Strange Days: Fire and Rain Cpts 1 to 7

by Horosha

This is a sequel to Strange Days. Tenchi and Gang (inc. Mulder and Scully) face two new mysteries.

5. Strange Days, Part Five: Fire and Rain

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo/No Need For Tenchi is a product of Pioneer/AIC. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this fiction other than my own enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans of this wonderful series.

Disclaimer: The X-Flies is the product of Chris Carter and 20th Century Fox. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this fiction other than my own enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans of this excellent series.

Disclaimer: Oh My Goddess and You're Under Arrest are the product of Kosuke Fujishima, What's Michael is the product of Makoto Kobayashi, Ranma 1/2 is the product of Rumiko Takahashi, Sailor V is the product of Takeuchi Naoke and Nancy Drew is the product of Carolyn Keene. As such, I'm getting no compensation for writing this fiction other than my own enjoyment and to bring pleasure to the fans of these excellent series.

Disclaimer: The copyright holders own the songs and poems that appear in this series. All characters 'I' have created are purely a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is pure coincidence.

Notes: This is Chapter Five of Book Two in my crossover series, Strange Days. I would appreciate any C&C about this work. My two E-mail addresses are:

V_Bashaw@hotmail.com

Horosha@mangablast.com

The events in Book Two occur just after Episode Four ("Mihoshi Falls To The Land of Stars") and in the first season of the X-Flies (both taking place in 1992). If anyone is interested in using any of the characters I have created here, please contact me first (especially about Anthony MacClean). My knowledge of the training and organizational structure of law enforcement in Nihon has increased but at times I'm still assuming it is similar to ours. If you have questions about the story or how I portrayed the characters please read the notes at the end of each chapter and Book One, contact me at my e-mail addresses or post a message at the Ayeka Fan Club message board (www.ayekafanclub.org). I have created a glossary of Nihongo words, idioms and titles to help readers understand them. You can get it at TMFFA (tmffa.com under Crossover) or send me e-mail requesting it. My prereaders for Book Two are K.T.K. (carryover from Book One), Donald Dortmund, Fuzzy-Bunny (another carryover) and Top_Quark. Also Luriko-Ysabeth helped me on usage of Nihongo in fanfiction.

Dedication: This series is dedicated to the people who brought Tenchi Muyo to life: Hayashi Hiroki, Kajshima Masaki, Hasegawa Naoko, and Kuroda Yosuke. We also honor Chris Carter for his great series.

Warning: Just like the Tenchi Muyo OAV and the X-Flies this work contains adult language and situations (including some ecchi scenes), so any minor should get parents' permission before reading it.

********

Tenchi Muyo/X-Flies Crossover

Series Title: "Strange Days"

Book Two Title: "Fire and Rain"

A Fan-Fiction by Horosha

Copyright: Oct 9, 2002

Chapter Four: Sunday Bloody Sunday

Seniwa, Mihoshi's Homeworld

Feminine laughter filled the family den of the Kuramitsu mansion as Mihoshi sat in her favorite chair watching "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" on the wall television set. Unlike the rest of the ancestral home, the family den was small and friendly with its light stained wood paneling, thick forest green carpet and filled with the personal items of the current occupants. Not reaching the same volume as his sister, Kuramitsu Mikumo none-the-less couldn't stop snickering at the action on the screen. As he brushed joyful tears from his green eyes, Mikumo saw his sister's ebony right hand playing with a white ring box she had fished out of her pale yellow blouse pocket. With joy tinted with seriousness, he asked, "Himawari, you finally doing it?"

"Oh?" Mihoshi gave her sky blue pajama clad brother an off guard look before she felt the jeweler's box in her fingers and blushed furiously before shyly saying, "Yes."

"I wish Mama hadn't dumped so much grief on you about choosing your love-friend," the sounds of the movie faded to the background as Mikumo looked up at his sister from the tan beanbag he was laying on.

"It wasn't her fault," Mihoshi's blush reached the tips of her pointy ears.

"It's only because Dad didn't add his voice to Mama's," a note of pride in Mikumo's voice at his father's decision, "that you were able to wait two years to fulfill the Aikyoiku (Love Teaching)."

"I had to," Mihoshi's sapphire eyes refused to look away from the little box.

"Dad knew that which is why he suffered Mama's urgings in silence," a trace of envy in Mikumo's tone, "and Mama would've known it too if it wasn't for the fact that the person you're waiting for isn't Seniwa."

"I know," Mihoshi's words like a soft breeze, "it's by the Aikyoiku we learn to share our body, our spirit, with another."

"So when the marriage bond is formed between two Seniwajins," Mikumo finished his sister's statement with the traditional description of the ritual, "both will know what love is and are skilled at answering its call," then a frown touched his ebony face, "although with my luck I'll end up with a girl with as much up stairs as her big-chest will . . . Hey!" without warning Mihoshi's free hand grab the green pillow from behind her neck and nailed her brother's blond-haired head with a skillful throw.

"That wasn't a nice thing to say about Fudeyo," Mihoshi gave her brother a disappointed look.

"Mama has invited Fudeyo over here almost every day since I turned thirteen!" Mikumo missed his sister with the same square missile because she ducked behind her chair.

"Let your heart find someone for you," Mihoshi fired the pillow back to her brother plus two of its cousins.

"You already got her!" Mikumo jumped backward and landed behind the almond-colored couch where he quickly gathered a small mound of pillows.

"I saw Kiyone first!" retorted Mihoshi in a playful tone for she knew of her brother's puppy-love crush for Kiyone since the moment the teal-haired girl had become a member of their household.

"Does that mean you'll marry her?" Mikumo used his newest piece of ammo in his brother-sister rivalry.

"Huh?" Mihoshi froze like a deer in the headlights, which allowed her brother's blanket attack of four missiles to knock her off her bare feet.

Mikumo was up from behind the couch and about to add a finishing salvo as Mihoshi grabbed two fluffy pillows to deflect his missiles when both stopped at the sound of hearty laughter and turned to look at its source, but what caused the goldfish looks on their faces was what Kiyone was wearing, a dress.

It had taken a good part of a year for Mihoshi to get Kiyone to let her hair grow long but she absolutely refused to wear any feminine attire beyond white panties and bra, going to school wearing the boy's uniform, and you could forget about her wearing any kind of makeup. Yet here was the dark blue-eyed girl in a lime green sundress with her hair in a heavy braid that coiled around her slim neck. It was at this moment her laughter finished with her saying, "Are you two fighting over me again?"

"Kiyone, you're lovely," Mihoshi's words all caught up in wonder, Mikumo nodded his agreement.

Kiyone's right hand touched her embarrassed smile before mumbling, "Mitoto said that since this was my first day as a woman, I should dress like one."

Mikumo's green eyes gain a suspicious gleam over his mother's words and involvement but those same words remaindered Mihoshi of the small jewel box in her chestnut pants' pocket. She took out the white box, held it with both hands toward Kiyone and asked, "Kiyone, I have something to ask you."

"What would that be, Mihoshi?" the fourteen-year-old girl placed her right hand in her sundress right pocket.

"Would you . . . could you . . . " Mihoshi's endless courage almost gave up the ghost, "be my love-friend for the Aikyoiku?" her right hand opened the box's lid to show a plain gold ring with her name inscribed upon it in a silvery script.

"Only on one condition," Kiyone countered as she smoothly walked from the living room's entrance to stand within Mihoshi's reach. From the sidelines, Mikumo saw the quiet confidence in Kiyone's eyes was matched by the overflowing hope in his sister's eyes, both faces glowed in the candlelight that his mother liked to use at night. At this moment Kiyone brought out her own ring box from her right pocket as she continued, "If you would be my love-friend for the Aikyoiku."

"You've decided to become Seniwa?" Mikumo words more a statement than a question.

"Mitoto asked what my birthday meant to me and I told her it was the day I would become a Seniwa," then a painful edge tone entered Kiyone's voice, "there is nothing of my past that I want to return to."

"Mama told you about the Aikyoiku?" Mikumo's voice was full of intrigue.

"Mitoto said that it was the first important step to becoming a Seniwa," Kiyone's voice ringing with passion, "then she asked who would I choose for my love-friend," Kiyone's pink hand opened her small box to reveal a plain gold ring with her name inscribed upon it in a silvery script, "and I replied it could only be the person who gave me this new life."

Ecstasy's threads kept Mihoshi motionless as Kiyone took her ring out of its case with her right hand, "You who tutored me letters and equations until midnight," her left hand carefully lifted up Mihoshi's right hand, "you who held me when my dreams were full of darkness," and she slipped the metal band upon Mihoshi's ring finger, "you who helped me kick some serious butt when the school bullies got nasty," then she looked deeply into the Mihoshi's baby blues, "will you use your lips to teach mine, will you use your hands to teach mine and will you use your spirit to teach mine?"

The touch of Kiyone's breath upon her face brought clarity to Mihoshi's orbs and her right hand retrieved her ring from its case before she said, "When was the day you found a home in my heart," she took Kiyone's right hand with her left, "it was the day you encircled my soul with your own," she slipped the metal band upon Kiyone's ring finger, "when was the day you gave balance to my mind," and she returned her sight to Kiyone eyes, "it was the day you place your trust in me," then she took Kiyone's hands in her own before saying, "we will teach each other how to kiss, we will teach each other how to caress, we will teach each others' spirits to fly."

The two young women carefully leaned forward and their lips brushed awkwardly twice, due to their love struck eyes before a delicate kiss was shared. It was then Mikumo said the finishing lines of the beginning of the Aikyoiku, "Let the blessings of the five elements be upon both of you," both Mihoshi and Kiyone heard the heartbreaking tone in his voice, "wood for the ship that will carry you both over stormy seas, metal for the sword that you will use to protect your love-friend, fire for the torch to light your two's path, earth to grow your food so neither will know hunger and water so you both can quench the other's thirst," by the end of these words, tears were upon his cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Mikumo," Kiyone's joyful face touched with regret at the boy's sorrow.

"Me too, Brother," Mihoshi let go of Kiyone's hands so she could walk over and gave Mikumo a sisterly hug, "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"At least as your witness," Mikumo tried very hard to reign in his feelings, "I had a chance to be a part of yours and Kiyone's Aikyoiku."

"And you did a wonderful job," Kiyone's smiled as she stepped over to brother and sister, leaned down and kissed Mikumo's right cheek.

Instantly scarlet spread from that cheek to the rest of Mikumo's face and he stuttered out, "Tha . . . Thanks."

"Already trying to make me jealous?" Mihoshi teased.

"I would never do that," Kiyone's smile became wicked as she leaned over Mikumo and hungrily kissed Mihoshi's dusky lips. Startled only for a moment Mihoshi quickly responded to Kiyone's aggressive kiss with her arms encircling her friend's neck while the other woman's hands held the ebony woman's shoulders, their mouth-to-mouth passion turned into a five-minute contest of whose tonsils was going to get sucked out first.

When their lips parted Kiyone looked happily dazed while all Mihoshi could gasp was an out-of-breath, "Wow."

Any other response was interrupted by the thump of Mikumo's body onto the hardwood floor, with his eyes spaced out and two rivers of blood from his nose. In a surprised voice Mihoshi said, "I think Mikumo was caught between our bosoms."

"What clued you," Kiyone couldn't stop her body shaking sneakers, "the

mother-of-all-noise-bleeds?" then her laughter burst out and was quickly joined by Mihoshi's own giggles.

"Himawari, it's time to greet the new day," Mihoshi heard a voice she

recognized as Seto's.

In her sky blue, white bunnies-covered pajamas, Mihoshi popped straight up in her futon and she looked about with alert eyes, only to find a smiling Seto standing a few feet out of harm's way and the first rays of dawn lightening the early morning. Now that her roommate was awake, Seto put away her own futon while saying, "If you want to do some shopping, we need to be ready when Nobuyuki-san leaves for work."

Mihoshi remembered the last-minute request she made to Nobuyuki, for him to drop her off in downtown Kurashiki so she could do some shopping, Tenchi's father heartedly agreed and Seto volunteered to go with her. "Oke, Niji-dono," Mihoshi agreed as she got out of her futon and rolled it up.

"Himawari, did you have another happy dream," Seto asked casually as she slipped on her yellow robe and gathered her bathroom necessities.

Mihoshi hesitated as she held up her pink robe, "Nani?"

"The dawn's light showed your smiling lips moving," Seto explained.

"Hai, Niji-dono," an angel's smile upon Mihoshi's lips as she put on her robe and got her bathroom things, "I was dreaming of my Aikyoiku . . . " the last part coming out with a glowing warmth, "and Kiyone's."

Seto walked over and used her free hand to give her godchild as reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, "Never have I seen such a loving Aikyoiku couple as you two."

It was then Mihoshi went over to the top the room's dresser and her right-hand pickup a small steel chain with two gold rings upon it, then she said, "We started as friends, we became love-friends and then we became partners."

Seto heard the pain in Mihoshi's voice and so she said, "We better hurry to the furo before anyone else beats us to it," a sympatric tenderness on the older woman's face, "after all the running we did last night, everyone will want to take a quick bath before going to our separate destinations."

Mihoshi carefully put down the rings before she gave a girlish cry as she joined her godmother, "Ee, Niji-dono!"

********

Tomoki Gaijin House

It felt like the Seven Dwarfs had their mine in Mulder's skull before he realized what was making his head hurt was the knocking on his apartment's door. The room was still pitch black so he grabbed his sunglasses, put them on before he turned his lamp on. Thanks to his days at Oxford, the FBI agent knew he could stumble his way to the door without getting sick-to-his-stomach. When he opened his door, it was an amused Scully his weak eyes saw. Trying to deny his partner a quick barb, the disheveled man said, "Is Snow White here to round up her gang?"

Scully's emerald eyes sparkled with increased amusement at the badly draped woody brown bathrobe on Mulder's body before a more serious look took over, "Lieutenant Michiyuki called, there's been another sighting of our fiery suspect," then her voice dropped down in volume, "and another body."

Mulder's mind became alert even with the pain between his ears, "So we might be dealing with a serial killer."

"Too early to tell, Mulder," Scully commented, "they might be unrelated."

Mulder's nose caught a whiff of his own booze-soaked sweat so he changed the subject, "Could you call room service and have them send up a liter of OJ for me, I'm going into the bathroom."

Scully nodded before saying, "I've already alerted Miss Tachibana at her home of the development," Scully paused to let Mulder realize she was talking about their secretary, "she said she'll be waiting in front of our residence to drive us to the train," it was then her gaze saw the bandaged finger, "what happened with your finger?"

Mulder frowned as he held up the wounded finger, saying, "Had a close

encounter of the furry kind."

Scully shook her head while saying, "You're just not a cat person."

"I just don't like the way they look at you," Mulder words full of antipathy, "like there's more behind their eyes than three cans of tuna and rat burgers."

"Well, I'll let you clean up and blow your brain clear with vitamin C," Scully said, "I'm going over to the udon shop that's next to our residence and wait for you there."

"See you then," Mulder told Scully before she turned and walked down the hallway toward the stairway, at the same time Mulder couldn't help but notice how happy and confident his partner's walk was, thinking, 'Something happened since I last saw her,' then a hangover grin found a place on his face, 'Nobuyuki.'

********

Konko, Nihon

In a sheltered gully of a hill, the cold light of dawn broke through its trees' autumn leaves to show a little boy upon the ground. Normal eyes would have noticed rag tag nature of the child's dark-blue school uniform, pity would have touched the heart of anyone at the way the body seemed like a skeleton with skin over it. Once this was the body of eight-year-old Togashi Osamu, once it was the home of a young spirit with a world to explore, but now it contained a being created by Kagato.

Kuraihoshi opened the shell's eyes as he thought, 'At last, light!' The dark creature had attempted to cut across country to reach his destination but his senses became confused by the constant motion of his target, which caused him to become lost in the wooded foothills, by the time he found a road the light of the day was gone. During this time the being had fed upon insects and small woodland animals to keep the body's energy up but with the lost of the body's sight to night, the shell's endurance had ebbed to a point where he had to suspend action until morning or find himself inside an unmoving corpse.

This situation became crystal clear when a simple act of getting on its feet caused the savage hunger of Kagato's creature to increase tenfold, 'I must feed!'

It was at this point Kuraihoshi felt vibrations from the ground and heard a windy noise. This occurrence had happened several times during the night but his caution had stopped him from investigating it. Now the being walked through the trees' long shadows to crest the hill and his gaze at the sight below brought one happy word to his childish voice, "Food."

