kitchen as she considered
what Ryoko might have that would appeal to her.

Besides Ryo-oh-ki, of course.

Outside, Tenchi descended the steps leading away from the house, feeling
rather depressed. Part of him wanted very much to find Ryoko, wherever
she had gone to, put his arm around her, and tell her he was sorry, that
he'd decided he was going to stay home. But the rest of him knew there
was no way he could do that. Did she really love him *that* much, that
just by going to school for the day he was hurting her? For three months
he'd lived in fear of Ryoko, of being hurt by her in some way he couldn't
quite define. Now what he felt was almost the same thing, except that he
feared hurting *her*.  

Why couldn't things just be... *easy*?

For a moment Tenchi imagined Ryoko off by herself, crying maybe, because
of what he'd done. Because he'd gotten up and left her. Because of *him*.
It seemed like, now that he'd fallen in love with her, he was hurting her
far more than he ever had before. Or maybe, he considered, he was just
noticing it now, seeing things he'd previously overlooked.

He wasn't really sure.

"Gomen nasai, Ryoko," he said quietly.

"That's alright. I forgive you," she replied.

Tenchi looked over to his right and saw Ryoko floating alongside him,
watching him with a smile on her face.

"I... thought you'd gone off somewhere," Tenchi said guiltily.

Ryoko chuckled. "Did you think I was going to let you leave without even
saying goodbye?"

"I'm sorry I've got to go," he said.

Ryoko curled her body and arms around him and hung on as he continued
walking. "I heard you the first time. I didn't mean to make you feel bad,
Tenchi."

"I know you didn't," he said. "I wish I could stay with you. Honest. But
I just *can't*."

"Is school really that important?" she asked.

"Yes, it's important," replied Tenchi. "Besides, it's only for the day."

"And tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that," sighed Ryoko.
"I hate it. I hate everything that takes you away from me."

For a moment Tenchi got very worried. He knew quite well what Ryoko
usually tried to do to things she didn't like, and he suppressed a
shudder at the mental image of Ryoko blasting his school-bus and everyone
on it into flaming bits to prevent his departure. But he put his fears
aside, hoping that if he explained things better, understanding would
lead to acceptance. "Ryoko, if I don't go, I can't go to college," he
said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's like my school now, only it's harder, and it takes more time, and
you sort of pick one kind of thing you want to learn about, and focus on
that."

"I don't want you to go to that either, then."

"But if I don't go to college, I can't get a good job."

"Like your dad, you mean?" she asked, thinking of how little time
Nobuyuki spent at home.

"I don't think I want to be an architect, but something like that, yes."

"So what you're telling me is, you have to leave me now, so you can go to
college and see me even less, so that you can go to work and never be
with me at all?" she asked in a quiet voice, staring sadly at the ground.

"I never thought of it that way," Tenchi said, stopping. "Ryoko, all this
is new to me. Thinking about sharing my future with someone, I mean.
It'll take me a while to get used to it." He took hold of her hand.
"Whatever happens, I want to be with you as much as I can. But right now,
until I figure things out, I have to just do what I would have done
before. OK?" Ryoko nodded reluctantly, and he smiled. "Now, don't I get a
goodbye kiss?" he asked.

Ryoko kissed him. "See you this afternoon, Tenchi."

"Oh, I almost forgot. One other thing -- do you think you could pitch in
a little more around the house?"

"Tenchiiiiiii!"

"Come on. *I'm* asking you," he said, looking her in the eyes and smiling
at her. "Can you do it for me? Please?"

"Yeah, I suppose," answered Ryoko, returning the smile.

"Well, *that* was a lot easier than I expected," said Tenchi, sounding
and looking almost as surprised as he felt.

"You never asked me before," she said, grinning.

"Huh? I've asked you *lots* of times, Ryoko."

Ryoko shook her head. "You never asked me to do it for *you* before.
You've always said I *should* help, and I don't give a damn about what I
*should* do." She kissed him again. "And besides, we're almost married
now. I'll just think of it as part of being a housewife."

Tenchi cringed. "Uh, Ryoko, let's not get ahead of ourselves. It's not
that I don't necessarily want to, it's just that... well, I'm only
*seventeen*."

Ryoko sighed. "I know, I know. I'm being pushy, aren't I?"

"Maybe a little," answered Tenchi. "I just don't like being rushed. And
anyway, haven't we already made some pretty big promises to each other?"
he asked, looking at her with a serious expression. "Don't they add up to
more or less the same thing?"

"You're right," she admitted, remembering what he'd said about going with
her if she had to leave, and never running away from her again. And her
own vow that she'd die rather than let them be separated.

Tenchi resumed his walk down the steps, then turned and waved at her.
"See you when I get back, Ryoko."

"I'll be waiting, Tenchi," she replied, starting back towards the house.

After a very short wait, the bus pulled to a stop in front of Tenchi. He
climbed aboard and took a seat, yawning frequently as he exchanged
morning pleasantries with his fellow students. The bus drove away, and
the familiar landscape around Tenchi's house shrank into the distance and
finally receded from view completely. As it did, he began to feel a tug
at his heart. He realized that perhaps Ryoko wasn't being quite as
unreasonable as he'd thought at first, because now the hours ahead
without her -- and without Aeka --  loomed like a barren landscape to be
crossed only at the price of great pain. He briefly wondered if his
father had felt like this about his mother, and if leaving every day
would be easier after a while.

He really hoped it would, because otherwise, he knew that it wouldn't be
long before he was utterly miserable.

Tenchi steeled himself for the Aeka-less and Ryoko-less day ahead and
tried to concentrate on what he'd do in class. After a few minutes of
such thoughts, he leaned against the window and passed into a semi-sleep
broken by the jolts of the bus as it passed over the occasional bump in
the road and the lurch of the frequent stops and starts.

Meanwhile, Aeka watched, incredulous, as the most amazing, unprecedented,
unexpected event in recent memory unfolded before her very eyes.

Ryoko was helping clear off the breakfast table.

Ryoko had *volunteered* to help clear off the breakfast table.

Ryoko was *cheerfully* helping clear off the breakfast table.

The galaxy's most-wanted space pirate floated through the air clad in a
pink dress -- a garment not half as clingy or revealing as anything she
usually wore -- as she ferried dishes over to the sink and deposited them
in the water. All the while, Ryoko hummed pleasantly to herself, not
grumbling or frowning for an instant.

Aeka pinched herself, and determined that, no, she *wasn't* dreaming.

"Thanks, Ryoko!" said Sasami, standing in front of the sink washing
dishes with Ryo-oh-ki perched atop her head, as Ryoko put the last of the
bowls into the water.

Aeka stared as impossibility heaped on impossibility: Ryoko started
drying the washed dishes that Sasami handed to her. Quickly realizing
that she wasn't doing any work herself, Aeka hurried into the kitchen and
lent her sister a hand. Once the work was done, Sasami headed outside to
play with the cabbit and the two older girls went to the living room to
watch TV. Aeka looked in puzzlement at Ryoko for a moment as they sat
down on the couch.

"Thank you for helping this morning," she said slowly.

Ryoko stretched. "Don't mention it," she replied, pouring each of them a
cup of tea.

Aeka picked up her cup and sipped, deciding that she could learn to
appreciate this new twist in Ryoko's behavior, if only she knew what had
prompted it.

"By the way, I noticed Tenchi was late for breakfast this morning,"
commented Ryoko, stretching luxuriously after a yawn. "Did you do what I
*think* you did?" she asked, managing to sound scandalized. Then she
folded her hands behind her head and lay back on the couch. "So,
princess, did you spit, or swallow?"

Aeka rolled her eyes. "I don't plan to relate to you everything I do with
him," she replied.

Ryoko grinned. "Should've figured *you'd* never work up the nerve," she
said.

"You already brought this subject up yesterday morning," Aeka said.

"And I'm bringing it up again," answered Ryoko.

"Why is it that you're so interested in convincing me to... do *that*,
anyway?" demanded Aeka.

Ryoko grinned. "Because you don't want to, and it bugs you when I ask."

"Then I'm sure you'll understand if I choose to ignore you," said Aeka,
demurely taking another sip of tea.

"You know, pretty soon Tenchi's going to... how can I say this
*tactfully*?" wondered Ryoko. "Notice something's *missing* when he's
with you. He'll start thinking to himself: 'That Aeka, she's boring,
she's squeamish, she just lies there like a dead fish. I wish Ryoko were
here, she much more fun, she always makes me feel so *good*!'"

Aeka glared at Ryoko for a moment, then laughed. "Perhaps you should ask
Ten-chan yourself. I'm sure he'll give quite a different account of
things. Or are you afraid to find out he's acquired a taste for the more
meaningful aspects of lovemaking?" she taunted.

Ryoko blinked. "Taste?" she asked, the faintest hint of nervous jealousy
visible in her face and audible in her voice. The two girls stared at
each other for a moment before Aeka realized the direction of Ryoko's
thoughts.

"Oh, so *that's* what you're concerned about," laughed Aeka.

"Well, did he, or didn't he?" demanded Ryoko, hoping desperately for a
negative answer. That was one "first" she definitely wanted for herself.

Aeka smiled. "As I told you, such things are between Ten-chan and myself.
I cherish them too much to flaunt them in public as *you* do."

"Then he didn't?" Ryoko asked.

"I didn't say that, either," replied Aeka innocently. She refilled her
teacup. "And now I see why *you* are so single-minded on the subject.
You're just doing it for him in the hope that he'll do it for you."

"Hey, that's not true!" retorted Ryoko.

"How typically mercenary of you," said Aeka sadly, shaking her head. "You
pretend it to be an act of love, yet you do it only for selfish reasons."

"I do it because he likes it!" snarled Ryoko, standing up. Then she got
past her anger over the insult, and smiled. "Listen at the door sometime,
princess. Then you can hear him say things like..." She squinted tightly
and started gasping, "...'Oh, god, that's good, Ryoko! Don't stop! Please
don't stop!'" She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. "It's music to
my ears."

"He... truly says such things?" asked Aeka, wide-eyed for a moment. Then
she caught herself. "I would invite you to listen as well, Ryoko. But
unlike you, *I* do not treat such joyous moments as spectacles to be
shared with an audience."

"It's not like any audience would pay to witness one of *your*
performances," Ryoko shot back.

"So they've paid to see yours?" returned Aeka.

"No, but they would if they could," said Ryoko proudly, striking a pose
before starting to walk away.

Unable to think of a suitable comeback, Aeka resumed sipping her tea and
contented herself with Ryoko's departure.

Later that morning, sunlight streamed down onto the rapidly-warming
grounds of Tenchi's school amidst the sound of chirping cicadas.

His mouth begged to yawn, his eyes yearned to be rubbed, and his whole
body pleaded to be allowed to fall asleep as Tenchi stood in line with
his fellow students at the usual "tyourei" morning meeting. The
principal's endless speech, monotonous and -- ironically, given it's
supposed intent -- brain-numbing as always, dragged on and on.

"...so now, in the springtime, when the Earth is filled with the joy of
new life, let your minds be filled with the joy of new knowledge, let
your hearts be filled with the joy of new achievement, let your spirits
be filled with the joy of discovery, may your eyes..."

Tenchi dozed off for just a few seconds, then almost fell over when he
suddenly shook off sleep.

"...of health. In short..."

*Oh, no! Whenever he says 'in short' that means he's going to keep on
talking even longer than normal!*

As Tenchi fought to stay awake and upright, the principal's words seemed
to merge into a continuous stream of undifferentiated sound. Finally,
after nearly a century (or so it seemed), the speech was over. The
student body bowed in unison, and filed off towards their respective
first classes for the day.

When he reached his desk, Tenchi sat down with a sigh of relief. He
really needed to have a talk with Ryoko and Aeka, and impress upon them
that he was only one man, after all, while there were two of them. They
had him outnumbered.

*And THEY can sleep in if they want to* he reminded himself, feeling
rather jealous. He smiled slightly, thinking of how Ryoko looked when she
took one of her naps on the couch.

"Hey, Masaki, how'd the weekend go?" asked Amagasaki, sitting down a few
seats away. "Anything interesting happen? Go out with any girls, maybe?"

Tenchi thought for a moment, and didn't take long to realize that there
was no possible way he could explain what had happened to him over the
last few days without sounding like he was crazy.

What was he going to say?

"Well, you see, three months ago the crown princess of an alien empire
and the galaxy's most wanted space pirate started staying at my house.
And the pirate and the princess fell in love with me, and even though
they're both very beautiful and care so much about me they're willing to
kill and die for me, I didn't even kiss them until last Thursday. But
after that, well, I had more sex this weekend than probably all the other
guys in the class put together. And, oh, by the way, the princess is into
bondage and says that it's an ancient tradition on her planet, the pirate
has sex like she thinks she's going to die the moment she lets go of me,
and both of them would probably kill any other girl who even looks at me.
Did I tell you about the scientist, the greatest genius in the universe?
Yeah, she's staying at my house, too. I'm glad she stopped trying to get
that sperm sample out of me -- don't ask *how* she wanted to get it out
of me -- but I didn't like it when she made copies of me to use as sex
toys and they got loose and we had to chase them around Osaka yesterday.
Has anything like this ever happened to you?"

Absolutely no way in hell, Tenchi decided.

"Nah, just your average boring weekend," he yawned. Better to tell a
believable lie than the ludicrously unbelievable truth, he figured.

"Yeah, that's about what I expected," said Amagasaki.

Tenchi put his head on his desk and tried to catch a few last moments of
rest before class began. Unfortunately, the buzzing of the rest of the
students' conversations didn't quite let him doze off. After a minute or
so, he noticed that, somehow, two of the girls in the seats in front of
him were discussing *him* -- specifically, his possible future with Aeka.
At least that *seemed* to be what they were talking about. He pricked up
his ears and listened, wondering how in the world they'd found out, and
if it were all over school by now.

"Well, how would you *expect* Imperial relations to feel about having a
commoner marry into their family, Sayuri? Of *course* they'd be hostile."

"I suppose tradition does matter a lot to them. But I wouldn't expect
them to be so... I don't know, *cruel* about it."

"Don't be so naive."

"I'm not being naive. It just doesn't sound like what I'd expect from
them. They always seem so *nice*."

"That's just their public act. And anyway, people are people. When you've
been raised all your life to consider yourself better than those around
you, and then you suddenly find you're going to be related to one of
those 'lesser' folks, that someone whose supposed to be kissing your feet
is going marry into your family... well, naturally, you see them as an
invader. You gather your allies together, close ranks to defend yourself,
and then strike back. That's the way the human mind works."

"Still going to be a shrink, I see, Fuu."

"Maybe. And to think that, in a way, it started here in Okayama!"

"It really sounds weird, Empress Michiko having to see a psychiatrist.
What was that woman's name again?"

Tenchi slowly raised his head. He recognized the two girls as Sayuri and
Kumiko, the latter sometimes called "Fuu" by her friends due to her
passing resemblance to the Magic Knights Rayearth character of the same
name. He felt very relieved not to be the subject of their conversation,
and he realized that from now on he'd have to remind himself from time to
time that, away from home, the "Imperial Family" meant the one in Japan,
not the one on Jurai. But still, something about the discussion instilled
a vague feeling of dread inside him. He continued to listen while trying
not to appear to.

"Her name's Mieko Kamiya," replied Kumiko, showing her friend the cover
of a book entitled "The Holy Voice."

"And this is all true?" asked Sayuri. "I just can't believe the Imperial
Family would treat Empress Michiko like that."

"But she wasn't Empress then, remember," said Kumiko, flipping some
pages. "Anyway, listen to this. 'After the nervous breakdown, for two
months Michiko lived as a virtual recluse at a beachside imperial villa
in Hayama. She refused to see or speak to anyone, and communicated her
wishes only in writing, according to a palace source. At the time, the
head of the Imperial Household Agency described then-Princess Michiko's
health as a matter of gravest concern...'"

An image flashed in Tenchi's mind of the version of himself Aeka had
created in the lab the previous day: Tenchi as Emperor of Jurai. It was
all much too fantastic to consider seriously, but now that he thought
about it, it probably wouldn't be very pleasant becoming Jurai's
equivalent of Emperor Akihito. 

Or rather, Empress Michiko, if social status rather than gender was
considered. At least she'd been from the same country, the same *planet*,
as Japan's imperial family. And though Aeka had always been very polite
about it, he knew that to her, as with the rest of his extraterrestrial
guests, Earth was a primitive world in the middle of nowhere. What would
Aeka's father think of her being involved with someone from such a place,
to say nothing of marriage? What would the princess' mother think? For
that matter, hadn't Aeka been searching for a husband when Mihoshi's
signal had diverted her? What would happen with that?

For just a moment, Tenchi's mind reverted to his old view of Aeka,
innocent and pure, forbidden as an object of desire, not to be dragged
down from her high place in thought or deed. He didn't think of her that
way any longer, and Aeka didn't seem to want him to. But the more Tenchi
thought about it, the more he realized that if her family ever found out,
they'd see her as besmirched, and they'd look on *him* as the commoner
who'd defiled their Empress-to-be by his very touch.

Tenchi slumped in his seat as his heart sank. Realization of what his
true situation was felt absolutely horrible, and he had no idea what he
could do about it. Part of him said that he should regret his actions,
that he should at least *wish* that first kiss in the closet, and
everything that had followed after, had never happened. There was no way
he could force himself to. But still, he didn't like the idea of Aeka's
relatives seeing her as tainted and him as a stain on her, because they'd
see him as just a...

"No! Ten-chan, never *say* such a thing!" he remembered Aeka saying
urgently. "Never even *think* it!" 

Tenchi closed his eyes and sighed, smiling a little. *All right, Ae-chan.
I'll try. But it's hard. I sure hope nothing bad comes of all this.*

"Masaki! Are you deaf?" demanded a voice.

Tenchi snapped back to reality. "Sorry, sensei." He noticed that everyone
else had their books out, so he snuck a peek at the page his neighbor had
turned to and flipped his open to the same spot. With great regret he
banished his thoughts of Aeka from his mind and concentrated on the words
in front of him.

Back at home, Aeka sat on the couch, Tenchi occupying her thoughts much
as she had been the subject of his. Despite the brave front she'd put up
for his sake, and her admonitions to Ryoko not to try to dissuade Tenchi
from fulfilling his obligations, Aeka missed him greatly. It had taken
almost all of her discipline not to join Ryoko and plead for him to stay.

As the princess considered her feelings, her thoughts connected with ones
she'd had the previous night. If being separated from Tenchi for just the
day made her heart ache, could she ever hope to bear the pain if she were
forced to leave him and return to her duties to Jurai? Duties that she
had shirked for her own personal reasons, something she was never, never
supposed to allow herself to do. Aeka flinched involuntarily, imagining
her father's wrath when he found out and his anger washing over her...

"No, otou-sama. I cannot. Never!" vows Aeka, on her knees in her father's
audience chamber.

The Emperor of Jurai glowers down at her from his throne. "You *will*
obey me, daughter. Do not try my patience. I am displeased enough with
what you have done already."

"Please, otou-sama," pleads Aeka, tears starting to fill her eyes. "I
love him!"

"That's not what you should be thinking of! What of Jurai? What of her
people? *They* are what matters!"

Aeka begins to sob, but she chokes it back. "I beg you! Do not do this to
me!" Her voice becomes quiet, plaintive, barely a whisper in the huge
throne room of Jurai's imperial palace. "Why must I suffer this? Why must
I foreswear such a simple thing that any ordinary person could have?
Why?"

"Because you *aren't* an ordinary person. You are first princess of
Jurai. And your mother and I have explained this to you, many times."

"I only desire what would not be denied even the lowliest of Juraians.
Surely this is not too much to ask for, otou-sama?"

