Chapter Two: Home And Dry
Keisuke awoke bright and early the next morning in his and Tenchi's newly acquire mansion. After getting up and stretching a bit, Keisuke grabbed Tenchi's left shoulder and shook him awake.
Tenchi's eyes opened immediately and sat up, "Hmm? Time to wake up already?" He asked, still yawning.
"Yup, we've got a busy day ahead of us." Keisuke replied. He sat back down next to Tenchi, "You know, this whole thing is very strange."
"Gee, ya think?" Tenchi replied.
"Yeah, it's like, I don't have any memory of what my real home is like, or my real parents. Until last night, I was completely none of the wiser of who I truly was. I mean, I feel like a human… I've never been good at anything in my entire life, everyone always hated me… how am I supposed to be the Prince of an Empire? My sister was always the better child, she was always the smart one, the attractive one, the athletic one, I'm starting to think this is all one elaborate hoax." Keisuke said.
"Don't worry, I felt the exact same way. You just gotta remember, it's mind over matter, if you believe in yourself, truly believe, you can accomplish anything. I never thought I was particularly good at anything, but once I found out what I was meant to do, I suddenly knew I had to get up and go. Everyone has potential, Keisuke, sometimes they just need a little push to find it." Tenchi replied.
"Yeah, I watch anime too, I've heard all the same bullshit." Keisuke said as he stood back up. "Well, our tenants will be arriving today, let's get to work."
The boys went into the kitchen where they made some coffee using Keisuke's instant coffee maker and began to look over their tenants and plans for the day. Keisuke had files on all the renters, including pictures and brief biographies. He pulled out the first file and simultaneously lit his first cigarette of the morning.
The first file contained a picture of an eighteen year-old boy with strong facial features and spiky brown hair folded into a Japanese headband; "This is Daisuke Matsu, he's the son of Olympic Gold Medalist Kiyoshi Matsu. Kid's a fucking jock, but his dad's endorsements will make sure he keeps the rent up." Keisuke explained. He put Daisuke's file into the back and opened up the next file which was lying below it.
This next file showed another eighteen year-old boy, this one had black, slicked back hair, making him look sort of like a Japanese John Travolta, circa-Grease. He also donned a leather jacket to match. "Here we have Junichi Sato. His father owns a very prosperous bank chain stretching as far as New York City. He grew up in the States where he started up a greaser act which he stubbornly keeps up to this day. But like I said, bank has money, money pays the rent." He did the motions once again and opened up two other files.
These two files showed female tenants: one had long blonde hair, green eyes, and appeared to be more of Caucasian descent rather than Japanese. Her picture looked more like a glamour shot than anything else. The other girl was Japanese, with short brown hair kept in a pony-tail and donned thick-rimmed glasses complimented by a plain turtleneck sweater. "These two go hand-in-hand. The first one's Denise Barlow, an American heiress and popular socialite. Her father sent her to Japan to study at a young age, and that's apparently where she likes it. She's a bitch-whore, but she's damn smart. That fact can possibly be attributed to this other girl, Fumiko Izumi. She became friends with Denise when she moved here, ever since, the girl's acted as her personal secretary. She graduated top of her class every year in high school, and suspiciously, Denise wasn't too far behind. The two go everywhere together, including college, which Denise pays Fumiko's tuition, as well as her rent. These are the silver tuna of the bunch, probably the wealthiest tenants we'll be receiving. I gave Denise a special contract, which guarantees her the largest room with a private bathroom. Extra cost, of course."
Keisuke pulled out the last file from the bunch, this one contained no picture. "Then, we have our mystery person, I've only had contact with them via email, they want to discuss the contract in person before they make the deal. Be cautious about this one, Tenchi, when they come to the door, make sure I screen them before we sign anything, it could be a trap. Any questions?"
"Yeah, if we're not supposed to be found out by the school, don't you think it's gonna look a bit suspicious that we're gonna be moving in all these people?" Tenchi examined.
"Yes, I thought of that ahead of time. As far as the administration knows, these tenants are merely friends helping us move in. Got it?" Keisuke said.
"Got it." Tenchi nodded.
Meanwhile, back at the Masaki residence, all the girls were in a terrible depression, they each went along with their daily chores, faces filled with gloom and distress.
Sasami was busy fixing breakfast for everybody while Ryo-Oki lay on the table next to her, sighing heavily. Sasami, seeing Ryo-Oki's distress, stood there cutting carrots, trying cheer her up. She set down an extra carrot next to the cabbit. The listless Ryo-Oki glanced at it, and although showing no improvement on her depression, ate it slowly.
Sasami sighed, "I know it's hard Ryo-Oki, but it's best for Tenchi. We can't expect to keep him cooped up in this house all the time. He needs to live his own life." She assured Ryo-Oki, as she continued to chop various vegetables.
Ayeka came in through the back door with a bucket of water, "Here's the water you requested for the boiled eggs, Sasami." she said, noticeably depressed like the rest of the household.
"Thanks Ayeka, just set it on the table." She thanked her, solemnly.
Ayeka walked up next to her sister, "You too, huh? The clouds are certainly boundless over this house today." She said, putting her hand on Sasami's shoulder.
"It sure is boring without Tenchi around." said Sasami.
"Truer words have never been spoken." Ayeka concurred.
Sasami sighed, "You should go round everyone up for breakfast, it should be ready soon."
Ayeka nodded then went into the living room where Kiyone and Mihoshi sat on the couch reading magazines. "Sasami told me to get everybody into the dining room for breakfast." Ayeka alerted them.
Kiyone and Mihoshi both nodded in response.
Ayeka then looked around the room, "Where's Ryoko?" she asked.
"She's in her room, sleeping her depression away." Kiyone answered.
"Oh, that woman can be such a baby sometimes! We're all in distress, but you don't see us lazing about all morning." Ayeka exclaimed in disgust, then sighed. "Well, I think I'll deal with that mess later, I'll go get Washu first." Ayeka went to the staircase closet where Washu's parallel-dimensional room was located. She knocked on the door as she simultaneously opened it, "Miss Washu? Breakfast is almost ready."
Washu was seen busy on her computer working on something or another, without looking away from her computer monitor, she addressed Ayeka, "Huh? Oh yeah, just bring it into me, I'm busy working on something very important right now. Tell the rest of the girls I'm gonna need to talk with them later."
Ayeka, wise to the fact that she's never able to pull Washu from her work, just gave a nervous grin, "Uh… okay. I'll get right on that." She left and closed the door behind her, "Bring it in for her… what am I, a maid?" She asked herself, rhetorically as she walked up the stairs to fetch Ryoko.
