Grace Sakumi put the report back into the folder it had originally been filed in. Her mind was spinning at the moment, and she was uncertain what the best course of action would be. She wasn't technically supposed to know what she now knew, but she also hadn't looked at anything that wouldn't have crossed her desk at some point any way.
The entirety of the team which had supported Kiyone on her previous assignment were now all dead, and all were obviously murdered. After considering the dates on the reports, it was obvious to Grace that Sakai would have known that when Kiyone was here for her review. So either he was clueless and hadn't registered the fact, or he was hiding the information from Kiyone. While he sometimes made some unwelcome advances towards her, he had never struck her as clueless. You couldn't be and still make it to the position he had. That left the alternative, that he was hiding it from Kiyone.
Would he be hiding the information because he was somehow involved, or because he didn't want Kiyone to know? The former was frightening to think about, if she approached him to ask, she would likely end up murdered herself. If the latter, why wouldn't he want Kiyone to know so she'd be able to protect herself? More importantly, what could she do to help her friend in this situation without getting herself into serious trouble in the process? She had no way to send Kiyone a message at the moment. She didn't know how to contact Kiyone, her friend's assignment was again classified so that only her superiors could make contact. Grace could find the information, but she would then be investigating information which she definitely wouldn't have been privy to as part of her normal duties. Approaching Sakai, or even Watanabe, could be a dangerous proposition as well, putting herself at risk due to her discovery.
Resolving herself to avoiding the Section Chief and Commander for now, she decided to risk finding out where Kiyone was stationed so she could get her friend a message. If she was careful, she could do so without anyone finding out she'd looked into details she shouldn't have been in. As long as Kiyone never let anyone know how she'd gotten the information, nobody would know it had been Grace.
Unable to bring herself to do anything at the moment, she headed back for her desk, resolving to start her investigations tomorrow. She'd never done anything like this before, but Kiyone was an old friend who deserved to know someone was going to try and kill her.
--
The buzzing of his alarm clock shook Tenchi from his slumber. He groaned and whacked the device to quiet it. He blearily opened his eyes and was relieved to not find a female face anywhere in sight. His relief lasted only as long as it took him to make his way downstairs for breakfast.
Kiyone was sitting at the table, obviously doing her best to ignore the rest of the people in the room, all of whom were waiting at the foot of the stairs for Tenchi. Tenchi stifled a groan, and looked around at the various faces, catching anger, hope, remorse, and a couple others depending on whose face he looked at. He stopped a few steps from the bottom, and let out a sigh of resignation as he prepared for the worst.
"I assume this greeting is in regards to my trip to Kurashiki with Kiyone?" Tenchi let out another sigh at the confirming nods from everyone facing him. "Look, I've already told you we're not going to be doing anything that anybody would consider fun. Why won't you believe me?"
Washu answered first, "Nothing fun, huh? So tell me, what exactly were you going to do with Kiyone on the bus ride to Kurashiki, and then back again?"
Tenchi blinked, that wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Um... talking, I suppose. Probably about what kind of place Kiyone wants to use to sell stuff."
"So, you've got a couple of long bus rides where you'll be doing nothing but talking to Kiyone? When was the last time I got you alone to just sit and talk, Tenchi?" Washu had a serious look on her face, in contrast to her usual spark of mirth. The rest of the ladies were nodding as well, obviously thinking the same thing.
Tenchi's mind spun as he tried to consider the answer to the question. In fact, Tenchi couldn't remember spending much time with just himself and any of the women for any real length of time, unless you counted Ryo-Ohki out in the fields. He definitely had moments here and there where just one of the ladies was around, but they were usually very brief and infrequent.
"That's what I meant. You can't think of anything can you?" Washu shook her head, then continued, "It's a good thing I came out early this morning. You wouldn't believe what these ladies were planning, as opposed to just making you understand."
"What?" cried Ryoko, spinning to face Washu. "I thought you told us not to say..." Ryoko fell silent, glancing quickly in Tenchi's direction, then blanching as she realized Washu had tricked her into admitting something she hadn't intended to. "Grrr, Washu!"
Tenchi sensed trouble about to start, and quickly stepped in to try and avoid a more serious confrontation. "OK, I understand some things now. I'll see what I can do to make it up to everyone some other time. Right now Kiyone and I need to eat breakfast so we can get going and still get back at a decent time."
"That will be fine, Lord Tenchi. Thank you." Ayeka settled herself to eat, quickly followed by the rest.
Tenchi was surprised by the lack of protest, but silently pleased it hadn't blown up into a larger argument. That must mean they'd gotten what they wanted, any way. He hadn't promised anything other than to make it up somehow, so that meant they each probably had their own idea of what that meant. He'd have to be careful. Making his own plans instead of leaving it to the ladies would probably be prudent.
Everyone ate in relative silence, then Tenchi and Kiyone made their goodbyes to a mixture of warm and cold expressions. Sasami slipped a shopping list into Tenchi's hand before they left, and he sighed, thinking of how late it was going to be before they could get back. The two headed for the bus station, enjoying the bright and shiny day which greeted them.
