Hello again.  Welcome to the eighth episode of Bushido Muyo!  I have 
restocked my cabinet of story ideas, and am ready to write again.  Here we go!
	Tenchi Muyo! and the related characters are the property of Pioneer LDC,
as well as AIC.  I herby relenquish all claim to these characters.  So, should 
this material ever get to either of these legal entities, I am asking them not 
to sue me.  I don't want to pay for being a fan.  Anyway, I'll just get on with 
it.

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				      Bushido Muyo!
				 By Jeremy "Kraken" Acord
				  Azhrei701@hotmail.com

		Episode 8: "Kumite"

Tenchi had worked hard today, and it had paid off.  His homework for the weekend
is done, and there was no planting or harvesting left unfinished.  He, for once,
had some free time.  And, as was natural for him, he spent this time worrying.

Obviously, the subject of Tenchi's preoccupation was the recent events regarding
Aeka.  Or rather, the hypnotist who had been controlling her.  Washu had 
speculated that this insidious threat had been mercenary.  In which case, who 
had hired him?  And why did they go after Aeka?

Tenchi momentarily entertained the idea that they were after him.  But why did 
they use such an oblique method.  Had they jsut hypnotized Aeka and waited for 
an excuse for her to kill him?  Why hadn't they just attacked him, like before? 

<Are you stupid or something?>

"Oh god.  Not you again."

<Look, just because everyone who has faced you directly has died doesn't mean 
that no one has heard about it.  They obviously just didn't want to make the 
same mistake.  So, they used a sleeper.>

"Dr. Clay did the same thing.  It didn't help him."

<Yes, but Dr. Clay was just small fish.  Kagato, however, was a big deal.  
Scince Mihoshi sent a detailed report to GP headquarters, everyone there has 
probably learned about you.  I'd bet you're big news there.  And anytime there 
is big news, there are leaks to the press.  Any rumors about your victory over 
Kagato are spread far and wide by now.>

"So should I be on gaurd for another sleeper or something?  You're the brains of
this outfit, you got an idea?"

<Technically, I'm only half the brains in this outfit.  But they won't try this 
stuff with a sleeper again.>

"Why not?"

<Hiring any type of specialist is a costly endeavour.  I doubt that whoever sent
this hypnotist has that kind of wallet power.>

"So It'll be a stand up fight this time?  Somehow, that's not comforting."

<At least you'll see them coming this time.>

"Yeah, I guess you're right.  So what should I do with my time?"

<I withdraw my question.  You really are stupid.>

"Just answer me, dammit!  I don't need to talk back to myself!"

The voice in Tenchi's head took on an informative air.  <When preparing for a 
large battle, little is more efficient than the honing of one's fighting skill.>

"Right.  I'll do just that."

<Good boy.>

					   ***

With all six ladies in the Masaki residence occupied, Mihoshi sleeping, Ryoko 
and Kiyone watching TV, Sasami teaching Ryo-Oki to play hopscotch, and Washu in 
her laboratory.  Tenchi slipped out, climbed the long stone staircase to the 
shrine, and retrieved a bokken from the supply room.  Walking some way back down
the steps, he turned off into the underbrush, arriving at a small clearing.  
Sunlight shone brightly through the abundant holes in the forest canopy, coating
the space with a somewhat muted but still bright glow.  A peg, tied to a rope, 
was attatched at one end to a branch overhanging a sea of half-foot posts.  
Tenchi stepped easily onto the pegs, settled into a fighting stance, and struck 
the peg.

As the peg returned, Tenchi sidestepped and slashed at it again, sending it 
spinning crazily away.  And thus began a flurry of cuts and thrusts, punctuated 
by the sharp clack of bokken and peg coming violently into contact.  Tenchi 
observed himself, adjusting his stance, reminding himself not to burn the candle
at both ends, refining his technique.  He continued this for several minutes.  

"You'll never get anywhere like that."

Tenchi missed his cut, as well as his next step.  He tripped, splaying out 
amongst the posts.  He sat up, rubbing his left shoulder.  "Ryoko, what are you 
doing?"

"Tenchi, you should know by now that you can't go anywhere without my knowlege. 
I came to help you in your training."  She winked at him.

"Wasn't destroying my school enough for you?  Not to mention you and Aeka 
demolish my house every other day."

Ryoko rolled her eyes, frowning.  She teleported over from the branch she had 
been sitting on clasped Tenchi's arm, and pulled him to his feet.  "You have any
more of these?" she said, pressing the hilt of the bokken into Tenchi's hand.  

"Uh, yes.  In the storage room at the shrine."