"Yes, it is! You have been given great power, and with that power come
the bonds of duty. But you would keep the power, and cast aside the duty,
and forget your people who depend on you. I will not permit that!"

Aeka raises her head to meet her father's wrathful gaze, her angry face
wet with tears. "I never asked for any of that! And even if I had been
given a choice, how could I make such a decision, not knowing what love
would feel like?"

"That is your fate," intones the Emperor.

"My *doom*, you mean!" snaps Aeka.

The Emperor sighs. "We have often reminded you of what it means to be
Jurai's future empress, Aeka."

"You never warned me that it would be like *this*! I love him!"

"The people of Jurai love you. They are your only concern."

"If they love me, why would they see my heart torn to pieces?!?!"

"I have had enough of your self-pity!" shouts the Emperor. "You said not
a word of this when you went to find a suitor. But I do remember an oath
you swore -- which you have broken! How *dare* you put your feelings
above the well-being of your world!"

"No one ever told me it would hurt so terribly," replies Aeka weakly,
hanging her head in shame.

"And you had a ship when you left," continues her father, pitilessly
ignoring the princess' words. "Jurai's power was lessened by its absence,
yet it went with you, for your task was important, and we trusted you to
fulfill your obligations and carry it out. Tell me, daughter -- what
happened to that ship? Where now is Ryuu-oh?"

Aeka looks down at the floor and does not answer.

"Broken, as your promises were broken. Destroyed, all because of your
feelings for this boy. Since the first day you met him, he has driven you
to harm Jurai. And now I find that your heart and body have been taken by
him." The Emperor rises up out of his throne, his face burning with
anger. "For what he has done, he will suffer!"

"No, father, please!" sobs Aeka. "Please! It was all my doing! Spare him,
I beg you!"

"Let the word go forth!" shouts the Emperor to one of his retainers. "My
daughter and my throne to the man who brings me the head of Tenchi
Masaki!"

With a violent shudder, Aeka threw off her daydream. After a few gasps
for breath, she began to try to reassure herself. Certainly her father
could not be so cruel to her, she hoped. At the least, even if she was
forced to give up Tenchi, her mother would be able to restrain her father
from any plans of vengeance. Tenchi would be safe. Aeka would never see
him again, but no harm would come to him. And when she lay with her
husband, whoever it might be, she would close her eyes and try to imagine
that it was Tenchi.

Thoughts entered Aeka's mind, thoughts of a pink-haired, arrogant fop,
his hands groping her in the darkness. It made her skin crawl, and for a
moment she felt that she was going to be sick. *That* one would never
touch her, she decided. If *he* was the one, on their wedding night she
would lash him until he died, for the offense of not being Tenchi.

But if she did that, it would certainly mean war. Was she that selfish,
to condemn thousands, perhaps millions of her people to death to save her
own pride?

Not wanting to think any further on the subject, Aeka turned on the TV
and changed the channel to a soap opera. As the pointless melodrama
played out in front of her, Aeka found herself wondering where Ryoko was.
The two of them usually watched this particular program together, and
Aeka almost... missed her? No, that wasn't it, she decided. But after the
thoughts she'd been having, a heated argument with Ryoko would have been
a cheerfully-welcomed distraction.

At the moment, however, Ryoko was occupied with her own thoughts of
Tenchi. Sunning herself on the roof, she looking out over the hills
towards the spot where she'd crashed on that wonderful day the previous
autumn. After a while, she shifted her gaze, and saw the red torii over
the path between the house and the shrine, where she'd been on that day,
the day Tenchi had tossed Ryoko an apple and actually *smiled* at her.

Suddenly, her eyes caught a bright flash high up in the sky, and she
tensed in fear.

Ken-oh-ki!

Nagi!

No, it wasn't, she realized after a moment. Just another one of the slow
Earthling planes. Did they *have* to paint those damn things white? It
always made her nervous, because when seen from a distance, their color
matched that of Nagi's ship almost exactly, and the sunlight glinting off
them made them perfect replicas of a white cabbit cruising through the
stratosphere.

Ryoko closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on Tenchi's reassuring
voice saying that he'd go with her if she had to leave, but all she could
think of now was the flaw in his well-meaning promise, and the thought
made her feel horribly vulnerable.

What if Nagi, or another bounty hunter, came while she was away from
Tenchi? What if her only choice was to flee the Sol system, with no time
to find him, leaving him behind... or die? What would she do?

It wasn't much of question. Die, obviously.

Perhaps, with one of the other bounty hunters, she could run away, evade
them, and come back. But Nagi knew her weakness, and if Ryoko fled, the
hunter would simply return to Earth and wait for her. Or worse, if Ryoko
escaped and hid, Nagi would be sure to find and seize Tenchi again,
holding his life over her as she had before. No, if Nagi returned, death
or victory would be the only options.

Not that Ryoko *wanted* to die. But there were worse pains than death,
and losing Tenchi would be more unbearable than any means of dying Ryoko
could imagine. For a moment, the thoughts of Nagi and death brought back
memories -- kneeling in the dust on Venus, Nagi's whip tightening
remorselessly around her neck, agony lancing like fire through her body,
but none of it anywhere near as painful as the knowledge that she was
about to die without Tenchi ever having so much as acknowledged the
feelings she had for him.

He'd done that now, and much more. But that only made it worse, in a way.
Whenever she'd been chased before, and had to flee, there had never been
anything to leave behind. She could go at a moment's notice, without
wasting a single glance cast back in regret. Yet now... now, if she left,
she'd be giving up what she valued more than anything else. Somehow, she
had to make sure they couldn't be separated.

Ryoko's mind wandered to the night after the fight on Venus, which she'd
spent holding vigil over Tenchi as he slept, filled with terror that she
might have died with her love unreturned and guilt at the danger she'd
placed him in. Until dawn she'd floated over Tenchi's bed, tensing at
every breath he took lest it be his last, wondering if she should leave
to spare him further risk, fearing that he'd never see that she'd given
her heart to him.

And then the morning had come, and Tenchi's only words had been angry
ones about his privacy having been invaded. The memory still hurt, a
little, though Ryoko knew he wouldn't say anything like that again.

But she had to find a way to be with him, watch over him, and protect him
*all* the time, and ensure that she'd never be forced to leave him.

Testing her speed, Ryoko brought her sword into existence and swung out
to her side, slashing at the shingles of the roof. She shook her head.

"I'm getting rusty," she muttered to herself.

That wouldn't do at all. As she'd told Tenchi, she couldn't hope defeat
everyone, but she *could* make sure the odds were as far in her favor as
possible. And letting her fighting skills wane from their peak didn't
help her chances. She stood up on the roof and sliced through the air a
few times, and came away even less satisfied than before.

She had to start getting into form again. Any moment now, she might need
to fight for her place at Tenchi's side, and she knew she had ensure that
she'd be prepared.

But how?

She was rusty because she didn't have anyone to fight, beyond the
occasional clash with Aeka. Except for the battles with Nagi and Kiyone,
and the brief scuffle in Washuu's cave, she'd barely worked up a sweat in
the last three months. She *had* to do something about that. Remaining
with Tenchi might depend on it. But neither Kiyone or Mihoshi were going
to try to arrest her anymore. A fight with Aeka stood too great a chance
of getting out of hand, and Tenchi would be angry with her if that
happened. Sasami, Washuu, or Nobuyuki certainly couldn't help. Azaka or
Kamadake? Perhaps, but it didn't seem promising.

Tenchi?

Well, she wouldn't want to hurt his feelings by saying so, but she didn't
think he'd be much of a challenge. Katsuhito almost always beat the
stuffing out of him during their sparring matches.

Hmmm... Katsuhito?

Now, that was a possibility. She might have to hold back a little for
fear of hurting him, but from what she'd seen him do to Mihoshi's
powersuit, he might be the most powerful swordsman the Earthlings had.
Perhaps he'd be skilled enough to at least help her keep in form.

After considering it briefly, Ryoko decided to ask him. Not on her own --
he might say no, being occupied with whatever he did at the shrine. But
if she went with Tenchi, and he asked on her behalf, perhaps Katsuhito
would oblige her. She'd have to think of some excuse, because she didn't
want to make Tenchi feel helpless. He'd made it pretty obvious that he
didn't feel completely comfortable being weaker than either her or Aeka.
Hopefully, saying that she wanted to "stay in shape" would be enough of
an excuse. She decided to broach the subject as soon as Tenchi returned
from school.

Deciding to go where she would miss him a little less, Ryoko passed down
through the roof and into Tenchi's bedroom. Then she lay back on his bed
and stretched, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply to savor the scent.

Ryoko's face pulled into a disgusted frown.

The smell of Aeka polluted the whole bed. Tenchi's aroma was there, too,
but she couldn't get a pure whiff of it, a noseful of air untainted with
a reminder of the princess having been there, and worse, having been
there with Tenchi. Ryoko sniffed. Yes, there it was -- the distinct smell
of Aeka's sexual lubrication. Even though the sheets had been changed,
the scent lingered. And so did the equally-strong and now very familiar
odor of Tenchi's semen. But the scents were mixed together, just like the
fluids themselves would have mingled when Tenchi and Aeka lay together on
the bed, put their arms around each other and...

Ryoko shook her head and drove the image from her mind. Then she got up
and sighed. Tenchi's bedroom had always been such a warm, comforting
place before. Even when she'd entered right after Aeka had left and the
air was thick with the princess' scent, Ryoko could laugh to herself at
the thought of Aeka naively believing that her having been there was a
secret. And there would have been no doubt that Aeka would have been
there alone. But now it was equally certain that Aeka had *not* been
alone, that she'd been with Tenchi, and Ryoko begrudged her every last
second.

Floating into the closet, Ryoko pulled out one of Tenchi's jackets and
sniffed at it. Though the scent was rather old, it smelled like Tenchi,
*only* Tenchi, purely of Tenchi and no one else. Not the slightest hint
of Aeka tainted the air around it. She inhaled deeply and smiled, then
flew back and landed on the bed. Curling up on top of the covers, Ryoko
held Tenchi's jacket against her face, sighed contentedly, and drifted
off to sleep.

Several hours later, Sasami's voice awakened her.

"Wake up, Ryoko -- it's lunchtime!"

Ryoko opened her eyes and yawned. "What?"

"Lunch is ready," said Sasami. "Let's go downstairs."

"Hold on just a sec," said Ryoko. She sat up, then held the jacket up to
her face and sniffed. Then she closed her eyes for a moment and smiled.

Sasami looked at her curiously. "Ummm... what are you doing, Ryoko?"

"Hmmm?" asked Ryoko, looking over at Sasami.

"Why were you smelling Tenchi's jacket?" asked the princess.

"Because it smells like Tenchi," replied Ryoko. "It reminds me of him."

Sasami leaned forward towards the jacket and inhaled. "I don't smell
anything."

"I've just got a sensitive nose," said Ryoko. She paused, looking around
at the books on the desk, the clothes in the closet, all the little
details that said Tenchi had once been in the room. "Can you save my
lunch for me, Sasami? I want to stay here a little longer."

"Sure," answered the princess, nodding her head. "I just fixed cold
stuff, since it's hot today."

"Thanks." Ryoko lay back down onto the bed and hugged her chest, eyes
closed.

Sasami flopped down next to her. The princess smiled and propped her head
up on her hands. "You must *really* miss Tenchi," she said.

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah. Aren't you going to go eat lunch?"

"Uh-uh," answered Sasami, shaking her head. "I'm not really hungry."

For a moment, Ryoko's brow furrowed in concentration. Then she yawned and
stretched.

"I thought now that Tenchi told you he loves you, you wouldn't miss him
so much during the day, 'cause you know he's thinking of you while he's
at school. Isn't that how it is?" asked Sasami.

"Sort of. Maybe. But it feels so good now when he's with me, that it
makes me miss him even more when he's gone."

"I guess being in love hurts sometimes," observed the princess. "Does
it?"

Ryoko nodded. "A little. But it'll all be worth it when Tenchi comes
home." Sasami pouted slightly, and Ryoko tousled the princess' hair.
"You're not feeling jealous, are you, Sasami-chan?"

"Well... kind of," admitted Sasami. Then she smiled. "But I'm happy for
you, Ryoko. And I'm happy for my sister, too. The men she went to see for
her marriage meetings weren't like Tenchi at all. At least, not the one I
saw."

"I thought she went to those things by herself," said Ryoko, seeming a
bit distracted. She squinted slightly, concentrating again for a moment.

"I went with her once, because mommy said the planet Aeka was going to
was really pretty, and I should see it."

"Was it?"

"Oh, yeah! It was one of those little planets that goes around a big
planet. The man Aeka was going to see was on the little planet, and at
night you could look up into the sky and see the big one. It was swirly,
like it was made of clouds or something, and it had stripes of lots of
different colors across it, and a *really* big ring going around it that
sparkled," said Sasami, a hint of awe in her voice at the memory of the
beautiful sight. Then she looked down at her feet. "Oh, hi, Ryo-oh-ki!"

"Miya!" replied the cabbit, leaping up onto the bed. Ryoko looked over
and gave her ship a long, stern glare, then nodded and lay back down as
Ryo-oh-ki hopped next to Sasami and started purring. "You're right, it
does sound pretty," said Ryoko.

Sasami frowned. "Well, the planet was pretty, but the man was really
ugly," she said, scratching Ryo-oh-ki under the chin. "I don't mean his
face or anything. He wasn't bad looking, even if he wasn't kawaii like
Tenchi. But his *heart* was ugly. I could tell, and I think Aeka could,
too."

"What exactly do you mean?" asked Ryoko.

"All the servants at the palace were afraid of him. Whenever they did
something wrong, they acted like he was going to hurt them," explained
the princess. "And all he talked about with Aeka was how many ships he
had, and if he married her, together they'd have lots and *lots* of ships
and they could fight anyone and no one could ever beat them. I wanted to
tell him that we Juraians aren't like that, but Aeka had told me I was
supposed to be quiet, and I guess she didn't say anything to him about it
because she didn't want to be rude."

Ryoko nodded. "Yeah, she told me some of the guys she met at those
meetings were real jerks."

"But the worst part of it was, that night we had dinner outside with him,
and I was looking up at the big planet in the sky, and I said how pretty
it was. And he just stared at me like what I'd said was really weird,
like he'd lived there all his life and just looked down at the ground all
the time, and he'd never seen the beautiful colors of the clouds or the
sparkly ring before. And I thought that if he didn't like things that
were pretty, he shouldn't marry Aeka. So I said so."

"Good for you, Sasami-chan," said Ryoko, grinning. "When someone gets on
your nerves, tell 'em to their face. That's how *I* always handle it."

"Yeah, well, he just laughed and acted like he thought I was joking, and
Aeka got kinda mad, but I think she was just pretending, 'cause she
smiled at me when he wasn't looking." Sasami heaved a sigh. "When daddy
heard about it, he said I couldn't go with Aeka anymore." Then she smiled
and shrugged. "But I didn't want to go, anyway, when I saw what the men
she went to see were like. It would be really awful to have to do that
all the time."

Ryoko's face turned thoughtful as she tried to imagine what it would be
like. "I guess it would be pretty lousy," she said after a few seconds.

Sasami nodded. "I'm glad she's found Tenchi instead of one of those mean
husbands. I know *I* sure wouldn't want to marry one of them."

A momentary twinge of unease tugged at Ryoko at the mention of Tenchi
becoming Aeka's husband, but she put it down.

"But if I could choose anyone I wanted," continued Sasami, "I'd choose
Tenchi for sure!"

"Is that so?" asked Ryoko, raising an eyebrow as her hand crept towards
the head of the bed.

"Uh-huh," replied Sasami. "He's the nicest boy I've ever met."

Ryoko slowly bared her fangs. "I told you I'd fight you if you tried to
take him from me, Sasami-chan," she warned menacingly.

A pillow swung through the air and landed against Sasami's head with a
*FWOOMPF!* sound.

"Hey! That's not fair -- I wasn't looking!" protested Sasami, giggling
and grabbing the other pillow. "I'll get you for that, Ryoko!" She leapt
to her feet as Ryo-oh-ki scrambled out of the way. Ryoko darted in,
struck again, and danced back in midair, avoiding Sasami's energetic
counterattack.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. Aeka got up from the couch, walked to the
front door, and opened it. "Hello, may I..." she started to say.

The woman outside deposited a baby in Aeka's arms. "Hi! I'm Tenchi's
aunt. You remember me, right?"

Aeka nodded. "Yes, we've met before. But..."

The woman smiled cheerfully, walked inside, and set down a bag on the
coffee table. "Here are his diapers, his formula, and all that."

"Yes, but..." Aeka began to protest.

"We're going into town for the afternoon, so I figured you girls would be
happy to watch Taro-chan," said Tenchi's aunt. "Isn't he precious? Say
hello to the nice girl!"

"Aaaaaa!" squealed Taro gleefully.

"I'm very pleased to meet him, and he's very sweet, but..." said the
princess.

"We won't be gone long. I really appreciate you agreeing to help and
all," the woman said, bowing as she stood by the door.

"But...!"

Tenchi's aunt waved goodbye as she walked down the path away from the
house. "See you later. Say 'hi' to my nephew for me!"

Aeka waved in reply. "But...!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaa!" said Taro, smiling as he grabbed one of Aeka's ponytails
and tugged with strength amazing in one so small.

"OWWWW! But...!" began Aeka, wincing in pain.

Tenchi's aunt had vanished like smoke on the wind.

Aeka sighed and closed the door, then sat down on the couch. Hopefully,
the baby wouldn't be too much trouble for just one afternoon. She'd never
had to care for one before. Even when Sasami had been little, the palace
servants had seen to all the menial tasks involved.

"Well, you certainly bear some resemblance to Ten-chan," she said
sweetly.

Taro wiggled in Aeka's arms and let out another "Aaaaaa!" She looked at
him, trying to picture him with a shade of purple added to his eyes and
hair. Or perhaps the hair would be more a bluish-green -- such things did
skip generations sometimes, she knew.

She sighed heavily. There was no way her father would ever permit such a
thing, she knew full well. She could argue and rage and beg and scream
until Jurai's sun went nova, and it still wouldn't be sufficient to
convince him. As to her mother...

Well, her mother might be a different story. *Might*. And if Aeka could
win *her* over, and her father's refusal was then seen as something
dishonorable...

Aeka smiled. Her mother's skill with the whip was without peer.

Then she shook her head, knowing it was all completely impossible, a
hopeless fantasy. She rocked Taro gently, until another idea occurred to
her.

What if she presented her father with an heir already born? What would he
do? What *could* he do? Surely there was no way he'd dare make war on his
own flesh and blood, conceived with his approval or not. And then the
father of the heir would be safe, lack of ceremony and prior royal
sanction be damned!

For a few moments, Aeka sat completely still, shocked at herself for even
considering such a multitude of breaches of sacred tradition, parental
decrees, and solemn oaths. Then she began to contemplate the idea
further. Not seriously, she told herself. Certainly not. She merely
wondered if it would work. Yes, that was it. After all, there was no way
she could possibly affront her ancestors in that fashion, and her people
would be incensed. Her horrified forebears would scream their accusations
down the ages at her, every last Juraian would revile Aeka's name until
her dying breath and beyond, and not one of them would ever forgive her.

But it was definitely something to think about.

She was still thinking about it when Taro wet himself.

Up in Tenchi's room, after fierce and desperate combat Sasami had backed
her enemy into a corner and was sternly facing her down. Ryoko glanced to
either side, determined to keep the fight interesting by not using any of
her powers beyond her ability to fly. She held her pillow and made ready
to parry the princess' attack when it came.

Sasami suddenly stepped forward and swung.

Ryoko vaulted over her and landed on the other side of the bed. She made
a face and stuck out her tongue. "Beeeeeedah!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" came a
bloodcurdling scream from downstairs.

