Queen Misaki of Jurai decided she needed to see her daughters again. She could only stand it for so long before the need to hug someone started coursing through her body. Her husband King Azusa had banned her from hugging him in public. Queen Funaho had politely requested the same, arguing the royal chiropractors and acupuncturists were overworked. While there were always others to hug, it wasn't quite as fulfilling as it was with family, and therefore a trip back to Earth was warranted. Besides, her daughter Sasami was probably coming up on a time when she'd need a talk from her mother about the facts of life.
She quickly walked down the short hall between hers and Funaho's chambers to see her 'sister'. She assumed that Funaho would probably want to come along as well to see her son Yosho, not to mention her great-grandson Tenchi. He wasn't technically Misaki's great-grandson, but she pretty much considered him one since there was more family to hug that way. She suspected that he might become her great-grandson by marriage at some point any way. Between her two daughters, one of them was bound to catch his eye for good. Ryoko and Mihoshi were both unquestionably beautiful and both had certainly seemed interested in him as well, but they just couldn't compete with two cute and adorable girls like her daughters.
She knocked on the door and waited patiently for a servant to open the door from the inside. Funaho was not really the type to use a maid, but she allowed the practice for security reasons.
Stepping inside, she said, "Funaho dear, I have an idea. Let's go to Earth and visit the kids, shall we?" Misaki assumed that Funaho would agree, and didn't waste any time selling the idea. She knew Funaho missed her son just like she missed her daughters. She'd mentioned it a few times recently. Now that Funaho actually knew where Yosho was, it hit her harder than when he had been missing for those 700 years. She'd missed him terribly of course, but couldn't do anything about it. Now she could.
Without even looking up from the papers she was reading, Funaho answered, "You know very well I want to go Misaki, but shouldn't we perhaps talk to Azusa first? He might have something to say about us leaving right when the Beldonan ambassador is coming to visit. He gets cranky whenever he has to be too polite to someone, and if we aren't around he might do something rash."
Misaki could see that Funaho was laughing to herself as the two of them shared a personal joke. King Azusa of Jurai had once made the mistake of assuming that if his wives chose to not be present when he entertained guests, he was free to flirt with some of the pretty ladies in attendance. They had found out of course, palace gossip took care of that. The two of them had privately corrected Azusa's errant behavior, and they were quite certain he would never try it again. They loved the king passionately, but he took a lot of work to keep from getting out of control. It was one reason that two wives were actually a good thing.
"Yes, yes, we'll tell him of course, not that he has any say in the matter. Who knows, he might actually have a message for some of the children he'd like us to bring along. I'm a little suspicious of his apparent lack of interest since our first visit. I expected him to try something before now, honestly. He's never been defied by his children so unanimously before. He'd never admit it, but it was probably good for him." Misaki was smiling broadly with Funaho, now. Poking fun at their husband behind his back was one of many activities the two of them enjoyed together.
Funaho scanned a few more lines on the page in her hand, then set it down neatly in a pile on her desk before answering, "Well, I have most of my affairs in order, should we go talk to him now?"
Misaki blinked, and then looked curiously at Funaho. She never had her 'affairs in order' so-to-speak. Information gathering was a never-ending task. Then Misaki frowned, as she realized Funaho's sources had probably informed her of Misaki's preparations to make a trip. Funaho had probably guessed correctly at the purpose behind her inquiries, and started making plans of her own. While she appreciated what Funaho did, as it helped her keep her husband safe, Misaki could never get used to the fact that Funaho's sources also included reports on herself as well. With an exasperated look for Funaho, she agreed. "After you."
The two left Funaho's apartments, and headed for the king's council chambers. He could usually be found there during the day, talking to one minister or another, or whoever it was who needed to talk to the king for some reason. After a walk of a few minutes, they arrived at the door used by the palace inhabitants and staff.
They stepped through the door, and caught King Azusa's attention. He was chatting with the Minister of Public Works, an event which always left him irritated. Azusa didn't have much interest in where and when statues and monuments should be built, and would prefer if he never had to deal with the man.
The minister was short and skinny, with a slightly upturned nose which only added to the effect of his nasally boring voice. Azusa interrupted quickly at the sight of his wives, thankful for any chance to get a break from the minister. "Excuse me a moment, Cianode, I see my wives need my attention for a moment. We'll pick this up momentarily." He excused himself, and stepped back to confer quietly with his wives, noticing as he did so the slightly conspiratorial looks on their faces. He'd learned to recognize that one as trouble over the many years he'd been married to them.
"Well, I see I'm probably going to be asked for something I don't want to give, so let's have it. What are you two up to?" While Azusa was thankful for having two beautiful, intelligent women such as those two for his wives, dealing with the two of them tested his patience.
Misaki answered, "Nothing special dear. We just want to go to Earth and visit the children. We thought you might want to pass on a message for them when we went"
Azusa quickly noticed they weren't asking permission, and also weren't including him in the plans to visit. "Hmmm. Well, I'd prefer you not leave until after the Beldonan Ambassador's visit of course. They haven't had contact with us for almost 400 years, and it'd be an insult for them to not be greeted by the two of you as well. We'll discuss this after that"
Azusa waited, knowing he was going to be overruled, and curious which of the two was going to do it this time. Funaho's face had remained even, but he saw the telltale bulging in Misaki's eyes, and knew where the scolding was coming from. Ah well, the tongue lashing he would receive from her now would be repaid passionately later. Funaho was more even-tempered in all respects than Misaki, which translated to bedroom recreation as well. Misaki was much more energetic, though Funaho was often much more creative.
