These characters do not belong to me and I am not making any money from the writing of this story. The Courtyard By Kenzie Kennedy Washu slid into her old slippers and padded her way upstairs to wake her daughter. Nine days until the wedding. Well, nine days and then the wedding day, really. She mused this thought over until she reached her daughter's door. Opening it slowly, she peeked around the corner to see her daughter's sleeping form. Washu smiled wistfully. If only she had grown up with me. I had everything planned out for her. Schooling, parties... Ryoko turned over in her sleep. Yawning, she stretched her arms, and her eyes lighted on her mother. She gave Washu a sleepy grin and said, "Good morning, Mom." Washu smiled and walked over to sit on the edge of the bed. "And how is my sleepy girl this morning?" Ryoko didn't answer. Instead she stared at Washu's feet. "What are those?" she asked. Washu looked down and grinned. "Well, they used to be yours when you were smaller." Washu waved her slippered feet up and down. "When I opened the house again after the battle with Kagato I found them." Ryoko stared at them. "Can I have another pair?" she asked. Washu's heart expanded a few notches. "Of course you can!" she said cheerfully. She took off the slippers and concentrated. A few moments later she handed her daughter another pair of slippers. Ryoko got out of bed and slipped the Ryo-ohki slippers on her feet. Putting her hands over her head, she stretched. Ryoko asked while yawning, "What's for breakfast?" Washu looked toward the ceiling. "What do you want? Eggs, bacon, Earth food, Juraian, Mephan?" Ryoko frowned. "Maybe some Juraian cuisine. I must learn to like the food if I'm going to be the queen." She looked at her mother who had given her the "is this my daughter making like she's royalty?" look. They both burst into laughter. *** Washu cracked the eggs open for breakfast and neatly split them over the pan. She then turned and looked at the kitchen. "Juraian, Juraian," she muttered. Ryoko stared, fascinated at her mother. Washu turned around and looked pleadingly at her daughter. "Um, couldn't you ask Misaki to take you to eat somewhere?" Ryoko shrugged. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. Funaho didn't say when she wanted me to show up." Ryoko gave her mother a sly look. "What, don't have the proper ingredients?" Washu glared at her. "No, I just don't like cooking Juraian food. Sasami's better at it then I am!" To change the subject, Washu quickly said, "So why don't you call Misaki?" Ryoko bit her lip. "I don't know. Do you think I should? I mean, what if she's busy?" Washu felt her mind to into shock. Ryoko was actually worried about interrupting someone. No, even better than that, Ryoko was nervous! She said gently, "If she's busy then maybe she left a note." Ryoko glanced at her mother hesitantly. "Okay. Do you know the number?" Washu felt her hands go around the remote as she reached into mid-air. Punching a couple of numbers, a screen flashed into being and ringing was heard. "Yes?" a guard's face appeared. "We request to speak with the Lady Misaki." Washu said carefully. "I'm sorry, but the Lady Misaki is not seeing anyone today." The guard informed her. "Why? Has something gone wrong?" Ryoko asked. The guard's attention swiveled to her. "Oh." The guard's face went away. Ryoko and Washu looked at each other and shrugged. Misaki's face came to the screen. "Hi, Ryoko!" "Hi," Ryoko said cautiously. "Sorry about the guard. He didn't know you were there until you spoke up. Oh, we're going to have so much fun today!" Misaki said to her. "Speaking of which, when did you two want to get started?" Washu inserted. Misaki's attention focused on Washu for a moment. "Oh, hello, dear! How are your inventions coming along?" "They're fine. Ryoko and I have been wondering what time you wanted to get started on the garden." Washu smoothly said again. Misaki blinked. "As soon as she can get here. I cleared the whole day for her." Ryoko choked. Washu patted her on the back and chuckled. Misaki waiting for her and she starts having valve troubles! "Have you had breakfast?" Washu asked. Misaki looked longingly at the breakfast on the table. "No. I haven't." "Want to join us?" Ryoko asked. Misaki's face lit up. Washu winked and stepped into a portal. When she came