In Memoriam

by Dreamr

A two-part story about the Masaki family's reactions to 911, and what they decide to do about it.

In Memoriam, Part 1.

DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyo is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. This is a work of fiction based on historical events. No identifiable persons were used in the writing of this story, nor does it reflect the opinions or policies of any actual person, government, or agency. Any similarity between any person in this story and any real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

FOREWORD: I felt an incredible urge to write this story. I honestly believe that the girls of Tenchi Muyo would want to do something to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the 9/11 attacks. Other than that, I've tried to keep my personal opinions out of this story. I've also made every effort to keep my knowledge of events from influencing the story flow. In contrast, I've also tried to be as historically accurate as possible. This first chapter is devoted to the lead-in and decision to make the trip from Japan to New York to assist in the rescue effort. The conclusion to this story will take place in New York City and deal with the characters' actions and reactions to the various situations they face. For example, learning that there is no one to save might be rather distressing to certain characters.

Local time in Japan is 14 hours later than on the East coast of t.he US during Daylight Savings Time.

AUTHOR: Dreamr

LAST REVISION: 13 October 2004

BEGIN.

Friday, September 12, 2001. 7:00 AM, Tokyo Local Time.

On weekday mornings, Tenchi and Sasami were normally the first ones in the house to start the day. Sasami would begin making breakfast, and Tenchi would start working in the carrot fields that kept Ryo-o-ki happy. The others were just stirring from their slumber, some more so than others. At this time of the year, mornings were a little bit crisper. It seemed like a nice, normal day until the phone rang. Tenchi knew Sasami was likely busy making breakfast, so he went downstairs to answer the phone.

"I'll get it."

"Okay." Sasami answered back from the kitchen.

Walking quickly to the hallway phone, Tenchi answered the call.

"Good Morning. Masaki residence."

"Morning, Tenchi."

Tenchi felt rather surprised to be getting a phone call from his father at this time of the morning.

"Oh. Hey, dad. What's up?"

"Eh, well, you might want to turn on the TV."

This was even more strange. He was being asked to watch TV. It did not make much sense.

"The TV? Why?"

"Ah... It's kind of hard to explain. Just... turn it on."

"Okay... what channel?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter?" Now Tenchi was getting a very bad feeling. The only time it didn't matter what channel someone watched was if something so disastrous had occured that every channel was preempting it's normal programming for a special news bulletin. The last time something like that had happened was when Ryuo and Ryo-o-ki had crashed into the Great Seto Bridge. Tenchi set the phone receiver down on the table next to its cradle and went straight into the main room to the television. He turned the device on and was immediately assailed with images of burning buildings and screaming people. He stood transfixed with morbid fascination as the events of the last several hours were replayed over and over before him.

Around the world, there were symbols that all people recognized, such as the Great Pyramids in Egypt, The Great Wall of China, The Taj Mahal in India, The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, or the Roman Coliseum in Rome, Italy. Then there were symbols not so easily recognized, but famous more to the local inhabitants of a particular region or nation. These were often symbols of national pride and accomplishment. They are landmarks or historical places, such as the L'arc De Triumphe, again in Paris, Tokyo Tower in Tokyo, Japan, Buckingham Palace in London, England, Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, or, like this place, the World Trade Center in New York, which was now a smoldering pile of rubble.

In his state of pofound shock, Tenchi forgot about the small coffee table between him and the couch. When he tried to take a step back to sit, he tripped and fell backwards over the table with a resounding thud.

"Tenchi?" Sasami's voice called from the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

When Tenchi did not answer her question, Sasami dropped what she was doing to go check on him. The first thing Sasami noticed was Tenchi sitting on the floor between the couch and the table with his right leg propped up over the object he had obviously tripped over. The next thing she noticed was that he was staring at the TV. This of course prompted her to look at the television herself to see what Tenchi was so interested in. She looked just in time to see a large passenger aircraft crash directly into a huge building. Sasami froze in place. For a moment, she held on to her emotions. But a young girl such as herself was not used to such graphic images. Her chin began to quiver.

"Wha... what..."

Not until Sasami began to cry did Tenchi even realize anyone else was in the room. Hearing her frightened sobs, he looked over his shoulder to see Sasami rubbing at red eyes. Jumping over the back of the couch, Tenchi went to Sasami and held her to him.

"I'm sorry, Sasami."

There were two kinds of cries that could send people running in the Masaki house. The first were the sounds of Aeka and Ryoko fighting, which usually sent people running away as quickly as possible. The second was the sound of Sasami getting upset, which had the exact opposite effect of drawing people like a magnet. At the first sound of Sasami's emotional distress, Aeka came running out of her room still in her night gown.

"Sasami?" She called looking down from the second floor railing. Although the situation was obviously under control, Aeka still hurried down the stairs.

"Lord Tenchi, what's going on?"

"Uh..."Tenchi found himself at a loss for words to describe what was happening. All he could do was point Aeka in the right direction. "It's on the TV."

Looking at the device that usually served as a source of entertainment, rather than distress, Aeka mistook the images as yet another apocalyptic, world-shattering, movie.

"Lord Tenchi! How could you let Sasami watch such a violent movie, and this early in the morning, too."

"It's not a movie, Aeka."

"Excuse me?"

"That's really happening. Or, it was happening. That's the news."

Understanding what Tenchi was telling her, but not quite ready to believe it, Aeka paid a little more attention to the bulletin. When the reporter mentioned the number of persons employed within the towers, she put her hands over her mouth in shock.

"How..." Aeka wanted to append some sort of word to describe how she felt. But she could not think of any word in her extensive vocabulary that adequately described her feelings at the moment. "How... could this happen? If it were only one, I could perhaps accept it as an accident. But two?"

"Three, actually."

Heads turned as Lord Katsuhito Masaki walked into the living room and sat down in the place Tenchi had just vacated. He took the remote control from where someone had carelessly left it on the couch the night before and selected a different news channel. This one had pictures of a different building that even Tenchi recognized.

"Oh, shit! Isn't that the Pentagon!?"

Aeka stared at the smoldering building, unaware of what was so important about it.

"Excuse me, but, what is the importance of that building?"

This time, it was the grandfather who explained.

"That building is the military headquarters of one this world's most powerful nations."

"Do you think they'll go to war?" Tenchi asked.

"Hard to say. However, if someone intentionally destroyed, say... Tokyo Tower, how would you feel?"

Tenchi felt a darkness suddenly descend over his heart. Like a boiling cloud of steam, it burned him from the inside out. It was not the type of feeling he liked to experience.

"You guys makin' enough noise, or what?" Ryoko asked as she groggily floated down from the second floor. "I'm surprised Mihoshi's still asleep with all this racket."

"Well, you're up early." Aeka commented. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or disappointed."

"Screw you. I came down because I smelled breakfast burning."

Raising their heads, the others in the room took a careful sniff of the air, revealing a slight charcoal smell.

"Oh, my goodness!" Sasami suddenly exclaimed, forgetting all about the international crisis on television. "I forgot!" She quickly squirmed out of Tenchi's arms and ran into the kitchen. A moment later, they all heard her cry of dismay. "No!"

Aeka excused herself from the room, despite Ryoko's proximity to Tenchi.

"I'd better go get changed." She cast a single worried glance over her shoulder at the television before running back upstairs.

Watching Aeka run back to her room, Ryoko's smile grew as the princess disappeared from sight. Now that Aeka was gone, she could give Tenchi a proper good morning greeting. Wrapping one arm around his back and the other across his chest, she pressed her body to his and leaned forward into kissing range.

"Good morning, Tenchi."

"Good morning." Tenchi responded while staring at the TV.

Seeing that Tenchi's response had been completely automatic and equally uninterested in her, Ryoko looked at the television to see what could possibly be so much more interesting than her.

"What's that?"

Looking side-long at Ryoko, Tenchi was not sure how to answer her question. But his grandfather had a suitable response prepared.

"A sign of the times."

With a heavy sigh, Tenchi finally broke his gaze away from the disturbing images.

"I guess I'd better get started. Ryoko, would you mind?"

"Huh?"

Tenchi reached up to pluck at the sleeve of Ryoko's dress, clueing her to the fact that she still had both arms wound around him.

"Oh." Ryoko released the young man so that he could complete this morning's chores. As Tenchi walked solemnly towards the door, she called after him.