Washu continued to work vigorously on her computer, "Heh, heh, heh, while those babies are busy whining about Tenchi's absence, I'm the only one working to solve the problem. Washu, you are such a genius. Gotta love these Earthling computer networks, sooooo easy to manipulate." she giggled to herself as she worked.
Ayeka knocked and let herself into Ryoko's room, where she saw her laying on her bed, covered in a mountain of blankets. Unlike with Washu, she was ruder while awakening Ryoko. "Ryoko! Enough of this lazing about! It's time for breakfast!" Ayeka yelled.
Ryoko gave a quiet grumble in response.
Ayeka growled to herself, then suddenly became calm, "Fine then, starve to death if you want to be that way. You know, it's hard for the rest of us too!" She exclaimed as she left, slamming the door on her way out. She walked back down the stairs, "Well, this is turning out to be a successful mission so far." She grumbled to herself as she went to eat breakfast, wondering what it was Washu would want to speak to them about later on.
Back at the mansion, Tenchi and Keisuke were packing up their bags and using the bathroom facilities to start the day. They met in back in the entry way, both were busy brushing their teeth, pots in hand.
"So when's everybody suppose to get here?" Tenchi asked.
Keisuke looked at his watch, "Soon enough…"
The doorbell suddenly rang.
"Speak of the devil." Keisuke said, as he went to answer the door.
The first tenant arrived, it was Daisuke, still donning his headband, and appeared to be suited in kick-boxer trunks with no shirt. "Hey, what's up, my man? You're Keisuke, I recognize you from the picture on your card. The name's Daisuke, put'er there." He introduced himself, holding his hand out for an impending shake. Keisuke shook his hand, it was a powerful shake with a firm grip; enough to mildly disorient Keisuke for a moment.
After the greet was through, Keisuke had to rub his hand for a moment, trying to regain feeling. "Uh... hi. That guy over there's Tenchi." Keisuke replied, pointing over to Tenchi, who waved at Daisuke.
Daisuke let himself in, only a sports duffel bag at his side,
as he stood in the entry way and took a look around. "Damn, this place is great, the ad wasn't lying."
"Glad to see you're satisfied so far. So, the movers came to your house already, right?" Keisuke asked.
"Yes sir. Came by early this morning." Daisuke replied.
"Movers?" Tenchi asked.
"Yeah, I used the extra money to start moving our tenants stuff to the house as part of the investment and a showing of good faith that this is a class-A place to rent." Keisuke replied.
"Wow, you sure did invest a lot into this." Tenchi said, amazed.
"Well, for the money these fine people are going to be paying, I think they deserve to be shown a little class." Keisuke assured. "I'm gonna go upstairs and finish getting cleaned up, greet any more of the tenants if they arrive while I'm gone." Keisuke said as he ran upstairs.
The doorbell rang again, Tenchi answered it, waiting at the door were Denise, Fumiko, and a small Pomeranian dog Denise had cradled in her right arm. "Hi there!" Denise greeted Tenchi, cheerfully. "I'm Denise, and this is my bff, Fumiko." She introduced herself, and pointed to Fumiko standing silently behind her, staring at the ground.
"Hello. I'm Tenchi Masaki." Tenchi replied, cheerfully.
"Oh, you're one of the landlords, nice to meet you!" Denise said, shaking Tenchi's hand.
Tenchi couldn't help but notice the small dog, as he was barking repeatedly at him. "Nice to meet you too…uh, cute dog."
"Yes, this is Speckles, my little baby Pomeranian sweetheart, I never go anywhere without him." Denise replied.
Denise and Fumiko showed themselves in and inspected the houses' interior. "Hmm… not bad, not bad at all. What do you think, Fumiko?" She asked.
"Uh… it's neat." Fumiko answered, briefly.
"And what do you think, Speckles?" Denise asked her dog, who, in turn, barked obnoxiously in response.
Denise turned her attention back to Tenchi, "So, what about the other man? The one I talked to on the phone, kinda looks like a lawn gnome... I can't seem to remember his name..."
Keisuke came down the stairs, looking quite annoyed, "What the hell's all that barking?" He grouched as he came down the stairs.
"Oh, there he is. Hi! Remember me?" Denise waved at Keisuke.
"Yes, of course, Denise, right?" Keisuke replied as he came into the entryway and shook her hand. He noticed the dog in a half-second flat, "I see you brought a dog." He observed, giving her a fake grin. "Uh… I believe the contract specifically stated there were to be no animals." Keisuke said.
Denise's cheerful grin faded a bit, but remained nevertheless, "Oh? Really? I saw that on the normal contract, but we didn't agree upon the normal contract." Denise argued.
"Oh yeah, well most of the contract I had you sign had the same basic principles as the original. What contract did you sign?" Keisuke asked.
"Well, if you remember correctly, I had my lawyer look upon the contract before I signed, and he marked out the no animal policy, which you didn't argue with at the time." Denise said.
"Yeah, but—" Keisuke stuttered.
"If you'd like to discuss the terms with him, I could call." Denise interrupted, as she reached for her cellular phone.
"No, no, no…" Keisuke grumbled. "Fine, the dog can stay. But no more animals, I want to keep this place clean and quiet." Keisuke reluctantly agreed.
"Hmm, glad we could come to a compromise." Denise's face reverted back to her extreme cheer.
"Yeah, I guess one little dog won't cause too much trouble." Keisuke said as he reached over to pet the dog.
The dog took one quick snap with his jaws at Keisuke's fingers as he reached in. "Ow! Why you, mother-" he exclaimed.
"Oh my!" Denise shrieked.
Keisuke shook his hand in the air to try and ease the pain, "Oh don't worry, just a little pinch, I'm fi-." He chuckled.
"You shouldn't bite such rough surfaces, you're still teething. Oh, you poor thing." Denise cried as she embraced Speckles.
Keisuke was not amused.
Suddenly, a loud engine was heard pulling up in front of the house, everyone had to cover their ears to silence the noise. The engine eventually ceased. "What the hell was that?" Keisuke exclaimed, then ran out the door to see what the ruckus was about.
Parked in front was Junichi who sat atop his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. He got up from his seat, removed his helmet and slicked back his hair in typical greaser fashion; all in a manner that appeared as if he was living the moment in slow motion.
"Oh, Jesus..." Keisuke sighed, as he witnessed Junichi's over-stylized entrance.
Junichi walked up to Keisuke and extended his hand, "How ya doin', name's Junichi." He introduced himself.
Keisuke just sort of stared at Junichi, awkwardly for a few moments, before returning the handshake. "And a whop-bop-a-lu-whop to you too." He replied.
Junichi seemed confused by this response but nevertheless, followed Keisuke back into the house, who proceeded to address everyone in session, "Well, that appears to be everyone, that is, except for our mystery person, who should be arriving shortly…" He said as he looked at his watch.