back, Misaki was in tow. "Ryoko, why don't you go and wake up Ayeka and Sasami?" Washu asked. Ryoko nodded and went through the door. *** "Ayeka?" she said, shaking the first princess gently. "Yes, I am awake." Ayeka said blearily. "Well, your mom just stepped through the portal to have breakfast with me and Washu so we thought you might like to talk with her over breakfast." Ryoko said. Ayeka sat ramrod straight and stared into Ryoko's eyes. "Mommy's here?!" she squeaked. Ryoko grinned. Mommy, from Ayeka was still funny. Ryoko turned on her ankle and gently woke the second princess. When Sasami heard the news, she jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. "What's the rush, Sasami?" Ryoko asked. "You said mommy's here for breakfast. I've got to hurry and make it." Sasami said to her. "My mommy-" Ryoko stopped herself and popped herself one on the head. "I mean, Mom's making breakfast in the lab." Sasami nodded and got dressed. *** Ryoko walked back into the house with both Ayeka and Sasami following her. After the infamous hugs from Misaki, the five of them sat down to the extra breakfast Washu had cooked. "Ayeka, do you think I should take Ryoko to McQuaren's?" Misaki asked innocently, popping a big of egg in her mouth. Ayeka considered Ryoko. "Yes, I think he's one of the people she'd deal very well with." Ayeka winked at Sasami who giggled. Misaki filled Ayeka and Sasami in on the gossip in the palace and they finally had to say their tearful good-byes. Ryoko asked if Ayeka would weed the spaceship garden today and she nodded. Washu skillfully distracted Sasami with her kitchen. Misaki grabbed Ryoko's hand and they leapt through the portal. *** "Oh, that's fun! Do you think Washu would set one up in the palace?" Misaki said. Her face contorted. "No. I think she'd better not. Anyone could use it then." She sighed. "It was a nice idea." Ryoko looked around. Washu had placed them at the end of the lane that led to the palace. She looked to Misaki for direction. Misaki caught her look and pointed toward the market. "Onward!" she said with enthusiasm. Misaki linked elbows with Ryoko and off they went, Ryoko staring at her like she was insane. *** The shock on the people's faces as they strode down the street was something you could touch. Misaki was talking animatedly about McQuaren's with Ryoko trying to act interested. Ryoko and Misaki jarred to a halt. Ryoko looked around for an enemy, but saw only a brick wall about two feet high with dirt spilling over the sides. "This is it!" Misaki crowed. Ryoko's eyes popped out of her head. While scrambling to recover them without getting too much dirt on them, Misaki kept talking. "So what do you think, Ryoko dear? This is the garden that we plowed under for you to work with." Ryoko finally got her eyeballs into place and she looked at the wide expanse of dirt that they had cleared out for her. "It...should be adequate." She said breathlessly. "Oh, good." Misaki said, linked elbows with her and marched off with Ryoko in tow. *** Ryoko started to smell something heavenly. Misaki grinned at her and steered her toward the smell. The smell grew even more intense. They came around the corner and Ryoko got her first look at McQuaren's. There were at least twenty tables out front with flowers all over them. People teemed around them admiring. Beyond them were ten-no, eleven greenhouses. Ryoko's eyes bulged and she started forward eagerly. The colors were brilliant and sedate, all colors of the rainbow. The flowers were healthy. Ryoko tugged Misaki after her to the first table, her eyes feasting on the plants, ideas whirling through her brain. "They are nice, aren't they dear?" an elderly lady spoke to her. "Yes," Ryoko breathed. "Have you been-" The woman stopped when she got a good look at Ryoko's face. A look of terror swept over her and her hand flew to her mouth. Ryoko's face and body started to tense and she began to move away. She bumped into someone and turned to make her apologies. "Yes, dear?" Misaki turned a bright face to the woman. The woman eased and asked Ryoko, "Have you been here before?" Ryoko shook her head. Why was everyone on this planet so scared of her after they had been told the truth!? "Ah." The woman looked around as if searching for something. "What are you looking for? Anything special?" "Bleeding