"Ok." she said, as her image began to fade.  "Be right back."  She reappeared 
quickly, holding an identical bokken in her left hand.  She hopped lightly onto 
the posts.  "All right, shall we start?"

"You have the advantage.  You can fly, and I have to worry about stepping on 
these posts."

Ryoko sighed.  "Was it Sun Tzu or Miyamoto Musashi who said 'Secure all 
advantage before attacking'?  You should always expect your enemies to do this. 
Besides, the more I challenge you, the faster you'll progress."

"Have you been reading in your spare time, Ryoko?"

She grinned.  "Martial theory has always been a hobby of mine."

"You never seem to adhere to it though."

She pursed her lips at him.  "That hurt."

"You ready to start?"

She held her sword forward.  "Whenever you are."

Tenchi held the sword in his right hand, pressing it at his opposite side.  
Suddenly his arms blurred.  Ryoko's bokken flashed upward and right, squarely 
meeting Tenchi's overhead blow.

"What was that?"  She asked.

"Aiai-jutsu."

"Cute."

Ryoko floated to Tenchi's right, executing a smooth but easily parried upward 
slash.  She followed up with a blindingly fast thrust at Tenchi's heart.  Tenchi
turned sideways to evade, and the battle began in earnest.

Tenchi fell back on his left hand, firmly grasping a peg, as Ryoko's bokken 
flashed by where his neck had been.  Shifting onto his left leg, he swung his 
right through the just-vacated space.  Whindmilling, he landed sqarely in a 
horse-riding stance as Ryoko dropped down from above.  He lunged at her, and she
easily teleported away.  Tenchi flew into the surrounding brush.

For the next fourteen seconds, the area fell upon a deathly peace.  The cicada's
buzzed, birds chirped.

A resounding crack bounced off the tangle of wood and leaves.  Tenchi counter-
attacked, a left to right slash.  Ryoko danced out of reach, retreating upward 
into the canopy.  Tenchi reversed his grip on the sword, leapt at a branch and 
swung up after her.

Quiet again.

Ryoko flew forth from the leaves to Tenchi's left, throwing a series of short, 
swift cuts at Tenchi.  Stepping to another branch, he transfered his momentum 
into a short leap between trees.  He began to run amongst the branches, swinging
under when necessary, speeding along above the ground.  He leapt into a bright 
pool of sunlight.  

Tenchi landed lightly on the shrine steps, and turned to face Ryoko, who was 
mirroring his path.  He slashed at her as she flew down upon him, but she 
dissapeared.

Tenchi stood stock still.  He scanned the forest, seeking some sign of Ryoko's 
prescence.  But nothing stirred.  

"Ow!" Tenchi exclaimed as a pebble bounced off the back of his head.  He turned
and Ryoko was floating high above him.

"Were that one of my blasts, you wouldn't have a head to be rubbing, Tenchi.  
You have to do better than this."

"Cram the lecture." Tenchi called up to her.  "You want to try it again?"

She gripped her bokken with both hands, and began to fall toward him.  "Nothing 
would please me more!"  When she reached the bottom Tenchi had crossed the steps
and run into the forest.  "Well, being realistic, anyway..."

Tenchi flew in leaps and bounds through the underbrush.  When Ryoko appeared 
before him, he was in mid leap.  Swinging a foot to the right, he jammed his 
foot in the crook of a low branch and shot off to the left.  Ryoko turned to 
follow him, and was greeted by Tenchi, flying back the other way.  She barely 
met his swift cut, and together they flew backward.  Ryoko pushed away from him 
and fell into a catlike crouch, albeit against the vertical trunk of a tree.  
Tenchi skidded to a halt below her, carving two small ruts into the soil with 
his heels.  he thrust upward, and she jumped outward.  Tenchi leapt onto the 
limb, winked at Ryoko as she landed facing him, then turned and dissapeared.  

Ryoko frowned.  These kind of evasive tactics annoyed her.  Hands on hips, he 
contemplated her next move.  She floated upward for aways, then faded away.

Aeka was absent mindedly chewing on a rice cracker, watching soap operas, when 
a soft sound from outside drew her attention.  She looked back over her right 
shoulder, shifting her elbow up on the back of the couch.  Sun shone through the
skylight, and through it she could see the swaying branches of the trees.  
Suddenly a dark shape passed between the sun and her eyes.  

"Huh?" She mused.

A dull thud sounded through the roof.  Kiyone, Sasami and Ryo-Oko looked up.  
Ryo-Oki bared her teeth and hissed.  She forgot that she was in the middle of a 
jump, and went sprawling back into her ordinary cabbit form.  Sasami winced 
sympathetically.