At a half-a-mile distance and a little to the dark creature's right was a town of small buildings and mostly empty streets but what got his attention most was the long building with a very long metal machine next to it, on both ends of the large machine was a ribbon of steel that ran out of sight. With a bare attempt at not getting its neck broken, Kuraihoshi pushed the body to a near reckless run down the hill and down a dusty path between the harvested rice fields. As the distance between him and the machine lessened, he could tell it was divided into equal sized parts with the first part a little larger than the others were. When Kuraihoshi reached the tracks, he leaped over them but then suddenly changed his direction and started to run down the tracks toward the big machine, originally his hunger drove him toward the town but now his eyes found a richer source of food for he saw people entering the mechanism.

During this whole run Kuraihoshi felt the body's energy level dropping at a frightening pace and when he reached the elevated platform, he stumbled on the dark green painted steps. Again he pushed the body to its feet and made for the closest victim.

Kuraihoshi's target entered the train's first passengers' car and doors begun to close when the small body darted in. Looking down the heavyset man in his light-blue salaryman suit saw a waif of a boy whose school uniform draped his body like sackcloth. "Kodomo, doka ka?" concern in his brown eyes, "are you sick?"

Horror stabbed the man's soul when the child's face turned up for he saw a skull covered with paper thin skin, twigs snared in the little one's black hair and brown eyes burning with malevolence, before he could recover from the shock the boy's hands grabbed his right hand. The man's mouth dropped open but no scream passed his lips as his life force was consumed and his body became Kuraihoshi's.

"Kya!" a thirty-something woman in a white salarywoman's suit shouted when she saw the boy's body drop to the metal floor like a sack of bones. The woman with long black hair knelt next to the fallen body and shook it with both hands but her distress turned to surprise when a hard hand gripped the back of her neck. Fleeting fear froze her mind as her body and life force was taken from her.

The balding high school teacher next to the woman had decided to ignore what was happening, it wasn't his problem. His reward for his jadedness was wide-eyed astonishment when the woman grabbed his butt. He opened his mouth but words of disgust never came because his body became a shell for Kagato's creature, the woman's hand made a dull thump as it hit the rubber mat on the floor while her body sagged in its kneeling position.

With the edge taken off his hunger, Kuraihoshi decided to take pleasure from his feeding. A scan of the other passengers showed to him that those able to see the three bodies are undecided about what to do or chose to bury their heads in the sand. It was from the undecided that he picked his next target, a young woman with an angelic face surrounded by reddish brown hair. The woman's black eyes jerked up and looked at the taller man when he blocked her sight of the bodies on the floor. Kuraihoshi had noted the emotional response from the former soul of the body he now occupied when he grabbed its butt, so with a depraved gleam in its eyes the shell's hands cupped and squeezed the ass cheeks of the aforementioned woman. Instantly the indecisive look on the woman's face changed to icy outrage at the man's hands underneath her bright yellow miniskirt but then this feeling gave way to bewilderment as she felt something alien enter her mind. Fear was her first reaction as she felt a piece of her consciousness disappear then a wave of pleasure fired her body before terror hit again as another bit of her soul was eaten. One by one her inhibitions were paired away so the waves of eroticism shake, rattle and roll her body into greater arousal, finally multiple orgasms were the last thing her animalistic mind experienced before it too was consumed.

With his new shell still ignited by sexual fire, Kuraihoshi turned slowly around to assess the reaction of the crowd and he found many of the male passengers had bulges where their sexual organs were located while some of the female passengers' faces were flushed. Those unable to see what was going on were craning their necks to find out while others just paid no mind of what was happening around them. Kuraihoshi's hunger was sated but with the biological energy trapped with him and his taste for abominable delight only wetted, the creature made the new shell seize the closest man's stiff manhood but unlike his earlier victims he didn't move his being from the woman's body to the man's body, instead he simply freed the man from his restraints and then inflamed his unrestricted body with sexual hunger. With a quick command to his shell and the infected man, the two clasp hands while their free hands touched the persons next to them, allowing Kuraihoshi to move along the fleshy chain, each new victim lost whatever made him or her a moral being, turning each one into a demented beast of carnal desire. Kuraihoshi took pleasure at how some tried to flee from what they saw happening, hid in the car's corners, but the crowded nature of the sardine can make this a temporary solution, yet what left him puzzled was how some just didn't do anything as they were corrupted, they either stood or sat in bland acceptance of their fate or seemed unwilling to allow anything from pushing them outside their normal routine.

After the last passenger was transformed Kuraihoshi pulled back into the woman in the yellow miniskirt and released his control over the changed humans. Time didn't matter for them, family didn't matter for them and work didn't matter for them, only their lust mattered. Kuraihoshi leaned against the car's doors, a wolf's grin upon the shell's pretty face while he watched his circus of wantonness, if any of his handiwork attacked him his shell's light touch was enough for him to suck out what was left of their life force. The car was filled with the moans and shouts of orgasms mixed with repetitive slaps of naked flesh upon naked flesh, along with the giggling sounds as some greedly swallowed semen down their throats or painful pleasurable cries cut from both genders' lips as blood seeped from clawed flesh.

Twenty minutes later the San-yo train pulled into the Funao train station right on time. Most of the half-awaked commuters on the platform didn't notice the woman in the miniskirt getting off but the cobwebs of some of the riders were ripped away by the sight, sound and smell of depravity they found in one of the passenger cars. In nothing flat the train station attendants hurried toward screams of help and the fleeing of people from savage attackers, quickly the station chief phoned the train's engineer to prevent him from leaving for his next destination. Soon the morning peacefulness was broken by the sound of sirens.

********

Hanawa Kazuichi Machiya

Maiko Kobington joyfully breathed in the morning air, she loved its after storm freshness and it made her feel all bright-eyed-and-bushy-tailed for today's work as Rumiko's assistant. Besides carrying her Sailor Moon umbrella the young woman also had a small gift wrapped in decorative cloth, twelve homemade pecan-tarts. She wouldn't be the only one of Rumiko's helpers to bring something tasty to work today, as a way to show their combined happiness over the day off the little lady had given them. They knew about her date with Antony MacClean but that didn't stop them from feeling a little guilty over Rumiko's generous heart and there was always a chance that Rumiko might tell them the highlights of her date over tea and treats.

After she took off her shoes at the front entrance genkan and hung her

umbrella and coat on the rack, Maiko began her stocking-footed trek to

Rumiko's apartment door when she was stopped by a most unlikely sight, it wasn't the girl's red rose colored hair or the way the Van Gogh stars upon the full length dress were so perfect for her tall body, what brought wonderment to Maiko was the skin that the fiery hair framed and the dress that surrounded it. Maiko had seen people from Africa, America and many other places but none with skin like molten gold. It was at this point a creaking floorboard caused the girl to jump and Maiko discovered her own curiosity had given her cat's feet so that she was just a few feet from the youngster. The strange girl faced Maiko and the chestnut-haired girl's mouth dropped open at the youth's eyes, orbs like twin drops of white sunlight. Then the older woman's recognized the teenager's mouse-caught-by-a-cat expression and she saw Rumiko's kanji name on the envelope the girl held close to her chest with both hands.

Maiko's shock melted to pity, 'A humble otaku of Rumiko's stories,' she thought before she bowed while saying, "Konnichiwa, are you here to see Takahashi-san?"

The strange girl bit her lower lip as she nodded, then her white eyes went wide as she caught her discourtesy to Maiko, so she returned the bow before saying, "I'm Ohi . . . eh . . . Rogers Ohiten."

'She's a gaijin like me,' Maiko thought before she realized how obvious this statement was, then she put friendliness in her words, "Don't worry about Takahashi-san, she really likes to meet her fans," Maiko was a little puzzled that her words didn't relieve Ohiten's fear but at this point she could only give a mental shrug as she went to Rumiko's door and knocked on it.

"Dare?" asked a female voice.

Annoyance appeared in Maiko's eyes and in her words, "How does she get here before I do," then her volume increased, "Every time?"

"Maiko-chan, is that you?" the same voice asked.

"Hai, Takagi-san," resignation in Maiko's voice.

The door slid open and a young woman in a long-sleeved lavender shirt and matching pants stood on the other side, the hurtful tone of her voice was betrayed by the playful look on her almond-shaped face, "Maiko-chan, you know how much pain you cause me when you don't call me Reiko-chan," then she leaned forward so her pointy nose touched Maiko's, "I mean, we've known each other for such a long time."

Nervous sweat broke out on Maiko's forehead but any further discussion ceased when Rumiko, in a green-and-white striped dress, clapped her hands as she joined them, "Break it up, ojosan, we've got a deadline to meet in three . . ." her words died due the sight of the strange girl trying very hard to hide her tall frame behind the shorter Maiko, then she asked in an astonished tone, "Maiko-san, ano onna no ko we dare desu ka (Maiko, who is that girl?)."

Happy for the distraction Maiko turned so she could see both Rumiko and Ohiten at the same time before replying, "Rumiko-san, this is Rogers Ohiten. I believe she's here to see you?"

Taking a nervous swallow Ohiten stepped around Maiko, then she bowed her head and held the letter out to Rumiko, both Maiko and Reiko saw Rumiko's eyes widen at the sight of her name on the envelope. Suddenly Maiko was yanked off her feet and dragged into Rumiko's apartment by Reiko, where the brown-eyed girl angrily shouted, "NANI?"

"Be as calm as a baby, Maiko-chan," Reiko put her right index finger to her lips, "let's give them some privacy," then a dreamy look filled her face as looked over her shoulder to the two in the hallway, "this is a big day for both of them."

"What do you mean, Takagi-san?" Maiko asked as she watched Rumiko take the envelope from Ohiten's trembling hands and opened it.

"Look at the ojosan," a look of knowing on Reiko's face.

Maiko looked but she only saw the teenager's bizarre body, "So?"

"Look at the ojosan's face," Reiko patiently said, "Carefully."

Maiko focused on Ohiten's face but found it hard not to be drawn in by

teenager's white irises, eyes full of fear as she waited while Rumiko read the letter, then Rumiko looked up from the letter, reached up with her left hand, tenderly touched the multitude of tiny gold crosses hanging from a single earring on the girl's right ear and Rumiko whispered a single word that neither Maiko nor Reiko could hear. The touch of Rumiko's hand and her word had an unexpected result, Ohiten's head tilted up with eyes closed, tears split from her eyes as a happy smile found her face and then she crouched down so her five-foot-six-inch body wouldn't tower over Rumiko's

four-foot-eight-inch body as she hugged her, immediately the older woman

returned the hug. It was at the point where Ohiten closed her eyes that Maiko's black eyes filled with insight and she said in a hushed tone, "Shinjare'kka wa!"

"She looks so much like them ne," pure joy in Reiko's tone.

"Ara . . . ano . . . itsu (when)?" confusion evident in Maiko's broken words.

"I've been with Rumiko-san for ten years," Reiko grinned before she continued, "how old would you say is Rogers-san?"

"Fourteen maybe fifteen," then Maiko's eyes reached flying saucer size, "I didn't know Takahashi-san and MacClean-san knew each other that long."

"Rumiko-san has been here since nineteen-seventy-six and Kawatta-san moved in the same year," Reiko nodded her head, "although I wonder where they've been hiding her?"

"I think with MacClean-san's relatives in Amerika," a questioning look

appeared on Reiko's face before Maiko explained, "She almost forgot to return my bow this morning when we first met and she caught herself saying her given name first."

"So she only recently came to Nihon," Reiko pondered, "I wonder why?"

"You wonder what, Reiko-neechan?" the light voice of Fuku Kuzuha, the youngest of Rumiko's assistants, called out as she inched her way around the two embracing women, she was followed by Haruko Ashiya, the newest member of Rumiko's assistants, then Fuko added when she saw Ohiten's face, "Maiko-neechan, who's the ko gyaru (trendy girl)?"

"Aaaa . . . Takahashi-san will explain things to you when you're older," Maiko remembered Fuko was only eleven-years-old.

"Oi," Fuko blushed because of the connotations that statement usually meant.

The four females saw Ohiten and Rumiko part and the tall girl reached to one side and pick up an overnight suitcase from one side of the hallway, then the teenager gave an energetic bow which the older woman returned. Then she lightly ran to the front door, where she put on her high-heel shoes and slipped on a heavy white coat. Rumiko watched Ohiten go before she turned back to her four assistants and then said, "Does anyone has any questions?"

All four females looked at each other, then all of them held out packaged goodies and said in union, "How about some tea and treats?"

Rumiko smiled at the warm friendship these four girls gave her as she closed her apartment door.

**********

Masaki Residence

Ayeka finished packing her overnight suitcase with the necessities needed for her five-day excursion to Tokyo, she had just heard Mihoshi and Seto return from their trip to the bathroom so Ayeka decided it was her turn. As she entered the hallway, the princess heard the door down the passageway open and close, it didn't take long for a sleepy Tenchi to enter her vision as he turned to head for the upstairs benjo, then he stopped suddenly when he found himself face-to-face with Ayeka, she was the first to say, "Ohayo,

Tenchi-sama."

"Ohayo, Ayeka-san," Tenchi searched for something more to say but could only come up with, "It was an interesting night, na?"

"Ee," Ayeka agreed.

Tenchi heard the guarded tone of Ayeka's reply so he asked, "Is something wrong?"

Ayeka saw Tenchi's openness to her worry, so she said, "I'm just not sure of the flowers I allowed to bloom last night."

"You mean the friendship between Sasami-chan and Ryoko," Tenchi guessed, both of them hadn't noticed that the background noise from Mihoshi's and Seto's room had died down.

"Tenchi-sama, it is more than just friendship that is developing between them," Ayeka's ruby eyes reflected the worry in her voice, "the feelings that are developing between them are like those between an okasama and her musume, like those between a oneesama and her imotosama."

"But we had to help Ryoko," Tenchi's tone became defensive, "and Sasami-chan was the only one who could."

"I know and it was the right thing to do," Ayeka's acknowledgment only seemed to increase her fear, "but Tenchi-sama, you must remember that no matter how close Sasami and Ryoko-san are," a hard edge came to Ayeka's words, "there will be others who will see Ryoko-san as nothing more than an uchu kaizoku."

"Like you?" Tenchi blurted out then he smacked his right hand over his mouth, an apologetic look in his wide eyes.

"Honto ne," Ayeka nodded her head, "there are those like me, Tenchi-sama, who were wronged by Ryoko-san," a bitter smile touched her lips, "and while I have said I will try to forgive her, many won't."

"Ayeka-san, you fear that Ryoko's past will catch up with her," Tenchi's words took on a note of worry, "and Sasami-chan will be hurt because of it."

"Sasami thinks and acts with her heart," Ayeka looked down at her hands before she looked back up at the young man, pride replaced the worry in her voice, "Yet it is because of it she is able to hit our hearts and bring the best out of us," then a drop of acid entered her words, "even an oni onna like Ryoko-san isn't immune to Sasami."

Ayeka saw a flash of disappointment in Tenchi's face and she asked, "You didn't like what I just called Ryoko-san," Tenchi slowly nodded his head which strengthen the princess' inquisitiveness, "yet she was responsible for burning down your school and for what happened at the onsen."

"I know Ryoko was partly responsible, Ayeka-san," Tenchi replied diplomatically, "but she did help us when we tried to recover the video tape and she watched over Sasami-chan when no one else could."

Ayeka heard the unfinished tone to Tenchi's words, "but there is something else ne?"

"Dewa . . . " just then Tenchi's bladder renewed its need to be empty, "Ara . . . I really must go to . . ." the young man pointed at the door to the up stair toilet.

The bitterness turned to sweetness in Ayeka's smile, saying, "And I must go to the furo before anyone else needs it."

On bare feet Ayeka went down the stairs to the hallway, passed the open entrance to the living room and into the furo without a noise louder than a creaking floorboard, it was enough.

Ryoko's ears twitched slightly at the sound of the creeks in the hallway, her mind roused from its cat-like slumber to a semi-woken state, but it was the perfume that Ayeka wore that cleared the rest of the cobwebs from the uchu kaizoku's mind, yet the sight the dawn's early light gave her amber eyes made her wonder if she was still in slumber land and dreaming. Finding herself on the living room couch with a warm comforter over her body wasn't what stunned the ample lady down to the roots of her soul, what brought confusion to her was the fact that her body was curled around the littlest princess of Jurai, her right shoulder a pillow for Sasami's head. The angelic peace on the child's freckled face melted the older woman's shocked expression into a troubled look as her thoughts tried to describe what she felt, 'I feel like I would rip out the tongue of anyone who'd make her cry, I would flay any who brought her pain and I would suffer any wound meant for her,' her lips trembled at the rawness of the emotions raging inside her, her mind going back to that moment when Sasami had called her sister.