They made the walk in relative silence, only a few words from Tenchi to point out where they were headed. Unable to think of anything to say, Tenchi waited patiently for the bus to arrive, Kiyone doing the same. They boarded when it arrived, and found seats near the back, knowing they had a fairly lengthy ride ahead of them. Each watched the scenery pass in silence for a while, enjoying the restful calm which was a rarity back at the house.
Eventually, Tenchi broke the silence. "So how did you come up with this idea any way? The idea has never even crossed my mind, and I've been here longer than you have."
"You weren't looking for it. I was. Yeah, I go on patrol often enough that I'm not stuck at the house that much, but I still feel like an outsider. You've all been living together so long, you've got your routines down cold. I didn't really feel like I fit in anywhere yet, so I was looking for something to do. That about sums it up."
"I guess I really never thought about it. I didn't want you to feel like you had to do anything, I wanted you to feel welcome like a guest. You don't like to stay idle very much, do you?"
Kiyone laughed as she answered, "You noticed, did you? I guess you might say I'm pretty driven. It's probably the only reason I haven't killed Mihoshi by now, she was always pretty focused on being a good officer, too. Without that, we couldn't have survived as partners. I'm still not sure we can, but what choice do I have?"
Tenchi watched as Kiyone turned away to look out the bus window again. He could see that she was struggling with some emotions right now, but wasn't sure what they were. She'd never really opened up much since getting assigned here, outside of the usual details of who her family was and where she came from. He was pretty sure Kiyone was frustrated with her assignment here, but he also suspected she didn't want to say anything for fear of upsetting him.
"Do you like it here on Earth? Aside from not having anything to do, that is." Tenchi smiled at her startled jump.
"I'm not sure, but right now, I'd honestly have to say... I don't think so. It's not that you're not nice or anything, or anybody else in the house, I suppose, but this job is a dead end for me. Mihoshi's a nice person, but I suspect she's stationed out here to avoid doing any damage in the busier parts of the galaxy. I really can't understand why they still let her patrol, they should have put her behind a desk at headquarters, and stuffed her back in a corner where she couldn't cause any harm. Since I got assigned as her partner, my career's done, nothing happens here that'll ever get me a promotion, and even if something did, Mihoshi would manage enough damage to take the promotion away again. No, I guess I don't really like it here."
She again lapsed into silence, and Tenchi considered her words for a while. He'd been right, but he wasn't sure there was much he could do for her. Only one thing came to mind, and it was something he generally tried to avoid thinking about. When nothing else came to mind, he decided to give it a try.
"Kiyone? Look, I can't really do much to help you out, I don't think. If you'd like, though, I'll ask my grandmother Airi if she can do something. I'm sure if she made a suggestion to the GP, they could probably get you reassigned somehow."
"Thanks, Tenchi, but no thanks. I don't like playing politics at work. You deal with what comes your way, that's how I like to do it."
"Well, okay. I guess we'll just do what we can to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I'm sorry Kiyone, I wish I could do something to help."
"It's not your fault, Tenchi, don't sweat it. Having something to do around here will probably help. At least life at home isn't boring. I used to have trouble keeping occupied before, when I wasn't working, but you're all an interesting bunch to have to deal with."
Kiyone turned back to the window, leaving Tenchi to once again ponder the situation. Unable to think of anything else to say, he turned to the immediate business. "So then, do you have an idea what kind of place you want to set up to sell from? I assume it doesn't need to be much, but a street stall, or an actual store?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure yet, Tenchi. I hadn't actually gotten that far..."
--
Electronic screens filled the entire limit of Washu's vision as she compared data from one with another. She quickly developed some algorithms to try and track down any similarities between two sets of data which caught her immediate interest, and satisfied, started the routine to churn through the enormity of what she'd given it to work with. There had to be a reason for Tenchi's powers, she'd find it eventually if it took her another 20,000 years.
She had just turned her attention to another set of screens where she'd finalized her construction plans for Nobuyuki's little guest house when the alarms started blaring. Jumping to her feet, Washu cleared all the screens but one out of her way and focused her attention on the alert warning residing there. She noted that some kind of spaceship had entered the immediate vicinity, or was it two? She set to work determining who it might be in hopes of not having to run screaming to find Tenchi, in a metaphorical sense any way.
Washu punched a series of buttons, and the screen quickly shifted to show a view of two people standing outside the house looking at the front door. Washu zoomed in on them, and felt a small pit form in her stomach when she recognized whom she was looking at. "Oh, not them! I hope they didn't bring any suitors, I don't know if I could stand to keep having the house destroyed like that again. I suppose I should go greet them..."
--
Queen Misaki of Jurai pointed to a small blemish on the side of the house she and Queen Funaho were facing and said, "Looks like the house has been patched a few more times since we were here last. What do you think? Mihoshi, or Ryoko and Ayeka?"
