THE JOB, Chapter 12: Obligations To Insanity.

DISCLAIMER: Tenchi Muyou! is copyright AIC/Pioneer, LDC. I claim no rights to it. However, all events in this story are entirely of my own imagination. Please don't change them. Feel free to distribute this story as widely as desired.

FOREWORD: Finally! I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. But, with moving and recent events, my mind and heart haven't really been in it. I didn't want to write a piece of crap, just to keep the story going. So, without further ado, I present Obligations To Insanity.

AUTHOR: Dreamr

LAST REVISION: 26 March 2003

EMAIL: TrueDreamr@Hotmail.com

BEGIN.

Tenchi walked the short distance from the top of the stairs in the Harada home to the only room with lights and sounds coming from within. Dinner was nearly ready, and after setting the table, Kagusa had asked him to fetch the ladies from upstairs. He peeked through the crack between the door and its frame to see if there was any reason he should not enter. Ryoko and Futsuki were sitting on a red and white quilted bed, talking.

"He's so cute, Ryoko! Where ever did you find him?"

Ryoko's pleased smile grew embarrassingly wide.

"I got shot down over some little backwater planet out on the fringe, and crashed right in his backyard. I was gonna hide out at his place for a while. But, that airhead GP detective Mihoshi blew it for me."

"Was he mad?"

"Mmm... maybe a little."

Futsuki giggled, even as Ryoko continued telling her tale.

"But you know what? When I started chasing them around Tenchi's house, he actually stood up to me. He stood there with nothing but a broken stick, daring me to attack, even though I was throwing sparks and energy all over the place."

"Throwing sparks?"

Ryoko sat up and held out her hands.

"Like this."

Arcs of energy began crackling back and forth between her hands. Ryoko immediately stopped the display when Futsuki reached towards her hands.

"Don't. It'll hurt."

Instead of pulling back, Futsuki took Ryoko's hand.

"I wish you had stayed. Then you would never have had to learn to hurt people with your powers."

For a moment, Ryoko looked confused as she thought about that. But then she laid back and smiled.

"But then I would never have met Tenchi."

"You love him?"

Ryoko stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds before answering.

"Yeah. I guess I do."

Tenchi shut his eyes as what he had suspected for so long was finally confirmed in terms even he could not dismiss. Now, the only question was what was he going to do about it. For the moment, the only thing he could think of was to open the door and let them know dinner was ready. A more in-depth consideration could wait until later. He took a deep breath, then knocked.

"Come in!" Both voices called.

With a slight push, Tenchi opened the door, fully revealing Ryoko's room from several years ago. It was definitely a girl's room. Most of the decor was in red and white, except for the walls, which were powder blue. The shades, the drapes, the bed, everything else were red and white. There was a poster of a baseball star at the plate on one wall, and a beautiful blond female singer on another. The furniture was painted powder pink, to match the powder blue that so closely matched Ryoko's hair. The only thing that did not appear to match Ryoko was the state of cleanliness. Tenchi had seen Ryoko's room back in Okayama, and it was a pig's sty. This place was clean, neat, and orderly.

"Do you like my room, Tenchi?"

Tenchi stared at Ryoko in shock. He could find only one answer.

"It's, uh... clean."

Ryoko's jaw dropped as Futsuki laughed loudly.

"Oh, you should have seen it before I cleaned it up. I swear, getting Ryoko to keep her room clean was almost impossible! I suppose it was a sort of rebellion against that awful school she was in before she came to live with us."

"Aw, come on! I wasn't that bad! I hardly had anything to throw around, anyway."

Then Tenchi noticed the tall pink stand in one corner with an impressive set of sports memorabilia. He made his way across the room to take a look. When Ryoko realized what had caught his interest, she was more than happy to get up and explain what he was looking at.

"That's mostly the same stuff you saw at the school. I tried some other sports, too. But baseball was the most fun."

