Tenchi paused momentarily, leaning on the hoe he'd been using in the carrot field. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, and then chuckled at the sight of the sleeping Ryo-Ohki. Somehow she always managed to wake up in time to go to the fields with him right away, but she inevitably fell asleep again once they got there. His jacket made a convenient place for the small cabbit to nap before waking up to "help" Tenchi with the fields.
She'd started coming to the fields with him a few months ago. According to Ryoko she wanted to help him out, since they had so many fields now for growing her carrots. Tenchi had hesitantly allowed it, but things had worked out fairly well, she actually napped much of the time. She would spend some time helping Tenchi after she did wake up, then her attention would wander and she would run around and play. All in all, her help probably canceled out with the time Tenchi lost having to chase her down again when she started running away. He didn't mind though, seeing her playing happily like a small child always brought a smile to his face.
Settling back into the rhythm of the work again, Tenchi let his mind wander as much as it could without interfering. As often happened, he found himself thinking about some of the things he had done with his mother and father when he was just a small child. He remembered how his mother had often been forced to chase him down, much like he now found himself chasing Ryo-Ohki frequently.
He suspected being a parent wasn't exactly like what he felt for Ryo-Ohki, but he thought he had a pretty good idea what it would be like now. The constant glances over to make sure she was still there, the laughing as she lost her balance when she was running too fast, the comforting hugs when she got hurt somehow. It all felt very natural for Tenchi, he couldn't imagine the loneliness he would feel without Ryo-Ohki there, or any of the other ladies either.
'If you are not going to choose any of them, isn't that also a choice?' His grandfather's voice intruded on his thoughts again. He couldn't shake those feelings now, he knew that telling the girls was the right thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he did, they were all going to leave, they wouldn't have any reason to stay any more. Facing Kagato hadn't caused him a fraction of the terror he felt at facing a life without his new family.
--
Kiyone sipped her tea as she watched Sasami busily fixing everything she would need to bring lunch out to Tenchi and Ryo-Ohki in the fields. She moved with such efficiency Kiyone was astounded. She looked much older, but everyone kept insisting she was only thirteen years old. Kiyone couldn't remember much any more about what she'd been doing at that age, but she certainly hadn't been preparing meals for a house of eight people.
She was setting her tea down and standing up to offer her help to Sasami when the younger girl tripped while spinning to wash off the knife she'd just used. Kiyone acted instantly and grabbed Sasami by the shoulder, catching her before she could fall, but receiving a nick on the arm from the knife. She sucked in her breath at the sharp pain, but got it under control quickly. She'd suffered a lot worse than that small gash in her time as a Galaxy Police officer.
Sasami's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the blood start to flow out of the cut, then she turned and threw the knife into the sink. She grabbed the nearest towel, and pressed it hard against the cut.
"I'm so sorry Kiyone! Here, can you hold this tight? I'll go get Washu, she'll fix it up. I'm so sorry." Tears leaked from Sasami's eyes as she made her apologies to Kiyone, then she dashed out the door.
"It's all Ari." Kiyone barely managed a response before Sasami had vanished, leaving her holding the towel on her cut. All it really needed was something to help close the cut and a bandage, surely they had that type of thing around here without having to drag Washu out of her lab. Kiyone wasn't sure she wanted Washu looking at her too carefully, to be honest about it. You could never be sure what she was doing, you just had to trust she was doing what she said she was.
Kiyone wrapped the towel around her arm, and managed to tie it off so she wouldn't have to hang onto it any longer. If she could just manage to slip out before Sasami got back with Washu, she could surely find the simple medical supplies she needed. If worse came to worse, she could always pull the shuttle out of subspace and take care of things there. She stepped through the kitchen door and headed for the stairs.
"Oh, hi Kiyone. What'cha doing?" Mihoshi's voice called from behind Kiyone.
"Uh, hi Mihoshi. I was just going to go look for a bandage actually. I got a scratch in the kitchen."
"Oh, my! You should have Washu look at that, Kiyone. She's the best, she can fix anything."
"It's just a small cut, Mihoshi, I really don't need Washu to..."
Washu's voice broke in, "Need me to what? And it's Little Washu, I've already told you that. Honestly, the people in this house can't follow the simplest instructions."
Washu was regarding Kiyone from just outside the door to her lab, a frightened looking Sasami at her side. Kiyone stifled the urge to glare at Sasami, the girl didn't really deserve it even if she was making unwanted trouble for Kiyone.
