She slowly turned to peek out of the corner of her eye at Ryoko, trying
to reconcile the person who'd been afraid that Aeka might commit suicide
with the person who'd been hurling lethal blasts of energy at her in
Tenchi's bedroom. After a moment, Ryoko noticed and glanced back at her,
making Aeka hurriedly look away once more and began thinking about all of
the things that had taken place the morning before.

Ryoko had convinced Tenchi not to go off without waking up Aeka to say
goodbye. *Convinced* him. Ryoko had known the hurt Aeka would have felt
if Tenchi had simply left, more clearly than he had. The pirate had
actually talked Tenchi out of spending more time alone with her.

Then, too, Aeka remembered, this time with pride, how she had put aside
her own animosity and made a sympathetic gesture to Ryoko when Nobuyuki
had brought up the painful subject of children. A vivid recollection of
her hand coming down gently on Ryoko's shoulder filled her mind. It was
probably the first benevolent physical contact they'd ever had. And she
recalled, as well, the expression on Ryoko's face and the simple nod
acknowledging the significance of the act.

Under the water, her fists balled in frustration. She'd faced her dislike
for Ryoko then. Confronted it, and conquered, for a few moments. Why
couldn't Tenchi have been there, seen her do *that*, instead of what he'd
seen this morning?

Next to her, Ryoko's thoughts were about the morning's battle as well.
She wished very much, now, that she'd hadn't jumped to conclusions about
the whip, that she'd backed down before the fight started, or that she'd
given up on trying to remove the princess. Or, for that matter, that
she'd just resigned herself to talking to Tenchi later. She could have
spoken to him about it that night, when they went to bed, for instance.
Not that it did any good to think of that *now*. And getting into a fight
in his room and destroying everything in it certainly wasn't going to
convince him to let her practice against his grandfather. It would take
days, maybe weeks, before he'd be in the right mood for her to approach
him, if he ever *could* be talked into it after what had happened.

Ryoko sighed. Hearing it, Aeka glanced over at her. Their eyes met, their
expressions seeming to communicate a single, shared thought.

*We tried. Didn't we?*

At the same time, upstairs, Tenchi and Washuu's conversation continued.

"Let me see if I understand this," she said. "The future Empress of Jurai
and the galaxy's Most Wanted space pirate have been madly in love with
you for months. Now you've fallen in love with them, too, but besides
that, nothing else in your life is going to have to change? Even after
you've asked them to make such a big change in *their* lives?"

"All I asked them to do was stop fighting. What's so wrong about me
asking them to change that?" asked Tenchi.

"Nothing. It would make things a lot more enjoyable around here if they
did. But a person's behavior has inertia and momentum, almost like a
physical object. Their fighting is like a big boulder they've started
rolling down a hill. Now you're asking them to get in front of it and
make it stop. That's not going to be easy for them, and they'll have to
spend some time slowing it down first."

Tenchi nodded. "I guess I should get in front of it with them and help
them stop it," he said. "Is that what you're saying?"

"You made the analysis. I just showed you the data, Tenchi," said Washuu.

"Thanks for the physics lesson," chuckled Tenchi.

Washuu grinned. "I'll give you a physics lesson anytime you want," she
said.

Tenchi blinked and stared at Washuu in bewilderment.

"Never mind," she said, still smiling. "Scientist joke."

"Anyway, I know I shouldn't have let it go, but they didn't seem to want
me to do anything. It looked like they were getting along just fine,"
protested Tenchi. "I thought I could trust them not to fight."

"Since when have you trusted Ryoko and Aeka with something important like
that?" asked Washuu.

Tenchi sighed. "When you love someone, aren't you supposed to trust
them?" he asked rather helplessly. "I didn't want them to think I didn't
believe in them, that I was going to be watching them all the time just
waiting for them to mess up. I just wish they'd *told* me about all
this."

"We've been over this before, already," Washuu reminded him.

"I know, I know," sighed Tenchi again.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starved," said Washuu, standing
up. She sniffed. "And from the smell of that, Sasami's already busy in
the kitchen."

Tenchi sniffed as well, catching a vague cinnamon scent among other
smells. "You know, I'm getting kind of hungry, too. I hope the girls have
calmed down enough to eat breakfast." He smiled as he looked over at
Washuu. "And Washuu-chan... thanks. I'm glad we talked."

"You're welcome, Tenchi," replied Washuu. "Besides, you three were
starting to distract me from my research."

"The noise, you mean?" asked Tenchi. "But I thought your lab was
soundproof."

Washuu made no reply as they headed downstairs and into the kitchen,
where they found Sasami in the midst of fixing breakfast. The cinnamon
smell turned out to be bean paste fritters, which the princess was fixing
in addition to the usual fare. Hearing them enter, she turned around and
smiled, though less cheerfully than usual. "Oh, hi. Breakfast will be
ready in about five minutes," she said.

"Where are the rest of the girls, Sasami-chan?" asked Tenchi nervously,
looking around.

"They're still in the bath," answered Sasami.

Tenchi sighed with relief. "Alright. I was worried they might have
started fighting again, but I guess Kiyone and Mihoshi can handle them."

Sasami shook her head. "Kiyone and Mihoshi left. They had to get to work
early."

Tenchi's face turned deathly pale as he stood frozen stock-still for a
moment. Then he tore out of the kitchen and dashed towards the bath.
Washuu shook her head and pressed some keys on her suddenly-present
console moments before Tenchi slammed open the door to the baths and
stopped himself inside. Both girls looked up, startled at the sudden
noise, and Aeka covered herself reflexively before she realized who the
intruder was.

Not completely sure if his new relationship with the girls meant that he
should look, or not, Tenchi chose discretion and turned his reddening
face away. "I, um... I... I thought... I thought maybe you might be
fighting," he said.

They stared hard at Tenchi, his mention of fighting having immediately
bringing into focus all of the words he'd shouted at them upstairs.
Neither of the girls replied.

"Breakfast is just about ready, but I have to take a bath. Can you wait
for me in the living room after you're done eating? I want us to have a
talk," he said. He turned and looked at them. "Alright?"

Seeing them nod, Tenchi sighed and shut the door behind him as he left.
He reopened the door and went into the mens' bath, his mind far too
occupied to consider this was the bath he should have found the first
time.

As the door to the women's bath closed, Ryoko and Aeka shared a look of
mingled hurt and anger, each wondering if Tenchi actually thought either
of them had wanted the fight instead of having tried to avoid it, and
that they'd resume the moment he took his eyes off them. They frowned and
turned away from each other, then started getting dressed.

A while later, he entered the living room to find Aeka sitting at one end
of the couch and Ryoko standing near the opposite end, looking through
the window at Sasami playing outside with Ryo-ohki. Both girls noticed
his presence but neither acknowledged it, seemingly lost in thought.
Ryoko being the closest, Tenchi walked over and put his hand on her
shoulder to try to show that he wasn't angry at her anymore.

Ryoko tensed. Without a word she reached up, firmly grasped Tenchi's
wrist, and pulled his hand off of her before floating over the couch and
sitting down. 

A surprised expression on his face, Tenchi paused for a moment, then
moved to sit down between the girls. He stopped, Aeka's very disapproving
frown saying in no uncertain terms that he definitely wasn't welcome near
her, either. Trying to digest this new experience, he slowly went to the
chair across the table from them and watched them, thinking. He'd been
expecting to gently dispense forgiveness, but it was starting to sink in
that he would have to ask it, instead. He searched for the proper words
while Ryoko and Aeka silently watched him.

At first, he balked at the very idea. They were the ones who were
fighting, and who had destroyed everything, after all. Even considering
that the material things that had been lost were trivial compared to the
prospect of the girls being hurt or killed, they were the ones who had
tried to do the hurting and the killing. But he reminded himself of what
he'd begun to see, while talking to his father and to Washuu: that the
pressure he'd put on Aeka and Ryoko had been immense. He'd asked them to
suddenly start acting completely differently from their usual selves, to
bottle up their hostility and hide it away so he wouldn't have to see it.
The pressure had built up and up, unseen by him, worsened by his own
carelessness, until that morning, in the bedroom, it had all exploded in
his face -- a whole week's worth of their usual arguing and fighting
compressed into the space of a few minutes.

He wondered if Washuu would consider his assessment scientific. He wasn't
sure. He sighed and continued trying to decide what he would say.

"I'm sorry for getting so mad at you," he said finally. "You didn't
deserve that. And I shouldn't have yelled at you that way. I know it's no
excuse, but I was scared about what might have happened to you. It was
really unfair of me to get that angry and blame you for everything when
so much of what was making you fight was my fault."

Aeka and Ryoko each gave him a curious look and waited for him to
continue.

"I should never have said you hadn't tried to get along," he said. He
looked at Aeka. "You're right. I had no right to say that to you, Ae-
chan. Or to Ryoko. You went almost a week without fighting at all, even
with all the things I did that made it harder for you, and I just took it
for granted -- the way I've taken both of you for granted." He glanced at
his hands for a moment. "Even though things didn't go the way I wanted
them to this morning... thank you. And I'm sorry."

