Note: Sorry for the long wait for the new chapter but it took this long for the muse for this fanfic to climb Mount Writer's Block and fight the Great White Nothing. It took re-watching all the Tenchi anime shows that I have saved on my computer to get it going again. I know this is a little short compared to some of my other fanfics but I haven't done any real planning for this fanfic beyond the basics so I'm just writing what seems good at the time and then stopping myself when working on the fanfic becomes more of a chore than a pleasure.

Still I think this chapter turned out alright all the same. What do you think?

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One Week Later, Masaki Home, Mid-Morning

Well it's official. Xander thought as he tried as best he could to stay out of the way of Ayeka vs Ryoko round fifty-five, I'm living in a nuthouse and the inmates are running the asylum.

It hadn't been too bad starting out and he actually started making friends with the rest of the residents pretty quickly. Ryoka was every bit the trickster he'd been warned about and definitely had a tendency to cause mischief when bored. She also kinda had personality traits similar to Faith in that no subject was taboo and she really enjoyed getting a rise out of the prim and proper types like Ayeka. Miss Ayeka was definitely from one of those upper class families that demanded that proper etiquette and protocol be followed. Still she was a pretty nice person despite that and much like her little sister Sasami she was interested in hearing about his travels. He didn't tell them everything and definitely edited what he did divulge so that he wouldn't sound like a complete head case or get the G-man angry with him over 'security'. When neither Ryoko nor Ayeka or Sasami were around there was always either Mihoshi or one of the elder Masaki guys to chat with. The elder Masaki's were pretty much what he'd come to expect from people born back in the stone age but Mihoshi was like a cross between Anya and one of Cordy's Cordettes from high school. Namely that she was blunt spoken and not the sharpest knife in the drawer for certain in that she acted like an airhead sometimes. Still she had a good heart and that was good enough to get him to ignore some of her more awkward questions and peculiar behaviours.

However the one person living in the place that was giving him a serious case of the wiggins was the newbie teen genius Washu who apparently was one of those pro-prodicy? Prodigy… sorta people that were really smart real early on in their lives. Learning came easy to them and had them consuming books and computer files like crazy in an effort to find something that was actually HARD for them to learn. That was because aside from being a skilled doctor she apparently was also a scientific genius and unfortunately made him sit through a few 'lecutres' about her latest theories and ideas. Unfortunately he didn't understand even a tenth of it so all he could do was nod and say 'really?' every so often to make it look like he understood. There was also something odd about the way she behaved around him. She'd go off on these weird tangents about reincarnation and the indestructibility of the soul then get mad for some reason when he gave his opinion on the topic. It was almost like she was expecting to say something completely different and got pissed when her predictions didn't pan out. It was really weird and occasionally she'd run their odd looking instruments over him that she swore were the latest in medical technology but to him they looked like something straight out of a Sci-Fi movie. When he said something to this effect she made some comment about his intelligence and middle class income to shut him up before finishing what she was doing and walking off in a huff.

It's like she thinks we met someplace before. He thought as he crept as best he could out of the living room before objects started flying this way and that, But that's crazy since I think I'd remember a four foot something pink haired teenager.

"At it again?" Sasami asked from where she was cooking lunch atop her stool.

"Yep! You guys must go through a fortune in furniture." He said as the sounds of crashing and breaking objects flitted through the air.

"Well we did at first but fortunately Mr. Masaki knows some people who were willing to do repairs with no questions asked." Sasami said as she shook her head in disappointment at her older sister's antics, "As for the things that can't be repaired we just get what we can from used furniture stores and garage sales. Some of the things we get might be a bit tacky but we can't exactly be picky with only the money Mr. Masaki and Grandfather Masaki earn."

"Guess not. So you need any help with that?" he asked as he looked at the pots and bowls arrayed out on the counter.

"No it's almost ready but could you go upstairs and get Mihoshi and Washu for me and tell them its time for lunch?" she asked before sprinkling some herb or spice into a pot.