"Um, yes, well, I guess since you're here, I have this little cut on my arm, but really it's no big deal. I can just go find a bandage and it'll take care of itself eventually."
Mihoshi said, "Kiyone! Stop that, you're being silly. Let Miss Washu..."
"Little Washu!" called Washu.
Mihoshi continued, "...take a look at that arm, you don't want to get another scar do you?"
"I like my scars Mihoshi, they're reminders of all the mistakes I've made. One more is no big deal." Kiyone was actually fairly proud of most of them. The ones she had were all taken in the line of duty, from successful cases. One of them was from the case that had earned her the promotion to First Class Detective, though she never let anyone else see it due to its location.
"Well, since Sasami has dragged me out here already, I might as well take a look, don't you think?" Washu moved in close to pull the towel off of Kiyone's arm. "Well, isn't that cute. It sure is a bleeder, but you could do worse than that."
Washu materialized her keyboard, typed in a few keystrokes, and everyone turned to watch a small patch of some jelly-looking material pop out of subspace into Washu's hand. She proceeded to smear it on Kiyone's arm.
Kiyone gasped at the feeling of cold from whatever it was Washu smeared on her arm, then relaxed as the sensation faded away. She looked at her arm, and it was clearly already at work fixing up the cut.
"Thanks Washu, you really didn't need to," said Kiyone.
"No problem, really. Actually, since you're here, I probably ought to give you a full checkup. Get myself a baseline to work with and all, you never know when it might be needed." Washu keyed a few more times, and suddenly the little yellow bot was in her hands. "Here we go, now you can just relax Kiyone, I'll just put this on your head. Umm, you know this is a lot easier when you stand still."
"I'm not sure I really need you to do that for me, Little Washu." Kiyone continued backing away, eying the device warily.
"Oh really, Kiyone, stop being such a baby. Here, you can try it on me Washu," said Mihoshi, grabbing the yellow bot and placing it on her head. "Now how do I turn it on? Is it this button here?"
"Aauugghh! Don't do that Mihoshi! No, don't push that," Washu screamed.
(BLEEP, BLOOP, BUZZ, POP)
"Umm, Washu, I think something is wrong with your little robot thing. It seems to have stopped working." Mihoshi eyed the smoking yellow robot in her hands, before offering it back to Washu.
"No, you keep it Mihoshi. I'll make another." Washu walked away, clenching her fists.
Looking at the bot again, Mihoshi said, "Oh, I don't really know what to do with one of these. It is kind of cute, though. Maybe Yukinojo would like someone to talk to when we're not around. I wonder if Washu would fix it for me?"
"Uh, Mihoshi? Yukinojo doesn't get lonely. He's just a computer." Kiyone eyed her partner, the irritation obvious in her eyes.
"I suppose you're right, Kiyone. Well, I'll go put this in my room then," Mihoshi said as she too walked away.
Kiyone looked at Sasami, noting the traces of fright still remaining on the girl's face. Easing the girl's discomfort was apparently not going to come easily. Redirecting that concern was likely to be the best approach in the current situation.
"Well, Sasami, shall we go back to the kitchen? I'll help you finish lunch, and then you can take me out to the fields where Tenchi's working like you promised."
"Wh-what? Oh, yeah, Tenchi will be getting hungry soon. We should hurry up." Sasami turned back to the kitchen and disappeared through the door.
Smiling to herself, Kiyone trailed behind.
--
Ryoko stretched and yawned in her place on the rafter, finally deciding to face the day. Tenchi had snuck out early again, so she'd immediately gone back to sleep, not deeming anything but Tenchi worthy of her time in the morning. She glanced around, noticing that everyone was gone now. She'd kept quiet, even with all the ruckus earlier between Washu, Sasami, and Mihoshi. And the new lady. The pretty new lady. The pretty new lady who seemed to like Tenchi, or at least something about him.
Ryoko teleported herself to the storage closet and grabbed a bottle of Sake on her way to the onsen. The desire to vent some frustration caused her to alter her course up to the mezzanine, knowing she'd probably find Ayeka there sewing something. As she expected, Ayeka was quietly mending a small tear in what looked to be some of Sasami's old clothes. They weren't likely to fit anyone anymore, except maybe Washu, but Washu wouldn't need any clothes fixed.
"Hey, Princess. Interested in a soak?" Ryoko asked, waving the bottle of Sake in front of herself.