Funaho smiled and answered, "That definitely looks like Ryoko's work to me. Mihoshi usually manages much more damage, if I recall."
"Yes, yes, you're right. Well, shall we go and knock?"
"You go ahead. I want to go see Yosho, of course."
"Of course. Give him a hug for me."
"Yes, I'll do that."
Funaho turned to start walking down the path towards the hill where her son's shrine resided when the door was opened and Washu stepped out. She paused, then returned to Misaki's side to face the small scientist, offering a small bow of recognition while Misaki squirmed beside her. A smile touched her lips as she saw Washu tensing herself for the inevitable.
"Oh, Washu!" Misaki cried, throwing herself forward to wrap Washu in a bear hug. She squeezed momentarily, then relaxed as a frown found its way to her face. "What..." She momentarily squeezed her arms again, amazed as they never reached Washu's body.
Washu cackled a laugh before answering, "Sorry about that. I didn't feel up to the full treatment right now. Why don't we head inside, and you can lay one of those on your daughters instead of my little force screen." Washu waved a small device, and a shimmer in the air disappeared as she threw the switch to shut the device off.
Misaki's frown only deepened at the explanation, and her foot started tapping as her hands found her hips. She looked at Washu sternly without blinking, and waited for the necessary reaction.
Washu backed a step in consternation, and considered making a break for the door to her lab. She was saved the humiliation by a squeal of delight from behind her.
"Mommy!"
A blur of blue hair flew by Washu, knocking her sideways, though she managed to catch her balance. She gathered herself and turned back to regard what she knew had to be Sasami embracing her mother and burst into laughter. Misaki was standing, arms trapped at her sides and her face turning red, as her daughter did her best to her squeeze her own mother to death. Washu couldn't contain herself and collapsed to the ground rolling in hysterics when Misaki barely managed to squeak a "let go."
Funaho laughed quietly at the reunion scene, and waited for what she considered an appropriate amount of time before moving to separate the two. Seeing Misaki starting to go limp, she tapped Sasami on the shoulder and said, "Perhaps you would greet your Aunt as well?"
Sasami looked up at Funaho, her eyes widening in recognition. She released her grip on her mother, who promptly collapsed to the ground next to Washu. Sasami was headed off from embracing Funaho in a similar bear hug by Funaho wrapping her in one. She laughed, realizing what Funaho had done, and quickly broke free to check on her mother.
"Mother? Are you all right? I'm sorry, I was just so happy to see you." Sasami helped Misaki back to her feet, and giggled as she straightened her robes and dusted them off while offering Sasami what was obviously a feigned stern look.
"I'm fine now. You should warn a person before doing that, though." Misaki jumped as Washu snorted from the ground below. She turned her scowl on the scientist who was still laughing with her arms wrapped around her stomach. "You have something to say, Washu?"
Washu heaved a few deep breaths, interspersed with chuckles, and finally brought herself up to a sitting position. The pain from continuous laughing was evident on her face as she calmed down. One last deep breath, and she answered, "No, no, of course not. Nothing to say that shouldn't be rather evident already, that is. Well, I suppose we should go in, I imagine Ayeka will be happy to see the two of you. I'm sure Ryoko's hiding by now, and Mihoshi's on patrol."
"Perhaps we should. I think it would be wise to have Ayeka present while we discuss how it is that a thirteen year old girl looks like Sasami now does." Funaho looked meaningfully at Sasami, and heard the young girl catch her breath.
Washu's face quickly sobered and she stood up. A look told her that she was in for an interrogation from the two queens, both of whom now had extremely serious faces. Sasami was fidgeting under their gaze, and inching backwards towards the door. Washu reached out to pat the younger girl on the arm in an attempt to calm her down a bit. She faced the two queens with a nod, and stepped aside to let them enter the house. Sasami followed suit, and the two house members followed them inside silently.
--
Tenchi signed the last of the forms and pushed it back across the desk to the man facing Kiyone and him. Standing, Tenchi said, "Thank you, sir, we appreciate this. Hopefully it will be a successful long-term venture for both of us."
Everyone rose to their feet, and Tenchi and Kiyone offered small bows, returned by the property manager. Tenchi turned to leave with Kiyone, and they blinked as they stepped outside into the bright sun. He glanced at Kiyone, and smiled at the look of anticipation evident on her face. He laughed, "You're ready to start right now, aren't you?"
Kiyone laughed as well, managing to look a little sheepish as well. "Yeah, I suppose I am. It's kind of funny I suppose, it's not like I'll be here that often, I still have to patrol with Mihoshi. I think getting out of the house when I'm not on patrol will be best for everyone in the long run, though. Things are a little crazy around there, and I suspect it's only gotten worse with me around."
"It doesn't seem much different to me. Chaos before, chaos now. Not much has changed when you really break it down."
"I suppose."
