Before we start let's get one thing straight: Tenchi Muyo and everything that officially comprises it is owned by AIC and Pioneer. This is unofficial and the story and original characters I create belong to me, so I'd be grateful if you ask before using them in something else. Please, PLEASE don't sue me. I'm only doing this because I'd probably be lynched if I didn't finish this fic! *** Faith, Hope & Carrot Soup - A Tenchi Muyo Fan-Fiction By Nutzoide - Chapter 10: My Family Shoji sat up and put his bowl down on the bedside table. He was now sure that Washu was trying to use him as a test subject to see if chicken soup actually had medicinal effects, because it was all she'd given him for the last two days, ever since he had woken up again. He'd told her that it was supposed to be a cold remedy and not normally used to help recover from being shot, but she had implausible deniability (or at least absurd deniability) down to an art. According to her the others had been on something of a victory high while he was stuck in her lab, and it was beginning to get to him that he had absolutely nothing to do. He'd sorely hoped that Mihoshi would have been the first to come and see him when Washu had said she would allow him visitors, but Ryoko had been first in line. In fact the ex-pirate had actually been very congenial with him, but he didn't miss the underlying distrust she still held. Tenchi and Ayeka had been more friendly, and he was glad to know they didn't hold him too responsible for what had happened. "Hi Kiyone. Nice to see you again. How come you get to be up and around already? From what I heard you were worse off than I was." Kiyone walked in, still a little stiffly, and sat down in the chair beside Shoji's bed. "Washu's making the most of having you. How are you feeling?" He smiled, very glad she was one of the ones still okay with him being there. "Nothing worse than chicken soup poisoning." At Kiyone's raised eyebrow he chuckled a little. "Seriously, there's nothing wrong with me." Kiyone nodded. "I'm glad. Mihoshi's still on tenterhooks waiting to see you. You put up quite a performance up there you know. You had all of us fooled." Shoji dropped his head. "I can't remember that." Kiyone drew nearer, her eyebrows raised. "Really? Tsunami said you'd remember everything. The others may have forgotten that, but I haven't." Shoji looked into her eyes. "Please, don't remind them. It'll be easier for everybody if they think I never knew what I did. I can do the guilt thing on my own time, but I don't want them to think about it. I just want to forget it." Kiyone sighed. She couldn't argue with his logic, although she didn't exactly agree with it. "Just tell me one thing. Are you leaving again?" Shoji shook his head. "No. I'm not proud of doing a runner either, that's what got me into this mess. Ryoko tells me I'm out of a job, so I don't even have to go for that now. I want to try and make up with Mihoshi at least." Kiyone finally smiled. "Just one question, who's Shinyoko? I do hope you're not thinking of two timing my partner or I may have to get angry." "Oh nuts!" Shoji let out a hard breath. "I'm late. How did you find out about her anyway?" Kiyone looked shocked. Was he admitting there was someone else? "Her name was on your fridge door when we came to look for you." She looked at him dangerously. "Who is she?" Shoji cackled a little, but Kiyone couldn't miss the melancholy look in his eyes. "Don't worry, it's just my sister. She died a long time ago. I go up on her birthday to visit. Maybe I'll take Mihoshi so see her." He thought a bit. "Then again a graveyard isn't the best place for a first date, is it?" Kiyone laughed. "Not really." She sat back in the chair. "You actually had me going for a bit there." From behind her Mihoshi's head peeked round the door impatiently. Shoji peered over to see her and Kiyone followed his look. "Come on in Mihoshi, I think he's safe." Mihoshi practically bounced in and stood next to the bed a little anxiously. Now she was finally getting to see him awake she didn't really know what she should do. "Ummm...Hello Shoji-san. Are you feeling better now?" Shoji smiled a little apprehensively himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm really sorry for putting you through all that." Mihoshi shook her head. "No, that wasn't your fault. Washu and Tsunami said so. I'm really sorry about shooting you though." She lowered her eyes. "Are you mad at me?" "Are you kidding?" Shoji said, very much relieved. "I deserved a lot more than what you gave me. Come to think of it I think Ryoko was ready to finish what you started, but I guess someone talked her out of it." Mihoshi let out a sigh of relief. "No, Ryoko