Ayeka answered without looking up from her sewing, "I'm obviously busy right now Ryoko. Some of us actually do chores around this house, you know. And it's much too early to be drinking, any way, even for you."
Turning, and floating slowly towards the stairs, Ryoko said, "Ah, well, if that's the way you want it, I guess I can figure out how to handle Kiyone myself." She heard Ayeka's footsteps shortly, and barely contained the snicker which tried to escape.
Falling in beside Ryoko, Ayeka said, "Actually, now that you mention it, I could stand a bath. I swept the dock earlier, and I'm a little dusty."
"Yeah, it'd be a shame for that skin of yours to get all messed up," said Ryoko, rolling her eyes.
"Quite."
A quick stop at Ayeka's room for clothes, and the two headed for the onsen, stripping and settling into the hot water. Ryoko quickly filled two dishes, offered one to Ayeka, and not waiting, downed the other herself. No sooner was she filling her own than Ayeka was holding out her own for a refill.
Ryoko asked, "Too early, hm?"
"Yes, well, it wouldn't be polite to turn down a freely-offered drink, would it?" answered Ayeka.
"Of course, it's all about good manners, isn't it? So, down to business. What are we gonna do? It's hard enough trying to keep Mihoshi and Washu away from him. Now there's another one, and she likes him I think. Did you see her reaction when she met Tenchi?"
"Well, yes I did. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but we should probably assume the worst. You're overlooking something, though. She might be the least of our problems. She just met him." Ayeka downed another dish, and handed it back to Ryoko for a refill.
"What's that supposed to mean? It's bad enough you being here, but how's another girl moving in the least of our problems?" Ryoko downed her glass, then filled both hers and Ayeka's.
"You're overlooking the more immediate problem who's been living here just as long as you and me."
"Huh? Mihoshi?"
"No."
"Washu?"
"No."
"But that's everyone... wait a minute. You don't mean, Sasami?"
"Exactly! Have you noticed anything different about her lately, Ryoko?"
"Well, she hides it pretty well, but she's been a little clumsy. Other than that, no."
"How old is she?"
"I don't know. I'm not a good judge. I didn't grow up the same as other people, you know."
Downing another dish, Ayeka asked with a roll of her eyes, "How old is Lord Tenchi?"
"Let's see, he'd be about... nineteen, I suppose. So?"
"And how old was he when you met him?"
"Fifteen, right?"
"And my sister was how old?"
"Eight or nine, right?"
"So how old would she be now?"
"About thirteen, I suppose. Enough with the questions already." Ryoko quickly drained another dish, then blinked as only a few drops came out when she tried to refill it.
"So, she should still be a young girl, right? Well, why is it she's taller than me already?"
"I don't know. You're the one asking all the questions, you answer them for once."
"It's because she's sixteen years old. At least that's what Washu says."
"What? But that's impossible, I mean, isn't it?"
"Apparently not. And how old would you say Tsunami looked?"
"Oh, I dunno. Twentyish?"
"As I thought, also. So, if Sasami is supposed to be thirteen, but actually sixteen, and she'll probably assimilate completely when she's around twenty, how long before she looks like Tsunami?"
Ryoko blinked hard, then said, "A couple years, maybe?"
"That would depend on how long she's been aging so quickly, wouldn't it? It's possible that it won't be more than a few months. Actually, she already looks quite a bit like Tsunami, don't you think?"
"But, but, that's not fair. Tenchi was supposed to be mine before she ever got to that point."
Ayeka just scowled at Ryoko, not even bothering to argue the point. She was thinking the same thing, and disputing Ryoko at the moment wouldn't solve anything.
Flopping back in the water, Ryoko wailed, "So what are we gonna do?"
"Well, I don't plan to give up. I don't suppose you will?" Ryoko just scowled back at her. "No, too bad. Any way, I for one plan to do something about it. I think the best thing now is to find out what it is Tenchi wants, don't you think?"
"Hmmm, I think I see where this is going. You want me to spy on him, don't you?"
"No, Ryoko, I want us to spy on him. That's the only way it'll be fair. Instead of stopping each other, we work together, at least until we find out what Tenchi wants. Then it's back to usual. Agreed?"
Ryoko stared hard at Ayeka, trying to decide if she was being honest. Unable to detect any dishonesty, she held out her hand. "Agreed."
--
Kiyone kept turning from side to side as she walked, taking in the incredible sights of the little valley where the Masaki fields apparently were. The view was breathtaking, she'd rarely spent any time on a planet since joining the GP, not counting the undercover assignment. That had only shown her the inside of a warehouse in general.