Entering the campus was none other than Keisuke's old classmate, Maiya, who drove her compact sports car through the school campus, halting in front of Keisuke and Tenchi's mansion. She put the car in park and looked at a piece of paper with the mansion's address written on it, "Yup, this is it. Hope they haven't given away all the rooms yet." She said to herself, then got out of her vehicle and approached the front door.
Tenchi, who was walking through the entry way, heard the doorbell ring, he went to answer it, where he saw Maiya standing at the other side.
Maiya smiled, "Hi, I'm Maiya Chiba, I found this advertisement and I talked briefly with one of the landlords in text, I was wondering if there was still a room for rent."
Tenchi smiled back, "Yeah, come on in, let me go get Keisuke, he's been handling all the tenants."
Maiya's expression went blank, "His name is Keisuke?"
Right about that time, Keisuke came into the entry way through one of the first floor rooms, "Hey, I heard the doorbell ring, is it our mystery person, gee, I hope it's another hot girl—" as soon as Keisuke saw Maiya, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Maiya did a figurative stop as well, her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped.
"YOU!" They both exclaimed simultaneously pointing at one another.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, noooooo!" Keisuke exclaimed, pounding his foot on the floor, "Tenchi, what is she doing here?"
"Uh… I think this is our mystery person." Tenchi replied nervously, "You know each other, I take it?"
"You're living here?" Maiya asked.
"I'm the landlord you talked to." Keisuke replied, still shouting at her, despite their close distance.
"You! To hell with this, I'm not renting from your fat-ass!" Maiya yelled as she turned around and began walking away.
"Yeah? Well, I wouldn't rent you, anyway, that's your MOTHER'S job!" Keisuke replied.
Maiya stopped in her tracks and turned around to continue her confrontation, "You really want to start this again, after what you did? How'd you even get accepted to this university, anyway?"
"Because I'm smart, that's why! And why'd you turn around? Go! Go live in those dumpy freshmen dorms!" Keisuke replied.
"Hey, hey, hey, let's all calm down here. What exactly is the situation?" Tenchi intervened before things got physical.
"The situation is that she's a total demon bitch, and I refuse to rent to her!" Keisuke exclaimed.
"Me? A demon? You'll call me that after what you did!" Maiya screeched.
"How's that bald spot, anyway?" Keisuke grinned.
"That's it, you're dead!" Maiya yelled as she charged at Keisuke.
Tenchi stepped between the two in order to calm the situation. "Now, let's all calm down here." He demanded, then waited for the two foes to simmer down. "Look, it's obvious you two have a history, but that's all in the past, this is college, it's time we start handling things like grown adults. Keisuke, you need rent money, and Maiya, you need a decent place to live. Why can't we just put our differences aside for relative gain?" Tenchi offered.
Keisuke and Maiya remained staring each other down, until they both finally relented. "Okay, I'll be willing to rent to her, if she agrees to stay out of my way." Keisuke compromised.
"It's kinda hard to stay out of your way since you're so fat, but I'll try." Maiya agreed.
"Okay, that's strike one, right there!" Keisuke exclaimed.
Maiya signed the contract and the two reluctantly shook hands.
Keisuke got a call from his cell phone, he answered, "Yeah? Wait, wait, slow down. What do you mean it wasn't enough? But that's all I had. You can't even have the decency to drive the things over here? Ah, fuck!" Keisuke lit up a cigarette then began pacing around the room. "You're not done packing yet? Just wait there if you get done, don't leave the truck there alone, I'll be there as soon as I can. Yeah, thanks a lot, asshole." Keisuke angrily hung up his phone. Tenchi and Maiya gave him matching concerned looks.
"What's going on?" Tenchi asked.
"We have a problem, I'll be back in a couple of hours." Keisuke said quickly as he left the house.
At the Masaki residence, the girls were busy eating breakfast when Washu came out of her room to call a meeting, "Meeting, everybody, listen up!" She demanded.
The girls were caught off guard, but went to attention. "Okay, so, we all miss Tenchi, right?" She asked.
"Yes, and there's no need to rub it in, what's this all about, Washu?" Kiyone replied.
Washu grinned, "Well, as not only the greatest scientific mind in the universe, but also, at this moment in time, I am the greatest problem solving mind in the universe."
"What are you saying, Washu?" Ayeka asked.
"I'm saying, I have thought up a solution to where we can still be with Tenchi, and he can still attend college." She replied.
"We're listening." said Kiyone.
"Well, using my state-of-the-art computer system, I was able to hack into the Hanayama's school networking. You know what that means?" Washu asked.
The girls awkwardly looked at Washu, then shook their heads in reponse.
"It means, I can put all of us into the Hanayama admissions system. We'll all be students at the school, which means we can all attend college alongside Tenchi." Washu proclaimed.
The girls gasped in response.
"You really mean it Washu?" Sasami asked in a hopeful tone not heard since Tenchi's absence.
"Yes, my dear Sasami. I'm one-hundred and ten percent sincere." Washu replied.
"Wow, that's great!" Mihoshi lit up.
"Isn't it!" Washu replied. "Though, I do kinda feel bad for the other students I had to delete from the list." She pondered with less enthusiasm.
Ayeka dropped her eating utensils and shot up out of her seat, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" She exclaimed without hesitance.
"Well, I understand us being able to attend, but what about Sasami, she's just a little girl." Kiyone asked.
"I also took the liberty of creating portfolios for you all." Washu explained, as she threw individual packets of papers at each of the girls.
"In Sasami's case, I said she was a child prodigy, skipped five grades and is ready and willing for a college education. What do you think Sasami, can you handle that position?" Washu asked.
"Well… my calculus is a little rusty, but I think I can handle it!" Sasami replied cheerfully.
"Good… so what do you say, you all game?" Washu asked.
The girls all replied with enthusiastic replies of "YES!" and an extra enthusiastic "Meow!" from Ryo-Oki.
"Alright, let's go see Tenchi!" Washu exclaimed.
Suddenly, Ryoko came through the floor using her wall teleporting abilities, "What's this about going to see Tenchi?" She asked in a confused tone. Failing to notice Ryoko, the girls just marched onward, utterly ignoring her and adding to Ryoko's confusion. "What's going on?" She continued to ask as she followed them out.
Nobuyuki was sitting on the living room couch reading the morning newspaper as all the girls walked passed him, "Hey, where are you girls off to?" He asked in a passive manner, keeping his eyes on the paper.
"We're going to college with Tenchi!" Sasami answered, proudly.
"Okay… have fun." Nobuyuki replied, eyes still focused on the paper.