"I see." Tenchi continued to peruse the selection of odds and ends, until he saw a picture of Ryoko and her foster parents at a picnic with family. Ryoko smiled when she saw what Tenchi was staring at.

"That's Kagusa's family reunion. See that little guy over there? He's such a squirt! And this lady here..."

Futsuki could see when she was no longer needed. With a knowing smile, she quietly got off the bed, and made her way out of the room to allow the younger generation some time to bond.

After the end of the morning's meetings, the two ministers who were conducting the private investigation into Ryoko's past approached Princess Aeka to update her on their progress. The Minister of Social Affairs.

"We have news, Highness."

"Proceed."

"Our agents conducted a records search at the orphanage. They found photographic evidence that she was there for the first several years of her life."

That information was of little surprise to Aeka.

"I see. And what of the priest?"

"Interviews conducted with the nuns suggested that he was indeed abusive in the ways that were described. Also, the older ones report that he was habitual. If we can find some of the others who were once there, we should be able to put together an excellent case."

"Very good. I want him arrested at once."

The Minister of Justice had the unhappy task of informing her Royal Highness that the man was very nearly beyond their reach.

"He has since moved on, and is now an Arch-Bishop. It would take a Royal Decree to have him removed."

"You have it. Are there any more problems?"

"Ah... well, the Royal Pontiff has the right to demand that the decree be carried out by verbal proclamation."

Aeka eyed the minister with disdain.

"Do you believe he will insist on that?"

The portly man thought carefully for several moments before giving his answer.

"If we're only talking about one person, he may not. But, the Church of Tsunami will lose face if someone with such a large public standing is accused."

"Well, it won't do to leave it to chance. I'll make the trip tomorrow after lunch. That man's crimes will not go unpunished for any longer than is absolutely necessary."

"Yes, Princess!"

The men scurried off again. But this time, they were wearing smiles.

"It's good to have the princess back."

"It's even better to have her support. I've been wanting to nail this guy for years."

Kamidake watched as the ministers walked away obviously pleased with their princess' new-found motivation.

"Princess, may I ask a question?"

"Of course you may."

"What has prompted the Princess to conduct this investigation?"

"Kamidake, the laws of Jurai apply to all its citizens, whether priest, pirate, or princess. I heard a story a few weeks ago that was so ghastly, I could not sleep for fear of the images and dreams that would haunt me. It was the story of Ryoko's life. If such activities are allowed to go on in today's society, then my family has been even more irresponsible than Ryoko, herself. This is something I must do as First Princess."

"It doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you owe Ryoko your life?"

Aeka cringed.

"Must you remind me?"

Having finished Kagusa's magnificent meal, Tenchi, Ryoko, and Kagusa sat down in the living room while Futsuki poured hot green tea for them. Dinner had been wonderful, if a little bit quiet. But now that the eating of the evening meal was concluded, they could sit and talk. Kagusa had acquired a wooden pipe, from which he lazily took an occasional puff. As soon as Futsuki noticed he had taken out his pipe, she objected to its presence.

"Kagusa, did you think to ask our guests if they mind?"

The head of the house reached up and plucked the wooden pipe from his lips.

"You don't mind, do you, Tenchi? I'll stop if it bothers you."

"I don't mind. Actually, it kind of reminds me of the incense my grandfather sometimes burns at the shrine."

"Oh? Is your grandfather a priest?"

"Yes, he is."

Always eager to be the center of attention, Ryoko jumped in to the conversation.

"I can't believe you still smoke that crap."

Tenchi cringed at the rudeness of Ryoko's comment. But Kagusa seemed to take no notice of it.

"Well, I did give it up while you were here. But, once you ran off, I took it up again."

"Yes, you did, dear." Futsuki commented as she sat on the couch next to Ryoko. "And you promised you would give it up again if Ryoko ever came back."

Kagusa gave his wife a look of mock surprise.

"Did I say that?"

"Yes, you did."

