Kiyone Makibi exhaled as she watched the sensors. She'd been waiting for an hour for her new partner to show up, but so far there was no sign of them. She was early, of course, but she had been eager to get started on her new assignment.
Just as she was about to get up and pace the few feet she had available on the bridge of her transport, a Galaxy Police cruiser suddenly appeared directly in front of her ship.
"What the heck?" Kiyone burst out. Her new partner, presumably the pilot, had been using storming mode to keep from being noticed, though Kiyone couldn't figure out why. Kiyone started thinking of what she was going to say to them when she received the hail from the cruiser. She made the appropriate keystrokes on her console, and the viewscreen opened up to reveal the face of her new partner.
"Ahhhh!!!!!!" reverberated through two ship cabins simultaneously.
"Kiyone?"
"Mihoshi?"
"Is that really you?" again echoed simultaneously through the two ship cabins.
"How..."
"Ahhhh!!!!!!!'"
Mihoshi and Kiyone finally fell silent and just stared at each other for a few moments. Kiyone could see the tears coming out of Mihoshi's eyes and wondered for a moment whether they were tears of joy from realizing Kiyone was actually alive or tears of sadness that she had never told Mihoshi she was.
Finally, Kiyone decided to break the silence, knowing Mihoshi wasn't likely to stop crying any time soon. "So, how did you end up here, Mihoshi?" Kiyone liked to cut to the chase, and with Mihoshi that was usually the best approach any way. It's probably why she had been pretty effective teamed with Mihoshi, even considering the difficulties Mihoshi caused.
Mihoshi looked up again, her eyes now puffy and red and still leaking tears. "H-how did I get here, how did you get here? I mean, you were reported as dead, but I just knew it had to be a mistake."
Kiyone was amazed, Mihoshi seemed incredibly clearheaded at the moment, considering how emotional she could get. She decided to head off what was sure to be a deluge of questions so they could make better use of their time.
"Okay Mihoshi, let's do this. I'll transfer over to your ship and then we can talk about all of this on the way back. All right?" Kiyone was mentally bracing herself for an extremely long journey, even though it shouldn't actually take very long to make it down to wherever they were going if Kiyone's scant information was correct. With Mihoshi involved, it always felt like a long trip.
"Okay Kiyone, I'll set up the docking from here while you go get your stuff. And Kiyone, I'm so glad to see you again! You and me, partners again! Oh, I can hardly wait!" Mihoshi wiped away her tears as she joyfully began the docking procedures.
Kiyone set the autopilot on her transport shuttle to return it to GP headquarters and then headed for the airlock to transfer over to Mihoshi's cruiser. She stopped at the airlock and took a few deep breaths. This was going to be painful, she just knew it. Explaining things to Mihoshi was going to test her resolve. Taking one last deep breath and mentally cursing her new commanding officers for not telling her, she entered the ship prepared to face the fire.
--
Tenchi stirred in his bed as the morning sun streamed in through the window. He opened his eyes just enough to squint at the clock. He was late, and sat up in bed to stretch out the sleep stiffness.
(BONK)
"Yaugghh! Ryoko!!" His eyes flew open to see Ryoko hovering in front of him and he rubbed his forehead briefly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" He was annoyed with her, as always, and she was just as likewise unfazed.
"Good morning Tenchi!" Ryoko purred in her most sultry voice. "You know I want the first thing you see every day to be my beautiful face. If only you'd let me spend the night with you, you could wake up to it in a much more pleasant way..." It never worked with Tenchi, but it didn't hurt to try. Besides, it really annoyed Ayeka and there was nothing that amused her more than teasing the princess.
"Please, Ryoko, I've got to get up. I'm already late and if Ayeka finds you in here..." The door slid open, as if on cue, and the First Princess of Jurai stepped into Tenchi's room.
"Leave him alone, you... you... well you know what you are. Lord Tenchi shouldn't have to be subjected to this in the morning." Ayeka was not in the mood to let Ryoko get away with harassing Tenchi. It was bad enough that the former space pirate skipped out on all her chores, but she continued to intrude on his privacy as well.
Tenchi groaned inwardly. It was obviously going to be another one of those days. He sighed as he got out of bed, forgetting that he wasn't wearing anything but his boxer shorts. Both girls paused, and Ryoko immediately started ogling him. Ayeka blushed furiously and turned away, but continued to peak at him nonetheless. Tenchi realized why much too late, his face flushing in embarrassment. This was getting out of hand.
"Enough, ladies! No fighting, please." Tenchi had finally reached his limit and was getting upset.
Ayeka took the initiative and bowed politely. "I'm sorry, Lord Tenchi. I merely intended to bring you the shirts that I mended." She held out the small, neatly folded stack of shirts.
Ryoko dropped into her forlorn look. "But, Tenchi...."
"Ah. Thank you, Ayeka." Tenchi accepted the shirts and gave a short bow of thanks. He put them in a drawer before grabbing a change of clothes and a towel.
"I'm going to take a bath, then I'll see both of you for breakfast, okay?" Tenchi moved between the two towards his doorway, hoping that would end the matter. Amazingly it seemed to, though he had to pass between them as the two girls glared at the other. There were worse fates, he supposed.
"Yes, Lord Tenchi, I'll see you at breakfast then." Ayeka turned back to Ryoko with fire in her eyes as Tenchi hurried out.
"I'll save a place for you by me Tenchi." Ryoko smiled cheerfully before returning to the impending fight.
Tenchi closed the door.
--
Kiyone took a deep breath, and finished her narrative to Mihoshi. "So that's pretty much how I got to this point Mihoshi. I'm sorry I had to let you think I'd died, but it was important for keeping my cover. I hope you can forgive me."