Sasami bounced along ahead of her, walking quickly. She appeared to be in a rush to get to wherever they were going, and Kiyone suspected the reason was Tenchi. Mihoshi hadn't been kidding when she'd mentioned that all of the ladies seemed to be interested in him. It was a lot more subtle with everyone besides Ryoko and Ayeka, but it was easy to spot in Sasami. She glanced at him constantly when he was around, and she probably didn't realize she was doing it.
Kiyone wasn't quite sure what it was everyone seemed to see in him. He was sort of cute in his way, but he didn't do much to really attract your notice. He seemed to fade into the background actually, you almost didn't notice he was there.
"Hiya, Tenchi." Sasami started running down the far side of a hill from Kiyone, obviously having finally reached the point where she could see Tenchi. Kiyone kept her pace the same, allowing Sasami a brief moment alone with Tenchi before she would have to interrupt.
Kiyone smiled as she saw Sasami moving in close to hold out Tenchi's lunch to him, so she started down the hill. The young girl was definitely smitten, but also just as obviously unsure how to act. She almost leaned towards Tenchi when he took the lunch from her hands and even from the distance away that she was, Kiyone could see the smile break out on Sasami's face at a word from Tenchi.
As Kiyone neared, it became clear Ryo-Ohki was probably not doing much to help Tenchi. She was chasing after what was likely a frog or toad from the starts and stops in Ryo-Ohki's movements, and the small hoe which she would presumably have used was lying on the ground only a short ways from Tenchi.
Seeing her approaching, Tenchi said, "Hello, Kiyone. What brings you out here? Usually it's just Sasami bringing me a snack."
Forcing her eyes away from his, Kiyone answered, "Well, I decided to help Sasami out a little today. I feel like I should be doing something to help around here, since you're letting me stay for free. It seemed like a good chance to get out and look around a bit."
Sasami beamed at Kiyone, "Yeah, she was real helpful, Tenchi. Usually only Mihoshi helps me out, and only some of the time. Thanks, Kiyone."
Tenchi chuckled, "Looks like you've already been adopted by Sasami. She makes a pretty good mother once you get used to her strict rules. Her cooking makes up for it, though."
Kiyone laughed as Sasami stuck out her tongue at Tenchi. She could see why Mihoshi liked living here, even if it didn't really make any sense to Kiyone. They were all pretty nice, in their own strange ways.
Glancing around, Kiyone said, "You've got quite a set of fields out here. Do you tend them all by yourself, or does Ryo-Ohki actually help out when she's not chasing frogs?"
Tenchi turned to look for Ryo-Ohki, and shook his head when he finally spotted her. "She does actually do a little work occasionally, but she gets distracted pretty easily."
Tenchi walked over and then gently guided Ryo-Ohki back to the place where Sasami and Kiyone were standing. He opened the lunch Sasami had brought and handed the carrot from inside to Ryo-Ohki.
"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki cried, quickly transforming back to her cabbit form to munch away.
Kiyone opened the lunch she'd been carrying, and quickly divvied up the food between Sasami and herself. When she had finished, Kiyone turned to Sasami to say, "Delicious, as usual. I've only been here a few days, and not a single meal has been less than wonderful. Where did you learn to cook like that, Sasami?"
Sasami answered, her cheeks reddening, "My grandmother Seto taught me. I didn't have many people to play with, but she always found time to spend with me when I needed it. She always said it was good to know how to do things for yourself. She also said that men couldn't res...," Sasami broke off with an embarrassed glance at Tenchi, who seemed not to notice.
"She sounds like a smart woman. I know I'll never be able to cook like you already can, Sasami." Kiyone smirked as she glanced at Tenchi. "Tenchi's a lucky guy to have you around to cook for him."
"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Actually, I think I'm getting fat." Tenchi laughed as Sasami's blush deepened further.
Kiyone looked at him carefully, then caught herself and looked away, blushing slightly herself. "I, uh, don't think you have to worry about getting fat, Tenchi. With all the work you do, and the practicing with, ah, Yosho, it's amazing you're not a toothpick."
"Yeah, I suppose so. Well, I should get back to work. You ready, Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi handed the remains of the lunch back to Sasami.
Kiyone asked quietly, "Um, if it's okay with you, Tenchi, could I stay and help? Like I said, I feel like I should do something to help out around here."