The tremor of Ryoko's body awoke Sasami and her concerned eyes looked into the uchu kaizoku's confused eyes, saying, "Ryoko-neechan, are you oke?"

Ryoko quickly reigned in her emotions and slipped on her devilish grin as she replied, "I'm fine, Sasami-chan, although you're not the one I would want to wake up with."

It took a second or two for Ryoko's meaning to set off Sasami's giggles, then the littlest princess hugged the woman, saying, "We were so worried about you last night," then a serious note entered her young voice, "do you remember anything?"

Ryoko returned the embrace and as her head rested amongst the child's blue curls, she recounted to the child what had happened with the thief, at the end she said, "Something happened to me when I saw her clearly," Ryoko searched the right way to say her words, "an old nightmare seized me and I couldn't get away."

"Did it have something to do with your haha (mother)?" Sasami knew she was taking a big chance but she wanted so much for Ryoko to remember Washu.

Ryoko leaned back so her amber eyes could make contact with Sasami's pink amethyst eyes, surprise in the uchu kaizoku's voice, "Sasami-chan, why do you say that?"

"Dewa . . . " Sasami knew she had to tell the truth, "you called me okachan when I touched your head," then she blushed as she added in a small voice, "and after I climbed into bed with you."

Purposely misreading Sasami's blush Ryoko gave the littlest princess a serious look, "Ima, Ima, you're still an akachan," an absolute tone in her voice, "you should wait a few years and be more selective of whom you rezuru (dyke about) with."

Shocked by one of the few slang words she knew, Sasami's whole body blushed before she gave Ryoko an annoyed look when she felt the vibrations of Ryoko's silent laughter, but Ryoko's foxy grin fixed Sasami's mild ire and instead the pink-eyed wonder said, "Iie, baka wa, it's just my okasama would let me get into her, Funaho-okasama and otousama's bed when I had a bad dream," then Sasami put all her spirit into the smile she gave Ryoko, "this was my chance to be a haha for someone else."

Again Ryoko's feelings for Sasami's came storming back and she buried her head in Sasami's silky hair as she said, "I think my dream was about my okachan," her voice gaining a childlike quality to it, "a ja'akuna otoko put her in a glass pillar and my fists were too small to break her out," an icy wind blew through her soul, "when I attempted to use my Gems, he stopped me."

"Do you remember what she looked like?" sadness was in Sasami's voice.

Ryoko shook her head, saying, "only that she was small and had red hair," then her voice broke under the power of her sorrow, "but . . . that was . . . so long ago."

"Don't worry, Ryoko-neechan," Sasami's face and voice full of a child's certainty, "I will help you find your haha."

"As I would, Ryoko," Instantly both females on the sofa recognized the male voice.

"TEN . . . " Sasami dropped onto the couch as Ryoko disappeared from

underneath her only to reappear halfway to Tenchi, who just stepped off the living room staircase ". . . CHI!" she finished her shout as her clothes changed to her white-red-and-black seducer dress. Tenchi's eyes went from sympathy to surprise but he firmly stopped himself from filching when the cyan-haired woman's flying body snaked around his body and her hands warmly hugged him as her heartfelt words filled his ears, "Would you truly help me find my okachan?"

"Hai!" Tenchi was very firm in his answer, if everything else in this world caused him bewilderment the need for a mother's love wasn't one of them.

"Then anata, let me reward you," Ryoko sultrily purred while her legs parted so she could straddle his right thigh, "let me be a sheath for your chinhoko," her breasts rubbed against his chest, "let my rabujusu keep it oiled," her lips just a breath away from the boy's mouth, "let my eight mouths and eight hands keep it polished," her body took on a rhythmic up-and-down motion, "let my tongue keep its point sharp."

Tenchi felt his spirit torn between fear and want, between disgust and

delight, between rejection and acceptance, his hands moving up but he didn't know if it was to push her away or to embrace her, then he saw her eyes. The teasing look of the past weeks was not in those amber orbs nor the animal drive for raw pleasure that sometimes would make them glow, what the young man saw was a desperate longing for love, a need for the empty loneliness of her soul to be filled. The scales were moving.

Looking over the couch's armrest Sasami was getting an eye full of what was happening between Tenchi and Ryoko. While the uchu kaizoku's slangy words and innuendo went right over the littlest princess' head, her tone and what her body was doing to Tenchi's body spellbound the child. That spell suddenly broke when her little ears caught a hissing intake of air, which made her eyes the size of pink elephants for she knew who made that sound, even before she turned her head and found a furious Ayeka, the fire in her sister's eyes matched by bluish-white light that leaked from under her purple bangs. In a fluid motion Ayeka walked toward the entwined couple with her right-hand going back in an underhand motion and Sasami ducked behind the armrest when she saw the ball of energy in the hand.

Ryoko went into nirvana when she felt her butt grabbed by a hand, then the Jurain kicker went off. Ryoko's body shielded Tenchi's from the explosion so the young man was only sent rolling into the far corner underneath the stairs. The confused youth looked up with dazed brown eyes but found no hole in the ceiling where Ryoko had rocketed up then he looked at Ayeka and found to his surprise a very calm Jurain princess, examining her right hand for broken fingernails. A motion at the edge of his vision brought his attention to Sasami peaking over the couch then her head disappeared again.

"AYEKA!" Ryoko's shout made Tenchi's moon-sized eyes lock on the stiff-bodied Ryoko, who was face-to-face and floated a hand's width from the incredibly unruffled First Princess of Jurai. Ryoko was now in her blue-and-yellow stripped dress with her cattail as straight-as-an-arrow and all puffed out.

Ayeka crossed her arms over her stomach and looked Ryoko straight-in-the-eye before smoothly saying, "Ima that I got your attention," a feline growl came from Ryoko as Ayeka spoke, "I have a request to make of you," Ryoko's upper lip lifted to show gleaming fangs, unaffected the princess continued, "I would like you to watch over Sasami for me while I'm gone."

It was like someone had put an ice cube down the back of Ryoko's dress so quick was the turnaround from mayhem to utter surprise, then Ryoko's fury returned and she opened her mouth to tell Ayeka to go hump a tree but the words never came because the cyan-haired woman saw a pair of pink eyes staring into her amber eyes, eyes full of silent hope. Ryoko then remembered Tenchi, looked over her shoulder and found the unharmed young man still under the stairs, his face showed that he too was intently watching the two females and listening for Ryoko's reply. All of this breath holding by Tenchi and Sasami got Ryoko curious.

Seeing Ryoko's anger give way to confused wonderment Ayeka continued,

"Tenchi-sama must fulfill his obligation to go to school, Nobuyuki-san is going to work, Katsuhito-sama has the Masaki-jinja to take care of and the duty to help visiting worshippers, and obasama will be going into town with Mihoshi-san," there was now an edge of effort to Ayeka's tone, "we also saw clearly last night that there are individuals on this planet who can evade Azaka and Kamidake," Ryoko saw a flash of distaste in Ayeka's ruby gaze, "so I need someone who does not have any prior commitments, someone to watch over and protect Sasami."

"In other words," the impact of Ayeka's words brought a dancing merriment to Ryoko's eyes, "you need me."

"Although I put saliva upon my eyebrows," Ayeka couldn't stop her doubt from entering her words, "I find you to be the only solution to my worry of Sasami's safety."

For a moment Ryoko closed her eyes and Ayeka caught herself hoping that the uchu kaizoku was going to say no, Ayeka's anger at her own weakness steeled her spirit. A twinkle of bluish-white light locked her ruby eyes on Ryoko's Gem and her ears caught a sound from behind her, "Miya!" Ayeka turned slightly and found Ryo-ohki perched upon Sasami's head.

"Ryo-ohki and I will take care of Sasami-chan," a no-big-thing tone in Ryoko's answer, "but don't puff out your chest because I'm doing this for you, iie ne, Oujo-chan," smirked the ample woman.

"I don't care if you are doing this for me or not," a loathsome tone matched Ayeka's narrowed eyes, "just as long as you do it."

Ryoko's hot glare at Ayeka was about to be matched by her giving the

purple-haired princess the bird but she stopped as the sound of Sasami's quick feet and child's small hands hugged both the uchu kaizoku and the Saishono Oujosama Jurai, "Onegai shimasu! Ryoko-neechan! Ayeka-oneechan!" Sasami's wounded heart was in her cry.

"Miya!" a look of pleading in Ryo-ohki's face as she looked up at the two women from between Sasami's blue curls.

On impulse both Ayeka's left hand and Ryoko's right hand reached to place a comforting hand on Sasami's back and found their hands linking together. "Oi?" escaped from both women's lips and they looked at each other before small smiles touched their lips and they nodded to one another, "Sasami, could you get choshoku ready," love for Sasami in Ayeka's words, "I'm sure Nobuyuki-san will need every ounce of your good food so he can deliver us to our destinations."

Sasami looked up and carefully examined both women's faces for white lies while Ryoko said, "Don't worry, Akaruime, we'll be fine," Ryoko used Sasami's nickname, a good dose of charm and an American slang word that Sasami knew, "Honest Injun!"

Sasami smiled, nodded her head and then said, "Oke." The child gave a quick squeeze to both women before her small hands let go, both Ayeka and Ryoko watched the girl head for the kitchen on happy feet, then Tenchi passed by both of them while saying, "I better get into the furo before anyone else beats me to it."

Ayeka turned to watch Tenchi's retreating form with a troubled look on her face. Once more, her feelings of the young man made her wonder at her own commitment to marrying Yosho, these same feelings had resurfaced last night when she saw Tenchi slide down into the Ryoko's former prison, her spirit burned joyfully as her inner self saw the youth as another Prince Charming, but once more those same feelings were shown to be foolish and weak. 'I must find oniisama,' Ayeka's spirit felt as mixed up as her thoughts, 'I do not know how long my mind can moderate my heart.'

It was at this point Ryoko noticed that Ayeka wasn't in her usual attire but instead wore a dark-blue ankle-length skirt and a white long-sleeve shirt with two turtledoves embroidered upon each shoulder. Ryoko's amber eyes also saw the parade of emotions upon Ayeka's face and she decided to add her own two cents to the princess' silent words by reaching with her left hand and giving each of the royal highness hind cheeks a really good squeeze while whispering to Ayeka, "If manzuri isn't doing it for you," her hot air filling Ayeka's right ear, "I'm sure I can make you flip out."

It was as if someone flicked a Bic behind Ayeka's eyes and her tiara brightly burned again as her glowing left hand reached behind her.

Sasami just closed the top of the automatic rice cooker when a flash of light came through the door from the living room, Ryoko's hedonistic laughter echoed from the same room, and the little princess' nose crinkled as a wave of ozone invaded the kitchen. The child's face took on a perplexed look as she looked over at Ryo-ohki, saying, "Ryoko-neechan sure likes to play rough."

"Miya," Ryo-ohki nodded her furry head while she sat on the kitchen's island.

Just then Ryoko staggered into the kitchen from the living room, the uchu kaizoku's clothes and hair looked like someone had rubbed ten thousand cats against them but what surprised both Sasami and Ryo-ohki was the fiendish happiness on Ryoko's pointy face, "Imoto, for a flower risen in a greenhouse, your neesan sure can stroke my fur right."

Ryoko faded from Sasami's and Ryo-ohki's sight and without looking away from the spot where the uchu kaizoku had just vacated, Sasami said with wide-eyed bewilderment, "Why does it sound like oneesama just earned a star from Ryoko-neechan?"

"Miya!" total agreement was in Ryo-ohki's voice.

Tenchi stripped off his yukata in the changing room and dropped it into the hamper and laid a fresh change of clothes on the table before he entered the main room, where he sat on a stool. As he soaped up his hairless chest, his nose picked up the odor of the home's female guests that the moist air still held and it brought a pleasing smile along with a slightly frustrated sigh, 'It's like every one of my fantasies and nightmares rolled up into one.'

At this moment he reached blindly behind his back for the long-handled brush, thinking, 'Ryoko is so unpredictable, one moment she's Sasami-chan's Ryoko-neechan, helping us like she did when we found Ayeka-san asleep at the lake, while in another instinct she's Ryokoakurei, like when she called up the akuma and commanded it to attack Ayeka-san.' His groping right hand touched the tiled floor once, 'I know she accepted Ayeka-san's request to impress me and get a happy smile from Sasami-chan,' his hand touched the floor a couple of more times but found nothing, 'yet I can't help feeling good about it,' then his thoughts froze when he heard a very recognizable voice coming from behind him, "Tenchi, let me scrub your back for you."

Every proper fiber in Tenchi's body told him it wasn't right for Ryoko to be in here with him but even deeper in his soul there was something telling him it was all right. He must have broadcast his conflicting emotions because a light laugh came from behind him and Ryoko said, "Don't worry, anata. I'll just wash your back," then he felt her nose touch the back of his neck, "I won't even peak."

Tenchi fought off the urge to drop his hands into his lap and instead he concentrated to keep his left hand from shaking as he reached over his shoulder to hand Ryoko the bar of soap. He heard Ryoko's gleeful sound, felt her hand take the soap from his and listen as she soaped up a washcloth. The young man kept his eyes forward, tried very hard to remember what his grandfather told him about showing respect toward others but he still couldn't stop himself from jumping a little when the uchu kaizoku spread the cloth over his upper back and started to work the soap into his right shoulder with both of her hands as she hummed a tune.

Quickly Tenchi realized Ryoko wasn't just washing his back, she was alternating between her palms and fingertips, massaging the muscles first in one shoulder then the other before her thumbs rubbed up and down the base of his neck. The tension flowed out of his body, his mind relaxed and as the uchu kaizoku moved the cloth to between his shoulder blades, a distant part of Tenchi's memory was stirred by Ryoko's song. His mind's eye saw himself as a naked child of two, his little hands splashing water as he sat in a wooden tub just outside Ryoko's cave, his own voice trying to imitate his mother's singing a song Ryoko was humming.

"Are you enjoying my washing?" Ryoko's happy words brought Tenchi back to the present.

"Un," Tenchi hid the revelation behind a good-natured reply and busily scrubbed his chest as he thought, 'Now I'm certain Ryoko was the presence I felt at the cave and she would watch me, my otousama, my jiichan and . . . ' then his face became thoughtful, ' . . . my okasama.'

Ryoko worked up a sudsy lather on the small of Tenchi's back and the black-haired boy did the same for his stomach but his thoughts moved forward, 'When okasama died, I went to Ryoko's cave and cried for my loss,' the foggy confusion of the past months cleared a little, 'and she was there . . . " Tenchi's train-of-thought was derailed when Ryoko reached his butt.

Like a deer-in-the-headlights Tenchi waited for Ryoko to grope, pinch or finger attack his ass but it never came, instead she treated it just as she had the rest of his back and once it was covered in soap, he heard her pick up the bucket of hot water, felt the water pour over his body, followed by a second bucket of steaming liquid to make sure all the suds was gone, then he heard her say, "There, Tenchi, now you can go in and have a good soak!"

"Arigato," Tenchi turned his head enough to show Ryoko his smile but not enough for his brown eyes to see her. Maybe Ryoko heard something in his tone or saw something in his face, for the next thing the youth knew was two naked round mounds pressed into his shoulder blades and each of his hands were held by Ryoko's.

"Remember, anata," Ryoko's nose nuzzled the back of Tenchi's left ear before her pink tongue licked its inside, followed by her fanged mouth capturing his earlobe which she nosily sucked on, her lips slightly part to let the piece of flesh to slowly slip out with passion's words right behind it, "you have just to say the word, you have just to cover my buds and I will reward you with a red rose."

Tenchi watched Ryoko's hands fade from his sight, felt her body leave his yet it took a moment before he trusted his legs enough to get him into the furo, especially after his tongue tasted blood from his nose. Once enough minutes passed to allow Tenchi to be sure that Ryoko wasn't going to make a return engagement, he closed his eyes, allowed the water to leach out his body's arousal and he renewed his thinking, 'She wants me so much that she'll use her body and words to show her desire,' Tenchi added a new thought, 'but there's something else happening here, I saw desperation in Ryoko's eyes when she launched herself at me in the living room and it was there in her words just now,' then he remembered what Ayeka said, 'Does Ryoko fear her past will catch up with her before I'm willing to accept her love,' then he looked at the argument at a different angle, 'but if that is so then why did she stay away from here for most of yesterday?'

"Segare, may I come in?" Nobuyuki's voice came from the changing room.

"Hai, otousan," Tenchi replied.

Nobuyuki poked his head in and looked around before saying, "Ketsu, I was sure Ryoko-san would be in here with you."