"Well, I guess now that we've got your stall picked out, we should go do Sasami's shopping so we can go home again. We can still make supper, hopefully. It's always better fresh-made than reheated." Tenchi started walking in the direction he thought the grocery store would probably be.
"You're not kidding. She should open a restaurant, not just have me selling some pastries in a shop once a week."
Tenchi smiled at the thought, knowing what Sasami's reaction would be at the notion. Doing his best to imitate Sasami's voice, Tenchi said, "But who would cook for the family, then?"
Kiyone snorted, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Don't ever do that again, Tenchi. I'll tell Sasami you're doing terrible imitations of her when she's not around."
Tenchi took his turn being embarrassed, and pledged to "never do it again." They walked a few more blocks before arriving at the market Tenchi had been looking for, and headed inside as Tenchi pulled the list Sasami had given him out of his pocket.
Tenchi started heading for the fish stall and handed the note to Kiyone. "Might as well start at the top, Kiyone. Knowing Sasami, they'll be arranged in the best way possible any way, so we don't have to move far to find the next thing. What's first?"
Tenchi took a step or two before Kiyone's arm pulled him to a stop. He glanced back at her, and stiffened at the look of concentration on her face. He turned to follow her gaze, but Kiyone pulled him aside to start walking towards a vegetable stand.
Kiyone whispered, "Don't stare, Tenchi. I think there's a robbery taking place, so try and act casual. We don't want to draw attention." They walked a little farther down the aisle, and Kiyone felt Tenchi tense when a man in a long coat walked past. Tenchi just looked at the shelves, and Kiyone relaxed slightly when the man moved on.
"Okay, Tenchi, I think there's three of them. One across the street, one on the side, and one right by the guy selling chickens. I've seen you practicing with your grandfather, think you can take the one across the street without making too much noise?"
Tenchi glanced at Kiyone, curiosity tinged with concern evident in his eyes. "Probably, assuming he's no martial arts master. That leaves three of them, though, and someone's sure to have a gun."
"You let me worry about that, Tenchi." Kiyone slipped her arm up beneath the back of her short jacket, and Tenchi's eyes widened when he saw her pulling out her GP blaster. "Sorry, Tenchi, I never go anywhere without it. You never know when you'll run into a situation like this." She placed it in the pocket of her jacket for the moment while she considered the situation.
"You can't use that thing here, Kiyone. We don't have guns like that on earth."
"I'll turn it down to it's lowest setting, Tenchi. It won't do more than stun anyone. Nobody will know what it really is, trust me."
Tenchi paused in thought for a moment, then answered, "Okay, maybe. There are still two of them you need to worry about."
"It's okay, Tenchi. If I can take out the one by the seller, everything will be fine. As long as he gets on the floor after I stun that one, I'll be able to deal with the other guy. I'll be fine."
Tenchi frowned, but then nodded, knowing he wasn't going to talk Kiyone out of anything. She was a police officer, she knew what she was doing. Glancing in the direction of the man he was going to deal with, he said in a louder voice, "I'll go get the milk, Dear. I'll be right back."
Kiyone nearly jumped out of her skin when he addressed her as "Dear," then nodded and said, "Okay." She turned to pull a couple things off the vegetable shelf as if deciding which to buy. She put them back, then started making her way towards the counter where the seller was clearly doing his best not to draw any attention to himself while a man with his hand in his pocket stood facing him. She put her hand in her own pocket, and slowly slipped her gun down to her side as she approached, hoping nobody would notice. Counting off the last few seconds she expected Tenchi to need in her mind, she took a few more steps towards the counter.
Kiyone raised her gun, aimed it at the apparent robber, and pulled the trigger, all in a fraction of a second. A small charge of energy left the gun, and crashed into the man, dropping him to the floor where a gun spilled out of his pocket. Kiyone yelled "Get down" at the grocer, then turned to face where the other criminal should be coming from due to the noise she had made. She saw him coming, and she flinched as she saw the explosion that indicated he'd just shot his weapon which was aimed at her.
Kiyone's vision blurred momentarily, and then came back into focus, only now she was not viewing the scene at the same angle as before. Not taking time to consider things, she brought her pistol to aim on the thug who now had a strange look on his face, and fired, hitting him squarely in the chest so he too dropped to the ground. She glanced around herself quickly, looking for any other assailants, and it was only then she realized she was being held in Tenchi's arms. His eyes looked a little wild, but they were scanning the street just like she had been. She shook her head, and struggled out of his grasp to stand on the ground again.
"What... what the heck did you just do?" Kiyone jumped as Tenchi shook his head and started pulling her away. Only then did she notice the screaming from the other patrons of the street market.
He called back over his shoulder, "Call the police," and then proceeded to hustle Kiyone down the street. "Put your gun away," he whispered and started dragging her by her hand.
Realizing what he was doing, Kiyone matched his stride so that he wasn't dragging her, and kept silent as he turned a few times down different streets. She remained silent until Tenchi finally came to a halt near a bus stop just before the bus arrived, and she followed him onto the bus with a smile.