Ryoko blinked and turned towards the source of the unexpected sound.
"What the...?"

Sasami saw her opening, dashed over and swung the pillow. The blow
connecting with Ryoko's head. "I win!" the princess shouted, sprinting
out the door. "I get Tenchi! I get Tenchi!"

Ryoko flew after her and caught up with Sasami halfway down the stairs.
The two of them stopped, staring at Aeka, who stood frozen in disgust in
front of the couch, looking down at an immense wet stain down the front
of her kimono.

"Couldn't hold it, huh, princess?" asked Ryoko.

"I am not the guilty party in this matter!" retorted Aeka, stepping aside
and pointing at the baby sitting on the couch.

"Taro-chan!" gasped Sasami. She ran to the infant and started to pick him
up, then noticed his drenched pants. "We'd better change you, quick."

Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other, then at Sasami.

"Do you know how to do that, Sasami?" asked Aeka.

"Sort of," replied Sasami. "Tenchi's aunt let me watch when I visited
them. I'm not sure if I remember exactly how to do it, though." She got
out a fresh diaper and began removing Taro's soiled clothes.

Aeka looked down at her kimono again and grimaced. "He wet all over me,
without the slightest warning!"

"They've been known to do that," said Washuu, walking up next to Sasami.
She looked over the princess' shoulder and nodded. "You're doing fine,
Sasami-chan. I'll let you know if you make a mistake."

"Since when do *you* know anything about babies?" demanded Ryoko.

"Yes. You certainly aren't..." Aeka paused and tried to think of a word
besides "old", realizing that she had no idea of Washuu's true age. "...
physically mature enough to have had first-hand experience."

Pain flooded into Washuu's face for a moment, hidden from Aeka and
Ryoko's view. Then she turned to the girls and grinned. "I'm the greatest
genius in the universe. Did you think there was something *I* didn't
know?"

"If you say so," replied Ryoko.

"I take it this is why no one came down to tell me lunch was ready?"
asked Washuu. "It would serve you right if I didn't let you watch the
breaking in of my latest invention."

"I think I'd rather decline that invitation, actually," said Aeka,
heading off to change her kimono.

"What about you, Ryoko?" asked Washuu.

"Uh, no thanks," answered the pirate, waving her hands.

Washuu frowned. "Sasami, wanna see my new invention?"

"Sure!" answered Sasami. "Can Taro-chan see it, too?"

"Of course," answered Washuu. "Demonstration is set for one o'clock
sharp."

Ryoko glared at Washuu. "This isn't something like the last one, is it?"

"Don't worry, you've already tried the prototype," replied Washuu.

"I did *not*!" protested Ryoko. "No way! Besides, I've got the real one -
- what would I want with one of your copies?"

Washuu shook her head. "Tsk, tsk. I knew your memory was short, but I had
no idea it was *that* bad."

Ryoko frowned. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Come down to the lab at one o'clock, and you'll see," replied Washuu.
Then, with a sinister cackle, she walked over to Sasami and observed the
final details of the diaper-changing approvingly. Ryoko floated next to
her and watched.

"Very good, Sasami-chan!" said Washuu, once the princess had finished.
"That's perfect."

"Thank you," replied Sasami proudly. "Do you want to hold him, Washuu?"

Washuu hesitated for a moment, then nodded, holding out her hands and
letting Sasami pass him to her. She gently rocked the baby, a sad,
faraway look on her face. She sat down on the couch and was still
cradling Taro in her arms when Aeka returned.

"I see that he's behaving properly again," she said. Then she extended
her arms in Washuu's direction. "Do you mind if I..."

"Hey, I haven't gotten a chance yet," said Ryoko, floating next to her.

Aeka's fists clenched as she gave Ryoko a brief yet very nasty look,
which the pirate returned with equal venom. Then the two girls relaxed.
"Very well," sighed Aeka. She sat down on the couch next to Washuu, while
Ryoko landed on the other side of the scientist. Washuu handed Taro over
to her.

"Hi! How are you..." Ryoko started to say, before Taro reached up and
grabbed one of her bangs. "OUCH!! Hey, stop it!"

"He's just curious about a new thing he's seeing," assured Washuu. "And
don't talk so loud. You'll scare him."

Ryoko winced as she pried her hair out of the baby's grasp. "Don't do
that again, OK?" She put her finger under his chin and began tickling
him.

"Aaaaaaaaaa!" cooed Taro happily.

"There, see?" said Washuu. "Just be gentle with him."

"You forget who you're speaking to," muttered Aeka under her breath.
"That's quite a request."

"Ma ma!" said Taro, wriggling in Ryoko's arms and smiling up at her.

Ryoko froze stock-still, and her face went white as a ghost. She stared
at him as if reading the inscription on her own tombstone.

"Ma ma!" repeated Taro.

Sasami laughed. "He called you 'mama', Ryoko. Isn't that sweet?"

Ryoko didn't answer. She stood holding the baby, doing a perfect
impersonation of a lifeless statue --  except that most statues didn't
shiver the way she did.

"When you and Tenchi have a baby, I get to be called Auntie Sasami,
right?" asked the princess. "Don't I?"

Ryoko's body began to visibly tremble, and she struggled to hold Taro
securely with arms that felt like they were melting.

Sasami blinked and looked at her quizzically. "Ryoko? Is something
wrong?"

A tear ran out of one of Ryoko's eyes and trickled down her cheek. With
shaking hands, she handed Taro over to Sasami. Then Ryoko quickly turned
away and vanished into thin air.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Sasami, turning to face her sister.

Aeka thought for a moment. "Not really, Sasami. But I don't think you
should bring this subject up again."

"But why not?"

"Just... don't. Alright?"

Sasami sighed. "I guess so." She carried Taro over to the couch and sat
down, rocking him in her arms. Aeka walked over to the window and stood
there looking out, lost in thought.

"I take it she told you," said Washuu quietly, standing next to her.

Aeka nodded. "Yes. I wonder where she went."

"Where would you go?" asked Washuu. Aeka considered the question, and
Washuu turned and looked up at her. "It must make you happy, I suppose."

"Whatever are you talking about?" demanded Aeka, frowning at the
scientist.

Washuu shrugged. "Well, that's one thing you can give Tenchi that she
can't. Once he gets older and starts thinking about that, it'll be to
your advantage. Must be nice to have a weapon in your arsenal that your
opponent hasn't got."

Aeka's face turned into a wrathful scowl. "She and I may not exactly be 
friends, Washuu-san, but I am not the cold-hearted person you seem to
take me for," she replied angrily, before turning away and striding
towards the stairs.

Washuu smiled and stared out the window. "Yep. Sometimes to get the
reaction going, it takes a little catalyst." She grinned. "A *kawaii*
little catalyst."

Upstairs, Aeka stopped at the door to Tenchi's room and hesitated for a
moment.

*Washuu is right. You SHOULD be happy. So Ryoko suffers. What of it?
Someday, Tenchi will have to choose. And this could very well be what
determines his choice. Leave her to her sorrows and take comfort that,
when the final battle comes, the killing sword will be in YOUR hands, not
hers. Her torment, your victory.*

Raging at herself for being capable of such cruel thoughts, Aeka opened
the door and looked inside to confirm her suspicions.

There was Ryoko, as expected.

The pirate sat on the edge of Tenchi's bed, motionless, staring bleakly
at the floor. Lost in her thoughts, Ryoko hadn't heard the sound of the
door sliding open. Another tear trickled down her cheek and landed on the
bed.

Aeka softly knocked on the wall.

Ryoko glanced up at her, then gazed downward again. "Come to gloat, huh,
princess?" she asked bitterly, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

Realizing that she was probably the last person in the universe Ryoko
wanted to see just then, Aeka restrained the angry impulse to turn around
and walk out, then waited until she could speak calmly. "No, Ryoko. I
came to see if you needed someone to talk to." Knowing how unwelcome she
was, the princess turned to leave. "I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

"Aeka, don't... go," Ryoko almost begged.

Aeka stopped for a moment. Then she walked over to the bed and sat down a
carefully-measured distance from Ryoko. Some sort of comforting gesture
was called for, she knew, but there was no way she could bring herself to
offer it, and she knew that Ryoko wouldn't exactly welcome it, anyway.
Several minutes of silence passed while the princess wavered in
indecision.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko," she said finally, part of her wondering if she really
was.

"Thanks," answered Ryoko quietly.

Ten or more wordless minutes went by as both of the girls sat motionless
on Tenchi's bed.

"Aeka?"

"Yes?"

"If I ask you a question, could you promise to answer it without making
fun of me?" asked Ryoko, vulnerability permeating her voice.

Hearing her rival's uncharacteristic weakness, Aeka fought down the urge
to unleash a cold, cruel, triumphant laugh, to seize the chance to rip
into the pirate's momentarily-unarmored soul.

"I promise," replied Aeka after a few moments.

Ryoko looked over at her. "Do you think I would have made a good mom?"
she asked.

Dozens of barbed answers flashed into the princess' mind, insults and
retorts instantly produced with long-honed skill.

"Aren't there enough juvenile delinquents to be found already?"

"Certainly! I'm sure you'd produce a wonderful brood of little monsters."

"I take it you've laid another egg, then?"

"Is most-wanted status hereditary, or will they have to commit crimes of
their own first?"

"Perhaps, but be sure you train them to use the litter box."

"Won't your cell at the prison get rather crowded, though?"

Aeka reined in her mental reflexes and banished the hurtful thoughts as
best she could, while trying to come up with an honest answer.

"I don't know about your abilities, but I'm sure your heart would be in
the right place," said Aeka. "Though I think, perhaps, you might over-
indulge them a bit."

A few tears streamed down Ryoko's face as she nodded and forced a bitter
smile. "I'd spoil them rotten."

Time passed, then Aeka spoke once more. "What of me?"

Ryoko thought about it. "You'll do OK," she said eventually. "I think
you'll be a little too strict, and maybe over-protective sometimes, but
other than that, you'll do a good job."

Silence filled the room again for a while as the two of them withdrew
into their thoughts. Recalling her own fears about never being allowed a
chance to bear a child of Tenchi's, Aeka considered for a moment the
other dangers that would present themselves if, beyond all hope, such a
thing *was* permitted to happen.

Dangers such as the one sitting next to her.

Aeka's mind conjured a vivid, horrifying image of Ryoko floating with her
sword in hand, its blood-red glare illuminating a face twisted in pain
and jealous lunacy as the pirate looked down at an unguarded cradle and
bared her fangs.

Then the princess glanced to her side. The same pain was evident on the
real Ryoko's face, but for the moment she looked nothing like her usual
fiery, violent self. She hardly seemed the same person Aeka had fought
for so long, and she definitely didn't fit the picture of a most-wanted
galactic criminal.

Doubt still nagged at Aeka, however. So she decided to find out. Now was
as good a time as any, after all. Perhaps better than most times, even.

"Might I ask *you* a question, Ryoko?"

"Sure."

"If Ten-chan and myself were to... have children," Aeka asked hesitantly,
"would you be... *hostile* to them?"

Anger flashed into Ryoko's face, but she didn't seem to have the strength
for her typical sort of reaction. "I can't believe even *you* would think
that of me," she said.

"I'm sorry, but I needed to ask," said Aeka.

"Even if they were just *yours*, I wouldn't want to do anything to little
kids. But they'll also be *Tenchi's*. Do you really think I'll hurt
Tenchi's baby, just because it's yours, too?" Ryoko asked incredulously,
looking terribly hurt as she slowly shook her head, for the first time
ever seeming to honestly care what Aeka thought of her. "I wouldn't. I
*couldn't*," she insisted emphatically.

"I suppose not," admitted Aeka. "I didn't truly think such a thing of
you, Ryoko, but I wasn't sure, and I wished to know. I was worried."

Ryoko stared at her for a moment. "Aeka, you're not...?"

The princess shook her head. "No. Not that I know of, at least. Washuu
assures me it won't happen unless I choose it to."

"And you *believe* her?" asked Ryoko, trying to force herself to laugh
but failing.

Aeka smiled. "In this matter, I suppose I have little choice. From what I
understand, the methods Earthling women have available to them are quite
primitive, and I hadn't thought to bring anything with me when I left
Jurai. I didn't anticipate a need." The princess paused for a moment,
thinking. "On the subject of Washuu, didn't you say she might be able to
do something about your... difficulty?"

"She said 'It's possible, but the probability is very low,'" Ryoko
sighed, shaking her head. "That's just her way of saying 'I can't, but I
won't admit it.' You know how she is."

"Yes. Nothing is impossible for...", Aeka started to say.

"...the greatest scientific genius in the universe," chimed in Ryoko, her
voice tinged with despair.

"I'm sorry, Ryoko," said Aeka quietly, this time knowing with absolute
certainty that she was.

"Thanks, Aeka. I guess I needed someone to be with, even you," Ryoko said
with a wan smile. She sighed again. "I wish Tenchi was here. He'd make me
feel a little better."

Aeka nodded in agreement. "He does have that effect, doesn't he?"

"Yeah."

"They'll be wondering what's happened to us," said Aeka, starting to get
up. "I think we should go back downstairs."

"You're probably right," agreed Ryoko, standing as well. 

Suddenly, Aeka gave her a rather hard look. "Now, I want you to
understand something," the princess said. "I would have done this for
anyone. This doesn't mean that we've become friends."

"Don't be stupid. Of course not!" snapped Ryoko.

Speaking no further words, the two of them walked out of Tenchi's room
and down the stairs. As they reached the living room, Sasami looked up
from the couch. She handed Taro over to Washuu, then got up and headed
over to meet the two older girls. They stopped in front of her, and for a
moment the young princess stood there, meekly hanging her head.

"I'm sorry if I said something bad, Ryoko," Sasami said.

Ryoko smiled and crouched down to face her. "You didn't say anything bad
at all, Sasami-chan."

The princess' face brightened slightly. "Really?"

"Uh-huh," said Ryoko, nodding. "Really."

"But why were you crying, then?" asked Sasami worriedly.

Ryoko sighed. "I'd... rather not talk about it, Sasami-chan. But you
weren't what made me sad. I promise." She'd hoped that she'd been able to
drive her emotions back down, but now her control was starting to slip
again.

"Then... when you and Tenchi have a baby, can I still be Auntie Sasami?"

"Sure," said Ryoko, her eyes widening as she nodded again and tried to
keep her voice from shaking.

Sasami beamed. "Thanks, Ryoko! I'd really like it a lot! And I promise to
watch the baby for you, any time you'll let me."

Ryoko grabbed Sasami with a motion so sudden it almost frightened Aeka
into unleashing her force field to protect her sister.

"Oww, not so hard, Ryoko!" protested Sasami, as the pirate hugged her
tightly.

After assuring herself that Ryoko wasn't going to break any of Sasami's
ribs, Aeka went over to the couch and sat down next to Washuu.
Remembering the scientist's previous words, the princess glared down at
her, having proven to Washuu and to herself that she could show kindness
even to an enemy. Then the princess smiled as if triumphantly tearing
Washuu's assessment of her to shreds.

Washuu smiled back, her expression curiously that of one whose theory has
been vindicated rather than refuted.

The smile died from Aeka's face, replaced by a look of confusion.
Something about Washuu's reaction was very unnerving, but for the life of
her Aeka couldn't determine exactly what.

Meanwhile, Tenchi sat under his usual tree, finishing off the contents of
the bento box Sasami had prepared for him. He munched the last bit of
burdock, then set his lunch aside, lay back against the trunk of the
tree, and yawned. The warmth of the air magnified his weariness, and he
fought against the temptation to surrender to his fatigue and sink down
into welcome sleep.

"Hiya, Yoshida-kun, how's it going?" asked a voice on the other side of
the tree.

"Hey, Sato-kun," replied another voice. "Kinda crappy, actually. Nanase
gave me the heave-ho over the weekend."

"What for?"

"She says she doesn't trust me anymore, after I got her drunk that time
so I could screw her."

"Man, what a bitch!"

"You're damn right she is."

Thinking back to the last time he'd overheard his two sempai, Tenchi
allowed himself a bit of smugness as an amused smirk spread across his
face.

"Well, you'd better get another one, quick. We've got to keep up our
reputation as the campus lady-killers."

"Yeah, but who?"

"Does it matter? They're more or less interchangeable, aren't they?"

Yoshida laughed.

"I hear Kikyo's not seeing anyone right now."

"Hmmm... yeah, she's got pretty nice legs, too."

"Not as nice as Mai."

"Sure, but Mai's flat as a board!"

"Then how about..."

As the two older students discussed in detail the various physical
attributes of the different female students and what they'd like to do
with them, Tenchi began to succumb to the warmth of the air, lack of
sleep, and the energy expenditure from the sort of exertions that
occupied much of Sato and Yoshida's conversation. Eventually, eyes
closed, he lay under the tree, dozing.

"Sayonara, Tenchi-sama," says Aeka, walking towards her ship. "On behalf
of Jurai's royal family, I thank you for your hospitality, but I must
resume my search for a suitor."

Tenchi stares at her in disbelief. "But... *why*?"

"I've waited very long for you to summon the courage to tell me how you
feel, but you never did. I cannot put off my duties to Jurai any longer,"
she says sadly.

"But I *have* told you!" protests Tenchi.

Aeka gives him a stern look. "You've delayed me. Made me forget all my
obligations. I've behaved shamefully, hoping for the day you'd no longer
look on me as lofty and untouchable. But that day never came. So be it.
That is how I shall act."

"But, Ae-chan...!"

"Hmpf!" sniffs Aeka, turning away. "How dare you be so familiar with me?"

"But I love you!"

"Even if that were true, it could never excuse such a shameful breach of
etiquette. Worship me from afar, as is fitting for one such as you, as
you've always done before."

"But...!" says Tenchi. Before he can further voice his objections, he
stands staring as Ryuu-oh climbs into space. Pain filling his heart,
Tenchi notices Ryoko standing next to him.

*At least I haven't lost both of them.*

Ryoko tosses Ryo-oh-ki into the air, and the cabbit morphs into spaceship
form.

"Take care of yourself, Tenchi," says Ryoko. "I'm leaving."

"Why?" asks Tenchi. "I love you, Ryoko!"

Ryoko stares at him. "Huh? You never said anything like this before."

"But...!"

"You never *wanted* me to come stay with you, right?"

"Yes, but...!"

"I'm not your *favorite* alien, am I?"

"I didn't really...!"

"If I go to jail, you'll write me, won't you?"

"Come on, Ryoko...!"

"I'm a good person, aren't I? Or maybe not? Which is it?"

"That's not fair, I...!"

"It's not like you even wanted to *look* at me or anything, after all."

"But I was...!"

Ryoko looks Tenchi in the face. "Tenchi, I loved you more than I've loved
anyone or anything. More than life itself. I waited so long for you to
understand. I tried so hard to make you see. But you never did."

"But I *did*, Ryoko!" replies Tenchi urgently. "I *did*! Don't you
remember?"

Ryoko sighs as she looks up at her ship. "Let's go, Ryo-oh-ki. I've
wasted enough time, wishing for the impossible to happen." She flies up
to her ship and passes into it, then it climbs towards space.

"RYOKO!!!!!!!!!" shouted Tenchi, bolting upright on the grass.

He looked around, and noticed that the school grounds were empty, and off
near the gym, a volleyball game was underway.

*Damn! I slept past the end of lunch!*

Tenchi slowly stood up, banishing the unpleasant dream from his head as
rapidly as he could. With luck, he hadn't missed too much of his next
class. He grabbed his empty bento box and ran across the lawn towards the
school buildings.

Shortly thereafter, Sasami, Aeka, and Ryoko followed Washuu down into her
lab, the younger princess holding Taro in her arms. As she reached the
main control console, Washuu stopped, cleared her throat, and tapped some
keys.