Kiyone could hardly believe she was doing this. She'd just spent an hour reliving her recent past, all in hopes of gaining forgiveness from Mihoshi of all people. She was the person who'd caused her to want to get away in the first place.
The look on Mihoshi's face when she'd realized it was Kiyone had softened her up. Kiyone was able to keep a professional manner most of the time, but somehow, with Mihoshi, she just couldn't do it.
"Wow, Kiyone, that's just amazing. But you got them in the end, didn't you? You were always smarter than the bad guys." Mihoshi hugged her long-lost partner. "Kiyone and Mihoshi against the galaxy's bad guys. Just like the old days." An embarrassed smile then broke out on Mihoshi's face. "Of course, now I'm the senior detective in charge. Still, we're partners again and that's what really matters. First Class Detectives Mihoshi and Kiyone are here to save the day. This is going to be great!"
Kiyone felt her face start to heat up as old feelings came back and new conditions fell into place. She'd been hoping Mihoshi wouldn't remember that she had been put in charge. Technically, it was proper procedure, but it galled her. Being partnered with Mihoshi again was bad enough and, by itself, spelled the likely end of any chances at promotion.
What were those idiots back at Central thinking? Sakai and Watanabe hadn't done anything to earn her respect yet, and this was telling. At this point, she wouldn't put it past those two to be conspiring to stop her career in its tracks. They might even be trying to score some brownie points with Mihoshi and therefore with her grandfather. It was that or they were trying to get her to go out with them. Mihoshi always attracted the low-lifes, though none of them ever succeeded. It was one of the things she'd actually liked about Mihoshi. She always stayed focused on her career, not on the men who chased after her because she seemed like an easy target.
Kiyone shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. Introspection could wait. Kiyone needed to put a stop to this 'Mihoshi-in-charge' nonsense right now. "Okay, Mihoshi, we're partners again and technically you're still the senior officer on this assignment. But you can't realistically believe that they meant for you to be giving me orders, can you? How many of your plans ever worked?"
"Well, actually...."
"Without resulting in excessive collateral damage," Kiyone hastily amended.
"But Kiyone, those were the orders from Section Chief Sakai and we're currently under his orders." Mihoshi wasn't sure what Kiyone was so concerned about, but didn't want her to worry. "I don't think we have to worry too much about criminals out here, though. The only inhabited planet in this system is Earth and they don't have any advanced technology. Washu and Tenchi's family does, but they probably don't count. There's also Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki, but they're my friends, too." She paused for a moment to think about the relatively quiet years. "Come to think of it, there's really not much to do out here besides patrolling this system and that's pretty dull. Even local crime on Earth is outside our jurisdiction."
"Stop! Stop! Mihoshi! Wait a second." Kiyone couldn't stop herself from waving her arms in the air. "What's going on here? What kind of assignment is this, and who are these people that you're talking about? Aren't Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki two of the galaxy's most-wanted criminals?"
"Oh Kiyone, where should I start? There's so much to tell..."
Kiyone sighed as she leaned back to listen to Mihoshi's story. This was going to be a long assignment.
--
Sasami quickly swept up the broken shards from the cup to put them away in the wastebasket. That was the third one she'd broken this month, along with two plates and a bowl. Thankfully, other things she'd dropped and knocked over hadn't broken. She was tired of being so clumsy and she hated to let Tenchi go on thinking it was just more stuff that Mihoshi had broken. She'd never been accident-prone before, no more than any other kid she'd known, but she admittedly hadn't met many other children.
She knew it had to do with how fast she was growing, but she'd been afraid to ask anyone about it. She wasn't really sure whom to ask. She couldn't ask Ayeka about it, because then she'd probably have to admit how flushed she'd been getting lately when 'he' was around. She didn't want Ayeka to start getting angry with her. Ayeka had enough fights with Ryoko, sometimes even clashing with Mihoshi and Washu too. Sasami worried it might cause problems between her sister and herself. That was something she couldn't bear, Ayeka was one of the few people who'd ever been there for her throughout her life.
Ryoko was out of the question, being just as likely to get upset as Ayeka, if not more so. Mihoshi was a kind person, but she didn't know if Mihoshi could really help. Could she talk to Washu? Somehow she thought that Washu would understand, being the greatest scientist in the galaxy and the oldest of the girls. Sasami just didn't know if she could talk to someone outside her family about it.
She wished she could talk to her mother, or at least Aunt Funaho. She supposed she could send them a message but she really needed to talk, not just send messages back and forth. That just wouldn't do the trick, it would take too long and just wouldn't feel right.
"Hello Sasami, could I get something to eat?"
Sasami jumped as Washu entered the kitchen, and she hastily dropped the remains of the cup into the garbage and turned to greet Washu. "Hello, Washu. Of course you can get something. Lunch will be in about an hour though, if you can wait. I'm making miso soup and grilled fish, today, and probably a couple other things I haven't picked yet. I can get some ready for you now, if you'd like." Sasami smiled down at Washu and waited for her answer. It was strange, she was already much taller than Washu. She was already as tall as Ayeka, and she was probably going to grow taller still.
"Well, I suppose I can wait an hour if you can do something for me, Sasami." Washu held up the little yellow robot she used to administer physicals. "It's time for everyone to get a checkup. I haven't done this in a while and I probably shouldn't put it off any longer."
"Right now, Washu? Can it wait until after lunch? I don't want to ruin the soup."
"This'll only take a couple minutes, Sasami. You can sit down, if you'd like?"
"Umm... okay."
Sasami sat down, then started a bit as Washu placed the yellow bot on her head and it started doing whatever it was that it was supposed to be doing. She rubbed her hands nervously, glancing over at the stove to where the ingredients for her lunch were sitting.