Tenchi headed for seats at the back of the bus where nobody was currently seated, and sat down silently to look out the window. Kiyone sat down next to him, and waited while he scanned the crowd, doing the same herself. Once the bus pulled away, she felt him relax, and she couldn't stop herself from giggling quietly.
Kiyone said, "Well, that was fun, wasn't it? I've missed that feeling, things are a little dull around her most of the time. It's good to finally do what I'm meant to do."
Tenchi frowned in response, and didn't answer right away. He didn't want to say anything until he got a few things settled in his head. It appeared they'd gotten away without anyone following them away. They couldn't afford any attention, even being in the city so far from where they lived.
"Tenchi? Is something wrong?"
Tenchi sighed and leaned back in his seat. "No, Kiyone, I don't think so. I just wanted to be sure we weren't attracting any more attention. I know that kind of thing is routine for you, but I really just want to keep a quiet life, so sticking around to face the aftermath is out of the question."
"Yeah, I kinda figured as much. I'm sorry, I guess I didn't really think about that before I got us involved. My instincts were just to deal with the situation, I should've given a little thought to your situation first. I'll try not to again, Tenchi."
"Well, it turned out all right. It's okay, I don't want you to be someone you're not, Kiyone. But keeping a low profile would be a good idea, considering the fact that we're basically a bunch of galactic aliens hiding out here on earth."
"Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Tenchi."
"Thanks for what?"
"Thanks for making me realize I do like it here on earth."
"Huh? I thought you hated being posted here."
Kiyone did her best to keep the blush off of her face as she answered, "Oh, maybe it's not as bad as I thought it was. Well, are we going to head home, or do we find another store to pick up Sasami's groceries?"
"Oh, man, I forgot all about that. I'm sure she'd understand, but if we've got time, we might as well get them. Thanks for reminding me."
"No problem. Keeping a clear head in these situations is important to a GP officer after all."
"Yeah, I suppose it would be." Tenchi turned his head back to look out the window. "Hmmm, I think we need to get off soon, and catch a different bus. Might as well get ready."
"Whatever you say, Dear." Kiyone laughed loudly as Tenchi nearly jumped out of the seat, then turned to chuckle along with her.
--
Washu breathed a sigh of relief that the interrogation was over. It hadn't gone well at first due to her inability to answer the queens' questions with much definitiveness. She resolved to see what she could do to try and better understand what might be happening to Sasami.
She glanced around the room, and decided a mood-breaker was in order considering all the long faces arrayed before her. "So, I guess I need to get Tenchi's bachelor..., er, Nobuyuki's guest house set up quicker than I thought. The two of you are staying for a while this time, I assume? We'll need the space assuming you are."
Misaki answered, "Yes, we planned to visit long enough to make sure the children were getting along properly. They've been without their mothers for a bit too long, perhaps."
Sasami and Ayeka blanched, then did their best to hide the reaction. Washu chuckled to herself, and decided to help as best she could. "Poor Yosho. I imagine he's in for a bit of a shock, then." Everyone smiled, realizing what Washu had been implying with the comment.
Funaho's eyes twinkled as she answered, "Yes, my son perhaps more than anyone has a bit to explain for. Our last visit was too short, and he's stubbornly refusing to correspond to the extent he should. I'm sure the two of you have been consulting your mother appropriately, in comparison?"
The two princesses again stifled the sour looks on their faces before nodding. Misaki raised an eyebrow in their direction, but didn't comment further.
"Well, if you'll excuse me, then," said Washu, "I've got a few things to set up and then we can get that little house built, quick as you please. Won't Tenchi be surprised when he gets back, an extra house by the lake, and a couple more pretty ladies living in his house?" Washu turned to disappear into her lab, laughing her strange laugh until she disappeared.
"What's this? An extra house for Tenchi? He's not moving out, is he? You girls haven't been making his life difficult, have you?" This time, Misaki's raised eyebrow caused her daughters to squirm uncomfortably.
Ayeka cautiously answered, "No mother, it's nothing like that. It's for Nobuyuki and Rea, when they come to visit. The house is pretty full already, so whenever they come out, we have to rearrange so that everyone has someplace to sleep. This way, nothing has to happen when they visit."
"I see. Well, that's good then. I'd hate to think my own family was imposing their presence in such a way as to inconvenience their host." Misaki left her gaze on her daughters until they had both squirmed in embarrassment appropriately.
"Ah, he'd never admit he likes all the attention."
Only Funaho avoided starting in her seat as Washu spoke from the doorway of her lab, devices of unknown purpose carried in her arms. Everyone settled down again as Washu headed past them to the front door of the house, then rose to follow her as she stepped outside. They wandered down the shoreline until Washu stopped, looking around at the ground in consideration.