"Sure. No problem." He replied as he turned his head in the direction of the living room and the still ongoing battle, "But if you don't hear from me in an hour be sure to send out a rescue party."

Sasami just laughed at this and with that he re-entered the living room trying to slink up the stairs before either Ayeka or Ryoko could involve him in whatever they were fighting over this time. It had happened twice before and each time he found himself wishing he was facing that army of Turokhan vampires beneath Sunnydale High rather than answer their questions. As he successfully climbed up two steps without attracting their attention he immediately scampered up the stairs as quickly as he could as he was determined to get out of range as quickly as he could. Turning around the corner he immediately sagged against the wall for support as he tried to catch his breath a bit and settle his nerves. His recovery from that demon's punch was a little over two thirds of the way done but the lack of activity along with the damage to his abdominal muscles made it difficult to do anything stressful. It also meant though that he was going to have to do some serious exercising after he was cleared for it in order to get back into tip top shape. He might not be involved in the main fighting anymore, due to the lack of depth perception, but he still needed to be in shape in order to reach the more remotely located newbie Slayers. That one he'd been asked to locate in Tibet hadn't been easy and had left him crossing out that location in any future travel plans.

Deciding it would be best to get Mihoshi first he knocked assertively on her door before saying "Mihoshi! It's time for lunch!"

"Huh? What-?" came a mumbled reply from within but before anything else could be said there was a loud CRASH from inside the room, "AAAHHHH!"

Like lightning his good guy nature and White Knight complex conspired against his common sense causing him to throw the door open in order to both find out what had happened and help Mihoshi out if she needed it. This proved to be a mistake, sent by Mr. Murphy himself no doubt, because no sooner did he take the scene before him in then he saw Mihoshi sprawled on the floor dressed only in a halter top and thong panties. A brain freeze followed with him taking in her amazing body while at the same time trying to be the decent fellow he was and look someplace else. Unfortunately it took about six seconds for his will power to force his eyes elsewhere so there was a slight chance that the female security guard caught him ogling her. Trying to look casual, and most likely failing, he watched as she rubbed her head in order to soothe the pain that was no doubt caused by a falling object.

"U-um… are you okay Mihoshi?" he asked while keeping a firm grip on where his eyes were directed.

"Yeah but owwie! Who put that bookshelf there?" she asked rhetorically as she got to her feet making it that much more difficult for him to avoid viewing her exceptional figure.

"Uh… I-I… d-don't know but I just came to tell you that lunch will be ready soon. So g-get dressed and c-come on down okay?" he said as bad luck hit again and the security guard in front of him took notice of his unusual behavior.

"Is something wrong Xander? You sound kind of funny and your face is rather red." She asked as she tried to get a better look at his face and that only made it more difficult for him to avoid gawking at her body again, "Maybe you should have Washu take a look at you."

"Ah… y-yeah! I'll do that right now." He said as he began backing up towards the door, "I have to tell her about lunch as well s-so I'll see you later!"

Turning around and intent on getting out of Mihoshi's room as quickly as he could he failed to notice that he had miscalculated his position in relation to the door and wound up slamming himself into the door frame rather than going out the door. One hand clutching his face in pain he adjusted his escape vector and left the room with the blonde woman behind him looking at where he had been in complete confusion.

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Thirty Minutes Later, Dining Room Table

"So have you had any luck on your end of the search Washu?" Xander asked the height challenged genius.

"Actually I've managed to narrow down the list of possible candidates by quite a bit thanks to the criteria you managed to give me the other day." She replied after swallowing her last bite of food, "Of all the potential candidates only five showed an unexpected increase in replaced furniture, appliances and food purchases. We'll still probably have to meet with each of them face to face before we can say for certain if we've found who you're looking for Xander."

"Well I think that'll be doable." He said as he wiped his face with his napkin before setting it down on the empty plate, "After all while I'm not one hundred percent yet I should be able to at least get through a couple of meetings easy enough."

"In that case we'll leave as soon as you're ready." Ayeka said as she got up from her spot at the table with her plate.