(BLEEP, BLOOP, BLEEP, BLOOP)
Washu noticed Sasami's fidgeting. "Just relax Sasami, it'll go quicker that way. Good. Hmmm, what's this? That can't be right. Let me just check this again."
(BLEEP, BLOOP)
"Same thing. That's not right..." Washu stepped back to look at Sasami more carefully. "That's incredible! How could this have happened without my noticing? Wait just a little bit longer Sasami, I need to check one more thing."
Sasami had been getting nervous at the sounds of Washu's tests, and asked timidly, "Ah, Washu? What's wrong? What did you find? Am I sick?"
"No, you're not sick. Well, not exactly." Washu removed the yellow bot from Sasami's head, and after putting it away into subspace, pulled Sasami to her feet. She then proceeded to turn Sasami slowly in a circle, looking at her carefully the whole time. "It must be true, it's obvious when you know what you're looking at. Sasami, aren't you supposed to be about thirteen years old right now?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Well, according to your checkup, you're now about sixteen years old. Something is causing accelerated growth through concentrated biochemical stimulus."
Sasami blinked in confusion. "S-sixteen? Bio-what? But... how?"
"I don't know the answer to that right now, Sasami. I'll be looking into it of course, but I think it's important I check everyone else out to see if they've been affected as well. My own checkup didn't show anything, but most of the time I'm in subspace in my lab. Whatever it was that caused it might not have affected me at all."
Sasami started to tremble, the fear starting to show in her face as well. "Am I going to die?"
Washu blinked, then shook her head vigorously. "What? No, of course not. You're perfectly healthy in every respect, you're just older than you're supposed to be. Otherwise you're just fine, so don't worry. I don't suppose you have any idea what might have caused this?"
Lowering her head, Sasami started, "Ummmmm... I've been feeling kind of weird lately, sort of clumsy. Not like Mihoshi, but still pretty bad. And now, when Tenchi is around, I get kind of warm and tingly, and I can't understand it. I didn't used to feel that way when he's around. I mean, I always kind of liked him before, but I didn't feel all weird when he was around. Do you think that could be it?" There she'd admitted it to someone, there was no turning back now. She thought she should maybe be scared about what it might be. It had never really felt bad, though, just like she was changing, but maybe a little too fast to keep up with.
"Mmmm, hmmm. I see. Well, that doesn't sound real serious, just what any girl your age might be going through..." Washu smiled comfortingly, then started looking at Sasami more closely. The older girl sitting in front of her was still unmistakably Sasami, with the blue hair in pigtails, the pink eyes, the two small triangular runes on her forehead. She just hadn't noticed the changes before, she got out of her lab so rarely. When she did, she usually had other things to consider besides what Sasami looked like; mainly what Tenchi looked like.
Washu was both excited and frightened at the same time. The scientific possibilities of this discovery were definitely interesting, though she'd long since figured out how to get around the aging process herself so that she could choose her own age at will. This was not the same as how she did it. What was frightening was the possibility that someone or something could exert this kind of influence on Sasami without anyone's knowledge.
She made a mental note to check everyone else living in the house to see if they'd been affected likewise. It would be much less obvious in any of the others, as they were all mostly fully grown and developed. Tenchi still had a bit of filling out to do, but he wasn't likely to get much taller. She'd observed him pretty carefully every time she had wandered out, and he certainly didn't appear to be aging faster than normal. She'd check him to be sure, but she suspected it was only Sasami that was being affected for some reason.
"Ummmm... Miss Washu? Could this be because of, well, Tsunami, do you think? She's been getting more and more quiet all the time, I almost never talk to her any more. I'm starting to wonder if we aren't merged already, cause I haven't spoken to her in weeks. But I don't feel like I've changed that way yet, at least not like what I was expecting. I mean I've got some fuzzy memories of things I'm pretty sure aren't mine, but I don't feel like a different person yet." Sasami looked at Washu expectantly for a moment, then turned and let her gaze wander over the kitchen. She was a little afraid of the answer she might get from Washu, and even more than that, what it might mean. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear it or face it.
"Hmmmm. That's possible, I suppose. It's a bit difficult to have data on hand for the kind of thing someone like Tsunami can do, she's pretty unique after all. Any possibility I could talk to Tsunami? Can you call her mentally when you want to talk, or is it just whenever she chooses to?" Washu was intrigued now. She had left Sasami out of her experimentation for the most part, focusing on Tenchi and Ryoko predominantly, and Mihoshi to a limited extent.
She didn't have any real way to verify if Sasami was correct in her assumption. It was certainly plausible that their link was causing Sasami to age faster, but Tsunami had never indicated that might happen. This was a new experience for everyone, though, Tsunami included, so possibly she hadn't realized what might happen. She studied Sasami carefully, waiting for her response. Washu mentally calculated how fast she must have been growing lately, and was pretty surprised Sasami hadn't been tripping and falling at least as much as Mihoshi lately. She was probably going to be pretty graceful and athletic if she'd made it through an unnatural growth spurt like this without getting hurt or having anyone notice her clumsiness.
She'd started filling out like a teenager as well. She wasn't done yet, and she still had some very light freckles on her nose, but you could see the signs of how beautiful she would be now. She was no longer just a cute little girl, but a beautiful young woman who just needed to finish maturing. Washu felt a twinge of jealousy, and wondered how Tenchi was going to handle it, let alone Ayeka and Ryoko. They'd all known the final form she was going to grow into eventually, but had expected it to still be many years out, instead of the two or three years it was apparently going to take at this rate. Washu winced in contemplation of how the tension in the household was likely to rise another notch with another beautiful woman vying for Tenchi's affection. Not that Sasami had lacked for his attention, but it had been less threatening to the rest of the ladies in the house. That was definitely going to change now.