knows you were a good guy." She stood there smiling. It looked like everything would be all right after all. Shoji looked up at her happy face and decided that if he was ever going to do it now was the best time. "Umm... Mihoshi, if you're interested, and when I'm capable of moving under my own power, do you want to go out for dinner or something sometime?" Kiyone could practically feel the happiness radiating off Mihoshi as she squealed in delight. "Yes, I'd really, really like to!" Two seconds later Shoji found himself in a very awkward hug with the blonde as she bounded forward onto him. Kiyone smiled for them. It was about time something went right for her partner again. "You know, Mihoshi, perhaps you should do that when he's got a shirt on, or in fact anything more than a sheet. Otherwise I think you might end up skipping the dating bit." Mihoshi looked down to see that indeed she was hugging a very nude chest and she blushed furiously. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She let go of him and stepped back quickly. Shoji had the decency to flush a little too as he made sure the sheet still covered the rest of him. "Yeah, I think that can wait a little." Mihoshi went an even deeper shade of red and she started pressing her index fingers together in that cute way she did. Shoji heard a knock and the trio turned to see Ryo-ohki and Ken-ohki, both in child humanoid form walking in, Sasami helping Ken-ohki get used to the fact this was the first time he had ever done this. Ryo-ohki pottered up to the bed and 'Miyad' happily, holding what he assumed to be his next bowl. Mihoshi looked over to Ken-ohki as Sasami caught him just in time to stop him ending up on his back. "Oh Ken-ohki, Washu gave you some more Masu too huh? That's really nice!" Ken-ohki straightened up looking a little annoyed with himself for being so clumsy in the new form. "Chauuuuuuu," he said pitifully, and Ryo-ohki giggled. "Nice to see you again Sasami," Shoji said politely. "I heard you were very brave when you came to fight." Sasami looked up to him and smiled. In truth she was very proud of herself for her part in the assault/rescue operation. "I just wanted to help. They never let me do anything important round here." It was then she noticed, as Mihoshi had, just how much bare skin wasn't covered by the sheet as he sat up in bed. "Umm... well, I'm glad you're okay and everything... I have to errr..." "I have to go now. I think Onee-sama wants me to do, er, something. I'm-glad-you're-okay-bye!" Sasami walked as quickly as she could out of the room, leaving Ken-ohki to Mihoshi to support. By the time she reached the door she *knew* her ears were burning. She took a deep breath and counted to ten, trying to repress the hideous feeling of embarrassment. What a way to meet him again. She set off to find something to do. Preferably something that didn't involve thinking about anything related to, well, 'that'. Back in the room Shoji chuckled a little sympathetically, feeling sorry for the poor girl. She had been blushing like a beetroot. He looked to the two detectives. "She'll be okay, right? I guess I should apologise for that." "She'll be okay," Kiyone said, "though she'd appreciate an apology. She's only just getting used to it." Shoji nodded. "First thing I do when I get out of here." Mihoshi nodded in agreement, holding Ken-ohki's hand to stop him toppling over. "Well, she was glad to see you're okay!" In front of the others Ryo-ohki nodded. "Miya." She held up the bowl she was carrying and offered it to Shoji. "Miya miiya!" "Thanks Ryo-ohki-chan." He gave her a smile and took the bowl. He'd been slowly grazing on the soups all day, meaning by the time he had finished one the next was already there. He looked down at the bowl. He wasn't used to eating anything quite that colour. He looked over to see Ryo-ohki staring hopefully back. He took a spoonful. He couldn't help but smile and lifted an eyebrow. "Carrot?" Ryo-ohki beamed at him. "Miya!" he thought, *** Ayeka watched from the flower garden as Mihoshi and Shoji set off from the house. Neither was intending to go formal for the date, but it had still taken an absolute age for Mihoshi to get ready, with Kiyone, Sasami and a rather amused and somewhat intrigued Tsunami diligently helping. She smiled a little and turned back to the rose she was gently pruning. "You know, I'm rather tempted to follow them and see how it turns out." Kiyone looked up from behind her forsythia. "Yeah, but I'll let them have this to themselves I think." The pair continued working for a while, Ayeka's light humming filling the air. While Kiyone had taken the battle in her stride as only a trained detective could, Ayeka had been