Ryoko sighed, feeling somewhat mollified. "I'm sorry about fighting with
her, and wrecking your room, Tenchi," she said. "I know you wanted me to
be friends with her. But I tried. I really tried." She looked directly at
him, the hurt of his previous accusation still showing in her face a
little. "I did the best I could."

Aeka nodded. "It meant very much to me that I not disappoint you, Ten-
chan. I know it didn't seem that way, because of what transpired this
morning, but that wasn't at all what I wanted to have happen. I wish I
hadn't failed you, and I'm sorry for all the unpleasantness -- but I did
try, even though it was difficult. Because you wanted it."

"I know," he sighed, hanging his head a little. "I know. Thank you. Thank
you both. I guess I just figured that was the way things should be, so I
didn't say much about it. I'm sorry I didn't appreciate it the way I
should have." He stared down at his hands and silence fell, until after a
minute or so Ryoko broke it.

"Tenchi?"

He looked up. "Yes?"

"Why don't you come sit on the couch," she suggested.

Tenchi nodded. He walked over and sat between them. "I'm sorry," he said
again. "And... I know I overreacted this morning, but you two have never
fought like that before." He swallowed the lump in his throat as he
relived the terrifying thoughts that had gone through his mind during the
fight. "I thought I was going to lose one of you, this time," he said
quietly.

After a few moments, Ryoko and Aeka scooted next to Tenchi. He hesitated,
then put an arm around each girl and drew them closer to drive away the
memory of his earlier fears.

"Ten-chan, I..." Aeka began to say.

"Please don't say anything right now, Ae-chan," Tenchi interrupted
softly. "Just sit there. Please. OK?"

Aeka nodded. The three of them heaved a collective sigh, feeling an
immense tide of relief flow over them as the girls closed their eyes and
gently lay their heads against Tenchi. Tenchi closed his eyes as well and
bowed his head slightly. He could feel their love for him as an almost
tangible thing, as if it were a soft, warm glow reaching out to gently
enfold him. The trio sat there for several minutes, not saying a word,
Aeka and Ryoko silently basking in Tenchi's affectionate presence, and he
in theirs. Finally, he found the words to speak.

"Before, whenever you two fought, it always upset me," he said. "I hated
having my life disturbed like that. I hated the noise. I hated having to
fix all the damage you caused. And whenever it happened, I'd think, 'What
did I ever do to deserve this?'" He paused, then continued in a quieter
voice. "I still think that sometimes, but it means something totally
different now."

"I'm very sorry about what happened, Ten-chan," said Aeka.

"I know," replied Tenchi. "I know. I'm not happy about it, but dad's
right. Things can be replaced. I could never replace either of you. If
one of you had really hurt each other this morning, I don't know what I'd
have done."

"I'm sorry, Tenchi," said Ryoko.

"Please don't scare me like that, ever again," Tenchi pleaded. "If you
do, I'll... I'll..." He searched for the right threat to make. "I'll..."
He laughed, deciding to pick the most ridiculous thing that came to mind.
"I'll marry Sasami-chan. How's that?"

Ryoko and Aeka's eyes widened fearfully as they raised their heads to
stare at them. Tenchi looked back and forth at them and blinked.

"I was *joking*," he said. Both girls slowly let their breath out, and
Tenchi shook his head, surprised and mildly amused that they could think
he was at all serious about such a thing. He sat quietly with them for a
while longer. "Can I ask you something?" he said eventually. Both girls
nodded. "Were things getting better between you, besides you not
fighting? It looked like it was, a little. I know some of it was just my
wishful thinking, but there've been times these last few days when it
really seemed like you were enjoying each other's company. Last Sunday,
for instance..."

Ryoko and Aeka laughed, looked at each other, and laughed some more.

"Uh, what's so funny?" asked Tenchi.

"We already got this lecture from Sasami-chan, Tenchi," explained Ryoko.
"We don't have to hear it again."

Tenchi smiled. "I'll have to thank her, then. But just now, when you were
laughing together -- that's what I want to see. Was it really so bad?"

"Yep. We *are* going to hear it all over again," Ryoko said, though most
of the amusement was gone from her voice.

Aeka sighed. "Ten-chan, I tried. So did Ryoko. But you can't expect us to
change just because you want us to, no matter how much we might wish to
please you."

"I'm sorry," said Tenchi. "I'm doing it all over again." He shook his
head. "I just don't want either of you to get hurt. That's all that
matters about it to me, anymore. It isn't just so I can have peace and
quiet. If not arguing in front of me was what made things build up,
then... then go ahead and argue. I won't get mad. Well... I'll try not
to," he corrected. 

Aeka and Ryoko nodded. "I think that might help somewhat, Ten-chan," said
the princess. "

"Can you understand how it is for me, though?" asked Tenchi. "If someone
else came here and tried to hurt one of you, or insulted you, and I just
stood by... I'd feel like I was nothing. I'd *have* to do something. I'll
do my best not to pressure you, but how can I just pretend not to notice,
when you do those things to each other?"

Ryoko sighed. "Yeah, I can see that, Tenchi. It's just... hard."

"If you want me to help, ask me," he said. "And if I do something that
makes it harder for you, just talk to me about it. A lot of the stuff you
were mad at each other about this morning was *my* fault," he said,
hanging his head. "The bath, and yesterday afternoon, and my staying home
on Tuesday -- if things like that happen again, tell me. I'll try to
listen better than I usually do. OK?"

The girls nodded again, and Tenchi turned to look at Aeka.

"I wish you'd told me, Ae-chan," he said, gently laying his cheek against
the top of her head. "I would never have let it get as far as it did.
Last night was another thing I don't want to have to go through ever
again."

Ryoko frowned curiously, wondering what Tenchi was referring to, but
remained silent.

"Ten-chan, regarding last night," said Aeka. "Sasami told me about your
bringing my whip to present to me." The princess closed her eyes and
snuggled closer to Tenchi. "Thank you," she said softly.

"I meant it," said Tenchi. "I guess I was trying to say that I'd rather
be hurt that way, than for you to leave. I didn't know if it was the
right thing or not."

Ryoko's eyes went wide. Slowly she turned her head and stared at the two
of them.

Aeka moved her hand over Tenchi's and clasped it. "The only thing wrong
was that you feared I might punish you, once you had come to me seeking
forgiveness. The woman gives pain only to guide the man, to help him see,
not to avenge herself on him and make him suffer out of spite. Not if she
truly loves him." She squeezed his hand tightly. "And I do love you, Ten-
chan. More than anything there is."

Tenchi hugged Aeka more tightly to him. Ryoko watched them as patiently
as she could manage, until finally she couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Um, would you mind explaining something to me?" she asked.

"What is it?" asked Tenchi.

"What exactly did you mean by 'leaving'?"

Tenchi hesitated, unsure whether he should answer or not. He knew he was
supposed to be open and truthful with Ryoko, but this was a private
matter between him and Aeka, and it wasn't clear which mattered more.
Then he decided that this particular topic could never been something
that was truly private between him and just one of the girls.

"Ae-chan was going to leave," explained Tenchi in a pained voice. "She
thought I didn't love her anymore."

Ryoko's face lit up. "You mean I'd...?!"

She stopped, staring at the disapproving and deeply-wounded look on
Tenchi's face, then quickly turned away. He pulled her a little closer,
trying to understand and telling himself that he couldn't really blame
her for feeling how she felt, but at the same time remembering Aeka's
grief the previous night, and wondering how it could be something that
would make someone happy.

Slowly, the princess nodded. "Yes, Ryoko. You'd won. I was going to ask
Kiyone this morning for transport back to Jurai. Once I was gone, you
would have had Ten-chan all to yourself."

Ryoko's memory fixed on the look she'd seen in Tenchi's face moments
before, and she knew in her heart of hearts that Aeka's last statement
was totally untrue.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"As he said, because I thought he no longer loved me. It seemed that he'd
given his heart to you completely, and simply hadn't realized it yet. I
didn't think even you had seen it yet. But after watching him carry you
up to his bed yesterday, and seeing the way he'd hung the picture of the
two of on the wall, so proud of it..." Aeka closed her eyes. "Those might
sound like small things now, but then, there was no room left for doubt.
And as for how it felt," she squeezed Tenchi's hand, and he reciprocated,
"consider yourself fortunate for never having experienced it."

"Is that why you were so upset about me trying to make you leave, this
morning?" asked Ryoko.

Aeka nodded. "Yes. At least, that was the main reason."

Ryoko sat, contemplating these revelations amidst many conflicting
emotions. She knew Tenchi would want her to say she was glad Aeka wasn't
going to leave, but there was no way she could tell such an incredible
lie convincingly. And yet, while part of her felt great disappointment
for having victory snatched away from her, somewhere within her lay a
degree of sympathy that she tried and failed to hide from herself.

"Ryoko," said Tenchi, after a while.

"Yes?"

"I have to make it up to her. I have to spend some extra time with Ae-
chan, enough to make things right between us, because I want to make sure
she never feels that way again," he said. "Can you understand?"

After a few moments, Ryoko nodded.