"Otousan!" Tenchi put false annoyance in his voice to put his father on the wrong track.

"An otousama can only hope that his son will become a man," Nobuyuki shook his head while going over to a wooden stool, "and give him a mago," then he gave Tenchi a sly grin as he sat, "maybe six or seven."

Tenchi rolled his eyes to the heavens, saying, "Otousan, do you have to make it sound like SEX is the only way a man and a woman can have a close relationship."

"Segare, sex is an unavoidable part of any relationship between a man and a woman," a serious tone replaced Nobuyuki's earlier teasing sound, "even when they say they are just friends."

Tenchi heard the change in his father's voice, realized what might have caused it and so asked, "You and Scully-san?" 

Tenchi waited as his father dumped a bucket of water over his own head, saw the wistful look on the older man's face while he answered, "I was so in love with your okasan that I didn't see how much suffering Ninjin-chan was going through because she loved me."

"You couldn't have known, otousan," sympathy in Tenchi's voice and face.

"Your okasan saw it," Nobuyuki's eyes full of the past, "and I wonder if she would've objected if I had discovered it."

Now finding himself in unknown territory, Tenchi asked, "What was okasan like before I was born?"

"Achika was the strongest willed person that I ever knew," Nobuyuki's love for his departed wife in his voice, "and very practical and honest about everything."

Implications of his father's words didn't escape Tenchi's notice and he asked with wonder, "Okasan was willing to accept Scully-san's ai for you."

"Achika cared about Ninjin-chan na," Nobuyuki pointed out then added, "and I found out yesterday that she even tied all three of our spirits together."

"Nani!" Tenchi's mouth hanged open as his father stepped into the furo.

It was at this point that Nobuyuki told Tenchi what happened to him and Scully with Tenchi's eyes getting bigger and bigger, finally the teenager said, "So okasan wanted you and Scully-san together," then a tearful tone entered his voice, "even after she was gone."

"Achika never was one to allow timid thinking," then a sly smile touched Nobuyuki's lips, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind that you brought home four garufurendo."

"You're impossible!" Tenchi stood straight up, marched out of the furo and slam the door behind him.

"I wonder if he realizes that he is still naked," then Nobuyuki heard a boyish squeal, several feminine shrieks and a girl complaining, "Oneesama, I wish you wouldn't keep covering my eyes."

"I guess not," Nobuyuki leaned his head back on the side of the furo.

********

Tsunami Abbey, Kanemitsu

Washu sat in a pitch-black closet, her head pressed against one of its corner and her small hands unable to stop the tears from leaking through her fingers because it felt like a thousand splinters were in her heart. She was barely aware the closet door opened, closed and the rustle of cloth as someone knelt next to her, then a whispered voice asked, "Doka gai ka?"

The redheaded child continued to cry, unable to break the chain of pain, so the voice asked, "I can't do anything unless you tell me."

The compassion in the voice caused Washu to talk, "They  . . . they called me . . . names."

"The other shitei," through the clouds of pain did Washu note the motherly quality of the voice.

"Hai!" Washu replied as her four-year-old voice filled of heartbreaking confusion, "even Iekata . . . chan called me . . . a . . . a GEEK!"

"Naze wa?" two soft hands touched Washu's quaking shoulders.

"They said . . . to me . . . I made them . . . look baka . . . to

Hitomi-sensei," Washu sucked in a ragged breath, "and the other sensei."

"They're just envious," the hands gave a comforting squeeze, "they wish their genius was as great as yours."

"A . . . A . . . Am I so special?" Washu spun around and buried her tiny body in the form that darkness kept her from identifying.

"Hai, Washu-chan," the hands carefully picked Washu up and the larger body started to rock back-and-forth.

"Naze wa yo?" Washu's tone showed she wanted her heart put back together again.

"Would you truly like to know?" a loving tone in the simple question.

"Un," Washu's sobs slowed as her spirit sought understanding.

"When the Kami created people," a storyteller's quality to the voice, "she used the flotsam and jetsam left over from creating the universe," then dread entered her voice, "but she ran out of the stuff and she still had several persons she wanted to make," the voice's dread was replaced with determination, "so she searched every corner of her creation and at the end of her journey, when her hope was about to leave her, she found within a nebula a planet with fields of growing crystals," her voice took on a sad tone, "but the Kami found them so beautiful, so perfect, that she didn't have the heart to pick them," now awe entered the voice, "but then a cosmic wind blew between the glassy flowers and the Kami heard them singing to her, their song telling her to take them, to give them eyes to marvel at her creation and limbs so they could walk with her," now warmth entered her voice, "so the Kami made each crystal a person and scattered them amongst her other people, so their song would lift spirits and their brightness would bring enlightenment to others."

During the story Washu's sobs melted into a happy smile as she drew sustenance from the rocking motion and the honeyed smell of the body holding her. At the end of the story the child asked, "Am I a crystal?"

"Washu-chan, reach into your pocket," a knowing tone to the voice.

It was at this moment Washu felt warmth coming from the pocket where she kept the three crystals, Washu had always treated them as good luck charms since they seemed not to do anything unique, but now she quickly fished them out and her eyes went wide at the bluish-white light filtering through her barely closed right hand.

"Open your hand," the voice told her.

With a child's trust Washu opened her hand and her eyes reached owl size at how the glowing crystals floated over her palm.

"See how they greet you," the voice full of love, "they want you to know that you are their kin."

Washu looked up at the person cradling her, the crystals' soft light revealed a body covered with black cloth and a hood pull over the head so nothing of the face could be seen except for a pair of gray eyes that Washu found both happy and sad.

"Ima, Washu-chan," the head bent down and lips kissed first one eye, "don't let them drag you down to their level," and then the other eye, "remember that you are very special," and the arms hugged Washu, "especially to me."

The sight of the unshed tears in the other's eyes tugged at something in the back of Washu's mind, she opened her mouth but she couldn't find the words to match what she was feeling, then the arms placed her on her feet and heartbeat later the dark figure was gone and Washu found herself standing outside the closet.

Suddenly Washu's consciousness awoke from her remembrance and found she had returned to the crystal prison where her body resided, 'I almost forgot about . . . ' then her mind became puzzled, 'but why did I dream . . . ' instantly her train of thought changed, 'I . . . I ran from Seto . . . ' now new insight dawned upon her, 'I fled from my pain . . . I hid in the closet again,' then shock pushed her to a new thought, 'it was the abbey rector who carried me out of the closet the first time, she found me asleep in there.'

Slowly her mind went over the old memory. The mysterious woman did come to her, had healed her young heart with the story and she told me to be brave before she disappeared but only the ending was different. 'Was it she who made me want to return,' Washu carefully questioned, 'and because my understanding of the universe was better than it was before,' her mind locked upon the thought, 'I was able to leave the closet on my own instead of being carried out,' a frown found a home in her thinking, 'or was this second time my own subconscious wearing her garb, taking me out of my closet of self pity?' Washu gave a mental sigh, 'maybe I'm trying to tell myself not to give up.'

Not finding a final answer to her question, Washu combed the old memory for any other information that her younger self missed, the child-woman found her clue although she almost missed it because it was so open. It was with the honeyed odor the little scientist could smell and the warm breath that the redhead could feel, her adult senses found the mysterious lady surrounded by an energy field.

'It . . . It's familiar,' her mind confused by what her spirit felt, 'but why?' Washu sighed once more, knowing that as long as she couldn't gain access to her lab she wouldn't be able to answer both of her questions. Washu turned away from this discussion without an ending and opened her mind so she could listen and watch.

********

Tokyo Rail Station

Tachibana Reiko had just pulled up the company car to the Rail Station when the cell phones of her passengers went off at the same time.

"Mulder here," answered the brown-haired agent.

"Moshi-moshi," said Scully at the same time.

"Where are you two?" asked Sato Hitoshi, their superior at NZK.

"We just pulled up to the Tokyo Rail Station," Mulder replied, "We're on our way to investigate another homicide in Kurashiki."

"One which could be connected to the homicide we are currently investigating," added Scully.

"Do you think you can handle the case alone, Mulder?" Hitoshi's heavily accented English made it hard to understand him.

"Alone, sir?" Mulder was caught off guard.

"We need Scully-san's expertise to take over a medical emergency in the town of Funao," there was a desperate quality to Hitoshi voice, "and our best forensic personnel are already involved in ongoing investigations."

Mulder glanced over at Scully, who silently mouthed the words, "They want to delay the media as long as possible."

It was at this point that Mulder looked at Reiko, who was using the rearview mirror to watch what was going on in the backseat, and he grinned before saying, "I think I can scrounge up someone to help me with this case," at the same time Mulder mouthed silently to Scully, "Why us?"

"Scully, we need you take over this emergency," desperate determination in Hitoshi's voice, "Do you agree with Mulder's assessment of your current case?"

"I believe Mulder's experience will be enough for this case," Scully caught the grin on her partner's face and followed his line-of-sight to the wide-eyed, pale faced Reiko, "and should it become necessary, he knows when to call in experts," then she silently mouthed to Mulder, "We're new, we're tiny and the media hasn't discovered us yet."

"Yes, I believe you are correct about your partner's skills," Hitoshi's voice full of relief, "I even noted you have already recruited your first agent," a pause came before the older man concluded, "a Hakubi Ryoko."

Scully frowned and opened her mouth but Mulder beat her to the punch, "Ryoko Hakubi isn't a permanent member of our department but I have high hopes of convincing her to stay on."

"Do convince her," Hitoshi asserted, "these 'incidents' seem to be multiplying and her record suggested she would make an excellent member of your staff."

Scully's emerald eyes glared at Mulder, who shrugged his shoulders while saying into the cell phone, "I'm sure she would be."

"Anyway, Tachibana-san will drive you to the Nihon Metropolitan Police

Headquarters," Hitoshi went back to the reason he called them, "they have a helicopter wanting to take you both to Haneda Airport, where a chartered jet will transport you to Okayama," the man paused before adding, "from there an Uryle Koji will take Scully-san to Funao."

"We're on our way," Mulder affirmed before shutting off his cell phone.

"Sayonara," Scully spoke into her cell phone, shut it off and looked up a Reiko, saying, "Tachibana-san, take us to the Nihon Metropolitan Police Headquarters."

"Hai," color had returned to Reiko's face and she obeyed the order.

Then Scully turned her attention to Mulder but the man gave her a warning look while giving a nod toward Reiko, this motion made Scully change the nature of her question, "Do you think you can get Miss Hakubi on such short notice?" her tone showed she didn't like the idea of Ryoko being a legitimate agent.

"In for a penny, in for a pound," Mulder replied while he typed in the phone number to the Masaki home.

********

Masaki Residence

"Ima, Sasami, I want you to remember not to let Ryoko-san get you into any mischief," Ayeka's stern words matched her body language. The little princess was standing halfway between the house and the van, with her sister in front of her while Tenchi, Mihoshi and Seto stood beside the vehicle, Ryoko and Katsuhito were just outside the home's front door.

"You know this is the first time I've ever heard the kodomo told to keep under surveillance the komori (babysitter)," Mihoshi's comment plus Sasami's embarrassed look brought sympatric smiles from Seto and Katsuhito, a surprised look from Tenchi and narrowed eyes from Ryoko.

"Shit, she doesn't need to make it sound like I'm going to turn Sasami into a two-dollar whore," Ryoko spoke softly in English to the Shinto priest next to her.

"It's just Ayeka's way of expressing her anxiety at leaving Sasami behind," Katsuhito explained in English.

Although Ayeka didn't recognize the words, she did note Ryoko's hostile glare and she returned the stare in spades before she allowed her love for her sister to enter her voice, "I'll only be gone for five days, so don't worry about me, ii ne?"

"Ii ne," Sasami's voice contained a mix of love for her sister and fear for her sister's safety.

"And make sure Ryoko-san does her chores instead of letting you do them for her," a new level of frowning appeared on Ryoko's face at Ayeka's reminder but then she remembered what she felt when Sasami had fainted, Ayeka too noticed the softening in Ryoko's expression. Then Ayeka bent her head down and kissed Sasami on the cheek, "Remember what I promised you, Sasami," she whispered in the child's right ear, "and nothing will stop me from keeping it."

The emotions of that promise flooded into the two females and they hugged each other just as they did that day. Katsuhito saw Ryoko's stance melt under this fiery display of sisterly love while it brought smiles to the others. Just then Nobuyuki walked through the opened front door and moved pass Ryoko and Katsuhito while happy saying, "I found IT!"

The others had puzzled looks on their faces but when Nobuyuki reached Ayeka, he stopped and said, "When I saw you had selected this outfit from my okusan's clothes," he held up a white round, brimless hat, "I thought you might like to wear the hat she wore with it."

Ayeka saw the earnestness of Tenchi's father so she accepted the hat, saying, "Domo arigato, Nobuyuki-san," then she gave him a puzzled look.

Chagrin found a home on Nobuyuki's face as he said, "You wear it like this," he took the hat from the princess' hands and placed it on her head so the right side would drape over her ear.

Ayeka looked at the others and asked, "How do I look?"

"Suge gu! Cool! Subarashii!" were the others' responses and Seto added to it by giving her mirror to Ayeka so she could see for herself. What the princess found in her reflection was that the hat gave her a mysterious look and it had a beneficial effect of covering her tiara. As she turned to give the mirror back to her grandmother, the purple-haired lady saw Ryoko's reflection in the device and it brought a frown to her lips for it showed tenderness in those catlike eyes, but she wasn't the only one to see it, the ever shifting red eyes of Katsuhito also caught Ryoko's display and he softly whispered to the cyan-haired woman, "I would think you'd love to have the oujosama out of your hair and away from my mago."

Ryoko's head jerked around and a volcanic menace was in her face and low voice, "Guji, a nezumi shouldn't thrust its neck into a neko's jaws."

"I'll have to write that one done," Katsuhito chuckled but there was cool thinking in his mind, 'Ryoko has mixed feelings about Ayeka,' then a new idea formed in her mind, 'maybe she is glad that Ayeka won't be here to witness her shame if Kagato takes control of her in the next five days.'

Goodbyes were exchanged and Tenchi, Mihoshi, Ayeka and Seto left with

Nobuyuki, then Katsuhito said, "I've some business to handle for Miho-san besides my duties at the shine."

"You'll be here for ranchi ne?" a heaping cup of hope in Sasami's question.

"Of course, Akaruime," a wide smile upon Katsuhito's leathery face, "more than the others I'm addicted to your cooking."

Sasami grinned widely at the priest's compliment and waved bye-bye to the departing man while Ryoko gave a respectful bow but before either one could suggest something to do, the telephone in the hallway started to ring.

"Race you!" a playful tone in Ryoko's challenge.

Sasami's spirit filled her pink quartz eyes and she dashed through the opened front door, kicked her shoes off and sprinted toward the little table where the telephone was kept, then she realized her ears hadn't heard Ryoko running behind her. This was confirmed for the little one when Ryoko appeared in front of her and picked up the receiver.

Sasami stopped cold, saying in disapproving tone, "Your belly's black,

Ryoko-neechan."

"I gave you a big lead wa?" Ryoko good-naturedly countered as she brought the receiver to her lips

"Honto ne," Sasami's pout turned to nodding acceptance, then her curiosity came into play, "Who's on the denwa (telephone)?"

"Oi!" Ryoko was confused as to how to answer the call until she remembered her last phone call, then she said, "Moshi-moshi."

"Ryoko, this is Mulder," a reply from the device.

"Hey, Foxy, what's up!" Ryoko's English words showed she remembered last night's merriment, then she heard Sasami make a noise and she told the child in Juraigo, "its Kitsune-san."

Ryoko couldn't stop from belly laughing when she saw Sasami's face lit up with happiness while a groan came out of the receiver, then Mulder said, "Are you busy?"

It was at this point Ryoko heard Mulder's serious tone, so she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Scully is being called in to handle a medical emergency," Mulder carefully explained, "so I need someone to help me with our current case."

"The fire bug," Ryoko's words more a statement than a question.

"Correct," hope was plain in Mulder's one word acknowledgement.

A sly look appeared on Ryoko's face as she asked, "I'll bet Scully isn't happy about me joining you again?"

"Her look could melt ice at the North Pole," amusement in Mulder's voice then he queried, "So you're going to come."

Ryoko opened her mouth but shut it with a click and her eyes filled with uncertainty as she looked at Sasami and remembered her obligation to protect the child. Seeing the indecision in Ryoko's amber eyes Sasami asked, "Doka gai ka?" the touch of fear in her first words became full bloom fright, "Is something wrong with Kitsune-san, Ninjin-chan wa yo!"