"You know very well we'll go whenever we decide to. And obviously we've decided we're going now. The Beldonan ambassador won't care one little bit whether we're there or not. Do you have a message for the kids or not?" Misaki's foot was tapping now too, and her arms were crossed. Azusa found her incredibly cute when she did that, but he managed to keep it to himself in general. It wasn't a good idea to laugh at her when she was mad.
"Ahem. Yes, well, that's not really appropriate you know. I am the king after all, and you're the Queens. We have appearances to keep up. Hosting foreign emissaries is an important part of that..." Azusa trailed off, barely hiding his smile as Misaki's frown deepened into a scowl.
"We'll do no such thing. You have 10 seconds to come up with a message for your children before we leave. Understand?" Misaki gave him her most meaningful look, knowing what his response would be. She didn't mind, they'd been playing these games for a long time. They'd been married too long and everyone knew each others mannerisms too well, it was mostly just for show any more.
Azusa finally let the mischievous smile break out on his face, then replied "Ah, yes, I suppose that's best then. You'll owe me, of course, for having to entertain without the two of you of you to relieve the boredom. What shall I make you do, then? It's going to have to be good..." The innuendo was obvious, and Misaki's face immediately relaxed into her own smile. Funaho's had never changed, but she smiled now as well.
"I'm sure we can think of something... between the two of us." Funaho's thinly disguised suggestion of a threesome was not lost on Azusa. They'd done it before, of course, but not frequently. Only when they wanted something important from him. He got what he wanted, and they got what they wanted. The ability to compromise successfully was a reason their multiple marriage had worked so well for so many years. Jealousy and inhibition might have caused it to fail, but Azusa knew how fortunate he was to have found two women so willing to work together with him.
--
Kiyone found herself once again sitting in the office of her commanding officer, though this time it was only Section Chief Sakai's office. She was here for a quarterly review, and not happy about how things were going. She masked her frustration and answered his questions as best she could, wondering the whole time how much longer Section Chief Nobeyama was going to be on leave before he came back on duty and managed her section of space again. Reporting to someone besides Sakai would be a relief.
"So then," Sakai droned on, "you pretty much have four stops for traffic violations, two arrests for improper cargo manifests, and one arrest of a petty thief trying to escape through your space, in three months time."
Kiyone answered, "That's correct, sir."
He continued, "I must say, that doesn't seem up to your standards, detective. And the expenses put in for by your partner and yourself seem somewhat, how should I put this... extravagant."
Kiyone gritted her teeth, and bit back all of her excuses to blame everything on Mihoshi. It wouldn't get her anywhere right now, she'd save it for when Nobeyama returned.
"We had a couple mishaps. Mostly routine stuff gone awry, sir. We really need to get the missile racks refitted. I can't help that Yukinojo takes special ordinance."
"Yes, that is true, Yukinojo is a rather unique ship. Unfortunately, the expense is a little beyond your budget for the moment. I'll pass this on to Commander Watanabe, he'll have the final say."
Kiyone made a note to stop in and see the GP dentists before leaving, all the gnashing wasn't going to be good for her teeth. "All right, sir. I understand."
"Well, I should have enough information to finalize your review. You should be able to access it in a week or so. Was there anything else to discuss while you're here?"
"Well, not really. I guess I was wondering how things were going with my old team. Any word on them? I haven't been able to track any of them down, no one has answered my correspondence." Kiyone was fishing, she was hoping to find out if her team had gone back undercover without her for some reason.
"Your, ah, old team? No, ah, no news. I'm sure they're just busy with their new assignments. Hush, hush, you know."
Kiyone kept the irritated look off of her face, but that was what she'd thought. Apparently the team had gone back out again, but for some reason she'd been left behind and stranded in a dead-end job with Mihoshi instead of a good assignment again. Someone had it out for her, and she suspected she knew who, she just didn't know why.
"Okay, thank you sir. I'll be going then."
Kiyone rose to her feet, saluted, and then left the office to try and find the nearest snack shop. She needed to grab something for the trip back that was a little better than what Yukinojo made available. It was nutritionally sound, but not really satisfying for the foul mood Kiyone was in at the moment.
Sakai wiped his brow as the door closed. This was a risky game he was playing. He'd been keeping quiet about the disappearances of Kiyone's old team. Kiyone was now the only one left, and the only person who knew her entire former team was dead was Sakai himself.
--
"Kiyone," shouted a voice from behind her.
Kiyone spun around, dropping a few bags of snacks in the process. Her scowl deepened, and she was ready to lay into whoever had shouted her name when she recognized Grace Sakumi. She mentally calmed herself down, not wanting to take out her frustrations on the innocent young woman.
"Hiya, Grace. Look, I'm kind of in a hurry to get out of here. I hope you don't mind if I don't stay to chat."
"Oh, well, that's okay. I just wanted to be sure I at least got to say hi. Ah, I guess it didn't go well?"
