I'll Go With You
(Tenchi Story Arc: Mihoshi)
By Ammadeau
Roy.Fokker@UNSpacy.org
http://members.tripod.com/~Ammadeau/fanfiction.htm

Part 3

	Mihoshi, Tenchi, and Sasami soon were all back in 
Mihoshi's shuttle, this time to make the descent down to the planet.  
Tenchi had expected a big place, after all it was the home of head 
of the Galaxy Police, but he wasn't quite prepared for the collection 
of large, elegant buildings that lay amongst well-maintained 
parkland.  Mihoshi, or rather Yukinojo, brought the shuttle in for a 
landing on a pad that was reserved for her private use.
	Upon stepping out of the shuttle, the group was greeted by 
a very tall, elderly man in formal dress.  He was thin almost to the 
point of anorexic with pale purple skin and bright green eyes.
	"Hi, Zeej!" Mihoshi greeted him with a wave.
	Zeej bowed to her.  "It is good to see you once more, miss 
Mihoshi.  Your grandmother is waiting for you and your guests in 
the main house.  I will take you to her now.  Please follow me."
	Zeej turned and made his way out of the shuttle pad, the 
others following close behind.  He lead them to a floating platform 
that had no adornments besides rails to make sure the passengers 
didn't accidentally fall, and some simple controls, which Zeej went 
to immediately.
	Once they were all on, Zeej started the platform up and, 
without a sound, they were slowly traveling through the grounds of 
the estate.  Where they had landed was mostly flat greenland, with 
bushes and groups of flowers scattered about.  It reminded Tenchi 
of a golf course, with the platform they were on like a futuristic 
golf cart.  
	Mihoshi chatted with Zeej while Sasami glanced around 
happily at the scenery, Ryo-oki mimicking her.  Tenchi was 
mentally preparing himself for meeting Mihoshi's grandmother.  
He was more confident now, after facing off against the Marshall 
with no real problems.  Only a few minutes had passed by the time 
they arrived at the main house.
	Mihoshi's grandmother was a relatively small woman in 
stature, compared to her husband and granddaughter, though she 
would have been of average height in Japan.  She had the same 
tanned skin and pointed ears of the rest of her family, but her hair 
was blue, a few shades darker than Sasami's.  She also had that 
same agelessness about her, that she could have easily passed for 
Mihoshi's mother.
	"Mihoshi, dear!" the woman shouted in delight and gave 
her granddaughter an affectionate hug.
	She broke off her hug after a few minutes and turned to 
study Tenchi.  He felt very uncomfortable under her scrutiny.  
"Who is this? . . . Wait, don't tell me!  I know!  He's your husband, 
right?  So handsome!  Hello, my name is Kia.  Mihoshi dear, why 
didn't you invite me to the wedding?"  Then she noticed Sasami.  
"And what a darling child you have!"
	Tenchi and Sasami face-faulted.  Mihoshi's whole face 
turned red.  All of them were too stunned to speak.
	"You should have told us earlier, now we have to re-
arrange the rooms.  It just wouldn't do for you and your husband to 
sleep in separate rooms."  Then she said to herself, "I wonder how 
long it takes to install sound proofing?"
	Tenchi suddenly regained his power of speech, though it 
was still somewhat shaky.  There was a panicked look in his eyes.  
"No, no, you've got it all wrong!  It isn't like that!"
	"You mean that this little girl was born out of wedlock?  
She's a love child?  How romantic!"
	Tenchi and Mihoshi face-faulted yet again.  This being the 
last straw for Sasami, the little girl fainted away.  Zeej caught her 
before she could hit the ground, however, and with a gesture of his 
wrist, a hover bed floated in, which he placed Sasami on.  Ryo-oki 
jumped on the bed to be with her.
	"Poor girl," Kia commented.  "The trip must have been too 
much for her."
	Mihoshi had finally recovered, more or less.  She was still 
blushing horribly.  "Grandma, you have it all wrong.  Sasami isn't 
my and Tenchi's child.  And we're not married."
