Tenchi Muyo Fan Fiction ❯ Choices and Consequences ❯ It's About Time... part 2 ( Chapter 7 )

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: It's about time… Part 2

I do not own Tenchi Muyo, or any of its characters or ideas, but I wish I did. As for this story, it was written as a sort of what if, while I wait for OVA 3 and GXP to be released stateside. I started on this after wondering, what if he actually did make a choice? For those that have read the "True Tenchi Novels" that detail the backgrounds on the characters, I have not read those. I guess you could say that this is an AU as I have made certain decisions on their backgrounds to fit my story. And if the Character appear OOC, there is a good reason.

I want to send a very BIG THANKS out to Doug Dennis, Top Quark (Shadow Quark) and Chendzeea Li for helping me with this story.

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From Last time:

The world around the pirate disappeared as an image began to come to mind. She could see her mothers' lab, but the thoughts were still moving too slow to piece together. Smiling she looked through her mothers eyes, then screamed at the top of her lungs. Before she could open here eyes to the little world around her both Ayeka and Tenchi were there with her.

"Ryoko… What's wrong?" They were both asking.

"We're dead…" she muttered.

"What?"

Ryoko uttered a single word, a name known to them all, "Mihoshi…." With that one name both Tenchi & Ayeka went pale. "She's… in the lab…" She heard a splash to her side as Ayeka had fainted, and Tenchi did not look to be faring much better. "We're dead…"

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And now

Tenchi Muyo: Choices & Consequences: It's about time… part 2

It took some time before Tenchi or Ryoko were able to rouse the princess, and it took them even longer to come to terms with the graveness of their situation. At the time, all Ryoko had been able to see of her mothers' thoughts were that of Mihoshi and her being in the lab. But that was enough, given Mihoshi's track record things did not look good. Tenchi and Ryoko could easily remember the mass destruction that followed the blonde whenever she was in the lab. That one name brought reason to why they've been stranded inside for so long.

Once Ayeka was fully awake and once the reality of their situation set it the three did not know weather they wanted to cry or scream.

Finally, Ayeka broke and screeched, "I'll kill her!" With Mihoshi's tampering there was telling how long they could be inside this machine. It could be anywhere from now, to decades or longer before they would see the outside world again.

Ryoko heartily agreed, "Damn right! That ditz is going to get it for this!"

"Um, Ryoko?" Tenchi asked nervously. "Can you maybe find out how long we'll be in here, or what happened?"

The pirate sadly shook her head, "No." All of them sighed and depression began to sink in. "Every time I spend a few hours consentraiting I am able to pick up a few random thoughts here and there, I took me over a week just to get that much!" Tears began to fall from Ryoko's eyes while she spoke.

"Ok," he held Ryoko close to calm her down. None of the three of them were thrilled with the idea of being stuck in here for years, but without a way out, or a way to contact Washu, they were effectively stuck in here until they were let out. Tenchi and Ayeka could very easily see how Ryoko must have felt being locked in the cave for centuries. They knew that Ryoko had been alone and in the dark, which was a lot different from here, but it was not much of a stretch of their imagination, when darkness overtook them at night. "Do you think you could try contacting her?" he asked trying to calm both himself and her.

"How?" She asked sniffling slightly.

"Well, you might try sending the same message to her every day or so," he shrugged and tried to not sound hopeless.

"How will that help?" Both Ayeka and Ryoko wanted to know.

"I'm not sure if it will, but I don't want to give up." He told them.

Ryoko was not one for giving up, and as time passed, she would spend several hours at different times during the day trying to get more information from her mothers' memories. Over the course of the next month, she was able to learn more, but most of it didn't help. She could tell that Washu had got Mihoshi out of the lab, and that there were no explosions, but nothing else. Ayeka and Tenchi noticed though over the next several months that the time Ryoko spent meditating seemed to get less and less and with each passing day, the three of them dealt with their new prison in the best way they could. Tenchi would still make the meals, while Ryoko taught both him and Ayeka how to fight better. Ayeka had felt out of sorts for some time, but she finally had come to see the house as her place to take the lead.