All eyes then turned to the front lawn as Tenchi fell head first from the roof. 
Curling his left hand inward, he landed on his wrist and, his form blurred by 
the inconceivably quick rotation, rolled away.  He came swiftly to his feet, and
seemed to have suffered no ill effects.  He brought a bokken up as Ryoko 
appeared above him, slashing down at the crown of his head.  He dodged sideways,
took a few steps to gain a firm stance, and then attacked.  Ryoko stood static, 
met Tenchi's attack head on, then grabbed a handful of his shirt and sent him 
spinning away.  Tenchi splashed into the shallow water of the lake.  Rolling to 
his knees, he kicked both feet toward Ryoko, sending up a large spray of white 
froth.  When Ryoko could see again, Tenchi was nowhere to be seen.  She waded 
into knee high water, peering into its murkiness.

Meanwhile, Aeka, Kiyone, and Sasami with Ryo-Oki perched on her shoulder, had 
come outside.  They confusedly asked each other if any of them had a clue as to 
what was going on.  

Tenchi rose up behind Ryoko, silent, poised to attack.  Suddenly, Ryoko gasped 
and disappeared, the water rushing in to fill the space where her legs had been.
Tenchi quickly began to run toward the bridge, then dodged to the right, into 
deeper water.  

Ryoko appeared from nowhere and Tenchi was immedeately locked in battle with 
her.  Sprays of water were thrown about as the two advanced on and retreated 
from each other along the bank.  The group of onlookers from the house had 
reached the water's edge.  

Tenchi, having conditioned Ryoko enough, changed tactics.  When she slashed at 
him again, he lunged forward instead of retreating, and brought his sword to 
rest at Ryoko's throat.

The two combatants remained still until the water had ceased to churn.  Ryoko, 
head tilted back, smiled down at Tenchi.  "Not bad.  You were more skilled than 
I thought."

"Secure all advantage before attacking." remarked a grinning, sopping wet 
Tenchi.  He stepped back.  "That's enough for today."

Ryoko stepped forward, taking the bokken from him.  "Let's dry these before they
warp.  She teleported from the water's edge, and the water that had soaked into 
her clothes, her hair, and the two bokken, dropped back into the lake.

Tenchi waded ashore, to where a crowd was waiting for him.  Tenchi tried to 
answer all of their questions, wringing out his shirt.  Putting the damp cloth 
back on, he decided that it wouldn't matter to spend some more time outside 
today.  

Ryoko walked with Tenchi back up to the shrine.  He was met at the gate by his 
grandfather.  "Tenchi, why are you all wet?"

"Ryoko and I were practicing, grandfather."

Katsuhito's eyebrows narrowed, and his glasses sheened.  "Practicing what, 
Tenchi?"

"Um..." Tenchi stammered, realizing what his grandfather was insinuating.  He 
quickly proffered the two bokken.  "We were sparring."

Katsuhito's eybrows lifted, and it seemed to Tenchi that some great unseen 
stormcloud had retreated.  He took the two bokken from Tenchi.  "Very well.  I 
do not need you right now, Tenchi."  He turned and Walked back to the shrine.  

Ryoko pinched Tenchi's cheek as they walked back down the steps.  "You're so 
cute when you concentrate, Tenchi!  We should do that again."

Tenchi brushed her hand away.  Ryoko wrapped it around his neck.  "Yeah, we 
should do that again sometime."

When the reached the bottom of the steps, Ryoko  began pulling Tenchi off toward
the onsen.  "C'mon Tenchi, I feel like taking a bath."

"No way, Ryoko!" Tenchi cried.

Ryoko sighed resigningly.  "Okay, but I'll change your mind next time."

"I don't think you can, Ryoko."  He said, turning back toward the house.  Then 
he added, to himself, "Not both of them, anyway."

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Some quick definitions, though I'm not sure you readers need them.

Kumite:  Sparring, practice combat.

Bokken:  Japanese wooden sword.  Though used mostly in practice, they have very 
real combat application.  One legendary warrior actually used bokken exclusivley
during one part of his career.

Aiai-jutsu:  I'm not sure this is spelled right, but what I'm getting at is 'the
technique of the fast draw' emphasises being two fast for your opponent to 
defend himself.

By the way, in the part in which Tenchi lands on his wrist and rolls to his 
feet, he is using an Aikido technique.  Aikido means, when litterally 
translated,  "The way of uniting spirit."  Well, not really a technique, but a 
way of rolling.

Anyway, how did you like it?  I thougt that Tenchi had taken enough of a break 
from the action, and, short of an enemy, Ryoko is the best way for Tenchi to get
some exercise.  There's more to come, so stick around!

-Jeremy "Kraken" Acord
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