	"Oh, my apologies," Kia said, bowing to Tenchi.  "I have a 
small habit of jumping to conclusions.  Zeej, cancel the room 
change.  Leave it as it is."
	"Yes, Madame."
	"Now, Tenchi, can you please tell me your true relation to 
my granddaughter?"
	"Well, I guess you could say that I'm her boyfriend,"  
Tenchi answered a little uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his 
head.  That's what Mihoshi had told her grandfather and he saw no 
reason to contradict her.
	Kia grinned.  "Zeej, cancel the canceling of the room 
change, make sure the water bed is extra durable, and add another 
layer of sound-proofing."
	Tenchi joined Sasami in la-la land.  Zeej caught him easily 
and placed him in another floating bed which he had already called 
for against such a possibility.
	"The trip must have been too much for him as well."  Kia 
glanced over at the now unconscious Tenchi and then turned to her 
granddaughter with a grin.  "I guess you really worn him out on the 
way here, Mihoshi."
	"Grandma!" Mihoshi shouted, her full-body blush such a 
bright red that it could be read by.  "We just started dating!"
	"Well, it's never too soon to make a relationship more 
intimate.  Your grandfather was quite the rascal at your age.  Why 
do you think we have such a large family?  And your parents . . . 
well, the impending birth of your older brother was one of the 
reasons that they married so quickly.  And I swear they just keep 
getting noisier as they get older.  Every time they visit . . ."
	Mihoshi took a deep breath.  She should have been more 
prepared to deal with her grandmother than she was.  She should 
have at least told the others what to expect.  Kia was of a different 
race than most others from their home world and such had a 
different cultural background.  The result was she had some rather 
odd ideas about relationships.  "Tenchi and I aren't ready to take 
that step yet, grandmother.  Please don't try to push us."
	Kia smiled and put her arm on her granddaughter's 
shoulder.  "Of course, dear.  We'll keep it to separate rooms.  Set 
your own pace with Tenchi."
	Mihoshi sighed in relief.  "Thanks for understanding, 
grandma."
	"They'll be connecting rooms so Tenchi will have no 
trouble sneaking in for a late night visit, or for you for that matter.  
It's quite all right for girls to do that, you know.  Your mother was 
quite aggressive.  She told me that she used to sneak into your 
father's room all the time."
	Mihoshi pretended that she hadn't heard that.
	Kia had Zeej guide them all to their rooms, while she 
watched them go with a smile.  She wanted more grandchildren 
and she thought that if she was clever about it, she could bring 
those two together in no time.  She decided to call in a few allies.

	Aeka and Ryoko waited beside Funaho for their distress 
signal to be answered.  Aeka couldn't figure out quite how to send 
the message properly, since the former space tree had been on 
Earth for some time and so had gotten a bit eccentric.  Azaka and 
Kamhedaki had helped her compose the message they sent, but 
even they weren't sure that it would be interpreted properly.  
	Katsuhito had been gone when they had come to the shrine 
for help once again, having left a note that he was visiting a sick 
friend and would be away indefinitely.  The two women had found 
his timing to be a little too convient, but they had no way of finding 
him.  No matter how badly the message was garbled though, they 
were likely to get some sort of Jurai ship to respond, eventually.  
So they sat by the former space tree and waited.
	"At this rate, Ryo-oh will be ready to fly by the time a Jurai 
ship shows up," Ryoko commented in irritation.
	"Now Ryoko, really," Aeka told her.  "It's only been a little 
over two days since we sent the message."
	"Yeah, and it's been over four days since Mihoshi 
kidnapped Tenchi.  In that time, she could have . . . could . . ."
	"You don't seriously believe that she could convince Tenchi 
to do _that_, do you?  After successfully thwarting your advances 
for so long, he should have no trouble with Mihoshi."
	"If she was able to pretend to be a ditz all that time and 
snatch Tenchi from right under our noses, who knows what else 
she's capable of?  Washu might even be in cahoots with her, 
planning to use one of her devices to turn Tenchi into their 
mindless love slave or something."
	"No!  They couldn't!  They wouldn't!"  Aeka said in 
growing alarm.