"Do a good job, Tenchi. I'm looking forward to the day we sew our seeds of love!"

Tenchi looked back around the corner at Ryoko as if she were crazy.

"'Sew our seeds of love?' I think you've been reading too many of dad's comics."

Putting Ryoko's comment, and Ryoko herself, out of mind, Tenchi turned to leave. With a sigh of unrequited love, Ryoko watched him go. A soft chuckle from nearby reminded her that she was not alone in the room.

"What're you laughin' at?" She growled at Tenchi's grandfather.

"It's amazing what seven hundred years can do for a person's outlook on life."

Ryoko stared at the old man while trying to decipher his cryptic response. She supposed it had something to do with the changes in her personality since their arrival on this planet. But other than that, she was unable to determine anything more.

"Tsk. Whatever."

The sound of people screaming and cursing drew Ryoko's attention back to the television. It was a sound she was intimately familiar with on every level. Without even looking she could tell that they were running out of fear and confusion. They ran without panic, for the danger lay behind them, and relative safety was anywhere else but there. Looking only verified what she already knew. Although Ryoko's days of sadistic violence were long behind her, she still felt a certain morbid curiosity at the pain and suffering of others. It was something she had already seen and experienced before. There was nothing new here, except her own feelings on the matter. Her fascination was not with the effect of this event, but the cause. Even in her own mind, she knew such behavior was abnormal. Normal people did not destroy large buildings just to see what those who were effected would do. Yet, here it was, even on this idyllic little planet out in the middle of nowhere. There had to be a reason for this kind of tactic.

Katsuhito sat quietly watching the play going on before his eyes. The television was of little consequence. He had seen such things before, and would likely see more in his lifetime. What was really interesting was the way Ryoko was staring at the TV. To his eyes, she seemed fixated on the events at hand. Considering Ryoko's background, he wondered if seeing such images was healthy for her mental well-being.

"Those buildings..."

"Yes?"

"They're in the same country, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. But how would you know that, hmm?"

"When you want to send a message to somebody, but you can't take them head-on, you hit soft targets like office buildings and stuff."

"I would hardly call the Pentagon a soft target."

"I would. I don't see any anti-air guns, or shield spheres, or anything. It's stupid to leave your headquarters undefended."

"I would agree, except the attack came from an unexpected direction. Civilian passenger craft were used to carry out the attacks."

"Civilians?" Ryoko cocked her head a little to the side as she cast another glance at the television screen. "Then... it must be terrorists."

"Perhaps."

"Nope. It was terrorists. I'd bet the bank on it."

Katsuhito had no further arguments. The theory was sound. Terrorists hijacking airliners was nothing new. They had been doing that for decades. This event was the logical progression from one stage to another.

Although Ryoko felt a little bit better for having discovered who had perpetrated the attack generally speaking, something still was not settling well with her. There was an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had never experienced before. She felt a bit nauseous and just generally unsettled, like she should be elsewhere.

"Well, um... whatever." Ryoko quickly leapt up through the ceiling, leaving Katsuhito alone with the television.

As Katsuhito sat contemplating Ryoko's latest behavioral anomaly, Sasami suddenly burst into the room with the first of the breakfast dishes steaming in her mittened hands.

"Okay! I managed to save the fish, but... the..." She looked around the nearly empty room in confusion. "Where'd everybody go?"

A huge and very audible yawn from the stairs announced Mihoshi's arrival for breakfast. Wearing her red tank-top and tan khaki shorts, the bubbly blonde detective made her way down the stairs as she stretched her arms over her head.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning, Mihoshi." Sasami replied.

"Breakfast smells tasty as always!"

Normally, Mihoshi's compliment would have garnered a giggle from the normally cheerful cook. But today was not a good morning as their greetings had implied. Sasami turned her attention to setting out the fish she had barely rescued from fiery doom.

"Thanks, Mihoshi."

Mihoshi was just about to sit down at the table when she noticed Katsuhito watching the television. As this was a somewhat unusual sight, she decided to investigate.

"Good morning, Tenchi's Grandfather."

"Good Morning to you, Tenchi's friend."

Katsuhito's similarly worded response sent Mihoshi into a short fit of giggles.

"What are you watching, if you don't mind my asking?"

"The news."

Mihoshi's giggly attitude quickly faded.

"You don't mean... that's really happening?"

"Yup."

"That's..." Mihoshi clutched her hands to her chest. "That's horrible!"

Far from becoming upset and teary-eyed, Mihoshi's features crunched together in indignation.

"I can't just sit here while the criminals who pert... uh... perd... oh, what's that word?"

"Perpetrated." Aeka answered as she made her return. This time, she was properly clad in her summer-weight sleeveless Jurai-style kimono. "However, Miss Mihoshi, have you forgotten that this is a protected world? No matter how terrible and heinous the act, we are forbidden from interfering in local affairs."

"How can you say that?" Mihoshi looked to Aeka with tears in her eyes.

"Personally, I hope that when they find the person or persons responsible for this, they cut him or her into tiny pieces and feed them to the sharks." Aeka glanced once at the television screen and snorted with contempt. "Such cowardly tactics."

With a sigh, Katsuhito stood up and pressed the power button on the remote, thereby removing the disturbing images.

"I prefer to take my breakfast in peace."

"I agree completely." Aeka said as she turned towards the breakfast table.

"But..." Mihoshi stood staring at the blank TV screen. "There has to be something we can do."

Ryoko did not return to the Masaki house until evening. She was still having weird feelings regarding what she had seen this morning. With only Aeka and Sasami hanging around the house, she had not felt like sticking around. Aeka was her comedy relief, while the younger princess was more like a good-time friend. She had been feeling out of sorts and really didn't want to be around either of them. So, Ryoko had gone into town. Unknown to the others, she actually spent a lot of time in and around the nearby city of Kurashiki taking in the sights and watching people. She hoped that by watching them doing normal things, she might learn how to seem more normal for Tenchi.

Unfortunately, today was not a normal day. Everywhere she went, people were glued to television sets. No one seemed particularly frightened or angry. But there was a lot of concern about that nation's inevitable response. People were not behaving normally, which defeated the purpose of even being out. Out of the sight of her adopted family, especially Aeka's seemingly constant badgering, she was able to watch the images of destruction without interruption.

It got old quickly. With almost no change during the day, the images remained the same: broken buildings, idle airports, and lots of speculation. Ryoko puttered around town, ocassionally looking in the different stores, bars, or other public places. They were all the same. Everyone was glued to the TV. After twice investigating every place that Ryoko found even mildly interesting, she finally called it quits and returned home.

So, here she was, standing in front of the shrine, looking at the big bronze prayer bell with it's long braided rope, wondering what to do about the strange sense of melancholy that seemed to have taken hold of her. Reaching out, Ryoko took the ancient yellowed rope in hand and squeezed it in her immensely strong grip. The rope creaked and crackled in protest. Ryoko knew the rope and bell was a prayer device. She had seen Tenchi and Katsuhito use it often. One was supposed to ring the bell, then put his or her hands together and say a prayer. Although Ryoko wasn't one for pious behavior, she decided it couldn't hurt to say one quick prayer asking for some peace of mind.

Ryoko pulled the rope to the side, intending only to sound the bell in a strong clear manner. But when she pulled, the rope snapped off from the striker. The bell tolled a single sickly note, then fell silent. Ryoko stared at the severed rope in surprise. She hadn't pulled that hard, had she? The shrine door suddenly snapped open. Ryoko looked up to see an aged Shinto priest scowling down at her. She quickly put her arms behind her back to hide the incriminating evidence.

"Miss Ryoko, do you know how old that rope is?"

Ryoko put on her most innocent look.

"Rope? What rope?"

Katsuhito intentionally directed his gaze at Ryoko's feet, where he could still clearly see the other end of the broken rope.

"The one you're hiding behind your back."

Following the priest's gaze, Ryoko looked down to see what he was looking at. When she saw the free end of the rope in plain sight, her shoulders slumped, and even her ears seemed to wilt.

"Um..."

Katsuhito sat down on the shrine steps with a throaty groan that emphasized his apparent age.

"Well over six hundred years."

"I didn't mean it."

Tenchi's grandfather smiled and waved his hand at her as if it were nothing.