"We?" he asked with some puzzlement.

"Well you don't really think that after so many fascinating stories about your job that I would pass up a chance to view it firsthand do you?" she asked as if the very idea was absurd.

"I guess not." He said resigning himself to the fact that the regal woman would be coming along with him and Washu.

It had all started so innocently about four days after he arrived at the Masaki home when he had been explaining how he'd go about looking for the 'mythical warrior woman' he'd been sent to Osaka to find. Apparently though it might seem routine for him to the rest of the people in the house it sounded like a lot of work so both Washu and Ayeka had volunteered to get the ball rolling for him. Washu would surf the net and look for any mention of a young woman exhibiting Slayer level physical abilities while Ayeka would make some polite inquiries at local furniture or appliance stores for unusual repair requests. After all a newbie Slayer wouldn't be used to the sudden increase in her strength, speed or agility level so accidents were almost a certainty. Add to that the rise in food consumption and they all had something to work with as well as a specific area to search. True that area was Osaka and that was a lot of ground to cover but when you eliminated the areas where the young Slayer, a teenage girl, was unlikely to go and then factored in the daily requirements of someone newly Called a lot of the city was crossed out. It was a bit of a surprise considering how many people likely live in the areas of Osaka that hadn't been eliminated that Washu had been able to reduce the number of possibilities to five. Then again she was that prodigy thing so he supposed that this was at best a warm up exercise for her compared to whatever else she did.

"Good. How about we leave in an hour?" Ayeka asked with a smile showing she was actually looking forward to the trip.

"Sounds like a plan to me. It'll give me time to put together a few things we'll need." He replied as he mentally began to argue with himself over whether to bring a real knife to throw at her head or just a wooden one.

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Shimano Uchi, Osaka, 4:15p.m

Not exactly what I was expecting when I tried to picture where we'd find Hino Masumi. He thought to himself as he looked up at what appeared to be an apartment complex a step above a roach motel, But then again its not like those idiot 'Powers That Be' really care what kind of life one of their Slayers lives so long as they do their duty.

Sure he knew that it was technically him and the gang that awakened all the Slayers worldwide in order to beat the first and shut down the Sunnydale Hellmouth but it was the PTBs that selected which girls on the planet had the potential to become Slayers. Given that most Slayers before Buffy didn't last much longer than two to three years that meant that the world had gone through roughly sixteen Slayers in the past fifty years. So while he'd admit that the gang had upset 'the balance' a little by calling all the Slayers in one go he liked to think that with so many allies and fellow Slayers helping out the burden of those newly Called would be easier to bear. After all with so many spread out over the entire world instead of having one Slayer deal with an impending apocalypse three or four could be called in. Add to that the fact that the Scoobies were making certain that the new Council actually cared about each Slayer rather than treat them like expendable commodities like Travers had done and he believed benefits of what they'd done outweighed the cons.

"So what room is she in?" he asked Washu who was idly looking around the area.

"According to the file I managed to find on her she's in apartment thirteen B and lives with her single mother and two younger sisters." Washu replied after taking a brief look at her digital notebook.

"What now Xander?" Ayeka asked looking rather reluctant to enter the less than spotless clean apartment building.

"Well we knock and introduce ourselves then I ask her a few specific questions." He replied as he began to walk towards the front entrance of the building, "If she answers them correctly then the real interview can begin but if she answers incorrectly then we make up some plausible excuse for leaving and get out of there."

"Why would we need to make up an excuse? Couldn't we just admit that we were mistaken and leave?" Ayeka asked with a little confusion.

"Well for one thing it's a little out of the ordinary for someone to ask someone's teenage daughter if she recently smashed her alarm clock to pieces or kicked the butt of someone a full foot taller than her." He replied as he tried to tell the truth without making Ayeka or Washu suspicious, "Plus the idea of someone travelling the world looking for myths or legends that might actually be true is a little suspicious."

"I suppose from the point of view of the people living here it would seem rather odd." Ayeka said pretty much accepting of Xander's explanation but still having some uncertainty.