"I've never really been able to call her, Washu. When I want to talk to her, I try, and sometimes she answers. She used to be there for me all the time when I was really little, but as I've gotten older, it seems like she's been busier or something. I still talk to her sometimes, but not as often. I just don't know. I can try and talk to her but I don't know if she'll answer." Sasami hoped Tsunami would answer this time. She realized she needed the answer to this question but had been afraid to ask for fear of an answer she didn't want.
"Well, do the best you can. Don't worry, we'll get the answer some way." Washu could see the nervousness-bordering-on-fear running across Sasami's face. "We can keep this to ourselves for now, if you want?"
"I don't think anyone else has noticed yet. Nobody's said anything any way. Thank you, Washu. I'd like to keep this between us, for now." Sasami lunged for Washu and engulfed her in a hug. Washu winced, feeling the bone-cracking strain of a hug from someone who was unquestionably Queen Misaki's daughter. That was obviously a trait which had been passed on to Sasami, unlike Ayeka. Ayeka seemed to have inherited more of her father's traits than her mother's. She was much more serious and politically inclined than Sasami would ever be. But she was changing gradually due to the influence of this unusual household.
--
Ryoko and Ayeka had finally ended their argument and headed down to the table to claim their places on either side of Tenchi. The other ladies never tried to take their spots, but it was just to be safe of course. They tried to discourage any advances from the rest where Tenchi was concerned. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they heard the voice of Washu speaking with Sasami in the kitchen, which was fairly unusual. They glanced at each other before Ryoko spoke.
"What do you suppose they're talking about? Hard to believe Washu is out of her lab, let alone having a conversation with Sasami as opposed to pestering Tenchi. She hasn't been out at all this week." Ryoko made to barge into the kitchen, only to be restrained by Ayeka holding her arm.
"Wait Ryoko, perhaps we shouldn't just intrude on what might be a private conversation? It wouldn't be polite."
"What do you mean it wouldn't be polite? You barge into my private conversations with Tenchi all the time. What's the difference? I'm going in!" And with that, Ryoko pulled away from Ayeka, and entered the kitchen, planting herself in front of her mother and crossing her arms.
"What's up 'Mom'? How come you're not out chasing Tenchi like usual? Or did one of your experiments go wrong and wipe your brain out finally?" Ryoko then noticed the expression on Sasami's face. "Er... is something wrong?"
Sasami and Washu shared a quick look, and then Sasami shook her head. "No, Ryoko, I'm OK. I just needed to talk a little bit, and Washu happened to step out for a meal. It's nothing, really." Washu and Sasami could tell Ryoko wasn't buying it, but they'd agreed to keep it to themselves for now. Washu saw the look building on Ryoko's face and cut it off quickly.
"Since you're here, Ryoko..." Washu reached into a subspace pocket and pulled out her yellow checkup bot. "It's time for a checkup. You're sagging!" She grabbed some of the fish Sasami had cooked and dragged Ryoko out of the kitchen, nearly running into Ayeka in the process. Ayeka had obviously been standing there listening, though Washu assumed that if Ryoko didn't know what her conversation with Sasami had been about, Ayeka probably didn't either. She'd obviously heard the last bit though, and knew Sasami had chosen to talk to Washu rather than her own sister. Washu really didn't need the aggravation right now, and hoped Ayeka would be reasonable.
"Oh, hello Little Washu. I haven't seen you in many days. Is everything going well in your lab these days?"
"It's been fine, of course. A genius doesn't have problems in the lab. After I'm done with feisty, here..." Washu nodded at the struggling Ryoko, "could you stop by my lab for a checkup, also?
"Ah... yes, Little Washu. I think perhaps I'll go help Sasami with lunch."
Not waiting for a response from Washu, she hurried through the kitchen door, leaving Washu behind looking back into the kitchen. Washu rolled her eyes, and mentally congratulated herself on grabbing lunch before Ayeka got her hands on it. Washu silently wished Sasami luck, and decided she'd talk to Ryoko instead of looking for Tenchi.
Ryoko gave Washu a quizzical look, but Washu only shook her head and indicated the living room, wanting to give Ayeka and Sasami the privacy they would need. Ryoko followed her over, realizing she wouldn't be getting an answer just now. She knew it would probably get out eventually, but she'd have to be patient. She wasn't good at it yet, but she'd gotten better, waiting for Tenchi.
--
Kiyone frowned as she once again couldn't find the control for the shuttle that she was looking for. Mihoshi buzzing around behind her wasn't helping matters, either.
On cue, Mihoshi said, "Come on Kiyone, if you hurry we can make it in time for lunch. You've never had food as good as what Sasami makes before, I'll bet."
Kiyone was taking her time, getting familiar with the control of a GP cruiser for the first time in quite some while. This one in particular seemed to have some quirks to its controls that Kiyone didn't remember from before. She'd read the tech manual for a GP cruiser to familiarize herself with any changes that may have happened while she was undercover and away from the spacecraft, but this one didn't seem to match up with anything she'd read.
Kiyone just gritted her teeth and carefully maneuvered the ship into the atmospheric entry track that Mihoshi used to get to the location she was staying at on Earth. After finally getting things adjusted properly, she set the landing procedures on auto and sat back to rub her temples.
The shuttle began making its descent towards the small lake Mihoshi had indicated. Kiyone watched on the screen as the planet grew larger and larger. Once they hit the atmosphere, the ship started to vibrate and Kiyone started to get concerned.