"I want to be sure you know I'm not doing it to hurt you," said Tenchi.
"It's because I love her, not because I don't love you." He closed his
eyes and sighed. "Kami-sama, this is hard."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi's face again, took a deep breath, tensed, then
exhaled. "Aeka, remember our deal, last Saturday?"

Aeka looked across Tenchi at her. "Of course."

"I'm changing it a little," said Ryoko. "Today's yours. And tomorrow, and
Saturday. Sunday morning, we start over. Sound fair?"

Tenchi opened his eyes and gaped at her, then frowned. "Ryoko! I'm not a
thing you two can trade back and forth!"

"I was just trying to make it easier for you, Tenchi," Ryoko answered,
hanging her head. "You looked... like it was hurting you."

Tenchi's expression softened. "Yeah, it was," he agreed. "I'm sorry for
yelling at you." He turned to Aeka. "Is that alright with you, Ae-chan?"

"Yes, it is," the princess said, staring at Ryoko with a faint look of
amazement on her face. "Ryoko... thank you," she said slowly.

"Yeah, well, be sure you don't sleep in again on Sunday," said Ryoko, not
meeting Aeka's eyes.

After looking at Ryoko for a moment, Tenchi reached out, placed his hand
against her cheek, and gently pulled her head around to face him. He
gazed down into her eyes, seeing the sadness starting to grow in them and
knowing that the prospect of being apart from him was the cause. He
smiled a hopeful smile for her. "Thank you, Ryoko," he said, before
bending down to tenderly kiss her. 

Once his and Ryoko's lips parted, Tenchi turned and noticed Aeka
watching. He cast his eyes down, again caught in the middle of his
emotions for both girls, until he felt the princess squeeze his hand ans
saw her nod reassuringly. She leaned over and gave him a kiss, then lay
herself against him again. For a while, Tenchi sat between both girls in
silence once more, feeling much more at peace with himself than he would
have thought possible a few hours before.

"About this agreement of yours..." he said eventually.

Aeka and Ryoko looked at him rather nervously.

"Was it supposed to be a secret?" he asked.

"Not really," answered Ryoko. "We just figured that we'd handle it."

Aeka nodded. "I'm sorry to say it, but making decisions isn't one of your
strong points, Ten-chan."

"It's in the morning that you, um, hand me off, right?" asked Tenchi.

"At dawn," replied Aeka. "It seemed as good a time as any other."

"Well, next time, if you two get in an argument about it, I'd like to be
awake so I can stop it. From now on, it's noon," he said firmly. He
smiled. "Besides, wouldn't you rather be able to sleep in, instead of
getting up and switching beds?"

The girls looked thoughtful, then nodded in agreement. "Dawn was rather
inconvenient," said Aeka.

"Good. I'm glad you're letting me make *some* decisions about this,"
Tenchi laughed. After a moment, his smile vanished. "I'm sorry again, for
letting you carry the whole weight of this," he said. "And I'm sorry for
not appreciating how hard you tried for me." He sighed and paused for a
moment. "This is the last time I'm going to say this, and then I'll shut
up about it. I know I can't decide for you if you're going to become
friends or not. But don't give up on it because I pressured you too much
and made it hard for you. Give it another try, for yourselves, not for
me. I think you're both missing out on something if you don't."

"You meant it well, Tenchi," said Ryoko.

Aeka nodded, looking thoughtful. "Ten-chan, I was wondering... where will
we sleep tonight?"

Tenchi shook his head. "I don't know. I really didn't get a close look at
the damage, so I'm not sure how long the repairs will take."

"I'm very sorry about that," said Aeka. Ryoko nodded guiltily in
agreement.

"I told you, all that really matters is that you're both OK," said
Tenchi. "I'll fix the rest of it, somehow. Besides, it could have been a
lot worse if Washuu hadn't put the fire out. I'd better thank her."

"No big deal for a genius, really," said Washuu from the doorway nearest
the kitchen. "But you're welcome."

"How long have you been there?" demanded Ryoko suspiciously.

Washuu smiled. "Oh, a little while."

"I really would appreciate it if you'd allow us our privacy," said Aeka,
controlling the anger in her voice.

"Just checking to see if someone listened like they should have," said
Washuu, walking over and sitting down on the chair opposite them. She
looked at Tenchi. "Not bad. I'll give it a B-minus."

"What is she referring to, Ten-chan?" the princess asked.

"We had a talk about some things," he answered. He looked at the
scientist and laughed. "Thanks for the physics lesson, Washuu-chan."

Ryoko and Aeka blinked, then bolted upright off the couch and glowered
wrathfully down at Washuu, their fists clenched trembling at their sides.

Washuu grinned.

"You better not have," warned Ryoko, pointing her finger. "Because if you
did..."

Aeka nodded. "I do hope this is simply a misunderstanding," she said
threateningly.

"Uhhh... did I say something wrong?" asked Tenchi, looking and feeling
very confused.

"Don't worry, girls. It was just advice, not a demonstration," said
Washuu, her mischievous grin softening to a warm smile. "Besides which,
he's got the science wrong. It was chemistry."

Tenchi blinked. "It sounded like physics to *me*," he said.

Ryoko glared down at Washuu. "You'd better not give Tenchi anymore
'science lessons' unless I'm in the classroom to keep an eye on you," she
growled.

"Well put," said Aeka, giving the scientist an equally-harsh look.

"And it's not a half-bad idea, coming from Ryoko," said Washuu, standing
up. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded the pirate.

Washuu started heading towards her lab. "Just follow me," she said, as
she opened the door.

Reluctantly, the three of them followed Washuu into the darkness of her
laboratory, where she stood typing on her console.

"Is there something we're supposed to see?" asked Tenchi, looking around.

"Just hold on," replied Washuu, typing a few commands. "Now," she said,
hitting the final key with a flourish, "class is in session."

Suddenly, chairs and desks appeared out the lab floor directly underneath
Tenchi, Ryoko, and Aeka, forcing them to take a seat or be knocked aside.
They sat. Washuu walked in front of them, dressed in a professor's robes,
and tapped a podium that had appeared in the same manner as the desks.

"We will begin by studying the relationship which you three are in, a
grouping which chemists call a 'covalent bond,'" said Washuu.

Ryoko smirked. "Aeka's the one who's into bondage, not *me*."

A large ceramic cat statue landed on Ryoko's head with a loud "clang!"

"Owwwww!"

"Raise your hand for permission to speak," admonished Washuu. "As I was
saying, a covalent bond is when two atoms are held together by sharing
electrons."

Aeka raised her hand.

"Yes, Aeka-san?" said Washuu, nodding.

"Do you mean, when two are joined because one has an electron and the
other doesn't?" asked the princess.

"No..." replied Washuu.

A large salt shaker landed on Aeka's head.

"Owwww...!"

"...that's *ionic* bonding. The subject of today's class is *covalent*
bonding." 

A large viewscreen appeared behind her, showing two atoms with swarming
electron clouds around them. Strangely enough, the nuclei looked a lot
like Ryoko and Aeka's faces. In addition, one of the electrons looked
like Tenchi. It hovered between the Aeka nucleus and the Ryoko nucleus,
wavering back and forth. Washuu cleared her throat, then raised her
pointer and tapped the Tenchi electron. 

"Atomic theory tells us that a valence electron in a covalent bond will
interact with both nuclei equally, and the overlap of the atoms' orbitals
makes it impossible to determine which atom the electron belongs to. In
fact, it would be more accurate to say that the electron belongs to
*both* atoms. Understand this so far?"

Tenchi, Aeka, and Ryoko nodded tentatively.

"Of course, all that assumes that the molecule we're talking about is a
homogenous diatomic one," added Washuu. "Otherwise, the electron's
position will be influenced by a variety of factors such as..."

She stopped, noticing their blank stares.

"Never mind," she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, the formation of bonds
in general is often an extremely-violent event, involving the release of
large amounts of energy, depending on the reagents in question." The
screen filled with an image of the Hindenburg crashing to the ground in
flames. "Here we see the formation of covalent bonds between hydrogen and
oxygen atoms."

"Ouch," winced Tenchi, under his breath.

"Once the bond is formed, the atoms become a stable molecule, and they
will resist being broken apart..."

Ryoko and Aeka glanced at each other, their expressions very skeptical.

"...but a stable covalent bond will not form between atoms which just
share *one* electron."

Aeka, Tenchi, and Ryoko blinked, looked at each other, then glared at
Washuu. "NO WAY!!!" they shouted simultaneously.

Washuu rapped each of them over the knuckles with her pointer. "Raise
your hands before speaking!" she reminded them.

Then she sighed and took off her cap, placing it on the podium. She
walked behind Ryoko and Aeka and put her hands on their shoulders. "All
I'm saying is that you two need to have something in common besides
Tenchi," Washuu said gently. "Understand?" Then she frowned. "I'm doing
this against my better judgement. Next time I'm just going to change you
into kappa again -- all three of you, this time. It'd be a whole lot
easier, and you've certainly got some wrongdoings to contemplate."

The girls each gave Washuu a nasty look, and Tenchi looked momentarily
terrified, but then he smiled. "Thanks, Washuu-chan."