"Well, then. As I am a man of my word..." He took the pipe and held it upside down over an ashtray. With a light tap against the side of the tray, the smoking weed fell out. Tendrils of sweet-smelling smoke wafted up from the dried and ground leaves as they continued to burn, albeit, at a much slower rate. "It's a shame, though. This pipe has been in my family for five generations. What would my great-grandpappy say?"

As Futsuki filled the cups, Ryoko took hers and gave it a sip. She grimaced at the taste.

"I don't suppose I could get you to put a little hot sauce in this, could I?"

Futsuki grinned at the mention of Ryoko's "hot sauce".

"It's been a while since I've been asked for hot sauce. You're old enough, now. So, I guess it's all right."

"Hot sauce?" Tenchi inquired.

Kagusa smiled.

"Remember what I told you about the liquor cabinet?"

Tenchi rolled his eyes in understanding.

"I get it."

Ryoko looked at Tenchi as if nothing were wrong.

"What?"

"You never told me you were so much older than me."

Ryoko's jaw dropped.

"No kidding!" Kagusa mentioned. "How old are you, Tenchi?"

"I'll be seventeen in two days."

It was Kagusa's turn to drop his jaw on the floor.

"Jeez, Ryoko! You didn't have to take the linens out of the cradle, too!"

"He's not that much younger than me!" Ryoko insisted.

With all the talk about ages, Tenchi finally saw an opportunity to ask a question he had been dying to ask ever since the girls had come to live in his family's home.

"As long as we're on the subject, what about you, Ryoko?"

"What about me?"

Kagusa tried signaling to Tenchi that he should not ask Ryoko's age by setting a finger vertically against his lips in the commonly understood "quiet" signal. In his eagerness to learn more about the unusual young woman next to him, Tenchi failed to notice the warning.

"How old are you?"

Kagusa hung his head as his wife re-entered the living room with the "hot sauce" Ryoko had requested earlier. She immediately noticed that the only sound in the house was coming from a cricket that was merrily chirping away from within the wall.

"Oh, dear. Did someone ask one of THOSE questions?"

Kagusa quickly held an arm up, pointing to Tenchi.

"He did it."

Tenchi looked around in confusion.

"What? What'd I do?"

"Dear, there are certain things about Ryoko that... we don't ask."

"There is?"

"Yes. Ryoko's age is one of them."

"Oh. I see." Turning to the young lady next to him, Tenchi tried to clear up the misunderstanding. "Sorry, Ryoko. But, it would help if I knew about these things ahead of time."

Ryoko sighed.

"I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to know."

"Uh, okay. I'm confused."

Ryoko slapped her cup on the table top in frustration.

"Fine. I'll tell you. I don't know. Nobody knows. There's no birth records, no parents, nothing! I don't know how old I am. Now do you understand?!"

With that final outburst, Ryoko floated up through the ceiling. Everyone else sat still for a few seconds. No one expected Ryoko to return any time soon. Tenchi sat back into the couch cushions with a sigh. Opposite him, Kagusa took the ash tray and fished out the tobacco leaves he had dumped there a minute ago. He pinched them between his thumb and forefinger, then stuffed them back into his pipe. Sticking the wooden implement back into his mouth, he sucked the embers back to life.

"Kagusa, dear..."

"Stuff it, honey. I'll keep my word when Tenchi keeps his."

Sitting in the Harada's living room with Ryoko's mountainous foster-father angrily staring at him, Tenchi suddenly felt very small.

END.

AFTERWORD: As I was reviewing this chapter for grammar, I thought of an odd possibility. What about Kamidake and Ryoko? He definitely seemed impressed enough with her. It won't happen in this story, but it is an interesting idea.

I agonized over where to end this chapter. I wasn't intending the scene at the Harada's to be so long! But, I didn't want to cut out anything just to keep the chapter short. I think Kagusa and Futsuki came out rather well. Although the pipe did seem a little out of character.