"Iie, Iie, Sasami-chan," Ryoko banished away her own inner conflict and cheerfully told the frightened girl, "Nothing is wrong with either one of them."

Sasami's shoulders sagged with relief but her own wonder came back, "Then what rea . . . " then a hurt look came to her face as she realized the possible source of Ryoko's reaction, "Kitsune-san wants you to help him and you're stuck with me," her last words filled with self-contempt.

At the speed-of-light Ryoko was crouched down in front of Sasami, her face a few inches from the child's and strong love in her words, "I don't EVERY want to hear you talk about yourself like that again," Ryoko's eyes burned brightly, "you have DONE so much for ALL of us!"

"I just wish people wouldn't treat me like a kodomo all the time," Sasami's words full of frustration and tears in her eyes, "I'm older than I look."

Ryoko was all mixed up inside as to how to respond to Sasami's words, then she remembered something Tenchi's mother told the boy a long time ago, when Achika caught him running with his grandfather's wakizashi. Without hesitation she rubbed the tears from the child's eyes with her left thumb while saying, "Don't be mad at us, Sasami-chan," her words full of care, "it's just our world would fall to pieces if something bad happened to you."

All negativity drained from Sasami's face to be replaced by her heart's fire, "Wakatta (I understand)! I just don't want people to treat me like I'm some fragile thing."

"I won't, Sasami-chan," Ryoko fiercely countered.

"Honto ne?" Sasami asked.

"I swear upon my love for Tenchi," Ryoko thundered with conviction.

Sasami looked at Ryoko for a long moment before she nodded in acceptance of Ryoko's oath, then confusion returned to her as she asked, "But how will you help Kitsune-san, Ninjin-chan?"

Ryoko's face was a study of concentration when a light went off behind her eyes, then she reached out with a thought, 'Ryo-ohki, come here.'

Sasami felt a ripple of power come from Ryoko and before she could ask Ryoko about it, in bounded the gray-haired cabbit, "Miya?" a questioning tone in the cabbit's voice.

Ryoko picked up Ryo-ohki while saying into the telephone receiver in

English, "Mulder, you're still there?"

"I heard part of your conversation with Sasami," disappointment in Mulder's reply, "since you're already . . . "

"Where do you want to meet?" Ryoko quickly interrupted, she knew what Sasami's reaction would be if she allowed Mulder to finish his words.

"Are you sure?" Ryoko could hear Mulder's own concern for Sasami's safety.

"I've got a plan," Ryoko's words full of confidence.

"Well," a spit second of indecision before Mulder continued, "Okay, I'll meet you at the Kurashiki Rail Station at about nine p.m."

"Be there or be square," Ryoko put a jolly note to her acknowledgement.

"Mulder out," the connection was closed.

"You're going?" Sasami had recognized the last bit of American slang Ryoko used.

"As I told Mulder-san," Ryoko grinned at Sasami, "I've got a plain," in a wink of an eye, the littlest princess found two Ryokos kneeling in front of her.

"Ikasu!" Sasami's eyes overflowed with excitement, "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Let it be our little secret ne?" Ryoko's voice came in stereo as Ryoko 1 put the telephone receiver on its hook while Ryoko 2 brought Ryo-ohki up to eye level, then the Gem on the Ryoko 1's left-wrist started to glow as both reached out to the cabbit's mind, 'Ryo-chan, I need your aid.'

'Hai, oneechan?' Ryo-ohki couldn't stop her own concern from putting an edge to her question as she felt Ryoko's conflicting affection for Sasami and Mulder.

'Remember that time when you merged my split memories together,' reminded Ryoko 1.

A look of fear appeared on Ryo-ohki's face as well as her reply, 'Head hurt long time.'

'I know,' Ryoko 2 sent Ryo-ohki the memory of the days it took for her to take care of the sick cabbit, then added, 'but I need to help Mulder-san and take care of Sasami-chan.'

'I can take care of Sasami-chan,' a look of pride in Ryo-ohki's eyes.

Ryoko 2 rubbed Ryo-ohki against her right cheek while thinking, 'I would trust all my treasures with you, Ryo-chan,' then Ryoko 1 thought with a frown, 'but I promised the oujosama to be a komori for Sasami-chan ne.'

Ryo-ohki remembered the promise Ryoko made, nodded her furry head but added with a concern edge to her soundless words, 'I fear for you, oneechan.'

'That is why I want you to sit on top of my head and link our minds together with your Gem,' Ryoko 2 silently told the furry animal.

It took only a moment for Ryo-ohki to realize what Ryoko was asking was for her to coordinate information between Ryoko's two separate minds, just as she does when in her battleship form. This revelation first made the cabbit's eyes flash with pride at her companion's genius but then a new idea struck a cord in her mind and she said telepathically, 'Ninjin.'

'Nani?' the two Ryokos' stereo response showed they didn't expect this reply from the cabbit.

'Head will hurt,' mock pain in Ryo-ohki's words, 'Ninjin.'

An annoyed look appeared on both cyan-haired women's faces and Ryoko 2 fired off, 'Oi tanomu wa! Omae atai no fushiyavyri ja ne (C'mon, girl, you're my joint breaker, girl!)!'

'Ninjin,' Ryo-ohki patted her tummy to add emphasis to her request.

Ryoko 2 held up two fingers, the response this action got was another,

'NINJIN,' an insulted look on the animal's face.

"Ryoko-neechan, what's going on?" Sasami could plainly see the two Ryokos were royally pissed by something Ryo-ohki was doing.

Ryoko 2 held up four fingers as Ryoko 1 said, "The little fur ball is trying to blackmail me!"

"Oi!" Sasami let out while Ryo-ohki shook her head, both amber-eyed women frowned and Ryoko 2 held up five fingers while Ryoko 1 held up ten fingers. The cabbit made a face like she was studying the proposition but her consideration was interrupted by Sasami's saying, "Ryo-chan." The fuzzy creature looked around and found the child holding up her little fingers. "MIYA!" the three females were sure the cabbit thought she had hit the jackpot.

Sasami smiled at Ryo-ohki's victory but then a baffled look appeared on her face before she said, "Oneechan, why did you have to bribe Ryo-chan?"

"I need Ryo-chan to keep my memory as one," Ryoko 1 explained while Ryoko 2 placed Ryo-ohki upon her head, "while I have two bodies, two minds."

"Iie, Ryoko-neechan," frustrated tone in Sasami's correction, "I made your eyes dizzy."

"Ara?" Ryoko 2 plucked Ryoko 1 spare Gem from her left ear but both paused with surprised looks at Sasami's statement.

"What I meant was," Sasami's pink quartz eyes full of curiosity, "why didn't you just order Ryo-ohki to obey you?"

A sweet smile appeared on both Ryokos faces, matched by the one on Ryo-ohki's face, as all three closed their eyes. Ryoko 2 let go of the spare Gem as Ryoko 1 clapped her hands three times and then held her right wrist over the spare Gem while Ryoko 2 held her right wrist underneath it. Then Ryoko's Gem bluish white glow became visible and was matched by the spare Gem and Ryo-ohki's Gem, then little crackling lightning bolts appeared between the two Ryokos extended wrists. Slowly the spare Gem descended to nestle into Ryoko 2's right-wrist, then both women replied, "Ryo-chan is my partner, my friend and my doshi (kindred spirit)," Ryo-ohki's cheeks burned with modesty, "I wouldn't force her to do anything."

"Miya," an affectionate tone in Ryo-ohki's one word.

A few minutes passed before all three Gems stopped glowing and both Ryokos said as they stood up, "There all done!"

Sasami hugged Ryoko 1 while saying, "You better be careful not to run into Ayeka-oneechan or any of the others."

"I'll be careful, imoto," Ryoko 1 returned the hug then her tone changed from care to sly, "just don't run my futago (twin) out of breath."

"Tame!" Ryoko 2 playfully shoved Ryoko 1, "I do happen to have a shadow!"

Sasami giggled at the double mischief she saw before her, then she let go of her wild friend, who floated up to the hallway ceiling where she waved to those below before she disappeared, her disembodied words reaching them, "Sayonara."

Sasami called out loudly with both arms waving, "Bai-bai!" It quickly dawned on Sasami what she just did and dropped her head down at what her thoughtlessness had done but her shame flew from her spirit when Ryoko grabbed and tossed the child spinning up in the air, teleported so the little one fell only inches before landing on Ryoko's stomach, "I'll show you I'm just as much Ryoko as she is," mock anger in her words as she used both hands to expertly tickle Sasami's ribs.

"Gomen . . . gomen . . . gomen," Sasami sputtered her words out in a happy pleading tone between uncontrollable laughter.

"Oke," Ryoko grinned up at the shaking child and stopped her tickling.

"Ima my turn!" Sasami said and she grabbed onto both of Ryoko knees and squeezed in the right places, suddenly the floating female was doing a great impersonation of a bucking bull as howling laughter came from her wide lips.

"Miya!" Ryo-ohki hanged onto her cyan-haired perch, her thoughts full of unburdened merriment.

********

Kurashiki Rail Station

"Yare-Yare, what's taking the train so long," groused Nobuyuki as he stood next to Tenchi along with Seto, Mihoshi and Ayeka. Tenchi was in his school uniform while Seto was in a two-piece woman's business suit and Mihoshi wore a long-sleeved pea green shirt and forest green pants, all five wore heavy coats due to the chill in the morning air.

"Must've been a delay up the line," guessed Tenchi then added as looked at the other waiting passengers, "It looks like others are caught in the same predicament."

"Ee, the crowd does look more heavy than usual," agreed Nobuyuki, "At least we decided for the seven-thirty train to Okayama or Tenchi would be holding buckets in the school hall."

"Honto na," Tenchi added a foreboding look to his comment, showing how much he hated being late for class, then he noticed how Ayeka had shrunk into the little space between her friends, "Genki, Ayeka-san?"

"I didn't realize . . ." Ayeka's ruby eyes full of panic, "the people . . ." the princess jumped as a hand touched her right shoulder and twisting around she found her grandmother behind her with eyes full of understanding.

"I have faith in you, Oujo-chan," hard love in Seto's voice, "I know you can overcome the obstacles in your journey."

"You can do it, Ayeka-san," Nobuyuki good-naturally seconded.

Ayeka's fear disappeared into determination and her back went straight at the confidence she gained from her family, as she turned to face the others, her ruby eyes saw the concern look on Tenchi's face, so she said, "Don't hurt your chest, Tenchi-sama, I let my fear imprison my ki but only for a moment."

"You're afraid of crowds?" Tenchi carefully asked, "but I thought living in a palace with nobles and hordes of servants would make you jaded to such a thing."

"The numerous personnel of Jurai court are organized by rituals so that even a dance isn't crowded," Seto's authoritative voice explained before she changed to a caring tone, "but these restraints left Oujo-chan very vulnerable."

"Ee," Ayeka's reply contained a drop of shame at her weakness, "I was caught in a riot when I was fifteen."

"A riot created by the decision of the Oken Iinkai Jurai," sadness in Seto's explanation, "when the people discovered that a stature of limitations was placed on Ryoko-san's attack."

Ayeka twisted around, her eyes full of shock at this new piece of information, then her raging emotions cooled at the sorrow she found on her grandmother's face but it didn't stop her from asking, "In my heart, in my soul, I have been pained by knowing that my own kazoku allowed those murdered by that oni onna not to be avenged," her pain filled the last words, "Naze, naze was it done wa yo?"

It was this point that Tenchi noticed that Mihoshi hadn't said anything during this exchange, so he looked at the blond and found her head slowly turning as her sapphire's eyes stared out. Tenchi thought himself a blockhead for not remembering that Mihoshi was a Galaxy Police officer, a professional trained to protect and to serve.

"This is the wrong time and place for me to tell you, Oujo-chan," real regret in Seto's answer, "you will have to be satisfied with the knowledge that those lost on that day didn't die in vain," then she gave her granddaughter a strong look, "Remember, Ryoko-san was a weapon used by another."

Ayeka's heart ached but she knew her grandmother was correct, especially when she too noticed Mihoshi's roving eyes. Tenchi was correct about his observation for Mihoshi was scanning the crowd in the rail station, checking on any possible threat to the safety of the Masaki family. What she found were looks of frustration mixed with people reading, talking on their cell phones or talking to their marooned friends. The only person she found that awoke her cop instincts was a golden girl with shoulder length fiery hair and eyes shielded by sunglasses, whose slim frame was covered by a heavy white coat. Each time she looked at the youth the police officer found her staring at the same thing, a poster of the new magical girl TV show, Bishojo Senshi Sailor Moon. This raised her cop suspicions because most people shift their field-of-vision to react to surrounding stimuli, she wasn't. Another clue for the upholder of the law was how the people around the strange teenager were either openly or covertly gawking at her, if she was a regular her looks would be accepted as a daily occurrence. Of course the lady cop did note how some people were looking at her.

"Ten-san?" a questioning tone in Mihoshi voice as she looked at the young man in his school uniform.

"Hai, Miho-san," Tenchi causally replied.

"Dewa . . . eh . . . do I look weird?" suddenly Mihoshi found her feet interesting to look at.

Tenchi looked surprised by Mihoshi's question until his gaze discovered some of the people looking at his lady friends. After a look that suggested he was getting annoyed at his own slowness, the brown-eyed teenager put smiles in his answer, "Iie, you aren't weird looking, Miho-san."

"It's just the people of my generation haven't accepted the youngsters' love for dyed hair and tanned skin," Nobuyuki pitched in, "In fact many places upon this earth, you would find an endless number of young men waiting for your permission to pluck your kiiga (instrument)."

A mystified look appeared on Ayeka's face, Tenchi's head dropped in frustrated embarrassment and a knowing smile found a home on Seto's lips but Mihoshi's reaction was to touch her brightly blushed cheeks with her hands, her words full of modesty, "I'm not that beautiful."

"If you don't believe me," a sly look on Nobuyuki's face, "why don't you ask Tenchi?"

Tenchi shot a gee-thanks-dad glance at his father before he found himself looking into two blue pools of hope under flaxen hair. It was his anger at his earlier slowness and the fragility of emotions he saw in Mihoshi's face that pulled the words from his lips, "A man would count himself fortunate to have you as his lucky star."

"THANKS!" Mihoshi shouted in English as she threw her arms around Tenchi's neck and applied a hug that would make a bear cry mommy. This action not only caused onlookers to openly frown at such a public display of emotion, it produced green jealousy in Ayeka's eyes, a grin Seto hid behind her left hand and a Cheshire Cat's grin on Nobuyuki's tanned face. Then just as suddenly Mihoshi released the blue-faced youth, looked over the teenager's short black hair before giving a gasp and then started to urgently look around while saying, "Oya maa! I've lost her."

"Donata, Himawari?" alertness on Seto's face as her right hand reached into her coat pocket.

"There was a . . ." Mihoshi paused as her ears twitch then she smiled

good-naturedly at the purple-haired princess as she continued, "Ayeka-san, your train has just arrived."

"I didn't hear . . ." Nobuyuki begun to say as he helped Tenchi to stand while his pale-faced son tried sucked in air into his empty lungs, then a distant sound of a train whistle reached them which brought an impressed tone to Nobuyuki's words, "you have very good ears, Mihoshi-san."

"Arigato, Nobuyuki-san," Seto was the only one to pick up on the undertone of melancholy in Mihoshi's acknowledgement and she knew why but before she could say anything about it, the elder princess saw Ayeka grab up her overnight bag, step up to the still dazed Tenchi and plant a quick kiss upon his left cheek before she hurried to the train platform.

A drop-jaw look was on Tenchi's face as his left hand touched the place where a princess' lips had touched, saying faintly, "She . . . kissed . . . me . . ."

"Uaa! Ten-san!" Mihoshi's blue eyes full of limitless wonder, "Ayeka-san must daisuki you a lot."

"Ano . . ." it took a moment for the blond bombshell's words to sink in before Tenchi's eyes bugged out, "Kya iie zo! How could that be, she's only known me for the last three weeks!" then his voice calmed down, "Besides, she has an inazuke."

"Ima, ima, segare," Nobuyuki wrapped his right arm around his son's shoulders and turned him toward the station's exit, "we can't be certain if that is still true."

"But isn't the goal of Ayeka-san's journey to Tokyo," confusion and certainty were together in Tenchi's question as he walked with his father while Mihoshi and Seto followed behind them, "to find Yosho-san?"

"Hai," Nobuyuki readily agreed, "but you could look upon it as a quest to find the truth."

"Otousan, what do you mean?" Tenchi was trying really hard to understand what his father meant.

"What Nobuyuki-san is trying to say is actually very simple," Seto's crystal clear voice entered their conversation.