During the times Tenchi would be tending the fields, Ayeka would make sure the house was clean and that Ryoko was helping too. She found it strange that the pirate helped with minimal amounts of prodding, and to top it off she even did the work smiling. The princess took great care and joy in making sure that he didn't have to worry about the house as well as the fields. Tenchi too was pleased with her efforts and he made sure to tell her on several occasions that he appreciated what she was doing.

Working in the fields gave Tenchi time, more than he needed to think about things. Most pressing on his mind was how to get out of here. But as time has a way of doing, it passes before anyone really knows or realizes it is. As time passed his mind went from thinking of how to get out, to what the girls meant to him. "After we get out, if we can stay together…" he said as he worked the field. "Washu said she knew a planet that will allow us to stay together. I wonder if this is what it will be like." For the rest of the day and that night, he thought about that, and he soon stopped worrying about getting out of Washu's machine. His life was simple; his days were spent training and working, then at night he was with the two people he loved the most, and he enjoyed it that way.

Ayeka and Ryoko also were slowly realizing that they liked it here as well. While Tenchi was happy to keep things the way there were, both girls were hoping to make some changes. One day while cleaning the kitchen with Ayeka, Ryoko felt the need to talk about something else that was on her mind. "Ayeka…" Ryoko started and then looked down worried.

"What is it?" The princess responded not taking her eyes off what she was doing.

"I was thinking…"

"That's a new one," the princess snickered at her joke though Ryoko grumbled.

"I was thinking… since we could be in here for…" she stopped and changed her mind. She didn't want to think of spending decades or centuries in here. "… We could be in here for a long time."

Ayeka stopped what she was doing and sighed, "I know."

"D-Do, you think we could get Tenchi to… to um…" Ryoko blushed and cursed her inability to get her point across, but judging from Ayeka's sudden blush she understood.

"I-I don't know. I've been thinking that too."

"You have!"

Ayeka just nodded her head as her cheeks burned. "Yes, since… he…" she blushed again recalling how they had been doing more than cuddling in bed with him, but never more than touching or kissing.

"Do you think he would?" Ryoko asked hopeful but Ayeka shook her head, which annoyed her, "Why not?"

"He promised that we wouldn't do that…" she blushed even harder, "until we were married."

"Damn… but why does it have to be 'him', or your father?" Ryoko spat the reference to Yosho as though it was venom, and she didn't treat the Emperor's name any better.

Sighing Ayeka tried to explain; "Well my brother is a priest… even if he came up with that ridiculous test."

"But why your father?"

"Well, he's royalty, and as a member of the Royal family he can join people together in Tsunami's name."

Ryoko just grumbled some more and continued cleaning, but she stood upright suddenly dropping the glass she had picked up off the table. Ayeka, hearing the glass break, looked at her annoyed, but Ryoko didn't get her a chance to speak. "He's royalty! That's it!"

"What's it?"

"Your father! If he can do that, can others do it too? If they're royalty?"

"Do what? Marry someone?" Ayeka thought about it then slowly nodded her head. "Yes I think I remember My Auntie Funaho doing it as well." Ayeka's eyes suddenly lit up as Ryoko hopped in place excitedly. "I can too!" She screamed as realization hit her.

"YES!" Ryoko shouted and grabbing the princess, the two of them danced around the room.

Ayeka suddenly stopped and looked sad. "But what about me? I can marry you to him… but… but I want to… I want to marry him too!"

Ryoko's sudden party came to a crashing halt, "Well damn it…" Ryoko then cleaned off the table and sighed, all we need now is Sasami or another princess."

Ayeka looked up sharply, "What was that?"

"All we need now is Sasami." Ryoko said.

"No, after that."