"No comment. Look, like I said, I wanna get going, but can you do something for me? My old team is back out on assignment. Can you keep an eye out and let me know what they might be doing? I'm not asking you to tell me anything classified, just what kind of assignment they got that I didn't."
"Er, yeah, I'll do that, Kiyone. Well, bye then."
"Bye, Grace."
--
(A few days later)
Kiyone smashed her alarm clock as it buzzed, and immediately pulled herself back underneath the covers. She wasn't in the mood to go on patrol today, Mihoshi could do it by herself. It's not like anything ever happened that needed two officers, anyway.
"Kiyone?"
"Go by yourself, Mihoshi. I'm not in the mood. You can handle it, you did it before I got here."
"But, but, Kiyone. That's against regulations. It's our duty."
"Stuff duty, at least for today. This wasteland of a section of space will survive one day without me on patrol. Look, Mihoshi, I just need to let off some steam, and being stuck on Yukinojo without anything to do isn't going to help."
"Well, okay Kiyone. I hope you feel better. You know, I haven't had a review since I got stationed out here. I wonder why..."
Mihoshi wandered out, and Kiyone once again pulled the covers up, this time all the way over her head. As usual, Mihoshi just managed to make her angrier without even knowing what she was doing. After a while she realized that laying in bed wasn't going to appeal to her either. She got up, stripped out of her pajamas, and threw on her most comfortable outfit, her stretchy pants and bulky sweater. She combed her hair, arranged her headband, and slowly headed downstairs to face the day.
Mihoshi was already gone, a strange occurrence, in fact everyone was gone already. Mihoshi wasn't usually quick to get going, lingering over Sasami's cooking, and having to retrieve numerous objects she needed or wanted to bring along, such as her gun. Kiyone was relieved though, she might have exploded if faced with Mihoshi any more this morning.
She sighed and headed for the kitchen to grab something for breakfast, though it would certainly not be as good as eating a warm breakfast Sasami had just made. She entered to find Sasami working on something that smelled delicious, probably a dessert of some kind.
"Hello, Sasami. Sorry I missed breakfast. I don't suppose I could get something to eat now?"
"Hi Kiyone. Of course you can. It'll be cold but I'm sure I've got something around here you can eat."
Sasami put down the utensils she'd been working with and rummaged through the fridge, grabbing a few things that would probably still turn out to be a better breakfast than anything Kiyone used to eat before finding herself stuck here. Sasami was quite possibly the best cook Kiyone had ever encountered and she was still a young woman. She also seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience of cooking for everyone which was also strange for someone her age.
She sat down to eat what was indeed still a very tasty meal, and watched Sasami get back to work. The young girl hummed quietly at times, probably not even conscious she was doing it any more. It looked like she was working on more than one dessert in fact, possibly a couple, or perhaps something that was going into the meal at lunchtime at any rate. A thought crossed Kiyone's mind.
"Sasami?"
"Yes?"
"Do we actually manage to eat everything you make?"
"Well, sometimes, but not always. It kinda depends on Mihoshi. I usually try and make enough in case she's really hungry, but sometimes I guess wrong."
"Hmmm..."
Kiyone chewed more on the idea forming in her head. Sasami happily continued cooking whatever it was she was cooking, and Kiyone was certain she was moving onto something else, another new dish of some kind. That settled it, there was definitely some potential there.
"Well, thanks for breakfast Sasami. I'll see you later, I think I'm gonna go check out Tenchi in the field. I skipped out on my real work, I ought to do something, at least."
"Okay, Kiyone. Bye. I think Tenchi's coming back for lunch, so I'll see you then."
Kiyone walked out, and headed for the fields, making a quick stop in her room to put on some better work clothes. She'd forgotten all about her irritation with her situation in life and Mihoshi by the time she reached the fields to help Tenchi and Ryo-Ohki.
--
Later that day, Kiyone watched as Tenchi sparred unsuccessfully with his grandfather. A short conversation with Tenchi as they'd returned from the fields had piqued her curiosity, so she'd asked if she could watch his practice.
(THWACK)
"Owww!"
"Tenchi! Pay attention."
"Sorry, grandpa. All right, again?"
"Mmmm," Yosho nodded.
The two again squared off, and began sparring. Kiyone was pleasantly surprised. She'd expected them to be very capable fighters, but from what she'd witnessed, they were much more than that. Tenchi was extremely skilled, Kiyone wouldn't want to face him without a gun, and from a distance. As good as Tenchi was, he got rapped about consistently by Yosho. He probably was the best swordsman in the galaxy just as Ayeka claimed. You never knew for certain, though.
She watched the two blur through numerous forms and styles. Sweat poured off of Tenchi, and Yosho appeared to be perspiring as well. It wasn't an incredibly warm day, but Tenchi had taken his shirt off a while ago, and Kiyone had been admiring his lean muscles as surreptitiously as possible. She wouldn't ever admit that Mihoshi had been right in noticing Kiyone found him a bit attractive. He was still boring, though.
Yosho once again scored a solid hit on Tenchi, and Kiyone chuckled as he rubbed the back of his shoulder. She got up to leave, having seen as much as she wanted to for the day. She waved at the two and thanked Yosho for letting her watch, then headed back for the house. Only a short distance down the path a movement caught her eye, causing her to freeze. She looked where the movement had been, and after a few moments saw a tiny bit of blue hair from behind one of the bushes.