enjoying the trivial pursuits of normal life again, as had the others. It always seemed to happen after one of these incidents. Spend a week or so appreciating what you had begun to take for granted. After a while Kiyone dusted her hands off. "I'd better be going Ayeka. Mihoshi may be set up at the bar but I still need to find a job." Ayeka rose herself. "Have you tried to get employment there as well? I would think you would be quite suited to it." Kiyone shook her head. "No, if I did karaoke for a living I think I'd lose it as something for myself." The pair walked slowly to the gate. "Well, take care Kiyone. Drop by again soon." Kiyone nodded as she headed off. Now all she had to do was find someone in the area willing to hire her. For her part Ayeka knew Kiyone would be successful in whatever it was that she went for. Though she may not seem the most outstanding of people on first impression Kiyone rarely failed in what she set out to do. The princess headed back to the garden and tidied away the tools, remembering to retrieve the book they had been using for reference. she thought as she headed inside. It was true that Ryoko it seemed was actually attempting to make herself useful around the house. Since they had gotten back to doing their chores the ex-pirate was taking them without so much as a single pout. Of course, it was also apparent she had been giving Tenchi the space he had asked for before they had made their assault on the Juraian ship, and it didn't take much to put the two together. She was trying her hardest to impress him. As if right on cue Ryoko floated downstairs, looking a little dishevelled but otherwise in very good spirits, and Ayeka had to grin. "More complements from Tenchi? Your recent obsequiousness is almost shameless Ryoko." "Huh? What's obsecusness?" Ryoko asked, coming out of her little haze. Ayeka shook her head. "Never mind. I'm going to take a bath before lunch, and since that place it the only one where we seem to be capable of civilised conversation I wouldn't be adverse to some company." Ryoko raised here eyebrows. "My, aren't we feeling wordy today? Sure. I'll bring the sake." *** In Washu's sub-space laboratory Azaka and Kamidake were once again finding themselves subject to being used as auxiliary equipment for another of the family's little exercises. "Washu-chan, are you nearly finished? We've had this field up for three days now." Kamidake was beginning to get put out by it. Azaka was beginning to agree that she was just taking advantage of them. "This level of usage is very tiring Washu-chan." Washu tutted and shook her finger at them. "And I know exactly what your energy capabilities are, so stop complaining. And anyway, yes I'm almost done." She leaned back in to cut the small cluster of wiring that ran through the collar of the armour she had finally manage to extricate Shoji from several days before. It had turned out to be a very intricate and somewhat illegal bit of clothing. She still hadn't found the summoning ring for it yet, but to be honest it was now little more than junk thanks to all the tampering she had done. Aside from the various electrical stimulant devices built into it the thing had been shock wired so that anyone facing it in hand to hand combat and breaching the outer layer would have been rather unpleasantly electrocuted. It had also had a not inconsiderable chemical explosive attached to it, designed to activate should the wearer expire. Finding that had been something of a panic considering she had been removing him from the suit at the time. Washu manoeuvred her own force field generators to carefully pry apart the final layer of cloth while the guardians kept it still and contained. This material had a nasty habit of coming apart rather vigorously when it finally reached breaking point. She got a bead on her target and clipped the final set of wiring that kept the machines going. "Ah, at last! Okay boys, you can drop it." The guardians did so with a great deal of relief and the suit fell to the table with a dull thump. "Whew!" "That's all," Washu said enthusiastically, "you two can go do whatever it is you do. I've got a suit to cannibalise." Kamidake sighed and headed for the door while Azaka wondered just what it was she could use in that mess of wire and cloth. "Cannibalise Washu-chan?" Washu grinned. "First lesson of the spoils of war; it's yours so make the best of it!" "Ah." Azaka just turned to follow his impatient comrade. He didn't really want to know what she would do with the bits that could still work. None of them were entirely legal. Azaka made sure to 'bow' as he passed Tsunami entering the lab. "My Lady, you are well?" Tsunami nodded. The experience of preparing