Sasami saw Tenchi stiffen, and cried, "Oh, but, Kiyone, you don't need to stay here with Tenchi..."
"She's right, Kiyone, there's really no need for that." Tenchi turned back to her, the surprise evident in his eyes.
"No really. I want to, I feel like a freeloader. Please?" Kiyone asked.
Tenchi regarded her, apparently attempting to gauge her seriousness. Seeing whatever it was he needed to see, he nodded his assent.
"I suppose if you really want to, I'm not going to try and stop you, Kiyone. Actually, having an extra set of eyes out here to watch Ryo-Ohki would be helpful. Can you carry everything back okay, Sasami. It's not too much?"
"I, well, I guess I can Tenchi. Are you sure?" Sasami looked at Kiyone with questioning in her eyes. "Tenchi usually does this by himself, he's never really asked any of us to help him before. Ryo-Ohki just comes cause she eats so many carrots, and she likes being around..." Sasami broke off, her eyes widening momentarily. "Oh, well, I guess I should get back then. Bye Tenchi. Bye Ryo-Ohki. Bye Kiyone." Sasami started walking back to the house.
Tenchi watched her with a vaguely puzzled look on his face, then turned back to Kiyone. "Well, I guess we should get to work. How much do you know about growing carrots?"
--
Ryoko floated along next to Ayeka as they made their way back to the house after their bath. She turned turned to Ayeka and asked again, "Are you sure about this? Spying on Tenchi? What if he finds out? What if the others find out?"
Ayeka sighed before answering, "Don't think of it as spying, Ryoko. We're just observing him carefully to see what it is Tenchi might like without interfering with each other like usual. Tenchi's not likely to notice anything, and if the others do notice, we just say we're watching out for Tenchi. It's a very simple plan, actually."
"I don't know, Ayeka, it seems too easy. Something's bound to go wrong."
"You just don't like it since it was my idea, Ryoko. Trust me, it'll work. We have to do something, any way, there's too much at stake."
"Yeah, I suppose. If anything goes wrong, I'm blaming everything on you."
Ayeka just sniffed, and walked down the stairs to the main area. Mihoshi was already there, with the TV turned on to one of those strange shows she liked to watch which nobody else found particularly funny. They were about to go sit down by the blonde detective when Sasami came into the house carrying the remains of the lunch she'd presumably just brought out to Tenchi.
Sasami addressed all of them, "Oh, hello Ayeka, Ryoko, Mihoshi. It looks like everyone has their chores done already?" Ayeka and Mihoshi nodded, Ryoko just looked away. "Good. Ryoko, can you and Mihoshi go to the store and get me some groceries? I'm running low on a few things, I'll make a list for you."
Ryoko answered, "Uh sure, Sasami, I guess I can do that. We need some more Sake, anyway, we seem to have run out. Say, blondie, where's that partner of yours?"
Mihoshi blinked a couple times, then answered, "She was with Sasami the last I saw her. What happened to her, Sasami?"
"I took her... that is, she, uh, stayed to help Tenchi work, out in the fields." Sasami fidgeted under everyone's gaze, looking at the door to the kitchen.
"SHE WHAT? She's out in the fields alone with Tenchi. Why, that hussy. I didn't think she'd make a move on him this fast. I'm gonna go and..." Ryoko started heading for the door, only to be restrained by Ayeka.
"Ryoko, she's out there helping Tenchi working in the fields, right? Ryo-Ohki is there, just check with her to see what's happening. No need to go rushing out there and making a big scene over nothing." Ayeka looked at Ryoko hard, hoping she would get the hint that now was not the right time to be flying around making trouble in that way.
"Oh, I suppose you're right, Ayeka. Hang on a second."
Ryoko's eyes seemed to lose focus a tiny bit, and she quieted and stilled. Using the opportunity, Ayeka turned to Mihoshi. "So, Mihoshi, what's Kiyone really like? We don't really know much about her, but you certainly would. What kinds of things does she like to do, what kind of family does she have. Anything that might help us get an idea of what we might do to help her feel welcome?"
"Oh, that's so nice of you, Ayeka. Well, let's see. She likes to work, really. That's what she spends most of her time at, she hardly takes time for anything else. We almost never went out to do anything fun, we were usually so tired that we spent most of our time off catching up on sleep." That earned her some rolled eyes from Ayeka. "She never really liked going shopping like I did, she almost never dated. She did usually seem to fall for younger men for some reason."