"Oh, don't worry. Like I said, it's almost as old as I am. I've been looking for an excuse to replace it."

"So... I kind of did you a favor."

"Something like that."

"Great!" Ryoko smiled with renewed vigor as she took to the air. "Then, I guess I'll just be going."

"Just a moment."

"What?"

"We have a custom when it comes to a prayer bell. If the rope breaks off in your hand, it means the Gods are angry with you, and will not hear your prayers until you've replaced the rope."

"Is that so? Well, what do you expect me to do? I don't have any money for a new one."

"Oh, no. A purchased rope would be an insult to this shrine's guardian deities. You must make a new one."

"Sorry. Don't know how." Ryoko shrugged off the priest's demand.

The corner of Katsuhito's mouth twitched upwards with barely concealed humor.

"Tenchi knows."

Ryoko perked up at that.

"He does?"

"Indeed. In fact, I'll bet he'll show you how if you ask nicely."

"Hmm..." Ryoko stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"Remember, Miss Ryoko. The gods will not hear your prayer until you have replaced the rope."

Ryoko started to chuckle quietly as her lips widened into a thin smile that spoke of her darker prayers. It seemed today wasn't such a bad day, after all.

"Well, then. I guess I'd better go ask him."

Aeka was standing at the bottom of the shrine steps admiring the good job she had done cleaning all those steps when Ryoko suddenly came flying down the hillside trailing a cloud of dust in her wake.

"Out of the way!" Ryoko yelled as she zoomed past Aeka, nearly blowing the princess off her feet. Aeka coughed and sputtered as the dust settled. Looking up the shrine steps, she saw that she would now have to start over, as well as take an extra thorough bath. Her anger flared and she gritted her teeth, grinding small particles of dirt between her molars. Taking the broom in both hands, Aeka snapped the handle over her knee and threw the two broken pieces on the ground. Then she stomped her foot for emphasis.

"That... demon! I'll get you for that, Ryoko!"

Her only response was the sound of laughter echoing from the direction of the carrot fields. Remembering that Tenchi was still working in those fields, Aeka realized Ryoko's intentions.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Aeka peeled off after Ryoko, intending to give her a solid tongue-lashing.

Tenchi dug viciously at a leafy green weed with his hoe. This particular carrot field seemed to have attracted a great deal of dandelions this year. The stubborn weeds sported a big thick central root that stuck well into the soil, sucking valuable minerals away from the intended crop. While he certainly did not enjoy having to put so much effort into weeding the fields, the physical labor was sufficiently mind-numbing to let him forget about what he had seen on the television earlier today.

"Damn." Tenchi cursed as his thoughts strayed to those events once more. While he was naturally very concerned about the families of the people who had died, the inevitable response to the attack was of even greater concern. He hoped the American president would exercise restraint. But if history was any kind of lesson, many more people would die before this issue was settled. He was even considering going up to the shrine to offer a prayer asking for restraint.

"Ten-nchi-i-i!"

Tenchi instinctively stepped aside just in time to avoid Ryoko's flying tackle. She spun in mid-air, narrowly avoiding a head-long crash into the growing vegetables and weeds. Her quick turn still dug a massive furrow in the ground that resembled nothing more than a big scar on the face of the field. Yes, restraint. What an amazing concept.

"What brings you out here, Ryoko?"

Under better control now that she was floating slowly, rather than darting around like a dragonfly, Ryoko wrapped her arms around Tenchi's shoulders.

"The priest says I gotta make a new rope for the prayer bell."

"Jeez. Don't tell me you broke it?"

"Okay. I won't say it if you don't want me to. But I still have to make a new one. Can you show me how?"

Tenchi instantly recognized one of his grandfather's little schemes. He had accidentally pulled the rope off a couple of years ago, precipitating a tall tale from Katsuhito about angry gods and insulted shrine deities. This seemed awfully similar. However, Ryoko seemed to be taking it well. Perhaps this was a sign that she was starting to take more responsibility for herself.

"I guess I don't have much choice."

"Ha!" Ryoko smiled brightly knowing that she would get to spend some time alone with Tenchi.

The sound of a steaming locomotive suddenly began to echo off of the hills. Turning towards the growing noise, Tenchi recoiled to see Aeka powering her way up the hillside with steam shooting from her nostrils and fire in her eyes. Even worse, she was heading straight for him.

"Aeka, wait!"

"Miss Ryoko!"

"No!" Tenchi screamed in terror as Ryoko took off.

"See ya!"

Ryoko escaped easily by flitting away into the air. Tenchi, however, was not blessed with the power of flight. Aeka plowed Tenchi over, leaving behind a furrow in Tenchi's freshly weeded field that dwarfed Ryoko's by a significant degree.

"Restraint..." Tenchi murmured to himself as he stared up at the puffy clouds.

Later that night, after the sun was down and the house was quiet, Ryoko was still trying to get the damn rope right. She cursed herself for paying more attention to Tenchi than to what he had been showing her. After all the confidence and assurances that she would have it done by tomorrow, he would be very disappointed if she failed. But if she succeeded, he would be very proud of her. The thought of that sent a tickling sensation right through her heart that made her giggle every time she thought of it. But the truth was that she just wasn't getting the job done.

With a grumble of dissatisfaction, Ryoko set the unfinished rope on the side steps. The three strands that she was supposed to intertwine to make a rope were a tangled mess. True, they were intertwined, but it looked terrible. Some places were loose while others were too tight. There were big loops, and the whole affair twisted around on its own like a millipede out for an afternoon stroll. Disgusted with her performance, Ryoko got up to take a break. Maybe a drink would make things better.

Floating through the wall and into the house, Ryoko went up to the rafters where she kept her personal supply of sake. Taking the entire jug in hand, she then floated down to the couch and snapped up the remote control for the television. She hit the power button, and the audio came on much louder than was appropriate for the late hour. Cringing, Ryoko quickly dialed the sound down to something she was certain no one else could hear. For a moment, she listened for any movement upstairs. If Aeka had heard...

There was nothing.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ryoko flipped over to the news channel. She was curious to see what kind of developements there had been with that terrorist attack since this morning. That, and she wanted to see the pictures again. It felt very different on this side of the attack. She had known much killing. Also, losing that fight with Yosho had given her a very intimate taste of what it felt like to be on the bad end of the fight. But watching from the sidelines as others died was fairly new to her. No one else was around to distract her or tease her for wanting to see these images. So she could just sit and experience this new feeling. The thing was, it was not an especially pleasurable feeling. It wasn't as bad as fear. But as she continued to watch, she felt a sense of melancholy descending over her. She felt depressed. Why she should feel depressed was beyond her understanding. All she could do was keep watching.

"What is this?"

Ryoko nearly turned inside out when Aeka suddenly spoke from almost right in her ear. She spun around, startled out of her wits.

"Shit, Aeka! You almost scared me to death!"

"Hmph. Perhaps I should have spoken a bit louder."

Aeka's words stung Ryoko. She had caught her when her defenses were down, when her feelings were at their most vulnerable.

"Go to Hell, Aeka." Ryoko turned and floated off towards the side entrance where her malformed rope was still waiting to taunt her with it's many deformities. Now she was pissed-off as well as disgusted.

Aeka pursed her lips and sighed. This was not like Ryoko. She normally would have made a witty come-back. Over the months, it had somehow developed into an almost ritualistic greeting between them. Anything else was quite unusual. Looking at the television gave Aeka a good idea what had caused Ryoko's fouler-than-usual mood. Seeing the remote that Ryoko had left behind in her haste to leave the room, Aeka took it from where Ryoko had left it on the couch and lightly pushed the orange power button, turning the set off. Now that she knew that the noise from downstairs had been mostly innocent, she felt ready to tackle the next problem; Ryoko's bad mood.

Dropping the remote back on the sofa where she had found it, Aeka strolled across the room out to the side door and opened it. She was a bit surprised to see Ryoko on the side steps, as this was not one of her usual haunts. In addition, she also saw that Ryoko had something that looked like an unfinished braid or rope in her hands. She was busily seperating out the three strands for what looked like another attempt. Recalling something she had seen earlier today up at the shrine, Aeka realized that it had been Ryoko who had broken the rope from the bell. The real surprise was that Ryoko was trying to make a replacement. Perhaps by showing some interest, the princess could get some answers from Ryoko.