Multiple spotlights shone down on her amidst the loud fanfare of
trumpets. Washuu picked up a microphone and spoke, her amplified voice
filling the air.

"Before we get to the main event, I'd like to announce Phase II of one of
my recent inventions. An unprecedented feat of miniaturization! An
unbelievable success in the field of molecular transformation! You loved
them in their original size, so let me introduce..."

Another blazing spotlight filled a circle on the floor of the lab with
brilliant illumination.

"... the Chibi Mecha Tenchis!" shouted Washuu.

"Wow! They're so *kawaii*!" gasped Sasami, as Ryoko and Aeka began to
sweat.

In the midst of the light stood a dozen small super-deformed but
otherwise identical duplicates of Tenchi the same size as the copies of
Washuu that suddenly popped up on her shoulders.

"Hooray for Washuu, you're the greatest!" shouted Washuu-A.

"Hooray for Washuu, you're a genius!" added Washuu-B.

"We love them, Washuu!"

"They're just our size, Washuu!"

"Let us experiment on them, Washuu!"

"We'll make them our guinea pigs, Washuu!"

Washuu glanced over at both mini-bots in turn. "Since when did you two
become a couple of hentais?" she asked.

"We've always been that way, Washuu!"

"You programmed us, Washuu!"

"Hmm... yes, I suppose I did," said the scientist, grinning. She turned
back to face her guests, paused for dramatic effect, and spoke into the
microphone again. "Sagan batch!"

The twelve Chibi Mecha Tenchis expanded to full-Tenchi size with an
audible "Pop!"

"Heisenberg batch!" commanded Washuu.

Another "pop!" sounded as the robots shrank down again and air rushed to
fill the vacated space.

Sasami did her best to clap without dropping Taro, while Aeka and Ryoko
did little but stare. Washuu put her hands on her hips and frowned.
"There are scientists at the Academy who'd donate most of their internal
organs to see what I'm showing you people. How about some *appreciation*,
huh?"

Ryoko and Aeka shook off their disbelief-induced paralysis and walked
over to stand on either side of Washuu, frowning down at her.

"Am I to understand that, after we spent most of yesterday chasing down
these abominations of yours, you've created *more* of them?!?!" demanded
Aeka.

"You'd better have a *really* good explanation for this," warned Ryoko,
cracking her knuckles.

"You're forgetting that all the ruckus yesterday was due to, *ahem*, user
error," said Washuu, lookup up at Ryoko. "Besides, the brains in these
ones are blank. As far as the higher functions go, anyway. They're not
going anywhere."

"Is it OK if I pick one up?" asked Sasami, now standing next to her
sister.

"No, Sasami," answered Aeka. "These are very dangerous."

"They're perfectly safe!" retorted Washuu. "All of the problems yesterday
were due to the instability of the composite Tenchi-Nobuyuki personality.
And the risks inherent in letting a fool use a non-foolproof system."

Ryoko flexed her fingers and remained silent.

Washuu noticed, and smiled. "But to ensure that won't happen with
*these*, I've put in multiple safeguards, and a brand-new user-friendly
interface." She turned to the group of small Tenchi-bots again. "Sagan
one."

A single robot popped to full size.

"Fermi one," said Washuu.

"Now initializing Mecha Tenchi Administration Setup," intoned the robot,
his synthetic voice a perfect match for Tenchi's. "The following
parameter groups are available for customization: psychological profile
(not yet implemented), anatomical specifications, external accessories,
stimulus response levels, and hypothetical pre-coital activity. Awaiting
selection."

Ryoko smirked. "It's still your usual scientist gobbledygook, if you ask
me."

"That's why I put in a *special* mode, just for you!" replied Washuu,
smiling at the pirate for a moment before turning back to look at her
creation. "Ryoko one."

"Hi! Welcome to Mecha Tenchi for Dummies!" chirped the robot.

"Hey! That's not funny!" snarled Ryoko, as Aeka began to laugh.

"I'd ask you how horny or romantic you want me to be, and other stuff
like that, but I don't have a brain right now, so I can't," continued
Mecha Tenchi. "Would you like to change my hairstyle, or how well I'm
hung?"

Aeka stopped laughing and glared at Washuu. "Turn it off," she ordered.
"I won't have your perverted creations disturbing Sasami."

"But he's funny," giggled Sasami.

"What do you want me to wear?" asked the robot.

"I think you'd be kawaii if you dressed like Tuxedo Kamen," Sasami
answered.

The air around Mecha Tenchi shimmered for a moment, then cleared to
reveal him dressed in a formal black tuxedo and a mask.

"Wow! That's really neat, Washuu!" gasped Sasami.

"Thank you, Sasami-chan," said the scientist, her face beaming proudly.
She looked up at Aeka and Ryoko. "And it's all self-contained now, too.
Heisenberg one." The Mecha-Tenchi shrank back down, still wearing his
mask and tuxedo. "You can take him with you wherever you want, then
expand him to full size and use him however you like. The ultimate in
convenience!"

"Washuu, if you're planning to *sell* these things..." warned Ryoko
menacingly.

"No, no, no," said Washuu, shaking her head. "It's strictly to prove what
*can* be done." She sighed. "Now if only I can get Tenchi to sit still
long enough to put his full brain pattern into them."

Aeka frowned. "If Ten-chan does not wish to assist you in the matter, he
shall have all my power behind him."

"Mine, too," agreed Ryoko.

"But why don't you like them?" asked Sasami. "They're just like Tenchi,
except they're small and cuddly." She turned to Washuu. "Do you think I
could have one, maybe? Then I can take him with me when I go to bed at
night, like a teddy bear."

"Uhhhhh..." said Ryoko, and Aeka, staring at Sasami and sweating.

Sasami blinked. "What's wrong?"

Washuu shook her head. "Don't worry about them, Sasami-chan. They're
being silly." She walked over and picked up Tuxedo Kamen Chibi Mecha
Tenchi, then looked him in the face. "Gates one."

Nothing apparent changed about the robot as Washuu walked back and
offered it to Sasami. "Here, I'll trade you."

"Thank a lot, but I'd rather hold the baby," replied Sasami, still
cradling Taro in her arms. "I'll get Tenchi later."

Washuu sighed for a moment, then nodded, setting the robot on her main
console. "Don't forget him when we leave, Sasami-chan," she said.

Aeka stepped next to Washuu. "I hope for your sake that *thing* is safe
for her to handle," she hissed angrily.

"Don't worry," replied the scientist. "I just erased his whole system. 
He's nothing but a doll now. That's all."

"Is that why you brought us down here?" asked Ryoko. "To see these
things?"

"No, actually, I wanted to show you something else," answered Washuu.
"And it's just about time. Any second now." She pointed at a completely
empty area of the lab. "Watch!"

The girls turned and looked at the terminus of Washuu's gesture.

A wholly-uneventful minute passed.

"I take it something was supposed to happen?" asked Aeka.

"Just be patient," replied Washuu.

Several more minutes went by without anything unusual transpiring.

"Gee, this is sure fun," said Ryoko, sounding extremely bored.

Washuu frowned. "Something seems to have gone wrong," she muttered
contemplatively.

"Wow, like none of us expected *that*," Ryoko chuckled.

Washuu started to summon her phantom laptop but stopped when a door
appeared out of nothingness and slid open. Out of it walked Earth's
resident force of Galaxy Police, Kiyone looking quite annoyed and Mihoshi
appearing flustered yet cheerful. Each one had some clothes slung over
her arm, and Kiyone carried a bottle of sake.

"Whew!" gasped Washuu, wiping the sweat from her brow. Then she grinned,
brought her microphone up to her face, and shouted. "Announcing, the
grand opening of the Mihokiyo Dimensional Expressway!!!"

"Hi, everybody!" said Mihoshi in her usual bubbly voice. "Sorry we're
late, but it took me a while to find a clean change of clothes. Since
detergent has gotten so expensive, Kiyone and I have only been able to do
the laundry once every..."

Kiyone clamped her hand over her partner's mouth. "They don't need to
know about that, Mihoshi!" she growled.

"I should have expected this. Never forget the Fourth Law of
Thermodynamics," Washuu quietly reminded herself. "After the field test
of the dimensional portal yesterday, I made a few minor changes and set
it up to be fully operational," she explained. "This way, Mihoshi and
Kiyone can visit any time they like, without having to spend their money
on train fare. And they won't have to use the public baths anymore,
either. And we can go visit *them*, too!"

"Hooray!" cheered Sasami. "You'll come over all the time now, won't you?"

Letting go of Mihoshi, Kiyone bowed to Washuu, presenting her with the
bottle of sake. "We want you to have this as thanks, Washuu-chan. We
really appreciate it."

Washuu waved her hands and smiled. "Think nothing of it. Seeing one of my
brilliant inventions put to use is thanks enough."

"But it was such a nice thing for you to do," protested Mihoshi. "We
couldn't visit since I lost our Japan Rail passes and we couldn't afford
new ones until next payday, and I was feeling *really* *icky* 'cause we
don't have enough money to go to the public..."

Kiyone muffled her partner again. "Will you be quiet about that stuff?!"
she hissed. Then she calmed down. "But we *were*, uh, sort of planning on
using the women's bath, if you don't, you know, uh, mind..." she said,
sounding very embarrassed.

"That's not a bad idea," said Ryoko. "Nothing like a nice hot bath in the
afternoon."

Aeka nodded. "A bath and conversation always go well together. Let's
*all* take one."

"There's something I want to show Sasami-chan first," explained Washuu.
"We'll be along in a few minutes."

"What is it?" asked Sasami.

Washuu grinned. "A surprise."

Aeka and Ryoko led the way out of the lab, followed by Mihoshi and
Kiyone. Realizing she'd forgotten something, Sasami headed after them.
"Wait just a minute, I haven't..."

"AAAAAAAA!!!" cried Kiyone, as Taro grabbed her hair and yanked down on
it.

"... introduced you to Taro-chan," finished Sasami, trying to get the
baby to let go of the officer's tresses. "Don't do that! It's not nice,"
she chided.

"Whatever is the cause of his fixation with hair, anyway?" asked Aeka,
carefully keeping her ponytails away from Taro.

"Different colors, different shapes. Babies are full of curiosity,"
explained Washuu.

Her hair having been freed, Kiyone turned around, smiling, and pointed a
finger at Taro. "If I wasn't in a good mood, I'd have to arrest you," she
warned, touching the tip of the baby's nose. "You're really kawaii, you
know that?"

"He sure is!" agreed Mihoshi. "Who's is he?"

"He's Tenchi's cousin's baby," said Sasami. "I've been over to see him
before, but this is the first time they've brought him to visit us."

"Well, we'll see you in the bath," said Kiyone. The four women left the
lab, leaving Washuu, Sasami, and Taro behind.

"So, what was it you wanted to show me?" asked Sasami.

"There's an invention of mine I've modified for you, and I *know* you'll
like trying it out," replied Washuu, typing on the keyboard that suddenly
appeared in front of her. "But I have to hold Taro while you do." A black
void opened in midair. Washuu reached inside and came out with a strange-
looking wand, which she offered to Sasami.

"Wow! Just like from my dream world!" Sasami gasped, handed the baby to
Washuu and taking the wand. 

"Go stand over there," said Washuu.

Sasami walked over to the spot the scientist had indicated, feeling a bit
puzzled. "OK."

"Now, say the magic words."

The princess blinked, confused. "But I thought you said this was one of
your inventions. That's not magic."

"Magic, advanced technology -- same difference," Washuu explained
patiently. "Just try it."

Obediently, Sasami raised her wand and shouted. "Jugem, jugem, gokoh-no-
surikire, Sammy Davis broiler chicken!"

Bright light suffused the lab, and Washuu smiled. As Sasami's
transformation sequence began, miles away Tenchi finished the last of the
extra laps he'd had to run as punishment for being late to P.E. class.

"Alright, Masaki, rest one minute, then join your team," ordered the
coach, pointing to one of the soccer fields where a game was in progress.
"And stand up straight!" he barked.

Tenchi forced himself completely upright. "Gomen, coach. It's just that
my back hurts a little."

"No excuses," growled the man. "Hey, Hitoshi, don't think I can't see
you. Quit slackin'!" he shouted, his attention caught by one of the
goalies leaning against the frame of the goal.

Tenchi sighed. The exercise, though tiring, had taken his mind off his
very unpleasant lunchtime dream. He wondered how much longer he might
have been able to wait before exactly that sort of thing would have
happened. Before both of the girls he now loved would have left him,
never to return, without him even realizing what he'd lost.

Until afterward. Afterward, he was sure, he'd have understood. But then
it would have been too late.

Lost amidst his thoughts of relief, regret, guilt, and worry, Tenchi
nearly jumped out of his skin when his coach's voice sounded next to his
ear.

"Time's up, Masaki. MOVE!!!" the coach ordered.

"H-h-hai!" Tenchi answered as he ran off.

Meanwhile, in the women's bath at the Masaki house, Mihoshi sank up to
her neck in the luxurious hot water. "Ooooh, this feels great!"

Kiyone nodded, her eyes closed. "I'm in heaven," she sighed. Briefly she
considered what she'd do if an alert came through during the next hour or
so, and she almost decided that she'd ignore it.

"We're always glad to have you," said Aeka happily.

"It's nice to have you guys over," agreed Ryoko. "Even if you *are* on
the wrong side of the law."

"But... Kiyone and I are police officers," said Mihoshi, hopelessly
confused.

Ryoko stretched. "Yeah, that's what I said."

Kiyone was so lost in the soft warmth of the bath that she completely
missed the exchange between her partner and the pirate. "You two are
really lucky to be able to enjoy this every day."

Aeka nodded. "I must admit, for all the inconvenience she sometimes
causes, we're very much in Washuu's debt for these facilities."

"It'd be even better if Tenchi was here, though," mused Ryoko wistfully.
"I think it's time to have Washuu get rid of that silly 'women only'
thing on the door."

Aeka frowned. "You're forgetting the other two males of the household,"
she said. "One of whom I very much do *not* want to be able to find his
way in here."

"Oh, yeah, forgot about that," said Ryoko, mentally weighing the risks
and benefits. "Do you suppose Washuu could maybe fix it so only women
*and* Tenchi can go through the door? And still keep out his dad?"

"If it's all the same with you, I'd rather keep this the *women's* bath,"
said Kiyone. "Besides, you can always open the door for him. Somehow, I
don't picture Tenchi coming in here uninvited."

"Yeah, I guess not," Ryoko sighed regretfully.

"So, I understand something's happened between you three recently," said
Kiyone, opening her eyes and looking at Ryoko and Aeka.

Mihoshi blinked. "Something's... happened?"

"Sure has," answered Ryoko proudly, stretching her arms above her head
for a moment. "Five or nine times, depending on whether or not you want
to count..."

"Ryoko! Don't you realize how embarrassed he'd be at you discussing such
intimate matters?!" hissed Aeka furiously. "You don't see *me* bandying
these details about!"

"Just 'cause you're ashamed of it, doesn't mean I have to be," retorted
the pirate.

"I'm not ashamed, I'm discreet," countered the princess.

"So, you too, huh?" asked Mihoshi quietly, looking at Aeka but not quite
meeting her eyes.

Aeka hesitated for a moment, then smiled slightly and nodded.

"Really, Mihoshi, you mean you didn't *notice* yesterday?" laughed
Kiyone.

Mihoshi hung her head slightly. "I guess... I was just so upset when I
thought I'd killed him, and so happy when it turned out I didn't, I just
wasn't noticing other things."

"Well, as she certainly won't do so, I'll apologize for Washuu about that
little incident," said Aeka. "It must have been quite a shock."

Mihoshi nodded.

"Although I'm also surprised you didn't notice anything," the princess
said. "While I was quite careful not to cause Ten-chan any undue
embarrassment, there was *someone*..." she glared at Ryoko "...who very
nearly ravished him on the train, in front of everyone."

As Ryoko returned Aeka's nasty look, Kiyone laughed. "Actually, if we're
talking sexual assault, you're the one who might have broken the local
statutory rape ordinances, Aeka-hime. If I was being really strict about
the letter of the law, I ought to arrest you."

"WHAT?!?!?!" shrieked Aeka, started to get up out the water before
recovering her composure and sitting back down. "Kiyone-san, I assure
you, the matter was completely consensual."

"No, I meant that I *think* Tenchi is under the legal age of consent, and
you're not," said Kiyone. "I'm not sure, though. In Japan, that sort of
thing is determined at the prefectural level. The age here in Okayama
might be different than in, say, Tokyo, or even Osaka."

Mihoshi's eyes widened. "Wow, Kiyone, you sure know a lot about this
stuff."

"We're *supposed* to know about the local legal system, Mihoshi!" snapped
Kiyone, clenching her fists under the water. She sighed. "Anyway, Aeka-
hime, I was only joking about arresting you. The Galaxy Police enforce
the Galactic Law articles, and that's all. Especially on primitive
worlds."

"Let me get this straight," said Ryoko, an evil gleam beginning to shine
in her eyes. "Aeka might have broken the law by sleeping with Tenchi
because he's too young and she's too *old*?"

Kiyone nodded. "Yes, that's basically it."

Ryoko turned and grinned at Aeka. "*Now* I see how it is. 'Mature woman
seeks young, unattached man for a *discreet* relationship. Light the
fires to brighten my autumn years!'"

Aeka ground her teeth and looked daggers at Ryoko, keeping silent for
lack of a response other than incoherent rage.

Smiling broadly, Ryoko extended her hand. "Welcome to the club, princess.
Congratulations on a fine haul, one thief to another."

"T-t-thief?!" asked Aeka incredulously, nearly choking on the word. "What
in the world are you talking about, Ryoko? How can you make such an
accusation?"

Ryoko's smile widened. "Because you've been robbing the cradle," she
said, before she collapsed, laughing uncontrollably. 

Aeka stood up, shaking with fury, on the verge of unleashing her force
field on Ryoko as vengeance for the insult. Then her temperament suddenly
switched from one of anger to humor as she put a hand in front of her
mouth and laughed. "I may be three years older than you, Ryoko, but my
beautiful skin attests that my youth will endure far longer than yours,"
she said proudly, holding up one of her arms and admiring the smooth
alabaster complexion. She smiled, looking down at Ryoko. "And in any
case, it is not *your* assessment of my age or appearance that interests
me. I have no reason to believe Ten-chan doesn't like what he sees."

Managing to halt her laughter, Ryoko smiled back. "He *is* a fine haul,
though. Right?"

Aeka nodded and sat down. "I never said he wasn't."

The two girls heaved a collective sigh and closed their eyes, obviously
thinking blissful thoughts about Tenchi. Mihoshi stared at them for a few
moments. "So, *both* of you are sleeping with Tenchi, then?" she asked.

"I believe that's what we said," replied Aeka.

"And you're going to keep on doing it? Both of you?" asked Mihoshi, her
voice becoming rather meek.

Ryoko nodded and grinned. "Every chance I get."

"I guess that means that... means that..." began Mihoshi hesitantly.

"Means that...?" prompted Aeka.

"It means... it means..." Mihoshi continued. "It means..."

"It means...?" asked Ryoko.

"It means that I can sleep with Tenchi, too, now, right?" asked Mihoshi
cheerfully.

Three loud splashes sounded as Ryoko, Aeka, and Kiyone all face-faulted.
After they sat back up, they stared at Mihoshi in disbelief. Aeka and
Ryoko were so shocked at the foolish naivete of Mihoshi's statement that
they completely forgot to become enraged and attack her.

"Oh, how *embarrassing*!" giggled Mihoshi, looking away and blushing. "I
can't believe I just said something like that!"

