Hello again. This is the first episode in the next chapter of Bushido Muyo! The titles of the stories may get a bit confusing from here on out, but I'll try to avoid that. Thank you if you are reading this for your patience with me. Also, I don't own Tenchi or any of his regular cohorts (his li'l harem, to be precise, along with their relatives, his relatives, his friends, whatever.) These characters are the legal property of Pioneer LDC and AIC. I have no desire to be sued into perpetual debt by their legal teams, so I release here all claim to the Tenchi Muyo! characters. Just let me keep writing, okay, you guys? ******************************************************************************* Bushido Muyo! by Jeremy "Kraken" Acord azhrei701@hotmail.com Chapter 2: Honorbound Episode 1: "Awkward Reunion" In step with her deep set routine, Ryoko awoke just before dawn. She sat up and stretched, looking down from her bed in the rafters at the empty living room below. The soft sounds of snoring wafted through the silent dwelling to her keen ears. Taking a moment to concentrate on this, she affirmed that the lightest sleepers in the house, Kiyone and Sasami, were still soundly in slumber. Aeka, for all that she played at daintiness, could sleep through almost as much as Ryoko herself. And Mihoshi... was never any cause for worry at this hour, unless she was hungry. Washu had apparently stayed in her lab all night, as Ryoko could not hear her. Her mother never interfered with her plans, though. It was safe to proceed. The space pirate shed the blankets with relative ease to stand on the rafter. With a slight push from her toes, she floated up to and through the roof overhead, coming lightly to rest on the shingles. She admired the lake below, watching in it the reflections of the predawn sky. To her left she saw the skylight over the front hallway: as a matter of course, she avoided traversing over it when stealing throughout the household. She gauged the distance she was to travel, falling into a catlike crouch, and sprang toward her destination, trying to use as little power as possible. When flying, the hissing sound produced was sometimes significant enough to draw attention. It wasn't necessary for her to practice such methodical covertness, but she found it engaging to keep herself in fighting trim, should her skills need to be fully employed. And with Aeka unfailingly between her and Tenchi, who was to say they wouldn't? Ryoko once again fell with featherlike softness on the other end of the roof, some thirty feet from where she started. She sank through the rooftop again, finding herself directly above sleeping Tenchi's bed. The space pirate smiled to herself. She never missed that jump. With exacting care she worked her way down to Tenchi, always cloaked in shadow. She floated underneath the window and paused beside Tenchi. She looked adoringly over the sleeping boy. His mouth hung slack, and he breathed evenly. Ryoko laid herself down on her side next to him. Ryoko often spent hours watching him sleep, but she never regretted this. Idly, she reached over and played with a strand of his hair. From this close, she could smell him. This was never an unpleasant experience: Tenchi seemed to bathe with an obsession for cleanliness unmatched but by his half-grand aunt, Aeka. She traced his profile with one finger, petted his cheek. A faint smile crossed his face, but this was fleeting. Now he wore a pained expression, brow furrowed. One eye opened, and he spied Ryoko. "Gah!" he exclaimed, pushing himself away from her. The agile criminal had apparently expected this, and in a moment she had him pinned to the bed. Tenchi spent a few moments in a futile effort to get free of Ryoko's iron grip, but gave up. "Oh," Ryoko complained, "don't give up so easily." She gave a sadistic grin. "It's so much more *fun* when you struggle." She got no sympathy from Tenchi. "Ryoko, please get off of me." Ryoko rolled left over onto her back, phasing through the covers and pulling Tenchi on top of her. "But Tenchi..." she pleaded. Sliding her left hand up behind his head, she pulled him closer. "Just kiss me, Tenchi," she cooed, "and it'll be so easy. C'mon, Tenchi, you'll have fun, I promise." Tenchi reddened. Then he glanced toward the door. "Ryoko," he said urgently. Ryoko smiled. "What's the matter, Tenchi, you getting exited?" she asked, giggling. Tenchi felt the blood pressure in his nose building. "Let me go, Ryoko," Tenchi ordered. "Not without a kiss," she insisted. There was a sudden brightness and a loud hum, and a shocked Ryoko could not react as her arms were flung wide apart. Tenchi backed away, dragging the sheets away with him. The Light Hawk Wings dissolved, and their light faded from the room. Tenchi sat down, and looked angrily at Ryoko. "Oh, so you want to play it rough, eh?" Ryoko sat up and crouched, ready to spring on him again. Tenchi ignored her playfulness and got up from the bed, moving toward the door. He had worn his boxers and his usual green T- shirt to bed, Ryoko noticed. As Tenchi reached for the handle, there was a knock at the door. Tenchi slid the door aside to reveal Sasami. "Hi Tenchi," she said, mildly surprised. "Come in, Sasami," Tenchi invited her, "Ryoko and I were just talking..." he looked back at the space pirate, who was still poised, hands in a comical imitation of claws, staring at Tenchi. She regained her self control and flopped down into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. "Yes, we were just talking..." she affirmed. "Maybe you should tell that to my sister," the princess suggested, "She always says you come in here to seduce Tenchi or something..." Her cheeks reddened in embarrasment. "Uh," Tenchi stuttered, "Was there something you wanted, Sasami?" She and Ryoko sweatdropped. "Um, no. I just heard some noises from in here, and I was wondering." There was an awkward moment of silence. Perhaps, Tenchi considered, it was that Ryoko and he had been "talking' and "making noises" in his bedroom. "Um, let's not wake your sister," he began, "If all