"What is it that you have there?"

Ryoko sniffed her annoyance at the question, and at her own incompetence.

"Is it that bad?"

"Well, no. I just thought..."

"It's monstrous, just like me, right?"

"Heavens, no! Frankly, I'm quite pleased to see you taking responsibility for your actions."

Ryoko tensed. She realized that Aeka must know about what she had done. But that didn't mean she had to admit to it.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come, now, Ryoko. You know exactly what it means, and it's nothing to hide. I happened to go up to the shrine today to speak with my brother. When I arrived I noticed there was actually quite a number of people offering prayers. Some of them were dismayed to see the bell had no rope. But Brother Yosho was quick to assure them that the person responsible for it had voluntarily agreed to replace the rope. I had no idea until just now that it was you."

"Well, who else could it have been?"

"Honestly, my first choice was Miss Mihoshi."

Ryoko cracked a grin as an escape from the situation came to mind.

"Maybe I should have blamed it on her."

"I think not." Aeka replied with a disaprooving glare.

"Yeah. Besides, the priest caught me red-handed anyway. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. There I was, rope in hand and he walks out the door right in front of me. Man, how bad is that?"

Aeka felt relieved that Ryoko seemed to have found some humor in the situation. Really, it wasn't that big of a deal. "I wish I had seen your face."

The girls shared a chuckle at the mental image.

"Lord Tenchi will be very pleased when he finds out."

"He already knows." Ryoko giggled again thinking about how he would react when she finished the rope and tied it where it belonged. "But, I've got to finish this, first. Damn, I wish I'd paid more attention."

"Oh, I'm sure you were paying attention. Just not to Lord Tenchi's instructions."

Ryoko slowly nodded. Sitting silent for a moment, she glanced at Aeka out of the corner of her eye.

"Why are you acting all chummy all of a sudden?"

"Oh, well, I... heard noise downstairs."

"Shyeah, right. Tell me the truth, Aeka."

"Why should I when you never do?"

Aeka inwardly cringed. That had come out far too easily. But Ryoko only looked at her out of the corner of her eye again.

"I guess you've got a point. All right. So... let's be honest with each other."

"Are you serious?" The idea was so ludicrous that Aeka couldn't help staring at Ryoko.

"We'll take turns. But I get to go first."

Aeka drew herself up. She had no reason to lie or deceive.

"Very well. I have nothing to hide."

"We'll see about that. First question: Why are you still here?"

"Could you be more specific?"

"Why are you still here in this house?"

Aeka winced at the question. She hadn't anticipated that the questions would be so personal. On top of that, there were quite a few reasons why she remained on Earth. But, there was one reason that was greater than the others.

"My feelings for Lord Tenchi."

"You love him, then?"

"I believe it's my turn to ask."

Ryoko growled her annoyance at not getting the answer she was looking for. But she could wait a minute to ask another question.

"Do you truly love Lord Tenchi, as you claim?"

"Yes. So, what about you? Do you love Tenchi?"

Aeka felt momentarily taken aback at how quickly Ryoko had answered the question. For herself, she only answered a question with such speed when she was absolutely certain of the answer. "Well..." Aeka found it rather difficult to say just how she felt about Tenchi. She cared for him, and found him attractive. She desired to be near him, even in his arms. She was not certain if she desired to lay in his bed, but... many of these wants and desires made up her feelings. Aeka knew she felt a romantic interest in Tenchi, and she quailed if she ever thought of harm coming to Tenchi. It just wasn't so easy to simply come out and say that she was in love with him.

"Come on. Honest, remember?"

"Yes, yes. I remember. But it's not that easy without knowing how he feels for me."

"It's not that hard, either. Whether Tenchi loves me or not, I still love him. So confess, Princess. Do you love Tenchi?"

"I..." Taking a deep breath first, Aeka took the plunge. "I do." Once it was out, everything seemed so much easier. "I love him." A big goofy grin apread across Aeka's reddening face as she wrapped her arms around her chest and began stamping her feet on the ground in girlish delight. "I love him! I love him! I love him!"

"Okay, okay." Ryoko grumbled at seeing Aeka's silly antics. She quickly refocused her attention on debraiding the rope. "I get the picture. Are you gonna ask another question or is that it?"

"Yes." Aeka was so lost in her giddy joy that she forgot to say to which choice she meant yes. Luckily, she made herself clear by asking the next question before Ryoko could take her answer to mean otherwise. "I've been wondering..."

Aeka actually was thinking of two different questions. One was more the real question. But she felt a bit presumtuous asking it. There was a lesser related question, though, that she felt a little more comfortable with.

"Why are you always throwing yourself on Lord Tenchi?"

Ryoko glanced at Aeka out of the corner of her eye.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Well, it's obvious what you want. But I want to know why."

Ryoko pondered how to answer that. She knew the reasons, but relating them to Aeka of all people was not something she had ever really expected to do. There were two primary reason for why she was always coming on to Tenchi. One of them was very personal and quite probably extremely embarrassing to tell. The other was not so difficult. Perhaps if she told Aeka the easy one, she could avoid telling of the other.

"I want to give Tenchi something... he'll like. I want to give him a thrill, and make him feel good! Guys like sex, so... If I give Tenchi something he likes, maybe he'll like me better."

"The way you say that makes it sound so cheap. Besides, Lord Tenchi is not that kind of a man."

"Yeah, right. Why do you think he gets a bloody nose every time he sees one of us naked?"

"For heaven's sake. Must you be so vulgar?"

"What's so vulgar about wanting to be with the one you love?"

"Nothing. What's vulgar is that you seem to make no distinction between lust and love!"

Aeka's statement brought some strange thoughts into Ryoko's mind. She had never experienced either of those feelings until Tenchi. It had never occured to her that they could be experienced seperately. Eager to show that she knew more about that than the princesss Ryoko quickly asked her the next question.

"All right, smarty-pants. Answer this question, then. What's the difference between lust and love?"

Despite the insinuation that she knew the difference between lust and love, Aeka found it rather difficult to explain the difference.

"Well... love is... how one feels. And..."

"Love is the emotional attachment one feels for a person. Lust is the physical desire to achieve sexual gratification."

"Yes, precisely." Aeka nodded in agreement, even though it was Washu who had answered. Suddenly aware of the third person's presence, Aeka nearly fell of the steps in surprise. Ryoko remained sitting as if it were no surprise at all.

"M-m-miss Washu!"

"Evening, Ladies." Washu sat between the two girls right next to Ryoko who ignored her except to hurl an accusation.

"Spying on me again?"

"Yup. It's a mother's job, after all. But, more importantly, do you understand the difference better now?"

Her face turning a slight shade of pink, Ryoko silently nodded in the affirmative.

"That's good. Aeka, you'll have to excuse my little girl. I'm afraid that due to a certain individual's negative influence," Washu paused to tap Ryoko on the back of the skull, "Ryoko's well behind on her emotional developement."

Aeka rearranged herself on the steps. In a second, everything suddenly became clear to her. Looking at Ryoko, she appeared a nearly full-grown woman. But if she were behind mentally, it would explain her ill-temper and somewhat child-like behavior.

"It may not feel like it to her, and appearances aside, she is still an adolescent."

"I am not!" Ryoko abruptly stood up. "Look at this!" She pulled her blouse open, revealing her prodigous breasts. "What kind of a teenager has a body like this?"

"On this planet, 40 of females over the age of 15." Washu quickly answered with a self-satisfied grin.

"Oh." Ryoko sat down just as quickly as she had risen. She covered herself again, squirming uncomfortably under the combined weight of Aeka's disapproving stare and Washu's amused grin. "Well, you're one to talk. You look like you just got out of primary school."

"But I'm so cute this way! Besides, you two wouldn't stand a chance with Tenchi if I walked around looking like an adult all the time."

The girls steamed at Washu's claim of superior sex appeal.

"Hey, nice rope!" Washu praised Ryoko, examining the now completed rope that Ryoko was holding. "Took you long enough, but it looks good. What are you going to do with it?" Without waiting for Ryoko's answer, Washu sent her a mental image of Tenchi tied up on his bed with that same rope. A large smile spread across Ryoko's face as she received the image.

"Well..."

"I know that grin." Aeka thought upon seeing Ryoko's mischievous smile. "Now, you told me that was for the shrine bell, Miss Ryoko. I expect you to keep your word."