"Uh, Mihoshi? Shouldn't we be slowing down, soon." Kiyone turned to look at her partner, who was looking at a picture on the side of the bridge. Mihoshi? She walked over, forgetting momentarily about the vibrations and assuming that they perhaps had an advanced system here on this planet allowing for rapid descents. She glanced over Mihoshi's shoulder at the picture of the young man in it. "Hey, he's kinda cute. Who is he, Mihoshi?"
Mihoshi jumped, then blushed deeply before answering. "Oh, that's... Tenchi. You know, I told you we were staying at his house."
Kiyone frowned slightly and said, "That's Tenchi? When you told me we'd be staying at someone's house, I assumed it would be someone a little bit older. I didn't realize he'd be that young." Kiyone noticed Mihoshi's reaction and questioned her even further. "Mihoshi? You like him, don't you?"
Mihoshi started rubbing her hands together and shuffling her feet as her face reddened even further. "I, that is, well..."
Kiyone was shocked. Mihoshi had never paid much attention to any of the men who were always hitting on her. She'd focused primarily on her career, much like Kiyone always had. In fact Kiyone had probably had more dates during the time she was partnered with Mihoshi than Mihoshi had, thinking back on it.
"That's a good thing, isn't it Mihoshi? I mean, you never really seemed that interested in guys before, I mean, not beyond just friends and acquaintances. So what's the scoop?"
Before Mihoshi could answer, Yukinojo swung out and shouted, "Brace for impact!" He then retracted and stowed himself away.
"Brace for impact? What the hell?" Kiyone spun around and hurled herself back into the command seat in time to see the surface of the lake racing up to meet them. "Oh sh..."
--
As Ayeka entered the room, Sasami could see from the look in her eyes that she knew something was going on. She'd managed to keep it to herself for months without anyone noticing, but apparently her luck had run out and everyone would soon find out. It was going to be so embarrassing having everyone knowing what she was going through.
Ayeka seemed to be struggling with what to say as she looked at her, so Sasami decided it would be better if she began explaining. Since Washu knew, she might as well tell Ayeka. "I'm sorry Ayeka, I wanted to tell you something. I really did. I was just so embarrassed about what was happening and I didn't want to bother you with something so silly. I'm really, really sorry."
"Tell me what, Sasami?" Ayeka found herself wondering what it was that Washu had found out about her sister before she herself did. She waited nervously for Sasami to answer.
"Er, well, actually I didn't really know what it was until I spoke with Washu. I just knew I was growing fast, but... I guess... I'm... ah... I'm sixteen now." Sasami fidgeted a bit as she sat quietly in front of her sister.
Ayeka paused for a moment in disbelief. "Sixteen? But that's impossible; you're only thirteen of course. If you were sixteen..."
Ayeka faltered as she considered her little sister's appearance more carefully. Sasami was almost as tall as Ayeka herself, and had clearly begun to blossom into a young woman as well. Worse, Sasami's bosom was as large as her own already. She had never considered whether her sister was growing up too quickly, but n fact she did look much older than she probably ought to.
"What makes Washu think that you're sixteen, Sasami?"
"She did a physical checkup on me with that little yellow robot that she uses. According to it I'm sixteen now."
Ayeka considered that carefully for a moment, then responded, "But how is that possible? What could cause you to age faster than the rest of us? Oh, it's not Tsunami, is it? Why would she do that to you?"
"I don't know Ayeka. I don't know if she's doing it or not, she hasn't told me anything about it yet. Maybe it's just cause we're assimilated. Maybe it's so I can die so that she can finally take my place."
"What? Don't be ridiculous Sasami. You're not going to die when you finally merge with Tsunami. She told me so herself."
"But she's going to become me, so I won't need to be here any more."
"Now stop that. You'll be fine, you're not going to die. Tsunami told me specifically that you were going to become one at the proper time, and that you would be both Sasami and Tsunami, not that you would die and she would replace you. Oh Sasami... I know you're scared right now, but I will always love you, no matter what." Ayeka opened her arms and Sasami rushed to embrace her. She knew Sasami needed a hug right now. It was a family trait from her mother that Sasami had definitely inherited.
The hug lasted a while as Sasami sobbed quietly into Ayeka's kimono. Ayeka smiled at her sister, noticing the light freckles she still carried even though she'd grown into a young woman now instead of a child.
"Ayeka?"
"Yes, Sasami."
"Did mom talk to you about, ummm, well you know... boys and stuff?" There, she'd said it. She thought about doing things with Tenchi now, like holding hands and even kissing maybe, though she didn't want to admit it to Ayeka yet.
Ayeka could see the blush rising in Sasami's cheeks. It complemented her freckles and pink eyes, making Ayeka a bit jealous. She didn't know if she looked so cute when she blushed. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she thought about Sasami's question. She couldn't help thinking about Tenchi as she did so, wondering if she'd ever do some of the things her mother had told her about with Tenchi.
"Well, yes she did actually. Sasami, I know you're probably going through a lot right now, but I really think that's one you need to wait and talk about with mother. She'd kill me if I tried to have that conversation with you before she got to. Do you want to send her a message? If we send her a message today, she'll be here pretty quickly. Even father wouldn't dare mess with her."
Ayeka giggled a little bit, remembering the many times her father had been set straight by her mother. That was one of the things she'd taught Ayeka. Tried to any way. Ayeka was willing to admit she hadn't paid as much attention during those lessons. She'd already been promised to Yosho, she had thought she loved him so much and he loved her. Because he'd always been so kind and gentle, she had never expected to need to use any of those skills. She'd always been a little too reserved to take some of them seriously, too. A refresher might be nice, though, now that she thought about it. Tenchi could use a few corrections in certain things, though he wasn't actually her husband yet. He would be someday, though. He just had to be.