"Another princess?" Ryoko looked confused, "Great… just what I really need, yet another princess in here to share him with."

"But we do have one." Ayeka said as she smiled at the pirate.

"What?"

"Do you remember when Tsunami gave us those gowns… she called us princesses…" Ayeka looked at Ryoko happily but Ryoko just looked confused. "Don't you see? Once you marry him, then you will be a princess… which means…"

"That I can marry you…"

"To him!" Ayeka finished triumphantly.

When Tenchi got home from the field, two very excited and ecstatic women greeted him. "Tenchi!" they chorused as one.

"Uh oh," he said; though he only meant to think it.

It took most of the night and several retellings from the two of them for him to understand what they wanted to do. Both of them were very excited and both had wanted to tell him at the same time, in two different ways, but he finally discerned it all. "So you want Ayeka to marry us?" He said to Ryoko who nodded so enthusiastically that he was worried about her head falling off. Turning to Ayeka, he asked the same, "And you want Ryoko to marry us?" She too nodded happily. "How is that possible?"

Ayeka answered quickly, "As a member of the Royal Family of Jurai, I can join two people together in Tsunami's name, as is my right." She beamed proudly at finally being able to do something with her title that would make her happy as well.

"But how can Ryoko then…"

"After we're married Tenchi dear," Ryoko began, "I'll be a part of the Royal Family too." She batted her eyes at him and Ayeka laughed at Ryoko's attempt of being cute.

"So, if Ayeka marries us," he said pointing to Ryoko and himself. He then motioned to himself and Ayeka, "Then you get to do the same to us?" Both girls nodded and looked at him expectantly. Both had been hoping for him to say yes, and then they could go ahead and do it tonight, but he surprised them. "I'm not sure if that's right."

"What?" Ryoko was confused, as was Ayeka.

"But Lord Tenchi… you said you wanted to marry us… we said yes to you … and…."

He silenced her with his fingers on her lips. "I didn't say no, I just said it doesn't sound right." A soft smile grew on his face, "Let me think about this ok? Grandfather's already upset that we just slept in the same bed, this would make him even more upset."

"But Lord Tenchi! Who knows when we'll get out of here?"

"Yea it could be centuries! I don't want to wait that long only to have things fall apart later," sitting back in the air as if sitting on a chair Ryoko let that sink in for a moment. "Besides, if we are joined in the name of Tsunami, who can speak against it?"

"She's right Lord Tenchi," Ayeka added softly. She had not thought about staying in here for centuries, but if that happened, as long as she was with him she'd be happy.

"Just let me think about it ok?" He asked again and the two reluctantly agreed. Tenchi did as he said he would, he thought about it, and for over a week he debated what could happen if they were married. Finally, on their anniversary of being in this small world for three years, Ayeka married Tenchi to Ryoko at the shrine, followed quickly by Ryoko performing the same ceremony marrying Tenchi to Ayeka.

However, that night had been very interesting for the three of them, as he found out that both of his brides had never been with anyone before. Ayeka had been shocked at Ryoko's admission, but all the pirate had to ask was "who would sleep with a Notorious Space Pirate?" Tenchi had wanted to step in at that moment, but before he could, Ayeka had agreed that it would be hard. To Tenchi's astonishment, the two of them seemed to come to a quick and unspoken agreement on that point which allowed the night to continue without any more fights. When it came time for bed, he at first, he had been very nervous and whenever either of them would touch him, he nearly fainted. However, he soon got into the touching and caressing so much that on their wedding night, none of them went to sleep before consummating their vows and he made sure that neither of them could say they had never been with anyone again, several times over. The three were very happy for quite some time together, especially since now at night since they were alone in their little world, they could leave their clothes off at bedtime, with delighted the three of them.