"So, you all want to watch me do my thing, huh? It's more fun showing off when there's a crowd, any way. Prepare to be astounded." Washu set a couple of devices down on the ground, then pushed a few buttons on the one left in her hand. "Ah, you might want to stand back a little bit there. Better." Washu hustled the three observers back just far enough to avoid the deluge of lumber, nails, and other building materials which suddenly started appearing in stacks where they had previously been standing.
Washu set up some of her other devices, which seemed to be pointed towards each other from a fair distance apart, though nobody but the scientist actually knew what they were for. After a while carefully arranging them, Washu came back to stand next to the Juraian royals with a smile on her face. "All set? Show time!"
Washu pushed a button on her small handhold device, and suddenly the devices she'd place on the ground began swinging around in movement's almost too fast to follow. Washu chuckled as everyone else took another step back as the building materials started moving on their own. A foundation was quickly laid, and then the lumber starting forming a frame, all while everyone watched in amazement as it happened as if by magic.
"So, pretty neat, huh? I constantly amaze even myself. I could revolutionize construction with these." Washu smiled as she watched her creations continue putting the house together. "Of course, the entire Construction Research Academy would be wiped out in the process. I don't think some of my old colleagues would forgive me for that."
"Yes, it is very impressive. How does it work, I can't see anything to indicate physical contact with any of the materials." Funaho had a small frown of concentration on her face as she watched the process.
"Oh, no, that's my secret." Washu shook her head at Funaho. "Some people I might tell that to, but you're a little too diligent an intelligence officer. I suspect I'd suddenly see my devices at work on Planet Jurai without my consent if I told you how it worked."
Funaho smiled and nodded her head, saying a quiet, "Perhaps."
"That's really amazing, Miss Washu. You're so smart sometimes." Sasami was watching the whole process, wonder evident on her face. "I'm sure Tenchi will be pleased when he gets back."
"He'd better be. It's not just anyone who can build a house in a few hours without any labor, you know. Well, it'll probably start getting dull now, you can only watch stuff flying around for so long before it gets old. Should we head back inside?" Washu turned and headed for the main house, not waiting for an answer.
"Well, my visit to Yosho is overdue. I'll be there for a while, and leave you to catch up with your daughters, Misaki. I should be back by dinnertime." Funaho smiled and then turned to the two princesses still watching the construction with some fascination. "Goodbye, girls, we'll see each other more tonight."
"Yes, Aunt Funaho. That will be nice." Ayeka stepped forward and embraced Funaho briefly, then stepped aside so Sasami could do the same.
Misaki waited for Funaho to head off before herding her daughters back towards the house. "Well, now that all the small stuff is out of the way, why don't the two of you fill me in on everything that's been happening here since I left. Start with why Tenchi is still single..."
--
"This is Fujikara Kawami..."
"...And this is Saito Hanamitsu..."
"...Bringing you tonight's news. Our top story today is an attempted robbery broken up at the street market in downtown Kurashiki. Three gunmen held up the Honshou chicken stall around 3:00 this afternoon, attempting to steal the cash from the register, along with any other valuables the grocer may have had. According to testimony filed in police reports, two people who as of yet are not being identified as undercover officers, came into the store during the robbery. They apparently recognized the situation and managed to overcome all three of the criminals using a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and some form of stun gun. The two unidentified persons, described as a tall, pretty woman with teal-colored hair, and a teenage young man of average size with brown hair, did not remain at the scene to be questioned. The clerk's statements indicated that the man used some form of martial arts to knock out one criminal while the lady used an unusual stun gun on the assailant at the register simultaneously. They then teamed up to stun the final assailant."
"According to Inspector Shirai of the Kurashiki Police Department, the two rescuers cannot be confirmed as working for any known law enforcement organizations. 'Right now we do not have enough information to work with,' said the Inspector. 'What we have are the grocer's descriptions of the two rescuers, and his statements that the man referred to the woman as Dear at one point. Other witnesses saw the two leaving hand-in-hand, which leads us to believe they might be a husband-and-wife team of some sort, but beyond that we do not have any information at this time as to the identity of the two.' Further questions were unable to get any information as to the nature of the stun gun used by the woman, which apparently did not appear to use electric wires as traditional models currently do. 'We can't comment on something we don't know about,' was the only response from the Inspector."
"In other news..."
Tenchi and Kiyone avoided looking at anyone as they attempted to sink into the couch under the steady gaze of almost everyone else in the room. Sweat broke out on their brows as they waited for the inevitable...
"Wow, that's amazing! It's too bad they're from earth, they sound like people who would be great for the Galaxy Police, except they can't go into space since they're not supposed to know about anything out there. We have stun guns that don't use wires already, of course..." Mihoshi was still watching the news report intently, failing to recognize the looks of astonishment her statements prompted.
Turning back to face Tenchi and Kiyone, Washu said, "Ignoring Mihoshi for the moment, is there anything the two of you would like to tell everyone?"
Tenchi did his best to become invisible, but failing, he took a deep breath to answer. "Well, you've kind of got the gist of it already. There really wasn't much more than what you just heard, Kiyone managed to stun two of them, I just got the one with a sucker punch."