"Nani?" once more Tenchi felt like a blockhead.

"Why didn't Yosho-sama appear when you revived Ryoko-san," Mihoshi's eyes full of blue enlightenment as she held up one ebony finger, "why didn't Yosho-sama appear when Funaho-Ki sent its message," she held up a second finger, "and why didn't Yosho-sama appear when Ayeka-san access his bondmate's memory?" she held up a third finger.

Mihoshi's explanation opened Tenchi's eyes and he said, "You mean Ayeka-san is going to Tokyo to discover if she is still Yosho-san's inazuke?"

"If my mego is still alive," Seto calmly said, then she caught a glimpse of Mihoshi's half-smile that she could only see, thinking, 'Himawari knows I just used two tongues.'

"I pray that he is still alive," Tenchi sighed as the party came out of the station, "I don't know what I'll do if Ryoko ever saw Ayeka-san kiss me like she just did," then he quickly added when he saw the hurt look on Mihoshi's face, "or the way Miho-san hugged me," Tenchi was rewarded by the blonde with a blushing shy look. Tenchi looked ahead and lowered his voice so only his father could hear him, "First Ryoko, then Ayeka-san and now Miho-san, why are these shojo so taken with me?"

"They must be attracted by the strong silent type," Nobuyuki's sly tone in his whispered words matched his big grin, "of course after what happened this morning, I'm sure they know your kare no asoke can do an itaname (board licking)."

"Itaname?" an innocent questioning tone in Mihoshi's voice, Tenchi just hung his head and groaned.

Meanwhile on the train to Okayama Ayeka's own emotions warred within her soul, 'it was improper of me to kiss Tenchi-sama,' her right hand held onto a metal pole with a death's grip, 'but after what that oni onna did this morning and what Mihoshi did just now, I had to do something,' her cheeks start to burn with arousal, 'to . . . to show my . . .' her ruby eyes full of conflict, 'my feelings for him . . .' suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as a hand cupped and caressed her left ass cheek.

Ayeka's emotional conflict disappeared under a wave of fury that her willpower was barely able to check, her mind knowing her unleashed rage would cause as much harm to the innocent passengers as to the owner of the offensive appendage, instead she bit down hard on her lower lip and summoned her family technique to reduce her fire enough, then she gave voice to her outrage as she looked over her left shoulder, "Will YOU . . ."

"SAWARI-MA!" burst out from an emerging figure on Ayeka's right, then a sound of cracking bones, a shout of pain and the disappearance of the pressure on her butt, Ayeka turned around where her sight showed a young woman driving the spike heel of her right shoe into a middle-aged man's foot.

"You broke my FOOT!" the man in the blue business suit hobbled away to get some distance from the golden girl.

"Your foot isn't broken," the redhead snarled back, "All I did was to pour water on your HENTAI nature."

Realizing that everyone on the train had heard them, the man shut his mouth and disappeared behind the other passengers, a side effect of the confrontation was Ayeka now stood in a small haven of empty space.

"Sumimasen for being late, Masaki Ayeka," the teenager in the white overcoat bowed to the surprised princess before she stepped up and presented an ID card with her right hand to the purple-haired lady while holding a suitcase similar to Ayeka's, "I would've been here sooner but I wasn't prepared for this compartment to be such a sardine can."

Ayeka took the plastic card while the young one removed her sunglasses and compared the photo with the person before her, both were the same: a gold skinned girl with white eyes and fiery hair, then she said, "So you are Rogers Ohiten of the Nikko Security Agency?"

"Hai," a warm look appeared on Ohiten's face, "your ojisan, Masaki Katsuhito, asked my company to assign someone to act as your guide and bodyguard during your stay in Tokyo."

At first the teenager's appearance summoned a suspicious notion to Ayeka, 'she doesn't look like a native of . . .' then she remembered what Nobuyuki and Tenchi told Mihoshi, 'she must be from some other part of this world.' The tension in the princess' shoulder's drained away and she calmly asked, "Did your employers say why I'm going to Tokyo?"

"Iie," confidence in Ohiten's gaze, "and it's not necessary for me to know ne?"

"Ara?" Ayeka was amazed by the youth's blind loyalty, she was used to people giving obedience to her because of Jurai and her title, not to her as a person.

"Ee," Ohiten's teeth flashed in an open smile as placed her suitcase on the floor, "my job is to aid and to protect you."

Ayeka looked Ohiten up and down before giving a critical statement, "You look pretty young for such a responsibility."

"Daddy thought I was the best qualified for the job," Ayeka saw a glint of defiance in Ohiten's eyes and recognized it for what is was, an offspring's loving trust in their parents' judgment.

Ayeka's ruby orbs momentarily glanced in the direction the pervert had

retreated then she said with a diplomatic tone, "Since you have proven some ability in protecting my welfare, I shall accept your otousama's assessment."

"Domo arigato!" Ohiten's clapped her hands together while her face filled with brightness.

"But only on a probationary basis," Ayeka soberly added but her next words had a teasing quality, "I wouldn't want your otousama to lose the jewel in his palm."

"Don't worry, Masaki-sama," merriment in Ohiten's face, "with me along your hands are full of flowers."

In a dark corner of Ayeka's mind, her fears of not finding Yosho lessen, her hope became stronger because of the warmth she felt coming from the young woman next to her. It was now she lifted her eyes to check the people around them and her sight revealed another wondrous sight, surrounding her and Ohiten were now women passengers of various ages and dress, each gave Ayeka and her new companion a look of respect or pride. Further back were driven the princess' fears of loss and despair, her heart strengthened by a simple fact, no matter the outer appearance of clothes or race, she was connected to the women of this world by bonds of sisterhood.

********

Tsurugata-yama keon, Kurashiki

"Are you sure both of you wouldn't like to see where I work?" Nobuyuki had already delivered Tenchi to his school and now he was doing the same thing by dropping off Mihoshi and Seto at the Tsurugata Mountain Park, "most of the stores and shops won't be open until ten o'clock," he gave a quick glance at his watch, "about one and half hours from now."

"Don't worry, Nobuyuki-san," politeness in Seto's voice, "I'm sure Himawari and I can find ways to make our waiting hours pass."

"Yappi!" seconded Mihoshi cheerfully.

"Sayonara," Nobuyuki's goodbye was full of smiles as he took his foot off the brake.

"Osewa-sama (Thank you sir for helping)," Seto added a bow to put more

formality to her departing words.

"Ja ne!" Mihoshi waved her right hand at the departing van.

Once the van disappeared, Seto turned to Mihoshi and asked, "So Himawari, what do you want to do first?"

Mihoshi stiffed the air before saying, "My stomach is saying we should

investigate where this wonderful smell is coming from."

"It seems to be coming from that vendor," Seto made a motion with her head.

"Niji-dono, you would've made a great keisatsukan!" love for her godmother could be heard in Mihoshi's praise.

"With your natural skill next to me," Seto's countered with an equal measure of love and pride for her godchild, "it's easy for me to appear to be a genius."

Mihoshi giggled with her left hand to her lips, "I'm only hungry wa."

"In that case," a teasing tone in Seto's voice, "let's recharge your battery."

From anyone else Mihoshi would have felt hurt but she knew her godmother, so she just nodded her blond head and both walked over to the vendor, in less than five minutes both were sitting on a park bench, savoring their first small bits of sweet potato while looking at the multicolored flower beds and the few young couples, who picked this quiet time to share hands and hearts.

"This is sooo gu!" Mihoshi happily said as she took another bit of the opened end of her foiled hot potato.

"Un!" Seto acknowledged with a mouth full of soft delight, when both women reached the midway point of their golden spud, Seto decided to approach a concern that was on her mind and with her red eyes upon her food, she asked, "You had me a little worried there, Himawari," then she glanced at Mihoshi, whose eyes were closed because of the heavenly taste, "because of the way you grinned at me when I told the others about my fears for Yosho-dono's safety."

"Yummy!" Seto heard a child's delight in Mihoshi's English exclamation, then the blonde's eyes flew open and blue worry was in them, "Oi! Gomen gomen, Niji-dono," her tone reflecting confusion, "I just thought you and Katsuhito-san knew where Yosho-sama was hiding."

"Hiding?" in her whole lifespan there were only three persons who could invoke surprise from Seto, one of them was Mihoshi.

"Un!" conviction in Mihoshi's bright face, "the words I heard you two use made me believe it," then her confusion returned, "I mean I would feel shame if the person I abandoned, the person who still loves me, came searching for me."

A single heartbeat passed before Seto draped her left arm over Mihoshi's sagging shoulders and she gently hugged them, worry melted from her heart by Mihoshi's words, saying, "I keep forgetting you can hear a mosquito's whispered words," then Seto decided to take a risk, "You know about the lifespan of the bondmates of Tsunami's children?"

"Hai," Mihoshi's blue eyes cleared by Seto's question and affectionate touch, "it's the reason why I believed your mego was alive."

"Ayeka-dono has also concluded her oniisan is alive because of Funaho-Ki," took another bite of her sweet potato, chewed and swallowed before adding, "and because her love won't accept anything else."

"Neither would you, Niji-dono," Mihoshi finished off her baked vegetable with a smile on her face, "Yosho-dono is your favorite."

"Iie, Himawari," Seto's correction full of love, "he and you share an equal part of my kokoro."

"Even though I'm made of wire and wax," Seto could hear a sliver of fear in Mihoshi's voice.

It was this point that Seto realized her earlier comment about recharging Mihoshi's battery had lifted up her godchild's darkest fears. So Seto smiled and holding the last piece of her sweet patato, in her right hand, waved it before Mihoshi's face, taking the clue with a giggle Mihoshi opened her red lips and Seto filled her godchild's mouth, with the orange vegatable. Then the elder princess used the same hand to lightly place her index finger between Mihoshi blond brows and in a kind voice said, "the blue light from your eyes is the same light that caught my heart when you were a kodomo and just as Misaki-chan is the fruit of my body and Azusa is the bread of my hands, you are the honey of my nectar."

"Sugar and spice and everything nice!" Mihoshi sang out the childhood rhyme as her hands closed over Seto's right hand and held it to her right cheek then her dusky face bloomed roses as she realized she was responding to the touch of Seto's body, her voice saying with gratitude, "Domo arigato for the indirect kiss."

"What else is required by a nazukeoya but to show her nazukego how special she is," Mihoshi held Seto's left hand in her lap as the blue-haired princess' spoke, "and I know how much Juraijin culture must seem so cool and distant when compared to the warm and closeness found in Seniwajin culture."

"Oya Ma! I would never think that way, especially not of you, Niji-dono," Mihoshi grin full of sunshine, "you helped me come to terms with the loss of Noda-san and Kiyone."

"But you still have nightmares ne?" Seto's voice edged with a mother's sorrow.

"I live in my dreams as much as I live in this world," Mihoshi carefully squeezed Seto's hand, "it makes me feel alive."

"Just remember when your dream world is at its darkest moment," Seto's voice full of strong love, "there are many who carry you in their hearts," then a humorous tone entered Seto's voice, "and I'll bet you wouldn't mind being in Tenchi-dono's heart."

Mihoshi's body became a pretzel around her godmother's hand, her face became reddish black and cloud level giggles erupted from her mouth, her own mind full of embarrassment, then when she opened her eyes and discovered a surprising sight, an elderly man was standing before her and Seto, "Ano?" was all she could say.

"Good morning, young ladies," the man in baggy brown baggy pants and an oversized green coat said in classroom English, "I was wondering if you would be interested in a guide tour of my fair city," his black eyes held only kindness, "since your features suggest to me you are tourists of my people's homeland."

Seto had a blank look on her face and it was Mihoshi's fair understanding of English that came to their aid, "Thank . . . you . . . sir," it took some effort on her part to get her tongue around those words, "but we are waiting . . . for the stores . . . to open," then she shifted to Nihongo as she let go of Seto's hand and stood up, "I'm Kuramitsu Mihoshi," she gave the elder gentleman a bow, then continued as Seto stood up and bowed, "and this person next to me is Kubiha Seto, we are staying with relatives at their place up in the hills."

The old man grinned, returned the women's bow and then said, "Forgive this old man for mistaking you two for Amerika tourists."

"It was a natural mistake . . . " Seto paused.

"Once more, my age has worn down my manners," the elder's smile grew a little bigger, "I'm Sato Toshio."

"You are forgiven, Sato-san," Seto continued as she looked at Mihoshi, "and we both would appreciate some pleasant conversation as we await for the appointed time."

"I would love to know more about Kurashiki!" Mihoshi added her two cents.

"Yorokonde shimasho (I'm delighted to do that for you!)!" a grateful tone in Toshio's voice at Seto giving him a chance to save face, "Ima, in this park I can tell you about Kanryu-ji, Seigan-ji and Honei-ji, as well as Achi-jinja."

"A friend of mine has mentioned to me the uniqueness of Achi-jinja," Mihoshi heard interest in Seto's pleasant voice, "could you show it to us?"

"Hai," a cheerful tone in Toshio's response, "Just follow me."

As the three made their way through the park, Toshio pointed out the layout of the flower beds and how most of the beautiful flower gardens in Nihon were based on the ones in Europe, when they went under the torii, the man's changed the subject, "the Achi-jinja holds a sacred spot in the hearts of the people of Okayama-ken, on the same level as the Masaki-jinja," a prideful tone edged his voice, "and the shrines of Kibitsuhiko, known to many as Momotaro."

"The Peach Boy ne?" Mihoshi asked.

"Ee," Toshio's smiled became a delighted grin, "you are familiar with our folk tales."

"My nazukego," a naïve tone in Mihoshi's voice, "would tell me stories that she learned from her daughter-in-law."

Toshio didn't miss the loving look the ebony women gave the taller woman, just as he hadn't missed the way the two females had shared loving touches and tender words on the park bench, but just as he did then he decided that their relationship wasn't any of his concern, so he asked, "What was your nazukego's daughter-in-law's name, I might know them?"

Mihoshi looked up at the sky with her right index finger to her lower lip, a thoughtful look on her face, "I think her name is Masaki Funaho," then she looked at her companion.

"Hai," Seto confirmed with a warm memory in her eyes, "her midnight hair surrounded a face like the pale full moon, her demeanor soft like falling petals yet her will like a flowing river."

"A daughter-in-law to be proud of," Toshio said with approval then his face became considerate as he continued, "and although I don't recognize her name, I did have a Masaki Tenchi as a student in my chudoku (junior high school) English class."

"That's who we're staying with!" Mihoshi's statement was full of good cheer.

"A nice young man," Toshio nodded his head, "mostly because of his ojiisama, the guji of Masaki-jinja."

"This staircase is similar to the one at the Masaki-jinja," said Mihoshi as they went up the stairs.

"Although this hill is a more leisurely climb than the one upon which the Masaki-jinja is located," Seto calmly added.

"It should be, both Achi-jinja and the Masaki-jinja were constructed at the same time," Toshio explained as he walked on the right side of the two ladies, "most likely with the same stone and probably by the same builder since the only differences between the two is the long staircase of the Masaki-jinja and the numerous torii of the Achi-jinja."

Halfway up the staircase a set of five torii marked the rest spot but as Seto passed under them, her skin tingled and for a moment it felt like her body had passed into a bubble, Mihoshi had noted her godmother's silent gasp and was about to ask what was wrong when the Juraijin princess asked, "To which kami is the Achi-jinja dedicated?"

For a few minutes no answer came from the man, then Seto and Mihoshi heard solemn words, "You won't find it in any history books or in the poetry of the great masters but you will find it hidden in the oral history of Bitchu-ken and Bizen-ken and in the physical presence of Achi-jinja," both women heard Toshio voice shifted to a storyteller's tone, "for seven-hundred-years ago Chinese soldiers disembarked upon a shore below Washu-zan, sent by their Mongol rulers to conquer my homeland just as they tried two times before."

All three stood before a red torii that marked the entrance into the shrine's courtyard, Toshio voice full of knowing, "But unlike those times when they were stopped by unpreparedness or by the breath of the kami, the horse riders'leaders were arrogant in their certainty because they had tilled the earth, planted the rice and had come to help the provincial daimyo in the harvest," a look of shame filled the elder man's face.

"They had betrayed their countrymen," Seto had to force a gem cutting hardness in her eyes to hide her body's numbness caused by the nimbus energy that seemed to come from all around her.

"Oi, how terrible!" Mihoshi cried with her fists underneath her horrified sapphire eyes but what put that heartfelt emotion in her words was what she saw happening to her godmother yet it was a silent no from Seto's lips that put the breaks on any action from her concerned godchild.