Before the start of their fourth year, Ayeka had come to be almost as good as Ryoko in her sword fighting ability, and Tenchi had finally surpassed them both. He got to a point where he could take them both on at once and win; though, it was never an easy battle. The two of them always seemed to find some way to trip him up. Ryoko would use her normal seductiveness to get him off balance, while Ayeka would say at times that he hurt her. And no matter how many times she used that ploy, he fell for it. Several times the two girls made a bet between them that whoever lasted the longest got to be first with him that night.

Their constant training, both on and off the field helped in many ways. As now not only would Ayeka and Ryoko compete in cleaning the house, but in his training and in other ways as well. But thankfully, for him they hadn't started cooking. However, that too changed as one day they asked him to teach them how to cook. He dreaded them cooking, but he found that when taught the proper way to cook they were actually good at it. The hardest thing had been teaching Ryoko what the phrase 'A pinch of salt' meant as well as teaching Ayeka that, 'simplest is best.' For them to live, and to be happy, he needed them to understand how important it was that it took all of them, working as a team.

Both of them had, after many trials, started helping him with the cooking and for several months, his life was good. So good that he decided that, he didn't care if they got out or not. But that changed one day several months into their fourth year, as one of the girls started to get sick. It all started one morning when he woke up. Things had been good the night before, but lately Ayeka was having trouble sleeping. At times, she was too cold, so she'd hold him very close, and not a few minutes later she was too warm and would pull away. Tenchi and the girls hadn't thought much about it; but that morning as Ryoko sat their breakfast before them, Ayeka suddenly ran to the bathroom and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach.

After a while she was back to her normal self, and it took a lot of convincing on Ayeka's part that Ryoko's cooking had not made her sick. However, Tenchi began to worry, especially when that became a routine thing. After a few weeks of her begin sick like this, he began to wish that Washu would let them out soon.

Even Ryoko was concerned, and she began to redouble her efforts at contacting her mother. Almost two years before she had thought she's contacted her mom with a simple call for help. Now she was trying harder, every hour sometimes between the hours calling for help, but it never seemed to do any good.

Ayeka, after going through this for only a few weeks, became frightened and irritable. With her fluctuating body temperature, changing moods and her other physical symptoms, Ayeka felt sure she knew what was happening to her. After thinking about it for some time, she finally told Ryoko one day at the onsen what she thought was wrong. "Miss Ryoko…"

"Ryoko," the pirate hissed back though there was no menace behind it.

"Yes, I think… I think I know what's…"

"Wrong with you?" Ryoko added smirking.

"Yes, well… I remember my mother going through these same… um, problems… before Sasami was born."

Ryoko nodded her head, "Oh, and what was the problem?" Ayeka fell over in the water, and Ryoko thought she could hear the princess swearing as she sat back up. "Are you going to tell me?"

"My mommy went through the same things when she was pregnant with Sasami!" The princess nearly yelled at Ryoko.

Suddenly the pirates eyes lit up with understanding, "You mean you're…" Ayeka just nodded, and Ryoko fainted.

The princess laughed a moment then hurriedly pulled Ryoko out of the water. "Miss Ryoko?"

Coughing up water, she told the princess, "Just Ryoko…"

"Right," she smiled. "I think I'm pregnant… my mommy went through these same things…"

"I know… I heard you."

"Aren't you happy for me?"

"I… I…" Ryoko was not sure what to say, or do. She had thought of the possibility of having Tenchi's child once before, but it wasn't until Taro showed up did she think any more about it. But this wasn't fair. 'She's not supposed to be the only one…' she thought. The two of them had talked many times before and they had agreed that they would both get married on the same day, they would both be with him that night and she thought that this should be no different.

"Are you ok?"

"How'd you do it?" Ryoko meekly asked.

"What?"

"How'd you get pregnant? I-I want to…." Ryoko felt very self-conscious asking about this, but she knew that Ayeka was carrying Tenchi's child, and she wanted to know why she wasn't also. For her part, the princess went red-faced at Ryoko's question, and she tried as hard as she could to explain how she got pregnant.

