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.