"You're welcome, Tenchi," replied Washuu.

The crab chime rattled as the door materialized next to it and opened.
Nobuyuki poked his head into the lab. "Ah, so this is where you are," he
said. "Time to start on the repairs. I've got all the things we'll need.
Come on out and help me unload the van."

"Yeah, dad, be right there," answered Tenchi. He started for the door,
then halted in his tracks and looked back at Aeka and Ryoko, unsure if he
should leave when they might need his help, or stay and make them think
he didn't trust them.

"We'll be fine, Tenchi," said Ryoko.

Aeka looked towards the Nobuyuki. "Would it be easier if we assisted you,
otou-sama?" she asked.

Nobuyuki smiled and shook his head. "No, no. Us guys can handle it. You
ladies have had a rough morning." He thought for a moment. "Say, it's a
nice warm day out. Maybe you should go for a swim in the lake." He looked
over at his son. "Coming, Tenchi?"

Tenchi nodded and headed out the door with his father.

"A thousand yen says he was just trying to get a look at us in bathing
suits," said Ryoko, once the men had gone.

"No wager," replied Aeka.

"I'd take the bet, but it's a little hard to answer the question
conclusively without a cortex scan," said Washuu.

Ryoko and Aeka turned around and looked down at her curiously. "What
exactly did you discuss with Ten-chan?" asked the princess.

"Just a couple of things he has a hard time thinking straight about,"
replied Washuu, looking up at the two girls.

"Oh. I see," said Aeka.

Ryoko looked down at her feet. "Umm... uhhh..." She glanced up at
Washuu's face, then down to the floor again for a few more seconds.
"Thanks," she said finally.

Aeka nodded. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," said Washuu.

The girls let themselves out of the lab. Once they had left, Washuu went
back to stand behind the podium, staring wistfully at the professor's cap
that sat atop it. She picked up the pointer and tapped the end against
the floor a couple of times, then raised her face and looked out from
behind the podium at the now-empty desks. Her eyes widened a little but
her gaze didn't waver as a tear welled in one of them and trickled down
her cheek to land on the cap.

"Che," Washuu said, shaking her head. "I'm getting old." She sighed,
summoned her console and pressed a few keys, banishing the classroom back
whence it came before reapplying herself to her latest experiment.

Upstairs, the sound of clashing metal erupting from the television's
speakers filled the living room. Sasami and Katsuhito sat on the floor
right in front of the set, their fingers working the game controllers in
their hands while on the screen a colorfully-robed shrine maiden was busy
repeatedly striking a helpless old samurai in a yellow kimono.

"No, no, no," chided the princess, as the woman's naginata struck home
again with blinding speed. "You need to remember the special moves. Make
him duck down and use the nodachi -- the really big sword, I mean."

Katsuhito frowned at the TV. "I know what a nodachi is, Sasami-chan," he
said. "And I'm not going to let you beat me four times..."

The samurai toppled, felled by a vicious thrust of the shrine-maiden's
weapon.

"...in a row," finished Katsuhito, looking mildly perturbed.

Sasami patted him on the head. "Don't feel bad, ojiisama. You're really
doing much better!" She smiled. "Do you want to try it again?"

Tenchi and Nobuyuki walked in through the open front door, each carrying
some boards. "Alright, we're ready to start on the repairs," Nobuyuki
said to his father-in-law, stopping as he headed up the stairs. "Are you
coming?"

Katsuhito's brow wrinkled contemplatively. He glanced up at Nobuyuki,
then down at the game controller, and thought for a few moments.

Sasami smiled at him. "Another game?" she asked hopefully.

Katsuhito stood up. "I'm very sorry, Sasami-chan. But I really have to go
help Tenchi and his father," he said, walking away with just a hint of
haste in his step.

The young princess sighed in disappointment. She started flipping through
the discs in search of a different game to play, but hadn't decided on
one yet when she heard Ryoko and Aeka enter the room. Seeing them
together and not obviously angry at each other, Sasami's face brightened
immediately. She waited until the sat down on the couch before moving to
sit next to them.

"You're friends again, right? You listened to what I said in the bath?"
asked Sasami hopefully.

Both of the older girls hesitated for a few moments. "We're not upset
anymore. And we're going to try not to fight. Is that good enough,
Sasami-chan?" asked Ryoko.

"You didn't listen," sighed Sasami. Aeka and Ryoko fell silent, and she
got down off the couch, stood in front of them, and frowned. "I want you
hug each other and say you'll be friends. Otherwise, I'm going to be
really, really mad at you," she warned.

Aeka sighed. "Sasami, come sit. I think I should explain this to you,"
she said, patting the seat between her and Ryoko.

Sasami folded her arms across her chest, looked away, and refused to
budge.

Aeka got up off the couch, took hold of Sasami's arm, and gently tugged
her to the couch between herself and Ryoko. "Sasami, this isn't something
which a wise person would try to force," she said. "And it also is unfair
to Ryoko, and to me, for you to try. Whether or not two people are
friends is something for them to decide, not others."

"But you *should* be friends," protested Sasami, pouting sadly. "You
should be."

"I will do my best to treat Ryoko as I would any other person," assured
Aeka, firmly but gently. "If friendship grows from that, so much the
better. But that is something that should happen of its own accord."

Sasami turned and looked at Ryoko, an unspoken question on her face. The
pirate nodded. "Same here, Sasami-chan. Just let us try it our own way.
OK?"

"I guess so," said Sasami, looking very disappointed. "Are you going to
start wearing the necklace oneesama gave you, though?" she asked. The
frown quickly returned to her face. "Even if you're not friends, it's
mean to not wear it, after she gave it to you."

Ryoko turned to Aeka in puzzlement. "What's this necklace she keeps
talking about?"

"You mean she hasn't given it to you yet?" asked Sasami. She hung her
head and looked at her sister. "Did I spoil the surprise, oneesama?" she
asked worriedly. "I'm sorry."

At the word "surprise", the pirate's expression turned from confusion to
mild shock, but she didn't say anything. Aeka sighed. "No, no, you
didn't, Sasami."

Sasami's cheer returned swiftly. "Oh. Why haven't you given it to her,
then?"

Aeka looked away. For several long moments she didn't answer. "I..." she
began finally, then stopped and closed her eyes, briefly falling silent
again. "I threw it into the lake," she said quietly.

Sasami blinked. "But why? You spent so much time in the store looking for
just the right one!"

Once more, Aeka was silent for a while. "I was... angry, Sasami." She
opened her eyes and looked over at Ryoko. "Something which I saw upset me
very much."

"What?" asked Sasami.

The two older girls stared at each other, comprehension dawning on
Ryoko's face. "This was... Tuesday morning?" she asked slowly. "Right?"

Aeka nodded, and she and Ryoko continued their silent stare.

"That's why you were out of the house?" asked Ryoko.

Once more, Aeka nodded.

"So, you were coming to give me a gift, when you...?"

Aeka gave another nod. "Essentially," she said.

Ryoko broke the stare, looked down at her hands, and said absolutely
nothing.

"But what was it you saw that made you upset?" asked Sasami.

"Sasami-chan, I don't think your sister wants to talk about this
anymore," said Ryoko quietly. "OK?"

Sasami looked at Aeka's face, then nodded. "Alright. But if you threw it
in the lake, won't it probably still be there?"

"I... suppose so," said Aeka thoughtfully.

"Well, why don't we go get it, then?" suggested Sasami.

Aeka contemplated this briefly. "I don't know. At the time, it felt so...
final an act. I really hadn't considered retrieving it."

Sasami stood up. "If you don't want to get wet, I'll go get it for you,"
she said.

"No, I should do that," replied Aeka, also standing. "I remember where it
sank, I think."

Ryoko floated up and followed the two princesses out the front door, not
saying anything as they walked out towards the lake. When they reached
the shore, Aeka looked around for a few minutes, trying to catch sight of
a metallic glint amidst the glare of the sunlight reflected off the
water. Finally, she gave up, deciding to try something else. First she
removed the geta and tabi from her feet. Then a ring of small logs
surrounded her as her forcefield crackled into existence. Ryoko gave a
twitch and stifled the reflexive urge to assume a combat stance. Instead,
she stood and watched as Aeka strode carefully out into the lake, the
bubble-shaped field holding back the water as she pushed in, trying not
to slip on the now-exposed mud and pebble lake bottom.

Once she reached what she thought was the place, she began to move
around, ignoring the shimmering water that now reached up to her
shoulders. It took her some minutes, but she eventually found what she
sought. She rolled up the sleeve of her kimono and picked up a
suspiciously-shaped clump of ooze at her feet, smiling triumphantly as
some of the mud slid off to reveal the points of shining gold petals.

"Did you find it?" called Sasami.

Aeka nodded and headed back. Once to shore she washed her feet, then the
necklace, carefully removing all of the silt from the gleaming gold
flower petals and locket before turning around to face Ryoko. After
hesitating for a moment, she decided to proceed the way she'd intended
when the idea had occurred to her, as if she'd never stumbled upon Ryoko
and Tenchi together in the bath and the discussion in the living room
about it had never taken place.