"Younger men, huh? Well, she should fit in pretty well around here, then." Washu's voice startled all of the ladies, causing everyone to jump.
Ryoko growled, "What exactly is that supposed to mean, Washu?"
"Tsk, tsk. I'll only answer to you when you call me mother, Ryoko."
"Oh, Washu, hello. What brings you out? Did you want some lunch?" Sasami again looked to the kitchen, obviously in hopes of escaping.
"Actually, that would be wonderful Sasami. I was getting a little hungry, and my experiment can manage itself for a little while; as long as Mihoshi's out here that is." Washu looked carefully at Mihoshi, as if to convince herself that Mihoshi was in fact right there in front of her.
"Okay, I'll go put something together, Washu. It should only take a few minutes if something cold is okay?" Sasami started towards the kitchen, hesitating at the door.
Crossing her arms, Ryoko sniffed, "So what was that comment supposed to mean, 'mother'?"
Gazing back with indifference, Washu said, "Surely even you could figure that out, Ryoko. How could someone produced by my own ovum be so dense? Obviously what I meant was all the girls around here seem to be attracted to younger men. Well, all but one that is." Washu turned to look at Sasami, who squeaked and disappeared into the kitchen.
"That's hardly polite, M... Little Washu. Speaking about peoples' age that way." Ayeka tossed her head with a sniff.
"True is true, it doesn't matter what you say. Except for Sasami, we're all older than Tenchi. Tough beans." Washu turned back to the other ladies. "So then, what's all this about? Scoping out the competition, are we?"
Mihoshi frowned, then answered, "Competition? No, no, Ayeka was just asking about Kiyone so we could try and make her feel more at home. Let's see, where was I? I'm not sure, but I think she has a couple older sisters and a younger brother. Her parents ran a store back home, I believe. Was there anything else?"
Washu was carefully watching Ayeka the whole time, Ayeka blushing slightly under her gaze. "Well, there you have it, Ayeka. So what were you planning to do with that information? Throw Kiyone a welcoming party?"
"Oooh, a party, that would be fun," said Mihoshi, her eyes almost glittering with excitement.
"Ah, no actually, it was really more reference than anything. Just trying to make sure we don't say anything wrong that might offend her." Ayeka tried to avoid Washu's gaze.
"Say anything wrong about what?" asked Ryoko.
"Ryoko, er, aren't you and Mihoshi supposed to be going to the store for groceries. Why don't you go get that list from Sasami." Ayeka started hustling Ryoko towards the kitchen.
"But, don't you want to know about..." Ryoko started.
"No, no, I'm sure you'll bore me with the information some other time, Ryoko. You really should get going." Ayeka pushed Ryoko at the kitchen door. Ryoko had enough presence of mind to phase before flying into it from the force of Ayeka's shove.
"Well, I guess I should get ready to go too, if I'm going with her. Oh, darn, I had another show I wanted to watch this afternoon, too." Mihoshi stood up and headed for the kitchen herself. She passed Ayeka on her way before disappearing behind the kitchen door.
Washu watched Ayeka carefully the whole time. It was obvious that the purple-haired princess was up to something, and Ryoko was in on it, and just as obvious that they didn't want anyone else to find out. Washu made a mental note to check the video she had monitoring everyone's movements around the house more carefully for a while, in particular those two.
Ayeka calmly walked back from the kitchen door, heading for the stairs. "Well, I really should get back to my sewing. I've got a lot to keep me busy today."
Washu watched her disappearing up the stairs, chuckling the whole time. It would be interesting watching Ayeka and Ryoko to see how Kiyone's presence affected them. Her smile quickly failed with that thought in mind, however. She hadn't made any progress with Tenchi either, and another girl in the house wouldn't help her out any. Especially with Sasami's new situation as well.
Washu headed towards the kitchen to get her lunch before disappearing back into her lab. She sat down at her terminal, and stared off into the distance, leaving her lunch untouched.
--
Tenchi knelt down to once again demonstrate for Ryo-Ohki the proper way to use the hoe. A few shaky tries by Ryo-Ohki, and then he was standing up and nodding his encouragement to her as she slowly started getting into a rhythm. Tenchi smiled and patted her on the back, before turning back to continue his own work.