Two and a half hours had passed since Keisuke left the mansion. Everyone waited around in relative quiet until they heard a loud diesel engine pull in front of the house, everyone went out to investigate. Sitting on the front curb, they saw Keisuke sitting in a very large semi 18-wheeler, smoking a cigarette.
"What the heck's going on, Keisuke?" Tenchi asked.
Keisuke got out of the truck and sighed. "Look… I know I promised you all first-class moving service… but my funds were cut short and now you're gonna have to settle with second-class."
"Second-class? I don't like the sound of that." Denise replied.
"What exactly are you sayin', man?" Junichi asked.
"Well, you see, I gave the movers enough money to get your stuff and load it all in the truck, but they wouldn't put it in the house, and now I'm broke, so we're looking at having to unload the stuff ourselves." Keisuke replied.
"Ourselves? Are you kidding? That'll take all day!" Denise exclaimed.
"Oh, come on guys, it's just one truck, how difficult could it really be?" Keisuke reasoned.
"Well, well, well, looks like your reputation as a screw up is following you out of high school, Keisuke." Maiya scoffed.
"That's strike two, Maiya, you're really pushing it now!" Keisuke exclaimed. "C'mon guys, we're all just starting out here, even me. It might be fun, we'll really get to know each other through the experience."
"Well, I'm not moving my stuff in, that's peasant work, your contract specifically stated loading and unloading. Besides, Fumiko and I have some last minute housewarming gifts to buy for ourselves. Come, Fumiko." Denise said as she took Fumiko by the hand and they both marched away.
Keisuke sighed. "Well, what about the rest of you, are you gonna help me out? I'll deduct it from first month's rent!"
"Well, I don't see why not, how else are we gonna get our stuff inside." Tenchi agreed.
"I'm in, moving stuff is great exercise!" Daisuke said.
"Ain't no one said I'd be bunkin' with Richard Simmons." Junichi remarked as he glared at Daisuke. "But I guess I'm in."
"Well, I don't see any reason why I should work... none of my stuff's in there." Maiya scoffed.
Keisuke sighed, then put his hand on Maiya's shoulder, "Maiya… I've always hated you, you've been a thorn in my side since Kindergarten, but I'll make a deal with you… you help out now, and as soon as I get the money, I'll use it to personally ship your stuff, and I'll even unload it myself. What do you say?" Keisuke reasoned.
Maiya thought for a moment, "Oh… okay, I guess if you put it that way."
Keisuke clapped his hands together. "Great. So we've got five people, which should be enough. Let's see, it's almost noon. That gives us about eight or so hours to get everything in by sundown." Keisuke balled his right hand into a fist and placed it in the center of the group, "On three: One. Two. Three!"
The ensemble butted their fists in one, harmonic, sweeping motion, then proceeded to get started with the hard day's work ahead of them.
Denise and Fumiko walked back to the scene, "Oh yeah, and when you put the stuff into my room, remember I left Speckles in there, make sure he doesn't get out. Ciao!" She said before leaving again.
"Yes, your highness." Maiya mumbled under her breath.
"Okay, let's get started!" Keisuke exclaimed.
Keisuke opened the truck's cargo hold revealing a huge behemoth sized armoire sitting right in the front.
"What the hell is that thing?" Junichi asked.
"That's the armoire. It's Denise's. Surprise surprise, right?" Keisuke replied.
"Damn, looks heavy." Maiya examined.
"Yup, very… we'll be moving that beast in last." Keisuke said, staring intently at it.
"Well, then why the hell did you have them pack it in front?" Daisuke asked.
Keisuke stood dumbfounded at this sudden realization for a minute, but quickly picked himself back up, "Okay, then… we'll just unload it first and set it on the curb until we're ready to put it in the house." He dismissed the problem.
Everyone got to work unloading the armoire, they first planned out their strategy of attack, "Okay, this is gonna be a real bitch, those asshole movers didn't give us a dolly, so we're gonna have to get it out of the truck like the Egyptians." Keisuke explained as he went into the truck cabin and pulled out a long wooden broom handle. He then proceeded to the break the handle into five long pieces. "Okay, so here's the drill: we've got five people. We need to get the ramp down first, then what I'm gonna do is climb into the truck behind the armoire. Tenchi and Junichi, you two will be positioned on each sides of the armoire, Daisuke, since you're the strongest, you're gonna be positioned in front of it to keep it from falling forward, the other two guys will and I will give you support from the top and sides. So basically what we're gonna do is slide it down the ramp and use the broom pieces as traction. Maiya, it's gonna be your job to pick up the pieces and keep them in front of the armoire at all times. Everyone got it?"
Everyone nodded in response and took their respective positions.
Keisuke set the broom pieces down on the ramp one in front of the other, then climbed in back of the armoire. Daisuke stood directly on the ramp in front of the armoire, Tenchi and Junichi stood on each side by the cargo opening, and Maiya stood back awaiting for her job to be needed. Keisuke gave the orders from inside the cargo hold, "Okay, is everyone ready? On the count of three, we're gonna need all our strength to push it forward onto the ramp, it should be easier once we've got that done."
Everyone gave a positive, "Got it!" In response.
Keisuke prepared to push forward on the armoire, Daisuke stood on the ramp ready to catch it. "One. Two. Three!" Keisuke exclaimed as he, Tenchi, and Junichi scooted the armoire forward onto the ramp and sticks. Once they got it onto the first stick, they simply slid it forward onto the rest where Daisuke caught it.
"Okay, Maiya, you're up!" Keisuke said.
Maiya ran forward and picked out the back three sticks and put them in front giving the boys more leverage to slide it forward again. A problem arose when one of the front sticks rolled forward, causing Daisuke to step on it and lose some of his footing. The armoire tipped over to Tenchi's side where he was forced to catch it and hold it on his own.
"Oh, shit! Maiya! Maiya! Get the stick!" Daisuke panicked as he assisted Tenchi from having the armoire fall onto him.
Maiya scurried to grab the stick as it rolled off the ramp and onto the street, she hurried back to get it back in place. Once the stick was back in place, the four boys used all their might to push the armoire back on track. "Woof, that was close." Tenchi said, relieved.
The ensemble eventually were able to get the armoire grounded on the street curb, as soon as the job was done, they fell to the ground, panting.
"That…. Sucked…" Maiya grunted.
"Okay… hard part's over… smoke break." Keisuke said as he lit up a cigarette, Junichi followed in suit.
The ensemble sat on the grass eyeing the giant armoire. "So, it's mostly boxes and smaller furniture from here on, until we have to move the damn thing into the house, that is." Keisuke explained.
"How are we gonna get that thing upstairs?" Maiya asked.
"Well… there's hope for us, Denise's has the master bedroom, which happens to be on the first floor, we just need to carry it in, but at least we'll have level footing from here on." Keisuke replied.