"Hai, they did it because of the unbroken chain of civil war, famine and plague had made their thirst for peace so overpowering that they would accept a foreign yoke," Toshio went through the entrance with the ladies next to him and all three walked upon the cobbled stone path to the granite water basin, "it's the reason why there is no recognition of this event in our social consciousness," he shook his white-haired head, "pleasant revolts we remembered, assassination of shitei we remembered and roads with decayed bodies on crosses we remembered but we forgot the moment where we lost hope that we could govern ourselves."

Toshio picked up the sacred ladle and poured water over first his left hand, switched the wooden instrument to the before mentioned hand so he poured the water over his right hand before taking a sip to rinse his mouth and spit it into the granite drain. Mihoshi followed the example but couldn't stop from saying, "Kya, it tastes tinny!"

Mihoshi's comment distracted Toshio from seeing the ladle's handle fumbled by Seto's deaden fingers, instead the black-eyed man smiled, saying, "It's caused by the old water pipes."

The elderly guide turned from the ladies and paused a moment to remember where he left off in his story, giving Mihoshi a chance to pick up the ladle, quietly scoop water from the basin and pour it over her godmother's shaking hands. The white-haired man was still collecting his thoughts when the ebony lady whispered softly in Seniwago as she held the ladle to the pale lady's lips, "Rainbow of my life, what's hurting you?"

Seto sipped, rinsed and spit out the water, then willed her body to stand tall but before she could answer Mihoshi's plea, Toshio turned to face them and continued his story, "Here upon this hill each daimyo waited with his retainers and his family for the Mongol leaders and their soldiers to come, so they could swear allegiance to them," as the old school teacher led them across the courtyard toward the haiden hall, he saw how the younger lady had drifted to her left so to walk just behind the older lady but his line-of-sight prevented him from noticing the supportive hand under Seto's right elbow nor the grateful glance given by the taller woman, "As the great Mongol army marched across the valley in the dawning sun, the reflected light from their weapons and armor momentarily blinded the people on this hill. When their vision cleared, they found three figures standing before the seated daimyos, the figure on the right was a man of winter years with a bokken in his weathered hands, the middle figure was a woman of summer with hair like the sky and the left figure was a man of autumn with skin like the darkest night."

When Toshio, Seto and Mihoshi reached the wooden steps to the haiden hall, the man's thin right hand pulled the thick hemp rope and rung the small brass bells attached at the top. "As the wave of shock at the three appearances rippled through the people on the hill, a female voice like those brass bells was heard by every man, woman and child, 'How has I failed you? Did not my body warm you on the coldest winter days, did not my tears fall on the spring days, did not my breath cool you on the hottest summer days and did not my laughter give you sake for the autumn days? How has my son failed you? Did he not fill these islands with his children, did he not defeat the greatest oni that threatened to enslave his children, did he not find rice to end his children's hunger and did he not teach his children what honor meant?'"

The retired teacher took a step back, clapped his hands twice before clasping them in silent prayer as he bowed his head in the direction of the honden hall, which both Mihoshi and Seto performed to show respect to his traditions, once the prayers were done he returned to his story, "Then they heard a male voice that was like the sound of falling snow, 'what life will you have once I come for you, what life will your wives and children have when they make the track to my domain. Will you and they walk on two feet or will you and they crawl through decay, will you and they taste rice or will you and they eat filth, will you and they sing of joy or will you and they be as silent as lice? I care not when or where I take you, your wives and your children from this existence but what will happen to you once you, your wives and your children make the journey from my realm.'"

Toshio guided Mihoshi and Seto around the haiden hall along a covered walkway while his words kept coming to them, "Lastly a male voice like that of the crackled fire came, 'What examples of men you are for your wives to be proud of and your children to imitate. Tell me what made you realize that you were sheep and not your own masters, tell me what made you realize that your countrymen are worthless, tell me what made you realize that the kami is all smoke. Was it your kin's blood that washed away your blindness, was it your rice fields burning that cleared your minds or was it the screams of your wives and your children that awoke you from your slumber, yet your children and your wives are alive, your fields all golden with rice and your ancestors' graves are not desecrated? So please tell me what test made you discover the truth of your existence, give to me your wisdom for this act you are performing.'"

Once Toshio, Mihoshi and Seto reached the back of the haiden hall, they saw a line of eleven red torii that stood over a twenty yard-clobbered path, from the haiden hall to the honden hall, but Seto saw and felt more than these things. The energy here was so thick that everything around her took on a grayish tint, washing the color from her eyes, and every step she took this energy would dance over her skin. 'I dare not use my abilities or those of Akakani,' the eldest princess fought to keep her thoughts clear, 'it would scare our guide and I don't know how this power would react.'

Mihoshi saw the sweat on her godmother's forehead and her enhanced senses heard the rapped beating of Seto's heart but the policewoman couldn't detect what was causing it, once more she placed her lips to Seto's right ear, asking in Seniwago, "Rainbow of my life, please tell me what hurts you?"

Seto placed a painful smile on her face, placed her own lips to Mihoshi's pointy left ear and shakily replied in the same language, "Flower like the sun . . . I'm in no pain . . . there is a presence," her eyes looked toward the honden hall, " . . . in this place."

A glance behind by Toshio showed what he thought was a kiss on the ear by each of the women but again he chooses to be blind of it, so he continued his story as they walked underneath the eleven torii, "Only the rustle of tree leaves and grass filled the air for a time, then a daimyo stood up, drew his katana and wakizashi while saying to his companions, 'I go to fight the invaders,' then he said to his kneeling wife, 'Doka take care of our children.' The wife nodded once and the daimyo made his way down the hill with his retainers falling in behind him, each of them saying their farewells to loved ones. Once one daimyo made the choice more daimyos stood up, repeated the same words and made the trek to the field between the hill and the oncoming Mongol army, soon only the wives and the children stood on the hill."

After Toshio, Seto and Mihoshi passed under the last torii, the man turned to them and said, "I can't take you inside the honden hall, only the shinshoku and the miko can enter the most scared building in a jinja," it was at this point he saw the sweat dripping down Seto's face, "Masaki-san, doka gai ka?"

"Daijobu (I'm fine), Toshio-sensei," a brittle smile upon Seto's lips, "I think the sun and the humidity are bothering me."

"Oi?" Toshio did find the morning air humid but cool, thinking, 'maybe she comes from a colder climate.'

"Let me carry your coat, Niji-dono," Mihoshi's blue eyes pleaded for Seto to let her do something more for her.

"Domo arigato, Himawari," Toshio smiled at the pet names the two women used for each other and watched as Mihoshi helped Seto with her coat. Without the coat on Seto felt a little better and so she said, "Doka continue your story."

"Do you want to continue the tour," genuine concern in Toshio dark eyes, "or do you want to rest here?"

"Let's continue," Seto gestured onward with her left hand, Mihoshi looked at her godmother and gave a hesitant nod.

Now that Seto's weakness was out in the open, Mihoshi's left arm was snugly around her godmother's slim waist while she carried the tall lady's coat with her other hand, Seto couldn't help but smile at the way her feet felt like they were walking-on-air. As the three went around the left side of the honden hall, Toshio continued, "When the Mongol army was less than thirty feet from the assembled daimyo and their retainers, a thunderous cry erupted from the samurai, 'AO AMATERASU!' The invaders froze in surprise as the samurai charged them and carved a swath of blood through their ranks. Many of the invaders swore they saw an old man with red eyes take soldiers' lives with a touch of his wooden staff while another man of blacken skin consumed men in pillars of fire when his flaming sword touched them. But even with such divine aid the unending numbers of the Chinese soldiers overwhelmed the few Nihongo warriors, once the last samurai fell the two divine spirits departed."

The sight Toshio showed Seto and Mihoshi left both of them in stunned silence for in front of the ladies stood a grove of willows with hairlike black moss hanging from the limbs, Toshio's sad voice continued, "The angry Mongol leaders led their soldiers toward the hill to take vengeance upon the wives and children of the betrayers but they stopped cold at what they found, in the blood red grasses were the cold bodies of children and babies, red smiles under their chins to match the peaceful looks upon their face. In the trees above, hung by their long black hair, were the lifeless bodies of those children's mothers. Without thinking twice the Mongol leaders led their soldiers back onto the boats, sailed back into the setting sun and told the Great Khan that skulls was the only harvest the islanders offered them. The Mongols never came again."

"It's so sad wa yo!" Mihoshi sniffed as her lips trembled as tears spilled from her sky-colored eyes.

"Hai," Seto agreed, "but it was a necessary sacrifice."

"Achi-jinja is dedicated to their redemption through sacrifice," Toshio's voice full of awe, "and it is said that the honden hall contains three treasures left behind by the three divine spirits, a bokken of white wood, a necklace of diamond tears and a huge sword that would take two men to swing," then his voice dropped to a somber level, "on days after of heavy rain you can sometimes find a child's tooth in the grass."

"The children always bear the burden of adult mistakes," a bittersweet smile on Seto's face, then she looked at Mihoshi, "speaking of burdens why don't we rest under the shade of those trees."

"I don't think the kami of this jinja would mind two beautiful ladies resting under the shade of this sacred grove," a kind tone to Toshio's voice.

Mihoshi half-carried Seto to the grove and helped the Juraijin princess down onto the ground. There Seto sighed and leaned against the whispering willow while Mihoshi knelt on her left side while Toshio looked down at them, saying, "let me see if I can get you something to drink from the miko at the charm booth."

"That would be wonderful," appreciation plain on Seto's pale face.

"Doka, doka (Please, please)!" Mihoshi grabbed Toshio's right hand and stuffed money in it.

"You didn't need to . . . " Toshio stopped his objection to the money when he saw Mihoshi's naked fear for her companion, then he said, "I'll be back as quickly as possible."

"Arigato!" worry made strong Mihoshi's thanks as her right hand touched Seto's clammy left hand.

Toshio briskly walked around the corner of the honden hall and Mihoshi returned her attention where she found Seto with eyes closed, "NIJI-DONO!"

Seto's glazed eyes half open at Mihoshi's shout and the steely grip of her godchild's ebony hands on her shoulders, with a listless voice she said, "The presence is probing me . . . "

Immediately Mihoshi pulled Seto's mirror from the coat pocket and put it in her godmother's hands, suddenly the probing of Seto's mind stopped, her vision cleared as the energy dissipated and the presence vanished. Mihoshi grinned hugely and bounced up and down on her knees at Seto's crystal clear vision, saying in English, "Oh, Goody, it worked!"

"I . . . I didn't do anything!" unvarnished truth in Seto's puzzled words, her wide eyes staring at the mirror in her hands, "and neither did Akakani!"

"Ano . . . maybe it recognized your mirror," Mihoshi looked first at Seto and then at the mirror and then back at Seto.

It was like lightening the change in Seto's face, going from confusion to enlightenment, then she said, "It's possible," her right-hand loving traced the carved images on the mirror's back, "like all heirlooms of the Oken Kazoku Jurai, the mirror was created during the Time of Legends."

"I remembered the bedtime story you told me about the mirror," Mihoshi's eyes full of a child's wonder.

Seto's smile had a mother's love in it as her inner eye saw a blond-haired ebony child listening to her with wide-eyed fascination, once more she repeated those words, "Upon light feet Tsunami-megami walked amongst her creations and at a mirror lake she found Horosha with carving tools and pieces of solid resin from her children, the Space Trees. Without revealing herself to the Saishono Kishi Jurai, she examined each of the finished items and found her delight increased ten fold at their beauty. In a voice of praise Tsunami said, 'You have created wonders from nothingness just as I did when I shaped Jurai and gave my breath to my children.'

"'Not true Tsunami-dono,' a look of modesty upon Horosha's scarred face, 'I only used my eyes and each piece revealed to me what it wanted to be, this one,' he held up an oblong block of resin, 'showed me it wanted to be a sword hilt for a famous warrior, this one,' his right hand picked up a ring of interlocking leaves, 'wanted to be a ring for a courageous young noble,' he put down the ring and then pick up a mirror, 'and this one wanted to be a mirror for a beautiful lady.'

"With sight of the multitude of possible futures Tsunami asked, 'After you have given them their proper forms, Horosha-dono, may I use them?'

"'Of course, Tsunami-dono,' then he grinned slyly, 'although you might want to ask them first.'

"The song of merriment filled Tsunami's ki and she said with a happy smile, 'I think they will consent because I will give each of them their fondest wish, to be wanted and loved by their owners.'

"So on the day I became the bondmate to Akakani, I heard Tsunami's voice inside my head, 'Hold out your hands.' I obeyed and to my joy this mirror appeared in them, then Tsunami said, 'This is your key to your bondmate, let it be the symbol of your devotion to each other.'"

Mihoshi smiled at her own remembrance of that night where under the cover of her bed, a notorious space pirate told a Galaxy Police officer's granddaughter the origins of the glowing mirror that was between them. Then both ladies jerked back into the present when a male voice spoke, "Here you go, some chilled eiyo," both ladies looked and smiled their gratitude at Toshiro as the man couched in front of them and handed them each a ice cold can of the dairy drink while adding, "although I think Kuramitsu-san should exchange this foreign money for some yen if she plans to do some shopping with it," he took out the money Mihoshi gave him and handed it back to her.

"Oops," a funny look on Mihoshi's face matched her English word, which

conjured a titter from Seto's lips.

"Dewa, it sounds like you're better," Toshiro smiled at Seto.

Seto smiled back as she popped the lid on the moist can, took a big drink before saying with a sigh, "Hai, I feel much better."

Mihoshi found the milky texture of eiyo made it a tasty drink, "Arigato, Toshiro-san."

Toshiro nodded at Mihoshi praise then checked his watch and saying, "If you leave now, by the time you get out of the park, the stores will just be opening."

Mihoshi's sapphire eyes held concern for her godmother, so Seto decided to answer them, "Un, let's go."

Toshiro helped Mihoshi to stand and both of them helped Seto onto her firm feet. As the three started to walk away from the willow grove the eldest princess was putting her mirror back into her coat pocket when the object's glassy surface caught a figure in the grove. A quick glance over her right shoulder revealed no one standing under the moss-covered limbs but the tall lady was sure that her mirror didn't lie, her last thoughts before going around the corner of the honden hall was, 'I wonder if Tsunami-megami knows about this place?'

********

Kurashiki Rail Station

Ryoko walked out of the rail station women's restroom and looked around. Once more she was wearing the bright pink lady's business suit with a tie decorated with tiny red hearts, the only addition she had added to the attire was a pair of knee-high frosty pink boots. A quick look at the station's clock showed she was on time, then she sighted Mulder in his dark brown overcoat just as he was getting off a train.

"YOO-HOO, YOO-HOO," Ryoko waved her outstretched arms over the sea of heads and it only took a few seconds for the man to give a more sedate return wave with his right hand. Then Ryoko jumped a little when an English-speaking female voice spoke behind her, "You are Ryoko Hakubi?"

Ryoko spun around and found a brown-haired woman dressed in a Nihon

policewoman's uniform just a foot or two from her, caught off guard Ryoko suspiciously asked, "How did you know?"

"I was told by Michiyuki-san to look for a pretty gaijin with cyan hair," amusement in her bright eyes, just then Mulder joined them, "and you must be Fox Mulder."

"Just call me, Mulder," Ryoko was barely able to keep her lips from smiling at Mulder discomfort at the mention of his first name.

The policewoman came to attention and gave them a crisp salute before saying in English, "I'm Aoi Futaba of the Kurashiki Police Department," Mulder returned the salute but he grinned at Ryoko's half-hearted one, "Lieutenant Michiyuki is unable to meet you so I was sent in his place to take you to the crime scene."

"Hmm . . . I wondered what happened to him?" a frown on Mulder's face.

"I heard something happened to one of his witnesses at the hospital," Aoi volunteered as she motioned Mulder and Ryoko to follow her, both the pink lady and the American exchanged knowing looks as each was pretty sure which witness the policewoman was talking about.

Ryoko and Mulder followed Aoi to a blue and white Nihon police traffic car, the cyan-haired woman was able to tell that Mulder's pale green eyes were glued to the very feminine way the young woman was walking. A slight pout at being ignored by the brown-haired man instantly changed to a wicked grin and Ryoko slyly commented, "This is the first time I've voluntarily ridden in a police spaceship."

"A police spac . . ." Aoi's momentary confusion mercurially changed to a small pearly white grin before she said, "you mean a police car!"

"Yes," Mulder gave Ryoko an I'm-not-amused smile as he opened the back right passengers' door for Ryoko, then his thin smile transformed into a wide grin when he added, Yes, that's what my permanent assistant means."

"Permanent!" Ryoko's ass smacked loudly against the car's back seat.