hearts?" a man said sarcastically to Ryoko's left. Ryoko shot him a nasty look. Misaki started toward him. "No." Ryoko said. "He's got a right to be mad at me, doesn't he?" she asked Misaki. The woman looked at the younger man and snorted. "Before I was interrupted, you were saying something about what you were looking for?" "Oh, she's looking for plants. Tons of plants to decorate a small garden. You know the one that was plowed under? The one in the market? Well, Funaho and I thought it would be wonderful if she used her skills to decorate it for us." Misaki chirped. The elderly woman looked at Ryoko to see if it was true. Ryoko grinned. "I was thinking of small beds maybe edged with the same brick that's on the outside." Ryoko frowned. "Misaki, are there any steps?" "Queen Misaki!" the younger man rapped out. "Nonsense, young man!" Misaki bellowed. "We're family, or almost family and of equal rank. She can call me anything she wants that's proper." Misaki turned to Ryoko. "Yes, there are some steps." "Then I'll do paths in there, maybe a fountain." Ryoko mused her eyes taking a far off glaze in them. The elderly woman smiled benignly at her. "They have some beautiful fountains in here. If you're going to do paths, don't make them out of wood chips or anything, they're hard for me to walk on." The woman patted her arm with her wrinkled skin and walked off. Ryoko looked down at her arm. A Juraian just touched her arm! And not to hurt her either! Ryoko felt her arm. She had never had an old person touch her arm. I wonder why their skin doesn't feel like mine, she mused. Misaki gestured to the inside and Ryoko stepped in. *** "Ryoko, not to sound impatient or anything, but are you ever going to choose anything?" Misaki said exasperated. Ryoko looked at her. "We're buying the plants today?" she asked. Misaki rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're buying them today. All the materials are going to be bought today. It's only eight o'clock, Earth time. Washu told me that your lessons were cancelled today. You have the entire day to plant this garden." "But who's going to carry it all?" Ryoko asked. "I'm not going to carry it!" "That's why we have people to do it for us. McQueran's does deliver, you know. You can have anything in here that you want, you just have to choose!" Misaki said to her smiling broadly. Ryoko turned back to the greenhouse and rubbed her hands, grinning evilly. Several patrons caught her look and moved quickly out of the way, fearing annihilation. A man who was very broad appeared as if magically by her elbow. "Ah, Miss Ryoko!" he boomed. "Welcome!" Ryoko, very startled, looked at the man. "Who are you?" she demanded. "Why, McQueran, of course! Do you need any help ladies?" he said in a quieter tone. "Yes, actually. I've forgotten where the fountains are. Could you give us a general direction?" Misaki asked her eyes big and pleading. "Of course, ladies! It's in back of the second greenhouse." He said cheerfully grinning at Ryoko. "And how many delivery boys do you have at the moment?" Misaki asked. "All are at your disposal. For the two loveliest ladies to grace my shop in a long while." He bent and kissed Ryoko's hand, then Misaki's. Ryoko thought idly that her hand had gotten in a lot of trouble today. "Could you have one of them follow me around?" she asked boldly. McQueran crooked his finger at two boys watering plants. They immediately came to him. "Will these two gentleman do?" he asked. Ryoko smiled at them. "Sure." She grinned. *** Exactly one hour later, Ryoko had exhausted the ten boys that McQueran's had and Misaki had to send for guards to tote flowers back to the market square. Ryoko had lost track of how many flowers she had actually bought and had now moved on to the fountains. Misaki favored the one which had the goddess Tsunami pouring water, while Ryoko shied away from that one in favor of a pale violet marble one that had beautiful birds. Misaki said to buy them both and Ryoko agreed. *** On the way back, Misaki and Ryoko stopped into a marble store that had samples from the local stone quarry. They chose the same brick that the garden had around the edges for the small beds of flowers. "Shouldn't the fountains have something around them as well?" Misaki asked. Ryoko nodded. She walked over to look at small bricks of varied