Mihoshi for her date had been most enlightening. "Quite well, thank you Azaka. I believe Kamidake is waiting for you." "Yes, I would expect so," Azaka replied as he floated off. Tsunami moved over beside Washu as the scientist was picking over the now defunct armour. "And how can I help you Tsunami? I thought Nagi wanted to talk to you." "Nagi-san and I have already spoken, and the others were quite right, bathing is a most relaxing way of spending unused time. I was wondering, however, whether you had given any more thought to the matter I mentioned." Washu finally put down the suit and looked up. "You didn't put the cabbits up to asking as well did you? They decided to pay me a visit last night with similar pleas." Tsunami didn't move but her smile may have widened just a little. "I may have mentioned the possibility to them at some point." Washu gave her a deadpan stare. "I see." She sighed and started to walk off. "Come on." Washu had been hesitant to take on this request, despite the fact that a goddess had taken an interest in it. Sure, she had intended to give it a look eventually, but it still left something of a bitter taste in her mouth. As much as it intrigued her, working on the technology Taishi had used so close to their battle wasn't something she had planned on. "It will give you something new to work on for a great deal of time Washu, and I know that you are interested." "It's Washu-*chan*." "As you wish." Tsunami didn't seem too apologetic this time. Washu sighed as she reached her door. "I'll do it. I just think it's too soon. How will everyone else react? Ryoko has enough to deal with right now." Tsunami smiled again. "Perhaps, but everyone deserves a second chance. The others will come to accept it, just as they have everything else." The pair stepped out into the next room. It was not as brightly lit as the rest of the lab had become since Washu had started re-working it, nor did it have the flora she had been slowly adding. "Ryoko may have trouble, but in the end she will be best served by it." Washu nodded as they stepped up to the central table. On it were the remnants of the machine. "Believe it on not Tsunami, I'm not a cruel woman. I just want what's best for my daughter. I don't want her to hate me for this." Tsunami lay a hand on the smaller woman's shoulder. "She won't. That I can guarantee." Washu took a deep breath and nodded. "Everything's here?" Tsunami stretched out with her essence, sensing every tiny part of the mechanical wonder. "Yes. There is no need to recreate the shell totally though. That might be as cruel as never doing anything. I think you know what she needs." Washu nodded and a smile crept onto her face. "It might take a while." She turned to the mechanical body that lay before her. "Okay then Syren-chan, let's see if we can get you working again." *** Ayeka and Ryoko lay back in the warm water of the onsen, the used wash bowl floating between them with the sake bottle, now half empty. "So," said Ryoko, her eyes half closed as she luxuriated in the water, "what did you want to talk about? You still haven't told me anything and you'll be too pissed to speak soon!" Ayeka cast a warning eye over to her. "You've had more than I have Ryoko. Would you rather be fighting?" Ryoko shook her head slowly and took another sip of the alcohol. "No, not right now." The pair lapsed back into silence and just let the gentle sound of falling water fill the air. Ayeka sighed contentedly as she reached for the bottle again and poured herself another small dish. she thought, She took a sip and set the dish down to float in the water. Despite Ryoko's new-found helpfulness she hadn't made her play for Tenchi yet. She was waiting for him. It seemed so unlike her. She was broken from her thoughts by Ryoko again. "Ayeka, are you gonna stick around? Permanently I mean. You stayed for the battle, and, well... Just seems like everything's back to the way it was, sort of." Ayeka paused for a moment. In all honesty she hadn't given the idea of leaving any more thought since the night of their departure for Taishi's ship. "I don't know any more Ryoko. I don't know where I would go. This place is my home now, and the people here my family. Closer than my real one. I don't know if I could go back to the palace and carry on the same way I used to." Ryoko sat up and looked over at her properly. "Does that mean you're staying?" "I don't think I can leave. Not now anyway. Eventually my father will come for me again, but until then..." Ryoko smiled and lay back in the water again. "Good. I'd get bored without someone to argue with." Ayeka smiled. "So says the new-made maid." "Huh?" "Perhaps we should send you to Washu again. You must be