"All right Ayeka. I'll wait for mother then. I just thought since everyone was going to find out about me growing so fast and stuff, that maybe we could talk about some other things too."
Ayeka was just about to continue her questioning when both she and Sasami heard the sound of many voices out in the living room.
"Huh?! Oh Mihoshi must be home. Let's go meet her new partner, Ayeka." Sasami scampered out of the kitchen, preventing Ayeka from asking her any more questions. Sasami needed to put some space between her sister and herself for a moment, and seized the opportunity provided by Mihoshi's arrival.
--
"Is everything all right, Yukinojo?" Kiyone asked, figuring he'd know better than she would by scanning the readings flashing across the screen.
"Everything seems optimal, Kiyone. I believe there will be a small depression in my outer hull at the stern, but nothing appears to have been seriously damaged." Kiyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was really Mihoshi's fault as usual, she was still upset with herself for such a poor landing on her very first opportunity.
"Let's go, Kiyone, lunch-time." Mihoshi bounced out of the cabin towards the ship's exit, obviously in a hurry. Kiyone had somehow managed to forget how much Mihoshi liked to eat. Kiyone had a good appetite, but Mihoshi probably ate twice as much as she did and still looked like some kind of intergalactic holo-star. Kiyone got enough exercise to work off the amount she ate, but Mihoshi just seemed to have an unnatural ability to eat anything and still be thin.
Kiyone gathered some of her things, and followed Mihoshi to the transport pod. She felt the surge of energy, then found herself up to her neck in water. She splashed her way up to the shore.
"What the... Mihoshi! I'm all wet!"
"Oh, I'm sorry Kiyone. I always get that wrong. Let's go inside, we can dry off and then it'll be time for lunch."
Kiyone followed the bouncing Mihoshi to the front door of the large house. It appeared to have been built rather patchwork, some sections obviously being newer than others, but it was a very attractive home, nonetheless.
Kiyone stepped through the door and noticed the lady and child sitting and talking quietly in what was obviously the living area for the home. She barely managed to stop herself from drawing her sidearm and drawing aim on who was obviously Ryoko, the 'former' space pirate. Mihoshi had explained it all to her, and she understood that the statute of limitations had run out, but it was still hard to see someone who had been 'galaxy-most-wanted' sitting right there in front of her, and not do anything about it.
She calmed herself and looked at the young girl carefully. That had to be Washu, from Mihoshi's descriptions. Hard to believe the young girl looking back at her was really the 20,000 year old self-proclaimed 'greatest scientific genius in the universe'. Although you could see something in her stance and her eyes that showed she was not just a typical twelve-year-old girl.
"Hello Washu, Ryoko, it's so good to be home. Where's everyone else? I thought it would probably be lunchtime when we got here. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Well not literally, I don't think I've ever actually eaten horse before, but I'm really, really hungry." Mihoshi was literally bouncing now, looking everywhere the eyes could see as if expecting something or someone to pop out in front of her. Kiyone could see however that there was a little tension in the room in how Ryoko and Washu were looking at each other and sending glances at the door Kiyone presumed likely led to the kitchen.
Kiyone waited to see if Mihoshi was going to remember to introduce her, but she was so obviously wrapped up in whatever was currently bouncing around in her head that she didn't think of it. She put on her warmest smile and did it herself. "Hello, Washu. Hello, Ryoko. I'm First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. It's nice to meet you after everything Mihoshi has told me. And yes Ryoko, she mentioned that the statue of limitations had run out on you, so I won't be arresting you."
A spark of fire jumped into Ryoko's eyes at her introduction and she laughed "You might have tried to arrest me, but you wouldn't have been able to."
Kiyone noted the confidence with which she made this statement. 'It would have been interesting to try and arrest her', Kiyone thought.
"My condolences on your partner," she heard Ryoko murmur quietly, to avoid Mihoshi hearing. Washu smiled at that statement as well. They obviously knew the same Mihoshi that she did, then. That was good to know. She'd been a fraction afraid that they hadn't had to deal with the bumbling, disaster on two feet that Kiyone always had. Mihoshi had described the relationship between everyone who lived here as almost a family, even though most weren't really related, at least in the traditional sense, any way.
Kiyone smiled as well, noting with some amazement that Ryoko seemed to have a mischievous personality, not the coarse, arrogant, and grating one she would have expected of someone who'd achieved the status of 'most-wanted'. That thought was interrupted as the shorter woman walked up to Kiyone.
"Hello, Kiyone, I'm Washu, greatest scientific genius in the universe. Nice to meet you. Call me Little Washu, please."
Washu definitely had a mischievous look to her as well. There wasn't really much resemblance between Ryoko and her, however, beyond the spiky hair. Kiyone suspected Washu's look might not be exactly what would be her natural form, considering she was 20,000 years old, and looked twelve.
"I see she brought you through the lake, as usual. I assume I'll need to repair the shuttle, too?"
--
Tenchi had reached the top of the stairs, and heard the voices of some of the ladies coming from the living room. He realized it was probably Mihoshi with her new partner and hurried down the stairs two steps at a time. He heard Washu saying something as he reached the bottom and turned to the ladies standing in the room, only to get run into by a bundle of sky-blue hair that had come flying out of the kitchen. Both he and Sasami tumbled into the group of women standing and talking in the living room.
"Owwwwww!"
Once the pile of bodies came to a halt, Tenchi took a few moments to collect himself. He felt no serious injuries so he opened his eyes and then blinked. He was looking into the face of a woman he didn't recognize, but she was definitely pretty. She had blue-green hair held back with an orange headband, and when she opened her eyes Tenchi saw them widen slightly. He was about to say something, when he felt movement in his groin area, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Scrambling out from under the new woman and Sasami, Tenchi managed to catch Ryoko 'innocently' placing her hands behind her back.