marble. Since the outside marble was a plain red color, Ryoko looked for something out of the ordinary. She and Misaki finally settled on a marble that looked like an opal. The walkway was to be done in small oval stones all interlocking. *** Misaki started to laugh once she saw the market square. Ryoko flew up into the air to see how far it went. Trays of flowers lined the street. The guards were guarding flowers to keep them from being trampled. The fountains had been delivered and the guards were trying their best to keep the crowds from tipping them over. "Hey!" Misaki called out indignantly from below. "No fair!" Ryoko settled herself on the ground. She took Misaki's hand and flew up with her holding on. "Wheeee!" she shouted. Ryoko settled them both on the ground. "Your Majesty," the nearest guards said. "Okay, so do I have to set this up all by myself or what?" Ryoko demanded. Misaki looked at her. "I'm not dressed for it." She objected. Ryoko looked at her. "The queen of a planet in a marketplace can't convince someone to let her change in their dressing room?" *** At about nine thirty Earth time, Misaki and Ryoko were both digging in the dirt and having a fun time. Since the stone wasn't here yet for the beds, they had decided to work on the outside for now. "Ma'am, the pathways have arrived." A guard alerted them. "Good," Misaki said. "Ryoko, would you direct the guardsmen where they should lay it?" Ryoko looked at her, shocked. The guardsmen stood still. "Um," Ryoko said. She looked for somewhere to draw what she wanted by saw only dirt. Sticking her finger into the dirt and observing the shape of the market square, she drew what she wanted. One of the guardsmen discreetly found her a napkin and a pen. She threw him a grateful glance and marked her pathways on the napkin. The guardsmen passed it around and got started. Ryoko sighed. Until they were done, there wasn't that much more to do. Suddenly inspiration struck. "Hey, Misaki, where's the orphanage from here?" *** Ryoko peeked around the corner where the lady had said that Lacey and Art were playing. Art happened to look up as she was looking at him. He shrieked and ran to her, Lacey not far behind. Trying to make sense of what they were telling her, she finally held up her hands and stopped them. "One at a time. Art, what are you trying to say?" "They're really nice here and we get food whenever we want it and the toys here are great!" he said enthusiastically. "Lacey?" Ryoko said. "Thank you." She said shyly. "Well, I've got another favor to ask. I'm building a garden in the market square. And I want you two to come help me. How are you at digging in the dirt?" Ryoko asked. The kids screamed that they were very good at it. *** When they got back to the garden, after procuring permission from the head person at the orphanage, the guards were done with the paths. Ryoko sent Art and Lacey out to inspect the paths to make sure there weren't any cracks while she inventoried what flowers she had. Planning what flowers she wanted where in the back of her mind, she looked at the garden. She really ought to put up the fountains next.... "Ryoko, when can we plant some flowers?" Lacey asked. She smiled. "Right now. You see those bright pink ones? Bring me just one package of those." Lacey ran off. She held up one six-pack of flowers asking for confirmation and Ryoko nodded. Ryoko showed her and Art how to plant them. Then Misaki and Ryoko got to work on the rest of the beds while the two children worked on that one little six pack of flowers. The guardsmen got started on putting up the fountains. *** At about eleven o'clock Earth time, the fountains were up, three of the twenty-one beds were planted, and Ryoko had remembered something. Digging some spare money out of her pocket, she called Lacey and Art over. While they were trotting over, Ryoko pulled her little switch button out of her pocket. It's been sticking into me all day, she thought. I'll just put it right here. She laid it between the outer edge of the bed and the wall. "Here's what I'd like you to do. It's very important and I forgot all about it." She turned them around. "You see those fountains over there that the guardsmen are filling with water?" The children nodded. "I forgot to get any fish for them." She whispered. The kids eyes went wide. She nodded. "Yup. Typical