ill to be doing your chores with such enthusiasm." Ryoko frowned but didn't look at her. "You complained when I didn't do them too." She downed the rest of her sake. "Oh I'm not complaining, it just seems so unlike the Ryoko we've come to know and leave in front of the TV." It seemed that that struck a nerve because Ryoko just *humph*ed and turned around, away from her, and pulling the sake bottle with her. "Ryoko?" Ayeka asked with a little concern. "What is it?" When Ryoko ignored her she tried again, and the second time she got an uncomfortable response. "I just want him to love me. I've tried to do everything he wants but I can't get close to him because he doesn't want me to. I don't know how much more I can do before I can't keep it up any more, and then I'll do something stupid." Ayeka's heart went out to her. She knew exactly what she meant. "Asking for some space doesn't mean he doesn't want you around. Just don't force yourself on him. Have you ever tried just talking to him? Tenchi and I have some wonderful time together just talking." Ayeka was shocked back when Ryoko burst out of the water and rounded on her. "SHUT UP! You're just... You only..." Ayeka watched in surprise as Ryoko paused in her tirade as suddenly as she had started. Ryoko was desperately looking for something to prove her instincts right; that would let her take out everything on this condescending woman. But Ayeka wasn't patronising her this time. As if at a silent signal Ryoko's features fell and she sat back in the water heavily. Ayeka wasn't... She didn't... "Why are you helping me?" "Maybe I want to see him happy? And maybe I don't want to see you making yourself miserable." Ryoko stared at her with incredulity. If someone had told her about this conversation two years ago she would have called them insane. But now all she wanted to do was see Tenchi. She rose from the water. "Ayeka... Thanks." She phased into some clothes and quickly headed for the door. Behind her Ayeka turned in the water and finished her sake. "You're welcome Ryoko." She lay there for some time, wondering if she had made the right choice. She could feel it already, the jealousy crawling under her skin. Only one thought stopped her from considering whether staying there was such a good idea. She wanted to *see* them happy. "You've earned some respect today princess." Ayeka's head shot round and up to see a spiky haired head peering at her from one of the upper pools. "Nagi-san?" "You're stronger than I gave you credit for." She turned back and out of view as she lay back in the water. Ayeka just stared in surprise. Had she been there all this time? And she had not so much as said a word to her since they had got back. "Nagi-san, why are you still here? I assume you heard my reasons." Nagi didn't respond for a while, and Ayeka thought she was just going to ignore her when she did speak. "I have no need to move on." "There must be more to it than that. I never would have thought you were the type to board at a shrine." Again Nagi took her time to respond. "It is very obvious I do not belong on this planet, and I have no intention of standing out. When your brother offered a room I saw no reason not to accept. He is your brother, correct?" Ayeka sighed. "Yes." Nagi's response still bothered her though, and she wanted a real answer, not just more avoidance from the bounty hunter. "You're staying close to Ryoko? Waiting for the right time to take your victory? That wasn't part of the deal. You were supposed to leave after we helped you get your revenge." "... Tsunami was very helpful, and enlightening. She is also very powerful. I have no doubt that were I to try something here I would disappear very quickly. Jurai no longer has a bounty on Ryoko thanks to the statute of limitations, so she is no longer a target." Ayeka saw through that one instantly. "That didn't stop you last time. I don't believe there aren't a few crazed individuals who would be willing to pay for her scalp." This time Nagi didn't respond. She did however stand up and climb down to the main pool on the floor of the onsen. Ayeka was quite unnerved as the bounty hunter sat back down in the water opposite her. "Y-you didn't answer my question Nagi-san." Nagi's gaze bore straight into her eyes. "Ryoko is no longer a target of mine. The matter is settled." Ayeka decided that she would rather drop the subject than make the woman opposite her angry. As she had seen briefly on the ship Nagi was a powerfully built woman, tall and very fit. Ayeka had no desire to provoke her, even though she thought she might be able to hold her own if the hunter did attack her. She lowered her eyes. "Ryoko doesn't know that. She thinks you're waiting to