"Oh, good." The other four sighed in relief.
"Say, that armoire's pretty close to the curb, is that safe? Don't you think we should move it closer to even ground, or at least brace it with something?" Daisuke asked.
"Meh, I don't think we have to worry about that, it'll take one hell of a strong gust of wind to take that monstrosity down." Keisuke replied, unworried.
Just at that moment, a strong gust of wind hit, knocking the armoire off the curb and hitting the street on its side. The five witnessed the freak occurrence with strong disbelief. "Oh…kay… I guess we're gonna have to set that up in a corner somewhere…" Keisuke said, noticeably choking on his previous words.
Meanwhile...
The girls had already boarded the train for the university, Ayeka was busy calling the records of admission to find out Tenchi's location, "His name is 'Tenchi Masaki', he's a freshman…" She talked to the other person on the line, then waited for an answer. "Yes. Oh good! Yes, just hold on one minute while I get a pen and paper." Ayeka held out her hand to Sasami, who, in turn, reached in her bag and pulled out the very items her sister had requested. "Okay, I'm ready." Said Ayeka with the pen and paper now in her hand, she wrote down the information as it was relayed to her by the person on the other line. "Okay, I've got it, thank you very much." Ayeka hung up the cell phone.
"It seems that Tenchi has rented out a mansion on campus with some other guy named Keisuke." Ayeka informed the girls.
"Really? How sweet of him, he's already prepared for our arrival." Ryoko joyed.
"I can see you're already preparing to be a free-loader." Ayeka replied, angered by Ryoko's insolence.
"Hey! I'm planning on helping out just as much as I ever did at the house!" Ryoko defended.
"Oh, that's just great, don't strain yourself, too much. School is a very big responsibility, if you're not willing to pull your weight like the rest of us, we can be kicked out!" Ayeka exclaimed.
"Hmm... renting out a mansion, doesn't really sound like normal Tenchi behavior." Kiyone noted.
"Well, college can change a person. Isn't this great, Kiyone? It'll be just like our old days together back at the academy!" Mihoshi said cheerfully.
"Please, don't remind me." Kiyone grumbled in response.
So far, the move had been going smoothly, about four hours had gone by, and the ensemble had moved most of the furniture into the entryway, deciding to place them in rooms later. At the moment, they were busy unloading boxes. Keisuke remained in the cargo hold handing boxes while the others took them inside to increase productivity.
Akura had made his way to the campus to check up on the boys, he was shocked and angered by what he witnessed. He marched right up to the truck where he saw Keisuke, "You idiots! I leave you alone for one day and this is what I see!"
Keisuke looked over and saw Akura, "Hey, it's you. Good, we can use an extra hand, take some boxes." Keisuke said as he handed a stack to Akura, appearing to have ignored Akura's words. "These go in my room, it's upstairs, third door on the right." Akura was not pleased; he dropped the boxes on to the ground, catching Keisuke's attention, "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing? Watch the merchandise pal!" He exclaimed.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Akura replied, angrily.
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing? Moving in, ya jackass." Keisuke snapped back.
"I can see that, don't you remember anything I told you! About the people who want to attack you and this house? Ring any bells?" Akura asked, as if he was speaking to a deaf person.
"Sure, I do, hold on one minute." Keisuke answered. He went back into the cargo hold and rolled out a wheeled dresser. "Think you can give me a hand with this?" He asked.
Akura reluctantly agreed.
Keisuke rolled the dresser off the ramp, "Okay, ready?" He said as he asked for Akura's assistance in carrying the piece of furniture into the house. The two continued their conversation while carrying the dresser into the house.
"Don't you remember anything I told you, you know, about the developing planets law and such?" Akura asked, still highly annoyed.
"Yes, I do, as a matter-of-fact. But you said yourself that that rule was only to keep people from discovering the Rock on this planet, besides, you want me to live in this house, how do you expect me to pay for it?" Keisuke replied.
Akura growled, "You're endangering the mission by bringing these humans into the equation!"
"Not if they don't find out." Keisuke smartly replied.
"Attacked. By. Alien. Enemies. How are you gonna explain that to them when the time comes?" Akura steamed.
"Well, they all seem to be humanoid, we'll pass them off as bill collectors." Keisuke replied, cooly.
Akura growled again, "You idiot! Having them here not only endangers you and the mission, but it endangers them, as well. Didn't you hear the story about the old Dean who first lived here? The Rock not only possesses immense power, but it also has the power to control individuals. The Dean felt its power and wanted it for himself. Gennisant's Empire was controlled by its influence for hundreds of thousands of years, that's why we were so tyrannical. If these humans live here, they're going to know the power that they live on, and they will stop at nothing to possess it, just like the Dean who killed himself trying to unearth it! Haven't you ever read Lord of the Rings?"
Keisuke dropped his half of the dresser onto the ground, "Okay, fine, you wanna get them out of here, let's see some money for the rent." He said, holding out his palm.
Akura remained silent.
"That's what I thought. Now help me move this damned thing." The two carried the dresser into the house and went through the entryway. They set it down for a little bit and Keisuke looked around at how full the entryway already was. "Hmm… we need more room. I guess we might as well put this thing in Denise's room since it's light enough." Keisuke said. "Lift it back up." He ordered Akura, who reluctantly replied.
Maiya came out into the entryway through the kitchen, she saw Akura and stopped in her tracks, "Oh, hello, who are you?" She asked.
"This is Akura, he's an alien from outer space." Keisuke replied causing Akura's eyes to widen as he stared down Keisuke. Keisuke looked back at him and smirked.
Maiya's eyes rolled. "Okay…" She dismissed and continued to stand there. "Freaks…" She mumbled under her breath.
The two carried the dresser to the master bedroom door. "Hey, Maiya, could you open the door for us?" Keisuke asked her.
Maiya went to open the door. Immediately, Speckles, who was still in the room, ran out and charged at Keisuke, biting at his leg. "Ow!" Keisuke yelped as the dog latched onto his ankle, tearing at his pants and skin. "Ow! Sit! Stay! Roll over!" Keisuke commanded as he shook his leg in attempts to get the dog off of him. Finally, with one strong kick, he flung Speckles off of him and into a wall, causing the animal to retreat in panic. Keisuke kneeled down to rub his wounded leg, panting from the fuss. "I'm gonna kill that dog..." He said to himself.
Hours went by as the ensemble of six moved everything out of the truck and into the house. The truck's cargo was eventually cleared, "Okay, so far we're ahead of schedule, good job everyone." Keisuke addressed everyone as they stood out on the lawn, proud of what they had accomplished so far. "Now we just got one more big thing to move into the house, then we can start arranging everything…" Keisuke said as he pointed at the armoire, still lying on the side of the street. "There's no more room left to set it in the entry way, and we don't want Denise to see the dent on the side, so we're gonna have to carry it into her room all the way. Limber up, this gonna be one hell of a chore."