Kiyone considered calling to her momentarily, then realized Sasami might not want people to know she was there. With a chuckle, Kiyone moved off towards the house again. The girl was infatuated by Tenchi like most everyone else around here, so it wasn't surprising she would sneak out to watch, especially at her age. She'd probably been doing it for a while, with no one the wiser.
She'd only wandered a little farther down the path when she heard rustling behind her, and she stopped to see Sasami carefully backing out of the bushes so as to not get anything on her clothes. The urge was too great for Kiyone this time, she stepped into Sasami's view with a smile on her face.
"Helloooo, Sasami," said Kiyone.
The young princess jumped dramatically, easily getting a foot in the air and a few feet backwards. Sasami relaxed when seeing who it was, then turned bright red and looked sheepishly back towards where Tenchi and his grandfather were still sparring.
"Er, hi Kiyone. What are you doing out here?"
"Oh, I asked if I could watch Yosho and Tenchi practicing. I'm no swordswoman, but I can appreciate some of the techniques. It's good to remind myself that in my line of work you might have to fight someone occasionally. So, what are you doing out here?"
Sasami squirmed, opening her mouth to say something that never came out. Kiyone couldn't stop herself from chuckling out loud, the girl was so embarrassed at having been caught watching Tenchi.
"That's not nice Kiyone!"
"I'm sorry Sasami, you're right, but you should see your face right now. Look, I won't say anything about you sneaking out here to watch Tenchi if you don't want me too. I think it's cute, really. I can't remember my first crush, but I'm sure I probably did something like that when I had it."
Relief flooded Sasami's face, and she ran over to squeeze Kiyone in a hug. She exclaimed, "Thank you, Kiyone! Please don't tell anyone!"
"I... won't... tell... really... please... let... go...," Kiyone panted.
"Oh, sorry, Kiyone." Sasami let go, and dropped back sheepishly again. "You can't tell anyone, though. People would get upset."
Kiyone verified that all her ribs were still intact after Sasami's bear hug, and seeing that they were she considered that Sasami didn't name anyone specifically. She was curious who Sasami was most afraid of having find out. Her sister seemed likely, but considering how Ryoko flew off the handle when people made advances at Tenchi, you probably wouldn't want her to find out either. Actually, with Sasami it was probably everyone, she seemed to be the type who wouldn't want to upset anyone in any way, if possible. She turned and started walking back towards the house, and Sasami fell in beside her silently.
"He looks pretty good, though, doesn't he?" asked Sasami.
Kiyone stumbled, then caught herself. She hadn't been expecting any more conversation from Sasami, and especially not a question like that. That was a question she really didn't want to answer in this house. Her face turned red as she caught the quiet chuckle from Sasami, and as she looked at the younger girl's grinning face, she realized Sasami had done it on purpose.
"Score one for Sasami. Yeah, I suppose he does. Don't tell anyone I said so, though, okay? Someone might get upset."
The two shared a laugh at their joint predicament, then Sasami nodded her agreement. They continued into the house in silence, interrupted only by Ryo-Ohki flying out of the house and jumping up onto Sasami's shoulder.
--
Tenchi mopped the sweat off of his face after his workout. His grandfather was doing likewise, which made Tenchi feel good. He still couldn't actually beat him, but at least he was making him work hard enough to break a sweat now. After he'd gotten dried off as best he could, he pulled his shirt back on. Routine had him putting things away without even thinking about it while his grandfather left to begin his own activities, so it caught him by surprise to hear his grandfather's voice.
"You seem to have another admirer, Tenchi. Is she perhaps the one?"
"Wh-what? I don't... oh, you mean Kiyone? She was just here to watch practice cause she was curious, that's all." Tenchi turned to pick things up, then collapsed to the ground as a wooden sword struck the back of his head. "Owww. What was that for?"
"Fool boy! You're going to treat her like all the others then? So be it."
Katsuhito tossed the practice sword to Tenchi who caught it in his left hand while rubbing his sore head with his right. His grandfather walked off without another word, leaving the puzzled Tenchi watching him walk away.
Tenchi stood back up, collected everything and stored it away properly, then headed for his house again. What was his grandfather's problem? Kiyone was just a friend of Mihoshi's, wasn't she? She didn't act like any of the other ladies, never groped him, or hugged him, or flirted with him, or teased him, or any of those things. She didn't even seem to be happy about living here, she complained from time to time about how her career was in the toilet due to her posting on Earth. Surely his grandfather was mistaken.
Satisfied that he was right and his grandfather was wrong.... He stumbled, realizing what he had just convinced himself of. In all the time he'd known his grandfather, how often had Tenchi been the one who was right and his grandfather was wrong? Was it possible that Kiyone really did like him? A little bit of worry crept into Tenchi at the thought. That was a complication he just didn't need. He couldn't figure out what to do already, that would just make it worse.
--
Ayeka was just stepping out of Kiyone's room as Kiyone arrived. Her eyebrow quirked up in question as she faced the Juraian princess.
Kiyone asked, "Were you looking for something, Ayeka?"