"Sure, sure." Ryoko nodded vigorously. "After I use it for something else." Taking to the air, Ryoko flew off towards the upper floors of the house where Tenchi slept.

"Ryoko!" Aeka leapt up and ran for the stairs. "I absolutely will not allow it!"

Washu laughed brightly as Aeka chased Ryoko up to Tenchi's room. A moment later, Tenchi's terrified scream ripped through the night. Soon after that, Sasami's young voice shouted grumpily across the house.

"Aeka! Ryoko! Why won't you two just go to bed?!"

Washu laughed even louder.

The next morning, everyone was sitting around the breakfast table like usual. Tenchi, Aeka and Ryoko all had bloodshot eyes from last night's excitement. Ryoko still had the rope on her person. She had it tied around her waist like a belt to keep it safe from Aeka, who had nearly destroyed it last night defending Tenchi. Sasami still seemed a bit grumpy from that same event, although she had gotten more sleep than the others. Washu felt fine, although she had popped a few wide-eye pills to stay awake while she worked on an particular invention that she had a feeling would be required sometime soon. Mihoshi had completely slept through the entire thing. It usually took a spaceship crashing into the house to wake her up. Therefore, she had no idea what had happened last night.

"So, Ryoko. I've been wondering all morning. Why do you have a rope tied around your waist?"

Ryoko smiled weakly, tired as she felt. Aeka sniffed her disdain at the reminder.

"I'm so tired." Tenchi whimpered under his breath about having missed half a night's sleep.

"Originally, it's for the shrine prayer bell."

"I see. Although, that doesn't really answer my question."

"Shut up, or I'll tie you up with it next."

Aeka's face turned green. "Gross."

As usual, Mihoshi totally missed the point. "Sor-ry. Everyone seems so grumpy this morning." Thinking about what recent event could have put everyone so out of sorts this morning, Mihoshi came to a completely incorrect, but relevant, conclusion.

"I know. You're all upset about that accident on the television. I understand completely. That made me sad, too."

Groans of disgust echoed from around the table. For a few minutes, silence reigned, with only the occasional interruption of a request to pass the salt or some other innocent comment. Before long, Katsuhito came in.

"Good Morning, Tenchi, Ladies."

Murmured greeting came from around the table.

"Everyone seems so tired this morning. Was there some excitement last night?" Katsuhito chuckled as more groans were given. "Well, I hope your late night antics won't keep you from your chores, right Tenchi?"

"Yes, Grandpa."

Katsuhito sat at the head of the table. It was unusual for him to take breakfast in the house, and even more unusual to do so two days in a row. But he had a reason. He wanted to gauge the family's reaction and mood concerning the international crisis brewing in the Western world. Now that everyone had had a day to let things sink in, he was expecting to get a better idea of how they felt. He was especially interested in Ryoko's response to the situation.

"Well, Miss Ryoko. I see you've finished the new rope for the shrine's prayer bell. May I see it?"

Keeping a wary eye on Aeka, Ryoko unwound the rope from her waist and handed it over the table. The dangling rope brushed against the salt shaker, knocking it over with a wooden thud.

"Oh, no!" Mihoshi suddenly exclaimed. "Ryoko, you spilled the salt! That's seven years bad luck!"
"What are you babbling about?" Ryoko sneared with disdain. She really wasn't in the mood for Mihoshi's inane comedy.

"Quick! Throw it over your shoulder!"

"If I do, will you quit your yapping?"

"Anything. We just can't have anymore bad luck around this house! Who knows what might happen next!"

Ryoko had no intention of doing what a ditzy blonde GP detective told her. But Washu's telepathic prompt made her give in.

"You better humor the girl. She sounds serious."

"Fine." Ryoko shrugged. She took the spilled salt shaker and threw it over her shoulder. The shaker smashed against the back wall, showing everyone's breakfast with table salt.

"Oh, no!" Mihoshi cried.

"What now?!"

"You were only supposed to throw a pinch over your shoulder, not the whole thing!"

Ryoko snatched Mihoshi by the pink shirt, pulling the girl right in front of her nose. "You didn't say that." She growled in Mihoshi's face.

"Oh." Mihoshi weakly smiled as she scratched her head. "I guess I didn't. My mistake."

"Why I oughtta..."

"Well!" Katsuhito spoke loudly, drawing the girls' attention back to him, rather than the silly superstition of spilled table salt bringing back luck. "This is good work, Miss Ryoko."

More interested in praise than in beating Mihoshi's face in, Ryoko let the girl go.

"Thanks." She muttered.

"Now all that remains is for you to tie it back where it belongs."

"Who me? Do it yourself. It's your shrine."

"Ryoko." Tenchi gave Ryoko an admonishing look. "If you broke it, you should fix it."

Ryoko's shoulders drooped as she muttered to herself. "Anyone else wanna give me crap this morning?"

"Come, Miss Ryoko. I won't take but a minute or two."

However, Katsuhito did not reckon on Sasami's insistence on a good breakfast.

"My brother and Miss Ryoko have forgotten all about breakfast again." She said aloud without looking at either of them.

The priest laughed. "So I have. But there are people waiting, and I promised them the bell would be ready this morning. Perhaps tomorrow."

"Wait a minute." Ryoko snatched her plate and shoveled everything down in a matter of seconds, much to everyone's dismay and disgust.

"For Gods' sake, Ryoko, chew your food!" Aeka scowled at the pirate's behavior.

A dark glint of light across Ryoko's eye silenced any further objections. Setting the now empty plate back down on the table, Ryoko belched loudly, then got up.

"All right. Let's get this over with."

As soon as she was outside the door and within sight of the shrine steps, Ryoko noticed an elderly couple climbing the long stairs. Remembering Tenchi's advice that she act normal in the presence of those who were not informed as to her true abilities, she set her feet down on the ground and walked rather than flying up the hill. She and Katsuhito followed slowly behind the elderly couple, who took their time climbing the stairs, even pausing a couple times, delaying the conclusion of this ridiculous little ritual. Ryoko muttered under her breath about slow old farts and stairs as they followed respectfully along. Eventually, they did get to the shrine. Ryoko was surprised to see two more couples and a really ancient-looking old woman. Katsuhito leaned close to whisper in Ryoko's ear.

"That old lady over there was here yesterday evening. She took it as a bad omen when she found that the bell rope was broken. I was afraid she wouldn't show up today. It's a very long trip for her." Katsuhito smiled politely as he and Ryoko passed the visitors to the shrine.

"There's a lot of people today." Ryoko observed, looking at everyone. Besides the first couple and the old lady, there were two other couples, one also of advanced age, and a younger couple that Ryoko thought looked familiar but couldn't place.

"People are concerned about current events. When bad things happen, people often look to religious faith for guidance."

"Waste of time." Ryoko scoffed at the idea of divine intervention, even though she had first-hand experience with events that could be interpereted as such. "If you want to change the future you have to do it yourself."

"The Gods help those who help themselves, is that it?"

Ryoko looked at the aging shrine priest in surprise. She had not really expected that he would understand her opinion on that.

"Something like that."

As they neared the steps that led up into the main shrine, Katsuhito came to a stop. Ryoko followed suit, as she was unsure of exactly what her role in this was to be.

"If you'll wait right here, I have to get some things for the ceremony."

"I thought this was only going to take a minute?" Ryoko grumbled irritably.

"Patience, Miss Ryoko. I'll be right out." Katsuhito left Ryoko standing outside the shrine to fetch the items he needed.

Ryoko stood impatiently awaiting the priest's return. Before long, the old lady that Katsuhito had pointed out to her came shuffling along and struck up a conversation.

"Are you the one who broke the rope?" The wizened old woman looked up at Ryoko, a look of annoyance on her wrinkled features.

"Uh... well..."

"To think that such a thing would happen on a day like yesterday. It's a horrible horrible omen. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if it heralded the end of the world!"

Ryoko tried to laugh off the woman's doom-saying. But the doom-and-gloom still had some of an effect on her.

"It's not all that bad... is it?"

"It could be. Unless you fix that rope."

Ryoko tried not to recoil under the old woman's beady green-eyed stare. She felt like the old crone was looking right into her soul. Thankfully, Katsuhito chose that moment to emerge from the shrine dressed in all his priestly vestments carrying a harai gushi in one hand and a small wooden bucket filled with cold water and a ladle in the other.