The ensemble prepared to move the behemoth by securing the double-doors entering the house open. Their plan of attack went as so: Keisuke took the front right edge of armoire. Tenchi stood directly next to him on the left corner, Daisuke and Junichi took the back left and right corners, respectively, and Maiya and Akura took the left and right sides, respectively. They limbered up and prepared to move the huge armoire. They all crouched down and struggled to pick it up from the bottom. Even with the six of them, it was quite a feat to move it. They all huffed and puffed as they stumbled to move the thing into the house.
"Mother fucker, man, how much does this thing weigh?" Junichi grunted.
"Come on, you guys, we're almost to the door." Keisuke struggled to keep spirits up.
"That American bitch better be happy we're doing all this for her!" Maiya exclaimed, rationing between her breath to talk and the breath it took to keep the armoire airborne.
The six eventually made it to the front door. Even with its wide entry, the armoire was still too huge to get through the way they were carrying it. "Okay, we're gonna have to tilt it on its side to get it through." Tenchi said.
"Which way are we gonna tilt it?" Daisuke asked.
"We're gonna have to do it on your guy's side, since you have more manpower to hold it steady." Keisuke replied. (Their side being the Tenchi, Akura, Junichi side)
Keisuke, Maiya, and Daisuke both used all their strength to tip the monstrosity; Tenchi, Akura, and Junichi did the same, trying to keep it from falling. The ensemble ignored the fact that they were scraping the sides of the armoire on the door frame as they struggled to get the armoire through the door. Using the band-aid method instead of going slow and steady, they pushed the armoire into the entryway and set it down as soon as it was all the way in.
The ensemble fell to the floor, panting profusely, halfway done with the task at hand. "Okay… this is… this is too much… smoke break." Keisuke said, panting, as he took out a smoke and lit up. Junichi and Akura followed in suit.
The girls disembarked the train at the station, all immensely excited to see their beloved Tenchi. "We're here!" Sasami exclaimed as she ran off the train.
"Woof, that was a long train ride, but no time to dwell, let's go find Tenchi!" Ryoko said, just as excited, if not more so than Sasami.
Ayeka looked at a map she had with her, "According to this map, the school should be very close, it's within walking distance. Gee, I hope Tenchi doesn't mind us dropping in unannounced like this." She pondered.
"Yeah, maybe you guys should go back, me and Tenchi will be fine here alone." Ryoko said.
"You! You! With all the shenanigans you pull, Tenchi's going to be thrilled that I'm here to keep you in check. So shut your selfish mouth!" Ayeka replied, furiously.
"Enough of this bickering! Let's get going already!" Washu, the voice of reason, demanded. The girls followed her, Ryoko and Ayeka stayed back for just a few moments in order to stare each other down, but they soon followed Washu and the rest of the group.
Back at the mansion, Keisuke along with the other smokers finished up their cigarettes. Everyone was still sweating and red in the face from exhaustion. But Keisuke decided the break had gone on long enough. "Okay, luckily the master bedroom has double doors as well, so we just need to give it one more strong effort like we did before. You guys ready?" The rest of the crew mumbled their unenthusiastic answers and slowly got up from the ground in response. They each got to their respective positions and prepared to lift again.
"Heave! Ho!" They all shouted and lifted the monstrosity. "Okay, everybody walk with me and Tenchi!" Keisuke ordered as they stumbled from the door, further into the house. "Make sure to keep tight handles on your sides, if one of us lets off, we're all gonna give way."
It would seem that Speckles had come back for revenge on Keisuke, as he came running around the corner, barking as if it were his battle cry, headed straight for the left ankle again.
"Gah!" He grunted as he felt the pain of the dog's bite. "Get off of me, you little bastard!" He shouted, losing focus on the armoire. As Keisuke's grip began to wean, the others followed in suit.
"Keisuke! Hold on to your side!" Tenchi panicked as he began to lose grip and footing.
"Son of a bitch! It's too heavy, I can't hold on!" Maiya said, losing her grip, as well.
Trying to get the dog off of his leg, Keisuke's grip slipped off the armoire. With the increased weight, Tenchi's hands slipped off his corner. After that, one by one, a domino effect occurred. Losing their grip next was Akura, then Junichi, and finally Daisuke. The armoire crashed to the floor, creating a schockwave throughout the entire house which caused furniture to jump off the floor and loose items to tip over.
"Keisuke! You asshole, you let go!" Maiya barked.
By this time, Keisuke was more concerned with finding Speckles. "It wasn't me! It was that damn dog, he bit me again! Where is he? I'm gonna wring his neck!" Keisuke exclaimed. After looking around for a few moments and turning up nothing, Keisuke calmed his voice, trying to coax the dog to come to him. "Speckles? Oh, Speckles? Come here, boy!" He called, in an almost sincerely loving tone. He couldn't see the dog, nor could he hear it. "Where is that little bastard? I know he's here somewhere."
The crew looked around everywhere, none could see him. They continued to search with their eyes for a few moments, until they all came to a sudden realization. One by one, their attention drew back to the armoire lying on the floor. Keisuke's expression went from furious, to sudden concern. "Uh. Oh…" He gulped.
Everyone stood silent, staring at the armoire and at each other with relevant fear for the worst.
"Pick it up." Keisuke said, in a dreadful tone.
Everyone gathered on the front side of the armoire and lifted the side up. Keisuke crouched down to get a look underneath. He slowly stood back up with a look of apparent horror upon his expression. He looked at everyone and signaled for them to set the armoire down. Keisuke squinted as everyone stared at him, wondering what the verdict was. Keisuke remained silent.
Everyone gasped.
"Oh, my God!" Maiya exclaimed, practically holding back tears.
"Now just calm down everyone, we can't let Denise find out about this! Is there any pet stores near here?" Keisuke asked in a panic.
"Keisuke, you heartless bastard, you just killed her dog and now you're gonna try and cover it up?" Daisuke scolded.
"What do you mean I killed the dog!" Keisuke asked, defensively.
"Yoo! Hoo! We're back!" Denise's voice rang from outside of the door.
Everyone's heads turned to the front door.
"Oh no!" Keisuke panicked. "Not a word from anyone!"
Denise and Fumiko came through the front door, "Wow, you guys have really been working hard today, you even got my armoire inside!"
Everyone suddenly bursted out with nervous laughter.
"Yup, yup, we sure have." Tenchi said.
"Yup, nothing but hard work all day." Junichi concurred.