"My department is new and it's already overrun by cases needing solutions," a guarded look on Mulder's face as he leaned down against the car and looked down at the shocked space pirate, "my boss has asked me to upgrade my temporary employees to permanent status."

Mulder didn't get a chance to react, only surprise filled his eyes as Ryoko's right-hand grabbed his white-and-brown stripped tie just under the knot, yanked his head down to her level where she threw her slim arms around his neck and hugged him, her soft teary words filled his right ear, "Thank you so very much!"

When Ryoko let go of Mulder, he still felt lightheaded as he closed the back door, turned right, opened the front passengers' door and got in. 'I expect Ryoko to be mad at me for making a cop out of her,' thought Mulder as more confusion was added to his mind when he saw the knowing smile on Aoi's face, 'or at least put-out for being drafted.'

Aoi on the other hand could plainly see the pure joy on Ryoko's face and how that positive feeling was directed at one person, she could also tell by the stiffness of Mulder's posture that the American had anticipated a different reaction. 'I wish I concentrated more on my Eigo homework and less on sports,' the young woman thought as she started the car, 'Yoriko-san would never forgive me if I miss something juicy about these two gaijins.'

Another glance by Aoi showed Ryoko's face shift from overflowing joy to a cat's curiosity before she said, "Mulder, where's your redheaded shadow?"

"Remember what I said about cases?" Mulder tried with only a little success to make his voice sound neutral.

"Yeah," Aoi was fascinated by how catlike Ryoko's movements were.

"Scully's abilities as a trained doctor made it a no-brainer for her to be in charge of that case," Mulder's voice finally reached a normal tone, "while you, I and Michiyuki will continue to investigate this case."

"I hope she will be al . . ." Ryoko bit her lower lip at what just leaked out of her mouth, then her voice shuttered, " . . . I . . . I hope Carrottop doesn't rules-lawyer her men to death."

Aoi could see the foxy curiosity on Mulder's face before he turned halfway around and looked Ryoko squarely in the eye before saying, "Although this is Scully's first case as chief investigator, I'm sure she can handle her assistants in a professional manner." If Aoi hadn't had to concentrate on the morning traffic, she would've seen Mulder's right index finger against his nose, but she did see by way of the rearview mirror how embarrassed Ryoko looked, 'Kuso and they said we would never get a chance to know some real Amerikajins.'

********

Funao Rail Station

To Scully it was like something out of a Michael Chricten book or a bad sci-fi movie, masked and uniformed personnel with strangely shaped rifles patrolled a yellowed taped area surrounding the Funao Rail Station while other people in white environmental suits moved in and out between the rail station and several parked vans, vans marked MK or NZK. Scully arrived in a MK environmental van along with two MK agents meant to be her assistants. AT the checkpoint a guard dressed like the other uniformed personnel allowed them to enter after going over their ID cards and authorization papers. Scully put on her heavy fabric and glass helmet, locked it to the rest of her suit and then used her tongue to push down her helmet's radio button, "Testing, testing, one, two, three," then she held her right hand over her head, "Is everyone receiving me?"

A chorus of "Hai," was the response from the people on her wavelength, then the van stopped and two uniformed persons opened the back doors from the outside. Scully and her people climbed out of the back of the van and they were greeted by a masked man with Sugou on his name tag, he bowed to Scully before saying, "Konnichiwa, Scully-san, I'm glad you have arrived."

Scully and her people returned the bow before she said, "The military isn't usually happy to have a civilian ordering their troops."

"I'm Colonel Sugou Ryou," replied the average height man, then in English he added, "and from one military brat to another, I believe I can trust you."

Scully allowed an amused look on her face, saying, "Our people aren't wearing the typical Jieitai uniform."

"Iie, they're not," a nod from the colonel's head, "due to the fact that our people come from various backgrounds, some are military, some are civilian and some are in-between."

"A paramilitary unit?" Scully guessed.

"Hai, and unlike the OIK," he split out the last word like it fouled his mouth, "our orders come from our government."

"That doesn't mean justice and honor won't be sacrificed for political goals," Scully comment heavy with logic, "just as the early press release reported a toxic chemical spill occurred here."

"I know, Scully-san," resignation in the voice coming from Scully's helmet speaker, "but at least I can tell our people that it's their country and their world we are protecting."

It took seconds for the impact of the colonel's words to bring a question from Scully's lips, "Sugou-san, you are a believer?"

"Un," dead certainty in Sugou's tone, "and so are our people," then he put out his right hand to Scully, "it's the reason we're assigned to your department."

To describe Scully's reaction as surprise, would've been an understatement, still she reached out, grasped and shook his hand while saying, "I and Mulder aren't use to this kind of support."

"It's also possible they're decided to put all of us in the same place so they can keep a shine in their eyes," nodded toward the surrounding buildings, "and roll us out whenever the density of our population makes a cover-up impossible."

"So instead we supply a performance for the media," Scully guessed as they both turned and started to walk to the rail station, "by scrabbling about, make a lot of noise and later give out a plausible answer."

"You and Mulder-san established the procedure with the Seto-ohashi investigation," Scully was sure she heard a note of approval in Sugou's voice, "and our government has decided to use the same method for this incident and any future ones," then a hint of gallows humor entered his tone as a man came up to them with a palmtop, "of course once someone grabs the government's tail, everyone will be shoving a sail up their ass."

"Except us," Scully took the palmtop from the man and started to read the screen.

"Tadshii, we're here as fire control," a note of doubt in Sugou's words, "hoping to keep those born under the sun safe."

"Our people won't always be deployed like this," Scully took a plastic stylus, signed her name to the palmtop document and then pressed the e-mail button.

"It's better than doing nothing," Sugou countered, "it was getting boring playing soldier and not getting the chance to do something important," then curiosity touched his tone, "at least this gives me a chance to find out if they're such things as little green men, oni and sailor fuku vigilantes."

"Dewa, the cover story for this incident might end up being the truth," Scully returned the palmtop to its holder and entered the building.

"That was the medical report you just signed off on na," Sugou followed her in.

"Two actually," Scully returned as she headed for the isolated passenger cars, "the first one was on stained brain tissue samples taken from the dead found in the passengers' car, it showed massive cellular damage in the frontal lobes," her emerald eyes couldn't miss the blood on the station's floors and walls.

"And the second report?" Sugou's voice sound strained.

"The second report was on a body of a preteen boy," Scully paused only

slightly at the passenger car door.

"I saw the kodomo's body," a deep pain in Sugou's voice, "he was nothing more than skin and bones."

"Let my hands be cut off before I do any harm to a child," Scully quoted a Nihonjin saying, everyone who heard her over their speakers gave her a silent nod, then she added, "the body was so emaciated that the coroner couldn't believe the boy was reported missing just a day ago."

A stunned silence hung in the air before Sugou exclaimed, "Shinjinnai!"

"The coroner reported that Togashi Osamu had all signs of have been starved to death," Scully stood where the child's body was found, then turned three-sixty as her gaze took in the debauchery that the floor and seats showed, "yet his body could be the one clue to what caused this orgy to occur."

"The police reported people being sexually attacked by the passengers coming out of this train car, isn't hard to believe once you seen some of the assailants and their victims," Sugou regained some control over his emotions.

"I read the reports that described the attackers as sexually depraved," Scully walked over to the two white personal taking samples from the leather seats, "yet one witness reported seeing an unmolested woman come from this same car."

"An unharmed woman coming out of here," Sugou wondered as he examined once more the insides of the passenger car, "could the witness be mistaken?"

"It's possible but unlikely," Scully's right hand pointed out something caught between a seat cover and its metal support, "in the months since I joined Mulder, I've discovered that no piece of information can be discounted as impossible."

Sugou's head made a slow nod before he said, "I'll ask the local police to question the townspeople, see if any of them spotted any strangers."

"Gu," Scully commented, "I'll be at the hospital, talking to the doctors about the people taken into custody."

"Are you sure you want to go there," a worried tone in Sugou's voice as he followed Scully to the left end of the car, "It's not a place . . . "

" . . . for a woman," Scully finished with a knowing look on her face.

Sugou shook his head but you could hear apologetic tone in his words, "It's not a place for the weak of heart."

"I survived ten years of army food, six years of hospital food and

Mulder-san's coffee," a tinkle in Scully's emerald eyes, "I'll be fine."

"That strong," amusement in Sugou's voice.

"Rip van Winkle would be Rip without the Winkle," Scully followed the two white suited technicians, she had helped, then she added "call me if anything develops here."

"Hai, Scully-san," Sugou chest puffed out in pride because of Scully's trust in him.

********

Nagai High School

Tenchi arrived at his classroom just before his homeroom teacher entered, which earned the youth a hard stare from the older man. It also prevented him from talking to any of his friends although Robert O'Neill gave him an Irish Wolfhound grin while the class representative called the students to stand up, bow to the teacher and to sit. Tenchi didn't need to be a mind reader to know what his pale skinned friend was thinking, 'If I had that many bishojo at my home I wouldn't mind barely making it to class.'

At the ten o'clock break before the earth science teacher came in, Robert turned to face Tenchi and then asked in a low voice, "So did one of your guests detain you in bed?"

Tenchi blushed for Robert's accusation brought back to him his encounter with Ryoko in the furo, but then he looked fierce at his blond friend, saying, "Robert-kun, Can't you look at a girl," the brown-eyed boy looked left and right to make sure none of his girl classmates where eavesdropping of their conversation, "except at mune level."

"Hai, Tenchi-kun," Robert smirked, "I can and not get a nosebleed doing it," then he gave Tenchi a knowing look, "unlike a shy shonen I know."

Tenchi could only shake his head at having his accusation turned back on him, then with a trance of anger still in his eyes, he defensively said, "I just wish you didn't talk about them like they were just sex objects."

"Dewa, I will have to say one thing, Tenchi-kun," Robert lifted his desktop, pulled out his earth science book and closed the lid, "those ojosans have surely gotten the dullness out of you."

"Me, Dull?" earthquake level shock in Tenchi's exclamation, then Tenchi's head sank a little when he noticed the noise around him had stopped. Tenchi grinned sheepishly to his staring classmates, who went back to what they were doing before he interrupted them.

"Aye, Tenchi my lad," Robert switched into English as Tenchi leaned over so their conversation would be a little more private, "you have reputation for being as dull as vanilla ice cream," then a twinkle appeared in his gray eyes, "of course this is what happens when one is raised by his priest grandfather and his overworked father."

"So I'm dull, so what?" Tenchi carefully replied in English.

"Ahhh but that's not true anymore," Robert gave Tenchi a sly look.

Tenchi's eyes reached moon size and his speech slipped back into Nihongo, "You can get that kitsune look off your face, Robert-kun, I've done not one fumeiyo (dishonorable) thing with any of them."

Robert gave a low chuckle while saying, "I didn't . . . think you did . . . Tenchi-kun, not with your reputation as a person of great honor."

"Tha . . . that's not really true, Robert-kun," guilt and shame weighed heavy on Tenchi's soul, his inner sight flashback to night when Ryoko had destroyed his first high school.

Robert was surprised by Tenchi's reaction and he quickly acted, placing his right hand on his friend's right shoulder, saying, "Tenchi-kun, if you are trying to say you've done sinful acts," his shaggy hair framed a face aglow with kindness, "then I'll just have to say that to become honorable you must first know what shame is."

Tenchi was confused at first but then he remembered Robert was a Christian, "Is this more of your Katorikku (Catholic) philosophy, Robert-kun?"

"Some," then Tenchi saw a leprechaun look on Robert's face, "although I don't think elevating a shojo's knowledge about shonen's anatomy is such a high crime."

"Nani?" now Tenchi was truly perplexed.

"Un, when you told Ishikawa-san where she could find her brother," Robert-kun gave Tenchi a sideward glance, "you didn't know that part of the building was the boys' locker room," then merriment brightened his eyes, "and you made such a display of apologizing to her in front of her friends."

"Boku warui," Tenchi remembered saying those words to the tear-streaked girl as she sat between her best friends, he also remembered her nod of acceptance and the warm smile she gave him. It was at this point Tenchi's black eyebrows came down as he realized this occurrence happened in his sophomore year at his old school, "You're been checking me out."

"A couple of your classmates from your old school are going here," a lopsided grin on his Irish face, "so I told them I was your friend na?"

Tenchi's anger melted away at the openness of Robert's feelings, so he too smiled, saying, "Ee, you're my friend," then cat-footed curiosity filled his soul, "so what else did they tell you about me?"

"Dewa . . . " just then the earth science teacher entered the room, "I'll tell you at lunch."

"Oke," Tenchi agreed before both young men turned their attention to the front of the room.

********

Notes: This is a clean up chapter, designed to get the chapter breaks where I want them, which is why this chapter's ending is a little weak.

Bits and Pieces:

The Akakani is the Mikagami: When I started this series, I didn't know the name of Seto's bondmate, so I named it the Akakani (Nihongo for Red Crab) because of my belief in the closeness between Seto and Washu. The images of the Mikagami I have seen are about how I pictured the ship, a very feminine and lethal spaceship. The name Mikagami is interesting in a way it gives us a look at Seto's character (depending on the kaji used Mi = 1. body 2. person 3. flesh or 1. fruit, nut while kagami = mirror). I'm going to stick with Akakani for this series, so where I mention Akakani I mean Mikagami.

Flashbacks: I cut down the number of flashbacks down to just Mihoshi's and Washu's so I could keep the chapter down to a reasonable number of pages. I will keep on using flashbacks but only when necessary.

Achi-jinji: I created the legend of the Achi Shinto Shrine, I don't really much about the shrine except for three things: the shrine is dedicated to the city's patron kami, it has a lot of red torii arches and its granite staircase looks very much like the one used for the Masaki Shrine. The shrine does exist and can be found in a park in the middle of downtown Kurashiki.

Storyline: The main villain of this series has reappeared and people are moving in different directions. As before my focus is not only to entertain the reader but also to leave that person something to think about.

Characters:

Seto: I wanted to show the quiet strength and iron will that is part of Seto's personality as well as her love and kindness.

Washu: As readers have probably already noticed, Washu's flashbacks are about those events leading up to her creation of Kagato and Ryoko. The flashback in this chapter is an introduction to another event in her life, her life at the Tsunami abbey, on Kanemitsu. While I will be going back to the Kagato-Washu relationship in the next chapter, I will drop in more events from Washu's childhood, their significance is more connected to latter books in this series than with this one.

Mihoshi and Kiyone: You are probably thinking, 'So what, another Mihoshi-Kiyone lesbian relationship.' You are correct but I wanted to add depth and reasons for this type of love developing between the two.

Sasami and Ryoko: No, there isn't an lesbian relationship developing between Sasami and Ryoko. As pointed out by Ayeka the bond between Sasami and Ryoko is the type shared between sisters or between mother and daughter.

Ayeka: Once more Ayeka is on her quest to find Yosho and she has a new companion. As with the other characters, I'm trying to show different aspects of Ayeka's personality, both strength and weaknesses. I'm also trying to show her relationship with Ryoko isn't black and white.

Mihoshi: As many readers have probably already noticed, Mihoshi's flashbacks are actually two storylines: Mihoshi's life with Kiyone and her inner demons after Kiyone's death. The old guilt many survivors asked, "Why am I alive?"

Tenchi: More and more Tenchi is coming to accept his new houseguests as a part of his family and he is learning what it takes to handle each of them as both a person and as a woman.

Ryoko: Just like the other characters, I wanted to keep on showing how complex Ryoko's personality is and still have fun with her. Her relationship with each of the other characters is developing, sometimes in very amusing ways.

Sasami/Tsunami: Sasmai's desire to be a temporary mother for Ryoko was another way for me to show the multi-nature of Sasmi's being, her being a child and a matured goddess.

Scully: I wanted to give Scully a chance to be on her own. It also made more sense that she and Mulder couldn't investigate two separate cases together, at the same time.

Mulder: Let us see how Mulder and Ryoko work together as a team.

Aoi Futaba: Yes, this is the cross-dresser from "You're Under Arrest." I'm bring him into the series because I always planned to.

Maiko Kobington: Yes, this is Maiko Cobington, an actual person who went to school in Nihon. Her website plus answering my questions about Nihonjin school system have helped me a lot. This is my way of showing gratitude for her help.

Ohiten Rogers: It is going be interesting how the relationship between Ohiten and Ayeka will develop. I wonder what is going to happen once both of them reach Tokyo. Remember why Ayeka is going to Tokyo and where in Tokyo she will have to go to find her answers for her questions. Hint:

Kuraihoshi: Once more the main villain of this story has made his return.