"I hate these Disclaimers things at the beginning of video tapes, hit the 
fast forward."  Tenchi told Ryoko.
	"Ok, ok, one more Disclaimer bites the dust."
	"Really Ryoko, I think you should let me have the remote."  Aeka said 
pausing in the shoveling of popcorn into her mouth.
	"You and what army, little princess."

***

Ever After

Chapter 4: Trial and Error

	"Well did anything interesting happen last night?"  The station commander 
asked taking over the watch from his lieutenant.
	"We gained two new aliens, Galaxy Police officers at that.  One appears to 
be a new race as well, sir."  He paused a smile on his face.
	"That's great Xenobiology will be happy for a month.  Anything else?"
	"Hmm... Oh yes Mihoshi crashed into the house again.  We recovered a piece 
of the ship's haul about a foot long.  Right now Command is assembling a 
team of metal, plastic, and ceramic specialist to examine the object."  The 
lieutenant paused saving the best for last.
	"It seems you had a rather eventful night then."  The commander poured 
himself a cup of coffee from the nearby pot and grabbed a sweet bun.
	"There was one more thing..."  He paused toying with his superior.
	"Yes?"
	"Well one of the new G.P. officers came running out of the demolished 
house, waving a gun.  She searched the whole area surrounding the Masaki 
house and almost found O.P. 1.  The whole time screaming bloody murder.  
After a couple of hours she gave up on finding whatever it was she was 
looking for and headed back to the rebuilt house."
	"Maybe they recruit their officers for that?"  The commander pondered.
	"Could be."  He grabbed his bag ready to go home for some sleep.  "See you 
tonight."  His commander just waved at him already deep into the status 
report from last night.

***

	"Mitsuki, we had agreed that there would be no outbursts from you when we 
saw Officer Kiyone and yet you drew your weapon and chased after her for the 
majority of the night."  This was a first for Motashiwa every time before he 
had been on the receiving end of the same speech.  But for once he was in 
charge, and if he ever found out who the operator  was that had assigned him 
to this baby sitting job he would... unconsciously he extended his claws.  
His partner suddenly gave him, her complete attention.
	"Yes sir, I'm really sorry about the whole thing.  I will control my 
emotions when working with Kiyone, Sir."  She said sitting at attention.
	"Good, I don't see any need to continue this discussion."  He said just as 
happy to change the subject as she was.  "Now what should we do today."
	"First, I really think we should go eat breakfast."  She said sniffing the 
air.
	"Well I guess it would be easier to make plans after we eat."  He said a 
predators grin on his face.  They  both stood and left the guest room 
assigned to then by Noboyuki running straight into Mihoshi.
	"Kiyone, oh, where is Kiyone."  Mihoshi cried, wandering off searching for 
her missing partner.
	"Officer Mihoshi, can I have a few words with you?"  Mitsuki called out to 
the infamous member of the Galaxy Police.  Mihoshi just kept wandering along 
crying about her missing partner.  Shrugging her shoulders, Mitsuki headed 
down the stairs towards breakfast, Motashiwa behind her.
	Sasami was already serving Yosho and Kiyone from the large wooden rice 
bucket when they arrived.  She had prepared a traditional breakfast with 
some help from Ryo-Ohki, who was once again in human form,  happily munching 
on carrots next to Sasami.  At the officers arrival she filled their chawan 
(rice bowls) and handed one to each of  them.  Mitsuki gave an appreciative 
sniff and dug in as Motashiwa stared at the rice with a look of disgust, 
then with avid concentration began to shovel the rice into his mouth.
	"Kiyone!"  A voice yelled out from on top of the landing.  As Mihoshi 
finally found her missing partner.  The blond ran down the stairwell and 
tackled her partner bursting into tears.
	"Get off me you bubble head."  Kiyone pushed the joyful Mihoshi away from 
her.
	"But I thought something terrible had happened to you, after even Mitsuki 
couldn't find you."  The table became quiet as everyone stopping eating and 
looked at Mihoshi wondering how much she had gotten for her brain at the 
pawn shop.  Then deciding it couldn't have been more then a thousand yen and 
not worth the effort to think about, continued eating.
	"Um... thank you so much for allowing me to stay at the shrine last 
night." 
  Kiyone said to Yosho over the kitchen table trying to break the ice that 
her partner had caused.  Mitsuki started to choke on her rice, giving up all 
hope that the Prince of Jurai would ever sponsor her.
	"It was my pleasure."  The shrine caretaker said pausing in his eating of 
the rice.
	If anything Sasami's culinary arts had improved over the last few years on 
Earth.  From outstanding chef to world class.  Though from Motashiwa's 
expression he was being forced to eat emergency rations.  His face scrunched 
up in concentration as he tried not to think about it.
	"Is something wrong with the food."  Sasami asked cautiously.  Ryoko had 
told her many tales of the ferocity of the Tigeran officers that had chased 
her while she was a space pirate for Kagato.  Of course in those stories she 
had been the poor victim to their cruelty and not even Sasami was that 
naive.
	"I'm just not use to it."  He said forcing himself to eat another mouthful 
of rice.
	"Um... What would you prefer?"  .
	"For breakfast, one should eat Sterasne Blood Pie."  Motashiwa told her.  
Both Kiyone and Mitsuki's faces changed color and they hurriedly put down 
their chopsticks.
	"How do you make Sterasne Blood Pie?"  Sasami asked, always ready to add 
another recipe to her collection.
	"Please Sir, I really don't think that is something that should be 
discussed at the breakfast table."  Kiyone said, Mitsuki nodding her head in 
perfect agreement with her rival.
	"But I want to know."  Put in the worlds leading authority on helium 
preservation in the cranium holding area.