	Ryoko nodded seriously.  "You know that Washu could if 
she really wanted to.  Mihoshi was probably the one that convinced 
her to do it too.  They must have had this whole thing planned from 
the beginning and were just pretending to hate each other so we 
wouldn't realize that they were working together.  Early on the day 
that they left, Washu had trapped Tenchi in her lab, or at least that 
was what Sasami told me.  She must have done something to him 
then and that's why he didn't resist when she took him.  Probably 
did something to Sasami and Ryo-oki as well."
	"Then why didn't Washu leave when they did?"
	"Simple, Mihoshi got greedy and decided that she didn't 
want to share Tenchi with anyone, so she left early without telling 
Washu."
	Aeka thought this over for a time before replying.  "I must 
admit, you present a very convincing scenario."
	Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a 
Jurai ship.  Aeka could tell at a glance that it was a battleship, 
though not one of their heavier fighters.  While it was about as well 
armed as her ship had been, the accommodations wouldn't be as 
nice.
	"Azaka!  Kamhedaki!"  Aeka shouted, her eyes never 
leaving the ship that hovered above them.
	"Yes, your highness," the guardians responded immediately
	"Fetch me the captain of that ship at once."
	"Yes."  The guardians faded from view.
	"Looks like your plan worked after all, princess," Ryoko 
complimented her with a grin.  "I was just beginning to lose hope 
that we'd ever find Tenchi again."
	"Even if I must hunt them to the ends of the galaxy and 
beyond, I will never give up until I find Tenchi," Aeka declared, 
her fist upraised to the heavens.
	The guardians reappeared, this time with a man nearing 
middle age, dressed in the uniform of the Jurai royal navy.  
"Princess Aeka?!"  he said in surprise as he made hasty bows.  "It 
is indeed an honor to meet you, your royal highness."
	"Yes, I suppose it is," Aeka said loftily.  "Captain, I will be 
commandeering your vessel for the near future.  Do you 
understand?"
	"Of course, my lady.  It would be our pleasure to serve you.  
Are you returning home to Jurai?"
	"No.  A member of the Jurai royal family has been 
kidnapped and we are going to rescue him."
	"Him?  Who is this?"
	"If you must know, he is Tenchi, grandson to Yosho."
	"Don't forget about Sasami," Ryoko put in.
	"Ah yes, Sasami has been kidnapped as well, though I don't 
believe that she is in any danger."
	"Who would dare kidnap two members of the Jurai royal 
family?" the captain asked with some alarm.  It was the kind of act 
that could lead to war, which was the last thing he wanted.  He 
only had a few years left until his retirement.
	"A high ranking member of the Galaxy Police, detective 
first class Mihoshi, and assisting her, the infamous mad scientist 
Washu."
	The captain gasped in surprise.  "Could this be some plot 
by the Galaxy Police to gain power at Jurai's expense?"
	"We do not believe so.  We think that the GP officer in 
question is acting on her own initiative in this.  The Galaxy Police 
are most likely still unaware of her crime."
	"Then we must inform them at once!"
	"No, that we will not do."
	"But why?"
	"Because this is a private matter that we much handle 
ourselves.  You must make sure that neither you nor your crew 
speaks about me or this mission to anyone, including the other 
members of the Jurai royal family.  We could suffer some deal of 
embarrassment if this matter was ever made public.  I can rely on 
your descrition, can't I, captain?"
	The captain bowed.  "Of course, your highness.  I will 
speak of it to no one."
	Aeka nodded and spoke to her guardians.  "Azaka, 
Kamhedaki, take the captain and I aboard ship."
	"Yes, your highness."
	The four vanished from view, leaving one very surprised 
space pirate behind.
	Aeka was startled, on appearing in one of the storage bays 
of the ship, by the large cage and wheel that was there.  "What 
purpose does this serve, captain?"
	The captain looked a bit embarrassed.  "Well, your message 
said that we were to come to Earth in order to capture the giant 
space hamster there.  Where is he, by the way?"
	Instead of bothering to explain, Aeka headed directly to the 
bridge.