"Ryoko!!!! What were you thinking?" he accused.
Ryoko put on one of her most mischievous smiles. "Well, I was thinking 'The things I could do with this....' Of course if what you really wanted to know was what was I doing, well then the answer is trying to stand up. That just happened to be where my hands ended up after you and Sasami hit us with that flying body tackle." She switched to her innocent look as she finished her answer.
"That hardly seems likely Ryoko. I suspect you were molesting Lord Tenchi again, as always." Ayeka had followed Sasami out of the kitchen at a more reasonable pace and managed to avoid the pileup in the living room. She had seen some of the aftermath, and while Ryoko had been knocked down, she had not needed to place her hands where she had to get up. That argument could wait, though. "Is everyone all right? That looked to be quite a serious collision."
"I'm fine, Ayeka" answered Sasami. Her face was quite flushed for some reason, but she looked to be fine like she had said.
"Okay."
"I'm fine too."
"No bruises but my pride."
"Well hopefully we've all learned not to run in the house at least." Washu gave everyone her best strict mother look with that statement, noticing the guilty starts from Tenchi and Sasami. "All right everyone, settle down. I think introductions are in order, don't you Mihoshi?" said Washu.
Sasami pushed aside the thoughts of Tenchi's hand on her backside during the pileup to try and focus on the current situation. She didn't think he'd noticed, but she had.
"Oh, of course, how silly of me. Everyone, this is First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. She's the best detective in the GP. We always got the criminals in our cases thanks to her. Kiyone, this is Tenchi, this is his house, well his father's really, but Tenchi's too."
"Hello, Kiyone. Welcome." Tenchi looked at Kiyone and noticed her eyes widen slightly again as she looked back. And then he saw her cheeks redden slightly as she obviously realized he had noticed. "I hope sharing a room with Mihoshi for a while will be all right?"
Kiyone gathered her wits, and smiled at Tenchi. "Yes of course that'll be fine. You don't have to do that of course, we can find a place of our own to live." Those eyes of his. She hadn't seen anyone with eyes like that that she could remember in a long time, not since her family, really, and Mihoshi of course who barely counted. Such an unusual color for starters, but also so warm and friendly. She'd spent too many years working with criminals and hardened police officers. You never got a chance to see eyes truly full of warmth in those circles. He'd noticed her reaction, too. She needed to get a grip and focus, she didn't have time to get involved with anyone, let alone someone being pursued by five women already if Mihoshi could be believed.
"Don't be silly, Kiyone, there's plenty of room here." That comment from Mihoshi got a few raised eyebrows, but she moved on, oblivious of the curious looks she was receiving from everyone present. "And this is Princess Ayeka, and this is Princess Sasami."
"It's so great to meet you Kiyone. I'm sure you'll like it here. Everyone is really nice." Sasami turned a hard look on everyone, warning them to be on their best behavior. She had seen Ryoko and Ayeka glancing at Kiyone with a little fire in their eyes, obviously not thrilled to have another beautiful woman moving in. Sasami didn't necessarily like it either, but she had never felt like she was really in the competition for Tenchi, any way, she was so young. She liked to try and remind everyone of their manners, which occasionally got out of hand with Tenchi nearby.
"Yes Kiyone, it is good to meet you. Welcome." Ayeka's greeting was her usual formal one, with a hint of forced politeness. She had seen that Kiyone and Tenchi had shared some kind of reaction from the tumble, and hoped it didn't mean more competition. There was too much already.
"And this is Washu, and her daughter Ryoko."
"We've already met, Mihoshi, we were here when you brought Kiyone in." Ryoko was also eying Kiyone as surreptitiously as possible. Kiyone seemed to be pretty tough, unlike most of the women here. Ryoko had always considered herself to be the most intimidating of the women in this house, but she wasn't sure she was any more. She knew she could take Kiyone in a fight, if it ever came down to that, but in general appearance Kiyone had an air of competence about her that gave you pause. She was left wondering whether Tenchi would be attracted to that.
"Well, if that's settled then, how about Mihoshi shows Kiyone to their room so they quit dripping on the floor, and the rest of us sit down to eat? Personally, I'm starving. There's a reason I left my lab you know." Washu was very hungry now, and decided it was time to eat, no matter what else might be going on. She got plenty of agreement from everyone but one.
Sasami dashed back for the kitchen, calling, "Oh no, my soup...."
--
Marco finished his kata under the watchful gaze of his current 'master'. He tried to practice his forms at least once a day, when it was possible. He didn't really consider the person to be his master of course, but practicing by yourself all the time without anyone watching for flaws led to sloppiness. That was something that couldn't be afforded in his line of work, especially when he shunned the use of guns whenever possible.
It wasn't that he didn't know how to use a gun, he was pretty good with one actually. It was just that he'd long ago decided he'd be more than just a street thug. He left that to the other people without true ambition. A gun left a pretty impressive result when you killed someone with it, especially some of the new model blasters, but it just didn't leave the same impression. Everyone could use a gun to kill someone, so they weren't properly impressed by it. Not everyone could kill you with a weapon that required close contact like a knife or a sword. The results were somehow more gruesome, more psychologically intimidating, and that was Marco's true fascination with the sword.
He also relished the look on his opponent's face when they realized they were beaten. He'd grown up poor, in a tough neighborhood, and getting beaten up by the older kids left him determined to pay back someone for his misery. He wasn't going to get beaten up ever again, but shooting someone was too easy. He'd had to look his tormentors in the face when they beat him up, and he wanted his victims to suffer just like he had.