"Ryoko, this is for you," she said, holding out the necklace towards her
and suddenly feeling rather awkward. She bowed. "I hope... I hope that
it's to your liking."

Ryoko returned the bow and accepted the necklace as graciously as she
could, likewise rather uneasy with the unprecedented situation. She
smiled and examined it. "Thanks, it's..." She stopped, her eyes widening
a little when she saw Tenchi's name engraved on the locket. "I mean, it's
really nice. Thanks."

"The pleasure is mine," said Aeka, bowing again. The two stood, staring
at each other, for half a minute before Sasami ventured to speak.

"Aren't you going to put it on?" she asked.

Ryoko blinked. "Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that," she laughed nervously. She
unclasped the necklace and fastened it behind her neck. "There. How do I
look, Sasami-chan?" she asked, unable to break old habits and leave
herself wide open for an insult by asking Aeka.

"Wow! It makes you look even prettier, Ryoko!" gasped Sasami. "And it
matches your eyes, too! Go look in the water at your reflection so you
can see."

Ryoko smiled. Instead of following Sasami's advice, she floated out of
herself. Sasami giggled and Aeka reflexively stepped back a pace in shock
as one of the pirate's halves stopped a couple of meters away from the
other and appraised her appearance.

"It really does look nice, Aeka," said the Ryoko not wearing the
necklace. "Thanks again."

"You're... you're welcome," stuttered the princess, flustered now not
only by Ryoko's rare display of politeness, but also by there being two
of her.

Sasami smiled happily at the two -- or three -- older girls, then,
deciding that things seemed patched up enough between them for her to go
back to the house and watch some TV with Ryo-ohki, she excused herself
and left.

Ryoko didn't really notice Sasami's departure. She was busy looking at
the necklace that hung around her neck -- specifically, the kanji forming
Tenchi's name, cut into the locket. It reminded her a lot of similar
things she'd seen the Earthlings put on their pet cats, the more so
because of the "koneko" nickname Tenchi seemed lately to think was so apt
for her. But it didn't seem so much a claim of "belonging to" -- though
she had said she'd given herself to him -- as it was a statement of
"belonging with." It was as if the name was there to say, "this is who
I'm supposed to be with, and if I'm not, please take me to him, because
he wants me back, and I don't want to be lost and alone anymore."

She wondered if that's what Aeka had meant to say, if she could have made
such a gesture, and what she would have done if, while trying to make it,
she had seen what Aeka had seen.

"Ryoko?" asked the princess, after a while.

Both pirates turned and looked at her. "What?"

"Could you please... not do that?" Aeka asked. "I don't mean to be
impolite, but it's rather... disconcerting to me."

Momentarily realizing what Aeka was talking about, Ryoko nodded and
merged into one self again. She held the locket in her hand and
contemplated it some more.

"That's for when he's at school," said Aeka. "It's to remind you that
even when he's gone, he's with you in your heart." She looked away, once
more feeling awkward and embarrassed. "I thought that it might comfort
you a little during the day. Make it easier for you to accept his
absence." She paused for a moment. "And I also meant show that I
sympathize with you about that, that I understand how you feel, even if I
don't agree with how you want to deal with it."

"Thanks," said Ryoko again, quietly.

"You're welcome. I hope it helps you a little," said the princess.

Ryoko shook her head. "That's not what I meant. Thanks for seeing that
he's in my heart."

A pained expression washed over Aeka's face for a moment. She looked down
at the ground. "Actually... I'm glad that he is," she said, though her
sad tone clashed with her words. "It will be a comfort to me, when..."
Her voice trailed off, and she sighed.

"When what?" asked the pirate, now on the verge of amazement. Aeka was
*happy* that Ryoko loved Tenchi?

"I'll explain later," said Aeka.

Ryoko nodded and idly examined the necklace a little more, scarcely able
to believe what she was hearing Aeka say. Suddenly, she realized
something that had been just below the surface of her thoughts. Her
memories raced back through the years to a field of flowers, beautiful
flowers, all of them in bloom. She ran the chain of gold petals through
her fingers, thinking of other blossoms, real ones, soft and fragrant,
strung together in a similar fashion.

"This isn't just about Tenchi," she said -- a statement of fact, not a
question.

Aeka nodded and smiled a little. "Ah. You noticed that?"

"How old were we when that happened?" asked Ryoko.

"I'm not sure," answered Aeka.

"Anyway..." Ryoko said, offering her hand, "apology accepted, princess."

Aeka frowned at her.

Ryoko laughed.

After a moment, so did Aeka. But her mirth died all too quickly, and
melancholy descended on her like darkness at dusk. "Ryoko, there are some
things I need to discuss with you."

"Another talk? Haven't we been doing a little too much of that lately?"
asked Ryoko. "I was going to go pop in on Tenchi."

"Yes, but these are matters of the utmost importance," said Aeka. "I
believe you'll agree with me, once I explain. In fact, I think you'll
consider it rather good news."

"OK, if you say so," said Ryoko. "Back inside, or out here?"

"Under Ryuu-oh," answered the princess. "This needs to be private. I
don't want anyone else overhearing us."

Ryoko nodded. "Meet me there. I'll go get the tea," she said, before
vanishing.

Upstairs in Tenchi's bedroom, he and his father and grandfather were busy
clearing the wreckage in preparation for their repairs. The bed and the
potted plant were the only pieces of furniture still intact, everything
else having borne the brunt of one of the girl's attacks or been struck
by ricocheting plasma. While Tenchi carefully filled a trash can with the
broken glass, Katsuhito and Nobuyuki worked on the broken pieces of wood
that crowded the doorway -- the aftermath of the violent interaction of
Ryoko's energy bolt and the guardian's forcefield. Nobuyuki's eyes
widened and Katsuhito smiled just a little as they pulled away one of the
last fallen boards and looked underneath.

"I, uh, found something, Tenchi," said Nobuyuki, holding up Aeka's whip.

Tenchi glanced up from his work, blushed, then quickly walked over and
relieved his father of it. "Thanks, dad," he said nervously, poking his
head out the door. "Sasami-chan!" he called.

"Be right there!" came the girl's voice from down the stairs.

Nobuyuki stared at the whip in utter disbelief after nearly falling over
in shock. "That's... Sasami-chan's???" he gasped. "I thought for sure it
was Ryoko's." He frowned at Tenchi. "Now, son, I know I've always given
you a hard time about your shyness problem, but she's only eight years
old. That's just not right!"

Tenchi face-faulted. "DAAAAAD! HOW CAN YOU EVEN *THINK* THAT?!?!" he
shouted, once he got up. "I'd never do that to Sasami-chan! Besides, I'm
having a hard enough time with Ae-chan and Ryoko as it is!"

"Never do what, Tenchi?" asked Sasami.

"Ummm..." he said, cringing and turning around. "Uhhhh... I'd..." He
self-consciously put his hand on the back of his head and laughed in
embarrassment. "I'd... I'd never imagine you having to use one of these,"
he said, handing the whip to her. "Like I said last Saturday." He gulped
and started to sweat. "Remember?" he asked hopefully.

Sasami smiled. "You're really sweet, Tenchi," she giggled.

Tenchi exhaled. "Anyway, put that back wherever Ae-chan keeps it, OK?"

The princess nodded and left, and Tenchi relaxed a little bit more until
he noticed his father staring at him.

"That belongs to Aeka?" asked Nobuyuki.

"It's not what you think, dad," said Tenchi defensively. "Don't say
anything about it, alright? She gets offended really easily when it comes
to that. It's some kind of tradition, back on Jurai."

Katsuhito nodded sagely. "I won't say a word, son," promised Nobuyuki,
and the three of them went back to removing debris.

"Dad?" asked Tenchi, after a few more minutes.

Nobuyuki looked up. "What, son?"

"Did you and mom have any arguments as bad as this one?" he asked.
"Without the explosions and all that, I mean," Tenchi added hastily. "I
was wondering how you handled it."

"I told you, we didn't have that many arguments," laughed Nobuyuki. "Your
mom always had a stronger personality than me, from the very start.
*MUCH* stronger. I learned pretty quick to just agree with her. Things
were a whole lot easier that way."

"I can't believe you never disagreed about anything at all," said Tenchi
skeptically.

"Oh, we did, sometimes. Just not very often," Nobuyuki replied. "And I
always lost anyway. But your mother never gloated about it, so I really
didn't mind. Besides, she was so sweet and gentle most of the time that
when she got mad... well, whenever she'd frown at me and say 'I've had
enough! I will not allow this!', suddenly whatever it was we disagreed
about just seemed so unimportant, compared to seeing a smile on her face
again." He sighed. "She had the prettiest smile..."

Tenchi became rather quiet. Katsuhito nodded. "She had a very strong
will. I was always quite proud of her for that," he said. "And you're
right about the smile, too."

"What about you and baachan?" asked Tenchi, turning to his grandfather.

"Hmmm... since when do you listen to my advice?" asked Katsuhito, looking
just a little amused. "Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"I just want to handle it better than I've been doing," replied Tenchi,
downcast. "Better than this morning, anyway."