	Aeka nearly jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder.  
This crew should have known much better than dare touch her 
royal person.  As Aeka turned and prepared to give a scathing 
reprimand, she stopped as she stared into familiar golden eyes.
	"Forget someone, princess?"  Ryoko asked in her normal 
tone, though underneath there was a definite layer of menace.
	Aeka laughed nervously.  "Oh please forgive me, Ryoko.  I 
was so eager to be off on Tenchi's trail that you must have slipped 
my mind."
	"Yeah, right."
	"Excuse me, princess Aeka," the captain said to her.
	"Yes, what is it?"
	"We are ready to depart.  What is our destination?"
	Aeka looked at him in surprise.  "I don't know."
	Everyone on the bridge face-faulted.
	In another part of the ship, one of the crew members was 
busy sending off a coded transmission to Jurai.  He knew it was 
against the princess's orders, however, he also knew that the king 
had to be informed of this.

	Tenchi woke up in bed to the site of Mihoshi looking down 
at him in obvious relief.  "How do you feel, Tenchi?" she asked, 
concerned.
	Tenchi rubbed his head.  "All right, I guess.  I think your 
grandmother was a little too much for me."  He laughed nervously.
	"Yeah, she does take some getting used to.  She also 
promised not to do anything like that again."
	"That's a relief," Tenchi told her as he started to take in the 
room he was in.  First of all, the bed was big enough for four 
people and the room itself was about the size of the entire 
downstairs of the Masaki house.  Added to that, everything was 
tasteful and elegant.  The furniture alone had to be worth a fortune 
and he was sure that the art pieces that decorated the room were 
priceless.  "This is a guest room?"
	"Well, sort of.  The guest rooms are only about a quarter 
this size and aren't so decorated.  These are the rooms normally 
reserved for family.  This room belongs to one of my brothers, 
actually, but grandma wanted to put you here because it's right next 
to mine.  My mom decorates all our personal rooms herself with 
some of the antiques she collects.  My parents like to live pretty 
simply though.  The room I grew up in was a lot like my room on 
my space ship, though not as modern."
	"Wait, what about Sasami?"
	"She has the room on the other side of mine.  It belongs to 
my youngest sister.  She's fine, don't worry.  She got up a little 
while ago and Zeej is showing her and Ryo-oki the grounds."
	"How long was I out for?"
	"Oh, about three hours."
	"Three hours?!  Why didn't you try and wake me?"
	Mihoshi blushed a little at this.  "But you looked so 
peaceful lying there, Tenchi."
	He smiled to see her blush.  Quickly glancing around to 
make sure there weren't any grandmothers lurking around, Tenchi 
shared a kiss his new girlfriend.
	Meanwhile, the residence was receiving yet another visitor.  
Kia was surprised when the house security told her that someone 
was at the main door.  She wasn't expecting any other visitors.  
Besides, no other ships had landed and perimeter security hadn't 
informed her of any new arrivals.  She was even more surprised 
when the security system was unable to determine if this new 
visitor was a danger.  Of course, it had said the same thing about 
Tenchi.
	Kia activated the security screen to see a young girl about 
twelve with bright red hair and an innocent expression.  "Hello 
there, who are you?"
	The girl smiled cutely and said, "Hi there, my name is 
Washu and I'm Tenchi's younger sister."
	Kia was a little surprised by that.  With that hair color, the 
girl could have easily been a granddaughter that she didn't know 
about.
	While Kia was dealing with her newest visitor, Sasami and 
Zeej wandered the grounds of the compound, on foot this time, 
with Ryo-oki running this way and that, chasing after a butterfly.
	"So, have you been working here a long time, Zeej?" 
Sasami asked conversationally as her eyes wandered over the 
rolling landscape.  Every place she looked was rich with life and 
color, much like the woods around the Masaki home, though here 
there were obvious signs of nature being tended to rather than 
letting grow wild.  It reminded her of Jurai in many ways.
	Zeej chuckled softly at her question.  "Oh, yes.  I first met 
Mr.  Kuramitsu when he was still a Galaxy Police detective."