"Making friends?"

The old woman smiled at Katsuhito as if he were an old friend. "This one's got a good look about her. Thinking of re-marrying?"

Ryoko's face turned beet red with embarrassment as Katsuhito laughed.

"I'm afraid this young lady's got her eye on my grandson."

"Too bad." The woman sighed regretfully as she ambled away. "It's so difficult for us older folks."

"She means well." Katsuhito whispered to Ryoko.

"If you like her so much, marry her." Ryoko grumbled under her breath as Katsuhito set the bucket on the ground.

"Hold this for a moment, please." The priest took the rope that Ryoko had made from his shoulder and held it out to her. "What ever you do, don't let the rope touch the ground or we'll have to start over."

"Good to know." Ryoko made sure to hold the rope well up. This was already taking longer than she liked. Starting over would be near torture.

"Just follow my instructions and you'll do fine."

The priest paused to take a deep, relaxing breath. Then, stuffing the wand into the belt of his hakama, he clapped three times and bowed. Then he bent down and retrieved the bucket of water. Using the ladle, he poured water over the rope and especially Ryoko's hands to cleanse them of spiritual impurities. It wouldn't do to have impure hands groping about a purified prayer bell. Setting down the bucket and ladel, he then retrieved his wand and began waving it over the rope and chanting. After about half a minute, he ceased chanting and bowed again.

"Now, Miss Ryoko. Woiuld you be so kind?" Katsuhito gestured to the bronze bell hanging next to the steps to the main shrine.

Ryoko walked over to the bell, though she would have prefered to fly. As it was, she had to stretch to reach the bell's striker. She quickly looped the rope around it and then tied it off.

"There." Ryoko gazed upon her handi-work with a bit a pride. It looked much better than that yellowed piece of crinkly grass that had been there before. But as she turned to leave, Katsuhito caught her.

"Not just yet. You must sound the bell to let the gods know it has been repaired. And, since it would be rude to draw the gods attention without reason, you must also say a prayer. Then the ritual will be completed."

"Say a prayer?!"

"I believe you had something in mind yesterday evening."

"I guess. But I can't remember what it was." Scratching at her head, Ryoko looked at the restored bell, trying to recall exactly what it was she had meant to do last night. She took a quick look around, hoping for some inspiration. The old lady from earlier urged her on by waving her hand in a shooing motion.

With a sigh of annoyance, Ryoko grasped the rope and swung it back and forth a couple of times. The bell clanged and blanged, making enough racket to attract an entire pantheon of gods. She then put her hands together and closed her eyes, intending to pray in the Shinto-style and be rid of the annoyance of Katsuhito's imposition. Then, she suddenly realized she had no idea how to actually say a prayer, or even what she wanted to ask for. The mood that had taken her yesterday evening had passed with the night. She supposed she could ask for Tenchi's undivided love and attention. But there was something on the edge of her consciousness that kept intruding, drawing her attention, and making her mind shift away. She turned her thoughts to it, hoping to dispel the distraction by focusing on it.

As soon as she thought of the images from yesterday, the mood descended upon Ryoko again like a thick miasma of mental poison. Despondancy and melancholy soaked through her consciousness, making her feel as if someone had draped a wet blanket over her head. Burning buildings and screaming people were negative images that Ryoko wanted to completely divest herself of for all times. The violence and destruction of her past was something she never wanted to revisit. But someone had seen fit to bring those things back into her idyllic lifestyle. That explained most of it. Someone had rocked the boat, and she felt depressed about it. But that did not explain the feelings of guilt. Ryoko knew she had had absolutely nothing to do with the incident half-way around the planet. Seeing it and knowing that it had occured reminded her too much of the things she had done and the feelings of guilt that she always carried around inside, deeply hidden where hopefully she could, in time, forget. She tried to rationalize the event by telling herself that she had nothing to do with it, and that it was someone else's problem. But that didn't change anything. The people she had killed in the past were dead and there was nothing she could do to help them. Even their families were likely long dead, leaving no one she could apologize to, assuming they would even listen, and assuming even more that they might actually accept such an apology. Ryoko, The Destroyer, would never be forgiven. She figured the least she could do is ask the shrine's guardian deities to help out those people that need it the most. She still felt silly though, praying to imaginary beings in the hopes that some almighty power might deliver redemption and healing.

"God helps those that help themselves." Ryoko thought to herself, recalling what Katsuhito had said to her earlier. The comment had been thrown out in an off-hand manner. But Ryoko realized that the statement was actually valid. People standing before onrushing vehicles praying for deliverance from harm never survived. She realized then that if she wanted to be forgiven and rid herself of her feelings of self-guilt, she had to start the process herself. But what could she possibly do that might make up for raining death and destruction down on innocent people?

For the barest fraction of conscious time, Ryoko felt on the verge of an answer to her deepest desire. Then it came to her. In a startling moment of calm clarity, Ryoko realized that there was indeed something that she could do. She would not find redemption in others, only in herself. Only then would it have meaning for her. The past was the past and could not be changed. But here and now, she could make a difference. Only by taking action to make up for what she had done, could she start healing the great black stain on her soul. People half a world away were picking up the pieces of a terrible disaster. No doubt they would be glad for some assistance. And with her powers and abilities she could really make a difference there.

Ryoko opened her eyes. Brought back to the waking world, Ryoko felt that her eyes were puffy. She hastily wiped her face, eliminating the signs of her internal strife. Turning around, she faced Katsuhito with confidence.

"I... have to go."
The aging priest smiled at Ryoko. He had seen that look a few times in his long tenure as a Shinto priest. It was the look that accompanied a life-changing revelation about one's self. If Ryoko were of this world, he would say that she had been granted a vision by the Gods of the shrine. But knowing Ryoko as he did, even though he would likely never know the details of Ryoko's vision (she was pretty tight-lipped about her personal feelings), he felt certain that it had been positive.

"I understand."

Ryoko bolted for the house, flying headlong down the hill without regard for those who might be watching. Fortunately, not all was as it appeared. The people standing around the shrine grounds disappeared in a haze of digital static, leaving only the priest and an old lady who was making her way towards him. But even her appearance was not real. Washu's disguise evaporated just as readily as the images of the shrine-goers as she came to a stop at the priest's elbow.

"Thanks for your help with that."

Katsuhito bowed his head, acknowledging Washu's thanks. "It was truly my pleasure. Although, I don't recall any discussion of marriage in the plan."

"Oh? I thought Shinto priests were allowed to marry."

"They are."

"Then..." With a seductive grin, Washu quickly shifted her body to that of an adult. "Is this more to your liking?"

Katsuhito immediately noticed the change in timber of Washu's voice. He took a quick look, just to see. Washu's clothes were stretched tight across various places to accomodate her larger physical form. Glancing down, he amended his original estimate. Much larger. Clearing his throat, Katsuhito turned to go back into the shrine.

"Have a nice day, Little Washu."

"Hey!"

Ignoring Washu's objection, he slid the door closed between them. Reverting back to her younger form, Washu shrugged and started back towards the house.

"Guess he likes older women."

"Ryo-o-ki!" Ryoko called for her long-time companion as she searched room-by-room through the house. Much to her consternation, she couldn't seem to find the creature. She was loathe to use her the gem to call her. Ryoko knew how it felt to have an external entity place an overpowering command in her mind. It just didn't seem right anymore. But if she couldn't find her ride, she would have little choice. Sticking her head through the back wall of her room, Ryoko looked uninvited into Aeka and Sasami's abode.

"Ryo-o-ki?"

Aeka was right in the middle of changing her clothes when she heard someone's voice in her room. Clad only in her underwear, she froze, staring at the disembodied head on her wall.

"Miss Ryoko."

Ryoko came completely through the wall and began rummaging through Aeka's personal belongings.

"Excuse me. What do you think you're doing? Those are my things. And why can't you seem to use the door like everyone else?"

Ignoring Aeka's objections, Ryoko lifted an entire large-sized luggage container to look behind it.

"Have you seen Ryo-o-ki?"

"Not recently. Now be gone!"

"Wait a sec..." Recalling that Aeka was a Jurai princess, Ryoko slowly turned around to look at her. "You're a Jurai Princess. You've got a ship."