get her." Nagi smiled a smile that held no comfort at all. One that Ayeka found a little frightening. "Good." "But why do you want her afraid of you if you're not trying to capture her any more?" "I was never trying to capture her! I wanted her *dead*!" Nagi growled out. Then she glared at the Ayeka. She had baited her into the open. She got up and strode towards the princess, causing her to shift backwards slightly. She was little more than three feet away when she stopped and sat back down, crossing her legs under the water. "I want her afraid. I hate her with a passion that you can only dream about. And now there is nothing I can do about it. But she can still fear me. It's the only power over her I have left. And now you're going to take that from me as well, aren't you?" Somehow that question felt more dangerous than any threat she could have used. Ayeka tried to force as much courage into herself as she could. There was just something menacing about the woman, even as she sat there naked in the bath. "You can't harm me any more than you can Ryoko. Yes, I'm going to tell her." "I thought as much." And somehow the proud woman seemed to sag under an invisible weight. "Ayeka-san, you want to know why I'm here?" "Yes." "Ever since I heard of Ryoko's reappearance nothing has gone right. I had finally got another chance at my goal, and it almost destroyed me. In my life I have had five occasions where I could have once and for all killed that demon of a woman. And each time I couldn't do it, because *I* hadn't won. I had never beaten her by my own skill. Once I even had her on her knees, and if I had told her to, I think she would have actually begged for her life. There was no honour there though, no resolution, I would not kill her without earning my victory. When she attacked Jurai, destroyed so much of the capitol, killed so many people, I regretted never having finished it when I had the chance. And now it is out of my hands, and I have to be grateful she is still alive." Nagi turned and sat back against the side. "As you said, I made a mistake. I don't make mistakes. There are few who can stand up to me, but what good is that if I cannot stand up to myself? Ken-ohki, as much as I might not like it, has become very attached to Ryo-ohki. It shouldn't really surprise me. She's the only other cabbit he's ever met, and a girl at that. This time I'm giving him what he wants, and I can try and find the answer I want." She uncrossed her legs and lay back in the water. "And now you have your answer Ayeka-san." "So you will be staying for a while?" Ayeka asked. "For now. The shrine is suitable for my needs, and I will have no problem paying for accommodation, although I suspect Katsuhito will prefer I work for it." Without another word Nagi rose and headed for the benches and a towel, leaving Ayeka to her bath. Ayeka turned to see her finish dressing. She was still wearing her usual armoured outfit. "Nagi-san, I'm glad to see you healed well." She thought that as long as Nagi was staying there it wouldn't hurt to at least attempt to be friendly. Nagi stopped as she headed for the door, but she didn't turn. "Thank you." As she left Ayeka lay back in the water closed her eyes and just let herself enjoy the water. *** Tenchi paused and wiped his brow, shifting Mayuka where she was held by the harness on his back. For some reason she seemed to find his small ponytail of hair fascinating and had been playing with it all afternoon. He smiled and continued sweeping the steps up to the shrine, happy to hear his daughter's joyful giggles every now and then. The girl seemed to have been perpetually happy since they had got back, as if she knew what had happened. According to his grandfather she had been very moody when the house had been so empty, even with the old man's enthusiasm with the child. Like the others he couldn't help but enjoy the work. He'd left all his chores for days now so he'd been spending the whole of today making sure he caught up. This was the last on his list, and the most tedious, but having Mayuka for company made it that bit less dull. He'd been spending a lot of time with her recently and she was loving it. When it was clear everyone would be catching up on work today he had taken care duty. He paused when he saw Ryoko walking hesitantly up the stairs. It was always painfully obvious when she wanted to talk seriously because she always seemed to get so nervous, a trait she seemed to have kept from Zero. "Hi Ryoko. What's up?" Ryoko stopped where she was and looked up at him. She took a deep breath then strode as purposefully as she could up to him. "Tenchi, I want you to take me out." Tenchi sighed. "Ryoko. I told you I just need to work