	"Oh, how did you meet him?"
	"Actually, I first met him when he arrested me.  You see, I 
used to have been a criminal."
	"You were?" Sasami said in some surprise.
	Zeej nodded.  "Yes, though I was a very different person 
back then.  I had quite the temper, always angry and something or 
someone.  I was never satisfied with anything.  I stole whatever a 
felt like and came close to killing once or twice.  I was wanted on 
several planets and managed to elude the police on every turn, that 
is until Mr. Kuramitsu was assigned to track me down.  It only 
took him two weeks to catch me when others had been trying for 
years."
	"Did you go to prison?"
	"Yes, and I hated it there at first.  Not a day went by that I 
didn't trying thinking of a way to escape, not for my own benefit, 
but to punish the detective who had put me there.  He was the only 
thing I hated more than prison.  But then, after a while, things 
changed for me.  I began to accept the fact that escape was 
impossible and started to try to make do with my surroundings.  I 
even discovered religion, which did quite a bit to teach me the 
error of my ways.
	"I eventually go out early on good behavior and tried to 
make an honest living.  No one would trust me though.  Then I 
heard that Mr. Kuramitsu was looking for someone to take care of 
his house while his wife was pregnant.  Thinking of how much I 
owed him, I applied for the position, offering my services for free, 
though I never expected to actually be hired.  Hired me he did 
though, with pay, and I have been working for him ever since."

	"Mihoshi," Kia's voice suddenly came into Tenchi's room, 
interrupting their conversation.  "Could you please bring Tenchi to 
the tea room.  I have a surprise for him."
	"A surprise?"  Tenchi asked Mihoshi nervously.
	"It'll be okay, Tenchi," Mihoshi assured him.  "I told you 
that she promised not to push us together.  Best be prepared for 
anything, though."
	Tenchi nodded solemnly.
	Both Tenchi and Mihoshi were shocked to immobility to 
see Washu calmly sipping tea with Kia.
	Washu turned to face Tenchi with a grin.  Then with a cry 
of "big brother!", she pounced on him with a monster hug.  He just 
barely managed to avoid fainting this time.

	Kiyone sat in the room that the salvagers had given her, the 
lights set to the lowest level of illumination.  She chuckled to 
herself as she polished her service blaster, newly recharged, until it 
gleamed in the dim light.
	She bided most of her time waiting for them to reach the 
GP station in plans of Mihoshi's slow and painful demise.  None of 
her plans had been good enough for her so far.  Too quick and not 
painful enough.  She wanted her former partner's suffering to be 
slow for the hell that she had been put through, all due to the 
clumsiness of that . . . that . . . 
	She thought of peeling off ever layer of skin from Mihoshi 
with a butter knife, but Mihoshi would probably die long before 
she finished.  She thought of breaking every bone in Mihoshi's 
body, one by one, with a rusty pipe, but there wouldn't be nearly 
enough blood that way.
	Kiyone sighed.  She would have never thought it would be 
so difficult to find the perfect way to kill someone.  It had to be 
perfect, after all, she would only be able to do it once.  Maybe she 
could clone Mihoshi somehow and work out some methods?  No, 
making more Mihoshi would only make matters worse.
	Just then, Vitia walked into the room and asked, "Why is it 
so dark in here?"
	Kiyone looked startled for a moment, but she took control 
of it.  "I was just practicing servicing my blaster in low-light 
conditions.  Have to keep up my skills now that I'm going back to 
the Galaxy Police."
	"You never did tell us how you got stranded on that hulk in 
the first place."
	Kiyone's facade cracked for a second, but it was too quickly 
gone for Vitia to notice it.  "It was just an accident.  It's not 
important now."
	Vitia didn't look so sure, but let the matter drop.  "Well, I 
just came to tell you that dinner is ready."
	"Great, I'll be right there."
	Still looking uncertain, Vitia left.
	Kiyone grinned and let out a low chuckle.  "Soon," she 
whispered to herself, "Soon Mihoshi, you'll learn how much I have 
suffered first hand."