Trying to ignore Ryoko's presence, Aeka resumed clothing herself. "I HAD a ship, until you destroyed it! TWICE!" Aeka's shoulders drooped. "My poor Ryuo..."

"Oh, yeah. But... Yosho destroyed my ship once, and Ryo-o-ki had to regenerate herself after crashing your ship into the planet. So, the way I see it, we're even."

"Even my royal right foot!" Aeka stomped to within a nose's length of Ryoko. "You destroyed a good portion of the Royal Palace including my favorite garden, sank over half the home fleet, and marooned my brother out here for seven hundred years! We are not even close to even!"

"Jeez, you're touchy today." Ryoko smiled at Aeka, pulling back just far enough so that she couldn't smell the princess's breath. "That time of the month already?"

Aeka's face turned beet red and she curled her hands into claws. Seeing that her jibe had the intended effect, Ryoko stuck her tongue out at Aeka and then flew through the nearest wall just in time to avoid a flying elbow strike.

Chuckling to herself with amusement, Ryoko flew downstairs to look for Sasami. If she found Aeka's sister, she would probably find Ryo-o-ki. First stop, the main room where she had last seen everyone. It took Ryoko only a thought to teleport herself to the room where the family gathered for meals and entertainment. But the only person left there was Mihoshi, who was trying to program the VCR and only getting herself into trouble.

"Yo, Mihoshi. Seen Ryo-o-ki?"

"No, Ryoko, not since breakfast." Mihoshi pressed the eject button, expecting the deck to simply spit the tape out like she wanted. But when she pulled out the cartridge, a long string of black video tape remained attached somewhere inside the deck. "This doeesn't look right." She pulled on the long streamer, hoping to dislodge it from with hungry VCR's gaping maw. But she only succeeded in pulling more tape from the cassette and tangling herself up in it. "Why do they put so much tape in these things?"

Ignoring Mihoshi's plight and the VCR's display, which was beginning to pulse menacingly, Ryoko flew through the wall that divided the main room from the kitchen. Sasami was at the sink washing this morning's dishes.

"Hey, little buddy!" Ryoko touched down right behind Sasami and wrapped her arms around her in an overly friendly embrace.

Sasami screeched in fright, as she had not heard Ryoko enter, and dropped a plate on the floor. The dish shattered on impact sending small pieces of ceramic across the floor.

"Ryoko!"

"Oops. Sorry." Ryoko let go of Sasami, freeing her to turn around and show her displeasure.

Sasami sighed aloud thinking that perhaps Ryoko might be persuaded to assist in cleaning up the mess since she had a hand in creating it. "Would you get me the broom, please?"

"Sure, just as soon as you tell me where Ryo-o-ki is."

"The broom first." Sasami insisted, knowing full-well that Ryoko was likely to run off without fulfilling her end of the bargain.

"Heh." Ryoko chuckled aloud. "Can't fool you, can I?"

Sasami grinned, seeing that Ryoko understood.

"No way. But... why are you looking for Ryo-o-ki? Are you going on a trip?"

"That's the plan."

Sasami's eyes lit up with excitement. "Where to?"

"New York." Ryoko proudly proclaimed.

The kitchen door suddenly slammed open and Aeka (now fully dressed) stalked into the room heading straight for Ryoko with the full intention of getting back at Ryoko for teasing her upstairs. Ryoko turned around to meet the confrontation head-on.

"Over my dead body! Those people have had enough trouble! They don't need you looting and pillaging what little is left of their lives!"

A surge of anger flashed through Ryoko's breast. She clenched her hands, willing the sudden sensation to go away. After a few seconds it passed. Her good humor spent, Ryoko grabbed Aeka by the lapels of her kimono and pulled her close.

"I am going to go help those people. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Help? You? I find that hard to believe. You are the least helpful person I know."

"Screw you, Aeka." Ryoko pushed the princess away, refocusing her attention on Sasami. "Where's Ryo-o-ki?"

This time, Sasmai did not impose any conditions on her information.

"She went to help Tenchi in the carrot fields."

"Finally." Ryoko grouched, taking to the air once more.

"Miss Ryoko." Aeka called after her.

Ryoko paused, though she did not know why she bothered since Aeka most likely only wanted to anger her further.

"If you are serious about being of assistance, remember that those people have been attacked. They may be somewhat... touchy where outsiders are concerned."

A devilish grin spread across Ryoko's face as her humor returned full-force.

"More touchy than a Jurai Princess on the rag?"

Aeka's eyes flashed red as Ryoko escaped through another wall. Many and varied knives, swords, daggers, and cleavers flashed through the air, impacting points-first on the wall where Ryoko has just disappeared.

"I won't miss next time!"

"Aeka!" Sasami put the full force of her young voice into gaining her sister's attention. "You shouldn't throw knives at people!"

"But that woman drives me insane! Besides, I was aiming at the wall."

Sasami grumbled to herself as she stepped down from her foot-stool at the sink and went over to the blade festooned wall to retrieve the cutting implements that Aeka had thrown. "The way my sister's acting it probably is that time of the month."

"Did you say something?" Aeka suspiciously asked.

Looking up at the wall, Sasami wondered where Aeka had gotten the matched katana and wakizashi set. "I'm saying that I think it's great that Ryoko is going to go help those people, and that we should go, too."

"Sasami, this is a protected world. You know we're forbidden from interfering in local affairs."

"That doesn't mean we can't work as volunteers, or something. I know!" Sasami turned back to her sister, forgetting entirely about the blades wavering over her head. "We could run a soup kitchen for the rescue workers!"

"That's... um..." At first Aeka wanted to point out the negatives of such an idea. But the more she thought about it, the more she found there were no negatives. Even if they didn't bring their own food, the local authorities would likely be glad for any assistance. And from the pleading puppy-eyed look on Sasami's face, Aeka knew that she would be crushed if she said no. "That's a wonderful idea, Sasami. I'm sure it can be arranged."

Sasami's giant smile was all the reward Aeka needed.

Ryoko zipped through the Okayama sky just above tree level. The lands that Tenchi's grandfather owned were actually quite a big chunk of the local area. It seemed that everything from around the lake and all the way up the mountain to the shrine belonged to him. Ryoko wasn't really surprised, since the family had been living here for seven hundred years. The field where Tenchi was currently working with Ryo-o-ki's assistance was one of the closer ones. As soon as she cleared the trees, she spotted Tenchi kneeling on the ground and pulling carrots one after another. Behind him, gnawed carrot-tops were jumping out of a large basket as fast as Tenchi could fill it. Alighting on the ground next to the basket, Ryoko peered inside.

"Hey, carrot-muncher!"

Two beady gold eyes looked up at her.

"How come you never answer when I call?"

"Mya?"

Hearing the familiar voices behind him, Tenchi looked over his shoulder to see what was going on. "Oh. Hey, Ryoko. How'd it go at the shrine?"

Ryoko reached into the basket to retrieve the furry little creature. "Fine." Ryoko smiled as she got a hold of her quarry, who seemed intent on avoiding her this morning. "Gotcha." She pulled Ryo-o-ki out of the basket like a cabbit out of a hat. The creature was clutching a half-eaten carrot in her paws. "What's so great about carrots, anyway?"

"Mya!" Ryo-o-ki mewed cheerfully as she recalled Tenchi giving her her first carrot.

"Oh, I see." Ryoko smirked as she scanned Ryo-o-ki's thoughts. "Figures. Well, playtime's up. We're going on a little trip."

Ryo-o-ki dropped her carrot in stunned surprise. "Mya?"

"A trip?" Tenchi asked, wondering what kind of plans Ryoko had cooked up. "Where to?"

"New York." Ryoko sat Ryo-o-ki in her open palm as she turned to face Tenchi. She idly scratched the cabbits ears to keep her sitting calmly. Ryo-o-ki craned her neck with pleasure at the attention being given to her.

"New York?" Tenchi suspiciously repeated. He roled back onto his feet and turned around to fully face Ryoko. "I don't think that's such a good idea right now."

"Why not?" Ryoko asked, curious as to what kind of objections Tenchi would confront her with, and how she might dispel those objections.

"Well, I guess that depends on what you plan on doing there."

Ryoko felt disappointment at the suspicious look on Tenchi's face. Did he really think that little of her?