"Not that, you moron! Nobody cares that you beat up a few punks. How could you possibly call her Dear?" Ryoko fumed, pointing at Kiyone as her eyes bored into Tenchi's.
Tenchi gulped as his face turned green. He willed himself to disappear, but as before, nothing happened. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Kiyone.
"He was just acting the part, so to speak. We were trying to act natural so they wouldn't suspect anything when we separated to move into position. It doesn't mean anything, of course." Kiyone hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt at the moment. "He showed some definite natural instinct for undercover work, I think he'd make a pretty good police officer if he wanted to be one."
"So why did you leave hand-in-hand then?" asked Ayeka.
"Er... I didn't realize at first how important it was to not bring attention to ourselves. Fortunately, Tenchi was thinking, and pulled me out of there. I thought I was going to fall and get dragged on my face a few times."
"So that was you, Kiyone? And you, Tenchi? Wow, that must have been pretty exciting. Oh, I wish I could have been there to help out." Mihoshi's eyes were almost bursting with excitement as she looked at Kiyone.
"I don't know... It all sounds a little suspicious to me. Tenchi doesn't call anyone dear, and we all know he's had plenty of time to. I'm gonna be watching you, cop-girl. Keep your hands off of Tenchi." Ryoko disappeared leaving a sputtering and flabbergasted Kiyone looking at emptiness.
"She was telling the truth, everyone. We just kind of stumbled into something that required some quick thinking. That's all."
"I certainly hope so. I think I'll retire now, I have some sewing to complete so that SHE has something to sell, soon." Ayeka walked gracefully from the living room and up the stairs to disappear as well.
"Those two...," Kiyone growled.
"Ignore the children, Kiyone," said Washu. "Well, sounds like you two had an interesting day in the end. Not quite as boring as you thought it would be, after all."
"Yeah, that's really neat, Kiyone. You saved that store from being robbed." Sasami walked over to give Kiyone a hug, then blushed a bit as she looked at Tenchi and returned to her seat.
"Miya! Meow, miya, meow!" Ryo-ohki bounced up and down, waving her hands in the air.
"Yes, Ryo-Ohki, I'm sure you would have been a great help if you'd been there." Washu smiled as she patted the cabbit-girl on the head.
"This has all been very exciting of course. Perhaps now would be a good time to move some things into our room. We'll be staying in the new guest house Washu built today, I assume?" Funaho stood, followed by Misaki as they moved towards the front door.
"No, no, I'm sure you'd rather stay close to Ayeka and Sasami. We don't really know how stable that house is yet, either, I'd hate to see either of you get hurt. I'll move into the other house, you can have my room, I'm sure we can get another bed in there. I hope Dad wasn't planning to come visit any time soon. I'll go start packing up some things to get them out of there." Tenchi headed up the stairs, oblivious of the scowl on Washu's face.
"Stable? How stable it is? I'm insulted. I'll show him stable, all right. Let's see, how do I go about creating a hurricane here without access to the usual assortment of weather-controlling satellites..." Washu started for her lab, pausing as she was restrained by Sasami.
"Err... Miss Washu, I don't think Tenchi meant anything by that. He's just trying to be polite to Mother and Aunt Funaho, that's all." Sasami held onto Washu by the arm until she saw some of the anger fade from the scientist's face. "I really think he just wants to stay there himself, to make sure it seems suited to guests, before he lets anyone else."
"Hmmm... maybe you're right, Sasami. He's got to pay for that remark regardless of what he meant by it, though. Fine, I'll skip the hurricane for now. He'll make up for it later..." Washu turned again as Sasami dropped her arm, and headed into her lab.
"Can we help you bring your things down, mother?" Sasami pulled Ryo-Ohki over in front of her as she asked the question. "I assume it's all still on Karin, or Mizuho?"
"Yes, that would be nice, thank you Sasami, Ryo-Ohki. Shall we go, then?" Misaki led the small party outside. They disappeared for a few minutes, and reappeared loaded down with bundles retrieved from the queens' respective ships. "You're sure this is okay? We really can stay in the guest house. I'm sure Washu wouldn't make any mistakes that would be dangerous."
"No, mother. Once Tenchi's decided something, it's best to let him do it." Sasami giggled a bit thinking about Tenchi. "He gets all worried that some of us might somehow be uncomfortable. He takes his 'being the host' thing very seriously."
"Well... okay, then. I guess if it's what Tenchi wants, that's what we'll do. Right, Funaho?"
"Of course," answered Funaho.
"Miya?" asked Ryo-Ohki, indicating the open doorway to the house.
"Yes, Ryo-Ohki, we should probably go in now. Be careful, that bag is very heavy."
Ryo-Ohki trudged up the step to the house, stumbling twice, but refusing to drop the bag she was carrying. "Miya. Miya. Miya. Miya." The little marching song being chanted by Ryo-Ohki brought a smile to everyone's face as they disappeared into the house, closing the door behind them.