"Well let's get going okay?" Washu asked rhetorically with some impatience, "I left an experiment running and I have to get back before seven in the evening or it'll all go to waste."

"Sure thing Washu." Xander said not wanting to make a genius angry because of all the no doubt inventive ways the pink haired girl could come up with for payback.

"How many times do I have to tell you Xander" Washu said with annoyance as she spun around to face him, "Call me little Washu!"

"Sorry W-… I mean little Washu." He said catching himself before he made the same mistake twice regarding her preferred name.

Man! Usually people her age and height hate it when people call them little or small but Washu practically insists on it. He thought as they passed through the doors and began to climb the stairs to the second floor, Maybe she has that Peter Pan syndrome thing I heard of on TV.

Reaching the second floor it didn't take long for them to reach apartment thirteen B but Xander could tell that this place was definitely the bottom of the barrel for people looking for a place to call home. While the place would pass health and safety regulations it was also clear that the people that lived here had to make anything they had last as long as possible since they probably couldn't afford to buy new stuff very often. Neither could the landlord judging from how worn down the place looked.

Knocking three times on the door he waited with Washu and Ayeka standing behind him for someone to answer. He didn't have long to wait since less than a minute later the door opened but what he saw was definitely unexpected and caused him to flash back to his walking in on Mihoshi earlier in the day. Standing there in front of him, looking to be about the same age as Buffy had been when he first met her, was a beautiful Japanese teenager. However what had him almost freezing up was the fact that she was wearing a 'too short to be legal' mini-skirt and a tank top that hugged every curve.

"What're you staring at gaijin?" she asked as her expression went from neutral confusion to annoyed anger, "And who the hell are ya?"

"H-Hino Masumi I presume?" he asked as he tried to regain composure and not dwell on that which would only get him slapped or in some other kind of trouble.

"Yeah. What's it to you?" she asked looking at him more and more like he was some kind of pervert or at least someone that was looking down on her.

"Well first let me ask you a question." He said latching onto the spiel he used on every newbie Slayer he found, "Having you been sleeping well lately? Having any bizarre dreams involving demons or young women like yourself fighting?"

It took only the slight hesitation in her response for him to know they'd found the person they were looking for but now the hard part began. Now they had to explain what was happening to her without sounding like liars or complete nutcases looking to recruit her into some cult. After all talk of demons, monsters and chosen young warrior women did sound like the sort of schtick you'd expect some nut job cult leader to use to draw in the fresh recruits. Also in cases like this, where the newly Called Slayer lived in less than pleasant surroundings, they tended to be mistrustful of people spinning a fairytale like future for them.

"So what if I am? Living in a dump like this and having to tolerate perverts like you would be enough to give any girl nightmares." She said unwilling to admit that there was anything special about him guessing write about her dreams.

"Yeah but I doubt those nightmares involve guys with wrinkly foreheads and glowing yellow eyes." He said to counter her dismissal of the truth, "Besides living conditions wouldn't explain why there's been a sudden spike in your food bill or why you've had to replace some furniture in the last few weeks."

Now this definitely floored her by the look of shock and surprise on her face but unfortunately the Harris luck chose this time to retake some ground from the abnormal good luck he'd been having lately. Shock and surprise vanished from Masumi's face to be replaced by the kind of anger that had most sane demons running for their lives and all men looking for the nearest escape route. Fortunately since it hadn't had much of a chance to surface lately the Harris luck was a little out of shape and so good luck managed to turn the tables in the form of Ayeka.

"I assure you miss Hino that there is nothing underhanded about Xander's intentions." She said in a perfectly regal and honest manner one couldn't help but believe, "He's on assignment looking into the possible truths of certain myths and legends around the world. Currently he's looking into the numerous tales of warrior women that exhibit skills and abilities far above what could be considered normal. Little Washu and I have been helping him look for women your age that match his description of these warrior women and your name was at the top of the list."