three of us are going to talk, let's go downstairs." They sat down around the coffee table, but Sasami soon excused herself to make breakfast. Once Tenchi was sure she was busy about the kitchen, he turned to Ryoko, across from him. "So. Now both you and Washu know. I can use the Wings at will. So, what are you going to do?" Ryoko got up and sat down next to the boy. "Oh, it's no big deal..." she expained, "... I guess it would have happened eventually. And don't worry..." she embraced Tenchi, "... I'm still attracted to you." "Ryoko, this is serious," Tenchi whined, "I don't want to everyone to know about this." "You didn't seem too worried about the secret getting out back there." Washu interjected, closing the laboratory door behind her. "What!" Ryoko exclaimed. She leapt over to the redheaded scientist and hoisted her into the air by her collar. "Don't you know that spying on a pair of lovers is wrong?!" "Lovers?" Said Aeka from on high. On the balcony, to be exact. She descended the stairs in her usual lofty grace and came to stand before Ryoko. "And whom exactly are you speaking of, miss Ryoko?" she demanded. Ryoko dropped her mother unceremoniously on the floor. "Why, I'm speaking of Tenchi and I, of course," she mimicked the princess. Aeka fumed. "You uncouth demon harlot..." "Nosy little priss..." As the two continued to sling insults at each other, Kiyone appeared at the balcony. "Good morning, everyone," she said sleepily, "Having a nice day off, Tenchi?" "Good morning, Kiyone," he returned, "It's like any other day. And how about you?" Kiyone plodded drowsily downstairs. "I'm good." She adjusted the sleeve of her uniform, and put on her hat. Already she seemed more awake. "I never get enough rest, though." "It's admirable that we have two such hardworking women in our household," Katsuhito commented. "Yeah," Tenchi agreed. "You and Mihoshi sure make policework look easy." Kiyone gave an embarrassed smile. She turned over her shoulder and shouted over the din. "Mihoshi, get your butt in gear RIGHT NOW! We DON'T have all morning!" The second Galaxy Police officer hopped down the upstairs hallway, tugging on her jacket, holding her hat in her teeth, with one shoe barely on and her holster hanging from her elbow. "I'm coming, Kiyone," she whined, "you don't have to sh-aaaAAAA!" She tripped over her untied bootlace and fell head over heels over the balcony rail, landing atop Ryoko and sprawling across the floor, and raising a torrent of giggles from Aeka. Tenchi scratched his head. "Are you gonna need any help getting back into your ship?" "Hmm. I might," Kiyone admitted, looking again at the bumbling Mihoshi. Tenchi held the front door open for Kiyone. "It's a shame, you're gonna miss breakfast, and Sasami seems to be whipping up quite a bit in there." Kiyone's stomach growled in response. Embarrassed, she rubbed her midriff. "Yeah, but now that Yagami is fixed we have to make a report to headquarters." "What about Mihoshi's ship?" Tenchi suggested as they walked to the path uphill to where Yagami sat, out of sight, in dry dock. "Oh, Yukinojo," Kiyone sighed, "That ship is malfuctioning again, and right now Washu has it in her lab. Among other things, we're going to orient the receiving antenna on Yukinojo's main body to receive from the Earth, so we won't have to leave every time we make a report." "That sounds good," Tenchi said. Then he stopped walking. He stared straight ahead. Kiyone took a few steps and turned to Tenchi. "Tenchi? What's wrong?" She followed his gaze, and gasped. Standing in the center of the bridge, Ijima ran a hand through his hair, parting his white cape. "I see you're getting on well, Tenchi," he observed. *** Ijima stood in the center of Tenchi's living room. His white cape, which hung loosely about his body, did not move; neither did he. Kiyone had her pistol trained on the man, and Ryoko eyed him warily. She and Aeka stood side by side between Tenchi and Ijima, with Sasami standing just behind Tenchi. Washu sat on the couch, drinking tea, seemingly unconcerned with all. With some effort, Tenchi persuaded Aeka and Ryoko to let him through. They protested, but once the boy related to them that he was serious, they backed down. He approached Ijima cautiously and proffered his hand. Ijima took it firmly. "Please sit." Ijima's demeanor changed suddenly. Smiling, he sat down casually on the couch and scanned the room. "It's nice to meet you outside of combat, Tenchi. I hope that there are no more hostilities." "None," Tenchi responded flatly. "I came to Earth to ask you something," he began, "When I said I would indeed be killed by a great warrior, you agreed. But you didn't kill me. Why?" Tenchi walked around the table and sat on the opposite arm of the couch. "You aren't the easily defeated type. It would take a great warrior to kill you." Tenchi paused. "Greater than me," he added. "Not greater," disputed Ijima, "simply less compassionate. But, it is no matter." He waved his hand dismissively. Leaning forward, he became more somber. "But I didn't come just to ask you such a simple question. I came to ask for-" "Ah, so you have returned," Katsuhito interrupted from the kitchen doorway. "And you are a student of the Jurai Harmonic style. I had heard that the style was dead." Ijima looked over his shoulder at the preist. Running the plain white cape thoughtfully between thumb and forefinger, he esplained, "Well, our numbers are few, and," he cleared his throat, "without access to the Jurai Power, our progress is also slow," he turned to Tenchi, "which brings me to the reason I am here." "Yes?" Tenchi prompted. The man swallowed, glanced about. "Tenchi Masaki, I have come here to ask a favor." ******************************************************************************* Well, there's the first episode of the next chapter. As I wrote the installments of the last chapter, I noticed that they became exessively long. In this next chapter, I will try harder to reduce the story to more 'bite sized' fragments. I do this in the hope that my readership will increase.