Meanwhile, Kiyone looked over at Ryoko and Aeka, nervously wondering if
their apparent calm would hold or if they would snap and obliterate
Mihoshi. She wanted to be sure she was prepared to dodge. Several tense
seconds passed before Ryoko decided to try to change the subject. "So,
Kiyone, what about you? Met any guys you like here on Earth?"

Kiyone shook her head. "We're not supposed to do that. It's against
regulations."

"What, they make Galaxy Police take a vow of celibacy or something?"
asked Ryoko.

"Not exactly. But the regs specifically forbid us from getting involved
with the inhabitants of primitive worlds," explained Kiyone. "They
usually have a lot of weird taboos, and it's too easy to unwittingly
break them. And becoming emotionally attached really increases the risk
of an officer letting their guard down and revealing information the
locals shouldn't have."

"I suppose it must make you feel rather... isolated," said Aeka
sympathetically.

Kiyone nodded, then sighed. "If I was back at HQ, or assigned to a world
with space flight, I could at least *date*, maybe find *someone*," she
said, glancing over at Mihoshi for a moment. "As it is, you're right,
it's really tough. But rules are rules."

"I won't tell if you don't tell," offered Ryoko.

Aeka briefly wavered on the edge, caught between her ingrained respect
for obedience to authority, and her recent knowledge of the things such
obedience could deny someone. After a moment, she nodded. "Neither will
I. Not a word, Kiyone-san. I promise."

Kiyone blinked, momentarily stunned by the offer, wondering what could
prompt a most-wanted criminal to want to help a GP officer and a
tradition-bound princess to advocate violating the law. "Well, thanks. I
really appreciate it," she answered. "But I just *can't*. The last time
somebody broke that regulation, the officer wound up revealing the
existence of 'life on other worlds' to a civilization that didn't even
have gunpowder yet, and he made it even worse by taking sides in one of
the planet's wars. He didn't just ruin his career, he got court-
martialed. He's on a chain gang digging fissionables out of asteroids,
last I heard."

"Yes, but you've already been found out, so to speak, haven't you?" asked
Aeka. "Ten-chan and his father and grandfather certainly know."

"That's true, but I don't think they're going to tell anyone," replied
Kiyone. "Katsuhito hardly ever leaves the shrine, and no one would
believe Nobuyuki anyway. And Tenchi values his peace and quiet way too
much to let the secret out."

Ryoko nodded and looked sadly down at the water for a moment. That was
one thing about Tenchi she really wished would change. She realized that
he liked his privacy and wanted to avoid attention, but his fear about
her being seen using her powers seemed to her to verge on paranoia, and
it was hard not to take it personally. Sometimes it was almost as if he
were ashamed to be seen with her.

"Well, if you should change your mind, my offer still stands," said Aeka.

"Mine, too," said Ryoko.

"You really should think of something besides your career, Kiyone," said
Mihoshi. "Say, would you two cover for me, too?" she asked Aeka and
Ryoko.

The two of them glared at Mihoshi and pointedly didn't answer.

Mihoshi hung her head and twiddled her fingers. "I'm... really happy for
you two," she said quietly. "I hope... I hope Tenchi's happy, too."

Ryoko and Aeka's eyes continued to burn into Mihoshi.

"I'm... sorry if I said anything wrong," Mihoshi said in an even quieter
voice.

The merciless stares didn't let up even slightly.

The door to the baths opened, and in walked Washuu and Sasami. Both of
them had towels wrapped around them, and Washuu carried Taro while Sasami
had Ryo-oh-ki perched atop her head. They shut the door and quickly sat
down in the water on the other side of the bath from the other girls.

"Hi, everyone!" said Sasami cheerfully, as Washuu began undressing Taro
to wash him.

All of the women waved at her, and Mihoshi, unable to bear any more of
the hostility radiating from Aeka and Ryoko, headed across the bath to
sit with Washuu and Sasami. Kiyone started to get up to follow, then
turned back to look down at Ryoko and Aeka.

"Look, I'm happy for you two and all, but do you think you could go easy
on Mihoshi a little?" she asked. "I know she's an airhead most of the
time, but she's my partner." Kiyone's voice hardened a little. "And if I
understand Mihoshi's reports correctly, neither of you would have ever
even *met* Tenchi if it hadn't been for her." 

Aeka and Ryoko hung their heads guiltily. Having said her peace, Kiyone
moved off next to Sasami and Mihoshi, who sat watching Washuu bathe the
baby.

"Like *she* never gets pissed at Mihoshi," grumbled Ryoko.

"Yes, it's rather hypocritical of her, I must say," agreed Aeka.

The two of them sat silently for a while, Aeka soaking contentedly and
Ryoko frowning in thought, before the pirate spoke up.

"Aeka, I've got an idea," she said.

"My, how wonderful for you," replied Aeka.

"I'm serious."

"Well, what is it, then?"

"I think we should get those two fixed up with a couple of guys," said
Ryoko. "What do you think?"

"I think it would be meddling, and while that's usual for *you*, I'd
prefer to mind my own business," answered the princess.

"Come on! Who better to be matchmakers than us? I mean, we already know
we've got great taste in men, right?"

Aeka smiled and nodded. "I'll agree with you on that point."

"We've got nothing better to do all day, anyway," continued Ryoko.

"House chores," reminded Aeka.

"Skip 'em," countered Ryoko. "Plus, *I* think it would be fun."

"Perhaps."

"And, most importantly, we'd be giving Mihoshi someone to be interested
in besides Tenchi."

Aeka thought about it for a while. "I must admit, your plan does have
some merits."

"'Some'? It's perfect!"

"I'm not unfamiliar with pre-arranged relationships, however," said Aeka.
"And I've come to realize that they aren't often for the best. I'd much
rather we let them proceed on their own. We're quite likely to sour them
on the whole idea, otherwise."

"Spoilsport," pouted Ryoko.

"I didn't say I'd dismissed the idea altogether. I just feel that some
subtlety is called for. And subtlety isn't exactly your area of
expertise."

Ryoko blinked. "It's not?"

"No, it's not."

"I can be sneaky with the best of them, princess. You should know."

"Stalking up behind someone and hitting them over the head isn't the kind
of subtlety I was referring to."

"Well, yes or no?"

"I'll give it some thought."

The two of them sat silently for a while, before Aeka spoke up again.

"I wonder what he's doing right now," she said quietly.

Ryoko nodded. There was absolutely no need to clarify who was meant by
"he." A smile formed on her lips. "Oh, I'm pretty sure he's thinking of
me," she said.

Aeka arched an eyebrow.

"Us," corrected Ryoko.

"I hope it isn't a distraction for him," said Aeka. Then, after
considering her words for a moment, she couldn't decide if she meant them
or not.

Shortly thereafter, Tenchi sat at his desk and tried his best to keep his
mind focused on what he was supposed to be thinking about -- Chinese
literature -- instead of the girls. So far, Ryoko's assessment was
turning out to be all too correct, and Aeka's half-sincere worries
completely justified. The sound of the student in front of him reciting
Li Qing-zhao's "More Gracile Than Yellow Flowers" barely registered in
Tenchi's brain.

        I always remember the sunset
           over the pavilion by the river.

        So tipsy, we could not find our way home.

        Our interest exhausted, the evening late,
           we tried to turn the boat homeward.

        By mistake, we entered deep within the lotus bed.

        Row! Row the boat!

        A flock of herons, frightened,
           suddenly flew skyward.

The voice stopped, and expectant silence filled the classroom.

"Masaki," said the teacher after a few moments.

Tenchi didn't hear him.

"Masaki! Recite the next stanza!" ordered the instructor.

"Oh, sorry, sensei," said Tenchi. He looked down at the book on his desk
to read the verses.

His book was closed. And so were everyone else's.

Then he remembered. He was supposed to have studied this over the
weekend. But, of course, he hadn't. Almost every waking moment since he'd
snapped out his nightmare Friday night and found Ryoko lying next to him
had been occupied by her or Aeka, in one way or another. Desperately he
wracked his brain for the requested poetry. Deciding he'd recalled it,
Tenchi began to recite.

        Lonely in my secluded chamber,

        A thousand sorrows fill every inch
           of my sensitive being.

        Regretting that spring has so soon passed,

        That rain drops have hastened the falling flowers,

        I lean over the balustrade,
        
        Weary and depressed.

        Where is my beloved?

        Only the fading grassland
           stretches endlessly toward the horizon.

        Anxiously I watch the road for your return.

Partially-suppressed laughter filled the classroom, and Tenchi tried to
think of what mistake he might have made. He was sure he'd gotten the
words right. Yes, absolutely certain of it.

"That was great, Masaki, except you were supposed to recite the stanza
*before* that one," sighed the teacher, shaking his head. "I'll talk to
you after class."

Tenchi groaned as the recitation moved on to the student behind him.

Later that afternoon, Taro lay in Sasami's arms while she fed him his
formula and the rest of the girls sat around her, watching. Washuu, Aeka,
and Ryoko's faces were each tinged with regret, whereas Kiyone and
Mihoshi's expressions were unusually happy.

"This is great," said Kiyone. "Not one single alert all day long!"

Mihoshi nodded and tickled the baby. "Yeah. I'm glad we can spend some
time visiting."

The doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that is?" asked Aeka. "Never mind, I'll get it." She rose
from the couch and made sure of the immaculate neatness of her kimono,
then headed towards the door and opened it.

"Konichi wa," said Tenchi's aunt, standing outside and bowing.

Aeka bowed back. "Please, come in."

"Ah, I see's he's surrounded by female admirers," the woman laughed,
looking at Sasami holding Taro and Washuu, Mihoshi, Kiyone, and Ryoko
sitting on either side of her. "And at such a young age, too."

"Must run in the family," said Kiyone under her breath, smiling.

Meanwhile, a schoolbus moved with maddening slowness along a road winding
up into the Okayama Mountains.

As he had during the ride to school that morning, Tenchi tried his best
to use the return trip as a chance to catch a nap. Unfortunately, the
rest of the students were not so inclined, and the buzz of conversation
prevented him from dozing off. The closer to he got to home, however, the
less his mind dwelt on his fatigue and the more he thought about who
would be waiting for him. Slowly the feeling grew to impatient
anticipation, so that he chaffed at the time lost whenever the bus
stopped to let someone else off.

And also as he'd done that morning, Tenchi thought about how his emotions
for Aeka and Ryoko compared with those his father had had for his mother.
If this was how Nobuyuki had felt every day, there was no way he could
possibly have gotten much work done. But he knew that his father, even
when his mother had been alive, had been a productive man, perhaps even
an ambitious one. And young as he'd been, Tenchi remembered that Nobuyuki
had loved Achika very much. Somehow there had to be an explanation for
the apparent paradox, a truce that could be drawn between duty and
emotion.

Perhaps it was just because he was new at this sort of thing, he decided
at last. Maybe, once he got more used to it, he'd learn to deal with it
better.

Then his thoughts of his parents sent his mind down a different track.

Remembering Nobuyuki's prayers in front of Achika's kami shrine the
previous night, Tenchi wondered what his mother's reaction to all this
would be. He was fairly sure that she wouldn't have been quite as
approving as his dad seemed to think. Though he'd been much too young
when she was alive to have become aware of what her opinions were on the
subject, Tenchi was pretty certain his mom wouldn't like the idea of him
sleeping with two girls, neither of whom he was married to.

But then, he was very sure she would've been upset with him for his
treatment of the girls since their arrival. One aspect of his mother's
personality that had come across loud and clear enough for even a toddler
to understand was her anger at seeing one person hurting another. And
Tenchi had become more aware than he ever wanted to be of the pain he'd
caused Aeka and Ryoko by not returning their affections. The more he
thought about it, the more he realized how ashamed of him his mother
would have been.

Tenchi sighed regretfully. There was nothing he could do about that now,
so he did his best to dwell on it only as a means of ensuring he wouldn't
hurt them like that again.

There was one thing his father had said, however, that Tenchi agreed with
wholeheartedly.

"I wish you were here to see this."

That was the way it was supposed to be, after all. Find a nice girl, fall
in love, and take her home to meet mom. Or, in his case, take *them* home
to meet mom. But then, they would already *be* home...

Perhaps the usual pattern didn't fit, but Tenchi deeply wished his mother
could have met Ryoko and Aeka, and they her. Once she'd gotten over the
shock of there being two of them, and gotten past Ryoko's uninhibited
nature, Tenchi knew, somehow, that his mother would like them. Not just
because of the feelings they had for him, but because of how protective
they were of him. For some reason, he'd always seen Achika as the
stronger and braver of his parents. As if, should he or his father ever
be in danger, she'd put herself between them and harm's way without a
moment's hesitation -- the same way Aeka and Ryoko had, casting aside
their differences to bar the way of the globe of light that had turned
out to be Washuu. And as Ryoko had on her own, risking her life to save
him from Nagi.

Tenchi shook his head, realizing how silly the comparison was, and
discarded the ridiculous image of his kind, gentle mother defending her
family with a blazing sword -- though he knew that, if she could, that's
exactly what she'd do.

At the house, the girls set about gathering the baby things that had
accompanied Taro. As they did, Ryoko took a moment to glance up at the
clock. Her eyes widened. "Tenchi!" she gasped, just as she disappeared.

Tenchi's aunt witnessed the act out of the corner of her eye. She turned,
blinked, and rubbed her eyes, then decided she must be seeing things. For
a moment she'd thought that one of the girls had vanished into thin air.

Aeka ground her teeth angrily. She was quite sure where Ryoko was going,
but there was no way she could leave so quickly without being rude.
Ryoko, she knew, wasn't burdened by such things as manners. She tried her
best to hurry Tenchi's aunt along while still remaining polite.

The bus finally reached the stop near Tenchi's house. After nearly
leaping out of the vehicle, he started to walk rapidly homeward. Soon, he
promised himself, he'd be able to see the spot where Ryoko and Aeka
usually met him.

But today, they weren't there. Tenchi's heart sank for a moment before he
told himself not to be so inconsiderate, that they had better things to
do than stand around in the middle of the woods waiting for him to get
back. That didn't stop the disappointment from weighing heavily on him,
however. He'd been really looking forward to seeing them as soon as he
could. His shoulders sagged for a moment as he leaned against a thick
tree trunk in the shade, weary again now that the hope-induced burst of
energy had vanished.

Suddenly, Ryoko appeared, hovering in the air scarcely a meter away. But
she wasn't facing him. Instead, she was looking down the path in the
direction he'd come from. Seeing her start to float away, Tenchi spurred
himself to action and grabbed her.

Ryoko stopped. Tenchi was close enough now that she could identify his
scent, and other unconscious sensory details also told her who it was who
had ambushed her. She turned around and embraced him back, their faces
almost touching.

"Tadaima," Tenchi said, kissing her.

"Okairi," Ryoko answered, returning the kiss. Then she smiled. "You've
got it backwards, though. *I'm* supposed to sneak up on *you*."

"Well, I didn't exactly plan it that way," said Tenchi.

Ryoko gave him another kiss. "I don't care. I liked it." She hugged him
tight and lay her head on his shoulder. "Do it again sometime, OK?"

Looking over her shoulder, Tenchi glanced around and realized that
someone was missing. "Um, Ryoko?"

"Hmmm?"

"Where's Ae-chan?"

Ryoko closed her eyes for a moment, her face pained, though Tenchi didn't
see it. "She's at the house," she answered quietly.

"Could I ask you a favor?"

Ryoko smiled. "Anything, Tenchi. You know that."

"Think you could take me back to the house, quick?"

For the briefest instant, Ryoko almost became angry with Tenchi. He was
always so terrified of her being seen using her powers. Even when no one
else was around, he was hardly ever comfortable with them. But now he was
actually asking her to use them... so he could be with Aeka. A small part
of Ryoko urged her to turn around and let Tenchi walk the rest of the
way. But she told herself that he didn't realize how much his request
hurt her. He just *couldn't*. Because if he did, everything he'd said
about loving her would have to be a lie.

Ryoko made herself smile before she brought her head back up to face him.
"Hold on tight," she whispered.

Tenchi pressed his lips to hers and embraced her as closely as he could
before the woodland scenery shimmered and disappeared.

Back at the house, the girls waved goodbye as Tenchi's aunt walked down
the path carrying Taro.

"It's been really nice having you over," said Sasami, looking up at the
Mihoshi and Kiyone.

"We haven't left *yet*," replied Kiyone, smiling. "So, what's next?"

"Let's go visit the shrine," suggested Mihoshi. "We haven't seen Tenchi's
grandfather for a while."

"I'm sure jiichan would be happy to see you," said Sasami happily. "Let's
go! You too, Washu."

Washuu thought for a moment. "I guess my experiment can wait just a bit,"
she decided.

"I'll be along shortly," said Aeka, as the rest of the girls headed up
the hill towards the shrine. Then she turned around, about to walk down
the path in the opposite direction.

Tenchi and Ryoko materialized right in front of her, their arms around
each other in the midst of a very deep kiss.

Aeka tried to tear her eyes away and failed. Their lips parted. Then
Tenchi saw the princess and hurriedly slipped out of Ryoko's embrace,
rushing over to Aeka to hug and kiss her.

Ryoko watched, the pain of the sight magnified by her having made it
possible, at Tenchi's request. Bitterly she wondered why this had keep
happening to her, and if it was always going to be that way. Aeka would
fail to work up the nerve to show her feelings towards Tenchi. Then Ryoko
would have to push him into the closet with her. Aeka would whip Tenchi,
try to force him to tear Ryoko's very soul apart, and in so doing
alienate him. Then Ryoko would have to forgive her, and share him. And
now that Aeka had been too slow to meet Tenchi when he got home from
school, Ryoko had to bring him to her.

And worst of all, now that Ryoko had forced Aeka to consummate her love
for Tenchi, which the princess would never have had the courage to do
herself, one day Aeka would bear Tenchi's child. The moment Taro had
looked up and smiled at her, Ryoko had foreseen her inevitable fate:
watching her lifelong enemy receive what Ryoko could never have herself.
And when the child came, Ryoko would have to love it, because it would be
a part of Tenchi, and she could no more hate it than she could have
refused his request to bring him back to the house to be with Aeka.

After what seemed like an eternity to Ryoko and a fraction of a second to
Aeka, Tenchi let go of the princess and went inside. "I'll be back in a
second," he promised. "I'm going to change into my regular clothes."

Once Tenchi had left, Aeka turned to face Ryoko. "I'm going for a walk
with Ten-chan. There are some things I wish to discuss privately with
him."

"Alright. It's your day, I guess," sighed Ryoko. "I'll see you at the
shrine."

A few minutes later, Tenchi walked out of the front door to find Aeka
standing outside alone. He looked around. "Where's Ryoko?" he asked.

"She's with the others, at the shrine," said Aeka, trying not to let her
face show her annoyance with the pirate for managing to intrude without
even being there. "I wanted to take a walk, just the two of us."

Tenchi smiled and took her hand. "I'd like that."

Arm in arm, the two of them set out along the path, then into the woods.

Up at the shrine, Katsuhito sat and listened with the consummate patience
of one who has mastered the arts of inner peace. With his mind serenely
at rest, he could ignore the trivial matters which assailed him and
contemplate questions of cosmic importance, all the while displaying a
mask of calm to any who might observe him. His powers of meditation
surpassed any on Earth.

And at the moment, they were very necessary.

"MI!!! HO!!! SHI!!! FOR THE HUNDREDTH TIME, STOP BLABBING ABOUT OUR
*FINANCES* TO EVERYONE!!!!!!" shouted Kiyone, violently shaking her
partner.

"But he *asked* me, Kiyone!" wailed Mihoshi.

Ryoko appeared in the air next to Washuu and Sasami and floated down onto
the floor. Seeing Kiyone nearly strangling Mihoshi, Ryoko leaned over to
Washuu and spoke in a low voice. "What's it about this time?" she asked.