***

	"Miss Masaki, could you please solve the problem for us."
	"It's plus or minus 3x squared."  Sasami said with out even looking at the 
board.
	"Could you show the class how you got that answer."  Sasami walked up to 
the board and began to plug in the numbers.
	"It's easy you just use Washu Formula number 3."
	"Um... Miss Masaki don't you mean the quadratic formula."  *Washu, when I 
see you later, I knew that you were lying to me when you told me all the 
number tricks were named after you, or it could just be an Earth thing.*
	"Thank you, Miss Masaki."
	"Now Miss Lee if you could do problem number 17."  Sakura stood up and 
walked to the board.  Sasami could immediately tell that Sakura was making a 
number of simple mistakes especially with her positive and negatives.
	"Miss Lee I'm afraid that is incorrect... Oh there's the bell everyone 
please do the homework assignment on the board.  Miss Lee if you'll stay a 
moment I'll show you where your mistake was."
	"Sasami, Ryo-Ohki, we've got chemistry next period.  You want to walk 
together."  Asked Autumn as she stuffed books into her bag.
	"Miya"
	"Shouldn't we wait for Sakura."  Sasami said looking at her friend.
	"She'll be a while.  Come on."  Autumn said grabbing her book bag and 
heading towards the door playing with her little Virtual Pet, followed by 
Ryo-Ohki.  Sasami gave one more look at Sakura and followed the two girls 
down the halls of the school towards the chemistry room.  Nodding at 
acquaintances and talking about nothing.  Ryo-Ohki and Autumn had really 
seemed to hit it off lately and Sasami was feeling a little jealous.
	"So Sasami what are you going to do this weekend."  Asked Autumn.
	"My sister and nephew are coming home from college this weekend along with 
Ryoko."
	"Who's Ryoko?"  Autumn asked.
	"She's a space... she takes up space."  Sasami caught her self in time.
	"What do you mean."  Inquired Autumn as Ryo-Ohki gave Sasami a nervous 
glance.
	"She use to board with my family."  Sasami sighed in relief that she had 
gotten out of that one so easy.
	"Really, and she's going to the same college now as well.  Isn't that a 
little odd."
	"You've never met Ryoko."
	"Miya!"  Ryo-Ohki put her two cents in as they entering the classroom.

***

	"Sasami, I still don't quite get that formula could you give me a little 
help after school?"  Sakura asked staring at her math book, at the same time 
stealing herself some of Sasami's lunch.
	"Why don't you come over to my house tonight."  Asked Sasami.
	"Can I come along as well."  Autumn interjected.
	"Sure we can make a trip out of it.  We can check out the shops in the 
mall 
before heading out."
	"Ryo-Ohki think it sounds fun."  She said casting a mischievous grin at 
Sakura.  Suddenly Sasami didn't feel to hot about the idea, she had seen 
that look on Ryoko to many times.

