Calling Home

Standing at the thresh hold to his small Tokyo apartment Tenchi wearily dropped his backpack on the other side and tiredly stepped inside. He stood alone in the darkness for a few moments before reaching over with his left hand and turning on the kitchen light. Luminescence flooded the small kitchen and living room of his apartment. It consisted of three rooms; a living room/kitchenette, a single bedroom, and a small bath with only a shower, sink, and toilet. A large bay window across the living area opened onto a small terrace that had a rather nice view of the city. Sitting just inside the window was an easel baring a canvas, Tenchi's half finished night time landscape. His furniture was sparse, but serviceable. A kitchen table with two straight-backed chairs. His sofa was dark blue and well padded, a gift from his father along with the coffee table that sat before it covered with art magazines that would be shoved aside when the homework came out. The large bed and simple nightstand in the bedroom had come with the apartment.

Groaning with each step Tenchi crossed the kitchen into the living room and flopped, face first, onto the couch. After four hours of self induced physical torture there was no way he was going to make the drive back to Okoyama tonight. Which meant calling home so no one worried about him. Tenchi loved his family he truly did, but trying to explain anything to them that involved a girl drove him insane. No matter who picked up the phone he was in for it. His father would shout for joy and then ask for every little detail about how the girl looked and what Tenchi had done with her. Washu was worse, not only would she want details, but would give him hints on how to please her, and then offer to show him how herself. I took ten minutes to get Mihoshi to even listen to word he was saying because she would immediately start babbling about what was going on there or with the GP. Should he even have the misfortune of talking to his grandfather he would face a severe scolding for missing Saturday morning training and then be made to feel bad about whatever he didn't do with whoever he happened to be with.

"Uggh," Tenchi groaned pulling himself up the armrest of the couch draping his lean arms down the side and watching the sun drift below the horizon and usher in another cool spring night. With such a clear night he should be out on the balcony working on his latest landscape, but he was just too tired. That girl Motoko had really taken I out of him. He had hoped by feigning ignorance she would go easier on him. He'd been dead wrong. For nearly an hour they worked on his stance alone before she was happy with it, then came the actual strikes. Or should he say strike, the basic overhead cut he had mastered by the age of twelve. Not according to Motoko Aoyama, she stood there and pointed out every flaw in his strokes. By the end of the session his arms were shaky and his legs cramped from standing in the same position for so long. It was no wonder the club numbered so few with the strict Motoko as their president.

Somehow Tenchi found the energy to get to his feet and slowly shuffle his way to the counter where the phone hung. He had a phone call to suffer through. As he picked up the receiver he glanced above the fridge where his 'clock' dominated the wall. The monstrosity had been a gift from Washu and kept time for every time zone on the planet along with Galaxy Standard and Jurai Central time. It was currently 7:45 P.M. Tokyo time, his eyes happened to wander to the Jurai clock , 3:53 A.M. Ryoko was probably asleep right now, next to him. Tenchi ground his teeth in frustration until the phone next to his ear began to beep, telling him it had been off the hook too long. Shaking away his dark thoughts Tenchi flicked cradle to get a dial tone again and punched in his home number.

"Masaki residence," Mihoshi's voice chimed in from the other end of line.

"Hello Mihoshi," Tenchi answered back just before she went into her usual babbling.

"Oh my, it sounds like I've married into the family," she started giggling, "Does it sound that way to you?"

"Umm Mihoshi it's me," Tenchi tried to get her attention, it didn't work.

"I'm not really married, even though I live here," Mihoshi prattled on happily, "Although Katsuhito told me once he thinks Tenchi and I would be good for each other. I'm not too sure about that, I mean I like Tenchi and all, but I don't even know how he feels about me. Still I guess that's ok because Washu might get really jealous if I started going out with him."

"Umm, Mihoshi it's me. Tenchi," he tried to get through the dialogue again with no success.

"Not that I would mind going out with him, I hear Tokyo has some really nice places," the blonde continued on unfazed by Tenchi's voice, "But our schedules do conflict, I have patrols and he's going to school and all. It must be an awful lot of work."

"Mihoshi who is that," Washu's sharp voice cut through the rambling at the other end much to Tenchi's relief.

"Oh Washu," Mihoshi said apparently surprise the presence of the diminutive scientist.

"Who is on the phone Mihoshi," Washu asked again keeping the GP on track.

"Oh well it', umm," Mihoshi's confusion had Tenchi shaking his head on his end of the line and no doubt Washu was doing the same thing, "Umm who is this?"

"It's Tenchi, Mihoshi," Tenchi got through to her at last.

"It's Tenchi," the blonde called out to Washu before the name clicked in her mind. Suddenly her voice was filled with even more enthusiasm, "Oh Tenchi, how are you. How come your not home yet? You didn't breakdown did you?"

"I'm fine Mihoshi," Tenchi answered, "And no I didn't breakdown, I'm still in Tokyo."

"Ohh," was all Mihoshi said, "Are you coming home this weekend?"

"Yes Mihoshi," Tenchi answered noticing some the energy ahd dropped out Mohishi's normally perky voice, "I just had a long day today and I'm not up to driving back tonight so I'll head out there tomorrow morning."

"Well ok I guess," She sounded rather disappointed, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"I'll be there early, ok Mihoshi," Tenchi promised before hanging up.

Far away in the Misaki house seated next to lake and below an ancient shrine Washu was tapping her foot in irritation while Mohishi just stood there holding the phone to her ear. From the sounds of things Tenchi would not be home this night, but still she wasn't sure. It was strange for Tenchi to not leave Tokyo right after his Friday classes and make the drive to Okoyama. She wondered what the reason was, usually Tenchi was as good as clock work. There was only one thing to do in this situation Washu concluded, interrogate the blonde.

"Is Tenchi going to be her tonight," Washu asked.

"No," she said finally lowering the phone, disheartened.

Standing in the silence of a house once filled with joy and life all either scientist or officer could was wonder why.

Author's Note

Here we go another bit for this story. I kinda like writing in this format, no pressure this way. Anyways I'll have another one up this week for sure. As to where this is going give it a few more chapters and I'll get to the point of this tale and why I'm doing it. It will tie in with Dream Lost in several ways once I get back to that story in the future. Anyways thanks for the reviews and please keep 'em coming.

Smack54