--
Neon lights flashed from signs and tables and even the chairs inside the 'Lucky Eights Casino.' It was a shabby place, most of the gaming tables were showing their age and lack of care, but that didn't stop the constant buzz of excitement which emanated from the gamblers within. The 'Lucky Eights Casino' had the shabby clientele to go with its shabby veneer, and when it was all said and done, everyone liked the current setup, both the casino's owners and the gamblers who frequented it.
Eishi Sakumi threw down his cards in disgust after losing another hand. He watched as the dealer raked in the last of his chips and then reached for his wallet out of instinct. He didn't bother to pull it out, knowing full well there was nothing inside. He stood up and turned to leave, ignoring the slight wobble which always accompanied his exits from the casino after a long night of drinking and playing cards.
He passed the last of the tables and was only a few steps from the exit when a large man stepped over to him from his left. He blearily turned his head to face whomever it was, and flinched from the cold face which looked back at him.
"Eishi Sakumi? Could I have a word with you?"
"That's me. Whaddya want? My money's all back at the tables, and I ain't asking for any more tonight."
Marco Manetti smiled coldly and guided the drunken gambler away from the main exit and to an office along the side. He closed the door behind them and then directed Eishi Sakumi to a small chair facing the large metal desk which dominated the room. Once Sakumi was seated, Marco walked around and seated himself behind the desk.
"I've got some good news, and some bad news. The good news is you don't owe the casino any money any more." Marco laughed as Eishi's face screwed up in confusion. "The bad news, Mr. Sakumi, is that you owe me the money now."
"How's that?" asked Eishi. "You bought up my markers? What for? I'm good for them, I've always paid off the casino, I'm sure they told you that. I've got me a good side-job when I need it, I always get the money."
"Well, you see, I'm not willing to wait for you to pay back the money like the casino is. No, Mr. Sakumi, I expect you to pay me back right now."
"What? You can't do that! That's not how loans work, you always have time to pay it back." Sakumi was sweating now, realizing he was dealing with someone who had an agenda which didn't leave any room for negotiation. "What do you want, then? I don't have anything, I got rid of my house a long time ago."
"No, Mr. Sakumi, you don't actually have anything I want specifically. What you do have is a daughter I need to speak with, however, and an invitation from me isn't likely to get me very far."
"Grace?" Sakumi's sweat turned cold on his brow. He'd never worried about getting his son Courage into trouble, but Grace was another story. He worried about her, she was trying to live a straight life. "What do you want with her?"
"She's the person most likely to have the information I need. There's a GP officer I'm having trouble finding, and she should know where I can find them. All you have to do is get your daughter to meet me. All she has to do is tell me how to find them, and your debt is taken care of and I'm out of your life. See? Simple, nobody gets hurt, nobody loses their money. Well, except me, but the information is worth the money I'm losing from you."
Sakumi squinted his eyes, trying to read the truthfulness of the man facing him. If the man was telling the truth, Sakumi would have his debt erased, and he'd be in good shape financially for quite some time to come. If he was lying, then Sakumi would be getting his daughter involved in something which might get her in trouble, or even worse, hurt or killed.
"Look, just leave my daughter out of this. I'll get you your money, just give me a few days. My daughter doesn't need to be part of this, I don't want my problems to be her problems, she's a good girl."
"Sorry, Mr. Sakumi. I can't do that." Marco leaned back and raised his hands to the back of his head, bulging the arms of his suit noticeably. "That's how it's gotta be, you don't get any say in the matter. Come on, just ask her nicely and this will all go smoothly. We don't want it to get not-smooth, do we?"
Sakumi straightened in his chair and looked as calmly across the desk as he could. He could recognize the menace in the man's voice, and knew he was going to end up talking to Grace eventually, regardless of the outcome here. He decided his daughter's best chance was to cooperate now, and hope the man kept his word about his daughter not getting hurt.
"All right. I'll see if I can get her to come and visit, but I can't promise anything. We're not exactly on the best of terms right now. Just don't hurt her."
"That's what I like to hear. As long as everyone acts nice and does what they're supposed to, I promise not to hurt her. Just make sure I get a chance to talk to her."
Marco stood up and handed a small note to Sakumi. "There's the information you'll need to reach me when you have the meeting set up. Let me know so I can be there. Then it'll all be over. See ya, Sakumi. Don't disappoint me."
Eishi watched as the large man disappeared through the office door. He didn't trust himself to stand up for the moment, so he studied the piece of paper momentarily before tucking it away in a pocket. He took a few deep breaths, and stood to leave as well. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get in contact with his daughter. He hadn't spoken to her in over a year, and wasn't sure he even knew how to call her any more.
He wobbled out of the casino, now due to the weakness in his knees instead of any intoxication. He almost hailed a cab before remembering he had no money at the moment, and wearily turned to begin the walk down to the small apartment he now lived in.
'I'm sorry, Grace. I wish I'd been a better father...'
--
Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.