Katsuhito nodded. "Commendable. And wise. Now I know you're sick. Perhaps
we should have Washuu take your temperature."

Tenchi cringed and an expression of utter terror filled his face. "T-t-
that's not funny, jiichan!"

"Well, your grandmother and I had our share of arguments. But we usually
managed to resolve it without too much fuss, after we'd been married for
a few years. We both learned to avoid the things that led to making each
other angry," Katsuhito explained.

"And when you didn't avoid it?" asked Tenchi.

"If things had become too heated, we would always have a tea ceremony
afterwards, to put everything into proper perspective," said the old man.

Tenchi looked puzzled. "Tea ceremony? Isn't that a little old-fashioned?"

"Perhaps, but it served its purpose very well -- tranquility reached
through harmony and respect. Sitting down as equals for the cha-no-yu
always reminded us that, even though we had disagreed, it wasn't
important who won or lost, but that we chose the right path, because we
walked that path together, side by side."

Thinking this over, Tenchi slowly nodded. It reminded him of what Washuu
and his father had said, about Ryoko and Aeka being afraid of him. That
wasn't what he wanted at all. In fact, now that he had thought it over
during the recent days, he realized that their confidence -- except when
it came to him -- was one of the things he loved them for. He wanted to
respect them, hard though that had been sometimes when they were so
overly-eager for the slightest sign of approval or affection from him. In
a way, their refusal to immediately seek his forgiveness had actually
felt... good. 

Then it occurred to him that the idea didn't just apply to respect
between himself and the girls. It was true between Aeka and Ryoko as
well.

"Thanks, jiichan," he said. "Do you think maybe you could tell me how to
hold the ceremony? I know basically what you're supposed to do, but I
want to have one with the girls, as soon as I can, and I want to do it
the right way."

Katsuhito shook his head. "Then you need to curb your impatience," he
said. "I'm no tea master, but even a novice knows that haste has no place
in the cha-no-yu. The spirit of your preparations will show through in
the ceremony itself. Rushing them is a very grave insult to your guests."

Tenchi hung his head. "Sorry, I forgot about that."

"We'll discuss it later," said Katsuhito.

"I guess it's silly to expect things with me and the girls to be a lot
like how they were with you two and mom and baachan," said Tenchi.
"Besides the sharing problem, at least you weren't from different
planets."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe that's a little bit of it," said Nobuyuki. "But
I think it's more that you don't seem to do much with them outside of the
bedroom. There has to be more to a relationship than that, son. If you
put too much of an emphasis on sex, it's unhealthy."

Tenchi turned and stared at his father, not entirely sure if he'd heard
him correctly.

Nobuyuki blinked. "Is something wrong, Tenchi?"

"No, dad," replied Tenchi slowly. "No, nothing at all."

"Oh. Well, anyway, I'm glad to help. Don't be afraid to ask me for more
advice. I've got plenty of experience," said Nobuyuki. He pulled himself
up a little straighter. "Your old dad was quite the ladies man in his
younger days."

"Hmmm... That's strange," said Katsuhito, looking contemplative. "I seem
to recall Achika once telling me that you'd never dated before the two of
you started going out."

Nobuyuki laughed nervously, picked up a board, and started repairing one
of the blast holes in the wall. Katsuhito and Tenchi began work as well,
and as Tenchi hammered in the nails he mulled all of the advice he'd
received that morning. 

An idea began to form in his head. At first, he resisted it -- the very
concept made him extremely nervous. He warily circled the plan that had
started, half against his will, to take shape. The more he thought about
it, the more dangerous consequences came up, but it also started
increasingly to make sense. It was a little crazy, but it definitely
might work. Besides, he knew the level of risks the girls were willing to
dare for his sake. This was the merest fraction of that.

He finished one board, then moved over by the window to repair some of
the damage there. Outside, he could see Aeka sitting underneath Ryuu-oh,
seemingly lost in thought. The princess was only slightly startled when
Ryoko phased into the air in front of her and set down a tray of tea
before taking a seat next to Aeka. Looking back to the house and catching
sight of Tenchi, Ryoko waved and Aeka, seeing the pirate do so, followed
her gaze, then waved as well.

Tenchi waved back and nodded to himself. They deserved for him to at
least try. But first, he needed to talk to Washuu, once the repairs were
completed. He picked up his hammer and went back to work.

Ryoko nibbled at a cookie and waited while Aeka pensively sipped some
tea. Every so often the princess glanced over at her for a moment, then
looked down at her tea, weighing in her mind her next course of action as
Tenchi had been doing. Finally she overcame her apprehension and spoke.

"Ryoko, I'm about to tell you something which you could use against me,
if you so chose," she said. "I would never have told you this before. I
want you to understand that by telling you now, I'm giving you my trust."

Ryoko paused briefly in thought, then nodded. "OK. What's on your mind?"

"First, I want you to promise that this stays between us. No one else
must hear of it, especially not Ten-chan and Sasami," she said. "Is that
understood?"

Ryoko nodded again. "Sure."

"Do you remember what I said on Saturday, about the conduct that is
expected of me in matters of marriage?" asked Aeka.

"Yeah, sort of. You said your parents don't want you sleeping around, and
that your dad would get really, really pissed if he found out about you
and Tenchi. Is that what you're worried about -- that your dad won't
think he's good enough?" Ryoko frowned. She didn't at all like the
prospect of Tenchi becoming Emperor of Jurai, but she decided for the
moment to treat the subject hypothetically. Besides, she was almost
certain that he would much rather stay on Earth.

Aeka nodded. "That's understating the matter. My mother might be a little
shocked, but I think she would understand. Father would be simply
furious. And not just him. Others in my family would also be angry. And
many, many of the Juraian people, as well. The idea of an Earthling
commoner sitting on the throne would not be a popular one at all," she
explained, feeling terribly ashamed on behalf of her relatives and
subjects.

Ryoko's eyes narrowed as she gave Aeka a hard stare.

"You know very well that isn't how I think of him," said Aeka firmly,
holding the pirate's gaze. "But it won't change things if I delude myself
about how others see him."

"I just don't like the idea of someone thinking Tenchi's not good enough
for something," said Ryoko angrily.

"I didn't say I was apologizing for them. I'm not."

Ryoko nodded, then looked puzzled again. "But I don't get it. What does
it matter what they think of him? It's not like they have any choice over
whether or not you're going to be queen. And anyway, can't you just have
their heads chopped of or something if they start badmouthing you or
Tenchi?"

Aeka sighed. "It's not that simple, Ryoko. As I told you before, I am
expected to choose a husband according to how a marriage with him would
strengthen Jurai. I am not supposed to allow my personal feelings to
enter into the decision, except perhaps whether I consider the man
honorable or not. Certainly Ten-chan's character is not in question, but
he commands no fleets, no armies. He holds no planets. His bloodline is
completely unknown, and he comes from a backwater world. Those things
don't matter to me, but if I went before the people of Jurai and told
them that, it would be seen as treason. Even if my father approved of my
decision, he would be forced to remove me from the line of succession.
Doing otherwise would mean casting Jurai into civil war."

Ryoko tried her best to keep from looking pleased at the revelation that
Tenchi would never have to sit on Jurai's throne. And besides, if the
Juraians couldn't appreciate Tenchi the way she did, Ryoko had no
sympathy for them at all. Putting those thoughts aside, she turned and
looked at the princess again. "Aeka, if it came down to having Tenchi or
being Queen of Jurai, we both know which you'd choose."

"Yes, quite so," said Aeka, nodding before she sighed once more. "But
again, it's more complex than that. Firstly, Sasami is next in line to
the throne, after me. And once it was known what I had done, the rest of
the family would force my father to see to it that she never had the
opportunity to do likewise." Aeka hung her head guiltily and continued in
a sorrowful voice. "They would make her live with her heart chained to
the throne, Ryoko. I do not wish such a thing on her."

"Neither do I," agreed Ryoko thoughtfully. Her mind went back to her
Sunday night conversation with Sasami, on the subject of the princess'
crush on Tenchi and the young girl's concern about whether she'd find
someone of her own. The prospect of Sasami's just-awakening awareness of
romantic love being strangled didn't sit well with Ryoko at all.

"Ordinarily, as second in line, Sasami's marriage would be less
important, so she would have at least some choice in who her husband
would be. Were she to become First Princess, she would have none. And in
any case, she doesn't want to be Empress. She's said so. If I were to
abdicate, I would be stealing my sister's freedom, and piling all my
duties and burdens onto her." Aeka shook her head. "I don't know if I
could be that selfish."

Reflexively, Ryoko thought of a caustic reply or two, then drove them out
of her mind. "And secondly?"

"Even if I said I was giving up my claim to the throne, many would not
believe it. And if my father forced me to, few would believe that I would
accept that, either. They would suspect that I was biding my time,
gathering off-world allies while I waited for them to relax their
vigilance," her voice started to break, "intending to have Sasami
assassinated and place myself in power by force."

Ryoko's jaw dropped as she stared, stunned, at Aeka for several seconds.
Finally, still a little shocked, she shook her head slowly. "Look, I've
thought some pretty nasty stuff about you over the years, but even I know
you'd never hurt Sasami-chan."