adult forgetfulness. I want you to go to a good place to get fish. A good place," she stressed. "Like the places that a queen would go into. I want you to buy some ordinary bynari fish to put in there. I want about thirty of them." Art and Lacey nodded. Ryoko gave them the money and they ran off. Ryoko straightened. "Think we can get most of those beds finished by the time they get back, Misaki?" *** A figure melted out of the crowd and toward the two ladies in the garden. Under his cloak, his fingers twitched. A small hand crept out of the cloak and plucked the activator from its place and pressed the button. *** Washu sat at her computer, chewing on licorice. She vigorously bit off a sizable amount of the red chewy candy. Just seconds away from finding out the answer to why ketchup was red instead of purple.... *RING, RING* *BRRRING, BRRRRING* *WHEE-OOOH!* She sat up in her cushion and listened. Her fingers typed quick command into her computer's keyboard. Come on, come on! She cried mentally. Where is it? Why are all my alarms going off? A small spot moved toward the lab door on her screen. She pounced off her cushion and ran toward the door. Washu heard it open before she could get to it. She chased the caped man out of the house. Sasami wanted to know where she was going, but Washu was in too big of a hurry to tell her. The man fled across the field and started to pound his way up the stairs. Washu, in her child body, could not keep up with him. *** "Tenchi, you are not concentrating!" His grandfather said lazily. Tenchi dropped his sword. "I know, grandfather. I can't help but feel something's wrong." He confessed. "All the more reason to practice. It may be something you can fight with a sword." His grandfather went on. A figure in a dark cloak burst out of the bushes and headed toward Tenchi. But his grandfather was in the way. With a few quick, well-placed taps of the bokken, his grandfather put his foot on the intruder's head. "This is why you practice, Tenchi." He said calmly. Washu panted up to the two men. "He got away!" she said indignantly. "Ah, Miss Washu. Is this one of your experiments run amok?" Yosho asked quietly. "No!" she gave him a fierce look. "He came through a portal, the one I gave Ryoko to use." "Ryoko!" Tenchi fixated his attention on her. "Is she all right?" "Sure, Tenchi, she's fine. I'd know, remember?" Washu tapped her forehead. "Though, you might want to go check if it's okay with Lord Katsuhito here." Tenchi's grandfather bowed and Tenchi left through a portal. "So," Washu drawled, "who's the culprit here?" *** "Ryoko?" he called on the other side of the portal. Ryoko heard her name called faintly and she turned. "Tenchi!" she called back and waved a hand. Tenchi ran over to her and kissed her swiftly. "Are you okay?" he asked concerned. Ryoko looked confused. "Yes, of course I am. What's wrong?" Tenchi quickly explained about the man who had come through the portal. Ryoko swore. "Washu's going to have to imprint that thing with DNA so that only I can trigger it." She said. "Ryoko, we got the bynaris," a young female voice said. Ryoko turned to find both Art and Lacey holding out fish. "That's great!" Ryoko said and took a bag from Lacey. "Look, Tenchi, aren't they great?" "Who are you?" Art asked suspiciously. Tench looked at him. "I'm Tenchi Masaki." Art's eyes got big. "You're the next Emperor of Jurai!" Tenchi ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I guess I am. Can I see?" Art handed him the fish reverently. After looking at the fish, Tenchi took his first real look at the garden. "It looks wonderful, my love," he said softly. They gazed at each other until a perky voice said, "Break it up, we've got problems." "Mom!" Ryoko growled. "Sorry. That was no ordinary man that got through. I just found out that he's an assassin. And he was looking for Tenchi. I want you off this planet immediately." Washu crossed her arms, piercing Tenchi with a fierce glare. Ryoko gave him a slight shove toward Washu. Washu turned toward her. "You too." Ryoko squawked at her. "No arguments. I don't want to have to fix you. You're messy after a fight." Misaki waved them on. "I'll see that the children get back to the orphanage safely and then I'll go home." Ryoko and Tenchi reluctantly left to find out more about the mysterious assassin.