"Oh, hello Kiyone. No, I was just dropping off the clothes I'd mended for you and Mihoshi, along with that new pair of pants Mihoshi wanted. I finally finished them, so I figured I should bring them up. I hope you don't mind but I put them inside since neither of you were around."
"Thank you, Ayeka. That was nice of you. We really appreciate that, you know. Wearing our GP uniforms isn't a good idea, but we don't have much of a budget for Earth clothes." A thought flitted through Kiyone's mind. "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How does a princess of the Juraian empire become such a good seamstress? It doesn't seem like a skill that a princess would have much call to learn. I know I'd just put holes in my fingers if I tried to do it, and I actually have a little reason to know how."
"Hmmm. It's hard to say for sure. They always teach you to do a few things growing up, princess or not, never knowing what kind of person will like what. It's probably similar to how Sasami seems to like cooking so much. I find it relaxing in a lot of ways, it leaves your mind free to think things through while you're getting some work done. You can't daydream too much, of course, but enough that I can think through most of my troubles if I want. Yes, that's probably it."
Kiyone considered it a bit, and that made as much sense as anything. For some reason Sasami cooking had never struck her as all that unusual, but Ayeka sewing did. Strange how the mind worked sometimes.
"With all the people in this house, doesn't sewing and mending take up most of your time, especially since you also help with the cleaning some of the time?"
"It's not so bad, actually. You'd be surprised how much sewing you can get done when you're really concentrating on it. I could make a lot of new clothes for everyone if people needed it and I had the materials to work with. Tenchi won't let us convert any Juraian money to spend on things like that, though, even though it would be an insignificant amount for Sasami or I."
"Yeah, I've noticed that. Not that I have much money, but I wouldn't mind buying a few things now and then, I do have a job that pays me, after all. I sometimes wonder how much money Nobuyuki and Yosho have to contribute to keep things afloat around here. With all the Sake you and Ryoko go through, it's a miracle we can buy food." Kiyone smiled as nicely as she could to let Ayeka know it was a mild jest, nothing more, though she earned a sniff any way.
"I'm sure Ryoko drinks much more than I ever could. Your partner drinks some, too, you know."
"Easy. It was a simple joke, I didn't mean anything by it, really. I've been known to knock some back on occasion, though I guess I haven't really since I got here, now that I think about it. Well, except that time Mihoshi nearly got us suspended by destroying a couple of the broadcast satellites here. I couldn't stop her from using the missiles. Aarrgghh! That woman is still a menace, I don't care who her grandfather is."
"Yes, well, I suppose I do occasionally drink a bit myself." Ayeka colored a bit, but offered a friendly smile. "It's a bit hard to imagine Mihoshi as a real GP officer, even though I know she is. Her luck is terrifying, I've never seen someone scrape through so many things that should kill anyone else. Why, last week alone, she tripped off of the top of the shrine stairs at least twice. I'm quite certain she went to the bottom one of those times."
"Uggh. Don't remind me. I was at the bottom." Kiyone rubbed her shoulder momentarily, feeling a phantom twinge from the bruise she'd gotten from being knocked down by Mihoshi. "Well, thanks again, Ayeka."
"You're most welcome, Kiyone."
Ayeka watched Kiyone's back as the detective entered her room and closed the door. A scowl fought with a smile on Ayeka's face. She was just another rival for Tenchi, no matter how nice she might be. How she survived partnering with Mihoshi was a mystery, however.
--
The small brown van pulled up near Tenchi's house without any notice. Nobuyuki and Rea exited the vehicle and approached the house, stopping to knock on the door. Nobuyuki clutched a long tube in one hand. A few moments later the door was opened by the small form of Ryo-Ohki. She looked at the two arrivals then jumped up and down with a great "Miya!" A few heads peeked around from various locations, and greetings were issued as the newcomers stepped into the house.
"Oh, Nobuyuki, Rea, it's great to see you. Oh, I'll go grab a couple extra plates." Sasami hustled into the kitchen, returning shortly with a few extra dishes which she arranged, crowding the table somewhat to make space.
"That's great, Sasami. I've missed your cooking... Ouch!" Nobuyuki winced, and rubbed his back where Rea had punched him. "Sorry, dear. Your cooking is excellent as well, just different from Sasami's."
Rea addressed Nobuyuki with a stern look, "Of course. I'll remember that."
Nobuyuki winced again, this time not from the pain of her blow. He sighed, and then turned back to face everyone. "Well, I suppose you're all wondering why we're here. Tenchi, I've brought the plans." Nobuyuki held forth the tube he'd brought along. "I was hoping you might convince Washu to put this together. Without any, ah, modifications, if you know what I mean."
Tenchi stepped up to take the tube, and slipped the architectural drawings out just far enough to see that there were a large number of designs inside. He then slipped them back inside, and nodded to his father.
"I'll give them to her, but I can't guarantee anything beyond that. She doesn't take suggestions about how she should do things very well, and she never met an idea that she didn't think she could improve upon. Hopefully she'll listen this time."
"Thanks, Tenchi," Nobuyuki said.
"Listen to what?"
Everyone jumped as Washu's voice broke from the doorway she'd just stepped through. A rub of his head, and Tenchi answered, "Um, dad put together the drawings for a little guest house for when he and Rea come to visit on weekends and such, so they don't have to put anyone out of their room in the house. We were hoping you might be able to get it built fairly quickly. He put a lot of work into the designs for it, though, Washu. Could you have it built pretty much to his design, without changing things?"