Starting that night Ryoko began trying harder to get pregnant, to which Ayeka just smiled and encouraged her on, though Tenchi was very surprised about it. Sadly, she did not get pregnant, and as more time passed, she became more and more distraught over it. Ayeka tried to help, but she could do little to comfort her friend.

When Tenchi had learned that Ayeka was pregnant, had fainted as well. After being roused, several times he was finally conscious enough to comprehend what happened. "Grandfather's going to kill me," he said softly. Both of the girls looked at him sadly and he sighed, he hadn't meant to remind them of that. "Do you know when?"

"When?" Ryoko asked.

"Yes when is our child due?"

Ayeka swooned at hearing him say our child, and she began calculating things in her head. "Not for another four or five months." She said sheepishly.

"Then we had better get ready," he told them and smiled giving both girls a big hug. Now that he was facing the prospects of being a daddy, with someone he loved he became that much more determined to never let her out of his life.

These things only further served to upset Ryoko, and late one night she found herself, sitting up in bed beside the man she loves, and crying. "Tenchi…" she whispered quietly, "why can't we have a child too?" She asked the sleeping man. "I love you… with everything I am… why can't we have one too? Don't you love me? Do you love her more?" Some of her earlier feelings and rivalry began to resurface, but she soon pushed those feelings aside. The three of them had been through many things together, and even now, he was not showing any favoritism. Her sorrow began to overwhelm her as she tried to think of a reason, any reason why it wasn't working.

"Ryoko?" She looked up from her lap at the voice calling to her. It was Tenchi and she could see that his eyes were open and he was watching her. "Are you ok?" Had he been more awake, he would have seen the distress on her face and he would not have asked such a question. She just shook her head though unable to reply. Tenchi pushed himself up into a sitting position and placed an arm around her shoulders pulling her close to him. "Tell me what's wrong?" He asked through the haze in his head.

"Why… why can't I have one?"

"One?"

She motioned towards Ayeka and he seemed to catch on. "I don't know, but I'm glad you aren't having one right now too."

"What!" She hastily covered her mouth from the outburst.

The haze and fog gone from his mind, Tenchi tried to explain what he meant. "I don't think we can handle two babies at the same time yet. Maybe later… but for now let's focus on one."

"But Why?" She demanded, her feelings more than slightly hurt.

"Remember when Taro was here?" She nodded slightly remembering the little baby. "If one can cause that much trouble, imagine the trouble two can cause." He grinned weakly, and she smiled weakly as well. "I still love you, that will never change," he emphasized his point by kissing her lightly. You'll have one… we'll have one… a little pirate. Don't push yourself."

She began to grin at little more at him, she loved him and this only proved he still loved her, "but I thought you enjoyed my practicing?" Ryoko winked at him and he chuckled nervously.

Blushing slightly he grinned back, "I won't complain if you want to practice more, just don't push yourself to hard. It will come, in time."

"Speaking of that…" her Cheshire Cat grin broadened and she leaned in closer. "How about a little practice right now?" He did not even need to say a word; he let his kiss answer her for him.

As the two kissed and fell back onto the sheets, a princess slept beside them, smiling happily. 'I'm glad Lord Tenchi got over his shyness…' she thought as a strong desire for sleep overtook her. She would have much rather stayed up, but lately at nights she always needing more rest.

Because of their late night activities, all three of them slept in the next day. After all, who was there to tell them that they couldn't? However, this morning something different, something strange happened. Ryoko noticed it first, and she believed it to be only a dream. In her dream, she felt Washu's thoughts, but this time they were more vivid and clearer than ever before. And then it happened, a gust of cool wind blew over her, but not enough to make her shiver. In her dream, she thought she heard a door open, and she could feel something moving closer to her.