"Thank you, Ryoko," said Aeka quietly. "I find it... extremely strange...
to consider that you might think more highly of me than some of my own
subjects. But such a deed wouldn't be without precedent. Treachery and
ambition have gone hand-in-hand before, and intrigue is nothing new to
the Royal Court."

"Almost sounds like a space pirate guild," said Ryoko.

Aeka blanched, her face suddenly turning white as a ghost's.

Ryoko blinked, confused by the princess' reaction but realized that Aeka
probably found it insulting to hear her family compared to criminals. The
pirate folded her hands over her knees and sat in silent thought for
while, and in the meantime Aeka gradually relaxed again. "If they wanted
Sasami as queen, and they thought you were going to try to kill her,
they'd try to kill you first, wouldn't they?" Ryoko asked finally.

"Yes," said Aeka.

"Is that why you're telling me all this? So I'll cover your back, because
Tenchi cares about you?" asked Ryoko.

Aeka shook her head. "No. That's not it at all. I'm asking you to protect
Ten-chan."

Ryoko instantly tensed up, jerking her head around to look straight at
Aeka. "What?!"

"I've told you what would happen if my involvement with Ten-chan was
widely known on Jurai, or if some of the more opportunistic members of
the royal family found out," said Aeka. "If I can come to these
conclusions, so could others. Others who would immediately move to ensure
that the knowledge remained hidden, so that these consequences would
never come to pass." She looked off into the distance, a fearful look on
her face, and her voice shook when she spoke again. "Rumors that the
First Princess had taken a lover could be dismissed far more easily if no
evidence of his existence could be found."

Ryoko slowly clenched and unclenched her fists. "Who?"

"Perhaps my father, for one, though I'd like to think he wouldn't do such
a thing. But many of my relatives would consider it their duty to protect
Jurai from possible strife. Compared to the prospect of civil war or
rebellion breaking out on Jurai, Ten-chan's life wouldn't matter to them
in the slightest." Her voice started to shake again. "Some them might...
might even think that they were protecting my honor in the eyes of the
people of Jurai. They would believe that to kill him would spare me
public shame, like removing an unsightly stain." She slowly lowered her
gaze, her eyes wide in horror. "Do you have any idea how that makes me
feel?"

Ryoko didn't answer, keeping her jaw tightly clenched and trying to
control the desire to lash out at something to vent her mounting rage.
"You know damn well you don't have to ask me to protect Tenchi," she said
once she had calmed down a little. "If one of your relatives lays a
finger on him -- any of them, I don't care if it's your dad, or your mom,
or your brother..."

"I don't have a brother," said Aeka.

"Whatever," Ryoko nearly snarled. "Anybody. I don't care who. If I even
*think* they're going to hurt Tenchi, there's going to be a closed-casket
funeral back on Jurai for you to go to. Understand?"

"My mother would never even consider harming Ten-chan," replied Aeka. "My
father... I'm not sure. But as to anyone else," she raised her head and
managed an expression of grim pride, "should they threaten him, you may
do as you please with whatever is left after I am finished with them."

"I won't argue with that," said Ryoko approvingly. "When's all this going
to start happening, anyway?"

Aeka's proud look drained away. She shivered and fell silent.

"Well?" asked Ryoko, growing impatient after a minute or so.

"If I can handle things properly, it won't happen. That's something else
I need to talk with you about," said Aeka.

Ryoko frowned. "Wait a minute. You just said that if your family finds
out, some of them would try to kill Tenchi. Won't they start getting
suspicious if you stay away for a few years? Or if they ask you to come
home for something, and you don't go? What happens when they send
somebody to check up on you?"

Aeka closed her eyes, but didn't answer.

"I asked, what happens when someone from Jurai drops by to find out
what's going on?" asked Ryoko, starting to get angry. "What are we going
to do?"

"What I will do is say my farewells," said Aeka in a quiet, trembling
voice. "And what you will do is rejoice in the knowledge that from that
moment on you need never share Ten-chan's heart with me again."

Ryoko's eyes widened as she stared in silent shock. "You're just going
to... leave?" she asked, once she found her voice again.

"I will have no choice but to go," answered the princess. "I refuse to
endanger Ten-chan any more than I have already done." The princess
swallowed the lump forming in her throat, and continued in a trembling
yet resolute voice. "I love him too much to expose him to such peril. So
when they send a ship for me, I will hide my tears and smile, and pretend
that our love does not exist, that he has merely been a kind host to me."

"Why don't you just tell him to crawl under a rock like a cockroach or
something?" growled Ryoko.

Aeka closed her eyes again and lowered her head.

Ryoko sighed. "Sorry. It's just... I told you, I don't like the idea of
people looking down on him."

"If I thought it wouldn't endanger him, I would proclaim my love for all
of Jurai to hear," said Aeka. "This very moment, without hesitation."

"Why are you telling me all this?" demanded Ryoko. "You know you don't
have to ask me to protect Tenchi, any more than I'd have to ask you."

"I'm telling you these things, because I have a favor I wish to ask of
you," Aeka said.

"Go on."

"Kiyone brought me a message from Jurai this morning, that indicated that
it won't be very long before my father sends for me. Perhaps weeks,
perhaps days, perhaps even tomorrow. Before the Startika festival on
Jurai, in any event. My remaining time with Ten-chan may be very short,
and I don't want it wasted or filled with bitterness and strife." She
looked over at Ryoko. "This has nothing to do with his desire for us to
become friends. All I ask is, will knowing that I will leave soon make it
easier for there to be peace between us while I'm still here?"

Ryoko simply stared back at her, trying with great difficulty to digest
the revelation of Aeka's imminent departure.

"That's the favor I ask of you, Ryoko: that whenever you see us together,
you simply remind yourself that the day is fast approaching when you'll
finally be rid of me," Aeka said. "Every moment I have left with him is
precious to me," she added. "I don't want to spend them fighting with
you, instead. So, are we agreed?"

Slowly, Ryoko nodded. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah."

"You don't have to pretend to be upset, Ryoko," said Aeka, her voice
bitter. "This is what you've wanted, from the moment I first arrived."

Ryoko looked away and said nothing.

"Please take care of him. I don't think I resent the feelings you have
for each other, anymore. When I return to Jurai, the knowledge that he is
with someone whom loves him as much as I do will give me some solace." A
tear rolled out of Aeka's eye and started down her cheek. "Love him, and
keep him safe, Ryoko." Another tear followed the path of the first.
"Please."

Ryoko swallowed the lump forming in her throat. "Don't worry, Aeka. I
will."

"Thank you," said Aeka, sniffling. More tears began to flow. It seemed to
her that weeping was almost all she had done of late, and she wondered if
it was all she would be destined to do from then on. Out of the corner of
her eye she noticed the tear-blurred shape of Ryoko, and her face
reddened with embarrassment at having the pirate see her like this.
"That's all I needed to tell you," she said weakly. "I'd prefer to be
alone now, please."

Ryoko sat for a moment, sympathy rising unbidden in her. Despite the
welcome knowledge that Tenchi would soon be hers and only hers, she
couldn't help but feel sorry for Aeka, because she knew how painful it
would be to suffer the same thing. She was about to get up when a memory
came to her of words spoken in Tenchi's room on Monday afternoon.

"Come to gloat, huh, princess?"

"No, Ryoko. I came to see if you needed someone to talk to. I'm sorry to
have disturbed you."

After briefly hesitation, Ryoko reached over and put her hand on Aeka's
shoulder. The princess turned towards her, startled.

"Want me to go?" asked Ryoko.

Aeka thought about it, then shook her head and lowered it again, tears
still trickling down her face. Ryoko kept her hand where it was. Doing so
was a lot less difficult than she would have thought. After a while, she
gave the princess a pat or two, but that was the maximum gesture she
could find it in herself to show.

"Does Tenchi know about any of this?" Ryoko asked, once Aeka had stopped
crying and started to dry her eyes.

"He knows that my family may summon me back to Jurai, and that some of
them wouldn't approve of him. But he doesn't know how soon I'm likely to
have to leave."

"Going to tell him?"

Aeka shook her head. "No. I want whatever time I have left with him to be
overshadowed by that as little as possible. I don't want him to think
about it. And I'm going to do my best to forget." She dabbed her cheeks
delicately with the sleeve of her kimono. "There is one thing that occurs
to me, however."

"What?"

"Should things go badly, and someone comes to try to assassinate me..."
began Aeka.

Ryoko nodded. "Don't worry. They won't get past me."

"That's not what I meant," said Aeka. "If that happens, Ten-chan would
try to protect me." She turned to Ryoko, her face grim. "You must not let
him do that. No matter what he does, no matter what he says to you, take
him and flee."

"Do you have any idea how pissed he'll be at me if I do that?" demanded
Ryoko.

"Yes," replied Aeka. "Do it anyway. It will be far too dangerous for him.
Tell him that I asked you to." She thought for a moment. "And if I can
know that he is safe, I won't be distracted, and I'll be able to protect
myself more ably. Tell him that. Perhaps he'll understand."

Ryoko didn't answer for a few seconds. "Think you could do the same thing
for me?" she asked, after a while.