***

	Going to the mall with someone her own age was a new experience for 
Sasami. 
  She had seen it on television and knew that it was a required meeting area 
for earth teenagers, but now she knew why.  It was fun.
	Autumn had shown her the high points of window shopping and trying on 
clothing.  A variation of the favorite game of all young girls, dress up.  
Afterwards loaded down by a number of boxes that she had purchased with her 
Washu Express Card, a Christmas present she had promised Washu to never let 
Noboyuki use.  They had gone to look at the animals in a pet store, that had 
even stocked rabbits much to Ryo-Ohki's delight.  Who seemed to be on her 
best behavior.  Sasami's fears had obviously been misplaced about Ryo-Ohki's 
motivation for wanting to go on this trip.  Finally they had settled down in 
the food court eating ice cream or drinking carrot juice whatever the 
preference.
	"Doesn't that guy look like your uncle, Sasami."  Sakura pointed at a 
middle aged salary man with a passing resemblance to Noboyuki being led 
around by his wife from store to store with an expression of abject horror 
on his face every time he looked at his wife's fist clenching a credit card.
	"Sort of,"  she replied smiling to herself.
	"What is your family like?"  Autumn asked, she had already told them today 
about her two older brothers. And how much fun it was to be away from their 
teasing while she was in Japan.
	"Normal, I guess."
	"Then where your parents, you live with your uncle.  Yes, no."  She asked 
playing with her virtual pet for a second before sticking it back into her 
pocket in disgust.
	"My parents are abroad."  It worked in every animation she had ever seen 
to 
explain why a high school student was living alone it had to work in an easy 
situation like this.
	"Where?"  Sakura said interested.
	"America."  Sasami had taken the time a couple of days ago to find out 
where that was on Earth after meeting Autumn.
	"Where in America."  Trapped Sasami looked at Ryo-Ohki.  The Cabbit's hand 
conveniently slipped spilling the carrot drink into Sakura's lap.  An 
apology on her lips and a smile in her eyes Ryo-Ohki helped to clean up the 
mess that she had created.

***

	Sasami was finding that she actually enjoyed the time she spent commuting 
on the bus.  Being able to see the changing scenery rather then the boring 
vastness of space.  Something was always different if you paid attention.  A 
sign had moved, someone was out in front of a store, or a passenger in 
another car starring back at you.  The whole experience was just more 
personal then space.  So much more alive.  Sasami felt someone touch 
Sasami's shoulder and she turned away from the window.
	"You were staring off into space there for a second."  Sakura said pulling 
her even further back to reality.
	"Not space."  She replied softly.  "You ever been out this way before?"
	"No, never.  Its beautiful so many trees."  She said looking past Sasami 
out into the forests that had been rural farms just a minute ago.
	"It looks so much like home."  A trace of home sickness in her voice.  But 
she waved it off, she wasn't going home, ever, Tsunami was there.  And 
lately she could feel what the goddess was feeling more and more, all she 
had to do was close her eyes and Tsunami was there waiting for Sasami.
	"Your not from around here?"  Sakura asked breaking into her thoughts once 
again.
	"No."  Sasami said without thinking.
	"Where are you from then?"  She nonchalantly asked.
	"Um..."  Sasami paused catching her self from replying.  For some reason 
she didn't think that telling her new friend that she was an alien princess 
would make for a long and healthy friendship.
	"Ryo-Ohki, stop!"  Autumn yelled from the seat in front of Sasami and 
Sakura.  Breathing a sigh of relief Sasami leaned forward to see what the 
commotion was about.
	Ryo-Ohki had somehow gotten a hold of Autumn's virtual pet rabbit, Kawaii.  
Sasami smiled at the name, it had been the one she and Mihoshi had used when 
she had played as a kid.
	 Ryo-Ohki was feeding the Virtual Pet carrots over and over.  Causing the 
image of the rabbit on the screen to swell.  Autumn was way too 
overprotective of her pet and who knows how Ryo-Ohki had convinced her to 
give it up but her patience was about to give out as poor Kawai started to 
balloon on the digital screen.
	"Miya."  Ryo-Ohki happily continued to feed Kawai-Chan.  Autumn couldn't 
stand it anymore and snatched the toy out of Ryo-Ohki's hands cradling the 
VR pet to her chest,  giving her a hurt look.  Sasami began to laugh at her 
friend the former space pirate, who joining in with Sasami's and Sakura's 
laughter.  Autumn glared at them with a hurt look on her face.
	"Miya!"