This defused Masumi's anger a bit but she still didn't look like she was going to believe Ayeka's words completely. He was about to say more when the stomping of footsteps could be heard from inside the apartment and they were heading their way. Looking over the young woman's shoulder he quickly spotted what he could best describe as a female version of Tony Harris shudder. Overweight and wearing a shirt-sweatpants combo that only made him pray to whatever God or Goddess that was listening that this forty plus woman never ever made the attempt to look sexy.

"What's taking so long you tramp!" the older woman bellowed like a particularly fat sow, "Jiraya's expecting you over at the Rabbit Hole and you better do your job with the customers or else you'll be flashing your goods on the street!"

"Now see here you—" Ayeka began to say angrily as it was clear she didn't like the tone the woman was using on her daughter or what was being said for that matter.

"Shut up you high class hussy!" the mother of Masumi said before setting her eyes on Xander, "You need to keep yer bitches in line gaijin!"

"W-w-w-why YOU!" Ayeka growled looking fit to charge the slob of a woman head on and rip her to shreds.

Before the purple haired woman could do anything though Masumi took action and quickly draped herself over him like he was a stripping pole. This had the effect of stopping Ayeka in her tracks, getting Washu to go wide eyed in surprise and the deadbeat of a mother to freeze up big time.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier mom but Mr. Jiraya said he was sending over a special client today and here he is." Masumi said sounding more like a dutiful daughter and less like the girl with an attitude as she had after first setting eyes on the former Zeppo, "Isn't that right Mr. Big-Strong-wealthy-Gaijin?"

The way she was acting was pretty much what one would expect of a call girl coming onto her client but one look in Masumi's eyes told him it was an all an act to get her mother off her back. Well, that and the fact that she had a strong Slayer level grip on his arm with the threat of squeezing harder clearly present.

"Sure. So why don't we get going." He said trying to support the big fat lie the young Slayer had tossed out, "I want to make sure to get my money's worth."

This seemed to satisfy the slob and without so much as a goodbye to her daughter she turned around and stomped her way back to where ever she had been prior to getting up to rant at her daughter. Getting off him Masumi quickly grabbed her purse from a nearby counter and stepped out into the hallway with him, Ayeka and Washu. Closing the door her face lost all traces of the 'sexy gal' look she'd used to fool her mother and returned to the 'tough girl from the 'hood' way of behaving. Taking a page from her mother's book she didn't say a word as she began to walk towards the stairs at a brisk walk.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" Washu asked finally deciding to put in her two cents on the entire scene.

Turning Masumi gave them a snarky look before she replied, "Look I appreciate you playing along to fool the old hag but I don't have time to listen to some crazy gaijin and his two assistants talk crazy talk. Unlike some people I actually have to work for a living!"

He could tell that this little 'Slayers 101' session was going downhill fast and given the attitude Masumi seemed to be sporting he doubted words would be enough to prove to her that something was now different about her life. That left the method that Buffy had told him her first Watcher Merrick had used to convince her that something of the weird was going on. Reaching into his jacket he pulled out the knife he'd brought with him (wooden of course since he didn't want to risk being arrested for murder) and flipped it so that he was holding it by the tip of the blade.

"Well then I guess there's only one thing to say then." He said and with a flick of his arm he threw the wooden knife, "Hey Masumi! CATCH!"

Masumi turned just like he had hoped and then his proof materialized for him because just as the wooden tip of the knife was about to strike the teenager's forehead her hand shot up as though it had a life of its own and stopped it in its tracks. At that point he didn't know who was more surprised at what happened: Ayeka who was looking at Masumi like she'd caught a bullet barehanded, Washu who definitely had that 'new project' look he'd seen on Willow's face a couple of times or Masumi herself whose eyes never left the wooden knife she'd somehow caught. For him though it was exactly what he'd expected so he knew there was a smile of triumph on his face since he was certain he had the newbie Slayer right where he wanted her as far as getting her to accept the truth was concerned.

"So you ready to listen, I mean really listen, to what I have to say Masumi." He asked her in a friendly manner.

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