"Katsuhito asked if they were enjoying spring, and Mihoshi said she liked
it because it was warm and they hadn't been able to afford to heat their
apartment during the winter," replied Washuu.

Katsuhito slowly took another sip of tea as the two Galaxy Police
officers continued struggling a meter or so in front of him. Setting down
his cup, he smiled. "It seems that spring is capable of bringing out
stronger emotions than I had thought," he said. "Which gives me an idea."

Kiyone stopped throttling Mihoshi for a moment. "Idea?"

Katsuhito nodded. "I thought we might have ourselves a little poetry
competition. It's a traditional entertainment that goes back many
centuries, but it's very enjoyable. Relaxing, yet stimulating to the mind
at the same time."

"'Stimulating to the mind?' Sounds like something Mihoshi could use a
little of," muttered Kiyone, letting go of her partner and facing
Katsuhito.

"I'd like it," said Mihoshi happily. "Poetry's fun!"

Sasami smiled and nodded in agreement. "It sure is. Mommy reads her poems
to the Royal Court all the time."

"What about you, Washuu-chan?" asked Katsuhito.

Washuu shrugged slightly. "I teach at the Academy of Science, not
Humanities. But I'll give it a try."

"And you, Ryoko?" the old man asked.

Ryoko thought about if for a moment. She wasn't really in the mood, and
having to leave Tenchi alone with Aeka had made her rather depressed. But
she recalled her earlier plan to arrange to spar with Katsuhito, and it
wouldn't do to offend him before he agreed. And it probably would be good
to distract herself, she decided. Besides, she might actually enjoy it.
It couldn't be worse than sitting there moping.

"Sure. Sounds like fun," Ryoko said.

"Alright, then," said Katsuhito. "We'll each compose a haiku, starting
with the line 'In the warmth of spring.'"

"What's a 'haiku'?" asked Kiyone.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I forgot, they probably don't have that kind of poetry in
outer space, do they?" said Katsuhito. "I'll explain it, then..."

A few minutes later, Aeka and Tenchi sat on a bluff looking out at the
surrounding forest and hills. Birds sang in the trees accompanied by the
cicadas, and white cherry blossoms floated by on the breeze. Every branch
of every tree was filled with lush greenery.

The princess leaned up against Tenchi. "It's a wonderful view. Just like
before," she said.

Tenchi nodded. "Autumn may look nicer, but I like the feel of spring much
more. It's the time of things coming to life, instead of dying."

"It's a different season, and many things have changed," said Aeka. "Many
things."

"I'm glad they have," Tenchi said, kissing her on the cheek. Then he
tried and failed to stifle a yawn. "Do you mind if I lie down?"

"Not at all," said Aeka, smiling. Tenchi stretched out and lay his head
on her lap, looking up at her and returning her smile as she gently
stroked his face with her fingertips.

Aeka sighed. The feelings of imminent loss she'd felt on that day were
all coming back to her. And she had much more to lose, now. She slowly
gathered up the strength necessary to speak the words she'd brought him
there to hear.

"Ten-chan," she asked. "What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

Tenchi stared at her, dumbstruck. After a minute of effort, sounds began
to come out of his mouth. "I... I... I... I..."

The princess sighed again. "You do not need to say 'yes' now, Ten-chan. I
merely want you to tell me if the answer could *ever* be other than
'no.'"

"I'm only seventeen, Ae-chan," Tenchi finally managed to say.

"I know, Ten-chan. It is a hard question." Aeka paused for a few moments,
then continued in a quiet voice. "I just... wanted to know if it might
have been. To know if you would have been willing, eventually. To know if
the idea were a fearful or repugnant one to you."

"Fearful... OK, yeah, it scares me a little. But not repugnant." He held
her hand and kissed it. "You make it sound so urgent, though."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Ten-chan. I was merely curious."

Recalling the things he'd heard earlier in the day, Tenchi decided that
he had a question of his own. "Ae-chan, wouldn't it make your family...
upset? I wouldn't expect them to like me. Because I'm not from Jurai and
I'm not royalty, I mean."

"Some of them would not," Aeka reluctantly admitted. She hung her head,
feeling very ashamed to have to tell him such a thing. "Please don't
think ill of them, Ten-chan. Please. They have their prejudices, but they
are my family, and I must forgive them their faults. And most of them
would grow to see the things I see in you, after a while. Some of them,
the younger ones not so set in their ways, might even take a liking to
you from the start. It would vary with the person, as with all things."

Tenchi squeezed her hand gently. "Don't worry, Ae-chan. Everyone has
their failings." He laughed and smiled. "Besides, I'd *better* be willing
to put up with *your* family's faults, the way my dad acts sometimes."

Silently, Aeka thought about that. Nobuyuki was occasionally a buffoon,
frequently a voyeur, but he had always been kind and well-meaning to her.
To *all* of the girls. Even to Azaka and Kamadake. There was no way Aeka
could picture Nobuyuki showing her or anyone a fraction of the malice her
father was likely to bear towards Tenchi.

Seeing the sad look on Aeka's face, Tenchi began to worry. "Ae-chan, you
don't have to *leave*, do you?"

"Not today, Ten-chan," she answered softly. "Not today."

"Yes, but I mean *eventually*. What's going to happen?"

Aeka closed her eyes. "I don't know."

"If your family says you've got to go, then what?" Tenchi asked
hesitantly. "It would be Jurai, or me, wouldn't it? What would you do?"

Aeka's eyes remained closed, and when she answered Tenchi could hear the
unmistakable pain in her voice. "Please don't ask me to make such a
decision, Ten-chan," she said. "I love you, and I love Jurai. I would be
very upset with the one which asked me to give up the other, or to choose
between them. And I think you can understand how I feel."

Tenchi lay there, thinking about how much it had hurt when Aeka had
demanded he choose between her and Ryoko. That was obviously what she was
referring to. Remembering the awful pain of that decision, and the anger
he'd felt toward Aeka for trying to force it on him, Tenchi nodded. He
got up and put an arm around the princess, then leaned over and kissed
her.

"Don't worry, Ae-chan. I understand," Tenchi assured her. He embraced
Aeka, kissed her again, then sighed. "I love you. I don't know the words
to say how much I'll miss you if you have to go. But I won't be angry at
you, and I'll try my best not to hate your family for taking you away,"
he said, trying to remain strong, to keep the sorrow out of his voice.
"It's your choice, but I won't be the one to make you decide."

Aeka held him tight as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Thank you,
Ten-chan. It helps very much to hear you say that."

"I wish I could help more," he said. Tenchi reached up and wiped some of
the tears from Aeka's face. "What do I need to do?"

Aeka sniffled. "You've done all you can, Ten-chan. I do not want to
burden you with what you cannot change. It's enough for me that you do
not ask me to decide between you and my home and family. Eventually
*they* may ask me to make that choice. But until they do, neither of us
should think of it. We should cherish the time we have."

Tenchi hugged her, wondering if she was right about there being nothing
he could do. It was almost the same as it was with Ryoko -- someone far
more powerful than him might eventually come and try to take one of the
girls he loved away from him. But this wasn't as easily solved. When Aeka
left, it would be to go to Jurai. It wouldn't be enough for him to simply
go with her, as he'd promised Ryoko. It would be up to her parents, and
despite her assurances, doubt still nagged at him about their perception
of him. And it would conflict with his vow to Ryoko, anyway. He was
pretty sure Jurai's royal family wouldn't open their arms to a most-
wanted criminal.

"Is there anything anybody else can do about it?" he asked. "Washuu?
Mihoshi and Kiyone? Ryoko?"

Aeka thought about it. With Washuu's help, either Yagami or Ryo-oh-ki
could probably be armed heavily enough to defeat a Juraian ship. Or
without her help, if the ship could be caught on the ground. But that
would mean murdering the innocent Juraians sent to retrieve her. Aeka
didn't want the blood of her own people on her hands. What was more, an
act like that would doom Kiyone and Mihoshi's careers and turn them into
wanted criminals. And Ryoko would never help anyway. She would be more
than happy to see Aeka forced to leave and have Tenchi all to herself.

And even if the first ship from Jurai *were* to be destroyed, there would
be others.

"No, Ten-chan. There's nothing they can do, either," Aeka replied.
"Please put it from your mind. Please."

"Alright, Ae-chan. I won't think about it," Tenchi said, kissing her
again. "Just promise me that you won't, either. OK?"

"I'll try," the princess answered. "Hold me, and make me forget."

Tenchi nodded and kept his arms wrapped tight around her. Eventually
Aeka's breathing was calm and slow, the thoughts of the sword hanging
over her finally driven from her mind. But it seemed to take a long time.

Aeka moved her head to face him. "I would like very much to stay like
this forever," she said, smiling. "But we are expected, at the shrine."

Brushing the bits of leaves and grass from his clothes, Tenchi got up,
then helped Aeka to her feet. Recalling his misgivings of the previous
day, the worries he'd had about his weakness compared to her and Ryoko,
Aeka embraced him again. "Ten-chan, remember what I said yesterday, about
you being my champion because of the strength of your heart?"

Tenchi nodded. "Yes."

Aeka kissed him. "This is what I meant by that. Azaka and Kamadake exist
to fight for me. When I take the throne, there will be more swords
waiting to be drawn on my behalf than I can count. But only you could
have done this for me now. Always remember that."

Tenchi smiled and returned the kiss. "It doesn't feel so bad, now that
you put it that way," he said. "But speaking of swords, you're right, I'd
better get to the shrine. I haven't practiced with jiichan in almost a
week, and he's going to be really upset with me."

Together they walked back to the path again and set out towards the
shrine. As the headed up the hill towards it, the wind carried voices
down towards them.

"Come *on*, Kiyone!" urged Mihoshi's voice.

"Mihoshi, you know I'm *awful* at this kind of stuff," replied Kiyone,
sounding quite embarrassed.

"No, you're not! Come on! Give it a try!"

"You'll think of a good one," agreed Sasami. "I'm *sure* you will!"

"Yes. Think of the first line, and say what comes to mind," said
Katsuhito. "'In the warmth of spring'..." he prompted.

Kiyone cleared her throat, waited for a few moments, then spoke
hesitantly.

"In the warmth of spring
The bright sunlight shines yellow
Down on the green grass."

The sound of polite applause filled the air. "See, Kiyone? I *told* you
you could do it!" said Mihoshi, her voice cheerfully proud. "Now, it's my
turn..." She paused for just a second or so before reciting.

"In the warmth of spring
The white cherry blossoms float
Like cold flakes of snow."

"Very good, Mihoshi," said Katsuhito. "That's an excellent piece of
contrasting imagery to come up with, in so short a time."

"Contrasting imagery?" asked Mihoshi, puzzled.

"Never mind," replied Katsuhito. "I guess it just comes naturally to you.
How about you, Washuu-chan?"

Briefly Washuu contemplated the biological processes going on around her,
then spoke.

"In the warmth of spring
The stream of entropy stops
Just for a moment."

"That was... interesting," said Katsuhito. "The haiku is a very
traditional poem, though, and it's best to use the older, established
words."

"Can I try one, too?" asked Sasami.

"Certainly," replied Katsuhito.

"In the warmth of spring
Lots of orange carrots grow
All for Ryo-oh-ki!"

Laughter mingled with applause. "Your turn now, Ryoko," said Katsuhito.

"I've already got mine ready," said Ryoko proudly.

"In the warmth of spring
My heart burns like the sun
Awaiting his return."

"That had six syllables on the second and third lines," chided Katsuhito.
"A haiku is supposed to have seven, then five. I'm afraid you're
disqualified."

"Rules, rules, rules," grumbled Ryoko.

"You could change 'burns' to 'burns hot', and 'awaiting' to 'seeking',"
suggested Aeka, as she and Tenchi walked into view. The princess smiled
at the pirate. "I liked that, Ryoko. It was full of emotion, but you need
to take your time and obey the forms."

"Gee, thanks," answered Ryoko, smirking for just a moment before she
smiled back.

After a chorus of greetings, the two of them sat down. "We've been
waiting for you," said Katsuhito. "Would you care to join our
competition?"

Tenchi was about to protest, but Aeka spoke first. "Thank you. I would
like that very much. We often did such things at court, and I miss it, a
little."

"Well, why don't you go first?" suggested Katsuhito.

Aeka nodded, and started without a pause.

"In the warmth of spring
My heart soars ever upward
Like clouds in the sky."

"You two seem to have a common theme," observed Katsuhito, glancing
between Ryoko and Aeka for a moment once everyone had finished clapping.
"You're the last one, Tenchi."

Tenchi started to sweat. "What about you, jiichan?"

"I went first," said Katsuhito. "Come on now. 'In the warmth of
spring...'"

"In the warmth of spring
My heart finally at peace
Now not torn in two."

Katsuhito's eyebrows went up for just a moment as his gaze quickly went
from Tenchi to Aeka to Ryoko and back to Tenchi again. "Make that all
*three* of you," he said quietly.

Kiyone stood up. "Thanks for the hospitality, but Mihoshi and I need to
get to work," she said.

"Thanks for visiting," said Tenchi.

"Feel free to come by, anytime you like," added Katsuhito.

"Come back real soon!" said Sasami, as the two officers waved and walked
down the hill.

"You know, I need to get going, too," said Washuu. "The full-scale test
for my black hole bomb should be ready to run by now."

"Black... hole... bomb?!" asked Tenchi. Then he laughed, realizing that
she had to be joking. Such things only existed in anime, after all.

"Yep," replied Washuu, nodding. "Actually, you deserve some credit for
this, Tenchi. I got the inspiration from that TV show you were watching a
month or so ago. You know, at first I thought the idea was a little
silly. But once I considered the theory behind it, I decided to try it
out. After I got past the problem of keeping the event horizon from
expanding prematurely, it was simple!" Washuu's voice started becoming
more and more enthusiastic as she explained herself. "What's more,
whoever made that show seriously underestimated the destructive potential
the device would have in reality. The prototype I've got down in the lab
wouldn't destroy just the center of *this* Galaxy. It'd collapse the
entire Local Group!"

Tenchi shuddered. He remembered just enough astronomy from his science
classes to have an inkling of the scale of the destruction Washuu was
talking about. Not that he would be any more or less dead if the hole her
bomb punched in the fabric of space was billions of light years across or
only as big as his house.

"And with just a little bit of fine tuning, it'll be capable of halting
the universe's expansion and bringing about the Big Crunch eons ahead of
schedule," continued Washuu. "Isn't it great?"

"Oh, wonderful," said Tenchi slowly, a shocked and terrified look on his
face.

Washuu shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not conducting the test in
*this* universe. I've created an entirely separate dimension for that,"
she assured him. "See you folks at dinner," she said, as she headed back
towards the house.

"And it's time for practice, Tenchi," said Katsuhito. "You've been very
lax these past few days. We were supposed to spar on Saturday, but you
didn't show up."

"I'm sorry, jiichan," said Tenchi, hanging his head. "I've been...
thinking about other things."

"Yes, I can see that," said Katsuhito. "Whatever it is, you shouldn't let
it interfere with your sword practice."

"Don't worry, he knows how to use his sword just fine," said Ryoko,
grinning. 

Tenchi blushed, and Aeka glared at her. 

"Well, he *does*," Ryoko insisted.

Tenchi started to sweat, and wiped his brow.

"It's a warm day today," said Katsuhito. "Could you girls fetch us some
cold drinks from the house? Tenchi's usually very thirsty after a good
sword match."

"I'll have to remember that," said Ryoko in a low voice, giving Tenchi a
sly wink before Aeka grabbed her arm and stood up.

"We'll return with the drinks shortly," the princess said, walking
towards the steps and pulling Ryoko after her.

"And some snacks, too!" added Sasami.

As the three girls receded down the hill, Katsuhito turned towards
Tenchi. "It seems there've been some changes around here recently," he
observed.

"Heh heh heh," chuckled Tenchi nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.
"So you, ah, noticed, jiichan? Pretty perceptive of you."

"To tell the sun from the moon is no test of vision. To hear the thunder
is no sign of sharp hearing," replied the old man.

"Yeah, I guess not," admitted Tenchi. "It's that obvious?"

"Were you trying to hide it?" asked Katsuhito.

Tenchi thought for a moment. "No, not really. I just figured that I'd
need to say something for you to know. It's not like I kissed them in
front of you."

Katsuhito shook his head. "I've told you plenty of times, always watch an
opponents eyes. They reveal where his attention lies, the goal which
occupies his mind."

"I guess you're right."

"No guess was necessary," replied Katsuhito. "Now that this has happened,
it's time we had a talk."

"Uh, jiichan, if this is about the birds and the bees, I've already had
that one," said Tenchi. Then he smiled slightly. "And even if I hadn't,
it's a little late now."

"That's not what I'm referring to. Actually, your father should be the
one to tell you these things, but ever since your mother died, he's had
too much trouble discussing serious matters. This isn't a subject for
jokes or foolery. Let's talk inside the shrine office," said Katsuhito,
motioning to Tenchi to follow him. Once inside, they sat down, Tenchi
eye's darting around nervously.

Katsuhito just sat there, waiting patiently, as the silence weighed down
heavier and heavier on his grandson's shoulders.

"Jiichan, I hope you aren't going to say I have to choose one of them,"
said Tenchi suddenly.

"Why would I say that?" asked Katsuhito.

"Because it's not... well, I don't know, *normal*, I guess," said Tenchi.
"It's not something people are supposed to do."

"Once you have sharpened your intellect to the point where *you* can see
whatever in the world is true or not," said Katsuhito with deliberate
slowness, "where *you* can tell whatever is good or bad, and when you are
experienced in various fields and are incapable of being fooled at all by
people of the world, then your mind will become imbued with the knowledge
and the wisdom of the art of war."

"Huh? Art of *war*?" asked Tenchi, utterly confused. "I thought this was
about me and the girls."

"It is," said the old man.

"That sounds a little familiar," Tenchi said, mostly to himself.

"It should," replied Katsuhito. "That's Musashi-sama. The Water Scroll,
to be specific."

Tenchi thought about it for a moment, then decided he'd figured out what
his grandfather was referring to. "Jiichan, it's not *that* bad between
them. Not now, anyway. I think they may even become friends, eventually."

"I'll let you find out the truth or falsehood of that for yourself," said
Katsuhito. "But that wasn't what I meant."

"Well, what *do* you mean, then?" asked Tenchi.

"This is a precarious path you've embarked upon. A dangerous path,"
warned Katsuhito. "I'm not trying to dissuade you. Danger isn't always to
be avoided. But you should think about the task you have ahead of
yourself."

Tenchi shook his head. "The hard part's behind me, jiichan. They still
insult each other and give each other nasty looks, but they haven't had a
fight since Saturday." Tenchi smiled proudly. "I wasn't keeping track
before, but I think that's a new record."

Katsuhito nodded. "I see. And what about you, Tenchi? Have you achieved
balance?"

"Balance?"

"Tenchi! I told you before that a warrior must always strive for a
harmonious balance in all things. You haven't been reading the Five Rings
like I told you to, have you? Don't you remember: 'You should not have
any special preference for a particular weapon, or anything else, for
that matter. Too much is the same as not enough. Pragmatic thinking is
essential.'"

"But, jiichan, they're girls, not *weapons*!"

"You're still not *listening*, silly boy! I've said before, the ancient
writings have many applications. Musashi-sama is not speaking merely of
blades, nor just of samurai. He says so himself, in the Water Scroll: 'It
is essential to make your ordinary bearing the bearing you use in martial
arts, and make the bearing you use in martial arts your ordinary
bearing.'"

"Come on, jiichan. Ryoko and Aeka aren't katanas or something."

"That's right, they're *women*, and those are much more dangerous than
any sword."