everything out. You mean a lot to me but..." "No," Ryoko cut him off. "I didn't say it right did I? I want to talk to you. I mean just talk." "Oh." Tenchi scratched the back of his head, and ended up giving Mayuka a finger to play with. After a few tugs he realized he wasn't going to get his hand back any time soon, so he lay his broom down and sat on the step. Ryoko managed a weak smile. "Well, we can talk now," he said. Ryoko's face fell. "No! I mean... I want to talk with you, just you. And I thought... Ayeka said it would work." Now Tenchi was really confused. "Ayeka told you to come and talk to me?" Ryoko looked at him then looked away. "She understands you normal people, how you feel, how you do stuff, what you're supposed to do together and think and... well, all that. She seems to have got it together... and I don't know how to do it. So she said talk to you." She paused and looked up. "I just don't want to *not* be around you any more." "Ryoko, come on, sit down." Tenchi managed to get Mayuka's interest back on his hair so he could get his finger back. Ryoko sat beside him and waited. "I didn't ask you to avoid me, just be a friend rather than a girl trying to get into my pants. Friends do stuff together." "Well, I do wanna get you in bed. I bet you'd like it too." His eyes went wide and he could feel what he knew would turn into a nosebleed if she decided to go into detail. "Uh, well, yeah, I'm not going to say I wouldn't but, errr..." Ryoko smiled gently. "I know." Then she looked right into his eyes, the eyes she found so beautiful. "I want to be with you. Just for you and me to do something together without anyone else to take you away." She smiled hopefully. "Can we do something, or just talk somewhere? We never go anywhere without the others so we never do anything for, you know, us." Tenchi's heart melted and he took her hand. Ryoko felt the hope rise in her. "So, can we?" "Of course we can. We deserve a proper outing and some time together." He paused for a bit as a thought came to him. "Anyway, we've never got to know anything about each other. Any of us. Sasami probably knows us best. At least she knows our favourite foods. You've been here more than two years too. That's pretty sad actually. So, what did you have in mind?" Ryoko gathered herself and thought for a bit. "Um... I don't really know. I just wanted to do something with you again." She smiled sheepishly. "Other than that, I mean." Tenchi smiled. "Well, it'll be a few days 'til the others take a shopping trip. We could head out when they're out too, so no-one's stuck inside. Maybe just head into town and see what takes our interest?" "Yeah, all right," Ryoko glowed nonchalantly. *** From the house Nobuyuki stared out of the window towards the pair with a wistful expression on his face. Beside him Katsuhito adjusted his glasses. "What do you think?" "He'll make me proud whatever happens." Katsuhito chuckled. "Always the hopeless romantic." Nobuyuki smiled. "There's nothing better or more perfect than simple romance." "Yes," said the priest as he turned to leave, "except that your idea of simple romance involves silk sheets." "Hey!" *** That night Ryoko couldn't sleep. Tenchi wanted to spend time with her too. She shook her head and turned over on her beam. She had to keep it in proportion. She sighed and turned over again, and this time lost her blanket. She groaned and floated down to get it, but there wasn't much point in going back to bed. It would do her any good right now. She headed for the large glass doors, intent on taking a walk (or in her case float) in the night air, when she heard Mayuka from her cot. Evidently she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep. Quietly she lifted the infant out of her crib and walked slowly out to the decking at the edge of the lake. She sat cross legged in the clear night while Mayuka giggled happily from her arms. It was so calming listening to the sound of the water lapping gently below them and Ryoko's mind slowly began to unwind as she played idly with the small girl. Then, quite unexpectedly, Mayuka gurgled something that Ryoko could actually understand. She looked down in surprise at her and Mayuka looked back. "W-what?" Mayuka reached her arms up again now that Ryoko had stopped playing. "Aaaahh, ma mama." Ryoko sat astonished, and quite beyond her control a tear rolled down her cheek. Mayuka looked curiously back up at her. Ryoko felt herself smile and she gave the infant a tender hug - feeling something that she knew she would never let go of - and somewhere in sub-space a small red-haired scientist smiled for her daughter. *** The next day the local paper had a small four panel manga in the back featuring a