Washu snorted, then held out her hand and said, "Let me take a look."
Tenchi handed the tube over, and Washu slipped out the plans, and flipped through them one by one, studying each one only briefly. A few moments passed until she reached the last drawing, then she looked up and said, "Piece of cake. Looks more like a bachelor pad for you, though, Tenchi."
"Wh-what? Why would you think that?" Tenchi stammered, his face growing red.
"Oooooh, Tenchi. You were looking for a little private getaway for just the two of us, weren't you?" Ryoko sidled up and draped herself around Tenchi from behind, running her finger in circles on his chest.
"Get off of Lord Tenchi! Why would he build a house to be alone with you of all people? You harass him all the time already." Ayeka pulled Ryoko off of Tenchi, almost-visible sparks shooting between the two.
The usual melee started, Mihoshi and Tenchi ineffectively trying to break the two up, Sasami watching with remorse in her eyes. After a few moments Ryo-Ohki had witnessed all she could stand and started crying, just adding to the bedlam. Rea came to the little cabbit-girl, taking her in her arms, and with a loud voice called out, "I think that will be enough. You've made Ryo-Ohki cry."
Everyone immediately fell silent, except for the still-crying Ryo-Ohki. Numerous apologies were given and pleasantries spoken until Ryo-Ohki calmed down again.
"Perhaps we should sit down for supper?" suggested Rea, and everyone quickly agreed.
A relatively quiet meal passed, Nobuyuki and Rea catching up on events from the house and passing on their own. When everyone had finished, Nobuyuki and Rea got ready to leave. Nobuyuki said, "We need to get going. I want to stop by and visit with father for a bit. The building materials will start being delivered soon, Little Washu. Goodbye, everyone."
Everyone called and waved their goodbyes as the couple left, then retired to various pursuits, mostly in front of the television. Washu pulled out the drawings again and looked through them more carefully, humming to herself, and occasionally jotting notes. Tenchi glanced over her shoulder on a trip to the kitchen, and froze when he noted what she'd written.
"Uh, Washu, no modifications, remember? I don't think it needs that." Tenchi pointed to a scribble, turning red. "In fact, that's not even part of the house. We just need you to build the house, not the furniture, too."
Washu laughed, and regarded him with mirth in her eyes. He stepped back nervously as she said, "Oh come on, Tenchi. A private little getaway like that place ought to have the right equipment inside. I mean that's what the house is for, isn't it?"
"Dad just wants a place to stay when he and Rea come over, so our house doesn't get crowded. He just wants some privacy, he doesn't..." Tenchi broke off as his face went from red to green. "I really don't want to think about that, Washu. No furniture, okay? Just the plans as my dad gave them to you."
Washu sighed, and erased a few of her notes. She shook her head as she said, "Too bad. We could've had a lot of fun in there when your dad wasn't around. We still could, I suppose, but apparently you're not ready for the really creative stuff yet. Not surprising I suppose, you apparently aren't ready for the really basic stuff, either. Oh well."
Tenchi quickly slipped away, not wanting to continue the conversation, and Washu laughed to herself again. She picked up all the plans and headed back to her lab, trying to decide how best to build the small house.
--
Kiyone watched Ryo-Ohki playing with the small objects for a while, curious what they were and where they had come from. They looked like little red balls of some kind, perfectly shaped, and decidedly shiny. In fact they looked quite a bit like the ones Ryoko often wore as earrings. A glance at Ryoko confirmed this fact, making Kiyone curious.
Kiyone asked, "Ryoko? Are those things Ryo-Ohki's playing with some of your earrings?"
Ryoko regarded her curiously for a moment, then answered, "Yep. I've been making a few spares lately, cause she likes to play with them." Ryoko nodded in Ryo-Ohki's direction. "I think she must get a little charge out of them or something. Without me wearing them, they shouldn't be anything but harmless crystal balls, but maybe she can sense something in them, I don't know."
"Sense something? So there's more than just a shiny piece of glass in them?"
"Yeah. I use them to help me control certain abilities. They're just copies, since Tenchi won't give the originals back."
Tenchi flinched, then shot back, "Hey, grandpa's tree needs them Ryoko, I can't give them back. Not until we can figure something else out, any way."
"Copies?" asked Kiyone.
"Yeah. I suppose you don't know the whole story. Not that it's any of your business, but I'm sure your blabbermouth partner will tell you if I don't, so here goes. I had three gems," Ryoko glanced menacingly at Tenchi who pretended to ignore her, "which are the source for a lot of my power. When Yosho stuck me in the cave, he sealed me up by absorbing my three gems into that fancy sword Tenchi has. With all three I'm a terror on a major level. Planets tremble."
Ayeka snorted from her seat, but continued looking at the television.
Ryoko turned to yell at Ayeka, but caught an angry shake of his head from Tenchi, and subsided. She turned back to Kiyone to continue, "Any way, I've only got one of the originals right now, so I make copies to help balance things out. All my power is concentrated in my left side, otherwise. It's not the same as having one of the originals, but it gets me by. Since Ryo-Ohki gets her power from the gems through me, she might feel a bit of something from these, even though they're not the real thing. Nobody else would think they were anything except a heavy piece of colored glass."