Aeka looked over at her. "What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"I told you about Nagi, remember?"

"Yes. Do you think she'll be back?" asked Aeka worriedly.

"Uh-uh. I *know* she'll be back," answered Ryoko. "I won't be able to
beat her. If it weren't for Tenchi, I'd just run, the same as always. But
if I did that, she'd just come back and grab Tenchi to use as bait. I'll
have to fight." A worried look passed over her face. "I'll lose. And
Nagi's not the merciful type."

Aeka nodded. "She didn't strike me as such."

"But if someone was protecting Tenchi, I could leave and come back once
she'd decided to give up for a while," Ryoko said.

"Of course I'll protect him. This needn't even be said," replied Aeka.
"But if she can defeat you, she could probably defeat me as well. That's
no guarantee of Ten-chan's safety."

Ryoko shook her head. "I don't think you'll have to fight her. She wants
my head, bad, but she's not crazy enough to attack Juraian royalty."

"She did so on Venus, if you recall," reminded Aeka.

"Oh. Yeah, you're right," sighed Ryoko.

"Never mind," said Aeka. "Perhaps I wouldn't be a match for her by
myself, but Azaka and Kamidake are not at all to be trifled with."

Ryoko frowned, remembering her earlier experience along those lines.

"I'm... sorry about that," said Aeka.

"Forget about it," said Ryoko.

Aeka thought for a moment. "This is why you were practicing against Ten-
chan's grandfather yesterday, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Ryoko sighed. "That's why I wanted you out of there so bad this
morning, too. I wanted to talk to him about it."

"I see," said Aeka. "Well, I'll do my utmost while I am here. But I've
told you, I won't be staying much longer." She thought for a moment.
"Perhaps you should ask Kiyone and Mihoshi to help you with this. I know
she keeps Yagami in orbit almost directly overhead. Perhaps they could
arrange some way to alert you, should Nagi's ship enter the system."

Ryoko blinked. "You might have something there. I just never thought of
asking them. I mean, they're GP, and I'm on the Most Wanted list."

"They'd have tried to arrest you long ago if that's all there was to it,"
Aeka pointed out.

"I suppose." She turned at looked Aeka. "So, we're agreed? I'll protect
him from your relatives, no matter what. You do the same about Nagi, as
long as you're here?"

The princess extended her hand, and Ryoko took it. "I think this is an
agreement we can hold to more easily," said Aeka.

"You're right about that," said Ryoko.

"Regarding this morning... I'd like to think that will be the last fight
between us."

"I'm pretty sure it will be. It's just not fun anymore."

Aeka stared at her. "'Fun'??? What in the world are you talking about?"

Ryoko laughed. "It was fun. Every time except this morning. Don't kid
yourself."

"I think you have a slightly different perspective on this than I do,"
said Aeka, frowning.

"Whatever you say, princess." She picked up the tray and stood. "Anyway,
it's almost soap opera time. We'd better get back."

Aeka quickly got to her feet as well. "Oh, yes. Of course." She looked
around to make sure she hadn't left anything. "Let's hurry. I don't want
to miss the beginning."

Walking briskly along the path, the two girls headed back to the house.

Later that day, the Masaki family sat down to an early dinner, Sasami
having fixed an especially large and hearty meal to satisfy the appetites
the men had worked up during the labors.

"Well, the damage looked much worse than it really was," said Nobuyuki,
between bites from his second bowl of beef and potato stew. "Most of what
got blown up was the furniture. But the windows are fixed, and the holes
are all patched, so the room itself is pretty much back to normal."

"Except for the door," Tenchi reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot," said Nobuyuki. "Well, that's no big deal. It's not
like you have to worry about someone sneaking in."

Ryoko and Aeka frowned, and their knuckles whitened around their
chopsticks. Tenchi suddenly looked extremely worried.

"Anyway, I'll get a new one as soon as the store has them in stock,"
Nobuyuki said.

Sasami blinked. "But why don't you just take the door from one of the
other rooms that no one sleeps in?" the princess asked, confused. "They 
look like they're the same size."

Aeka and Ryoko turned and stared at each other for a moment, then smiled.

"An excellent suggestion. You're very wise for one so young, Sasami,"
said Aeka.

"Yeah, great idea, Sasami-chan!" agreed Ryoko. "Don't you think so,
Tenchi?"

Tenchi nodded and quickly stood up. "We can use the door from dad's
office," he said. "I'll go get started right now."

Nobuyuki very briefly frowned at Sasami, then sighed.

"You can do that after we practice, Tenchi," said Katsuhito.

Tenchi stopped. "Jiichan, I'm kind of tired. Aren't you? We just spent
all day doing repairs."

Katsuhito took another bite of food. "Tired, eh?"

"Well, yes," said Tenchi.

"Then let's hope you're always blessed with courteous foes," said the old
man. "That way you'll only have to fight when it's convenient for you."

Tenchi sighed. "Alright, alright. Can we wait until we're done eating,
though?" he asked, sitting back down.

Katsuhito nodded. "Of course. Very few enemies are so rude that they
won't let you finish dinner."

Once the meal was over and the table cleared away, Tenchi, Aeka, and
Ryoko left the house and headed up the path towards the shrine, Katsuhito
having already gone ahead of them. As they walked up the steps, Ryoko
slowly mustered the courage she would need to ask him what she had
intended to that morning. They were halfway up the slope when she spoke.

"Tenchi, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ryoko."

"I really need to practice against your grandfather." Seeing him frown,
Ryoko pressed on, a slight hint of urgency in her voice. "It's important.
Please tell him it's OK."

Tenchi sighed and shook his head. "No, Ryoko. I don't want you to. I just
don't like it."

"I'm not going to get hurt. It's just practice."

"I don't care. I'm not going to let jiichan hit you."

Ryoko floated closer and put her head on Tenchi's shoulder. "I really
need to do this, Tenchi."

He shook his head again, then put his arm around her. "No. I'm sorry."

"Please?" she asked again.

"No, Ryoko. Now will you please stop pestering me about it?"

Ryoko hung her head, wondering if she should explain the Nagi situation
to him, and if that would change his mind.

"Ten-chan," said Aeka.

Tenchi turned and looked at her. "Yes?"

Aeka frowned sternly at him. "You're being ridiculous." 

"I am?" he asked, becoming a little nervous on seeing the look on her
face. Next to him, Ryoko also turned to stare in surprise at Aeka.

"Yes. Extremely so, as a matter of fact," said the princess in a firm
tone of voice. "And I said as much to you yesterday, if you recall."

"Oh," said Tenchi. He silently contemplated this for a minute or so, and
the three of them continued walking. Once they reached the top of the
stairs, he stopped and thought some more. Finally, he sighed again and
nodded. "Alright. I'll tell jiichan that it's OK," he said.

Ryoko grabbed him in an intense, joyous hug. "Thanks, Tenchi."

"You're welcome. Just try to do it when I'm not around, OK?" he asked.
"Maybe it's silly, but I don't want to have to watch somebody hit you,
even if it's just practice." He looked up, seeing his grandfather step
out of the shrine, holding two bokken. "Hi, jiichan."

"Ready to begin?" asked Katsuhito.

Tenchi nodded and disengaged himself from the girls, who sat down to
watch. Ryoko stared silently at Aeka for while before speaking. "Ummm...
thanks," she said at last.

"I said I'd help you protect him against Nagi, didn't I?" replied Aeka.

"Yeah. Thanks anyway, though," said Ryoko.

"You're welcome."

After a swinging his bokken through the air a few times to warm up,
Tenchi turned and faced off against his grandfather. "Jiichan, about
Ryoko practicing against you. I'm not going to say anything about it
anymore. If it's OK with you and her, it's OK with me."

"Hmmm... less than a week, and already you're being ordered around by
your woman," said Katsuhito, shaking his head.

"Women," corrected Tenchi. "And I told you, they're not mine. They're
their own."

The hint of a smile played across the old man's lips. "Interesting," he
said.

"Just one thing," Tenchi said.

"Yes?"

"If I find out you've made her strip and stand under the waterfall, like
you did to me last summer..." he warned in a low growl, his eyes
narrowing.

"I see. So it's threats for old jiichan today, is it?" He raised his
bokken. "I think you need to be reminded how to speak to your elders."

Tenchi raised his weapon in turn. "Ready when you are."

The two of them stared each other down for half a minute. Then Katsuhito
spoke. "That's quite a pair of swords you have there."

Tenchi nodded. "I know, jiichan. And thanks for teaching me the Second
Rule. I should have listened to you more."

Katsuhito blinked. "'Practice and cultivate the science'?"

"Uhh... I thought it was 'Become aware of what is not obvious,'" said
Tenchi.

"That's the Seventh Rule," said Katsuhito, shaking his head sadly.
"Sometimes I wonder if everything I tell you goes in one ear and out the
other."

A grin broke across Tenchi's face as he altered the heft of his sword a
little. "Want to find out, jiichan?"

Katsuhito nodded.

Tenchi studied his grandfather's stance for a few moments. Then, with a
loud, confident battle cry, he charged.