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.