"Interesting," answered Kiyone. "Are they dangerous? I mean, there's some kind of power wrapped in there somehow."
"Nah. They lose their power pretty quick when I don't have them. They used to just disappear when I dropped them, but I figured out how to make them stick around so I can charge 'em back up again instead of making new ones all the time. She gets a few toys that way, too." Ryoko smiled at Ryo-Ohki who was now playing catch with Sasami with the small balls.
Kiyone reached down to pick up one from the floor that wasn't in use and looked at it carefully. It was very pretty, probably nicer than anyone could make out of just glass. Some more advanced materials might be about as good, but they were quite striking.
She looked at Ryoko again, another question coming to mind, "So how fast can you make these things?"
Ryoko gave her another quizzical look before answering, "I dunno. I've never tried to make a whole bunch or anything. Maybe one a week if I really worked at it, probably more like every other week if I only worked on it occasionally."
Kiyone nodded, finalizing some ideas that had been flitting about in her brain. She glanced over at Tenchi who had been listening to the conversation with some interest, a puzzled look on his face as he looked back at Kiyone. She asked, "You realize you've got the makings of a thriving little enterprise living in this house, don't you, Tenchi?"
"How so?" he responded curiously.
"Well, you've got Sasami who can make tons more food than we could ever eat ourselves, assuming that walking stomach isn't hungry for some reason." Kiyone looked at Mihoshi, who had joined in the game of catch. "And then there's Ayeka who makes and mends clothes for everyone, and could probably do more if she had a reason. And these little balls Ryoko makes, you could sell these for a pretty penny, I'd bet." Kiyone flipped the little ball up in the air and caught it again.
"But, they don't need to do that," Tenchi protested. "We get along just fine the way things are right now."
"Oh, come on, Tenchi. What's wrong with a little extra spending money? I'm not saying you should turn this place into a sweatshop, just let them make some stuff to sell every once in a while. Goodness knows we could use the money to pay for all of the sake your father buys and those three drink." Kiyone's gaze indicated Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi with her last statement.
"Well, maybe... We'd have to be careful about it, though. We don't want people coming out here to the house all the time. There'd be too much chance of someone seeing something they shouldn't."
Kiyone smiled, he'd gone right for what she wanted. "No problem. I volunteer to take the family wares to the city every once in a while to sell them somewhere. I need an excuse to get out of here every once in a while, any way. I'm getting a little stir crazy."
"Well, I guess it's okay with me, if it's okay with them." Tenchi looked at the ladies in question, and all nodded.
Sasami said, "I'd love to, Tenchi. I've got all sorts of recipes to try out, it'd be lot's of fun."
Ayeka answered, "That would be fine, Lord Tenchi. I could certainly do that if it would contribute something to the house. Mihoshi will have to take over most of the cleaning chores, however."
"Oh, that's okay. I don't mind," said Mihoshi.
"More sake? Sounds good to me," answered Ryoko, finally.
"Well, there you go Tenchi." Kiyone was exhilarated, finally something to do besides work in the fields or sweep the floors, and it would get her away from Mihoshi from time to time.
"Um, okay then. I guess if everyone wants to." Tenchi did his trademark head rub, then smiled at the beaming faces looking back at him.
"Yayyyy!" Mihoshi and Sasami clapped their hands, and Ryo-Ohki quickly joined in.
"Well then, now that that's settled, where's the nearest city, any way?" Kiyone asked.
Tenchi paused in thought momentarily, then answered, "Well, I suppose it'd be Kurashiki. If you mean a real city any way."
Kiyone didn't realize her mistake until after she said, "Right. Tomorrow you're taking me to Kurashiki. I need to look for someplace to set up shop." Only then did she realize she was getting looks ranging from concerned to angry from the other ladies present.
"What?????" screamed Ryoko. "If she's going, I'm going."
"Indeed," agreed Ayeka. "That seems only fair."
Mihoshi and Sasami nodded, prompting the same from Ryo-Ohki. Tenchi looked nervously around the room, considering the best answer. He didn't want anyone to get upset, but taking all the ladies into town together was a near-certain recipe for disaster. He gulped once, then said, "Actually, I think it's probably best if just Kiyone and I go. We'll attract too much attention together. We're just going to be looking at shopping stalls any way, that's hardly exciting." He was forced to hold up his hands as the expected protests started. "Ladies, please. We'll talk about this later. Trust me, you'll all be having more fun here than we will in Kurashiki."
Kiyone nodded appreciatively at seeing Tenchi holding up under everyone's protests. He didn't seem to enforce his will very often with most of them. It really was for the best, any way. There was no telling what might happen with anyone else along, and she and Tenchi could get things done much faster without the hassle.
"Well, if that's settled?" Tenchi looked around, receiving mostly bleak stares in return, but no one argued. "Good. Well, we'll need to catch an early bus tomorrow, Kiyone. It takes a while to get there. I think I'll let grandpa know I won't make practice tomorrow." Tenchi sighed, imagining the pain he was likely to suffer at his first workout afterwards. "Then I'm going to bed. You're gonna have to keep an eye on Ryo-Ohki tomorrow morning, Sasami."