Denise seemed to be a bit confused by everyone's strange behavior, but let the feeling pass. "Hmm…" She soon cheered up again, "Where's Speckles? Speckles! Come here, baby! I bought a new collar for you! It's your favorite color!" She called for her dog. With no answer, she became a little worried, "Has anyone seen Speckles around?" She asked.
The sweat ran down everyone's brows, the nervous laughter again erupted.
"Uh… Speckles? He should be around here somewhere... Speckles! Here, boy! Heh. Heh." Keisuke replied.
Tenchi's girls had arrived on campus and followed the address all the way to the mansion, Ayeka double-checked the address. "Yup, this is it." She said, inspecting the place.
"Wow, nice digs." Ryoko said, impressed by the house's size. "Well, let's not keep Tenchi waiting any longer." The girls all moseyed into the house, which already had the front door open. "We're here!" Ryoko announced, enthusiastically.
Everyone in the houses' attention turned to the newly arrived guests.
Tenchi gaped, "R-Ryoko? Ayeka? Girls!" He exclaimed, shocked. "What the heck are you guys doing here?"
Ryoko rushed to Tenchi's side and wrapped her arms around Tenchi, practically squeezing the life out of him. He he let out a huge grunt in response.
"Why, we're the newest students admitted to Hanayama University, Tenchi!" Ryoko answered.
"What?" Tenchi's face went sour.
Ayeka also went to Tenchi's side and pulled Ryoko off of him, "Yes, I hope you don't mind, Lord Tenchi, but Washu used her computer to manipulated the school's admissions, which means we get to be together for the next four years!" She informed him.
"Uh… I-I'm not quite sure I understand." Tenchi said.
"It's simple Tenchi, we're living here now." Washu answered.
"Hey! These are the ones you showed me, Tenchi!" Keisuke realized.
Tenchi snickered, "Yup, these are them."
Washu looked around at the mess which was the entryway, "So, why are you guys suffering the move-in process by such primitive means? You should have waited for us, with my technology, I can have all this done in a jiffy!" Washu said before pulling out one of her holographic computers.
The humans of the group looked on in shock and awe, "Did she just pull a computer out of mid-air?" Maiya raised her eyebrow.
Akura's shot wide open with shock and disbelief. "Wha- you... you can't!" He stuttered.
"Now, all I have to do is set the coordinates, and this computer will automatically transport all of the furniture into the most fitting places in the house." She informed everyone.
"Uh… Washu, that's not really such a good idea." Tenchi pointed out, trying to defuse the situation.
But it was too late, with just two strikes of the keyboard, all the furniture seemingly vanished out of thin air and replaced in various locations around the house. Kitchen appliances in the kitchen, chairs and couches in the living room, beds and dressers in the bedrooms and so on.
The humans witnessed the act, unaware of what to make of it. They soon all became awestruck, except for Tenchi and Akura who stood burying their faces in their hands and shaking their heads in disbelief.
"What the hell just happened?" Maiya asked, partially startled.
"Well… it's kind of a complicated story." Tenchi said, squinting and scratching his head with anxiety.
With all the furniture out of the room, Denise, like the others took a look around, it was then she discovered the dark secret her roommates had been hiding. Taken back to the crisis at hand, everyone realized that Denise had just laid eyes on her dog, Speckles, flattened like a pancake in the middle of the room. Denise dealt an ear-piercing scream at the sight, then promptly fainted. Fumiko immediately crouched down to aid her friend, "Denise! Denise!" She cried, trying to wake her fallen friend.
Everyone stood in silence at the spectacle for a few moments.
"I take it we came at a bad time..." Washu quipped.
A funeral service for Speckles was held at sundown in the backyard with everyone in attendance, dressed in black. Denise, having woken up from earlier, was crying on Fumiko's shoulder.
Keisuke stood by in a guilty and uncomfortable silence.
Tenchi performed the service, donning his Shinto Priests' robe from his old shrine days. "Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow in death'... As human beings and other sentient lifeforms, we often ponder our own mortality with dread. But Speckles, he was a dog... and though we will all miss him dearly, we shouldn't grieve for him, but grieve for ourselves... Speckles may have lived a short life, but it was a full one... one that few of us will ever have the luxury of... and one that we should all aspire to.
Let our sorrow wane and our memories soar..." Tenchi concluded as he and rest of the congregation put their hands together in bowing silence.
Daisuke walked over to Tenchi, carrying a small shoebox which he, in turn, handed to him. Tenchi took the box and placed it in the small hole they had dug. Maiya, too, brought a grocery bag fill with miscellaneous items to Tenchi.
"For his burial, we will leave him with a number of items, in which he held so dearly in life..." He recited each item as he removed them from the bag and dropped them into the burial, "His favorite chew toy... a box of Snausages, which were his favorite treat... various photos of him alongside his beloved owner, Denise... and lastly, an assortment of his favorite doggie clothes which he so loved to dress up in."
Tenchi finished placing all the items into the burial, then kneeled down and grabbed a handful of soil, "Now, if you'd all please bow your heads for a moment of silence." He said as he sprinkled dust over the burial.
After the moment of silence ended, Tenchi moved over to the side, making way for Junichi, who held an acoustic guitar. "And now for a rendition of Speckles favorite song by our friend Junichi as requested by his dear owner, Denise..." Tenchi prepped the crowd.
Junichi stood in front of the burial with his guitar as he strummed a few chords and began to sing...
"Tonight I want all of you tonight
Give me everything tonight
For all we know we might not get tomorrow
Lets do it tonight
I will love love you tonight
Give me everything tonight
For all we know we might not get tomorrow
Lets do it tonight"
Everyone stood silently as Junichi continued his song while Tenchi and Daisuke used their shovels to fill in the grave. Between crying immensely, Denise kept shooting Keisuke dirty looks throughout the service, Keisuke couldn't help but notice.
After the service, Keisuke, Tenchi, and Akura did their best to brief everyone on the situation at hand in the house's entryway. They took it quite well...
"So… there is life on other planets." Maiya said.
"Lots of life. Considering you're from a developing planet that hasn't been inducted into the rest of the universe, you wouldn't know anything about it. Quite frankly, you'd normally be just a small insignificant spec on the whole spectrum, but because of what your planet possesses, you're a very important commodity to Jurai and the Galaxy Police. Both institutions have done their best to keep this planet safe from any natural galactic disasters or contact with alien races." Akura explained.
"The Rock of Beryllos, huh? I don't get it, if Earth has been the location of the Rock all this time, how come none of my machines have picked up on it? I'm in possession of the most sophisticated technology in the universe." Washu inquired.
"Well, Jurai and Galaxy Police have both been very persistence in blocking any knowledge of the Rock's location. Perhaps your technology isn't quite as advanced as you thought, since others have been able to pick up on it." Akura replied.