Tenchi smiled. "I think I can handle them alright."

"So confident, eh? You always carefully plan your strategy ahead of time?
You're always sure of where your swords are, are you? Is that it,
Tenchi?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then where was Aeka-hime five nights ago?"

"Uhhh...." said Tenchi,. starting to sweat. That was the night
he'd first slept with Ryoko, and he suddenly realized that he had no idea
where Aeka had been at the time.

"You don't know, do you?"

"No," answered Tenchi, a bit ashamed of himself.

Katsuhito sighed and shook his head, looking very disappointed. "Since my
grandson seems rather thick-headed, I suppose I'll have to make it
clearer for him. A woman is to a man as a sword is to a samurai. And the
sword is the soul of the samurai. If he forgets it, or loses it, *he will
never be forgiven*."

"OK, OK."

"If you show no concern for your swords, they will be stolen from you. If
you handle them clumsily, you will break them. And if, because of your
foolish youthful pride, you are careless and unwary and do not treat your
swords with the respect they deserve, you'll soon learn how sharp they
are, first-hand."

"I get the point, jiichan."

"You'd better. Because if this were the old days, you'd be lucky to be
committing seppuku right now!"

*The old days, when you were a teenager, sometime during the Tokugawa
period, right, old man?*

Tenchi bowed his head. "Thanks for the advice, jiichan. I think."

"You can thank me by listening more closely. Remember when I've told you
before, that the highest feat of a swordsman is to become one with his
sword, to make himself and his sword each a part and extension of the
other?"

"Yes. But I thought that was just an ideal, that no one ever truly
accomplished that."

"Perhaps, perhaps not. If it can be done, it is a rare achievement. But
ideals are meant to be strived for. And if this ideal is attained,
together sword and man are invincible."

Tenchi nodded, understanding the meaning when filtered through his
grandfather's sword metaphor, but still finding the whole comparison a
little weird.

"And of course, with two swords the task is even more difficult,"
continued Katsuhito.

Again, Tenchi nodded. It was a difficulty he had become all too familiar
with during the last few days.

"They are your 'mi.' Not 'ken', not 'tachi', not 'katana.' 'Mi.'", said
Katsuhito, using the word which besides "sword" also meant "body," "main
part," and "oneself."

Tenchi kept silent. It all seemed a bit too deep for him.

"Alright, you can stop squirming," said Katsuhito, standing up. "That's
all the advice I've got for the moment."

"Now what?" asked Tenchi, also getting to his feet.

"Since you're obviously too green to merit *real* swords," Katsuhito
said, tossing him a bokken. "Time for practice."

"Sword practice, huh?" laughed Ryoko's voice in Tenchi's head. He 
tried to stifle a smile, but didn't quite succeed.

"*STILL* not listening?!" muttered Katsuhito, thwacking him over the
head. "Why do I even try?" he sighed.

Tenchi rubbed his skull for a moment. "Jiichan, I appreciate what you
said, but I don't think I agree with it. Aeka and Ryoko... they're not
like swords. They're *their own*. They don't *belong* to me."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," replied Katsuhito, starting towards the
door. "I think I'll go ask Ryoko what she's doing tonight..."

Tenchi's bokken swished down through the air at chest level and barred
his grandfather's way.

Katsuhito looked back at him, and nodded. "You see?"

"Sorry, jiichan," said Tenchi, as he pulled back the weapon. "It's just
that..."

"I know. I would commend you for your action, except that you shouldn't
let your emotions lead you to attack someone you have no hope of
defeating."

Tenchi sighed and tried to think of a way to explain his feelings more
clearly. "What I meant is, they're not *things*. A sword I can pick up
and it's mine. It doesn't have a say. But they do."

"There are magical swords that can choose to accept their owners, or
not," replied Katsuhito. "Such a sword decides whom it belongs to."

"Magical swords?" scoffed Tenchi.

"Women from outer space?" answered Katsuhito, sounding equally skeptical.

Tenchi thought about it for a moment. "Do you mean you've *seen* magical
swords, jiichan?"

Katsuhito smiled for a moment. "You'd be surprised what I've seen,
Tenchi. You'd be surprised. But in your case, I think you should be
careful. You never know, you might have gotten yourself a pair of
Murasama blades," the old man chuckled.

"That's not funny!" replied Tenchi sharply, glaring at his grandfather.

"Haven't you said before that they were driving you crazy?" asked
Katsuhito.

"Yes, but it's different now," said Tenchi. He looked his grandfather in
the eye. "I'm sorry if I spoke disrespectfully, jiichan, but please don't
talk about them like that. It makes me..."

Tenchi stopped and turned to the sound of female voices coming up the
steps to the shrine. Sasami ran ahead with Ryo-oh-ki beside her, and he
smiled at her a moment before his eyes were drawn to Ryoko and Aeka as
they crested the hill, walking behind the younger girl. He watched their
every step, blind and deaf to all else, as they headed towards him.

Then he felt his grandfather's bokken resting against his throat. He
looked up the weapon, up the arm that held it, and to Katsuhito's face.

"First lesson of the day," said the old man. "Never, *never* confront an
enemy in a matter of honor, and then look away before it is resolved.
*Never*."

As the girls sat down in the shade of a tree, Tenchi and Katsuhito walked
into the middle of the open ground in front of the shrine and faced each
other. They bowed, then held their swords over their heads, waiting to
see who would be the first to break their concentration and attack.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tenchi saw Ryoko lean over to Aeka and
whisper something in her ear. The princess blushed and nodded, laughing
as she and Ryoko continued to watch him.

Momentarily distracted, Tenchi barely parried Katsuhito's sword when it
struck at him from the right. Tenchi twisted at the waist and thrust at
his grandfather's face with the point, but Katsuhito dodged it easily.
They circled for a few moments, each attacking and defending -- though
Tenchi did most of the defending -- wood clacking against wood
repeatedly. 

Tenchi balanced on the balls of his feet, ready to swerve in either
direction, then launched a series of rapid, patternless strikes at
Katsuhito's sword. The old man fended off the attack with little apparent
effort. "You haven't quite mastered the Crimson Foliage Hit yet, Tenchi,"
he chided, as he deflected one of the blows. "Work harder."

Suddenly, Ryoko and Aeka were in the center of Tenchi's vision. 

Aeka smiled and waved at him.

Ryoko put two fingers to her lips, and blew him a kiss.

Katsuhito's bokken sliced towards his neck in a wood-colored blur of
movement.

Recovering his concentration, Tenchi quickly pulled away and put up his
own bokken to block. 

But the attack to his neck never came. Katsuhito shifted his stance,
brought his sword back, and swept it forward with the deceptively-relaxed
motion of the Flowing Water Stroke.

The bokken stopped half a centimeter from Tenchi's groin. Sweat beaded on
his brow as he looked down and swallowed hard.

"A new move, jiichan?" he asked nervously.

Katsuhito nodded. "It seemed the right time to introduce you to it."

Tenchi bowed and backed away. Then they faced off again.

"That was fighting dirty," accused Tenchi, striking towards Katsuhito's
knee.

"It worked, didn't it?" Katsuhito replied, blocking the attack and
sweeping upwards at Tenchi's face. "Read the Fire Scroll again tonight,"
he ordered, parrying his grandson's swift counterblow, "where it says:
What is essential is," he slashed downward at Tenchi's feet, "to suddenly
make a move totally unexpected by the opponent," he ducked the return
strike aimed at his neck, and swung his bokken at Tenchi's chest, "pick
up on the advantage of fright," he thrust with the point, forcing Tenchi
to back away for a moment, "and seize victory right then and there."

Katsuhito held his bokken pressed against Tenchi's neck.

"'This must be worked out thoroughly'," he quoted, his voice and face
calm yet stern.

Tenchi bowed again before the two faced off once more.

"Try using the new move against me, this time," suggested Katsuhito as
they began to spar again.

"What for?" chuckled Tenchi, attempting a face strike. "Earth Scroll,
ninth rule: Do not do anything useless."

Katsuhito responded with a series of quick slashes at knee level. "Oh?
Think your grandfather's *that* old, eh?" He stretched the sword behind
him. "Then let me remind you of the eighth rule:" The bokken streaked
towards Tenchi's crotch again, and he blocked with difficulty. "Be
careful even about small things."

Tenchi smirked and tried the Crimson Foliage Hit once more. He grinned as
he enthusiastically pressed his attack. Katsuhito parried forcefully and
tore the bokken out of Tenchi's hands, then slashed at his legs. Tenchi
fell in a tangled heap and his weapon landed point in the ground, while
the old man thrust the tip of his bokken under his grandson's chin.

"Pay closer attention," chided Katsuhito, shaking his head.

Tenchi nodded, then got up and bowed. The two faced off again, holding
their bokkens overhead in the jodan no kamae "upper level posture." They
stared at each other for almost a minute, each waiting for the other to
move or show weakness and yield the advantage.

Suddenly, Tenchi blinked.

Katsuhito moved in and struck, swift as lightning.

"Some might call you greedy," Katsuhito said, slashing at Tenchi's
abdomen, "having two women."

Tenchi twisted sideways and dodged, then struck repeatedly at his
grandfather's chest, grinning fiercely. "Earth Scroll: 'It is in order to
convey the advantages of these two that I call my school Two Swords in
One.'"

Katsuhito allowed himself a slight smile as he and Tenchi locked bokkens
and pressed close, briefly stalemated. "I'm glad you're learning, a
little. So, which is the katana, and which is the wakizashi?"

Tenchi's face softened as, for a moment, his heart made him forget where
he was and what he was doing. "They're both katanas to me, jiichan," he
said.

In response, Katsuhito nearly decapitated him. 

"You're letting them distract you," he warned, as Tenchi recovered his
stance from his last-moment duck.

"Yes," admitted Tenchi, slashing at Katsuhito's side.

"Two katanas, eh?" the old man replied, making several rapid attacks that
seemed to all come from different directions. "That's a rare style. Some
train that way, as Musashi-sama recommended, but very few men master it."
He blocked Tenchi's feeble return strike and forced him to give ground.
"It takes skill, coordination, practice, dedication, and above all,
discipline." He lunged casually at Tenchi's heart, and the young man
parried. Barely. "Are you up to the task?"

"Yes!" said Tenchi confidently, striking back as hard as he could.

Katsuhito deflected the blow and counterattacked. "Don't be so sure of
yourself. Always be wary. Or what you value most will be taken from you."

Tenchi swept his sword down vertically at his grandfather's head. "Who's
going to do that? You, jiichan?"

"Why, yes," responded Katsuhito, casually stepping aside and slashing
horizontally at Tenchi's midsection. "I can be alone with them in five
minutes, if I want to."

"I'd like to see you try, jiichan," Tenchi challenged, blocking
desperately.

Katsuhito looked over Tenchi's shoulder at the girls. "Aeka!" he called.
"Ryoko!"

"Yes, grandfather?" they answered, more or less at the same time. Hearing
them, Tenchi felt himself drawn to the source of the voices, and started
to turn.

Katsuhito's bokken swept around and smacked Tenchi on the head, hard.
Tenchi tottered for a moment, then crumpled to the ground.

"I'd like to have a word with you two in private," Katsuhito said,
stepping towards them as they started to rush to Tenchi. "Sasami-chan,
put some ice on Tenchi's head, will you?"

As the younger princess took some ice from the bucket holding the drinks
and wrapped it in a handkerchief, the two older girls stood and glared at
Katsuhito. Inwardly, he smiled. "Don't worry. He's not really hurt. I've
hit him much harder before during practice."

Hearing that, Ryoko and Aeka's eyes narrowed further, their faces full of
anger barely held in check.

Katsuhito carefully prevented his own face from looking pleased. "Is
there something the matter?" he asked.

"You used *me* to hurt him," Ryoko almost growled, baring her fangs a
little as she flexed her fingers. "I don't care if you *are* his
grandfather. Don't do that again."

"Yes," agreed Aeka, hiding her anger somewhat better than Ryoko did. "I
realize that learning the arts of war sometimes requires pain, and I
don't wish him to be helpless, but I also don't wish his trust of me to
do him harm."

"Think carefully on what you've just said," Katsuhito replied, looking
them both over. "Meanwhile, we can have some tea."

"Please wake up, Tenchi," said Sasami, a very worried expression on her
face as she applied the wrapped ice to his head. She tried to lift him
off the ground to carry him over to the shrine, but found he was too
heavy, especially while she need one hand to apply the ice.

"Hold on a moment, Sasami, I'll help you," said Aeka.

"No, let him lie there," ordered Katsuhito.

Aeka stopped and flashed Katsuhito an angry look. Ryoko simply ignored
him, floating up and heading towards Tenchi.

"Unless, of course, you'd rather he didn't learn his lesson from this,"
continued Katsuhito, "and someday have someone with a real sword do the
same thing."

Ryoko halted in mid-air, hovering motionless as the old man went inside.
She was still hanging there in indecision when he returned carrying a
tray, teapot, and cups. He noticed Sasami still trying to move Tenchi.
"Sasami-chan, just hold the ice on his head. Don't move him, please."

"But, jiichan..." protested Sasami.

"It's for his own good," replied Katsuhito in a firm voice.

Sasami looked sadly down at Tenchi's face. "If you say so, jiichan, but I
don't think it was very nice of you to do that to Tenchi."

Aeka spoke up, her tone respectful. "I think my sister speaks for all
three of us. I don't like the thought of him being hurt. Even a little,
and even for a wisely-considered reason."

Ryoko nodded, and landed next to her. "I just don't want anything to
happen to him, OK?"

Katsuhito nodded as he filled the cups, then looked very hard at the two
of them. "That's very good. Because I don't, either."

"Grandfather, could I... we please bring him over here?" asked Aeka.
"Surely there's nothing to be gained by letting him lie on the ground.
He's not even conscious."

"There's much to be gained. I want him to wake up where he fell, and
realize why," insisted Katsuhito. He smiled slightly. "I suppose right
now you're thinking I'm a very mean old man." Ignoring the obvious
expressions of agreement on Ryoko and Aeka's faces, he looked over at the
younger princess. "Is that right, Sasami-chan?"

"Well, not really, jiichan," replied Sasami tentatively. "I know you
didn't do it just to be mean, but you shouldn't hit him so hard."

"Look after him for little while, please. I need to talk to Ryoko and
your sister." Katsuhito took a sip of tea and lowered his voice. "I'm
curious about what sort of plans you have for my grandson," he said.
"Long range plans, I mean."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi, the sight of him helpless on the ground still
angering her. "I don't usually make long-range plans," she said quietly.
"All I know is that I'll always be with him, no matter what happens.
Always." She looked up at Katsuhito. "I promise, grandfather."

Katsuhito sipped his tea again and smiled. "I'm not interviewing bridal
candidates. I was merely curious. What about you, Aeka-hime?"

Aeka hesitated for just a moment. There was no way she could permit
Ryoko's declaration to go unmatched, and in her heart she felt the same
way, but she knew she might not be able to keep such a promise. "I am not
as free in these matters as Ryoko is," the princess said finally. "But I
will never leave him of my own free will."

"I see," said Katsuhito. "And will you be taking him out into space with
you? Or will you be staying here on Earth permanently?"

"If he wants to go, sure," said Ryoko. "Like I said, I won't leave him
behind. If he doesn't want to leave, I'm staying."

"I would very much like for Ten-chan to visit Jurai," said Aeka. "There
are things I wish him to see, people he should meet. But if he prefers to
stay, I will not force him."

"Well, I may be just an old man, but I would expect outer space to be a
dangerous place for someone like Tenchi. Am I right?"

Aeka and Ryoko looked at each other, each thinking of deadly situations
she'd been in, or seen, or heard of, and wished Tenchi kept as far away
from as possible. After a few moments, they nodded.

"If it's anything like here, I suppose there are battles taking place,
even now, though not immediately apparent. Very old feuds, going on so
long that both sides aren't even aware anymore what started it."
Katsuhito glanced at each girl in turn for a moment, then sipped his tea
again. "I wouldn't like it if Tenchi were to step into such a conflict,
and find himself unable to cope with it because he wasn't aware of the
situation. He needs to learn to see everything that goes on around him,
or foolishness and ignorance will bite him badly."

"Ten-chan is neither foolish nor ignorant," insisted Aeka.

"Perhaps, perhaps not," said Katsuhito. "But we've talked enough. He'll
come to, any moment now."

Suddenly, Sasami's face lit up. "Oh, you're awake, Tenchi!"

Tenchi groaned as he rubbed his head. "Owww... what happened?"

"You let your guard down, and you died, that's what happened," replied
Katsuhito. "Be more careful in your next life."

"Will you lay off the sneaky tricks, jiichan?" grumbled Tenchi, as he got
to his feet.

"Only when a real enemy would. Meaning, I won't," said Katsuhito. "By the
way, Tenchi, have you noticed where I'm sitting?"

Tenchi looked at him and realized that his grandfather was seated between
Aeka and Ryoko.

"Be thankful that I'm an honorable man, Tenchi," said Katsuhito. "It's
been a while since I've been in the company of two young ladies at once."

Ryoko and Aeka laughed nervously, then stealthily edged away from the old
man.

Still feeling a little dizzy, Tenchi walked up and glared at his
grandfather, then helped Aeka and Ryoko to their feet. They got on either
side and each girl started to put an arm around him. They stopped, both
Ryoko and Aeka taking a few moments to be as sure as they could that they
wouldn't touch each other. Then they walked with Tenchi down the path
from the shrine to the house.

After a minute or so, Ryoko realized that she'd forgotten something.
"Tenchi? Do you think we could go back for a second?"

"What for?" he asked.

Ryoko hesitated for a moment. "There was... something I wanted to ask
your grandfather about."

Tenchi looked at her, puzzled. "I'm really tired, Ryoko. Sword practice,
school, not enough sleep, and," he squeezed both of them and smiled,
"other things. Couldn't you have asked him before? You've had all day."

"It was something I wanted the two of us to ask him," answered Ryoko.

Aeka tensed briefly, then made herself relax. Tenchi and Ryoko, speaking
to Katsuhito alone about something? This didn't sound good at all. There
was only one thing she could think of that it was likely to be about.

"Tomorrow, OK?" said Tenchi.

Ryoko nodded reluctantly. "Yeah."

Once they got back to the house, Tenchi sat on the couch and pored over
his books, promising himself that he wouldn't be made a fool of again for
lack of studying. Ryoko tried a few times to distract him, but after an
impatient, weary rebuff, she decided to content herself with silently
sitting next to him, as Aeka was doing. Every now and then, though, she
let her fingers test the bounds of Tenchi's tolerance.

At the dinner table later that evening, Tenchi set down his dish after
finishing his food. "That was great, Sasami-chan," he said, as he usually
did -- because it was always true.

"Thank you!" the princess replied happily. She dished up another serving
of unagi for him. "Have some more, Tenchi." 

"More?"

"When your father called to say he was going to be late again, and I told
him we were having unagi, he said to make sure you eat lots and lots of
it," said Sasami. "I didn't know it helped you sleep, though."

"I don't think it does," answered Tenchi. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Your father said so. He said you needed it for when you went to bed
tonight," the princess said, sounding puzzled.

Aeka smiled.

Tenchi didn't notice. He sighed and shook his head. "I really wish dad
would mind his own business. Unagi or not, I'm way too tired."

The smile disappeared from Aeka's lips.

Washuu frowned. "Why are you messing around with folklore when you've got
a genius in residence? I can put together something for you in five
minutes if you'd like," she offered. "High energy level, boosted
metabolism, increased endurance -- and it won't even taste bad."

It took Tenchi only a moment to decide that he didn't want to ingest
anything that came out of Washuu's lab. "Uh, Washuu-chan... thanks, but
no thanks."