Sasami nodded, then everyone started turning back to whatever they were doing, offering Tenchi calls of good night. Kiyone rose, and followed him out, planning to head to bed early as well so she could survive rising early to catch the bus.
Ryoko waited until the two were gone, then frowned and said, "Something's fishy here. How long has she been here? A few months? And now she's going to the city alone with Tenchi. He won't let any of us go farther than town, and she gets a trip to the city?"
"But you heard what he said, Ryoko. It's just better not to have us all along. I think he's afraid we won't behave." Sasami blushed slightly at her mild rebuke, but stiffened when Ryoko and Ayeka tried to protest. "You two can't behave around Tenchi, and you know it. That's why he can't take any of us." Sasami stared the two down with a look that dared them to argue with her.
Ayeka quickly cowed, realizing as she did so how much Sasami was taking after their mother. She didn't like thinking what a formidable young woman Sasami was turning into and couldn't help worrying about what things would be like soon as Sasami continued to age rapidly. Ryoko fared no better under the steady gaze of Sasami.
"Fine. We're not going, that's been decided. The question is, what do we do about it? Tenchi's been a little more open lately, and I don't think he realizes Kiyone has eyes for him, too. Now she's managed to arrange a whole day in the city with him by herself." Ryoko scowled at nothing in particular, and finally turned it on Mihoshi for lack of any place else to focus her ire.
Mihoshi squeaked, "B-but, Kiyone's not like that. I mean, I think she likes Tenchi, but she'd never try and steal him away purposely. She really does just want something to do, I think."
Ryoko teleported herself in front of Mihoshi, and put her face in front of the blonde woman's. "Oh, really? And what happens when they spend the day shopping, and eating at restaurants, and taking in the sights, and they come back holding hands and kick all of us out of the house?"
"I believe you may be exaggerating things just a bit much, Ryoko. Lord Tenchi is certainly not likely to make a decision that quickly after all." Ayeka smiled at her joke. Frowning in disappointment that her joke fell flat, she continued, "I believe we can arrange for some way for him to make it up to us. If there's one thing Lord Tenchi is, he's always fair. I for one intend to see that he grants me an equally fair portion of his time. Yes, I believe that would be just fine."
Mihoshi's eyes lit up at the thought, and she exclaimed, "Ooohhh. Some time with just Tenchi and me. We could finally go on a picnic..." Her eyes unfocused as she started considering possibilities.
Sasami nodded her agreement to Ayeka's idea, and then said her goodnights and scampered off to bed with Ryo-Ohki bouncing in her wake. Ryoko eyed the near-delirious Mihoshi, then writing her off, considered Ayeka. "Well, I suppose that's the best we can do. You have some decent ideas occasionally, don't you? I'm still not happy about this, though. Kiyone's wormed her way too close to Tenchi too fast."
"Perhaps. Until events get too extreme, though, I plan to use the situation to my advantage as much as possible. Good night, Ryoko." Ayeka left the still-fuming Ryoko, and disappeared up the stairs.
"Bah. Nothing better happen, that's all I have to say." Ryoko gave a disgusted glance at the now-sleeping Mihoshi, and then disappeared.
--
Marco stood patiently in Mr. Rudolpho's office, watching the crime lord pace back and forth. He'd reported on his activities to date, which had been mostly successful, but he knew the explosion was coming soon. Sure enough, Mr. Rudolpho finally spun to face him, his face almost crimson with anger.
"All you've done is get rid of the peons. Not only have you not killed the person responsible for getting my son arrested, you don't even know where they are. Why do I even keep you around, if that's the best you can do?" Valentino Rudolpho punctuated his statements by pointing a finger directly at Marco.
Marco waited a few moments, just long enough to make Mr. Rudolpho even angrier, then answered calmly, "Because I'm the best you've got. A couple of them were squealing like crazy, they gave me tons of information about GP activities, undercover officers, all that kind of stuff. They just don't know where she is, she disappeared to that planet. Knowing she's on the planet isn't much help. Wherever Makibi is, there's only one or two people who know about it, and I don't have access to them. You don't just march into GP headquarters and torture information out of a commanding officer. We need to find someone in the loop who can help us out. A secretary or something, somebody who might be susceptible. It's time for you to call in some favors, Mr. Rudolpho, if you want Kiyone Makibi. Those two officers are playing a game, knowing how long it'll take us to track her down. They're playing for time."
The emotions raging in Mr. Rudolpho's eyes were interesting to watch. Anger, frustration, calculation, and probably a few others flashed, and Marco knew he was the only person who could get away with talking to Mr. Rudolpho this matter-of-factly when he was so angry and still actually get through to the man.
Mr. Rudolpho asked, "Fine. Well, I'll have my sources look into it, see if they can track down somebody working for those two that we can influence. Enough. I'll let you know when we have something. Get out."
Rudolpho turned his back to Marco, and looked out of his window as he often did when he drifted into thought. Marco fought down his usual urge to stick his knife into that exposed back. That would have to wait until he had a firmer grasp on control of the organization. He slid quietly out of the office, and headed for his quarters. He punched up his current workout instructor, and ordered him to the gymnasium. Marco was planning to beat out some frustration onto the unsuspecting soul who didn't know he was standing in for Valentino Rudolpho until the proper time came.
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.