Kiyone smiled to herself. Tenchi's patience had been amazing. Kiyone would have gone nuts if she'd been the one out here trying to keep Ryo-Ohki under control, let alone trying to teach her how to do any actual work. Tenchi had been forced to chase the little girl down at least a half dozen times as she chased after one thing or another. Every time Tenchi had caught up to her, he gently reminded her that she needed to be careful, and then guided her back to the spot where he was working. A quick lesson, and then the two would be working again until the next animal or insect wandered by.
Kiyone continued her own work, feeling the ache in her arms especially from the unaccustomed work. She knew that she was in excellent physical shape, but she was putting her muscles to use in a fashion which she hadn't been training them for. A few days of this, and she knew the strain would start to fade.
It felt good to be doing something to contribute around the house, but she wondered whether she could stand to do this day after day. It was a little monotonous for her, she preferred something a little more interesting. She planned to continue to help out in this way until she could decide on something better to earn her keep, though.
Her attention was drawn by the sight of Tenchi again chasing after a scampering Ryo-Ohki in the distance. Tenchi quickly caught her, wrapped her in a hug, and then started walking back.
As he neared, Tenchi said, "Well, that's probably enough for today. I hope you're not too sore after all of that, Kiyone. Come on, let's grab everything and head back." Tenchi set Ryo-Ohki down, and gave her a nudge. "Go get your things Ryo-Ohki, let's head back so you can play with Sasami for a while. I've got to get to practice with Grandpa."
They gathered up all the tools, and began the walk back to the house. Ryo-Ohki changed to her cabbit form, and hopped up on Kiyone's head. Tenchi managed to calm her down in time to not send Ryo-Ohki sailing through the air. A few moments later Kiyone realized it wasn't terribly unpleasant having the little cabbit on her head, albeit a little strange. The silence lingered for a long time before Kiyone finally asked, "So, Tenchi, what's it like, creating Lighthawk Wings?"
"What? Oh, hmmm, how would you describe something like that? I don't know if I can really relate it to anything. Have you ever had a dream where you're kind of standing next to yourself? Well, no, that's not quite right. I'm sorry, Kiyone, I just don't know how to describe it."
"That's okay, Tenchi. I was just wondering, that's all. It's not every day I get to talk to someone like you."
"I'm sure you've talked to lots of people much more interesting than me, Kiyone. Criminals, GP officers, aliens. There must have been tons."
"I've talked with people with more outgoing personalities than you, but none of them could create Lighthawk Wings. None of them defeated the most wanted criminal in the entire galaxy in a man-to-man duel. What was that like?"
"There wasn't much to it actually. That was the first time I ever used Lighthawk Wings, you know. I didn't even know what they were. Kagato was much more powerful than me, but I guess he wasn't counting on Lighthawk Wings. Once I created them, it was one pass, and it was all over. I'm amazed sometimes that I'm still alive. He didn't have time to prepare himself for the Wings, though. It wasn't really anything special on my part, he just wasn't ready."
Kiyone just walked in silence for a while longer. Tenchi was very unusual. He wanted to brush off his accomplishments and abilities as if they were nothing special. Kiyone knew tons of men who if they could do or had done a fraction of what Tenchi had, they'd be proclaiming themselves to be the future ruler of the galaxy.
"Tenchi, I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. What you did was amazing, no matter what you think. You should be proud of what you've done."
"Well, I am, I suppose, but grandpa always says 'Past victories won't win your next fight.' He's right about that, so I try not to think much about what I've done, cause next time around things might be different."
Kiyone laughed, "Grandpa. Crown Prince of Jurai, the most powerful world in the galaxy, and to you he's just grandpa. You've got quite the life, don't you? I think I'm starting to understand why you like to just hide out here."
Tenchi looked at her oddly, then answered, "I'm not really hiding. This is just where I want to be. I didn't grow up knowing I was a Juraian prince. I grew up a small-town boy in Japan, and I'd just assume keep to that."
Laughing even harder, Kiyone responded, "Small-town boy, huh? How many of the other boys you grew up around live in a house with a bunch of alien women, most of whom have the hots for him?"
Tenchi blushed furiously, and anchored his gaze in the distance. Kiyone continued to chuckle the rest of the way back.
--
Yosho eyed the papers in his hands, wondering what to say. His son-in-law came up with some interesting ideas sometimes. Yosho had hinted that they ought to see what could be done to prompt Tenchi in finalizing his decisions regarding the girls. He hadn't anticipated Nobuyuki coming up with something like this, however.
He pulled the drawing out from under the note Nobuyuki had written and looked at it carefully. It didn't look too bad, but that wasn't surprising. Nobuyuki was a pretty good architect.