curious shrine boy who had to play peacemaker between the escaped shrine demon and the princesses who now lived there. It became strangely popular for a while. *** The End --------------- *************** --------------- Please send any comments and criticisms to: nutzoide@hotmail.com Or leave them on the archive where you found this story. If it will help me improve, I want to hear it. Also, feel free to visit my website at: www.geocities.com/nutzoides Author's Notes: That's it. I hope you've all enjoyed reading this because I've certainly enjoyed writing it. Over a year in the making this has been quite a ride. Many thanks to Richard King for proof reading and assistance with several storytelling issues and technical scientific ideas. Also thanks to Rich Morgan (Zonefox) for proof reading and to my family and everyone else who has given assistance and support during the writing of this. Also thanks to all those who have sent feedback and reviews, in particular Literary Eagle and BobR for their frequent comments. They are both great Tenchi Muyo fanfic authors so I recommend that you check out their stories. Finally some of you may point out that there are a few threads that didn't get tied up fully or little bits that didn't get expanded on. The reason for this is that I do have a sequel planned, set some time after this. I do have other stories I want to do so I won't be writing it for a while, but it will get done. Thanks for reading. *** Translation Notes: -chan: Diminutive honorific. The closest English speakers have is 'little' or 'li'l'. Used for children, very close friends or lovers. A term of affection with the connotation of youth. -dono: Translated as 'Lord/Lady' or as 'Sir' in the way a knight would be addressed. Can imply martial prestige. -ken: The name attached is the name of a sword. The Tenchi-ken is the 'Sword Tenchi'. (It can also mean 'technique' or 'fist' when used as a suffix for the name of a move. I won't be using it that way in this fanfic though.) -sama: Formal honorific. Translated as 'Lord' or 'Lady'. Very respectful. -san: Translated as Mr. or Miss. And so on. Can be used for both family and personal names. -sensei: Translates as teacher or professor and can be used as a word on its own. Bokken: A wooden training sword. Chibi: Translates as small with the implication of cuteness. I'm using it when describing a super deformed image of someone. Super deformed is when the character is very small or squashed, chubby and very cute, as seen used in some anime and manga for comic effect. Glomp: A very enthusiastic hug, almost physically throwing yourself at the target to be glomped. Imouto: Meaning 'younger sister' and often used with the '-chan' suffix although other can be used. Kanji: The Japanese naming characters. Kappa: A Japanese water sprite. Karaoke: Popular pastime. Music is played along with the lyrics and you sing the song yourself. Kata: A set of martial arts moves linked together into a sequence for training purposes. Practiced solo. Kimono: A traditional Japanese outfit tied round the middle with a wide ribbon or similar length of material called an 'Obi'. Manga: Japanese comics. There are types for pretty much everybody, not just the children and collectors. Miso: Bean paste often used in soup. Comes in several varieties. Mori Tatakai: Literally translates as 'Forest Battle'. I used the Japanese since I designed it as a Jurai thing, not Earth related. Onee-sama / Onee-chan: Meaning 'elder sister'. The '-sama' variation is respected and the '-chan' one is more affectionate. Onii-sama / Onii-chan: As above but meaning brother. Sasami uses the '-chan' variations of both for members the family because she feels affection for them, as family and friends. (They can also be used without the 'O' at the beginning when placed after someone's name, signifying that that person is their 'brother' or 'sister'. Sasami uses this for the family she is not immediately related to such as Tenchi and those she considers family like Ryoko.) Onsen: A public or communal bath. Often associated with a hot spring. Ramen: A noodle broth. Sake: Japanese rice wine. Sashimi: Small portions of raw fish. Sushi: Small portions of raw fish often with vegetables wrapped in rice and a seaweed sheet. Tanto: A Japanese dagger. Often looks very much like a dagger sized katana. The katana is the traditional samurai sword. Tanuki: Smallish Japanese mammal similar to a raccoon (I think). Tanuki statues are often placed outside shops for good luck. Tempura: A form of deep fried food. Teriyaki/Sukiyaki: Japanese sauces/marinades. Wasabi: A hot Japanese horseradish often served on or accompanying sushi. *** Completed: July 14th - 2003 Posted: July 22nd - 2003