Washu got into Akura's face about this offense, "Hey! Don't think you can insult me! Do you know who you're talking to here?" She barked.
"Yes, I'm quite familiar with all of you. Washu, perhaps the greatest scientific mind in all of the universe. Then we have Ryoko, the infamous space pirate, Ayeka and Sasami, aside from Tenchi, each next in line to inherit Jurai's royal throne. And, of course, Kiyone and Mihoshi, two of the finest detectives in the entire Galaxy Police Force. You're quite a group of celebrities living all under one roof, along with Tenchi. Looks like that's not about to change any time soon." Akura responded.
"Woah, woah, woah, this is too much! Not only is there life on other planets, but I'm renting from two of them, and our house is sitting on the most powerful object in the universe. Do you expect us to keep quiet about this?" Maiya said.
"Yes, we do, in fact. It's too late to change what has already happened, but now that you've witnessed what's going on, there's no turning back. Consider yourselves to have a great honor, in one night you've become more advanced than the rest of your entire primitive planet, and now you're gonna have to cooperate. If you refuse, then as representatives of this sector of Galaxy Police jurisdiction, Mihoshi and I will have to take you into custody. That means you'll never be able to return to your home planet under any circumstances, ever again." Kiyone promptly answered.
"Well, since the green-haired broad puts in that way..." Keisuke said.
Maiya gave him a dirty look, "Pathetic humans? Just 'cause these jokers say you're a prince, doesn't mean crap. First of all, there's no way you can be a prince. You're too stupid, too fat, and too stupid." She said.
"That's strike three, bitch! Akura! As my royal subject, I order you to seize her at once!" Keisuke demanded.
Akura stood motionless, "Shut up, Keisuke." He scoffed.
"See, even your own royal bodyguard won't listen to you, good luck running an empire." Maiya quipped.
Keisuke sat down and pouted.
"I don't know, man. What if we don't wanna be a part of this? I don't know if I can handle being responsible for the greatest power in the universe." Junichi said, concerned.
"Well, you're gonna have to, I'm afraid. Now that you know the secret, you're gonna need to stay here, at least so we can keep an eye on your whereabouts." Akura replied.
"But that ain't fair!" Junichi said.
"Life's not fair, kid, there's your first lesson in college." Kiyone replied.
Keisuke noticed Denise, once again giving him that dirty look. "Okay, I give up, what the hell is wrong with you, Denise?"
"Just the thought I'll have to be living under the same roof as you, dog killer!" Denise replied, agrily.
Keisuke was taken aback, "Dog killer? Where the hell do you get off calling me that?" He asked, defensively.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because you killed my dog!" Denise replied. "
You have a lot of nerve accusing me of that! It was an accident! You know who you really should be blaming? Yourself, for making us carry that damn armoire!" Keisuke exclaimed.
"Hey, you can't blame us for the killing the dog, either! After all, you let go of your corner first." Daisuke added.
"Oh, so everyone's gonna team up against me now, huh? Well, forget it, I ain't buying it. There's no way I'm gonna let you all guilt me into believing I'm the one at fault!" Keisuke replied.
"Don't you try to play innocent! You always hated Speckles, you even said earlier that you were gonna kill him!" Denise said.
"How the hell would you know that, you've been gone all day?" Keisuke asked. "Maiya told me." Denise replied.
Keisuke's eyes widened and went straight to Maiya, "You bitch!" He shouted. "See? I knew it! Dog killer! Dog killer!" Denise repeatedly shouted.
"That's it! I don't have to take this from my own tenants! All of your rents are raised! I'm going out to smoke!" Keisuke shouted as he marched out the front door, slamming it on his way out.
The remaining members of the party sat in the living room in uncomfortable silence, until Washu broke the mold. "Well, I'm gonna go get my room set up, any closets around here not in use?" She asked. "Yeah, you can use the broom closet, it's the fourth door on the left, upstairs." Tenchi replied.
"Alright. Sasami, could you give me a hand, real quick?" Washu asked.
"Sure, Washu!" Sasami answered cheerfully. The two left and went upstairs.
Tenchi gave an over enthusiastic yawn, possibly trying to escape the situation, "Well, it's been a long day for all of us, what do you say everyone hits they hay? We've got class tomorrow, after all." He said.
Everyone else got up and proceeded to head to their respective rooms to end the long day. Tenchi stayed behind with Akura. "Jesus, I can tell this whole ordeal's going to be one headache after another, glad I don't have to live here." Akura said. "Well, I guess I'd better get going too. See ya later, Tenchi." He said as he warped out of the house.
Tenchi, being the last one remaining, also retreated to his room.
Tenchi put on his pajamas and got ready for bed, he took a peek out his window and saw Keisuke, still out front smoking a cigarette. He decided to go talk with him. Keisuke was standing on the curb in front of the house, pacing back and forth, smoking his cigarette.
"Hey, Keisuke, how's it going?" Tenchi asked.
Keisuke sighed, "Hey, Tenchi. Just thinking. I can't believe everyone's blaming me for killing Speckles, the damn dog bit my leg, the armoire slipped, what the hell was I supposed to do?"
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it too much, sure it was a tragedy, people are gonna look for someone to blame, but I'm sure it'll all blow over with time." Tenchi replied.
The two stood in the moonlight for a moment in silence, Tenchi looked over at the front door where he saw the Greek symbol 'Sigma' sitting on the top of the doorjamb that hadn't been there previously. "Hey, where'd that come from?" Tenchi asked.
Keisuke looked over, "Oh, that? I figured this house needed something to stand-out, I figure we're all close enough to a fraternity, so I chose 'Sigma', always thought it was the coolest letter in the Greek alphabet." He replied.
"Really? I can't believe that symbol hadn't been taken yet." Tenchi said.
"It was, I stole it from the 'Kaph-Sigma' house just down the street." Keisuke replied.
"Oh… I see…" Tenchi said, awkwardly.
"Yeah… I've been drinking a little." Keisuke said.
"Hmm… Well, then, uh… good night." Tenchi said, then turned around to walk back into the house.
As Keisuke remained outside, smoking his cigarette, he noticed a couple of security guards escorting some guy off of school grounds.
"But I swear, I'm supposed to be a student here! I have the acceptance letter!" The detainee cried as the security guards dragged him down the street
"Yeah, sure buddy. I know a lot of guys in prison who know how to forge documents too." One of the security guards scoffed in response.
"And don't think you're the first, either, pal. We've had to haul off five other jerks today trying to pull off the same scam." The other security guard added.
Keisuke watched as the scene unfolded, then put his cigarette out on the ground and walked back into the house, wondering what was to come next for the residents at Sigma House.