***

	Darkness had fallen upon the Masaki residence when they finally arrived at 
the house.  For once, nobody was home and the place felt like it was full of 
ghosts to Sasami.  This was one of the reasons she had been so happy when 
Tenchi had suggested that she go to school, *loneliness is not a companion 
you can cook for.*  Sasami thought as she turned on the light switch to the 
downstairs family room.
	"Sasami, this house is huge."  Autumn said a little in awe.  "Compared to 
the rest of the houses I've seen in Japan this place looks like a mansion."  
She said removing her shoes.  Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
	"That's because my uncle is an architect.  He just loves to keep on adding 
stuff to the house.  Like the balcony outside of my room."  And thank 
goodness Washu finally came up with a way to hide the baths or I would have 
a real problem.  How do you explain an island floating in the air with a 
waterfall coming from it?
	"Why don't you guys sit down and pull out the books, I'll get us some 
tea." 
  Sasami said happy to have someone to cook dinner for besides Ryo-Ohki.  
She found herself wondering one day if the little fur ball would taste like 
carrots or maybe chicken, after that she gave up on creative carrot dishes 
and just stuck to the basics for Ryo-Ohki and cooked whatever she felt like 
eating.
	Sasami wondered whether or not Washu was still in Tokyo or had come back 
for the evening.  In that case she should have to warn the premier scientist 
in the galaxy, that they had guests and to be on her best behavior.  She 
tapped lightly on the supply closet door and then peeked inside only to see 
a mop.
	Autumn, Sakura, and Ryo-Ohki had settled down in the family room around 
the 
chabudai (low table) and were pulling out books and other odd items 
necessary for home work.  Sasami reappeared a few minutes later with tea and 
baby carrots which worked as a good snack dish for everyone.
	"Why, you love carrots so much?"  Autumn asked taking a cup of tea from 
Sasami.  She been wondering about it for the past few days of watching 
Ryo-Ohki eat nothing but carrots in one form or another.
	"Taste good."  Was her only reply as the brown haired girl dived in.  
Autumn rolled her eyes.
	"Any ways... can someone show me where I made this mistake."  Sakura asked 
checking her answer with the one in the back of the book and seeing that it 
still didn't match the answer she needed.
	"Here let me see."  Sasami turned the paper around.
	"Your still getting your positive and negative signs mixed up.  Remember 
one negatives make a positive"  She pointed at one part of the paper.  
"See."
	{"Does that work in relationships to."}  Mumbled Autumn in English.
	"Okay, then I made the same mistake here too."  She said pointing towards 
a 
lower part of the same equation.
	"See, it's easy once you get the hang of it."  Sakura began redoing the 
formula changing her answer and with a little help from Sasami and Autumn it 
matched the one in the back of the book.
	Sasami went back to the kitchen to create dinner now that she saw sure 
that 
Sakura was on the right track.  If worse came to worse Ryo-Ohki would help 
and Washu had programmed her with the best navigation computer in the 
galaxy,  to that Washu Formula Number Three was a piece of carrot cake.

***

	Tsunami centered herself gathering calm from the other Jurian trees and 
then projecting it back to them.  The whole net by now was aware of the 
invasion fleet.  Jurian fleets were forming and being called back from their 
patrols.  Slowly... assembly of the main fleet would take another day.  The 
G.P. fleet another would meet up with them half way to Farreach.  She knew 
that the King of Jurai was calling in all his old favors from the rest of 
the Galactic powers to try to receive more ships.
	The enemy, was just staying in the Farreach system neither advancing nor 
retreating.  Besides sending a few scout ships out they seemed perfectly 
content to stay put.  She wouldn't have been half as worried if they had 
advanced.  But instead they were just holding steady, blocking all 
communications or probes into the Farreach system.
	She sighed a rustling of leaves.  Pushing more tranquility out to the 
other 
trees.  Too many enemy ships.  She could already see that the deciding 
factor in the battle would be the Light Hawk Wings.  All the tree ship had 
felt the Soyokaze die without shields or protection, removed from her power. 
  She couldn't blame them for being worried.  She was too.  Too many new 
emotions were being learned by her and the trees lately, ones that she had 
wanted to shelter them from.  That she had also wanted to be sheltered from. 
  That was why she had joined with the trees after her combat with Tokemi so 
  many centuries ago.  Peace, order and tranquility isn't that what anyone 
asks for, even a goddess.
	Sasami was happy, Tsunami could draw upon that and send it out, but she no 
longer trusted Sasami's happiness.

***

	"Hey Sasami, what is this."  Autumn said holding up a brightly colored 
baton with a pink heart on top of it.
	"That's my magical baton.  Mihoshi and I used to play that I was the 
Magical Girl Pretty Sasami and that with my magical baton I fought for love 
and justice.  We had watched to many magical girl shows at the time, I 
guess."  Sasami gave a nervous laugh.
	"That is so cuuute!"  Sakura laughed at her.
	Autumn took the baton and in front of the mirror and struck a pose.   "I 
fight for love and justice and in the name of the moon I will punish you."  
She twirled the baton.  "Or maybe,"  She took the traditional "V" pose.  "We 
have vanquished the evil foe, now where are we going."  Sasami and Sakura 
both gave her a mystified stare.  "Sorry wrong culture."

***

Hey does anyone know the name of the large wooden bucket that holds the rice 
that one of the members of the family, usually female, fills everyone's cup 
from?  yea more run on sentences.

Comments/suggestions...Uh... is this thing on... 1... 2... 3... anyone out 
there?  STRIKESTWICE@HOTMAIL.COM

This is Ver2!