Mr. Rudolpho was one of the few people who'd ever recognized the psychological damage that could be inflicted that way. Once Marco had gotten far enough in the organization as hired muscle, he'd set out to truly learn the art of killing. That had led to his lessons with a blade. Mr. Rudolpho had been more than willing to let him cut a man's hand off, or slash a face, to leave permanent scars as a better reminder to the people who didn't submit to them. Killing someone left an impression that faded over time, but using a blade could leave a better mark if done properly. People could often see the results of Marco's work, day after day.
Marco looked up, and noticed one of the new lackeys waiting nervously in the corner, obviously not wanting to disturb the proceedings and anger Marco. He dismissed his 'master' with a look of his eyes, and then waved the newcomer over. It must be some fairly important news for him to bother coming in to Marco's practice gym. He watched the newcomer, Franco Pizante if he remembered correctly, approach until he was in front of Marco, and then held up his hand to prevent him from talking til his 'master' had left the room. Family business didn't concern him, so it was never discussed in his presence if possible.
Marco turned to Franco as the door closed and asked "Yes?" He then waited as Franco licked his lips before answering. The man was obviously not comfortable speaking directly to Marco with no one else around to witness anything that might happen. Marco enjoyed the respect he received from some members of the organization. He'd worked hard to earn it after his early life on the streets growing up.
"We got an anonymous tip regarding the identities of the team who got Luigi. Boss asked if you'd come an talk it over with him."
Whenever the boss asked if you wanted to do something it wasn't really a request, but an order. Marco grunted an affirmative, and said, "Sure thing. I'll be there after I shower. Maybe 15 minutes."
Franco nodded, and turned to hustle out of the gym. Marco smiled with the knowledge of one more person he had totally intimidated. He headed for the showers, knowing he was going to go and face the music with Mr. Rudolpho. He wanted to be presentable for that, there was no point in making him any angrier than he was already going to be. You didn't keep the boss waiting if you knew what was good for you.
He walked into the locker room, and quickly disrobed, noting in passing by one of the mirrors what an impressive figure he posed. He was taller than average, with a well-muscled frame. He was exceptionally proud of the fact that he carried no visible scars. You could see them if you got close, but most people never got that close and lived. He'd picked up all of his scars when he was younger, getting beaten up in his old neighborhood. Once he joined up with the Rudolphos and started training, he'd never gotten another serious injury.
He finished his shower quickly, and dressed in one of his custom suits. You had to dress the part in this organization, so Marco had some special tailoring done for his suits. He had to since he shunned the use of guns when possible. If all you needed to hide was a firearm, any suit would do. For Marco, he needed to be able to hide knives, and even occasionally a full blade, though he'd taken to carrying the energy sword lately due to its ease of concealment. He also needed a suit that allowed the freedom of movement necessary for his chosen weapons. He had his shoes custom made, as well, with a sole more suited to the footwork he needed. While he wasn't quite as fashionable as he could have been as a result, Mr. Rudolpho forgave him because of his results.
He walked down the hallway, turned the couple of corners necessary, and opened the side door to Mr. Rudolpho's office which only he and Mr. Rudolpho's butler used. He coughed loudly to announce his presence, as Mr. Rudolpho was turned with his back to the door Marco had come through. Valentino Rudolpho turned to look at Marco with the expected anger in his eyes. "You're tardy."
"You know that I was working out. You'd have been just as upset if I came in here sweating and smelly. Cut to the chase." Marco knew he'd said what he needed to, he could see it in Mr. Rudolpho's eyes. He also knew how angry Mr. Rudolpho had to be not to be able to think this through for himself.
Having his son arrested had affected him deeply. He'd intentionally limited himself to the one son, even with all of his various wives and mistresses over the years. It had been to prevent any kind of competition to see who might eventually succeed him as head of the family. Since he'd been unwilling to risk another son, he also had no daughters after Luigi was born. The only family he had right now was his son, since his last wife had had to meet with an accident after she blabbed a bit of sensitive information with her girlfriends. Marco had spent a few weeks cleaning up that fiasco, and it hadn't made him any more popular in the organization. Having to kill a half dozen wives and girlfriends of the other members never made you popular. He wasn't interested in popularity, though, only respect.
He wondered if Mr. Rudolpho would ever learn of his involvement in the bust that got his son arrested. He doubted it. He'd never done anything to cross Mr. Rudolpho before in his life. He hadn't even known for sure what he was going to do would work at the time. He'd secretly killed the normal dealer for the job Luigi had been putting together in the hopes it would cause him to panic and make a mistake. It had almost worked out better than Marco had hoped for. The only problem had been that the police brought so many men to the final bust that everyone had surrendered instead of trying to fight their way out.
With Luigi dead and out of the way, he'd have been in line to take over after Mr. Rudolpho, but Luigi was only in jail, not dead. Marco would never be able to kill Luigi himself. Luigi didn't trust him any more than anyone else did. Only Mr. Rudolpho truly did. Marco had really only been trying to make Luigi's attempts to start running some of the business turn into a failure, so that maybe Mr. Rudolpho would realize his son might not be cut out for the leadership, but he'd turned to a GP sting operator when Marco had killed his original dealer. The current cause of all this activity.
"Yes, you're right of course. We've got a list of names and locations. It almost certainly came from those two, nobody else could have gotten the information so quickly. They knew what was going to happen if they didn't atone for their blunder." Rudolpho's eyes narrowed as he looked directly at Marco. "I want these people dead. I want those bastards at the GP to get the message this time to stay out of our way."
Marco accepted his orders with a smile. This was what he'd joined the organization for. The opportunity to show people he was better than them. And the ultimate statement was made by killing them.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.