"Suit yourself," said Washuu, shrugging.

"Are you going to eat your unagi, Tenchi?" asked Sasami.

"Yeah, I guess," replied Tenchi. "It's very good, Sasami-chan, but I'm
really not *that* hungry."

After dinner was finished, Sasami got up and started clearing the table.
Remembering what Tenchi had asked of her that morning, Ryoko got up as
well. "I'll help you with that, Sasami-chan," she said, as she began
gathering up the dishes. Then she looked down at Tenchi to see if he had
noticed.

He didn't seem to have.

Telling herself that clearing off the table would take a few minutes and
that Tenchi would be bound to notice eventually, Ryoko set about her
work, ferrying the dishes to the kitchen. On her last trip Tenchi smiled
at her, acknowledging her effort at pitching in with the chores at his
request. Ryoko smiled back and continued into the kitchen where Sasami
had already started washing the bowls and chopsticks.

"Would you like to help me wash the dishes again?" asked the princess.

Ryoko thought about it for a second, then decided that Tenchi would
probably want her to. She nodded and began drying the dishes that Sasami
had washed, hoping that meanwhile Tenchi would walk by and see her taking
such pains to please him. Disappointment mounted as he didn't do so, but
she made herself continue, just in case. Once the last piece was done,
and Tenchi hadn't shown up, Ryoko hurriedly floated out of the kitchen to
find him.

Washuu was sitting on the couch alone, sipping some tea.

Ryoko looked around. "Where's Tenchi?" she demanded.

"He went to bed," answered Washuu. "He looked really tired. He should
have taken me up on my offer."

Ryoko turned around and clenched her fists, rage rising inside her.
Tenchi was up in his room, alone with Aeka, and he hadn't even kissed
Ryoko goodnight! It wasn't Tenchi's fault if he was tired. It wasn't even
Aeka's fault. And that just made it worse. There was no one to imagine
herself unleashing her anger on, so it built up and up.

It was one more ache in her heart after a very long, painful day. It had
hurt almost from the moment she'd woken up, and now she was going to have
to go to sleep hurting and alone. She'd been forced to leave Tenchi's
side only to find Aeka not even awake yet, she'd had to spend nearly all
day without him, and almost the moment he'd gotten home he'd gone off
with Aeka. It hardly seemed like she'd spent any time with him at all. 

Ryoko tried to tell herself that Tenchi had at least kissed her, held
her, told her he'd missed her. And he obviously had. She'd managed to
make it through the day before with much less than that -- often without
even a smile. She tried to make herself be content with the affection
he'd shown her that day. It was many times more than what he'd given
during the three months when he'd been at best indifferent to her. She
replayed Tenchi's words in her head, his voice saying that he loved her.

But that was the worst thing of all. Before, being with Tenchi always
hurt a little. The knowledge that her love wasn't being returned and the
dread that it might never be were both painful things. But it wasn't like
that anymore. Now he loved her back. Ryoko loved Tenchi, Tenchi loved
Ryoko, and they had to be together, always, forever, every second of
every day. Anything that prevented that was an obstacle, an enemy, a
tormentor, to be broken, crushed, and destroyed.

Destroyed.

With a snarl of fury, Ryoko smashed her fist through the nearest wall.

Washuu looked up and shook her head as Sasami ran into the room to see
what had caused the noise. She got there just in time to see Ryoko
pulling her hand out of a newly-formed hole, the pirate's eyes shut tight
as she took deep breaths to calm herself down. "What happened, Ryoko?"
Sasami asked.

Ryoko took one long, deep breath, exhaled, then opened her eyes and
laughed self-consciously. "I, uh, slipped, Sasami-chan. I slipped. Sorry
if I scared you."

Sasami stared at the damage and frowned sadly. "Tenchi'll have to fix
this."

"That's right," agreed Washuu, who had gotten up and walked over. She
glanced from the hole to Ryoko and back again. "Looks like he has his
work cut out for him."

Ryoko sighed, realizing the trouble she'd caused Tenchi and remembering
how upset he got whenever she damaged his house. "I'll... I'll find a way
to fix it, OK?" She looked sadly at the results of her outburst. "I'll
think of something."

Sasami nodded, satisfied with Ryoko's intent, and headed back into the
kitchen to finish putting the dishes away.

"Slipped, huh?" asked Washuu skeptically.

Ryoko hung her head. "Um, Washuu-chan... greatest scientific genius in
the universe, can I ask you a fav..."

"I'll fix it," interrupted Washuu. "Just be more polite next time you
visit my lab. And don't make a habit of this. OK?"

Ryoko nodded. "Thanks."

"Be glad I'm in a helpful mood today," said Washuu, as her spectral
computer appeared in front of her hands.

It wasn't long before the damage had been repaired, good as new. "Better,
in fact," Washuu had commented. For a while, Ryoko tried to take comfort
in Washuu and Sasami's company while the three of them sat on the couch
and watched TV. It did some good, but not very much. Eventually Washuu
bade them goodnight and went down to her lab to work, leaving the two
girls by themselves.

Noticing the time, Sasami turned to Ryoko. "You're not going to make me
go to bed, right?" she asked hopefully.

Ryoko shook her head and managed to smile. "I've never followed any silly
rules, Sasami-chan, and I'm not going to make someone else do it, either.
Let me know when you're sleepy. We'll go to bed then."

Sasami bounced happily on the couch a few times, then flipped the
channels to see if anything caught her interest. Not finding anything
familiar, she stopped on Fuji TV in time to catch the opening credits of
a show called Long Vacation.

Ryoko tried to summon up interest as the story of a piano player and his
romantic entanglements played out, but found that she couldn't tear her
mind off of Tenchi's absence. More than once she almost gave in to the
urge to fly off and mope alone, but decided not to. Sasami's presence was
at least *some* comfort. Ryoko smiled faintly as the princess sat
watching the TV, savoring every minute of being awake past her bedtime.

Finally, the credits started to roll, and a woman's voice began singing
the closing theme.

     Silence fills my room
     I'm so all alone
     I dream of you
     Lying here next to me.

     I wanna hold you in my arms 
     Underneath the stars
     Feel the wind blowing thru your hair
     Your hand in mine...

Ryoko closed her eyes and tensed. "I'll be back in a few minutes, Sasami-
chan," she said.

"But where are you going?" asked Sasami, turning her head.

Ryoko wasn't there.

Outside under the open sky, Ryoko floated onto the torii astride the path
to the shrine, and lay down, looking up at the stars and feeling very
alone. Then her eye caught the light shining from the vicinity of the
shrine, and she remembered what she'd wanted to ask Katsuhito. Deciding
to risk a negative answer rather than delay asking, she flew off to make
her request.

Katsuhito, however, wasn't inside. Instead, he was also outdoors, looking
up at the stars.

Ryoko touched down in front of him.

"Ah, Ryoko. Kon ban wa," greeted the old man, glancing at her for a
moment before returning his gaze to the sky.

"Kon ban wa, ojiisama," replied Ryoko, kneeling and bowing to him.

Katsuhito's eyebrows went up for a moment.

Ryoko kept her eyes lowered. "There is something I want to ask of you,
ojiisama," she said humbly.

"I see. Go on."

"Could I practice swordfighting with you, like Tenchi does?"

"I'm not a kendo instructor," chuckled Katsuhito. "I only train Tenchi
because he's my grandson. It's a family style, you might say."

"I know, ojiisama. Please, though. It would mean a lot to me."

Katsuhito smiled. "You know, when I said it was a family style, there's
something you might have said in reply. Not that I'd necessarily have
said yes, or no."

Ryoko shook her head. "Tenchi doesn't think he's ready for that yet,
ojiisama. I know I've been pushy with him before, but I'm trying my best
not to be, now. I really am."

"Very interesting," said Katsuhito. "I suppose I could make an exception,
but I'd like to know why you want to do this. Is it to protect Tenchi?"

"That's one reason, but not the main one."

"I'm glad to hear that. I suppose it may not seem so, but he has
potential, and I don't want him becoming lax. Now, what's the main
reason?"

Ryoko hesitated. "I'd rather not say, ojiisama."

"And I'd rather you did," replied Katsuhito.

"I... may have to fight to stay at his side, someday, ojiisama. That's
why," said Ryoko. She halted for a few moments, waiting. "Is that a...
good enough reason for you?"

"Fight to stay at his side? You mean, against Aeka-hime?" asked
Katsuhito.

"No, ojiisama. Tenchi asked us not to fight, so we aren't. But other
people may come to take me away from him, and I have to be able to stop
them." Ryoko's voice shook for a moment, and her fists clenched as she
remained bowed. "I *have* to."

Long, tense moments passed in silence as Ryoko waited.

"I see. Alright, we can start tomorrow," said Katsuhito finally.

Ryoko's eyes widened, and she pressed her face down against the ground.
"Domo arigato gozaimasu, ojiisama!"

"You're welcome."

"Ojiisama... one more thing," said Ryoko.

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell Tenchi about this."


Katsuhito smiled again. "Don't worry, I won't tell him. I've managed to
keep a few little secrets from him, from time to time." He turned and
walked back to the shrine office as Ryoko got up, feeling a little better
now that one of the heavy weights she'd been bearing had been lifted from
her shoulders.

Sometime later and a few miles away, Kiyone stared at the ceiling and
grumbled in quiet annoyance. Mihoshi was *still* crying, and the sound of
it was keeping Kiyone awake. The only consolation was that, at the rate
Mihoshi was going, eventually she'd shed so many tears that she'd pass
out due to dehydration.

But Kiyone didn't quite have the heart to come straight out and tell
Mihoshi to shut up. Besides, she'd seen this coming for a while. Even
though she'd entertained the occasional thought of getting her partner
and Tenchi together as a means of ridding herself of Mihoshi, she'd known
that it probably wouldn't work. Some inexorable cosmic force always
seemed to ensure that Kiyone remained tied to Mihoshi forever, "until
court-martial do us part."

And probably not even then.

Kiyone sighed and rolled onto her side. "Mihoshi, I know you're upset,
but you should get some sleep. It's our first day on the job at Azumi
Heavy Industries tomorrow, and we need to get there early to make a good
impression."

Mihoshi sniffled. "I'm sorry, Kiyone. But it hurts so *much*."

"You should have expected it, though. They live with him, and we live
here. And we've got two jobs, sometimes three, to go to, while they can
stay home with him whenever he's there. Out of sight, out of mind. It's
that simple."

"But that doesn't make it hurt less," wailed Mihoshi. "He was different,
Kiyone. *Different*." She sobbed into her pillow. "Special."

For the thousandth time, Kiyone wondered what it was that seemed to draw
every female in the universe except her to Tenchi Masaki. "There are lots
of guys, Mihoshi."

"But Tenchi was *nice*," said Mihoshi bleakly. "Nice for real. He
wouldn't have taken advantage of me. I wouldn't have been just someone to
sleep with to him."

Kiyone silently nodded. Mihoshi was blessed with a pretty face, shapely
figure, friendly disposition, more affectionate impulses than she knew
what to do with... and cursed with a blind, trusting nature when it came
to others' intentions. The combination was tailor-made to attract the
worst kind of men. More than once Kiyone had watched Mihoshi take almost
a month to realize that someone's promise to call her later was never
going to be kept. 

Looking over at her partner, Kiyone couldn't help but feel a certain
amount of regretful sympathy. It would have been good for Mihoshi to find
someone who would treat her as something besides a chance for an
energetic one-night stand, and the non-professional part of Kiyone would
have been very happy for her.

"I know, Mihoshi," she said, laying her hand on her partner's shoulder.
"I'm sorry it turned out like this." 

"It's not right," sobbed Mihoshi. "It isn't!"

Kiyone sighed. "Life isn't always fair, Mihoshi."

"I still remember that night when I met him," continued Mihoshi, her sobs
a little quieter. "Ryoko said she was going to *cook* me, and when she
chased us and I couldn't get away, Tenchi protected me, even though he
saw he couldn't beat her."

"You've got to get over it. You can't let this interfere with your
duties."

"I know. We're Galaxy Police officers," said Mihoshi, sniffling and
somehow managing to smile slightly. "Danger is our business."

"Just don't keep me awake, OK?" said Kiyone. "And get some sleep," she
added, lying back down on her futon.

After a while, Mihoshi spoke in a quiet voice, breaking the dark silence.
"Kiyone?"

"What *now*?"

"Do you think it could ever be like it was before?" asked Mihoshi meekly.

The silence seemed to press in closer around the room as Mihoshi waited
for an answer. Just when it seemed one wasn't forthcoming, Kiyone's voice
spoke softly. "I don't know, Mihoshi," she said. "I just don't know."

Suddenly, a loud beeping sound cut the night.

"Not an alert at this hour," muttered Kiyone, hurriedly getting out of
bed. She grabbed her wrist unit from its resting place atop her folded
uniform and checked the details of the call. Her eyes widened. It wasn't
the make-work that comprised most cases in the backwater Sol system.
"Pursuit in progress. We're being called to assist!"

Mihoshi bounced upright, and as she turned the lights on Kiyone could see
the sadness on her partner's face starting to fade away. "All criminals,
beware!" warned Mihoshi with her usual cheerful enthusiasm. "First-class
Detectives Kiyone and Mihoshi are on their way!" Kiyone smiled slightly
and suited up as quickly as she could.

Mihoshi had her uniform on well before Kiyone did.

Minutes later, Yagami soared up through the Earth's atmosphere as Kiyone
and Mihoshi watched the information on the alert flashing on their
viewscreens. The primary display showed a starmap labeled with green
Galactic Standard identifiers over which the computer automatically
superimposed the local nomenclature in blue. In this case, "local" meant
"Earth", even though it would be many years before it would be necessary
to coordinate between Earth's law enforcement agencies and the GP.

Near a star captioned in green as "431/252/008/A" and in blue as "51
Pegasi", a red blip was rapidly closing the short forty-four light year
distance between it and the dot marked "Sol, Restricted." Behind the red
blip followed two white ones that were slowly losing ground.

"Looks like we finally get to see some action," said Kiyone. "It's up to
us to handle the intercept."

"What did they steal at 431/252/008/A?" asked Mihoshi.

Kiyone shook her head. "You haven't been memorizing the regional star
charts, have you, Mihoshi?" she sighed.

Mihoshi smiled. "I've been *trying* to. But all those little dots are so
confusing sometimes!"

"There's nothing *at* that star to steal. But it's got a gas giant in a
very close orbit. It's a really good hiding place. All a pirate or
smuggler has to do is pull in on the dark side of the planet where its
mass shields them from the star's heat, power down, and we lose them in
the all the radiation unless we're really close up."

"Oh," said Mihoshi, apparently understanding at least some of it. "But
not this time?"

Kiyone grinned. "This time, they got a surprise. HQ finally followed
through on my suggestion to put permanent monitoring satellites in
stationary orbit over the planet's night side." She shook her head. "I
came up with that idea back at the Academy. I can't *believe* it took
them this long to actually do it!"

"Oh, you know how the people at headquarters are," said Mihoshi. "They
don't know what it's like to be in the field, fighting for justice!"
Mihoshi's face beamed as she sat in her chair and pointed ahead, her
voice full of joyous enthusiasm. "Let's go!"

Kiyone nodded and smiled slightly. "You said it, Mihoshi." She lightly
touched some controls, and Yagami leapt out of orbit and streaked out of
the Sol system to carry out its mission.

Untold light years across space, the first rays of dawn shone on an open
plain on planet Jurai. A tall, imposing figure stood amongst the gently-
waving grasses and wildflowers, casting a long, dark shadow across the
ground amidst the low-slanting beams of the rising sun. The figure's eyes
gazed proud and steadfast at the tree-ship sitting in the middle of the
field. As he watched Sakura-oh and waited for his daughter Amaiko to take
the ship into the sky, Torakami tried to let the sight of one child's
accomplishment assuage the sorrow of the death of another.

Out of the corner of his eye, Torakami caught a glimpse of two people
walking towards him. He turned to look at them, and nodded in
recognition.

One was a tall, statuesque woman just a little younger than Torakami
himself. Her robes were a mixture of black and iron grey, and her hair,
dark forest green, dangled in twin ponytails behind her head and hung
nearly to her feet as she strode towards him, her confident air of
command diminished only by the fact that she approached someone who
outranked her. The other, a lanky young man scarcely out of adolescence,
walked a respectful distance behind her, his long, loose blonde hair and
his pale green robes waving in the breeze, his eager gait betraying great
energy restrained with difficulty.

When they reached Torakami, the woman bowed and the man knelt. "Ohayo,
Torakami-dono," the two of them said.

Torakami inclined his head slightly. "Ohayo, Midoriyama-san, Kintarou-
san."

Kintarou got back to his feet and waited for Midoriyama to speak.

"We came as soon as we could, Torakami-dono. Our condolences at your
loss. I promise you, we will avenge him."

Torakami shook his head. "No. I appreciate your offer, but we must not
allow personal feelings to cloud our judgement. We serve Jurai, not
ourselves. Death, love, sorrow -- what are those, next to duty? Nothing!"

Midoriyama nodded. "As you say."

"As you're already here, though, I invite you to watch with me. Today is
my daughter's first flight. Stand beside me in the place of my son who is
with us only in spirit."

"You do us too much honor," said Midoriyama humbly.

"Nonsense!" replied Torakami. "You've fought at my side many more times
than is necessary for me to respect you. And your son there shows every
sign of following in your footsteps."

Midoriyama beamed with maternal pride, and Kintarou very nearly spoke out
of turn to thank Torakami, before catching himself. The older man
noticed, and decided that the boy had been forced to hold his tongue long
enough.

"So, how many of the universe's worst criminals breathe no more because
of your determination, Kintarou-san? A dozen?" asked Torakami,
deliberately using a lower number than the one he knew to be fact.

"I wouldn't presume to contradict you, Torakami-dono, but as you ask, the
number is fourteen," replied the young man.

"Excellent," said Torakami. "Very well done. Let them know that they
arouse Jurai's wrath at their mortal peril."

"It shall be done," said Kintarou proudly.

Across the field, Sakura-oh started to slowly rise from the ground.
Noticing this, Torakami drew his sword Haika-ken, ignited it, and held
its blazing yellow blade high in salute. "What is your sword's name,
Kintarou-san?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Kyokkou-ken, Torakami-dono," answered the boy. "Shall I... salute with
you?"

Torakami nodded. "Yes, of course. And your mother, though I have no need
to ask Tenrai-ken's name. I've seen it used often enough."

Midoriyama drew her weapon and raised it burning with deep-blue light,
while her son raised a pale yellow shining sword of his own. The three
blades hung steady in a gesture of respect as a ship of Jurai slipped the
bonds of gravity for the first time and rose up into the sky. Torakami
watched, his expression one of intense pride.

Back in the Sol system, in a bed in a house on the islands of Nippon on
planet Earth, Torakami's niece turned uneasily in her sleep. Aeka
shuddered and awoke, looking fearfully around the room. She glanced over
at the person sleeping next to her, and released her breath when she
confirmed that it was Tenchi. After a brief kiss, she huddled closer to
him and drifted off to sleep again.


Preview of Next Episode: No Need for Two Swords, Part 2

"I'm warning you, princess," growled Ryoko, her voice shaking. "You'd
better not be planning any of that royal Juraian bondage crap like you
pulled before. You got me?"

Fury flooded into Aeka's face, and at her sides her hands clenched. She
fought down the reflexive urge to strike out at Ryoko, and after a few
moments of utmost exertion she calmed down enough for words. "I will not
stand here and listen to you speak ill of what is deep beyond your
understanding," she declared coldly. "Nor will I tolerate your
insinuation that I would break my oath. Now, Ten-chan is waiting for me.
Get out of my way."

Ryoko glared at Aeka and deliberately didn't budge.