He read the note one more time, then put the papers away to think. While it might help Tenchi out, the problem was still getting Tenchi to realize he needed to do something.
--
Marco Manetti put the picture back in his pocket and leaned back in his chair to wait, the glass of wine untouched in front of him. The sound of the surf in the background never registered with his senses, they were devoted to other activities at the moment. Six people had to die, and number one was going to shortly if his investigations had gotten him the right information.
He picked up the wine glass and made a pretense of sipping it. He didn't like waiting in the open like this, but this was the first reliable lead he'd had, and the best place to try and spot his first victim. A tourist planet, famous for its perfect beaches, was not the easiest place to kill someone, but it was easier to go unnoticed in the huge crowds when waiting around. He'd picked the little seaside cafe, guessing it was the best place to spot his quarry, everyone walked by this spot eventually.
He scanned every person that walked by, not seeing the person he wanted to yet. Jun Handa. He'd been the top surveillance person on the operation which had caught Luigi. He was likely to be the toughest to take out because of that, and that was the reason Marco targeted him first.
Without warning, Jun walked by, his arm around a pretty young lady in a blue swimsuit. Marco let them go by, then slowly rose, and dropped some money on the table, making sure it was the right amount. Always leave the right amount, otherwise you risked making a scene.
Marco started off down a different path than Jun and his lady, one which ran approximately the same direction. He eased into the relaxed, purposeful stride which indicated he knew where he was going. It helped to avoid drawing curious eyes as best he could with his size.
Marco never lost sight of his target, even though he was quite a distance away at all times. A ten minute walk finally brought Jun and the lady to a small cottage, and they paused outside while the lady fumbled in her bag for the key. Marco smiled, things couldn't have been better. He'd expected them to be staying in a crowded hotel, which always left the possibility of being spotted at the wrong time. This secluded little place, with only a few similar cottages spread around with huge amounts of trees and bushes for cover would make things much easier.
The two people disappeared inside, and Marco continued walking past without glancing over. He continued down the path until he was sure nobody could see him, then he quickly trotted off the path and into the cover of the trees. He scanned all directions, waiting for a few other tourists to wander past, and when everything was clear, he moved again, running across the brush to drop into the bushes at the foot of the cottage Handa was now inside. He scuttled around the back of the cottage, but couldn't find any other entrance besides the front door, and resigned himself to the direct approach.
He waited until he heard the sound of squeals coming from the lady, and he quickly stepped out from the house, turned, and kicked in the front door. It burst out of the frame, and Marco was in like a flash, a knife in one hand, his energy sword not yet ignited in the other. He hardly even glanced at the lady who was staring in shock at him as he rushed into the room. He cuffed her as he passed, and jumped at the man he'd been pursuing, only to come up short at the sight of the gun against his chest.
"Well, I was right. You're pretty good, I wasn't really sure until just now that I was being followed. Manetti, right? I suppose I should have expected this, but I didn't think you'd come after us this fast. Go get in the bathroom, Sue." Jun Handa indicated the small door at the back with his head, his eyes never leaving the knife in Marco's hand.
The girl disappeared, and Marco kept the smile off of his face. "You didn't think we'd let what you did to the family go unpunished, did you? A little more caution would have been a good idea. Too bad, you're pretty skilled if you noticed me."
"That's what I get paid for. The boys are gonna go nuts when I bring you in."
Marco thumbed a switch on his energy sword, and a humming sound filled the air momentarily. The suddenly-dead GP officer slumped to the floor, a small hole in his chest. "Bring me in. Please. You should have just killed me, and worried about explaining things later." Marco shut down the blade again. "Nobody ever recognizes my energy sword in time."
Marco checked the hilt to make sure no blood was on it, even though he knew there wouldn't be. The wounds always cauterized around the blade so no blood ever splashed. He stepped back, looked at the door the girl had disappeared behind, and decided a witness wasn't a good idea yet. He quietly walked over to the door and placed the hilt of his energy sword against it. He ignited it one more time quickly, then stepped back and to the side on the off chance he hadn't killed her and she had a gun. Hearing nothing but the thud of her body hitting the floor, Marco put his weapons away and stepped out to the front door. Seeing no one in sight he quickly made his way back out to the path he'd originally walked out on.
He smiled as he headed back, savoring the moment surprise had hit Handa's eyes. He still got a thrill from that moment, even after all this time and all those victims. One down, five more to go.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.