Ryoko's senses suddenly went on full alert as she not only felt the breeze, but also she heard something creak close by. Not even thinking of whom it could be she let it get closer, then the pirate rose from the bed, her sword and battle suit appearing on her with barely a thought. Her sword moved to kill her target only to stop right in front of her mothers' nose. 'She's here!' Ryoko screamed mentally, then dropping her sword she wrapped her arms around Washu's surprised form and began hugging her mom.

Ayeka and Tenchi woke up hearing strange noises. When they sat up and looked around they saw Washu, and both rushed her to hug her. "Oh Washu! Thank Tsunami you're finally here!" He told her.

Washu took a step back to look at them, all of them. Ryoko was the only one wearing clothes, as she was in her battle suit. However, even that did not hide the fact that the three of them had changed. And changed a lot. Tenchi had grown, and had developed a slightly broader chest; he looked more like a man now than a boy. His hair was still the same… though longer, and then as she looked at the two girls, well women now. Washu simply couldn't hold herself together anymore, and she fainted.

Tenchi and Ayeka looked at themselves and then realized they were still naked. "I guess it was a bit much for her," Ayeka said stifling a giggle.

"You could be right," Tenchi added. "Let's get dressed and get out of here." After dressing quickly, Ryoko carried Washu out with Tenchi and Ayeka trying to help. Washu's machines counted five life forms leaving the machine before the door was shut after them.

The three brought Washu over to her chair and sat her down in it. It seemed that on contact with it she came alive again. "Huh… what…where?" She looked at the three of them and then down at her scanner revealing that five had left her room. "Oh gods…."

"Miss Washu? Are you ok?" Ayeka tried asking politely, but that did not get any results.

"Hay mom!" Ryoko yelled and she finally started talking, even if is was mere babbling.

"Three went in… five came out… only supposed to be 10 hours… how... not possible… wrong… something's wrong."

Out of her babbling, the three picked up on one thing, something was wrong. "You're damn right something was wrong… we were in that thing centuries!"

"Ryoko," Tenchi admonished in a tone that Washu had never heard him use before.

"Ok, maybe it wasn't that long…" She said quietly.

"Little Washu, what happened? We were in there for almost five years, not ten hours." She looked up at Tenchi as though he had just accused her of doing something terrible, well she normally did that, but this was not her fault.

"Yes, Miss… I mean Little Washu," Ayeka corrected herself, "Ryoko…"

"That's…Ryo…" Ryoko stopped then laughed as Ayeka had finally said it right.

"Ah, yes," Ayeka tried again, "Ryoko thought that Mihoshi was in your lab and…"

"She was… but she didn't destroy anything!" Washu objected then thought about it, "Well she did tamper with the controls, but as soon as I noticed it I let you out!"

"Where is she anyway?" Ryoko asked and Washu jumped trying to stop her daughter as she was heading to the door.

"NO! NO! NO! She didn't mean it… I let you out…"

"You misunderstand Little Washu," Tenchi started. "We want to thank her."

"Thank…her…"

"Yes, you see while we were in there, Tenchi married us!" Ayeka squealed happily.

"Married…"

"That's right mom," Ryoko nudged her, "Say hello to your new Son and daughter in law." The three held hands and Washu's system could not take this shock, and she fainted.

"Oh dear…"

"Hum, maybe we should tell her about you later, huh?" Asked Tenchi as he looked at Ayeka.

Before Ayeka could respond Ryoko broke in, "Well I don't think you need to do that." When they both looked at her, she pointed to the screen showing that five had left the room. "She already knows you're pregnant."

"Well then I guess I don't need to go though any test or anything then," the princess proclaimed happily.

"Yep, let's get out of here! I want to see the real sky!" Ryoko then picked up her mom and flew to the door followed quickly by Ayeka and Tenchi, who were hand in hand.

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Yep again, it's to be continued…

I could always use help with pre-reading the story before the next chapter is posted. If you would like to help please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ffru/
I have the next several chapters posted there for my beta readers to help me on.