"I'm going to help." Ryoko looked up at the blue sky as she continued. "I think I can make a difference there; maybe even save a few lives. I know it's not much of a start. But it's better than nothing."

Tenchi cursed himself as a fool for doubting Ryoko's intentions in this. "I'm sorry, Ryoko. I should know you better than that by now."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi, her eyes wide with surprise. "Ah... well, it's okay." Feeling her face reddening, she looked down at Ryo-o-ki, who still sat happily in the palms of her hands.

"To tell you the truth," Tenchi went on, "I've been wanting to do something to help, but I couldn't think of what. I'm glad one of us knows what to do."

Removing his right glove, Tenchi reached out to join Ryoko in scratching Ryo-o-ki's chin. She mewed happily at the dual attention, then rolled over onto her back, exposing her belly. Tenchi chuckled with mirth at the little creature's antics while Ryoko merely smiled.

"Lucky little creature." She thought to herself without the least bit of jealousy while watching Tenchi rub Ryo-o-ki's stomach.

"If its okay with you, I'd like to go along."

"Okay." Ryoko quickly agreed, her cockiness returning. "But, don't expect me to spend all my time with you. I'll be busy, after all."

"Of course." Tenchi laughed.

"Well, isn't this a cute little scene!"

Both Tenchi and Ryoko jumped at Washu's sudden appearance to one side. Ryo-o-ki rolled back to her feet and jump onto Washu's shoulder. She scampered up on top of Washu's huge mass of red hair and sat comfortably watching everyone.

"Mya!"

"Washu!" Ryoko growled at her self-proclaimed mother for ruining her moment with Tenchi.

"And just how do you two intend to communicate with all those English-speaking Americans, hm?"

Both Tenchi and Ryoko gave pause at that.

"Ah, to tell you the truth," Tenchi admitted, "we really hadn't given it any thought."

"Mm-hm." Washu nodded knowingly. "Leave it up to the greatest scientific genius in the universe to figure out all the details. Like I don't have anything better to do."

"Sorry." Tenchi started to apologize, but Washu just laughed.

"Oh, come on! I'm just kidding!" Washu held up a hand, palm up, to show-off her latest invention. "I kind of figured someone would eventually want to go. So I made these micro-translators for everyone. They look like local technology, so nobody should get suspicious if they happen to see them."

Looking at the translators in Washu's hand, Tenchi noticed that they did indeed look like a popular brand of hearing aid.

"Wow. Yeah, these ought to come in handy. But, do you think everyone will want to go?"

"Are you kidding?" Washu asked, wondering where Tenchi's common sense had disappeared to. "Sasami's already making plans for a soup-kitchen, and when Aeka finds out you two were planning on going on a trip alone, she's gonna flip!"

"Well..." Tenchi chuckled weakly, "it's not really like that."

Ryoko felt a bit of disappointment at Tenchi's defense. She would like it to be that way. But in fact that was not the truth on this occasion.

"I see." Washu smirked at the two of them. "Anyway, at least you should take Mihoshi's shuttle instead of Ryo-o-ki. The shuttle has storming shields so you can get past the fighter jets without having to shoot them down."

Ryoko cringed. She hadn't thought of that when she'd gone looking for Ryo-o-ki.

"Good point." Tenchi agreed.

"Mya..."

Looking up on top of Washu's head, Tenchi could see that Ryo-o-ki looked very disappointed.

"That doesn't mean you can't come along." He promised. Ryo-o-ki immediately brightened up, knowing that she would be included.

"Myan!"

"I'll be coming along, too." Washu told them. "Between my sensors and Ryoko's abilities, we should find everybody there is to find in no time."

Ryoko's annoyance with Washu faded as she came to understand that the scientist had come to help rather than hinder or tease.

"So what are we waiting for?" She gave them a wink and a smile. "Let's get go get the others."

"Right." Tenchi agreed, also smiling. "Lets."

After a brief discussion about what to bring, Sasami and Aeka had half the kitchen packed when they suddenly heard Mihoshi yelling out in the main room.

"Spit it out you stupid machine!"

Mihoshi was known to sometimes yell at the various entertainment devices if one of them chose to do other than what she wanted, so the girls thought little of it until Mihoshi started screaming bloody murder.

"Somebody help me! Please!"

Alarmed, Aeka and Sasami ran for the door. Aeka emerged first. When she saw what was happened, she stopped dead in shock. Mihoshi's lower half was wrapped entirely in long strands of video tape. The tape ran in a long strip to the VCR, which seemed to have sprouted eight legs and was braced on the floor just in front of the television. Mihoshi's nails peeled big curling strips of wood from the floor as the VCR reeled her in, it's demon-red display blinking with hellish intent.

"Dear God!" Aeka exclaimed when she found her voice.

"Mihoshi!" Sasami exclaimed in surprise.

"Please! Aeka! Sasami! Save me!" Mihoshi screamed again.

"Sasami! Mallet!" Aeka held out her left hand.

"Yes, Sister!" Sasami pulled a huge wooden mallet from her kimono aand handed it to her sister with a bow.

Rolling up her sleeves, Aeka addressed the video cassette recorder in as strong a voice as she could manage, given the strange situation. "Release that woman at once, you infernal machine, or face the consequences!"

The VCR growled and squealed as it's internal mechanisms struggled to drag it's prey across the floor.

"I don't think it's listening!" Mihoshi yelled.

"Very well. You had your chance!" Aeka proclaimed. "Now face divine punishment!" LEtting loose a powerful battlecry, Aeka leapt across the room. "Hiyaa!"

The immense mallet came down on the machine with a sickening crunch. Plastic shattered and silicon sprayed, peppering the princess with broken VCR guts as she raised the mallet and stuck over and over. On the other side of the room, Sasami averted her eyes as the carnage Aeka was unleashing. The monstrous machine squealed and snapped it's anguish. But with every stroke of Aeka's weapon, it's movements slowed until it ceased to move at all. Aeka glared down at the smashed device, her chest heaving with the exertion she had committed to it's destruction. Drawing herself up with as much dignity as she could muster, she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"Well, now. I warned you, didn't I?" Aeka turned from her defeated opponent to assist Mihoshi in escaping the considerable amount of video tape strung about her legs. "Now, Miss Mihoshi. What was all that about?"

"I don't know! All I wanted to do was program the VCR to record my favorite TV show and --" Mihoshi's face suddenly turned white. "Oh, my God! What's that?"

Aeka spun around on one knee, holding the mallet up to attack again. She saw a small micro-chip climb out of the VCR and begin scuttling across the floor towards the heating vent. Aeka jumped up and chased after the device. Lifting up her skirts with one hand, she raised her foot and stomped down on the chip, smashing it to bits with a satisfying crunch.

"I think not." She growled, grinding the chip into the floor for good measure.

Just then, the others returned from the field. Ryoko took a look at the mess and nearly dropped her jaw. "What the Hell happened in here?"

Tenchi came in right behind her. His reaction was a little more subdued. "Oh, no. Now what?"

Washu's reaction was much more interesting. "AH! I just fixed that!"

It didn't take Aeka long to figure out that the VCR's enhanced capabilities originated from Washu's tinkering. "What do you mean you just fixed it? Cursed it is more like it!"

"Yeah!" Mihoshi quickly agreed. "That thing tried to eat me!"

Washu glared at the blonde detective. "How many times have I told you not to touch my inventions!?"

"But... it's just a VCR." Mihoshi sniffled back her tears. "I only wanted to record my show!"

Washu just shook her head in disgust. Beside her, Ryoko tried hard not to laugh out loud. For once, she had nothing to do with the tempest that had enveloped the living room. Aeka noticed her snickering and directed an icy glare her way.

"And you! What are you laughing at?"

Ryoko broke out laughing. She laughed so hard she was soon doubled over clutching her stomach. Tenchi sighed, wondering what he had done in a past life to deserve all of this.

TO BE CONTINUED.

AFTERWORD: harai gushi: A wand-like ceremonial device used in Shinto purification ceremonies. The scene with the spider-VCR was really calling to me. I was so tempted to draw that out and make another whole story out of it. But, for the sake of focus and continuity, I had to force myself to cut it short. However, its so Tenchi Muyo that I know I'll make that my next fanfic. Tentative title: VCRs, CD Players, and Other Dangerous Inventions.